CANADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE ESS A I DM i) BEE lEEPIIG: OR AK EASY METHOD 01" m THK MOST PROFITABLE MANNER TO THEIR OWN^a WITH INFALLIBLE RULES TO PRE- VMJt THllR DESTRUCTION BY THE MOTH, OR OTHERWISE. 1 I' PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BEADT, — ^ ^^ 1# Pbrte. Indiana^ from Fm^ty Ymr^ ExjMrimc-e in ~ike\\ H Munagmnent of Bem^ with the famr of two ^ ^ , ^ " I^mimM frrnn ike Untied States Qimemfmnt, and aim one in ^9M4du, on BeS'JIivm. FimsT EDimo: :XTfi I ^rsTLlAVENWOETH S poWKE --'*^!^^, HT:^*J't. ^tKBi :i.,^.AA mj ■j#? T *■ ESSAY ON BEE KEEPING: OR AN EASY METHOD OF IN THE MOST PROFITABLE MANNER) TO THEIR OWNER, WITH INFALLIBLE RULES TO PRE- VENT THEIR DESTRUCTION BY THE MOTH, OR OTHERWISE. SiTre iH^i PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BRADT, Of La Porte, Indiana, from Forty Years Experience in the Management of Bees, vnth the favor of two Patents from the United States 6overnm,ent, and also one in Canada, on Bee-Hives, FIRST EDITION. OT. CATHARINES : ;;^^^ i. S. LBAVBNWORTH's POWBR PRBSS, ST. PAUL STRBBt. 1869. Sf 523 -_ * *.' 5 9 fM, 13149 #-■ !« »' JS *f-- ■?£■ # •^. .i^' # -* '#: "'&<,* %, J^ V-'t v^ if •,» ^■*-^* J^ • », -■^s It * * J*S.A,. f ft "I ?*-r«-'*\' --^' - fi» ■^. 4^ '^iK- ;^ n- - ■'4l^ '. I'.^V 1^ - ,^ . , < " ' -^^.^^-l-. -., '■^--.^'^ ■■*'^V '^-l .;:■*.}<■••> 'T.-ir • :v ^ ; ..^: ;/ ■ ^i# .-^v OR 1 ; '"^ - .. ■■ - ♦•■-. '|?*|'''-;Hr-: \.- BEE KEEPING. ■»' ■ ♦■ ■ '-i .'^(S, ' -* It must be evident to all that a work of this kind is greatly needed, as I have found in travelling over the country there are but very few wiio know how to manage bees to profit much by them ; and thi« is one great rea- son why there are so few kept in the land, or by the ifl-^I habitants of the land. My first object is, to show the people their base neglect of managing bees right. Bees require as much care as your stock. You must not think when you get a stand of bees, that you can set them back in some hiding place, under some bushes, or aa old building, and let them go at that. Eemember Ifce poorer your hive is, the greater care they require. The best luck that I ever had in keeping bees in the old biye, was, f# set them out in an open space on good benches with large hives, where there are no bushes nor grsis to grow around them, or anything to obstruct their way in coming to their hive. You must look after their wants at least once a week, both summer and winter and see if they arc all tight, and have got plenty of honey for their winter's supply ; and if it is a very cold winter ^ut them in a dry celler till spring c^ns, then set them back in their place. It has not been my intention in writing on the art of bee-keeping ta encourage the use of the common board hive, as I too well know the ^reat digadrantage, as well as loss there is in the management of bees in the box hive. For one, in my practice in bee keeprng, I have lost nearly 100 stands of bees ; some by moth, some by freezing, some by starving, and some by losing their queen, &c. RULE l.-CONOTRUCTION OF A BEEHIVE. A bee-hive should be made of sound boards, free from sbakes or cracks ; it should be planed smooth inside and out, made in a workmanlike manner, and painted white on the outside, as white has the least attraction of the sun. The size of the hive should be in accordance with the strictest rules of economy, and adapted to the peculiar nature and wants of honey-bees, to make them profitable to their owner. The way I make my hive, patented July 3, 1866, is as follows : — I first take good poplar, or pine^^boards, 16 inches wide, saw them 2 feet 10 inches long, for the outside box or hive, and before nailing it together, measure 6 inches on the outside, and 5f inches on the inside ; then saw the two side pieces, or boards Jhalf way through on both sides, then burst it apart and it , will form a cap that can be turned over by placing hinges on the back; but first, saw the back board square with [the sides. Have the door its full length, so as to come down to the bottom of the hive ; this bottom is placed five inches from the ground. Have a moulding at the bottom of the door with a drawer to cover the bottom, to /jcatcb all the dirt and dead bees that fall from the hive. Of I then nail the two sides fast to the bottom, then nail . ;^ the back piece or board, then nail the top together, nd nail on the the top piece made of two inch plank, bevelled from the top to f of an inch on the edge, then nail on cleats or bearers fast to