UC-NRLF

B 2 ^Db 57b

1^

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

BULLETIN No. 42.-4^

APICULTURE

—IN—

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

— BY-

L. HARRIS

and

F. DUNDAS TODD.

THE QOVERNMENT OF
THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUVBIi

PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

VICTORIA, B. C.

Printed by William H. Cullcn, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.
I9I3.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

BULLETIN No. 42

APICULTURE

—IN—

BRITISH COLUMBIA.

— BY—

L. HARRIS

and

F. DUNDAS TODD.

THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

VICTORIA, B. C.

Printed by William H Cullcn, Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.
1913.

• ■ • • • •
» • •• • c .

• ••■•••
• •• ••« • «

• •.• • • •

• • • •

« •
• • •

EXQHAN&B

Department of Agriculture,

Victoria, B. C, March 22nd, 1912,
Hon. Price Ellison,

Minister of Agriculture.
Sir:—

I have the honour to submit herewith Bulletin No. 42, entitled
"Apiculture in British Columbia", which deals with modern methods
of bee-keeping as adapted to our Province, and also embodies
Reports of Foul Brood Inspectors for 191].

I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,

WM. E. SCOTT,
Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

9^

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2007 with funding from

IVIicrosoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/apicultureinbritOOharrrich

APICULTURE IN BRITISH
COLUMBIA

PART I.

REPORT OF FOUL BROOD INSPECTORS

By Ij. Hari'is, Foul Brood Inspector.

Beginning the work of the inspection of apiaries for foul brood in
British Columbia, we commenced work on April 19th at Okanagan Landing.
The weather was ideal for the first week, but at the end of the month the
temperature became too low, so that we were unable to make much
progress.

After examining the greater part of the bees in the Vernon district, we
proceeded to Hatzic where by arrangement we had agreed to meet Mr.
Todd to dcide as to the respective territory to be worked, either by Mr.
Todd or myself.

Here again the elements were all against us, the temperature being much
too low for examining the hives, and after waiting nearly a week for the
rain to give place to more congenial weather, we were compelled to leave
Hatzic.

From thence we then went together to Lytton. Here we found more
favourable conditions for getting to work. Mr. Todd and myself went
through a number of hives belonging to Mr. Alex. Lochore and Miss Rud-
duck, who are living 18 miles from Lytton. This district appeared to be a
very good one for beekeeping.

After journeying together back to Lytton, Mr. Todd and I separated,
he going West, and I coming East.

I next went to Ashcroft, where I found a number of beekeepers. At
first sight this district does not give a very good impression, "from a bee-
keeper's viewpoint," but when getting about one sees some favourable
spots where a limited number of beehives could be kept profitably.

My next place to call was Spatsum, where Messrs. Wood and Campbell
keep a number of colonies which appear to thrive. Spences Bridge was my
next stopping place, where I found Mr. Moren, who had 10 or 12 very good
colonies. After leaving Spences Bridge I made for Nicola. Here is a
splendid district that would support quite a large number of bees; it has
all the sources of supply that the bees need early in the spring to enable
them to build up ready for the main honey flow, which will be white
clover, of which there appears to be at least more than a hundred acres
eolid blossoms. This district certainly does not appear to be overstocked
with bees. I was able to locate two hives only throughout the valley when
there in May. The stage connection from Nicola to Princeton, I was in-
formed, ran twice a week, but it proved to be only once, so that quite a
little time was lost in waiting at Nicola.

My next point of interest was Keremeos. Here there were several inter-
ested in bee culture, but had lost their bees. They are making a new

1^259478

— 6—

start. Keremeos is an excellent locality for the apiarian. From Keremeos
to Penticton by auto stage is very interesting travelling, and one sees a
veritable Eden of flowers, and the nature of the road over the hills affords
enough excitement to make the trip very enjoyable.

More bees should be kept at Penticton, it will prove to be a very good
district for bee culture. There are very few here at present. A good deal
of interest was shown, and quite a few are to get bees next spring.

I was unable to locate any beekeepers at Naramata, but there are several
interested, and anticipate getting bees.

Summerland and Peachland are well known to be very good locations
lor the beekeeper. Having no names of persons keeping bees at the time
I was in the district, I did not go to Westbank so am unable to say any-
thing at all about the possibilities for beekeeping in that region. I believe
liowever that some bees were taken into this district lately.

Kelowna appears to me as being one of the best locations in the Okan-
agan, but as no great results have been obtained possibly I am not suffi-
ciently acquainted with the district to know the conditions that prevail;
anyhow, I would like to see a few hives tried there.

Vernon compares equally with most of the other districts in the Okan-
agan, "no better, no worse."

If bee flora is any indication of the suitability for bee culture in any
particular district, then Armstrong, Enderby, and Mara should prove good
locations for the beeman. But taking the Okanagan Valley generally, I
TDelieve the same conditions prevail in a more or less degree from one end
to the other. The same remarks apply to Revelstoke and district. Here
I was told that the flowers begin to bloom very early in the spring, and con-
tinue to blossom up the sides of the hills until quite late in the fall, so
that this should be a good bee country.

Going from Revelstoke to Arrowhead, immediately around Arrowhead
we do not find much to encourage the beekeeper, no large areas of bee
pasture. Halls Landing might be good for bee-keeping, I did not get an
opportunity to go over to that side of the lake, but by what could be seen
from the Arrowhead side, there appeared to be huge crops of something
growing, so that no doubt there would be something for the bees.

Nakusp is fairly good for bee keeping, and will greatly improve as th<3
land gets cleared up and cultivated.

At East Arrow Park there are two or three enthusiasts in bee keeping,
and I believe that their location is good for the business. Westley, Robson,
Castlegar, does not appeal to me as being an ideal position for bee keeping.
Area in bee flora too limited. Brilliant "Kinnard" is good for the bees.

The Doukhobors keep a number of hives, and a man gives the whole of
liis attention to the bees. Last season from 21 hives, spring count, ther
securld over 2000 lbs. of surplus honey, which is disposed of among their
own community.

Rossland would appear to be an excellent district according to results
we have seen, but it might be overdone if there were too many hives
kept there.

The district along the valley between Thrums and Nelson would support
a respectable number of colonies, plenty of clover, milkweed, willow-herb,
and other plants valuable to the bees. The district immediately around

Nelson is not so good comparatively, for the production of quantities
of honey.

Along the river from Nelson to Willow Point the bee area is too limited
to support many bees, yet enough honey can be produced to supply the
home requirements.

Getting away to Harrop we find better conditions prevailing.

Proctor is fairly provided with the right conditions for keeping bees;
here it was I found the first case of foul brood this season. It was im-
ported directly from England. The owners had been taking a holiday trip
to England, and returning brought a hive of bees with them. About the
same time they bought a hive from a local beekeeper. The diseased colony
survived the winter, but gradually became weaker, and at last died. The
hive, with the combs, were stored in an open outhouse, where the bees in
the neighborhood soon found them, and cleaned up the honey left in the
diseased combs, and at the same time carried the disease to their own hives.
Four hives were found to have contracted the disease, and were promptly
destroyed. According to the Foul Brood Act, 1911.

Creston, where there are large areas of cleared and partially cleared
lands already, is sure to develop the bee keeping industry in that particular
district. There are quite a number of beekeepers here alrady.

Cranbrook, being very elevated, makes the season short for honey pro-
duction. The beekeepers there, however, appear satisfied with their
location.

At Kaslo, Lardo, and Gerrard, the area of pasturage appeared to me to
be somewhat limited, at least from the point of view of a large beekeeper.
Any beekeeper who pins his faith to willow herb, commonly called fire weed,
as a honey producing plant could find a good opportunity for testing his
belief, by trying the Slocan Valley, where large tracts of timber have been
burnt, and as a consequence, fire weed has sprung up in abundance.

Continuing up the valley to Slocan City, I took the boat for New Denver,
Silverton and Rosebery. Mr. J. C. Harris of Silverton has a number of
colonies, which appeared to me to be very satisfactory, while Mrs. Brock-
man of Rosebery is a very" enthusiastic beekeeper, and no doubt will make
it a success.

Coming back to Walhachin and Kamloops, I would not consider these
districts ideal for beekeeping. But getting up to Salmon Arm, a country
well adapted to bee culture is found, while Seymour Arm is good, and will
be excellent in the future.

Going along the Canadian Pacific Railway to the Windermere district,
via Golden, I found the prospects for bee keeping fairly good, yet being
about the same altitude as Cranbrook, the season must be short. There are
a few beekeepers in this district who are hoping to make a success of it.

Grand Forks will be a good bee country in future. Already there are a
number of beekeepers there. Greenwood would support a few colonies,
while Midway also might be good for a few

If we take' British Columbia as a whole, I think we shall find it is not a
country where unlimited numbers of colonies of bees can be kept together
in large apiaries, as in some parts of the United States, or Eastern Canada,
because often the areas available for cultivation are comparatively small,
and it is seldom we find very large tracts, or cultivated fields of honey-
producing plants such as white clover, alsike, alfalfa, etc., and it is pretty

— 9—

well understood that an acre of any of the above mentioned plants will
yield more honey, if well cultivated, than five acres of the same plants un-
cultivated, simply because there are more than five blossoms on the culti-
vated, to one on the uncultivated plants, besides each blossom on the culti-
vated giving a larger yield of nectar than from the uncultivated.

Then some of the valleys are comparatively narrow, and the bees have
not the range of flight as if they had an open range all around. We have
sometimes found that the range was open on two ends only, and that the
sides are hemmed in either by a lake, or by an almost perpendicular moun-
tain of solid rock, with perhaps a strip of land half a mile wide and sev-
eral miles long on one side, but as bees do not store much surplus if they
have to go more than two miles, length alone does not count; we have found
bees in such locations in British Columbia, so that the beekeeper here must
spread out his colonies in fifties, or at most a hundred in one location, and
so on, adopting methods suitable to himself and the peculiarity of the
country.

Having dwelt at some length with the different districts, perhaps an
idea of the results from beekeeping in British Columbia will not be out of
place.

Taking the country from Lytton on the West, Cranbrook, on the East,
Keremeos on the South, and Seymour Arm on the North, there are some-
thing like 175 beekeepers, owning between them in April, 1911, 626
colonies, or an average of a fraction over four hives each, mostly in 8 and
10 frame hives.

The amount of honey produced from these hives, with their increase, was
about 11,917 lbs., or an average of a fraction over 19 lbs. per hive. The
largest amount produced by an individual hive was 350 lbs. We have
found that one of the mistakes the beginner generally makes is trying to
get ahead of his experience by extending his operations too rapidly. He
divides his colonies up to such an extent that half of them never build up
strong enough to survive the winter, and many of them become queenless.
Four or six really good strong colonies will survive the winter and give
better results the following year than 20 of these small colonies, because
half of them will not live through the winter, and it will take the other half
most of the following season to build up strong enough to take advantage
of the honey flow. The general practice in British Columbia for wintering
is to leave the hives outside and give them some extra protection. A few
winter their bees in cellars, and by what we have seen, one way appears
to be as good as the other. The winter losses from October, 1910, to April,
1911, were about twenty-five per cent.

The demonstration work, provided by the Department of Agriculture,
has been highly appreciated through out the Province, and a great many
of the beekeepers have become very enthusiastic.

—10—

— 11 —

By F. Duiidas Todd, Foul Brood inspector.

Acting under the instructions of Mr. W. E. Scott, Deputy Minister of
Agriculture, I started from Victoria on the last day of April for Hatzic
where I had arranged to meet with Mr. L. Harris of Vernon, Foul Brood
Inspector for the district east and south of Lytton. As there was wery
little definite information in existence as to the number of bee-keepers in
British Columbia or where they were located, Mr. Harris and I agreed ta
make a rough division of the Province into the dry and wet belt districts,
Lytton being considered the point of separation, with the understanding,
however, that if either one found conditions calling for energetic measures-
he would at once call upon his colleague.

Hatzic was chosen as the meeting point for Mr. Harris and myself be-
cause some months before an ap'ary of about 5 0 colonies had been brought
in there from one of the eastern provinces. Since the only known case of
foul brood in British Columbia up to that date had been imported by a
settler from the East it was felt advisable to inspect this apiary at the
earliest opportunity.

April had been a month of delightful weather, but unfortunately for us.
and our work, conditions changed and our arrival at Hatzic was marked by
the advent of cold temperature and rain. After waiting rather impatiently
for a week hoping that we might be favored with better weather conditions
we decided to move on to Lytton where we felt there might be a chance of
brighter skies.

It may be worth while to remark here that the rainy weather during
the first week in May at Hatzic gave one an opportunity to observe the closer
relationship existing between bees and fruit trees. During our stay many
of the trees were in blossom, but all the time not a single bee was on the
wing as far as we could see. Later in the year the orchardists found that
the trees which bloomed during that spell were practically devoid of fruit.
At Chilliwack one bee-keeper pointed out to me that a very heavy crop of
apples was borne by the trees that bloomed in the latter part of April, but
only a few on the trees that blossomed during the wet weather in the first
half of May.

The weather conditions all summer were very exceptional, in fact one-
of the oldest ranchers in the Hatzic district tersely described it as a "freak
year," the like of which he had never seen in British Columbia. While the
middle and eastern parts of this continent were sweltering under unbear-
able heat, nature balanced the account by giving abnorm.al cool and rainy-
spells in British Columbia. As it was impossible to do inspection work
with such conditions a great deal of valuable time was lost, in fact on 43
days the atmospheric conditions prohibited the opening of hives.

We arrived at Lytton on May 8, in rain. Next morning we proceeded by^
stage to the ranch of Mr. Alexander Lochore which is located about 28"
miles above Lytton. Rain accompanied us all the way, but on our arrival
the sun broke out and we got to work on what proved to be a well managed
and very successful apiary. Personally I felt cheered with so hopeful a
start, but little realised that almost two weeks were to elapse before I
would again see as well kept hives.

