ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New YorK STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND Home EcCoNomIcs AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS BEEKEEPING LIBRARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY wi Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924053968123 The Townsend Bee Book OR How to Make a Start in Bees | By E. D. Townsend Remus, Mich. Price 50 Cents Published by THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY Medina, Ohio BM-6-14 EV. PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE In beekeeping, as in all pursuits, there are always many people just starting in the business, and one of the oft recurring questions that are asked has been, ‘‘ How can I make a start with bees?’’ To answer this question properly we engaged My. E. D. Townsend, one of the best authorities in bee culture, and who produces honey by the carload, to write a special series of articles having to do primarily with the problems that beset every person who starts this most fascinating of nature studies. These duly appeared in our journal, GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. As they were received with such wide-spread enthusiasm, we decided to incorporate them in book form. Mr. Townsend is peculiarly fitted for giving instructions along these lines, since he himself learned, by dear experience, how to . avoid the common mistakes of an amateur, and, with practically nothing to start with, built up what is probably the most extensive business in connection with bees in the great State of Michigan. Moreover, he has never been carried away, so to speak, by fads and fancies; his advice always bristles with practical common sense. It is hoped that by compiling these articles in book form we are going to “‘ fill a long-felt want.’ THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY. June 1, 1914. CONTENTS CHAPTER J—How I Became a Successful Manager of Bees on a Large Scale CHAPTER II—What Hive to Adopt CHAPTER IIJ—How to Buy Bees CHAPTER IV—Folding Sections and Putting in Foundation CHAPTER V—What to Do Just Preceding the Honey-flow CHAPTER VI—Strong vs. Medium Colonies at the Opening of the Harvest CHAPTER VII—How to Take Care of Swarms CHAPTER VIII—Management Previous to the Honey-flow to Prevent Swarms CHAPTER IX—The Honey-flow CHAPTER X—Spring Management CHAPTER XI—Making Up Winter Losses CHAPTER I. How I Became a Successful Manager of Bees on a Large Scale. One day in June, 1876, my younger brother and sister coming from school saw a swarm of bees fly overhead. I can remember it as well as though it were yesterday, how I found fault with them for not telling me until after the swarm was out of sight. Prob- ably fifteen or twenty minutes had elapsed after the bees had passed over the road; and since colonies in movable-frame hives were worth $10.00 in those days, and since I had had the bee fever for some two years, I made up my mind to locate that swarm. I was shown where it crossed the road and the direction it took. Before I had gone into the woods ten rods I heard the bees entering a tree, and I soon saw them, for many were still on the outside, while others were circling around making a great noise. They entered a limb well up toward the top of a large elm. That night I asked a beekeeper when it would be best to transfer the bees from the tree to a frame hive, and he told me that I could do no better than to do it immediately, for the reason that, if the tree were felled before the bees had time to build any comb they could be hived like a natural swarm, without the incon- venience of transferring sticky combs, etc. A third of a century has elapsed since this took place; and if I were asked to-day how to manage in such a case I would give the same answer that this beekeeper gave me. Well, the tree was cut while the bees were flying during the next day; and although their entrance had been 60 feet from the ground not a bee was lost; for as soon as those in the tree started into the new hive, all of the bees heard the ‘‘ hom- ing hum ”’ and entered the new hive with the rest. As soon as the tree was down, and before the bees got over being demoralized, the beekeeper who was helping me ran toward the top of the tree; and as soon as he could locate the entrance he smoked the bees so that they could be handled without fear of stings. By sawing in on each side of the entrance, and splitting off a portion of the limb, we opened the cavity where the bees. were. The hive was then placed with the entrance as near as. 2 The Townsend Bee Book possible to the part where most of the bees were, and with a tin dipper the greater part of them were dipped up and emptied at the hive entrance. By the time we had most of the bees dipped out of the tree in front of the new hive there was this loud ‘‘ hom- ing ’’ call as the bees commenced running in. At this point of the: procedure the few bees that were left in the tree were smoked until they took wing, and then we stepped back so as to be out of the way. All of the flying bees, attracted by the loud hum, soon entered the new hive, which was moved home that night when all flying was over for the day. It occurs to me to mention here the fact that any beginner noticing a swarm issuing should not rush off to a neighbor for a hive, leaving the swarm clustered, for, as likely as not, the bees will be gone on his return. The better way is to hive them in a soap-box or anything else, for that matter, that can be used tem- porarily, and, when hived, the box should be set on the stand where it is to remain until the new hive can be brought. Then, as soon as the new hive is obtained, he should go to the swarm in the box and blow some smoke in at the entrance in order to avoid stings. (A beginner should wear a veil until he is thoroughly acquainted with the bees, simply so that he will not be nervous.) As soon as the new hive is ready the box should be removed from the stand and the empty hive set in its place, with a board slanting up from the ground to the entrance. Now the swarm may be hived just as though it still hung on the tree or limb where it clustered at first. By carefully lifting the box off the bottom- board, and carrying it to the new hive, most of the bees can be shaken out on to the alighting-board with a quick jerk, and they will run in just as though they had been shaken from a limb. To return to my swarm taken out of the tree, I will simply say that it was divided that season, both colonies gathering suffi- cient honey to winter well. My next step after getting the bees home was to subscribe for Gleanings. It began coming in July, and has been coming regularly ever since. HOW MANY COLONIES TO START WITH The first things to decide upon are the number of colonies to buy, the size of hives, and the season of the year when the start should be made. When I began beekeeping, many of the colonies around me were in hives of a size and style not to my liking; in fact, there was no standard frame in use then as there is now, and the beginner simply followed some one of the leading honey-pro- ducers, adopting his hive and frame. All these things are now The Townsend Bee Book 3 changed, and the beginner will have no trouble in finding bees in hives containing regular Langstroth frames. This frame has more points in its favor than any other at the present time, and I would advise the beginner to adopt it. There is a great diversity of opinion as to the proper number of frames to use in a hive. The majority use eight frames; but quite a number use ten frames to the hive, and a few think that twelve frames are none too many for the best results. It is not the intention of this article to go into the discussion of the hive ques- tion; but if the beginner will take my advice he will adopt the ten- frame hive for the production of comb honey, but especially for extracted honey. After deciding on the size of hive it is important to get the right number of colonies to start with. Beginners should under- stand from the first that there is much to learn, and that the first few years will be largely experimental, so that not much money wil be made at first. The experience can be acquired about as well with a few colonies as with a large number, and the expense is much less. When starting on a small scale, the increase of bees and experience go together. It is noticeable that those who have gone into the bee business on a large scale from the very first, without making an effort to get the necessary experience, have usually turned their attention to something else in a few years, usually going back to what they did before. This is the natural thing; for since they knew nothing about the producing of a paying crop of honey the venture proves a failure. I would recommend at the start from two to four colonies, ‘whether the beginner has much capital or not. I do not think that ‘one without experience can go into this business and depend upon hired experienced help to do the work, for he must know the details himself before he can manage others in such a way as to ‘make a financial success of his plans. WHEN TO START An experienced beekeeper need not hesitate to buy bees any ‘season of the year. Some of the best bargaius are found in the fall, for it is then much easier to buy bees than in May, when the prospect of a honey crop is near at hand. However, for one with- out experience, May is the best month to purchase bees, for he will be sure of having them through one surplus season at least before he has the wintering problem to contend with, and this much experience will help him in the solving of the wintering problem. 