the sides of the outside box or hive, 20 inches from the top, for the inside hive to rest on ; this inside hive must be made of boftrds o»e foot wide, made to fit snug in its place, coming out even in front, and fitting snug to the back. The front of thb inside hive must be hung on hinges, so as to take out the frame in front. ^ - ^^^^ . The frames are made thus : Take lathing quarter of an inch thick, size them down to one inch wide for the top and side pieces, and half an inch wide for the bottom pieces ; nail on a triangular piece fast to the top piece for the bees to build their combs to. These frames have tacks with big heads driven in the top and bottom, to keep them stationary, three-eighths of an inch apart, to let the bees pass between them. The top board of the inside hive must be half an inch thick, and lay loose on the frames, with a space of three-eighths of an inch for the bees to pass over them to their work. There are four drawers six inches deep, seven inches wide, and seven inches long, with glass ends, to see when they are full, put in like window-glass, without putty. These drawers must have a hole half an inch big through, the centre, down through the honey board, to let the bees pass up in the drawers at pleasure. The cleats or bearers of the inside hive are nailed on the sides 20 inches from the top, for the inside hive to rest on. There are two tins or sheet-irons nailed fast to the cleats, eight inches wide, projecting within an inch of each other, to carry oflF worms and dead bees to the bottom drawer, which ean be emp- tied out at pleasure. There must be a tin flap hung in iifiront of the sheet-irons, to correspond with them, that ^an be lifted up to sec in the hive without opening the inside door** This inside door must be hung fast by binges to the outside hive. This inside door is of great use in taking out the frames in front, wien you want to divide your swarm or feed young weak swarms, by taking -out a frame full of honey from a strong hive and insert* ing it in the bite that is starving. With the use of the f ran- 98 you never need be afraid of losing your bees by starvation or moths. With my patent hive you have the full control of your bees, and all their benefits, above any other hive now in use. You have an entrance on both sides of the hive, with little bearers for the bees to light on, one-third the way up the inside hive, and also two ventilating holes at the top and two at the bottom, on the back side, below the sheet-irons, with little buttons to shut them up at pleasure. There must be a shutter at the entrance of the hive. HOW TO TRANSFER BEES FROM ONE HIVE TO ANOTHER. To tsangfer a swarm of bees from the old box into my patent hive, first raise up the hive gently, put under your smudge or smoke for a few minutes, and it will destroy all their hostility; then take the hive and turn it upside down ; set an old box or any old hive on the hive of bees, then take an old cloth of some kind and WTap or tie it round the two hives where they come together, to keep the bees from coming out while you drive the bees from the full hive that is to be transferred out of the old box. Now take two little sticks like drum-sticks, and commenoe drumming on the lower hive, to drive the bees up ; drum away lightly for 20 minutes, and the bees, queen and all, will leave the hive with all its store ; now take oflf the box with bees, and set them aside, and throw your old cloth over the bees. Now take your hive with comb and honey, away one side ; now take your axe or ehisel • and burst your hive apart to get at the combs rightly. Now have your new hive handy by ; take out the frames and commence operating! Lay down your frame on a wide board, have some tape half an inch wide, lay down * two strips under the frame, now take a comb as big as the frame, lay it ©i the frame, cut it the size of the frame, but if it has any honey, cut it off for use, leave on the corners to corae up square in the frame. Be sure and leave all the brood comb, containing young bees. Now, tie up the combs tight to the upper piece, and the bees will soon fasten them to the frame, you must operate ti quick as possible, so as not to let the young larvae or grub bee get too cold. Now, when done, bring the box of bees, set them down near by, take a board one foot wide^ and four or five feet long, lay one end on the en- trance of the hive, the other on the ground ; spread a white cloth on the board, now, if you want to be sure that your queen is there, take a big ladle