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ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY

New York STATE COLLEGES
OF
AGRICULTURE AND Home EcoNoMICs

AT

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

 

 

EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS

BEEKEEPING LIBRARY
Gift of the

= A. I. Root Company

 

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STARTING RIGHT
WITH BEES

Written by a Beginner in Beekeeping,
H. G. Rowe, Out of His Own Ex-
perience in Needing Help and Direction
During His First Two Years of Bee-
keeping. Read, Revised and Approved by
the Editors of Gleanings in Bee Culture.

 

First Edition
1922

Published by :
THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY
MEDINA, OHIO

 

Copyrighted 1922, by The A. I. Root Company.

 
 

 

 

 

Age and youth alike find keen interest in bees. Here is A. I. Root, known
throughout the wide world of beekeeping, in his eightieth year, examining a frame
of bees, with a boy of a dozen years as helper.
THE HOW AND WHY OF THIS BOOK.

This book aims to give the beginner in beekeeping only the essentials
of the business. It is an apiary primer, written out of the necessities of a
humble beginner who did not find in any existing beekeeping litera-
ture the simple, direct, kindergarten sort of teaching that a beginner in
beekeeping so much needs. He found books written by very able and very
scholarly beekeepers who had had many years of experience with bees.
But it seemed to this beginner that these beemasters were “shooting over
his head,” in their beginner books. They seemed to forget that he, as a
beginner of the greenest type, did not know a frame from a section, nor
that the drone or queen might not be the greatest honey gatherer in the
hive. Knowing truly so much of bees and beekeeping themselves, these
able authorities did not seem to comprehend how little he knew, and so
they knew too much, in very fact, to write for the humble, bee-ignorant
beginner.

So it was that this beginner, during the first season of his trialful
beekeeping, set down daily in a notebook what he first wanted to know
about bees and the simple directions that he needed—but could not find in
the bee books. After the close of his first beekeeping season, this beginner
read all the literature he could find that had been printed for the beginner,
jotted down the omissions in this literature, and then wrote the first draft
of “Starting Right with Bees.” This was done in the fresh remembrance
of many steps taken blindly, of many failures in things attempted, and in
the chastened and contrite spirit of one many times needlessly stung. He
completely revised this first draft of his modest essay into beekeeping lit-
erature at the close of his second beekeeping season. He had lived and
learned—a little more. The manuscript was then given to the several
Editors of Gleanings in Bee Culture to read, correct and add to as ruth-
lessly as they might. They were restricted only in one particular: that
they humble themselves even as this little child of beekeeping and write
nothing that he and the great army of beginner beekeepers everywhere
could not understand. Mrs. Iona Fowls Wheeler and Mr. Geo. 8. Demuth
are to be credited in particular for valuable suggestions in the final revision
of the manuscript.

The result is this book—for better or for worse than other books
written for beginners in beekeeping.

It is hoped that these condensed lessons, if carefully studied, will start
the beginner on the highway to success under normal conditions. Very
many of the scientific and more intricate details of beekeeping will not be
touched upon at all in these pages, as they: are not necessary in the first
steps and might serve only to confuse the novice.

Furthermore, this book will not as a rule attempt to give several
different ways of performing a certain beekeeping operation or of meeting

3
a certain beekeeping problem, but will in each instance give a single simple
and proved method. To give a choice of several methods serves only to
confuse the beginner.

The reader will not expect to find treated herein such subjects as
the anatomy and physiology of the bee, botany of honey-producing flora,
queen-rearing, wax and comb production, pollination, honey chemistry, the
history of the craft and its advancement, nor the commercial and food
phases of honey. This booklet will confine itself to getting the beginner
started in the care of bees and production of honey, and leave for his
later experience and enthusiasm the scientific and technical phases of the
subject.

That the path of many a beginner in beekeeping may be made smoother
and shorter and straighter by this little book, and the stings and disap-
pointments made very much fewer, is the hope of the author of this primary
book.

H. G. ROWE.
SOME FIRST CONSIDERATIONS.

CHAPTER, I.

 

 

 

Many a schoolboy is keeping bees.

There are some general, practi-
cal considerations that the begin-
ner needs to take into account be-
fore crossing the threshold of bee-
keeping, which may quite largely
predetermine his attitude toward
beekeeping, as to making it a pro-
fession or a side line or merely a
pleasurable avocation.

Who Can Succeed with Bees.

 

Beekeeping is an occupation for
old or young, rich or poor, men or
women. It is for the professional
man or woman, tired and worn
with office work; and it is also for
the vigorous man in his prime who
seeks profit and pleasure alike from

its pursuit. Any person with fair health and strength or who can attain
fair health and strength by outdoor work, who is fairly studious and en-
dowed with some patience.and some love of nature, may very reasonably
hope to become successful as a beekeeper. But the greater and wider the
beekeeper’s intelligence and powers of observation, the greater his success

will be.

Accordingly, he should’ be a reader of bee lore and natural his-

tory. Patience, persistence in fighting adverse cireumstances, promptness

in doing the right thing at the right
time, and foresight are among the
. traits most necessary for successful
beekeeping. It is not a business for
the careless, the disorderly, nor for the
lazy person. Successful beekeeping
means work both for the brain and
the hands. The very few persons who
may despair of becoming good beekeep-
ers are such as are hopelessly careless ;
those who have but little patience, and
little or no love for the great outdoors;
and the very few who are seriously af-
fected by the poison of bee-stings and

stand in constant dread of them. The

normal person, with a little care, can
avoid stings almést entirely and need
have no fear of them. (See page 49.)

5

 

 

 

Even little kiddies can enjoy bees.
SOME FIRST CONSIDERATIONS.—Chapter J
Profit from Beekeeping.

Many millions of dollars’ worth of honey and beeswax are produced in
the United States annually. This vast amount is distributed among many
beekeepers—-not equally, for there are lean years and fat years in different
localities, much depending on varying conditions of weather and plant life,
on the conditions of health and vigor within the hive, and on the market
and selling methods—but most of all, on the skill of the beekeeper himself.
There are professional beekeepers devoting themselves entirely to the busi-
ness who make large incomes from their bees. They operate in favored
localities, and, along witb their experience, use the most up-to-date methods.
Many backaspers have secured more than 200 pounds of surplus honey in
a single season from each of their colonies. (A colony of bees is merely a
complete family of bees.) A normal colony will in a single season produce
on an average about 50 to 100 pounds of surplus honey. Price of honey,
operating expenses and the yield then determine the money profit.

To sum up conservatively the question of financial profit, it may be
said that the successful beekeeper is very well paid in money alone for the
time he spends in his work; and there is no other branch of agriculture
which can be made to yield so great a return on so small an investment of
capital as does beekeeping. In most cases, besides the money return, are
to be reckoned the pleasure and fascination of beekeeping. It creates an
absorbing interest in natural history and not only brings one in contact
with the bees and all their wonderful habits but into the realm of plant life,
a large part of which is dependent on the ‘pollinating work of the bees,
leading on to the study of floriculture and horticulture that opens up a
whole new world of wonders.

Beekeeping Combined with Other Business.

Beekeeping can be combined ‘with many other useful pursuits to ad-
vantage. For instance, the combination of beekeeping with poultry-raising
and fruit-growing is an excellent, all-around means of getting a comfort-
able living from a comparatively small amount of land. A few acres are
sufficient for these three activities.

For those who are finding themselves unable to do the hard work of
earlier years the combination of bees and poultry is especially suited.
Bees require least attention when poultry needs the most. When one is

 

 

 

 

Beekeeping and poultry-raising make a good combination.
6
SOME FIRST CONSIDERATIONS.—Chapter I.

 

 

 

Every orchard should have bees for greatest success.

busiest with fowls in winter and early spring, the bees are inactive in their
hives. When swarms and the honey harvest must be looked after, work in
the poultry-yard is not pressing.

In combination with fruit-growing, beekeeping is especially desirable.
The bees fertilize the blossoms, and the blossoms furnish considerable
nectar. In gathering the nectar of the fruit blossoms, bees unconsciously
earry pollen from stamen to pistil and from one blossom to another, aiding
in the setting of the fruit, thus materially increasing the size of the fruit
crop. In fact, no up-to-date and successful orchardist of today thinks of
trying to raise fruit without bees in or near his orchard.

Farmers, fruit-growers and poultry-raisers may keep from 10 to 50 or
even 100 colonies cf bees without interfering with other work; and nearly
every one can keep from 2 to 10 colonies in a back yard. Moreover, 10 or
20 colonies will yield a much larger revenue per colony than will five or
ten times as many located on the same site. :

The busy farmer may expect success with bees, although they need
much attention at the same time as do the farm crops. If the older children
and the women folks of the family chance to love outdoors and take a fancy
to bees, the problem of help and care of the bees in the busy farm season is
at once solved. Then, too, if the farmer owns any orchards or is engaged in
any small-fruit raising, he positively can not afford to be without at least
a few colonies of bees on his premises. They should constitute an essential
part of his business.

School-teachers who can have an apiary near at hand will find that
they can use their vacation months very profitably among the bees, and
this vacation time is just when the bees will need greatest attention. A Sat-
urday given now and then in the fall and spring will afford all the time
necessary for caring for the bees during these seasons.

Professional men, generally, and all classes confined to the indoors
while at their regular work, may well look to beekeeping as a source of
interesting recreation and profit.

When to Start.

For the beginner, inexperienced in beekeeping, the best time to start is
during the fruit bloom or at the time of the first honey flow of any kind

7
SOME FIRST CONSIDERATIONS.—Chapter 1.

that will give the bees a few days’ food supply. This time will vary con-
siderably because of different latitudes. In any latitude the beginner should
start after possible early spring-managing problems are past. For in-
stance, in the northern and north-central states of the United States this
is during early fruit bloom. Of course, the experienced beekeeper may
safely buy bees at any season of the year, and he often does so in the fall,
because bees may then be bought at a much lower figure than in the early
summer when there is a prospect of a honey crop near at hand.

How to Begin Beekeeping.

Before the beginner in beekeeping actually makes his start there are
several things he may do to his very great advantage. If he can visit an
experienced beekeeper for a day or several days and come to understand
something of the appliances and methods used in beekeeping, it will be of
rouch assistance in his future work. He will thus pick up a fund of in-
formation that might take him weeks or months to acquire from text-books
or from his own experience. Almost any experienced beekeeper is ready
to give an enthusiastic beginner a practical demonstration of many of the
the manipulations of the hive. Again, in advance of beginning, the novice
should read all the beekeeping ‘literature that he can reasonably acquire.
The more theory he gets in advance of his practice, the better off he will be.
We can not too strongly urge both the visit to some experienced beekeeper
and the reading of beekeeping lore when making the start.

The importance of beginning in a small way with bees and with as
little expense as possible can not be emphasized too strongly. Nothing is
more discouraging, after having plunged into the business too extensively,
than to lose a large part of the bees either through bad wintering or from
some other cause due to the lack of practical experience or to insufficient
theoretical knowledge. Very many enthusiastic beginners in beekeeping
have had their enthusiasm and love of bees killed by disaster due to starting
too ambitiously. Sometimes a person is offered a bargain of 50 or 100 colo-
nies of bees, including hives and implements, at a ridiculously low price.
But this temptation should be put aside by the beginner, because it almost
invariably leads to failure. Two or three colonies of bees are about the
right number to start with. After the first year, the beginner will want at
least as many as five colonies, and these will require beekeepers’ supplies in
such amount as to be bought in original packages, effecting a very consid-
erable saving. The purchase at first of a large number of bee appliances
and tools ‘is as much to be avoided as is a beginning with too many bees.
Get along with just as few appliances and as little expense as possible at
first.

But before discussing equipment, a word ought to be said as to
whether the beginner should seek to produce comb honey or extracted
honey, for the work is quite different and the equipment somewhat dif-
ferent.
COMB HONEY OR EXTRACTED HONEY — WHICH?
CHAPTER II,

The honey which the bees produce in excess of their winter needs is
called surplus honey. This may be stored in comb built in small boxes
called sections, which hold about one pound of honey each and are sold
with the honey; or it may be stored in combs built in “shallow” frames
holding about three pounds, the honey being cut out and used or sold in
the comb as chunk honey; or it may be extracted from the combs built in
either “shallow” or “deep” frames and the same frames of combs used in
the hive repeatedly year after year. The honey produced in the sections
is called comb honey, and that extracted from-the combs is called ex-
tracted honey.

Now at the very outset it will be necessary to decide whether to pro-
duce comb honey or extracted, for, as just explained, the equipment in the
two cases will differ. There are several good reasons why the average
beginner will find it to his advantage to produce extracted rather than
comb honey, although many a beginner has first produced comb honey.

Comb and Extracted Honey Production Compared.

 

For the first year, the comb and the extracted honey outfits do not
differ materially in price, except for the extractor; but in succeeding years
the financial advantage is in favor of the extracted-honey production, for
the same combs in which the bees store honey the first year may be used
repeatedly year after year, while the sections and foundation in which comb
honey is stored must be replaced at considerable cost every season.

Comb is made of wax, which is a secretion from certain glands of the
bees; and for the production of a pound of wax it is probably necessary
for the bees to consume five to fifteen pounds of honey, which might other-
wise be sold as surplus. Therefore, besides the extra cost of supplies the
beekeeper loses considerable from the fact that bees producing comb honey
are compelled each year to build all the comb in which they store their
surplus honey instead of using the same comb year after year as in the
case of extracted-honey production. Such comb would quite likely contain
as much as three pounds of wax and might, therefore, require fifteen or
more pounds of honey for its production.

Comb-honey production requires far more skill in order to produce a
good erop, and at the same time keep down swarming. The section boxes
are so much smaller than the combs the bees naturally build that they do
not enter them as readily as they do the large combs used in extracted-
honey production. Therefore, considerable skill is sometimes necessary to
induce bees to start work in section supers. Also, the extracted-honey bee-
keeper finds that giving an abundance of room helps greatly in the pre-
vention of swarming, while the comb-honey man is compelled to keep his

9
COMB HONEY OR EXTRACTED HONEY—WHICH?—Chapter II,

colonies more crowded; for, otherwise, the end of the season will find him
with a lot of unfinished sections, that is, sections only partly filled with
honey. LExtracting-combs of ripe honey two-thirds or more unsealed will,
when extracted, result in first-class honey. Sections two-thirds sealed
must be sold at a low price.

Furthermore, extracted honey may be produced in many localities and
in many seasons when comb honey would be an absolute failure; for, in
order that any quantity of comb in sections be built, it is necessary that
the nights be warm, as it is during the warm nights that most of the wax
is secreted and the comb built.

On the other hand, there is usually more honey left in the hive when
the surplus honey is taken away at the end of the season when comb
honey is produced than when extracted honey is produced. For this rea-
son it is more often necessary to feed the bees when producing extracted
honey unless combs of honey are saved out of the surplus for this purpose.

Often a beginner is able to find a larger beekeeper in his own locality
who will be willing to do his extracting for a small sum. Even one cent a
pound is a good bargain on both sides. If one prefers the satisfaction of
doing his own extracting (and there is a real pleasure in it), he will be
able to purchase a two-frame extractor at a moderate price. And this
size will be quite large enough for some time for the beginner in bee-
keeping. And, when he later decides to go into the business a little
heavier, it will doubtless be possible to sell the small extractor and purchase
a larger one, either new or second-hand.

Chunk Honey Production.

It is possible that a few may wish to produce chunk honey. If so,
they should secure their surplus honey in what are called shallow extract-
ing-supers. These contain frames shallower than the regular frames. When
the frames are filled and the honey is sealed it is cut out in chunks, leaving
as much as half an inch of comb next to the four sides of the frames. This
fringe of comb serves the bees as a starter to begin work on for the next
year’s honey crop. The chunks of honey are packed in tin pails or glass
jars and covered with liquid honey.

A serious objection to chunk honey put up this way is that the liquid
portions will granulate in cold weather, making an unattractive package.
We advise, therefore, that the beginner use extracting-combs rather than
sections, and produce preferably extracted honey.

For the sake of those, however, who greatly prefer comb honey and
find a keen delight in the beauty of the.snow-white section just as it comes
from the hive, we intend describing the outfit for comb honey as well as
for extracted honey, and, in later chapters, give the management necessary
for the production of both.

10
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.

CHAPTER ITI.

In discussing the outfits for extracted-honey and for comb-honey pro-
production, it should be understood that the same brood-chamber and its
equipment (cover, floor and frames) can be adapted to the production of
either kind of honey by simply changing the supers.

The Hive to Use.

The hive is the house and home of the bee. What kind of hive to use
is a question that presents itself foremost to every beginner. There are
a great many kinds and sizes of hives. Beekeepers’ literature for years has
heen filled with discussions as to which is the best kind of hive to use under
various conditions. There are large
hives and small hives, patented hives
and hives made out of dry-goods
boxes, and’ hives constructed of bar-

_rels or even of hollow logs. For-
merly an old box or straw “skep”
was used for a hive; and in those
days beekeepers, when ready to har-
vest their honey, would place the
box or skep over a pit containing
burning sulphur; and when the bees
had been suffocated by the brim-
stone fumes the hives were turned
upside down and the combs of hon-
ey dug out. The honey was then
strained through a cloth; and if
some of the combs may have con-
tained unemerged young bees and
pollen (a bee-food material which
has a strong taste), this “strained”
honey of the olden days was not of
the best flavor.

During the last 50 years a great
change has taken place in the pro-
duction of honey, and colonies of
bees are no longer deprived of all
their necessary food nor are the
bees killed in the process of remov-. “
ing the surplus honey. While a col-
ony of bees may produce honey in
a hollow tree or box, yet the mod-aae=---~~""*:

. « The several parts of a complete double-
ern movable-frame hive (the inven- d walled hive,

 

“11
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter III.

tion of Langstroth) is vastly more convenient in caring for the colony and
in removing the surplus honey.

Omitting a whole volume of discussion that might be given concerning
hives in general and in particular, we will say that the best hive for the be-
ginner to start with today is the standard-sized, double-walled, movable-
frame hive, consisting of a double-walled box, packed between the walls
with chaff or planer shavings, this box with or without packed bot-
tom, and large enough to hold 10 movable frames of “Langstroth” dimen-
sion, namely, 94x 175% inches, which size has come to be standard. The
“Hoffman” frame, now almost universally used, is simply the Langstroth
frame with a self-spacing device. (The single-walled hive, if the beginner
some day becomes an experienced beekeeper, may better serve his purposes
than the double-walled hive, but in beginning he will find beekeeping in
double-walled hives easier and safer.) By looking at the accompanying
illustrations of a hive for producing extracted honey, with its full equip-
ment, it will be noted that the double-walled hive-body with its ten frames
constitutes the hive proper or the brood-chamber. In this part of the hive
the queen is ordinarily kept and the brood is reared.

Necessary Equipment for the Hive.

 

Beneath the brood-chamber is the floor (often called the bottom-board)
with its movable entrance-contracting cleat at the front by means of which
a wide or narrow entrance can be made as the season or needs of the hive
demand. One side of the floor provides for a %-inch entrance, and the
other side a 34-inch entrance. The 7%-inch entrance is preferred the year
round by most beekeepers; but this large entrance is opened its full size
only during warm weather, being contracted at other times according to the
needs of the colony. Underneath the floor is the hive-stand with its sloping
alighting-board reaching from the ground up to the entrance. (Above the
brood-chamber, and between it and the super is placed the queen-excluder
when in use, which is-a framework with wires spaced 163/1000—almost
1/6—of an inch apart. The worker bees.can pass between the wires read-
ily; but the queen on account of her larger size, can not.) Above the
brood-chamber (or above
the queen-excluder if in
use) is the super, or upper
story. This is called a
“super” because it is above
the hive proper, and it
serves to receive the super-
abundance of honey, which
is the honey surplus gath-
ered by the bees above
their own needs as food.
The super is not used for
brood-rearing, except when
temporarily ‘used to give

additional brood-re arin &  Wood-and-wire queen-excluder. which is placed be-
: : d tween the brood-chamber and the super to keep the
space in the spring and to queen from going above,

12

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter III.

prevent swarming (which will
be explained later). When the
super is used for brood-rear-
ing it is called a second brood-
chamber. Several supers, one
above the other, may be plac-
ed above one brood-chamber,
as the amount of the honey
being gathered may demand.
In both the extracting-su-
pers and the brood-chamber
are frames which hang close-
ly side by side, suspended at
the ends of the hive from metal
a NE supports which are fastened
Hoffman self-spaced frames, full depth, size 9% in rabbets cut in the upper
by 20% Hichee, reemarly ae 2 the brood: edges of the hive ends. Inside
, these frames are sheets of
foundation. These are sheets of beeswax which have been embossed to
imitate the septum in the middle of naturally built honeycomb. The bees
build the foundation out into comb. These frames of comb may be moved
about or lifted out freely, either to examine the bees-or to remove the surplus
honey. This movability of the combs is the main difference between the old
box hive or skep and the modern hive. Extracted-honey supers are either
deep or shallow. The deep extracting-supers contain extracting-frames of
the same dimensions and construction as the brood-frames in the brood-
chamber below. But the shallow extracting-super and its frames are shallow-
er than the brood-chamber and the brood-frames, in some cases being the
same depth as the comb-honey supers. The shallow super has the advantage
of lightness in handling, which is an important consideration for women
beekeepers. It also provides a way to prevent the bees from mixing dif-
ferent kinds of honey, as buckwheat and basswood, or orange and sage.
For at the close of one honey flow a deep super might be half filled, mostly
with unsealed honey, which, not being sufficiently ripened for extracting,
must be left on the hive and so mixed with the honey of the next honey
flow of a different kind. Whereas, if a shallow extracting-super had been
used, it would have been filled and sufficiently sealed to be taken off, and
the new honey flow would not be mixed with a previous honey flow. The be-
ginner will understand that one kind of honey may be of much better
quality and bring a high-
er price than another,
and so the mixing of a
high-quality honey with
an inferior kind is to be
avoided if possible. Al-
though the shallow super
has many advantages, it
is, however, true that the

 

 

 

ma j ori ty prefer full- -at the left are a shallow and a deep extracting-super.
The deep super (the lower one) is the same size as
depth supers of the same the single-walled btood-chamber at the right.

13
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter ITI.

 

size as the brood-chamber
below so that they may
easily interchange the
combs of the supers and
those of the brood-cham-
ber as desired.

Above the uppermost
super is a cleated board,
called an inner cover;
and, over all, a telescop-
ing metal cover.

When the beekeeper de-
sires to remove full su-
pers of honey a board
(called a bee-escape
board) is slipped be-
tween the supers and the
brood-chamber below. In
the center of the board
is a trap called a Porter : St

A single-walled brood-chamber on which is a shal-
bee-escape. The bees low extracting-super, with the beekeeper about to
ean then pass down from place a deep super above the shallow super.
the supers into the cham-
ber below, but can not get back again. By using this bee-escape, in twelve
to twenty-four hours the full supers of honey can be removed with scarcely
a bee in them, and actually without the knowledge of the bees in the brood-
chamber below. This escape-board, without the Porter bee-escape and with
the hole closed, is generally used as an inner cover.

 

 

 

In addition to this equipment for the summer season, one will need a
chaff tray for each hive to give extra warmth during the winter. Such a
tray, filled with chaff or dry leaves, fits directly under the telescoping
cover. (See “Wintering,” page 103.)

The double-walled hive is recommended to the beginner because in
temperate regions it is both warmer in winter and cooler in summer, and
requires less trouble in preparing for winter. But single-walled hives are
in very general use in both the warm South and the cold North. These

- are identical and interchange-
able with the full-depth su-
pers. (In fact, the single-
walled hive-body may be used
either as a brood-chamber or
a super.) They differ from
the double-walled hives in that
the hive-body has a single
wall. These single-walled
hives will ordinarily enable
the bees to withstand the win-
ter chill of the South if given
a little top packing (some

 

Shallow self-spaced extracting-frame for :
use in shallow super. Southerners prefer side pack-

14
OUTFIT FOR. _EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter III.

 

A bee-escape board, and used generally as an

inner cover.

ing also); and in the cold
North, by packing on all
sides, the single-walled hive

-can be made safe for winter-

ing. The advantage of the
single-walled hive is its com-
parative cheapness and light-
ness, but it should not be de-
pended upon for wintering
without some additional pro-
tection in the North. ;
One or several complete ex-
tra hives, with supers, should
be provided to take care of
swarms and thus increase the
size of the apiary, if increase
is desired. It should be noted
that hives and supers can be

bought either already nailed and painted (NP), or in the flat “knocked
down (KD)” and unpainted. Unless the beginner is handy with tools he
had better go to the little additional expense of buying his first hive
nailed and painted all ready for use.

A plain division-board should be purchased with each hive, for it

may become necessary at any
time to contract the bees’
living-space in the interior
of the hive. The division-
board is of the same shape
as the frame, but may be so
made that it will shut out
the bees from the unoccu-
pied part of a hive when
some of the frames have
been removed on account of
the smallness of a colony.

 

The Porter bee-escape, which is placed in the
bee-escape board and traps the bees out of the

supers.

Within the hive, filling the frames, are the wax combs filled with

brood and food stores of the bees.

Man has succeeded in controlling the

manner in which the cells of the combs are erected, their size, and their

 

 

hai) 7
ig

 

 

 

 

f

 

Loose-hanging division-board. It can’ be made
tight-fitting by tacking a piece of oilcloth around

the edges. _

15.

arrangement. By placing in
frames thin sheets of bees-
wax which are embossed
with the figure of the bases
of the worker-cells, the
bees can be made to build
comb from which workers
alone can be reared. These
embossed sheets are known
as comb foundation, which
in modern apiculture is an
indispensable article. It is
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter III.

used either in narrow stri
(rarely) called “foundation-
starters,” or (usually) in [full
sheets. The full sheets a
preferable, because they in-
duce the bees to build ,
nearly perfect combs
worker-cells, saving them

and consumption of honey
comb-making. Comb built

 

 

sa |i A full-depth frame with full sheet of foun-
from ‘Starters only is liable to dation; in front of this, a comb-honey section
contain a large number of with full sheet of foundation.

drone-cells. Practically all

the combs today are built on comb foundation. This foundation contains
more wax in the initial cells than does natural comb in its initial cells; but
this surplus wax is used by the bees in drawing out the comb.

The covers of the hive consist of a thin, flat inner cover and a large
metal-covered telescoping outer cover. The inner cover, as before told, is
often only a bee-eseape board, with a small piece of wood tacked over the
opening for the bee-escape.

As a final word about hives, let us emphatically advise the beginner to
have only one style and one size of hive, with all parts of as many hives
as he may have interchangeable. All frames of brood or honey, all supers,
covers, floors or sections should fit each and every one of his hives. With
such interchangeable equipment he will save himself much time and untold
annoyance.

Assuming, then, that the beginner expects to produce extracted honey,
he will have as his hive equipment. one double-walled ten-frame hive with
its floor and stand, queen-excluder, bee-eseape board, division-board, chaff
tray, inside and outside covers, two or three supers, and wired frames con-
taining sheets of comb foundation sufficient in number to fill the brood-
chamber and the two or three supers.

 

 

 

 

 

Comb built by the bees without foundation. Tt is irregular and contains many drone-cells,

16
OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Unapter Il,
Other First Equipment.

Among the rest of the equipment necessary, the bee-smoker, perhaps,
should be mentioned first as being most indispensable. Bees can be con-
trolled and safely handled only by the ap-
plication of smoke, and it is the smoker
that affords this aid and protection in hee-
keeping. It consists of a metal cylinder in
which greasy waste, rags, rotten wood, or
planer shavings are burned. A bellows con-
nected with this cylinder forces air up
through the fuel and blows the smoke out at
a nozzle in
front, just.
where it can be

directed to the

A good bee-smoker is one of the .
most essential parts of the best advantage.
equipment for handling bees. There are a num-

ber of different
makes and different sizes of smokers. The
smallest, suitable for a beginner’s first endeav-
ors, has a barrel 314 inches i in diameter. Don’t
get a smaller one.

' A bee-veil is another essential for the be-
ginner. The experienced beekeeper sometimes
works without a veil; but there are times when
every beekeeper réquires one to prevent sting-
ing about the face and neck. The wearing of
a veil gives a_sense of security that can not ideur Recliner der Week cerine
otherwise be had. needs a good bee-veil.

The beginner should have a pair of loose-
fitting bee-gloves. Ordinarily, the veteran beekeeper does not use gloves
at all; yet there are times when even he may find them advantageous as a
protection from angry stinging
bees.

For opening hives and prying:
apart frames a hive-tool is to be
strongly recommended to the be-
ginner as doing better work than
either a strong screwdriver or a
knife. This tool is very handy in
separating the frames and the parts of the hive when examining them,
because the bees make use of-propolis, or bee glue, in eeCe the
frames together.

A bee-brush is very handy in some hive operations. It is used for
brushing the bees from the combs. (But a bunch of long grass or weeds
will serve this purpose.)

An uncapping-knife is neces-
sary for one who intends to ex-
tract his own honey. This knife The useful hive-tool.

17

  

 

Bee-gloves give the beginner a feeling of
protection against stings.

 
‘

OUTFIT FOR EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter III.

is to slice off the thin layer
of wax called “cappings,”
which seals the cells of the
comb. This uncapping of
the combs is necessary be-
fore extracting can be done.
The blade and the handle of

 

Bristle bee-brush.

this knife are both specially shaped for this purpose.
Finally, if one has to extract his own honey, a honey-extractor is nec-

 

my

Uncapping-knife.

 

>
>)

essary. This is the machine in
which the combs are placed
to extract the honey from
them. The wax cappings hav-
ing been sliced off, the honey
is whirled from the cells by
centrifugal force. The ac-

companying cut shows what an extractor is like.
In making this list of really necessary items in first equipment we have
assumed that the beginner will buy his frames with

full sheets of foundation already fastened in them
by the manufacturer. When having become a more
extensive beekeeper, he comes to buy foundation
separately, he will need a wire imbedder with which
to fix the foundation firmly to the wire in the

frames.

To sum up, the list of the beginner’s full
outfit for producing extracted honey is as follows:
A double-walled 10-frame hive with its floor and
stand, queen-excluder, bee-escape board, division-
board, chaff tray, two or three supers, wired
frames containing sheets of foundation sufficient
to fill the hive and supers, inner and outer covers;
and smoker, bee-veil, gloves, hive-tool, bee-brush,

uncapping-knife and honey-extractor..

18

 

\ two-frame honey-
extractor.
OUTFIT FOR COMB-HONEY PRODUCTION.
CHAPTER IV.

The beginner who decides to produce comb honey will need all of the
equipment previously described except uncapping-knife and extractor, the
supers, however, being different. The uncapping-knife and extractor are
used only in removing honey from the combs; in the case of comb honey, the
honey is not removed from the comb of the small sections, but is used or sold
in such sections just as the bees have stored it. Some beekeepers do not use
the queen-excluder in the production of comb honey because they claim the
queen is not inclined to leave the brood-chamber and go above into the
small comb-honey sections where eggs and brood are not wanted. While
this is true, the queen does sometimes go above and start brood in the sec-
tions when bait combs are used, if any of these contain drone comb because
only foundation-starters were used. But queen-excluders are seldom
needed in the production of comb honey.

For comb-honey production, instead of the large extracted-honey
supers, three or four small comb-
honey supers will be needed. These
supers may be the same size (or
about the same size) as shallow ex- QuTeR Cover
tracting-supers. These hold seven
or eight section-holders, each of
these section-holders in turn hold-
ing four sections. The sections are
small, four-sided, light frames,
usually made of a single piece of
basswood cut in such a manner
that it can be folded anid the dove-
tailed ends fastened together. Sus-
pended from the top of each of
these sections is a sheet of foun-
dation which reaches nearly to the
sides and bottom of the section.
Between the rows of sections are
thin wooden separators which wz
prevent the bees from building the “4 is
combs beyond the edges of the sec-
tions, so that the sections will all
be built out uniformly. Between .
the side of the super and the last
section-holder is inserted a follow-
er, which is a thin board of the
same length and height as the sec-
tion-holders. Super springs are . =
placed between the follower and eens Toler agen reso

19°

 

 

 
OUTFIT FOR COMB-HONEY PRODUCTION.—Chapter IV.

the side of the super to keep
the sections tightly wedged in
place and prevent cracks be-
tween them in which bees
might deposit propolis and-
thus injure the appearance of
the sections. The supers and
sections just described are

 

te “ most commonly preferred, be-
ae a os ing made for sections having a
4% s4%x1% beeway section super. beeway cut out at the top and

bottom, making the top and
bottom narrower than the sides, thus affording spaces for the bees to enter

the sections. Some use supers containing sections that have no beeway

   
         
 

ee

fare tew 8

 

 

 

 

Beeway section-holder. Beeway separator.

at the top and bottom. In this case wooden fences are used between the
rows of sections, these fences
having cleats to hold the sec-
tions apart to admit the bees
between them. Between the last
fence and the side of the super
are three springs. The springs
are to hold the sections and
fences tightly together.