4 The Townsend Bee Book NOT NECESSARY TO BUY OLD HIVES When buying bees, see that the combs are in good modern frames of Langstroth size. The hive is of secondary importance ; for if the combs are of the worker size, and straight and true, they can be transferred to frames in new hives. This is the way most of our buying is done; for after the bees are transferred the old hives are returned, for we do not want them. Ifthe beginner were to buy three or four old hives, and use them in connection with new ones, they would never be satisfactory. It usually happens that bees can be bought enough cheaper without the hives to make it more economical all around to buy new hives outright. THE SELECTION OF THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT I would recommend that the beginner commence his bee- keeping career with the production of comb honey, and that all increase be made by natural swarms. Gradually the production of extracted honey can be taken up. I know it is generally con- sidered that extracted-honey production is more easily learned than comb-honey production; and I admit that, if the beginner were to commence the season with half of his colonies worked for comb honey and half for extracted, the half worked for extracted honey would probably be the more profitable that season; but there are many pitfalls in the production of extracted honey not found in the production of comb, and the beginner might be the loser in the end if he produced extracted honey from the start. A part of the danger lies in the fact that, in producing extracted honey, much of the increase has to be made artificially. Besides this, one not entirely familiar with the business might allow more extracted-honey colonies to starve than he would comb-honey colonies, for the latter will have a good stock of the early or better quality of honey for winter stores. In the case of colonies run for extracted honey, on the other hand, the early and better honey is more likely to be placed in the upper story, which usually contains an abundance of comb room. It is true that sugar syrup could be fed to make up this deficit ; but this would only add another bur- den, which the beginner had better avoid at the start. All artificial-swarming methods should be avoided for the first few years until the beginner has more experience, and until some of the known principles are learned. After this, these other principles of beekeeping can be taken up. If more comb honey than extracted is to be produced the first season, it will be necessary to buy rather more supplies. I assume The Townsend Bee Book 5 that either the eight or ten frame hive will be adopted, containing frames of Langstroth dimensions. The hive that we would order is the regular dovetailed hive for comb-honey production, having a reversible bottom-board made of %-inch material. These bot- tom-boards are much superior to some that have been on the mar- ket in former years. We have used very similar one for the past twelve years, and know that they are good. The super of this hive should contain 414 x 4144 x 114-inch plain sections and fence separators. In my opinion, there is no better section on the mar- ket to-day than the 414 square plain section. If four good colonies of bees are bought the first season, and these colonies and the increase are to be put into new hives, about ten hives will be needed. There should be ten hive-bodies, ten covers, ten bottom-boards, and twenty supers; and all the inside furnishings should be included. The frame should be pierced, and the wire should be sent for wiring them. If the supers are used as we use ours, extracting-frames will replace the outside section-holders in each super. These frames are made the same size as the section-holders, but they have a top- bar. Both top and bottom bars are 7% inch wide, the top-bar being 3% inch thick, and provided with a beveled groove and wedge for fastening the foundation. These extracting-frames should be pierced for two wires, and full sheets of thin super foundation should be used in them. As the supers, as ordered, do not include sections, 1000 414 x 4, x 114-inch plain sections should be ordered. One would prob- ably not use a thousand the first year; but during a good year more than 500 would be necessary, and it is well to order sections in full packages. For supplying these sections with full sheets of foundation, about eight pounds of the extra-thin super foundation will be needed. Brood-frames should all be pierced for wiring. The piercing and the wire for wiring the frames costs about ten cents extra per hundred frames. Full sheets of medium brood foundation should be used, and it will take thirteen or fourteen pounds to fill one hundred frames. The use of starters in brood-frames is very poor economy. I have tried both starters and full sheets. There is no better uncapping-knife than the Improved Bing- ham. We order them made one inch longer than the regular size, but very good work ean be done with the knives of ordinary length. A Coggshall brush is very essential for freeing the combs of bees when extracting or at any other time. 6 The Townsend Bee Book It might be well to have two or three extra stories the same as the hive-bodies, for there are sometimes combs that are undesir- able for use in the brood-nest, but which would be all right for extracting-frames. In this way, even if no particular pains are taken for producing extracted honey, some may be secured the first season. The second season, all extra combs from dead or queenless colonies should be used for extracting-combs. Then if shallow extracting-combs are used in the comb-honey supers, as I have recommended, by the second year, at least, quite an amount of extracted honey may be produced. In this way the beginner may be gradually drawn into the production of both comb and extracted honey until, before long, half of the yard may be worked for each. The amount of extracted honey can be regulat- ed, however, for if more empty combs accumulate than are needed for extracted honey the swarms could be hived on them. CHAPER II. What Hive to Adopt A DISCUSSION OF THE MERITS OF THE DIFFERENT HIVES, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE MAN, THE METHODS, AND THE LOCALITY The proper hive to use is a question that confronts every beginner. The kind, size, and shape of the hive best adapted for the purpose must be taken into consideration, and these depend upon whether comb or extracted honey is produced; whether the colonies are all in one yard or in several outyards, ete. In reading the current literature on the subject, much confu- sion of ideas is noticeable; for in some locations, where conditions ought to be the same, one beekeeper will use a large hive and the other a small one, each being successful with his own preferred size. This reminds me of a little incident that came up in our convention at Saginaw. Mr. W. J. Manley, of Sandusky, told of buying about 60 colonies of bees, one of which was in a soap-box. This soap-box colony was inverted, an upper story put on, and, although the colony was handled the same as the others, several more pounds of honey were extracted from it than from any other individual colony in the yard. This only goes to show that bees The Townsend Bee Book 7 will store honey in almost any kind of hive; and, further, that a hive poorly proportioned can be so manipulated as to yield fair results in the production of honey. But in this case it is, of course, the man and not the hive that should get the credit. In this arti- cle I propose to fit the man to the hive, the hive to the man, and both to the location. It has been my fortune (or perhaps misfortune) to be the owner of almost all kinds and sizes of hives, including the ten- frame Gallup and the ten-frame Quinby—hives varying in size from 1000 to 1800 square inches of brood-comb space. I have also had the eight, ten, and twelve frame Langstroth hive; and many times different sizes and styles of hives were in the same yard. My experience with such has extended over many seasons, so that IT am in condition to know which size and style are best adapted to my locality and to my particular system of management, ete. Probably two-thirds of the colonies in this State are in eight- frame Langstroth hives, or in hives similar in size and shape. In general we may say that, the further north the beekeeper is locat- ed, the shorter his honey season. A short season requires a small hive for the best results in the production of honey; and a small hive requires the more constant care. A large hive will stand more neglect. Our location is one where the surplus flow is early and quite short, it being mainly from clover and raspberry. This flow usually begins about 60 days after the first natural pollen is brought in. The best flow is apt to come after a rigorous winter, and then the skill of the expert is needed to bring the bees through in good condition, and tide them over the ever-changing days of spring. All admit that an eight-frame Langstroth hive is large enough to allow a colony of bees to build up to a normal size during this time when circumstances are favorable. Now, if it takes all the skill of the experienced beekeeper to manage his bees so they will come through the winter and spring in the best condi- tion and take care of the surplus honey in general, what can be expected of the inexperienced, careless, or indifferent beekeeper? It is evident that the eight-frame brood-nest is ample for such, as there is no object in having more frames if the beekeeper is not able to get the colony built up safely to occupy them. The eight- frame is ample for the beginner ; but when the knack of successful management is acquired, so that at least half of the colonies, by the time the honey-flow begins, fill their hives to overflowing with bees, a larger hive—that is, a ten-frame size—must be used. If the beginner were to start with a twelve-frame hive it would be 8 The Townsend Bee Book my opinion that he had begun at the top of the ladder instead of the bottom, and his failure would be almost certain. The change from the ten-frame size to the twelve-frame size may be advisable whenever one has mastered the situation, so that the ten-frame hive has become too small to hold his colonies at the opening of the flow. The location must always be considered in this connec- tion; for if the main honey-flow began only 90 days from the time the first natural pollen is gathered, a hive with at least two more Langstroth-sized frames could be used than would be advisable if the main honey-flow began only 60 days after the first pollen was gathered in our location here. Mr. S. D. Chapman, of Mancelona, Mich., is one of the most successful beekeepers in Michigan, as he has beekeeping ‘‘ under his thumb.’’ He winters his bees in four cellars, and brings them through the winter and spring very strong, so that, long before the 60-days breeding season is ended, he is obliged to allow addi- tional room for the queen to lay, and also for clustering space in order to keep the bees from swarming before the honey-flow. Two of Mr. Chapman’s cellars are under his dwelling house, a third is an elaborate special repository, and the fourth is one not so ex- pensive. One of the cellars under the dwelling house is under a part of the house where a fire is kept going most of the time; and these colonies must be set out in the spring earlier than any of the others. All of this shows that the man and not the cellar should have the credit where the colonies are successfully wintered in four cellars of different design and construction, necessitating different methods of handling, ete. Good wintering in the Northern States is one of the supreme tests of a successful beekeeper; and the inability of many of the northern men to winter their colonies so they will breed up and fill large hives in the short period between the breeding season in spring and the main flow in June is the reason that most of them prefer a small hive. For 18 years I had 50 ten-frame Quinby hives in use. These were chaff hives with the regular thickness of packing around the sides, top, and bottom in winter; but the best I could do was to get the colonies in these large hives in condition for the honey-flow about July 1, when in our locality the white-clover flow would be nearly over. At the same time I was having good success with the thirteen-frame Gallup hive, and so I took out the two outside frames of the Quinby hive, reducing it to the eight-frame size, which equaled in space the thirteen-frame Gallup hive, except that the frames ran the other way. These two hives gave good The Townsend Bee Book 9 results, and I patterned after this same size when I adopted the ten-frame Langstroth hive. I do not mean in any of the above that I prefer the eight- frame hive. It is true that I said that the eight-frame Langstroth hive is large enough, and some may wonder why I use the ten- frame