and dip out the bees carefully, lay them on a white cloth, near the en- trance of the hive, they will scatter and run up in the new hive like a streak, and you can easy see iftheqneen ia among them. Keep on driving them out till you see the queen, then lay your box of bees down, and they will soon all run in the hive. Now place your hive where you want it to stand, and all is right. ESSAY ON BEE-KEEPING, WITH INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO MANAGE BEES TO SOME PROFIT. In the first place, get the best and easiest managed hive you can find. There has been much speculation on bee keeping, as well as on bee-hives. In travelling over the country, I have found a large variety of hives, and ibr one I cannot say that I found one hive that I could recommend to the public, they all having their entrance on the bottom of the hive ; and the combs or frames and arrangements coming down in connection with the bottom, the bees are sure to become a prey to the moths. The ' fact is, the hive^ are got up by men of no experience in bee-keeping, but simply got up ibr speculation ; the proof of this is, they have all proved a failure. It is the hard- est thing now, to sell a patent bee-hive of anything I .:W: tv ^--^i- ''-•'ft>- '■■' ' %■- know, ?|It is not to be wondered at, that the bee-keepers have got disheartened and fell back to the old box-hive. I have constructed a hive called the Standard Hive, that has its arrangements differing materially from all other hives, having their entrance in the midst of their work, where any weak swarm can guard the entrance of .^heir hive. The hive is so constructed that the bees are under your perfect control. It is a double hive, that keeps them warm in winter, and is so ventilated it keeps them heal- thy through summer. I have constructed my hive so as to make it convenient for the bees and their owner. There is not much profit that can be derived from the common bee-hive. You need no comments on this. All the profits derived from the common bee-hive is what little they store in the caps set on the hive. Sometimes in a swarm of bees the main bulk of the honey is in their hive below, and if that is taken out in the spring, it is so mixed up with worms, and young bees it is not fit for use ; and if it is left in the hive to summer over, it will sour, and the bees die with disease by eating this soured honey. In the year 1866 it was so extremely hot that there were hundreds of swarms that died the following ^winter in the southern part of Ohio and Indiana. The bees got so alarmed, that in their desperation num- bers left their hives with all their store, and lit on trees. ,J[n January, 1867, through that pleasant weather, it was published in the papers that the bees were dying off'with ' .ihe cholera. The fact is, the bees in eating that soured Jiioney, were physicked to death; *' Bees are creatures of habit, therefore it requires some care and caution to manage them right. You must be sure and place your bees where youL want them to stand through summer, as soon as cold weather is over in the spring, unless you move them three or four miles, or you wiU loie them. I will here relate one circumstance : in ,4v' - # *:' •y- '-■v>'^' V" .*.~,.^ .■■"^ivv:. *' « ■V ■ *r^ -_ '■^'_ ■i*" r ^" '-^'r,W ---- - ""---" - - - -^ - -_^r - ^'i =% ->= ^■' , >i' -J^A^- ' ■■Lf^' -■ •: " ■, '*■- V t . - V%'''\-': ;\ H" !i J '- ■the spring of 1861 I moved in the city of LaPorte, Ind., a roan by the name of Drummj who occupies the place %rhere I moved the year beft)re*^'4He had four stands of ^ ^bees. I had a good many bees. I told the old man tO" inove his bees before the flowers came out, or he would ■lose them; but he let them stand till the apple trees were in full bloom. So early one morning he came over and took away his bees; but as soon as the bees com- menced working, back they came and piled on the near- est hive of mine, where his stood. ^' The result was, he did not have any increase, but the hives were so weakened that he lost all his hives of bees by the moth, so he said ; but some of mine threw out some very large and extra swarms, but I could not help it — he had fair warning. Don't let your bees fly out when there is snow on the ground, or you will surely lose them. I lost six swarms in one afternoon by letting them have their liberty whea the sun shone bright in spring, while the snow wai on ; ^i,:' ■■„*'' ON DOUBLINa SWARMS. o>* AH second 8#araif should be iifoul3e3. I ^ave doub- riled swarms at two weeks intervals with