SWARMING AND HIVING.
UNDER the old systems of bee keeping, swarming was very imperfectly
understood. And even at the present time it is amusing to see how many
old bee-keepers manage their bees. This is a class of old fogies, who
denounce all improvements and progress in bee keeping, and who, year
after year, move in the same tracks in the management of their bees,
asserting that they know all about bees that is worth knowing. It is,
to say the least, amusing, to see how this class of bee-keepers manage
when their bees swarm.
In the middle of some very warm day in June or July, the alarm "_bees
swarming_," is sounded. Immediately the whole household is turned
out, some beating tin pans, some sounding horns, some shaking cow
bells--anything and everything with which to make a terrible din is
caught up in the excitement, and every member of the household works
with the sole aim of making as much noise as possible. This is done to
_make the bees cluster!_ _If this is not done, they will leave for the
woods!_ I should think the poor bees would leave any way, to get rid of
the noise and the foolish whims of their owner. But no, they dislike
to leave the place of their nativity, so in ten minutes or less from
the time they leave the hive, they settle in a cluster on some object,
generally within a half-dozen rods of the hive. And they would have
done so in this case if no noise had been made. _The noise did not
affect them in the least._
Now the bees are to be hived, and we will see how it is done in the old
way.
The bees in this case have clustered on a limb of a valuable pear tree.
"Very sorry they have pitched there," says the man of perfect knowledge
in bee keeping; "I dislike to injure that tree, but there is no help
for it."
But first a hive must be prepared. It is not quite ready. (This is bad
management.) It must be washed out thoroughly on the inside with salt
and water, and rubbed over with some sweet scented herbs. A bottom
board must be got ready etc., etc. At last the hive is ready. Now this
wise bee keeper places a table near where the swarm clustered, sets
his hive on the table, raises one edge four or six inches, takes his
saw--Oh, it is a pity to cut that nice limb full of fruit from the
pear tree; but it must be done, thinks this man of perfection in bee
management.
He grasps the limb firmly near the cluster of bees. They are _very
cross, and uneasy_. They have been clustered an hour or more, while he
has been getting his hive ready. He saws off the limbs on which the
bees are hanging, and places it carefully, with the bees adhering, on
the table, by the side of the hive, covers all _very nicely_ with a
clean sheet, and leaves them alone to enter the hive. At _about sunset_
he will place the hive with the bees in it on the stand it is to occupy.
At the time designated (about sunset) he goes out to his hive on the
table. It has been a very hot afternoon, and the hive was where it
received the full force of the sun's rays. He carefully raises the
sheet. There is the limb on which the bees clustered, but where are
the bees, they are not on the limb? Why, in the hive, of course. That
is where he expected to find them. He peeps carefully under the hive
to see how they are getting along, but astonishment is depicted on his
countenance when he discovers that his hive is empty. His bees have
left for other parts beyond his knowledge. He tries to think of some
reason why the bees have gone, and seeks to lay the blame upon the
hive. "Oh!" he says "I guess they did not like the hive, but I guess I
shall have better luck next time."
To a progressive bee keeper, one who has correct and practical
knowledge of the natural habits of bees, it is very plain why they
left. They were actually driven away by mismanagement. The heat of the
sun pouring down upon them, was enough of itself to drive them off.
Then placing the limb, with the cluster adhering to it, on the table
near the hive, showed lack of knowledge of the natural habits of bees.
The hive might as well have been in the house, as placed where it was.
Then the hour or more taken to get the hive ready, gave the bees time
to send out their scouts, to look up a location of their own, and when
these scouts returned, they left with them for a new home. T contend
every swarm does this, viz: They swarm out of the old parent stock,
led by the old queen. They cluster on some object, as a tree, brush
or vine, near the old home. Then they immediately send out a few bees
or scouts to look up a new home. These scouts may be gone a longer or
shorter time. When they return, if they find the bees clustered where
they were when they left, they soon lead them off to the new quarters,
but if before the scouts are sent out, or before they return, the
swarm is hived and placed on the stand it is to occupy, then the swarm
will not leave, for the scouts know not where to find them, or if they
should find them, the bees would seldom leave a good clean hive, for
a home in the woods. These scouts may often be seen playing about the
place where a swarm has clustered, for several days after the swarm has
been hived.
Had this bee keeper placed his hire on the table, _as soon as the bees
were clustered_, and raised the front edge one inch, instead of four
or six inches, and then, instead of cutting off the limbs, if he had
taken a basket or pan, placed it beneath the cluster of bees, and by a
sudden jar of the limb dislodged them from it into the basket or pan,
then emptied them down in front of the hive, and sprinkled lightly with
a little water, at the same time disturbing them gently with a quill or
light brush so they would not collect around and block up the entrance,
except a very few that may be flying in the air (and these will return
to the old hive,) in this way getting them all into the hive, and
immediately carrying it to the stand it was to occupy, covering it with
a board to shade it from the hot rays of the sun, or placing it in the
shade of a tree, he would have saved his bees, the damage to his pear
tree, and much perplexity.