hive. I will try to explain the reason. It sometimes hap- pens that we do not see our colonies from the time they are taken out of the ‘‘ clamps ’’ until it is time to put on supers, and in such a case all must be fed enough in the fall to make a total of from 25 to 30 pounds of stores, to make sure that none starve during the spring when we do little if any feeding. Our colonies use from 20 to 25 lbs. of stores from October till the main honey-flow in June. At the time of the main honey-fiow, there will be from 5 to 10 lbs. of stores left in the hives which have contained 30 lbs. in the fall, and from nothing to 5 lbs. in those hives which contained 25 lbs. in the fall, the calculations being based on good average colonies—weak colonies consuming less. Now, a Langstroth brood-comb contains 5 Ibs. of honey and bee-bread when sealed ; and 380 lbs. of stores will, therefore, fill six brood-combs spaced 134 from center to center; so that in an eight-frame hive there will be only two empty combs left in the fall. A colony wintered fairly well in such a hive will become honey-bound before the main flow the following June. It would have been in better condition at this time if there had been a comb or so of stores left. On the other hand, the ten-frame hive with 30 lbs. of stores would have four empty combs in the fall; which combs, together with those from which the honey is used during the winter, would make ample room for the queen to lay and still allow a ‘‘ reserve fund ’’ con- sisting of a comb or more of honey at the beginning of the honey- flow in June. For this reason, therefore, we prefer ten-frame hives. The size of a hive is much more important than the shape. A well-shaped hive is important only because it is more convenient for the apiarist. In outyards every hive should be the same, for a variety of sizes and shapes is an abomination. I have had ex- perience with different sizes ; but every one of my extracted-honey colonies is now in a ten-frame factory-made dovetailed hive, and every super is the same as the lower story or body, so that all are interchangeable. I use ten Hoffman frames in the bodies, and eight loose hanging frames in the upper stories, the eight frames in the ten-frame super making 134-inch spacing, so that all combs are bulged. Mr. J. N. Harris, of St. Louis, Mich., has two or three out- yards in the northern part of the State. A part of the colonies 10 The Townsend Bee Book are in eight-frame hives, and the rest in twelve-frame, these twelve-frame hives being the only ones I know of in the locality. Mr. Harris is an old veteran at the business, and he is very thor- ough in his work with his bees. For instance, every comb that he has is built from wired foundation; and if it happens there are too many drone-cells in any one comb, that comb is replaced with a full sheet of worker foundation. Now, if he goes to this trouble to keep his combs in good condition, it is evident that all the other work around the bees must be done in the same thorough manner. Since he winters the eight and twelve-frame colonies in the same cellar, and manages them through the season as nearly alike as possible, Mr. Harris is in position to tell which hive is the best to adopt with his system of management in his locality, especially as he has only one object in view—the securing of the most extract- ed honey with the least expenditure of labor and expense. Mr. Harris says that colonies in the twelve-frame hives go into winter quarters with more bees than those in the eight-frame hives, and also that they come out much stronger in the spring. He has found that he ean count on having about eight combs of brood in the twelve-frame hives, and only six in the eight-frame ; so that the twelve-frame colonies have about 25 per cent more brood than the eight-frame. I wish Mr. Harris could have tested the ten-frame hive in connection with the eight and twelve frame, for it would seem to me that if he got 25 per cent more brood in the twelve-frame colonies than in the eight-frame, then the ten- frame hive with the same management should give him only one comb of brood less than the twelve-frame, and one more than the eight-frame. The best point in favor of the twelve-frame hive is that it is so large that he does not need to do so much “‘ fussing ”’ with them as with those in the smaller hive, and he is able to attend to more colonies, getting more honey per colony. He keeps all the colonies he can attend to himself, instead of depending on any help to care for a larger number. Mr. Harris has used fifteen and sixteen frame hives; but he could not see that they offered any advantage over the twelve-frame size, while they had many disadvantages. Twenty-four combs filled with honey and brood will cost the same, whether coming from two twelve-frame hives or from three eight-frame hives; and there is not very much difference between the cost of the two twelve-frame hives and the three eight-frame hives. Mr. Harris says that he secures the same amount of surplus honey from three eight-frame colonies, which, at a given time previous to the honey-flow, have five combs of brood each, that he The Townsend Bee Book 11. secures from two twelve-frame colonies each having eight combs of brood at the same time before the honey-flow. Now, as he has. said that he can produce six combs of brood in the eight-frame hive to eight in the twelve-frame, it will be seen that the eight- frame hive is still ahead, taking into consideration the number of frames in the hive. In other words, it would take fewer bees to gather the honey in a given locality in the eight-frame hive than in a twelve-frame. If I were selling bees I would ask about the same money for 60 or 65 colonies in twelve-frame hives that I would for 90 colonies in eight-frame hives; and the surplus-recep- tacles for each lot would probably sell for about the same. The Langstroth frame being the standard, I think that eight Langstroth frames make a small hive; twelve make a large hive, and ten a medium one. Other things being equal, a two-frame nucleus in proportion to the number of combs it contains will store just as much honey as a colony in an eight-frame hive, and con- siderably more honey than a colony in a ten-frame hive, and, of course, much more yet than a colony in a twelve-frame hive. This comparison is based on the ability of the queen to keep the differ- ent sizes of hives stocked with eggs, and on the disposition of the workers to take care of the eggs and brood afterward. An ordinary queen will fill a ten-frame hive with brood; but it is rare that a queen will use all of the room in a twelve-frame hive. Bees on ten frames of brood will store the same amount of honey wheth- er the brood is all in one hive or divided into two parts and in two hives. It will be seen by this that the number of combs of brood and bees we have at the beginning of the surplus-honey flow determines the amount of honey that will be brought in, regard- less of the size of the hive. Generally speaking, the smaller the hive the more honey will be placed in the super. After satisfying myself that the eight-frame hive was large enough for the average queen, I made up my mind to use the ten- frame hive, the two additional frames being principally for honey. Although these two extra frames may contain brood in some cases, they were usually filled with honey and comb—a reserve fund, so to speak; and with this reserve on hand our colonies will not have to be watched as closely in regard to stores, and are thus better equipped for outyard service, where they may be left by them- selves at quite long intervals at times. It is possible for the expert honey-producer to make a fair success with almost any size or shape of hive, and in almost any location; but it is very convenient to have the hive conform to the system that is best for the special location. ; CHAPTER III How to Buy Bees HOW TO SELECT THE STRONGEST AND BEST COLONIES IN A YARD; HOW TO DETERMINE THE CONDITION OF A COLONY BY A GLANCE AT THE FLYING BEES AT THE ENTRANCE In looking for colonies to buy it is well to select them from yards in the vicinity of the place where we expect to establish an apiary, if such can be found, for in this way no more bees are brought into the locality. This is a strictly business proposition, and the amount that one can afford to pay extra for colonies that are already within perhaps a mile of the proposed apiary is a little hard to tell. The number of colonies a location will support, and the number already there, are determining factors. If the begin- ner has any doubts as to whether the location will warrant its bringing in new colonies, he should buy them near home, even if the price is twice what it would be at a more distant point. During my early experience in beekeeping there were a good many small apiaries around me, isolated from other yards, so that the bees had unlimited pasturage; and these few colonies in a place always gathered more surplus honey than those in the main yards where perhaps a hundred colonies were kept. The fewer bees in a given location, the larger the crop of honey, other things being equal. In May of my second year with bees four more colonies were bought, which, with my two taken from the tree, made six at the beginning of the second season. These were increased to eighteen during that summer, though but very little honey was secured. If I were to chronicle all the mistakes I made that season I would fill Gleanings several times. In the first place, when I had but the two colonies, a "4 H party was found who had bees for sale in Metcalfe hives, and, by return- ing the hives after the bees were transferred, the four colonies The Townsend Bee Book 13 were bought for $20.00—about twice what they would cost now. These were transferred to Gallup hives immediately after moving them home, which was during fruit-bloom in May, 1877. A beginner, after finding bees for sale, would do well to have some experienced beekeeper go with him to select the colonies. This may not be convenient, and in many cases, perhaps, he will have to depend on his own judgment. It seems a natural thing for an inexperienced person to look for colonies heavy with honey, selecting them usually by lifting the hives or looking down be- tween the combs. This, in connection with a good cluster of bees, would be the proper thing to look for if one were buying bees in the fall, when a long winter is ahead necessitating 25 or 30 pounds of honey to carry the bees over until the next honey-flow in June. However, in the spring, during fruit-bloom, when the main honey- flow is only three or four weeks away, it is not honey that one should look for, but large clusters of bees, and combs at least two- thirds full of brood. There should be, of course, about ten pounds of honey to last the bees until the opening of the main honey-flow the next month. In a yard containing as many as 25 colonies one may find them in all conditions, from a mere handful of bees to those very strong. These latter are the ones that will do the work in the supers, the smaller ones doing nothing, perhaps, but building up in shape to winter again by the next fall. Then there are queen- less colonies that no one wants at any price. How to select these rousing colonies instead of the small