the best success. j|The time to do it is just before dark, and they will not iprise in the air. Hive your bees in some old hive or box, fiand if you want to double th«m in the common box hive, ^ turn the box upside down ; then take the other swarm v^nd give it a sudden jar on the other hive : then turn it up quick in its place, and they will be all right in the morning. To hive bees in my patent hive, lay the hive down on its back, open both doors and shake the swarm aright in the midst of the frames, then shut the doors. ^Set up the hive and set it where you want it to .stand. iToung swarms should be scattered apart as much as cau- venient, during the summer seasoUj at least six feet apart. *As a general thing be^ floursib bett^er in vdlies than oa ^^'fe 10 ^flls. It IS not ^rpnsmg that this branch ofrurai econ- *^mjj, in consequence of the depredations of the moth, ^pfe-#0f much neglected of late. Ti^^me parts o^ji|r gOountry the business of managing Ibees has been en- ^rely abandoned for years ; but I am confident they may ^Jbe cultivated in such a manner |||^ to gender them more profitable to their owners than any branch of agriculture, in proportion to the capital necessary to be invested in ^43ioiratock, They are not j|^xable property, neitheirdoes iJt require a large land investment, nor does it require the owner to work through summer to support them in ^irintei^, 5^e greatest thing required i|^ a good Hye, J&at which will protect them from the'^predatioris of ^Iftie moth, and also freezing in winter ; and you may de- fend <%i it ^||]|a^ Bradt's patent Ip^ as well nMS managing your bees with Comfort and ease. Many complain of the deamess of my hive, but I consider it the cheapest hive in use, for the great advantages it con- tains over any other hive. In the first place it is an in- dependant hive, that requires no bee house ; it is a -^oublehive, that will keep them from freezing, and also >lfrom melting down in summer. They #i the best venti- ^lated hive in use ; their entrance being in the midst of ^%eir work gives them a better chance to unload their freasure, as well as guard their hive. When we take into consideration the great loss sustained in managing bees in poor and bad hives, it is no wonder there are so 'few bees kept ; atid I can truly say that it is not for spec- ulation that I have commenced this work. I am an old man and have had great experience in the management of bees. I would like to see ten times as many bees, yea, a hundred times as many as are now kept through the land. I would like to give every encouragement as well as instruction on the management of bees. It is a 4elightful employment, and can be pursued with the best i • 11 . I ^;^ * or success in cities and villages, as well m in the countrj . My hive, when rightly made, is an Ornament to any gentleman's premises. And no dish that ca» be set on a ' table is more luxurious and healthy, iii^ell as tasteful ai IlOneVi'O",}"^ ■■^'^^H;!?^*^^-^^^ . *^ -^m^i^^^ ■'■ '^^-''"m^'f ;:*.^a-'-lpfftTif|.5'-*.s?€r°*- 'ii"^i% 'Mv . ON HIVING, li# THE GENER13? - ^'..^^wc^Mmt^^^^^^^^^^ OF BEES. ^'■,?^.^w^n--- ^^ 3®^s are creatures of habit, and experience has taught us that it is best to place a new swarm of bees where it, it is to remain. As soon as they are hived they begii^jl to look at the objects around them, and if they are lefi^ standing where you hived them till night, and then niov€b^ them, there will be a great many lost the next day by,^ coming back where the hive stood. No confusion or*, noise, such as the blowing of horns, ringing of cow-bells or hammering of pang or kettles should be resorted to. All that W necessary J^ tp have some fruit trees growing near their apartment to light on. J have sometimes^i thrown water among them when I feared they would fljf to t^e wood^J^2l^^^^ brought a very large swarm dowa that was flying over me. It came from a distance.