Artificial Swarming
Every bee-keeper knows the anxiety he feels in watching and expecting a swarm to come forth, fearful lest his favourites should, “like riches, take wing and fly away,”—a mischance that it is desirable to prevent. In our description of natural swarming, this will be found fully treated of; we propose here merely to point out how, with the movable frames, this work of Nature may be assisted—we say assisted, because artificial swarming should, as nearly as possible, resemble natural swarming; that is, it should be performed at the same time of the year, and when the populous state of the hive makes a division desirable. This is easily known to be the case when bees hang out in clusters at the entrance, wasting their time in enforced idleness instead of being abroad gathering honey. It is also necessary that the hive contain drones.
When such, is, the state of the hive, the facility of affording an artificial swarm with a movable frame-hive is a decided advantage. The best time for performing the operation is about ten o’clock in the morning of a fine summer’s day. The following directions should be carried out:—Place ready a counter or bench that is firm and strong, and which has space on it for the inhabited—or, rather, the over-inhabited—frame-hive and the empty one, which is about to be made the receptacle of a separate stock. The operator, attired in his bee-dress, and having the other appliances ready, may now open the hive17 as before described, and proceed to take out the frames, carefully examining both sides of each comb to find the queen;18 she is generally in the centre of the hive, so that it is not always needful to take out all the ten frames. As they are examined, the frames may be put into the empty hive, and when the object of the bee-master’s search is found, he must carefully remove the frame containing her majesty, and may place it temporarily in the empty hive, at one end by itself. Next he must proceed to put the frames back into the old hive, closing up the vacancy caused by the removal of the comb with the queen on it, and leave the empty frame at the end. Then he may place the frame containing the queen, with the few bees that maybe upon it, in the centre of the empty hive; and, finally, putting all the other frames in, and replacing the lid, the bee-master will place this hive in the exact position occupied by the old stock. The bees that are on the wing will go to the old spot, and, finding the queen there, they will rally round her, and very soon form a sufficient number to constitute a swarm; comb-building will at once begin, the frames will, in a week or so, be filled, and a satisfactory stock will thus be established. By doing this, at the right time, just before the bees are about to swarm, or when there are many drones, all the trouble of watching and waiting for them is saved. Mr. Woodbury claims the honour of having originated this mode of swarming.
This operation we performed, exactly as described above, with one of our improved cottage-hives, one afternoon at the latter end of May, 1862. Whilst inspecting our bees, we caught sight of the queen on the comb in one of the bell-glasses. This was a chance not to be missed, and we immediately resolved to form an artificial swarm, for the hive was very full of bees. Besides, being obliged to be away from the apiary most of the week, we were glad of the opportunity of so easily establishing a colony without the uncertainty and trouble of hiving a natural swarm. In the first place, we slid a tin under the bell-glass, and removing the stock-hive from underneath, we took it a few feet away; then we placed an empty improved cottage-hive where the old stock had stood, and put the glass of comb containing the queen and a few bees over one of the holes in the crown of this new empty hive. The bees that were left abroad belonging to the old stock returned as usual to their old entrance as they supposed; soon a sufficient number formed a large cluster in the hive and began comb-building, the queen remaining in the glass until the cells below were sufficiently numerous for her to deposit her eggs in them. The division answered exceedingly well; both hives prospered: the old hive either had some princesses coming forward to supply the loss of the queen, or the bees used a power that they possess of raising a queen from worker-brood in the manner we have previously described.19
The foregoing account illustrates the successful formation of an artificial swarm; but, with a cottage-hive, gaining possession of the queen is quite a matter of chance. With a movable frame-hive she can at any suitable time be found.
Precisely the same plan is to be adopted with the old stock in the frame-hive as we have described in the case of the cottage-hive, that is, to remove it some few paces off: when the hives are in a bee-house, a similar result may be obtained, by placing the new swarm for a day or two to the entrance used by the bees when with the old stock, and the old stock may be removed to an approximate entrance. Some apiarians recommend that a space be left between the two hives, by placing the hives on the right and left of the old entrance, in order that too large a proportion of bees should not enter the new hive at the old position, to the impoverishment of the other. But we have found the mode adopted with the cottage-hive answer so well, that we see no reason for recommending any different plan.
It is the office of the bee-master to assist, not in the least degree to oppose, nature. We know that when a natural swarm issues forth, it has its impregnated queen, and, when located in a new abode, it commences building worker-combs, leaving the building of the few drone-combs to a later period; but if a division of the hive should be made, by putting half the combs in one hive and half in another, the hive that is either queenless or contains an embryo queen will busy itself with building only drone-comb; thus a number of receptacles for useless bees is provided, which tends to weakness, and eventually to loss of the hive.
In the plan we have recommended for forming two separate families, we nearly follow the natural state of things; the comb that the queen is upon is the only one that is taken from the hive, and this vacancy should be filled in by moving the frames together, so as to leave the empty frame at the end. The bees, under the government of the impregnated queen, construct the combs and furnish their new above, as before stated, with worker-cells.