To sum up, the list of the
beginner’s outfit for producing
comb honey is as follows: A
double-walled 10-frame hive
with its full equipment, having 4M x Ak SL plain seaeibn seper
the comb-honey super, the smoker, hee-veil, gloves, hive-tool and hee-
brush.

 

 

Plain section-holder. Fence used with plain section-holder.

20
GETTING THE BEES.
CHAPTER V.

There is no phase of beekeeping that the beginner regards with more
apprehension than the difficulties and problems in securing his first bees.

What Kind to Get.

In choosing a strain of bees, select the Italians, always recognizable by
at least three yellow bands on the forward segments of the abdomen. There
may be five such bands on the strain known as “goldens.” The other strains
(not quite so handsome) are ealled “leather-colored.” Race and heredity
are all in favor of the Italians. They are the easiest of all bees to work
with, being prolific, gentle, very active, very industrious, handsomest of
all bees, most resistant to disease and enemies, and have the longest tongues
for gathering honey. We shall not consider the German or black bees (the
original stock brought to America), Carniolans, Cyprians, Caucasians, ete.
However, the beginner is likely to have some experience with hybrid bees,
which are usually a cross between the black and the Italian bees. A hybrid
colony may, during the summer, be changed in less than three months to
pure Italian by giving the half-breed colony a purely mated Italian queen.
(See Requeening,” page 96.)

The Easiest and Safest Way to Buy Bees.

 

In getting his first bees the beginner will find it most satisfactory and
easiest to buy a good full colony in a standard movable-frame hive. Al-
though this way of getting the first bees is the most expensive method, yet
there is good authority for saying that it will prove cheapest in the end.
They will cost less in the middle and late summer. A local beekeeper: will
perhaps sell a beginner such a colony; or the full colonies (or packages of
bees) can be secured from dealers in bees and queens or from beekeepers’
supply houses. They will cost most if bought from a distant dealer.

When the full colony has been received by the beginner, all he has to
do is to remove from the hive any screens that may have been used in
moving the bees and place the hive on its permanent location, open the
entrance, and let the bees go to work. Jt is assumed that the colony has a
good laying queen, and that in the brood-frames (the frames in the brood-
chamber) are some stores of honey and some brood in all stages of devel-
opment, as well as worker bees covering practically all the comb surface
of the ten frames. (If honey stores are lacking, and the bees chance to be
received when the weather is cold and wet, or when the bees can find no
nectar in their flights, artificial feeding must be resorted to. See “Method
of Feeding,” page 100.) The bees should have sufficient food to last te
until they begin gathering nectar.

ai
GETTING THE BEES -—Chapter V.

 

If possible, the beginner should buy full colonies from near home, be-
cause he is likely to know of the honesty and experience of the beekeeper
from whom he buys and ean be sure his bees are free from disease. If the
beginner can :
have an experi-
enced beekeeper
go with him to
select the colo-
nies he is to pur-
chase, and to as-
sure him that
they are strong,
free from dis-
ease, and have a
good queen, it
will prove a
great advantage. Normal scene at entrance of hive.

But if he must
of necessity buy his one or two colonies for himself, let him look to these
points: Examine them on a warm day when the bees are flying freely
(we assume it is one of the first warm spells of full springtime—if possi-
ble, during the fruit bloom) ; walk past the hives and watch the flight of
the bees. Note if the bees coming to any one hive are bringing in pollen
(colored pellets) on their legs, for this is a strong indication of a thrifty
colony. If pollen is not being brought into a hive by its bees, they lack
energy and are likely to be without a queen and without brood (on which
the future strength and honey-gathering power of the hive depend). Open
the hive (or have the owner open it) by carefully lifting the cover from
the top. (See page 49 on “How to Avoid Being Stung.”) See that the
combs are straight in the frames (not bulged sidewise anywhere). See that
bees cover pretty
evenly five to
seven combs in
the hive (al-
though many
may be afield in
midday of a
warm day, and
so the number
may be hard to
estimate). See
that there is a
large percentage
A normally full frame of bees. of worker-cells
in the combs,
which are the smallest cells of the comb—slightly smaller than the drone-
cells (see page 45 on “Cells and Their Arrangement’) ; and see that these
cells have brood started in many of them, and that the queen is laying a

 

 

 

 

Aa hg

ae ee

 

 

9
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

single egg in each cell and is seldom skipping a cell. See that there is
enough sealed honey in the hive to feed the bees till the opening of the main
honey flow—enough to fill two full frames in all. If the beginner will be
sure of these conditions and will get the guarantee of the owner that the
bees are free from all disease, he will be pretty certain to get good colonies.
As to the hive itself, unless of modern make and in good condition, it is
worthless except as a conveyance for carrying the bees to good hives ready
at his home.

Moving the Bees Home,

After buying the bees, and when ready to take them home, go early in
the afternoon to the apiary while the bees are flying. Nail wire cloth to
the top of a rim two inches deep, the same size as the top of the hives (in-
stead of this rim, an empty super may be used, if desired) ; then, removing
the hive cover, nail or staple this rim or super to the top of the hive-body
so tight that no
bees can escape.
If the hive has
a loose floor,
fasten this se-
eurely to the
hive by means
of a large sta-
ple at each cor-
ner. Toward
night, as soon as
the bees have
done flying for
the day and have

A big load of hives, full of bees, on an auto truck, ready for ze venee re
; a long trip. : hive, securely
screen the en-
trance, thus closing it, and if the weather be hot, screen the entire bottom
the same as the top. The bees will make an uproar and crowd the screen if
they get too hot. They should then be sprinkled from the top with cold
water. If it be chilly weather, the top screen may be partly covered. Load
the bees on a spring wagon or one having straw in the bottom of the wagon-
box on which to place the hives, as jarring should be avoided as much as
possible. An automobile will serve much better. The hives should be so
loaded that the length of the frames will be in the direction of the jolt.
Drive home after dark. Place the hives on their permanent location, at once
open the entrance, and put on the cover. The sereen on the top of the hive
should be removed the next day.
“Upon first leaving the hive at its new location, the bees fly around and
around: close to the entrance for a time, gradually increasing their flight
distance, till they have marked: the location so.certainly that they can re-
turn directly to it from any- direction or distance. The actions of mature
bees in marking a new location are the same as those of young bees in their
marking their location upon first leaving tl.e parent hive.
If the distance from the place where the bees are purchased to where

 

 

 

 

23
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

they are to be permanently located is less than two miles, there is danger
that many of the bees, after being moved, will return to their former loca-
tion. To avoid this they should be first moved to a place at least two miles
distant from both their first location and permanent location, and left there
for two or three weeks. At the end of this time they may be moved to
their permanent location, with no danger of any bees returning to their
former home. Again, if it is desired to move bees only a very short dis-
tance, from a next-door neighbor’s or even within the owner’s apiary, it is
easiest to move them very short distances successively, say a foot every two
or three days at first. If it is apparent that the increased distance does
not confuse the bees, increase the moving distance to perhaps a yard till
they have reached the desired location.

Buying Nuclei.

Buying a nucleus, which is merely a small colony on from one to five
combs (a full colony covers from six to ten combs), is a common method
of beginning, and it is not so expensive at the start as buying a full colony.
A nucleus of two frames, with about a quart of bees, will soon build up
into a full colony if there is plenty of nectar and pollen for the bees to
begin harvesting at once, or if properly fed with sugar syrup. In buying
a nucleus it is not safe to take every man’s word for the condition of the
bees unless the seller is known to be reliable. Be sure that he is so, for
there is danger of getting poor bees, a poor queen, and disease when buy-
ing bees in this
way. The begin-
ner should keep
in mind that a
nucleus differs
from a_ colony
(full colony)
only in the
number of bees.
The size of nu-
clei is designat-
ed as one-frame,
two-frame,
threeframe,
four-frame or
five-frame nuclei,
as the amount of
bees in the nu-
cleus may be
sufficient to cov-
er one, two,
three, four or
five frames. The
one-frame nu-

eus with frame .
cleus a : Taking bees froin a nucleus shipping case and putting them
and shipping in a hive.

24

 

 

 

 

 
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

box will weigh from four to seven pounds, and the five-frame from 20 to 28
pounds (shipping weight). These nuclei can be bought from any reliable
bee-breeder (although bees are now being more and more sold in packages).
They are ordinarily shipped by express in a nucleus shipping case or
nucleus box, but they may be shipped in a full-sized hive. Directions for
caring for the bees on arrival accompany all shipments, and these should
be carefully followed. A division-board may well be used at the side of
the exposed comb. After the bees have been placed in their hive, an addi-
tional frame of drawn comb or foundation should be put in as soon as
the comb in the nucleus frame has become filled with brood and stores, and
there are plenty of bees to cover the brood. This giving of additional
frames of drawn comb or foundation should be continued until the hive is
filled. If there are only one or two frames of bees the entrance should be
contracted to one or two inches in width; and, if the weather is cool, the
entrance should not be more than 34 of an inch deep. If the bees of a
nucleus are received in a hive instead of in a nucleus box or shipping
case, at once place the hive in its permanent position, and, after smoking
the bees, carefully remove the screen from over the entrance, allowing the
bees a chance for flight. Also loosen and remove the screen covering the top
and put on the regular cover. The floor of the hive is fastened on with
brads or nails which can be taken out if desired. When the bees have
become quiet the combs may be examined to see if they contain brood in all
stages of development as well as eggs, thus indicating that the colony has a
normal queen. (See page 57.) It is not necessary to find the queen to know
that she is in the hive, since the presence of worker eggs tells us she has
been there within three days. If no eggs are seen in the cells, and the bees
are starting the large cells known as queen-cells (see page 37), one may
be sure that the queen is missing. Sometimes the queen is not readily found.
She may be only a little larger than the worker bees or she may be nervous
and inclined to hide. In such cases her presence may be recognized only by
her egg-laying and the absence of any queen-cells. If the queen is missing,
one must at once be secured for the nucleus and introduced immediately.
(See page 60). If the bees are short of stores in the combs, give them a
little sugar syrup (see page 100), which will serve as stimulative feeding to
encourage breeding. Do not let them starve. (See page 111.)

Buying Swarms.

Buying a good-sized swarm of bees from a neighboring beekeeper, or
finding such a swarm at large which nobody claims, and capturing it, is,
perhaps, in the majority of instances, the most satisfactory method of get-
ting a start. (Don’t confuse swarms with colonies. A swarm is a family
of bees which has left the parent hive to seek a new home.) When buying
swarms from some beekeeper, arrangement should be made for the pur-
chase of them in advance. Empty hives may be left with the beekeeper
for hiving the swarms when they issue from his colonies. The beginner
can then get his bees at his own convenience. As a swarm almost invariably
is accompanied by a queen, the purchase of a swarm provides for the com-
plete stocking of a hive. If the beginner has decided on a trial of bee-
keeping because of the finding of some stray swarm clustering somewhere
on his premises, let him shake the swarm from their clustering place into

25
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

 

a sack (an ordinary grain-sack or ae =
cleaned phosphate sack willdo),or |’
shake it into a box and cover the
same; then take the swarm to a hive
made ready and dump the bees in
front of the entrance, being sure
to have provided an easy way for
the bees to crawl up into the en-
trance. The bees will quickly find
their way into the hive and at once
adopt it as their own home, pro-
vided, of course, that the queen en-
ters, which she ordinary does. No
bees work with so great energy as
do those of a prime swarm (which
is the first swarm of the season to
issue from a colony); therefore
the method of buying a swarm or
capturing one is, perhaps, the
most economical and satisfactory
way of all for the novice to begin
beekeeping; but, unless the swarms
are secured early in the season,
they are not likely to produce surplus honey the first year.

 

 

 

Ge

 

A swarm of bees cut from a branch of a tree.

Buying Bees by the Pound.

Buying bees by the pound is another way for the beginner to start. This
is not an easy way, though inexpensive. Too small a package should not.
be purchased—never less than two pounds. Bees can be bought in this
way from any regular bee-rearer. They are shipped in what is known: as
a combless package, which is a specially devised box with arrangement
for feeding the bees while en route from the bee-rearer to the purchaser.
An experienced beekeeper can take half a pound of bees bought thus and
build them up to a full-sized
colony during the first season ;
but a beginner should take
nothing less than a two-pound
package. The hive that has
been selected to receive bees
purchased by package should
be provided, if possible, with
frames containing drawn
combs (that is, combs already
built and ready for the bees to
work in, not merely frames of
foundation), as bees shipped
in a combless package in-

 

A combless hee-shipping cage in which bees 3
bought by the pound are shipped. crease much more rapidly on

26
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

drawn combs than on foundation alone. A queen should be purchased to
come with the bees. In ordering, be sure, then, to order a queen and
have her introduced to the bees before shipment. A pound of bees needs
at first about three combs, more being added later as they are needed. Two
pounds of bees should be hived on not less than four combs to start with.
Combless packages of bees are accompanied by specific printed directions
as to handling them, which directions should be carefully followed.

Buying Bees in Box Hives and Transferring.

 

Buying bees in an old-fashioned box hive is likely to be an inexpen-
sive way so far as money paid for them is concerned, but likely to be quite
difficult for the beginner. In the old-fashioned box hive (often called a
“eum” or skep”) the bees build their combs crooked and attach them sol-
idly to the interior. There being no movable frames in this kind of “hive”
or box, the only examination that can be made in advance to tell whether

the. bees and combs are in good
condition is by tilting the hive and
looking in from below. Having
bought bees in box hives, log
“oums,” or straw “skeps” they
must be transferred into movable-
frame hives. This should be done
during a honey flow when the bees
are best-natured and least likely
to rob. This transferring is not
difficult to do when the old box
hive permits the new hive to be
fitted securely to it at the top, with
no openings left between. But
when the box hive is of such odd
shape or so dilapidated that this
cannot be done, then it may be
necessary to employ the following
common but difficult way of trans-
’ ferring, which we will explain be-
fore giving the easier method.
Before beginning this way of
transferring, the beginner must
provide himself with as many new
hives fully equipped as he has old
box hives or “gums.” He will
: : need for this work a hammer, a
nals pe ete aaa ie cold-chisel, a fine-tooth saw, some
tacks, a ball of string, a long-
bladed knife (a common. butcher-knife will do), a box that will fit on top
of the box hive without leaving too much space between them through
which the bees can escape, and a large board or cover on which to place the
combs when cutting them to size to fit the movable frames. He will also
require a pail of water to wash his hands and tools frequently, as they will
become intolerably stuck up with honey.

 

 

 

 

27
GETTING THE BEES—Chapter V.

 

First, a little smoke should
be blown into the entrance of
the box hive or “gum,” after
which it is lifted off its stand
and a modern hive put in its
place. The old hive should
now be turned upside down,
the bottom (if there be a bot-
tom) removed and smoke
blown down between the

. 5} eombs, and the extra box

; 3 : (above referred to) placed

Combs in a box ae Bee ua Cane eee and often over it. The operator should
now drum vigorously on the

outside of the box hive with sticks or clubs, keeping this up until all or near-
ly all the bees have crawled up into the empty box that has been placed on
top. The bees that have now gathered in this box should be emptied in front
of the entrance of the new hive as in hiving a swarm (see page 67). If the
bees do not readily enter the new hive, it is well to gently brush or smoke
them toward the entrance. To prevent robbing, the old “gum” or beehive
should now he taken into a bee-tight building or a bee-tent placed over it for
the rest of the work unless there are no other colonies of bees in the neigh-
borhood, in which case the work can be done outside. One side of the old box
hive or “gum” is now removed, first cutting the comb loose from the side
to be removed, when the best and largest of the combs are cut out with
the long-bladed knife. The next problem is to cut the best of the pieces
of comb (by best are meant those which are regular and straight and contain
almost entirely worker-cells or worker-brood), so they will fit tightly in the
empty frames that are at hand and ready. To accomplish this, first cut
several pieces of string
long enough to tie around
a frame and lay them
across a board or hive-
cover provided for this
purpose; then lay a slab
of comb or pieces of comb
fitted together on the
board or hive-cover above
the strings, and lay over
it the empty frame. The
knife is now drawn along
next to the inside of the
frame, marking its exact
size and shape on the
comb. The frame is then
lifted off and the comb
trimmed to the required
size and: fitted into the
frame. Care should be Transferring a colony of bees from a box hive to a

modern movable-frame hive. Even womankind can
taken to cut the comb undergo the ordeal.

 

 

 

 

 

28
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

large enough to make it a snug fit. Now bring the ends of the strings to-
gether and tie them around the frame and fitted comb. The several strands
of string should come opposite the small pieces of comb and hold them all
in place. No bulging of the comb must be allowed; for, unless sufficient
space is left between the combs when placed in the hive, the bees will attach
the combs to each other so that it will be impossible to remove them from
the hive. All patches of drone comb should be rejected and melted into
wax, along with other undesirable comb. An excess of drones is not only
an added expense to the colony, but also an inducement to'swarm. The
frames containing the pieced combs may now be put into the new hive;
and in a few days, when the bees have fastened the pieces to the frame
and connected them with each other, the bees will gnaw the string to pieces.
If these combs are not straight and regular, they should be removed from
the hive and melted the next spring and replaced with frames containing
full sheets of foundation if they are empty at that time. No honey or
seraps of comb should be left exposed, but all such should be dumped into
a closed box to keep them away from robber bees. At the close of this work
of transferring, everything should be. washed up clean to prevent the start-
ing of robbing by other bees. If all worthless comb of the old box hive is
rejected, it is likely there will be unfilled space in the new hive. This
should be filled either with good combs from other hives or with frames of
foundation placed at the sides of the brood, and the bees will stay to-
gether on the brood and keep it warm. Usually the best time to do this
work of transferring from the old box hives to new hives is in the spring
during fruit bloom when the combs are light and without much honey, and
when the bees will be working on the bloom and so not likely to start rob-
bing. Transferring can be done, however, at any time when there is a
honey flow and should not be undertaken at a time when honey is not com-
ing in; and, if it has to be undertaken during or following the main honey
harvest, the combs will be very heavy and disagreeable to handle.

A very easy method of transferring in warm weather (which may be
used when the new hive can be made to fit on top of the old hive) is to lay
the old hive on its side, if this can be done and its combs left perpendicular.
Then tear off the upper side of the old hive and place the new hive without
its floor on top of it. Any cracks between the two hives should be closed.
The new hive should be filled with frames containing full sheets of founda-
tion, and, if possible, one or more old brood-combs darkened with age to
tempt the queen to enter the new hive. Even if the old brood-combs are not
available and only the frames of foundation can be had, this method will suc-
ceed when there is a good honey flow. The bees will not enter and occupy
the new hive when arranged in this way, unless the colony is strong and is
able to gather sufficient honey to cause them to need more room. Accordingly,
the beginner should not use this easy method of transferring on weak colo-
nies or when the bees are not gathering more honey than they consume. The
bees ordinarily will soon begin occupying the upper story. As soon as the
queen is found laying above as she is expected to do, a queen-excluder is in-
serted between the two stories. Twenty-one days after the queen has gone
into the upper story the brood below will have all emerged except the drone-
brood, and the old hive may be removed. If the combs of the old hive con-
tain honey, and no traces of disease, the honey can be fed to the bees

29
GETTING THE BEES .—Chapter V.

and the combs melted up for wax. If the transferring is done during settled
warm weather, the bees should go ahead with their work with but little inter-
ruption.

No matter what method of transferring be used, if the honey flow stops
before the foundation has been drawn out into combs the bees must be fed
slowly till this foundation is drawn out; and at the end of twenty-one
days, when the lower hive is removed, unless there are five or six pounds
of honey in the upper hive, it will be necessary to feed again. There must
be a constant supply of food.

Getting Bees from a Bee-tree.

 

Obtaining a colony from a bee-tree is still another way of beginning
with bees. Many a successful beekeeper has made his start in this way.
Knowing that a colony of bees in a tree is only a swarm that has selected
a tree for its home. the beginner will understand that the process of se-
curing the bees in a tree and transferring them to a hive is very much the
same as that of transferring from box hives or gums, except when the tree
is broken open and the combs crushed when the process is more like that of
hiving a swarm. If possible, cut the tree in the spring (if it be necessary
at all to cut the tree in order to reach the colony) and before the bees have
had time to multiply greatly or to have much brood. As soon as the tree
is down, locate the bees’ entrance to the tree and smoke the bees so that
they can be handled without fear of stings. Saw into the tree on each side
of the entrance and split off enough to expose freely the bees and their
combs. Then place the entrance of the new hive as near as possible to most
of the bees. Cut out the combs and tie them into the frames as in trans-
ferring. With a tin dipper dip up as many bees as possible and empty
them before the hive-entrance. The bees will at once commence running
into the hive. Now smoke the few bees that are left in the tree and step
back so as to be out of the way. All of the flying bees, attracted by the
loud humming of the bees entering the hive, will soon enter the new home.
At night, when all flying is over, they may be moved to a permanent loca-
tion. Use the same precaution in moving the hive as has been described in
moving a full colony in a
hive.

If the tree cannot be cut,
a device known as the bee-
escape may be fitted over or
into the opening or entrance
which will allow the bees to
pass out, but will prevent
them from returning. If a
hive containing comb is ar-
ranged close to the opening
on the outside, practically
all the bees may be secured

aeamue 5 © ies x ia in this way, except the
Transferring a colony of bees from a cut-down
bee-tree to a movable-frame hive. It is not difficult. queen. If a comb of brood

30

 

 

 
GETTING THE BEES.—Chapter V.

from another colony can be had, it would also be an advantage to give
them a little unsealed brood. These bees will probably raise themselves a
queen from the brood given them, but it would be much better to introduce
a laying queen. In the course of about six weeks most of the bees will be
in the new hive. There will be some brood and the queen left in the tree.
These may now be destroyed by use of sulphur fumes from the bee-smoker.
Then the bee-eseape may be removed and the bees in the hive allowed to
rob out the honey within the tree. After all the bees and honey are in the
new hive, the hive can be removed to the desired location. The beginner
must remember that it is necessary to supply the captured bees in the hive
with either a comb of brood or with a queen. When a comb of brood is
given it will be safest if the beginner select a comb containing eggs.

Bees may be obtained in the same way from the walls of a building in
which they have stolen their home.
WHERE TO LOCATE THE APIARY.

CHAPTER VI.

Having his outfit and bees, the beginner asks where he shall place
these. It is an important consideration.

Some Shade is Desirable.

If he lives in the country or in the suburbs, the beginner can do no
better than to place the hives in an orchard, right under the trees where
the bees can reach the blossoms even when the weather is unfavorable. But
remember that too much shade is as bad for bees as for almost all other
forms of life. But a little protection from the sun in the hottest part of .
the day makes the bees more comfortable and less liable to swarm, although -
the warm sunshine of the early forenoon and the late afternoon is a distinct
advantage to the bees. If shrubbery or trees can not be had to afford pro-

 

 

 

 

Here is a good apiary location in a small town.

tection from the midday sun, some cover of boards or other shade material
should be provided to protect the hives from the severe heat of the sum-
mer noon. In very hot climates such as those of Arizona and New Mexico,
sheds are built to shelter the hives from intense heat. It is not uncommon in
hot climates for the combs to melt from excessive heat.

Protection from Cold Winds Important.

 

Even more important than providing shade for hives set out in the
open yard or field is to provide protection against the cold prevailing
winds. This must be done wherever cold winds are prevalent. A hedge, a
woods, a building, or high board fence with one or two inches of space left

32
WHERE TO LOCATE THE APIARY.—Chapter V1.

 

between the boards will
give this all-important
protection if located on
the windward sides. Leav-
ing a space between the
boards of a high fence
is advised because a
tight-board fence results '
in the wind jumping it
and coming down in a
regular blast on the hives,
An apiary well protected by dense trees on the north. while a high board fence

with open spaces left
serves to let the wind blast filter through and breaks its force. Hives
should face south or east away from prevailing winds.

 

Location in Towns and Cities.

 

A beginner living in the city or in a town is naturally perplexed to
know where is the best place for his bees. Back yards. (“back lots”) are
used by large numbers of town beekeepers. In the back yard the hives are
within. easy :
reach of the.
.house and oceu-
py little space.
There is one
drawback to the
back-yard loca-
tion—the bees
may cause some
annoyance to
neighbors, espe-
cially if the
neighborhood is
thickly settled; ; A small apiary located in a city back yard.
for at times bees
will sting, and most people fear them, and would rather not haye them
about. To avoid any such trouble, the hives should be placed as far as
possible from neighboring residences, sidewalks and ways of traffic, and so
placed that a high fence, trees or
buildings will necessarily cause the
bees to fly high in crossing the
streets or alleys close by.

  

 

 

If there is no high fence or hedge,
nor even a shed or building, both to
direct the flight of the bees and to
act as a shelter from cold winds, it
is frequently advisable to put the
hive in an attic or on some flat roof

 

i the roof of a cit eae
An apiary located on the roof of a city that is easily accessible. A flat tin

38
WHERE TO LOCATE THE APIARY.—Chapter VI.

roof, especially if painted dark, is apt to be a pretty hot place; and if
the hives are placed there some shade will have to be provided, for there is
danger of the combs melting down. There is no objection to the attie loca-
tion (if not too hot) other than the inconvenience of going up and down
stairs, and possible discomfort for the beekeeper in- working in cramped
quarters. But it is important to have the hives set close to the outside inner
walls of the attic, with an entrance for each hive cut through the siding so
that the bees may go in and out at any time. These entrances should be
marked or diversified in different ways so that the bees may learn the loca-
tion of their own hives. There should be a window near by to give plenty
of light, and this window should be hung on hinges so that it may be swung
entirely out of the way. or else it should be so arranged that it can be taken
out when the colonies are being examined. If this precaution be not taken,
those bees that fly from the combs toward the light will merely buzz up
and down on the window ‘pane until they die of exhaustion. If there is
no glass in the window, the bees will fly toward the light and outdoors and
eventually find their way back to the regular outside entrance of the hive.
In almost every large city there are bees kept in attics. or on the roofs of
buildings or in back yards. Colonies of bees have been kept on roofs in
the heart of the city of New York, foraging in Central Park.

Many good honey-producing plants are found in vacant lots or along
side streets, and sweet clover abounds in the suburbs of many of the large
cities and large towns. But it should be understood that only a small
number of colonies can be successfully kept in the heart of any large town
or city because of the scarcity of forage there.

Locations That Protect from Stinging.

 

Again, remember, if the hive is to be located in the back yard, turn the
entrance away from any near-by path or sidewalk or street. As before
suggested, this is advised in order that bees in their most direct line of flight
shall not come in contact with passers-by or horses, and possibly sting
them. In this connection it may be well to observe that nothing makes bees
madder than ‘to have man or beast get right in front of their entrance or
in their direct line of flight and go through some violent action, such as
tennis-playing or rug-beating. Sweaty horses are especially liable to be
stung. (

Locations for Extensive Honey Production.

 

Perhaps the beginner in beekeeping will not be interested in the ques-
tion of locating an apiary for the extensive production of honey. But it
will be a matter of interest for him to know that, while almost any back:
lot anywhere in the country will support a few colonies of bees, it takes a.
locality favored with a plentiful growth of honey plants to make it possi-
ble to succeed in extensive production of honey. Besides the bloom of fruit
trees and most flowers and plants, the following are particularly important
nectar-bearers, some as regular crop-producers and some as aids to spring
and fall brood-rearing: White clover, alsike clover, sweet clover, alfalfa,

34
WHERE TO LOCATE THE APIARY.—Chapter VI.

sage, dandelion, orange, blackberry, raspberry, sourwood, gallberry, button-
bush, horehound, sumac, cabbage palmetto, tupelo, mustard, basswood,
maple, willow,. tulip tree, goldenrod, milkweed, fireweed, boneset, aster,
mesquite, catsclaw, buckwheat and many others. In locating an apiary to
secure large crops of honey, the bee-owner should not go where there are
already a large number of beekeepers, as the honey pasturage may be in-
sufficient, and he may find his neighbors have impure drones or even dis-
eased colonies that may carry contagion to near-by apiaries. A territory
of three or four square miles of very excellent bee-pasturage will well sup-

port a hundred colonies. Ordinarily, a larger range will be required for
100 colonies.

For a large apiary a timber range is desirable, or a locality near rivers
or streams where abound maple, willow, sumac, linden and other trees and
shrubs, or an alfalfa belt, or mountain-sage range. The beekeeper any-
where will do well to remember that moving his apiary only a few miles
will in many cases result in a decided increase in the honey crop. This is
because the honey plants and kinds of crops grown often differ within a
distance of a few miles.

85
THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE.
CHAPTER VII.

Having purchased his bees and having his hives located, the begin-
ner may very naturally inquire about the wonderful inhabitants of the
hive and what they do.

There are three distinctly different kinds of individuals in each colony of
bees: namely, the queen, which is the only perfectly developed female; the
drones, which are the males; and the worker bees, which are imperfect
females. There are four like stages in the development of all three, namely:
eye, larva (or grub), pupa (or chrysalis) and adult bees.

The Queen.

The one queen bee to be found in every colony is the mother of the
entire colony. Her sole duty is to lay the eggs whereby the colony is con-
tinuously populated. She is in no sense the “boss or governor” of the bee
family, although she is the most
important member of the hive,
and the various colony activities
are greatly influenced by the
presence and condition of the
queen. Her abdomen is larger
around than that of the worker
yg Mn : bee but not so great in cireum-
Oreen Weer: Wowcos ference as that of the drone, and
tapers to a greater length than

The inhabitants of the hive are the one queen, that of the drone or worker. The
the somewhat too numerous drones, and the ‘ °
many workers. The pictures above are nearly entire body of the queen 18 con-

natural size. siderably longer than that of

drone or worker. The wings of

the queen in proportion to her size are much shorter and not so well devel-

oped as those of the worker or drone. She possesses a sting, which is curved,

and which she very rarely uses except against a rival queen. The queen is

developed from an egg which does not in any way differ from the egg from

which the worker bee is produced. The worker bees themselves determine
whether an ordinary egg shall develop a queen or worker.

Worker bees instinctively require a good queen. If the queen fails in
fertility, is injured, lost or killed, they immediately prepare to rear an-

other if there are any eggs or young larvae in the hive from which a queen
can be reared.