^^ * was in the garden, and commenced throwing ground an dirt among them ; they came right down and lit on some elder bushes in two large clusters. I hived them in two hives, but they soon all went into one hive. One of my boys found a swarm hanging on a limb of an apple-tree ; he did not know how long it had hung there. I hived it in one of my patent hives, and let it stand where it was found till about three o'clock, when out they came with a rush, nothing would stop them ; and away they went to the woods. The fact is, as soon as their embassadors or searchers few: trees came back that were sent off, and as soon as they lit in a cluster, and conveyed their ideas that they had found a tree, they were ready to be off Now if I had moved the swarm a distance off from whcirt «<■ •i-a they lit, I would have saved them ; but as I have said before, they will leave the best hive that ever was mac[o, and fly to the woods if they can find a good tree to go tf. The woods seem to be their natural element. When . beaa sc from the old stock, direct from the woods, with- iIot alighting, it is when they lie out of the hive befor# swarming. It is evident they had organized and sent off their embassador to search for a tree, and then nothing 5#ould stop them. Bees will never lay out as long as they have plenty of room and air in the hive, but when the weather is very warm, and the hive crammed full of bees, they are compelled to lay out or melt dow^. clhad an old box hive which melted down and I lost a g^on of honey. When bees swarm in their natural way, they Jir-st fill their sacks with honey to last them till they get settled in their new home. Care should be taken in sha- king the bees from the limb, and not have them to fall heavy to hurt them while they are filled with honey, or it will kill a good many of them. Place the hive in the shade till the bees get settled, then carry them where you want them to stand. My patent hive will endure mor^ heat than any hive in use, because the top is two inch ^a^nfc. ^ It is the best ventilated liive, having a large open space below the sheet-iron conductors, two ventilating holes at the top, and two at the bottom ; and having an entrance on both sides through the centre of the hive. It is, in fact, the best arranged hive, the most convenient and eaiy managed , and most profitable too, of any hive I ever used. If I could only once get the people to try it, I am sure it would soon take the lead of the market, and be brought into general use. But most people think it too expensive^ They don't look at the profits, that will - far exceed the expense, the great advantage of feeding young weak swarms, and also of getting honey whenever they want it. The more tenderly you treat bees the less V m1_ I- disposition tKey will have to stiog you. Don't strike at them if they buzz around you, just walk away from them. They don't like bad breath, nor a tobacco chewer ; and I don't blame them, for I don't like it myself. Some bee^A keepers take this method of managing bees easy : — If ^ they want to transfer a hive, or do anything with it, they first go up, hit the hive a iap with their fist, walk away, then give it another rap, and so on f^pr Of five times ; th#^i bees will think they are going to p*' robbed, will filH ^ themselves with honey, and then they will not sting, but I ^ - prefer smoking them a few minutes to destroy their hosJi tility, and you can do anything you like with them. fe When bees swarm in their natural way, if they seemr ; reluctant about lighting, first walk around under theail and whistle a sharp fine whistle, as near like the queen as you can, and they will soon light ; then hive them as soon as possible, and carry them where you want them ta"* - . stand, or they will fly to the w^oods. As soon as bees light-' on a limb they will send off embassadors to hunt a tree or a new home, and if these embassadors should return?^ and find their swarm already hived under the limb they^* lit on, they will leave the best hive that ever was made ' and fly to the woods* I have had a proof of this. One J time I had a swarm Come out of a hive after it had been in two weeks. They would not light, but took their course across a field of wheat that was out in head, I ran after ' them, and came under them and whistled ; they came near lighting but took another flight ; I overtook them again and whistled, and down they came right by my feet in the wheat. I ran home, got a different hive and set it over them, and soon had my little family home and all right again, It is natural for bees to be in the woods, they do not like to be disturbed in their labors, but one thing I kftow, ttie more you work amcmg your beea tlie 14 '-'%■.. better, as they will soon become familiar with one that ^ works among them ; but th^ don't like to be robbed, an^^ still they have a peculiar propensity to rob each other, a I have lost a great many good hives with robbers when ^ not at home. My patent hive is the rjest to shut omUj^g robbers of toy thing I know of. Thers are several rea- | sons for their robbing each other, especially in the spring | before the flowers come out, they having