r \ ^U'fEil ViElilf OF BEE-l^EEpift Editor (1F " Beks a.\d Honev " Depaktmknt lliirnl Cnwi- diaii FORMKRLY Kditor ov Aniericiiii line -/oiirwil : two YEARS President North American Bek-Keepbrs' Association ; and Caxauian coRRESlMN^E^^T OF THE American liee Journal. PRSaS OF THE CAN\DIAN BEE JOURNAL. BEETON, ONT- / Entered according to the Act of Parliament of Canada, in the year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty, six, by Jones, Macpherson & Co., in the office of the Minister of Agriculture. PREFACE. Not since the days of Virgil, whose Georgics are still classical reading, has there been, so far as I know, any poetry of beekeeping, with the exception of occasional allusions in general litera- ture. How is this ? Has the poetry all gone out of bee-keeping, leaving onl}- dull prose ? It is high time that some one tuned the lyre, and courted the muse on this subject. Here is a humble attempt to supply the lack, and it is respectfully dedicated to ALL BEE-KEEPERS, except the unhappy wretch, if such there be, whom Shakespeare describes in the not very flai^- tering lines : " The man that hath no music in his soul, And is not moved with concord of sweeit sounds." Guelph, Ont. W. F. C. A BIRD'S EYE UiBw OP BbeXebping v.-j:. Apis Mellifica !— tlie honey bee ! — My unpretending song shall be of thee, , Of honey-gathering, and the simpler part Of the bee keeper's fascinating art. The busy bee since ever time began Has waked tlie curiosity of man, And many a pamful stin^ lias testified How curiosity was satisfied. He was a bold, adventurous mortal, who First dared the bee at home to interview, But ancient history does not {jive his name, Or he would be immortalized in lame. When or where was it that the little bee Awakened man's intense cupidity, And set him thinkmg, how in spite of stings, Commerce mi^ht profit by the bees' swift wicgs? The father ot [)2e-keeping is unknown, Else he would have a proud, exalted throne 6 Upon a pyramid of wc^alth, erected Out ot the stores by myriad bees collected. As apiculture, from the shadowy past Has now evolved into a business vast, A literature has been developed too, Till we can hardly say, ♦' Lo this is new !" ** Of making many books tliere is no end," And some to bulk\- amplitude extend. But there is room and need for one small book. Into wh.ose few, briet pages tiiose may look, W hose miiids by \arious influences have come To find a charm in the bee's merry hum. And to contemplate as an undertaking. The enterprise of apiary-making. Besides, the general public wish to find A little publication of this kind, Where? tliey^ as with a bird's-e}e view, can see, In brief, " How doth the little busy bee." To meet this want is what I now propose, And take to poetry instead of prose. I leave bee natural history to others. Professor Cook and his collegiate brothers: — The Bible stories, Aristotle, Virgil, And hosts of modern works would quickly filf 1\I\- little poem, leaving me no space The mctliods of bee management to trace, 7 lice pasturage, large pictures of bee-stings, And lots of interesting, useful tlnng.s, -, I leave to other books in bee-lore rich, Content to fill a very humble niche. This treatise is for novices, and such Should take care not at first to attempt too much. Before a bee is bought, it will be well To get a book such as suppl\- men sell, Quinb}', or Newman, or Professor Cook, Or Mr. A. I. Root's '* A. B. C." book, King's " text book," or the Reverend Ballantyne's, Or Alley, who in queen-producing shines, Or " Langstrotli on the honey-bee " so prized, Now in the Dadant's hands to be revised, Or if the highest plane you wish to tread on, *' Success in bee-culture," by Mr. Heddon. Let this be studied and not simply read, But all its teachings got into the head. Nor in the head alone, but in the heart, Enthusiasm there must do its part. Take a bee-paper, that you may find out, , What other apiculturists are about, Unless you read the journalistic page. You'll fall behind the progress of the age. Journals abound, from the American 8 That five and twenty years ago began Shedding thf^ hght of knowledge to and fro, To the Canadian which a year ago, Boldly its banner to the breeze unfurled, *• The first $i weekly in the world." The Magazine^ the Apiciilturist^ Gleanings, and B. K.'s Guide complete the list. Read, ponder well, and seriously ask If you are fit to undertake the task Of ke2ping bees, — if you indeed possess Qualification to secure success. To be a skilful bee-keeper, you ought To know that you must mainly be self-taught. .Experience is a most expensive school, But he who shirks it will remam a fool. No one however wise, can tell you all That you must know if you yourself would call Master or mistress of the modern art Of keeping bees ; so do not make a start Until you fully, fairly count the cost, Or else your time and money will be lost. The management that does in one location Will in another bring but sore vexation. You think that you, at length, have learned it all} Next into some untliou-'lUcf error fall ; o And when you have siipj lied op.e glarinfif lack, Anotlicr switches you on the wrong track. 'Tis said the *' deil ' once undertook the job Of mining a purse-proud, rich nal^ob, And after trying many phins, at last Upon " a newspaper for sale " he cast An eager eye,—*' tlie very thing !" he said,— An apiary would have done instead ! North, south, east, west, all through the land. More c^r.'Jv monuments and tombstones stand Inscribed to dead and br.ried bees ard hives, Than to all else that vexes human lives. lO •• Who sliould keep bees ?" tliis (juestion often asked Has many wise bee-keepers sorely tasked, And must be answered by advice to such As need experienced couns^'liing so much. First, then, no one should think of keeping bees Who means to let them do just as they please, Or who belle ves the ditt}' greenhorns sing, * Bees board themselves, and, gritis, ply the wmg." None should attempt the business till they learn it, Or hope to make a cent unless ihey earn it. None who are seeking a soft place to lie on, Need trouble themselves this pursuit to try on. Some think that none should meddle willi bee- hives Unless determined to devote their lives Wholly and solely to the care of bees, And that no man should seek himsjlf to please By keeping just a few, as a side-show, To which, in leisure moments, he may go. This seems an arbitrary prohibition, Unsuited to our free-born, proud condition. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Are precious birthrights which v^e all possess. Why do not market-gardeners insist, That all and sundrv must at once delist II From vegetable-growing except those Who to make this llieir one life-work propose ? Or why not poultry-fanciers object When otliers barn-yard fowls as pets elect ? It has been urged that little gain or pleasure Mas bf en obtained by those who give their leisure To amateuring in an apiary, So that of doing this we should Ic chary, And tiiat to keep a few stoc^ks on the farm Results in doul);ful good iind ( criain harm. 1 fail to sec it : 1 liave "fussed" with bees Simply as recreation, now for these Full twenty years, and the out door pursuit Has yielded good and profitable fruit. As for the farm, bees justl}^ rank with stock Such as the cattle-h.erd and the sheep-flock. If bees are kept there without any gain The reason is, farme.s do not obtain The needful knowledge and the ready skill To make their bees obedient to their will. Some say that ladies ought to let alone This occupation, althoujjh we must own That many lady apicu!turi;i'.s Have wen high fame upon the honor lists. Good Mrs. Harrison, of Illinois, Keeps bees, makes bread, preserves and pumpkin* Die. 12 "Cyula Linswik," wliose rig'it name few know, Mrs McKechnie, of Ontario, Mrs. Cass Robinson, of Indiana, Both hanale bees and play on the piano. A lady's hand, with its soft gentle touch To bee-controlling is adapted much, Even her oft-persistent wilfulness Gives her a faculty to win success. It is objected that the slavish work Of lifting hives, all womankind must shirk ; But if they winter on the summer stands They need not carry hives with aching hands, While the new hive, of which I soon shall speak, Will not oppress or strain a sister weak. Let those who wish be specialists in bees. And others amateurs, if so they please. Pursuits, like waLcr, do not seek a bevel, But find, infallibly, their proper level. If you propose to !)e a specialist In keeping bees, permit me to assist Your cogitations, by, in brief, suggesting A few pre-requisites before investing. That knowledge of the business and then fitness To follow it are needful, facts bear witness. But what IS fitness ? Well, it is, in part. To have quick eye, soft hand, and lion-heart ; 13: A m!-»d to <:rasp the m'"5t nvnute details, And, with it a!l, patience that never fails. Promptness to do all work in its right season, And clear perception from the facts to reason. It is to !iave a perfect self control, And let alone the intoxicating bowl, It you this evil habit once begin. An apiary never set your foot in. A hopefulness that never fails nor flags, A diligence that neither loats nor lags, High moral principle that scorns to cheat. And makes a point all ii );i )!'s claims to nnet. The gold; n rule and law ot !ove your ami, And }Our best tr» asurc an untarnished name. If you are wholly ignorant of l)ces, And yet possess such riurililies as these, You must content yourself to be a creeper, Along the road that m:i!-:cs a good bee-keeper. Go slowly, do not be in foolish haste. Nor thmk that )ou your time and mo.iey waste lu making full and careful preparation. For entering on your chosen avocation. If you can sp.nd a season, — ev^n two.. — With some good apiculturist, — do, — It will be time and money wisely spent, And save ine cost of it, to the last cent. If you mrst be seif-tanght, better begin With but a single colony, and win Hard-earned experience by tooth and nail Resolved, whatever happens, not to fail. Adopt the kind of hive you mean to use, Their namo is '* legion," from them you must choose. So take advice, I freely give it } on, The best thing, in my judgment, you can do, IS to adopt the new-style Heddon hive, THE HEDDON HIVE. If you would at complete success arrive. Next to the question what hive you shall usCi Arises this, what breed of bees to choose, J5 Whether the native blacks or some new race ; Which among all deserves the foremost place ; The pure Italian or the (ierman browri, Or others, which are written up and down In various publications about bees Which deal so fuli} with th2ir i^eJigrttis? The blacks are not to be despised, for they HavestoreJ A. i comb honey from the day When Samson took it from a lion's hide, Down to the latest bright Midsummer tide. But they are hckle in their disj^osition And hard tokjcji in prosperous condition, For when grown weak, they readily succumb To the moth- miller, or when robbers come. iMHthcr, they do not cling well to the comb, And the sliy queen hides when you search her home. Hybrid Italians are quite like tlie blacks For sealing nice comb honey with white wax, And from the Italian mix are bold and brave Their precious storesfrom thieves and moths to save, But they are apt to have a temper warm. And sliow a great proi)cn.sity to swaim.* Moreover, like all crosses, they hark back, And soon degenerate mto common black. ♦See Appendix. i6 Unless the greatest vigilimce is shown In checking mixture with the common drone. Chance hybridizing is a fatal snare And crossing must be practised with great care. The pure Itzilians are a no!)le br^ied, And, with them, many bcc-keei^ers succeed In raising a large quantity of honey, While summer days are passing, warm and sunny. Their bleriish is that they cannot so well Round up and finish off the honey cell. D. A. J^>NKS. 17 Our foremost breeders of queen bees advise Crossinj:^ ; but then a difficulty lies In doing it so wisely and so well That the resultant insect shall excel In all those qualities of best selection, Which, when summed up, approach to full per- fection. Jones, who has neither spared his time nor money In finding the best bee for gathering honey, Counsels a sort of general careful mix, Tdi we the choicest qualities can fix. He thinks the pure Italian is the base On which to build the most industrious race : — A dash of Holy Land or Syrian, And then a touch of Carniolian. Heddon goes warmly for the German bee, Crossed on the darker strains from Italy, Hall, of Ontario, chimes with r\Ir. Heddon, And none will wander far by these led on. So make a wise and well-thought-out: selection Under this able, veteran direction. Buy a bee-smoker, choose one strong and large, That will a conquering puff uf sT.oke d.'s :harge, And tame the fury of the Grossest bees So }oii can handle iLtm just as you please. IS SMOKER. Already 30U haye watched the busy bee At a respectful distance, and could see The nimble insects passing to and fro, And humming gentle music as they go ; to Perhaps have noticed, on their laden thighs Two well-heaped baskets of conspicuous size, Filled with a yellow dust, pollen its name, A word now quite historical in fame, Because ot its connection with a plan Of wmteriner that took rise in Mirhi>an, JAS. HEDDON. 