On our way back to Lytton we spent a few hours at a ranch where a
young woman with no one to guide her was endeavoring to manage over a
dozen strong colonies in a good region but without success. As we felt that

12—

first aid to the beekeeper was as much our duty as the discovery of foul
brood we straightened out the combs and otherwise put the hives into work-
able shape. For years this apiary had produced no honey; the season of
1911 gave a crop worth about $6 0 which was only about a fourth of the
possible harvest; but in any case it shows that a foul brood inspector in
addition to his regular duty can earn his cost in increased honey production.

Mr. Harris and I parted at Lytton. Careful enquiry on the train indi-
cated that there were no beekeepers between Lytton and Agassiz, so I
started for that town. Fifteen beekeepers are located here with 5 7 colonies
on the first of April. To say the bees were housed in hives would hardly be
telling the truth, as boxes of many varieties predominated.

In the past the honey crop has been practically nil, but I feel certain the
result is due more to apiarian conditions than to the lack of nectar bearing
plants. I found in May the bees all in great strength, combs crowded with
brood, while a splendid honey-flow from the large leafed maple was piling
up surplus honey in hives where there was accommodation for it. So
plentiful are these maple trees that I am convinced a skilful beekeeper
ought to get quite a crop of what is a very delicious honey from this
source alone.

On May 19 I proceeded to Chilliwack. In this district, comprising Chilli-
wack, East Chilliwack, Cheam, Munro, Rosedale and Sardis I found 6 5
beekeepers, and in addition called upon a considerable number of ranchers
who were reported to have bees, but v/hose stock had died out, generally
in the winter. In such cases I investigated the cause of the loss and
examined the empty hives where such were available, but generally found
that insufficient stores, the cold of winter, or insufficient winter protection
were reasonable explanations.

Bees have been kept in tbe Chilliwack district for a great many years,
but generally in a very neglected way. The hives in common use have long
ceased to be favored by good beekeepers as they need high skill to handle
them, and it may frankly be said that the average beekeepr in this locality
follows no method whatever in caring for his stock. The result is that so
far as the possibility of handling the frames is concerned, which is the
fundamental need of modern beekeeping, the bees might as well be housed
in ordinary packing boxes. To inspect the average hive in this region one
has first to pass a long-bladed knife between the frames so as to cut
through all the cross combs, then if one wants to give the beekeeper a
start towards better conditions the combs on the individual frames have to
be trimmed and trued.

There is considerable variety in the floral conditions in this stretch of
flat country, which is probably 20 miles long by 6 miles wide. Towards the
mountains the big leafed maple is common and probably is as helpful as at
Agassiz. As we approach the river they gradually die away. Over most
of the territory the honey-flow is from white clover and snowberry bush,
but in East Chilliwack there are many acres covered with a variety of
Euphorbia, locally known as the Prairie Queen, which yields a very thick
honey, rather presentable in appearance, but lacking the fine flavor and
aroma so characteristic of white clover.

The largest apiary, 50 hives, is situated on Fairfield Island, being
owned by Mr. H. L. Johnstone. Its location is not the best possible in the
district by any means but it is so excellently managed that it produced an
average of 6Q pounds a hive.

—13-

—14 —

Early in June a spell of cold wet weather set in, so I took the oppor-
tunity to run into Victoria and report verbally on conditions as I found
them. On the way back I spent one day at the Experimental Farm at
Agassiz where transferring was in progress, and another with Mr. J. A.
Catherwood, Mission City, to learn about the condition of the honey-flow
which was due. A start had evidently been made as both here and at
Agassiz I found about 20 pounds of honey in many of the supers, but the
bees had stopped working, indicating that the clover had ceased to secrete
nectar. As a matter of fact from the beekeeper's standpoint it was a very
tantalising month. There was abundance of clover blossoms everywhere,
just the proper size, — not the large heavy flower, but the little one such
as we see by the roadside, yet not a bee could be seen at work on them.
Here are brief extracts from my notes at this time: —

June 16. Honey coming in fast. Bees busy on snowberry and rasps; saw
only two on clover.
" 17. Cold. Temperature under 6 0 deg. until after 3 p.m.
" 18. Do.

" 19. Temperature at 10 a.m. .56 deg. Bees busy on locusts.
" 20. Temperature at 10 a.m. 52 deg.
" 22. Cold. Rain.
" 23. Do.

" 24. Afternoon warm.

" 25. Bees rushing on clover. (Note the effect of heat on the secre-
tion of nectar).
" 26. Rain.

" 27. Cool. Bees on clover, aster and snowberry, but not on fireweed.
" 28. Cold. Rain.

" 30. Cool, saw only one bee in the course of a long walk.
It was not until after the middle of July, near the end of the clover sea-
son, that the nights became warm enough to permit the secretion of nectar.
I finished with Chilli wack on June 21 and proceeded to Hatzic the fol-
lowing day. The weather was cold and wet, so I spent the day with Mr.
W. L. Coupar who owns an apiary of 50 colonies which he had brought in
from Saskatchewan late in the fall. The journey from a region of severe
cold to one of mild climate had been rather hard on the bees, and they had
not yet fully recovered, so that they were not as strong as the local hives.
The owner, like all newcomers, was discovering that he had to learn local
conditions and that some of the methods which were excellent on the
prairie were entirely unsuited for the Pacific Coast. Our long mild spring
is a great stumbling block to a beekeeper who has been accustomed to the
sudden jump from zero to warm weather that is characteristic of the central
part of this continent.

In Hatzic I found 11 beekeepers owning a total of 119 hives. This is
the only locality in my summer's work where I found it was possible to
secure the honey crop in the form of section honey. The usual thing here
is for the beekeeper to put on a section super some time in May, and leave
it alone until the summer is past. Again and again I had the satisfaction
of taking off a super full of section honey, in fine condition and well
ripened. The only regret was that a second super at least had not been
given as I am sure it also would have been filled. The raising of section
honey is far more difllcult than getting the crop in the form of extracted

1.")—

—16—

honey, so when I consider all the conditions I feel sure Hatzic must be a
good district for bees. It is a region largely given over to the cultivation
of rhubarb, strawberries, small fruits, apples and pears. The sources of
spring nectar are excellent and plentiful. In the honey-flow season rasp-
berry, fireweed, clover and snowberry are in abundance.

The bees in Hatzic are better housed than in Agassiz and Chilliwack, in
fact most of them are in modern hives with frames that are movable. The
credit for this condition is due to Mr. J. A. Catherwood who introduced bees
into the region and handled them by modern methods. His example in-
fluenced the community.

On July 5 I moved to Dewdney, expecting to cover the ground there in a
couple of days at the most. On the first day I found two apiaries that
were doing well, one with a creditable showing of sect'on honey. The
other, which was run for extracted honey, was well taken care of so far as
the brood chambers were concerned, but although the colonies were in
powerful strength and a good honey-flow was on, more than half of the
hives were without supers so that a fine honey-crop was running to waste.
At four o'clock that afternoon rain began to fall, and cool wet weather
continued for about a week.

From July 18 to 23 I spent between North Wellington and Ladysmith,
on Vancouver Island, calling on 23 beekeepers, only one of whom was on
an extensive scale, namely Mr. C. G. Stevens of Nanaimo, who owns about
5 0 hives. This apiary was the only one that had a crop.

Next week was devoted to the Islands in the Gulf of Georgia, where I
visited 15 apiaries, none of them with more than 7 colonies. To my mind
there is really little hope of successful bee culture in this region for years
to come as so little impression has been made upon the virgin forest, and
consequently there is very little acreage in clover and nectar-bearing plants.
One ranch on Pender Island got a crop of fine honey from an acre of
alfalfa growing in ground sloping towards the sea-shore.

On August 3 I proceeded to the Comox district where in ten days I made
30 visits. This district appears to be admirably adapted for bee culture as
in the valley m.any hundreds of acres have been brought under cultivation,
while clover abounds along the sides of the roads. The apiary of the Rev.
T. Menzies is situated on the edge of the valley, at Sandwick, not the best
location by any means, yet from its 7 colonies, spring count, he secured
1100 pounds of fine clover honey. Here is the obverse side of the shield —
78 other colonies produced a total crop of 93 pounds, an average of little
more than a pound to the hive. The yield secured by Mr. Menzies shows
very plainly the possibilities of the district; the meager returns gained by
the others is a fair measure of their apiarian knowledge and skill.

My summer's work thus far indicated that in the western half of the
Province the bees were in good healthy condition, and that there was
no cause of anxiety. The crying need of the ranchers clearly was education
in the elementary principles of beekeeping, so the facts of the case were
presented to the Minister of Agriculture who agreed it was worth while
covering the same territory a second time, to prepare the hives for the
winter, learn the facts of the honey-crop, what were the possibilities of each
district, and what was the ratio of success to the opportunities offered.

In my opinion the second visit was really worth while. The data secured
provide a quick and definite answer as to the honey possibilities of a
region, and this is part of the information so many new arrivals are

— 17 —

anxious to find out. Then it enabled the inspector to point out righton-the
spot why no honey was secured, and often at the actual defect that hinder-
ed, and this latter condition was not uncommon by any means. While
theoretically education was not included in the inspector's work, it prac-
tically formed a major part of it, so on this second trip I endeavoured to
place a monetary value on the gains made by individual beekeepers as the
result of my efforts. It will be readily understood that only those visited
before the honey-flow could show results in the material form of increased
honey production, and that therefore limits the range of the estimate to the
months of May and June. I find that out of 79 beekeepers called on in
these months I aroused in eight of them a definite desire to be better bee-
keepers and that as a result the value of their honey-crop amounted to
$720, instead of no crop as in previous years. From now on it is to be pre-
sumed they will improve in skill and do better in future years, and, not less
important by any means, influence materially to their advantage other
beekeepers in their locality. It may also be safely assumed that ten per
cent, of those visited after the end of June were equally affected.

On this second trip I left Victoria on August 17 for Agassiz. It rained
on the day of my arrival, also the following morning, so I started for
Lytton, where I called on the two beekeepers who are located about midway
between that town and Lillooet. This valley has great apiarian possibilities
as there is considerable acreage devoted to alfalfa, which according to the
experience of Mr. Lochore produces about 100 pounds of surplus honey to
the acre, no mean revenue, and what is better still, gained with but
little work.

Lillooet has seen several attempts made in bee culture, and learning
that several ranchers there had bees I thought it advisable to pay them a
visit since I was so near. As one approaches the town the character of the
vegetation changes from fir trees to sagebrush, but unfortunately the latter
does not appear to be of the nectar bearing variety. In Lillooet I found
one apiary of two colonies which were intelligently handled without suc-
cess. As I was here a couple of days I examined on foot the country for
several miles round, and what puzzles me is not the absence of surplus
honey, but the fact that the bees were able to live in a region that appar-
ently is devoid of nectar bearing plants.

Between Lillooet and Ashcroft a considerable acreage of alfalfa is seen
from the stage, how much I had no means of estimating but assuredly there
is opportunity for considerable beekeeping. About a dozen miles out from
Lillooet I found on one ranch half a dozen colonies whose bees had died
in winter time. The combs were full of fine honey, but not a trace of
disease was apparent. After examination of conditions and close inquiry
I came to be of opinion that the bees had been smothered by the moisture
of the hives condensing on the walls, trickling down, then freezing hard at
the very small entrance, and so preventing the necessary change of air.
Special reference is made to this kind of hive in the second part of this
bulletin where its dangers are pointed out. A few miles farther on is
located another apiary of 6 colonies which although not skilfully handled
gave indications that successful beekeeping is possible in this^ region.

From August 27 to September 2 was spent at Agassiz. The Experi-
mental Farm apiary had been all worked over into modern hives and in
addition a crop of honey had been secured, the first in the history of the
farm. But I regret to say that the example had not been followed by the

—18 —

other beekeepers, so the season closes with 24 colonies in boxes in the
district.

Until September 27 I was in the Chilliwack district. The weather was
very unsettled all the time, in fact I lost 12 days through rainy, cold
weather. The honey-flow was late, but where the hives had been skilfully
handled a crop averaging 66 pounds per hive had been secured. The honey
was of excellent quality. If we except the largest apiary, which from 5 a
hives got 3300 pounds of honey, we have left 64 others with a total of 26ff
hives. These produced a crop of 3575 pounds, an average of a little over
14 pounds to the hive. Forty-one of them containing 115 hives got no
honey at all. These figures tell better than words how great is the need for
a radical change in both appliances and methods in the Chilliwack district.
I am convinced I under estimate when I say that at least $2000 worth of
honey was lost in this region in 1911 through poor beekeeping, the value
being based on the actual wholesale price paid the biggest producer for
his crop in bulk. At retail it would amount to 50% more. The proprietor
of one of the largest grocery stores in town said he sold on an average
fifty pounds a week of California honey, but that he had been unable to
buy more than 300 pounds of local honey in four years, and this was in the
form of chunk honey cut out of the frames. For it he had paid 12 cents
a pound, then had to strain it in the oldfashioned way to prepare it for the
market. The marvel is that he could sell any such product in these days,
but he said it went quickly because it was locally produced.

However I feel another season will see a forward movement in the
Chilliwack district. Very many of the ranchers are bending all their
efforts to the serious task of removing stumps off their land and they feel
that every minute is precious. Their case has been specially considered ia
the second part of this bulletin, so that they may be able to handle their
bees with the least possible expenditure of time. But the crying need in
Chilliwack district, so far as bees are concerned, is the introduction of
modern hives and the use of foundations in the frames so as to get straight
workable combs. As a matter of fact the inside condition of the average
hive in the district is to all intents and purposes as unmanageable as that
of any packing box makeshift.

Hatzic and Dewdney kept me busy until October 4. Almost every bee-
keeper here got honey, much of it in sections. The highest yield was 40O
eections from eight hives, average 50 sections. The rancher was just begin-
ning, but he was alive to one essential, he had ready plenty of supers filled
with sections, and as fast as the bees filled one he put on another. Had
the others been as well prepared they would have fared just as well. This
particular rancher stands out in bold relief in my memory, because in the
course of m.y summer's work I so rarely found anybody ready with anything.