their eombs | broke with the frost, smell the honey. Great care f should be taken to watch their movements, both in | the fall and spring, an^^ff you see wi unusual bustle , about the hive, step forward and shut it up so that they t cannot enter, and they will soon leave ; but do not open the hive until evening, to let your own bees in that are out. ON SUPPLYING SWARMauW|a:p;t|Lyfl|UNG f^Bees frequently lose their queen by flying out for ejc-^ ercise, and being caught by the birds; sometimes t)y t swarming they drop in the grass; this accounts for them , returning back to ^eif hive. In such case the owner should look her up f you will generally find a few bees ,^ clustered around her in the grass. A swarm that has ^ lost their queen ii^ilj network, but will lay aroivi<| in^l idlenesei. Onc^mfg^lBl^li^you will see a tee fly out^ ima^ if not supplied with la queen, they will soon dwindle away ^ to nothing. Now, if ypu^ have a stock of bees in my pat- 1 ent hive, you can go to a strong hive, take out a frame ^ with brood comb that hag the younggrub or larvae, insert i it in the midft of the destitute swarm or hive, and they will soon have a young queen. Bees being creatures of habit, great caution should be had in managing: theni, They do not like to be disturbed i they bhould be placed near your dwelling, where you can see them from ^ your window, or you may lose them whea they swarm." D© nQfc|yt»mthem aear yow w^ering place, if you dpu't want trouble; they don't like the switching or hor^s tails ; they will strng them if they should come in con- tact with them. Bees, when they sw^rm, fill their sacks with honey, to last them till they can get settled in their new home. There must be an entrance with IJttle bear- j ers for the bees to light upon on both sides of the hive, one-third the way up, through the inside hive, also two ventilating holes on the back side, under the sheet-irons at the bottom, and also two at the top, with little buttons to shut them up at pleasure. There must also be a shut- tjBT at the entrance of the hive, to shut out robbers, or to keep your bees from flying out when the anow is on the - .ground...., -;. ;;; •- ■:■ ■ '.. '; ' ■■• ■•■ i".-'^-.-^;'."!,' '■' t4^a?5fJ-E MORE Q|f,yMN SFERRING BEES. \ "frnt tjf l^\h^^^rm. it ir nfec^sarf fttf1)ees to I ^M* transferred when their combs become black and filthy. Bees will not profit their owner much when \ the (X)mbs become old, mouldy and black ; they should I not be left in a hive more than three years ; and the only I time then is, in safety, immediately after the second ^ swarm h^ come out, so that the young queen is hatched, ^and the young swarm must be returned to its parent i ^, stock, or both will be lost; for it is very seldom that a 1 ii^cond swarm will gather honey enough to winter them over ; and that is not the worst of it, the old hive is so I f^ reduced in numbers that tiie millers will overpower them ; I and if the worms do not d^troy them, they will freeze to t^ deatii, for want of numbers to keep tfiem warm the fol- lowing winter; The time to trsmsfer a swarm of bees with the le^t trouble, is about ten days after the first swarm has come out ; then the young hdm ^e pretty much all hatched out, and they wiU be sure to have a young queen, for the old queen always leaves the hive wi& the fiinit swarm. Let this be distinctly understood. jr -' '■:-^': V ^ .. .- -Xa. ^ihat ttiere is but onei feiiiiiHe T}ee in tie hive at a time, /^and this is what is termed the queen bee, for she is ^the mother bee that lays all the eggs for the whole Icwarm. There are hree classes of bees — the queen, or J female bee, the drone or n ale bee, and the honey-hee or worker, as they gather all the honey and make the comb. ^ The drone never gathers honey, but merely tends to his ^pwn domestic, as the male bee ; and when the breeding ^season is over, the bees know they have no more use for ^him or them, the drones, and they will go at them and ^kill them a^offbut one or two in each hive. "^^ But the p)ees are very tenacious over their sovereign, the queen; "^if they happen to lose her by accident, and they have Jii^^oung larvae or grub to make another queen, they %HUiJ not work, but pine away and soon go to nothing, or i^ave the hive with all its store to tjlie owner, or else the |S?9rnis will make a prey of it. aud^tibiM JiQO%tp%,if it is fgl^ked alter by its ownex^^ _y^: ^^^ ;..