2C At a small town known as Dowagiac, Wlicre lives a bee-man who has learned the knack Of taking out the pollen with a tooth-pick Lest eating it should make the bees fall sick,* Now we will go to interview the bee And all the hive's interior wonders see, Put on a pair of gloves and wear a vei', BEE VEIL. To guard you from the bee's keen, piercing tail. You ask what sort of gloves to use, the mit For handling thistley grain is just as fit F. r handling bees, and is not half the price Of rubber glo\cs, although not quite so nice. Fire up the smoker, at the entrance puff, A single blast in front will be enough. Take off the cover, give a puff or two Across the top, until the bees in view *See Appendix. 21 Run down the combs, and make a pleasant hum, When the right time to take out frames has come. Move quietly, avoid all sudden jars, Rough, jerky work the whole procedure mars. THE QUEEN. Loosen, witli gentle Cw.re, the outside frame. And to the next in crcer, do the same, 22 Also to number three and so get space Safely to lift the fourth frame out of place. Raise gently, do not rip and tear, Draw up the frame into the outer air, Don't get excited, all your courage muster. Behold the bees in many a group and cluster, And give the scene your very best attention While I, in brief, its leading featur ;s mention. Behold that long and taper-bodied bee, Marching around in conscious majesty ! *' She walks a queen " with dignity and grace, And fills, within the hive, the mother's place. When once this regal insect you have seen. Thenceforth you readily pick out the queen. Her slender form, her air so self-possessed Proclaim her widely different from the rest. Behold those portly, aldermanic bees, ^^OtUim cum dig,'' and *'go it as you pkase," Their mottoes, while each plump, well-rounded rib, Shows that they fatten at the public crib. Until of late, the crude idea has been That drones are pertect idlers on the scene. But now some tell us that they do not shirk Like lazy fellows, every kind oi work, tut alternate their intervals of ease With nursing and caressing the young bees. 23 It is at once their function and their late With newly-fledged and virgin queens to mate, An act performed but once in each queen's life While the drone meets, poor dupe ! both death and wife. The hive is chiefly filled with worker bees Who live and toil, devoid of sleep or ease. All through their little day of life which ends Within two months in summer, but extends In winter an indefinite duration, By virtue of the law of hibernation. See now the cells that bright with honey glisten And whisper hope of gain if you but listen. Here too, are cells containing stores of pollen Culled from tl .e flov/ers that bees delight to roll in. 24 Bee-cells are plainly made of varying size, ^The smaller is the kind bee-keeper's prize. In it the busy workers hatch and grow, Fed by the nurse- bees, passing to and fro. [The large cell is the cradle of the drone. Many of these it is not well to own. 'But lo ! a cell much bigger than the rest. In it the embryc queen finds a snug nest. It hangs dependent from the sheet of comb. Much like a pea-nut is this royal home. Some cells contain small seeds that look like rice, These are the eggs, and lie as still as mice Till hatched into the larval state, and then Behold the small white grubs caged in their pen I Where they remain, become chrysalides^ And then, at last, emerge as perfeci bees. Just one thing more we note, inside the hive, A sticky substance, which the bees contrive To plaster here and there the frames to fix ; Propolis, or bee-glue, we call this mix. And now close up the hive with gentle haste, Nor more of the bees' precious moments waste. Do not repeat this process often, for It may provoke the bees to go to war With one another, and they fight and rob W'hen chance is given, as if they liked the job. 25 Moreover, if, in curiosity, To see **how doth the little busy bee,'^ You pry too much into the snug brood-nest, Both queen and worker-bees become distressed, Things get demoralized, and the poor queen Is often killed and dragged outside the scene. Be not too anxious to display your skill In handling the ferocious bees at v/ill When visitors inspect your apiary : In this and all things else, be wise and wary. Too mr.uy colonies, deprived of breath. Might have this epitaph, ^'Disturbed to death, Sta^ ting in Spring with a half Heddon hive Let it till gathering time increase and thrive. And set the other half in place below, When the first honey yield begins to flow, if FOUNDATION. Before this lower half is put in place Assist your bees to fill the added space 26 By fixing comb foundation in each frame, Or worker-comb will answer just the same. These two half-hives make one complete brood-nest And must be seldom interfered with, lest The queen should be prevented from discharging Those functions that will keep the stock enlargingr See that the brood-chamber does not become Too full of honey, or the welcome hum Of rapidly increasing population Will soon be apt to suffer some cessation. When the top half feels heavy, it will mean That honey stores are crowding up the queen, This evil you can very quickly stop By raising up the bottom half on top. When this you do put on a surplus case With sections and foundation in their place. When partly sealed, reverse the section-case, That perfect comb squares may fill out all space. Before work in the first case is quite done Work in one underneath should be begun. And so with number three and even four, Until the bees no longer honey store. Whenever you perceive the bees hang out In idle clusters, mind what you're about, Perhaps the hive requires more air, if so, Give it, and they again to work will go, 27 But if they want to swarm you must contrive, To stop it by reversal of the hive. Some say that this