By the old methods of managing bees, there were no means of knowing
when to expect swarms; consequently the bees were sometimes watched
all summer, in expectation of swarms any pleasant day, as outside
indications were fa vol able for them; yet they would often adhere to
the old hive throughout the entire summer.
With the controllable hive and new system of bee management, as shown
in this work, swarming is brought completely under the control of the
bee keeper. It is well for him to understand _correctly_ what are the
requisites and preparations for natural swarming by the bees, when left
to themselves in a natural state. They are as follows: The bees must
be obtaining honey freely, either from flowers, or from feed supplied
them. The combs must be filled with brood in all stages of growth, from
the egg just deposited in the cell, to the perfect bee just emerging.
(And from this, bee keepers will note what conditions are required
at the time swarms are forced, as recommended in my plan.) When this
condition of affairs is reached, the bees construct queen cells, (that
is, if they deride to swarm; they will do as they like about it, if
left entirely to themselves,) from which in about sixteen days the
queens will hatch, unless the bees should change their intentions, and
decide not to swarm, and destroy all the queen cells. Remember, they
are having it all their own way. When these cells are sealed over and
finished is the time (if everything is favorable), when the first swarm
leaves, led off by the old queen. Some of the most reliable works on
bees have taught that the queen cells _must be half finished before the
queen will deposit the egg that is to produce the queen;_ but this, I
find by close observation, is a mistake; for if you take the queen away
from a stock, _with no queen cells in any stage of formation in the
hive_, the bees will rear a queen _from a worker egg, deposited in an
ordinary worker cell_. And who shall say they do not do this when the
queen is present? I am satisfied they do.
Thus we see in _natural_ swarming, _with the bees left to themselves_,
the old queen leaves with the first swarm, at about the time the queen
cells are sealed over and finished, which is about eight days before
the young queens hatch.
When the young queens hatch, after-swarms (as second and third issues,
or all after the first,) will issue. Second swarms may be expected in
about eight days after the first. This time will sometimes vary, as
the hatching of the queen somewhat depends on the weather, the number
of bees left in the old stock, etc.; a low temperature retards the
hatching, while a high temperature forwards it.
At evening of about the eighth or tenth day after the first swarm, by
putting your ear close to the hive you will hear, very plainly, every
few minutes, several clear and distinct "peeping" sounds, very sharp at
times, then hoarse and dull. This sound proceeds from the young queen
just hatched. When it is heard, look out for a swarm the next day;
though it sometimes happens that one or two days will intervene before
they will issue. But as long as the sound continues, be on the lookout
for swarms. This "peeping" can always be heard before a second swarm
issues, if we will take the trouble to listen. The time between second
and third swarms is invariably from one to four days. It is useless to
look for after-swarms from a stock _after twenty_ days from the first.
They are generally all out within sixteen days from the issue of the
first swarm. I have given in another place, under the head of "Swarming
Controlled," instructions how to manage swarming under my new system.
Some additional information I will give in this connection.
Just before swarms are expected, if there are no trees near your hives,
or if there are large trees from which it would be difficult to take
a swarm of bees were they to cluster on the branches, procure several
evergreen trees, such as spruce or fir, three or four feet high.
Leave the limbs on, excepting about a foot at the bottom. Sharpen the
trunks, so they can be set in the ground and lifted out with ease. With
a bar make large holes, about a foot deep, in front of your hives,
some distant about six feet, others from twelve to thirty feet. Set a
half-dozen or more of these trees in these holes, putting in by the
side of them a small stone or piece of wood, to hold firmly in place
and prevent swaying by the wind. When your swarms issue, they will
be very likely to cluster on some of these trees, when they can be
conveniently gathered in the Controllable Hive.
In hiving, if the bees have clustered on some one of the trees set
for them, place the Controllable Hive on the stand it is to occupy,
allowing the stand to project two feet in front of the hive. Draw back
the bottom board under the brood section ten or fifteen inches, to give
the bees a good chance to enter the hive. _Shade the hive well._ Now
go to the tree on which your swarm is clustered. Remove the stone or
piece of wood that holds it in place; lift the tree, carefully avoiding
any jar, carry it to the hive, and hold the cluster down to the stand
and close up to the hive, _as near the entrance as possible_. Then give
the tree a sudden jar, sufficient to dislodge the cluster of bees.
They will fall directly at the entrance of the hive, and immediately
commence to enter. Sprinkle _lightly_ with water, and _gently_ disturb
those that stop about the entrance, with a quill or brush, till all
are made to enter the hive. Then slide the bottom board forward to its
place and the work is done.
Should the bees cluster on some large tree or other out of the way
place, the manner of hiving must be varied. Set your hive near by with
a wide board in front to keep the bees out of the grass and dirt.