 

 

 

 

 

When, because of a defective or missing queen or to provide a queen
for a swarm soon to issue, the bees find themselves in need of a new queen,
they proceed in the following manner: First, they build queen-cells, general-
ly at the edge of » comb or in a depression in a comb, which cells are larger

36
INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE.—Chapter Vii,

 

than the worker or drone cells,
somewhat resembling a pea-
nut shell in size and shape.
They project downward from
the base, thus being vertical
instead of horizontal as are
worker and drone cells. In each
_ of these specially constructed
cells an ordinary worker egg is
deposited. Three days later this
egg hatches into a little white
larva, and the worker bees ‘be-
gin feeding it a rich, milky,
chyle food, which is supposed
to be a mixture of pollen and
honey partly digested, com-
monly called “royal jelly.”
If the queen is taken away or
lost, the bees will build a
queen-cell over a very young
worker larva. The workers
develop a queen rather than
one of their own kind sole-
aa, aid ty be tading of 'The queen-cells ne oa See and project
special food. It is probable -
that, for three days after any larvae are hatched, the same food is fed
to them as to the larva that is to develop into a queen. But by con-
tinuing to feed this rich “royal jelly” to the larva during the whole time of
its growth, a queen is developed; whereas a worker bee is developed by a
change from “royal jelly” to a coarser food, probably mostly pollen and
honey, on the third or fourth day of the life of the larva. So it happens
that workers can not produce a queen unless the colony either has eggs or
has larvae not older than three days. The exact process by which the worker
bees by means of feeding develop a queen or a worker bee at choice is not
yet entirely clear or scientifically explained. After the queen larva has been
fed for five days on its specially nourishing food, the workers seal up the
cell, when the queen larva weaves about herself a cocoon and becomes a
pupa. She remains in the pupal state for seven or eight days. At the
end of this period she begins to want to get out of her cell; and when
the worker bees are ready to have her come out they assist her by thinning
the end of the’ queen- -cell, and with her mandibles she completes the work
of making the opening and then she comes forth a virgin queen. It ordi-
narily takes about sixteen days to develop a queen from the time of the
laying of the egg to the adult stage. After roaming about over the combs
usually for five or six days as a virgin queen, seeking during this time to
find and destroy any other virgin queen or queen-cell that may be in the
hive, she takes her “nuptial” flight in the open, when she meets the drone
(male bee) and so becomes fertilized for the remainder of her life. She
very seldom (if ever) leaves the hive again unless it be to accompany an

 

 

 

 

87
INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE—Chapter VII.

issuing swarm, of which she becomes the queen and mother in a new home.
Within two or three days after mating she begins laying eggs, thrusting
her abdomen into an empty cell and neatly gluing an egg fast to the bottom
of it. During the busy season of the year, when it is necessary that the
inhabitants of the hive be kept at the highest possible number in order to
furnish sufficient workers to gather the pollen and honey crop necessary
to the welfare of the colony, she is capable of laying daily two or three
thousand eggs—nearly twice her weight. Her laying is regulated largely
by the honey flow, strength and needs of the colony, this apparently
being controlled by the amount and kind of food given her by the workers.
Usually in the spring (at the beginning of the honey flow m the North)
when many workers are needed, she lays the most; but when the honey has
been harvested she lays fewer eggs. Her ordinary laying season is from
February to October (in temperate regions), but early in the spring she
lays but little. She does no laying ordinarily during the dormant winter
period. Perhaps the most wonderful special characteristic of the queen is
her ability to lay either worker or drone eggs. The male elements within
her are contained in a sac known as.the spermatheca, in which are myriads
of these male sex cells received at a single mating with the drone, and ren-
der her fertile for life. The eggs deposited in a worker-cell are fertilized
from this and produce workers; those deposited in drone-cells are not. fer-
tilized and produce drones. So it is that the drone or male bee is really a
bee without a father. An infertile queen can lay eggs that will produce
sons and sons only. This is a reproductive power known as parthenogene-
sis, and possessed by only a very few other insects. The queen mother may
live for a term of three or four years and perform her duty of laying well
during this time, and possibly be the single mother of a half million workers
and drone bees. But, ordinarily, a queen older than two years begins to
fail, and for this reason many beekeepers replace all their queens as often
as every two years.

Only one queen, under normal conditions, is found in the hive at one
time. The workers might tol-
erate more than one queen;
but queens themselves are
jealous of each other, and,
when they meet, a mortal
combat follows, during
which one of them receives a
fatal sting from the other
and dies at once. Sometimes
a queen mother and her
daughter will get along to-
gether in the same hive dur-
ing the summer; but ordi-
narily toward the fall and
winter season, when the busy
time is past, the mother dis-
appears. (For discussion of
management of the queen,

 

 

 

 

 

The queen is shown at the center of this picture
surrounded by adoring workers. see Chapter X.)

38
THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE.—Chapter VII.

It is well for the beginner to remember that, as the queen is, so is the
whole colony. Her blood is the blood of all the members of the hive, and
the faults of her strain will be the faults of her progeny. So it is all-
important that the colony have a good queen mother.

The Drone.

The drone, or male bee, has no other business within the hive or out-
side of it than to fertilize the queen. He is hatched from an infertile egg,
as before explained. His development requires 3 days in the egg, 6%
days as a larva and 14% days as a pupa sealed in the cocoon—24 days in all.
During the first three days of the larva stage, the drone is fed rich larval
food, but after that period is fed a coarser food probably composed largely
of pollen and honey. He has no organs for gathering nectar or secreting
wax; he has no sting, and does no work for his own support or the support
of the colony, living entirely on the toil of the workers. He is shorter,
thicker and heavier than the queen, and larger and clumsier than the work-
ers. His wings extend the whole length of his body. He excels other
members of the hive family only in the noise that he can make, his buzzing
when on the wing being very loud and apparently very satisfactory to
himself.

Drones are produced in larger numbers than is seemingly necessary, as
probably only one in many hundreds of them finds a queen and mates with
her; but it seems necessary for the colony to have an abnormally large
number of them in order that the queen may very certainly be mated
within a short time after she leaves the hive on her nuptial flight. That
the drone may discover a queen in flight at long distance he has, perhaps,
the finest compound eyes known to science, having more than 25,000 facets
in each of these two eyes, besides having three common eyes (probably for
short-range vision) that may be seen on the triangle at the top of: his head.
If he mates with a queen he loses his life at once in the act, If he survives
the main honey flow and mating season, he is not permitted to continue a
useless burden on the colony, but is refused food, and is ruthlessly but eco-
nomically pushed out of the hive by his sisters, to starve to death in a
friendless, outside world. But in case the colony for any reason has to
raise a new queen, the drones are kept till this new queen is fertilized.

The Workers.

The worker bee (an imperfect female) does the hard work of the
hive. She is developed from a fertilized egg in the smallest cells of the
combs. In three days’ time the egg hatches into
a tiny larva and for three days this is abundantly
supplied with rich larval food by the young nurse
bees, after which a coarser food containing pol-
len and honey is fed. Under this care it grows
with astonishing rapidity. In about three days
from the time the egg hatches, the larva is so
large that it almost completely fills the bottom of
the cell. In another three days it stretches out Eggs in the cells.

 

39
THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE—Chapter Vil.

lengthwise in the cell, and about that time
is sealed or capped over. The larva now
becomes a pupa within a cocoon. In
eighteen days from the time the egg
hatches, or twenty-one days from the time
the ege was laid, the worker bee, now per-
fectly developed, begins to eut through the
capping, and within a short time she strug-
gles out, rather downy and palelooking, A bee a-borning — just emerging
but fully developed, a mature bee. For ee Wes 280

some time she crawls unsteadily over the combs, jostled about and appar-
ently unnoticed by the other bees, and then she finds a cell of honey and
begins to feed. From this time on she acts as a nurse bee, taking care of
the larvae, secreting the chyle food, and helping to keep the brood warm.
The young worker bee also helps feed the queen, cleans and ventilates the
hive, and aids in ripening and moving about the honey and in secreting
wax and comb-building when necéssary. After two weeks she takes up
the duties of a regular field bee, gathering nectar and ripening it by fan-
ning the wings, gathering pollen and propolis (bee glue) and attending to
all the duties and hardest work of the bee home. They are the only
armed defenders of the colony and will die regardless of all self-preserva-
tion in their instinctive defense of the colony as a whole. . They aiso rule
the colony, directing the queen’s life and work, and even drive out the
drones at their
pleasure. The
worker’s most
important busi-
ness is to gather
nectar from
flowers and other
sources, which
nectar she
changes into in-
vert sugar, or
honey, by a pro-
eess which is
started in her
honey-sae or first
stomach. A small
cavity on each
hind leg is used
for storing and
bringing in the
small lumps of
pollen gathered
from the flowers.
The pollen
(sometimes call-
ed “beebread”’)

 

 

 

 

 

ei
The worker bees care little about being handled—they just - :
keep on about their business. is an important

40
THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE.—Chapter VII.

 

Four stages in the development of
the honeybee: a, egg; b, young
larva; c, old larva; d, pupa.

part in the food that is fed to the larvae,
but is not much used as food for mature
bees and especially during the inactive
winter months (see page 47). The prop-
olis which the workers gather is selected
from resinous buds, gummy substances
and the like, and is used as a varnish and
glue for cementing things within the hive
and filling the cracks or uneven surfaces.
The life of the worker bee ordinarily is a
brief one: Bees that emerge in the late
summer or early fall may live for six
months during the winter season when
they are not fatigued by work; but the
worker bees emerging in the spring and
early summer, that do the hard work of
the busy honey and bee-rearing season,
seldom live more than fifty or sixty days.

They do not die from old age, but literally work themselves to death, often
completely wearing out their wings, or are killed by accident or by enemies

in the open field.

Stages in Development of the Bees.

 

The beginner will do well to learn accurately the following table giving
the time consumed in the different stages of development of the queen,

drone and worker bees:

Stage

Queen Drone Worker

(days) (days) (days)
Mies 3 3
izes BY 6% 514 to 6
wees TH 14% 12 to12%
ieee 16 24 21

Queens fly to mate five to ten days after maturity; drones fly from
one to two weeks after maturity; workers fly as field bees in about two

weeks after maturity.

41
INSIDE THE HIVE.

CHAPTER VIII.

After the beginner has secured his bees and has learned soniething
about the three kinds of individuals that make up the hive family, he
needs to know something about the inside of the hive before he begins
working withthe bees.

The Brood-Chamber Defined.

 

The brood-chamber, which may be called the livmg-room of the bee
family, is the most interesting part of the hive. It is ordinarily the lower
part of the hive (a single hive-body) in which the bees are reared. This
part belongs particularly to the bees themselves; and it is very rarely that
the beekeeper takes away any of the honey which it contains. The honey
there is for the bees’ own use. The surplus honey is stored in the “supers”
above the brood-chamber. In the interior of this brood-chamber are the
combs in which the brood. is reared and in which the bees store honey for
their own use. We are now going to consider this comb, what it is made
of and the uses to which the bees put it.

Wax and Wax Secretion.

Beeswax is a secretion that issues from the wax-glands in scales be-
tween the six segments on the under side of the abdomen after the bee has
been feeding heavily. It has been estimated that bees consume from five
to fifteen pounds of honey in order to produce a single pound of wax.
When secreting
wax the bees,
gorged with hon-
ey, hang in
chain-like for-
mations for
hours together,
suspended from
the top of the
hive. When the
wax first issues it
is a liquid which
soon hardens
into pearly-
white scales. The
bees transfer
this wax in their

 

 

 

 

 

A view of bees hetween the combs cf an observation hive. This neee
picture is of a transverse section of four combs. mandib eS; and

42
INSIDE THE HIVE.—Chapter VIII.

 

 

 

 

 

- Bees secreting wax. Note how those at the bottom hang in chains.

by mixing it in the mouth or masticating it, so to speak, it becomes a pli-
able and ductile substance used in making the comb. There are many min-
eral and vegetable waxes that resemble beeswax; but for its ductility bees-
wax has the highest melting-point of any wax known—145 degrees Fahren-
heit. So it is that if the honeycombs were to be made artificially of paraf-
fin, for instance, they would not stand the high temperature of the hive,
especially on hot days, but would sag or melt down.

Comb and Comb-Building.

Comb-building is the one object
of the bees in secreting wax. Comb
is made up of compact six-sided
cells of wax, built out horizontally
on both sides of a common base,
called the midrib. The bees show
the greatest economy of space in
cell-building and also provide for
the greatest possible strength by
interplacing the ends of the cells
at the midrib. But the combs that
bees naturally build in hollow
trees or “gums,” or sometimes on
the branches of trees, are often
crooked and bent. Worker comb
used for brood-rearing is about
¥ inch thick, and the bees require
a space of from five-sixteenths to
a half of an inch between combs
as a passageway. Cells that are
used for honey are usually elong-
ated, leaving the minimum pass-
ageway between the surfaces of

 

 

 

 

 

A sample of combs built by bees among
the branches of a tree. They are big but
shapeless.

43
INSIDE THE HIVE.—Chapter VII,

 

sealed honey in two ad-
jacent combs; but cells
which contain worker
brood are always slightly
less than 4% inch in
depth, thus leaving a
wide passageway between
the cappings of sealed
brood in two adjacent
combs. Drone comb has
deeper cells than worker
comb used for brood.
When the comb is first
built it is nearly white A frame of comb foundation. The bees will build
in appearance. It very this out to full-depth comb.
soon becomes “travel-
stained,” however—that is, the bees in walking constantly over it and over
the fresh propolis (the sticky substance which they gather from trees) soon
stain the white wax so that it has a brown color. After a few generations of
brood are reared in the cells the comb becomes quite black. This is no in-
dication that it is not perfectly good, for combs have been known to have
been used continuously by the bees for thirty or forty years. In fact, old
combs are better than new; for they become stronger with age and warmer
for wintering, owing to the many layers of cocoons left on the inner sides
of the cell walls by the many generations of bees which have emerged from
these cells.

 

 

 

 

Comb Foundation.

It is in the building of comb that man has come to the assistance of the
bees in a most remarkable way. This is by the invention of what is known
as “comb foundation,” which has been in common use now for nearly fifty
years, and is used by all successful beekeepers everywhere today. It is
made by running a very thin sheet of wax between two metal rollers,
thereby transforming the wax so rolled into an almost exact impression or
reproduction of the bases of the cells of the natural honeycomb. When
the sheet of wax is run through these rolls it becomes what its name implies
—a foundation for the
- comb. In this foundation
v the bases of the cells are
formed and the side walls
started.

This foundation is used
in both sections and
frames. There are differ-
ent weights of founda-
tion. The “thin super’ is
best for the comb-honey

A frame of comb foundation which has been partly sections; “medium brood”
drawn out by the bees. The nearly completed cells are i
seen at the central part of the frame. is best for the brood and

44

 

 

     
 

 

i a

   

 

 

 
INSIDE THE HIVE —Chapter VIIt.

extracting-frames; “light brood” is satisfactory for shallow extracting-
frames. When used in the large frames, in order to prevent the combs
from sagging or breaking down when filled with honey or brood, fine
wires are imbedded in the comb foundation to strengthen it. With these
imbedded wires there is much less danger that the combs will be broken
out of the frames when the honey is extracted from them in the rapidly re-
volving centrifugal honey-extractor. When either the frames or sections of
foundation are given to the bees, they grasp the very shallow walls and “draw
them out” and build on with new wax, the work being so perfectly done that
it, Is impossible to tell where the old wax leaves off and the new begins.

No matter how perfectly the base of the cell is formed by the rolls
used in making comb foundation, the bees alter it slightly, making it a
little thinner and a little rougher in appearance.

Comb foundation serves a fourfold purpose: (1) It furnishes.a very
considerable part of the beeswax required for building the comb at a-mouch
smaller cost than the bees can build new comb; (2) it centers the eomb in
the frame or section, as the case may be, and thus the bees, when building
on to it, build the comb straight, whereas bees naturally would just a
little prefer to build their combs crosswise of the frames or sections and
also curve them or make them crooked so as to add to their strength; (3) by
the use of comb foundation made with only worker-cell bases, the natural
number of drone-cells and resultant drones (often not wanted at all) can

“be reduced and controlled; (4) when combs are needed quickly, as during
a heavy honey flow, they. can be built much more rapidly because the bees
can then work on the entire surface of the foundation instead of only on
the lower edge of the comb as they must do if foundation is-not given.

The Cells and Their Arrangement.

 

In the same comb, whether it be natural comb as built by the bees or
whether built from man-made comb foundation, will be found worker
and drone cells, and at times queen-cells. The bees will “squeeze in” a
few drone-cells, around the edges of comb built from foundation having only
worker-cell bases, but such cells will be far fewer than in the bees’ own
naturally built combs. The bees will also very often patch up holes that
may be made in the worker comb with drone-cells. The cappings of the
worker-cells are slightly convex and the cells are a little more than a fifth of
an inch in diameter, and a little less than half an inch deep. The drone-
cells are a trifle more than a fourth of an inch in diameter and a little
more than half an inch deep, the cappings protruding a little above the sur-
face of the worker-comb cappings. The manufactured comb foundation
ordinarily has the worker-bee size of cell bases only. Drone-comb foun-
dation is, however, specially manufactured for use in queen-rearing.
Honey is stored in both the drone and worker cells indiscriminately. The
cells usually have an upward slope that helps retain the thin honey before
being capped. The beginner will understand that the bees use the cells at
will.for either rearing their young or storing honey. The cell walls may be
thinner than one-three-thousandth of an inch; but the comb is wonderfully
strong and may weigh only one-twentieth (or less) of the weight of the
honey stored in it. Wax is used by the bees to cap the cells when filled

45
INSIDE THE HIVE—Chapier VIII.

 

 

 

 

 

Drone and worker cells, both capped and uncapped. Larvae can
be seen in some of the uncapped cells. The larger size and the
protruding cappings of the drone-cells may be easily noted.

with honey;
buf a mixture
of fibrous sub-
stances and wax
is used to cap
the cells which
contain brood,
this mixture ad-
mitting air and
giving ventila-
tion for the vital
use of the pupa
within.

The brood is
normally _ start-
ed at the center
of a comb (in
the center of
the hive), the
circular patch
of brood there:
gradually in-
creasing as the
colony builds
up till the
greater part of
the comb may
be filled with
honey and pol-
len, convenient

for the bees to feed to the brood, the pollen usually being stored in a narrow
band of cells just above the brood, the honey being stored above the pollen
and in the upper corners of the comb. Sometimes the comb adjacent to the

outside frame of brood is filled with pollen and honey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A comb of solid worker brood. The beekeeper delights in such a comb,

46
INSIDE THE HIVE.—Chapter VIII.

Queen-cells, if present at. all in the hive, are usually found built about
the lower edges of the comb or on possible depressions of the combs.

Pollen.

Pollen, the fertilizing dust of flowers, is harvested by the bees and
is stored in the cells for food. It is the breadstuff of the bees, fur-
nished by flowers. It is of a powdery nature, and may be red, green,
brown or yellow, depending on the source. The bees carry the pollen
into the hives, packed in pellets in the “pollen-baskets” provided by

nature on their rear legs, depositing
it generally in the worker-cells. This
pollen furnishes the nitrogenous food
for the bees themselves; but more
especially for the larvae. Without
it brood-rearing could not be carried
on; and, if there is no natural pol-
len, substitutes sometimes are pro-
vided, although with doubtful re-
sults. The pollen, moistened with
honey, is packed firmly into the cells
Enlarged photograph of a worker hee by the bees—these cells, as before
showing the rounded pellets of pollen , i Z
on her rear legs. stated, ordinarily being located close
to the cells of brood. This packed
pollen, or beebread, is of a somewhat disagreeable taste (to man), but has
great nutritive properties. —

 

 

 

 

 

Propolis.

Another substance gathered by bees, and very necessary to them, is a
substance known as propolis, or bee glue. It is ordinarily gathered from
the resinous coats of the buds of trees and smaller plants. But lacking
this source of supply the bees seemingly resort to various substances such
as varnishes, resin, pitch and the like. Bees gather propolis and carry it
to their hives precisely as they do pollen. It is never packed in the cells,
but applied at once as needed for coating over the inside of their hives,
filling cracks and crevices, covering cocoons of wax worms or other ob-
jectionable matter that may have got into the hive, and for making things
fast and close generally within their home. Propolis is an exceedingly

. sticky and strong glue, yet it is hard and brittle when cold. The beginner
has yet to learn how disagreeable it may be, and what a nuisance it can
prove to the beekeeper when manipulating the hive; yet it is important to
the bees’ welfare, especially in making the hive snug and warm for the win-
ter. Propolis may be removed from the hands or apiary tools by the use
of wood alcohol or turpentine.

Honey.

Honey, the chief product of the bees and tiie chief object of the bee-
keeper, is a sweet produced from the nectar of flowers. It is gathered by

47
INSIDE THE HIVE.—Chapter VIII.

the bees and carried in the honey-sac to the comb in the hive. In the pro-
cess of gathering and storing, the nectar is evaporated and chemically
modified by the bee, rendering it a partly digested sweet. Honey depends
for its color, odor and flavor on the flowers from which it is gathered. These
vary greatly; as for instance, buckwheat, orange or clover honey have their
entirely different color, flavor and aroma. Honey contains a large per
cent of water, especially when first deposited in the comb and before the
bees have had a chance to evaporate (ripen) it. But there is a great dif-
ference in the original density of honey, due to the difference in the nectar
of various plants. For instance, white clover honey may contain as much
as 75% or more of water when first gathered by the bees, and will often
drip like water from the combs when handled. But the bees proceed at
once to ripen it by evaporation. They accomplish this by the fanning of
their wings within the hive and at the hive entrance as well as by the
warmth of their bodies and, possibly, certain mouth processes. A quarter
of the weight of freshly deposited honey may be evaporated within the
first day after having been gathered. The bees cap the honey over when
thoroughly ripened; but, whether capped over or not, honey grows thicker
the longer it is left on the hive, unless the bees are compelled to leave it
exposed by clustering in a smaller space on arrival of cooler weather. The
amount of honey gathered by a strong colony of bees during a good honey
flow and with good weather conditions may run from five or six to even
twenty or more pounds a day.

Honeydew, a sweet excreted by insects on certain plants and trees, is a
substance sometimes gathered by bees and stored in the combs just as honey
is stored. It is ordinarily a nuisance to the beekeeper unless it is used
for brood-rearing as gathered, or stored in combs to be saved for feeding
the bees next spring. It is not suitable as winter food for the bees except
in a warm climate where the bees can fly freely every few days during the
winter, and it is not suitable for market.

48
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.

CHAPTER IX,

 

Nursing the fire in the bee-smoker.
The smudge material about to be
packed in.

 

At the very beginning of the actual
work of handling the bees and manip-
ulating the hive, the beginner should
learn how to avoid being stung. This
is not diffieult.

How to Avoid Being Stung.

First of all, let the beginner take in
hand his bee-smoker and see that it is
lighted so that it will stay lighted. Do
this by first placing in the bottom of
the fire-chamber some easily ignitible
material; apply a match to this and
then pack in above the flame a mate-
rial which will make plenty of smoke
and burn slowly, such as rags, greasy
waste, or well-dried rotten wood; next
give several puffs with the bellows to

be sure that the fire is started, but do not use the bellows so much that a
blaze is started in the smudge material. It is the smoke, not the flame, that
- is wanted. It is necessary to make very sure that there is enough smoulder-
ing fire in the smoke fuel so that it will not go out while handling the bees. -

Next, protect the hands and wrists with a pair of bee-gloves, and the

face with a bee-veil. Let the beginner
wear loose, light-colored clothing,
avoiding black or fuzzy material of
any kind, if possible, with the sleeves
made tight at the wrists, and the bot-
tom of his trousers tucked in his socks
or tied about his ankles.. Women may
well wear overalls or bloomers when
working with bees. A full but short
apron may be worn over the overalls
and a short skirt over the bloomers.
High shoes and leggings also add to a
woman’s protection against stings.
The veil should be so adjusted that
no bee can gain entrance. See the il-
lustration on the next page of a bee-
keeper with his bee-veil, bee-gloves,
ete., properly fastened and adjusted.

49

 

¥

   

 

 

 

 

Using the bellows ‘of the smoker to
make sure that the fire is well caught
in the smudge material.
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter IX.

 

Along with the smoker, have in hand
a good hive-tool; or, lacking a hive-
tool, take a screwdriver or heavy
pocketknife, and approach the hive
from the rear or side. Never stand in
front of the entrance nor get in the
line of flight of the bees if it ean pos-
sibly be avoided.

It is taken for granted that the be-
ginner has selected a warm day for his
bee operations, and some time between
the hours of ten and three o’clock. Let
him be sure never to attempt to open
a hive on a cool or chilly morning or
late in the afternoon, never after a
Fully equipped against stings , with chilly rain, and not directly after a
nea and hie smoker dlgibad. fas- honey flow has been suddenly inter-

rupted. At such times bees will sting
if they ean find anybody or anything to punish.

Now, with the smoker well lighted, blow three or four puffs of smoke
into the entrance of the hive to subdue the guards, but be careful not to
blow in too much smoke. (Smoking at the entrance is not necessary during
a good honey flow.) If the smoking is overdone, the bees in the hive will
be stampeded, especially if they are black bees or hybrids, rendering sub-
sequent handling of them exceedingly difficult.

Now, take off the outer cover. Do this as gently as possible, for the
less the bees are jarred or aroused in any way the better for their tempers.

 

 

 

>Next, take the hive-too] and gently pry the inner cover of the hive up
an eighth of an inch—not wider. It may be necessary to pry from more
than one corner in order that the cover may not come up with a jar. |
Through the gap so made between the inner cover and hive blow in a
couple of puffs of smoke. Put the in-
ner cover down for a moment. Next,
gently lft up the cover again, follow-
ing the movement with perhaps two or
three more light puffs of smoke. There
should be just enough smoke used to
drive the bees that are on top of the
frames down between the frames; and
later in the operation, whenever many
of the bees’ heads are seen sticking up
between the frames, ready to take
wing, a little more smoke will be
needed.

The beginner may next proceed to
lift out frames singly. If they are
stuck together with propolis, a little
smoke may be required to follow each
operation in separating the frames with Before starting to open the hive, blow

o . one or two light ffs of k
a hive-tool, as a sudden jar may anger ee eae ee

 

 

 

 

 

50,
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter IX.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the outer cover of the hive has

been removed, use the hive-tool to pry

up the inner cover and blow a little
smoke into the top of the hive.

As gently as possible take off the
outer cover.

the bees; but usually the smoker can be sep dowt, alongside the hive, and
frame after frame be lifted out without receiving a single sting. The first
frame or two removed from the hive may be set down on the ground and
leaned against the hive while the othet ffames are exantined. -

Especial care should be taken, not, to pinch any bees nor kill any. Take
good care to place the fingers only where there are no bees; ‘and, tf bees
are very numerous, simply push “them over to one side by:: pushing the
sae fingers down among them, being careful not to pinch ‘ther i in doing

To pinch any of the bees or to kill any of them may, result, i im _eraging
the whole colony. Always remember to make no quick movements. “Be delib-
erate and cool in the manipulation of bees always. Nervousness or ny
quick movement on the part of the operator seems to anger the bees. son

After the beginner has opened the hives a few times he will,be ‘able
to discard the gloves, and later he can dispense with the v eil at-times (not

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just enough smoke is needed to keep
Separating the frames with a hive-tool the bees driven down between the
preparatory to lifting them out. frames.

51
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter 1X.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
 

Ny

\
iy

   

    

The stinger of a bee dissected.
wonderfully constructed weapon as a whole, the
lower part of which is composed of an outer shell
D, and two barbed spears (Fig. 2) that slide part-

Fig. 1 shows the

ly inside of it. These barbs have a pumping mo-
tion that sinks them alternately deeper and deeper
into whatever is stung. Tig. 3 is a transverse sec-
tion of the stinger cut across at dotted line below
D of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a crystallized drop of the
hbee’s poison. J of Fig. 1 is the sac from which
the poison is pumped into the wound by the same
pump motion that sinks the barbs deeper and
deeper. The bee dies as a result of leaving her
stinger in the wound—a bit of poetic justice and
quite generally satisfactory to the stung.

52

Leaning a frame against the hive.

when the bees are cross or
cold or suddenly deprived of
nectar in the fields), because
he will find that an intelli-
gent use of the smoker will
do more to eliminate stings
than any other one thing. Re-
member, too, it is sympathy
with the bees as well as ex-
pertness in handling them
that finally results in han-
dling them without harm to
the operator.

If a sting be received the
stinger, which will be found
sticking in the flesh, should
be immediately brushed or
scraped off. This is because
the sting has a poison sac at
its base from which poison is
pumped into the wound,
even after the stinger is de-
tached from the bee. The
sting is also barbed and con-
tinues to work farther into
the flesh as long as left in
the wound. By swiftly brush-
ing or scraping off the sting
(rather than picking it off)
no pressure is put on the
poison sac and thus no poi-
son is forced into the wound.

There is no known cure
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES —Chapter IX.

for stings. To rub or touch the wound only seems to increase the swelling.
Medicinal applications are useless because the puncture is too small to
admit medicine, at least in any effective amount. In cases of severe sting-
ing, hot cloths may be effectively applied to relieve the pain.

How to Handle Frames.

Hardly less important than knowing how to handle the bees without
inviting stings, is a knowledge of how to handle the frame properly.

After removing the inner cover, if the frames are self-spacing, insert
the hive-tool between the side of the hive and the end-bar of the-first frame.
Crowd the set of frames tightly together against the far side of the hive,
repeating this operation for the other end of the frames. Now pry the
first frame back toward the side of the hive when it is ready to lift out. If,
on account of attachments of comb to the side of the hive or bulged combs,
the first frame can not be readily removed, the second or even the third
frame may be taken out first.

For first inspection it is better to take the first or the second frame,
as the queen is less likely to be found there at the side of the hive. If she
should be on the first frame removed,
she might be injured by being rubbed
or crushed when the first frame is
drawn from between closely adjacent
combs. :

Lift the frame by taking hold of
both ends of the top-bar, keeping it in
a horizontal position while examining
the side turned toward the beekeeper.

To examine the opposite side, no
frame should be turned directly over
with the bottom-bar remaining horizon-
tal, for if the comb is heavy with hon-
ey it may break from the frame, and
if the queen should chance to be on

= the comb being examined she is quite

Position 1—Frame is held horizontal likely to fall to the ground and be in-
mnie ane Delug examined. comb is jured, since it is difficult for a laying
queen to keep her footing on a comb

 

 

so turned.

Note the accompanying illustrations for exact directions for handling
frames.

The frame is held by the ends of the top-bar ionventaly ‘in front of
one while examining the first side of comb. (See position 1.) To turn the
other side into view, begin by raising the right end above the left, to
bring the top-bar into a perpendicular position (see position 2); next re-
volve the frame, now perpendicular, with the top-bar as an axis, until the
opposite side of the comb is turned toward the beginner (see position 3) ;
now the right hand may be lowered to a position level with the left hand,
thus leaving the frame still in a vertical position, and still held by the
ends of the top-bar, but with the bottom-bar now at the top (see position
4) instead of at the bottom, as in the original position, so that the beekeep-

53
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter IX.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Position 3—-Comb turned to bring
other side to view before being low-
ered to horizontal position.

Position 2.—Frame raised to perpen-

dicular position ready to turn. The

top-bar of the frame is the axis on
which the frame is turned.

er can examine the other side of the comb.

In order to get the frame in the right position for returning to the hive
this operation should be just reversed. The start in reversing is shown in
position 5,

This manner of handling may sound rather involved and quite unneces-
sary; but in reality it is very simple, and may save the beginner a broken
comb or the loss of a queen. Practice it with an empty frame. Very soon
the beginner will reverse the combs correctly and almost instinctively.

To make room to work place the first comb removed to one side in
a box. The other combs can then be removed one after another as de-
sired, putting them back into the hive after examination but toward the

 

 

 

 

 

 

id
Position 4.—After the right end has Position 5.—Starting the reverse pro-
been lowered from the perpendicular cess to bring the frame back to normal
position and the frame is in position to position,

examine the other side.

54
EXAMINING AND HANDLING BEES.—Chapter IX.

near side of the hive, thus always leaving room for taking out the next
comb,

When ready to close the hive the frames should again be crowded
against the far side of the hive before the last comb is put in. After
all the frames are in place, crowd them together tightly against one
side of the hive, then move them back slightly so that the end-bars of the
outside frames are about one-fourth inch from the side of the hive. This
allows a clustering space for the bees between the outside combs and the
side walls of the hive. Furthermore, the queen can occupy the cells of
the combs adjacent to the side walls of the hive when proper space is given,
and thus more cells are available for brood-rearing.

It will thus be seen that in the examining‘and handling of bees there
is a correct method of manipulating hives, which, if followed, will mean
satisfaction and pleasure instead of drudgery and stings. The beginner who
is afraid of being stung and afraid of doing the wrong thing at the wrong
time can very soon become proficient in handling and examining bees, if
attention is given to the details we have endeavored to set forth in this
chapter.

55
WORK WITH THE QUEEN.

CHAPTER X.

Having secured his bees and equipment, and having learned some-
thing of the individuals in the hive and its contents, as well as how to
avoid being stung, and how to handle the frames, the beginner is ready
for actua) work with the bees. Naturally he asks himself how often and
for what purpose are the hive and the bees to be examined.

Most beginners overdo the first work. Pulling the hives all to pieces
and redistributing the combs promiscuously is an expensive kind of pleas-
ure, but there are several real necessities for opening the hives. Among these
are: To learn that the queen and conditions of brood-rearing are all
right; to make sure that the bees have sufficient food in store; to learn
if the colony as a whole is healthy and normal; occasionally to deter-
mine special exigencies arising in the hive; after the honey flow, to take
off supers filled with honey; and to prepare the colony for winter. But
the condition of the queen and resulting conditions in the hive may de-
mand an examination of the colony at the very beginning of the beginner’s
experience with bees.