alone will kill the cells In which the royal progeny then dwells ; • But would you make assurance doubly sure Cut out the queen-cells and your end secure. This you can do when you reverse the hive, For the comb's depth in inches is but five^ And the queen-cells are usually well down ; Your knife will bar princesses from their crown. It is no time for swarming when the flow Of honey needs that every bee should go Backward and forward to the fields and flov/ers, •Ah through the summer day's protracted hours.' But stormg over, nothing else to do Either for your good workers or for you, Multiplication, you will clearly see. Next urgent order of the day to be. The brood receptacle, as we have seen, Is in two halves with a bee-space between, Lift the top-half in which most brood is stored, Shake off the bees upon the bottom board ; The queen will doubtless be among the crowd, And in the lower half may be allowed. Remove the top half to another place, And it the lower iialf does not give space To house the shake-dou-n bees, put on another, Lest you tiie fctock sliouia overcrowd and smother 28 Let the top half be filled with frames of comb, Or comb foundation where the bees may roam, And store away the honey found below, Thus emptying cells into which eggs may go. Ycu 'lave a new-stock m the distant half And may enjoy a quiet, little laugh, To think how easily you've swarmed your bees, Without the bothei of ascending trees. Let me explain this matter somewhat more, And tell you, as I should hav? done before, How queens are raised, and why it is that bees Incline to loaf around and take their ease, Just wlicn they most need to be gathering honey, And, to the bee-keeper, their time is money. Queen bees are hatched from eggs the very same As those from which the crowds of workers came, But being m a larger cell, and fed With royal jelly, become fit to wed, And fill the gushing hive with stores of brood To people many a sylvan solitude. A first-class queen when at her best will lay Two to four tiiousand fertile eggs per day. As these mature, they fill and crowd the hive, And r,i-in the jostled workers must contrive To get more elbow-room, so they betake Thems(>lves to queen-cell building, and to make Elaborate arrangements, in due form, As s ^n as possible, to cast a swarm. 6cm: sixteen days are needed lo mature A perfect queen, and to make matters sure. They raise a number, and when one is near The hatching period and will soon appear. The old quaen plumes her wings away to fly, With bees enough for a new colony. In the old home, young bees are daily born, And therefore may depopulation scorn. It takes Irom eighteen days to twenty-two For worker bees their changes to pass through Wiiile drone? require a period vSomewhat more, And usually mature in twenty-four. While these preliminaries are going on Most ot the bees quit work, and one by one, Form clusters and festoons outside the hive, Until tiie swarming period arrive. So frustrate swarming till the very last Of the brief honey-storing time is past. Your artificially-swarmed queenless stock May at all danger of otinction mock. For having fertile eggs, it can proceed Queen cells to build in this its time of need, And singing, ♦♦ What is home without a mother?* In place of the old queen, produce another. Or you can hasten things and buy a queen Advertisements of which are always seen In the bee-journals, and a new beginner To grudge their trifling cost would be a sinner. In eight da3S after your new stock is started, And every chance of raising quecnsdeparted, Except what Hes in ib.e few queen cells made, Cut out each one, and having duly laid Your plans in readiness for introducing, Put in a queen ready for egg- producing. Do this, by placing her m a small cage, Lest discontented workers, in a rage, Should ball and sting the stranger quceif to death And drag her forth deprived of life and breath. Within some four and twenty liours or so. It will be safe to loose and let her go, Smoking the hive to keep the bees diverted, Till tragic consequences are averted. This rhyme is for beginners, else tlie way To raise a store of queens against the day When it is proper to divide, and start New colonies, I would in full impart. But this belongs to high bee-culture, so In the meantime, I choose to let it go, Until the tyro is advanced and looks 'For further wisdom into big bee-books. In many apiaries, the extractor Is in the business an importarxt factor. V EXTRACTOR. If this you use, put on a third half hive From which to keep the queen you must contrive, This may be brought about as quick as wink By a thin sheet of perforated zinc Put in between halves number two and three: The workers pass it, but not the queen-bee. Do your extracting from the hive on top, Once and again until the harvest stop. Extract from frames that have the honey cells Mostly capped over, for experience tells. That uncapped honey formic acid lacks, Which is supplied just when the final wax Is spread across the open cavity. And this gives honey its rare quality Of keeping fresh and sweet a length of time In all varieties of place and clime. Do your uncapping with a keen-edged blade Particularly for this purpose made. Work your extractor in a bee-proof tent, Or some secluded, and quite safe apartment. Else the sweet nectar will from far be scented And dire confusion cannot be prevented ; The bees will get excited, rob, and sting Each other, you, and every living thing. Beginners, I advise to raise comb honey Until they scrape together enough money To purchase an extractor, paUs, and things, Necessity for which extracting brings. When honey fails, the bees incline to rob, Honey exposed will quickly start the job. So do not leave around a single bit. And then, perhaps, they will not take the ftt. 33 Weak stocks are the most apt to be assailed By stronger ones, and when they have prevailed 1 hey quickly clean each cell of honey out And leave weak stocks to perish v.ithout doubt. To guard against this dire catastrophe Contract the entrance so a single bee Alone can pass, and then the weakest stock Will easily the narrow gangway block. Italian stocks, however weak, will guard Their honey stores, and make it very hard For any robber bees to gain admission, While they, with daggers drawn, refuse permis- sion. Thus far you have been told how we contrive JONES HIVE. To handle bees in the new Heddon hive, But if with this you cannot make a start, I must a different management impart. 