THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE AND
NEW SYSTEM OF BEE MANAGEMENT.
IT is now nearly ten years since I perfected the Controllable Bee Hive
and New System of Bee Management. I commenced bee keeping with the
common box hive, with no knowledge whatever, of the habits of bees. I
was not long in learning that I could not make bee keeping a success
with the box hive, and I also found that the _thousand and one_ patent
hives were no better, and the great majority of such hives, _inferior_
to the simple box hive. I found there was no practical method of
controlling the swarming propensities of bees. All such hives would
swarm or not, as seemed to suit the caprice of the bees, which I found
very perplexing. Stocks under the old plan of management, sometimes
show every indication of swarming, such 'as clustering out, etc., yet
they adhere pertinaciously to the old stock through the entire summer,
a peck or more of them clustering idly on the outside of the hive,
through the season; and if one put on boxes, it is all the same, they
will do nothing. And such swarms often starve early the next winter,
after passing the summer in idleness. Other stocks with apparently not
so many bees will swarm several times; often swarm so much as to reduce
the number of bees so low that the bee moth will effect its destruction
during the summer; there not being bees enough to protect the combs
from the attacks of this destructive little insect. This swarming
problem I found very difficult to solve. There were so many conflicting
theories, I found I could gain no positive, reliable information from
any source, to aid me, and that I must solve the problem by practical
experiment.
Experience is a good teacher, but often a very costly one. Some told
me if I wished to prevent swarming, I must cut out the queen cells,
which the bees constructed preparatory to swarming. This was simply
impossible, with the box hive, sol constructed a hive with movable
frames, so the bees, could build their combs in the frames, and each
comb of the hive could be lifted out separately. But when I attempted
to prevent swarming by cutting out the queen cells, I found if T was
to thwart nature in that way, I had, to say the least, a big job on my
hands. I could cut out the queen cells, but within twenty-four hours
after I had done this, the bees would have others constructed, and be
ready to swarm, and as I kept cutting, they would keep building. They
had the advantage of numbers and position, and when I opened the hive
_every day_ and destroyed such, to them, important work, they were not
long in declaring and proclaiming me to be an enemy to them, and they
would attack me whenever occasion offered. I soon found that if not
_impossible_ it was certainly _impracticable_ to prevent bees swarming
by cutting out the queen cells. It was a surprise to me that this plan
should be recommended by bee keepers claiming to be well skilled in bee
management. After proving this plan of no value, I was told if I would
contract the entrance to my hives so the queen could not pass, I could
thereby successfully prevent swarming, as the swarm would not leave
without the queen. This looked to me like a very _nice_ operation, to
say the least, in fact, _more nice than wise_. However, I determined to
test the plan. I accordingly contracted the entrance to my hives, and
lo! the _drones_ being larger than the queen _they could not pass!_
so they clustered about the entrance, and in their efforts to get out,
completely blocked up the passage, so the workers could not pass. Yet
this plan of contracting the entrance was claimed to be protected by
_letters patent of the U. S._ I found this plan for preventing swarming
of no value whatever. Very many other plans were tendered me and
tested with like results. I was all this time pushing my experiments,
and learning something from experience every day. I was determined to
arrange and construct a hive which would render bee keeping successful
and profitable, and I can say at the present time, my labors have been
rewarded with success.
I ought to go on and write out a description of all the old methods of
bee keeping, and all the patent bee hive humbugs, with the thousand
and one _non_-patent hives and fixtures, got up expressly to swindle
bee keepers out of their hard earnings, by a class of rascals, many of
whom never owned a swarm of bees, and who care not one cent whether
bee keeping is a success or otherwise, if they can pocket a round
sum by their fraud. Were I to write out minutely these points, this
work would become too voluminous and extended; besides it would be of
no _practical_ value to the bee keeper, who wishes to keep bees for
profit. I will not, therefore, give such minute descriptions of all the
old systems, hives, etc., but will confine myself more closely to such
practical information as will be of value to the bee keeper.
Swarming Controlled.