ones is worth considering. Experienced beekeepers can tell by the indications at the entrance which colonies are strong, which medium, and which are weak. HOW TO SELECT GOOD COLONIES WHEN BUYING FROM EXAMINATION AT THE ENTRANCE To select the colonies, go into the yard during a good day for the bees to fly, and walk down past the hives, noting the flight of the bees. During fruit-bloom is a good time to buy, for the strong colonies will then have a good flying force, and the bottom-boards will be free from obstructions, showing that the hive contains a large number of strong workers that are through house-cleaning for the spring. One of the very best indications of a good thrifty colony at this season is the amount of pollen the bees are carrying in. This is carried on the legs of the workers, and can be readily seen as they enter the hive. I have talked with people who believed this pollen to be the wax that the bees use in building comb, and that 14 The Townsend Bee Book they had gathered it somewhere for this purpose. Pollen is the dust, or fertilizing agency, produced by the flowers. It is mixed with honey by the bees, making a doughy substance called bee- bread, which is used for feeding young bees still in the cells; and with the hive full of only young bees to feed, much pollen is need- ed. It goes without saying, that the hives into which bees are carrying lots of pollen contain colonies strong in bees and heavy with brood. Queenless colonies can be told by their lack of energy at the entrance. The bees have no brood to feed, and no pollen to speak of is needed; and although an occasional bee will be seen loaded with pollen, it will be noticed that something is wrong, for they all lack the energy of the bees belonging to colonies in a normal condition. Fortunately there are but few queenless colonies in this condition at this season of the year. They usually die earlier in the season. After deciding from the entrance indications which are the desirable colonies to buy, the combs should be examined to see that they are straight in the frames, and that there is a good percentage of worker cells. At this time, also, one can make sure that the colonies are strong in brood and bees, for it will not do to depend entirely upon the entrance indications, although in this way one can save the time taken in looking through a great lot of weak colonies before finding the more desirable ones. Many beekeepers, nowadays, hive their swarms upon full sheets of foundation; and if any can be found having combs built in this way, it would be a good plan to buy all such; for, by so doing, good straight worker comb can be secured. Those who profess to be beekeepers at all, use at least a strip of foundation in the top of the brood-frame to start the bees building the combs true in each frame. If starters are used in the frames of the hanging type, the combs containing a large percentage of drone-cells can be taken out and replaced with new frames containing full sheets of foundation. MOVING BEES HOME After buying the bees they will have to be moved home: and if the moving is done with a team, bolster springs should be used in the wagon; but if these can not be had, some straw in the bottom of the regular wagon-box will do to set the hives on, this straw to take off some of the jar caused by the wheels moving over stones or rough places. Last summer we moved 160 colonies without springs or straw, and we crossed two railroads where the The Townsend Bee Book 15 road was very rough, but not a comb was broken. If colonies have been in the hives two or three years, so that the combs are old and tough, such combs will stand a great amount of hard usage with- out breaking. After one has moved colonies by rail, and learned how much knocking combs stand without breaking, he will not be so worried about breaking them when moving with a team. To prepare strong colonies for moving, nail wire cloth over the entire top of the hive; fasten the screen on with pieces of lath; nail a strip of lath also over the entrance, as the bees will have all the ventilation they need through the top for so short a haul. If the hive has a loose bottom-board, this should be nailed securely. We go early enough in the afternoon to the yard to be moved to nail on bottoms and screens while the bees are still flying. Then toward night, after the flying is over for the day, a piece of lath is nailed over the entrance. The hives are then loaded on the wagon and drawn home in the night. After placing them on the stands that they are to occupy permanently, the entrance-blocks are removed immediately. Never keep bees confined in the hives a minute longer than is really necessary. There are many reasons for this that can not be given here. CHAPTER IV. Folding Sections and Putting in Foundation When folding sections, if any noise is heard, as of the wood breaking at the V groove, the section is too dry, and the whole stock sholud be dampened before more of them are folded. Even if the wood is not dry enough to break entirely at the V groove, it is weakened if this crackling noise is heard, and will always be fragile. When the wood is in just the right condition the section should fold without a particle of breaking at the point where the V groove cuts nearly through. If the work is done during the wet season or early spring, especially if the sections were kept in a room where there was no fire, it is probable that no dampening will be necessary. If this wood is not in the right condition, how- ever, all of the sections must be dampened to prevent breakage or frail corners. There is quite a knack in dampening sections so that they will be perfectly square when folded. It is very necessary that 16 The Townsend Bee Book the section, when folded, shall be square on account of the full sheets of foundation to be put into them, as will be explained later. At one time we poured hot water from a tea-kettle into the V grooves of the sections before removing them from the crate. We placed the crate on edge and removed the side in order to expose all of the V grooves so that the hot water from the kettle could follow clear through all of the five hundred sections. We found that this method caused the sections to swell to such an extent that they could hardly be bent around sufficiently to get the notched ends together. HOW TO DAMPEN SECTIONS SO THEY WILL FOLD PROPERLY If the weather is dry, as it is likely to be in summer, or if there was a fire in the room where the sections were stored, the folding can not be properly done unless these sections are damp- ened. To do this, remove enough of the crating to expose all the V grooves in the outside layer of sections, and then group the crates together and cover them with a wet blanket, which has been wrung out so that no water can drip from it. The next morn- ing the sections will be in first-class shape to fold. The above method is the one to follow during a very dry time in summer, or whenever the sections for any cause are bone-dry. Very frequently sections need but little dampening to be in good condition; and in such cases a little water should be sprinkled upon a dry blanket, using judgment as to the amount needed. A little experience along this line will make everything work nicely. FOLDING SECTIONS To be sure that the sections will be square after they are folded, a section-press is essential. This device forces the notched ends of the section together while every corner is held true and square. Properly made sections put together with a press of some good make will give very little trouble about being diamond- shaped, etc., especially if the directions for dampening, as given above, are closely followed. The folding of the sections and the putting in of the founda- tion determine to a great extent the quality of the honey that is to be produced. There is entirely too much of the ordinary kind of comb honey on the market, and the price is so low that there is absolutely no profit in producing it. Extra good comb honey should be produced, and then a good fair price asked for it. Dur- ing the season of 1906 the writer produced comb honey that re- tailed at 33 cents a pound, and at the same time there was con- The Townsend Bee Book 17 siderable comb honey on the market that could be bought for one- third this price. It did not cost very much more per pound to produce the better grade, and it therefore is plainly evident which was the more profitable—the 11-cent or the 33-cent grade. PUTTING IN FULL SHEETS OF FOUNDATION A diamond-shaped sheet of foundation will not fit a square section. The piece should be cut with the corners perfectly square, and wide enough so that it will slip into the section without crowding. The piece should not be so deep as to come nearer than a plump quarter of an inch from the bottom of the sectiun when fastened in. The piece must hang true in the center of the section, or the best results can not be attained. The test comes when the section is squared up when placed in the super; for if it is diamond-shaped the foundation will be thrown over against one side when the sections are squared up, for one edge of the founda- tion striking the side of the section will throw the other lower corner against the separator. The section does not have to be very much out of true for this to take place, and such a section is a complete failure so far as comb honey is concerned, for it will never be salable when full. This is, perhaps, an extreme example, but nevertheless many sections are given to the bees in just this condition. One of my acquaintances kept a pair of shears near by; and when he found a full sheet of foundation striking the wood near the bottom he sprang the piece out far enough to clip off enough so that it could hang straight. This will prevent irregular combs, but it is a makeshift, and should be adopted only until one acquires the knack of putting up the sections and full sheets of foundation so that they are square in the first place. A section can not be filled too full of foundation at the sides, and good results will always be attained providing the sheet does not touch the wood. However, as mentioned before, there should be at least a 14-inch space between the bottom of the foundation and the bottom of the section. This is to allow for the sagging of the extra-thin foundation used. Foundation must not sag enough to touch the bottom of the section until quite well drawn out by the bees, or there will probably be trouble because of buckling, and buckling is just as bad as the condition which makes the foundation swing over to one side against the separator. If the beginner will bear in mind the fact that the foundation must hang true in the center of the section, no matter whether fastened by a hot plate or by melted wax, much of his trouble in 18 The Townsend Bee Book putting in foundation will disappear. With either method the foundation can be made to hang in the center providing time enough is spent on the work. THE MELTED-WAX PLAN OF FASTENING FOUNDATION I am very sure of one thing, and that is, that better work can be done with the melted-wax plan of fastening foundation into sections than with the hot-plate machines. One bad feature about the melted-wax plan, however, is having the melted wax around. We have never put in