34 Take these directions, which will be the same For any hive that has a hanging frame. Contract the space with a division board Until the bees need room to store their hoard ; Then add, as may seem best, a frame or two, Filled with old comb, or with foundation new. Do this until the hive is nearly filled With brood and honey, then proceed to build A second story on the one below, In which the bees may surplus honey stow. If for comb honey you are working, let A section-case upon the top be set, Exactly fitted to the hive below That the whole force of workers there may gow Each section should be filled with empty comb, So that the bees may feel themselves at home, Or, little sheets of very thin foundation Will make them soon accept the situation. Do not allow your workers to relax In gathering honey and in moulding wax. But add another section-case or more, Until the bees no longer honey store. If the extractor you would rather use You must another line of action choose. Make your top hive the very counterpart Of the one underneath in every part 35 Except the bottom board ; dispense with it, And make both stories one another fit. Raise from the lower hive a frame or two, Half filled with honey, so that you may woo The busy workers to ascend up-stairs, Instead of starting swarming unawares. Fill both the hives with frames ot comb-foundation Or empty comb, and so make preparation To give your busy workers every chance Their storings and your profits to enhance. Do your extracting from the hive on top, And before gathering ends, be sure to stop. When gathering wanes it will be time to try With prudent care your stocks to multiply. Be not too eager for a quick increase, Or it may end in ruinous decrease. To double up is doing vtry well, And year by year in numbers fast will tell. How foolish to count up a lot of hives So weak that hardly one of them survives. The hard ordeal of winter's crucial test, Leaving: you only of dead bees possessed ! Do not divide a solitary hive If there is doubt of keeping both alive, But if a stock is: strong remove a part Of the filled frames another one to start. Carry the old hive to a distant stand. And have, if possible, a queen at hand To introduce into the queei;less stock And cage her, all hostility to block. As told already, it make long delay To bring a young queen to the light ot day, Proceed as staled with the Hcddcn hive And to make two strong stocks you will contrive* The after treatment will be just the same, With Langstroth, Jones or any other frame. Your bees may steal a march, or rather flight, On you, and naturally swarm, in spite Of all precautionary things that you As taught in this and other books may do. So be prepared to hive them any day Lest they to parts unknown should steal away. Have always read}' a spare hive or two, Filled with old comb or with toundation new, And when a swarm emerges watch their flight Until upon somj object they alight Add form their hanging cluster, then proceed To capture them with all convenient speed. Swarms usually aliglU upon a tree Not far away, and wait until they see If there is any home by man provic'eJ, When that is in the negative decided 37 Away they go to some big, hollow tree And housed therein, enjoy their liberty. But seldom lor this final flight they muster Until an hour or more they hang in cluster. Saw off the tree-branch ; or shake down the bees Into a swarming- box, if so you please ; • In that case let the box be covered quite With some cloth fabric that is soft and light; Carry the bees to the awaiting hive, Spread a white sheet in front, and then contrive To shake the bees upon the sheet en masse ; Soon some will into the hive's entrance pass, And setting up :i pleased, contented hum, Allure the outside oues indoors to come. Be sure that your new hive is clean and neat ; Smear it with beeswax an(^ with honey sweet: Have no foul smell about it, for the bees Are mostly all old maids, whom you must please By making things quite tidy and " so — so,' Else in a fit of dudgeon, off they go ! If from tli6 old hive you a frame remove Of brood comb to the new one, it will prove A {>,uarantee that your new swarm will stay, Instead of going to the woods away. Shading the new swarm for a day or two. From the sun's fiercer glare is wise, and you 38 Had better leave them to their own sweet will^ Till they the hive with honey nearly fill. Then as already stated, you must place On top a second hive, or section cas8. If the swarm come off early in the season And honey freely flows, there is no reason Why you should not be able to extract Or get some surplus into sections packed, Provided you look sharp, and see to it That crowding does not cause a lazy fit. The surplus honey you may have to sell To be attractive, must be packaged well ; For your best sections have a market case Neat, and with glass across the central space. A nice pictorial label with your name Will help to give your apiary fame. Extracted honey, too, for sale prepare, In jars of glass, or tins, with equal care. A warranty of purity reads well And helps an A. i. article to sell. 39 Let it be Known you have the best of honey, And you will quickly turn it into money ; A first-class product will be in demand, When .common goods cannot a sale command. Watch market prices, and if they are fair, Sell out forthwith all that you have to spare. A certain risk attends undue delay, And prompt returns will, in the long run, pay. When the woods wear their autumn foliage sober, And it is near the first days of October, Begin to think of winter preparation, For soon the bees will dream of hibernation. First see that every hive has quantum sujf, Of honry ; thirty pounds will be enough. If there is any lack, be sure and feed Enough to satisfy their utmost need. The best way to make up the winter hoard, Is to put in some frames with honey stored. It surplus honey cannot be provided, Your bees m:iy over winter's dearth be tided By feeding sugar syrup till the hive Has food eno'igh to keep the bees alive. Some adopt sugar stores inste?d of honey Because in this way bee-men can save money, But this, as it has oft been said or suncr, *' Saves at the spigot, and wastes at the bung.