Arrange the hive as before directed. If the bees are clustered on a
small limb, high above your reach, secure a basket to a pole, and raise
it directly beneath the cluster. Dislodge the bees from their position,
when they will fall directly into the basket, which you should take
down quickly and shake the bees from it down to the entrance to the
hive, and proceed as before. Keep the limb on which they were clustered
in motion for a few minutes, to prevent their return. Should they
cluster on the body of a tree, or a large limb, where they cannot be
shaken off, set your hive near by, as before directed, and with a
handled dipper dip them off and turn them down in front of the hive
near the entrance. Dip _very carefully_, so as not to crush any of the
bees. They will not attempt to sting if you treat them well, and prove
to them that you are their friend. After you have dipped off a portion
of the bees, and got them moving into the hive, if the queen is with
them, they will all leave the cluster and join their companions who are
entering their new home. But if the queen remains with the cluster, as
soon as those entering the hive discover that she is not with them,
they will leave the hive and rejoin the cluster. So it is well to
keep dipping as long as you can get any of the bees, or till you are
_certain_ the bees are leaving the cluster and entering the hive of
their own accord.
It sometimes happens in natural swarming, that when a swarm issues, led
by the _old_ queen, which has occupied the hive for a year or more,
that she finds herself unable to fly, and drops down in front of the
hive. In this case, if left to themselves, the bees, after flying about
for perhaps five or ten minutes, will return to the hive from whence
they came, and remain until the young queens hatch, issuing again,
about the time a second swarm would have come out, or perhaps a little
earlier.
If you are on hand you can prevent the swarm returning, but you must
be lively. If you find the bees are flying longer than usual without
clustering, and appear scattered and disorganized in their movements,
look in front of the hive from which they issued, for the queen. You
will probably find her within two or three feet of the hive. Put her
in a tumbler, and cover closely, to prevent her escape. As soon as you
find the bees have commenced to return to the old hive, set it back out
of the way, and throw a sheet or some other covering over it.[6] Then
set your Controllable Hive in its place, with the bottom board drawn
back as directed in hiving a new swarm. Set the tumbler containing the
queen over the brood section, so the confined queen can pass down into
the hive, but leaving no chance for her to escape by any other way. The
bees will then enter the hive readily. And as soon as all are in, which
will be in a few minutes, remove the hive to a new stand and shade as
directed before. Set the old stock back in its former place.
[Footnote 6: If other hives are near, on each side, it will be well to
throw the covering over them also, to prevent the swarm entering any
other than the designed hive, as they might possibly do, if the hives
were only a few feet distant.]
The foregoing circumstance often happens when bees are managed on the
old swarming plan, and queens that are unable to fly are usually very
old. On my plan of management such cases are of rare occurrence.
Natural swarms usually issue between nine o'clock in the forenoon, and
one o'clock in the afternoon. Occasionally one will issue earlier in
the forenoon or later in the afternoon; but as a general rule they make
their appearance between the hours specified.
Very early swarms hived in Controllable Hives should have access to
the boxes on one side only. In about ten days after being hived, and
as soon as the bees are well at work in these, give them access to the
other side. Swarms that are hived late in the season, will not require
boxes, until the next season, as it is necessary to have the brood
section filled, or nearly filled, before the bees have access to the
boxes.
It is important that we have the combs in the brood section built
_straight in the frames_, so as to be easily lifted out _separately_.
To aid in securing this object, when a swarm is first hived in a
controllable hive, raise the rear of the hive four inches, by putting
under it a piece of joist, having the hive perfectly level from side
to side. This gives the frames a pitch forward, and will greatly aid
in securing straight combs. Let the hive remain in this position for a
week or ten days, then set it down level. If you have it to spare, one
frame filled with comb placed in the brood section near the center will
insure straight combs in the balance. If no precaution is taken in this
direction, the bees will _sometimes_ build the comb crosswise of the
brood section, notwithstanding the triangular comb guides in the frames
of each controllable hive. As straight combs in the brood section are
very important, we should employ every available means to aid in
securing them.
It is well to keep on hand a few plain boxes, each with four movable
frames, like those in the controllable hive. If at any time a swarm
comes out at the _very last of the honey season_, hive them in one of
these boxes. They will probably enlarge or quite fill the four frames
with comb, and perhaps store a little honey. Then, in the fall, put
these four frames, with the bees and comb, in a controllable hive, and
add two frames, well filled with honey, from a stock that can spare it.
In this way you will build up a good stock for winter, whereas if you
had hived them in a full sized controllable hive so late in the season,
they would probably have put a little comb in each of the six frames,
but not enough to winter, rendering it necessary for you to feed with
the liquid feed in the fall. It is better to have four frames nearly or
quite filled with comb, than to have six frames with a very little comb
in each.
It sometimes happens that a swarm of bees, which has worked well in
boxes through the entire honey season, will swarm out about the time
the yield of honey ceases. If managed on the old plan, such swarms are
_worthless_, but by hiving them in a box with four movable frames, as
directed, they make valuable stocks. All such swarms may be returned to
the old stock, as directed in another chapter, yet we sometimes wish to
increase the number of our stocks to the utmost, and it is convenient
to know how to make valuable stock of these late issues. Then they can
either be returned or hived, whichever the bee keeper thinks is most
for his or her interest.