enough foundation on the melted-wax plan to acquire the dexterity that we should. I presume some will always use one plan and others the other. Last summer we put in some foundation on the Yoder plan described in the April 1st issue of 1908. As will be remembered, the Yoder plan consists in fastening the foundation with melted wax, not only across the top of the section but also one-third of the way down the sides from the top. Every section put up in this way produced a perfect section of honey so far as the founda- tion was concerned. With foundation fastened one-third of the way down the side of the section, most of it is apt to be a little curved, due to the expansion when it is warmed up by the bees. Some of the sheets were curved perhaps half an inch; but when the honey was finished there was nothing to indicate that the foundation had not been in the center of the section. Somehow I can not help thinking that there would have been a little more work done in the supers if the foundation could have been kept true in the center. About the only tools needed for putting in foundation on the Yoder plan is a wax-tube. There should be a square block a trifle less than half the thickness of the section, and just large enough to fit inside. This block should be perfectly square, as the section must be held square when putting in the foundation. The block should be nailed to a thin board a little larger, and, for conveni- ence, a handle should be nailed to the back of it. The foundation must be accurately cut just the size of the inside of the section, less the 14-inch space at the bottom. To put in the foundation, the section should be placed over the block before mentioned, and the sheet of foundation put in place pushed close to the top. The block should be held in such position as to form a trough made by the sheet of foundation and the side of the section, and then some melted wax dropped at a point one-third of the distance from the top of the section now held at the bottom. By turning the block around, the wax can be made to run down and around The Townsend Bee Book 19 to the other side, and finally to a point one-third of the distance from the top. To work to good advantage, two or three of these blocks are necessary, as the wax should cool before the sections are removed. PUTTING HIVE PARTS TOGETHER Some time previous to the surplus-honey flow, hives and supers should be nailed and painted, sections folded, filled with foundation, and arranged in the supers ready to be put on the hives when the time comes. Everything should be in readiness, as a little delay in giving room, when it is needed, may be the means of cutting the surplus-honey crop in two. NAILING HIVES Hives and supers, as they come from the factory, are pro- vided with nails, etc., and in putting them together the only tools required are a hammer and a square. A carpenter would prob- ably have a wooden mallet to use in driving the dovetailed corners together, but a hammer can be used for this purpose, although the planed surface of the wood should never be struck, as it would be marred. A piece of tough wood should be secured that will not split easily, and this placed on the corner to take the blow from the hammer. Before nailing the hives they should be squared; for if they are not made square before nailing, they will never keep so afterward. HOW TO ASSEMBLE HOFFMAN FRAMES While instructions usually go with each shipment of hives, many do not understand putting together Hoffman frames. The beginner should take particular notice of the directions that go with each crate of frames, and see that the V edge and the square edge of the end-bars are on opposite sides. As the frame is held up, as one would hold it when looking for a queen, the square edge should be at the right end of the frame and the V edge at the left. Frames so assembled will go into the hives either way; in fact, they can not be put in wrong. Two years ago I bought a lot of colonies in hives in which the frames were nailed wrong; that is, many of the frames had the V edges of the end-bars on the same side. This meant that the V edges would come together in the hives and the end-bars would often slip by each other, making the space too narrow between those two particular frames. 20 The Townsend Bee Book WIRING FRAMES After the brood or extracting frames are nailed, they are ready to wire. We always order our frames pierced and the wire included. We wind this wire on a board three inches longer than half the length of wire that we want to use. The wire is then tied in about four places with a good stout string and cut at one end of the board with a pair of tinner’s snips. Each piece of wire will then be about six inches longer than necessary for the frame, the extra length being for convenience in handling. The strings keep the wire from snarling, and yet allow one wire to be drawn out without disturbing the others. To wire the frame, we drive in the end-bar two of the little 34-inch nails that come with the frames, one near the upper hole and the other nearer the lower one. These are driven only half way in. One end of the wire should now be run through the second hole from the top of the frame across the frame to the corresponding hole in the opposite end-bar, then up to the upper hole in that end-bar, and back to the upper hole in the first end- bar. This end of the wire is now wound around the nail, and the nail driven home. This completes the wiring of the upper half of the frame. The other end of the wire should now be threaded through the lower sets of holes in the same way; but before the end is finally fastened the slack should be taken out of the wire. For many years we threaded the wire into the frame right from the spool, carrying one end through all of the holes in the frame, but the method given above is much the better of the two ways. HORIZONTAL WIRING DOES NOT PREVENT FOUNDATION FROM SAGGING After wiring thousands of frames horizontally, some with the wires drawn tight and some loose, we have found that the founda- tion sags about so much any way; and if no provision is made for this sagging it ‘‘ buckles,’’ making the irregular combs that all are familiar with who use full sheets of foundation. The heavier the foundation, the less sagging; so that I now use the medium brood in brood-frames, although the light brood is all right in extracting-frames. As the weight of the foundation must be relied upon to prevent sagging, our frames are now wired loosely in order to hold the foundation in the center of the frame without the buckling that is more likely to be found in tightly wired frames. The Townsend Bee Book 21 PUTTING FOUNDATION INTO THE FRAMES This work should always be done in a warm room or where the temperature is high enough so that the foundation will be pliable and not easily broken in handling. Our brood-frames are all ordered with the double groove and wedge for securing the foundation in the top-bar. The full sheet of foundation should be laid on the wires, worked into the center groove, and then the wedge inserted in the other groove. Right here is where so many fail, for they do not crowd this wedge in far enough. This is quite important, for a little carelessness in doing this will mean that the foundation will fall out of the frames and make a complete failure of one of the best means of securing it ever devised. | IMBEDDING WIRES INTO FOUNDATION We use a smooth planed board, % inch thick, and the size of the inside of the brood-frames. We lay this board on the founda- tion now in the frame, and turn the frame (board and all) the other side up. The wires will then be on top of the foundation, and the board on the under side. We have never tried anything that equals the Easterday imbedder. It is not quite as rapid as the spur-wheel imbedder, but, unlike the latter tool, it leaves the foundation smooth instead of creasing it and making a weak place. After the wire has been crowded down into the foundation a few drops of wax near the ends will help to keep it in place. The lower edge of the foundation should be trimmed off in order to leave about a half-inch space just above the bottom-bar of the frame. We take a narrow board the length of the inside of the frame and ¥% inch thick. We use this board as a guide for trimming off this lower edge of the foundation. We stand it on edge next to the bottom-bar, and with a thin sharp knife cut off that portion of the foundation by means of the straight edge thus afforded. If the space between the foundation and the bottom-bar is much less than half an inch the foundation is likely to sag; and when this happens it tips over to one side (buckles), and makes one of the most undesirable combs imaginable. PAINTING HIVES AND SUPERS In the spring, after most of the freezing weather is over, we do our painting. We have had a long experience with lead and oil, and alsc with prepared paint; but we use only the prepared paint now. A new hand can do good work by using prepared paint, while the mixing of lead and oil is a trade in itself. Even the prepared paint, however, should be thoroughly stirred before 22 The Townsend Bee Book it is used. We use nothing but white paint on our hives and su pers, and we make sure that the paint contains nothing but pur lead and oil, although some of ours has a little zine added also, ti be used as a last coat to give a hard glossy finish. We buy thi paint in one-gallon pails, and then use an extra two-gallon pai besides. The paint is well stirred, and poured from one pail to the other until it is thoroughly mixed. For the priming coat two 01 more quarts of oil can be added to the gallon of paint, before stirring, to thinit. Buy paint marked for outside use, and thin the first coat with raw oil. There is a knack in applying the paint, for it should be rubbed well into the wood. Apply several thin coats rather than fewer thick ones. The same amount of paint is much better applied in three thin coats than in two thicker ones. For the second and third coat not much oil will be required in thinning the paint usu- ally found on the market; but if it appears rather heavy a little oil should be used, especially when the pail becomes nearly empty. Each coat should be allowed to get thoroughly dry, of course, before another is applied. HOW TO HANDLE BEES WITHOUT BEING STUNG; THE USE OF SMOKERS; TRANSFERRING The beginner is likely to use too much smoke or else not enough, for the different dispositions of colonies are often con- fusing, and the amount of smoke needed to subdue one colony will often drive a more sensitive lot of bees out of the hive. More smoke is necessary during a honey-dearth than during a bountiful flow ; but this additional amount of smoke must be given in smaller though more frequent doses. After removing the cover from the hive, and smoking the bees so that most of them run down between the combs, the first frame may stick in the hive so that it is finally lifted out with a snap or jerk, causing some of the bees to fly at the hands as if they would sting. In this case a more experienced beekeeper would have noticed that the bees were ready to sting before any of them had taken wing, and he would have given them just a little smoke. The smoke should never be blown clear down into the hive, causing the(whole