Beekeeping/bee-keeping_for_beginners_1898.md

SF 523 .B87 Copy 1

BEE-KEEPING @~ FOR ~@ BEGINNERS. A PRACTICAL AND Condensed Treatise ON THE Honey-Bee Giving the Best Modes of Management in Order to Secure the Most Profit. BY J. P. H. BROWN. Copyrighted.

PRICE 50 CENTS

AUGUSTA, GA: RICHARD D. SHAWER PRINTERS 1896.  A blank beige page with a small black mark in the center.  Library of Congress stamp with "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS" and "MARS 1896" and "COPY RECEIVED" at the bottom. MAR 1896 Library of Congress

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. A PRACTICAL AND Condensed Treatise ON THE Honey-Bee. Giving the Best Modes of Management in Order to Secure the Most Profit. BY J. P. H. BROWN. Copyrighted. PRICE 50 CENTS.

AUGUSTA, GA.: RICHARDS & SHAVER, PRINTERS. 2

2nd COPY, 1896. TWO copies received 14949

Library of Congress stamp with "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS" and "MARS 1896" and "COPY RECEIVED" at the bottom.  SF523 .B87

4251

T503 6M  INTRODUCTION.

I have written "BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS" not only to supply a want long felt by the bee-keepers of the South, but to promote an industry that adds to the wealth of the country and administers to the comfort and pleasures of its people.

In its preparation I have endeavored to concentrate the gist of the science of modern apiculture, and to embody in it the practical experience of thirty years as a practical bee-keeper. While its modes of practice and methods of manipulation may not be universally applicable in every respect, its principles can be applied and used wherever the honey-bee is cultivated.

J. P. H. BROWN, AUGUSTA, GA.  [API_EMPTY_RESPONSE]  CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. History of Bee-Keeping--Profits and Pleasures--Luck and Pluck--Requisites for Success--Bee Literature

CHAPTER II. Varieties of Bees in the United States--Drones and Queens--Undeveloped Females--Disties of Workers--Size of Worker Cells--Number of Eggs--Number of Larvae--Length of Life of Drones--Size of Drone Cells--The Queen or Mother Bee--Her Appearance, Siting, Size of Overalls, and Differences in the Time to Hatch--Queen's Food, and when Placed in Different Size Colonies--Duties of Queen--Fertilized and Unfertilized Eggs--Number of Brood Lays, and Length of Time to Hatch--Leaves, Royal Food, and Development of Queens--Impregnation of Queens--Parthenogenesis--Spore-Producing Workers

CHAPTER III. Locating an Apiary--The Best Posture--Distance Bees Can Go for Forage--Arrangement of Hive-Small Hive How to Start in the Spring--How to Start a Large Multi-Hive Techs.-Bees-For Keeping for Invaluable-Handling Bees-Proceed Against the Wind-How to Open Hives-A Good Smoker Indispensable-How to Use Bees-Differences in the Color of Honey-Color of Color on Temper of Bees-Length of Tongue-Best Honey Gatherers

CHAPTER IV. Hives-Patents-Length of Hives-Narrow Top Bars of Frames-Self-Spacing-Narrow Top Bars-Division Boards-Eight Frame Hives-Rabbieted Corners versus Dove-Tail-The People's Bee-Hive-Loose Bottom Boards

13 A bee hive with frames and bees. 

CONTENTS

CHAPTER V.

Swarming Instinct—Conditions Under Which Time of Swarming—Rearing Drones—Queen Cells—When First Swarmers Issue—Hanging Out Not Always an Indication of Swarming—Apparatus for Hanging Out—How to Prevent Swarming When Queen Comes out—Chattering—How to Prepare the Hive for the Swarming Season—Swarmers in the Hive—The Opposite and Hive Swarms that Cluster Together—Billing Queens—Folding of the Wings—How to Prevent Swarming—Take Swarms Closer in High Places—Abounding Swarms—How to Make Swarms Settle—Abnormal Swarm, and Cause of Their Swarming—Swarmers in the Hanging Bells.

CHAPTER VI.

Weak Colonies—How to Disperse Them—Uniting—When to Unite—Feeding and When to Feed—Cost of Feed for Winter Storage—How to Store Sugar Syrup in Winter—to Keep in a Starving Condition—Simulative Feeding—Egg Production and Increase of Colonies by Simulative Feeding—the Advan- tages of Strong Colonies in Stores in Spring—Individu- ality of Bees—How to Make Sugar Syrup—Cars Required in Facilities for Sugar Syrup Storage—How to Detect Robber Bees—How to Prevent—How to Arrest the Halté When Forming New Colonies.

CHAPTER VII.

Transferring from One Hive into Another—from What Time to Do It, and Where to Do It—Tools and Implements Re- quired—and How to Use Them—to Know What Kind of Comb to Select—How to Get the Bees Into the New Hive—When to Remove the Hive to Its Stand—a Good Plan for Beginners.

CHAPTER VIII.

What is Honey?—Honey From Other Sources than Bloom- Substances—are Bees Injure Fruit—Pollen and Its Use—as Propolis—is Propolis Useful?—How to Make Honey—and How Made Bread Foundation, How Best to Use It and How to Reduce It—to What Purpose—is It Used? How to Fasten It.

37 36 47 48  CONTENTS

CHAPTER IX. PAGE How that the Modest Prodigy is an Apyre--Cause of Honey or Extracted--Use of Broad Chamber when Work- ing for Honey--The Use of the Broad Chamber in the Bee- Space--When to put on Sections--How to Work to the Best Advantage--Wide Frames--What Colonies will Work in with the Broad Chamber--How to Store the Colonies and Insure Seeming and Great Surplus Incomparable--Place to Store Sections in Relation to the Bees--How to Store the Colonies. Fumigation--Best Hive for Extracted Honey--When to Ex- tract--Time When the Extracted Honey Should be Inver- How to Extract-Rules to be Observed-Unpacked Broad Injured-Time When the Extracted Should be Used with Quality.

Artificial Seeming--How to Make Swarm by Division-Cy- pran and Byssus Bees--How to Make the Memory Production and Queen Becoming Antagonistic to Each Other in Practice--The Importance of the Prime Factor in the Colony--Capable of Improvement-- Highest Type of a Colony--The Proper Condition of a Colony to Make Good Queen Cells-How to Procure the Eggs to Get the Larvae-How to Keep the Dates-How to Keep the Frame and Fix it in the Frame-How to Prepare the Hive-How to Get Bees of the Right Quality-How to Keep the Bees in Order to Keep the Dates-Water to Remove the Cells-How to Make Nectar for the Reception of Cells-How to Insert the Cells- Best Combs for Nectar-How to Select the Best Bees-Why Queens-Howto Introduce Fertile Queens-Mailing Cages- Candy for Food-55

Diseases of Bees-Dysentery-Causes-Foul Brood-Appear- ance-Symptoms-Treatment-Prevention-Use of Extracted Combs and Hives-Bee Parasites-Causes-Remedies. 64

CHAPTER XI. 79

Enemies of Bees-The Enemies Introduced into this Country-Description-of-the Eggs and Larvae-Galleries and Cocoon-Moth Proof Hives-Malpighia-Bread-Bees at Home-Spring and Summer Protection Against Mice-Toad Predators-Spiders-Birds. 80  CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIII. Beet Pasturage--Diversification of the Beets--Plants in the Southern States--How to Form an Estimate of the Honey-Value of a Plant--Types of Beets--The Value of the Southern Honey-Flora--Classed as to Value--Honey Resources of Florida--Honey-Dee and Its Formation. 81

CHAPTER XIV. Marketing Honey--The Honey Trade--The Beekeeper connected to a full Appreciation of the Uses of Honey--Strained and Extracted Honey--Granulation no sign of Impurity--How to Prepare it for Market--How to Sell It--To What Use is it in the Marketing (the Market)...90

CHAPTER XV. Uses of Honey in Medicinal Preparations, in Cooking and in the Arts--Remedies for Diseases of the Throat, Bronchus and Lungs--Lagerpice and Gilda--Receipts for Honey Cakes, Ginger Snaps, Cookies, Puddings, Vinegar, Mehligin, Mead, &c...99

CHAPTER XVI. Apiary Work Planned for the Year. 105  Bee-Keeping for Beginners.

CHAPTER I. HISTORY OF BEE-KEEPING—PROFITS AND PLEASURES—"LUCK"—PLUCK—REQUISITES FOR SUCCESS—BEE LITERATURE.

FROM THE FACT that the hive bee, apis mellifera Linnaeus, has been a subject of deep study by the horticulturists, and that apiculture has been successfully conducted by these experts, it may sound strange when I assert that it has only been within the last fifty years that bee-culture has been developed into a science. The first great observa- tions in the hive, through his assistant, Burners, the natural history of this wonderful little insect was very imperfectly known. The introduction of the movable comb hives, the introduction of the Italian bee, honey extractors, comb-foundation, and numerous other appliances to make easy and to facilitate apiculture have greatly improved the economy of the hive is now well understood.

Bee-keeping, when intelligently pursued, affords more profit in proportion to the capital invested, more pleasure than any other branch of industry than any of the small rural industries. Poultry keeping soon becomes monotonous. It requires no great amount of judgment to mate up your fowls, to gather  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

the eggs, to set hens, to feed, &c. It soon centres down into a sort of routine task work; but not so well with the culture of the honey bee. Here every day gives rise to a new problem for your attention. It is one of nature's most interesting plots, where the plotter has laid that the farther you read the more deeply you become interested in the subject.

Be-e-keeping is like any other sort of business that is subject to human success. It does not follow, neither can it be expected, that every one who takes hold of it is going to make it a success. In this busi- ness there are two factors which are very important, called "luck." Luck in bee-culture is always mea- sured by "pluck," and by an observance of all those conditions upon which its successful prosecution de- pends.

Bees can not gather honey unless there is honey in the flowers; and the honey secretion is dependent upon certain atmospheric conditions for its full devel- opment. The climate must be warm and dry, and fa- vorable for the production of a good honey crop, the same as a full crop of cotton, corn, oats, &c. While bees are busy gathering honey they are "eating and board themselves." It is also true that in order to se- cure the best results, it is necessary that the labor of these industrious insects be directed by the Intelli- gent and experienced bee-keeper. Now, one can keep bees profitably without a thorough knowledge of the economy of the hive. He must know what to do, how to do, and when to do; for everything pertaining to bee culture must be done just at the right time.

Along with the purchase of bees, hives and supplies, the beginner should get books treating of the subject,  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

and should subscribe for a bee journal, and read up, and thoroughly study the subject before he proceeds. He will in this way combine theory and practice and as he proceeds will become proficient and expert with all details of management and manipulation, otherwise he will find it an up-hill business attended with no profit.

3  4

BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

CHAPTER II.

VARIETIES OF BEES IN THE HIVE--WORKERS, DRONES AND QUEENS--UNDEVELOPED FEMALES--DUTIES OF WORKERS--SIZE OF WORKER CELLS--LENGTH OF LIFE OF WORKERS--DIRECT OF THE DRONE CELLS--THE QUEEN OR MOTHER BEE--HER APPEARANCE--HER SIZE--SIZE OF OVARIES--

DIFFERENCE IN SIZE OF ABDOMEN AT DIFFERENT SEASONS AND WHEN PLACED IN DIFFERENT SIZED COLONIES--DUTIES OF QUEENS--NUMBER OF EGGs--FERTILIZED EGGS--UNFERTILIZED EGGS--EFFECTS OF FOOD ON DEVELOPMENT OF QUEENS--ROYAL FOOD--IMPIGMENTATION OF QUEENS--PARTHENOGENESIS--SEPSIS-MATERIACA--FERTILE WORKERS.

IN every normal colony there are worker bees, a queen or mother bee, and during the swarming season, drones.

The workers are undeveloped females with ovaries in an imperfect condition. They are the "honey and stores" of the hive. Their duty is to work-gather the stores, clean out the hive, secure the honey, make the comb, feed the young, stand guard at the entrance, ventilate the hive, and when necessary defend their home. During the busy season of honey gathering, the length of life of

A diagram showing the structure of a bee colony.  REF-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 8

a worker will not average more than sixty days. Those that pass over the winter live much longer. The cells in which the workers are developed are a trifle over one-fifth of an inch in diameter, or, they will average about to the square inch including both sides of the cell.

Fig. 1. Worker bee. WORKER.

Fig. 2. Queen bee. QUEEN.

Fig. 3. Drone bee. DRONE.

The drones are large, lusty fellows, rather awkward in their movements, but with great power of wing, and make a loud coarse noise when they fly. Their primary object would seem to be to fertilize the young queens. They have no stings, are great cowards, and are not attracted by honey, nor do they carry pollen and honey, therefore nature never intended them to work in the fields. It is the opinion of many observ- ing apicultors, and I think they are correct, that the drones assist in maintaining the normal degree of  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

heat of the colony, and consequently contribute to the curing and evaporation of the honey; but, on the other hand, they are very useful to the hive and its producer, hence it is advisable for the beekeeper not to allow too many drones in his colonies. This can be regulated by cutting out the drone comb and replacing with worker bees.

The drone has a very precarious tenure upon life. In queenless colonies or in colonies with old or defective queens, he may live a whole season, while in other cases he lives only a few days after the swarming season. When the swarming season is over, normal colonies destroy their drones, and cease to rear others. They also destroy those which have been left behind. Hence, when you see the workers chasing and pulling the drones out of the hive, you can rest assured that swarming is over with that colony, at least for a time.

The drones are reared in cells larger than those in which the workers are, and when capped over are much more numerous. The average number of drones is about thirty two to the square inch counting both sides of the comb. In diameter they are a trifle more than one-fourth of an inch.

The queen is the most beautiful insect in the colony. In appearance she resembles a wasp more than a worker bee. Her abdomen is a third larger than that of the worker and her body is covered with long hairs. She presents a graceful and majestic appearance when crawling over the comb. She is provided with a sting, which presents a slight curved appearance, thus indicating that she is more dangerous than other queens than other objects. I have handled thousands of queens, but have never been stung by one. The  size of the queen's ovaries depends much upon the demand made upon them for eggs. Thus, a queen in a strong colony, other conditions being the same, looks like a fat hen, while one in a weak colony loses, after a short time, if placed in a small weak colony where little brood could be reared. For the same reason the abdomen is larger in the spring during the breeding season than it is in the fall when breeding is over.

The universe is made up of wonders. Every object produces its own wonder, and every wonder has its own wonder. The little honey bee bears this divine impress as wonderfully and as powerfully as the largest animal. When we trace the queen through all her stages of development we see that she is a wonder.

It is the mission of the queen to lay the eggs that are to hatch and develop into the perfect inmates of the hive. During the day she lays about 300 eggs in a large cell, which measure from 2,000 to 3,000 eggs every twenty-four hours. Those eggs that are fertilized or impregnated and deposited in worker cells produce workers, while those that are not fertilized or impregnated and hatch out drones. After the queen deposits the egg in the cell she devotes no further attention to it and leaves it to the care of the workers. The worker days are long, especially if the weather is very warm. It hatches out a tiny little grub or larva. The workers stand ready at this stage to supply it with food and good company. In this way they abundantly depopulate around it. If a worker larva, it will come forth a perfect worker in twenty-one days counting from laying the egg. It takes twenty-four days for the perfection of a drone. The time is some

A page from "Bee-Keeping for Beginners" by J. H. Ladd. 7  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

what influenced by the temperature--if very warm, the development is slightly hastened.

When a colony is deprived of its queen, and there are in the hive worker eggs or larvae over three days old, the workers will take these young grubs from the just-hatched larva. These little grubs, fed and nursed in the ordinary way, would develop in twenty-one days into perfect workers, but they do not intend otherwise. They now go to work and enlarge the cell around the little worm-looking mate, and fill up around her with honey and pollen; in fact, the syncyonic insect literally floats in this liquid.

The cell is still enlarged and elongated until about the fifth day from the time the bee started the cell, it is capped over. It now presents the appearance of a group of cells, each containing a worker grub that takes place in this cell is wonderful. Under ordinary feeding, the grub would come forth a worker; but by the great amount of food deposited in the cell, especially deposited in the cell, the anatomical structure of the common worker grub is changed--the abdomen is elongated, the ovaries are completely developed, the sting and mouth parts are formed, and the legs have not the pollen baskets of the worker, and the very instincts and habits are changed from the worker bee.

Instead of crawling forth a perfect worker in twenty-one days from the egg, she emerges forth a perfect queen in about twelve days from starting the cell, or in sixteen days from the laying of the egg.