The day after I left Dewdney I helped judge the honey exhibits at New
Westminster Fair. They were of excellent quality, flavor and aroma, but
I was disappointed with the small number of entries and the commonplace
arrangement of the exhibits. They certainly were not worthy of so import-
ant an exhibition, nor of a district where I had seen, handled and tasted
60 much excellent honey. I had the opportunity of talking the matter over
with a few beekeepers and they frankly said they felt that in the past the
julging had been done by men unskilled in apiculture and consequently an
award meant nothing.

The following day I spent on Lulu Island just to learn a little about con-

Id-

—20 —

ditions. At one apiary.at Steveston I vhappened in while the rancher was
busy bottling the season's harvest for the market, and I had the pleasure
of admiring 1800 pounds of beautiful clover honey, which had been
gathered by 30 colonies, spring count, an average of 60 pounds to the hive.

This finished the work for the season. I am glad to say that nowhere
did I come across anything that suggested the presence of foul brood.
Here and there I found pickled brood, but this is to be found almost any-
where at sometime or another and is not contagious. In all I called on 155
beekeepers who on April 1 owned 7 80 colonies of bees, and on October 1
1073 colonies. A second visit was made to 117 of them, making a total of
272 calls. In addition quite a number of visits were made to ranchers who
at one time kept bees, but for various reasons had ceased to be interested.

As a matter of curiosity I kept a note of the mileage travelled. I find
I covered 597 miles in May, 469 in June, 540 in July, 833 in August, 234 in
September, 225 in October. Total, 289 8 miles. To destinations I travelled
by train 989 miles, by steamer 816 miles, by stage 150 miles, by rural
tram-car 135 miles, by motor-car 18 miles, by river launch 18 miles. In
calling on beekeepers I drove 701 miles, walked 6 7 miles, and canoed 4
miles. The day's drive often reached 25 miles, the average about 18 miles.

Before concluding I cannot do less than express my grateful appreciation
©f the kindness I received on every hand. The inspector was more than
welcome, he was a felt want. My great regret is that with so many wanting
help and advice I had to cut my visits short, and that I was unable to
respond to urgent appeals that came to me from beekeepers outside of the
districts I was working. Travelling so much on trains and steamers I came
to be known, and was greatly helped by getting the names of beekeepers in
various parts of my territory from fellow-travellers.

In conclusion, the honey crop of 1911, and my estimate of the possi-
bilities of the Province indicate that had accomplishment equalled oppor-
tunity there would have been no need to import from foreign countries.
Furthermore, the home product in the western half of the Province is
mainly from clover, and therefore has the flavor to which most of its
inhabitants have been accustomed. Much of the imported honey is too mild
to suit the taste of those accustomed to the clover honey of Britain, or the
clover and basswood of the eastern province*.

—21 —
PART II.

FAILURES AND THEIR CAUSE

- During the summer o€ 1911 the inspectors spent fully five months in the
field working among the beekeepers in their respective districts. Mr.
Harris covered thoroughly the territory east and south of Lytton. Mr.
Todd worked west of Lytton, spending the months of May, June and half
of July with the beekeepers between Mission and the mountains; from
the middle of July to the middle of August was devoted to those in the
Gulf Islands and from Ladysmith north to Comox. A second trip through
the localities on the mainland first visited wound up the season's work.

In covering districts thoroughly the inspectors had every opportunity to
get acquainted with the beekeepers, to comprehend their everyday working
conditions, to size up the possibilities of each district from the standpoint
ef honey production by making notes of every plant on which bees were
Been to work, and by actual tabulation of the honey crop secured by each
beekeeper; and, not the least important, they had the chance to learn the
kind of appliances in general use, and the methods that were followed.

As a general rule the inspector on calling at a ranch would find the bee-
keeper busy at work in the field, so the first duty was to go for him. On
the way back there was a good opportunity to learn about the troubles and
annoyances that accompany unskilled beekeeping. The story was almost
invariably the same — a friend had given him a swarm, or he had bought
a hive at some sale, as he wanted a little honey for home use; all he
wanted was about 25 pounds a season, but though he had now half a dozen
hives all he got for the money invested was the annoyance of being called
in from his work to hive swarms when minutes were precious. Now would
the inspector just tell him offhand how to prevent swarming, and so save
him time, temper and trouble. A little questioning too often showed that
Mr. Beekeeper had not read the chapter on swarming in Bulletin No. 30
issued by the Department of Agriculture, because he had no time. But
right in the middle of the day, when time was specially valuable, and when
a stoppage of labor meant a couple of idle horses as well, these very men
would again and again drop the task on hand to hive a swarm. Yet five
minutes spent in close reading of the chapter on swarming would have-
taught him how to prevent at least three-fourths of the swarms that did
come out, and, better still, have secured for him a fair crop of honey. The
big honey crop is got from the strong colony that does not swarm.
The first swarm' when skilfully managed may produce surplus honey. The
second and following swarms rarely yield surplus honey, and this is nearly^
always true of the old hive from which the swarms issued.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BULLETIN.

The aim of this bulletin then is above all things concerned with the pre-
vention of swarm.ing, secondly with such mistakes in management by bee-
keepers as were found to absolutely prevent any possibility of the storage
of surplus honey even where the bees were in splendid condition to gather
a crop, and nectar was in plenty.

Let us first look a few facts in the face. In 1911 the largest apiary be-
tween Lytton and Lillooet yielded almost 100 pounds extracted honey to-
the hive; in the Chilliwack district the best harvest was 66 pounds per hive
in an apiary of 5 0 colonies; Nanaimo shows a crop of 5 0 pounds on ait

— 22—

average from 20 colonies; Comox, 160 pounds a hive from 7 colonies — all
spring count. The season was undoubtedly a favorable one yet the average
yield in the regions worked by the inspectors was only 19 pounds a hive.
In Comox district there were 78 hives from which the owners got just one
pound each on an average, yet most of these were far more favorably situ-
ated for honey production than those from which the big crop was secured.
It is not enough to say that the failures were due to lack of skill, we
must put our finger on the mechanical conditions that hindered. Broadly
speaking these were insufficient ventilation, lack of room, and mechanical
obstructions. There were many minor hindrances which will be dealt with
in due course, but we will first and most fully attack the three we have
enumerated.

ON HIVES.

The hives in general use in the province we regret to say are not suited
for present-day methods of beekeeping. As a district was settled some
one started to keep bees and whatever form of structure he housed them in
has become the standard of that locality. So we find a region where ordin-
ary packing boxes predominate, another where the hives are the same in
width, depth and height, with bottom boards firmly nailed to the body, and
with an entrance three inches wide and half an inch in height; still an-
other where the Langstroth dimensions which are the standard of this
continent are practically followed; but these are not so common as they
might be.

Now as a matter of fact, so far as the bees are concerned, one form of
housing is just about as good as another, provided its size is suited to their
needs, and shelters them from inclement weather conditions. But a bee-
keeper keeps bees so that he may get honey, and so the hive must be
designed to facilitate his purpose. The aim of the bees is to gather honey
not only to sustain their own life, but to so swell their numbers to such a
multitude that they can afford to still further increase the bee population
by throwing off new colonies in the form of swarms. The aim of the bee-
keeper is to keep each colony intact and to secure for his own use the honey
which in the ordinary course of nature would be used to build combs and
raise young bees in the new colony. We thus see that while the packing
box is sufficient for the purpose of the bees it is utterly useless as a means
of honey production. The inspectors came across many colonies that were
housed in boxes but in not one instance was a yield of honey reported.
This form of beekeeping then is merely a source of trouble to the bee-
k:eeper.

But the keeping of bees in packing boxes has a more serious phase that
must be plainly stated. That terrible scourge generally 'known as Foul
Brood, notwithstanding such steps as are being taken to fight it, is spread-
ing over this continent at a swift pace. At least twice it has found a
lodgement in this province, having been imported by settlers, but each time
has been ruthlessly wiped out, and so far as the inspectors know British
Columbia is free of it at the date of writing, but it is moving towards us
on th| south and at no distant date we must face its onslaught. So far
-we. have had only preliminary skirmishes. When the real attack comes
every bee-hive in the province must be in such shape that its internal con-
dition can be learned by removing the combs. With a box hive a thor-
ough inspection is simply impossible, therefore the Foul Brood Act of

—23—

1911 gives every inspector the power to destroy by fire every colony of
bees that is not housed in a hive with removable frames. During the past
season the inspectors did not enforce this part of the Act as they felt
timely warning should be given, but at the first hint of the advancing wave
reaching the boundaries of the Province they will be compelled in justice ta
careful beekeepers, and to the fruit growers, whose success is largely de-
pendant upon the pollination of the blossoms by the activities of hosts of
bees, to carry out the intent of the law. It is incumbent therefore upon
every one who has bees in ordinary boxes to transfer them to regular hives
as speedily as possible. By so doing he will benefit himself by making a
crop of honey possible, and remove a menace that threatens his neighbours.
How to make the change will be told later on.

In the district of which Chilliwack is the center the hive in general use
has many objectionable features. Its dimensions, which are about 14
inches in every direction, were at one time quite popular with many bee-
keepers, but it is no longer manufactured by any of the large firms. As
used in this district it has two serious defects. The bottom board is firmly
nailed to the body of the hive, so that it is not possible to remove in the
spring the thousands of dead bees that sometimes gather below the combs
during the winter, unless one transfers all the frames to a clean hive.
Again and again in the apiaries of well-intentioned men one came across
colonies in which many thousands of dead bees were rotting in deep pools
of water that had gathered on the bottom-boards after a rainstorm, being^
unable to escape on account of the tight nailing. Bees are very cleanly-
creatures and it is too much to expect them to do good work in a hive
where an overwhelming stench prevails. As a matter of fact they make^
little headway, for the combs are mouldy.

The second objectionable feature of these hives is the small entrance.
In the month of May and onward all summer one of these hives contains
50,000 bees and almost as many young at various stages of development,
all of whom must depend for their supply of fresh air through this little
doorway. Such a condition is intolerable, so the bees remedy it in the only
possible way, by swarming, which at once cuts down enormously the num-
bers depending upon this source. On a ranch in Chilliwack district a hive
with a small entrance, and situated in an angle of the house that faced the
southwest, rather startled its lady owner by throwing out seven swarms in
the course of the summer, and of course produced no honey. It was her
first venture in beekeeping so before the inspector arrived on the scene she
had visions of the whole ranch dotted with bee-hives, an ever-increasing-
number of dollars spent yearly for homes, and not a cent of income. A
little explanation as to the cause of the trouble brought peace to her mind,
accompanied by a determination to provide plenty of ventilation in the
future.

These same hives have a third feature, not necessarily a bad one, but
it is so in actual practice in the hands of the average man — the frames are
not self-spacing. It is the nature of bees to build their combs about 1%
inches from center to center, and the modern hive is filled with frames that
almost automatically adjust themselves in the right place; furthermore it
is impossible to put in more than the proper number of frames, while a
ehortage of even one is apparent. The hives under consideration are in-
tended for nine frames, but it was no unusual thing to find as many as ten„

—24—

on the other hand seven, and even as low as five were not uncommon. To
make matters worse these non-spacing frames are free to move in almost
any direction. Let us see what happens when a swarm clusters at some
distance from the bee-yard. The beekeeper gets a hive containing
frames, — we will be generous and assume that the correct number of nine
has been put in, — and hastens with it to the bush or tree where the swarm
is hanging. Setting it on the ground he adjusts the frames, then he cuts
the branch and dumps the bees on top of the frames. As soon as they have
all gone down he places the quilt on top, then the cover and carries the hive
to its stand. As he makes the trip the frames wobble round freely, only
coming to rest when the hive is set in its place. The beekeeper assumes
everything is all right, but when the inspector comes along he finds the
frames all jammed tight to one side of the hive. The bees think it is an
ordinary box, and build their combs accordingly. The inspector is pretty
much of their opinion. Before he can do anything with it he has to pass
a longbladed knife between frames so as to cut through the crosscombs,
then if he wants to give someone who says he is anxious to be a good bee-
keeper a fair start, he will out of the kindness of his heart trim up the
angular faces of the combs, force them into line, space the combs truly,
and go on his way full of the happy feeling that he has helped at least
one earnest soul in the course of the day. On his return visit a couple of
months later he not infrequently finds that the enthusiasm was a little
flicker in the pan, that his two hours' well intentioned help were apparently
wasted. However he has experiences even more discouraging, as for in-
stance the cases where he puts all the hives in workable shape even to put-
ting oh the supers, and finds on his return that the rancher has begun to
wonder why the inspector has not been around to take off the supers for
him. As autumn advances the inspector smiles quite benignly AVhen he
finds that the bees have been carrying the super honey down into the
brood-chamber.

THE KIND OF HIVE TO USE.

After a summer in the field among beekeepers, sizing up the floral and
climatic conditions, considering the amount of time the average rancher
has to spend with his bees and his lack of skill with them, the inspectors
are agreed in recommending that the 10-frame self-spacing Langstroth
hive be adopted in this province. The frame is in almost universal use, and
is stocked by all the manufacturers and dealers on both sides of the line,
while the 10-frame size is not only made by all of them, but is apparently
out-selling the 8-frame size which was popular for many years. There is
unfortunately a little disagreement as to the width of this hive, some
manufacturers making it wide enough to allow the use of a follower,
while others do not. The inspectors prefer the type where a follower is
available as its presence facilitates the handling of the frames.

The bottom-board they prefer is of the reversible type, that is to say,
when one side is turned up the entrance is three-eighths of an inch in
height and the full width of the hive; when the other side is up the
■entrance is almost one inch in height and the full width of the hive. The
narrow entrance is for winter, and can be contracted during March and
April by placing blocks on each side. The wide entrance is used when the
colony becomes strong and is continued until the end of the honey-flow in
July. The large doorway provides great possibilities for ventilation and
:€o tends to prevent swarming.

The bottom-board should project about six inches in front of the hive
60 as to provide a large landing place for the bees, something very essential
during the summer months when they arrive heavily laden with nectar
and pollen.

The covers, in the opinion of the inspectors, should be of the telescope
variety, that is to say there should be a downward rim of at least two
inches to slip over the sides of the hive so as to prevent the ingress of rain.
In many districts the wet winters and very dry summers are rather trying
on wood-work so they recommend that the covers have galvanized iron or
zinc tops, which add but a little to the cost.