*' 40 Some think tliat sugar syrup takes the lead ' Of honey as the safest winter feed, But can this be a rational position? Bees get no sugar in their wild condition ,*♦ Honey is nature's chosen food for bees, And nothing can their palates better please, Or be so good and whoiesotne for their health Or so increase the apiarist's wealth. Let sugar syrup to the bees be fed, As man would use a substitute for bread, When dire necessity that course compels. And he must starve or live on something else. FEEDERS. Feeders for giving sugar to the bees, Supply men sell, of any style you please. Their food provided, the next question is, What winter quarters for 5'our colonies ? 4i Some winter in a cellar, some out-doors ; The cellar-men believe that tewer stores •• • Are needed by the bees in close confinement, And hence prefer to make indoor consignment. Others believe that hives well packed in chaff Do better on their summer stands by half. Experts like Barber, Hall, and Jone^ can (ell How be2s in cellars may be wintered well ; And in repositories above ground, Successful wintering is often found. Such note I bss-keepers as these contrive To treat the cellar as one mammoth hive, Temp:;rin:; ihi air by wisa manipulation To brm ^ a!) ri!; tlie state of hiberaation. But I am teacli n:^ tyros, and for such, Indoor repositories cost too much. Bee-keeping specialists may make them pay, But happily there is another way Of winteiing, which answers quite as well, If it does not all indoor modes excel. * The difficulty of hitting the right time For housing in our freaky winter dim?, And for re-placing on their suniuBr stirils, Is an objection owned to on all !i arils : ' • And then the slavish toil of carrying hives Has well nigh cost some bee-keepers their lives. 42 I go for out-door wintering, on a stand Where you can manage them with ready hand, Free from laborious lifting to and fro, Which makes the luckless beeman's back ache so, I set my hives two feet above the ground Where ease of handling them is always found. 43 The man who first devised a four-inch stool To set his hives on was an arrant fool, And needlessly condemned himself to stoop Till with fatigue and pain his spirits droop. Why set your bees away down near the ground Where damp, foul air, vermin and toads abound ? Some say because the heavy-laden bees Can gain the entrances with greater ease. While higher up their foothold they may miss. And mother earth's cold bosom often kiss. Well, I have watched the honey-laden be? Returning home, and I could seldom see Failure to gain the alighting-board, but in They hasten, and home's glad enclosure win. For one poor weary heavy-laden bee That prostrate on the ground tired out you see, rU point you out a dozen with their load, Caught by the lightening-tongue of some big toad* 44 Beside the hiv: h^ squats, and there prepares Apparentl, , to say his evening pra3'ers, He lo jks so solemn, giave, demure, aevout, But, wretched hypocrite and pjraceless lout, He knows too well the mischief he's about, And catches bees quicker than you can shout " Jack Robinson," or any other thing. Regardless of the poison and the sling. So keep you:' hives well up a foot or two, For It is good, both for your baes and you. This method affords chance of preparation To give your bees due lower ventilation. Construct a hopper underneath the hive, Remove the bottom-board, and so contrive A way to let dead bees and rubbish go Down to the bottom of tlie box below. An augur-hole somewhere about the box Will furnish air enough for average stocks ; There must be care to give enough, no more, While in the box's side a little door Enables you to see all winter through, How your now hibernating insects do, And whether the dry fceccs powdery dust Proves that your bees well wintering you can trust. This hopper plan danger of smothering blocks When late fall breedmg gives you crowded stocks, 45 * But if your stocks are medium -sized or small, Do not remove the bottom-board at all. Bore with a tv/o-inch auger through its middle, And you have solved the ventilation riddle. Surround the hive with a capacious case And in it chaff or some light packing place. Better than chaff on top, your bees to keep Both dry and warm all through their winter sleep Are wool-lined quilts, about two inches thick, Through which all moisture passes double-quick These act just like quilts on your own warm bed, Retainmg warmth while air is gently led Through the interstices of thread and wool, Keeping the hive of pure air always full. The trouble with absorbents on .the top Is that, in them, moisture is apt to stop Until the frost comes, when an icy mass Forbids all air and dampness through to pass, Tlicn warmth below causes a leakage through, Giving the bees more work than the} can do To keep their quarters in that nice dry state Necdhil, if you would have them hibernate* Just as a blanket on a sweaty horse Passes all moisture through the woolen pores, The blanket's underside quite dry and warm, While, on the top-side, little dewdrops form, To be exhaled by means of warmth and air,, 46 Until you can detect no moisture there. B es will not tolerate an upwara draught Bat ought to have a vertical air-shaft Placed underneath the hive, so that foul gas By its own density outside may pass, While damp is carried up by ventilation, Like man's insensible skin perspiration. Quilts filled with cotton, sawdust, chaff on top, Are apt to make the gathering moisture stop Within the hive, whereas the wool-lined spread Carries each drop of moisture overhead. Small auger-hc'os bored in the gable roof Will make the hive against all dampness proof. I would not any bee-man's honors steal, So credit this device to S. Cornell. Providing thus an Lulcquate protection From frost and damp, you have in full perfection A mode of wintering that will safely keep Your bees all right until the spring buds peep. Let it be added, that the summer door Into the hive is left a little more Than one bee-passage wide, and you must see After a snow-storm that the way is free. If you the bottom-board retain, a wire Bent at one end an inch you will require With which, occasionally, you must clear, Dead bees and rubbish until spring is here. 47 'But if you use the hopper, these will fall And need all winter long, no care at all. Disturb your stocks hut little in their sleep, But let them all in quiet torpor keep. Should a warm spell come any day in winter, Causing the icicles to melt and splin*er, Your bees can sally torth and take a ftight, And then re-form their cluster, snug and tight. In spring, no cleaning off the bottom-boards. No meddling with brood-nest or honey-hoards, No dwindling down of numbers through the change From cellar-prison to an outside range. But on they go, in-creasing population, And work without a day or hour's vacation. If lightness ot the hive should indicate Stores are decreasing at too fast a rate. Feed them inside, on top of the brood- frame, Or at the entrance, you can do the same. If they are flying before willow buds Furnish the bees with yellow catkin cuds To chew and masticate for larva? food. Unbolted rye or wheat-meal will be good ; For this important purpose, let it stand In open pans or dishes close at hand. For feeding in the spring, Good's cakes of candy Of all things now in use are the most handy. 