The development of both sexes in the development of the worker, drone and queen bee is given in the fol-  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 9

The following table, tabulated by Frank Benton, in his work on "The Honey Bee":

Egg.	Larva.	Pupa.	FROM EGGS TO IMAGO.
Queen.	Days.	Days.	Days.
Worker.	3	5	13
Drone.	2	6	15

In from six to eight days, on an average, the young queen will have grown to the size of a full-grown worker, to meet the drone. One trip is usually sufficient, but in case she fails to meet her mate, she will go out again until she succeeds. When fertilized, her ovaries commence to grow, and her body immediately increases in size, and in from four to six days she will be laying. If she does not become impregnated inside of several trips, she will die, and must wait for this object after that; and will be a drone layer. Of course, now and then, there may be an exception to the rule, but all other cases of impeded fertilization are attended with defective brood. The drones are stung with defective eggs. Uninfertilized queens can lay eggs, but these unfertilized eggs will only hatch drones. Hence drones eggs are not fertilized by the queen. This is a most interesting phenomenon--of a virgin queen laying eggs that will hatch without impregnation--seems wonderful, but the same law applies to some other species of insects. The fact was first observed and confirmed by Dr. Dzierzon, a celebrated German bee-keeper and entomist.

A table showing the time it takes for a queen bee to develop into a worker or drone bee.  38 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. Fig 4.

OVARIES OF QUEEN.

After the queen becomes impregnated, It is for life, and she never leaves the hive unless to go out with a swarm, when she is killed by the workers. She is de- posited in a sac called the spermatheca, located on the side of the ovi-duct. The male is killed by the act of copulation. "This sac contains sufficient sperm cells or eggs for her to lay during her whole life, or that the queen may lay during her lifetime; and whether the egg laid shall be a fertilized one to pro- duce a worker, or an unfertilized one to produce a drones, is a matter of option of the queen."

Sometimes in small queenless colonies there "are" what are termed fertile workers that really do lay eggs that will hatch out drones, and these are killed by worker cells will be of small size. In such cases the  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 11

bees seem to be so intent on having a queen that some workers, by engorgement of food calculated to stimulate the ovaries, become capable of laying eggs. These

Fig. 5.

NERVORS SYSTEM OF THE BEE.

eggs are deposited in the cells without the regularity of those laid by a fertilized queen. Some are placed here and there--lying across each other--piled on top of each other without order or system. In such abnormal colonies there are usually more than one fertile  12 SEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

worker. In appearance they can not be distinguished from ordinary workers. The only way to tell them is to catch them in the act of catching, and to see how often they have repeatedly done, and have found the underside of the abdomen of these been a trifle more pendulous than that of the common worker.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 13

CHAPTER III.

LOCATING AN APIARY--THE BEST PASTURE--DIS- TANCE BEES CAN GO FOR FORAGE--ARRANGE- MENT OF HIVE--SHADE--HOW TO START-- MISTAKES OF BEGINNERS IN MAKING PUR- CHASES--BEE-KEEPING FOR INVALID--HAND- LING BEES--THE STRUCTURE OF STING--ANTIDOTE-- HOW TO OPEN HYVES--A GOOD SMOKER INDEMNISABILE --HOW TO USE IT--DISPOSITION OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF BEES--INFLUENCE OF COLOR ON TEMPER OF BEES--LENGTH OF TONGUE--BEST HONEY GATHERERS.

HERE are very few places in our country where there are any honey yielding plants. The loca- tion should, if possible, be near the forage. In our Southern country the best forage is found along the streams and in the woods and on the hillsides, but on account of malaria that usually abounds in such low places it would be best to locate it on higher ground. One or two miles are not too far for bees to go to gather their food, but known them to go four miles, but this distance is too great for bees to carry their store much surplus.

In our climate hives should be arranged with special reference to shade. I prefer the shade of fruit trees. An arbor of the scuppernong grape vines makes a grand and dense shade. Other varieties of

A page from a book about beekeeping, titled "Bee-Keeping for Beginners." The page number is 13.  14 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

grapes often shed their leaves so soon that they au- saw a plant which has a compact foliage, but does not get overly large but has a close compact foliage, I can recommend the Carissa glauca. While it is a shy bearer, the fruit is very good. The Cassia Chinensis or Pride of India tree (particularly the low umbrella variety), and Sterculia platensis or varnish tree, are fine for shade, for forage, and very economical. The Cassia is a native of the tropics in the Southern States. The honey locust makes a dense shade and at the same time it is a grand honey- bush. This tree grows well in the South Atlantic. Where nature does not get too hard, the next best shade is obtained by using pieces of boards for extra covers. The hives should be set with reference to avoid having the bees face the sun directly on the entrance. In fact it is best not to allow this sun to strike the hive at all; for nearly all the damage to combs by melting is caused by the sun pouring on the hive between 8 and 10 o'clock.

When starting to keep bee it is best not to com- mence with too many colonies. A half dozen in well arranged hives would be sufficient to start with. You must learn how to make your own honeycomb, com- bined with theory. Then, as you gain knowledge you can enlarge your apiary to a profitable size. As honeycomb is made by bees, it will be obtained more rapidly by the bee than by any other means, a few days spent in some well conducted apiary under the direction of an expert apiarist would be worth while.

Beginners often make great mistakes in making their first purchases. Instead of consulting some skilled, practical and reliable bee keeper as to the arti-  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

13

cles they need, they resort to some voluminous cata- logue of aparian supplies, and pick out at random such articles as seem to suit their fancy, without any practical artist. Of course their money is spent to no purpose, and quite likely they will soon abandon the hobby which in their youth they loved.

Bee-keeping is often recommended to invalids as a source of outdoor exercise. An invalid might suc- cessfully manage a few hives, but it requires a great amount of care and attention, and the work of one hive is considerable. Opening hives, removing frames of comb, hunting queens, extracting honey, forming nuclei &c., &c., is not quite as easy as you might suppose, and the bees may sting you over and over, and often with the hot sun pouring down upon you.

One of the very first requisities towards successful bee-keeping is a knowledge of the nature and temper of the insects, and the means by which the In- sect's insensibility can be controlled.

The bee when out foraging never acts on the offen- sive; she only goes out when her hive is threatened to be disturbed, or its stores taken, or when excited by disagreeable odors, or by persons standing in its range of flight. Stinging at it, or pinching it, however, may be both painful and offensive. Its weapon of defense is its sting, which is located at the extremity of its abdomen. This organ describes a circle about 0.5 inch in diameter, pointed body; but is made up of two sections that fit closely together along their edges, while there is a groove running along their inner side through which the poison passes into the object stung. The stinger itself, when not in use. Its extremity is barbed, which causes it to stick fast in the object stung. The bee  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

cau only release itself by the sting pulling out of its body along with some of the poison and usually some of the intestines. Hence this insect gives also its life along with the blow it strikes.

Fig. 6.

A diagram showing the parts of a bee's sting, including the stinger, poison sac, and sheath. Fig. 6. shows the sting and its parts. C. is the poison sac. U. sheath. A. sting proper. B, B. Transverse section of sting. Fig. 7. Burrs of bee's sting.

When stung, the sting should be immediately re- moved, or the strong muscles that drive it and still adhere to its base, will force it deeper into the wound.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 37

It should always be scraped out with a dull knife, and not pressed by the hand, but by a cloth, which would squeeze the sac and inject more poison. When I am stung I do not wait for the blade of a knife to remove the sting, but I rub it out with my hand, or if stung on the hand I pass it quickly against a corner of the hive.

In many cases the sting of a bee is attended with much pain and swelling; while in others there are no ill effects produced.

There is no doubt that the system can soon become injured, as it were, to the poison so that no bad effects are produced. The remedy is to apply a little water when a bee-sting was very painful to him, and was always attended with much pain and swelling; but now he would rather at any time be stung by a bee than have it.

Many remedies have been suggested for stings, and while they all may do good in some cases, in others they fail. As formerly stated, the most important of these remedies is that those remedies that con- tain an alkali, such as ammonia, soda, etc., prove efficacious. An application of the tincture of iodine to the part stung is said to be beneficial. A continu- ated application of cold water to the part stung is most excellent, and usually prevents the pain and swelling. It can be applied to the part by a wet towel or by dipping a piece of pith in water.

While it is impossible to work much among bees and never get stung, it is also possible, in most cases, to avoid being stung altogether. "Bees that stings need be 'few and far between.'" One person possesses no more "charm" in handling bees than another, if the same laws and rules are observed. 07  15

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Nevertheless, the odour or emanations from the bodies of some persons seem to be more disagreeable or exciting to them than those of others.

In all our operations with our bees I found me gutted by the smell of the hive, and the malodors irritate them. So does breathing on them. Bees are always more gentle and less inclined to sting when they are gathering honey; and at such times hives can be opened without difficulty. But when a dearth of honey prevails the inmates of the same hive might show a great spirit of resentment. I have observed that the bees become more irritable at the time of this insect. I have found that dark shades of clothing, particularly red, are more distasteful to them than white. Hence when working among them I always go about in black or grey clothes.

When opening a hive always stand on the side opposite to the wind, and never in front of the en- trance. This is because the bees are fond for the insect to take to its stores and gorge itself with honey. When in this condition they never sting unless struck or squeezed. Most writers tell us that this energe- ment of the bee is due to the colour of the insect and makes it pessable. While this is partly true, in the main it is incorrect. When the honey receptacle is engorged, and the bee is thus enervated, which deprives it of the power of making the necessary action of this portion of the body in order to bring the sting into a proper position for a thrust.

Before opening a hive it is absolutely necessary that you be prepared. I advise a bee-veil for a protection to the face, but it is best to have the hands unprotected, as gloves are much in the way in handling the frames. Rubber gloves are very useful for this purpose.  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 19

besides, the propolis on the frames soon softens the rubber and destroys them. Wooden gloves covered on the back of hand and fingers with white muslin or hessian cloth will protect the hands. In order to guard against bees crawling up the arms and legs, it is best to confine the sleeves at the wrist with elastic bands, and to pull the socks over the bottom of pants. If one wears a hat, it must be pulled down so that they can not see to fly, and "are great at" crawling, and will poke their "noose" in every little opening around the body.

A good smoker is indispensable. See that it is in good order. When the fuel in it is well ignited,

Fig. 8. Direct-Draft Perflect BUCHAM BeeSmoker

approach the hive and blow a few whiffs of smoke in at the entrance. Wait a minute, then blow in a little more smoke until the bees set up a sort of roaring  30

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

noise. Then gently commence to open the hive, and if the bees show a desire to come up, blow a little more smoke over them, and they will all come out of the bees back. Bees can be smoked too much, particu- larly when queens are to be found. And how much to give depends on the season, and the peculiarities of the insect; as a general thing, Hybrida, Syrphus and Cypr- rians require more smoke to subdue them than blacks, Carniolans and Italiana. Italians are the most easily handled, and can be put into a cage without any trouble to run the bees off the combs. Blacks and Syrphus are easily run off to the sides of the hive, or will collect in a penumbrous heap, but if they are not handled with a firm hand, and will possibly loose their hold and drop at your feet, which is not very pleasant to the operator. Cyprians can stand a broadside of smoke without being frightened, but will make a con- tinued blast. When a bee gets under the clothes, give it room and do not crowd it, and it will make for the light and crawl out without offering to sting. There are several varieties of bees called mille- fiori, among which I may name the black bee, which is the most common. This variety was introduced, it is said, into Pennsylvania from Germany about the year 1780, and was transported to Scotland in 1845. The Italian, Cyprian, Syrian, Egyptian, Carni- olian, &c., are also only varieties, and are undoubt- edly of different breeds. In regard to their storing capacity, docility, and most desirable qualities, the Italian is to be preferred. In cultivating any of these breeds of bee, there is a continual, though slight dis- position to assume that there is some special mental and psychological characteristics to an assumption of some of the peculiarities of some other breed. This  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 21

seems to be a rule attending the breeding of all cattle, horses, sheep, swine, and fancy breeds of poultry, that lack that fixedness and individuality of character inherent in the bee, which is so characteristic of this species.

The Cyprian, Syrian and Egyptian bees are very excitable varieties, and are great fighters and swarmers, and are very useful.

Here is a series of experiments that I conducted with delicately adjusted instruments a few years ago with a view to ascertain the length of tongue of the different races of bees. The Cyprians and Italians had the longest tongue, and I practically found them the best honey gatherers in my apiary.  32 SEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER IV. HIVES-PATENTS—LANGSTROTH HIVE-SIZE—TOP BARS OF FRAMES—SELF-SPACING—NARROW TOP BARS-DIVISION BOARDS-EIGHT-FRAME HIVE-RABBETTED CORNER VERSUS DOTTED-THE ROOF OF A HIVE-EXCELSIOR LANGSTROTH HIVE-PAIN-TREE-TOPOGRAPHY-BOTTOMS.

It is not the province of this little book to go into the history of bee hives, nor to enter into the details of their manufacture, for at this date there is so much competition between different kinds of bee-keepers' supplies that hives can be purchased either set up or in the flat much cheaper than a bee-keeper could afford to make them himself.

Many years ago the Rev. L. L. Langstroth took out a patent on a bee hive which covered all the valuable features that a hive could possess. This patent is now nearly 50 years old, but still hundreds of patents have been issued on bee hives, but their claims, in the majority of cases, have been for some little contrivance devoid of value to any practical bee-keeper.

Many modifications have been made of the Langstroth hive. The frame used by Mr. L., was [sic] long by 17 inches wide, and 16 inches deep. It has received the most general sanction, particularly in the South. In this climate a deeper frame is not desirable for many valid reasons. The top bar of the Langstroth  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 32

frame is ½ inches wide, while the distance between the centre of one comb to the centre of the other is near 1½ inches; this necessitates the spacing of these frames with the fingers. In this way they often get too near together, and are wide apart, particularly at the ends, and the result is crooked comb.

Fig. 9.

EXCELSIOR LANGSTROM HIVE AND FRAME.

In 1870 I adopted a frame with the ends of the top bar 1½ inches wide and close fitting. This frame I have used ever since and it gives great satisfaction, as it permits of the use of two styles of the same style, close-end top bar, with a partial closed end frame, has been offered to the public as the Hoffman frame. There is another style of Hoffman frame manufactured with the top part of ends close-fitting

A diagram showing a Langstroth hive and frame.  32

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

and a narrow top bar. This style I do not use, nor recommend. Some bee-keepers content for a top bar 1½ inches wide at ends, but this gives rather too little bee-space between the combs.

With the side and top bar frames it is necessary to have some little space on the side of hive to remove them. To secure this room, some use a division board held by a wedge on the side of the hive. I formerly used this method, but found it unsatisfactory from the fact that it affords a harbor for spiders, roaches and other vermin. I find those with a bee-space at the bottom and ends the least objectionable. I mail a sample of these frames to all who write in the hive as a dummy frame.

A hive holding nine or ten frames is the best. Nine frames nearly always sufficient for most of localities. An eight-frame hive is most too small. If the queen is a good layer she soon crowds the hive and there will be too much swarming, and consequently too little surplus honey.

Fig. 10.

A hive-frame hive with self-spacing frames. A hive-frame hive arranged like the People's Hive, with surplus department, and cover proof against:  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

leaks, has more advantages and fewer objections than any other. It can be run for either comb or extracted honey; and the section crates will admit of taking sections of different widths.

Fig. 11.

THE PEOPLE'S HIVE

If the apiary is to be run exclusively for extracted honey, a ten or twelve-frame hive can be used to advantage. The Excelsior Langstroth hive is one of this description. It holds ten frames in the lower story, and nine in the upper story, on the second story, and admits of tiering up one story on top of another.

It is necessary for hives to be well put together in order to stand the continued warm sun of a Southern climate. If not well nailed at the joints they will warp and open. The very best joint is one that is rounded off, and which is not too tight, as it is preferable to the locked or dove-tail. Unless kept well

A diagram showing a Langstroth hive with ten frames in the lower story and nine in the upper story.  <painted, wood rots quicker in a warm climate than it does in a cold one.

There is a great diversity of opinion among apiarists with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of fixed or loose bottom boards. The advocates of loose bottoms contend that they are more easily cleaned. This may be true, but I think that the loose bottom is best for a warm climate, and for large apiaries where moving hives is frequently required.

Tops of wooden frames with tin or some metal will be certain to leak after a few years of exposure to the weather.

As an object for amusement and pleasure, I would recommend an observation or uni-comb-hive that contains a single comb with glass on both sides, protected by movable sides or doors. By this arrangement all the movements of the bees can be observed at once. You can see the queen deposit her eggs, the workers unload themselves of honey and pollen, &c. This hive will hold a small colony that will carry on all the operations of a hive without any other hive placed on the piazza, or in some shady nook or recess, or in a room, and the bees allowed to pass out and in through a tube in the wall.