The beekeeper should know that a queen is present in the hive and
conditions normal, if he is to expect success. So he should examine the
hive whenever he has reason to suspect that anything may have gone wrong
with the queen.

How to Find the Queen.

If the beekeeper needs to find the queen for any good reason, let him
first. take out one or two of the outside combs from the side of the hive
next to the operator. If the queen is not on these’ combs, set them aside
in order that the remaining combs may be more readily examined. If rob-
bers are troublesome these combs must be put into an ‘empty hive or a light
box that will hold two or three frames, and kept covered while they are out
of the hive. As each of the remaining combs is removed from the hive,
glance quickly over the exposed side of the next comb in the hive to see
if the queen is there. If she is not there, turn the comb just removed to
examine the other side and proceed in this way until the queen is found. As
the combs are examined they are placed back into the hive on the side
nearest the operator in order to maintain an open space between the combs
already examined and those yet to be examined. This work should be done
rapidly and no more smoke should be used than is necessary for rapid
work. If the bees are inclined to be nervous and run on the combs it is
necessary to watch for the queen in the spaces between the lower edge of
the comb and the bottom-bar of the frames, and also on the bottom and
sides of the hive, for if the queen becomes frightened she may run off
of the combs into these spaces. (For directions for clipping the queen, see
page 114.)

56
WORK WITH THE QUEEN.—Chapter X.

If the Queen Be Lost.

If by any accident the queen should he lost, the bees soon detect her
absence and at first set up a peculiar cry and buzzing of distress as they
rush wildly about all over the outside of the hive and out into the grass in
their effort to find her. If she is not found they immediately start queen-cells
about some of the youngest larvae present, and thus begin rearing them a
new queen. In such cases, the queen-cells are liable to be unusually
numerous and built anywhere on the comb. If the strain is undesirable,
this would be a good time to improve the stock by giving them a ripe
queen-cell from a good stock in a spiral wire cell-protector or by introduc-
ing a laying queen. (See “How to Introduce,” page 60.)

We have previously stated that it requires 15 or 16 days to rear a
queen; but when bees start to rear a queen beginning with larvae it is evi-
dent that a queen may emerge in 11 or even 9 days after the bees deter-
mine to rear one, although nine days is quite unusual, since the bees nor-
mally choose quite young larvae from which to rear the queens.

It often happens that colonies become queenless without the owner’s
knowledge; and, unless he chances to notice them at the time of the loss,
their behavior would hardly be striking enough to attract his attention.
Still, should he happen to see bees standing idly about the entrance, and
none of them industriously bringing in pollen when the bees from the
other colonies are doing so, he would have cause to suspect that all was
not right with the queen. If this condition is observed it is well to open
the hive and look for eggs and larvae. If plenty of eggs and worker brood
are found, one may be quite sure the queen is present, and it is not neces-
sary to look for her. If queen-cells and plenty of good worker brood are
found they are preparing to swarm. If a few queen-cells and a little scat-
tering worker and drone brood are found, the bees are probably trying to
supersede or replace a queen they consider defective. If only drone brood
is present, the colony has either a drone-layer (see page 58) or laying
worker (see page 58), which should be disposed of immediately. In such
eases the drone brood will be found in worker-cells; but it can be detected
by the elongated cells and more convex cappings as well as the irregular-
ity of the sealed brood, it being somewhat scattered. If no worker brood
is found, and the bees commence an unusual buzzing when the hive is
opened, the colony is, without doubt, queenless. This fact can be definite-
ly determined by introducing a comb containing eggs and young larvae,
when, if queenless, queen-cells will at once be started. Of course, colo-
nies that are without food will cease rearing brood, no matter how pro-
lific the queen may be, and, as previously mentioned, brood-rearing is nor-
mally suspended from October to February or -March, except in the ex-
treme South.

Supersedure.
When a queen is old or otherwise defective the bees usually raise an-

other to take her place, and do it while she is still alive. In fact, the young
57
WORK WITH THE QUEEN.—Chapter X.

 

queen may sometimes emerge,
become fertilized, and peaceably
share the duties of egg-laying
with her mother until the latter
dies. If a colony found raising
supersedure queen-cells is of
good stock, it is often advisable
to let matters take their own
course; for the queens thus
raised are usually of superior
quality. But if the stock is not

Sarg desirable, the queen-cells should
Putting a queen-cell ina protector into the be removed and a queen-cell ina

hive. .

. : cell-protector, introduced. .When
supersedure queen-cells are built during the swarming season the colony
may swarm, even if not strong, the colony apparently being induced to
swarm by the presence of queen-cells. Usually fewer queen-cells are built for
supersedure than for swarming. Sometimes only one or two queen-cells
are built for supersedure, and often one of these is started several days or
even a week in advance of the other.

 

 

 

 

Laying Workers.

Ordinarily worker bees are females imperfectly developed as to sex.
Under certain circumstances their special organs become developed-to such
an extent that they are able to lay eggs, in which case they become laying
workers (sometimes called “fertile workers”). Such eggs, however, al-
ways develop drones, since fertilization of workers is impossible, and only
fertilized eggs can produce females. If a virgin queen becomes lost in
mating, a colony is without a laying queen for so long a time that there are
no young larvae left, and therefore no chance to raise another queen; the
colony after two or three weeks may become infested with these laying
workers. To get rid of them, rather strenuous measures must be adopted,
since it is very difficult to distinguish them from ordinary workers, and
there may be a great number of them present in the same hive.

For the beginner having only a few colonies, let him exchange (but
not before nor during the main honey flow) the location of the hive having
the laying workers with that of a strong colony, at the same time intro-
ducing a queen by the cage method into the laying-worker colony.

Drone-Layers.

Finding a colony with mostly drone brood, and with eggs placed
irregularly, does not necessarily prove the presence of laying workers,
for the brood of drone-laying queens has much the same appearance, al-
though there are usually fewer eggs, and they are placed deeper in the
cells. jae

58
WORK WITH THE QUEEN.—Chapter X.

A drone-layer may be a queen that has failed to mate during the first
two'or three weeks after emergence, or she may be a queen that is failing
on account of old age. She should be found and killed, and the colony put
into a normal condition by giving it brood in different stages of develop-
ment and introducing a good queen.

A Colony Hopelessly Queenless.

When a colony suddenly loses a queen, it has eggs and young larvae
from which they begin at once to rear a new queen. But sometimes such a
queenless colony fails to raise a new queen, or perhaps she is lost in mat-
ing, and the situation arises that there are no eggs nor young larvae pres-
ent, and the bees are then unable to raise another queen. Such a col-
ony will very soon become worthless, unless immediate steps are taken
to put it in a more nearly normal condition. It should at once be given a
comb containing eggs, young larvae and emerging brood to render the
colony normal, and then a few days later a good laying queen should be
introduced, first tearmg down any queen-cells that may have been started.
If a laying queen cannot be obtained and introduced, the bees may be
allowed to raise one in the natural way from a queen-cell, if the colony
has enough bees to warrant it; but, if this condition arises only five or
six weeks before the honey flow, the colony would not thus build up in
time for the honey flow, because they could not have a laying queen for 20
or 25 days. In this case, or if at any other time the queenless colony be
very weak, the bees in it should be united with some other colony. (See
the subject of “Uniting,” page 113.)

Balling the Queen.

When a strange queen is placed in a colony of bees they usually re-
sent her presence, seeming to consider her an intruder. No doubt this is
caused partly by her individual odor or by her unusual actions due to her
fear. Sometimes before she has been in the hive more than a few seconds
the bees form an angry mass, clinging closely to her body, thus either
smothering or stinging her to death.

If the bees attempt to ball a queen in this way she should be quickly
rescued by puffing a little smoke, or, better, by dropping the ball of bees
into lukewarm water, after which she may be introduced by the cage
method. (See page 60.)

When to Introduce.

Since colonies that have been more than two days queenless are apt
to ball the queen, no matter what method of introduction is used, queens
should be introduced soon after the colony becomes queenless, within the
first two days if possible; and in case one wishes to replace an old or de-
fective queen (one that continues to lay but few eggs and places them ir-
regularly), this queen should not be removed until the new one arrives, be-
cause of the possible delay in the arrival of the new queen, And in case

59
WORK WITH THE QUEEN.—Chapter X.

the beekeeper considers the
poor queen better than no

queen at all, he may, before / a
killing the old one, wait un- dp Ley ;
til certain the new queen o Lees
has been accepted. Then the BA ~ ey ,
dequeening and requeening ey, OSes Lep
Sere se HL LO Lier

@

 

may be accomplished at the
same operation. The old +4
queen may be kept tempo-
rarily in a cage without at-
tendant bees, the cage be-
ing inserted between combs >
of brood in any strong col- The mailing and introducing cage.

ony. If the new queen is

not accepted, the old one may then be reinstated by introducing in the
regular way. Extra queens may often be kept in this way for weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

ae Naz, - -

 

 

 

 

 

How to Introduce.

There are a nunber of good plans of introduction, among which we
recommend introducing by means of the mailing cage (the same in prin-
ciple as the Miller cage). Preparatory to introducing by the cage method,
remove all the queen-cells that may be found present. See that the card-
board mail wrapping of the mailing cage is removed, but take care not
to remove the pasteboard over the hole at the end. Place the cage, wire
side down, above the opening between two frames so that the bees can
easily get to it. In case the inside cover of the hive has no rim and so
cannot be inverted to provide space for laying the queen cage on top of
the frames, then the queen cage should be inserted between the tops of
two frames. To do this, remove one frame containing no brood from the
hive in order to give sufficient room to leave the wired side of the cage
exposed so that the bees can visit it. In about 24 hours the bees have
gnawed away the pasteboard nailed over the end; then they eat out the
candy in the cage, and thus release the queen, which, by this time, has ac-
quired the scent of the hive and will, therefore, be quite likely to be ac-
cepted. Examination of the hive should be made 24 hours after putting in
the queen cage, and if
the bees have not gnawed
away the pasteboard
over the end hole, it should
be removed. The colony
should be left undisturb-
ed for at least five days
after the queen has been
accepted, for opening the
hive soon after introduc-
Introducing a queen in mailing cage, either by lay- ing may result in the loss
ing the cage on top of, or between, the frames of

the hive, of the queen by balling.

 

 

 

 

co
SWARMING.

CHAPTER XI.

It will not be long after the beginner has received his bees in the late
spring till he must expect to have to meet the swarming problem and to
deal with swarms. The first time he has to do this the task will likely
seem both hazardous and difficult to him, and he will have to guard him-
self against “getting rattled.” But swarming for the beginner, in its sim-
plest treatment, need not be difficult. If he has only a few colonies, and
wishes to increase the number, he will welcome a first swarm from each
of his hives and handle it to his profit. Increase of colonies by natural
swarming is the safest and easiest method by which the beginner can in-

 

 

 

 

A typical swarm of bees cut down with the branch of « tree on ©

which the bees had clustered.
61

 

crease the size
of his apiary.
The swarming
season may be
expected every-
where in gen-
eral about the
time the bees are
rearing the
greatest amount
of brood in the
spring or early
summer, for in-
stance, in the
northern part of
the United
States, in
May and June,
according to the
earliness or late-
ness of the sea-
son. This is the
time of most ex-
tensive brood-
rearing if con-
ditions are fa-
vorable, and
swarming is the
bees’ natural
method of in-
creasing. It is
then that, by a
sort of seeming
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

mutual agreement, generally between 9 a. m. and 2 p. m. on a warm day,
from a strong colony having plenty of brood and honey, most of the old
bees with the queen (and perhaps a few of the young bees) will rush pell-
well out of the hive until the air is full of them going in every direction.
This grand rush from the hive generally continues for only three or four
minutes. : 4

If the queen’s wings have been clipped (see page 114), as should have
been done earlier, of course she can not fly; but she will crawl out of the
entrance and will be found in the grass near by, attempting to join the
swarm.

In the parent hive are left the young bees that care for the brood,
and capped queen-cells from which a queen will be provided for the now
queenless colony.

The swarm at first, appearing like a cloud of black particles, soars
about for a short time and then generally settles on some branch of a
near-by tree or bush; but, if the queen is clipped, the swarm may return
to its hive without clustering, as soon as the bees discover that the queen
is not with them. Seldom does the swarm steal to a new home at some
distance without first settling near the old home hive. If discovered while
still in flight, the owner of the bees will accomplish nothing by beating tin
pans, ringing bells, or making other noise to make them settle. If a fine
spray of water from a fountain pump or even from a pail or dipper can
he thrown on the swarm in its flight, it is likely to settle very quickly.

Causes of Swarming.

 

Without going into
lengthy diseussion and
theories of why bees
swarm, the beginner
should know that swarm-
ing is the bees’ method of
reproduction of colonies;
and it is, therefore, nat-
ural for them to swarm
when they have become
strong enough to divide,
provided, of course, there
is enough nectar in the
flowers to make them
prosperous, The desire
to swarm is usually
brought about by a con-
gestion of bees in the
hive, especially within the
brood-chamber, and lack
of sufficient ventilation—

in other words, over-

crowding of the hive, re- Bees sometimes cluster on the outside of the hive
a & 2 before taking their swarm flight. The two hives in
sulting in discomfort or the foreground show this condition.

62

 

 

 

 
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

at least a desire for expansion. It should also be noted that colonies with
old queens are more likely to swarm than those having young queens.

Indications of Swarming.

As the swarming season comes on, the beginner should watch for
signs of the forthcoming swarm. The clustering of bees on the outside of
the hive is one of the general signs, although not a certain one, as bees
may cluster on the outside because of hot or sultry weather, or because there
is no nectar to be had from the flowers the field workers may stay at home
instead of fruitlessly searching for nectar. But if a colony has been busy
at work and then quits work without evident reason, while other colonies
continue busy, at the same time clustering on the outside, swarming is
probably near at hand. The most certain sign of swarming, if present,
can be learned by an examination of the hive. If queen-cells containing
eggs or queen-cells containing larvae are found in very strong colonies at
the beginning of, or during, the honey flow, the bees are probably con-
templating swarming. They usually issue from the hive at about the time
the first queen-cells are capped, though Italians sometimes swarm before
if the weather is quite warm.

Preparing to Hive the Swarm.

 

When a swarm issues it should be hived just as soon after the cluster’
forms as possible, whether the queen is clipped or not. For, if the queen
is clipped, she cannot join the cluster, and it may accordingly break up and
return to the old hive before the beekeeper has had time to hive it. On
the other hand, if the queen is not clipped she will be with the cluster, and
the swarm will therefore be likely to leave for a new home in some near-by
woods or other possible retreat at any time after the cluster forms.

Therefore, whether one clips his queens or not, it will be necessary to
make certain preparations for hiving the:swarm before it issues. Even be-
fore the swarming season sets in, ‘it is’ well for the beginner to provide one
extra hive for every one of the few colonies he may have, in case he plans
to allow natural swarming for increase. He should also have ready in
advance frames with drawn combs, or, lacking these, frames with comb
foundation (full sheets) with-which to fill the new hive. In ease the
queen’s wings are clipped (as they should be), the beginner will also need a
queen cage. Jf he has no such cages he can easily make a little box out of
wire window-screen or mosquito netting drawn tightly over a small box
frame, which will serve the purpose of caging the clipped queen during
the short time necessary to effect the capture of the swarm. And, in addi-
tion to these necessities, of course, the beginner will also want his veil, his
gloves and his smoker in readiness.

Hiving a Swarm Having a Clipped Queen.

 

First, let us suppose that the swarm has issued from a colony whose
queen has had her wings clipped. After the swarm has. left the hive the

63
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

queen will be found, in all probability, hopping about near the entrance,
sometimes attended by a little company of worker bees after she has been
missed by them. Carefully put her in a queen-cage and temporarily
leave her in a safe place out of the sun. Now the super or supers of
the hive from which the swarm has issued (and in which supers the bees
have already started to work) should be taken off the old brood-cham-
ber and set on the ground near by. The brood-chamber itself should now
be removed from its stand and its entrance turned in the opposite direction
from which it formerly stood or with its entrance turned only part way
around, so the returning field bees will not enter it. If any bees begin to en-
ter the old hive, either cover it up or move it farther away. On the stand
where the old hive had stood, now place the new hive containing frames of
drawn comb or frames of foundation. Have the entrance face the same di-
rection as did that of the old hive just removed. Now, on top of the frames
place a queen-excluder (the rimmed side up always). Above the queen-ex-
cluder place the super or supers that have just before been taken from the
old hive, and put on the cover. Next, place the queen, still retained in her
cage, at the front of the entrance; or, better still, shove the caged queen
‘just inside of the entrance out of the possible heat of the sun’s rays, raising
the front of the hive a little by blocking up at the front corners if neces-
sary. The swarm, which may still be in the air or may have clustered, will
soon discover that the queen is not with them and will return hastily to the
old location, and, finding the queen there, will rush into the new hive.
After the bees are well started going in, the queen may be released from
her cage and she will hurriedly enter with them.

If there is no honey flow on at the time and no honey in the supers
that are transferred from the old hive to the new, the beginner should ex-
change at least one or two frames of foundation of the new hive for one
or two frames containing some honey taken from the old hive. The honey
so given is necessary to keep the bees from starving until nectar can be
gathered from the flowers.

It will surprise the beginner to note how soon this new first swarm
goes to work with the greatest energy in its new home. No other bees work
with quite so great vigor as do those of a newly hived, natural swarm.

The colony in the old hive is left standing at theside of the new hive
for seven days when it should be moved to a new location, this being done
at the time the bees are flying freely, as early in the afternoon, and the
hive handled so carefully that the bees are not disturbed. When done in
this way they do not seem to realize the change and go to the fields without
noting their new location. When they return from the fields they go to
their old location, and, not finding their own hive, they enter the new hive,
thus joining the swarm. When done properly, this so depletes the parent
colony of its bees just when the young queens are ready to emerge that it
can not send out after-swarms, and at the same time the young bees, drawn
from the parent colony, are added to the swarm where they are most useful
in helping store honey in the supers. (See pages 87-88).

Soon a new queen will emerge from a queen-cell that had been started
before the swarm left the parent colony. The so-called “old” or parent
colony (which is in fact really the rewest kind of colony because made up
of all newly emerged bees) can be left to shift for itself, except, if the

64
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

nights are cool, the hive entrance should be contracted so as to prevent the
escape of heat. Otherwise the brood might be chilled and killed. A little
later, as the “old” hive fills with new inhabitants and the combs become
filled with brood and honey, a super may be required. In a good season
some surplus of honey may be expected from this rejuvenated “old” col-
ony, unless the swarm issued late.

This method of handling a natural swarm, which has issued from a
colony having a queen with clipped wings, is summed up in a few words:
Find the clipped queen, cage her, remove the old hive to a new location,
replace it with an empty hive containing frames of drawn comb or foun-
dation, one of which should be replaced with a frame of honey if there is
no honey flow on at the time; transfer the supers from the old to the new
hive; place the caged queen at the entrance, and, as the swarming bees
return to the new hive, liberate the queen, allowing her to enter with them.

This plan of managing swarms is applicable only when swarming
‘takes place at the beginning of or during the main honey flow, as in the
white clover region.

When swarming occurs some time before the main honey flow it is
usually better to hive the swarm in a new location; and seven days later
destroy all but one queen-cell in the parent colony, to prevent after-swarm-
ing; then, when the honey flow begins, put supers on both hives. In this
ease both the parent colony and the newly-hived colony would likely pro-
duce a surplus of honey.

Hiving Swarm Having Unclipped Queen.

 

Suppose the swarm has issued from a colony whose queen’s wings are
not clipped, and she accompanies the swarm in its flight and clustering.
This presents quite a different problem from that of hiving the swarm
whose queen has had her wings clipped and so is to be found near the en-
trance of the parent hive. The swarming bees with their queen accom-
panying them will not return to the hive of their own will, for their queen
is not there. They are likely, at any time after clustering, to put off to a
new home which “scout bees” have previously located, and so be lost to the
beekeeper. This they may do within fifteen minutes after clustering, or
they may remain clustered twenty-four hours or even longer.

The beginner should have the same equipment ready, and exactly the
same new and old hive arrangements made, as in the case of the swarm
that issues from a hive whose queen has clipped wings. And don’t forget
the smoker, as that now may become useful. One additional item of
equipment is needed if the bees have clustered high up on some branch or
shrub. If this bit of equipment be purchased in advance it will be a
Manum swarming-device, which is a wire-cloth basket made in the shape
of an inverted pyramid, and attached to a long rod or pole. It is a good
thing for the beginner to have. But, not having one, let him attach an
ordinary bushel or half-bushel basket to a crotch left at the top of a
long pole so cut for the purpose. A loop of rope or strong cord attached
to the handle of the basket can be slipped over one of the forks of the
crotch at the end of the pole, thus allowing the basket to be easily de-
tached. This contrivance is about as serviceable as any manufactured
swarm-catching device. If the swarm has clustered somewhere low down,

65
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

and within easy reach, a
basket or a commodious
box or bag will serve as
a swarm-catcher.

If the bees have clus-
tered low on the branch
of some tree or bush, the
capture of them is made
easy. Hither shake the
bees into a box or basket
or cut off the branch and
carry it to the newly pre-
pared hive, then shake
the bees off on the alight-
ing-board or other broad
board placed temporar-
ily in front of the en-
trance of the hive.
Some prefer spreading a
sheet in front of the hive
on which to shake the
bees; but while this is a
little neater it is not es-
sential.

When the swarm has
been shaken down in

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a swarm clustered on the low branches of a :
tree and easy to secure. front of the hive en-

trance the bees will

quickly begin crawling into the hive (or can be directed into it by brusb-
ing or gently smoking) and continue to enter the hive in the most enthusi-
astic way. Once in, they remain there contented, if the queen be with
them. But if the bees begin running out of the hive and acting dissatis-
fied, apparently searching for something, the beginner may know that the
queen has not entered the hive. He should then make diligent search for
her, and will be likely to find her near by, perhaps*under the hive, at-
tended by a little group of bees, or he may find her at the original cluster-
ing place if all the cluster was not at first secured, and she will. be found
with an accompaniment of worker bees.

But suppose the swarm has clustered high in a tree or bush and the
bees cannot be shaken into a box or basket nor carried on the branch when
cut off, to the hive, as in the supposed case just described. Then, climbing
or the use of a ladder may have to be resorted to, or the basket attached to
the long pole (before described) brought into use. Having got the basket
or box just beneath the cluster, with a smart shake or jar drop the cluster
of bees into the basket or box. The queen is altogether likely to be in the
mass of bees so shaken. Then carry them quickly to the hive entrance and
proceed there as before described. IJf the basket attached to the end of
the long pole has to be resorted to, a thrust ‘upward with the pole, striking
the branch with the crotch of the pole or the edge of the basket, will serve
to jar the bees into the basket, which may then be quickly lowered and

66
SWARMING.—Chapter XI,

carried to the hive en-
trance.

If the bees chance to
cluster in a place where
they can not be shaken
down, as on a large
branch or at the crotch
of a tree or on a fence
post. or on any other un-
shakable place, it will
then be found necessary
to brush them off into the
box or basket with a bee-
brush or to dip them up
with a tin dipper or even
with the gloved hands.
Bees that have to be cap-
tured in this way should
be carried to the hive en-
trance just as soon after
they have been got into
the basket or box as pos-
sible. They may need a
little smoking, too.

If a swarm of bees is
to be captured at some
considerable distance Shaking the swarm into a basket.
from the apiary of the
beginner and then has to be carried there, such a swarm should be shaken
into a loose-woven bag—a cleaned phosphate sack will do—and then by
tying or holding tight the mouth of the bag the bees can be carried for a
long distance to the hive awaiting them as their new home.

 

 

 

Mechanical Contrivances Sometimes Used.

 

To prevent an unclipped queen from leaving the hive with an issuing
swarm, two contrivances are sometimes used. These are the queen and
drone trap, and the wire entrance-guard. Hither of these placed over the
hive entrance allows the passage of worker bees but not of queens or
drones. The queen and drone trap catches and retains the queen in an
upper compartment, and when the swarm returns to the new hive which
is placed on the old stand, the trap having been transferred to the new
hive, the slide may be drawn releasing the queen so that she may enter
the new hive with the returning swarms. Although the use of this con-
trivance makes it unnecessary to clip the queen’s wings, it has one great
objection—it is some inconvenience to the bees when entering and leaving
the hive. It should be left on the hive just as little as possible. Its use is
not generally recommended by experienced beekeepers, but the beginner
who does not wish to clip his queen’s wings will find this device a great
convenience. (See illustration on page 70.)

67
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

 

 

 

Here is a swarm easily captured by moving
a hive beneath it and shaking it on to a

sheet placed about the entrance.

The wire entrance-guard does
not trap the queen when a swarm
issues, but simply prevents her
from leaving the hive, thus com-
pelling the bees to return exactly
as they would do in case the
queen’s wings were clipped. The
objection is the same as that to
the queen trap.

Swarming Out.

After a swarm has been hived
it sometimes deserts the new hive.
This is called “swarming out.”
This may oceur the day the swarm
is hived, or the next day and
sometimes even on the third day
after hiving. It may occur either
with natural swarms or with arti-

ficial swarms. Swarming out apparently is often caused by a lack of room
in the new hive or by discomfort from some other cause, though occasion-
ally a newly hived swarm may leave the hive when no cause for their dis-
satisfaction is apparent. This trouble may be prevented or greatly reduced
by placing an empty hive-body, without frames, below the new brood-
chamber for two or three days, by providing ample ventilation and shade
for the new hive at the time of hiving the swarm, and by using one or more
empty combs (which have been used previously for brood-rearing) in the
new brood-chamher instead of frames of foundation exclusively. Combs

of unsealed

 

brood are not
recommended
for this pur-
pose. Entrance
guards or queen-
traps may be
placed on the
entrance of the
new hive for a
few days to pre-
vent the queen’s
escaping, if
newly hived
swarms are in-
clined to swarm
out, but the
trouble usually
ean be prevent-

 

 

 

ed by making
provision for

The beekeeper just naturally looks for the queen as the swarm

runs into the hive.
SWARMING.—Chapter XI,

the comfort of the bees, es-
pecially for the first day or
two.

 

After-Swarms.

Among the untoward
things that the beginner may
have to meet in the swarming
problem is that of after-
swarms. If the parent colony
which casts the first swarm
was very strong in numbers,
there may have been left in
it enough bees to result. in
other swarms issuing after
seven or eight days, called
after-swarms. There may be
a second or third or fourth oar
or even more such after- |
swarms. This can be prevent- ot
ed by destroying all but one

of the queen-cells after the The swarm on this post, if it is to be hived,

: . will have to be brushed off with a bee-brush,
issuing of the first swarm, or handled with a dipper or gloved hands.

for the cause of these after-

swarms is a plurality of emerging young queens. When the virgin queen
emerges after the preceding swarm has left the hive, she is prevented by
the bees from destroying queen-cells that may be present, flies from the
parent hive with another swarm, and this process may be repeated sev-
eral times as other queens emerge in the parent hive. These after-swarms
are undesirable, as they are generally too weak to be valuable. They also
weaken the parent colony to such an extent that no surplus honey is likely
to be produced. The plan outlined on pages 64 and 65, by which the par-
ent colony is moved to a new location on the seventh or eighth day, pre-
vents most after-swarms. This plan is also described and illustrated on
pages 87 and 88,

   

 

 

Swarms Uniting.

Another emergency that may confront the beginner is that of two
or more swarms issuing at the same time and clustering together. If
the beginner has clipped his queens as he should have done, the. best
plan is to divide the cluster as evenly as he can and distribute about the
same number of bees to each of the clipped queens now caged in the new
hives on the old stands.

In case the queens are laying-queens and not clipped, he may treat
the large cluster in the same way. If one of these divisions has more
than one queen, all but one will probably be killed or else the bees may
form as many clusters as there are queens, when each cluster may be
hived. If one of the divisions has no queen the bees will appear restless,
running all about the outside of the hive and in the grass looking for her.

69
SWARMING.—Chapter XI.

Such a division may be
united with one having a
queen, if this can be done
before the bees go back to
their respective old loca-
tions.

Whenever hiving bees
that may be accompanied
by a virgin queen, one of
the frames in the new hive
may well be replaced by a
frame of comb containing
young larvae. This pro-
Queen and drone trap placed at the hive entrance. vides against failure of the
virgin to mate. —

 

Smoking the Swarm.

Common sense will dictate to the beginner that he handle swarming
bees as gently as possible. They are usually gorged with honey when is-
suing in a swarm from the hive, and ordinarily they may be handled with-
out fear of stings. Yet they can and do occasionally sting when swarming.
This is the reason for having a smoker on hand and using it, if necessary,
when first closely approaching a swarm clustered on a bush or tree. Use
the smoke, too, on the clustered swarm whenever they appear to show
any signs of hostility. Swarms that have been clustered for a half day
or more are sometimes inclined to be very cross and extra precaution
should be taken in such eases. But under ordinary circumstances the
smoker will be little needed in hiving a swarm.

General Observations on Swarming.

 

Let it be remembered that, excepting in parts of the South, the more
swarming there is in an apiary the smaller will be the surplus-honey crop.
Therefore, swarming is not desirable when the owner of bees is working.
for a crop of honey. This fact leads the owners of many apiaries either
to restrict swarming greatly or to try to prevent it altogether. (See pages
73-76 and 84-88.)

Swarm Prevention and Control.

 

Swarm prevention is one of the greatest problems which the beekeeper
has to solve. For the particular methods of prevention or control of
swarming in extracted-honey production and in comb-honey production,
see the discussion of this subject in Chapters XIT and XIV.

70
EXTRACTED HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.
CHAPTER XII.

The outfit for extracted-honey production, it will be remembered
(page 11), is the same for ecomb-honey except that an extractor and an
uncapping-knife will be needed, and instead of comb-honey supers ex-
tracting-supers will be needed.

Differences Between Comb and Extracted Honey Production.

As already pointed out it is much easier to produce extracted honey
than to produce comb honey, for bees are less inclined to begin work in a
super of small section boxes than they are in a super of large combs; also
the bees are obliged to convert considerable honey into wax in order to
draw the foundation of the sections into comb, whereas in extracted-honey
production the same comb is used year after year and the bees are there-
fore able to store all their freshly gathered honey in the combs, instead of
converting part of it into wax. Furthermore, the extracted-honey pro-
ducer is able to give an abundance of empty combs in order to prevent
swarming, but the comb-honey producer is obliged to keep his colonies
more crowded for room in order that the sections shall be well filled and
most of them completed. For partially sealed sections of comb honey
bring a lower price than fully sealed sections, while this is not true of ripe
but unsealed honey in extracted-honey supers, all of which can be ex-
tracted and sold.

These differences, as we have already noted, necessitate a difference in
management, and we shall accordingly discuss the management for ex-
tracted-honey production and the management for comb-honey production
separately.

Preceding the Honey Flow.

 

Throughout the spring each colony from which the beekeeper expects
surplus should be supplied with sufficient packing to keep it warm, a good
queen, and plenty of stores—at least 10 pounds or the equivalent of two
combs of honey. In case one uses double-walled hives as we advised,
the top packing should be left on as long as it does not interfere with
handling the colonies, and the entrances should not be made large until
the weather becomes so warm and the colonies so strong that more ventila-
tion is necessary, as indicated by bees hanging out on warm days. Some-
times it may be of advantage to leave top packing and contracted entrances
until a few weeks before the main honey flow.

‘If colonies become crowded for room before the honey flow, they should
be given a hive-body ‘containing frames of drawn comb, or foundation in
case one lacks the drawn comb. This hive-body should be the same size as
the brood-chamber, so that two or three frames of brood may be raised

71
EXTRACTED HONEY -HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chap. KH,

into this story, the frames of brood in the lower story being crowded to-
gether so there will be no danger of the brood’s chilling, and the vacant
space at the side should be filled with frames of drawn combs. If the
combs in the second story are old dark brood-combs, the queen will usually
move “upstairs” promptly without combs of brood being placed above, -pro-
vided the colony is strong and needs more room; but, if new white combs
are given, it is better to put at least two combs above in order to induce
the queen to begin work promptly in the second story. Combs of founda-
tion should not be given during a dearth of nectar, but should be given
only when the bees are gathermg enough honey from early flowers to in-
duce them to draw out the foundation and build comb. Two or three combs
of brood should then be placed in the middle of: the upper storv, and the
frames of foundation placed on each side. The foundation is drawn out
nore readily in those frames adjacent to the combs of brood, and if the col-
onv is quite strong the combs of brood can be placed in the middle of both
the upper and lower stories, so that four frames of foundation are adja-
cent to combs of brood, two above and two below; but usually it is better
to have all the foundation drawn out in the upper story. As soon as the
combs adjacent to the brood are built out, they can be exchanged with
frames of foundation not yet drawn out, in order to hasten the drawing-
out of the foundation. Giving the queen so much room makes the colony
more contented and less hable to swarm.

Time of the Harvest.

The honey harvest comes with the bloom of the chief nectar-producing
plant (or plants) of the beekeeper’s locality. In northern regions this honey
flow is brief, but the nectar production is usually heavy while it lasts. In
some southern regions the honey flow lasts longer but is not so imtense,
while in other regions it is intermittent. The honey flow varies in different
localities as do the plants of those localities. So it is necessary that the
beekeeper know what the honey-producing plants are in his neighborhood;
know when these bloom; and exert everv effort to have his colonies of
bees strongest when the big honey-producing bloom comes, in order to se-
eure the largest quantity of nectar possible. The control of swarming,
about which there is always so much discussion among beekeepers and in all
beekeeping literature, is only for the purpose of bringing the bees through
the honey flow in the strongest possible condition. To build the colonies
up to great strength in time for the honey flow, and maintaining this con-
dition throughout the honey flow, is a diffieult problem in northern regions
where the honey flow comes early and may last only a very brief time; and
where the honey flow is longer and evener, it is difficult to maintain the
colonies at highest strength throughout the entire period.

So, let it be remembered that the successful management of the bees
for greatest service during the honey harvest requires a thorough under-
standing of the conditions of the beekeeper’s locality. For instance, part
of such “locality” knowledge concerns not onlv the big flow of nectar at
honey-harvest time, but also the earlier honey flows which provide stores
for the bees and furnish a stimulus to breeding. This knowledge of the
periods of blossoming is especially necessary in regions where the blossom-
ing periods are short, as in the North. By consulting an experienced bee-

72
EXTRACTED HONEY -HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chap. XU.

keeper of the neighborhood the beginner may learn about when to expect
the different honey flows and especially the main honey flow. For instance,
if he lives in the clover belt, he will probably be told that the honey flow
may be expected to begin about ten days after the first few clover blos-
soms are discovered. Knowing the time of the opening of the honey flow,
he will lay his plans accordingly.

Swarm Prevention.

Very often it helps in preventing swarming to raise the hive from
the floor by means of half-inch blocks in front in order to give an extra-
large entrance and a little more ventilation. Sometimes in the hottest

Eee weather during the swarming season it pays to

 

raise the covers from the supers a slight crack,

Ts — blocking the covers up by pieces of broken sections
i QUEEN or other equally thin pieces of wood that will not
& BROOD allow a bee-space. This should be done only in ex-

 

treme ¢ases when the bees are hanging out in
front of the hive because the hive is too hot. Some
shade is also a help, since colonies usually swarm
more in the sun than in shade. Again, colonies
with young queens do not swarm so readily as do
eauiana ae aie cae those with old ones. Keeping queens under two
flow the queen occu- years old is, therefore, a help in preventing swarm-
Diee\ both sories: ing. Keeping down the number of drones is an-
other aid in preventing swarming. This may be
done by cutting out drone.comb and replacing it with worker comb. (See
page 115.) It is also a good practice to eut out any queen-cells, that
may be found, every seven or eight days during the swarming season, pro-
vided the queen-cells have just been recently started and contain only eggs
or very small. larvae; but this will not always stop the swarming fever. It
will do no good to destroy the advancéd queen-cells. Plenty of room in the
brood-chamber for the queen to lay is of great importance in the preven-
tion of swarming. Super room should always be given in advance of the
colonies’ apparent need of it.

=
BROOD
CHAMBEP

 

 

 

Pe

Taking for granted that the beekeeper is working for a crop of sur-
plus honey, he approaches the honey harvest seeking to have his colonies
as strong as possible. In case of the strongest colonies he has placed an-
other hive-body containing a little brood above the brood-chamber, to give
more room and so avoid swarming. As the honey flow approaches he will
find brood-rearing going on actively in both stories of the brood-chamber.
After the queen has moved “upstairs” she often abandons the lower brood-
chamber and confines her work to the second story. If the early flowers
yield considerable nectar, it is sometimes necessary to put on a third story
before the main honey flow begins, to prevent the queen from being
crowded “downstairs” again, which would probably result in swarming.
About a week after the main honey flow begins, or when the second story
is fairly well filled with brood, honey and pollen, there now being many

73
EXTRACTED HONEY - HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST Chap. XII.

vacant cells below, the queen should be hunted up. If she is not already on
one of the brood-combs in the lower story, she should be placed there and
a queen-excluder put on to confine her there. If the weather is warm and
honey is being stored freely, a super of empty
combs may now be placed above the excluder, and

 

 

 

 

— = the former second story placed on top, making the

= BROOD hive three stories high. When combs of brood are

left separated from the queen by an excluder, the

bees frequently start queen-cells on them. These

= = queen-cells should be torn down eight or nine days

super | after separating the queen from the brood in the

super. As the brood in these combs now above the

- QUEEN queen-excluder emerges, the bees will store honey

= —— in the cells thus vacated, and these combs now be-

BROOD :

CHAMBER come extracting-combs. :

PJ When the honey flow is on and the weather is

 

 

 

very hot, the swarming tendency will be diminished
Queen is put below ex- by moving the inner cover back a little, leaving
ctuder ee pane ie a quarter-inch crack at the front of the hive, giv-
"ing additional ventilation. To give still more ven-
tilation, the supers may also be moved slightly back-
ward or forward to give a bee-space, and the hive itself may be raised
from the floor by inserting a small block at each front corner. When
the hive is raised on blocks in this way, a little smoke should be blown
in the opening at the side when beginning work at the hive; otherwise,
the sentinel bees stationed along the crack to protect their home will
be likely to dart out and sting. The beginner should be cautioned against
giving such excessive ventilation except as a last resort in preventing
swarming during very hot weather and when the honey fiow is on, for at
other times there is danger of robbing. In the northern part of the
United States, sufficient ventilation may usually be provided by leaving a
crack at the rear, between the brood-chamber and first super. This is
done by moving the first super forward about half an inch and piling the
other supers squarely above the first one.

One might suppose that, if all our directions have been carefully fol-
lowed, no queen-cells would be started for swarming; but, in a few cases,
queen-cells may be started in spite of all our care. For this reason colonies
should be carefully examined every seven or eight days during the swarm-
ing season. If, at any time, queen-cells are found that are not far ad-
vanced, or if the swarming season is about over, the bees may be induced
to give up swarming by simply destroying the queen-cells, supplying more
supers, and giving the queen more room to lay by placing several combs
of emerging brood in an upper story and replacing these with empty combs
below. In some eases, even when this has been done, the bees persist in
carrying out their own program as to swarming, and if left alone will
swarm usually about the time the first of the queen-cells are sealed. If a
colony is allowed to swarm in the natural way, its work is more or less
interrupted just at the time the bees should be storing honey. Also, it
is either necessary to drop one’s other work and hive them whenever they
decide to swarm; or the bees, if the queen is not with them, will return to
the hive and repeat the performance shortly, and, if the queen is with

T4
EXTRACTED HONEY -HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chap. XII.

them, will abscond and be lost if not hived promptly. In some cases, more-
over, even though their queen is clipped and can not accompany the swarm,
the swarming bees may escape by joining some runaway swarm and leave
for the woods or some other new home. When well-advanced queen-cells
are found indicating that the colony is determined to swarm, the following
treatment may be given.

Swarm Prevention with Increase.

 

Temporarily place an empty hive-body beside the brood-chamber, and,
after tearing down all capped queen-cells, put into it all the combs from the
brood-chamber with adhering bees, with the exception of one comb con-
taining some larvae and the queen. Be sure that the queen with a few
oon bees is on the one comb left in the brood-chamber.
| On either side of this comb place sufficient frames

 

 

 

 

 

a = ' of foundation (or preferably drawn combs) to fill
BROOD the brood-chamber, and put a frame of foundation

& HONEY (preferably a drawn comb) into the hive-body to
which the brood has been removed in order to make

a mee up the 10 frames there. Above the brood-chamber
SUPER put a queen-excluder, replace the supers, adding

empty ones, if necessary, to have at least three shal-

= = low or two deep supers. These supers may be part-
SUPER ly filled with honey, but the lower one should be

left with plenty of room for storing. Next, on

QUEEN top of all should be placed the hive-body of brood

> = just removed from the brood-chamber. Some pro-
BROOD vide a small opening in one of the upper stories to

Lb . || SRAMeER permit the escape of drones, but most of the bees

 

 

 

continue to use the regular hive entrance below.
ase ae hee This upper hive is so far removed from the
pers and queen con- lower that the bees in it, to all intents and purposes,
fined below with but are now a queenless colony, and thus the bees seem
ea eee to regard it, for they straightway proceed to
finish the splendid-looking queen-cells just as they ordinarily do under the
swarming impulse, and yet in the hive below no queen-cells appear. At
the end of seven or eight days nearly all the brood in this upper hive will
be sealed and some of the queens just about ready to emerge. The upper-
most hive may then be moved to a new location for increase, and left with
the entrance contracted. All but the best queen-cell should be destroyed. Of
course, a floor and a cover should be given to this new colony. The queen-
cell left in the hive should be the best one, long and plump, with well-de-
fined pits on the sides. To avoid injuring the unemerged queen, the frames
should be carefully handled without jarring and held in the same position.
in which they were hanging in the hive.

During the whole operation of making increase under the swarming
impulse (as just described) the hive is opened but twice, and it is opened
the second time only to set the uppermost story on a new stand. The work
of the colony has not been interrupted in the slightest; the brood, until
sealed, has been left in the warmest part of the hive, and the whole colony
left for a week to increase the new one. But, ahove all else, the success of the
plan is doubtless due to the fact that the method so closely follows nature’s

75
EXTRACTED HONEY - HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST—-Chap. XI.

plan of swarming. Most of the old field bees are in the new hive below, stor-
ing honey and starting housekeeping anew, while the young bees and cell-
builders are in the upper or old hive where they are busily engaged in
rearing a new queen.

Swarm Prevention Without Increase.

 

The above plan may be altered if no increase be desired. In that case,
instead of moving the old hive to a new stand at the end of seven or eight
days, the queen-cells of the upper story may be destroyed and the brood
distributed to other colonies or left in its position at the top of the hive
to increase the original colony. As the brood emerges the cells will be
filled with honey, if the bees are gathering freely.

Supering.

When the queen is confined to the first story by means of the queen-
excluder, about a week after the opening of the honey flow as already ad-
vised, one comb, or better, two, should be removed from the super, pre-
ferably one at each outside, and the remaining combs spaced an equal
distance. These combs will, later on, be bulged with honey beyond the-
edges of the frames. The super will thus hold a little more honey than if
the full number of combs had been used with close spacing; but, what is
tnore important, the fat bulged combs may be uncapped in much less time
than is required for uneapping thin combs, and fewer combs are handled
in extracting a given amount of honey.

The fact that brood has been reared in these extracting-combs makes
them stronger, easier to uncap and less likely to break in the extractor.
Such combs may be used year after year, and they will grow tougher and
better all the time.

The beginner should never wait until the first super is entirely filled
before putting on the second one; otherwise, this crowded condition may
eause swarming. When the first super—that is, the second story which had
been used for a time for brood-rearing—is a little over half full of honey,
it should be set to one side temporarily, a second super put in its place, and
then the first partly filled super placed on top. This can be done when the
queen is put below the excluder. The second super should contain in the
center the two combs taken out of the first super to permit the wider
spacing, the rest of the room being taken up by wired frames containing
full sheets of foundation, provided no other extra combs are available.
Until the foundation is drawn out into combs the frames should be closely
spaced in order that the foundation may be drawn out evenly. Here it
should be said that combs are greatly to be preferred to foundation in
extracted-honey production; and the more combs the extracted-honey pro-
ducer has, the better.

It does no harm to leave the extracting-supers full of honey on the
hive till after the honey flow before extracting, stacking them up three,
four or even six high if necessary. The nearly full supers should always
be put on top, the additional ones underneath next to the brood-chamber,

76
EXTRACTED HONEY - HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.-Chap. X11.

except near the close of the honey flow, when the last super to be needed
should be placed on top, as the bees will then fill the lower supers full be-
fore beginning work in the added super at the top, which result is very

desirable. The longer the honey is left on the hive, the thicker and riper
it becomes if the weather is hot and dry.

koma
EXTRACTING.
CHAPTER XIII.

In general, we may say that honey should never be extracted until it is
thick and well ripened. As soon as the bees consider it properly ripened
they begin capping it over. Those combs, therefore, that are at least three-
fourths capped over would probably be sealed in a few hours if left on
the hive, and may, therefore, be safely extracted. But if honey is extracted
before the bees have ripened it, it will be thin and of unpleasant flavor, and.
after being kept for a time, will doubtless ferment.

There is nothing gained by extracting before the honey flow is over ex-
cept in localities where another source of nectar begins to yield before a
preceding one is over, and where it is desirable to remove the earlier and
choicer crop before it can be mixed in the combs with a less desirable crop.
Sometimes, also, the beginner may be caught with too few supers and ex-
tracting-combs to permit tiering up throughout the honey flow. Then it be-
comes necessary to extract in order to provide empty supers. If one is will-
ing, however, to go to the extra expense of keeping himself supplied with
sufficient supers and frames so that no extracting need be done until after
the honey flow, he will find that this requires less labor and gives much
thicker and finer-flavored honey except in arid regions of the West where
the honey is ripened quickly. The employment of this plan may result in
a somewhat smaller crop the first year because of the necessity of the bees
drawing out so much foundation; but it should be remembered that these
same combs may be used year after year, probably for the remainder of
one’s lifetime. Therefore, it would be poor economy to attempt a small
saving the first year that would result in a loss during each succeeding year ;
and unless one lives in a locality where one source begins before another
ceases, and there is consequent danger of undesirable mixing of the two
flows, we really see no excuse for extracting before the end of the honey
flow.

Taking Off the Honey.

When it is time to begin extracting, the
bees may be trapped out of the super by
means of the bee-escape. The bee-escape
board is a board exactly like an inner cover
(and may serve as an inner cover when not
being used for removing honey), having in
the center a device called a bee-escape.
Through this the bees can pass down from
the supers into the brood-chamber below, but
cannot return. If placed under the super
in the forenoon, the bee-escape almost com-

a pletely frees the upper supers from bees by
Inserting the bee-escape. the next day. The beginner must observe

 

78
EXTRACTING.Chapter XIII.

the greatest care not to leave any opening
into the supers above the escape-board large
enough to admit a single bee. For, if he com-
mits this carelessness, robber bees will find
the opening, carry away all the honey and
make trouble generally. But by the proper
use of the bee-escape, the honey may be re-
moved without the bees knowing anything
about it—no hard work, no stings, no dan-
ger of robbing; in fact, if the supers of
honey are not removed from the hives until
after the honey flow has ceased, a beginner
should not ordinarily attempt to get the bees
off the combs by any other plan: for, after
a few days of idleness following a good hon-
ey flow, the bees are prowling around, ap-
parently just looking for trouble; and a
Shaking bees off a comb. little exposed honey is like easy money, and
the bees are quick to start robbing. During
a dearth following a honey flow, therefore, a beginner cannot be too care-
ful, for it is easier to prevent robbing than to stop it when once it gets
started.

Cold honey is much harder to uncap and extract than warm honey.
For this reason some who extract honey directly from the apiary use a
screened or ventilated pattern of escape-board instead of the ordinary one.
This ventilated escape permits the warmth from the brood-chamber to rise
and keep the supers warm even after the bees have left through the escape.
Those who prefer to use the common escape-board often pile their supers
of honey in a warm room in order that the honey may be extracted more
easily.

When the bees fail to leave the supers by way of the escape-board, as
may happen when the escape becomes clogged by dead bees, when the
queen may accidentally be shut above the excluder, or when the combs in
the super contain some brood, it may be necessary to shake or brush the
bees from the combs. In case there is a light honey flow and no danger
of robbing at the time, this may be easily done. A little smoke should be
blown in at the entrance of the hive, the cov-
er taken off the super and several vigorous
blasts of smoke blown down between the
combs, thus driving the bees out of the way.
The combs should be withdrawn from the
super and given a sharp shake or two down-
ward while held over the alighting-board of
the hive. Not all of the bees can be dis-
lodged by shaking, and, therefore, the few
remaining should be brushed off, the comb
being held as shown in the illustration, and
the brush quickly and lightly swept over the .
sides alternately. With the comb held in
this position, it is not necessary to reverse it LL ei< / am —/' __||
when brushing the other side. If the bee- Brushing bees off a comb.

79

 

 

 

 
EXTRACTING.—Chapter XIII.

keeper has a helper it saves considerable time to let the helper do the
brushing with a brush in each hand.

As soon as the supers of honey are freed from bees, they should be
removed to the room where the extracting is done. It is hard to find any-
thing more convenient than a wheelbarrow for carrying heavy combs, ex-
cept where the ground is rough and uneven. Even though bees may be
bringing in honey, it is well to keep the supers containing honey covered to
prevent robbing; and, of course, if there is a honey-dearth, the honey
should not be left uncovered a second longer than is absolutely necessary.

Necessary Extracting Equipment.

 

Before going to the expense of securing an extracting outfit, the be-
ginner will do well to learn if he can locate a near-by beekeeper already
having an extractor, who will be willing to do his
extracting for from one to two cents per pound.
By so doing he may save considerable initial ex-
pense.

For the beekeeper with but few colonies, a
simple practical outfit may be provided at very
small cost, and this outfit will be sufficient until
his apiary has increased to 25 or 30 colonies. He
will want a small extractor, which should be se-
curely attached to a solid box firmly bolted to the
floor, the box being of the right height for drawing
off the honey. The best location for the extractor
Z is near the wall where there is less vibration when

re in operation, for continued vibration is apt to pull
The simplest and least ex- the can or box loose, especially if care is not taken
es ee oo to place combs of equal weight in the two sides of
versible. the extractor.
Near this extractor should be the uncapping-
can. This may be made of a barrel with one end bored full of holes, and a
coarse screen nailed over these holes. Across the top, —~ —
about one-third of the distance from one side, a two-
inch strip should be nailed, at the middle ot which
a sharp-pointed nail projects upwards about an inch
to hold the frame while uncapping. The barrel itself
may be supported in a tub to catch the honey which
drains from the cappings. The screen at the bottom
catches and retains the wax of the cut-off cappings. |

If one cares to take the extra trouble, a cheap yet
handier receptacle could be made similar to that in
the figure. This box may be made of any desired
length and about 19 inches wide, so that the uncapped
combs can be suspended cornerwise in one end of the
box until they are extracted. Near one end is a cross- An inexpensive cap-
piece, with the upward-projecting nail-point for hold- ong . ies
ing the frame while uncapping. The bottom of the Sees aoe ee
box is covered with heavy, coarse screen, which is tom and a tub to

held above a shallow galvanized-iron tray by half-inch °**? ea

   
 

PES

SN

SNS

 

 

 

 

 

 

80
EXTRACTING.—Chapter XIII.

cleats nailed on lengthwise of the
box. The box and tray are placed
at the right height for easy uncap-
ping, the outlet end of the tray be-
ing somewhat lower than the oppo-
site end,.and just above the recep-
tacle into which the honey from
the cappings is to drain.

Not far from the extractor
should also be a straining-can in
which is suspended a large cheese-
cloth bag attached to a hoop sup-
A plain box with a screen on the bottom, ported’by the top of the can. Too
the box resting on a metal tray, makes a much honey should not be drawn

good capping receptacle. from this can. There should always

be enough left to cover the bottom:

of the strainer at least; for, if the honey gets low, the cappings that would

otherwise float on the surface of the liquid will collect on the strainer and
soon clog it.

 

 

 

 

 

Actual Process of Extracting.

 

The supers of combs to be extracted should be placed within easy reach
of the uncapping receptacle that is to catch the cappings as they are cut
off from the combs. Then one at a time the combs are removed and held
with the top-bar away from the operator, and the end-bar resting on the
nail-point of the cross-bar. Holding the upper end of the frame with the
left hand, and tilting the upper end slightly to the right so that the cap-
pings may fall freely, begin at the lower end of the comb with an ordi-
nary uncapping-knife heated by dipping in hot water (if no steam-heated
knife is to be had), cut
the cappings from the en-
tire right side of the comb,
performing the operation
with a kind of sawing
motion. If the comb con-
tains any depressions, the
heel of the knife should
be used to remove the
cappings in such depres-
sions. Then reverse the
comb, still keeping the
top-bar away from the
operator, using the cross-
piece to scrape off any
cappings that may ad-
here to the knife.

The uncapped combs
may next be placed one
in each basket of the ex-
tractor, with the top-bar Uncapping combs with a steam-heated uncapping-knife.

 

 

81
EXTRACTING. Chapter XIII,

next to the hinge in the basket if a reversing extractor is used, in order
to save strain on the frames. It is quite worth while to use two combs of
about the same weight; for, if not well balanced, the extractor will run
unsteadily, and may become-loosened from its support. In case of old
dark combs whose cell walls are strengthened by many layers of cocoons,
there will be but little danger of the combs breaking. When new combs
are extracted—those in which brood has never been raised—greater care
will be necessary to prevent the combs from breaking badly. Such
combs should be extracted until about half of the honey is out of the
cells of one side; next, the combs should be reversed and the other side
entirely extracted, and then the rest of the honey extracted from the first
side. The rapidity with which the extractor may be run will depend upon
how fast the combs may be whirled without breaking. As just said, old
combs are much stronger than newly drawn combs.

When the extracted honey fills the extractor almost to the reel a part
of it may be drawn off at the faucet and allowed to run into a pail, which
may then be emptied into the straining-tank, from which it may be run
into cans or other receptacles in which it is to be stored.

Care of Sticky Combs.

As fast as the combs are extracted they may be again placed in the
supers and stacked up in ‘the honey-house. Along toward night these
combs still wet with honey may be placed in supers and the supers placed
on the hives for the bees to clean out the little honey still adhering. The
bees will clean this out more readily if an empty super, or an escape-board
with eseape removed, intervenes between them and the brood-chamber.
Some stack up the combs anywhere outdoors over a floor, giving a
small entrance at both the bottom and top, and allowing the bees to clean
the honey out by slow robbing—that is, by going in and out through a
small entrance at the bottom of the stack. There are objections to this
plan, however; for, if one is not careful, the robbing will be fast instead
of slow. Furthermore, if there is danger of disease, such as American
foul brood, it might by this procedure be scattered all through the apiary.

How and Where to Store Honey.

 

The best place for keeping honey is in a dry room where the tempera-
ture remains from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But honey may be kept
satisfactorily in almost any dry place, although low temperature and sud-
den changes cause most honey to granulate more quickly. Almost all honey
will granulate in course of time; some kinds very soon, other kinds not for
months, or even years. This is true of either comb or extracted honey.
Heating of extracted honey greatly retards granulation, and for this reason
most bottled honey is heated when being bottled.

Honey should be stored in tin cans or crocks that can be easily heated,
and never left in large tanks where it may candy and be difficult to get out.

Preparing Honey for Market.

 

If the beginner has been fortunate enough to secure a surplus of honey
beyond his own needs, he may want to consider the matter of marketing.

82
EXTRACTING—Chapter XIII.

If stored in 60-pound cans, when one wishes to bottle, such a can
may be placed in a larger vessel of hot water over the fire. In the bottom of
the larger vessel should be placed blocks (pieces of brick will do), so that.
the can of honey will be completely surrounded by a jacket of hot water.
After the temperature has for a time been held between 130 and 150 de-
grees Fahrenheit, the honey will all be in liquid form, clear of all granules,
and is then ready for bottling. The temperature of honey should never be
allowed to go above 160 degrees Fahrenheit, lest its flavor be injured. The
jars should be filled and sealed while the honey is still hot. When pre-
paring honey for market one cannot be too painstaking in making the
appearance of the honey attractive in every way. He may put it up in
pint or quart jars (containers), and should have these neatly labeled—and
all scrupulously clean. A supply of fine-quality containers and labels can
be secured of any. beekeepers’ supply house, or, possibly, in one’s home
town. “Mason jars” are often used for a trade that does not extend beyond
neighbors and acquaintances.

Finally, the beginner generally accepts too low a price for his honey.
Let him study the honey market (quoted in many large city dailies and in
all bee journals) before he sets a price on his delicious food product.

88
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.

CHAPTER XIV.

The successful production of comb honey, as we have clearly shown
(page 9) requires greater skill and more experience than does extracted-
honey production; and yet, there is no denying that fancy comb honey is
indeed beautiful in appearance, and those who prefer it to the extracted
will perhaps be willing to go to extra trouble in order to produce it.

Before the Honey Flow.

The necessity for maximum strength of the colony at the opening of
the honey flow is even greater in comb honey than in extracted-honey pro-
duction; for a weak colony, that might harvest some surplus honey in
extracting-supers having drawn combs, is not at all likely to harvest any
surplus in the small comb-honey sections wherein combs have first to be
built by the bees. In order that the colonies may build up to maximum
strength in time for the harvest it is especially important that the colonies
be kept warm during the spring and that they have good queens and plenty
of stores at all times clear up to the honey flow. Also, as soon as the colo-
nies are strong enough to occupy two stories, a second story of combs
should be given as suggested in the production of extracted honey. If the
weather is still cool the extra hive-body may be placed below instead of
above the old brood-chamber. This will leave the most of the brood in the
warmest part of the hive where there will certainly be no danger of its
chilling. If the queen is thus given access to two stories as soon as the
colony can occupy them, she will have plenty of room to lay and the colony
will build up rapidly, with little danger of swarming before the honey

 

 

 

Comb honey in the section boxes. Those in the lower row were filled during a good
honey flow, hence are better filed than those in upper row.

84
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chapter XIV.

flow begins. Also, the bees will get into the habit of storing above, and
so at the opening of the honey flow will more readily begin work in sec-
tions when the comb-honey supers are put on.

Beginning of the Honey Flow.

When comb honey is being produced it will not do to put the super of
sections on top of the second story, if a second story was given previous
to the honey flow to supply more room for the queen. Neither will it do to
put it between the two brood-chambers, for the bees in building comb in
the sections would darken it with bits.of wax from the brood-combs above:
so it is necessary to reduce the colony to one story during the honey flow
for comb honey. In doing this most of the brood should be put into the
brood-chamber that is left, choosing as far as possible the oldest brood,
which can be distinguished by its emerging bees or by picking off a few
cappings to note the age of the pupae. This older brood will soon emerge.
giving the queen more room for eggs. The hive is then ready to receive the
comb-honey super. Colonies that are quite strong may need two supers
at this time.

If there are three or four colonies to work with, the extra combs
just removed, containing some honey and brood, after the bees have been
shaken off, can be put back into the hive-bodies, which are then tiered un
on top of one hive, choosing for this the weakest colony. If the season is
favorable this colony should fill these combs with honey after the brood bas
emerged, thus furnishing a large reserve of stores to be distributed to the
other colonies after the comb-honey supers are taken off at the close of
the season, thus again making them two stories high.

Those who have but one colony will have to work out some other plan
for disposing of. the extra combs of brood and honey, if the colony is
occupying two stories at the beginning of the honey flow. One way to do
this is to form a small colony from the extra combs of brood. This should
not be attempted unless there are more combs of brood than will go into
one brood-chamber. If the colony is quite strong there may be from two
to five extra combs of brood. In such eases, these extra combs of brood,
together with the adhering bees, should be put into another hive together
with the combs which contain no brood, being sure that the queen is left
in the main colony on the old stand. When making increase in this way.
combs of emerging brood should be taken instead of combs of unsealed
brood, in order to enable the little colony to build up without losing any un-
developed brood by chilling. The entrance should be closed with grass to
confine the bees in this little colony the first day, so that too many of them
will not go back to their old home. :

While this little colony can raise a queen, if some of the brood-combs
contain recently hatched larvae or eggs from which to raise her, queens
reared in small colonies usually are not so good as those reared in larger
colonies; so it may be better to purchase a queen for this little colony.

Use of Bait Sections.

As already explained, it is more difficult in comb-honey production to
get the bees to work in the supers than is the case when producing extracted
honey. In order to get the bees started to work in the sections, the best

85
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chapter XIV.

plan for the beginner, provided he is able to obtain a few sections of
drawn comb from a neighboring beekeeper, is to place such sections of
drawn combs (bait sections) in the center or at the sides of the supers. If
he cannot get sections of drawn comb to use for bait, he may, perhaps, be
able to get shallow frames of comb to use in this way. Most comb-honey
producers do not use a queen-excluder, since the queen does not often lay
eggs in the sections; but, if any of these bait sections contain drone comb
instead of worker comb, the queen often lays in these drone-cells. ‘This
can be avoided by using full sheets of foundation in the sections (as always
should be done, anyway) or placing a queen-excluder between the brood-
chamber and the supers.

Supering.

Just when to give the second comb-honey super depends upon the
strength of the colony and the rapidity of the honey flow. If the bees
enter the first super promptly and begin working in most of the sections at
about the same time, the second super should be given within a week if the
bees continue working well, even though the first super is less than half full.
If things look favorable
for a continuation of the
honey flow this second su-
per should be placed below
the first super adjacent to =
the brood-chamber. If the [=7—=
honey flow is slow or the :
colony is not strong, so that

the bees begin work in only pow supers should be given to a comb-honey hive.
a part of the sections in The latest super to be given is placed just above

the middle of the super ine Paved chee ete

and work outward, it is better to put the new super on top until the bees
begin to work in it there, when it can be placed below and another empty
one placed on top, if needed. No comb-honey super should be raised up
and an empty one placed under it until the bees have drawn out the founda-
tion and started to build out the cells in every section. Placing the empty
super under the partly filled one causes the bees to expand their super
work more rapidly than when it is placed above. This is highly desirable
when the honey flow is heavy and the colonies are strong; but if the work
in the supers is expanded too fast, the sections will not be so well filled and
al the close of the season there will be too many unfinished sections.

In order to encourage the bees to finish the first super promptly, some
beekeepers prefer keeping it in position as second super until it is finally
finished. When more than two supers are given, those which are partly
filled are each in turn transferred to a new position above the one nearest
completion, as shown in the accompanying illustrations, thus keeping the
first super near enough to the brood-chamber to cause the bees to finish it
promptly if the colony is strong and the honey flow is good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rh

Swarming When Producing Comb Honey.

_ If the colonies be given a second hive-body as soon as strong enough
to occupy two stories, and then are given two comb-honey supers at the

86
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chapter XIV.

opening of the honey flow
when the extra hive-body is
removed and the queen and
= brood placed in the lower
story as previously mention-
ed, it is possible that the
colonies may show no desire
to swarm. But it may be
that a colony will show a set-
tled determination to swarm
in spite of the best of care

on the part of the begin-
When a swarm issues it is hived in a new hive

placed on the old stand, the old hive being placed ner; for in comb-honey pro-
at one side with its entrance turned away. The duction the shallow supers

supers are placed on the new hive on the old stand. : : : :

with their sections, which are
the little boxes for the storing of the honey, are not so attractive to the bees
as larger combs such as are placed in the supers for extracted-honey pro-
duction. Therefore, unless the supers are “baited” by placing in them
some sections containing drawn comb, saved over from the previous year,
the tendency is to crowd the honey into the combs of the brood-chamber,
thus diminishing the space for the queen to lay and bringing on the crowded
condition so conducive to swarming.

An expert beekeeper can do much toward overcoming this state of
affairs, especially by skill in supering (see page 86), and keeping the bees
comfortable. It is well for the beginner to keep in mind that if the bees
are always comfortable and have plenty of room there is much less tendency
to swarm than when conditions are less favorable. The hives should be
shaded by means of shade-boards which project beyond the edges of the
hives if single-walled hives are used, and the entrance should be opened to
full size, giving an entrance % inch deep by the full width.