A timely warning may not be out of place here. To any one with little
•r no experience in beekeeping anything that looks like a hive is a hive.
As a matter of fact it is not necessarily so. Bees work to very accurate
dimensions and a hive maker must do the same. First-class hives are made
•nly in factories where large quantities are turned out by the aid of
•pecial ro.achinery from carefully selected wood thoroughly seasoned. The
best of hives are not dear when one considers the beauty of their accuracy.
Second-class goods made in a planing mill when business is slack are a
little cheaper, but the saving in price is not an economy, it is useless
waste of money.

MECHANICAL CAUSES OF FAILURE WITH ORDIXARY HIVES.

Before he starts out to search for Foul Brood the inspector's experience
has ordinarily been limited to hives that have been kept in rather good
condition. He has usually a few beekeeping friends who visit among
themselves during the summer, comparing methods and experiences, and
it is needless to say that all in all their apiaries are at about the same
condition of equipment and efficiency. He comes to believe that all bee-
keepers have as much pleasure in keeping bees as he has and care for
them accordingly, so it is rather a shock to him when he enters a strange
apiary to find that to open a hive he really needs a hatchet, crowbar, saw
and butcher's knife. The very first hive entered by one of the inspectors
was built up in this fashion: — The bottom-chamber consisted of an ordin-
ary packing box from which the bottom had been removed. Instead of
frames the owner had run bars across, hoping that the bees would take
the hint and build nice straight combs, but they ignored the suggestion
and constructed them at a forty-five degree angle with the entrance. Above
this chamber was an ordinary section super in really good condition.
Above this had been placed a heavy canvas cloth, and the bees had by per-
severing effort made a number of large holes in it. The cloth itself was
made firm and strong by liberal applications of propolis and wax. Th(^_
third storey was a duplicate of the bottom-chamber. At one time it must
have been the limit of height, for a canvas cloth also rested upon it, and
of course channels of communication had been pierced through it. Cham-
ber number four was an ordinary super without frames or sections, so the
bees had a splendid chance to still further vary the style of their archi-
tecture, and they took advantage of the opportunity. A high gable roof
crowned the structure. Since there was no obstruction to hinder they
quite naturally built their combs into the apex. To still further compli-
cate matters the cover telescoped a couple of inches over the upper chamber
so that at first glance it seemed impossible to make an entrance.

—26—

This apiary contained two dozen colonies in hives all constructed along:
similar lines. It had been in existence for many years, and until 1911 had
not so far as is known ever produced a pound of honey. It seemed as if
the beekeeper had planned to introduce into the hives every mechanical
obstruction to free movement of the bees that he could devise.

When an inspector has opened up several hundred hives of this type,
the moment he removes the cover and begins to pull off the quilt he has a
pretty definite idea as to the conditions below. Come with him for a visit
to a small bee-yard. The owner is explaining that he never gets any
honey, only lots of swarms, and that he is convinced this is a poor bee
country. He takes care that the section super goes on early but the bees
refuse to go up into it, they swarm instead. The inspector pries off the
cover, rolls back the quilt, and sure enough not a bee is to be found in the
section super. Then the super is removed and the secret of the failure is
found. There is no bee space between the two parts of the hive and as a
consequence the sections are resting on the top of the frames, and since
they differ in width there is no possibility of a passageway. This con-
dition was found not once but dozens of times.

Take another variation of the same trouble. A very intelligent, well
read and experienced beekeeper in a rather poor bee region keeps two hives
as a little hobby. There is sufficient clover round for that number of
colonies and no more, but every year he gets enough honey for family use.
But the inspector found him in blank despair. The bees are rushing on
the clover, but not one is to be seen in the super, and the beekeeper is at
his wit's ends to find a cause. The inspector looked at the outside of the
hive, saw a queen excluder between the brood-chamber and super, and
had his suspicions as he had been up against this kind of thing before.
On removing the cover not a bee was in sight, but he noted that the bee-
space of this particular super was above, and quickly reasoned in this
fashion: — There is no bee-space below, and in all likelihood the zinc of
the queen-excluder is in contact with the section frames. He mentioned
his guess to the beekeeper wbo protested that he had used that excluder for
ten years. But the inspector sprang off the excluder and super as one and
then the cause of the trouble was apparent. The device was a homemade
one and so long as it was placed on the hive with the zinc side down it
worked all right, but this season the beekeeper had put it on upside down.
The penalty for his mistake was the loss of a good honey-crop.

The hives in the Chilliwack district have the frames running parallel
back of the hive must pass underneath the frames. Some of the hives are
very old and falling to pieces, so it was not unusual to find the lower bars
with the front of the hives, so that the bees in making their way to the
of the frames resting on the bottom-board, thus stopping all movement
excepting round the end-bars of the frames. This condition is very, very
bad, but even worse is the hindrance to ventilation, and so swarming is
the natural result.

In the same region where, as has already been said, the bottom-boards
are nailed firmly to the bodies, the hive is often so standing that the rear
is lower than the front, thus admitting the rain, which cannot escape.
The dead bees that fall off the combs drop into the water from which their
living sisters cannot seemingly move them, and so a layer gathers which
stops all movement and ventilation. The condition is a filthy one and is

—27 —

far too common. Little wonder is it that the bees seize the first oppor-
tunity to move to new and cleaner quarters.

Another mechanical obstruction that was found to be almost universal
was the heavy accumulation of wax and propolis along the top-bars of the
frames. All good beekeepers scrape the top-bars clean along in the month
of May at the latest. It is a simple job, all over in a minute, but the
inspectors usually found the deposit of years as much as one and two inches
thick, and solid across the frames from side to side of the hive. As many
as three layers of cotton quilting have been found embedded in the accumu-
lations, with a pop-hole here and there. Now there are needed many
thousands of bees passing into and out of a super all the time when the
honey-flow is on, so it is utterly impossible for bees to store surplus honey
with such conditions.

In many parts along the lower Fraser River there is in use a modern
style hive that has a very objectionable entrance. The board is the width
of the hive, and about a couple of inches longer. At the front end there
has been gouged out a V-shaped cavity that extends back a few inches. The
idea underlying the construction is this, in winter the entrance can be
contracted by pushing back the hive until the rear is flush with the bottom-
board, on the other hand by hauling the hive forward in summer the door-
way will be enlarged. The theory sounds all right, but if we adjust to
summer conditions we find that while the entrance viewed from the out-
side looks large, an examination on the inside shows that it is only about
three inches wide, and this as we have seen is far too small for the com-
fort and convenience of the bees, so swarming is encouraged. In not a
few instances it was found during very hot weather that the young larvae
had been cooked by the high temperature inside the hive that could not be
reduced on account of the small opportunity for ventilation.

There is still another risk with this entrance, it is apt to be a winter
killer of the inmates. Again and again cases of winter losses were met
with where this bottom-board was in use and a little questioning showed
that the deaths were probably due to suffocation. During very cold weather
the moisture given off by the breathing of the bees condenses into water
on the sides of the hive, runs down to the bottom-board, and on meeting
the frosty air at the entrance is formed into ice, which in time seals up the
passageway so tightly that no fresh air can enter. The smaller the
entrance, the quicker will asphyxiation occur. When set as recommended
by the maker for winter use the entrance of this bottom-board is about one
inch wide by less than three-eighths of an inch in height.

It is strongly recommended that where this bottom-board is in use that
a cleat one-quarter of an inch thick and almost an inch wide be nailed on
both sides and the end for the hive to rest on, so that an entrance the full
width of the hive may be secured. For summer use, nail similar cleats,
but an inch thick on the other side of the bottom-board, and turn this side
up when the hives become strong, probably about the beginning of May.

The inspectors cannot finish this portion of their remarks without point-
ing out that much as they have emphasised the topic of ventilation, they
feel they cannot lay too much stress upon it.

THE BEE SPACE.

In Bulletin No. 30 quite a considerable time was devoted to explaining
the importance of the bee-space in a hive, for modern beekeeping is prac-

—28—

tically based upon it. As experience in the field has demonstrated that
very few apiarists in the Province have realised its real importance, it may
be worth while to dwell upon it a little longer.

The brood-chamber of a hive contains little more than a cubic foot at
space into which are crowded in the month of May often as many as 50,000
bees and nearly as many young in various stages of development, hence
every nook and cranny must be utilised to the utmost advantage, but on
the other hand every part must be accessible to the inmates. There must
be structures of wax called combs, and there must be passage-ways be-
tween them. Both are of equal importance, for the one is valueless with-
out the other, but any unnecessary space devoted to passages is by that
much a loss in cell accommodation. The bees must have at least a quarter
of an inch width in their streets and alleys, and will tolerate as much as
three-eigths of an inch, but beyond that they will endeavor to utilise the
space by building comb. Knowing this habit of the bees first-class hive-
makers so make their wares that the bees will have no option but build
their combs so that man's convenience will be well suited while that of
the insects is in no way interfered with. For instance the modern frame
has projections on the end bars that automatically regulate the distance
between the combs to just three-eighths of an inch.

In planning a hive the maker has to consider that one chamber has to
be placed above another, and that the bee-space of three-eighths of an
inch must be between the upper and lower sets of frames. The important
question at once arises, in which box shall it be given and where. The
style of the bottom-board would appear to determine its position, because
where the body rests on cleats projecting above the board, a space is
naturally formed below the frames, therefore these may be flush with the
lower edge of the hive. The hive above being built in like fashion it fol-
lows that the bee-space must be provided between the top-bars of the
frames and the upper edge of the hive.

In the case of the bottom-board with the V-shaped entrance that has
been already referred to at some length, since the hive body is in contact
with the board the bee-space must be given underneath the frames, hence
the top-bars are flush with the upper edge of the hive. Let us see what
happens with a beekeeper who has a hive of this type. He buys a super
from another dealer, probably gets one where the bee-space is at the top,
so when he places it on the brood-chamber the bottom of the sections rest
on the top-bars of the frames, and all communication between the two is
prevented.

There is another phase of the matter, and here the beekeeper is fre-
quently to blame. The bees have a great fondness for daubing propolis in
every cranny, so that when the ends of the frames rest on wood they are
apt to be fastened rather tightly. To reduce this effect to a minimum the
hive maker cuts the rabbet a little deeper and provides a strip of tin to -be
nailed at the proper height so that the frames will rest on a thin edge of
metal. Not realising the importance of these many beekeepers omit to put
them in, hence the frames hang too low and prevent communication below.

— 29-

Figl

RgS.

Fig. 1 shows a cross section of the end board of a hive as it comes from the
factory, Fig. 2 how it looks when the rabbet tin is in position.

Speaking of frames calls to recollection the fact that the inspectors came
across a dozen instances where the pieces had been simply sruck together,
not nailed, merely pushed into place with the very natural result that in
the hive they had all fallen apart. It is really surprising to find that there
are bee-men so constituted that they will buy first-class hives, frames and
full sheets of foundation, then practically waste all this good material by
neglecting to nail the frames. There is only one possible excuse, the lack
of the proper size of nail. It is a pleasure to be able to announce that the
biggest beeware factory in Canada has decided to supply from now on suf-
ficient nails for all the parts sent out. This is the custom elsewhere, born
of necessity, for the first example that was met was on a ranch, thirty
miles from the nearest hardware store. The inspector was anxious to put
the frames into good condition but it was problematical if nails small
enough could be found within a distance of ten miles.

PUTTING HIVES TOGETHER.

First, get the hive, and get it early. One inspector smiles when he re-
calls an incident that happened about the end of June, when he met the
owner of about a dozen hives driving rapidly along the road. He pulled up
to say he was hurrying to the nearest town, at least three miles away, to
get a hive for the biggest swarm he had ever seen. It was suggested to
him that it might be gone before his return. But his bees were rather
well behaved, for they would usually hang for several days patiently wait-
ing the time when he could spare a few minutes to start them off in their
new abode. A few days later the inspector learned that this particular
ewarm was different, for when the beekeeper got back it had vanished
into thin air.

The first swarm that was encountered by the western inspector occurred
on May 11th, and from that date to the end of June he met them in plenty.
This fixes in some measure the date by which everything required for the
season's work should be ready, hives nailed and painted, frames nailed
with foundation in place, in fact everything in perfect condition for im-
mediate use. i

Now as to the necessary equipment. There ought to be on hand at
least one hive body or brood-chamber for every colony in the yard, two
would be still better. The purpose of these extra bodies is not to take care
of new swarms, but to prevent if possible any swarms issuing, and to store
the surplus honey.

— so-
Let the beekeeper make this his standard of excellence: There is to b»
in his apiary in the autumn no more colonies than there were on the first
day of April, and no swarms are to be allowed to get away. There ire
men m the Province attaining this standard right along, and they are the
ones who get the bumper crops of honey. Furthermore their worK among
the bees is trifling compared with the time wasted by others gathering in
three and four swarms from each hive. A first-class colony in a gooa season
will need at least two extra bodies and frequently three. But they must
all be ready by the first of May in most parts of the Province.

On unpacking a hive received in the flat set the four pieces on edge, and
Bide by side to see if they are all the same width. Goods of indifferent
make are far too common in this part of the world, and it is nothing un-
usual to find a variation of an eighth, a quarter, and even as much as three-
eighths of an inch. These should be rejected without hesitation as first-
class wares can be bought just as cheaply.

Another important feature is the character of the joint. The beekeep-
ing world as a whole prefers the lock-joint, often known as the dove-tail.
as it is much the strongest and the easiest to fit together. As a matter of
fact first-class beeware is so finely made that it could be put together in
the best room in the house without making more untidiness than a child
playing with a toy. These points are insisted on thus strongly because-
the beekeepers in British Columbia have not as a rule been getting the
quality to which they were entitled, for the price they paid.

The half check joint is much weaker th^n the lock-joint and therefore-
must be nailed much more. At least four nails should be driven on each
•ide, making a total of thirty-two to the chamber.

