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pH 8.5

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The Danzenbaker Hive |
and its Management |

Profusely illustrated
from photographs
especially prepared
for the work :: ::

a2IV

By E. R. ROOT
Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio

14th Edition. Copyrighted 1907 by The A. I. Root Co.

OHH PO MAH

pase. a5
4ARY of te | -
jo Gopies Received Os

AY 27 1907 a Gs

ary 2 Entry
25,1747 f
OT. Fx No ow Root’s Bee-keepers’ Supplies

ine)
¢ LIE a. are Regarded by a Large Illinois Firm

A. I. Root Co., June 12th, 1906.
Medina, Ohio.

Gentlemen:—I have just finished“ unpacking the
last box of supplies, and must say they dre very satis-
factory. The frames especially are extra fine, and I
am just wondering how I was so foolish as to buy
the thousands I already have from that other firm.

After seeing yours, I have made up my mind that
| would much rather buy yours than take theirs for
a gift.

‘This is no jolly, but the simple truth.

Very truly yours,
- James ‘Tough,

*°°1613 Clarence Ave.,
soni Oak Park Ue

EET EMI KIMI EI EI ET EET ET TOT eT TS

PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION

In putting out this little work the publishers bélieve
that the shallow hive with closed-end frame and 4x5
plain section is not sufficiently well understood. It was
with this end in view that they have endeavored to
correct some popular misapprehensions, and at the same
time show that some bee-keepers at least, may be los-
ing much by clinging to their old-fashioned methods.
Besides, the hive and system herein described have
been sufficiently tested so that it is believed that every
statement herein made will be verified by actual work
with the bees.

As there may be some to whom this work will go
who may not understand the first principles of bee-
keeping, it has been thought best to give very briefly
the life-history of the honey-bee, closing with a de-
scription of the methods of management.

If the reader is entirely unfamiiiar with the subject
of bee-keeping it is suggested that he reads parts II
and. fll and then part I. Having done so he
will then be able to comprehend some of the points
made in favor of the shallow hive and closed-end frame
of the Danzenbaker type as set forth in part I.

In this connection it may be well to state that the
publishers also issue a booklet on the divisible-brood-
chamber hive that permits of a system of management
similar to that herein described. The price of this
little work is ro cents. Another booklet is on the sub-
ject of the Dovetailed Langstroth hive and Hoffman
frame. This latter work describes the hive more com-
monly in use by bee-keepers generally. Should the

reader have a large number of these hives he would do
well to send for this booklet, as it will enable him to
understand the reasons for its construction as well
as how to handle it.

It is advised that those who desire to go into the
general subject of bee-keeping more extendedly pro-
cure a copy of the A B C of Bee Culture, a cyclopedia
on bees, of over 500 pages. As the general subject of
Lee-keeping is a very large one, it is impossible in
these brief booklets to do more than merely touch on
some of the important phases of bee culture. If any
one has any bees at all he wiil do well to secure not
only the booklets above mentioned, but the larger work,
the A B C of Bee Culture. Then if he desires to keep
abreast of the times he would do well to subscribe
for our journal, Gleanings in Bee Culture, an illus-
trated semi-monthly magazine devoted to bees. It con-
tains a great deal of matter for beginners as well as
for the veteran in the business. Price $1.00 per year.

April 5, 1907. The-A.t: Rootes

Medina, Ohio.

Part I
THE DANZENBAKER HIVE

The Danzenbaker hive in its present form has been
on the market since 1895. It may be truthfully said

that it has successfully passed the period of experimen-
tation, and has now come to be recognized as one of

4 Facts About Bees

the standards. When it was first introduced, the bee-
keeping world was not prepared to accept it. It was
considered too revolutionary; it was not needed; but
in spite of these objections the inventor, Mr. Francis
Danzenbaker, then at Washington, D. C., persistentiy
clung to the hive until he had one large manufacturer
take hold of it and push it, but not till he had demon-
strated that it had merits peculiar to itself. During
the last few years bee-keepers everywhere have been
taking hold of it.

EMPTY DANZENBAKER HIVE

[Showing division-board, frames, and the manner of thcir sup-
port in the hive. ]

The Question of Depth

The hive bearing his name uses the same kind of
cover and bottom as are used on the regular ten-frame
Langstroth. Any super or super combination that
will fit standard L. hives can be used on the Danzen-
baker. He, however, adopted a shallower brood-nest

Facts About Bees 5

by 134 inches, and ten closed-end reversible frames
supported in the center. He early observed that an
ordinary colony of bees would place about two inches
of honey above the brood in a Langstroth frame. He

HETHERINGTON-QUINBY CLOSED-END FRAME AND HIVE

reasons that, if this honey were crowded up into the
supers by making a frame of less depth, such honey
would bring the highest market price; and if the bees
required feeding after the season was over, a cheap

Facts About Bees

syrup costing 3 or 3% cents per pound could be sub-
stituted for 15-cent honey. He accordingly reduced
the depth of his frame at the very start to 714 inches
instead of 9%, as in the regular standard Langstroth.

QUINBY FRAMES BEING HANDLED

Closed-end vs. Open-end Frames

Mr. Danzenbaker believes, also, from extended obser.
vation and from general inquiry among bee-keepers
who have tested the matter carefully, that a large
amount of colony heat was dissipated between the end-
bars of the frames in the ordinary Langstroth hive.
In talking with the users of the open-end frame he
found that they readily admitted this loss of heat,

Facts About Bees 7

but concluded that what could not be helped wouid
have to be endured. They would not tolerate the old
Quinby closed-end frame—oh, no!—because they ar-
gued that would smash bees, and it would take a
crowbar, after the bees had glued them together, to
get them apart.

Mr. Danzenbaker went quietly to work experiment-
ing, and found that neither assertion proved true in
practice—or, rather, it would be more accurate to say
that there was no necessity whatever for smashing
bees; and so far as the difficulty of separating the
frames was concerned, this was more in their imagina-
tion than in reality.

On visiting some of the most extensive bee-keepers
in the country, who used such frames exclusively, he
was gratified to learn that his own experience was con-

HOW THE DANZENBAKER FRAME IS SUPPORTED ON THE
CLEATS IN THE HIVE-ENDS

firmed. He found that it was no new thing for these
men to handle colonies by the thousands on closed-end
frames; and when anybody talked to them about such
frames being “awful bee-smashers” they laughed at
the very idea. Actual demonstration developed that
they could handle their frames in pairs and in groups
like so many chunks of cordwood. They could pull
the brood-nest all to pieces; they could perform any
one of the hundred and one manipulations without
killing a bee, and yet, what was more surprising, be
able to do just as much work (and in some cases more)

8 Facts About Bees

as those who were users of the old-fashioned open-
end Langstrothframe. The evidence was overwhelming.

After settling on the depth of the hive, Mr. Danzen-
baker adopted a modified form of the closed-end Quinby
each frame supported by a pivot in the center of each
end-bar. He early realized the value of the old say-
ing, “While you are getting, get a plenty.” He saw
that, if a frame were supported in the center, such
frame would be reversible—that is, it could be used
either side up.

The Value of the Reversible Feature in Frames

Old bee-keepers know perfectly well, that, with the
ordinary top-supported or non-reversible frames, the
bees will build their combs to within half an inch of the
bottom-bar and there stop. This results in a waste
of comb space, a waste of lumber that is not utilized,
and, what is worse, makes a splendid hiding-place

THE REVERSING FEATURE OF THE DANZENBAKER, MAKES IT
POSSIBLE TO HAVE ALL COMBS SOLID, WITHOUT ANY SPACE
BETWEEN BOTTOM OF COMB AND END-BAR

where the queen may secrete herself when the apiarist
is hunting for her. This can be overcome after a fash-
ion in various ways by using full sheets of foundation
and perpendicular wiring; but even then bees wll be in-
clined to leave holes near the bottom edge, and it 1s

Facts About Bees : 9

in these holes that the queen finds peculiar delight and
secretes herself,

But there is still another objection—a new comb
supported at the top and part way down the sides of
the end-bars is liable to fall out through handling or
extracting; and on a hot day it may melt down,
bringing loss and destruction to a portion of the brood-
nest. In more ways than one it will be seen that it is
very desirable to have this air-gap or waste space filled
with good comb, thus making comb attachments at top
and bottom as well as on the end-bars, and no hiding-
piace for Mrs. Queen.