By adopting the plan above described, the movable bar and frame-hive will prove far superior to any of the dividing hives, which provide for equal division of the combs.20
Perhaps the greatest advantage the movable frame-hive possesses is, that a full knowledge can be attained of its exact state as regards the queen, the population, and the quantity of food in stock. During weather of a genial temperature, the combs may on any fine day be inspected, and thus, a knowledge being gained of the deficiency existing in a hive, the necessary means may be adopted for supplying the want. Sometimes such an examination will verify the fears of the bee-keeper, when, having observed that his bees have ceased to carry in pollen, he has thereby received warning that the queen has been lost at some juncture when no successor to the throne could be provided. Such a hive has entered on a downward course, and will dwindle away entirely, unless a queen should be given to it, or else some combs containing young brood not more than three days old. By the latter method, the bee-keeper will gain an opportunity of seeing the bees set about their wonderful process of raising a queen from the brood thus provided for them.
When a bee-keeper has become skilful in his calling, he maybe desirous to encourage the breeding of queens, or rather of preventing their destruction. He will seek to use the propagating instincts of the worker-bees as a set-off against that innate hatred of rivalry which prompts the reigning queen to kill the tender royal brood.
An ingenious little contrivance has been brought into use by continental bee-keepers, especially by Herr Kleine, a German pastor, to prevent the destruction alluded to. It consists of a small wire cage (in fact, a pipe cover), as represented in the above engraving, placed over a queen-cell to protect it from the mother-bee’s animosity, and it also serves to prevent the young queen, when hatched, from escaping; for she will have the same jealous feeling toward her sister-princesses, should there be more in the hive. The bee-master may thus carefully remove and appropriate her.
Particular attention will have to be exercised to affix the cage into the comb by pressure, as far as the middle wall, but at no point must it touch the royal cell itself. As the cage will probably project so as to touch the adjoining comb, a little incision and removal of a portion may be necessary, to allow space for it. It can, however, be squeezed into any shape to suit the position required.
This covering need not be put over the cell until the egg is a little more than a week old. The animosity of the reigning queen does not generally manifest itself until the royal brood approaches maturity.
It is said that these cells are unmolested on the tenth day, but that on the eleventh day they may be found tenantless. Notwithstanding the apiarian’s care and skill, many disappointments are frequently experienced in endeavouring to establishing fertile young queens at the head of colonies.
Hives found to be queenless may be supplied either with matured queens or with queen-cells. If the latter are sufficiently numerous, their introduction may easily be effected by exchanging a comb in each hive; if they have to be cut out and place loosely in the new hive, a triangular piece of comb should then be removed with them, to be used as a block in preventing any pressure coming on them. A space must be cut out of the middle in the centre combs of the hive into which they are to be introduced. Special care must be taken not to bruise the royal embryos, as they are particularly sensitive to pressure. It is sometimes best to introduce royal brood into queenless hives in preference to matured unimpregnated queens, because, as mentioned at page 8, bees are reluctant to receive virgin queens, whilst they will tolerate one hatched in the hive, who will speedily depart to seek a drone. Bee-masters mostly use small hives for queen-rearing, consisting of, say, four combs. By extracting from a populous hive four such frames of combs (with the bees on them), and having eggs in the first stage (see page 9), or better still a royal embryo, the bees will rear a queen or queens therefrom. Care will have to be exercised to ensure that there is a sufficient number of bees to mature the brood brought from the hive.21
A colony of this character is technically called a “nucleus.”
Such operations as queen-rearing should only be attempted in warm summer weather, and when drones are abundant.
A very great advantage that the Woodbury bar and frame hive affords, is the safety and convenience with which a stock of bees can in it be transported to any part of the kingdom: by a few additional arrangements, stocks have even been sent in it to distant countries. In many districts hives are removed to moors, and heaths in autumn, for the purpose of gathering heather honey. In this operation, the frames are a great support to the combs, very much lessening the risk of a break down and consequent loss.
From a hive that has been inhabited all the winter, we have not unfrequently lifted out the frames and removed the stock to a clean hive; and we believe that the change has always been useful The bees find a clean floor-board and a clean hive to breed in, free from insects that may have harboured in crevices about their former abode. When the change has been made, the old hive can be thoroughly cleaned and used in the same way for making the exchange with another stock. The process for handling will, of course, be the same as before described. We have found that, where this plan has been carried out, the bees seem to progress faster. Perhaps a little stirring up may be useful in arousing them from their winter doze. The time we recommend for doing this is in the beginning of April, but a fine warm day should be chosen.
Notes
17 Bees are apt to take the interference more kindly if the stock be moved a little distance from its accustomed stand; in such case, place an empty hive in its place, to amuse returning bees. These can be shaken out when the hive it is desired they should inhabit is restored. If the hive be kept in a closed bee-house, the entrance should be shut down until the hive is replaced, when the clustered bees may be at once admitted.
18 Italian queens are more easily detected, being of a brighter colour and, generally, larger than English queens.
19 See Section I, page 9.
20 At page 143 of Mr. Langstroth’s “Honey Bee,” other methods of artificial swarming are described, the perusal of which will well repay the scientific bee-keeper.
21 These weak little colonies should have small entrances, so as to be better able to defend themselves from the attacks of robber-bees, and they will require to be assisted and strengthened by feeding.