_How to control swarming_ is truly an important question. I believe
that the successful controlling of swarming is the key to success and
profit in bee keeping. Now how shall we do it? I will tell you. But
first a few preliminary words. If swarms are desired, we arrange in
early spring to have them issue in the swarming season, and at such a
time as will best suit our convenience. When no swarms are wanted, we
turn the whole force of bees to storing surplus honey in small glass
boxes, throughout the entire season, and have no swarms, yet have the
same increase of bees that would be gained if they swarmed. Then all
the bees work at storing honey in boxes, instead of swarming out; and
to any one who has not tested the matter it is surprising to see the
amount of honey which a swarm of bees will store when not allowed to
swarm, and _fed judiciously_, ample box room being provided of _easy
access_, so that all the bees have room to work, and by this plan we
are not constantly watching and waiting for swarms with uncertainty
throughout the entire summer, for we know with certainty when and where
to look for swarms. In my plan, the swarming properties of bees are
effectively controlled, without frequently disturbing or overhauling
them, but by observing rules strictly in accordance with the habits and
instincts of bees.[1]
[Footnote 1: Here let me be clearly understood. I admit that bees will
sometimes swarm, with abundant room for work in their boxes. Yet I
claim that on my plan all increase by swarming may be prevented without
great trouble or perplexity, such as has heretofore attended all
attempts to bring about this greatly to be desired object. If a person
commences bee keeping, with a certain number of swarms in controllable
hives, and in early spring gives the bees access to the hive boxes,
and later, after they commence work in them, gives the bees access to
the top boxes, giving them otherwise ordinary care, (except to feed if
desired,) but a small proportion will swarm on the average yearly. Much
the larger portion will work in the boxes without swarming out, and
give a handsome yield of surplus box honey, the yield of course being
governed by the amount of feed given them, and the yield from flowers,
etc. But if increase of stocks is preferred, rather than surplus box
honey--if the bees are not given access to the boxes, but confined in
their labors to the brood section of the hive, being fed as directed,
nearly every one will swarm, and swarm early.]
If you wish your bees in controllable hives to swarm keep the partition
in place at the sides of the brood section, and the honey board over
the top; or in other words, keep the bees confined in their labors to
the central or brood section of the hive. Now, if you wish them to
swarm in any particular week of the swarming season, ten days before,
remove the old queen. (It is well to kill her, and to do so, take with
her about a pint of bees, and put them in a small miniature hive, six
or eight inches square, with movable frames, like those in the central
part of the controllable hive. Keep them shut in, twenty-four hours;
then give them their liberty, and they will work the same as a large
swarm through the summer; but will not winter. If such queens are known
to be _very old_ it is best to destroy them when we take them from
the swarm. _Keep only young, vigorous queens._) The bees in the hive,
from which you have taken the queen, will in nearly every instance,
construct queen cells _immediately_ to replace the loss of their queen.
At the earliest possible moment, they seem to sense fully their loss,
and to know that if they do not get another queen at once, their loss
is irreparable. They usually will construct a number of cells, perhaps
a half dozen or more. These will hatch in about ten days, and then
swarms will issue.[2]
[Footnote 2: Should any stock fail to swarm within two weeks from the
time the queen is removed, at the end of that time, examine such stock,
and if they have no queen they must be furnished with one. About one
stock in twenty, deprived of its queen as directed, will fail to rear
queens.]
If you wish to devote but little time to your bees, and are not
particular as to the time of swarming, and wish to have but _very few
swarms, or perhaps none at all_, early in the spring, as soon as bees
commence their work, put on the boxes (sides and top,) and give the
bees access to them; side boxes first, top boxes later. By this course,
but a very small proportion of your stocks will swarm, (if this plan is
to be practiced each year, it will be necessary to replace the _old_
queens with _young_ ones every three or four years. If this is not
done, queens will die, or become barren from old age, and consequently
loss of stocks follows. Keep this point in your mind: _young healthy,
prolific queens, are essential to success_,) as they will have ample
room in the boxes for their labor. Occasionally a hive treated in
this way will swarm, and, if you wish to have no increase of stocks
whatever, if a swarm comes out, hive it in a light box, and _as soon as
this is done_, go to the hive which they came from and smoke lightly;
if the bees are cross, lift out the comb frames from the brood section
with the bees adhering; examine each and every comb _carefully_ for
queen cells, _and cut off all but one_. Success here depends on _care
and thoroughness_, for if you leave more than one cell, your bees may
swarm out again in a day or two.
After this is done, spread a sheet on the ground; set a light box,
like the one in which you have the bees, near one side; raise the edge
towards where you will shake the bees one inch or a little more, to
give the bees a chance to enter the box. Shake the bees from the hive,
by a quick, jerking motion, upon the sheet, the most of them some two
or three feet from the box. With a large spoon or ladle, put a few up
near the box, so they will enter, and disturb the others gently with a
quill or light brush. When they commence to enter the box, they will
set up a loud and continual humming, or call, and the bees on the
sheet, if lightly disturbed with the quill or brush, will spread out,
and march towards the hive, while those on the wing will alight, and
join them in the march. Now look _closely_ for the queen, and capture
her. If she is not found before the bees get into the box, shake them
out again, and go through the same process, till you find her. As soon
as you have secured the queen, the bees, in a few minutes, finding
themselves destitute of a queen, and not having the means of raising
another to take her place, will rise on the wing, and return to the
old stock from which they came, and will not come out again, but will
work in the boxes throughout the season. I will treat of this subject
of swarming no further in this chapter. The merits of the Controllable
Hive and New System of Bee Management, will be fully shown further on
in this work, and the most explicit instructions given for rearing bees
with profit.
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