Once the four pieces are fastened together, the rabbet-tins should be
railed in position. The best made have one edge folded over about one-
eighth of an inch. This part rests on the bottom of the rabbet, so there i»
no diflaculty in placing the tins in their proper position. But it is different
with the plain tins for there is no guide where they should be put. If the
beekeeper will remember the necessity for the bee-space he will have no
trouble. If it be located at the top of the hive let him drop in a frame
against the tin, then adjust the latter until the top-bar of the frame is
just three-eighths of an inch from the edge of the hive. If the bee-space
be at the bottom then make the top-bar of the frame fiush with the upper
edge of the hive.

ON FRAMES AND FOUNDATION.

These subjects were dealt with eo thoroughly in the previous bulletin
that experience in the field suggests very little additional matter. In the
first place foundation must be used even if it be only a strip. The bees
will not follow a bar because it happens to be there, but they will accept
the line marked out by foundation. All in all it is false economy to use
onlV a narrow strip as this leaves to the bees the choice of the size of cell
they make. From the standpoint of the beekeeper they use poor judgment
as too frequently they build thousands of drone cells; sometimes as much
as thirty-three per cent, of the whole comb will be of this variety. This
is detrimental in at least two ways. First, it prevents by that much the
breeding of workers who are the only honey gatherers and so lessens the
honey-crop; second it brings into existence thousands of drones who bring-
in no honey; worse still it has been estimated that each drone consumes;

—31 —

as much honey as is produced by three workers. They are a most ex-
pensive luxury in any hive, so their number ought to be kept down to the
lowest possible minimum.

One more and a very important po'nt about foundation, make sure that
it is fastened securely. Dozens of times the inspectors met with cases
where full sheets of foundation had dropped out of the frames because the
"wedge had not been firmly driven in. It is not enough to tap the wedge at
different parts, one must set a strip of wood along its whole length and
pound firmly on that with a hammer. Better still, make certain that the
wedge will stay where it is put by driving a short nail into each end and
one at the middle.

MANAGEMENT OF THE APIARY.

On the mainland most hives were found to be in splendid condition as
early as the first week in May, in fact the inspectors never saw them in
iDetter shape at the same date anywhere. Even in neglected apiaries, and
there are far too many such, the hives were simply bursting with bees,
brood being raised in nearly every comb. Everywhere more room for the
queen was needed in the form of a brood chamber on top of the original
hive but nowhere was it given. Being crowded and suffering from want
of ventilation the bees prepared to swarm, and by the middle of the month
they were mending the intolerable conditions by sending out new colonies.
Now a vast amount of fruit is being raised in many districts, most of which
is in bloom at this period, and it seems probable that such powerful col-
onies if kept together should store up considerable surplus this month.
But they are permitted to scatter their forces and the flood of nectar is used
to build new combs instead of finding its way into the surplus chamber
where the beekeeper hopes to see it. That it does not get there is largely
•due to his own neglect.

Let us consider the case ol the average rancher who keeps a few hives
that he may have a little honey for family use, and try to figure out the
least he must do to succeed in his aim, and when he must do it. To start
^with, let him get a smoker, veil and hee'-gloves that are actually efficient,
for let it be frankly said they are not that for ten per cent, of the time. A
good smoker is illustrated in the former bulletin, so no more need be said.
A simpler bee-veil than the one shown in the same bulletin can be made
out of plain cotton cloth made in the forfti of a sack open at both ends. It
must be wide enough to slip over the hat, and long enough to fall below the
shoulders. A piece of elastic run in at the top end will draw it tight
round the hat. The lower end hangs loose. In front cut out a square of
about eight inches size, and fill up the space with a piece of mosquito wire
netting, and let the color be black or dark green. In use the veil is dropped
down over the shoulders, then the coat is put on and buttoned in front.

For gloves use a pair of the riding variety with a glossy surface, but
lengthen the gauntlets by sleeves that will come well up the arm and cling
tight by the aid of elastic. A bee-dress that permits a single insect to
sting one is worthless. In some districts the strain of bees is a specially
vicious one, perhaps the very worst are those on'the northern" h'alf of Van-
couver Island, for these will terrify a whole neighbourhood for several days
after the hives have been disturbed. Such a condition should not be
tolerated more than one summer; every queen should be killed off and re-
placed by one of gentler character. Gentle bees ordinarily will not attempt

— 32-

Flfi;. ft. — A H^varm cliiNterintr.

to Sting when smoke is used, but one inspector found a strain on Van-
couver Island so intensely vindictive that they poured in through an open
window and attacked the inmates of the room. It was the first experience
of the kind he had even seen or heard of.

Now for the season's procedure. In March when the bees are flying
freely make sure that the bottom-boards are clean. This task will take
but a few minutes.

Towards the end of April remove the cover, turn back the quilt and note
the strength of the hive. If bees are grouped plentifully from edge to edge
of the hive, more room is needed so at once put a second brood chamber
above the first, thus doubling the capacity of the hive. Then make sure
they have plenty of ventilation by having an entrance the full width of the
hive, and at least three-eighths high. Double that height would be even
better. The work at this time will take only a few minutes.

The bees now have plenty of room for increase and opportunity to get
fresh air, so that swarming will be at least postponed if not prevented.
Should a swarm issue about the end of May, it will be a big one, fit to do
fine*work if nectar be plentiful.

-33-

WHAT TO BO WITH A SAVARM.

Remember, our aim is to prevent increase in the number of colonies in
the apiary, so should a swarm issue from a hive we are going to re-unite
the forces — but not at once. If we run the bees back into the hive from
which they came, they will repeat their little performance a little later in
the day or the day following.

We will go about the work in this fashion, taking advantage of a few
little habits of bee nature. When the swarm is clustering we get an
empty hive body, also one with frames filled with foundation or old combs.
Then we proceed to the old hive, lift it off the stand and set it about a
couple of feet to one side of its old position, and with its entrance at right
angles to the old one. If it formerly faced the south it will now look east
if on the right side of the old stand, and west if on the left side. Then we
place a new bottom-board on the old stand, on that the empty hive body,
above that the one with the frames, lastly the cover, slipping under it a
match or similar thickness of wood to prevent the cover fitting down close.
The swarm is a big one, the bees are very much excited and full of move-
ment, so if there is not plenty of fresh air in the hive they are apt to fly
off and seek more congenial quarters.

Fis. 4. — Smoking the swarm.

—34 —

Many of the old bees are returning from the field and they are now
entering the new hive, distractedly running .round and wondering what
has happened to their beloved home during their absence.

Then we will gather in the swarm and run it into the new hive on the
old stand. Now see what happens. The bees in the old hive do not know
that it has been shifted so when they return from the fields laden with
nectar or pollen they naturally seek the old stand, and so every minute our
swarm is being augmented by the field workers, while the old hive is getting
correspondingly weaker, so weak in fact will it become that there is very
little chance of its throwing off a second swarm that season.

In about twenty-four hours the swarm will have settled down to steady
work, so we go to the hive and remove the empty chamber from under-
neath, and place it on top of the one containing the frames. Then we turn
to the old hive and proceed to weaken it still more by taking from its top
story all the combs that contain honey, bees and all, and placing them
above the new swarm, looking over the frames carefully for queen cells
which we destroy if found. Next we close up both hives, then turn the
entrance of the old hive round a few inches so that it begins to point in
the same direction as it did before the swarm issued. Each day we turn
the old hive round a few inches until on the fifth day the entrances of the
old hive and the new are side by side.

On the seventh day we are ready for the last step. On top of the hive
containing the swarm we place an empty hive body, then from the old hive
we take the frames one by one and transfer them with the adhering bees
to the hive on the old stand, as before looking for queen cells and destroy-
ing them. Last of all we remove the empty brood-chamber and the bot-
tom-board from the stand, so that all the flying bees will have to join the
swarm on the old stand.

This looks like a lot of work, but all told it is a great deal less than
taking care of two swarms. Then look at the difference in results. When
unlimited swarming is permitted, we have at least three colonies in place
of one with very little prospect of a honey-crop. By combining we have
only one colony, as when we started, with the certainty of a big honey-
crop if the season be favorable. This method of handling swarms is the
one followed by one British Columbian beekeeper who figures on putting
into winter quarters every season eighteen hives. His increase each sum-
mer is just equal to his winter loss. His honey production runs steadily
100 pounds extracted per hive. The biggest honey yield from one hive in
British Columbia so far as is known to the inspectors was 400 pounds
produced by a beekeeper on Lulu Island, who manipulated the colony in
almost similar fashion. The total time devoted to this hive probably did
not exceed a couple of hours in the course of the year, nevertheless its
product sold for eighty dollars.

HOW TO HANDLE A SWARM.

This subject was dealt with rather extensively in the previous bulletin,
but the writer of it regretted that at the time it was written it was im-
possible for him to make a series^f photc^graphg ishowing tttfe various^stages
from the cluster to the hive, as the swarming season was long past. He
determined however to secure a good set at the first opportunity. Luck
was specially kind to him in the matter. One morning as he was starting
out on a pre-arranged day's work right in the middle of the honey-flow.

Fig. 5. — Shaking the s^varin inti> a dishpan.

the idea came into his head he ought to make a special call on one large
beekeeper just to see what the bees were doing. He was greatly rewarded
for in the apiary he found a visitor in the form of one of Ontario's most
successful beekeepers, a man who for 3 5 years had made his living entirely
from bees and who had filled the position of inspector for several seasons.
The advent of a swarm gave the inspector the chance to suggest that the
Tisitor should show how swarms were handled in Ontario.

He started out by asking for a big tin d'sh-pan, a sheet and a smoker.
The sheet wes placed in front of the new hive so that the bees might have
a fairly flat surface to move around on, for when they are dumped upon
grass their movements are seriously handicapped. He next explained that
he preferred a large tin basin to any other utensil for the simple reason
that its highly polished surface formed a rather poor foothold for the bees
and that it was therefore very easy to shake out the insects in front of the
hive. It was the first time the inspector had ever heard of the dish-pan
being preferred for this work, but later in the season he met a successful
apiarist who used it, but this gentleman hastened to add a word of warning
to the effect that the pan should not be allowed to lie in the sun before
being used, as it will become so hot that the instant the bees come in con-

—36-

tact with the metal they will rise in a cloud so furiously angry that they
will sting every living thing in sight.

The request for a smoker created some little discussion as its use at
swarming time is generally considered unnecessary. He however explained
that in his opinion there were guards set on the outside of the cluster just
as there is at the entrance of the hive when the bees are pursuing their
routine activities, and his purpose in smoking the swarm before shaking it
was to subdue the vigilance of the watchers.

Little needs to be said about the individual photographs of the series.
Fig, 3 shows the swarm clustered on the branch, and it may be considered
as fairly typical. Of course there are many instances when they are not
conveniently lodged for handling, in fact it is not uncommon to find their
position to be such that the easiest way to gather them in is to cut off the
branch and carry the whole thing to the hive. In Fig. 4 we see the swarm
being smoked.

Figure 5 indicates how the bees drop into the pan when a sudden down-
ward jerk is given the branch. When the shock is a sudden one a repe-
tition of the movement is rarely necessary.

In Fig. 6 the camera catches the beekeeper shaking out the bees on the

Fig. 6. — Shakiugr the bees in front of the hive.

—37 —

Fig. 7 "There's the Queeu."

sheet in front of the hive, and here one saw the advantage of using the tin
basin as the very first easy jerk landed most of the bees on the sheet.

When a swarm is entering a hive, and this is especially true if the
cluster be landed about a foot from the entrance, one can often see the
queen hurriedly making her way as if anxious to get out of sight. It is
always an intensely interesting moment even to a beekeeper when he sees
her long supple form gliding rapidly over the bodies of the other bees, and
80 it is not unusual for even such experienced men as we see in Fig. 7 in-
tently watching for her, to shout triumphantly "There's the queen" as she
comes into their field of vision.

The last photograph in the set, Fig. 8, merely exhibits the conditions as
the bees gradually find entrance to their new quarters.

FORM IN WHICH THE HONEY CROP MAY BE SECURED.

It may safely be said that the ambition of ninety per cent, of the bee-
keepers in British Columbia is to secure only sufficient honey for family
use, in fact many of them with half a dozen hives say they would be per-
fectly satisfied if their total crop amounted to fifty sections, that is less
than ten sections a hive. This is not an ambitions standard by any means,
yet it is one that is rather difficult of attainment in the Province as a whole.
As was explained in the previous bulletin the cool nights are against suc-
cess in the production of section honey, and this is tru-e of almost every
district. Here and there one meets with a locality where it is seemingly
easy to raise honey in sections, such locations being situated with fine
southern exposures, and protected by hilly country on the north. Hatzic is
an excellent example of this kind of region, in fact the western inspector

found in half a dozen apiaries there more sect-on honey than in all of the
districts he visited put together.

Another obstacle in the way of raising section honey, one that holds
good everywhere, is the breaking of the direct communication in the up-
ward passage-ways between the combs. We know that in an 8-frame hive
there are eight combs, but in the section super for such a hive there are
only six rows of sections. The result is that when the bees in their upward
journey reach the top of the frames in the brood-chamber they must change
direction horizontally across the top of the frames, then turn upward, mak-
ing their way through small entrances into the section boxes. Seemingly
they dislike the tortuous windings and prefer to swarm rather than to
wrestle with such complications.

On the other hand the beekeeper whose ambitions are limited to a little
honey for family use does not want to invest nearly twenty dollars in buy-
ing an extractor. The problem before the inspectors has been to reconcile
the conflicting conditions, that is to say, to secure the honey in the comb
and at the same time preserve for the bees direct communication between
the brood-chamber of the hive and the super. The solution will probably
be found in the production of "chunk" honey, that is to say honey raised in
frames, not in the ordinary section boxes. For this form of honey produc-
tion a shallow extracting super, less than six inches deep, is used in which
are placed shallow frames a little over five inches in depth. The combs in
these frames are about 17 inches long and 4 inches wide, which is not
ordinarily a marketable size, but "chunks" cut from one as needed are all

^

r . ■ ■ T

4?-

'

^

7*^

1 r'">

■

1^

• 1 *^-

'

ii^mM

wm

W;>.: ' '■'*'?'*. 'V<«

"'■ " '%.