colony to stam- pede, for it is then much more inconvenient to do the necessary work. There should be just enough smoke to drive down those bees that are on the tops of the frames; then at any time when a bee is seen about ready to take wing, as if to sting, a very little smoke is needed again. In time one learns to use the smoker just before there are any bees in the air. The Townsend Bee Book 23 The careless handling of bees causes many stings. There is rarely a season but that we have some inexperienced help in our yards; and the first advice we give a beginner is that, if there should be an accident, such as the dropping of a frame of bees, or if in any way the bees get the best of the situation, he should retreat until they are quieted down. Then with a smoker well going he is to go to the hive and subdue them. In such cases, where there has been an accident, and bees killed or combs broken, the work becomes more complicated, for many of the bees are likely to take wing when smoked, and be in a stinging mood while in the air. Under these circumstances we alternate between smoking the bees in the air and those in the hive until most of the flying ones have settled down; then the work proceeds where it left off. It is a little humiliating to run from a colony of bees that one is handling; but beginners often have trouble, so that I am obliged to tell them to go into the honey-house until the colony becomes quiet. One of the most serious accidents that ever occurred in our yards was when honey was being removed. Our new helper, not having had much experience, did not make sure that the frames in the lower story were cut loose from those in the super, so when he attempted to lift off this super two of the lower frames were lifted up with it. Not knowing what was the trouble, the super was lowered on the hive and a second attempt made to lift it off without giving any more smoke. By this time many bees had been killed, and there is nothing that will so enrage bees as this. We noticed the predicament and ordered a retreat, otherwise there would have been a case of hard stinging. An experienced bee- keeper, after lowering the super back on the hive, would have smoked the bees well and then have made sure that the two sets of frames were entirely separate before a second attempt was made. A beekeeper who does not know how to use smoke, or who does not take the precaution to work carefully, will always have cross bees. I have been in yards where the bees were so cross that it was almost impossible to stay there a minute without having protection for the head and hands. In other yards of bees of the same strain, and under the same circumstances, one could work all day with no protection whatever, and still receive no stings. The difference is all in the intelligent use of smoke and in the careful handling of the bees. HOW TO TRANSFER I have told of buying four colonies of bees in Metcalfe hives. Ordinary Jumbo frames would be similar to those in these Met- 24 The Townsend Bee Book calfe hives if they stood on end. In other words, the top-bars were shorter than the end-bars. The combs were fairly straight in the frames so that they were much easier to transfer than if they had been built in box hives, or crisscross, as they sometimes are in frame hives if no starters are provided at the top of the frames for guides. When ready to transfer a table should be secured, preferably in a honey-house away from robber bees. A bottom-board should be in readiness also to lay the combs on that are to be transferred to new frames. Blow a little smoke into the entrance of the hive to be transferred, and remove the cover, giving a little smoke also over the tops of the frames. As the work progresses, there is apt to be more or less jarring of the hive, and more smoke will be needed, so the smoker should be kept in good condition and in a convenient place where it can be had at a moment’s notice. As it is a frame hive that is being transferred, pry the frames apart so that the first comb may be easily removed, and then shake most of the bees from it in front of the hive, brushing off, with a Coggshall bee-brush, the few that remain. In the case of box hives it is usually necessary to pry off one side of the hive and then cut out the combs to be transferred. Since the combs are not usually attached to the bottom of a box hive it is well to turn it upside down and remove the bottom-board. Then with a long knife cut the combs loose from one side of the hive and remove that side. When the combs are built in cornerwise I remove two sides of the box so that they can be taken out easily. When the combs are free from bees, place them, one at a time, on the board in the honey-house and lay the new frame on top of it in order to get the exact size. A thin case-knife is the best tool for trimming the combs. They should be cut just a little larger than the inside of the frames so that they can be crowded in. The frame containing the comb may then be turned on edge by tilting up the board (frame and all) to keep the comb from falling out until the frame is vertical. Then wrap comb and frame with fine wire ; and when the bees have the comb well fastened in the frame, some time afterward, this wire may be cut along the top-bar and pulled out without removing any of the frames. As soon as one new frame is filled with old comb it is placed in the new hive, which should now stand where the old one did, the old hive being moved a rod or so to one side. From this time on, all of the bees should be brushed into the new hive; and when all the combs are transferred, the bees that are left in the old hive can be dumped before the entrance of the new one. One will The Townsend Bee Book 25 usually get from four to six worker combs from an old hive, and the rest of the space in the new hive should be filled with frames containing full sheets of foundation. It would not do to use frames with starters only, for the bees would build drone comb, as will be explained in a further article. The above plan was the orthodox method of transferring at the time I began beekeeping. Since then we have used other and better methods. A MODERN WAY OF TRANSFERRING WITHOUT CUTTING COMBS In modern methods of transferring bees from box hives, or from any undesirable hives, for that matter, none of the old combs are used in the new hive. With a good press, nearly all the wax can be obtained from the old combs, so that full sheets of foun- dation may be substituted in the new hives; and, of course, the combs drawn from such full sheets of foundation are vastly better than old patched-up pieces of combs taken from old hives. During late years we have done none of our transferring until the beginning of the clover-honey flow in June. Mr. A. H. Guernsey, of Ionia, Mich., has successfully practiced for several years the following plan: At the opening of this clover-honey flow, or as fast thereafter as the colonies to be transferred get strong and have their hives full of honey and brood, the cover is removed from a colony to be transferred, and a full set of good combs placed in a hive-body and set on top. The next step is to go to a colony that has brood in all stages, and select a comb, perhaps half full of brood. This comb should be one that the queen is laying in, and also one on which cells are started, but not yet occupied with eggs. The bees should be shaken off this comb, care being taken to see that the queen is left in her own hive. This comb may now be exchanged for one of the central combs in the new body that has just been set over the hive containing the colony to be transferred. After about three days, in the warmest part of the day, carefully remove this comb of brood before mentioned and look for the queen. If she is not found, look every day until she is found, and then place a queen-excluder between the two bodies, the queen being in the upper story. In 21 days the lower body can be removed free from brood, the sides knocked off, and the honey and wax saved. Full sheets of comb foundation might be substituted for the combs in the new hive, as mentioned above, but the bees would 26 The Townsend Bee Book be slower in going up into the new body if this were done, and more honey would be left in the hive below. If the cover to the old hive is found nailed on when preparations are being made for transferring, the whole hive can be inverted and the new body containing the combs placed over it. This transferring may set the colony back a little, but not very much after all, and it is necessary to watch the transferred. colony with the rest and give super room when needed. With the plan that I practice myself, I secure a full crop of comb honey, although the transferred colony may need some help along the line of winter stores. My plan is as follows: A super is placed on the hive to be transferred, just as on any other hive (if the old hive has the cover nailed on, it is inverted). The colony is then left until it casts a swarm, which is hived on the old stand where the old box hive formerly stood, and the supers of sections shifted to the new hive. The old box hive may then be carried away to another part of the yard. The actual transferring in this case is done 17 days later, at which time the parent colony should have a laying queen; and, since the queen before the colony swarmed did not lay very much during the last four days before the swarm issued, there will not be much brood but what is hatched at the end of these 17 days. By this time it is, very likely, near the close of the season, so that it does not pay to wait for the few bees that might yet hatch from the combs; and it is better to allow the young bees already hatched to get to work in their new quarters. A new hive filled with combs of full sheets of founda- tion is placed where the old box hive last stood, and the side of the box pried off, the combs cut out, and the bees brushed in front. of the new hive. Last season some of the old combs left in the box hive were run through a capping-melter, and the honey and wax separated much more quickly than we ever did it before. Colonies transferred so late, or late swarms of any kind, ought to be hived on empty combs when possible; but if there are no combs, so that one must use foundation, no more frames should be given than the bees can finish before the close of the flow. There was a reason for not leaving the foundation in the hive during a dearth of honey, for the bees, having nothing else to do, seem to take delight in gnawing it, for to them it is unnatural. After a sheet of foundation has been in the hive three weeks dur- ing a dearth of honey it is almost ruined. The Townsend Bee Book 27 THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH BEES BUILD STRAIGHT WORKER COMB FROM STARTERS Although we use and recommend full sheets of foundation in wired frames, it may be well to consider how and when one can get along with starters only in brood-frames, as some may not want to use full sheets. Bees build two sizes of cells in their comb-building. The larger size run about four to the inch, and are used for rearing drones and sometimes for storing honey. The smaller cells run about five to the inch, and are used for rearing workers and for storage. The beekeeper should strive to get all-worker combs built; for, in spite of all the care that can be taken, more than enough drone comb usually appears. Of course, in case of an extra-fine colony that one desires to breed from, a solid drone comb can be given in order that there may be plenty of drones of this desirable stock in the yard. It is a fact that bees under certain conditions build almost all worker comb; and it is also true that, under other conditions, a great deal of undesirable drone comb is built. For instance, a new medium-sized swarm, placed in a hive of a size that may be filled with combs and brood in about 23 days or less, ought to build worker comb mainly, although some of the last combs built may contain a few drone-cells. The secret seems to be in having just the right number of workers and just the right amount of honey coming in, so that the bees will draw out the combs no faster than the queen can occupy them with brood. As long as this condition lasts we should expect the bees to build worker combs. From this we see that, in order to get good results in comb-building from a natural swarm, this swarm should be of just the right size, and there should be a honey-flow of, say, three or four pounds a day. We will suppose a large swarm is hived during a period when honey is coming in freely. At this time there is too much honey coming in for the best results in comb-building in the brood-nest, if the whole force of workers is compelled to do all their work in the brood-nest. The remedy is to put most of the workers at work in the supers. Most beginners fail in doing this; but the principle is to make the surplus receptacles more inviting to the workers than the brood-nest, and the bees will immediately go up into the supers on being hived. Our comb-honey super with extracting- combs at the sides makes an ideal arrangement for this very thing. It is plain to see that, if most of the honey being carried in is placed in sections, where it should be, the queen will not be 28 The Townsend Bee Book hurried to keep pace with the workers, consequently nearly all- worker comb will be built. The brood-nest should be filled with comb during the first 23 days after the swarm is hived, for the queen must keep up with the workers and lay in nearly every cell as fast as it is drawn out, or the bees will begin to store honey in the cells. When this condition arrives, the bees, on the supposition that the queen has reached her limit, and that the rest of the combs will be used for storing honey, begin to build the storage size or the drone-cells in the brood-nest. This is likely to occur in about 23 days after the swarm is hived; for by this time the brood is beginning to hatch out in that part of the hive where the laying began. From this time on, the queen has nearly all she can do to keep the cells filled with eggs where the young bees are hatching. This means that the comb-building part of the hive is neglected, and that the bees build store or drone comb to a great extent until the hive is filled. It sometimes happens that a very late swarm will issue; and since the season is nearing its close, it is not possible for such a swarm to build more than five combs before the honey ceases coming in. We hive such swarms as usual, and in about two days five of the frames having the least combs built are removed and a division-board placed up against the remaining five frames, this five having been shoved over to one side of the hive. If a super is given such a swarm at the time of hiving, it must be a nearly finished one, as the bees will need most of their time to finish up the five combs in the brood-nest. If one has two of such five-comb colonies they can be united at the close of the season, so that there will be none but full-sized colonies to winter. A better plan than this for late swarms, or for any small after-swarms that one may have, is to hive them on full sets of combs taken, possibly, from hives in which colonies died the previous winter. This is a very good way to get such combs filled with bees, but some swarms hived in this way may need feeding for winter. There are artificial ways of handling bees so that they will build good worker combs. I refer to the plan of shaking the bees into an empty hive, in the same way that a swarm is hived. If a colony is divided into nuclei of, say, two or three combs each, and each nucleus given a young queen reared the same year, such little colonies will build very nice worker combs; but the beginner will not be interested in this artificial way of making increase, for he should stick to the natural-swarming plan for his increase until such time as he has had experience and made a success of getting The Townsend Bee Book 29 a crop of honey. In fact, there are many things to be learned be- fore a beginner should take up artificial ways of making increase. It is just a question in my mind whether there is a better or more profitable way of making increase in the production of comb honey than the natural-swarming method. In extracted-honey production, when the bees will not swarm enough to make up the winter loss, then artificial swarming must be resorted to. SOME CONDITIONS WHERE BEES BUILD MOSTLY DRONE COMB Any colony found rearing drone brood in the brood-nest will, if a comb is removed and an empty frame put in its place, build drone comb. It can be depended upon, moreover, that a colony of bees wintered over, containing a queen reared the season before, or one older, will build drone comb until the time it swarms. By this it can be seen that it is necessary to replace any combs, re- moved from a colony before it swarms in the sprimg or early sum- mer, with an empty comb or with a frame containing a full sheet of foundation, or else drone comb will be the result. To be sure that a colony will build a large per cent of worker comb it is necessary to remove all the brood and to cause the bees of that colony to begin all over again, as in the case of natural swarming; or, as mentioned before, the colony can be broken up into nuclei, each nucleus containing a young queen. CHAPTER V What to Do Just Preceding the Honey-flow THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING PLENTY OF STORES TO LAST UNTIL THE MAIN HONEY-FLOW BEGINS Immediately following fruit-bloom there is an interval of about three weeks before the clover-flow, when there will probably be no honey coming in in the Northern States; and at the begin- ning of this interval, providing the weather has been favorable, so that the bees could work on the fruit-bloom, the hives are heavy with brood. If the beginner will remember that, during the three weeks preceding the honey-flow from clover, there will be more brood in the combs than at any other time in the year, and that nearly the whole force of workers that gather the surplus-honey crop are reared during the six weeks preceding the clover season, he will better understand what I shall have to say a little later. The conditions favorable to brood-rearing during the six weeks preceding the clover-flow are very important; but I think I am safe in saying that not half the colonies in the country are provided with these favorable conditions. Every good colony should have at least 12 pounds of honey in the frames for breeding purposes at the end of fruit-bloom. Colonies medium in size, that is, those light in bees and brood, may need less. To tell how much honey there is, there is no sure way other than to lift out the combs and make an examination. It can be depended upon that a brood-comb spaced 13g inches from center to center will contain, when sealed, fully 5 pounds of stores. A part of these stores will consist of bee-bread, so if there are three combs of stores in the hives containing the best colonies at the close of fruit-bloom, such colonies will be in the ideal condition that we so much desire, and there will be nothing further to do with them until the time arrives for putting on the supers. One comb of stores may carry a weak colony over this period, and two combs will be sufficient for medium colonies. The ten-frame hives prove to be of advantage here; for, although there is room for plenty of stores, enough space is left for brood-rearing besides. The Townsend Bee Book 31 It is probably true that, in a colony of bees in normal condi- tion, the workers do not become field bees until they are seventeen days old. By ‘‘ normal condition ’’ here is meant a colony having enough field bees to keep the nurse bees (those under seventeen days old), busy taking care of the nectar that is brought in, build- ing comb, ete. If often happens in the clover belt, especially in the Northern States, that the honey season begins before many of the colonies reach this normal condition, especially if the winter was long and severe. In such cases many of the bees must go to the field in search of nectar long before they are seventeen days old; and as soon as the colonies get started in earnest they become normal, because enough of the bees have been forced into the field through necessity to make a balanced force, so to speak. Since the old bees that winter over die off in April and May, a large number of young bees must be reared during the spring months to replace this loss. This is the reason why there must be an abundance of stores at all times during this heavy breeding season. The ideal way is to feed all colonies that are short of stores in the fall, and if, for any reason, some of the colonies be- come short of stores during the spring months, combs of honey saved for this purpose should be given. If no such combs of honey are available, the Doolittle or Alexander feeders may be used. For spring feeding the grade of honey is not so important, and it should be mixed with an equal amount of water by weight to make the syrup. For the fall feeding, only granulated sugar should be used, and the syrup should consist of two parts of sugar to one of water by weight. With plenty of stores in the hives, as mentioned first, no spring stimulative feeding will be found: nec- essary. The beginner especially should avoid conditions which make it necessary to feed for stimulative purposes or even the exchanging of combs to equalize the stores. Such spring ‘‘fussing’’ should not be attempted by the novice, and it is a question whether even the old hand at the business will gain much by such management, or whether the colonies will be in better condition than they would be if provided with plenty of stores in the fall to last until the opening of the main honey-flow the following season. THE DANGER OF ROBBING IN THE SPRING; HOW TO STOP IT AND HOW NOT TO STOP IT The danger of robbing is enough to discourage any one from opening the hives during the spring months except when it is absolutely necessary during that part of the year. The apiarist 32 The Townsend Bee Book himself is responsible for nine-tenths of the robbing. In the first place, poor methods of wintering result in weak colonies which are not able to defend themselves against the stronger ones. Be- ginners, not knowing about this, are apt to handle colonies indis- criminatingly during the spring months; and if the ever ready robbers get a taste of the stores of honey, robbing will be started. The weak colony that was being handled is in poor condition to defend the stores, even if the