MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

THOUSAND ANSWERS 135of my bees. I would like to avoid the troubles of the usual swarming,and yet increase my stock.A. Here is one good way: Operate a little before the usualtime of swarming in your neighborhood; or, if you wish to takea little more pains, operate after queen-cells are started, but beforethey are sealed, for with the first sealing a swarm is likely toissue. Set one of the stories on a new stand, putting in it all theframes of brood with adhering bees and leave the rest of thecombs and bees with the old queen on the old stand. The hive onthe old stand ought to give a good surplus in a good year. Thereis, however, some danger of a swarm as soon as the first youngqueen emerges. You can prevent this by destroying all queencellsbut one. Or, you may prevent it by dividing the brood intotwo parts, providing you want the increase.It may be still better first to put all the brood in the upperstory, with an excluder between the two stories, and the queen inthe lower story. Then, a week later, move the upper story to anew stand. In this case there ought to be no danger of swarming.Q. Referring to the Alexander method of preparing coloniesfor division, by placing the older brood above an excluderuntil sealed, and the queen with open brood below upon the bottom;I would like to divide as early as there is sufficient brood,'and, for that reason would like to know if the process might notsuccessfully be reversed, the queen being placed above the excluder,and the brood for sealing below, and thus avoid desertionof the queen by reason of unexpected cold, which has been reportedby one observer.A. Yes, the queen may be put above the excluder, leavingthe brood below, although you will probably not like it quite sowell, for the natural thing is for bees to work downward, with thebrood.Increase, Artificial, by Division.—Q. I have 28 strong coloniesand want to increase to 50 if possible this season, and would liketo do it artificially, as I think it will save a lot of time. This ismy second season with bees. How shall I proceed? Would it doto divide the bees just before they are ready to swarm, and isit best to put frames of foundation in the old colony where Itake out the frames of brood?A. Yes, one of the simplest ways is to divide each colony intotwo parts before the bees swarm. Leave the old queen on theold stand and put more than half of the brood with adheringbees on a new stand and they will rear a queen. Fill vacancieswith frames having full sheets of foundation.But that's far from the best way. Just what the best way is.