While there is plenty of nectar to be had the bees should not be per-
mitted to cluster on the outside of the hive. This indicates that the colony
needs more room or more ventilation. Of course, after the honey flow
has passed it is entirely normal for the bees to cluster on the outside of the
hive during hot weather, but

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

during the honey flow they : —
should all be at work. =

Some of the methods of
swarm prevention when pro- =
ducing comb honey are hard- ;
ly practical for the begin- =
ner. Therefore, if provid- i
ing ample room, ventilation, = =
shade and perhaps destroy- =
ing queen-cells’ when first pote
started do not prove effect-

 

ive, it may be found a help
to remove a few frames of
brood, either giving them to
weak colonies or making of After the swarm has entered the new hive the

them nuclei that later may entrance of the pag ne fomied toward that of

 

87
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chapter XIV.

be built up into full colo-
nies. But in those few cases

 

 

in which a colony still per- =
sists in building queen-cells it
would perhaps be just as =

 

well to let them swarm and
then hive them as described
on pages 63-70.

When swarming occurs in
the midst of the honey flow,
the swarm should not be giv-
en a new location, for this
divides the working force of
the colony so that neither
the swarm nor the parent

colony is able to do much A day or two later the old hive is moved close to
work in the supers. But the new one, ready to be moved to a new loca-

when. the swans hived an tion for sees Oe ee es eighth day after
a new hive, placed on the

old stand as described on page 63, and the supers are transferred from
the old hive to the new one, the newly hived swarm will have all of the
field bees, so that work in the supers should continue without interruption.
The parent colony being moved to one side loses its field bees because they
enter the new hive on the old stand as they return from the fields. A week
after the prime swarm issued, the parent colony is again moved to a new
location, this time some distance away to prevent after-swarming, which
again strengthens the new colony.

 

 

 

 

To Anticipate Swarming.

The beginner who must be away during the middle of the day, when
the bees are most likely to swarm, should examine his colonies once a week
to look for queen-cells. When queen-cells are found just recently started,
containing only eggs or very small larvae, they should be destroyed and the
colony. left for another week. It is usually necessary to shake the bees
from the combs when destroying such cells, in order to be sure none are
missed. If cells containing larger larvae are found, it usually does no
good to destroy them, for the colony would no doubt then go ahead with
their preparations for swarming after having gone so far as to have
queen-cells well advanced. Jn such cases, swarming can be anticipated by
the following method:

Find the queen and put the comb on which she is found to one side,
then shake the bees from most of the other combs into or in front of their
hive. As the combs of brood are removed put frames containing either
narrow strips of foundation, full sheets of foundation, or combs into the
hive and replace the supers. If narrow strips of foundation are used it is
necessary to place a queen-excluder between the brood-chamber and supers
until the brood-nest is well established. When most of the shaken bees
are in the hive, place the queen among them. Put all the combs of
brood and the few bees remaining thereon into another hive placed close

88
COMB HONEY—HONEY FLOW AND HARVEST.—Chapter XIV.

beside the shaken colony. Enough bees should be left on the combs to
care for the brood; usually two combs are not shaken at all, but placed
in the other hive with all the adhering bees. This makes an artificial swarm,
and the parent colony is handled exactly as in natural swarming as de-
scribed on pages 63, 64, and illustrated on pages 87 and 88.

Taking Off the Honey.

In comb-honey production the beekeeper should not wait until the end
‘of the honey flow before removing the completed sections, for, if the sec-
tions are left on very long after being completed, the surface of the cap-
pings becomes soiled by reason of the bees passing over it so much. Al-
though this does not affect the quality of the honey, it injures its appear-
ance and so lessens its market value. In extracted-honey production, this
condition makes no difference, since the cappings are removed and only
the liquid honey sold. When a super is ready to be taken off, it should be
placed above the other supers with a bee-escape board just under it. If an
escape-board is put on when the bees are flying freely, they will probably
leave the super in a few hours—at least by the next day. Usually it is not
best to wait until every section is finished before taking off supers of comb
honey. If a few are not yet finished, the super should be taken off and
the unfinished sections sorted out, these being assembled in another super
to be put back on the hive to be finished.

Where to Store Comb Honey.

 

Comb honey should be stored in a dry place; for, if water condenses
on the comb and dilutes the honey, it is certain to sour. When extracted
honey granulates no great harm is done, since it can easily be liquefied
and is then practically as good as ever; but when comb honey granulates,
it must be sold at a low price, and, therefore, it is important that comb
honey be kept at an even temperature since sudden changes cause granu-
lation. A warm dry room of even temperature between 70 and 90 degrees
Fahrenheit is the best place for keeping comb honey.

Preparing for Market.

The exposed parts of the sections will have bits of wax and propolis
adhering. These should be carefully scraped off with a sharp knife, taking
extreme care that the comb be not accidentally gouged with the knife.

Those sections that are entirely sealed, nice and white and perfect in
their appearance, should be sorted out and placed with the best grade. The
unfinished sections may be-used at home or disposed of at a lower price
to near neighbors. If there are some sections with very little honev, and
the beekeeper knows there is no foul brood among the bees of the neigh-
borhood, he may stack them in supers a few rods from the apiary, leaving
at the top and bottom of the pile a small entrance only large enough for
one or two bees to pass at a time. In a short time the bees will rob out
this honey, and the dry combs may then be stored to use as baits the next
season.

89
INCREASE.

CHAPTER XV.

When swarming is kept down as much as possible, as advised in pre-
ceding chapters, usually there will not be much natural increase of colonies,
especially when producing extracted honey. For this reason it is often de-
sirable to make increase artificially instead of by the uncertain method
of natural swarming. Beginners should be warned against making too
much increase, for, except in the hands of an expert, if the number of colo-
nies is more than doubled in one season, there is danger of losing many of
the colonies later.

Our advice to beginners is, not to attempt an increase of their number
of colonies before the main honey flow, as it usually results in a decided
cutting down of the surplus-honey crop, unless in a locality where the
main honey flow comes late in the season as in some parts of the buckwheat
region and some portions of the South. This is because a colony of bees
cannot give up a large part of its number to increase and remain strong
enough to do the maximum of honey-gathering. Still, for those who wish
to make increase regardless of the honey crop, we will mention briefly a
safe and easy method that may be used before the cells are started and
can be applied before, during or after the honey flow.

How to Divide Colonies.

As soon as settled warm weather comes, such that there can be no
danger of chilling the brood, a strong colony, having not less than six or
seven frames of brood, may be divided into two, giving five frames to each.
When making this division two-thirds of the bees and all of the sealed
and emerging brood may be placed in the hive on the new stand, the en-
trance best being closed with grass, and a ripe queen-cell or good laying
queen introduced. The vacant space of each hive should be filled with
foundation, or, better still, with drawn combs. On account of danger of
chilling the brood, it is advisable not to give the five extra frames at one
time, but only as fast as the bees can cover them. Any time there is thus
left a space not filled with frames in the hive, this space should be separated
from the frames covered by the bees by a division-board to conserve the
heat. Both of the colonies may then be built up by slow stimulative
feeding.

The reason that no sealed brood and so few bees are left at the old
stand is because, when the bees from the new stand take their first flight,
many will not. realize that their hive has been moved, and will, therefore,
return to the old location, so that the two colonies will soon be about evenly
divided. Had much unsealed brood been moved to the new stand, there
would have been danger that so many old bees would leave that the brood
‘ would become chilled; but, having only sealed brood, this danger is avoided,
for young bees are constantly emerging to take the place of the old ones,

90
INCREASE.—Chapter XV.

and these young bees will remain with the brood, it being the only home
they have ever known.

The two colonies may, under favorable conditions and by careful
management, be built up into good strong ones ready for the main honey
crop, if in a location where it can be put into operation six or eight weeks
before the opening of the honey flow. This can be done in some parts of
the South and in the buckwheat region of New York and Pennsylvania,
but not in those localities in northeastern United States where most of the
honey crop is gathered fram white and alsike clover.

Increase When Producing Extracted Honey.

 

“One of the easiest and best ways of making increase when producing
extracted honey is to use the plan given on page 75, that is, to leave in the
brood-chamber the queen with only frames of drawn comb and one frame
with young larvae; above this the queen-excluder, the supers and then at
the top, a hive-body containing the frames of brood removed from the
brood-chamber, tearing down all the capped queen-cells, and then at the
end of eight days tearing down all but the one best queen-cell in this upper
story and moving this upper story to a new location, placing it on a
floor and covering with an inner and an outer cover. Now, if one cares
more for the production of honey than for increase, he perhaps better not
apply this plan until he finds capped queen-cells and the bees bent on
swarming; but, if he wants increase, he may apply the plan as soon as
queen-cells are started.

Increase When Producing Comb Honey.

 

When producing comb honey the greater tendency of the bees to
swarm, usually results in about as much increase as it is safe for the be-
ginner to make. When swarms, either natural or artificial, are handled as
described on pages 87 and 88 there will be an increase of one colony for
each colony that swarms naturally, or is swarmed artificially as described
on page 88. When swarming occurs in the midst of a short honey flow,
increase made inthis way does not interfere with the production of honey,
for the increase is made by moving away the hive containing the emerging
brood, most of which would develop too late for the young bees to take
part.in gathering the honey crop.

91
ROBBING.

CHAPTER XVI.

Robbing is the act of thé bees in stealing honey or other sweets not
gathered by themselves, and is much easier to prevent than to stop after
it gets started.

The beginner will do well to understand that robbing may be a
serious matter in beekeeping, and while it may occur at any time during the
beekeeping season, yet it is just before or just after the time of honey
harvest that the beginner is most apt to bring it on by some oversight or
carelessness of his own. The bees themselves will often start robbing by at-
tacking a weak colony to secure its too feebly guarded stores—especially
early in the season. A strong colony keeps an efficient guard of defend-
ers at the entrance at all times, which guard is particularly alert at times

when no honey is coming in.
4 Bees are creatures of hab-
' it; and when once they get
a taste of honey or other
sweets for which they have
not worked they become
greatly excited and disre-
gard the rules of their or-
dinary conduct. The longer
the robbing is kept up the
wilder the robber bees be-
come, until, in some cases,
seeming madness results. It
is true that robbing often
starts from slight causes, but
it does not take long for an
uproar to develop. Bees
tumbling into the home hive.
2 A loaded, not with nectar, but
Robbers do not attack a strong colony that keeps with fully-ripened honey OE
such an efficient guard as this at the hive entrance. other sweet, excite the other
bees of the hive, which then
rush out to get some of the stolen sweets. In a short time, some weak
colony is likely to be attacked, the bees fighting furiously until they reach
such a condition that they will sting everything and everybody in sight,
and perhaps keep at it for days. It is this sort of fracas that will cure
any beginner of being so careless as to allow robbing to get started.

 

 

   

When Bees Are Most Likely to Rob.

 

When bees are very busily engaged in gathering nectar from the
flowers, any quantity of honey might be left scattered all about the apiary,

92
ROBBING Chapter XVI,

and they would pay little or no attention to it. But it is this fact alone that
so often gets the beginner into trouble, for he becomes careless during the
honey flow, and then some day, when the honey is not coming in, a repeti-
tion of the former carelessness brings on double trouble. During a honey
flow, when necessary to remove supers of honey, bees may even be shaken
or brushed from the combs without attracting robbers in the least; but
during a dearth of honey such work must be done very rapidly, the apiarist
moving so quickly from hive to hive that the robbers can get no chance to
pounce on any exposed honey. Robber bees will even attempt to steal
honey from a comb being momentarily examined by the beekeeper, or even
dodge into an open hive from the top.

During a honey dearth it is much pleasanter, for the beginner at least,
to free the combs from bees by means of the bee-eseape. But here again
caution is necessary; for, if the cover does not fit bee-tight, robbing will
be started in the shortest possible time, as the robber bees from other hives
very quickly find the unguarded opening and have the honey all to them-
selves, since-the bees of the hive being robbed are shut out from the super
by the bee-escape board and so are unable to defend their stores. One
should always be careful, therefore, in adjusting the bee-escape below the.
supers, to see that the cover above is not warped; it would be well not to
remove the inner cover when slipping the escape-board under the supers,
since the bees will have this cover tightly propolized to the top of the upper
super.

It is the height of foolishness to suppose that bees will not find any
opening, however small, if there is one. They will not notice it when they
are getting plenty of honey in the fields, but will quickly find such an
opening at other times.

Robbing When Extracting.

When extracting during a honey-dearth it is important to see that ali
windows are screened. The door of the room where the extracting is done
should not be a screened door; otherwise, there will always be a cloud of
bees flying about it, and some of them will get in every time it is opened.
The window must be screened (better double-screened), but the door should
be solid. It always makes trouble to spill honey on the floor, especially if
the building stands on piers or stakes so that the bees can get underneath.
The honey leaks through the floor, of course, and the bees find it shortly.
This is why a room having a tight foundation is better to use when ex-
tracting.

Another possible cause of robbing after the extracting has been done
is the nearly dry cappings. When these have drained so long that no more
honey will run out they may be put in a solar wax-extractor (a shallow
box having a glass lid, and lined with black sheet iron). The heat of the
sun melts the cappings, and the liquid wax collects at the lower end in a
suitable receptacle. Unless this box is tight the bees can get started on the
honey that separates from the wax. Of course, it is necessary to protect
all unmelted cappings from the bees. It is hardly safe to assume that no
more honey will drain out, for slow dripping keeps up a long time.

The only use which the beekeeper can make of the robbing tendency
of bees is in cleaning up his sticky combs after extracting. (See page 82.)

$3
ROBBING.—Chapter XVI.

Even this should not be resorted to unless the beekeeper is certain there is
no foul brood in any neighboring apiary.

Robbing Weak Colonies.

Weak colonies often invite robbing, especially if they are well pro-
vided with honey and if their entrances are large. This is particularly
true of the spring season and of the colonies left weak by winter losses.
Prevention in that case is also better. than the cure. Weak colonies
should have entrances no larger than are absolutely necessary, perhaps 1
or 2 inches long by 3 inch in depth. Sometimes, however, if bees get to
robbing a weak colony, that colony is placed temporarily in a dark cellar,
and a hive having a small entrance and containing one comb with a little
honey in it is put in its place in the apiary. When the bees have robbed out
all of the honey in this one comb, thus making a thorough job of it, they
will quietly disperse. On the other hand, if nothing were furnished for
them to work on, they might, when thwarted in their desire to get the
honey, go to other hives standing near, and the trouble be extended. If
robbing has but just started, it can usually be controlled by contracting the
entrance, and throwing a bunch of damp hay or grass over the front of the
hive that is being robbed. Robber bees do not like to dodge through such
an obstruction, for they can not make their “quick get-away.” If the en-
trance is contracted in this way on a hot day, extra shade should be pro-
vided for the hive. If only one colony is doing the robbing, it sometimes
pays to change places—putting the robbed colony in place of the one
being robbed. The mental confusion that this remedy apparently creates
in the robber bees is indeed amusing as well as effective in correcting their
temporary lapse from moral conduct.

Where there is a general uproar in the apiary caused by robbing, con-
tract the entrances to all weak colonies; see that there is no possible open-
ing to exposed honey anywhere, then clear out, and let the bees alone.

Robbing Distinguished from Playflights.

 

Beginners often mistake young bees at play for robbers. Sometimes
a large number will be seen flying busily around the front of the hive,
usually early in the afternoon, so that there is a scene of great activity
there, while other colonies are quiet. Closer investigation, however, shows
the young bees merely at play. Under such circumstances there is an entire
absence of any fighting. There is no sneaking nor darting around of the
old, sleek, greasy-looking robber bees, nor is there heard the high, alarming
keynote of excited bees peculiar to a robbing foray. There is only a
happy circling about the front of the hive as the young bees first joyfully
try their wings and mark the location of the hive.

94
AFTER HARVEST WORK.
CHAPTER XVII.

There is no certain limit to the period of the honey-harvest season
anywhere, and in many places one honey flow succeeds another throughout
avery long season. Much depends on locality, weather and seasonal
changes, and some kinds of honey flows are always uncertain. Yet every-
where in the United States, before the regular cold or cool season of the
year, there comes an end to the bees’ activities and there follows a winter’s
rest—shorter or longer. This is when honey from all sources has ceased
to yield, and the surplus has been removed from the hive.

It will be a wise beginner, who, from his own observations of the
plants of his locality, early learns what honey flows may be regularly ex-
pected, and what irregular and late honey flows may oceur, and learns, too,
the certain signs that tell when these honey flows are probable and about
to begin. Lacking personal experience and observations of these matters,
he will do well to seek this information from those who do know—if pos-
sible, from some neighboring beekeeper. Having this important knowl-
edge, he will be prepared to plan best not only for the honey harvest but
also for its close and the after-harvest work.

The beginner should understand that all like honey flows require
similar manipulation of the bees and hives, but that all honey is not
equally desirable, and so it is often best to take off one honey crop before
it can be mixed with another. (See page 78.) Also, some honeys are not
fit for winter stores, if bees are confined to their hives without flight for a
month or more at a time. (See page 99.) This is often true of late honey
flows in the northern part of the country—for instance, aster honey.

A Time of Light Work.

The days or weeks between the close of the bees’ active work and the
time for putting them in their winter quarters may be considered the
vacation season of the beekeeper. There is little more to do than to ob-
serve the condition of the colonies and be sure that they are normal and all
right.

If there are weak colonies that are not likely to build up and be
strong enough to winter well, these weak colonies should now be united.
(See page 114, “Newspaper Uniting Plan.”) A colony that is certainly too
weak to winter well is one that has bees covering less than three or four
frames and whose brood-rearing is at a standstill. The beginner better not
attempt to winter any colony that has less than six combs of bees.

Introducing Queens in Early Fall.

 

While the beginner takes greater risk of losing queens when introduc-
ing them after the harvest than when doing so during the honey flow, yet

95
AFTER HARVEST WORK.—Chapter XVII.

it may be desirable to introduce a new queen in the fall. The value of a
young, vigorous queen in a colony to build it up strong for winter and
to begin brood-rearing promptly the next spring can hardly be overesti-
mated. It is best, however, to introduce the young queen in time for het
to have about six weeks to lay eggs for winter bees. This means that the
young queen should begin to lay not later than the middle of August in the
North and the first of September in the South.

Queens that are not laying well or that are not giving satisfaction for
any reason, whose bees may be poor honey-gatherers or show other unde-
sirable traits, should be replaced by queens purchased from some reliable
breeder, the old queen not being removed until the arrival of the new one.
(See page 59.)

Finding no queen, eggs, nor young larvae, and still enough room for
the queen to lay, is not certain proof that the queen is missing. (See page
57.) It may be that the old queen has stopped laying for a time or has
been lost, and the young one not yet mated. A frame of eggs and young
larvae should, therefore, be given to such a colony. If the colony be
queenless, queen-cells will soon be started. (Seee page 57.) If a young
queen that has not begun laying is present, the giving of larvae keeps the
bees contented and may perhaps cause the queen to start laying, since the
workers begin to feed her a greater quantity of food, just as they ordinar-
ily do a laying queen.

If one finds a colony with mostly drone brood or with the eggs placed
irregularly, he may conclude that such colony has either a drone-layer or
laying workers. (For directions in such cases, see page 58.)

Requeening.

Until the beginner is experienced enough to rear his own queens, he
should purchase them from some reliable breeder. The amneeHs he pur-
chases should always be mated and laying, and may be “untested” or
“tested.” An “untested” queen is one which is known to the breeder to
be laying well and sold without any other guarantee. A “tested” queen
is one that the breeder has kept long enough to deem’ from her progeny
that she has been purely mated.

Care of Combs.

After the honey harvest, the beginner needs to be emphatically caution-
ed as to the care of his empty combs. If he does not take the best of care to
store these carefully, they are almost sure to be attacked by mice or by
wax moths or by both, and so ruined. The best way to take care of these
combs during the summer is to leave them on the hives where the bees can
care for them. One strong colony can take care of four or five or even
more supers of extracting-combs until the arrival of cold weather, after
which the moth can do no damage. The empty drawn combs and the
frames of full sheets of foundation, that the beginner may have at the
close of the season, should be placed in good supers, and these supers
stacked up in a dry, rain-proof place so that there is no crack nor crevice
through which a wax moth or mouse can enter. Careful piling of all the
supers, the bottom one being placed on a perfectly flat surface and the

96
AFTER HARVEST WORK.—Chapter XVII.

top one carefully covered, will insure safety against the entrance of mice
and moths; but, if there are already eggs of the moth miller in the combs,
they will hatch and the combs become infested with wax worms in spite of
covering carefully. So there should be an inspection of the combs at least
once after they have been piled, for, despite the best of care, some moth
larvae may get in. If at any time it is found that moths are ruining the
combs, see page 121 of the Appendix for treatment, and apply this treat-
ment at once.

97
WINTERING.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Wintering is one of the most serious problems of the beekeeper. Due
to poor wintering methods or lack of any wintering methods, the great
winter losses of bees the country over are at least ten times greater than
necessary, running into millions of dollars of loss annually.

Good Wintering Requirements.

To insure good wintering, no matter how or where the bees are win-
tered, there should be large colonies with plenty of young bees and a good
queen, and there should also be an abundance of good, wholesome stores.
In those localities where there is a continuous honey flow until fall there
will be plenty of young bees reared for winter; but wherever there is a
dearth of nectar just before fall, it is quite important that the colonies be
provided with young, prolific queens in order that breeding may be con-
tinued in the fall and thus provide a large number of young bees for win-
ter. These young bees may be considered a good insurance against spring
dwindling, which takes place when worn-out bees of the previous fall die
in the early spring before the young ones emerge to take their places. Be-
sides these general requirements, other special ones will be mentioned in
connection with different ways of wintering.

Time of Fall Feeding.

Those colonies which do not have enough stores (see the following
paragraph) will need a feeding of good sugar syrup. This should not
be given until brood-rearmg has nearly ceased and most of the brood
emerged so there will be plenty of room for storing, and, yet, it is always an
advantage to give the stores as early as the condition of brood-rearing
will permit in order that the cells may be well sealed. When first placed
in the cells the stores (either honey or syrup) are too thin for good win-
tering; but, if there is time before wintering, the bees evaporate, or “ripen”
the stores until of the right consistency, when they are sealed. Stores too
thin, or in any way poor, often cause dysentery and death of the colony
before spring. (See “Dysentery,” page 118 in Appendix.) For, when bees
use poor honey, it results in more waste matter accumulating in the intes-
tines, which during very cold weather is retained, since bees normally void
their feces only in flight. Therefore, if unable to fly for some time, death
may result.

Needed Amount of Stores.

The amount of stores needed will, of course, depend upon the size of
the colony; but, in general, those colonies wintered in the North will need

98
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

about 20 to 30 pounds of stores if wintered in the cellar and 30 to 40 pounds
if wintered outdoors, while those in the South, because of their greater
activity during the winter, should have 40 or 50 pounds or even more,

When examined to determine the amount of stores it is probable that
quite a little honey will be found in the brood-chamber. Each full stand-
ard-sized Hoffman comb contains about five pounds of honey, so that by
handling each comb and noting the sealed honey it will be easy to arrive at
a general estimate of the amount of honey in each hive, and therefore the
amount that will need to be fed. The unsealed honey should not be esti-
mated, since it is generally used before winter. A better way is to weigh
the hive; then deduct the weight of an empty hive and combs, allowing
five or six pounds in addition for the bees and pollen. Each hive should
be marked with the amount to be given. If one intends wintering in a
double-walled hive, the 30 to 40 pounds of stores should be contained in
seven or eight franies so that, if desired, the brood-chamber may be con-
tracted as described later.

Poor Stores—What to Do.

There is considerable difference in the wintering value of honeys,
some of them having too large a per cent of resins and gums to be a good
winter food, and others being unsuitable because insufficiently ripened. As
already stated, if bees have frequent flights, such food is safe; but during
the dead of winter it is apt to result disastrously; so that, to be on the safe
side, each colony having honey of poor quality should be given as much as
ten pounds of sugar syrup to store below their honey. The colonies
will probably not use more than ten pounds during the most severe weath-
er, and so the syrup being fed last will be used first, and the bees will not
get to the undesirable honey until spring, when they will be able to have
frequent cleansing flights, and thus avoid dysentery.

A thick syrup made from either cane sugar or beet sugar makes very
good winter stores. It should be made of not less than two parts of sugar
to one part of water. In fact, some prefer such syrup to the best honey
stores. But the beginner will do well to use the bees’ natural food, which
is ripe honey of good quality. White clover, alsike clover and alfalfa
honey are among the best for winter. Aster, goldenrod and swamp-flower
honey are not so safe as clover honey or sugar syrup for winter; but, if
thoroughly ripened, they do very well if the winter is not severe. If un-
ripe, as fall honeys often are, they are likely to cause dysentery before
spring. Glucose, if taken by the bees, would be almost certain to kill
them before spring, and it is not suitable for feeding the bees at any time.
In fact, it is almost impossible to induce bees to take raw glucose. Such
poor stores as honeydew, grape sugar, brown sugar and molasses should
not be used for winter, but should be saved for spring feeding, for these
sweets will be perfectly safe for feeding as soon as the bees are able to
have frequent cleansing flights.

Just Before Feeding.

While making the estimate on the needed amount of stores, there will
probably be no honey coming in, and therefore care should be taken not to

99
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

start robbing. If any colonies are weak, their entrances should be con-
iracted; and, if the hives are open for any length of time, it may be
necessary to use a robber tent, for it would certainly be very bad for the
colonies to become unduly stirred up at this time of the year when they
should be quiet.

In case one intends to winter in double-walled hives, he should at this
time do the work of contracting the brood-chamber by removing two or
three frames (see page 102 on “Wintering in Double-Walled Hives”). If
weak or queenless colonies are found they should be united with others; dr
the queenless one, if strong, may be given a good queen by the cage method.
(See page 60.) Crooked combs or those having too large a per cent of
drone comb or too much beebread should be removed; or, if there chance to
be some brood in them, they may be placed at the side of the hive, to be
removed later at the time of packing when the brood will have emerged.

Whenever there is a chance for a choice in the matter, old dark combs
should be left at the center of the hive for the bees to cluster on, since the
cocoons in the cells make such comb much warmer than new light combs.
During cold weather the bees are in a compact spherical mass, at the cen-
ter of the hive, the combs dividing the mass. This part of the combs which
they oceupy is called the winter nest. When examining the colonies in the
fall the winter nest should not be disarranged, since the bees have arranged
their winter stores around the winter nest as needed for winter.

Method of Feeding.

The friction-top pail offers a very easy method of feeding. The lid is
pierced full of holes made with three-penny nails or in some cases by
machinery. In case one lacks a friction-top pail, a Mason fruit jar with
pierced lid or with cheese-cloth tied over the top will do very nicely, al-
though it will need repeated filling until the required amount is given. These
feeders are filled with syrup made of two parts of sugar to one of water,
heated or boiled till all grain has disappeared. The syrup may be used
even thicker than this, late in the season; for late in the fall the bees
become rather sluggish and if given syrup too thin may not evaporate it
sufficiently. In cold weather the syrup should be thick and warm when fed.

When the syrup is ready to be fed, an empty deep super should be
placed over the brood-chamber, the pail of warm syrup inverted directly
over the tops of the frames, and the pail and the top of the brood-chamber
warmly covered with a piece of canvas or burlap to retain the heat so that
the syrup will be taken readily by the bees. The inside and the outside

 

 

 

At the left, a friction-top pail with its cover pierced with holes; at the center, pail
filled with syrup and inverted over tops of frames; at right, pail and top of brood-
chamber warmly covered both to keep the syrup warm and to conserve colony’s warmth.

100
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

covers should, of course, be placed over the super. Strong colonies will
sometimes take the contents of one of these ten-pound pails in a day. If
a colony is unusually slow in taking the syrup, the process may be hurried
by rewarming the syrup.

Various Ways of Wintering.

 

In the North bees may be wintered in the cellar or outdoors. In lo-
calities where the average winter temperature is below 25 degrees F., and
where snow continuously covers the ground for several months, beekeepers
who have good stores and dry, well-ventilated cellars that may be made
dark and left at an even temperature somewhere between 45 and 50 de-
grees F., may winter inside to advantage. - Those wintering outdoors in
the North will need either double-walled hives or else suitable packing-
eases for their single-walled hives. And even in the southern states some
packing is a decided advantage, leaving the colonies in a much stronger
condition in the spring. This lighter protection may be in the form of
light packing-cases, but even wrappings of paper will be quite worth while.
Any protection against wind is a help.

Wintering Outdoors.

_ In cold climates it is necessary that colonies wintered outdoors have
plenty of ‘packing in order to retain the heat; for, when the temperature
inside the hive falls below 57 degrees F., the bees are obliged to generate
heat by their own activity, which activity compels the use of a greater
amount of stores and also an accumulation of feces within the bees. This
often brings abont. dysentery and death, especially when the stores are
not of the best quality. Even in those cases in which dysentery does not
result, the individual bees of the colony are so worn out by their efforts
to keep up the
| temperature of

the hive that in
the spring these
old bees die
more rapidly
than they ean be
replaced by the
young emerging
bees, and thus
the condition
called “spring
dwindlin g”
gradually dimin-
| ishes the colony,

Bae mae often rendering
This apiary is well protected on the north and west by a natural =
windbreak of trees. it worthless.

 

 

 

 

Necessity of Windbreaks.

When preparing for winter a good natural windbreak 10 to 15 feet
high should without fail be on the most exposed sides of the apiary

101
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

(usually north
and west), which
may be either
shrubbery, trees
or a hill. In the
absence of these
a 6 to 8 foot
fence would be
satisfactory if
the boards are
spaced an inch
or two apart.
An ordinary
tight board fence
causes the wind

uses : to glance up-
This apiary is protected on the north and west by a high fence d ad th
built for this purpose, having spaces left between the boards. war and then

swoop down-
ward, striking the hives a short distance from the fence, but when there
are large cracks in the fence the wind sifts through and its force is suf-
ficiently broken.

 

 

 

 

 

Wintering in Double-Walled Hives.

 

Among the different ways of wintering outdoors, the beginner will find
the double-walled hive the easiest and most satisfactory if he takes the
precaution to contract his brood-chamber by removing two or three frames
(the number depending upon the size of the colony), crowding over the
combs to the side of the hive least exposed to the prevailing winter wind,
and at the side of the frames placing a tight-fitting division-board and
then filling the space left vacant, by the removal of the frames, with chaff
or tightly packed dry forest leaves
or soft planer shavings. If the
colony bas not enough stores for
winter it should next be fed
enough to make up the required
amount. (See page 98 on “Need-
ed Amount of Stores.’’)

It will be noticed that at the
center of the two or three middle
combs there is a little circle of
empty cells which constitutes the
winter nest, or place where the bees
cluster. When the bees are clus-
tering in and over these empty cells
the colony has more or less the
form of a sphere or a ball, but
divided by the several combs ex-
tending through the ball. This ball Double-walled hive, with brood-chamher

‘ contracted and vacated space packed with
js much warmer and more compact leaves, to give added protection to the bees.

 

 

 

102
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

than could possibly be the case if
cold slabs of honey intervened be-
tween the parts of the cluster, in-
stead of the thin cell walls and
midrib of the comb. The ball-like
cluster of bees gradually eats its
way upward and backward as the
winter advances. When making
the contraction this winter nest
should not be disturbed nor the
relative position of these central
combs changed.

Although this is a very safe way
of wintering, it necessitates open-
ing the hives in the spring to give
more room and possibly more
BeOkes before the ‘ honey flow. Placing the tray of well-packed forest leaves
Therefore, if, there is any ehance on top of the inner covering of the hive.
that the colonies may be neglect-
ed during the spring, it would be better not to contract the brood-chamber,
but to leave it with its ten frames,

The tops of the frames may well be covered with a mat of very heavy
cloth or carpet (especially in the North), cut to the size of the inner cover
or slightly larger. Be sure to have this mat of material as heavy as the
heaviest canvas, and it may be well to cover it with newspaper to pre-
vent an upwarc draft. The object of this porous top covering is to per-
mit slow absorption of moisture without creating an upward draft that
would carry away the heat. This mat should be held up from. the frames
by a few small sticks placed crosswise of the frames in order to provide
the bees with passageways from one frame to another. (If the hive were
sufficiently packed and protected to prevent all condensation within, up-
ward ventilation would not be necessary, and a sealed cover could be used.)

A tray four or five inches deep,
slightly smaller than the telescope
cover and filled with well-packed
forest leaves or planer shavings,
should be placed above the mat at
the top of the hive to retain the
heat of the colony. The burlap at-
tached to the bottom of the tray
should be left baggy, and secured
to the sides of the tray by wooden
strips nailed on the lower inside
edges. This allows the tray to fit
tight to the top of the hive, and
prevents the wind from blowing
under the tray.

The outside telescoping cover is
placed directly over the tray.

; : The hive should be left facing
Placing the outside telescoping cover over aie 2S
the protecting tray of the double-walled hive. @Way from the prevailing winds,

103

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

 

A shipping crate or box can be made into a ser-
viceable winter packing-case for a single hive.

with an entrance 3g inch by two
or three inches. No matter how
cold, the entrance should never be
closed, as ventilation is needed as
well as occasional cleansing flights
when the weather will permit.
The hive-stands for these double-
walled: hives should have a firm
foundation closed up all around to
prevent wind from blowing be-
neath them, and given a slightly
forward tilt so that the inside of
the hives may keep dry. During

winter, and until May in the northern states,-the best care one can
give his bees is to leave them quite undisturbed, only taking heed that the

entrances do not get clogged tight-

 

_shut with ice during winter sleet
storms. A covering of snow over
the hive entrance, however, does
no harm.

Wintering in Packing-Cases.

 

Those who may have their colo-
nies in single-walled hives and
wish to winter outdoors will need
to provide good packing-cases.

 

Floor plan of quadruple wintering case.

The single-walled hive entire is placed in its packing-case, which may be a
common shipping crate or box of dimensions such that about six inches of

 

 

Hives in place on floor of quad-
ruple packing-case.

‘by two or three inches.

packing of leaves or shavings may be plac-
ed around the tops, sides and bottoms of
the hives. A passageway the width of the
hive and two inches deep is provided from
the hive entrance through the packing to
the entrance of the packing-case, this outer
entrance being contracted to an opening 3%
This passageway
through the packing is provided both for
ventilation and also to give the bees a
chance to leave the hive and take a cleansing
flight on warm days that may occasionally

oecur. For a cover to such a packing-case, tin, tarred paper, a tight wood-

 

en cover, or other waterproof cover
should be used in order that the pack-
ing may keep perfectly dry.
These cases are usually made of such
a size as to accommodate from one to
four colonies.
The quadruple packing-case is strong-
_ly advocated by bee authorities of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 1012

104

 

Putting on the sides of the quadruple
packing-case.
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

gives details of how
to build and use it.
When several colo-
nies are to occupy
the same case they|
should be moved
gradually each day
until the spot where!

ie ee ce Pee
the packing-case is ~ The quadruple case with
The fou hives pecan to be locate ads rengh- cover on ready for winter.
packe: in e@ quadruple e : zs Zi
case with planer shavings. ed. Otherwise, many bees will go back to their

old locations and be lost. Many avoid all dan-
ger of such loss by keeping the colonies during the summer on the same
stands and in the same relative positions they will occupy during the winter.
The packing-cases should be put on early in the fall and left until late in
spring or until warm weather, so that all chilling of brood may be avoided.

 

 

 

Wintering with Tarred Paper Tied On.

 

The first cost of winter cases need not stand in the way of good win-
tering, for bees can be well protected for only a few cents per colony for
cost of material, by using a cheap grade of tarred paper to hold the pack-
ing in place and keep it dry.

To pack a single colony i in a regular 10- Sing hive, cut two pieces 7% x
2 x 2014, inches, two pieces % x 2 x 24 inches, two pieces lath 20 inches long
and two pieces 24 inches long. From a roll of 36-inch single ply slaters’ felt,
cut one piece 8 feet long and another 31% feet long.

Make a rim of the 2-inch pieces which fits around the lower part of the
hive, by lapping over the corners and fastening with a single nail. The piece
in front should rest on the side rails of the floor, leaving the entrance open.
The two side pieces should come below the end piece in front, and above the
end piece at the back, thus dropping the rim % inch lower on the sides than
in front, and % inch lower at the back than on the sides. A small nail
driven part way into the back end of the floor supports the rim at the back.

Stand the 8-foot strip of paper on edge around the hive and tack on
the lath to fasten the paper to the rim, using two nails in each lath driven
only part way home. The paper should touch the ground all around the
hive, the entrance now being covered with the paper. Cut a hole 3g x2
inches through the paper for an entrance. This hole can. easily be en-
larged next spring when a larger entrance will be needed. Where the ends
overlap, pin the paper to-
gether with two or three
wire nails.
| The packing material
should be packed down in
the corners to make
them stand out square,
after which the packing
is simply poured in at

the sides and ends with-
Thi Cords are used to hold
18 the cover in place.

  

“Two-inch rim in place “ ci ad
about bottom of hive. out pressing down.

105
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII,

 

Rim in place for packing hives
in pairs.

a package.

is to prevent bulging out the sides.
three to six inches of packing can be put in
at the sides and ends by permitting a slight
bulging of the paper beyond the rim at the
bottom, or a greater amount can be put in if
some slack is left in the paper at the lower
corners when the lath are nailed on. Fill in
with 8 to 10 inches on top, then fold down
the upper edges of the paper as in wrapping

From

Crease the 4-foot piece of paper, which
is to be used for the cover, by folding over the edges before putting it in
place. After it is in place fold the corners neatly, as in wrapping a pack-

age; then tie a cord around the folded-down
edges to hold them snug against the sides.
Tie a cord to one of the projecting nails in
one of the side lath, pass it across the top
of the hive under both nails on the opposite
side, then back to the other nail on the first
side, where it is fastened.

Hives can be packed in pairs with but
little more material and labor for the two
than for a single hive. For two colonies the
2-inch pieces for the front and back of the
rim should be 3614 inches long, and the
lath for the front and back should be 36

 

 

 

Pair eeives. packed “complete.

inches long. The paper to form the sides should be cut about 1044 feet

long, and for the cover about 414 feet long.

Wintering in Cellar.

If one lives where the average winter temperature is below 25 de-
grees F. and if he has good stores and a good, well-ventilated cellar that
can_be kept quiet and completely dark and at an even temperature be-
tween 45 and 50 degrees, he can probably winter safely in the cellar, and

 

 

 

 

 

Wintering bees in a cellar.

106

this is what he should do
in ease he has single-
walled hives. Cellars suit-
able for keeping vegeta-
bles are usually quite sat-
isfactory for wintering
bees. A cellar whose
temperature varies mark-
edly with outside tem-
peratures is unfit for
cellar wintering. Often-
times colonies short of
stores or too weak to win-
ter outdoors will winter
safely in a good cellar,
WINTERING.—Chapter XVIII.

Ten cubic feet of space is sufficient for each colony. The entrance blocks
should be removed, and, if any mice are in the cellar, the entrances should
be covered with a coarse 44-inch mesh screen. This will allow the bees to
pass through, but will shut out the mice. In cellars where the temperature
remains as low as 45 degrees, the entrances may be reduced to openings 3%
hy two inches, stronger colonies being given larger entrances. If the bees be-
come uneasy during the winter, it is likely that the temperature or ventila-
tion of the cellar needs regulation. Bees should be put in the cellar immedi-
ately after (what is probably) the last good flight—usually in November in
the northern part of the United States—and taken out the latter part of
March or the first of April, at a time when the first natural pollen may be
gathered, when it is warm enough so that they may have frequent flights. If
put out when the weather is still rather cool, some protection, such as tarred
paper wrapping, should be given the colonies. See pages 105 and 106.

107
SPRING MANAGEMENT.

CHAPTER XIX.

The beginner may wonder why the chapter on spring management is
to be found at the end of this beginner’s book. Spring seems the natural
time to begin things in general, including beekeeping. But if the begin-
ner will recall our advice to him as to when to begin he will remember
that this time was set at fruit-bloom time, if possible—“after the early
spring managing problems are past,” and that we also advised him to
buy full colonies with sufficient stores to last the bees until the main honey
flow. So it was for a later time in the season that these beginner’s instruc-
tions were begun, and there remains the important work of early spring
management to complete the cycle of the year.

It is to be constantly kept in mind that both winter and spring man-
agement aim at the all-important object of having the colonies very strong
in bees at the beginning of the honey flow—the secret of success in securing
a honey crop.

The spring management of bees is often more difficult than the win-
tering of them. This is largely because of the sudden weather changes of
the spring season. A sudden change from warm to cold, or, rather, a week
of warm weather followed by severe cold, is very hard on both bees and
brood, and not seldom, in the north temperate zone, the spring losses ex-
ceed those of the winter, though such losses are usually the result of poor
wintering.

Before discussing the actual work of spring management, it is well to
caution the beginner against needless “tinkering” with the bees, as more
harm than good is often done by too much “attention” being paid them.
They should receive necessary care—but no more, and some seasons they
will need much more attention and manipulation in the springtime than
in other seasons.

Taking from the Bees Their Winter Protection.

 

The manner in which the bees have been wintered and given protec-
tion against the winter’s cold will determine one of the first spring problems
of the beginner, namely, when is the safe time and what is the safe way
to lay aside this protection?

If the bees are in double-walled hives, as this book has advised for
beginners, they are at all times out in the open on their permanent loca-
tions, having only a mat, chaff-tray and deep telescoping cover above the
brood-chamber to serve in addition to the double walls of the hive for
winter protection. In case the brood-chamber was contracted the fall be-
fore by removing several frames and this space filled with dry leaves or
shavings, these should be removed as soon as the colony needs more stores
or the queen needs more laying room. The special top protection should

108
SPRING MANAGEMENT .—Chapter XIX. .

be left on the hives till settled warm weather has arrived. There is more
danger of removing it too early than too late, for in most paris of the
country (excepting the far South) “cold spells” and chilly nights are
experienced even after the season of fruit bloom, and this temporary cold,
if the winter protection has been removed, may chill and kill some brood,
thus weakening the colony. If there comes an unseasonably warm “spell”
in the spring—really hot—the entrance of strong colonies may be opened
to summer size. This should not be done, however, if the nights are cool
enough to chill the brood. The winter protection and the contracted en-
trances are not to be dispensed with until the time of settled warm weather.
Many beekeepers make it a practice to leave the chaff tray on the double-
walled hive all summer to protect the supers from undue heat or chill.

If, perchance, the beginner has secured his first bees in single-walled
hives and so has had to put them in some sort of winter cases, with a pack-
ing of leaves or shavings or chaff about the hives inside these cases, he
should not set the bees out of these winter cases till just before the honey
flow or until it is necessary to give more room. If the colonies went into
winter quarters strong and with plenty of good stores, he need not even
examine them until he unpacks them. But if the colonies were of doubtful
strength in the fall or had a doubtful amount or doubtful quality of food
stores when going into winter quarters in the fall, the beginner will need
to examine them during the first warm weather of the spring. In doing
this, he should remove the packing only temporarily and replace it when
he has given the bees what attention is needed—generally a feeding of sugar
candy or sealed combs of honey..

If the bees be wintered in the cellar, the rule is to wait until the first
natural pollen is abundant before setting them out from their winter quar-
ters. If the bees become quite uneasy in the cellar it will be necessary to
set them out early; but, as a general thing, there is more danger of setting
them out too early than too late—both because of the cold and the lack of
pollen and nectar supplies. Usually the best time for putting the bees out
is the latter part of March or the first of April in the North where cellar
wintering is practiced. But when a pollen supply seems assured and the sea-
son of prolonged cool spells is past, wait for a warm, sunshiny day, and
then, within this one day, remove all the bees from the cellar and place
them .on their permanent summer stands. When the bees are first re-
moved there will be little or no brood in the hive and therefore the cold will
do no injury to the colony; but, after they have been out long enough to
have considerable brood, a cold spell may prove very serious and much of
the brood be chilled. This trouble may be avoided by paper-packing the
hive, as deseribed on page 105. This packing costs but little and can easily
be adjusted in a few minutes. When one considers the saving in bees and
brood, he will realize that he cannot afford to dispense with this protec-
tion when setting his bees out of the cellar.

Regulation of the Entrances.

‘A first inspection of the colonies in the spring will serve to discover
any colonies that may be dead and those that are weak.
If any are found that are dead, at once close tight the entrances.

109
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

 

Otherwise, on the first
warm day that the bees
of the live colonies may
be flying and seeking
nectar, they will enter the
hives of the dead colonies
and begin robbing out
any honey that may be
found in the combs there.
An uproar in the whole
apiary will result; and
not only will the hives of
the dead colonies be rob-
bed, but quite likely the
weaker colonies of the
apiary will also be set
upon by the robbery-mad
ees of the strong colo-
nies, and, unless prevent-
ed, will entirely destroy
them. Such robbing, if
permitted, is one of the
surest ways of spreading
any foul brood that may
be lurking in one’s own
This is a weak colony as shown by the few bees on aplary, oe ath that of a
the frame that the beekeeper is examining. neighboring aplary.

Besides closing the en-
trances of the hives of the dead colonies, if there be such, contract the
entrances of the weak colonies. This is done to protect them against pos-
sible robbing of their stores by the bees of stronger colonies. How much
shall the entrances be contracted? If the colony has been reduced in
strength to two or three frames of bees, contract to 34 x %% of an inch, so
long as danger of robbing continues. But just as soon as the bees begin
gathering pollen or nectar, and warm weather prevails, the danger of rob-
bing will pass, and the entrance may be en-_
larged to suit the needs of the bees.

 

 

 

 

When the Hive May Be Safely Opened. |

 

The hives should not be opened except dur-

ing a warm day (not less than 60 degrees
Fahrenheit) when the bees can fly. If opened |
on a chilly day, not only will the bees be
found to be cross, but there will be danger |
of chilling the brood and perhaps getting the’
queen balled. The middle of the day (when|
warmest) should be selected as the time for Here is another weak colony. the

2 : : entrance of whose hive should be
looking into the hive. contracted in the early spring.

 

110
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

Cleaning the Hives.

The entrances of all live colonies should be cleared of dead bees (it,
unfortunately, there be such) by means of a wire hook. This wire should
be long enough to reach clear under the frames, so that all the dead bees
on the floor of the hive may be raked out. Later, when settled warm
weather prevails, and the bees are flying freely, it may be well to open
the hives of any weak colonies, take out all the frames and thoroughly
clean the hive of dead bees, taking care to do this on a warm day when
the brood will not be chilled. This will not be necessary in the case of
strong colonies, because the bees themselves of such strong colonies carry
out all the dead. Iu case an excess of propolis be found on the frames,
it should be scraped off. In warm regions this cleaning of the hive needs
to be repeated frequently. This cleaning, or so-called “overhauling the
hive,” makes it easier to handle the frames and to control the wax moth.

If Dysentery Be Present.

The earliest examination of the colonies may reveal the presence of
dysentery. The signs are numerous dark-brown or black spots spattered
about the entrance. The cause of dysentery is generally a poor food sup-
ply, such as honeydew, combined with long, unbroken confinement to the
hive by severe cold weather. About the only remedy is settled warm
weather, permitting the bees to fly freely; but it is well to contract the
brood-nest to as few frames as will accommodate the cluster.

Stores Necessary in Spring.

 

One of the most important objects in opening the hive in the spring
is to ascertain whether there are sufficient stores to carry the bees through
1o the time when they can gather their own food (pollen and nectar) in the
fields. The bees should always have an abundance of food of good quality.
By an abundance is meant at least two or three frames of good sealed
honey in the hive all the time. Enough of good honey, of course, should
have been left in the hive the fall before to carry the bees through the
spring. But, for one reason or another, colonies often go into winter
quarters short of stores, and the result is danger of starving if not given
food in the spring before the bees can begin gathering nectar.

An abundance of stores for the excessive brood-rearing of spring is
one of the most important factors in securing a honey crop; for, if the
stores fall short, the bees will at. once reduce brood-rearing, thus prevent-
ing the colony from developing to full strength by the time of the main
honey flow.

Giving Sealed Stores.

Suppose, upon opening the hive in the spring, the colony is found to
be short of stores. ‘Then sugar syrup or bee candy must be supplied the
bees, if there are no frames of sealed honey that can be given. Many good

111
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

beekeepers lay aside plenty of nice combs of honey for just this purpose
of spring feeding. Lacking such stores, there may possibly be a colony
that has been winter-killed, from which one or more combs of stores can be
taken. But if no honey in the comb is available, sugar feed has to be re-
sorted to. The colony should be kept supplied with plenty of stores up to
the time the honey flow starts. During spring-breeding great quantities
of stores are needed. Full colonies sometimes use more than ten pounds
of stores a week. It is the stores in excess of their actual needs that stimu-
late the bees to increased brood-rearing.

Feeding Candy, Not Syrup, in Early Spring.

 

Feeding of sugar syrup in the spring, before the bees begin to fly free-
ly at least every few days, is always attended with more or less danger, for
syrup feeding at any time starts the bees to flying out at the entrance.
Then, if the weather chances to be cold (or chilly), many bees are lost by
becoming chilled in their flight and never return to their hive. Hard
candy made of pure granulated sugar is the proper makeshift food to
supply the shortage of natural honey stores, during cold weather of early
spring. When the weather turns warmer, syrup feeding is preferable. (See
page 100.) This hard candy can be purchased (ordinarily) of beekeeper-
supply houses; or, if one prefers, he can make it himself by using consid-
erable care. The recipe for making it is as follows:

Into a dish of hot water on a stove put one-third of a teaspoonful
of tartaric acid for every 244 pounds of water and then into the mixture
slowly pour granulated sugar to the amount of four times the weight of
the water, stirring constantly. Make sure that the sugar is all dissolved
before boiling commences. If this precaution is not observed, some of the
undissolved sugar is likely to burn, injuring the flavor of the candy and
almost surely causing trouble with the bees later. If one has a candy ther-
mometer, he should watch the temperature and not let it go above 275 to
280 degrees. Test frequently by dropping a very little of the syrup into
cold water (about 50 to 55 degrees F.). The drop of candy when taken
out of the water should be hard and brittle,.but when placed in the mouth
should soften slightly so that it is tough. Then the syrup should be poured
into paper pie-plates, or upon paraffined or wax paper on a perfectly level
table. In the latter case, around the outside of the paper should be placed
wooden sticks 14 inch high to prevent the syrup from running off. The
color of the candy when cold should be about that of light basswood honey.
Tf it is darkened very much, it is scorched and unfit for the bees. To pre-
vent the scorching, reduce the fire toward the last so that the syrup will
boil slowly.

This hard candy (in paper pie-plates) should be placed over the elus-
ter of bees, with a few small sticks between it and the tops of the frames
to give bee-space. If the colony is small the brood-chamber should first be
contracted, by the use of a division-board, to as few frames as the bees will
cover at one side of the hive. In doing this the contraction is accomplished
by removing frames that have no brood and little or no honey. Place the
candy above the cluster—the pie-plates upside down. In case the beginner
bas wintered in a double-walled hive with a mat just above the frames, as

112
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

we recommended, he may
feed the candy immedi-
ately under the mat; but
if he has wintered in
some other way and has
no room for the candy
between the tops of the
frames and the cover, it
will be necessary to put
on a two-inch rim or an
Hard candy fed to the bees in a paper pie-plate in- empty shallow super (or
verted above the cluster. a full-depth super if he
hasn’t a rim or shallow
super) to provide room for the candy on top of the frames. If it is a time
when cool weather may yet occur (any time before the main honey flow in
the northern regions of the United States), cover the candy and fill the
space of the added rim or super with mats, cloths or other packing, to con-
serve the warmth of the hive. When in exceptional cases it is necessary to
feed candy after the supers are on, just preceding the honey flow, the feed
may be placed on the floor at the back of the hive. To do this, raise the
front of the hive and shove the candy to the back of the floor beneath the
frames.

The one only best way of feeding, however, is to provide sufficient
stores in the fall, thus making early spring feeding at least unnecessary.

In some locations where there is no early pollen available, as in some
parts of the arid region, beekeepers purchase or save combs of pollen for
use the following spring. The use of pollen substitutes is of questionable
value.

 

Need of Water.

Whenever brood is being reared it is necessary for the bees to have
water. This they can sometimes secure from thin nectar that is being
gathered at the time. But lacking a natural water source, it should be sup-
plied at some warm, sheltered spot in or close to the apiary. In providing
such water supply care must be taken that the bees do not drown in getting
the water. Any open dish or pail may be used to hold the water, pro-
vided that plenty of floating material, such as bits of board or sticks or
straw on which the bees may .
alight, be placed on the surface.

Uniting.

The putting together of two or
three colonies or nuclei of bees to
make a single colony is called
“nniting.” The beginner must un-
derstand that, except during a Vessels of water for the bees, with floating

3 : material on which the bees may alight while
good honey flow in spring, sum- drinking.

113

 

 
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

mer or fall, if two colonies, each having its own queen, are united without
any measures taken to make the uniting gradual and peaceable, the bees of
the two colonies are likely to fight each other desperately.

The Newspaper Uniting Plan.

 

It may be that a colony is found in the spring without a queen, when
no new queen can be secured to introduce to it. In such a case, the news-
paper uniting plan (as first practiced by that famous bee master, Dr. C. C.
Miller) is to be strongly recommended. It is very simple and certain. Place
ever the top-bars of a hive that has a queen a single sheet of ordinary
newspaper, and the queenless hive is then placed on top. The floor will be
under the lower hive, and the only cover will be placed over the upper hive.
No sort of entrance nor opening is left in the upper hive, so that the only
way the bees can get out of it is to gnaw a hole through the newspaper.
Within a day or two this will be done. The hole at first will be big enough
for only a single bee to pass through, and the intermingling of the bees
of the two colonies will be so gradual and quiet that there will be no fight-
ing. Eventually the whole paper will be gnawed away and the two colonies
become one, and in a few days or a week all the frames of brood with all
the bees can be confined to one hive.

If both of the colonies to be united have queens, it is better for the
poorer queen to be put out of the way by the beekeeper before the work
of uniting by the newspaper plan is begun; but, if one of the queens is
not destroyed by the beekeeper in advance, the bees themselves will do the
job. The uniting is likely to be more peaceful if one of the colonies has
been made queenless two or three days before beginning to unite. The
lower hive, standing on its original location, should be left as the perma-
nent home of the united colonies.

Clipping of the Queen.

Unless the laying queens have already been clipped, the clipping should
be done during fruit bloom, while the weather is warm and some honey
is coming in. At this time the bees will be good-natured and not inclined to
rob. Also, during the middle hours of the day many bees will be out gath-
ering nectar; so the hives will not be crowded with the bees, and the queen

  

uy
AY

Nit ug
How the queen’s wings should be clipped.
114
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

will be more easily found. (As to finding the queen see page 56.) She
should be carefully picked up by the shoulders, and both her wings on’ one
side cut off nearly 34 of their length.

 

Pointing out the queen to Miss Goodlooker. One of the pleasantest
occupations of apiary work.

Enlarging the Brood-Chamber.

 

Those brood-nests that were contracted the previous fall should be
- expanded as soon as the colonies become strong enough to cover more
frames. When expanding, it will be necessary to remove the side packing
which fills the space made by removal of the combs the previous fall when
contracting the double-walled hive. As the combs are added to fill up this
space they should be placed at the sides, in order not to divide the brood-
nest. It does not pay to be in too tig a hurry about removing the top
packing. (See page 108.)

Cutting Out Drone Comb.

During the fruit bloom, after the bees are in the best possible condi-
tion, queens elipped, colonies strong, plenty of stores and brood-chamber
expanded, there is still a very profitable piece of work that one can hardly
afford to omit, provided he has an excessive amount of drone comb in his
hives, because rearing a large number of drones not only necessitates the
consumption of a large amount of honey but also tends toward swarming.
In the lower corners of the brood-frames, along the bottom-bar and at
various parts of the combs, may be found patches of this drone comb. An
excess of drones should on no account be tolerated, and in the warm spring
days of fruit bloom is the ideal time for cutting drone comb out.and re-
placing it with worker comb.

115
SPRING MANAGEMENT.—Chapter XIX.

After cutting out the undesirable comb, that from which portions have
been cut should be used as a pattern and placed over the worker comb which
is to be used for patches. With a knife, the shape of the holes may be
marked on the worker comb. Then removing the upper pattern the pieces
may be cut out of the worker comb, after which they are inserted in the
comb to be patched. If they are small and fit in tightly, it may not be
necessary to fasten them. Otherwise, they can be held securely by means
of wires wrapped around the frames; or, if honey is coming in, the patches
may be tied in with strings, which will be removed by the bees as soon as
they have attached the patches to the rest. of the comb.

Giving Room Below and Above.

 

To move brood from the hive-body proper to a super above too early
in the season would be attended with danger of chilling the brood, since so
much of the heat of the lower story would rise to the upper one. But, as
stated under the subhead, “Preceding the Honey Flow,” page 71, two
or three weeks before the opening of the main honey flow, if the strongest
colonies become crowded with brood and bees, a super should be given im-
mediately above the lower story; and, if the crowded condition seems to
warrant it, it may be advisable to place one or two frames of brood in the
upper story, replacing these in the brood-chamber with frames of founda-
tion or, preferably, combs, at the sides of the lower story. When some
brood is thus kept‘in the second story, the bees become so accustomed to
occupying the second story that, when the honey flow comes, they start to
work in the super with energy.

Increase—Prevented or Made.

 

By tearing down queen-cells as fast as they appear, placing a few
frames of brood, or all but one, above, and filling the remainder of the
lower brood-chamber with drawn combs, it will doubtless be possible to
prevent all increase during the early summer period. Or, if increase is de-
sired, the above plan may be used, only inserting a queen-excluder between
the two stories and tearing down all capped cells. About eight days later
the upper story may be moved to a new location and its entrance contracted,
to prevent the brood from chilling. (See Chapter XV on “Increase.”)

When Spring Management Might Not be Necessary.

 

As a final word about spring management, let it be said that there are
high beekeeping authorities who say that there should be no necessity for
any spring management; that if the colony goes into winter quarters strong,
with many young bees, has good stores and plenty of protection, such a
colony needs no attention in the spring. But this is an ideal condition—not
the ordinary situation.

A Final Word.

The beginner, who has read this little book from cover to cover, has
now completed the cycle of the beekeeping year, and has been told briefly

116
SPRING MANAGEMENT .—Chapter XIX.

of its work and problems, what to do, how and when to do it. The purpose
of the book has been to give one tried and proven way of performing every
important operation connected with the right keeping of bees. There are
different ways of performing many of these operations, as the beginner
will shortly learn—and there are many ardent advocates of each different
way. It has been the author’s very great and conscientious care to try to
give only the simplest and surest way. So it is that some things that
might have been said have been left unsaid, because of fear of confusing
the beginner with too much detail or theory in his first steps. So we leave
him to begin another year’s cycle, to repeat the work done in the first
vear, in the same way—except that experience will have taught him les-
sons in beekeeping that no book can teach him.

There only remains to add an appendix, devoted mainly to the explicit
explanation of some of the unexpected or even unpleasant problems that
may possibly present themselves to the beginner in his early experiences,
and which must be met promptly and effectively when they do occur.

117
APPENDIX

DISEASES OF BEES.

NOSEMA APIS.—This is a disease of adult bees, and is not consid-
ered a very serious one; for, although slightly infectious and although
many colonies die from this cause, the percentage is small. Usually the
colony is but slightly affected and recovers of its own accord. An appar-
ently normal colony that is weak, especially in the spring, and yet had had
good packing, plenty of stores and a good queen, is quite likely to be af-
fected with the nosema disease. An examination of the stomach of a field
worker, however, gives still more reliable evidence. If affected, the stomach
will appear swollen and lighter in color than a healthy one, or in more
advanced cases it will be chalk-white and easily torn. In badly infected
bees the stomach when crushed is milky in appearance.

BEE PARALYSIS.—Paralysis is a disease common in the warm South
where it appears to be contagious and sometimes affects whole apiaries.
Now and then the trouble appears in most apiaries even in the North, but
seldom spreads or makes much trouble.

The first symptom the beekeeper is likely to note is healthy bees tug-
ging at the affected ones, pulling them from.the entrance. The bees often
show a trembling motion and sometimes scratch at their bodies with their
legs as if there were violent itching. In some eases, some of the bees
have swollen abdomens and a black, greasy appearance. Some of the sick
bees are very active, running this way and that, attempting to crawl up
spears of grass only to fall back unable to fly; others appear listless and
eluster in bunches around the entrance of the hive.

Many different treatments have been advocated, but none are univer-
sally successful. One treatment is simply to interchange the places of a
diseased colony and a strong healthy one. Another method calls for
nuclei and, as soon as they have laying queens, the giving to each nucleus
two frames of the oldest capped brood from the paralytic colony. After
the brood is disposed of in this way the bees and queen of the affected col-
ony are destroyed with sulphur fumes.

DYSENTERY.—Poor stores, such as honeydew or unripened honey,
confinement and insufficient protection often cause what is known as dysen-
tery. If the hive is too cold, in order to keep up the temperature the bees
are compelled to eat large quantities of honey. The poorer the honey, the
more fecal matter accumulates in the intestines of the bees. This waste
matter is normally voided only in flight; therefore, if cold weather pre-
vents flight, the long-retained fecal matter causes purging or dysentery.

An amount of yellow or brownish disagreeable excrement all about
the entrance of a hive indicates dysentery. If warm weather permits flight
and the brood-nest is contracted to only as many cgmbg ag the bees can

118
APPENDIX.

occupy, the colony will soon recover; but, if no flight is possible, the combs
and inside of the hive will become foul with excrement and the colony
perish outright.

Colonies cannot contract dysentery from the stained combs. Therefore
such combs may be saved until summer and then given to strong colonies
to be cleaned, no more than two or three such combs being given a colony
ata time. Too many such combs would be a discouragement to any colony
and might cause them to abscond.

DISEASES OF BROOD.

AMERICAN FOUL BROOD and European foul brood are two entirely
different diseases, requiring quite different treatments. American foul brood
attacks sealed brood mostly. The cappings are discolored and sunken in
appearance and often have irregular perforations. The diseased larvae are
yellowish brown to blackish brown, and, as they decay, have a very offensive
odor, become ropy or stringy, and may be stretched out several inches in a
delicate thread. The dead larvae are almost always found lying on the
lower cell walls. In the last stage the larvae become dried into hard scales
which adhere tightly to the cells.

A common treatment for American foul brood is to shake the bees of
the diseased colony in front of a clean hive, placed on the old stand and
filled with frames of foundation. The bees will soon run into the hive.
Any diseased honey they may have in their sacs will be used in comb-
building. If no honey is coming in at the time, it will be necessary to feed
them. The old hive should be scorched out before using again and the
combs rendered into wax. This method is quite satisfactory, if, during
the treatment, care is taken that no diseased honey is left exposed on the
ground or clothing where robber bees may find it, and if no bees with
diseased honey become confused and enter healthy colonies at the time
of shaking. The old combs should be destroyed or melted up as soon as
taken from the hives.

EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD atacks unsealed brood mostly. The dis-
eased larvae are usually a light yellow. This decayed matter may also have
an unpleasant odor but not usually so offensive as in the case of American
foul brood. The diseased larvae reach a ropy stage, but instead of roping
as a fine thread stretch out as a coarse granular thread. The dead larvae
may be found in almost any position on the base or any of the walls of
the cells. When scales are formed they do not adhere tightly to the cells
as in the case of American foul brood, but may be removed.

A good treatment for European foul brood is to dequeen for a period
of from 10 to 20- days, and then to introduce a queen of a vigorous strain of
Jialians. Or, if the colony affected is Italian, a queen-cell from a good
Italian colony can be given immediately after dequeening, as it will be
about 10 days before the queen will begin to lay. Before dequeening it is
very important to make the colonies strong by uniting or giving emerging
brood. Except in extreme cases, it is not necessary to melt up the combs

119
APPENDIX.

or disinfect the hives, as in the case of American foul brood.

European foul brood can be prevented to a great extent by keeping
only a good strain of Italian bees and keeping the colonies always strong.

A good discussion of the distinguishing characteristics and best meth-
ods of treatment of the two diseases is given in the A B C and X Y Z
of Bee Culture. If one has trouble in determining with which disease his
colonies are affected, he should send a sample of the comb for diagnosis to
the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. For this purpose a piece
of comb about five inches square and containing a number of dead or dis-
colored larvae should be sent in a wooden box.

SACBROOD.—Although sacbrood is mildly infectious it is not a very
serious disease, and does not require treatment. In fact, it usually comes
and goes of its own accord without the beekeeper’s even suspecting its pres-
ence. The dead larvae or pupae vary in color from yellow, gray and light
brown to a dark brown resembling foul brood. However, they are never
ropy like foul brood, nor have they any odor. They are generally in capped
cells, the diseased cells being irregularly interspersed among the healthy ones.
When scales are present, they are quite black and roughened and easily
separated from the cell wall.

The consistency of the affected larvae assists one in distinguishing sac-
brood from foul brood. An affected larva has the appearance of a small
closed sae with watery contents. This larva can often be removed from
the cell intact. :

Starved or neglected brood or dead brood from laying workers or
drone layers is sometimes confused with sacbrood because of its unpleas-
ant odor and dark color. If staryed or neglected the trouble will disappear
as soon as the bees are able to gather pollen; if the brood is from laying
workers or drone layers, only drone brood will be affected,

ENEMIES OF BEES. .

ANTS.—Ants seldom trouble good colonies of bees in the North, put
in the South radical measures must sometimes be taken.

In order to get rid of them, they should be cleaned out of the hives
and the hives placed on stands or benches, the legs of which rest in cans
filled with some liquid, such as coal tar or crude petroleum, that will pre-
vent the ants from crawling up into the hives.

All ant hills or nests in the apiary should also be destroyed. To do
this make several holes, an inch or so in diameter, about a foot deep throngh
the nest. Then pour a tablespoonful of carbon bisulphide in each hole, and
stop up the holes with earth so that thé fumes may permeate every part of
the nests. Great care should be taken since the carbon bisulphide is very
explosive when mixed with air. If the nests are not large, kerosene may
be used instead of carbon bisulphide, about three times as much of the
kerosene being required.

F

120
APPENDIX. .

MICE.—AIl honey-houses should be made mouse-proof, and, when-
ever surplus combs are stored away, care should be taken to exclude mice,
for the combs will be completely ruined if mice gain entrance.

When bees are wintered in the cellar, the entrance of the hive should
be covered with a strip of coarse-mesh cloth, just coarse enough to let
bees through and yet exclude mice; or else the entrance should be con-
tracted to a 34-inch slot through which the mice cannot enter,

SKUNKS.—Skunks are a great nuisance to the beekeeper, since they
eat so many bees as to weaken the colonies seriously. At night the skunks
seratch in front of the hives and disturb the bees so that they rush out of
the hive to repel the invader. They are then rapidly eaten by the skunks
who particularly relish them.

Skunks may be poisoned by putting strychnine inside of small chunks
of beef and leaving the beef at the entrance of the hive where the skunks
have been working. Because of the danger of poisoning the neighbors’ cats
and dogs, however, we do not advise relying on poison. It is safer to pro-
tect the colonies by fencing them in with four-foot poultry netting, one
foot of which is folded at right angles so as to be flat on the ground on the
outside of the fence, the outer edge being staked down to the ground. The
skunks do not understand how to get under the foot of netting lying on
the ground. ,

WAX MOTHS.—Wax woths do not trouble strong colonies of Ital-,
ians, but in the South where black bees are kept in box hives they are very
destructive. There are two species of wax moths—the larger and the lesser.
The larger is more common and more destructive than the lesser. The
work of the two moths is similar except that the webs of the smaller one
are finer and nearer the surface of the comb.

The larger adult moth is 5 of an inch in length, with a wing expanse
of 1% inches. It is ashy gray in appearance with the back third of each
front wing bronze in color.

‘Weak colonies of bees do not defend themselves so well as strong
ones, and therefore moths readily enter and deposit their eggs on the combs.
When the eggs hatch the larvae gradually eat their way through the midrib
of the comb, leaving the comb all undermined with passageways of web
work spotted with excreta. In a short time such combs will be completely
ruined. By keeping strong, healthy colonies of Italians, such trouble
may be avoided.

When storing away surplus combs, however, it should be remembered
that moths, if permitted, will destroy them even more readily than the combs
in the hives of bees, for in the case of stored combs there are no bees to
repel the moths. For this reason all supers of combs stored in the honey-
house should be carefully piled and covered so that no moth may enter. If,
however, the combs contain eggs from the wax moth when taken from the
hive, the wax worms will develop later on. If moths should appear in
stored material, and yet the combs are not badly affected, they may be
given to strong Italian colonies to clean up. If the condition is more
serious, the combs will need to be fumigated. In this case scrape all propo-
lis from the top and bottom edges of the supers so the bodies will fit tight

121
APPENDIX.

and retain the gas. On top of each set of combs, place a cloth about ten
inches square (doubled), and pour a tablespoonful of carbon bisulphide
on the cloth and cover with two thicknesses of newspaper to insure a tight
joint. Then place another body on top and treat the same way, and con-
tinue as high as you wish to go.

OTHER ENEMIES.—Insectivorous birds, such as kingbirds, bee mar-
tins and a few others sometimes prey on bees. They do no great damage
when they capture workers; but when they capture queens in queen-
rearing yards the case is more serious, and the owner would probably be
justified in waging war on such birds.

Mosquito hawks or “devil’s darning-needles” are often very destruct-
ive to bees in some of the southern states, but do no damage in the North.
In-the South lizards also frequently prey on bees. Spiders are sometimes
mistakenly considered enemies of bees; but, from the way they make war
on the moth miller, we think the spider should be called the beekeepers’
friend:

Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets sometimes capture bees, but there
are very few places where they are really troublesome.

 

yee
INDEX

  

A
After-Swarms, Defined......... sees 69
After-Swarms, Preventing.......... 69
Alighting-Board, Described ......... 12
American Foul Brood........... ¢2c 149
Ants, Getting Rid of..............120
APIARY
Location in City..... exaristeobekiua) 6 ~.. 33
Shade Desirable ....4cs¢000<0045 82
Where to Locate....... Gates Vee ABS
Appendix ........... ea areyeye . 118-122
B
Bait Sections, Use of.............. 85
Balling the Queen.............065 59
BEE
Brush Handy ...........-..200-. 17
Enemies .........-.-- Seah Pal is 120-122
Escape, Porter..........ceeee+2. 14
Escape Board ............005- 14, 78
Gloves Needed ...........5-0.08 ook:
Martin, Bee Enemy... ri 122
Paralysis ......0...55 wens val 1S
Smoker Described..... «+17, 49, 50
Tree, Getting Bees from.......... 80
Veil Essential .......... 00 -e eee 17
Beebread or Pollen..... iene sere 40

Beekeepers, Olothing of............ 49

Beekeepers, Successful ...........5, 7
BEEKEEPING

Combined with Other Business..6, 7

6

Fascinating: 6 66 c-aceesiecgaee ass ad

How to Begin..... Bene snehs, 47608 8
Profit from ...... cee cece eres 6
Success in .......... esse ee Ree =O)
When to Start........... wee 7, 108

BEES

Brushing from Combs............ 79
Buying ..... Edie Aiayauaraadcapaxore 21, 22, 26
Diseases of ......-2ee eee eue 118-120
Examining and Handling......... 49
Getting Them from Trees or Walls. 80
Kinds of cocces coe ece a aves ni vase (21
Length of Life of............... 41
Located in City ..............-. 33
Marking New Location........... 23

MOVING sence cesoamemesicscs< (23
Need Water ...........
Pound Packages of..........
Shade Desirable for......
Stages in Development of.
Transferring from Box Hives . 27, 28
What Kind to Get...... seanirelie: aieien 2M
When Likely to Rob.............
Beeswax, Description of....
Beginning Beekeeping....
Bottling Honey...........
Bottom-board, or floor............

«. 12
Box Hives, Described . Riess sive AD
Box Hives, Transferring Bees from. 27
Brood, Diseases of............ .119, “120

Brood, When Kept in Upper Story. 116

BROOD-CHAMBER

Contracting for Winter..,,.,,100, 102

123

 

 

Defined seme ce 42
Enlarging .........6. soe wiorapaneeek LG
Brood-Rearing, When Suspended... wee BT

Brush, Handy ......sesccseessreee LT
BUYING .
Bees by the Pound........ sea ces 26
Bees, What to Look for.......... 22
INUCIOL, 5605s: s:thencwecbvare eats tetas elev dnewend 24
SWAPS oes eis eeecse nb te co ceceereriue 25
Cc
Can, Uncapping .....-...--+-+-++ . 80
Candy, Feeding ........eeeeeeeee-+- L112
Candy, Recipe for ............ oor e LTD
Capping of Cells..........++2...45, 46
Capping Receptacle ..............- 80

Carbon Bisulphide, Remedy “for Ants.120
Carbon Bisulphide, Remedy for Moths.121
Cellar, When Bees Taken from......109

Cellar Wintering.............. 101, 106
CELLS
Arrangement of .......... +. 45, 46
Cappings of .......... eee ee et 45, 46

Description of ............48, 44, 45

Ohaff Tray ......... eee reece e 14, 103
Chunk Honey Production......... a 10
Cleaning Hive ........ daisies eee detove
Clipping, When and How Done. --114, 115
Olothing for Beekeepers........... 49
COLONIES

Distinguished from Swarms...... 25
Divided for Increase............. 90

  

Increase: Of a. 2 sesresise ee eae wens 91
Strong for Honey “Flow Sia hvala welioetars 108
Uniting ........- ws 113
Weak ‘Ones Robbed. . . 94
When Taken from Cellar. nite ere vena 109
COLONY
Distinguished from Nucleus....... 24
Wary 62h. eerste ge waver said» aimee oleate 24
Hopelessly Queenless............. 59
Proof of Drone-layer ............- 96
Proof of Laying Workers in...... 96
Proof of Queenlessness........... 96
Queenless, How ones i SOW eee 57
VAIS OL! Sa '5ie6 sass kee setantaus bi taesto tare an) 6
COMB
and Extracted Honey Production
Compared ..... aed dies oe bee 69, oO
Building ............. Sie aeeaesnene
Description of ............... 15, e
Drone, Rejected.............. 29,115
for Brood ........... sieviee-te wane AE,
Foundation, Described ........ 15, 44
Foundation, Purposes of.......... 45
COMBS
Care of ........ sualebere enews 82, 96
Freeing from Bees oshessS na. nehcicay sacs eavete AD:
Old for Winter Nest............. 100
Stained, How Cleaned............119
Stronger with Age.............. 44
Travel-stained ..........-..00... 44

COMB HONEY

Outfit to Producer,...--+++++-19, 20
INDEX,

  

Preparing for Market............ 89
StOrine® grass. pda sian Sate ead Se 89
Supers ...-..eeeeee enteseua ie te de Gye 19
Taking Off ....----e- eee reece 89
COMB-HONEY PRODUCTION
Before Honey Flow.....+-.++-+0+ 84
Beginning of Honey Flow........ 85
Compared with Extracted-Honey
Production ......... Sid saneda tte 9, 71
Outfit for ... cee ee eee ee eee 19, 20
Skill Required in.........++---- 84
COVER ;
TANNER ji sdiene tare en ORE eee 14, 16
Outer Lscccaser cesses wees . 14, 16
Tarred Paper ......-+-- seers 2.105
Telescoping ..-...--seeeeeeeeeee 14

Differences Between Comb and Ex-

tracted Honey Production........ 71
Diseases, Brood ......--eereee 119, 120
Diseases of Bees.....-.-+.--055 118-120
Division-board, Use of....-....+++5 15
Double-walled Hive ......---.++--> 14
DRONE

Comb, Cutting Out..........---- 115

Description of ......-- sere ee eee 389

Development of ....-..- sere eeee 39

Byes of .. 0. cece eee eee eens 39

Wate Of aaukwncvuts on ae ee Aw 39

Layers Described .........++---5 58

No Father of ........0.- 2 eee ee 38
Drones, Number of......-+--+e+++-5 39
Dysentery, Described ........-..-- 118
Dysentery, Indications of..........- 111

E
Eggs, Laying of........--.. 2s eens 38
Enemies of Bees.........+---+% 120-122
ENTRANCE

Contracted in Weak Colonies..... 110

Contracting Cleat

Regulation of .......... 5

Sizecok: canes Leas Sst 2 6 wala eS
EQUIPMENT

for Comb-honey Production ....
for Extracted-honey Production.... 80

GE TRING wad Sof Heo eek ate Re hs 12
Escape Board, as Inner Cover.....14, 16
European Foul Brood...........-. 119
Excluder Described ...........+4.. 12
Extracted Honey, Outfit to Produce,

ee ee ee ee ern 11, 16-18
EXTRACTED-HONEY PRODUCTION

Preceding Honey Flow........... 71

Preventing Swarming in........ 13-77

Time of Harvest................ 72
EXTRACTING

Equipment for ............e000- 80

Process OLF sid. c.0 eve eeiud ie tiein acy 81

Robbing During ..........-..... 79

When to: Dovess444 oversee ense 78
Extractor, Described ............ 18, 80
Extractor, Location of............. 80
Feeders, Kinds of..............06-
Feeding, Method of.............2..
Feeding Syrup in Fall
Fences, Use of..........

Final Word ...........-.
Finding the Queen.................
Floor, also Called Bottom-board..... 12

Follower, Construction of........... 19

124

 

 

Mood, Warval wowed av vies eee e Sretenaver OT
FOUL BROOD
American. sccivcos da mati ew ae aleetea seat 119
TUTO POA. . eicstnileed ib e-8.9 alice waeane as 119
Sending Samples of.............. 120
FOUNDATION
COMMS’ sire, caayseesenopahidyeh citi siaciecldde Aeanagers 44
Sheets: Of cascccntgar's hoheane a oe leeteres 13, 16
WSS! WOE" soeericekesniind aack Sua 44, 45
FRAMES
FLOP MAN: wyiccesvennica.a yiereee. die a Gentle 12
How? Handled: icc caiencanct ars 4 53-55
Mowa ble’ iscivisrcaccyan’s: oie ob. drm ctions 13
Fruit-growing and Beekeeping..... 7
G .
Gloves, Essential ...........0..aee 17
Gums; WOR? secession nie ys ees deat 27
H
Handling Frames, Method of...... 58-55
Harvest Work, After............. 95-97
HIVE
Arranged for Winter............ 103
TROBE ealetuadlaseeaue wie eieateee 2 aK 11, 12
Cleaning? aeiccoses cae ee crs oak ceceane 111
Gowers muses ie see ais mee aan aid 16
Double-walled ......c..csceseeee 14
BMEPAMCe: £0) ee ceiei tie Scie eee ceca iit 12

Equipment for............ 12, 16, 17
Equipment for Opening........49, 50

  

EXaMIMiIng,  secccsicin scene que @ Goaateies 56
WOOP SOF so duinecaney 4 nee Posies Goa chanevegs 12
Inhabitants of ........ ese e cena 36
OPONiN Ee? ss persudasun sand. a8 Geb Rie Roevatece 50, 51
Rates: (Of axc2on.0 4 ts haces aot chore 12, 16
Single-walled 56.54.46 saseeee ee 14
Stand Arranged for Winter....... 103
Wool; US6? Of oe 638.56 oleh b icc snevn 17, 50
Use Only One Kind of. ..0 scene 16
When to Open in Spring.......... 110
HIVES
Kinds Of wiicd o/s sarees gabeetaee 11, 12
Location in City ........00.000e - 33
Paper-packed ............40. 105, 109
Shade Desirable for............. 82
Standard. ia 2ese.vatsecaneeaaiess 12
HONEY
Bottling wate och 2.36 nas dvretetrincidiea ta ate 83
Chunk, Production of............ 10
Comb or Extraeted?............. 9
Containers; 6ieed ew elaine sae 83
Description of ............... 47, 48
WOXEPPCbINE 05.553) s Side euacndvsonutnorons 78-82
Extractor, Described.......... 18, 80
Plow, Seasons of................ 95
Flow, Work After.............. 95-97
Harder to Extract if Cold........ 79
Kinds for Winter Stores......... 99
Nectar Changed into............. 40
Preparing for Market............ 82
aes WS OOL: ses heisg aenentone gt aed 40
Selling Too Low..... eialne Hae & 83
Some Unfit for Stores............ 95
StOFINg: 25 64 4 beeeeevaea vice. o ace .. 82
Strained Formerly .............. 11
Taking: Off ..sssiimowda cece bs 78, 89
Honeydew, Description of.......... 48
I
INCREASE
by Dividing Colonies............. 90

Making .........5
INDEX.

 

Prevented or Made...... gee lvwcebin 116
Inside the Hive.........0eeeeeee 42-48
Introduce, How to.......... cee eee 60
Introducing, When Done..... «2 59, 95

xq
KD Mxplaimed sisacvadwaces awa aarwias 15
Kingbird, Bee Enemy.............. 122
L
Labels for Honey Containers........ 83
Laying Workers, Described . 58
Lizards, Bee Enemy in South...... F129
LOCATION

Tn: (City! acd eccncd ae nee cena Ris ware 33

Of APIATY® oe oie es eip ed ienienar deca Sa 32-34

That Protects from Stinging...... 34

M
MANAGEMENT
in Producing Comb Honey...... 84-89

in Producing .Extracted Honey...71-77

In: Spring’ soc ac seni e seas

of Queenless Colony...........
Marketing Comb Honey............
Marketing Extracted Honey
Martin, Bee Enemy

Mats, Covering Tops of Frames..... 103
Mice, Precautions Against.......... 121
Moths, Precautions Against........ 121
Moths, How to Destroy............. 121
Mosquito Hawk. Bee Enemy........ 122
Moving Bees Home................ 23
N
Nectar Changed to Honey.......... 40
Newspaper Uniting Plan.........95.114
Nosema Apis: <2. t-sadenisowsende ae wos 118
NP Explained ............ 00.0005. 15
NUCLEI
Buying sicecisishsvain cages ks Bees 24
Directions on Receiving.......... 25
SIZES Of dis Sie etiecatesieideiee? SLANG see da cette 24
Nueleus, Distinguished from Colony.. 24
O
Outdoor Wintering ............... 101

Outfit to Produce Comb Honey...19, 20
Outfit to Produce Extracted Honey.11, 18
P
Packing, When Needed............. 101
Packing, When to Remove..108, 109, 115
Packing-case, Quadruple............104

Packing-case, Wintering in..... 101.104
Pail, Friction-top for Feeding........ 100
Paper-packed Hives............ 105, 109
Paralysis, Symptoms of............ 118
Paralysis, Treatment of............ 118
Parthenogenesis, Defined........... 38

Playflights, Mistaken for Robbing.... 94
POLLEN

Also Called Beebread............ 40
Description of...........000--5 41, 47
Flow Carrie@ oi6sse eee chews ois 22
Substitutes for .............006. 47
Poultry-raising and Beekeeping...... 7
Pound Packages, Buying........... 26
Preventing Swarming in Comb-honey
Production ..... fe ie Sakae oie wee. 86-88
Preventing Swarming in Extracted- .
honey Production ......... 3... 738-77
Profit from Beekeeping............. 6
Propolis, Description of.......... 41, 47.

 

Q
QUEEN
and Drone Trap......
Balling of .....

 
 

Clipping Of ... cece eee eee e wees 114
Defective .........6+- 86, 57, 59, 96
Deseription of ......+-.-6-% .. 86-39
Drone-laying ....... sletathante ...58, 59
Egg-laying of ...ceeeee eee ee eee . 88
Excluder Described .........+--- 12
Finding the 1... ...c ces e sea eeeee 56
Importance of a Good..........+ 39
Introduction of........-2+6+ 59, 60, 95
Laying Season of........4++506- 38
Length of Life of......... ea: BS
Tost: wastes se #2 AVA eadtila ane 57
MAgSID' SE cise shiva: of Soo, rs wien bea 36,57, 96
Mother of Colony..........40- .. 89
New One Provided..........+- 86, 87
Normally One in Hive........... 38
Number of Eggs Laid by........- 38
Nuptial Flight of............--. 37
Rearing a scc06 setae eds esas 56
Replacing of ............ 57, 95, 96
Supersedure of .......... 57, 95, 96
TE OSES ative Siareg eincp Meso ener sth Se vee oN 96
Unsatisfactory, Replaced...57, 95, 96
Wntested. ie seed ecjuesein eh es SS Same 96
Work ‘with, 4 + 32¢e8ee nb ogsess 56-60
QUEEN-CELLS
Description of ........-ee5 eee 36, 37
How Given in Requeening........ 58
Where Built ........0.-. eee ee 36, 47

Queenless Colony. How to Detect..... 57
Queenless Colony, How Managed.... 57

Queenlessness, Proof of.........+..- 96
R
Races of Bees.....-- seer ec eeeee 21
Replacing of Queen............-- 57-59
Requeening, Process of...... 36, 37, 96
ROBBING
Dead Colonies......-.eeeeeeeees 110
Distinguished from Playflights.... 94
May be Serious............-0555 92
Precautions Against....... 79, 93, 94
Weak Colonies ........---0+ eee 94
When Extracting ........-+-+-4- 93
When Likely to Occur........... 92
Royal Jelly, Food of Queen Larva.... 37
Ss
Sacbrood Described ...........-+-. 120
Section, Described .......-. ee eeue 19
Section-bolder, Described .......... 19
Selling Honey......+.-.+--5- 82, 83, 89
Separator, Use of...... .seeeees 19, 20
Shade, Desirable for Bees.........-- 32
Single-walled Hive........---+-+--: 14
Skep, Straw ....-....- sees e eee eeee 11
Skep. Transferring from...........- 27
Skunks, Bee Enemies.....-........ 121
Smoker, Described .........+-+--- 17
Smoking the Swarm..........-.+-- 70
Spiders, Bee Friends..........-.-+ 122
SPRING
Dwindling ....-.-. eee ere eee eee 101
Management .........00+--45 108-116
Stores Necessary ....-+.+-ee.0e 111
Springs, Use of .....e-. see eee eeee 20
Stages in Bee Development......... 41

Stings, How to Avoid..........4- 49-52
INDEX.

 

 

 
 

Stings, How Treated ...........6. 52 Preventing in Producing Comb Hon-

OW, Sagat sate outa agasisaies wége) cass .

eee GE oh cates Hee nttacne 298) 08) Brventing in Producing Extracted .
Candy, in Harly Spring.......... 112 s ee HS ee Saale A erg UE A ie
Kinds Bad for Winter........... 99 rene Pree Pe Sa Ae eee te
Necessary in Spring............. 111 ‘

Plenty for Winterin, 98 Hed an Bolla:

Poon v Sea Benne: * 99 for Peedinge: 226 34 pe ee
Sealed, Giving ........... Perret 111 How Madey 2s:

SYrUps Arcs. iin He Mien te sew 99

Storing Honey, How and Where..... 82 Tarred Paper Cover..............- 105

Straining-can in Extracting...... ~e- 81 TRANSFERRING P

Super, Described ........... 12, 18, 19 Bees from Box Hive...........+ 27

Super Springs .........00e. cesses 19 Method OE tecss bs 8-8 axle ce, peda 27-29

Supering, in Comb-honey Production. 86 THMO £0) DO's ereceie is soe:g a epere wtelee eis & 29

Supering, in Extracted-honey Produc- Trap, Queen and Drone......... see 67
Hon Geyre sd veanianseed sae 76 ‘Travel-stained Comb .............- 44

Supersedure of Queen..... 86, 57, 95, 96 Tray, Chaff .......... ertetanoae eh eie -14, eae

SWARM Tray of Leaves or Shavings........ 10
BUYIN 26s. s.2 euintwaiiidawsseeste-d a eritcs js U .

Catcher, Manum Uucapping-can, Construction of...... 80
Clustered High .... Uncapping-knife, Described ........ 17
Clustered Low ..............4.4- UNITING

Clustered on Unshakable Place.... 67 Defined .... es ec eee eee eee eee 113
Directions for Hiving.......... 5, 26 Newspaper Plan of ...........-. 114
Distinguished from Colony....... 25 Weak Colonies ............00 eee 95
Hiving, with Clipped Queen.....63-66 Vv

Hiving, with Unclipped Queen...65-68 Vol}, “Msseutial <1s.4.444-desrawda oes 17
Preparing to Hive a............. 63 w

Smoking the........-+s-+eeee eee 70 Water, Bees’ Need of.............. 113
With Virgin Queen............., 70 Wax, Description of............ 42, 43

SWARM PREVENTION Wax Moths, Description of......... 121
a Great Problem................ 70 Windbreaks, Important ......... 32, 101
in Extracted-honey Production...73-77 WINTERING
with Increase, in Producing Extract- Brood-chamber Contracted in..100, 102

Od: Honey 3 s12 x sikevuente ja eS 75 in, ‘Cellar ji c225% Reece iaes £01, 106
Without Increase in Producing Ex- in Double-walled Hives.......... 102
tracted Honey ............-4-. 76 in Packing-cases ...........0000. 104
When Producing Comb Honey. ..86-88 Outdoors wo. csc es eee e eens 101-105

Swarms, After ..........+-++-.++- 69 Requirements for Good........... 98

Swarms Uniting, Treatment of...... 69 WAYS) OF: cosine seidocteh nasemens atid ot 101

SWARMING When Packing Needed in.........101
Anticipating ........0. cece eee 88 with Tarred Paper Tied on....... 105
CBUSES “Of 6352505 s ae Ae eS 62 Winter Nest, Described.........100, 102
Description of ..........40.4. 62, 63 Winter Protection, Taking Away....108
General Observations on.......... 70 Wire-entrance Guard..............- 68
Indications of.......e00...0005- 63 Worker, Described.............. 39, 40
Out? sso ete eee: ee se eS 68 Worker, Laying }................. 58

ILLUSTRATIONS

APIARY Unserting, the: jee bios earns aaa 78
in City Back Yard............. . 33 Porter Sigeaclay Ge-Ws Ak gous es AvkoraclSrpestecen scabs 15
im Town .... cece eee reer e ee eee 32 Beekeeping and Fruits Combined.... 7
Protected by High Fence......... 102 Beekeeping Combined with Poultry-
Protected by Trees........... 33, 101 Raising 20 > ayes ba eeieeeuanae os 6

.B BEES ;

BEE Between Combs of Hive.......... 42
Brushy: */eiaiieray 6 sciences teas ee reg DB Brushed Off a Comb............. 79
Just Emerging. .......... sees 40 Enjoyed by Kiddies............ a
Tse Tvas 2Ob sites S604 ae eeererarapeees Based 41 Examining ........c0ceceeeeee 50-55
Pupa: Of wees. 284 ae ee SE ee 41 Full Frame of......... .. 22
SMGKEL gs .ve dese dese eee cee de ey 17 Guarding Entrance.............. 92
Stages in Development of......... 41 Handling Frame of..... sibs Whe bs Caen 40
Stinger Dissected pees 52 Kept by Schoolboys..... sm eguct an 5
VSL Seance SR RCE R S $ 17 Queen, Drone, Worker........... 36

BEE-ESCAPE Seereting: Wert) i410 smesne dans i 43
Board ......+455 sdeceieeeis bares 15 Shaking, Off 2 Comb............. 79

126
INDEX.

Taken from Shipping Case........ 24
BOX HIVE

Oombs: sin 4 eee 46h 8 so a cies 28

Transferring from .............. 28

Undesirable ..... ae 27

  

ieee ht

Brood-chamber, Single- walled
Brood, Worker ...

Brush, Bristle ..........creieenee 18
Brushing Bees Off Comb........... 79
c
Cage, Combless Beo-shipping........ 26
Cage, Mailing and Introducing...... 60
Candy, Fed to Bees............... 113
Capping Receptacle........ «ee. 80, 81
Cellar, Wintering in..... teense 3 ...106

CELLS
Drone and Worker.............. 46
AEBS AN, csr secaraedied cagelajersuantharar coe doe 8 89
Queen. ss ee eee eee ees 37
Clipping, Method of............... 114
Colony, Weak ..........00 cease .-110
COMB
Built Without Foundation piped or eicksere 16
Foundation, Frame of........... . 44
Honey in Section Boxes.......... 84
in Tree, Sample of......../..... 43
of Drone and Worker Cells....... 46
of Worker Brood................ 46
Combs, Bees Between.............. 42
Combs in Box Hive............ tee. 28
Cover, Taking Off Outer............ 51
D
Development of Bee, Stages in...... 41
Division-Board, Loose-hanging ...... 15
Drone Bee .....+...005 Hla pases Gs 36
E
Eggs in Oellsi.s 4 sccawser en cea 48 en 89
ENTRANCE
Bees Guarding ................4.4 92
Blowing Smoke into............. 50
Normal Scene at........-.eeesee 22
Examining Frames of Bees........ 51-55
Extracting Equipment........... 80, 81
Extractor, Two-frame............ 18, 80
F
Feeding Hard Candy............... 113
Feeding Syrup in Pails............ 100
Bence .....see ene ondola CREE RA 20
FRAME
for Shallow Super............46. 14
Handling ......ceseueeenees 2 52-55
Hoffman Self-spaced...........+- 13
Leaning against Hive........ wiser D2
Normally Full of Bees........... 22
of Comb Foundation............. 44
Lifting Out.............20005 oar De
with Foundation..... Serre 16
Fruit-growing and Beekeeping....... 7
G
GLOVES: cesses Snags cies oun da ey ntesaen 17
H .
Handling Frame of Bees.......... 52-55
HIVE
BOX) ea asin orewsieeiy ey aig acts eee sence, 2T
Opening ... eee eas oareDO; 51
Packed with "eaves vic dis cadens 102

Parts of, with Comb- honey Super.. 19
Parts of, with Extracting-super... 11
The Several Parts of.......+.. 11, 19

ROOM , sintenssetesiei’ssjaa ce: Gia (owe aN Ailey eles ists 17
Tool, Prying Up ‘Cover with. 51
Hives, Big Load of..............4- 23
Hives, Paper-wrapped..........105, 106
Honey-extractor ..........++.++-18, 80

Honey in Section Boxes........... 84

z
Introducing Queen in Mailing Cage... 60

EK
Kiddies Enjoying Bees............ 5
L
Larva of Bee...... ccc cece eee 5 41
LOCATION
Apiary in City.....
Apiary on Roof
Good, in Town.....

 

M
Mailing Cage, Introducing Queen in.. 60

P
Packing-case Made of a Shipping Crate.104

Packing-case, Quadruple........104, 105
Porter Bee-escape...........00.00- 15
Pupa: Of; BO Qis-ecnescssic chara ele Bie eee o~» 41
Q
Quadruple Packing-case ..... ...104, 105
QUEEN
and Drone Trap...... Sarbiedsaeoneud . 70

and Workers
BGG: e455 aa eieeetns tery oa SOG Geers

Clipping of ;
Excluder
looking for

 

Root, A. I., Examining Bees........ 2

Ss
Schoolboys Handling Bees.......... 5
SECTION
Boxes Containing Honey..... 5
Comb-honey, with Foundation..... 16
Holder, Beeway ................
Holder, Plain .........
Shade, Good for Bees............
Shaking Bees Off Comb............
Shipping Cage, Combless
Shipping Case, Taking Bees from.... 24

 

SMOKER
FESBOUGEAT.  aiiwievaie resco steratensnenedernes 6/8 17
Nursing Fire in..........-2..65.- 49
Operating 2... cece eee eee eens 49-51
Using Bellows Goce cack sues 49
Stages in Development of Bee...... 41
Stinger Dissected ..............006 52
SUPER
A Shallow and a Deep........ -18,14
Beeway Section ...... se se eae 20
Plain Section ..... hie de ocunsninaa 20
Supers, Positions of..... . 73, 75, 86- 88
SWARM
Clustered on Low Branch........ 66
Cut from Branch................ 26
Looking for Queen........... sees 68
on Branch ..... Sale Te sersravanand56 eee 61
on Outside of Hive, Sale ahaa ne 8 . 62
on Post ......500- ajith anevR Ee - 69
Shaken upon Sheet....... estan RoE 68
Shaking, into Basket. peace (OT

127
INDEX.

Syrup, Feeding, in Pails........ -.--100
Tt

Tarred Paper Wrapping........ 105, 106

Transferring from Box Hive........ 28

Transferring from Tree............ 30

Trap, Queen and Drone............ 70

Tray of Leaves........-0e..eeeuee 103

Tray, Placing Cover Over.......... 103
U

Uncapping Honey ...........:..0.. 81

Uncapping Knife ............... 18, 81

128

Vv
Weill” (eissatestaua siden agai. tembeliwianiataue tuave tas 17
Ww
Water for Bees.......+...06-) eee 118
Wax, Secreted by Bees.......... 3 43
Windbreak, High Fence............ 102
Windbreak of Trees............ 33,101
Wintering in Cellar....... Bsldeinonatocoe 106
Wintering with Tarred Paper Tied
ON! soekihie aay pee ete ieee 105, 106
Worker Bee. 2.6. caus sieeaia ns es caress ee 36,47
NAS

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