THE CONTROLLABLE HIVE AND NEW SYSTEM OF BEE MANAGEMENT.
IT is now more than ten years since I invented 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 than, 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 swarming 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, so I constructed a hive with moveable
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 I 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 entrances to my hives so the queen could not pass,
I could thereby successfully prevent swarming, as the swarms 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 wow-patent hives and fixtures, gotten 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 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
side 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 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. After long
experience, however, I recommend putting on the boxes _early_, we shall
thus, in most cases, get a greater profit than otherwise.]
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 keep 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 moveable 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 fall 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 the
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 stock 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 follow; 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
toward 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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