By this time the reader will readily infer that, by
reversing the frame for a few days in a warm season,
the bees will fill up this air-gap or waste space be-
tween the bottom edge of the comb and the bottom-bar
with new comb, for it is a well-recognized law in
bee economy that a comb that does not quite reach
a support just above will be built upward until the
attachment is made; but not so when the comb doesn’t
reach the support below.

Taking advantage of this instinct in nature we can
very readily make comb attachments all around by
reversing a frame like the Danzenbaker, and have
combs as solid, smooth, and perfect as so many
boards) — Nor 4s cthis: all: A reversible moderatel,
shallow frame does not require wiring as do the other
deeper ones supported from the top. The reason of
this is obvious, for a comb that has solid attachments
to all four sides of the frame will be secured much
more solidly than one that is fastened to the top-bar
and half way down on each of the end-bars.

Still another fact. This reversing feature makes
it possible to throw the honey in the top of the frames
that may be left over from spring or summer into the
supers, by turning the frames upside down, for the
bees will not allow honey to be stored near the entrance
or bottom-board, to remain there for fear of robbers.
This gives added room for the queen.

And, lastly, the fact that a non-reversible frame
will have in most cases waste space at the bottom not
utilized, and a reversible frame all the space filled

10 Facts About Bees

with comb, goes to show that the former is really
larger for a given depth, and is therefore more
efficient.

But we have scarcely touched on the loss of heat that
radiates away from the cluster when the ends of the

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‘“ DANZENBAKER REVERSIBLE AND A HOFFMAN NON-REVERSIBLE
FRAME

[Notice in the lower frame that there isa space between the bot-
tom of the comb and the bottom-bar that the b es won't fill. Inthe
upper, Vanzenbaker frame, there is no such space, for the frame
has been reversed long enough for the bees to fill up this space. ]

frames are left open. It is not unusual to have a
regular closed-end frame with brood clear out to the
end-bars; but it is rathe: the exception to have it reach

—————————

Facts About Bees 11

out that far when the ends are open so that chilling
currents can circulate around, thereby chilling the
young brood.

It is another principle in bee-hive economy that the
bees strive to have their brood-nest as near 98 degrees
as possible. If there is a chance for warm air to
escape, the bees are compelled to contract the cluster,
overfeeding on their honey in order to keep up animal
heat and thus the brood-nest warm. The tighter and
warmer this brood-nest can be, the fewer bees will b>
required to protect the brood, and the smaller the

Notice that the
space between the
end-bars of these
frames are not
closed and, hence,
the heat of the
cluster, so vital in
brood-rearing, will
be dissipated. T} is
can not occurin tne
type of frames
shown on page 12,
and succeeding
pages.

il

! ay
OPEN-END FRAMES

consumption of stores. But this is not all. Experi-
ence shows that bees will build up faster and bet:2r
in the spring on closed-end frames than in the other
condition where the space is open at the ends of the
combs; and if they can do better work in brood-rearing
in chilly or raw weather, they will certainly winter
better in cold severe weather; and there are not want-
ing facts to show it. In the latitude of 40 degrees and
under, the Danzenbaker hive will winter outdoors be-
cause of the closed-end frames and generally warmer

12 Facts About Bees

construction than the ordinary single-walled hives with
open frames. :

Many a bee-keeper who, having started to use open-
end frames, has expressed the wish that he could get
the protection of the closed-end frames. Most of
them admit that such frames are warmer, and most
of them wish they were able to take advantage of
the closed-end frame feature of warmth without having
to throw away their entire investment in the other
hives.

This booklet will go to thousands of bee-keepers who
are just starting in business; and it is of prime impor-
tance that they start right. A cold hive means a large
consumption of stores, a larger sugar-bill for feeding
in the fall, winter losses from dysentery due to over-
feeding, and a consequent reduction of profit in the
business.

But the reader will inquire whether it is necessary te
put on additional protection above latitude of 4o. We
would advise it in most cases; but a further considera-
tion of this subject will be found under the head of
“Wintering in the Danzenbaker Hive,” a little further
on.

The Manner of Supporting the Frame

yy

Qa
We have discussed the value of the closed-end
versus the open-end frames in bee-hive construction.

Facts About Bees 13

The question comes up, “How shall these frames be
placed in the hive?” This was another mooted ques-
tion with Mr. Danzenbaker; but he solved it very
neatly by inserting a headed pin in the center of each
of the end-bars. This he made the subject of a patent.
But in making his frame reversible he put his support
at such a point that there is but little or no danger of
killing bees. A hanger cleat, a little less in widt
than the depth of the hive, is nailed on the inside of the
ends of the hive body. The ordinary way of support-
ing closed-end frames is to put such support in the
form of a strip of metal at the bottom, under the
frames. This is tacked to the inside edge of the super
or hive. When the frames are inserted they are almost
sure to crowd bees down under the ends of the end-
bars, mashing them between the end-bar and the metal

METHOD OF SUSPENDING DA‘VZENBAKER FRAMES BY TIE
CENTERPINS.

support beneath; but with the center-pin support, the
apiarist can see exactly what he is doing; and as the
point of contact is very narrow he is not lable to kill

14 Facts About Bees

any bees, even if he takes no pains to avoid doing so.
Mr. Danzenbaker also considered it important to
put in a follower or division-board. The hive 1s, there-
fore, made wide enough to accommodate it and ten
frames. In the case of a very weak colony this fol-
lower may be removed from the outside and placed
next to the frame or frames containing the cluster of
bees. This enables the apiarist to confine the heat to
the cluster; as the cluster enlarges the follower may
shove over and so on till the colony entirely fills the
hive.

A Variable Entrance

We have now described fully the inside structure c!
the brood-nest, and the reasons for its special con-
struction. Carrying out the principle of conserving the
heat of the brood-nest, the Danzenbaker bottom-board
is so constructed that the entrance can be made large
or small by changing the adjustment of the alighting-
board. When the weather is very warm, and a new
swarm has been hived in the brood-nest, it is desirable

to provide for a large amount of ventilation. The
aighting-board is then,drawn out entirely and placed
in front of the hive, leaving an opening 1% inches deep
by the full width of the hive. After the swarm has
quieted down, and less ventilation is required the plain
side of the alighting-board is placed upward, one edse
being pushed into the slot on either side of the side-
rails of the bottom. This gives an entrance 7 deep
by the width of the hive. When the robbing season
comes on, or cool weather makes it desirable to reduce

Facts About Bees 15

the size of the opening, the alighting-board may be
pulled out, turned the other side up, and the edges

DANZENBAKER HIVE-ENTRANCE FULL WIDTH

reversed. When it is in position this will give a re-
duced entrance 4x8 inch, and will even then be small
enough for outdoor wintering.

The general construction of the bottom-board as a
whole is very light, and scientifically braced.

The Danzenbaker Comb-Honey Super

When this was first introduced it was a wide de-
parture from comb-honey appliance in general use,

16 Facts About Bees

Although some features of it were not new, the prin-
ciples had been in use by bee-keepers of extended ex-
perience for ten or fifteen years previous. Mr. Dan-
zenbaker observed that the existing size of section
among bee-keepers generally was 414 inches square and
very nearly 2 inches thick. This made a bulky comb
of comparatively small amount of surface for display.
In nature we find that the average of the combs are
such that they can be used either, in brood-rearing ‘or
for the storage of honey. “As such, they are only,
thick. The more we compel the bees to deviate from
their regular preferred practice, the more they will be
disinclined at times to enter the sections, no matter how
much we desire them to do so. Mr. Danzenbaker
found that Captain J. E. Hetherington, at that time the
most extensive bee-keeper in the world (by the way, he
used closed-end frames), was selling a section that was
37@x5, and which held approximately a pound. This
made a box taller than broad. He also learned that
quite a number of prominent bee-keepers, including Mr.
G. M. Doolittle, whose fame as a honey-producer is
known the world around, was producing a section of
similar proportions. In some of Eastern markets at
least, Mr. Danzenbaker observed that these sections
were outselling the square ones, and bringing a higher
price, Inquiry revealed. the» fact. that the ‘consumes
would take the tall section, not only because it had a
more pleasing appearance, because it conformed in
shape to most of the grocery packages, but that these
tall sections actually looked larger, although they did
not hold any more honey than the square ones. When
he picked on the size of his section he adopted even
inches, 4x5.