^^. _^gfi^ !0N PROVIDING HIVES A7ITH SUITMlite * The arranremeilf%f my hive is such that I can have mm four to eight draweVs. This is done by having f three different honey boards to set the drawers on. ^ First, the board for four drawers Kill four holes up through the centre of the drawer. These first-class hives "will hold eight pounds a-piece ; the second-class drawers will hold six pounds each ; the third-class drawers will hold four pounds each. This last si2:e is the best for the big market, and will bring from five to ten cents more a pound. These diflFerent size can all be used on one honey board by havino; holes bored to suit every size. The first size dJawer is seven inches square; the second size is fear and a half inches^ the third and last size is three and a half, by seven, and all six inches deep. Some bee-keep- ers^have adopted this plan to force the beee to gire them plenty of honey. Leaye off the honey board, and have bottomless drawers. Set the drawers on the naked slats or frames,;; so that the bees cyn come up in the drawer anywhere they like, and they will soon fill them ; then have a heavy sharp tini|to slide ui^der the drawer when it is full, .to cut it off or loosen from the frames; then tack on a thin board or paste-board, to keep your hcmey clean and free from flies or ants, ready fbr use or markel '1 - ... • ' -"* '■ '^ .. '. 1 •''* .' ■ " ' '■, •;*: •" - With the use of my Patent Hive, you can take out the drawers in the chamber in October, and have the cham*' ber open all winter to let the breath of the bees escape through cold weather ; at the same time, open the venti- lating holes at top and bottom, but shut the hiv« when , the bees enter through cold weather, or they will fly out^ and be losfc^* Thousands of good stands of bees are lost every winter by freezing. I lost nine out of ten swarms during the cold winter of 1853. The safest way of keep- ing bees is to dig a place in a hill-side that you can cover, like a dry celler, purposely to i^re bees in where they will be out of the wind and dense frost in winter ; and your bees will come out all right in spring, unless you let' them starve to death by n^ect* ^ "r "^ ^^ There are three principal caused of bees dying in win-, ter. First, want of honey; second, want of numbers ; and third, want of air. They often smother in the old box hive by the breath of the bees running down the hive and freezing at the bottom, which shuts out all the air ; but my Patent Hive has a remedy for this great evil, as well as many others. The sheet iron conductors caarry all tiie water that is form^ 1)y the breath of the be^ down to the bottom dri^wjar, where it cannot anuoy tibci bees, and also secures all dead bees, worms and bee dirt, as they fall from the hive. ^ « ^f>*Hi^ ,/^i^i^.tv^*^^*! ^ When a swarm of bees is first put in my Patent Hive the frames should be placed about three-eights of an inch apart, so as to force the bees to build their combs true on the frames, and then in about ten days they can be shoved together..- .s..--:?«'^t .*rf| n: .. ,.■ .. -.._., .,, ,. ... , .:_,Hi^l %vii WHY li^ES DO NOT FlffL^HE DRAWERS. We frequently hear people complain that they don't get any honey, or they can't tell why the bees don't put any honey in the drawers. '"There are several reasons for this, and I will give my views why. One great reason is . for want of honey. Some seasons are too wet and some too dry. Three years ago there came a drought right in the midst of the honey season, and dried up the white clover, and everything that contained honey, so that one- half the bees throughout the couutry starved to death. The next season it was so wet the honey that was gath- ered seemed to be half water. A very wet season will destroy the pure honey in the clover ; and that it where they get the best white honey, 'im-itm-.^tmimi ¥t4^ m^; I* There are other reasons why T>ees do not fill the drawers ; UnA it^^puld take considerable time and •pace to tell all the reasons satisfactorly. If a hive is two large it will take the bees too years to fill the hive below, Sunless it is a very large swarm, and th|tt they will not ^gi7e tKeiir dwner but very little honfey?