48 Unless you have in store some surplus honey Not previously converted into money. And now, the season's cycle is complete, The summer hours march on, with nimble feet, Soon once again the welcome time will come When honey-gathering bees, with cheerful hum^ Will do the work they understand so well, And store sweet ne?tar in each vacant cell, Smoothing and polishing the surface all With that small trowel, we a dagger call, But which by them employed so much is In giving honey-comb its final touclies. COMB-HONEY— ONE POUND SECTION. 49 IZic I conclu.ie, some cautionary things To my rcniL-mbrance faithful memory brings. Tiimk not that every hovering bee you see, I3 on the watch to sting you steaUhily, Or, like a roaring lion, every hour Goes prowling, roi;nd some victim to devour, Lccs have an honest calling to pursue, And better business than to fly at you, L"inierfcred with, or enraged, they show A bold, undaunted courage, and will go Lilo the thick of conflict wilh a raid Resistless, like the famous " light brigade." Dees never from a battle-field retreat. Or yield to fear, or own to a defeat. If you are menaced by an angry bee, Ilang down your head, and do not let it see Your eyes, or it will make an instant dash And you with pain your teeth will quickly gnash. A bee has many thousand eyes, while you Unfortunately can but boast of two. So " mind your eye" and take away the target Which, v;hen exasperate, they try to hit. Keep quiet, do not strike a single blow, And usually, away the bee will go. !Dut if, like Mary's little lamb so white, It seems reluctant to go out of sight. 50 Move quickly into some dense shade near by For there a bee will hardly ever fly. Never attempt to fight an angry bee, But be content to win by strategy. Do not suppose a tyro can contrive A better than the best-built modern hive. Of all the tollies novices commit, Inventing hives is the most silly fit. Be not misled by gimcracks or moth-traps, Or you will have no end of sad mishaps. Be guided by the long experience wise Of those who studied the hive's mysteries. Long ere you thought of being a bee-keeper, Else you, o'er *' blasted hopes " will be a weeper. Do not expect a pile of wealth to make At keeping bees, but be content to take A modest livelihood, and save a trifle Out of the stores that of the bees you rifle. Do not suppose that you have learned it all, Or old bee-keepers aged fogies call ; The longest day you there will be more live, For you to learn and study in bee-lore. Attend conventions, and when there you go, Be willing to tell others what you know. Don't sit a silent bump upon a log, Or speechify so as to throw dense fog 51 Around a subject, but *' let there be light," And willingly contribute your small mite HOUSE APIARY. To meet expenses, or to give a lift If others need, or well deserve a gilt. Write for bee-journals, and if you can say A word to help another on his way, 52 By tongue or pen, be " ready aye " to do it, And, rest assured, that you will never rue it. Make channels for the streams of useful thought, Wisdom, though it be often dearly bought, Should freely flow o'er all the desert ground, Until the wilderness with fruit abound. It is not well hot, hasty feuds to rush on, But do not be afraid of free discussion. Be courteous always, chicken-hearted never, And learn the truth from passion far to sever. Further, I warn you to be very chary About commencing a new apiary In a location that is filled already With bees enough to get employment steady. A honcj'-range extends about six miles From side to side, and does not yield its piles Of precious nectar inexhaustibly, It easily may over-crowded be. The land is full of tempting, vacant places. And should be parcelled out into bee-spaces Of out-door flight, and each new selection Should be in some not over- crowded section. Right of pre-emption ought to be respected Or else success can hardly be expected. How many hives will occupy a held, And gather all the honey it can yield, 53 Is among bee-keepers a question moot ; At i\Iohawk, in the range of L. C. Root, .- ' A thousand colonies of bees are kept, And the earth's carpet must be cleanly swept. Heddon, as good a judge as I can mention, Has given this question long and close attention, His recently-announced conclusion is, That just about a iiundred colonies An ordinary area will work, And cull the sweets that in the blossoms lurk. Do not assist in making a great noise, Or throw your hat up with a " Hurrah boys," *' The more the merrier " that go into bees, And any man's preferred location seize, Or soon the honey-crop will grow so thin That he a livelihood will scarcely win. *• The world is all belore you where to choose,** Therefore, all selfish rivalry refuse. Live peaceably beneath the heaven's high dome, And trench not on another's " home, sweet home.' Learn industry from your untiring bees, And, like them, every golden moment seize In storing up, against the days to come, Of worldly substance, a sufilicient sum To keep )Ourself and those on you depending, When life's brief sun is in the west descending. 