bees had a disposition to do so. Our beginner may not have noticed that the colony was being robbed until there was a great uproar at the entrance of that particular hive; and at this point he is likely to do the most unwise thing possible; that is, to move the colony to a cellar or honey-house with the idea of saving it. It would have been much better to let the robbing go on until night, when all would be quiet, and then the robbed colony could be set over a moderately strong one, which would be abundantly able to defend the stores. There is apt to be trouble with the robbers, even when this is done, as many of them will stay over night in the hive that was being robbed, and will try to make an attack the next morning. If this weak colony had been placed over another weak one, the prob- ability is that both would be robbed the next morning, and for this reason it should be placed over a fairly good colony, as stated before. After the weak colony has been placed over a strong one, an empty hive-body, as near like it as possible, should be set on the old bottom-board, and the cover that formerly was on the weak colony put over it. Most of the robbers will be attracted to this place the next morning, and they will rush into the empty hive instead of attacking some nearby colony, thus starting the robbing all over again. ‘With a good deal of satisfaction we sometimes exchange the places of the two colonies—that is, the one doing the robbing and the one being robbed; but the plan does not always work. Only last spring we tried this with two of our colonies. The one that was being robbed had enough bees so they should have defended themselves, but for some reason they did not. We exchanged the places of the two colonies, but it was not long before the bees of the strong colony found out the change and began carrying the honey from the weak colony back to their own hive now on the new stand. The beginner should not attempt to adopt this plan of stopping robbing, for often those with considerable experience can not distinguish which colony is doing the mischief, Une Lownsena Bee Book 33 It is a good plan to contract the entrances in the spring to conform to the size of the colonies. In this way, not only the heat is retained but the bees in the weak colonies are usually able to defend themselves. When the entrance-blocks have been thus adjusted they should not be disturbed until some of the strong colonies need larger openings. If the beginner would go into a beeyard and find robbing going on, his first thought would be to contract the entrances of the weak colonies. This might be the wise thing to do; but rob- bers are in the air that have secured a taste of honey from some source, and they are watching for a chance to secure more. If any one were to light a smoker and go into the yard with the air full of robbers, such robbers would very likely be attracted, espe- cially if the guards at the entrances. of the weak colonies were smoked so that the blocks could be adjusted. Therefore, if any change must be made with such weak colonies it should be made at night, when the bees are through flying for the day, so that all will be quiet the next morning. Of course, when the honey season opens later on, such trouble with robbing quickly disappears, for bees do not rob each other to any extent when they can get nectar from natural sources. CHAPTER VI Strong versus Medium Colonies at the Opening of the Harvest HOW A COLONY MAY REACH MATURITY TOO EARLY FOR THE HARVEST, AND THUS DEVELOP THE LOAFING AND SWARMING MANIA; THE DOUBLE-STORY TEN- FRAME HIVE FOR THE PREVENTION OF. SWARMING, AND THE BUSY MAN WHO _ HASN’T THE TIME TO EQUALIZE bs BROOD [‘'The ideal colony must not be over-populous. A hive is over-populous when its working force is too great in comparison to the dimension of the hive and to the number of wax-building bees. ‘‘Such a condition is intolerable to the bees and they try to help themselves by loaf- ing. Their instinct teaches them to begin this loafing even before the hive is over-popu- lous. The bees seem to see thé combs are filled and capped, that the bees are daily hatch- ing, and that they will soon be crowded. A colony in such a condition will never perform the wonders in gathering honey that we expect from one less populous. Such a colony feels instinctively that its abode will soon be too small, and the swarming fever sets in; and we know that when this is awakened, the bees will continue to loaf. At the most, only as much honey will be gathered as is needed for making the swarming preparations. A colony with the swarming fever is of little value as a honey-gatherer.—GRAVENHORST. ] It is rarely that one finds so much in so few words as is expressed in the above quotation. The thought comes in here, that there is a condition involved that is hard for the average beekeeper to comprehend—that is, if a colony of bees comes to its best or full working strength just two or three days before the honey-flow is on, that swarm is very likely not to store more-than one-half as much surplus as one that comes to maturity just with the flow. This, of course, is with the supposition that neither one should cast a swarm. The other, or medium-sized colony, may not have wintered quite as well as the other, but had a good queen that kept what workers there were in the colony just hustling to take care of what eggs she supplied, coupled with all the other work of the hive, so that there was not a single minute but that every bee in the hive had all it could do, and many times more. Such a colony is ready for the harvest when the season does open up. Let us look inside of the other hive—the one that was ready before the harvest was on. They have come to maturity a few days too early for the season. Although they may not have any The Townsend Bee Book 35 queen-cells started during this time, if you look down between the combs you will find little clusters of bees hanging together; and if the weather is warm, perhaps some may be seen crowding out at the entrance. These bees that have clustered in this hive have learned the art of shirking, and there is nothing to do but let them swarm, because that alone will bring back that energy and hustle they had before coming to this stage of stagnation that I have explained above. The case cited above is, perhaps, an extreme one, but I assure you that bees do not have to come to this stage of development to be worth only half a colony from a surplus-honey view-point. Some take brood from the strong to build up the weak, doing this previous to the honey-flow, with the express purpose of pre- venting this stagnation on the part of the strong, and at the same time building up the weak. Such procedure, if practiced in an intelligent manner, so that the weak and the strong shall be equalized, will produce good results, because none will be too strong too soon. When this is properly done they will all work with the energy of a newly hived swarm; then if theré are still left more weak colonies than can be built up into colonies in time to take advantage of the honey-flow, such colonies can be allowed to build up into colonies of their own will, or they can be used in an almost unlimited number of ways at the option of the apiarist. The shifting of brood by the experienced, for any reason whatever, should be done on a small scale, and for experimental purposes only. Since I have been in the business more extensively, a different system of management has been found necessary; namely, a scheme for using double-story ten-frame hives. A system that is all right, and which works well with one home yard of bees, may not work at all with an outyard or with extensive beekeeping where more bees are kept than the apiarist himself can care for, necessitating the work being done by others, and these, many times, perhaps of small experience. It is a fact that a very large hive containing an amount of honey in excess of that needed to carry the colony through spring, with an abundance of comb room, will not swarm nor acquire the swarming fever, until the honey season is on, when the bees, as- sisted by the queen, get the hive nearly full of brood and honey. A ten-frame Langstroth hive, two stories high, is ample in size to hold back the swarming fever until the white-honey season is on in June. Colonies in such a hive, that are good to strong, during the period of warm weather previous to the honey-flow, 36 The Townsend Bee Book usually commence to store honey in this location about May 20. With so much clustering room, such as these hives afford, no swarming fever will be induced. When the warm weather of the last part of May arrives, an upper story is given our medium to strong colonies, either with or without a queen-excluder, depending on whether it is a yard where excluders are used or not. Our honey season usually com- mences during the second or third week of June, in this location. As there is no honey-flow previous to the main clover flow in June, sufficient to cause bees to contract the swarming fever, the ten- frame hive used two-story during practically all of the hot weather previous to the honey-flow, keeps our bees practically free from the swarming fever, and without handling a single brood-comb. This system is well adapted to the eight-frame hive or smaller hives, only the second story should be of worker comb, and the queen allowed full sway through both stories. Later on, after the bees get to work in dead earnst, if one likes, the queen can be put down into the lower story, and an excluder placed on the lower story, since the bees have now almost forgotten there is such a thing as swarming, being so intent on the securing of the abun- dance of honey that ought to be coming at this time. Moreover, with the Italian bee this is the season of the year, or the season has now shaped itself so that one eight-frame story is all (and usually more than) the queen will occupy with the brood, because the bees are so intent on storing honey. This same principle of giving abundance of comb room during hot weather, previous to the main honey-flow, with the idea of preventing the bees from thinking about swarming, is carried out with our comb-honey as well as with our extracting colonies. In the case of the comb-honey bees, any empty brood-nests are used for the purpose of this extra room. Then we have pro- vided about half as many sets of shallow extracting-combs as we have colonies of bees in the yard, which are used to finish up the season in the production of comb honey, and also to give cluster- ing room previous to the season, as I have explained above. CHAPTER VII How to Take Care of Swarms SOME TIMELY HINTS ON MANAGEMENT DURING THE OPEN- ING OF THE SURPLUS-HONEY SEASON It is time to put on the supers (the parts of the hive that contain the surplus honey) by the time the first clover-bloom is seen. Five days later, on opening the hives we may find that the bees have done nothing in the sections, and we wonder whether they will ever start. In three more days we possibly find that they have still done no work in the sections, so a super is lifted off and a comb of brood lifted out. If we do this we perhaps find that the bees are beginning to draw out the cells near the brood, and that they are placing new honey in these elongated cells.