^ It generally ^ takes them all the season to fill their big hive. Now, if the hive is small, it will not do much after the first sea- son in the way of storing up honey. All the honey they gather, is before the first swarm leaves the hive; after- wards the swarm is »o weak that it takes most of what ii left to guard Ihe Mfe; so that, as a general thing, old bee-keepers will have to acknowledge that the most 19 honey they ever got from the box hive was during the first year that the swarm was put in, when the hive was strong, and there were plenty of bees to gather the honey; and after that they do little else than swarm ; and they may prosper in numbers, but not in honey, for several years... But the scale will finally turn, and in two or three years they will lose their entire stock* ; .. . f -^ '*: A safe and easy method of doubling your colony of bees, if you have the frame hive, is to divide them in the following manner: — Take out two frames from two different hives, from the back part of the hive, where the young grubs or larvse are most plentiful, and all the bees that will stick to them, and put them in the back part of the new hive. Be sure and have one of the royal cells in one of the frames which you take out, and you will soon have a young queen. Then shove the frames together in the full hives, and put the two empty frames in the front part, and in two weeks they will have them full again, and you can go to the same hives and take out two more frames, and perform the same |eat* trv^ agairf!^ Now you have doubled your stock of bees with perfect safety, and they will noj^warm that season, and fly away to the woods. If you have nice combs, from hives you have lost, take good care of em ; burn a match of brimstone under them, and no illers, nor any troublesome insect, will come near them iprhile the smell of the brimstone is about them. These dry combs are good to fill the empty frames that are left in the new hives you have just filled, or transferred beei ^W^ f When you want to put combs in an empty frame, melt some rosin and bees' -wax together, and pour it, hot, on the comb where it is fitted into the frame, and it will fasten the comb immediately, and save the bees great labour. The way to keep Italian bees pure, if you can get the pure breed, is to clip the wings of the queens. )':'' - '{■:!/'. 20 %nd don't let them go out of the hive to meet common ^drones, or they will soon run out. The only way you can keep them from mixing, as to transfer them as above )dir9cted, and keep the queen in the hive, so that she ^anH me^t with the common drones. -*^ /^ ^*^;* "^'f ^ ^ * \ Before you allow the Italian queen to enter the com- ^i^mon hive, take the old queen and all the queen cells from *the hive you want to put your Italian queen in, and also .all the old and young drones, larvae or grubs, if you have ^W eSl all the drone comb out of the hiy^, , This can Jonly be managed by the frame hive.., ^^ ^^ .^,^ , ,, . t Nature has fixed certain principles in the peculiar in- gtinct of the honey-bee, which are unalterable by human wisdom, BO that it is hard to control them. Of all the inventions and arts of man, they still prefer having^ their ^^own way, and to follow their own instincts ; but still I [think, with my newly invented hive, I can control a ^ swarm of bees better than with any other patent hive now in use. For instance, my hive is so well adapted to ^ihe wants of the bees, that they seem to prosper better in lit than in any I have ever yet used. :£i Jn jpact, the only r^foult I found was that they swarm^ too much, till I 1 adopted a new plan of dividing the swarm, at the time " I of swarming. ^^^|^ out one-half the frames, bees and I all, put them in a new hive, and fill the vacancy with i^empty frames ; but be sure and have one of the royal icelk in one of the frame%^ jfc^ y^.4MlWilid they^^Ml I soon have a young queen J X 4%^.^ ^^i^,- ife ^ .^A hive should neither be too large nor too small, but ,^ould hold about a bushel in the tenement below, be^ I sides their drawei-s. My hive has four in number ; these t draws hold about eight pounds each. Bees generally Bmake their comb at night, and gather their honey in the day-time. The comb is made of little fakes that grow ^atnnJly between the scales of the body. ***# Ih^kind of wai, that oozes out through the^body. - ■ > ^ As ft general thing, Dses wm store more rione^ m drawers than caps, because drawers are warmer for them to enter/ Small drawers are better in every respect than large ones ; say from four to eight pounds each. All hives and their fixtures should be made exactly of a size and shape, tlien you can*t misplace t drawer, or any thing about the hive. When cold weather commences (in September or October), take out the honey-boxes, leave the chamber of the hive opeo, and have a careful place for your drawers; open the ventilating holes at the top, to let the bi:eath of the bees escape through the chambef?^-''^^^— ^^^*^ '^isfft^^Mr -^t. i*^_:.^»€-j?|'i--|