54 Act SO that wlien, like bees, you pass away From earth's alternate scenes of night and day, It shall be owned that you have done your part Of life's fiard toil, with faithful hand and heart, And left to those who come upon the stage, A good, praiseworthy, biographic page. Farewell ! and in a brighter world than this, May you enjoy a life of perfect bliss ; Where thrilling music through the weklin rings, And nectar sweet is gathered without stings I AUTHOR'S NOTES. Page 6. '•To meet this want is what I now propose And take to poetry instead of prose." I have long felt the need of some brief, elementary man- ual of bee-keeping which would give advice to persons who propose to make a start in this line of things, or have al- ready done so, and which, while giving the outlines of the art, would be so condensed as to cost but little. I have also wanted something in printed form that would answer the thousand and one questions of correspondents and visitors, without compelling me incessantly to use tongue or pen. I like to have a good bee-talk, but I prefer to have it with some one who is " up " in the science and art. To be con- stantly going over the first principles is as wearisome as teaching a school in which all the scholars are learning their alphabet. I hope while thus providing a convenience for myself, to have also rendered a service to advanced bee- keepers who are too busy to be constantly instructing en- quirers and beginners, but yet do not like to decline furnish- ing desired information. As to the poetic form, it is like the boy who was called up by his teacher to answer for whistling 56 during school hours. All he could say was, " it whistled it- self." So far as I have used choice in the matter, two consid- erations have more particularly influenced me. ist. Tnat of novelty, which might be a feature of interest ; and ^nd., the thought that in this form, I should not en^roich on the ground of any other author, bat have a field all to myself. Puffe lo. " An i show a great propensity to swarm." Not more, however, than the common blacks, from whom they inherit this trait, along with the faculty of e.xpert comb-building. Vuije 18. " Lest eating it should make the bees fall sick." My esteeniid friend, Mr. HiJdon, who has kindly read my book both in mss. and in proof, an J to whom I am in- debted for several valuable criticisms an I corrections, writjs me that he thmks most people will fail to take this passa^^e as a bit of pleasantry. So, in imitation of the great .\rtemus Ward's example, I beg to say, " This is a ;Khik." Fayf 2ti. " Ahl'. fills within the hive the mother's place." The fuUwtions of the " (jaeen " as she is called, are tar m )re maternal than regal. '• M)ther-bei," would be a bet- ter name fur her. Page 29. "Sj frustrate swarming till the very last Of the brief honey-gathering time is past." The criticism of every experienced bee-keeper on this will be, " eisier siil thin d )ne, ' and I bow to it in advance Bat we are all working in this lin^, and whe.i we discover 57 how tu winter successfully every time, the prevention of swarming will be an absolute necessity. The only approxi- mations we have yet, — young, vigorous queens, and giving^ the bees room before they feel cramped, — are not com- patible with the production of surplus comb honey to any great extent, for you must crowd the bees below to force them upstairs. 1 frankly own that in this as in some other particulars, my preaching is better than my practice. Pane 30. " Hut this belongs to high bee-culture," etc. What to admit and what to exclude has been the great ditticulty in preparing this elementary treatise. The line must be drawn somewhere. Critics, who are invited to pitch in freely, are at the same time, respectfully requested to make allowance for this obvious difticulty. P5 ^ HO.NtlY EXTR./1CT0RS » Our new gearing, while extremely sim- ple in manuiaciure, combines in itself, case of manipula- tion, strength, sim- plicity in mode of removal of basket for cleansing pur- poses, and a greater space or storage room below the bas- ket. It runs far easier than the old style extractors, there be- ing much less fric- tion. The gearing forms a brace, which makes the body much stronger. Ti ere are no hoks cut through the tin, and no screws used. The basktt is suspended in the body, and does not rest on a post ur stand, in the bottom of the extractor. The basket may be taken out in one moment and may be leplated just as quiekly. Our txnactors are made of material much superior to that generally u.-ed, and the workmanship is also of the best. We use heavy i.nned iron, and import directly from the En>.lish market. The wire in comb baskets is heavily tin- ntd, i"^ prevent :usi oi corroding. FKlCtS. Jones' Patented, for Jones' frame or smaller, eachf.8 oo Jones' Patented, lor ail larger sizes 8 50 To anyone buying »wo extractors we will give 10 per cent, discount cff the |.iice of one of them. % 66 nonm knives. A knife should not be used for uncapping unless it bears a razor edge ; the necessity for this will appear obvious when "t is remembered that the comb, in the cutting of which it is used, is only the two-hundredth part of an inch in thickness, and the cut must be perfectly clean. If in the process of uncapping, the cells are crushed or bruised and partially closed, the free exit of the honey, when extracting, is prevented, and the bees are given much additional labor in bringing them to their natural shape ; neither should the cut be too deep, as^more labor is required to lenj^tlxn them again. Our knives are made of line razor tteel, and should never be brought in contact with metal or any hard sub- stance — cappings and honey may be cleaned oft' by rubbing over soft wood. Ebony polished handle, Mirror Blade ■%i 35 Glazed " i 15 Wood " " ' •' " 90 If these are desired by rnail add each i8c. fcr postage. ,67 EYEl^Y * BEE-KEEPEIt -SHOULD READ- Wtc QanabiaH §&e€ ^ouznat- It contains twenty pages of purely bee matter, it ia clearly printed on toned paper, it is edited by a skilled apiarian and numbers amongst its contributors all the leading bee masters in the United States and Canada. lublished teekly, ai $1 fer fear. Sample Copies free on Application Publishers, - - Beeton, Ont. 68 Their Work Estimates Sp6aks ^^ Their Worth. i;^BGHEI^GHB ""''"" ''"' BOOK ti]D JOB P]^II]TI]3(5 OF EVERY ])KSLRH'TION AT THK dA]!lHDIJ\lli * BEE * JOUI^lJfiL * OFFICE, BEETON, - ONT- Ebtimates furnished tor all classes of work fro m] the minutest Visiting Card to the Largest Volume. «:-«3^e«<» Printing for beemeu a specialty. A large assortment of apiarian cuts in stock. Stnd for our Honey Label Circular, Mailed Free, JON€S, MACPHEftSbN A Co., Artistic BkKTON, OnT. Wiiie us work at before Low Rates Ordering elsevvhere