^^■■PNIHbI^^^S^ **

Fig. S. — Homeward bound.

— 39 —

right for home consumption. In preparing these frames for use, founda-
tion starters not much more than half an inch wide are put in, just enough
to give the bees a line to follow. When the comb is cut out of the frame,
at least half an inch of it is left adhering to the top bar so that the bees
may get to work at once. It would be worth while for every beekeeper in
a sm.all way to try at least one of these shallow frame supers. In all like-
lihood the venture would not cost over a dollar.

REMOV ING EXTRACTING COMBS FROM THE HIVE.

In one apiary of fifty colonies one inspector was lucky enough to be
present when extracting was under way so he secured a series of photo-
graphs illustrating the various stages as far as was possible. The pictures
almost speak for themselves. On looking over the set it will be noticed
that in addition to the ordinary tools the beekeeper has two others, con-
sisting of a whisk broom, generally known as a bee-brush, and a comb-box.
His aim is to get the combs transferred from the hive to the honey-house,
where he is to do the extracting, without taking any bees along.

The bee-brush is simply an ordinary whisk broom, thinned down con-
siderably by cutting away about half of the fibre. Some men say that a
feather from the wing of a turkey is even better.

The comb-box can be made of an ordinary hive by nailing a bottom of
light boards on it, and then adding a close fitting lid with hinges.

We will now follow this beekeeper through the various steps in his work
at the hive. First he removes the cover, which is stood up against the side
of the hive. Then as is shown in Fig. 9 he peels up the quilt, blowing
smoke across the frames as he does so. Next he drives down the bees out
of the super, as is illustrated in Fig. 10. Perhaps a speedier and easier
way to get the bees out of the super is to apply a carbolised cotton cloth a
little larger than the surface of the bive. To prepare the cloth add a little
carbolic acid to a tea-cupful of vater, enough to make it smell, then soak
the cloth in the mixture, next wringing it thoroughly, finally rolling it up
nicely. Now turn back the quilt from one of the sides, and at once place
the roll in position on the wood in such a way that it can be easily un-
rolled. Now turn back the quilt and unroll the carbolised cloth at the
same time. Bees simply detest carbolic acid, and every one reached by its
odor will hasten down into the lower chambers to get beyond the reach of
its influence. In some parts of Europe the carbolised cloth is used in pre-
ference to smoke for all hive manipulations as it will subdue even very
vicious bees.

Fig. 11 shows a frame of honey being removed from the hive, while the
next photograph. Fig. 12, illustrates how the adhering bees are shaken off
the comb on to the entrance of the hive by a sudden jerk. The bee-brush
is next brought into requisition, and those that still cling to the surface
of the combs are got rid of by sweeping strokes. (Fig. 13). In the next
picture. Fig. 14, we see the cleared comb being put in the comb-box. When
this has been accomplished the lid will be turned over so that not a bee
can reach the combs. In the last figure of the series, Fig. 15, we see the
cappings of the com.b being removed by an upward stroke of the knife.
The whole process of extracting is treated rather fully in Bulletin No. 30
so it is unnecessary to say more about it here.

The carbolised cloth will be found specially useful in removing comb-

40 —

Fis. 9. — Removing^ the qiiilt.

—41-

Fig-. 10. — Smoking: down the bees.

— 4 2 —

Fig. 11. — Removing a comb.

43-

Figr. 12. — Shaking bees oflf comb.

-m

44

Fits. 13. — Brnshins off the few adhering bees.

-45-

Fl^r. 14. — Placing frame In honey box.

-46-

Fig. 15. — Uncapping the cells.

honey supers from tte hive, as in a few minutes every bee will be
driven out.

Notwithstanding tl:e warning given in the previous bulletin a number of
beekeepers were found extracting honey before it was perfectly ripe. On
the second trip the inspectors were not a bit surprised to find that the crop
had turned eour.

QUEEN EXCLUDERS.

These are used during the honey-flow, especially in regions where it is
slow, to prevent the queen entering the super and laying eggs in the combs

— 47 —

intended for honey only. Almost everywhere the plain sheet of perforated
zinc was found in use, and too often it did much harm and no good. Its
natural tendency is to sag, so over and over again it was found resting
tight on the top-bars of the frames, where it was glued down with pro-
polis and every hole plugged up. Of course this stopped communication
with the super above and no honey was got.

One beekeeper was found who had left the extracting supers on all
winter without removing the excluder from between the two parts of the
hive. He claimed to have four hives alive, but examination showed that
only one was really worthy of that description, as three of them were
queenless. Some tim.e during the winter the bees had used up all the
stores in the lower story, and so had to move on to the honey in the
chamber above. The queen was unable to pass through the holes in the
excluder, and was consequently left behind. She was probably frozen to
death. The wood and zinc excluder illustrated in Bulletin No. 30 is pre-
ferable to the all zinc excluder.

DRONE TRAPS.

Drone traps are as useful as queen excluders, and just as dangerous in
the hands of one who does not understand their use. For instance one
beekeeper was found who put them in front of the entrances and kept them
there all through the summer months. He even used them at once with
•warms. The inspector on going through his hives found about a third of
them queenless. Here is about what happened. The first swarm is usually
headed by the old queen, so a young queen will head the old hive. If a
drone trap be put on the hive before she has mated she will be caught as
fihe attempts to leave on her nuptial flight, and perish in the trap. The
second and following swarms are headed by virgins and these must fly to
meet the drone, but when drone traps are on the hives their fate is to die
in the trap. The moral is this, a beekeeper who never examines his hives
and consequently does not know what is going on inside should never use
a drone trap.

ANOTHER CAUSE FOR LOSS OF QUEENS.

On two occasions one inspector came across apiaries where a score of
hives stood on a platform side by side as close as they could stand. He
wanted to know if many of them did not die off on account of queenless-
ness. The owners did not know anything about that, but said the winter
losses were very heavy. The gaps were filled up each season from swarms.
The honey-crop was usually but a few pounds a hive. On the second visit
it was easy to show the owners that many of the colonies were queenless.

When a young queen returns from her mating flight, if she enters the
wrong hive she is killed by the inmates. When colonies stand side by side,
and no one has a distinct and permanent marking, as is the condition in
these apiaries, it is almost impossible for the young queen to avoid making
a mistake, and her life is the price demanded for her blunder. No more
than three hives should stand side by side in a group, even then it is better
to vary the appearance by placing some conspicuous object on top of a hive
or near the entrance.

WINTERING CONDITIONS.

A summer's work such as the inspectors experienced gave them a splen-
did opportunity to form an opinion as to the best methods of preparing the

—48 —

bees for the winter's rest. This is a subject that is of perennial interest
in the bee journals, in fact scarcely a number is issued that does not con-
tain the results of experiments made by beekeepers on every part of this
continent, and varied are the recommendations as to the best methods of
taking care of the insects. The inspectors took especial interest in the
subject, and their note-books record the observations they made so that
at the end of the season they might be able to make sound recommenda-
tions as to what is best.

It may be worth while to make a few extracts from one inspector's
notes: "On this ranch were found two dozen colonies, mostly in boxes.
Nothing appears to have been done excepting to hive swarms. In a few
instances there were regular hives, on top of some of which there were
placed supers with sections, on others supers without sections, while in
many instances there were frameless boxes piled one above another, and
all apparently had been in that condition for years. All the entrances
were small, just half an inch by three inches. Some leaked air upwards
freely, but others were sealed tight with propolis so that the only source
of ventilation was through the entrance. Notwithstanding the variety of
conditions most of the colonies were in magnificent shape so that wintering
must have been very good. One miserable swarm had been hived in a thin
fruit packing box whose bottom-board, now the roof, was made of %-inch
lumber. Before winter the swarm had been unable to build a full set of
combs, in fact the completed patch was only about ten inches square and
deep, occupying little more than one-third of the available space. The
roof leaked freely as the boards did not meet by at least one-eighth of an
inch. In rainy weather the combs must have been sodden wet, in fact were
so when the inspector first saw them in May, yet the colony had survived
the winter and was struggling to make headway, although thousands of
dead bees were still adhering to the combs. Winter temperature ran to
11 deg. below zero, while the rainfall averaged about six inches monthly
all winter."

Out of curiosity the inspector cleaned out the dead bees, laid oilcloth
along the crack and placed a board on top to shed the rain. It seemed
impossible that a handful of bees in such a miserable shelter could ever
amount to anything, but he wanted to see what could be done. Exactly
a month later a second visit was made to this apiary, when this colony was
found to have grown large enough not only to cover the old combs, but
to build an equal amount of new. Arrangements were made to transfer
it into a regular 10-frame hive, and by the middle of August it was sold
to an experienced beekeeper from England who was delighted with its
condition.

Here is a note that occurs frequently, "Two-story all winter," or "Story
with empty combs above all winter; very strong, one of the best colonies
that has been seen."

Another condition is briefly put in this remark, "Wintered on summer
stands, with no direct protection, but under rainproof shed which was
closed at back and at both ends. In fairly strong condition. Owner says
that when the sun shone brightly on cold winter days the bees were
tempted to fly out, got chilled, dropped down and died. Bees faced south."
To those who understand, this note is very illuminative. The closed
space soon warms up under the sun's direct rays and the warmth tempts
the bees to venture out. The rainproof roof is all right, but the closed

— 49—

back is a mistake, so the beekeeper was urged to remove the boards be-
hind the hives.

So far as the wet belt is concerned the inspector's opinion is that the
most important conditions for successful wintering are, a colony strong in
bees, plenty of stores, and a little upward ventilation which may be easily
secured by folding back the edge of the quilt at the rear of the hive about
a quarter of an inch, this being done in October when brood-raising is prac-
tically over. Instead of turning over the quilt, this may be removed, a
hive of empty combs set on top of the brood-chamber, and the quilt re-
placed on top of it. Whichever system is followed, whenever in spring
pollen is seen to be carried in, all upward leakage of air must be stopped
and only the brood-chamber be left for the use of the bees.

In the dry belt colonies that are strong in the fall and with plenty of
stores come easily through the winter without special protection of any
kind. In one district where the thermometer falls to 31 deg. below zero
and frost lasts for weeks at a time, the inspectors found the colonies very
strong the first week of May.

REMEDYIXG DEFECTS IX COMBS.

In but few instances did the inspectors come across really first-class
combs in a hive. A really good comb should be as flat as a planed board,
occupy the whole frame, be attached to the center of the top and side bars,
and not be swung out of line at any part. But rarely did they meet combs
that could be removed from the hive without considerable manipulation.
Generally speaking, no foundation whatever is used by the average bee-
keeper, and as a consequence the bees usually build the combs diagonally
across the hive. Before such combs can be inspected they must be cut to
pieces, entirely upsetting the routine work of the colony, killing lots of
brood and making a woeful mess with streaming honey. Good beekeeping
is not possible while such conditions exist, and every owner of such a hive
should make an effort to get rid of them. To put the combs into a work-
able but not first-class shape is a fairly easy task. The only extra tool
necessary is a knife with a long blade, one long enough to reach to the
bottom of the hive. This is passed between the frames, reaching right
down to the bottom-board, thus cutting the combs and making it possible
to lift out the frames one by one. The outside frame is first removed, the
bees shaken or brushed from it, as conditions allow, then it is laid flat on
a large board. The pieces of comb overlap each other, presenting V-shaped
edges. With the knife cut down through both combs, remove the trim-
mings, and push the parts that are left into place so that the newly-cut
edges touch and are in line. Take the next comb from the hive and replace
the first one. By treating each comb this way in turn one can get a set of
fairly true combs with little more than 15 minutes' work. The bees will
make the necessary repairs in twenty-four hours.

When the trouble is less serious, such as a bulging of the comb at top,
ends or bottom, all that is necessary is to cut through the connecting wax
at the defective part, push the comb into place, and return the frame to
the hive.

Where much drone comb is present the piece containing the cells should
be cut out with a pocket-knife.

-50- I

I

TRANSFERRING TO GOOD COMBS.

How can the bees be transferred from boxes, or it may be from combs,
into a modern hive, with the least possible trouble? This question is fre-
quently asked the Departmerit these days, indicating that a real live interest
is being taken in modern beekeeping, for unless combs are movable and
easily removable from the hive it is impossible to follow modern methods.
Knowing the many duties and cares of the average beekeeper in the summer
months, the inspectors do not feel it advisable to recommend a system of
direct transferring, which consists in cutting the old combs out of the boxes
and fastening them into the frames of the new hive. One of the inspectors
has had quite an extensive experience with the direct method, and he does
not feel like advising a novice to undergo what might turn out to be a rather
trying ordeal. To his mind an indirect method, that is to say one by which
the bees are gradually worked over into the new hive, but the combs ar«
left behind, is far better adapted to the conditions of the average man.

First let us take* the case where the bees are in regular hives, but th«
combs are in so chaotic a condition that it is impossible to remove a frame
from the hive. This is a rather easy case. The beekeeper provides himself
with a new hive, one in which the frames are furnished with full sheets of
foundation, also a queen excluder. When the bees are so strong that they
occupy the full width of the hive, which should be about the first week in
May, remove the cover of the old hive, and place the new one on top of the
brood-chamber, then replace the cover. The bees will soon take possession
of the addition, in fact if there be a good flow of nectar from fruit blossom«
they will draw out, that is build, new combs very rapidly. Almost as fast
as these are made the queen will lay eggs in the cells. The problem for the
beekeeper at this stage of the proceedings is to pen the queen in the top-
chamber so as to prevent her laying below in the old one. So, about a week
after the new hive has been given he should lift one of the middle frames
and look into the cells. If he sees eggs or larvae it is proof that the queen
is laying above. We will suppose that these are found. The queen is in
one of the chambers, but we do not know which. If little or no smoke ha«
been used she will probably be above, but if much was blown down the
frames she is almost certain to have run down into the lower chamber to
escape the deluge. We will replace the frames and wait till next day, so
that normal conditions will reign. On the second visit we take the queen-
excluder along and lean it against the hive where it will be easily got when
wanted. Now smoke the bees through the entrance, and wait a minute or
two. The smoke will not only subdue the bees, but will tend to drive the
queen above should she happen to be in the bottom hive. Next, without
removing the cover, lift the upper division away to one side, clap the ex-
cluder on the lower hive, then restore the top story to its former position.