 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 27

CHAPTER V.

SWARMING INSTINCT—CONDITION OF HIVES—REAR- ING DRONESE—QUEEN CELLS—WHEN FIRST SWARMS ISSUE—HANGING OUT NOT ALWAYS AN INDICATION OF SWARMING—APPEARANCES THAT INDICATE THE TIME OF SWARMING WHEN THE SWARM COMES—CLUTTERING— HOW TO PREPARE THE HIVE FOR THE SWARM HIVING—WHEN TO PUT ON THE SECTIONS— STRAIGHT COMES—HOW TO SEPARATE AND HIVE SWARMS THAT CLUSTER TOGETHER— "BALLING" QUEENS—PIPING OF YOUNG QUEENS AFTER SWARMED—HOW TO TAKE SWARMS CLO- TIED IN HIGH PLACES—CLIPPING QUEENS WOMEN—HOW TO KEEP THE SWARMS FROM MAKING SWARMS SETTLE—ABNORMAL SWARMS—CAUSE OF THEIR SWARMING—SWARM CATCHERS—

Ringing bells. The instinct to swarm seems to be a desire im- planted in the bee to propagate and distribute its race. The bees have no other means of increasing, and the swarming season is intense interest to the bee-keeper. The cry of "bees swarming!!" with the old time bee- master, was attended with great excitement. It excited the attention of all who heard it, and soon came the tin pans the horns and the bells. It was best,  28 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

rattle and toot, until the circling, buzzing, roaring insects settle.

In the morning when bees are breeding rapidly and honey is coming in plentifully, the hive becomes very populous, and they make preparations for swarming long before the time that is usually assigned with a view to secure the fertilization of the young queens. Usually after drones are hatched and flying, and drone larvae capped over, they commence to construct queen cells. When this is done, if the weather is favorable, a swarm may issue. First swarms generally come out in the forenoon, but in case the weather is unfavorable, they wait until they should be ready to leave, they might venture out in the afternoon. In these matters be do not always follow an invariable rule as many suppose. For instance, I have seen bees flying before the appearance of a swarm; but I have known swarms to issue when the drone brood was only capped over. Hauling bees are always found to indicate that the bees are going to swarm. They frequently hang out when they are building comb and rapidly storing honey. Weak and demoralized colonies frequently hang out at night, and appear to be in a state of an overcrowded hive. Too much heat inside may cause them to hang out.

The bee-keeper can not always tell the day the colony is going to swarm by simply looking at the hive; but generally if watched on the morning of the day it is going to cast a swarm, he will find a great many bees flying about their homes towards the en- trance, and will pass along and observe like the work- ers going to forage, but showing anxiety and a disposi- tion to hurry up the event.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Just before the departure of the swarm the whole colony is greatly excited. The hive seems to be all over agitated, and the bees are flying in all directions over the combs, and filling themselves with honey--now there is a rush for the entrance--old and young--out they come, pel-mell, tumbling over each other, and making a great noise, which is very startling noise. The queen may be among the last to get out (particularly if she is an old one); and often comes out, as it were, unwillingly, and is then driven away by the moving spirits of the matter. The idea that the queen leads the swarm is not correct.

After whirling around for some time they will generally settle at some place in a tree. If the tree is dry, because it has lost its leaves, they usually settle on some low object like a bush, vine, &c.; but if the queen is a young one the swarm may settle at a more elevated place.

In case the queen does not come out with the bees, or they fail to find her, they will return to the hive to come out at another time. When the bees commence to fly about in this manner, you must see how you are to proceed in bringing them. Procure your hive and prepare it ready for their reception. Go to the parent hive and take out a frame of brood (see that it is full of bees) and put it into the new hive. Take out a frame to make room. This frame can be placed in the old hive in place of the one removed. Then take out another frame from the other frame in the new hive with sheets of foundation. When arranged thus, it is not so apt to sag and break down by the weight of the bees. Tack a cloth to the edge of the slitting board for a smooth roadway for

29  30 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

the bees into the hive. A board, if carefully set up will answer for the purpose. Before the bees are to live the bees, sprinkle the cluster well with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do with a small broom or with water, which you can do If you cannot shake the bees directly in front of the hive procure a tin bucket and cloth ; and when the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If the bees are in the hive and tumble them into the hive by first removing the cover , and then put them out in front of the entrance . If After great heat of winter they may be found to stand. This is better than waiting till spring , as is often done. What few bees are out foraging will either find their new location or return to old hive. When your bees have been removed from their old home if want to keep beekeeping themselves at first to breed frames on top of frame story. Do this place this story otherwise they might go up into top of hive and commence operations. I have known them, 30 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

owing to a want of care in confining to the lower story, to do this. In two or three days after the bees are placed in the hive, they will begin to make comb, and are making their combs straight into the frames. Straight combs are essential in every well-conducted apiary. When you find the bees not making them straight with the frames, you must cut off some of the combs. It may be necessary to cut some points loose with a knife and secure them with transfer-dicks, as done in transferring a queen to a time place on your sections and give the bee access to her.

Sometimes several swarms may cluster together, and you may want to divide them. In such a case, pre- pare a long-handled dipper, and dip it into the easy reach of the cluster. Place an assistant at the entrance of each hive. After sprinkling the cluster, proceed with a long-handle dipper to dip it full of bees from one hive to another. If there are two hives; then a dipper full in front of another, and so on until you get them equally divided. Your assistants must have each a queen cage at hand and look out for the queen when she comes out of the hive. If more than one is placed before the hive, she must be eaged and given to the hive that is queenless. In case several bees come out of the same hive, one will get killed, and sometimes all of them will get "baited" to death by the bees.

Bees have a strange way of getting rid of strange or objectionable things. They collect around her in an angry mass, forming a ball or cluster, with the poor queen in the center, and bite her wings and pull her legs until they are forced to leave. If you wish to release the queen from the angry bees, you can plan is to drop the ball of bees into a basin of water. When

II  32

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

they turn loose, you can pick out the queen. Smoke often makes them fly to the ground, where they are easy to disperse them, rapidly blow a large volume of it upon the cluster, and as soon as they scatter, pick up the queens. When the queens are valuable and the bee-keeper is not in a hurry, he had better put them in introducing cages, and only remove one at a time, the bees settle down to business.

In about six or eight days after the first swarm is made, a second swarm is made with a young queen recently hatched. Sometimes when several queens are hatching at the same time, they make a peculiar sound called "piping." The noise is like the "peep" of a young bird, and is heard distinctly whether the ear is placed against or near the hive on the evening of the day before the departure of the swarm. One "peep" is little coarser than another, but some are more like a rival queen.

A third and even a fourth swarm frequently come out within a day or two of each other. All swarms after the first are called "casta," and should be discouraged by the bee-keeper, as they often leave the old colony without any honey left. In that case, it falls to secure enough honey to winter on. One swarm from a colony is sufficient; best to return such swarms to the parent colony. All swarms after the first have young queens, and if they are too weak or slow or steady, but good flyers, the swarms may be slower to cluster, and settle in elevated places. In such cases, remove them from their clusters, and if the cluster is too high to reach, and the object they are on cannot be removed, you can dislodge them and collect them in a bag prepared as follows: Take a bag or  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 81

sack and sew an iron hoop (a keg hoop will answer) around the mouth so as to keep it distended. Get a pole sufficiently long to reach the bees; saw a kerf in the wood about 3 inches wide, and bore a hole through your hoop into it. Of course, the hoop will be at right angles with the pole and the mouth of bag open. Now take the pole with the bag, and place the mouth of the bag over the hive entrance. With the end of the pole give the limb a good solid lick, which will shake the bees into the bag. Immediately lower the bag, and shake it vigorously. The bees will fall out of the bag. Shake the bees out in front of the hive. The first time you may not get all the bees; repeat the operation until you secure the bulk of the swarm.

Sometimes it is necessary to go to the woods in spite of all you can do. Carts are more apt to abscond than first swarms. Quite a number of observing bee-keepers contend that bees often send out scouts to find out what is going on, and wait for the swarm days before it issues. In my experience, I have never had any observations that would confirm or disprove this theory. I am not inclined to disbelieve them; but I am pretty certain that the majority of absconding swarms fail to observe these precau- tions and are not so provident. Swarms that are slow or lazy in leaving their hives are often brought to cluster by throwing fine dirt in front of them. The reflected light thrown among them from a mirror is said to set them off on a flying of a given direction. I have never tried.

Clipping the wings of queens is practised by many bee-keepers in order to prevent swarms from absconding, and to facilitate reproduction in the colony. This practice is not to be resorted to until after the queen of  34

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

is fertilized and becomes an established layer. To perform this operation, the queen should be held by the thorax, between the thumbs and forefingers of the left hand, and cut off with a half of one large or primary wing on one side cut off with a sharp pointed scissors. Do not hold the queen by the abdo- men. This is dangerous, because the young hipped queens, say nothing of the disfigurement, are liable to get lost in the grass when they come out of the hive; besides, when they get on the ground, they are liable to be stung by the bees, and it is therefore wise to be on the look out for such occurrences.

Newly hived swarms frequently refuse to stay in a hive because it is too hot. The empty hive should be kept in the shade during the day and cool when the swarm is put in it, and then it should be protected from the rays of the sun. When the inside of the hive becomes too hot, the bees can't build comb, and must hang on.

Abnormal swarms are those that desert their hives because the bees become demoralized or discouraged for want of food. These swarms are found in colonies in early spring frequently swarm out, and desert their brood, even when they have some store. Hence in such cases it is necessary to feed them occasionally. You may hive them, but they will swarm out again, probably the same or next day. Your only way to treat such swarms is to unite them with some other weak colony, and let them go where they will. If they refuse at their queen if she refuses to accompany them, and will ball her to death.

To save ourselves that may issue when we can not be watching for them, contrivances called "warm- catchers" and "hivers" have been invented that seek  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 35

to direct the queen, after she gets out of her hive, into an empty one placed in close proximity to the full one. Were all queens alike in size they could be more easily directed by ringing bells, beating pans, perforated zinc, &c., but some queens that are very prolific are of small size, and could pass an opening that would admit a large bee.

The practice of ringing bells, beating pans, &c., to make swarms settle is a very old but useless custom. It does no good, for they would settle of their own accord on your property, where there was a law that required you to make a noise in order to notify your neighbors that your bees were swarming, otherwise if the swarm settled on your neighbors' possessions you could not claim it.  36 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER VI. WEAK COLONIES--HOW TO DISPOSE OF THEM-- UNITING--WHEN TO UNITE--FEEDING--WHEN TO FEED--COST OF FEED FOR WINTER STORES-- HOW TO FEED--FEEDERS--HOW TO FEED A COL- ONY IN STARTING CONDITION--STIMULATIVE FEEDING--THE EFFECT OF AND THE USE OF BLOOD INFLUENCED BY HONEY FLOW--ADVAN- TAGES OF STRONG COLONIES RICH IN STORES IN SPRING--INDIVIDUALITY OF BEES--HOW TO MAKE SUGAR SYRUP--CAKE REQUIRED IN FEED- ING--BORING--WHAT COLONIES DO THE BOR- ING--HOW TO DETECT ROBBERS BEES--HOW TO PREVENT ROBBER BEES--HABIT WHEN FORMED.

It does not pay to attempt to carry weak colonies over the winter, because after feeding dollars worth of sugar syrup, they will not survive the winter out or perish before April. Unless as many of these to- gether as required to make a fair colony. If there is any choice in queens, preserve the best. In order to guard against robbing bees, it is necessary to keep the hedges. Select for use the best of the combs, the nicest and straightest, and the ones that contain the most stores, and place them in a corner of the hive. Then set up a roaring sound, and then proceed to carefully lift out the frames of the hives with the adhering bees and place them alternately in the hive selected. Snake  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

37

the bees off the extra combs that you cannot use in front of the hive, and they will enter all right. It is always best to feed them on sugar syrup, even after sun down; then they unite peaceably, with no extra flying, and no danger of robbers. To assist them to mark their new home, place a few bees from the old hive, or place a few weeds up in front until they adapt themselves to the new order of things.

There are many times when it is necessary to feed bees in order to get them into the hive to build them up, or to promote their breeding. Unless feeding is conducted with judgment, and done at the very time needed, the sugar syrup and the labor are often wasted. The sugar syrup is the only food on earth that is deficient in stores in October will require fully two dollars worth of granulated sugar to carry it over the winter till the first of the following April, or until the bees have been plentifully from natural sources.

Failure should be done by doing it in large quantities as the bees can take up at a time. Always place the feed inside the hive. When placed outside, it frequently leads to robbing, a demoralized condition more easily prevented than cured. If the nights are warm enough to keep the bees out, for the sides of the hive, use a feeder that can be attached to the side or end of the hive and pour in a pint or a quart of syrup every day during the night. It is screwed to the hive on the outside—the feed is poured in from the top—no opening of the hive or disturbing the bees in the least. The bees pass to the feed from the bottom of one comb and establish in the hive corresponding ones in the feeder.

If the weather is too cold for bees to fly out, place  30

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

The feed under the quilt over the cluster so they can readily get it. For feeding over the cluster I prefer an strawboard box with a wire mesh lid through which the bees can suck the feed. When applied to the hive, the lid is turned down over the cluster. The objection to this method is that it tends to be disturbed more or less every time they are fed.

In cases of emergency a feeder may be improvised out of a quart fruit can. Cut off the top, and place in the case of syrup, a piece of cloth, a few shavings and supports for the bees to keep them from drowning and falling in the syrup. Nice clean shavings make good food.

When the colony is in a starving condition, and the bees are only able to crawl, they can best be fed by filling a frame of comb with the feed and placing it gently into the hive. This method of feeding can easily be filled by pouring a small stream from the spout of a coffee-pot into the cells. In very early spring we may sometimes find a colony of bees apparently dead, but when we open up their room the bees will gradually revive. Hence never be too fast to condemn bees in this condition.

Many beekeepers are busy working in the spring to promote breeding. The object is to excite the queen to increase egg-production. This function of the queen is always governed in a great measure by the behaviour of her brood. When she goes to gather honey in the spring the whole hive becomes infused with activity, the eggs in the queen develop rapidly, and when there is a corresponding ratio, but when there is a dearth of honey-prodution is checked, and there is less brood reared.

As regards the matter of young, there is more wis-  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

dom displayed by the honey-bee than by the human. These insects regulate the amount of brood by their ability to sustain and take care of it, but with man- kind the number of children is greater among the poor than among the rich.

The object, therefore, of early spring feeding is to stimulate the bee to greater activity, and to deceive the queen into a belief (so to speak) of a honey-flow. When this is done, the bees will be kept up till the bee can gather plenty of honey from nat- ural sources, for it leads to a great amount of brood when they are thus fed. The feeding is best off without any other supplies at hand.

If your colonies are strong and go into winter quar- ters, as they should, with 25 to 30 pounds of honey in each frame, you need not feed them. All you have to do is to uncap the honey in an outside frame, and they will remove and deposit the honey at some time during the winter. It has been ob- served that bees have an individuality of their own, and they generally know best how and where to de- posit their stores, how much brood they can take care of, and how long they can live. This is very well, for man to assist and guide their instincts to administer to his benefit.

For feeding I use a syrup made by adding one gal- lon of water to fifteen pounds of granulated sugar. I have never known syrup made from this formula to granulate in the cells. All danger from granulation can be avoided by using only ten pounds of sugar for honey. For spring feeding it can be made a little thinner than for use in winter. Always use granu- lated sugar if you can get it, for most all the brown sugars are adulterated with glucose, with preparation  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

which makes it objectional for winter feed. In fact, as to its permanency, it is inferior to raw sugar (and the light sinter), and the ordinary con- sumer cannot detect it. You can use honey for feed by adding one part of water and thoroughly mixing. When it is used, it is advisable to keep bees pro- vided about the hive, or allow vessels containing it to stand near, for all sweets attract the bees, and may lead to robbing and to a demoralization of the whole spirey. The bees will then be more easily distracted as human thieves; and when this habit is once con- tracted, it causes the bee-keeper an immense amount of work in keeping his hives safe from robbers, not only robbing the richer one, but more frequently it is the strong colonies robbing the weaker ones. Robber bees can always be told from those that have been out somewhat, by their flight, which is quicker than they approach a hive. Like sneak thieves, they go cautiously with their heads toward the hive, looking for a hole or a crack in the entrance, and then dart back as if afraid to enter, particularly if there are guards stationed there. But if the en- trance is not securely guarded, they will finally pass in, and after a short time will begin to feed. They will pass out and make for their own hive. The bees belonging to the hive would come in loaded and not go out ond would be able to defend themselves against some resistance, but as the number of robber bees increase, they give up, and frequently will join the robber force to the destruction of the colony. You cannot well ar- rest the progress of this evil until the bees are out, when the robbers come. To be certain, sprinkle some flour on the bees passing out of the attacked hive, and have assistants to watch the entrance of the other hives,

80  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

and the white-coated thieves can be seen entering through the entrance, and the bees are driven out by them thoroughly in order to alarm them, and to check for the time being their outside operations, and to impart to them the odor of the robbers, which is so beneficial to them that they will not attack the hive. Contract the en- trance to the robbed hive so that only one bee can pass at a time; and set up weeds, grass or boards in front of the entrance, with narrow, crooked or dis- like winding entrance ways. Tap a little now and then on the hive to anger the bees and to get them in fighting trim; but some think that this is dis- eased thinking, and all do best to defend their home. They nearly always become thus when the robbers have taken all their stores. The only remedy in such cases is to build another strong weak hive with wire cloth and carry it into a cool dark room, like a cellar; allow it to remain forty-eight hours, and then remove it to a new stand taking the previous hive away with it. This is very conveniently directed. If the hive is still robbed, you had better unite the bees with the dishonored colony. In case where the robbers would attack in force, I have found it great advantage to spray them well with a foun- tain pump.