About this time the plain sections without beeways
were coming to the front, and he was quick to see
that honey in such sections looked better filled, and
he therefore adopted as a standard for his hive the
size of 4x5, plain, without beeways, 134 wide or thick.
This would give him a comb very nearly nature’s
apparently preferred thickness and very nearly an even
pound in weight.

Facts About Bees 17

When he put this honey on the market in Washing-
ton the grocers complained that they could not sell
their 4% stock until the 4x5 Danzenbaker plain sections
were out of sight. The same experience was found

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SQUARE VS. TALL SECTIONS

[Both hold the same weight of honey and both cost the same to
produce, but tall section sells for more money in many markets. |

in other cities. In a word, Mr. Danzenbaker struck out
from the old beaten path of 44% beeway sections, and be-
gan to talk the advantages of the same weight of comb
with a larger surface and more pleasing appearance.

The Style of Comb-Honey Section

In the meantime he set himself ardently at work
discovering the essential principles of comb-honey pro-
duction. One of those principles was a warm super, and
vet one that would give free communication from one
section to another. The accompanying illustrations
show the super with the fences, or separators, and the
plain sections, and another illustration shows the 4%
section square and the 4x5 side by side. Unless one
were told to the contrary, he would naturally suppose

i8 Facts About Bees

that the tall section was the larger.. If they were
sold at the same price he would take the large one of
course. He would still take it 1f it sold for two or
three cents more a pound. But the difference in ap-
parent size is not the only one. A customer, without
‘knowing it, prefers an oblong package—taller than
broad. In our general architecture we are accustomed
to see doors and windows of such proportions. In
the groceries, most of the packages are of this shape.
Then why should not bee-keepers cater to the same
fashions and demand especially if the customer 1s
willing to pay for it?

Another principle that Mr. Danzenbaker had im-
pressed upon him was that it was important to have

(
fl Dr

i

ENLARGED V!

: DANZENBAKER SUPER
[The sections or honey-boxes are held in holders E; the fence is
shown at C, C; and the spring to produce compression, at B. |

the sections and separators or fences squeezed tightly
together in the super. In fact, the’ need of this 4s
recognized by all comb-honey producers. Wherever
there is an open crack or gap between the hive parts, the
bees chink in bee-glue, making it necessary for the
bee-keeper to do a lot of scraping in order to make his
nice pearly-white sections look presentable for the
counter. Something to cause a yielding pressure—a

Facts About Bees 19

pressure that will adapt itself to the swelling and
shrinkage of the wood, is imperative.

At the apiary of Capt. J. E. Hetherington, to
whom reference has already been made, Mr. Danzen-
baker saw a curved steel spring that was pushed down
between the sections and the sides of the super. Two
or more would be used according to the number of
the cleats on the separators or fences, and the general
construction of the supers. The Hetherington spring
was finally adopted by the manufacturers of the hive.
and it is now used in the Danzenbaker Supers, and
nothing else has been found to be so useful, nor haif
so good for the money.

The Cover for the Danzenbaker Hive

We now have left only the cover. This in its more
simple form is made of three boards and two cleats,
combined in such a way as to make a very stiff, ser-

viceable weather-tight hive-lid. But Mr. Danzenbaker

prefers and uses a board 14 inch thick, bound at each
end with metal binding to prevent warping. This is

20 Facts About Bees

put on the brood-nest or supers. Over this, still, he
prefers a deep telescoping cover, to stand the weather,
which cover is worth all it costs for the additional pro-
tection it gives to the comb-honey super during cool
nights and inclement weather when the bees will stop
comb-building and desert the supers at a time when the
bee-keeper can ill afford it. If, on the other hand, the
bees can be kept up in the supers, drawing out the comb
when it warms up during the following day a large
force of fielders can be spared to bring in the nectar, be-
cause additional storage room has been provided during
the night. It is sometimes penny wise and pound fool-
ish to save a little expense in making a super warm, fos
a fancy Danzenbaker section of honey will retail all the
wav from 15 to 30 cents in first-class stores and gro-
ceries. If a bee-keeper can, by an outlay of ten cents
extra, get back anywhere from 25 to 50 cents more in
honey, he still has an investment good for many years
to come—that is to say, an extra investment of 10 cents

— =f
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Dee

sj

DOUBLE COVER

may earn for him during the next ten years anywhere
from $2.00 to $5.00 more in the better quality and
quantity of honey.

So far we have confined ourselves to a general de-
scription of the Danzenbaker hive and the reason for its
special construction. We will now devote ourselves to
its management.

Facts About Bees 21

Part II
HOW TO START IN BEES

The reader of this little work, having decided in
favor of the Danzenbaker hive, will naturally desire
to know how best to make a start with bees. As a
general rule, we advise the prospective purchaser to
get of his dealer a crate of five hives in the flat, in-

DANZENBAKER HIVES PACKED IN THE FLAT FOR SHIPMENT

cluding all the inside fixtures. We suggest getting
five instead of one hive as the bees will swarm and re-
quire more hives, so that the whole five will possibly
be needed the first season. Directions go with each hive
for nailing together; and even the veriest novice at
carpenter work will have no difficulty in putting the
stuff together, for he can hardly get it together wrong.

After the hives are nailed up and painted, we recom-
mend the buying of some bees of some farmer in the
vicinity. If possible, purchase in movable-frame hives;
if not, get them in a box hive and proceed to cut out
the combs by the directions given under the head of
“Transferring,” a little further on in this work. If bees
can not be obtained in the neighborhood, or if for any
reason one feels a little timid about breaking into a
box hive and cutting out the combs, perhaps he had
better send to his dealer and get a two or three frame

22 Facts About Bees

nucleus of Italian bees and queen. This can be sent
in a light shipping box, and the price will not be high
in consideration of the fact that the bees are blooded
stock, very gentle, and the frames are all ready to put
into the hive.

A
PLDI IISPIIOSOPIS TIO I IO SS

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|
hy

|
4

Mi
—i

A TWO-FRAME NUCLEUS SHIPPING-BOX

3ut if the expense is no item, and one desires to
make a quick start without any fussing or delay, he
would better get a full colony of bees in a ten-frame
Danzenbaker hive, with a nice tested Italian queen.

How to Open and Examine a Hive of Bees

We will assume that you have a colony of bees in a
Danzenbaker hive, and that the same have been placed
in the back yard. You will now desire to know how to
open a hive and how to handle it. If you have not

Facts About Bees 23

already procured them, you had better have a bee-veil
and a pair of gloves with long gauntlets to protect
the sleeves. Bee-men do not ordinarily need bee-gloves
in handling bees; but where one handles them for the

BEE-GLOVE WITH FINGERS

first time he might naturally feel timid, and the gloves
will give him a little more self-assurance; and as he
gradually learns the habits of bees he can dispense with
gloves, and perhaps with the veil itself.

24 Facts About Bees

Another requisite is a bee-smoker. This is a little tool
that has a bellows and a sort of stove attached to it,
which, when burning fuel, will give the bee-keeper a
large volume of smoke. For handling bees, smoke is
practically indispensable. A few puffs of it on them
almost immediately subdues them. The only danger

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ROOT BEE-SMOKER

is that a beginner will use too much of it, driving the
little chaps down between the frames, injuring the bees
and starting a general roar of distress among them,
for the poor little chaps have been subjected to real
torture,

Now, then, having all the tools, bee-veil, gloves,
smoker, etc., be sure to light the smoker and have it
ready. Let us now open up the hive. Oh, yes! we
need a screwdriver. Better go back to the house and
get it. There, now we are ready. Blow three or ‘four
puffs of smoke into the entrance of the hive. This is
to drive back the guards. With the screwdriver or

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6 Facts About Bees

hive tool enter the blade between the cover and the top
of the hive or super as the case may be. (By super
we mean that division or section of the hive that con-
tains the honey-boxes, ‘etc.) Keep on crowding the
blade until a little gap of about a sixteenth of an inch
is formed. Blow a little smoke into this gap. Now
give the screwdriver a slight downward pressure, thus

Holding the smoker between the knecs
while handling the frames

making the gap wider. Blow in a little more smoke.
Leave the screwdriver in place, with the right hand
sently lifting the cover of the hive. We say “gently,”
because this is very important. A quick nervous jerky
motion is liable to cause the bees to fly out and sting.
As the cover is being lifted, with one hand blow a little

HAIN AHL WOU LI ONIAOWAA NAHM ANVAA AAUMVANAZNVAG ONIATVUD AO GOHLAN

28 Facts About Bees

smoke—not much—over the tops of the frames. Lay
the cover down in the rear of the hive, bottom upward.
If there is a super on the hive remove this in pre-
cisely the same way, prying the screwdriver between
it and the lower part of the hive, in the mean time
using a little smoke. The super should now be set
down on the cover in such a way that the diagonally
opposite corners just rest on the cleats. This will
leave a space of about 3% inch between the super and
the cover.

In handling bees, always make it a point to avoid kill-
ing or smashing them. A bee that is crushed care-
lessly is liable, by its little squeals, to start the other
bees.

Well, now we are ready to remove a comb. Pick
up the screwdriver with one hand and the smoker
with the other. Enter the blade between a pair. of
frames, and give it a slight twist, blowing a little smoke
down between; next loosen the follower, after which
it may be removed. Break the connections on each side
of the frame to be removed, then set down the smoker
and the screwdriver. With the balls of the fore fingers
passed down between the ends of the hive and the
frames, grab hold of the end-bars of the loosened
frame. Very slowly lift it upward. If you find it
still sticks, pry the frames on each side a little further
apart, when it should come out easily. When it is
removed, look it over and set it down against the hive
or some other object. Loosen up another frame in the
same way. After examining the brood and the young
bees, and after having found the queen (she looks like
the other bees, only she is a little larger and longer)
then proceed to close the hive up. Put one frame in at
a time; but in doing so be careful not to kill any bees.
This can be done by sliding the edges that come in con-
tact with each other past each other on a perpendicular
line in such a way as to brush the bees off; or, if pre-
ferred, a little smoke may be blown down between the
edges that come in contact, driving the bees away; but
if there are many bees in the hive this is impracticable.
Insert all the frames one by one till all are in place,
and then put back the follower.

ees

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Facts About Bees 31

As a general rule it is not necessary to remove every
frame. The practical bee-man will soon learn how to
tell from examination of a single frame what the whole
colony is doing. If eggs and brood in various stages
are found on the comb, it may be assumed that a
queen is present. If the colony seems strong, and the
bees are flying at the entrance vigorously to and from
the fields it may be inferred that the queen is doing her
full duty; so it is a general practice not to pull out
more than one frame. lf this is put right back into the

slot from which it came, even if the end-bars are totally
covered with bees, they will be brushed out of the
way in the operation and not a bee will be killed.

How to Make an Artificial Svar

Suppose the colony has become so strong that you
would like to make an artificial swarm by “dividing,”
as we say. Split the brood-nest into two or three di-
visions by means of the screwdriver and a little smoke.
Fach division of three or four frames held together
by propolis connections can be removed in solid blocks

32 Facts About Bees

and inserted in one or more empty hives; and in this
way the colony will be divided into two or three parts.
If empty frames of foundation be now placed on each
side of the bees thus removed, we shall have the nucleus
of a new colony; but it should be understood that the
flying bees will go back to the old stand, and an effort

THE WRONG WAY TO HANDLE DANZENBAKER FRAMES

[The illustration shows the WRONG way to handle the Danzen-
baker or any closed-end frames. They should aLways be made to
stand together in close contact of twos, threes, and fours. When so
placed they will not tumble together in confusion, killing bees be-
tween the contact edges. The only way to straighten up a
mess of this kind without killing bees, is to pick up one frame at
a time and slide the edges of contact down past those of another
frame: this will SHOVE the bees out of the way without killing or
maiming any. If, on the other hand, they be pushed up together
on their points of support SIDEWISE, the killing of bees will be
inevitable. To save time, the frames should always be handled in
Llocks of two or more.]

should, therefore, be made to take the most of the
bees away to the new stands, for the flying bees will
soon go back and take care of any brood left at the
old stand. In the course of two or three days an ex-
amination will show in which nucleus or division the

Facts About Bees 33

queen is present. If eggs are found, she is surely in
that hive. If queen-cells are built, then just as surely
she is not there. See how the bees supply themselves
with a queen.

In these various manipulations, it will be seen it is
rot necessary to kill a single bee, and, what is more,
the Danzenbaker frame can be handled in blocks of two
or three. When so handled, the several frames in each
block are not pried apart where stuck together with

THE RIGHT WAY TO HANDLE DANZENBAKER FRAMES

[Danzenbaker frames shouid not be pried apart singly, but in
blocks of two or more. When so handled,they will not tumble over
against each other, as shown in illustration just preceding. When
a single frame is taken out, the next adjoining ones should be
pried a little apart from it. It may then be removed, and when
inserted in the same way, and all bees that may in the meantime
have crawled over the contact edges will be shoved out of the way
as the frame descends into position. Notice that the pin-support is
out of the way where it can crush no bees. When the frames are
in place, crowd them together tightly to keep out the bee-glue. ]

natural bee-glue. With an. ordinary unspaced Langs-
troth frame, a beginner, at least, would not be able to
handle two or three frames at a time, for he would have
to stick his fingers down between the several combs to
keep them apart and from smashing bees, and run the
risk of being stung; and if he were stung he would be
liable to drop the frames and be a sadder and wiser
man therefor, and in all probability he would never

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Facts About Bees 35

want any thing more to do with bees. Right here the
Danzenbaker frame ailows one to handle two or three
at a time, without any danger of a catastrophe of this
kind. The Hoffman frames described in another book-
let under the head of the “Dovetailed Hive” can be
handled in the same way, and with the same facility.

How to Transfer from Box to Danzenbaker Hives

The old-fashioned way, was to pry off the side of
the box hive, cut out the combs, and fit them, after a
fashion, into the brood-frames. But this takes a great
geal or time, and at best it is a sticky, mussy job, to
say nothing of the mashedup bees and stings, and finally
the result is a lot of patched-up, crooked combs. The
combs in box hives are usually so crooked, so old, and
contain so many drone-cells, that it will be money in
pocket to purchase brood foundation, fasten it into
frames on wires ready to receive the transferred col-
ony.

We will assume that your hive or hives, having been
received in the flat, are put together and painted, and
contain frames of wired foundation ready for the bees.
Light your smoker and put on your bee-veil. Move the
old hive back four or five feet, and put the new hive
in its place. Prepare a small box about 18 inches deep
and one side open, that will just cover (not slip over)
the bottom of the box hive. Turn it upside down; set
the hiving box over it, and then drum on the sides of
the hive with a couple of sticks until about two-
thirds of the bees pass up into the box. Gently lift off
the box containing the bees, and dump it in front of the
entrance of the new hive. Make sure that the queen 1s
among them, watching for her as she passes with the
rest into the entrance. If you do not discover her, look
inside the hive. If vou still fail to find her, drum out
bees from the old hive again until you do get her, for,
to make the plan a success, she must be in the new
hive.

Return to the box hive, and turn it right side up
and set it down a couple of feet back of the new one,
with its entrance turned at right angles. You now

36 Facts About Bees

have in the hive about one-third of the original col-
ony, the combs, and all the brood. Allow the old hive
to stand for at least 21, days, at the end of which time
the brood will be hatched out, with the exception of a
little drone brood which will be of no value. Turn the
hive upside down, and drum the bees out again into the
hiving-box, after which dump it in front of the en-
trance of the new hive, as before. Next put an en-
trance-guard of perforated zinc over the entrance of
the new hive. Smoke the bees of the hive, and then
those in the hiving-box, after which dump it in front of
the entrance to the new hive, as before. The smoking
is to prevent the fighting on the part of the bees at the
second drive, and the entrance-guard is to catch the
queen or queens that have been raised in the mean-
time in the old hive. These one or two, if virgins,
should be caught on the perforated metal and given to
some queenless stocks. If the old queen in the new hive
is a valuable one she should be caged at the time of
making the second drive. If neither queen (the one
in the old hive or the one in the new one) is valuable
the perforated zinc need not be used.

The job of transferring is now completed, and all
you have on hand is an old box hive containing a lot
of old crooked combs, with perhaps a little honey and
drone comb in it. The honey can be extracted, or
used as chunk honey on the table, if fit for use. The
rest can be melted up into wax, and the hive itself will
make first-class kindling-wood, because it is smeared
over on the inside with propolis and bits of wax.

The Inmates of the Hive

These consist of the workers, queen, and the drones,
or male bees. The first mentioned are nothing more
nor less than undeveloped females or queens. But
because in babyhood they received a coarser food, and
were confined, in a smaller cradle, so to speak, they
are unable to perform the functions of a mother except
under peculiar. stress of conditions; and even then the

Facts About Bees 37

eggs that they may lay wiil produce drones and not
workers or queens.

A queen as may be already inferred, comes from a
worker egg. This egg will hatch in about three days,
when a tiny grub will be found floating in a milky-white
food; but at the end of the third day, if the bees intend
to rear a worker instead of a queen, they will change
the food, supplying a coarser pap that appears to stunt
the growth of what might otherwise, with a richer food,
produce a queen with all the reproductive organs prop-
erly developed. At the end of the ninth day the little
larva that was intended to be only a worker has grown
almost large enough to fill its tiny cell. The young bees
only a week old, will then proceed to close up or cap
this cell, when it takes on the imago form, or that of
a true insect, with head, thorax, and abdomen. At
the end of the twelfth day the eyes and mouth parts
appear; and after eighteen days the insect becomes

a perfectly formed bee, except that it is pearly white.
It takes about three more days for it to turn yellow
or brown or black, depending on the race of bees. At
the end of the twentieth or twenty-first day it begins
to gnaw its way out. As soon as it emerges it crawls
out a feeble downy little insect with crumpled wings,
rubs its eyes and combs its hair and finally dips its
Head un a cell of -honey; but at the end of the
third or fourth day it has come to be quite a. bees lt
has now assumed the duties of nurse in caring for the
little grubs, leaving the other bees to bring home bee-

bread, and nectar, which, by the process of inversion, is

Facts About Bees

38

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Tracts About Cees 39

finally converted into honey fit for the gods and man
to eat.

The growth of the queen-bee is much the same, ex-
cept that the very rich food or royal jelly, as we call it,
is continued long enough to develop fully the reproduc-
tive organs. As this process continues her own body
grows larger so that, across her waist, she measures
4-1000 of an inch larger across the waist than that of
a worker-bee, and the length of her body is from a
fourth to a half longer; and during the laying season
it is larger in diameter. On the other hand her mouth
parts seem to be stunted, so that while she may feed
herself her subjects generally feed her instead,

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Strange as it may seem, the queen may lay from 2000
to 3000 eggs a day, or an aggregate weight of them, if
put on the scales, to equal the weight of her entire body,
and all that in a single day! Just imagine, if you
can, any hen that could perform-a like feat. But that
is precisely what a queen-bee does do, not only for one
day, but for many days prior to and during the honey-
flow. The queen’s sting, also, seems to be somewhat
aborted—a weapon that she very rarely uses except on
a rival; and when she does make any use of it on a

40 Facts About Bees

human being the cases are so very rare that we may
say she practically never stings any thing but another
queen-bee.

But in order to give a complete life-history of her
royal majesty we shall have to stop a moment and
say something about her consort, the drone or male
bee. This individual is quite striking in appearance, be-
ing much larger than a worker, clumsy in size and
clumsy in movement, He is reared from an egg that
produces only male bees, and such eggs are laid un-
der normal conditions in cells of larger diameter, or
what we call drone-cells. He is fed and nur-
tured in the same way that the queen and worker are
cared for, In, the course of time his waxencelligis
capped over. But the capping, instead of being flat, is
considerably rounding. ‘The appearance, therefore, of
capped drone brood is somewhat like that of a lot of
small bullets or buckshot cut in halves and laid close
together flat side down.

At the end of the twenty-fourth day the drone
emerges, feeble and downy, and in general behavior
acts very much like a worker that has just emerged.

The drone serves no purpose other than to fecundate
the queen, which act takes place only in the air—never
elsewhere. Probably not one drone out of five hun-
dred serves the purpose of his creation, since many
drones are reared to one queen. At the end of the
honey season all the drones, while not exactly mas-
sacred, are pushed out of the hive by the worker bees,
where the poor fellows starve to death. But if, on
the other hand, a colony be queenless or has a virgin
queen, the drones are tolerated in the hive until Mrs.
Queen has met a drone, when all the rest are rudely
forced out of the hive only to suffer the usual fate of
his kind.

How the Bees Supply Themselves With a New Queen

From what has been already stated, the general pro-
cedure on the part of the bees has been given. During
the beginning or height of the honey-flow the bees
will prepare to swarm. When the old colony goes

Facts About Bees 41

forth with the queen, the bees will be under the neces-
sity of having another queen left in reserve, so they
wil! begin to feed a few of their very young larvae
located at advantageous points on the comb with royal
food. At this time they will begin to enlarge the cell
or cells around these highly favored grubs. As the
royal babies grow, the queen-cells—for that is what
we call them—continue to be enlarged until at the end
of the tenth day they stick out from the side of the
comb like fair-sized peanuts. Their appearance is so
very striking that the novice will have no trouble in
jocating them.

At the end of the sixteenth day from the laying of
the egg, one or more queen-bees will hatch from one or

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QUEEN-CELLS

more of the cells; but just before this takes place the
swarm will have made preparation, and will probably,
on the first pleasant day, issue. Nearly all the bees
will leave except a few young ones to take care of the
brood and make a fair start. The first virgin that
emerges, as soon as she has brushed her feathers and
had a good breakfast, will proceed to destroy all the
rivals in the other cells that may not have hatched.

42 Facts About Bees

In case she meets one that has come forth, a battle
royal ensues until one or the other is killed; but the
successful rival realizes the very great importance of
promptly dispatching other possible rivals while they
are in their baby state, and before they are able to put
up a successful defense.

At the end of the fourth or fifth day after hatching,
the young virgin,-now monarch of all she surveys,
takes a peep at the entrance, spreads out her silken
wings, and soars aloft, but not till she has carefully
marked her surroundings and the general location by
many and many a circle, each circle becoming larger,
until she hies herself away only to be met, probably,
by a school of drones which immediately put out in
hot pursuit. The swiftest-winged drone is the success-
ful suitor; but during the process of copulation the
queen tears herself away from him taking with her his
reproductive organs, when he immediately drops as if
paralyzed. If the first copulation did not impregnate,
the queen may come forth again and meet another
drone. At the end of the second or third day after
mating, the queen will begin to lay; but if she does not
meet the drone, or does not become impregnated, her
eggs wiil produce only drones.

If we had the space, we might at this point go into
the subject of parthenogenesis; but we _ respectfully
réfer the reader to our larger work, the A B C of Bee
Culture for a full treatment of this subject.

We have already explained how a queen-bee is pro-
duced under the swarming impulse. The process of re-
newing queens may occur in precisely the same way if
the old queen begins to fail through age or injury.

3efore she dies, the bees (expecting “her demise) start
queen-cells. When these are found in the hive outside
of the swarming season, with the old queen present, the
apiarist usually concludes that the bees are about to
supersede her.

When the queen is suddenly killed or removed by
the apiarist, the bees will immediately, with the eggs
that are left, start several queen-cells for they recog-
nize the fact that the very perpetuity of the colony de-
pends on having a good laying queen, and, that they

Facts About Bees 43

may take no chances, raise several cells instead of only
one that may fail.

In case there should be no eggs nor larvae from
which to rear a good queen, the bees will use the largest
larva, but such queens are usually inferior. If there
is nothing from which to rear a queen, in a few days
the bees will set up a wail of distress. It is a sort of low
hum, which, to the experienced bee-keeper, indicates
queenlessness.

Such, in brief, is the life history of the inmates of
the hive; and for further particulars the reader is re-
ferred to our larger work, the A B C of Bee Culture,
a cyclopedia of over 500 pages. 5

Part [il
METHODS OF MANAGEMENT

Robbing

At the very outset it is very important that the no-
vice understand that bees will steal from each other.
There will be no trouble from robbing if there be only
one colony in the vicinity; but if there be several when
there is no honey to be secured in the fields, the for-
azers are watching their chances to steal from the house
or honey from each other. At such times they will
start a high keynote; and, if unrestrained, are liable
to become quite cross. When the honey or sweet is
cut off, then it is that their fury reaches its highest
point, and they will sometimes sting viciously. It is
then that the beginner may wish he never saw bees,
and his neighbors too, for that matter.

When no honey is coming from the fields it is advis-
able to have the entrance contracted down to the
smallest space; and if a colony be weak, say not more
than one or two frames of bees and brood, the other
bees are liable to pounce upon it. In such case we
would advise taking the robbed hive away entirely and
carrying it down cellar and leaving it there for two or
three days. In the meantime contract the entrances of
all the other hives down to the space that one or two
bees can pass at a time. At the end of two or three
days the robbed colony may be taken out at night, and

44 Facts About Bees

its entrance contracted down to about the space that
one bee can pass and no more.

Never open the hives when the bees of other hives
hover over the frames. But right here the question will
arise, how is one to know whether the bees belong to
other hives or not? Largely by their nervous actions,
and whether the bees on the combs grab at any bee that
attempts to alight on the exposed comb. Under such
circumstances it is always advised to close the hive up
immediately and contract the entrance.

Bees are lable to rob between the time of fruit-
bloom and the opening-up of clover and basswood in
the North; but if anything it is more serious after
clover and basswood close in July or August. From
that time on until the fall flow the bee-keeper must take
extra precaution that his bees do not get to stealing
from each other. During the canning season the
women-folks are advised to keep the bees from coming
in. As nearly every one uses fly-screens now, there will
be very little trouble from that source.

Feeding; How to Feed

In the early spring, and after settled warm weather
comes on, the bees will require to be fed, possibly. li
an examination of the combs shows very little sealed
honey, the bees should be given a sugar syrup made by
nuxing sugar and water, equal proportions, and stirring
until the sugar is all dissolved. This should now be
poured into a shallow pan, say about a quart, and the
surface of the syrup covered with a sheet of wet cheese-
cloth to prevent the bees from drowning. The bees will

crawl up on the cloth, and take the syrup until it is all
taken down and deposited in the combs. While this
pan of syrup may be put at the entrance at night in

Facts About Bees 45

warm weather it is strongly urged to place the syrup
in an empty super placed on top of the hive. Lay a
couple of sticks across the pan, then cover the frames
and the syrup with an old carpet or old quilt—any thing
that will hold the heat of the cluster down.

BOARDMAN FEEDER
[This is an entrance-feeder. ‘The projection fitsinto the entrance.
The bees pass through the slot and take the feed through the per-
iurations 1n the cap. |

Excellent feeders for feeding at the entrance are sold,
notably the Boardman. These can be obtained of the
nearest dealer.

In cool or cold weather, if the bees are short of
stores they should be given some kind of pure un-
flavored and uncolored granulated-sugar candy. This
is made by pouring a little water on some granulated
sugar, enough so that it forms a very thick syrup. This
should be boiled to a “crack,” that is to say, the finger
should be dipped in cold water, then into the syrup, and
tmmediately back again into the cold water. If the film
of candy cracks when the finger is bent, the syrup may
then be poured into greased tin pans, making cakes
about 3g of an inch thick. These sticks of candy may
then be placed on top of the cluster of the bees, and
then the quilt placed on top of the whole. If it is
not convenient to make the candy, loaf sugar placed
ina shallow pan and wet down with a little water will
answer nearly as well.

We would not advise giving liquid syrup, even in
warm weather, if the bees have been robbing. In that
case give the candy or the loaf sugar as just advised.

46 Facts About Bees

How to Introduce a Queen

It may seem a little queer to the novice, but a strange
queen must aiways be “introduced” to her new subjects

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QUEEN MAILING AND INTRODUCING CAGE

before they will accept her. It is a general law in
bee-hive economy, that the bees under normal conditions
will tolerate only one queen at a time, and she must
have the same odor as they themselves. If she bears
the smell of another colony she is considered an inter-
loper, when they will immediately. proceed to destroy
her. A dozen or so will grab her by the legs and wings,
and the result will be that Mrs. Queen will begin to
squeal in real fright. This noise will excite the other
bees, when they will all join in the melee. Hundreds
of bees wiil cluster around about her, hissing and tug-
ging at her; and so many will there be that it will be
almost impossible for any one of them to sting her.
The ball of bees will increase in size until it becomes
as large as a double fist. Unless she is liberated she
will be suffocated, if she is not stung to death. It is
then that the apiarist, if he sees this bunch of bees,
must use a smoker vigorously for a few minutes. This
will scatter the rioters; and if the smoking be con-
tinued the queen can be soon found, picked up by the
wings, and the bees in a like manner be pulled away

Facts About Bees 47

from her; but as this would be rather risky business
for a beginner, he may find it more easy to drop the
ball of bees into a pan of water, when it will imme-
diately melt away, as it were, and the queen can be re-
covered and caged.

But we have not yet explained how to introduce a
‘queen. The usual method is to put her in a wire-cloth

INTRODUCING CAGE

[Into the square hole in the end is pushed soft candy which the
bees eat out, and release the queen. |

cage, one end of which is stopped up with a plug of
soft bee-candy made by mixing powdered sugar and
honey into a stiff dough. This plug of candy is covered
with a thin piece of ‘cardboard to keep the bees from
eating the candy out too soon, and thus releasing the
queen bee before her future subjects have become
“acquainted” with her. The cage is then placed on top
of the frame, and allowed to remain for 24 or 48 hours.
The cover is then removed; and if the cardboard has
not been gnawed away it is removed, when the hive is
immediately closed. This should then be left for
two or three days. At the end of this time the bees will
have eaten out the candy and released the queen: for
during the time of her confinement in the cage she will
have acquired the same odor as the rest of the bees and
be received as their own mother.

But let it be understood that it wouid be impossible
to introduce a queen in this or any other way if there
be another laying queen already in the hive, or if there
was a young virgin; and it is difficult, often, to intro-
duce when there are a lot of queen-cells in the hive,
especially if such cells are liable to hatch soon. Before
attempting to introduce, destroy all cells and make sure
that no other queen of any kind is present in the hiv
When getting a queen from a distance it is advised
to remove the old queen and kill her, then cage the
new one at the same operation. Do not make the mis-

48 Facts About Bees

take of waiting two or three days before the new queen
is put in the hive

How to Produce Comb Honey

It is presumed, of course, that the beginner, if he has
a colony of bees, has already purchased comb-honey
appliances consisting of honey-boxes, comb foundation,
and supers (or upper stories) that fit on the hive that
he has purchased. These ought all to be prepared and
be in readiness before the honey-flow comes on. As
it often takes some time to get the supplies from the
factory it is advised to place the order for such goods
early in the season. The section honey-boxes should
be folded up and the little strips of foundation should
be inserted in the section.

Along about the middie of June, in northern locali-
_ties, when the bees begin to crowd the brood-nest with
honey, and the top of the combs begins to whiten,

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especially if the field bees are going in and out of the
hive rapidly, it is advised to put the super with sections
on top of the hive, then the cover. This will give the
bees extra room; and if all goes well they should begin
to draw out the comb foundation and start work in the
section honey-boxes. But suppose they fail to do so.
In that case the honey-fow is not strong enough, or
else the colony is too weak in numbers. Some seasons
the flow is so light that the bees can not be forced
above by any amount of coaxing; but it sometimes hap-
pens that, even with a good flow and a good colony,
the bees fail to go up in ‘the sections. If one has them,
sections party drawn out the previous season can be
used to advantage. Put one or two of these in the place

Facts About Bees Ad

of a section or sections of foundation. These are called
“bait combs,’ and as soon as the bees commence to
work in these and then in the other sections there will
be no further trouble so long as the honey-flow re-
rains good. As soon as the bees are nicely at work
in all the sections, and get them about half filled with
honey, place on top another super for two or three days.
In case they fail to enter this second set of sections,
hft the: first super up and put the second one
under it. When they are nicely started in the second
super, reverse the position of the supers, putting the
first one next to the brood-nest. The object of this is
to get the first set of sections nicely and evenly filled
out and capped over. When all the sections are filled
—that is to say, finished—remove the first super, drop
the second super down on to the hive and put on
another one, and so on continue the process as in-
dicated. As the honey-flow begins to slacken, no more
super room should be given; otherwise the bees will
begin to work in a lot of sections and never finish
them. It is desirable to have all the sections finished at
the close of the season. Doubtless the second super, if
filled and completed, will be all the honey that one will
be able to get in a season, but one may in a good flow,
with only a few bees in a locality, be able to obtain
three and possibly four supers, and in some rare in-
stances five and six, if the colony be strong and the
honey-flow good.

BEE-ESCAPE BOARD
[The bees of the super can pass down through the hole in the es-
cape board into the hive or brood-nest; but they can not go back. |

After a super of sections is finished it should be
lifted off and a bee-escape placed under it. At the end
of 24 hours the bees will have gone through the bee-
escape down into the lower super or hive, leaving 28

50 Facts About Bees

sections clear of bees ready to take in the house to use
or for the market. But if the honey be sold, the stains
of bee-glue should be nicely scraped off with a case-
knife so that the sections will present a nice clean ap-
pearance.

How to Produce Extracted Honey

This is very much simpler, involving less skill and
knowledge than the production of comb honey. All
that 1s required, usually, is to give the bees an extra
story with frames of foundation or empty comb. As
fast as the bees fill it, add another super or upper
story containing combs or foundation, and continue on

HONEY-EXTRACTOR

[Two combs are put into the baskets of the machine— the turning
of the crank subjects the combs to a high rotative speed, the centrif-
ugal force of which throws the honey out without injuring the
combs, which may be used again. }

as long as the season lasts; but if one has no extra
cupers he would be compelled to “extract.” For this
purpose he will need a honey-extractor and an un-
capping-knife, which he can obtain of the supply-dealer.
As these will be required in any case, no matter which

Facts About Bees 51

plan he pursues, the sooner he procures them the bet-
Er:

A beginner, at least, is advised to use a bee-escape
as mentioned under “Comb-honey Production.” Ro

HOW Tu BUMP TILE BEES OFF A COMB

[The method here shown illustrates one plan of jarring the
bees off by a sharp, quick blow of the fist on the back of the hand
holding the frame. |

get the bees off the combs, this bee-escape board sho! 1
be placed between the extracting-combs and the brood-
nest, forcing all the bees out into the lower compart-
ment. If put on at night the super will usually be found

52 Facts About Bees

free of bees in the morning. If bee-escapes are not
used it will be necessary to brush or shake the bees off
the combs one by one. Special bee-brushes with a soft
sweep are provided for the purpose by the dealers.
If these are not at hand a handful of long erassvos
weeds answers a very excellent temporary purpose.
The beginner should be cautioned to tuck the end of
his pants legs in his stockings, and remove his coat and

BEE-BRUSHES

vest, before he shakes or brushes the combs. Some
may prefer to use bicycle pants-guards to hold the pants
tightly around the shoe. In any case, the clothing
should be so adjusted that no bees can crawl up under
and get next to the wearer.

The extracting should be done inside of the house or
some closed room, screened in such a way as to shut
out flies and bees. With the honey-knife the thin film
of wax covering the cells should be sliced off. In order
to work rapidity and easily the knife should be put into
a pan of water kept at a temperature of about 100
degrees. To work to the best advantage one should
bave an uncapping can or box. For particulars revard-
ing this see a dealer’s catalog of bee-supplies. Whenthe
combs are uncapped they may be placed inside of the

Facts About Bees 53

honey-extractor, when a rapid turning of the handle
will throw the honey out. As there are two surfaces to
every comb, the combs should be reversed either in the

ANOTHER METHOD OF SHAKING BEES OFF THE COMB

[A strong hold on each edge of the frame is taken; it is then given
a quick jerk downward and upward. If done right, it will dislodge
all the bees. |

extractor, if it be a reversible machine, or out of the
extractor if it be a non-reversing type.

When all the combs are empty on both sides they
may be placed back on the hives for the bees to fill
again, and so on, the process to be repeated as long as
the season continues. But if the extracting be done

54 Facts About Bees

after the honey-flow, extreme care should be used not
to let any robbers get started.

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How to Control Swarming

This is a mooted question, even among the veterans;
but under some conditions, at least, and a reasonable
amount of care, a fair degree of control can be secured.
In the production of extracted honey the problem 1s
comparatively easy.

Perhaps the most popular method employed is what
is known as the clipped-wing plan. The queen’s wings

Facts About Bees 55

should be clipped on one side (which method will be
described presently) and the bees given plenty of room
above for the storage of honey. A strong colony that
shows indications of swarming should have all the
queen-cells cut out if any are built. Precaution should
be taken not to miss a single one. An upper story
with empty combs of foundation should then be placed
on top, with a frame or two of brood above, supplying
their places in the brood-nest with frames of foun-
dation. As fast as the bees begin to draw and fill their
combs, put on more extracting-supers as directed under
“Extracted Honey.” If, perchance, a swarm should
come forth it can not very well leave, as the queen's
wings are clipped. She will come out with the swarm,
and, failing to fly, will hop around in the grass, and
finally return to the hive. The swarm, after finding
she is not with them, will return; but when such a
swarm has once come out and returned it should not
be allowed to repeat the attempt. The shook or
brushed swarm plan should then be practiced, which
pian will be described later.

But the control of swarming in the production of
comb honey is much more difficult. Sometimes before
the bees enter the supers they will sulk by hanging
out at the entrance, and finally swarm. In all modern
well-regulated apiaries the wings of the queen are
clipped after she begins laying. This work is usually
cone in the spring, when there are fewer bees and
less difficulty in finding her. Many apiarists think it
advisable to let their first swarm issue, then cut out all
cells but one. While it is in the air the ground is care-
fully examined in front of the entrance, to discover the
clipped queen. When located she is caged, and an
empty hive, with empty combs or frames of founda-
tion, is put in place on the old stand. The caged queen
is placed in front of the entrance of new hive now on
the old stand when the super that was on the old hive
now set to one side with its drawn comb is placed on
top. Last of all the old hive is then carried to a new
location. The swarm soon returns, and, finding their
queen in front of the hive, rushes in pell mell. The
queen is next released when she goes in. The first

56 Facts About Bees

honey that comes in will necessarily have to be stored
in the supers, just where it is wanted, providing foun-
dation is used. Some go so far as to use only start-
ers. In any event it is advisable to use foundation
rather than empty combs. In either case there will be
no swarming by that colony again, and the bee-keeper
will be in shape to get a good yield of honey provid-
ing the season is good. The old-parent colony on its
new location will be so depleted in numbers that all
ceils and all virgins will be destroyed but one, and
there will be no swarming from the parent colony.

But there may be some who necessarily have to be
away during the middle of the day. In that case we
would advise that the same plan of procedure be car-
ried out as already outlined, except that the bee-keeper
himself makes the bees swarm at his convenience—that
is to say, he removes the old hive from its stand and
puts a new one with foundation in its place. He should
then open the old hive and shake two-thirds of all the
bees on the ground, in front of new hive, compelling
them to crawl in just as they would if they had
swarmed out naturally and returned. The parent hive
should then be taken to an entirely new location, and
the super that was on it (providing there was one)
should be put on the new hive, now on the old stand,
into which the shaken swarm has gone.

In the meantime the colony in the parent hive moved
to the new location, owing to the sudden depletion of
the working force, will give up all idea of swarming;
but it would be a wise precaution to cut out all the
cells but one. In the meantime the shaken swarm on
the old stand in the new hive will deport itself very
much as if it had swarmed naturally, and all the flying
bees from the new or old hive will all unite with it.
They will begin drawing out the foundation; and as
fast as they do this the queen will occupy the cells,
so that all the honey that comes in will necessarily
have to go into the supers.

Some practice a slight modification of the foregoing
method by putting the parent hive a few feet. to one
side, the entrance facing in the same direction. All
cells are destroyed; and after the brood is hatched

Facts About Bees 57

out, which should be within three weeks, the bees are
shaken in front of the one containing the first drive of
bees, or what was originally the old stand. The old
hive is then taken away entirely. In this way, all
brood, when it hatches out, will be given to the original
shaken swarm: and with such a force of bees one is
prepared to get honey.

But when one practices this method of making arti-
ficial, shaken, or brushed swarms, he should remember
that probasly nothing will be accomplished in swarm
prevention by shaking unless the bees are actually
preparing to swarm. They must feel a desire for it
to the extent of making preparations, such as queen-cell
building, whitening the tops of the combs, or hanging
out in front of the hive. Then when shaken they will
deport themselves very much as if they had actually
swarmed.

The advantage of shaking, as above described, is that
it permits the bee-keeper to take care of the swarms
at his convenience, not at some time when he is com-
pelled to be at his office or away from home, or out on
the farm beyond the call of the house.

How to Clip the Queen

In the first paragraph on this subject of swarm con-
trol reference is made to the matter of clipping a
queen's wings. For the benefit of those who may
know nothing of the method of procedure, we will
state that it simply means catching the queen-bee and
clipping the wings on one side. This is usually done
with a pair of scissors, or it may be accomplished with
a sharp knife. But the novice perhaps will be afraid
to attempt the job for fear he might mutilate or maim
the queen, and this apprehension on his part will be
greater if the queen cost him three or five dollars.

In order to acquire some skill in catching queens
for the purpose of clipping he should practice picking
up drones off the combs by the wings. When he be-
comes sufficiently proficient in this he may then attempt
a worker bee; but he should so catch the wings thav

58 Facts About Bees

the worker can not turn around and sting. When he
can catch both drones and workers, then he can with

some degree of assurance pick up a queen. This done,
he should now transfer her to the left (or free) hand,
and this may be done by taking hold of her waist be-

Facts About Bees Bg

tween the thumb and forefinger of the free hand.
This will leave the wings exposed, when, with a pair
of scissors, the wings on one side can be easily clipped.
Grab the unclipped wings, then poke her nose between
the combs, let go, when the job will be done.

How to Winter in the Danzenbaker Hive

Toward the first of September all colonies should be
examined to see if they have sufficient stores and a
good queen. If there be no honey-flow they should be
fed until the combs are well filled with stores. The

bees may require to be fed again in November before

Method of wintering in Danzenbaker hive
with winter case

they take their long winter’s sleep, for during cold
weather they go into a sort of quiescent semi-hibernating
state, when the consumption of stores will be light.
As the weather becomes colder a cluster will draw
up smaller until a large colony will be compressed into
a space not much larger than the double fist. This is
done on the part of the bees to maintain body heat and
prevent being chilled to death. But in order to fore-
stall too large a consumption of stores, inducing disease,

60 Facts About Bees

it is advised either to carry the bees into a darkened
cellar or put a Danzenbaker winter case over the hive
and winter out of doors. Between this case and the
hive proper should be placed folds of newspaper; then
when neatly tucked over the top of the hive the winter
case should be shoved down over as shown in the illus-
tration. But in order to use this case a super-cover
must be used in place of the regular hive-cover that
may have come with the hive. If one purchased a
Danzenbaker hive with the telescoping or K cover, he
secured with it a thin board bound at both ends with
metal and of a width and length equal to the width
and length of the hive. ‘This is called a super-cover,
and is, in fact, a part of K-cover equipment. The en-
trance should then be contracted, if it has not already
been done, by reversing the alighting-board so that the
appearance is the same as shown 1n the illustration.

his arrangement of wintering in the Danzenbaker
hive will give excellent results up to a latitude of
about 42 degrees, but much beyond that we would
advise cellar wintering, providing the proper cellar
temperature can be maintained. When settled cold
weather comes on, which in some localities is about
the first of December and others the first of January,
if the indoor method is to be followed, all the hives
should be carried down into a darkened cellar where
the temperature can be kept, as nearly as possible, uni-
form at 45 degrees. If the temperature has a tendency
to go up to 65 at certain times, and down to freezing
at other times, it will be a poor cellar in which to
winter bees. In that case we would advise the out-
door method with a winter case, and in addition to
this a high board fence around the bees, or otherwise
protect them by a barn and other out-buildings so that
the prevailing winds may be cut off; for the more pro-
tected the spot where the bees are kept, the better they
vill winter.

If cellar conditions are favorable, the hives should
ve piled one on top of the other; but instead of giving
them a contracted entrance the alighting-board should
be reversed, giving an entrance 7g by the full width of
the hive.

ADDENDA

Some have reported that, with the
Danzenbaker hive, or other shallow
hives, the bees are inclined to store pol-
len in the sections. This difficulty can
be easily overcome by having in the
brood-nest a comb of pollen on one
side. The presence of this pollen below
will induce the storage of more pollen
at the same place, keeping the sections
clear and for the storage of honey only.

The Danzenbaker 20th Century Smoker

Awarded Highest Prize

A GOLD MEDAL
At the World's Fair,
St. Louis, 1904.

IS THE BEST,
STRONGEST,
COOLEST,
CLEANEST,
CHEAPEST.
AND LARGEST
SMOKER SOLD
FOR A DOLLAR

It has a side grate that strengthens the fire-cup, and holds a
rem »vable metal and asbestos lining that keeps it cool, adding to
its durability. It has no valves to get out of order, or snout to
CLOG WITH SOOT.

ALL THAT IS CLAIMED.—Mr. N. E. France, Platteville, Wis.,
the General Manager of the National Bee-keepers’ Association:

I have given your 20th Century Smoker a thorough trial. For
durability, convenience in lighting. and long aes one filling will
last, giving ample smoke, I find itall you claim. I shall want sev-
eral in the spring, as J} always want the best.

SURPASSES ALL OTHERS.—Mr. Grant Stanley, Nesbit, Pa.:

After giving the Danzenbaker 20th Century Smoker several
trials, can say it surpasses all smokers it has been my liberty to
try; it will not go out until the fuel is all consumed, and it produc-
es a cool smoke, a feature very necessary in any first-class smoker.

BEST IN TWENTY YEARS.—M. D. ANDgs, Brisvol, Tenn.:

‘*T have used your 20th Century Smoker one season. It has giv-
en me entire satisfaction. In my twenty years of bee-keeping I
first used the old stand-by Clark smoker, and I believe I have tried
all the different makes, as Iam always looking for the best, and
will say that your smoker beats them all up to date.”’

NEVER TOO HOT TO HOLD.—Dr. Reginald Munson, Washington,
D. C.—"'I am well pleased with the 20th Century Smoker. It keeps
fire well without getting too hot to hold on continuous use, and
makes smoke enough to satisfy the most critical.”

Price Daneze, Large 3'-inch Smokers:

Postpaid, one, $1.15; two, $2.10; three, $3.00; five, $4.50.

By Express or freight—one, $1.00; six for $4.20.

F. DANZENBAKER, Jamestown Exposition Sta , NORFOLK. VA.
(Money-order Office, Norfolk, Va.)

Lessons in
Bee-keeping air

There is now, and has been for years, a greater demand for experi-
enced bee-help than there are men ready for these places. Each
winter and spring we are obliged to disappoint many large apiarists
by telling them we do not know where suitable help can be found.
We have found that many who take our course in bee culture by cor-
respondence prefer to go into business for themselves, so we still
need active young men who have a fair knowledge of the subject—
men whom we know something about—who can be recommended for
the places frequently offered. We have, therefore, determined to
offer a limited course in

Bee-keeping by Mail

We shall designate this as course No. 2. The lessons are identical
with lessons in course No.1. The time, however, is limited to one
year from enrollment. The course may be easily completed in three
to four months. The following is the

Outline of Course No. 2

(SEVENTEEN LESSONS)

ie Definitions of Terms. xX Preparing for Winter.
II. Inmates of the Hive. XI. Wintering.

Ill. Comb. XII. Spring Management.
1V. Handling Bees. XIII. Bee-diseases, Symptoms.
Vv. Transferring. XIV. Enemies of Bees.

VI. Building up Colonies. XV. Establishing an Apiary.
VII. The Honey-flow. XVI. Queen-rearing.

VIIl. Swarming. XVII. General Examination.

IX. Rendering Normal.

Terms of Course

Complete course as outlined, lessons, personal answers to all
questions, including the A B C of Bee Culture (500 pages), and
GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE (semi-monthly) for one year, $5.00.

With either the A B C or GLEANINGS omitted in case you have

one, $4.00.
With both omitted in case you have both, $3.00.
Satisfaction guaranteed.

(Use form on following page.)

The A. I. ROOT COMPANY
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THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING

Root’s
Bee-keepers’ Supplies

Quality
They are well made from good material. You
are never disappointed or disgusted on receiving
goods inaccurately cut, and roughly made, from
inferior stock.

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This accuracy with which goods are made al-
lows a customer to order goods year after year,
and each lot will fit the others as new parts fit in
repairing an Elgin watch.

Promptness

With our immense manufacturing facilities, the
adoption of standard goods. and the establishment
of agencies and branch houses throughout the
various parts of the country, we can get goods
to you with wonderful promptness.

Cost

No goods of like quality are sold at lower prices
than we sell them, while the shipping of them in
car lots to the branch houses and agencies allows
the customer to get them at factory prices within
a short distance of his home. Send for a catalog
and list of dealers, and save freight and time by
ordering from your nearest dealer.

i