We do not know for certain where the queen is but the charj-^ss are
greatly in favor of the assumption that she is above the excluder, but in
three days we can learn where she really is by examining the middle frames
in the top story. An egg hatches in three days after it is laid, so should we
find lots of eggs in these frames on the fourth day after inserting the ex-
cluder we know she is above it, but if there are no eggs then she must be
below. When she is above nothing needs to te done for 21 days. At the
end of that time all the young brood below the excluder will have hatched
out, so the old hive may be at once removed from the stand, also the ex-
cluder which has finished its work and is no longer needed.

—51—

But supposing we find no eggs above on the fourth da? after inserting
the excluder. Then we know the queen must be below, consequently we
remove the excluder for 24 hours so as to give the queen a chance to go
above, then try all over again. It takes a little while to tell how these
things are done, but in practice the work takes only a few minutes, some-
thing that can be done just after the noonday meal.

The condition is a little complicated when the hives are of different
sizes. For instance the old hive may be 14 inches square while the new
hive may be 14x20, or 16x20. There will thus be quite a gap left at one
end at least when the one hive is put on top of the other, and the bees will
not tolerate any such condition. Before the new, and supposedly larger,
hive is placed on top of the old one, a strip of wood of sufficient size must
be fastened with a few small nails across the bottom at what will be the
back end of the hive, so that the fit will be snug. A piece of corresponding
size will have to be fastened to the excluder. When the time comes to in-
sert the excluder the strip on the bottom of the new hive must be taken
off, and this is the reason why it ought to be nailed but lightly.

Let us now consider the case of a box used as a home for the bees.
There is really very little uniformity in the dimensions. In one apiary one
may find boxes ten inches square and thirty inches high, while not over a
mile away there may be found bees enjoying the luxury of a home twelve
inches in height, eight inches wide and two feet long. Where the box
nearly conforms to the dimensions of a regular hive it can be handled
fairly well by turning it upside down and setting the new chamber on top.
The bees object to going down into their home and soon transfer their
quarters to the upper portion, so in a month the chances are the lower
part will be practically free of bees, especially if additional room be added
above as found necessary.

Another method of transferring the bees from a box is to wait until it
swarms, and this plan is the best suited for all odd sizes, such as the ten
inch square one just mentioned, nail kegs, old trunks of trees and such
like. While the swarm is in the air remove the box from the stand and set
it a couple of feet to one side with the entrance at right angles to the old
position. Put the new hive on the old stand and run in the swarm. Since
the old bees are not aware of the change in position they will return to the
old stand, thus augmenting very considerably the strength of the swarm,
but weakening the original colony in the box to an equal extent. Our
purpose is to drain every bee from the box and add it to the new hive. For
a few days there will be very few bees flying from the box, but on the fourth
day the younger bees will begin to take up the field work. We now pre-
pare to entice them into the new hive by working the entrance of the box
towards that of the hive occupied by the swarm, so each night we turn it
a few inches towards its old location. By the seventh day from that on
which the swarm issued the two entrances should be side by side. Next
day when flight is free, say after midday, the box should be lifted to the
other side of the hive with the entrance turned away, looking west if on
the west side of the hive. The flying bees on returning will find no home,
and after a little hesitation will enter the new hive and be Avelcome as they
will be laden with supplies.

Our box colony is now getting weaker, but there are still lots of young
bees in it, and thousands of larvae to be hatched out, so we proceed to

— 52—

repeat the first process all over again. In three days we begin to turn the
entrance towards that of the new hive, then on the seventh lift to the other
side. A third time we proceed as before, then lift the box back to the west
side. All the young bees have hatched out by this time, but it will be at
least a week before they will become field workers, so we go through the
routine a fourth time, then take away the box altogether. The young queen
is left with a few young bees and a little brood, but these must be sacrificed
and the box broken up.

—53-

FOUL BROOD

Like all other forms of life bees are liable to attacks by diseases, some
of which affect the adults, others the young. It is with those forms that
destroy the latter during the larval, that is the magot, stage the bee-
keepers of British Columbia are most concerned, because in recent years
they are spreading over this continent at a rate that has so far been un-
controllable. There aie two varieties, well recognised today, that attack
the larvae, both generally known as Foul Brood, probably because of the
disgusting odour that prevails when the virulent stage is reached.

Only by long and patient research on the part of highly skilled investi-
gators have the causes of these deadly maladies been found. In 1885 an
Englishman named Cheyne ascribed the cause of the disease to a micro-
scopic form of plant life that he found present in the dead larvae, and he
named it Bacillus alvei, that is the hive bacillus. Recent investigations
confirm his discovery, differing in this, that he had found the cause of only

li^iiBSR^^

FIG. 16. — American Foul-Brood comb, showing- irreg-ular patches of sunken
cappings and scales. The position of the comb indicates the best way to
view the scales. (U. S. Dept. of Ag. Far. Bui. 442.)

one form of Foul Brood. Dr. White of the U. S. Department of Agriculture
at Washington, D. C, after several years of careful work succeeded in iso-
lating another bacillus which is always present in the larvae that have died
from the other form of the malady, and all indications suggest that it is
probably the cause of the disease. Dr. Whit©' glides the name of Bacillus
larvae to this humble but deadly form of plant life.

Since the cause of one form of larval disease was first discovered in
Europe, the beekeepers of this continent have agreed that this form of the
malady shall be known as European Foul Brood, while the other variety is
to be called American Foul Brood. But it should be clearly understood
that both the diseases are prevalent on this continent and in Europe.

— 54 —

It is an accepted principJe that like begets like, therefore many bee-
keepers are in error Whfen they suppose a form of Foul Brood niay develop
from an insanitary condition of the hive. Before European or American
Foul Brood can attack the young larvae the bacillus must first be intro-
duced into the hive from the outside, hence it is well for the beekeeper to
know how the infection may be carried in. Dr. White found that while the
greatest number of infecting germs of Bacillus alvei were to be found in
the bodies of dead larvae, he also got many from the pollen in the cells of
the Foul Brood combs, smaller nupibers in the honey stored in these combs;
he found them also on the surface of the combs and frames; likewise on the
wings, legs, head, thorax and abdomen, and in the intestinal contents of
adult bees in the infected colonies.

These facts give us a working hypothesis. We know that bees are quick
to rob the honey of a weak colony. Just as soon as Foul Brood has lowered
its population sufficiently to make defence of the stores impossible, the bees
of the neighbourhood at once carry off its honey to their own hive, and as
a consequence implant the germs in their home, which in turn becomes a
new center of infection to other colonies. One diseased hive in a locality
means sooner or later, generally sooner, the total extermination of the bees
in that district.

Let us consider how Foul Brood may be brought into British Columbia.
We have learned by experience that it can be introduced by settlers bring-
ing their bees along with them. To minimise this channel of infect-on, the
Department of Agriculture puts all imported bees on combs into quar-
antine for nine months.

The disease may reach us by spreading from an infected area. This is
the most serious cause for anxiety at the present time, for American Foul
Brood is close to the boundary line on the south. The forests are full of
"bee trees" over which man has no control so that the beekeepers near the
international line will be the first to feel the onslaught. It is the duty
of these men to be specially watchful and to report to the Department the
first suspicious symptoms.

Dr. White reports that he was able to isolate the bacillus of European
Foul Brood from the queens of three badly infected hives, which fact sug-
gests that it is possible for the germs to be imported along with a queen,
though it should be said that the large queen breeders are exceedingly
careful.

It is the opinion of some that the present rapid dissemination of Foul
Brood may be due to the very general custom of buying queens from breed-
ers, but few facts have been advanced in support of the theory.

We have seen that the germs may be present in the honey from a dis-
eased apiary. Over one hundred thousand pounds of honey are imported
into this province annually, much of it from infected regions, and it is more
than probable that much of it carries disease germs. It is therefore ex-
tremely unwise to feed to bees honey that has been bought in a store,
especially if the source of origin is unknown. The retailers word is not
sufficient, for the writer recently bought a section of honey guaranteed to
be raised in Chilliwack, yet not one pound of section honey was produced
in that district the previous summer. The only safe feed for bees is
sugar syrup.

— 55 —

SYMPTOMS OF FOUL BROOD.

In depos:ting her eggs the queen lays them with remarkab'.e uniformity,
in small patches early in the year, but in ever increasing areas as the hive
becomes stronger and the weather conditions more favorable. Hatching-
out in a healthy hive is just as regular. When however a larva dies the
symmetry is broken, so here and there we find cells that are not, so to
speak, keeping time with the others on the same frame. When these are
quite numerous it is high time for the beekeeper to take special note of

FIG. 17.--American Foul Brood: a, b, f, normal sealed sells; c, j, sunken
capplngs, showing- perforations; g, sunken capping not perforated; h, 1,
m, n, q, r, larvae affected by disease; e, i, p, s, scales formed from dried-
down larvae: d, o, pupae affected by disease. Three times natural size.
(U. S. Dept. Ag. Far. Bui. 442.)

their appearance. In ordinary conditions the dead larvae are removed by
the workers, and the queen deposits another egg in the cell. But the odor
given off by larvae that have died of Foul Brood appears to overpower even
the most enthusiastic workers, so the dead magots are permitted to remain
in the cells. In American Foul Brood death seems to occur after the cells
have been capped over, so when the workers find cells that refuse to hatch
thy puncture the cappings, in order to remove the dead matter, but are
driven from the task by the offensive smell. The first suspicious sign there-
fore is a number of scattered cells whose cappings have been perforated by
the workers and left in that condition.

The cappings of healthy cells is rounded upwards, that is a little dome is
over each cell, but those affected by Foul Brood are sunken. A combina-
tion of scattered, sunken and perforated cells is therefore very suspicious,
one that demands further investigation. This is done by means of a tooth-

—56—

pick, a match or a sliver of wood sharpened to a point. The capping is
removed, when a dead larvae will be found in the cell. The tooth-pick is
pushed into the dead magot, then slowly withdrawn. If the decaying mass
adheres to the point of the wood and stretches out like melted glue, length-
ening anywhere from half an inch to several inches before it breaks, then

FIG. 18. — Showing the ropiness of American Foul Brood.

the probability is that American Foul Brood was the cause of death. This
is the form of the disease that is apt to reach this province first as it is
very prevalent on the Pacific Coast.

The colour indications deserve consideration. When the larvae are first
affected they turn to a light chocolate colour, then as decay advances, they
become darker, resembling roasted coffee in colour. When the larvae
dries it forms a tightly adhering scale of very dark brown colour, which
can be best observed when the comb is held so that a bright light, say from
the direct rays of the sun, strikes the lower cell well.

A hive affected by American Foul Brood has a very characteristic odour,
resembling a poor quality of glue. In the early stages it is not very pro-
nounced but grows strpnger as the disease spreads.
Kl ROPKAX FOl L BROOD.

European Foul Brood is most prevalent in the east, so our risk of in-
fection is from imported bees. It attacks the larvae earlier than does
American Foul Brood, hence only a small part of the diseased larvae are
ever capped. Those that are capped over have the sunken and perforated
appearance as in the case of the American form.

When first affected the larvae show a small yellow spot on the body near
the head. After death they turn first yellow, then brown, finally almost
black. When the tooth-pick test is tried, the decaying matter very rarely
stretches out in a long thread.

The dried bodies of larvae that have died from American Foul Brood
adhere firmly to the bottom of the cell, those whose death has been caused
by European Foul Brood do not adhere strongly. There is very little odour
from the decaying larvae, and it is not nearly so noticeable as the "glue-
pot" smell from American Foul Brood.

European Foul Brood is much more infectious than the American type
and spreads more rapidly.

TRKAfCMfiNT OF FOUL BROOD.

'Very careful experiments prove that drugs and chemicals, no matter how
applied, whether in food or for fumigating combs, have no effect upon the
germs that produce Foul Brood.

With a condition of immunity such as British Columbia enjoys at present
the only wise thing is to stamp out the infection as soon as it secures a
loothold. Up to the present time before any suspected hive has been

-57—

destroyed samples of the combs have been submitted to bacteriological
experts, and only after their report had been received has action been
taken; consequently the beekeepers of the province may have every con-
fidence that the Inspectors will do nothing hastily. They realise that their
duty is to help, not to hurt.

FIG. 19. — European Foul Brood: a, j, k, normal sealed cells; b, c, d, e, g, i, 1.
m, p, q, larvae affected by disease: f, h, n, o, dried-down larvae or scales.
Three times natural size. (U. S. Dept. Ag. Far. Bui. 442.)

PICKLE BROOD.

There is a diseased condition of the brood called by beekeepers "pickle
brood," but practically nothing is known of its cause. In some instances
its symptoms resemble those of Foul Brood. For instance when the larvae
are capped over, the cappings may be punctured, but they do not become
dark. On removing the perforated capping the larvae will be found to
present a swollen, watery appearance, and on being touched by the tooth-
pick will slide out bodily. There is no ropiness. There need not be any
anxiety about "pickle brood" as it generally disappears of its own accord.

Several times during the season of 1911 the Inspector in the Lrower
Fraser district met cases of dead brood whose death he judged to be the
result of cold or starvation. The season had been unusually wet with
spells of rather chilly weather right up to the first week of July providing
sufficient cause for the death of many larvae, especially those located near
the edges of the comb or on the outside frames of the brood nest. All
affected hives were noted and visited before the end of the season; in
every instance all signs of disease had disappeared.

After a month's fine weather in early spring, the season of 1912 in
the same district turned cold and wet. For a period of ten weeks the

average temperature may be described as chilly and damp with occasional
warm spells that lasted for a few days. It was a rather anxious time
for the Inspector. He came across hundreds of hives containing much
dead brood, while again and again closely observing bee-keepers reported
sudden outbreaks of Foul Brood and wanted their colonies destroyed.
With his previous season's experience behind him, the Inspector could
not agree with the beekeepers, much as he admired the fine public spirit
that influenced them to get rid of a supposed menace to the community.
To make assurance doubly sure, again and again he submitted samples
of suspected brood from different districts to the Department of Agricul-
ture at Washington, D. C, and in every instance the report was that iho
d'iseased condition was not of a contagious nature.