When bees are gathering honey plentifully from natural sources there is no danger from robbing, but when they are short of food, as they often are, the bee-keeper must use every precaution when opening hives, and must not expose frames of comb containing honey to the air until they are covered with muriatic acid. Colonies and place some obscurations in front. An ounce of prevention in this matter is worth more than a pound of cure.  67 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER VII. TRANSMISSION FROM BOX HIVES INTO FRAME HIVES—AT WHAT TIME TO DO IT—WHERE TO DO IT—TOOLS, AND IMPLEMENTS REQUIRED— TRANSFER STICKS—HOW TO USE THEM—THE KIND OF COMB SHOWN—HOW TO GET THE BEEES IN THE NEW HIVE—WHERE THERE ARE MANY COLONIES TO TRANSFER—WHEN TO RE- MOVE THE NEW HIVE TO ITS STAND—A GOOD PLAN FOR BEGINNERS.

It is often necessary to transfer bees and combs from old boxes to new frame hives. This is a very simple operation, though laborious. The inexperi- enced should never perform this operation out of doors except at times when there is no danger; for if done while the bees are in gathering, the trans- ferred colony would incur the risk of being captured by robbers.

In order to secure both increase and surplus honey from the transferred colony, the operation should be performed as early in the spring as practicable. The expert can transfer at any time in the year when the bees can be induced to go better than usual at the time of the apple bloom.

I prefer to make my transfers in a loose room with one window, where there are many windows they can be shaded. There must be no place for bees to get out, nor place for strange bees to get in. In this room I want a table, a small box without top, a  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

hatchet, cold chisel, saw, a long-bladed knife, a bucket of water, a pair of tongs, and a pair of pliers. Prepare your new hive with the frames removed, and the entrance raised an inch higher than the back, so as to prevent any drip of honey from running toward the entrance. The frames should be well greased to keep the bees from going in. Set the table near the middle of the room. Have at hand ready prepared a lot of transfer sticks, and a quantity of wire. These sticks should be one half inch longer than the depth of the frame; or, in other words, their ends should project a full fourth of an inch above the top of the frame. They can easily be split from straight-grained pitch yellow pine. The ends of these sticks are notched to hold small, thin wires that keep the sticks in position when they are inserted in the frame. The wires are wired together with a space between the width of the bottom bar; while one of the other ends has a wire three or four inches long to wrap around the end of the upper corner stick when the part is adjusted to the frame.

Fig. 12. A diagram showing a frame of comb secured in a frame by transfer sticks. Fig. 13.

FRAME OF COMB SECURED IN FRAME BY TRANSFER STICKS.

TRANSFER STICKS.  44

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

It generally takes from three to four pair of these sticks to a frame. When all is ready, go to the hive to be trimmed. Take a piece of cloth, such as a sheet, and lay cloth over it and carry it into the room and set it in front of the table, entrance end up. The table should have a door on one side, and a hole cut in the other, just a little below the top of the hive. Set the hive close up against the end of cloth. Place the box on the table with the open side down, and allow it to project on the cloth. This will keep the bees away from above the hive to receive the bees that crawl up the cloth. Blow smoke across the top of the hive to keep the bees from coming out. With your right hand take mouth of the hive and spread it over the box on the table, allowing one edge to hang over the top of the hive. Many persons drum with sticks on the hive to alarm the bees, but this is not necessary when using smoke. This drumming will do in warm weather, but when the day is cool and the colony not very strong, the bees will not ascend and the time spent in drumming is lost.

Blow plenty of smoke under the cloth, across the top of the hive and combes to keep the bees back, and to alarm them. While they are thus alarmed, put some honey with honeycomb and commence to crawl up toward the top of the hive. Now remove the cloth that you have thrown over the hive and box and proceed with the saw to cut off one side of the hive—this is called hatching—and remove one side of the hive—the side that runs nearest parallel with the combes. Use smoke, honeycomb, and sawing in this way, to drive them back. When the side is off, take this piece and cut around the edge of the comb and remove it from the hive, and carefully remove it and lay it on wide  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

boards or on the table. If any bees are on brush them off gently with a whisk broom, but do this only after the comb has been removed. After you get all the combs out, you have to go to work to place them in the frames. First lay your transfer sticks across a frame, and put the comb on top and put your frame down and cut the comb to fit. Press it in the frame, and bring your stick across and wrap the wire. Now hang the frame on the hook and let it dry. Repeat this process this way until all the comb is fixed in the frames. Use only the straight worker comb, and reject the curved comb. The worker comb must be a nice fit in the frame. When inserting the combs in the frames, try to preserve the same order the comb occupied in the old hive. If you examine comb you will find that the brood is placed in the middle of the comb, and the brood in the centre and the honey and pollen on the outside. It is best not to place too much comb honey in one frame, but rather to distribute it evenly. Get the entrance all smeared and clogged with honey the bees will not enter. Save all the bits of comb contain- ing honey—for the bees may feed it—and place it in a jar or can. If you wish to use up some of this honey or squeezed out of the combs, it can be placed in feeders. Wait a couple of days before you feed, until they have had time to fasten the combs in the frames with wax. After feeding take out the combs in the frames, remove all the transfer sticks.

Some bee-keepers use a mixture of two-parts of wax and one-part of resin or beeswax mixed in the frames, which is very good for bees with dry combs. This will not do with comb containing honey or much brood.

03  After the frames are all in the hive, securely cover them with the quilt so no bees can get above them into the room. The bees will crawl up into the cap of the hive and commence to make comb there, and desert the lower story containing the queen and brood. This is a good guard against. Now take the clustered bee in the box on the table-cover, and shake them in front of the hive on a cloth that should be tacked to the edge of the slighting board. When they have been driven out, if they have been that cluster on the window, brush down into a pan and throw them in front of the hive. When you are transferring bees from one colony to another it is not necessary for you to wait for all the bees to come in, for you can start on another hive. What few are out will go in with the following hive. Always be careful to keep your bees clean.

If the weather is quite cool the bees had better be confined with wire-cloth, and carried into a dark room for 24 or 48 hours, until they clean up things, before you transfer them to another hive. If there is a flow of honey, set them out late in the evening of the day you transferred them. Take the precaution to contract the entrance and place some obstruction at the top of the hive to prevent escape. If the colony is short of stores, you must liberally feed; for in restoring and straightening up their combs and in restringing their combs, they need food.

The following is a good plan for beginners: Allow one swarm to issue from your box hive. Hive this in your frame hive. Then in about twenty-one days after the departure of this swarm, transfer your colony. The parent colony will now have a laying queen, whereas had you transferred just after the departure

Bee-keeping for Beginners  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 47

of the swarm, you would run the risk of destroying all the queen cells, and probably loose the colony. The plan I have given is the best, but in this treatise, I have only given the plan which I consider the most practical and meritorious.  65

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER VIII. WHAT IS HONEY?--Honey FROM OTHER SOURCES THAN BLOOM--ADULTERATIONS--Do Bees INJURE FRUIT?--Pollen AND ITS USES--PROPOLEIS--WAX--HOW FORMED--COMB FOUNDATION--How Made--Brood Foundation and How to Fasten It--Section Foundation and How to Fasten It.

HONEY is a sweet substance secreted by the nectaries of flowers. It is also secreted in small quantities by little glandular organs on certain plants like the clover, the dandelion, the thistle, and the bee, and deposited in a special pouch called the honey sac, and conveyed to the hive. It is possible that the insect itself does not make the nectar, but honey is not really digested by the bees as some people con tend. The odor, flavor and qualities of it depend upon the source from which it is gathered. Thus, the famous honey of the clover has a rich flavor and flavor; the horse-mint honey has its distinguishing qualities; the sage, the poplar, the clover, &c., have their characteristic flavor.

When the flower is scarce, bees will gather sweets from many sources. They will collect the excretion of the aphis, the waste of cider mulls, cane milk, the nectar of mints and sugar-barrels fruit jellies, &c. But none of such stuff can be called honey. Bee-keepers have often been charged with feeding their bees glucose, sugar, &c., for the object of

A bee collecting nectar from a flower.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 67

the insects storing it in the surplus department to be sold for grazing purposes. The bees will not eat sugar-goose, in fact, for a bee-keeper to purchase sugar-goose, &c., to feed to his bees with the expectation of their depositing it as surplus honey to be sold at the price of 50 cents per pound would be to incur a loss of dollars and cents. This is a very common error made by those only at a pecuniary loss.

In some seasons when there is a great scarcity of honey, the bees will work on fruit, but it is only when put to great straits for food that they will attack sound fruit. When the skin of grapes, peaches, figs, &c., become punctured or cut by wasps, yellow jackets, &c., they will eat the fruit which is injured. But as all such cracked fruit is unable thus do com- paratively little damage. Here it should be remem- bered that the bees are not interested in the fruit itself, for if it were not for these insects, the fertilizing ele- ment of many male flowers would fail to reach the pollen of the female and consequently the plant would produce no seed or fruit. Hence the bee is one of nature's great pollinators.

Honey is the chief food of the nature bees, but when they are hungry they consume large quantities of pollen which they use in preparing the food for the larvae.

Folien is a farinaceous dust adhering to the au- thorities who have studied their fertilizing ele- ment. Bees collect this in little hairy baskets on their hind legs; and when the little insect gets its load well packed, it has a yellow pollen sac on each leg. With this sacs they carry trumpet shaped flowers like the yellow jasmine, cotton bloom, &c., it frequently gets its back also coated with pollen presenting the

68  50 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

appearance of having been in a meal barrel. Some of the ancient bee-keepers thought that pollen was used to feed the young bees, but this is not so. It exerts a very stimulating effect upon all the inmates of the hive. Very little breeding is done before pollen is abundant, and when it is scarce, as in the tweem commence to carry it in, the queen's ovaries enlarge, and breeding goes on rapidly. Pollen is the principal food of the young bee; it is digested along with scorpions, and is converted into honey by the flys; and in this form, deposited in the cell around the larve Rye flour, other farinaceous substances, have been substituted and fed for natural pollen, but all such experiments have not been attended with any great advantage.

Propolis,--often called bee-glass, is gathered by the bees to close up cracks and holes in the hive. Two out of it from various trees yielding gum and re-in. During the honey flow, they pay little attention to this substance, but when the pasteurage commences, they collect it in great quantities, and use it up all the little openings about the hive that would let in wind, rain and insects. They also pro- ple-line all inside cracks that will not admit of the passage of air.

Wax is a sort of bee fat that is secreted by organs along the abdomen, and comes out from under the abdominal plates. The bees are attracted by attending bees and, after kneading with saliva, are worked into the wonderful structure of comb. Bees, when necessitated, will make comb at any time when their food supply becomes insufficient to stimu- late the wax; but they always work at it with more vim and earnestness about swarming time. When  DEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

deprived of honey bee cannot make wax. It has been determined by Huber and other experimenters that bees can make wax only when they are fed honey to make one pound of wax. This has been ascertained by taking all the honey and combs from the bees, and then placing them, confined, in an empty hive, and feeding them with sugar syrup until their wax glands were full. The bulls were also weighed. In all such experiments the results can only be approximately correct, yet they are sufficiently accurate to show that it is worth while a great saving of time and honey if the bees were fur- nished combs already prepared, or comb foundation for the base of the comb.

When making a solar apiary it is best to carry along a light box to put all the bits of comb in. Press it into hard balls and then the worms will not so readily destroy it. These pieces of comb, when saved, can be re-used in the same way as fresh comb and made a good price. The handiest instrument for this pur- pose is a solar wax extractor. But when you have to use a wash-pot, fill your pot one-fourth full of water and bring to a boil. Reduce your fire to a slow one. Put comb into a coarse bag; gage the quantity to suit the size of your pot. Put on the lid and shake it down with a stone. Keep up a slow fire. As the wax comes on top dip it off into a vessel of hot water. Keep plenty of water in the vessel so that wax may run. Use as much water as you get out the wax. After you get out all the wax you can, re-melt it in water and pour into cakes. Old rusty iron and tin will dis- solve the wax very well.

Comb foundation is made by passing sheets of pure beeswax through rollers whose surface is impressed or  32

embossed with the base of the cells of the comb. The best brood foundation should run near six square feet to the point, which, if well fastened into the frame, will not sag.

Fig. 14.

FOUNDATION.

When thinner than this it will sometimes sag unless it is secured in the frame by thin wires running perpendicularly or diagonally across it. These wires are so objectionable that they waste much time in trying to cut them out. Brood frames that have a triangular comb guide will take foundation very securely. The best plan that I have found for foundation in these frames is to get a board that will fit inside of the frame and half as thick as the width of the top bar; lay your foundation on this board, and lay your sheet of foundation on top with three-eights inches of top edge overlapping the comb guide. Now, with your thumb and a thick bladed knife, press and smooth down the foundation into the wood. It is not necessary to fasten it to the ends of the frame, neither should it touch the bottom bar by a half inch.

It is not best to place swarms in hives with all the frames filled with foundation, for there would be a  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

liability for it to break down by the weight of the bees, particularly if the weather should be very warm. My plan is to alternate the frames of foundation with frames of comb, or if the latter cannot be had, to use a frame of foundation which will have a support aside from the foundation, which will soon firmly secure with wax to the frame.

The use of foundation always enables the beekeeper to obtain more brood chambers, which is a consideration of great importance in every apiary; besides it places him in a position to control almost entirely the queen's choice which is of great importance in breeding queens.

It is always best to use full sheets in the frames, but narrow strips of an inch or two wide can be used to fill up the spaces between the sections and out of foundation with astonishing rapidity. I have had them to draw whole frames of out nearly complete in twenty-four hours, and in that time the queen had three brood chambers.

Thin foundation for the surplus department usually runs from 8 to 10 square feet to the pound. Some is made by cutting off a piece of paper 10 inches by 10 square feet to the pound, but the bees do not take to this flat bottomed foundation as readily as they do to that which has the natural base of the cell.

Some beekeepers make a number of sections of this thin foundation in the sections; but it is best to fill the sections one-half or two-thirds full. I find this a gain in efficiency.

Quite a number of contrivances have been invented to fasten the starters of foundation in the sections, but I have adopted the following plan as the most satisfactory myself, viz.: The first, or year's foundation

A diagram showing a section of honeycomb with a frame of foundation inserted into it.  54

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

into pieces of the size you want; then have at hand a pan of wax over a small kerosene heater, and when melted dip one edge of your foundation in and immediately apply to the section. To do this properly will need some practice, but with a little experience it will be well fastened, for if it should get loose the bees would fasten it at the point where it dropped, and would probably make crooked comb in all the adjoining sections.

Parker's machine for fastening starters in sections is probably as efficient and rapid as any other. It is simple and easy to use, and works very well. To prevent the lever from sticking to the foundation, keep it moistened with honey.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 55

CHAPTER IX.

WHICH IS MORE PROFITABLE, TO RUN AN AYRARY FOR COM HONEY OR EXTRACTED HONEY? SIZE OF BEEHIVE—HOW THE WISE WORKING FOR COM HONEY—CRATS TO HOLD THE SECTION— BEE SPACE—WHERE TO PUT ON THE SECTIONS— HOW TO WORK TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE- WIDE FRAMES—WHAT COLONIES WILL WORK IN SECTIONS—HOW TO DISPOSE OF PARTIALLY FILLED SECTIONS—SWARMING AND GREAT SUR- PLUS INCOMPATIBLE—PLACE TO STORE SECTIONS THAT ARE FULL—HOW TO KEEP OUT THE WORMS—FUMIGATION—BEST HIVE FOR EX- TRACTED HONEY—WHEN TO EXTRACT—HOW TO TAKE THE FRAMES OF HONEY FROM THE HIVE —HOW TO EXTRACT RULES TO BE OBSERVED- UNCAPPED BEEF INSURED—TIME WHEN THE EXTRACTOR SHOULD BE USED WITH CAUTION.

WHETHER IT IS MORE PROFITABLE TO RUN AN AYRARY FOR COM HONEY THAN FOR COM HONEY DE- PENDS MUCH UPON THE LOCATION AND THE MARKET. TAKING ONE SEASON WITH ANOTHER, CONSIDERABLY MORE EXTRACTED HONEY IS GAINED THAN COM HONEY, BUT WHEN WE GET IN THE MARKET PROBABLY ONE-EIGHTH MORE FOR OUR COM HONEY THAN WE DO FOR THE EXTRACTED AR- TICLE. THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT MUCH. IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO HAVE BOTH HONEY TO SELL AND CUSTOMERS.  54 BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

When we work for comb honey it is best not to have the brood combs in the hive. In this case a great space here the bees will not go into the sections as long as they can find room below for the surplus. A hive with comb honey is usually a good hive for any location in the South. The one described in chapter fourth, is the one I recommend for comb honey. You can place on it one or two crates of sections as your pasturing may require. The foundation should be at level on its stand; for if it leans to one side the foundation will get out of plumb and crooked and bulging comb will be the result.

Fig. 15. Diagram showing a one-piece section. ONE-PIECE SECTION.

The bee-space being at the bottom, you can use any width of section. If they do not fill out, place in a dummy. A crate with a slotted separator has many advantages over one that has the space on top; because with the former, you can use any width of section, while the latter will admit of only one width. Besides, when you do not need slotted honey boards nor separators.

Some years ago there was a plain section without a bee passage between the frames called a "honey journal." The bee space was secured by means of a slotted separator. At the time very little attention was paid to the device, and it dropped out of sight. Recently the old idea has been revived, and some hives with a slotted separator called a "fence." It is claimed that the honey secured in these plain sections is cleaner and better tapped than in the standard style of section.

Diagram showing a section with slotted separator. Sections with slotted separator.  SEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS 57

Whether the trifle of gain (if any) in appearance of the house would make up for the extra cost of these few sections, separate from the main frame, must be consi- mited.

The sections should be made ready before you want to use them, and as soon as you see the bees adding wax to the upper part of the brood comb, put on your tier of sections. When they commence to gather surplus honey they bulge out the brood combs at the upper part of the frame, and this will show that they have honey. If there is a good honey flow it does not take them long to fill the crate. When it is about half empty, take out one section and place it in front of it next the brood chamber. The bees will not like the space between their surplus and the brood, and will tax their energies the more to fill it. As soon as the first or second section is filled with honey, the bees will discolor the cupping of the honey by crawling over it. It is best to remove the sections as soon as capped cells wish to provide for their own consump- tion. The middle sections are usually finished off for the outside ones; and if you wait till these are capped, the middle ones will be made dark by the bees, and will not be so useful as those finished off first. Put empty sections in the place of the ones removed. If the honey harvest will justify it, you can put a new crate and place an empty one on top of each other. By this means, I am satisfied you can obtain more surplus comb honey than by any other.

Some beekeepers whoowers wide frames to hold the sections, a plan that I do not recommend. A full depth frame will hold eight sections (4x1x4), a half frame only four sections.  58

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

It is necessary to use separators with these frames if you want to make a brood chamber, but do not use them if you want to confine the bees in the upper story.

You suspend the frames in the upper story of an eight-frame hive, and seven in the upper story of a ten-frame one. In the lower story of both hives place two frames of these wide frames on each side of the brood chamber, of a ten frame hive, and confine the brood to seven frames.

In the greater portion of the South the bulk of the surplus honey is gathered by first swarms. Mr. Hedden and I believe, Mr. Hutchinson, both experienced beekeepers, agree that in this part of the field location it is best to hive swarms that issue in the midst of the honey flow, either on full sheets of foundation or on foundation starters, and not on full frames of comb. The bees are more active when they are given them till they fill the complete cells with honey much faster than the queen can deposit eggs in them; but as soon as they have filled their cells they crave out the cells of foundation or construct the comb, the queen deposits the egg in the cell before it is ready for honey, and consequently there is more compulsion for the bees to work than when they are confined.

A strong colony will generally work in the sections before it swarms. Some sections they may complete and cap over, others remain incomplete; but as soon as the first section is filled up, all other sections are stopped, and if second swarms issue work in that crate of sections is stopped for the season so far as that colony is concerned. When a colony is thus numerous complete it is necessary to practice a coup aetat moment.

As soon as the new swarm is well to work and establishe its new hive, which will be in two or  three days, remove the crate from the old hive and place it in the new one, and this will soon com- plete the job. The new colony has the queen, the vim and the energy, while the old parent hive, for a time, is losing queen, and is greatly reduced in its working force.

Over-warming is the bane of the bee-keeper. One swarm is as much as a colony should cast consistent with its strength. Over-warming of the new brood comes only from our strong colonies, and these must be strong at the time of the honey flow. To secure this condition, the beginner must get his colonies in good condition before he starts them out. Sixty pounds of stores, and then, if the queen is vigorous, the colony will come out early in the spring with an ample supply of food for the hatching. Many plans have been suggested for the prevention of warming but really I know of no certain one that will meet all cases. When bees get the warming fever, they will often take it into their heads to swarm to split all space.

Cutting out queen cells, removing frames of brood and giving more food for the bees are methods to be tried. This plan works better in the prevention of after-warms than it does with first warms. In this case, cut out all queen's cells but one. If "cutter" insects are present, cut out a frame or two of brood and substitute foundation. Cage queens when there is danger of their being killed. When working for extracted honey, swarm ing is very common. Remove all frames of honey extraction and the removal of a frame or two of brood and replace by empty frames.

The filled sections should be stored in a close, tight.

bee-keeping for beginners. 50  60

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

dry room, free from dampness. When comb honey is stored in a dry place, the bees will not enter the capped cells will absorb moisture and ferment. In a few weeks' time the combs should be examined to see if any wax was removed by the bees. This can easily be told by the floor like crust which they leave on the combs. You can only kill them by fumigating the combs of honey with sulphur. To do this successfully the room must be absolutely dry, and the combs placed in the room, and put in a shovel full of live coals, and drop on top of the coals a table spoon full of flour of sulphur, and immerse the combs in this mixture for two hours. This amount of sulphur is sufficient for a room ten feet square. One application will usually be sufficient. The honey is not affected by the fumigation. If the room is not dry when the fumigation is made, a moth there will be no further danger, as all the eggs have hatched and the larvae killed. When the amount of comb honey is not large it can be fumigated in a large dry good, and then put into a box or case, and the box to hold the sections. Cut a hole in the box near the bottom large enough to admit a small iron pan or skillet, and place in this pan a small quantity of sulphur dust; put down a few bricks to keep your pan off the wood. Place your honey in and cover the box tight; have all cracks securely closed so no air can get in; now place a few live coals in the box, and sprinkle it with some teaspoonful of sulphur; quickly pass it through the hole into the box and close the door. Frames and sections with empty comb can be treated in the same way to keep out the bees.

Sections that are only partially filled with honey and not completed had better be extracted, for if they  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

31

comb is nice and white, they can be used the next two or three days.

When we work for extracted honey it is best to have a hive to hold from ten to twenty frames. Some beekeepers extract the honey before it is properly cured by boiling it in a pan, but this is not safe. After extracting they allow it to stand for some time in shallow vessels or tanks to evaporate. These beekeepers very often have found that the honey that has been boiled becomes ferments and sour, and becomes unpalatable. The safe plan is to allow the bees to pretty well cure it in the hive before extracting. Half of the comb should at least be capped over, then the honey will keep in any climate.

Fig. 17

MUTH'S HONEY EXTRACTOR. The honey extractor is a machine made to sling the  62 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

honey out of the cells by centrifugal force. Before the frames of honey are placed in the revolving reel of the extractor the cells must all be uncapped with a knife made for the purpose.

Fig. 18.

MUTH'S UNCAPPING KNIFE. Fig. 19.

BINGHAM'S UNCAPPING KNIFE.

The cappings should be placed in a vessel like a colander, so the honey can drain from them. The velocity of the machine should only be sufficient to throw the bees into the hive, but not to incur the danger of breaking the combs. If any comb should break, use transfer sticks to hold it in place till the bees can be removed. The hive door should be made close with wire cloth door and screen, so no bees can get in to annoy or rob.

A set of extra combs should be used to place in the hive in place of those that have been removed. This saves time and danger from robbers when opening hives. After the first combs are extracted they should be used to fill up the empty spaces in the hive.

You should have a light box with a tight lid to hold the frames when removed from the hive and to carry  SEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

63

them back and forth. When you remove the bees from the frame of comb, stand at the back of the hive and shake them off with your hand. A quick motion shakes the bees off on the alighting board. In this position there is less danger of getting stung than if you stand in fruit. Brush off the re- maining bees with a brush made of a peach tree. A wing or feather irritates them very much and is not as good as the grass.

After the bees have been shaken, they should stand for a few days in some deep vessel in order to allow the small particles of wax to rise to the top, to be skimmed off before it is placed in permanent vessels.

When you have learned how to use the machine to the successful bee-keeper, its use can be abused. It is always well to know when to extract and when to stop-extracting and what to let alone.

When the honey flow is over, almost all frames will be empty except those that contain brood. These frames can be extracted every five or six days, or as often as the bees get them filled.

I have found that it is recommended to use the ex- tractor, I was told, by the then bee-keeping light, that uncapped brood was not injured by it, but I soon found out that this was not so. I went more cautiously,

and after examining my own bees, I find it is not true.

When the brood is capped over I do not think it is injured by the operation.

It is also well to keep in mind that in most of the Southern States the spring honey flow is over by the middle of June, and that July, August and a portion of September are dull months and hardly afford suffi- cient work for any one who does not work too closely, or otherwise his bees will be set back and probably may not be able to gather a sufficient sup- port for winter.  04 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER X. ARTIFICIAL SWARMING--HOW TO MAKE SWARMS BY DIVISION--CYPRHAN AND SYRIAN BEES GREAT CELL BUILDERS--HONEY PRODUCTION AND QUEEN BREEDING ANTAGONISTIC TO EACH OTHER IN PRACTICE--WHICH IS THE MOST PROFITABLE TYPE OF SWARMING--THE HIGHEST TYPE OF THE COLONY--CAPABLE OF IMPROVEMENT--HIGHEST TYPE OF QUEEN--NECESSITY FOR BREEDING QUEENS AND Drones--THE PROPER CONDITIONS OF A COLONY TO MARK GOOD QUEEN CELLS--HOW TO PRODUCE THE EGGS TO GET THE LARVAE--THE RIGHT STAGE FOR USE--HOW TO PREPARE IT AND FIT IT IN THE FRAME FOR USE--HOW TO KEEP THE DATES TO GET BEES OF RIGHT AGE TO MAKE THE QUEEN CELLS--HOW TO KEEP THE DATES--WHEN TO REMOVE THE CELLS--HOW TO MARK NUCLEI FOR THE RECEPTION OF CELLS--HOW TO INSERT THE CELLS--BEER CUTTING THE CELLS--HOW TO FREEZE THEM--INTRODUCING VIRGIN QUEENS--HOW TO INSERT THE FERTILE QUEEN IN THE CAGING CAUSE--CANDY FOR THE BEES IN THE FIREBREAKS

W HILE the majority of the largest honey producers of our country prefer that their bees should swarm naturally, there are locations and cases where artificial swarming can be practiced  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 63

to great advantage. There are many plans to do this, but I have found in my experience that none follow it, to the best. Now I will give a plan or two which I think best for the beginner.

The first plan is that the bee-keeping is not unlike the pursuit of other branches of science. You gather an idea, and that idea enlarges and begats other ideas that enable you to generalize your science and make it more complete.

I now suppose that your apiary consists of one colony and you want to divide it, and do not care to take the chance of losing the swarm. But you must not think that you can do this by merely opening the hive. The hive must be "boiling over" with bees, drones flying, and honey coming in. Get your empty hive, and go to the hive you wish to divide, and draw from it two-thirds of the bees, and all the drones, and mix with all the other bees, and place them in the new hive. One of these frames should have the queen on ; so that she may lay eggs in the new hive. Shake two-thirds of the remaining bees in the cold hive in front of the new one and make them fly into it. Fill this new body with frames filled with foundation, and put the new hive into its stand. Perform the operation of dividing in the evening. The way the hives are divided, the new hive has the most to do with the old hive, and therefore next day the greatest number of the old bees will return to the old hive, and its working force will be greatly increased. The bees in the old hive will pro- ceed to build up their comb again, and in some days will have a laying queen. If it is desired to util- ize the extra queen cells, proceed on the ninth day from the time of making the division, to cut off out

15  06

but one good one, and give them to queenless colonies of trachyphorus, or other species that have a tendency to swarm. It is best to cut them out, in order to guard against the colony swarming a swarm. Cyprinid or Syrinx colonies in this condition would be very apt to swarm, unless the extra cells were removed. If you could give the colony a laying queen it would be much better than allowing it to make one of their own. With ten, "queenless" frames in the division part of the hive would be made drone comb in them till a queen was established.

Now suppose you have five colonies in your apiary all near the eve of swarming. Draw two frames (if your new hive will hold 10 frames) of brood and store with the adhering bee larvae, and place them in the hive on his side. Replace each frame re- moved with frames filled with foundation. Be cer- tain not to take any queen. Set the hive on its per- manent stand, and let it remain until the eve of swarming. If you can not do this allow them to make queen cells.

Here your five colonies contributed to make this new colony, and by the time they had made their queen cells, in a few days time the operation could be repeated. But it is best to bear in mind that the wealth of the apiary must always be measured by the number of bees.

Possibly the highest attainment of an aplastar is skill in breeding a high order of queens. Honey pro- duction and breeding queens are to a certain extent antagonistic. The breeder must have a strong power of honey must build up his colonies to the greatest strength he is able; while the breeder of queens is continuously and unceasingly depleting his colonies  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 47

and keeping them reduced in strength. Hence the queen breeder is liable to have, in the fall, many weak fragments of colonies that have to be doubled up and fed, at expense, if he wishes to take them over the winter.

Here the question comes up, which is the most profitable, producing honey or breeding queens? This depends upon the extent of pastureage, location and weather. If he has a large quantity of land for honey, he had better sell his honey at ten cents per pound rather than breed queens and sell them at one dollar each. The value of the honey will be so much greater than the value of the bees attending the production of first-class queens, as infinitely greater.

That the queen is the prime factor in the colony, it is evident that she should possess all the requisites for successfully performing her especial functions. If we desire to improve the qualities of our bees we must concentrate our attention on this point.

That there is a capacity for improvement in the honey bee I think can hardly be questioned. We know that both plants and animals are endowed with a power of self-improvement. Is there any exception to this natural law ? Our delicious and wholesome apple of the present day was originally the sour, mealy fruit of Asia; our improved peach was from a bitter fruit of Asia; our improved Irish potato sprang from an insignificant tuber of South America. Our improved breeds of horses, cattle, hogs, poultry, sheep and goats are all in a perfect state of perfection by intelligently and carefully breeding up the wild originals. How far this improvement can be carried with the bee is difficult to determine, as the origin of reproduction of the queen is well

A page from a book about beekeeping.  03 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

her fertilization are, I may say, anomalous so unlike the breeding of our domestic animals that the queen breeder will always have immense difficulties to contend with.

In breeding queens of any variety of the honey bee there is a slight tendency to sport and revert back towards the original, especially in the yellow varieties. For this reason it is important to select breeding queens from colonies which have a high degree of capacity of stamping their characteristics upon their progeny. This information cannot be obtained by the mere observation of the bees, but must be practically test- ing her queen and worker progeny.

It is very important to select the most desirable drones for the purpose of fertilization. Drones from a vigorous colony are usually more successful than workers. The progeny of the majority of the young queens in an apiary. All impure and objectionable drones should be suppressed by cutting off the heads of the young drones in the cells; by cutting out the drone comb and inserting worker foundation in place, and by the use of drone traps. Black drones distant four miles from an Italian apiary frequently populate with the young Italian queens.

The best type of a queen can only be obtained when all the conditions for her development are the most perfect. These conditions we can learn by ob- serving how nature provides for her. In a healthy hive is crowded with young bees, the temperature is main- tained at a uniform heat; honey and pollen are plen- tiful, and the whole colony is infused with life and and intelligence proper to perpetuate its own.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 99

Hence it would be but natural for them to put forth their best energies in the development of the future queen, and to give her every care and attention during the entire duration of the colony. Therefore, the breeder should study the economy and condition of colonies at swarming time, and endeavor to keep his breeding hives in as perfect order as possible.

Queen cells made in full colonies are generally fine and well formed, and the queen correspondingly fine. The queen cells are usually found in the center of all colonies. If the cells are examined they will usually be found to be long, rough, with indentations on their surface ; and the amount of royal jelly deposited within them is very considerable. In some cells it is in excess of consumption, and a large quantity is left after the queen crawls out.

Queen cells invested in layers of comb, and others in process of development.

Fig. 20  70 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Where we have hundreds of queens to furnish, breeding them in full colonies, particularly after swarming time, would be very expensive, hence we must resort to a plan of breeding by the queen only.

When a colony is deprived of its queen they in- stinctively go to work, as soon as the excitement at- tending the loss subsides, to make another. They are ready to do this, but in order to do so, we must supply them with all the necessaries and essen- tials.

The size of the queen is analogous to the eggs of fowls and birds. It has its delicate coverings, albu- men and yolk; and when the little germ within de- velops and bursts the shell, it emerges as tiny worm or grub, somewhat like a centipede, or a millipede. This is now the perfect age of the larva for the bee to de- velop into a queen. Always select the larva as newly hatched as possible.

At two days old it makes pungy queen, and after the larva gets three days old it is worthless for breed- ing purposes. It has been demonstrated time and again (by many experiments) that bees are better fed by young bee, and for this object they must be fully supplied with both honey and pollen. The tem- perature of the hive must be high enough not to chill the larva.

In order to get the larva of the right age you must insert a frame of nice, clean worker comb in the centre of your hive, and place on top of this comb your breeding queen, and if this colony is strong and and the queen prolific—a condition in which it should be kept—the comb may be filled with eggs by the next day. If however, the queen has been out of the hive for some time, the queen will refuse  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

to lay in it until the bees clean the cells, and, as it may be necessary, varnish them. They frequently fill the cells of such honey with nectar, rather than brood eggs be- positioned in them.

Observed close to the comb, the queen cells are not the same size which will hatch in three days' time. When hatched, cut out a piece of the comb, say two by four inches, or enough for insertion in the frame on which the queen cells are to be developed. Cut this comb strip into two pieces, one of which is to be placed over one side to half their depth. The knife for this pur- pose must be warmed over a lamp so it will easily cut through the comb without breaking it.

Get a frame of tough old comb, free from the eggs and larvae of the wax-moth, and cut out pieces as long as your strips of brood, but an inch and a half wider, and place them on top of each other, so that they may fasten the strips of larvae. To do this, have a pan of melted wax and dip the edge of the end cells in the wax and immediately insert the larvae. This will keep the larvae in the cut cells directly down- ward, with no obstruction beneath, and in the best position for the bees to construct the queen cells. A second strip of brood is then inserted between these from end to end is very convenient for holding the brood. Fasten to these cross pieces an inch strip of old comb, and then to this comb fasten the strips of larvae as previously described.

I make my breeding hives only large enough to hold four frames [17:26]. At each end I have inch and a half wide strips of brood, and these are covered with wire cloth and have buttons to close them when necessary. Into one of these hives I hang my frame of selected brood, and also place in two frames, one on  72

BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

each side of the breeding one, filled with honey and pollen but no brood, which I draw from strong cells, nise. It is necessary that the brood frames should be in these frames; hence observe carefully. The fourth I fill with foundation for the bees to draw out if they want it.

To popular this hive with bees of the right age, I go to a strong colony with plenty of young bees, and take out three or four frames with as many young bees as possible, and put them into the new hive frame in front of the breeding hive. Be careful not to get the queen. Stir the bees into the new hive like a swarm. Go to another strong colony, and take out some bees and shake them in front of the hive. Repeat this with other hives, if necessary, until you get into the breeding hive fully two quarts of bees. Close up the entrance with wire cloth, and let them remain there all night, out jarring, into a cool and dark room. Allow it to remain till the evening of the following day, and then, near morning, open the entrance and let them enter. Set a board up in front of the entrance to ward off robbers, and to assist the bees in marking the hive. This time the breeding colony was formed must be noted. Use a small slate for registering that is hung on a nail at the front of the hive. On this slate I may write:

F.—5th March. R.—14th March.

Which is read: Brood from queen, "A"v; colony formed March 8th; time to be observed March 14th, which is nine days after formation. At this date all the perfect cells, but one, must be cut out and given to queenless colonies. All small defective cells should  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

be destroyed, for it is better to destroy worthless queens than to have them than to those waiting to see if the queen produces brood.

Nucels for the reception of queen cells can be made by drawing frames of brood and stores with all the alighting bees, and placing them in a box with brood ready to crawl out. Two such frames that are well covered with bees placed in a nucleus hive, with a frame of foundation between for the bees to work on, will be sufficient. The bees should be shaken off the cells before they are removed; and they should always be kept supplied with fresh honeycomb, and with a re- moved comb around them. They should be carefully handled, and held in the same position they occupied in the hive.

When the weather is cool, the cells should be in- serted in recesses cut in the comb that is in the centre of the cluster, and placed in place when there until the bees are in the comb. When the tem- perature is warm enough not to chill the brood they can be inserted between the tops of the frames directly over the brood. This method is preferable to putting out the cells when we would suppose from their queenless condition that they would exhibit the greatest care in their preservation. Why do they do this is often hard to account for, but it is done it when they have laying workers among them.

It is always best to get rid of these laying workers as soon as possible, if there are more than one or two of these, give them a ample frame of brood from other hives. One frame should have young bees crawling out and the other brood in all stages of de-  74 E.EE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

velopment. As soon as the hive gets well stocked with young bees they will most likely, if brood is fur- nished therefor, give them a queen cell or a fertile queen. But if the colony has been very much reduced in bees unite them with some fresh stock.

They are also liable to cut them when not gathering honey and are idle. They are more apt to cut them when they have not a particle of brood in the hive than when they have. This is because they are wait- ing till their own make of cells are capped that they will more readily receive them. But this is too slow for the queen breeder. Time with him is money when he has colonies to work on. He must therefore use a wire cage to protect them. This is made out of a piece of stiff wire cloth about 3 inches square. Make an inch of the wire at each corner and bend up the sides to distance of cuts and ravel out two or three of the outside wires. Take one of these wires and secure the corners. Now you have a square wire cup with a little opening in the top through which comb over the cell. The queen cell should be fastened near some cells of uncapped honey so that in case the cell hatches the young queen can get at it. Otherwise contrivances as I have been recommended and used for the preservation of queen olla, but the fuss and bother with their use generally counterbalances all their merit.

In case the cell hatches, release the queen in the same manner as described in directions for introduc- ing queens into new colonies. And now, if we had to introduce, thousands of virgin queens by every plan I ever heard of and could think of, and I find there are more failures connected with the introduction of  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

73

these queens than with fertilized ones. I am aware that there are many bee-keepers who assert that they never have any failures in their introduction; now, all the experience of their experience must be on a very small scale, or they would not be so successful as much brighter than mine.

Beer will receive strong queens more readily some- times than others. When they are gathering honey plentifully, fertile queens can safely be intro- duced by most any plan, but when the honey harvest is poor and the bees are in a state of idle, they are often received with very little grace.

Every bee-keeper has his own method of introduc- ing queens which he thinks the best. But it matters not how he does it, provided he does it with care and judgment or it will fail. There are many forms and varieties of cages used for this purpose. I prefer one made of wood, about 10 inches in mechan to the linear inch, and about one and a half inches in diameter with one side open. It has a tin rim soldered around to hold the wire cloth in place, and a cover which fits over the whole. The cage should be as deep as the comb is thick.

After removing the queen to be replaced, take a frame that has had honey from the middle of the chamber, and put this into the cage. Then take one of your cage into the sealed honey at the upper part of the comb. After starting the rim of the cage into the comb, draw out a frame from the top of the new queen under head forward. Close down into the comb but in doing so be careful not to catch the queen under the edge of the comb and either main or half of her body. The cage should leave leav- ing a space of half or three-quarters of an inch for  36

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

the queen. Now replace the frame in the hive and at the end of 48 hours examine to see that all is right. Sometimes the bees will cluster on the comb and kill the queen. If so guard against this, confine the cage in position with a pair of transfer sticks. If the bees are clustered on the cage, biting the wires and trying to get at the queen, take out the cage and place her, Watt till they are evenly distributed on both cage and comb, and shows less anger; then with a small-bladed knife cut off a hole through the comb on the opposite side into the cage and insert the frame in the hive. Allow the cut and loose particles of comb to remain in the hole to be removed by the bees. In cutting the comb, always cut from one side to preserve the caged queen. Before cutting the hole be particular to look over the combs and remove every queen cell that they have made. Then cover up the comb, examine the cage again, and if the queen is still in, enlarge the hole a little. Allow the queen to crawl out at will, and do not force her out. The bees that crawl through the hole into the cage will carry away any other queen, for they seem to be bewildered by the environment and lose sight of her majesty.

It is not a good plan to use the shipping cage for introducing queens, as they become filled with bad odors during its passage through the mails, whereby it becomes offensive to the bees, and the confined queen is only received under difficulty. Always use a clean, well ventilated cage, which can be safely transferred to another cage in a close room before a window. Open the shipping cage and let her pass into it without touching her by the wing or thorax and place her in the clean cage. Never  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

take hold of her by the abdomen or you might injure her. Do not put any of the bees that come with her in the new cage.

Very young queens can be introduced by placing in small nuclei, if the weather is warm enough not to chill the brood. Take a frame of capped brood that is crawling out, and that has unsealed honey, with the abdomen of the queen on it, and place it in the hive. It is gentle shrike to get rid of the old bees which will fly back to the hive. Wet the few remaining bees on the frame with water, and then place them in an empty hive with entrances closed with wire-cloth.

Drop the queen in and instantly close the hive. Place the hive in a cool dark room. In twenty-four hours all but one or two of the bees will have died, and only but no old bees. In forty eight hours open the hive on its stand; open entrance to admit one bee at a time, and let it crawl into the hive. The rest will follow. The young bees will soon be off to work, and if a frame of brood is added from time to time, it can soon be built up into a strong colony. There are many ways of making honey, such as boiling, sprinkling, smoking, chloroforming, dashing in honey, &c., but I deem the above sufficient for all practical purposes.

Building cages should be neat, light, ventilated, and provisioned to suit the journey. For distances of 1,000 miles and under, a soft candy made by kneading pulverized sugar into honey, until it latterly takes no more water than syrup. In this form if the weather is not too hot, will take queens from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific. But if the weather is very warm, I recommend the water can with two combs.

72  78 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

partments, in connection with a harder candy made by boiling granulated sugar. With this arrangement, queens will be able to travel long distances on their jour- ney. A cage designed by Mr. Frank Benton is a most excellent one for either short or long journeys. The feed is soft candy.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 79

CHAPTER XI.

DISEASES OF BEES--DYSENTERY--PREVALENT IN THE NORTH BUT UNKOWN IN THE SOUTH-- CAUSE--FOUL-BLOOD--APPEARANCE--CAUSE-- TREATMENT--INFECTION--TREATMENT OF IN- FECTED COMBS AND HIVES--BEER PARALYSIS-- CAUSES--REMEDIES.

A bee with a large, swollen abdomen. The honey bee is fortunate in not being subject to many diseases. Dysentery is a disease that affects bees in the spring and early summer in northern latitudes, where they are confined for long spells of cold weather; but in the South this disease is not known. It undoubtedly arises from bad management, and is often accompanied with improper food. The remedies indicated would be: A cleansing flight, warmth in the hive, removal of old comb, and feeding on sugar syrup.

Foul-blood is not a common disease, but when it takes hold of an apiary it requires watchfulness, great care and determined effort to exterminate it. The cause of foul-blood is the presence of a parasite that attacks the larvae in the cell before it takes the form of the perfect insect. All the contents of the cell are destroyed by the parasite, and the sur- face become infected with the spores which can be conveyed to other hives by inter-passing bees.

The symptoms of the disease, as described by bee- keepers who have suffered with it, are: The bees in the brood in the property of the colony, and when the broad  9

BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

combs are examined they emit a disagreeable smell from the decomposition of the larva. The larve turn dark brown and become hard and brittle, a grey substance that emits a horrid stench. The capping of the cells of young larvae is sunk, and often perforated with a hole.

Mr. Charles F. Muth, of Cincinnati, and Mr. D. A. Jones, of Canada, have had much experience with this disease. To extirminate the spores Mr. Muth uses a solution of salicylic acid, which he prepared by a German scientist. His preparation consists of eight grains of salicylic acid, eight grains of soda-borax and one ounce of water. The mixture is applied as fol- lows : From the top of the hive he pours the liquid over the combs with an atomizer. This operation should be repeated three or four times. Mr. Muth found that bees that had been affected by the disease but slightly affected with the disease, but where the disease is advanced he advises that the bees be trans- ferred into a clean hive filled with foundation, con- fined, and fed with sugar syrup. He also uses a mix- ture of sixteen grains each of salicylic acid and soda- borax, and one ounce of water to a quart of the syrup. The treatment should be continued for two weeks through. He removes the bees from the infected hives to a clean empty hive closed with wire cloth. This hive should be placed in a cool dark room. They remain in this hive for two weeks, during which time he removes all the honey they had stored in their sacs; then he places them on frames of foundation in a new hive, and feeds. The hives are kept in a cool place until the bees, even if boldest, and this should be done every day for any other purpose. The combs can be melted up into wax, but the frames had better be buried in the ground  BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

or burn. The hive can be disinfected by washing with carbolic acid, or better with Hydrogen Dioxide, and a coat of paint given inside and out. All these operations will prevent the bees from coming to the hive because they have come to get out in contact with the honey, combs, frames or hives, of the infected colony, for if they do, the disease may be communicated to their colony.

Bee-Paralysis is the name of which does not express the symptoms or nature of the disease at all. It is a disease which attacks some apiaries at some seasons and then disappears for a time. When first attacked they appear to shake, become stiff and unable to fly, and fall from the hive as though they were intoxicated and die. All sorts of theories have been advanced as a cause; and just as many remedies have been offered for its cure. But it is now generally believed that it is either positive up to the present, either as to cause or remedy. Salt, suifur, spraying with a disinfectant, changing the food supply, etc., etc., have all failed. When a colony is attacked for a time, the symptoms usually disappear. Some seasons it is more prevalent than at others. From a summung up of the reports of the disease, it appears that it is caused by some poison or the opinion (and it is theory) that it is quite likely caused by food infected with microbes, or poisonous mycotoxins formed by fungi. This is probably true in those apiaries where the bees have access to cider-mills, decaying fruit juice, rotten water-melons, &c. Chehne claimed that it was caused by Diplococcus lactis, and yielded to the same remedies as Rasilia Avena.

(6)  82

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER XII. ENEMIES OF BEES--THE WAX-MOTH--WHEN INTRO- DUCED INTO THIS COUNTRY--DESCRIPTION--ITS EGGS AND LARVE--GALLERIES AND COCONTS -MOTH-PROOF HIVES--MALLOW-SPIDER--BRAULA ORCHIS--CUT-WING--BEETLE--TEETHINGS-- HOW TO EXTERMINATE--PROTECTION AGAINST MICE--TOADS DEPREDATORS--SPIDERS--BIRDS.

THE wax-moth, galleria ceresena, is probably the worst enemy that the Southern bee-keeper has to contend with. This insect is of eastern origin, referred to by Mr. H. B. Smith as having been intro- duced into this country in 1895. This miller belongs, to the snout family of moths and is of a grey ash color, measuring from 3/4 to 1 inch in length wing about three-quarters of an inch. It creeps slowly, clinging firmly on top of the back, so slowly downwards, and have an upward turn at the end. The female is larger, darker, and has a long tail than the male.

As soon as evening approaches, this wily insect may often be seen flying around the hives, seeking a place, as near as possible to the waxen cells of the bee, to de- posit its eggs. The bees are very much alarmed with bees so that all the combs are covered and the entrances well guarded, the mouth cannot well enter, and if it does enter, it is unable to make a hole of a strong vigorous colony. But if the colony is weak and feeble and has more combs than the bees can cover, and the approaches to the hive are not well guarded,

A page from a book titled "Bee-Keeping for Beginners," chapter XII.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

The moth will soon go into the hive and lay its eggs on the combs.

When the colony is strong and no entrance can be effected, the moth will lay its eggs in some crack or recess around the hive, usually near the entrance or bottom board. The eggs, when thus deposited, are laid in patches varying from 1 to 7 of an inch in diam., one egg being placed in each patch. When first hatched the larvae are scarcely over $\frac{1}{2}$ of an inch long, nearly transparent, and can hardly be seen with the naked eye. They are very active and lively, run with great swiftness. As they readily pass through the smallest cranny, it is easy to understand how worms often get into those places in the hive that are frequently examined by the bees, such as outside cards of comb and sections.

The larvae are voracious eaters, and grow rapidly. When ready to spin their cocoons they vary in size from 1 to 3 inches long, and provide them with facilites for perfect development. Their diet is wax.

They frequently develop in exposed cakes of rendered honey, but this method of rearing them is not so effective better on it than they do on wax. At first their presence can only be told by a little flour-like substance deposited on the comb made by their excrement and particles of wax which they have eaten. In both their passage-way, they line them with silken webs which render them safe from the attacks of the bees. Their heads being given over to feeding purposes, they are unable to defend themselves thereby they can proceed beyond their silken gallery and proceed with their destructive work with impunity.

The young worms frequently get under nearly ma- ture brood and wet the young bees down fast, so that  84

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

they cannot crawl out, and can only be released by the bees cutting the cells away from around them and pulling out the pupae. The weakest young bees are generally carried out of the hive.

From a knowledge of the natural history of this in- sect we can easily comprehend the impracticability of all swell-bee hives, and that of the common moth- proof hives that can be depended on are those contain- ing strong colonies. In our Southern climate, with our mild winters and long summers, the moth is a much greater pest than it is in colder climates. A greater number of millers always follow a mild winter, and during such years they show themselves in Feb- ruary and March, laying their eggs in the cells of egg-depositing transformations until November. Net moth-proof hives, but strong colonies must be the Southern bee-keepers' watchwords.

When these hives are built, the bees should not be put on more comb than they can cover, and the bot- tom boards should be kept clean from dirt and the accumulated honey.

There are quite a number of insects that prey either upon bees or their stores, but I shall only refer to a few that do injury in our climate. There is a large fly be- longing to the family of Syrphidae, which attacks some apliaries and destroys many bees. It looks very much like a large bumble-bee, and flies with great swiftness. It takes a bee into its mouth, and carries it to its nest or limb, and when a bee returns laden with honey it is pounced upon like lightning by this insect, clapped by the legs and carried to some perch where the honey sat of the bee's body is removed, and then it flies out.

The bee is then dropped and the fly is ready for another victim.  BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

In some portions of Europe the bees are annoyed by a louse called Brachia caudata, but I have never known it to trouble bees in this country. Imported queens from France have been found to carry this louse, but very min when taken out of the shipping boxes. I have picked off as many as a half-dozen of these lice from a single queen. As I have been exceedingly careful to destroy all the lice which I find on my queens, I can say with certi- ony, I have never found any on any queens or bees reared in my apiary. These lice live on the bee and are very annoying.

Ants frequently get into the hive and annoy the bees. When they do this they mostly have a nest close by. Hunt it up, open it and scald them with boiling water, or put it in a can and carefully boil it, and the job is completed with a little knowledge painted around the bottom of the hire. Wood lice or termites sometimes get galleries in the bottom boards and make their way through the combs, or by fill- ing their passage ways with parilla. Rocasles at times take up their abode in bee hives to feed upon the honey and pollen which they will consume during the season as much honey as would support a pint of bees. I know of no satisfactory way to get rid of these pests except to frequently open the hive and remove them. The rocasles are recom- mended as a remedy, but I have not found it effectual. Mice frequently resort to bee-hives during the cold days of winter, and make nests above the bee quills or between the combs, and by their presence they may canse the warmth of the bees. When the bees are in a quiet condition the mice cut the combs to get the pollen which they eat, and they will pick all bees from the outside of the cluster and eat the head and  81 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

thorax and reject the abdomen containing the poison- sac and sting. In this way a single mouse can do great injury. Keep them not by letting in entrance stripes cut off, but by placing a wide board to ad- mit a bee but no mouse. Nail these tins on in the fall before the mice get in. While they are doing great benefit to the gardener in the way of destroying noxious insects, they are an injury to the bee keeper. About dark a toad will take its position in front of the entrance and although pre- senting the beekeeper with a large mouthful of sus- pecting bee into Its copacious mouth with its long tongue with lightning rapidity. It does not seem to care for stings, but gets the poor bee down as sweet morsel. Spiders are considered by some bee-keepers benefit, as they frequently catch the leech-mouth in their webs; but my observations have shown that they are inclined to spin their webs about the entrance or any part of the hive they catch more than moths. Keep your hives closed against them. Certain birds, as bee-martins, eat birds, sparrows, &c., sometimes catch bees, but toasty destroy so many other insects that injure fruit crops, &c., It is best to best a little cage with a door at one side and a shot- gun, and endeavor to scare them away without kill- ing them. My apiary is located amid various trees and shrubs, and I have found that the wood-pigeon, bird-cuckoo, and make their nests and hatch their young in the trees. I have watched them, and at times I thought I saw them catching bees, when I would take out my hand and find them immediately cut open their crop, but I always found the remains  SEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

of bugs and various other insects, but very rarely a bee and that nearly always a drone. Hence I now never disturb the birds, but let them alone to sing their songs, build their nests, and hatch their young unmolested.  88 EE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

CHAPTER XIII. HIVE-PASTURAGE—DIVERSITY OF MELLIFLUENT PLANTS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES—HOW TO FORM AN ESTIMATE OF THE HONEY-VALUE OF A PLANT—THE PROPER CONDITIONS FOR HONEY SECRETION—SOUTHERN HONEY FLORA—CLASSED AS TO VALUE—HONEY FROM FLORIDA—HONEY DRY AND ITS FORMATION.

THE extent and abundance of the honey-producing flora of a country, other conditions being equal, must determine whether apiculture can be successfully and profitably prosecuted in that locality.

Geographically considered, the southern portion of the United States is more varied and diversified in climate, soil and productions than any other. In the mountainous regions of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, the climate is cool and temperate, and there nearly every plant and fruit that is grown in the northern states is equally well suited to perfection. As we proceed southward, the climate becomes more mild and genial, until we arrive near the Gulf coast, where we approach the "home" of the honey bee. Here it may be said that the diversified climate of the Southern States admits of an immense variety of honey-producing plants.

To form an estimate of the value of many of our reputed nectariferous plants, would be a very difficult task. In order to arrive at correct conclu-

A page from a book with text on it. 

KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

sions as to the worth of a flower to secrete honey, it requires no little intelligence and accuracy of observation. Most of beginners are too prone to accept for truth the nursery saying:

"Have a little busy bee, Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day, From every flower that grows."

The simple fact of seeing a bee on a flower does not prove that it is gathering one particle of honey. It is bee-nature to hunt for sweets; and in times of scarcity it will seek out flowers which offer more favorable circumstances. Hence, many of the favorable reports of this or that plant for honey are often based upon very hasty and inaccurate conclusions.

To calculate the value of a plant for honey, we must have a sufficient quantity of the same within the immediate vicinity of the bee's abode, and then turn to an advantage. The seasons—the atmospheric conditions must not be lost sight of. Too much rain may prevent bees from flying; too great a protracted drought may cause its suspension; while a hot, dry atmosphere may evaporate the secretion before the bees can gather it.

With these considerations in view, some plants in bloom at the same time, bees are mostly seen on the ones yielding the most honey; while the rest although secreting some nectar, would be nearly neglected. Therefore, those plants which yield the most honey and those plants that I shall catalogue as bee forage must necessarily be more or less conjectural.

For the sake of system as well as convenience, I shall divide the honey flora into spring, summer and

A bee on a flower.  fall forage. The time and duration of bloom are noted in most cases for the latitude of Augusta, Georgia. North of this latitude the time will be later, and as we go South the time will be earlier.

The earliest blooming of our spring forage plants is the alder (alnus), which commences about the middle of January and continues until the middle of February. At this time it yields little or no honey, but during bloom its pollen-laden catkins are covered with bees. The amount of pollen that this plant affords is immense, and at this time a time when breeding should be most encouraged.

In some sections of the South, particularly on light, sandy soils, there may be found some yellow jasmine (jasminum nudiflorum). This plant possesses very decided tropical properties, it is not a very desirable plant to have in range of once bees. It blooms after the first of March and lasts three weeks. Black bees are very seldom seen working on it; but Italians in some seasons, work on it quite briskly. It yields mostly pollen, but very little honey.

I have mentioned the yellow jasmine because of its poisonous effect upon young Italian bees immedi- ately after taking their first meal. Since 1871 I have observed this effect with all varieties of the yellow jasmine flowers, that there is great mortality among the young bees, which continues until the cessation of bloom, when it ceases as quickly as it came. The symptoms are those of a violent headache, which be- come very much distended, and they act as intoxica- ted; there is great loss of muscular power, and they slowly crawl out of the hive and expire. The deaths in strong colonies often amount to one-fourth hours often amounts to a half pint of bees. What

90 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. II

little honey the flowers afford, the bees consume in breeding, and it is very rarely stored, still I know of a few cases of poisoning by eating of glistening honey. In March we have the peach, wild cherry, and in the latter part of the month the apple, huckleberry, sparkleberry, blackberry, and other plants of minor importance. In April we have the blackberry, pawpaw, palmetto and orange, and black mangrove along the coast. The latter affords an abundance of white clear honey of a mild flavor.

The Eriogonum (Eriogonum tomentosum) (Sorbarum tomentosum), commences to bloom in April, and continues for about three weeks, during which time the bees are kept "bloomining" carrying in their baskets the nectar until they are full. This is one of the forage in the list of southern honey-flowers. The honey, while a little dark, is of most excellent flavor.

The Corydalis (Corydalis solida) lasts for about two weeks and is at its height about the first week in May. The honey is light colored and of good flavor.

In May we have the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) and the Hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus). The blooms of both of these trees are dioecious, that is, the male flower is found on one plant and the female flower on another. The bees work more on the male than they do on the female flowers. 

32

IKE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

The bay (magnolia glauca) in some seasons yields large quantities of honey of a good quality. This tree flowers in May, and its blossoms continue into June. The magnolia grandiflora, linden and honey-locust, also bloom in May. The latter I regard as a most valuable forage tree. During this time of bloom bees swarm in great numbers, and the subject of other forage. The china tree (melia azedarach) affords some honey. The period of bloom is about two weeks. Sourwood, varnish tree (sterculia planatifolia), Japan privit (luzustrum), and a few other plants of minor consequence, yield some honey for forage in June. I have now enumerated the chief hay-produc ing plants that go to make up our spring harvest. Take one season with another, bees commence to lay up supplies of honey in April, and continue till middle of June. After this date but little honey is gathered till fall. There is comparatively little forage during the sum mer months of July and August. The button bush (cephalanthus occidentalis), sumac and aucuparia tuber- cles (sometimes called butter fly weed), are the most important forage plants yielding honey, but a warm, dry atmosphere evaporates it very rapidly so that been only work on it very early in the morning. A noxious weed, know as Heliotropium nesleifolium, that has become abundant since the Confederate war, yields a very bitter, yellow looking honey. It blooms in July and August, has a yellow flower, grows along roadsides and in well-irri- vated places, and is known by the name of dog-fennel, but it is altogether distinct. The honey from this plant will spoil the flavor of the spring crop if

 EEL-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

any of the latter is left in the hive. For breeding and wintering it answers all the purposes of a better article, but it is worthless for market. Bees are very rare on this wood after the appearance of fall pasturages.

In some seasons the cotton bloom yields honey, which is of a light amber color and of good flavor. But generally they gather little honey from the flowers of this plant.

Bees work with considerable energy on the cow-parsley, and I have seen them work through I do not think this plant yields large quantities. There is a peculiarity in the honey-secreting organs of this plant, in the fact that they are contained in little glands located on the petiole of the flower-stem and also within the flower.

(Colden rod) cabbage and the red balsam (Sapewort) continue till from. In some sections of country the golden rod is esteemed a valuable forage plant, but my observations do not confirm this idea.

The aster, while a modest and unpretentious little domesticated plant, is well worth a trial in gardens.

The honey is of a very light amber color and very fine flavor. In some seasons the bees store large quantities of surplus from this source alone.

CULTIVATED FORAGE.

I am satisfied that it will never pay to cultivate plants exclusively for honey, unless it be profitable they must have other uses besides the honey. Both red and white clover do well on our clay and sandy loam soils that are sufficiently rich for their growth, but it is not expected that they will supply uplands. Alfalfa and medlar have been successfully

83  14

BEAR-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

grown in a few favored localities where the condi- tions for its cultivation are favorable, but it is not only difficult to get a stand, but even after a possible stand is obtained, the plants are killed during our long, dry summer. Orchard-clover and alfalfa have been tried on both clay and sandy loam soil and have proved a success. Buckwheat grows well, but it either fails to secrete honey during the season when the honey is dis- sipated by the dry, hot air before the bees can gather it. If sown so as to bloom in either spring or fall, it comes in competition with plants that are richer in nectar, such as clover and alfalfa. Cat-nip, horse-mint, mustard, rape and turnip blooms, when cultivated, yield much honey. The first two of these should probably be cultivated in all out-of-the-way places. When laying out pleasure grounds and planting shade trees, it would be advisable to keep an eye to utility as well as to ornament. Many of the most val- uable and ornamental trees are also excellent for bee forage. I can especially recommend the pau- lonia, catalpa, chilaberry tree, varnish tree and mi- moosa. I have seen many of these trees in this country which are natives of Japan, a country to which America is greatly indebted for a large number of her most highly ornamental trees and plants. Where there is a great deal of semi-tropical region of Florida, the forage, as well as its time of bloom, dif- fers from that of higher latitudes. Mr. W. S. Hart, a most experienced beekeeper at Lake Park, Florida, writes: "The first honey flow of the year comes from soft maple in January, followed by yellow jas- mine, willow and orange blossoms in February and  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

March, which is used for brood raising. April is always dry, and but little honey is gathered. About the second week in May, the black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) puts forth a profusion of fine amber honey of heavy body and good flavor. Early in June the black mangrove (Avicennia tomentosa) comes in, and continues to give a good supply until July. The palmetto (Sabal palmetto) comes in July when they gather from both sources. The honey however, is so nearly identical that only at times can it be distinguished. The black mangrove trifle more color. I have never seen a handsome or clearer honey than that from the black mangrove, and I believe it is the most desirable honey that every one likes, and will wear without cloying on the taste better than almost any honey produced in America. Its body is not as heavy as that of the other varieties, and it has a very pleasing aroma in that respect if taken after being capped, or cured after excreting. It lasts until last to 10th of August.

The palmetto gives a good honey also. Then comes a honey drought until the middle of September, when wild sunflower, and many other plants give a flow that produces some surpluses throughout the fall and winter.

There are some species of aphides or plant lice that infest some varieties of trees and shrubs, that eject a salivary juice which is converted into a syrup by a spray of water that collects on the leaves and plants beneath them. This is called honey dew, and when the bees have no other forage, they collect large quantities of this honey, but it is a very inferior quality.

56  96 S E E - K E E P I N G F O R B E G I N N E R S

CHAPTER XIV. MARKETING HONEY--THE PEOPLE MUST BE EDU- CATED TO A FULL APPRECIATION OF THE USES OF HONEY--STRAINED AND EXTRACTED HONEY-- GRANULATION NO SIGN OF IMPURITY--HOW TO PREPARE IT FOR MARKET--HOW TO OFFER IT--TO WHAT MARKETS IT IS BEST TO OFFER.

IN some sections of country it is much easier to pro- duce the honey than it is to find a market for it. Where such is the case, the producers must bring to bear more energy and endeavor to create a market for it. The honey which is sold in the stores and be sold if proper means are used to call attention to its merits. The low dark grades of it are now largely used in the arts--by brewers, tobacconists, bakers, &c. Still another method of increasing the apprecia- tion of it by distributing among them traits, explain- ing its medicinal and culinary uses, and its great wholesomeness and superiority over the bulk of the common syrups and molasses. The use of these syrups are vile adulterations of cane syrup with glu- cose, too unwholesome to be taken into the human stomach.

The wide-awake bee-keeper will study the demands of his market, and then secure his honey in the neat- est condition to supply those demands. Some custo- mers may prefer the extracted honey, while others will have none but comb honey. It will be necessary to explain the difference between extracted honey and  REF-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

strained honey. One is honey hung out of the comb with a machine by centrifugal force, leaving behind the comb, pollen and brood, while the other is strained through a fine sieve. The former is more wholesome than comb honey, from the fact that the wax is indigestible in the human stomach, and contains no sugar, but only fat and fat-salt. This is why some persons say that honey does not agree with them—they eat the wax.

It is also said that it is best to put up extricated honey in pint, quart and half gallon vessels. Muth's jars are excellent for small packages; so are also self-sealing fruit jars and small tin pails or buckets. Have a next label with your name on each pack.

It must be remembered that nearly all honey will gradually granulate in storage. Granulation is the way in which honey changes, but on the contrary, some parts of Europe it is taken as a sign of purity. Granulated honey can be reduced to liquid by placing the container in boiling water. If the heat is applied above a boil, it will lose its flavor and deteriorate in quality.

Extracted honey should be shipped to distant man- hunts in express legs and barrels. These are much better than those made out of hard wood. A very thin coating of wax or paraffine may be given to the inside of the barrels to prevent leaks, and no wax at all, from the fact that it will crack and break loose. A coat of shellac varnish is preferable to wax, and is an efficient preventive of leaks; but no finish coating can be properly applied unless this vessel is

(7)  85 BEEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

perfectly dry on the inside. After the application of the coating, the hoops must be driven up tight. Comb-honey sells best in small frames or sections holding one pound each. When sold in these small neat packages, it is more inviting than when offered for sale in bulk in bucket, tubs or barrels, as is frequently the case. The buyer who has a per- son might be tempted to invest ten or twenty cents for a pound or two in a neat section free from daub, when he would refuse to invest the same amount for honey in a barrel.

Encourage and build up your home markets. Better sell for a little less near home than ship to distant markets at a higher price. Beekeepers frequently conjoin their honey to ordinary grocers and commission merchants who have not the remotest idea how to handle honey to the best advan- tage. It is well to remember that when you sell then it goes to the cellar or back part of the store, out of the way, where no one can see it or know that they have it. If you want to sell honey profitably you must provide yourself with a neat tight glass container in which to place it and exhibit it to its customers.

When shipping to distant markets, first find out the responsibility of the carrier, his rate of ship, and his capability and facilities for handling the article. If you have no way to get at this information, corres- pond with producers who effect their sales through commission merchants.

In places where there is only an ordinary demand for honey, caution should be used not to glut the market. A good supply of honey will soon run out and can readily sell. Offer frequently, and your sales will in- crease at a paying price, and during the year a very large quantity can be disposed of.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. #

CHAPTER XV.

USES OF HONEY IN MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS—IN COOKING AND IN ARTS—REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF THE MOUTH, THROAT, BRONCHI AND LUNGS—LÁGRIPPE AND COLIS—RECIPTS FOR HONEY GLASS, HONEY CREAM, HONEY Puddings, Vinegar, Methylogin, Mead, &c.

In the preparation of many medical compounds honey plays a very conspicuous part, and in the culinary art it can be made to occupy a most important place. In the materia medica it is chased among the most valuable of all medicinal substances; pulmonary and cough mixtures for diseases of the throat, bronchus and lungs. When combined with a little flour, it forms a good remedy for sores, boils, wounds, scabs and burns. It also enters into the composition of some of the tooth pastes or dentifrices.

In order to encourage a more general use of honey, I append a few recipes which I have found useful in hospital and for the kitchen wherein honey forms a prominent part. For the most of them I am indebted to the bee journals and papers of them I have picked up as waifs floating upon the air. Some are peculiar to me, while a few I have formulated and proved good under my own "vine and fig tree."

HONEY MOUTH WASH.

This mixture is excellent in aphthous sore mouth of children, and also for cracked tongue. One ounce

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BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

of age leaves to a pint of boiling water; 3 scruples of borax and 2 ounces of honey.

FOR APHOROUS AFFECTIONS OF THE MOUTH. One drachm of borax rubbed up with one ounce of honey.

For relaxation of the uvula and as an astringent wash in mercurial sore mouth; 1 ounce alum to 1 pint of water sweetened with honey.

For la grieve and colds attended with sore throat; 1 pound granulated sugar, 1 pound honey, two tablespoonfuls decoction of honehoud; add enough water to wet the tongue and continue swarming until it will not take them add teaspoonful of juniper tar.

HONEY COUGH MEDICINE. It is especially recommended for long standing coughs: Extracted honey, Linseed oil, whiskey of each, 1 pint; mix; dose, one tablespoonful 3 or 4 times a day.

CROUF REMEDY. This is good in all cases of mucus and spasmodic cough: Raw Linseed Oil...........................................2 ozs. Tincture of Blood Root.................................2 drs. Tincture of Lobelia.......................................2 drs. Tincture of Acorn........................................1 dr. Honey......................................................4 ozs.

ERIN CERATE.

For burns, wounds, &c.: Rosin, five ounces; lard, eight ounces; beeswax, two ounces. Melt together and stir constantly until cold. This preparation is most highly recommended.  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. SH

HONEY CAKE.

One pint flour, one tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, and honey to taste. Add a thick batter; spread about an inch thick and bake in a hot oven.

HONEY SPONGE CAKE.

One large coffee cup full of honey, one cup of flour, 5 eggs. Beat together the eggs, beat the whites to a froth; mix all together, stirring as little as possible; flavor with lemon juice or extract.

HONEY CAKE.

One quart of grated honey, one-half pint sugar; 1 pint melted butter, 3 spoonfuls soda dissolved into 1 cup of warm water, ½ of a nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of ginger. Mix these ingredients and then work in flour and baking powder. Cut in thin cakes and bake on buttered tins in a quick oven.

RAILROAD HONEY CAKE.

One cup of honey, 1 heaping cup of flour, 1 teaspoonful cream tartar, 2 teaspoonfuls soda, 3 eggs and a little salt. Mix, heat together 10 minutes. Bake in a quick oven.

GERMAN HONEY CAKE.

Three and one-half pounds of flour, 1} pounds of honey, 4 pound sugar, 1} pound of butter, 1} of a grated nutmeg, 2 teaspoonfuls soda; 2 ounce of soda; roll thin cut in small cakes and bake in a hot oven.

HONEY FRUIT CAKE.

Four eggs, 5 cups of flour, 2 cups of honey, 1 cupful of butter, 1 cup of sweet milk, 2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, 2 teaspoonfuls of soda; 1 cupful of raisins, 1 pound of currants, 1 pound of citron, 1 tea-spoonful of ginger.  102

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

spoonful each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg; bake in a large loaf in a slow oven. This will be nice months after the bees have left the hive.

HONEY LEMON CAKE. One cup butter, 2 cups honey, 4 eggs well beaten, teaspoonful essence of lemon, half a cup of sour milk, 1 teaspoonful of soda, four enough to make it as stiff as can be desired; bake in a quick oven.

HONEY APPLE CAKE. Soak three cups of dried apples over night; chop slightly, and simmer in 2 coffee cups of honey, 1 coffee cup of sugar, 1 coffee cup of melted butter, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoonsful of lemon juice, 1 teaspoonful of pared lemon or orange peel, and ginger syrup if you have it. Mix all together; add the apples and then flour enough for the cake; bake in a slow oven. This will make two good sized cakes.

CHEAP HONEY CAKE. One teacup of extracted honey, 1 teacup of thick sour cream, 2 eggs, 1 teacup of butter, 2 cups flour, scant 1 cup of soda, 1 teaspoon of cream butter; flavor to taste.

HONEY GINGER CAKE. Three cups of flour, 1 cup of butter; rub well togeth, then add 2 cups sugar, 2 large tablespoonfuls of ginger, 5 eggs, 2 cups of extracted honey and 3 teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat it well, and bake in a square from one hour or more.

Three pounds and a half of flour; 1) pounds of honey; 1 pound of sugar; 1 pound of butter; 1 a nutmeg grated; 1 tablespoonful of soda dissolved in a little  BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

hot water. Roll it a quarter of an inch thick; cut it into small cakes, and bake them 25 minutes in a mod- erate oven.

HONEY COOKIES. Mix a quart of extracted honey with 1 pound of powdered white sugar, 1 pound of fresh butter, and the juice of 3 lemons. Beat these ingredients slightly, just enough to soften the butter, and then stir the mixture very hard, adding a grated nutmeg. Mix in gradually a pound or less of sifted flour, and roll out the mixture until it will go to roll out easy, and beat it well all over with a rolling pin; then roll it out into a large sheet half an inch thick, cut it into round cakes with the top of a tum- ble glass, and bake them in shallow tins panna slightly buttered and bake them.

HONEY CAKE. Three cups of honey, 4 cups of your milk, 4 cup butter, soda to sweeten the cake, and rather stiff.

HONEY GINGER SNAPS. One pint honey, 1 pounds of butter, 2 teaspoonfuls of ginger, boil together few minutes, and when nearly cold put in flour until it is stiff, roll out thinly and bake quickly.

HONEY PUDDING. Three cups thinly sliced apples, 1 pint honey, 1 pint flour, 1 pint water, 1 small piece but- ter. 1 teaspoonful soda, the juice of two lemons and this grated rind; stir the dry soda into the honey; then add the apple, melted butter and a little salt; now add the grated rind and the remaining syrup in the flour. Bake one hour. Serve hot or cold with sauce.  104 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

VINEGAR. Stir together a half gill of honey and a quart of water, permitting the whole to boil while mixing it; then expose it to the rays of the sun; covering with light muslin to prevent insects from getting in, and in 6 weeks it will become excellent vinegar, quite as good flavored as that made by the bee.

METHGLIN. Honey, fourteen pounds; warm water, three gallons; yeast, half gill; two ounces hops boiled in a quart of water; put all into a pot, boil one hour; take out the hops, with the rest of the material. Put all into a cask or demijohn, and add enough water to make the whole four gallons; let it work three days, then bottle and tie cork.

MEAD. Twelve gallons water; whites of six eggs; mix well; then add twenty pounds of honey; boil one hour; then add cinchona bark (one ounce); when cool, as soon as cold, put one spoonful of yeast in it. Barrel, keeping the vessel full as it works. After working stop close. When fine, bottle for use.  BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

CHAPTER XVI.

APiARY WORK PLANNED FOR THE YEAR.

IN mapping out the work in the apiary for the year, it should be borne in mind that it is done in reference to the latitude of the place where the bees are kept.

In this latitude bees require no special hives or repositories to enable them to pass the winter in safety. They may be left in their natural abode, the tree, with impunity. Neither is it necessary to place them in cellars, caves, clamps or pits, as is required in the North, in order to carry them safely over the cold winter. Here they winter in perfect health and strength, without any protection whatever. As they can fly out every few days during our winters and void their faeces, they are not subject to any disease, a disease that often prevails among the bees during wintering in the North. But notwithstanding our mild winters, it is essential, in order to secure the best results, that we should have our colonies in proper condition if we wish them to come out strong in the spring. That they should have sufficient stores of honey and pollen for their needs throughout the winter until the middle of March or first of April is a sine qua non. Every good, strong colony will need from 20 to 30 pounds of honey to see them safely over the winter. The weak ones will need more than one colony will consume more honey in proportion than a strong one, hence it is best to have in the fall as few of the former as possible.

In October examine all your colonies and if they  106 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

have not sufficient stores for the winter feed at once. It is much better to have weak stocks, hence small and better be united. Remove the divisions and cover the broad frames with a honey-board having a bee space beneath, or cover with a quilt made out of a piece of cloth, which will serve the pur- pose most admirably, and I much prefer quilts of this material to enameled cloth, which cost much more. Under the cloth and across the tops of the frames, place a covering of straw, which will keep the bees away for the bees to pass over the top bars from one comb to another without crawling around at an expense of animal heat. Turn the edges of the quilts slightly so no bees can pass under them, and slopet them in front of the entrance to keep out mice. When thus prepared, do not disturb them any more until Febru- ary, when they may be removed and examined by every hive in order to see what progress has been made at breeding, and to clean off all deposits of wax and debris on the bottom boards.

Bees will not winter well in their summer stands with- out extra protection anywhere south of the latitude of Maryland. Of course it is always best to have them sheltered from the weather during the winter, either by break. Farther north they should have some extra protection. Double walled hives with space packed with chaff, or some nonconducing substance, are now pretty generally used, but I think that double super is to be the best for their winters. The bees are wintered in these hives on their summer stands. On the other hand, cellars, cellars in barns, or cellars in houses are very useful by others. Successful wintering does not depend so much upon in-doors or out-doors, as it does upon an observance of the conditions upon which the health  S E E - K E E P I N G F O R B E G I N N E R S . 102

and integrity of the bees depend. First, the colony must have from twenty to thirty pounds of honey well crystallized and of good quality. In the South the quality of this honey is usually very good. The hive or repository should be free from damp, and maintained at a temperature of about 45°. The place should be cool, dark, and the bees free from all jars and sudden motions.

Mr. W. Z. Hutchinson, in his work on "Advanced Bee-Culture", remarks on wintering bees in the North, that when the temperature is below freezing point it is well beyond the influence of the outside temperature, it is well to keep watch and not allow the temperature to fall below 38°. If the temperature falls below 38° and burned all night in a cellar will raise the temperature several degrees. During the fore part of winter a low temperature is not so dangerous as it is toward spring, when the temperature may fall to 36° or 37°. It will do very well until towards spring, when it should not be allowed to go below 40°, and may with safety go as high as 45° or 50°. In this connection it must be remembered that the bees are sensitive to changes in the effects of temperature. So far as effects are concerned a moist atmosphere is the equal of a low temperature.

If the cellar is moist, and the air is not removed by ventilation, an unpleasant time in the cellar will absorb moisture. Even when the influence of moisture has been considered, it will not answer to lie outside conditions to maintain a constant tempera- ture inside the hives that affect the welfare of the bees. If the colonies are weak, their hives open and the brood nest uncovered, a higher temperature is necessary than when colonies are in close, well protected hives. Putting colonies near the top of the  108 BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

cellar will help matters some as the air is warmer there. The best guide in regard to this matter of tem- perature is the condition of the bees themselves. If they are closely, quietly and compactly clustered, there is but little cause for alarm in regard to the temperature. Quite a number have reported excellent results by keeping their hives in a cellar during summer heat, say once a week or ten days; if the bees become uneasy toward spring. This enables the bees to throw off any surplus fat which may accumulate when temperature goes down, then quiet down and remain so for several days when they may be warmed up again. So long as the bees remain quiet, I should not disturb them by arti- ficial heat, but if they become restless before the spring, before it is time to remove the bees it may be cooled down by carrying in snow or ice, or the win- dow or doors may be opened at night and closed in the morning.

"Years ago many bee-keepers practiced taking their bees from the cellar if there came a warm day in the winter, and putting them out of doors, bringing them again to the cellar, but this practice has been pretty nearly abandoned. If the bees are in a quiet, normal condition it often arouses them and sets them to breed- ing in mid-winter, and this is not desirable. If the food, temperature and other surroundings are what they ought to be, such a flight is not needed. If they are very fastly, such a flight will not save the bees from death.

"If bees out of doors are properly protected and have abundant stores, they need no care in winter, unless it is too cold for them to fly and not closed with ice or dead bees when there is a day warm enough for them to fly. If a rim two inches  EEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 139

wide is put under each hive when they are packed in the fall, and an entrance made at the upper edge of this rim, the entrance will never be plugged with dead bees.

"In my opinion," continues this writer, "food is the pivotal point upon which turns the wintering of bees in our Northern States. Food is the futurum, and temperature the locum."

"The whole of food in a nut shell is just this: The loss of bees in winter, aside from that caused by differences is not worth counting. It is disorders that kills one out of every ten thousand bees. The number of bees intestines with no opportunity for unloading them. Cold confines the bees to their hives. The greater the cold the larger are the quantities of food required to keep them from freezing. The more food there is consumed, the sooner are the intestines overloaded. Doesn't it seem clear that the character of the food consumed has a direct influence on the amount of accumulation in the intestines? In the digestion of cane sugar there is scarcely any residue. Honey is perfectly digestible, and can be digested well supplied with oxygen, and when free from float- ing grains of pollen is a very good and safe winter food, although not as good as properly prepared honey. Bees cannot digest starch unless nitrogen but does possess more oxygen. The excrete from diastatic bee is almost wholly pollen grains, in a digested or partly digested state, with a slight mixture of honey. What then is in the intestines of the bees is this nitrogenous matter that they consume either as grains of pollen floating in the hon- ey, or by eating the bee-bread itself.

Winter is the best time to order hives and material  118

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

for the apiary. At this season supplies can generally be bought cheaper; and it gives time for delays in shipping, and time for the bee-keeper to properly set up his hives andaint them. A good body when he wants to use them. It is a great mistake to wait till swarming time or till the honey harvest has commenced before you order your supplies.

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