The work of the Inspectors during 1912, therefore, indicates that the
Province of British Columbia is still free from the disease known as
Foul Brood.

The Inspector in whose territory was found the diseased brood con-
ditions naturally devoted considerable effort to the study of the literature
of beekeeping in the hopes of finding a reference to similar conditions and
effects, and was rewarded by discovering the following by Wm. McEvoy,
a very noted Beekeeper and Foul Brood Inspector in Ontario: —

"When the weather conditions are favorable bees gather a good deal
of honey all through fruit-bloom, and while they are bringing in honey
daily the brood-chambers will be kept well supplied with 'unsealed' honey,
and as long as the 'unsealed' honey (which is the first used) lasts, all
the brood will be extra-well fed. But in some springs, when the bees
are workng well in fruit-bloom, and going into brood-rearing on a large
scale, wet weather sets in, and shuts off honey-gathering for days. Just
as soon as this occurs the bees quickly feed the 'unsealed' honey to ihe
brood, and when this is gone they do not uncap the sealed stores fast
enough to keep pace with all the brood that requires feeding, and the
result is more or less starved brood. Some of the brood that dies of
starvation, while in the coil form, 'turns a little yellow at first, and later
to a dark brown, and dries down in its nkin.'

"All brood that dies of starvation when the bees have it about ready
for capping, will be found on the lower side-wall of the cell, with the
end turned up a little, and will have a dark and tough skin on, and like
all starved brood it 'dries down in its skin,' and turns to a dark, dry crust
ton the bottom and lower side-wall of the cells; and after that it can be
easily cleaned out by the bees.

"Bees always feed the brood much better when they have plenty of
unsealed stores, but when the colonies run out of 'unsealed' honey for
days at a time between fruit-bloom and clover, it is then that the bees
fail to get all the brood fed, and the result is starved brood. When a
bee-keeper examines his colonies then and finds starved brood, he, like
others, will say that his colonies have 'pickled brood.'

"On the night of May 28, 1889, we had a killing frost all over the
Province of Ontario, followed by several days of wet weather, shutting
off all honey-gathering for some time. This awfully sudden check coming
after one of the most favorable springs for bees that I ever saw, and io
near the honey season, caught all colonies very full of brood. I knew
that the 'unsealed' honey would soon be fed, and to help the bees to keep
feeding the brood just as much as if nothing had happened, I fed warm

— 59—

syrup to all colonies every evening for some time, and often was surprised
when I examined the combs to see how much syrup it took to feed all the
brood well when the bees were not bringing in any honey. My colonies
gave a much larger average yield of clover and basswood honey that season
than any that I have heard of."

The following observations of the appearance of an affected comb were
made conjointly by the Inspector and a Bee-keeper. The case is a typical
one; in fact a few days later at another apiary belonging to an old-time
bee-keeper, who once had fought Foul Brood in California, the description
was found correct for a diseased comb in one of his colonies.

On each eide of the frame were found about 200 celln in wiiich were
dead larvae, practically all of them being sealed over. They were scattered
fairly evenly over the whole frame.

The cappings of the diseased cells were a trifle darker than the others,
probably due to the age of the cell, as those containing dead larvae of
more recent date were of the same color as the other cells.

As a whole cappings of the diseased cells were convex, that is they
were curved upward just like healthy cells, but here and there one could
be found slightly sunken in the centre.

Where perforated, the hole was very small, rarely over 1-32 of an
inch in diameter and usually in the centre. An occasional cell showed
a double perforation. In no case had the larvae dried down to a scale.
In fact, the Inspector cannot recall having found one instance where the
scale condition had been reached.

One larvae that had died before being capped and had shrunken, was
skin whole and of yellowish gray color. Another of the same age had
shrivelled up to the nearly dry stage. It was black and had its head
turned up. It came out of the cell easily, and apparently was not ad-
hering. One not so far advanced in decomposition was a trifle yellow
on the abdomen and roped just a little.

The color of those that died after being capped was usually of ihe
color of a wooden toothpick but a trifle darker, though a few were quite
black. All were skin whole and full of fluid, but broke when touched
with a toothpick. A healthy larva is markedly white when compared
with a toothpick.

In ninety per cent, of the cases death occurred after the larva had
been capped.

In one apiary when the ailment first appeared a young Italian Queen
was given to the affected colony but two months later the dead brood
was as plentiful as before. The weather conditions had not improved
any in the meantime.

The lesson to be learned from the weather conditions that prevailed
on the Lower Fraser in the spring and summer of 1912 is very plain.
When rain prevents the bees flying for more than three days, the bee-
keeper must feed sugar syrup daily until flight is resumed.

—60 —

FOUL BROOD ACT

CHAPTER 18.

An Act for the Suppression of Foul Brood Among Bees.

[1st March, 1911.]
His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative As-
sembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows: —

1. This Act may be cited as the "Foul Brood Act, 1911,"

2. (1.) The word "Minister," whenever used in this Act, shall mean
the Minister of Finance and Agriculture for the Province of British
Columbia.

(2.) The word "Inspector" shall mean Inspector of Apiaries for the
Province of British Columbia.

3. The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may from time to time appoint
such person or persons as he shall think proper to act as Inspector or In-
spectors to carry out the provisions of this Act, and such Inspectors shall
be under the direction and control of the Minister.

4. (1.) The said Inspector shall, whenever so directed by the Minister,
visit without unnecessary delay any locality in the Province of British
Columbia and there examine, such apiary or apiaries as the said Minister
may direct, and ascertain whether or not the diseases known as "foul
brood" or "black brood," or either of them, exist in such apiary or apiaries,
or in their vicinity.

(2.) Wherever the said Inspector is satisfied of the existence of such
disease in its virulent or malignant type, he shall order all colonies bo
affected, together with the hives occupied by them, and the contents of
such hives and all tainted appurtenances or appliances that cannot be dis-
infected, to be immediately destroyed by fire under his personal direction
and superintendence, and in such manner as may be necessary to prevent
the spread of the said disease, and to thoroughly disinfect any appur-
tenances or appliances capable of being disinfected.

(3.) Where the Inspector, who shall be the sole judge thereof, is
satisfied that the disease exists, but only in milder types and in its incipient
stages, and is being or may be treated successfully, and has reason to
believe that it may be entirely cured and eradicated, then the Inspector may
omit to destroy or order the destruction of the colonies and hives in which
such disease exists, but shall give the owner or caretaker of the diseased
apiary or apiaries full instructions how to treat said cases. The Minister
shall cause said apiary or apiaries to be visited from time to time, as he
may deem best, and if after proper treatment the said bees shall not be
cured of the disease, then he may cause the same, with the hives and all
tainted appurtenances and appliances, to be destroyed as in the preceding
subsection hereof provided.

(4.) After inspecting infected hives or fixtures or handling diseased
bees, the Inspector shall, before leaving the premises, or inspecting any
other colony of bees or proceeding to any other apiary, thoroughly disinfect
his own person and clothing, and shall see that every assistant with him
also thoroughly disinfects his person and clothing.

5. The inspector shall have full power, in his discretion, to order any
owner or possessor of bees dwelling in box hives (being mere boxes without
frames) to transfer such bees to movable frame hives within a specified

—61—^

time; and in default of such transfer, the Inspector may destroy or order
the destruction of such box hives and the bees dwelling therein, or may
himself cause such bees to be so transferred.

6. Any owner or caretaker of diseased colonies of bees, or of any af-
fected appliances, who knowingly sells, or barters, or gives away such dis-
eased colonies or any bees, comb, or honey therefrom, or any infected ap-
pliances, shall, on conviction thereof before any Justice of the Peace, be
liable to a fine of not less than fifty dollars and not more than one hundred
dollars, or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two months.

7. Any person whose bees have been destroyed, or are being or have
been treated for foul brood or black brood, who sells or offers for sale any
honey-comb, honey, bees, hives, appurtenances or appliances of any kind
after such destruction or treatment, and before being authorised by the
Inspector so to do, or who knowingly exposes in his bee-yard or elsewhere
any infected comb, honey, or other infected thing, or conceals the fact that
said disease exists among his bees, shall, on conviction before a Justice of
the Peace, be liable to a fine of not less than twenty dollars and not more
than fifty dollars, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months
and not less than one month, or both such fine and imprisonment.

8. Any owner or caretaker of bees who refuses to allow the Inspector
or his assistant or assistants to freely examine his bees or the premises in
which they are kept, or who refuses to destroy the infected bees and ap-
purtenances or to permit them to be destroyed, or who refuses to transfer
bees dwelling in box hives to movable frame hives, when so directed by
the Inspector, shall, on conviction before a Justice of the Peace, be liable
to a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars and not more than fifty dollars
for the first offence, and not less than fifty dollars and not more than one
hundred dollars for the second or any subsequent offence, and the said
Justice of the Peace shall make an order directing the said owner or pos-
sessor forthwith to carry out the direction of the Inspector.

9. When an owner or caretaker of bees disobeys the directions of the
said Inspector, or offers resistance to or obstructs the said Inspector in the
performance of his duties, a Justice of the Peace shall, upon the demand
of the said Inspector, cause a sufficient number of special constables to be
sworn in, and such special constables shall, under the direction of the In-
spector, proceed to the premises of such owner or caretaker and assist the
Inspector to seize all the diseased colonies and infected appurtenances and
appliancs and burn them forthwith; and if necessary the said Inspector or
constables may arrest the said owner or caretaker and bring him before a
Justice of the Peace, to be dealt with according to the provisions of the
preceding section of this Act.

10. Every bee-keeper or other person who is aware of the existence of
foul brood or black brood, either in his own apiary or elsewhere, shall im-
mediately notify the Minister of the existence of such disease, and in de-
fault of so doing shall, on summary conviction before a Justice of the Peace,
be liable to a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than twenty-fj.ve
dollars and costs for each such offence.

11. Upon receiving the notice mentioned in the preceding section, or in
any way becoming aware of the existence of foul brood in any locality, the
said Minister may direct the said Inspector to immediately proceed to and
inspect the infected premises; but where the person giving such notice is
unknown to the Minister, or there is reason to believe that the information

— 6 2 —

in said notice is untrustworthy, or that the person giving such notice is
actuated by improper motives, then the Minister may require the person
giving such notice to deposit with him such sum as the Minister may decide,
not exceeding ten dollars, as a guarantee of good faith, before the said
notice is acted upon, and if it proves that said notice was properly given,
then the said deposit shall be returned to the person giving such notice,
but otherwise the said deposit shall be forfeited.

12. The Minister shall have power to order into quarantine at the point
of entry into the Province of British Columbia, or such other place as he
may appoint, for a period of not more than nine months, and if found to be
infected may order to be destroyed, any or all bees imported into the Prov-
ince of British Columbia; also to order the disinfection of all bee appliances
that have been in use, and to order the destruction by fire of all combs and
frames in empty hives.

13. The Inspectors appointed under the provisions of this Act shall be
paid such salary or remuneration as the Minister may from time to time
determine.

14. The Minister may from time to time, subject to the approval of the
Lieutenant-Governor in Council, make rules and regulations for carrying
out the purposes of this Act.

—63—

CONDITIONS ON LULU ISLAND AND IN THE VANCOUVER-NEW
WESTMINSTER DISTRICTS.

The westerin Inspector regrets that so far he has had no opportunity
to investigate thoroughly the floral conditions in the region between New-
Westminster and the sea but the successful bee-keepers in the district
have promptly and kindly put their experience at his service.

On Lulu Island there is a fine acreage of clover providing material
for a splendid honey flow in June and July. But there is a great dearth
of nectar and pollen-bearing blossoms between willow bloom and clover,
and another just after the honey flow. As a consequence, brood raising
comes almost to a standstill during April and May, while honey dew is
gathered in the fall. Round Ladner is the densest bee population the
Inspector has yet met, there being something like 500 hives in the town
and immediate vicinity, but the honey production of the average hive
is practically nothing.

The problem here is to prevent the bees gathering honey dew in the
fall and to ensure sufficient stores in the hives in April and May. After
many experiments, Mr. J. Reagh, of Ladner, finds the following system
to work well. After the honey flow is over and before the honey dew
appears, he fills a hive solid with frames full of honey and sets it under
the brood chamber and removes from the latter all frames excepting those
containing brood. As soon as the brood hatches out, these frames are
taken away. The bees are thus forced to cluster on the solid comb, and
since there is no room for more storage they do not gather honey dew
and thus endanger their health in the winter.

Usually the honey given early in the fall is sufficient to carry the
colony through until the honey flow in June.

Mr. Reagh says he finds this system works better than feeding sugar
syrup in the fall and again in the late spring months.

So far, the Inspector has learned of no one who has made a real
success of bee-keeping in the district between Vancouver and New West-
minster. Fireweed is scattered plentifully in this region, providing fine
possibilities in July and August, but unfortunately, as in Lulu Island,
there is a dearth of nectar after dandelion bloom is past. The bee-keepers
of this district might, with advantage, ponder over Mr. Reagh's method.

THE MATSQUI DISTRICT.

For a perfect sequence of pollen and nectar-bearing plants the western
Inspector knows of nothing that surpasses the Matsqui and Sumas prairie
districts. In these regions from the willow bloom until the end of August
there does not appear to be a break of even one day in nectar and pollen
production. Willow, dandelion, fruit blossoms, big leafed and vine maples,
white clover, alsike clover, fireweed, euphorbia and many others overlap
each other in an ideal way. So early as the last week of April, 1912, he
found double storey colonies packed with bees on all of twenty frames, a
magnificent army with which to accomplish great results in the honey
flow, if kept intact, but alas too frequently allowed to divide itself Into
half a dozen swarms, with the necessary consequence that the bee-keeper
secured very little surplus honey.

GENERAL LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA— BERKELEY

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the

date to which renewed.

Renewed books are subject to inunediate recall.

14Jun'55tT

"l?955i.;

LD 21-100m-l,'54(1887sl6)47(

IVJ25947S

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY