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OCT I

lUUi/

Fifty Years
Among the Bees

DR. C. C. MILLER

Published by

THE A. I. ROOT COMPANY

Medina, Ohio

1911

Copyrighted 1911

by Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo. 111.

•S'-t-c/Wy

PREFACE.

In the year 1886 there was published a httle book
written by me entitled "A Year Among the Bees." In
1902 it was enlarged and appeared under the title "Forty
Years Among the Bees." In preparation for the present
edition I undertook the revision with little thought of
the number of changes to he made or the number of
pages to be added in order to bring it fully up to date
(about one-eighth beine new matter), but it is hoped
that the changes and additions may make it of more value
to the reader. As I began beekeeping in 1861, fifty years
ago, the piesent name seems appropriate.

However much some personal friends may like the
brief biographical sketch that occupies the first few pages,
others may think that the space could have been better
occupied. There remains, however, the privilege of skip-
ping those few pages.

Most of the pictures are from photographs taken
by myself or under my immediate supervision, at least
so far as concerns "touching the button" ; the Eastman
Kodak Co. "did the rest."

C. C. Miller.
Marengo, III, 1911.

148715

INTRODUCTION

One morning, five or six of us, who had occupied
the same bed-room the previous night diiring the Xorth
American Convention at Cincinnati, in ISS"?, were dress-
ing preparatory to another day's work. Among the rest
were Bingham, of smoker fame, and A'andervort, the
foiuidation-mih man. I think it was Prof. Cook who
w?s chaffing these inventors, saying something to the
effect that they were always at work studying how to
get up something different from anybody else, and, if
they needed an implement, would spend a dollar and a
day's time to get up one "of their own make," rather
than pay 25 cents for a better one ready-made. A^ander-
vort, who sat contemplatively rubbing his shins, dryly re-
plied: "But they take a world of comfort in it." I
think all bee-keepers are possessed of more or less of
the same spirit. Their own inventions and plans seem
best to them, and in many cases they are right, to the
extent that two of them, having almost opposite plans,
would be losers to exchange plans.

In visiting and talking with other bee-keepers I am
generally prejudiced enough to think my plans are, on
the whole, better than theirs and yet I am always very
much interested to know just how they manage, especially
as to the little details of common operations, and occa-
sionally I find something so manifestly better than my
own way, that I am compelled to throw aside my preju-
dice and adopt their better way. I suppose there are a
good many like myself, so I think there may be those
who will be interested in these bee-talks, wherein, be-
sides talking something of the past, I shall try to tell
honest]" '--Qt ho>'- T do. talkino- in a tamiliar manner,
without feeling obliged to say 'Sve" when I mean "I."
Indeed I shall claim the privilege of putting in the pro-

noun of the first person as often as I please, and if the
printer runs out of big I's toward the last of the book,
he can put in little i's.

Moreover, I don't mean to undertake to lay down a
methodical system of bee-keeping, whereby one with no
knowledge of the business can learn in "twelve short
lessons" all about it, but will just talk about some of the
things that I think would interest you, if we were sitting
down together for a familiar chat. I take it you are
familiar with the good books and periodicals that we as
bee-keepers are blest with, and in some things, if not
most, you are a better bee-keeper than I ; so you have
my full permission, as you go from page to page, to
make such remarks as, "Oh, how foolish!" "I know a
good deal better way than that," etc., but I hope some
may find a hint here and there that may prove useful.

I have no expectation nor desire to write a com-
plete treatise on bee-keeping. Many important matters
connected with the art I do not mention at all, because
they have not come within my own experience. Others
that have come within my experience I do not mention,
because I suppose the reader to be already familiar with
them. I merely try to talk about such things as I think
a brother bee-keeper would be most interested in if he
should remain with me during the year.

f-i

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES.

BIOGRAPHICAL BOYHOOD DAYS.

Fifty miles east of Pittsburg lies the little village of
Ligonier, Pa., where I was born Jmie 10, 1831. Twenty
miles away, across the moimtains, lies the ill-fated city of
Johnstown, where my family lived later on. The scenery
about Ligonier is of such a charming character that in
recent years it has become a summer resort, a branch
railroad terminating at that point. Looking down upon
the town from the south is a hill so steep that one won-
ders how it is possible to cultivate it, while between it and
the town flows a little stream called the Loyalhanna, with
a milldam upon whose broad bosom I spent many a happy
winter hour gliding over the icy surface on the glittering
steel ; and in the hot anl lazy summer days, with trouser-
legs rolled up to the highest, I waded all abort the dam,
the bubbles from its oozy bed running up my legs in a
creepy way, while I watched with keen eyes for the
"breathing-hole of some snapping turtle hidden beneath
the mud, then cautiously felt my way to its tail, lifted it
and held it at arm's length for fear of its vicious jaws,
and with no little effort carried it snapping and strug-
gling to the shore. Ever in sight was the mountain,
abounding in chestnuts, rattlesnakes, and huckleberries,
and I distinctly recall how strange it seemed, when all
was still about me, to hear the roar of the wind in the
tree-tops on the mountain eight or ten miles away.

EARLY EDUCATION.

My earliest opportunities for education were not of
the best. Public schools were not then what they are

D. H. HILL LIBRARY

10 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

to-day, for they were just coming into existence. I
recall that we children, upon hearing of a free school in
a neighboring village, decided that it must be a very
fine thing, for what else could a free school be than one
in which the scholars were free to whisper to their heart's
content? The teachers, in too many cases, seemed to be
chosen because of their lack of fitness for any other
calling. The one concerning whom I have perhaps the
earliest recollection was a man who distiiigiiishcd him-
self by having a large family of boys named in order
after the presidents, as far as the United States had at
that time progressed in the matter of presidents, and who
extinguished himself by fallir.g in a well o::e day when
he was drunk.

But with the advent of free schools came rapi 1 im-
provement, and I made fair progress in the rudiments^
even though the advancement of each prpil w?s entirely
independent of that of every other. Indeed, there was-
no such thing as a class in arithmetic. Each one did his
"sums" on his slate, and submitted them to the "master""
for approval, the master doing such sums as were beyond
the ability of the pupil, in some c?ses a m.ore advanced'
pupil doing this work in phce of the te-^cher. Tom Cole-
was a beneficiary of mine, and everv time I did a sum
for him he gave me an apple. I do not recall that I
lacked for apples, and apples then ?nd there were worth
12 1/^ cents a bushel.

PARENTS.

When ten years old I sufifered a loss in the dcnth of
mv fpther, the greatness of which loss I was at that time-
too young fully to realize. He was an elder in the Pres-
byterian church, but for one of those days very tolerant
of the views of others. He was most lovable in charac-
ter, and the wnsh has been with me all through my life
that I might be as good a man as my father. I think
he was chiefly of English extraction, although his ances-
tors had for many generations lived in this country. His-

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

father had tried to make a tailor of him, but he did not
take kindly to that business, and became a physician.

My mother was German, her father and mother
having both come from the fatherland. Like many others
at that day, her education never went beyond the ability
to read, and I am not sure that her reading ever went out-
side of the Bible. Possibly confining her reading to so
good a book was one reason why she was a woman of
remarkably good judgment, and to her credit be it said

Fig. I — Home of the Author (from the Southzcest).

that she spared no pains to carry out the dyins: wish of
my father that the children should be allowed to secure
an education. She was a faithful Methodist, and although
belonging to the two different churches, my parents
usually w^ent to church together, first to one church and
then to the other.

When my mother married the second time, she mar-
ried a Alcthodist, and as the children came to years of
discretion they were impartially divided between the two=

12 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

■denominations, three to each ( there were six of us — my-
self and five sisters).

Two years were taken out of my school life to. clerk
in a country store three miles away. For the first year
I get twenty-four dollars and board, my mother doing
Tny washing. The second year I was advanced to fifty
dollars.

BEGINS STUDY OF MEDICINE.

Then I undertook the study of medicine under the
trtelage of the leading — I am not sure but he was the
only — village physician. The Latin terms met in my
reading tripped me badly, and by some means I got it
into my head that if I could spend three months at the
village academy I might be so good a Latin scholar that
my troubles w^ould be overcome. Dr. Cummins was
very insistent that it was vital for my strength of charac-
ter that having begun to read medicine I should not be
v\'eak enough to be dissuaded from my purpose by a lit-
tle thing like the lack of Latin, and if I must have the
Latin I could work half time at it, spending the other
half in his office. Possiblv he needed an office bov.

ATTENDS ACADEMY.

But I was equally insistent that I must have one
uninterrupted term at the academy, and at it I went, tak-
ing up other studies as well as Latin. When the term
■was completed I felt pretty certain that two more terms
were needed to make a complete scholar of me, and by the
time I had finished the two mere terms I had settled into
tne determination that I would not stop short of a college
■course. A college course, however, took money, little of
which I had. At my father's death it was supposed he
had left a fair property, but it was in the hands of others,
and by some means it soon melted away. I kept on at
'the academy, making part of my college course there.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES IS"

ENTERS COLLEGE.

While yet in my teens I taught school in Shellsburg,
and afterwards in Johnstown. I entered Jefferson Col-
lege at Canonsburg, Pa., which college was afterward
united with Washington College, and from there went to
Union College, at Schenectady, X. Y. This last under-
taking was a bit reckless, for when I arrived at Schenec-
tady I had only about thirty dollars, with nothing to rely
on except what I might pick up by the way to help me to
finish up my last two years in college. I had a horror of

Fig 2 — Peahody Honey-Extractor.

being in debt, and so was on the alert for any work, no
matter what its nature, so it was honest, by which I could
earn something to help carry me through.

WORKS WAY THROUGH COLLEGE.

I had learned just enough of ornamental penman-
ship to be able to write German text, and so i^ot $-1:4.00

14 FIFTY YEARS A.AIOXG THE BEES

for filling the names in 88 diplomas at the two com-
mencements. I taught a singing school ; I worked in
Prof. Jackson's garden at seven-and-a-half cents an hour;
raised a crop of potatoes ; clerked at a town election ;
peddled maps : rang one of the college bells ; and, as it
was optional with the students whether they taught or
studied during the third term senior, I got $100.00 for
teaching during that term in an academy at Delhi, X. Y.
Neither were my studies slighted during my course,
Avhich was shown by my taking the highest honor attain-
able, Phi Beta Kappa, which, however, was equally taken
by a number of my class.

I secured my diplon:a, allowing me to write A. B.
after my name, and left college with fifty dollars more in
my pocket than when I arrived there. It was not, how-
ever, so much what I e2rned as what I didn't spend that
helped me through. I kept a strict cash account, and if
I paid three cents postage on a letter or one cent for a
steel pen or two blocks of m.atches, it was carefully en-
tered, and probably a good many cents were saved be-
cause I knew if I spent them I must put it down in black
ink.

CHE.^.P BOARD-BILLS.

The item that gave me the greatest chance for econ-
omy was my board-bill. I boarded myself all the time
I was in college. ^ly board cost me thirty-five cents a
week or less most of the time. The use of wheat helped
to keep down the bill. A bushel of w^hole wdieat thor-
oughly boiled will do a lot of filling up. The last ten
weeks, with less horror of debt before me. I became ex-
travagant, and my board cost me sixty-six and a half
cents a week.

In the long run, however, I paid dear enough for
my board, for its quality, together with a lack of exercise,
so afifected my health that I never fully recovered from
it. Strange to say, I was so ignorant that I did not know
exercise was essential to health. That was before the
day of athletics in college.

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES 15

STUDY AND PRACTICE OF MEDICINE.

After teaching a term in Geneseo (N. Y.) Academy,
I took lip the study of medicine in Johnstown, Pa., at-
tended lectures in Michigan University, at Ann Arbor,
j\Iich., and received the degree of "Si. D. I practiced med-
icine a short time in Earlville, 111., and went to Marengo,
111., for the same purpose, in July, 185(j.

It did not take more than a year for me to find out
that I had not a sufficient stock of health myself to take
care of that of others, especially as I was morbidly anx-
ious lest some lack of judgment on my part should prove
a serious matter with som.e one under my care. So with
much regret I gave up my chosen profession.

TEACHES AND TRAVELS.

In 185T I abandoned a life of single blessedness, mar-
rying Mrs. Helen ^i. White. I spent some years in
teaching vocal and instrumental music, and was for sev-
eral years principal of the Marengo public school. Before
devoting my entire time to bee-keeping, I was for one
year principal of the Woodstock school, most of the
time driving there thirteen miles each morning, and
returning to Marengo at night.

I traveled two years for the music house of Root
& Cady, making a specialty of introducing the teaching
of singing in public schools. In 1872 I w^ent to Cin-
cinnati, where I spent six months helping to get up the
first of the May musical festivals under the direction of
Theodore Thomas. At the close of the festival I began
work for the Mason & Hamlin Organ Co. at their Chi-
cago horse.

FIRST BEES.

To go back. July 5, 1861 — I was in Chicago at the
time — a. swarm of bees passing over Marengo took in
their line of march the house where my w^fe was. She

ifi FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

was a woman of remarkable energy and executive ability^
generally accomplishing whatever she undertook, and
she undertook to stop that swarm. Whether the water
and dirt she threw among them had any effect on the
bees I do not know, but I know she got the bees, hiving
them in a full-sized sugar-barrel.

In her eagerness to have the bees properly housed — ■
or barreled — she could not wait the slow motion of the
bees, but taking them up by double handfuls she threw
them where she wanted them to go. In so doing she re-
ceived five or six stings on her hands, which swelled up
and were so painful as to make it a sick-a-bed affair.
This was a matter much to be regretted, for ever after a
sting was much the same as a case of erysipelas, prevent-
ing her from having anything whatever to do with
handling bees except in a case of extremity.

Previous to that time I had not been interested to any
great extent in bees. When a small boy I had cap-
tured a bumble-bees' nest and put it in a little box, but I
do not recall that there was a remarkable drop in the
price of honey on account of there being thrown upon
the market a large amount of honey produced by those
bumble-bees.

BEE-PALACE.

When I was a little older I remember helping my
stepfather carry home, one night, a colony of bees in a
box-hive (movable-comb hives were not yet invented) the
colony being intended to stock a "bee-palace." This bee-
palace was a rather imposing structure. I think it cost
ten dollars. It was large enough to contain about four
colonies and was raised about two feet high on four legs.
On the top was a hole over which the box-hive was
placed, with the expectation that the bees would build
down and occupy the entire space. The bottom was made
very steep, so that wax-worms falling upon it would,
however unwillingly, be obliged to roll out ! When a nice
piece of honey was wanted for the table, all that was nee-

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

essary was to take a plate and knife and cut it out, a
<loor for that purpose being in one side of the palace. The
plate and knife were never called into requisition, the
magnitude of the task of filling that palace being so great
that the bees concluded to die rather tli.in to undertake it.
?\Iany years after, I saw at the hnne of an intelligent
farmer near Marengo the exact Cwimterpart of that bee-
palace, which an oily-tongued vender had just induced
him to purchase.

Fig. 3 — Jl'idc Frame.

Notwithstanding my utter ignorance of bees, I began
to feel some immediate interest in the bees in that barrel.
I put them in the cellar, and at some time in the v.inter
I went to a bee-keeping neighbor, James F. Lester, and
with no little anxiety told him that some disease had
appeared among my bees, for I found under them a con-
siderable quantity of matter much resembling coarsely
ground cofifee. He quited my fears by telling me it was
all right, and nothing more than the cappings that the

18 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

bees had gnawed away to get at the honey in the sealed
combs.

In the spring I sawed away that portion of the barrel
not occnpied by the bees, and when the time for snrplus
arrived I bored holes in the top of the hive and put a
good-sized box over. There were holes in the bottom
of the box to correspond with the holes in the hive. I
made three box-hives, after the Quinby pattern, with spe-
cial arrangement for surplus boxes, and they were well
nade.

''taking up'' bees.

When the bees swarmed I hived them in one of the
new hives, and later on "took up" the bees in the barrel.
Altogether I got 93 pounds of honey from the barrel, and
am a little surprised to find it set down at 12 >^ cents a
pound. Perhaps butter was low just then, for in those
davs it was a common thing for honey to follow the price
of butter.

I left one of the hives with a farmer, and he hived
a prime swarm in it, for which I paid him five dollars.
In the remaining hive I had a weak sw^arm hived, paying
a dollar for the swarm. I bought a colony of bees besides
these, paying $7.00 for hive and bees.

WINTERING UPSIDE DOWN.

The bees were wintered in the cellar, and according
to Quinby's instructions the hives were turned upside
down. That gave ample ventilation, for when the hives
were reversed the entire upper surface w^as open, all being
closed below. I doubt that any better means of ventila-
tion could be devised for wintering bees in the cellar.
There is abundant opportunity for the free entrance of
air into the hive, without anything to force a current
through it. Equally good is the ventilation when all is
closed at the top and the whole bottom is open, as when
the hives without any bottom-boards are piled up in such

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 19

manner that the bottom of a hive rests upon the top of a
hive below it at one side, and upon another hive at the
other side, and the ventilation is perhaps as good when
there is a bottom-board so deep that there is a space of
two inches or more under the bottom-bars.

Fig. 4 — Heddon Super.
SEASON OF 1863.

The four colonies wintered through, and I find
charged to the bees' account for 1863 three movable-frame
hives at $2.00 each, three box-hives at $1.00 for the
three, and some surplus boxes at 10 to 20 cents each.
These surplus boxes held from 6 to 10 pounds each, some
of them having glass on two sides, and some having glass

20 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

on four sides. Small pieces of comb were fastened in
the top of each box as starters. I also bought another
colony of bees at $7.00, and I bought Quinby's text-book,
"Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained." I think I had
previously read this as a borrowed book. I got 82
pounds of honey, worth 15 cents a pound.

I began the year 1864 with seven colonies, which had
cost me $23.39 ; that is, up to that time I had paid out
$23.39 more for the bees than I had taken in from them,
reckoning interest at ten per cent, the ruling rate at that
time. Besides getting new hives that year, I bought a
colony of bees for $5.00, and twenty empty combs at
15 cents each. I took 54 pounds of honey, 39 pounds of
it being entered at 30 cents, the balance at 25 cents.

The year 1865 opened with nine colonies, and the
total crop for the season was 10 pounds of honey. Alas !
that it was so small, for that year it was worth 35 cents
a pound.

FIRST ITALIANS.

In 1866 I got my first Italian queen, paying R. R.
Murphy $6.00 for her, and the following year I paid
$10.00 for another to ]\Irs. Ellen S. Tupper, who was at
one time editor of a bee-journal. The crop for 1866 was
100^ pounds of honey, which that year was worth 30
cents.

GETTING EVEN.

I took 131 pounds of honey in 186T, worth 25 cents
a pound, and this for the first time brought the balance
on the right side of the ledger, for I began the season
of 1868 with seven colonies and had $10.40 ahead besides.
It will be seen, however, that bad wintering had been
getting in its work, for there were two colonies less than
there were three years before.

There was certainly nothing brilliant in being able
after seven years of bee-keeping to be able to count only

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 21

two colonies more than the total number I had started
with, together with the four I had bought. But there
was a fascination in bee-keeping for me, and it is very
likely I should have kept right on, even if it necessitated
buying a fresh start each year. At any rate, my friends
could no longer accuse me of squandering m.oney on my

Fig. j—T Super.

bees, for there was that $10.40, and the time I had spent
with the bees w^as just as well spent in that way as in
some other form of amusement. Indeed, at that time
I am not sure that I had m.uch thought that I was ever
to get any profit out of the business. Certainly I had
no thought that it wo'dd ever become a vocation instead
of an avocatio-"".

22 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

GETS AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.

In 1869, while away from home, I came across a
copy of the American Bee Journal. I subscribed for it,
and also obtained the first volume of the same journal.
That first volume, containing the series of articles by the
Baron of Berlepsch on the Dzierzon theory, has been of
more service to me than any other volume of any bee-
journal published, and to this day I probably refer to it
oftener than to any other volume that is as much as two
or three years old.

Among the most frequent contributors to the Ameri-
can Bee Journal when I subscribed for it were H. Alley,
D. H. Coggshall, C. Dadant, E. Gallup, A. Grimm, J. L.
Hubbard, J. M. Marvin, M. Quinby, A. I. Root, J. H.
Thomas, and J. F. Tillinghast, most of which are well
known names a third of a century later. G. M. Doolittle
did not appear on the scene till late in 1870.

A. I. Root, under the noni de plume of Novice, was
then just as full of schemes as he has been since, and
was trying a hot-bed arrangement for bees, and in my
first communication to the American Bee Journal, in
1870, I wrote, 'T am waiting patiently for Novice to in-
vent a machine for making straight worker-comb ; for as
yet I have found no way of securing all worker-comb,
except to have it built by a weak colony." At that time
he probably little thought that he would come so near
fulfilling my expectations, sending out tons upon tons of
foundation.

ATTEMPT AT COMB FOUNDATION.

I made some attempts myself in that line, simply
with plain sheets of wax. I poured a little melted wax
into a pail of hot water, and when it cooled I took the
sheet of wax and gave it to the bees. It was not an
immense success. I dipped a piece of writing paper into
melted wax, and gave to the bees in an upper corner of a
frame where no brood was reared, and for vears vou

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 23

could hold that frame up to the light and looking through
the comb see the writing that was on the paper. Then
when foundation came upon the market, what a boon
it was !

VISITS A. I. ROOT.

In 1870 I made my first visit to ^Medina, then several
miles from a railroad station. ]\Ir. Root was then a jew-
eler : his shop had been burned up, and his house (not a
large one at that time) was doing duty as both shop and
dwelling. Just then he was full of the idea of having
maple sap run directly from the trees to the hives. I
showed him how to use rotten wobd for smoking bees,
and he thought it a great improvement over the^ plan he
had been using. I do not now remember what his plan,
had been, but hardly a tobacco-pipe, for I have heard that
he has some objections to the use of tobacco. Pleased
with his newly acquired accomplishment, I had hardly
left town when he tried its use, and succeeded in setting
fire to a hive by means of the sawdust on the ground.
\Mi ether it was burned up or merely put in jeopardy I
do not now remember. He did not send me the bill
for it.

At that time he knew nothing of a bee-smoker, and
neither of us then thought that in the next third of a
century he would send out into the world three hundred
thousand of them.

ADOPTS 18x9 FRAME.

In 1870 I made a change in hives. I cannot now tell.
the size of frames I had been using, but I think the frames
were considerably deeper than the regular Langstroth.
I say ''the regular Langstroth," for in reality all movable
frames are Langstroths, but the regular size is I79/8 x 9^.
J. \"andervort, a man well known among the older bee-
keepers as a manufacturer of foundation-mills, had at
that time a machine shop in ]\Iarengo, and upon his

24 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

moving away in 1870 I bought out his stock of hives.
The frames were 18x9, ^ of an inch longer than the
standard size, and % of an inch shallower.

CHANGE TO REGULAR LANGSTROTH.

So little a difference in measurement could make no
appreciable difference in practical results, yet after going
on until I had three or four thousand of such frames, the
inconvenience of having an odd size was felt to be so
great that I felt I must change so as to be in line with
the rest of the world, and be able to order hives, frames,
etc., such as were on the regular list without being
obliged to have everything made to order. The change to
the regular size cost a good deal of money, and a good
deal more in labor and trouble, extending over several
years.

PEABODY EXTRACTOR.

In that same year, 1870, I got a honey-extractor.
With much interest I made my first attempt at extracting,
the supreme moment of interest coming when after hav-
ing given perhaps 200 revolutions to the extractor I
looked beneath to see how much honey had run into the
pan beneath. Very vividly I remember my keen chagrin
and disappointment when I found that not a drop of
honey had fallen. The machine was one of the first put
on the market, a Peabody extractor (Fig. 2), the entire
can revolving, and it had not occurred to me that the
same force that threw the honey out of the comb would
.keep it against the outer wall of the can so long as it kept
in motion. When the can stopped revolving, a fair stream
of honey ran down into the pan, and I resumed my normal
manner of breathing.

TOO RAPID INCREASE.

I began the season of 1870 with eight colonies, in-
creased to 11), and extracted about 400 pounds of honey.

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 25

This warmed up my zeal considerably. In the winter I
lost three colonies, so I commenced the season of 1871
with 16 colonies, took 408 pounds of honey, and, the sea-
son being favorable, I increased without much difficulty
until I reached thirty or forty, and I thought it would
be a nice thing to have an even fifty, so I reached about
that number, for so manv of them were weak, that I am

Fig. 6 — Heddon Slat Honey-Board.

not sure exactly how many it would be fair to call them.
I fed them some quite late, too late for them to seal
over, and they were put into the cellar with little anxiety
as to the result.

DISASTROUS WINTERING.

In the winter they became quite uneasy, and Feb-
ruary 11 I took out five colonies, which flew a little, and
then I put them back. They continued to become more
uneasy and to be affected with diarrhoea, and, February
22, I took them all out and found only twenty-three

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

alive. They flew a little, but it was not warm enough
for a good cleansing flight ; and soon after there came
a cold storm with snow a foot deep, and by April 1 I had
only three colonies living, two of which I united, making
a total of tivo left from the forty-five or fifty.

It was some comfort to know that nearly everyone
lost heavily that winter, but what encouragement was
there to continue under such adverse circumstances? I
was on the road traveling for Root & Cady all the time,
with onlv an occasional visit to mv bees, and no cer-

Fig. 7 — Tzi'o carrying zvith Rope.

tainty of being there upon any particular date, and evi-
dently with no great knowledge of the business if I had
been home all the time. To be sure, I may have got
enough money so as to feel that there was no particular
money loss, but after eleven years at bee-keeping, and
after having bought, first and last, quite a number of col-
onies, here I was with only two colonies to show for
all my efforts !

I do not remember, however, that any question as
to continuance occurred to me at that time. Perhaps I

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 27

didn't know enough to be discouraged. Instead of sell-
ing off the two colonies and going out of the business,
I bought live more colonies early in April. They were
in box-hives, and one of them died before the season
warmed up. so I began the season of 1872 with six colo-
nies. These I increased to nineteen, and I think I took
no honey. With the number of empty combs I had on
hand, there was nothing to exult over in this increase,
especially as the colonies were not in the best condition as
to strength.

WINTER IX CINCINNATI.

The thousands who have been charmed by the de-
lightful music rendered under the guidance of the baton
of that prince of conductors, Theodore Thomas, at the
May Musical Festivals held in successive years in Cin-
cinnati, will have no difficulty in understanding that a
congenial, although somewhat arduous, occupation was
aft'orded me when the managers oft'ered me the posi-
tion of "official agent," charged with doing the thousand
and one things needing to be done to carry out their
wishes in preparing for the first of these festivals. I
began this work in 1872, some six months in advance
of the time for the Festival, making my abode in Cin-
cinnati, although I still called Marengo my home. In
the winter I went back home, put the bees in the cellar
December 7, and then locking up cellar and house for
the winter I took my wife and child to Cincinnati, from
which place we did not return till late the following May.

The bees were left entirely to their own devices
throughout the winter. In the latter part of ]^Iarch the
weather at Cincinnati became quite warm, and I wrote
to my bee-keeping friend, Mr. Lester, to get him to take
the bees out of the cellar. He took them out under pro-
test, for Cincinnati weather and ^Marengo weather are
two different things, and when they were taken out,
]\Iarch 31, they were probably ushered into a rather cold
world. Thev were in bad condition when taken out —

28 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

"bees do not always winter in a cellar in the best possible
manner with their owner several hundred miles away —
and when I got home in May I found only three of the
nineteen left alive.

THREE YEARS IN CHICAGO.

Immediately upon the close of the Cincinnati Festi-
val I began work for the Mason & Hamlin Organ Co.,
at their Chicago office, where I staid three years. My
wife and little boy staid on the farm at Marengo during
the summer, and spent the winters with me in Chicago.
Notwithstanding the fact that I could have only a few
days with the bees each summer, I still clung to them.
At least I could lie awake nights dreaming and plan-
ning as to what might be done with bees, and I could
do that just as well in Chicago as Marengo.

One good thing that resulted from that three years'
sojourn in Chicago was an appreciation of country life
that I had never had before. The office, 80 & 82 Adams
street, was in the heart of the burnt district left bare
by the great fire of 1871, and to one with a love for every-
thing green that grows it was desolate indeed. A few
weeds that grew in a vacant lot hard by were a source
of pleasure to me ; but my chief delight was to stand
and admire a bunch of white clover that grew near Clark
street. I think all my years of country life since have
been the brighter for the dismal months spent in that
l)rrnt district of the great city.

The three colonies that were left in the spring of
1873 were increased to eight in fair condition, and I
took perhaps 60 pounds of honey. These eight were put
into the cellar Nov. 10. and December 10 Mrs. Miller
gave the cellar a good airing by opening the inside cellar
door so as to communicate with the upstairs rooms, and
then she closed up the house to go into the city to spend
the winter with me.

March 30, 1874, I went out and took them out of
winter quarters, and was delighted to find them in superb

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 29'

condition, the whole eight ahve, and hardly a teacupful
of dead bees in all. These eight I increased to 22, taking
390 pounds of honey. ( )f course they v.ere increased
artificially.

I attributed the previous winter's success partly to
their having been taken in earlier than ever before, so I
decided to take them in still earlier, and went out for
that purpose Oct. 29. But the bees decided they would
not be taken in, and whenever I attempted to take them in
they boiled out. So, just as I had done a good many
times before, I had to give up and let them have their
own way, leaving I\Irs. ^Miller to get them when the
weather was cool enough for tJicin.

November 19 they had a good flight, and Xovember
20 they were taken in by Mr. Phillips, a farmer with
the average knowledge — or perhaps the average ignorance
— of bees, aided by '']eff/' Mrs. ^Miller's factotum, one
of the liveliest specimens of the African race that ever
jumped, with considerable more than the average fear of
bees. December 12 my wife gave the cellar a good airing,
and then it was closed up for the winter.

The winter of 187T-5 was one of remarkable sever-
ity, and I felt some anxiety about the bees. The last of
February my wife went out and warmed up the house
and cellar, finding the bees somewhat uneasy, but after
being warmed up and aired they became quiet. Then
the house was again closed up, and they were left till
April 6, when the men took them out.

ITALIANS FROM ADAM GRIMM.

Three of the twenty-two had died, leaving nineteen
to begin the season of 18T5. ^lay 10 two colonies were
received from Adam Grimm, for which I paid thirteen
dollars per colony for the sake of getting Italians to
improve my stock, for notwithstanding the several Ital-
ian queens I had got, some of my bees were almost black.
May 27 I made my first visit, and I did not find the
colonies very strong. Two colonies had died of queen-

30 FIFTY YEARS A.AIONG THE BEES

lessness, so that with the two Grimm colonies I had still
only nineteen.

June 25 I visited Alarengo again, and was surprised
to find very little gain in the strength of the colonies.
1 he season had been extremely unpropitious. July T I
made another visit, of three days, and found scarcely any
honey in the hives. I made a few new colonies, and by
giving empty combs and plenty of room I left them feel-
ing that there was little fear of any swarming for that
season.

TROUBLE WITH SWARMING.

But a sudden change must have come over the bees
and the season, and the bees must have built up with
great rapidity, for letters kept coming to me saying that
the bees had swarmed, and Mrs. Miller was kept busy
superintending the hiving, "Jefif" doing the work. It
was a mixed-up business for them, for I had left the
queens clipped, and swarms would issue only to return
again, and then in a few days there would be after-
swarms, and they didn't know which swarms wxre likely
to have young queens, and which clipped queens. Some
swarms probably got away, but in the round up when
I went out again, August 10, I found the whole number
of colonies had reached 40, there having been an increase
of 12 by natural swarming in addition to the nine colonies
I had formed artificially.

BACK TO COUNTRY LIFE.

Clearly, keeping bees at long range was a very unsat-
isfactory business. City life was also unsatisfactory ; a
traveling life was worse. So in spite of the reduced
chance of making money, I decided for a life in the
country, turned my back upon an offer of $2,500 and
expenses, and engaged to teach school at $1,200 and
bear my own expenses ; all because I wanted to be in the
country and have a chance to be with the bees all the

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

time. I have never regretted the choice. If I had kept
on at other business, I would no doubt have made more
money, -but I would not have had so good a time, and I
doubt if I would be alive now. It's something to be alive,
and it's a good deal more to have a happy life.

^ Fig. 8 — Carrying zvith Rop

I did not, however, get away from the city till
August 12, 1876, but that was early enough to see that
all colonies were well prepared for winter, and to be
sure of being with them through the winter.

Six of the forty colonies were lost in the preceding
winter, and the remaining 34 had given 1,600 pounds of
honey, mostly extracted, and had been increased to 99.

32 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

IMPROVED WIXTERIXG.

The advantage of being at home through the winter
was apparent, for in the next four winters the average
loss was only 2 per cent, while for the preceding four
winters it had been nine times as great. A new factor,
however, had come in, to which part of the change was
to be attributed. There was chance enough to ventilate
the cellar, for two chimneys ran from the ground up
through the house, a stove-pipe hole opening from the
cellar into each. But the only way to warm the cellar
was by keeping fire in the rooms overhead, and by open-
ing the inside cellar-door. One day when I came home
from school — I think it was in December, 18T6 — I found
my wife had decided to hurry up the matter of warming
the cellar, and had a small stove set up, and throughout
the winter there was fire there a good part of the time.

FIRST SECTIOX HOXEY.

In 1877 I gave up extracted honey, the introduction
of sections having made such a revolution that it seemed
better to go back to comb honey. The sections of that
day were crude compared with the finished affairs of
the present day. One-piece sections were then unknown,
four-piece sections being the only ones, and there was
not a remarkably accurate adjustment of the dove tailed
parts, so that no little force was required to put the sec-
tions together. When a tenon and mortise did not cor-
respond, pounding with a mallet would make the tenon
smash its way through.

In order to fasten the foundation in the section, the
top piece of the section had a saw-kerf going half way
through the wood on the under side. The top was partly
split apart, the edge of the foundation inserted, then the
wood was straightened back to place. I was not well
satisfied with my success in fastening in the foundation,
and in 1878 wrote to A. I. Root for a better plan, describ-
ing minutely the plan I had been using, giving a pencil
sketch of the board I used on my lap, with the different

FIFTY YEARS AMOXG THE BEES 33

parts upon it. In June Gleanings in Bee Culture my let-
ter appeared in full, pencil sketch and all, and he sent me
a round sum in payment for the letter, but no word of
instruction as to any better way ! I hardly knew whether
to be glad or mad.

WIDE FRAMES.

The sections were put in wide frames, double-tier,
making a frame hold eight sections (Fig. 3). I had an
arrangement by which the sections, after having been
lightly started together, were all punched into the frame
at one stroke, driving them together at the same time,
and another arrangement punched them out after they
were filled with honey. The super in which they were
put was the same in size as the 10-frame brood-cham-
ber— in fact there was no difference whatever in the two
except that the bottom-board was nailed onto the brood-
chamber and an entrance cut into it. The super held
seven frames, and that made 56 sections in a super.
Lifting these supers when they were filled was no child's
play, especially when loading them on the wagon at an
out-apiary, and unloading them at home, as I had to
do in later years.

BROOD-COMBS AS BAITS.

In order to start the bees promptly to work in the
sections, a frame of brood was raised from below, and
the sections facing this brood were occupied by the bees
at once if honey was coming in. Care had to be taken
not to leave the brood too long, for if the bees commenced
to seal the sections while it was there they would be
capped very dark, the bees carrying some of the old,
black comb over to the sections to be used in the capping.

BEE-KEEPING SOLE BUSINESS.

In 1878, at the close of the school year in June, 1
decided to give up teaching for a time, and since that

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

time I have had no other business but to work with bees,
unless it be to write about them.

In 1880 I began out-apiaries in a tentative sort of
way. a few bees in two out-apiaries. In ]\Iarch of that
year my wife died. WTien the bees were got into the
cellar for winter I closed up the house, took my boy with

Pig' 9 — Philo Carrying a Hive.

me, and went to Johnstown, Pa., to spend the winter with
my sister, ]\Irs. Emma R. Jones. When I returned near
the close of the following April, deep snow-banks still
surrounded the house, and matters were in anything but
a happy condition in the cellar.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 33

DISCOURAGEMENT.

When the bees were ready to begin iipon the harvest
of 1881, there were 67 colonies left out of the 162 that
had been put in the cellar the previous fall. A loss of
59 per cent was additional proof that it is better for the
bees and their owner to spend the winter in the same
State.

ENCOURAGEMENT.

Beginning 1881 with 6T colonies, I took 7,884: pounds
of comb honey, and increased to 177 colonies. An aver-
age of 117-2/3 pounds of comb honey per colony, and an
increase of 16T per cent would be nothing so very re-
markable in some localities, but I consider it so in a
place where there is no basswood, buckwheat, nor any-
thing else to depend upon for a crop except white clover.
Certainly it is not the usual thing here, but remember
there were only 67 colonies, and if I were again reduced
to 67 colonies I think I might do a shade better now.

AVERAGE YIELD DEPENDS MUCH UPON NUMBERS.

In general, I suspect that the number of colonies in
a place is not sufficiently taken into account. I remember
at one time A. I. Root commenting upon the case of a
beginner with a very few colonies making a fine record,
and he thought it was because of the great enthusiasm
of the bee-keeper as a beginner. I think instead of
unusual enthusiasm it was unusual opportunities for the
bees. I can easily imagine a place where five colonies
might store continuously for five months, and where
a hundred colonies on the same ground might not store
three weeks. There might be flowers yielding contin-
uously throughout the entire season, but so small in
quantity that although they might keep a very few colo-
nies storing right along, they would not yield enough
for the daily consumption of more than ten to fifty

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

colonies. Rememher that the surpkis is the smaller part
of the honey gathered by the bees. Adrian Getaz com-
putes that at least 200 pounds of honey is needed for
home consumption by an average colony. So far as en-
thusiasm and interest are concerned, I do not believe
my stock is any less of those commodities than it was
fifty years ago. A born bee-keeper never loses his enthu-
siasm.

Fig. 10 — Colonies Intended for Out-Apiaries.

TOTAL CROP RATHER THAN PER COLOXY.

Some one may possibly ask. "If you can do so much
better with 67 colonies, why not restrict yourself to that
number?" But I can't do any better; at least not in an
average season. For it is not the yield per colony I
care for, unless it should be to boast over it ; what I
care for is the total amount of net money I can get from
bees. In the year 1897 my average per colony was 71^
pounds, only about three-fifths as much as in 1881. but
as I had in 1897 239 colonies, my total crop was 17.150
pounds, or more than twice as much as in 1881.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 37

A BAD YEAR.

Ill the year 18ST my crop of honey was a little more
than half a pound per colony, and in the fall I fed 2802
pounds of granulated sugar to keep the bees from starv-
ing in winter. But I could not then tell, neither can I
now tell whether it was because the season was so bad or
because the field was over-stocked, for I had 363 colonies
in four apiaries. Possibly if I had had only half as
many bees, the balance might have been on the other
side of the ledger. But I don't know.

Somewdiere there surely is a limit beyond which one
cannot profitably increase the number of colonies in an
apiary, but just wdiere that limit is can perhaps never
be learned. If I were obliged to make a guess, I should
say about 100 colonies in one apiary is the limit in my
locality.

If I were to live my life over again, and knew in
advance that I should be a bee-keeper, I never would
locate in a place with only one source of surplus. When
white clover fails here the bottom drops out. Unfortu-
nately the years in which the bottom drops out have been
unpleasantly frequent.

In the fall of 1881 I married Miss Sidney Jane Wil-
son, who was born on the \\'ilson farm w^here one of my
out-apiaries was for years located. There was some
economy in the arrangement, for she could go out to the
out-apiary for a day's work, and visit her old home at the
same time.

A GOOD YEAR.

Of the ITT colonies with which the year 1881 closed,
two died in wintering, and I sold one in the spring.
That left 1T4 for the season of 1882, and these gave me
16,549 pounds of honey, nearly all in sections. That
was 95 pounds per colony, and the increase was only
16 per cent. Quite a falling ofif from the amount per
colony of the previous year. But the additional nine
thousand pounds in the total crop reconciled me to the

FIFTY YEARS AAJOXG THE BEES

"per colony" part of the business. It would be interest-
ing to learn how much the difference in the yield per
colony was due to the season, and how much to the in-
creased number, but that is one of the things past find-
ing out.

HEDDON SUPER.

In the year 1883 I tried the Heddon super (Fig. 4)
to the number of two hundre<l. The Heddon super is

Fig. II — Hive-Staples.

much in form like a T super, but it is divided lengthwise
into four compartments. This prevents, of course, the
possibility of having separators running the length of the
super, so no separators are used. James Heddon and
others had reported success in obtaining sections that
were straight enough for satisfactory packing in a ship-
ping-case, but with me too many sections were bulged,
their neighbors being correspondingly hollowed out. I
did not continue the use of this super very long.

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES 39

T SUPER.

In the latter part of the same year I attended the
North American convention at Toronto, Canada, and
while there D. A. Jones showed me the T super (Fig. 5).
I was much impressed with it. The next year I put a
number of T supers in use, and the more I tried them
the better I liked them. I have tried a number of other
kinds since, but nothing that has made me desire to
make a change.

THICK TOP-BARS.

When attending that same convention, that very
practical Canadian bee-keeper, J. B. Hall, showed me his
thick top-bars, and told me that they prevented the build-
ing of so much burr-comb between the top-bars and the
sections. Although I made no immediate practical use
of this knowledge, it had no little to do with my using
thick top-bars afterwards. I was at that time using the
Heddon slat honey-board (Fig. 6) and the use of it with
the frames I then had was a boon. It kept the bottoms
of the sections clean, but when it was necessary to open
the brood-chamber there was found a solid mass of honey
between the honey-board and- the top-bars. It was some-
thing of a nuisance, too, to have this extra part in the
way, and I am very glad that at the present day it can
be dispensed with by having top-bars 1% inch wide and
]/s inch thick, with a space of 34 i^^ch between top-bar and
section. Not that there is an entire absence of burr-
combs, but near enough to it so that one can get along
much more comfortably than with the slat honey-board.
At any rate there is no longer the killing of bees that
there was every day the dauby honey-board was re-
placed.

But it would take up space unnecessarily to follow
farther the course of the years, especially as these later
years are familiar to more of my readers than are the
former years, so I will proceed to fulfill my chief purpose

40 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

in telling about my work throughout the course of the
year, reserving, however, the right to refer to the past
whenever I like.

SEASONS HAVE CHANGED.

It is only fair to remark, however, that in later years
the crops have not always been so good as formerly. At
least that is true as to the early crop. The fall crop,

i^^SBH

.^^El.^

' 'llll

- -^--^IH

Jl^^^^l

nj^!Zl.— aJI^^^B

-J^S^^^H

■

V Fig. 12 — Bottom-rack.

however, seems to be on the increase. Just why, I don't
know, unless it be that there are two important pickle
factories at Marengo, and the bees have the range of
some two hundred acres of cucumbers. Sweet clover
may have a little to do with it, and also heartsease.

If the yield of fall honey keeps on the increase, it
will hardly do to say there is only one source of honey —
white clover. The season of 1902 emphasized the change
in seasons. During the proper time for white clover,
the bees would have starved if it had not been that they

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 41

were fed about a thousand pounds of sugar. Clover
grew well, but blossoms were scarce. The bloom, how-
ever, kept increasing, and during the latter part of
August and the first part of September a number of
colonies stored fifty pounds and more each. How much
of the honey was from clover I cannot tell. As late as
the last half of October I saw the bees busy on both
red and white clover.

TAKING BEES OUT OF THE CELLAR.

The difficulty of wintering bees, at the North, is not
entirely without its compensations. I am almost willing
to meet some losses, for the sake of the sharp interest
with which I look forw^ard to the time of taking the
bees out of the cellar in the spring. I live on a place of
37 acres, about a mile from the railroad station, and on
my way down town a number of soft-maple trees are
growing. How eagerly I watch for the first bursting
of the buds, and when the red of the blossom actually
begins to push forth, with what a thrill of pleasure I
say, "The bees can get out on the first good day!"

In former years I did sometimes bring out the bees
earlier, because they seemed so uneasy, but I doubt if I
gained anything by it. I have known years when a cold,
freezing time came on at the time of maple-bloom and
did not take out the bees for a good many days, but gen-
erally I go by the blooming of the soft maples. So I
watch the therm.ometer and the clouds, and usually in a
day or two there comes a morning w^ith the sun shining,
and the mercury at 45 or 50 degrees, with the pros-
pect of going a good deal higher through the day.

TAKING OUT WITH A RUSH.

This is one of the times wdien I want outside help,
for carrying two or three hundred colonies of bees out
of the cellar is not very light work if it be done with a
rush ; and I want them all out as soon as possible so as

42 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

to have a good flight before night. If any should
be brought out too late to fly, it may turn cold before
the next morning, when a lot of bees might fly out to
meet their death. To be sure, I could get along without
outside help by having one of the women-folks help me,
for my hives have cleats on each end, the cleats reaching
clear across the hive, so that a rope can be slipped over
them, and one can take hold of the rope at each side,
making the work not so very hard. Indeed, the two
women have sometimes rendered efficient service by tak-
ing a hive between them, as shown in Fig. ?. An endless
rope is used, making it the work of a very few seconds
to throw the rope over each end of the hive. The same
rope may be used to make the work lighter for a sin-
gle person (Fig. 8). But the rope is not so quickly
adjusted as when two persons us^ it.

On the whole, it is better to have a strong man who
can pick up each hive without any ceremony, carry it
directly to its place and set it on its stand. In this work
the end-cleats of the hive serve an important purpose, for
the carrier can let the full weight of the hive come on his
forearms by having an arm under each cleat, each hand
lightly clasping the hive on the opposite side (Fig. 9).

CELLAR AIRED BEFORE CARRYING.

When it is warm enough to carry out bees, it will
be understood that the cellar is likely to become a good
deal warmer than 45 degrees, the temperature near which
it is desirable to keep the cellar throughout the winter.
So if carrying out is undertaken without any previous
preparation, when the cellar-door is opened the bees will
pour out of the hives and out of the cellar-door, sailing
about in confusion, causing some loss and making the
work of carrying out exceedingly unpleasant. This must
be avoided ; so the previous evening, as soon as it becomes
dusk, cellar door and window are thrown wide open.

Having the cellar open the previous night makes it
much pleasanter to carry out the bees, which do not gen-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 43

erally come out of their hives till some time after being set
on their stands. If at any time a colony seems inclined to
come out of the hive, a little smoke is given at the en-
trance. At other times it would be bad to have smoke
in the cellar, but as the bees are immediately to have a
chance to fly, it does no harm to have the cellar filled
with smoke. The hive entrances are left open, and as
the hives have been taken into the cellar with covers and
bottom-boards just as on the summer stands, the work
can be done rapidly.

Before each hive leaves the cellar, I make sure there
are live bees in it, by placing my ear at the entrance. If
I hear nothing I blow into the entrance. That generally
brings an immediate response, but sometimes I will blow
several times before getting a sleepy reply from a strong
colony. That pleases me. If any are dead they are
piled to one side in the cellar.

PLACING OF COLONIES.

Colonies intended for the home apiary are set upon
their stands. Those for the out-apiaries are set upon the
ground not far from the cellar, being placed in pairs,
two hives almost touching, then a space of a foot or
more between that pair and the next pair, so as to occupy
as little room as possible. (Fig. 10). Sometimes some
attempt is made to have colonies occupy the same stands
they occupied the previous year, but oftener no attention
is paid to this. Close attention, however, is paid to select-
ing the colonies that are to be in the home apiary.

BEST BEES FOR HOME APIARY.

The hives with queens having the best records were
all marked the previous fall by having a stick tacked on
the front. These are all put in the home apiary. Not
that queens wall be reared from all of them. The one
or two very best colonies may furnish all the young
queens, the rest will furnish choice drones. By doing
this from year to year I ought to have better stock than

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

if I allowed the poorest drones to remain in the home
apiary.

TAKING BEES ALL OUT AT OXCE.

Some object to taking all the bees out at the same
time, for fear of so much excitement that bees will
swarm out and return to the wrong hives. I have never
liad much trouble in that way. Neither have I had any
■evil results from putting colonies on stands different
from the ones they occupied the previous fall.

Fig. IS — Entrance-Blocks.

I am not sure that I can tell for certain just why
there should be this dift'erence in different apiaries, but
I think I can see some reason for it. As already men-
tioned, the cellar is left wide open all night the night
before the bees are carried out. and it is possible that
just in that little thing lies the secret of the difference.
When the weather begins to warm ip in the spring
before it is time to carry out the bees, it often happens

FIFTY YEARS A^^IOXG THE BEES 4S

that there comes a warm day when the outside tempera-
ture runs up to 50 degrees or more, and possibly this
may continue more than a day. Such times are hard on
the ventilation of the cellar.

TEMPERATURE AND VEXTILATIOX.

Please remember that the ventilation of the cellar
depends on the difference of the weight of the air in
the cellar and the weight of the outside air. Also remem-
ber that the difference in weight depends on the diff'er-
ence in temperature. Warm air is lighter than cold air.
So when the air outside the cellar is colder and heavier
than that inside, it forces itself in and crowds up the
warm air, precisely in the same way — although not with
the same degree of force — precisely in the same way
that water would pour into the cellar if a body of water
surrounded the cellar. If the water were lighter than the
air, no water would flow into the cellar. So long as the
outside air is colder than the inside, ventilation continues.

Suppose, now, that the air in the cellar stands at To
or 50 degrees, and that the outside air becomes warmed
up to the same temperature. There will be an equilibrium
in weight, and there will be no ventilation. The air in
the cellar is all the time becoming vitiated by the breath-
ing of the bees, and no matter what the ventilation of
the hkrs, it can do little good so long as there is no pure
air in the cellar. The bees become frantic in their desire
for fresh air, and if carried out while in this condition
they will rush out of the hive, the excitement becoming
so great that soon after being put on their stands whole
colonies will swarm. If the cellar has been open all
night, they will find little change of air on being carried
out, and so will not fly out of the hives for the sake of
getting air, but only to take their cleansing flight.

Of course, there is an understanding with the
women-folks about the time the bees are taken out, lest
they spot the clothes on the line on a wash-day, but the
bees have the right of way, and if there is a clash, the
wash-day must be postponed.

46 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

SIZE OF EXTRA XCE.

\Miile the bees were in the cellar, they had an en-
trance 12}i X 2 inches, and during the cool days of spring,
after they are taken out of the cellar, it is no longer desir-
able to have so large an entrance. So as soon as the bees
are on their stands, the entrance is closed down to a
very small one by means of ^an entrance-block. Before
describing this I must tell you about the hive and bottom-
board.

CLEATS FOR HIVES. >/

The hive is the ordinary 8-frame dovetailed,
only I insist upon having on each end a plain cleat
13%xl^x%. There are more reasons than one for
having this cleat, rather than the usual hand-holes. It is
more convenient to take hold of when one wants to lift
a hive. Latterly the manufacturers use a very short
cleat, which is a great improvement on the hand-hole,
but it does not allow one to carry the hive with the
weight resting on the whole forearm, as shown in Fig. 9.
This way of carrying a hive is one gotten up by Philo
Woodruff, the hired man who helped me for several years,
evidently to make the work easier for him. One day he
was carrying a hive that had no cleats, only hand-holes,
perhaps the only one of that kind he had ever carried.
He seemed disgusted with it, and as he set the hive down
he grumbled, 'T wish the man that made them hand-holes
had to carry them."

Another advantage of the cleats is the strength it
gives to the rabbeted ends of the hive. Without the cleat
the rabbet leaves the hive-end at the top only -^q of an
inch thick for more than ^ of an inch of its depth, and
the splitting off of this part is unpleasantly frequent.
W^ith the added cleat the thickness is three times as much,
and it never splits off.

These cleats, not being regularly made by manufac-
turers, can only be had by having them made to order, so

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE EEES 47

hives are generally made without them, but quite a num-
ber of experienced bee-keepers are quietly using them
because of their distinct advantage, notwithstanding the
inconvenience of having them made to order.

BOTTOM-BOARD,

The bottom-board is a plain box, two inches deep,
open at one end. It is made of six pieces of ^ stuff ;

Fig. 14 — Wagon Load of Bees.

two pieces 22>^ x 2, one piece 12i/^ x 2, and three pieces
13^x7}^. When so desired, the bottom-board is fas-
tened to the hive by means of four staples 1>< in. wide,
with points ^ inch long (Fig. 11).

With such a bottom-board there is a space two
inches deep under the bottom-bars, a very nice thing in
winter, and at any time when there is no danger of bees
building down, but quite too deep for harvest-time. For-
merly I made the bottom-board reversible, reversing it

48 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

in summer so as to use the shallow side, but latterly I
leave the deep side up summer and winter.

Of course, with a 2-inch space under the bottom-
bars the bees would build down, sometimes even as early
as dandelion bloom. Before that time I shove under
the bottom-bars a bottom-rack. As material for a rack
there are 2 pieces 18xlx%, and 21 pieces lO^x^XyV
The little pieces are nailed upon the ^ inch sides of the
two larger pieces, ladder-fashion, with ^ inch space
between each two strips. The strips are allowed to pro-
ject over at each side about an inch.

I value this bottom-rack highly. It prevents building-
down, and at the same time gives the bees nearly the
full benefit of the deep space, preventing over-heat-
ing in hot weather, thus serving as no small factor in the
prevention of swarming. It also saves the labor of lift-
ing the hive off the bottom-board to reverse the bottom-
board and then lifting the hive back again, spring and
fall. Fig. 12 shows a bottom-rack.

EXTRAXCE-BLOCK.

Xow for that entrance-block. Formerly I made it
heavy (Fig. 13), but now it is thin, y^ inch or so thick,
12 inches long and 3 inches wide. It is lightly nailed upon
the hive by one or two small nails, and at one lower
corner a notch 1 inch square or less is cut out. I think
that small entrance helps to prevent "drifting" when the
bees take their first flight.

When the bees are being carried out, if any are
noted as suspiciously light, they are marked, and the
next day frames of honey are given them. If, unfor-
tunately, these are not to be had, sections of honey are put
in the hive in wide frames, or shoved under.

HAULIX'G BEES.

As soon as the bees have had a good flight, those not
in the home apiary are ready to be hauled away. I like to>

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 49

get them away as soon as possible, so as to have advan-
tage of the spring pasturage at the out-apiaries, but some-
times the condition of the roads causes delay. I first
hauled four colonies at a time on a one-horse wagon,
which you may imagine was very slow work. That was
years ago, and the number has been gradually increased
until now 40 or 50 colonies are taken at a load.

WAGON FOR HAULING.

After several changes, I used for a good while a com-
mon farm-wagon with heavy springs put under the box.
Nine colonies were put in the box; then a rack (Fig. 15)
(made in two parts for convenience in handling) was put
on the box, and 22 colonies were set on the rack, making
31 colonies in a load. After that I used a flat hay-rack
or a drayman's platform, taking 40 or 50 colonies at a
load.

PREPARATION FOR HAULING. ' ]

All the hives have fixed-distance frames, so no prep-
aration is needed in the way of fastenins; frames in place
before hauling. The only thing to do is to fasten the cover
and close the entrance. The cover is fastened to the hive
by two staples (the same as those used to fasten the bot-
tom-board to the hive) one staple at the middle on each
side. Hives that were brought from the out-apiaries the
previous fall have the covers already fastened, for they
have never been opened since coming home, unless they
were so light as to need feeding. If things were always
done just right, there never would be any opened because
suspiciously light : but things ar not always done just
right.

ENTRANCE-CLOSERS.

The entrance is of course closed with wire-cloth, and
after trying a good many entrance-closers I have settled

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

down upon the simplest of all. It is a piece of wire-cloth
just large enough to close the 12^ entrance and pro-
ject an inch or so up on the front of the hive. To make
the edges at the bottom and at the two ends more firm,
and to prevent them from raveling, the wire-cloth is cut
about 13)^x4, and about % of an inch folded over at
the bottom and at each end. These edges are folded over
the blade of a saw. When finished, the closer is 12}^
inches long or a trifle less, so it will easily fit in the bot-

[IS

Fig. 15— Rack for Hauling Bees.

tom-board. The closer is put in place, a piece of lath l:3>^
inches long is pushed up against it, and fastened by a nail
in the middle of the lath. Then to make it more secure,
a nail at each end is placed perpendicularly against the
lath and driven a short distance into the outer rim of the
bottom-board. The three nails used to fasten the lath
are finishing or wire casing nails 2^ inches long or
longer. Being so long and not driven in very deep, one
can generally pull them out with the fingers.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 51

At Fig. 16, in the middle of the cut, will be seen an
entrance-closer, above it being the lath to fasten the
closer in place.

Before the hives are put on the wagon I make
sure there is no possible leak in any of them. This is
hardly necessary where everything is in good condition,
but some of my covers and bottom-boards are pretty old,
and I must plug up any hole that would possibly allow a
bee to escape.

When the hives are placed on their stands in the out-
apiary, the entrance-closers are removed, a little smoke
being used if the bees appear belligerent. Then the en-
trances are closed with the entrance-blocks.

I speak of taking bees to out-apiaries as if I were still
keeping up out-apiaries. As a matter of fact, I have had
no bees away from the home apiary since 1909. That
vear I kept bees in the Wilson apiary for the last time,
having given up the Hastings apiary some years before,
and the Belden apiary still earHer. But it is more con-
venient, sometimes, to speak of past things as if present,
so the reader will please pardon any discrepancy that
mav appear in this book at any time on that account.

NUMBERING HIVES.

Numbers for hives are made in this way : Pieces
of tin 4 X 2^ inches have a small hole punched in each
one, near the edge, about midway of one of the longer
sides. With ^ inch wire nails, nail them on the top of a
wooden hive-cover or other plane surface. Then give
them a couple of coats of white paint, and when dry,
put the numbers on them, from 1 upward, with black
paint. There is room to make figures large enough to be
seen distinctly at quite a distance. These tin tags are
fastened on the fronts of the hives with -)4 or i^^ch wire-
nails driven in not very deep, making it easy to change
them at any time from one hive to another.

I have also used manilla tags with figures printed on
them, but the figures are not seen at so great a distance

52 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

as on the white tin tags. The tin tags cost more in the
first place, but are cheaper in the long run, for they last
twenty years or more, while the manilla scarcely last a
fifth of that time in satisfactory shape.

ORDER OF NUMBERS.

When the hives are put on the stands in the spring,
the numbers are all mixed up. The first thing to be
done is to enter upon the record-book these numbers. The
first hive in the first row should be No. 1, the next No. 2,
and so on ; but in the place of No. 1 stands perhaps 231,
on the place of No. 2 stands ITT, etc. So, on the new
record-book I write No. 1 (231) on the first page at the
top ; one-third the way down the page, I write No. 2
(174), and so on.

Just as soon as convenient the tags are taken off the
hives where they are wrong, and the right ones put on.
If on No. 1 the tag says 231, then that tag is taken oft'
and the tag that says 1 is put on.

THE RECORD-BOOK. V^

I can tell more or less of the history of every colony
of bees since I began keeping bees in 1861. At first I
kept the record of each colony from year to year in the
same book, but for a good many years I have had a new
book each year. The book I like is 12 x 5^^ inches, con-
taining about 160 pages (Fig. 17). Three colonies are
kept on each page, so the book is a good deal larger than
I need, for I have never had quite 400 colonies. But a
good many pages are used for memoranda and other
things, and it is better to have too much room in the
book than too little. While the size of the book is not
so very important, the binding is. If the book were
bound the same as the book in which you are now read-
ing, it would come to pieces if it should be left out long
enough in a soaking rain. Of course a book never should
be left out in a rain, but of course it sometimes is. So

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 53

I want a book th^t will suffer no greater harm than to
have the cover come off if it should be ram-soaked, it
must be stitched together through the middle so that the
one set of stitches does the whole busmess, the hrst leat
being continuous with the last leaf, the second contmuous
with the next to the last, and so on.

HISTORY OF QUEENS.

While the record-book is very important to keep
track of the work from day to day, it is perhaps more
important for the purpose of tracing the history of
queens from year to year. On each page is left a margin
of about ^ of an inch. In that margin is put the last
two fieures of the year in which the queen is born,
•<)9 if she was born in 1899, '01 if in 1901, and so on.
In that margin is also found anything important to have
recorded about the queen. "\>ry cross" may be_ m the
margin if the workers distinguished themselves m that
direction ; ''seals white" if the capping of sections was
uncommonly white; "dark" if the workers were unusu-
ally dark etc. Especiallv am I interested m the memo-
randa in 'the margin relating to swarming and storing
You will find szv if the colony of that queen swarmed last
vear • no c if no queen-cells were found in the hive dur-
ing the whole of last season. ^ ^ if twice I killed queen-
cetls that were started. No doubt the printer will feel
like putting some periods after these contractions. Please
don't do it, Mr. Printer, for I never take time to use any
such embellishments when making entries. The number
of sections stored by the progeny of the queen the preced-
ing year has a place in this margin ; 24 sec if 24 sections
were stored ; 160 sec if so many sections w^ere stored, it
an unusual number of sections was reached, that record
follows the queen as long as she lives. For instance, in
the year 1902 there may be found in one case in the mar-
gin ^44 sec, 60 sec in ipoo, 178 sec in pp. That means
that the progenv of that queen stored 44 sections m the
preceding vear, 1901, 60 sections in 1900, and 178 sections

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

in 1899. An unusual record, considering the character
of the seasons in 1900 and 1901. If, in the year 1902, a
1900 queen is by any means replaced by a young queen,
a line is drawn through the oo and o^ is written below it.
As soon as I have entered in the record the old num-
bers that were on the hives, as previously mentioned, I
am ready to enter the respective ages of the queens. If,

Fig. i6 — Entrance Closers.

tor mstance, I find at the beginning, Xo. 1 (231). I
turn to No. 231 in last year's record and find the year set
down for the age of the queen, and put it in the new book
at Xo. 1. This I do throudior.t all the numbers.

ADVANTAGE OF BOOK FOR RECORD.

I do not need to be in the apiary to do this work ;
it crn be done in the house just as well. Indeed I spend
a good deal of time in the house with my record-book,
studying and planning, perhaps lying on the lounge. I

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

had two out-ap,ar,es, one three n^Ues north at Jack Wil-
son's, on the old farm where my l^''*'^!'^? ,^°™ Vre-
nther five miles southeast at cousm Hastmgs . rre
rentlv I studied my book most of the way m gomg to one
<j th L apiaries, making my plans, and jottmg down

be ehanged, dther through accident or mischievous de-
sign One disadvantage of the book is f^ cla"ger of for^
.retting it. One may forget it at an out-apiary and then
have t^ make a special trip to get it. I've done that.

SPRING OVER-H.\ULING.

^fter the bees are hauled to the ""t-apiaries I am
ready for the spring overhauling as soon -^ \« ^f^^^ '
ripht for it I do not want to open up the hives excepr
at at me when it is warm enough for bees to fly freely.
Too m^h danger of chilling the brood. Sometimes there
mav come one good day followed by a week of wea her
rb^d^r bees%o Av- So I may comme- overhaul ng
in \Dril and perhaps not till m May : and if 1 do com
meiKe in Iprill miy not get all done till well on m May.

HIVE SE.\T. ■^

Having due regard to my own comfort, I want a
seat when I work a? a hive. Mr. Doohttle once tried to
"oe a little fun at me in convention, because I ace,
dentally admitted that I sat down to work at bees If
were obliged to work all the season without a seat, I
Im afraid- I would have to give up the business from
exharstion. Moreover, if I had the strength of a Sam-

on i dSvt think I should waste it ^toopmg over hives
so long as I could get a seat. I generally have three or
four seats about the apiary, and they may not all be of

he same kind. A common glass-box is more used than

56 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

any other. To make it convenient for carrying, a strap
of leather or cloth may be nailed to two diagonally oppo-
site corners on the bottom. Or the cover may be nailed
on the box with a hand-hole in the middle. The box
being of three different dimensions, one has a choice as
to height of seat. It is a little curious to know what a
difference there is in this respect as to the preferences
of different persons. My assistant never uses the
highest seat the box affords, while I never use the lowest.
Fig. 18 shows a hive-seat with a strap-handle, the
kind I prefer; Fig. 19 shows one with hand-hole, which
my assistant prefers.

A DIGRESSION.

Perhaps I ought to digress a little, and tell you about
my help. Years ago, my wife, her sister Emma, and
sometimes my boy Charlie (I have no other children), all
worked with me at the bees. Those were delightful days.
I think Charlie would have made a very bright bee-
keeper, but somehow he did not take kindly to the busi-
ness, and has spent his later years in the army and gov-
ernment service. My wife is one of the sort who is
never happy unless she is doing something for someone
else, so for years she has been confined to the house so
as to help make a pleasant home for others, sometimes
of my relatives, sometimes of hers. Ever since the year
of our Lord eighteen hundred and ninety-eight there has
dwelt with us my wife's mother, Mrs. Margaret Wilson,
a blessed old Scotch saint, whose presence in the home
I feel to be much like the presence of the ark in the
house of Obed-Edom, when "it was told king David, say-
ing. The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and
all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God."
She is a great consumer of honey, and her temper is cor-
respondingly sweet.

ASSISTANT BEE-KEEPER.

So for a number of years Miss Emma AL Wilson has
given me the only assistance I have had in the apiary.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Hired help does some such work as carrying out and
hauHng bees, putting together hives, etc., unloading honey
brought from the out-apiary, taking sections out of su-
pers, etc. Sometimes it has been a convenience that I
could call on the hired help in the employ of my good
brother-in-law, Ghordis Stull. Ghordis has the place
pretty well filled with raspberries and strawberries, and
he is 'way up in such matters. Previous to his occupancy

Fig. 1/ — Record Books.

of the place, it was chiefly in grass, for I could give no
attention to cultivated crops. The only thing I pretend
to oversee of the farm work is the cultivation of the
rose-beds. I could hardly live without roses, and my
wife is an expert in chrysanthemums. With the fruit

58 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

crop I have nothing whatever to do except with the fin-
ished product, and only so much of that as we can fin-
ish in the house — by no means a small quantity.

]\Iiss Wilson was a school-teacher with health run
down, and in 1882 she stopped a year for the out-door
life of bee-keeping. She is still stopping. Although
never rugged in health, I think she has never missed a
day's work in the apiary during all the years since, when
there was work to be done. Small of stature and frail
of build, she yet has a remarkable capacity for w^ork, per-
haps partly owing to the fact that she is full-blooded
Scotch, and she will go through more colonies in a day
than I can, do my best. I think, however, that the bees
prefer just a little to have me work with them. They
have more time to get out of the way, and not so many
of them get killed.

T-SUPER SEAT.

Well, I started in for a digression, but I didn't mean
to write a history. We were talking about seats. An-
other kind of seat is made of an old T-super. A piece of
lath is nailed to two opposite diagonal corners, and an-
other piece nailed to the other two corners. That stif-
fens and strengthens it, so it makes a good seat for one
who doesn't like a low seat.

HIVE-TOOLS.

Of all the hive-tools I have tried, I like best the
Muench tool (Fig. 20). Its broad semi-circular end with
sharp edge can hardly be excelled for the purpose of
raising covers and supers, and when the other end is
thrust between two frames, a quarter turn separates the
frames with the least possible effort. Miss Wilson has
a liking for the Root tool. I have not used it much, but
it has the special advantage that it is a fine scraper. Be-
side the hive-tool for opening the hive and starting the

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 59

frames, if the hives are to be cleaned out another tool is
needed.

After trying a number of different things for hive-
cleaners, I have been best satisfied with a hatchet, the
handle sawed short, so that it will not be in the w^ay when
working in the bottom of the hive, the edge dull and
a perfectly straight line, and the outside part of the blade
also ground to a straight line and at right angles with the
edge. This right-angled corner is to clean out the corners
of the hive. In cleaning, the hatchet is moved rapidly
back and forth, or rather from side to side, the blade
being held at right angles to the surface being cleaned.
The weight of the hatchet is ciuite a help, something like
a fiy-wheel in machinery.

It would be a nice thing to clean the propolis out of
all hives every spring, because I am in a region for
profitable propolis production if it ever comes to be a sta-
ple article of commerce ; but it takes some time to clean
the hives, and it is not done every spring.

CLEANING HIVES.

If the hives are to be cleaned, an empty clean hive
is ready in advance. The empty hive is placed at right
angles to the hive to be overhauled, the back end of the
empty hive near the front end of the other hive, thus
leaving plenty of room for my seat beside the full-hive,
and leaving the empty hive within easy reach.

OPENING HIVE.

A single pufi: at the entrance if the smoker is going
well, or two or three puffs if it is yet scarcely under
headway, notifies the guards that they needn't bother to
come out if they feel a little jar. The cover is cracked
open the least bit at one corner by the tool, then the
other corner is cracked open and the cover lifted. It
could be lifted without using the tool twice, simply pry-
ing rp one corner enough, but that would jar the bees

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

more, and excite them. The desire is to get along with
the smallest amount of jar and smoke possible, for the
queen is to be found, and too much smoke or jarring will
set the bees to running so the queen cannot be found. As
soon as the cover is raised, a little smoke is blown across
the tops of the frames, not down into the hive. \Vhile it

^ Fig. i8— Hive-Seat zcitJi Strap-Handle.

is bad to use too much smoke, it is also bad to use too
little, for if the bees are once thoroughly aroused it
takes more smoke to subdue them than it does to keep
them under in the first place.

TAKING OUT FRAMES.

\Mien the cover is removed the dummy is taken out.
If the dummy was on the near side, the frames are all
crowded to that side, allowing me to lift out the farther
frame. \Miether that farther frame is now to be put
into the empty hive depends upon circumstances. It is to
be put in if the next frame contains brood ; otherwise not.

FIFTY YEARS AAIONG THE BEES 61

For I want the brood-nest to begin with the frame next to
the farther outside frame, at least that is generally the
way. Then I can tell at any time afterward how many
frames of brood are in a hive, merely by finding where
the brood begins on the side next me. One after another
the frames are changed into the empty hive, making sure
that at least those containing brood maintain their original
relative positions.

\Mien the old hive is empty, then it is set oft* the
stand and the other takes its place. The order of proceed-
ing may be changed by first setting the full hive off the
stand and putting the empty one in its place. Or the
change may be made when half the frames have changed
their places. The last makes the lifting a little lighter,
but takes more time.

The empty hive is now to be cleaned out, the hatchet
being used for all but the rabbet, which is a separate
contract. Propolis is used in large quantities in my local-
ity, and the trough formed by the tin rabbet will, in the
course of years, become completely filled.

In the matter of propolis, there is a dift'erence in
bees as well as localities. The worst daubers I ever had
were the so-called Funics or Tunisians from the north
of Africa. One colony put so much propolis at an upper
entrance that I rolled up a ball of it somewhere between
the size of a hickorynut and a black walnut.

To clean out the rabbet, the small end of the hive-
tool is well adapted. Holding it perpendicularly, with the
edge of the tool diagonally in the trough, I play it back-
ward and forward until the trough is emptied of propolis.
Still better is a screw-driver, rather sharp, ground tO'
just the right width to fit easily in the trough.

The empty hive is now used to take the place of the
next hive to be overhauled, which in its turn is cleaned
and then used again, and so on.

\\Tiile the frames are being changed from one hive
to the other, observations and necessary changes are
made. If there is no cleaning of hives, then the work i?
shortened. The dummv is taken out, and one frame is^

62 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

also taken out so as to leave freer working room. This
one frame may be put in an empty hive standing con-
venient ; or it may be leaned against the hive being oper-
ated on, or against an adjoining hive. If the dummy was
on the near side, then the frames are all pushed toward
me, two or three being started at a time, and when all
are started the tool is pushed down between the farther
frame and the side of the hive, and all the frames at
one push shoved toward me enough to give plenty of
room at the farther side. If the frames are Hoffman (a
few hives contain Hoffman frames) then it is necessary
to start each frame separately before it can be lifted out.

WATCHI^Xr FOR OUEEX.

As the frames are being handled, the thing that
receives closer attention than anything else is to see the
queen so as to know whether she is clipped or not. For
if a colony should have an undipped queen there is a fair
chance that it might swarm and decamp ; and it is pos-
sible that almost any colony may have superseded its
queen the previous fall, leaving it with an undipped
queen.

IMPLEMENT FOR CLIPPING. v/

If the queen is undipped, of course I clip her. Nearly
always I use a pair of scissors for clipping, although I
have tried a knife. The strongest argument in favor of
the knife is that a knife is always on hand. But it is as
easy to have a pair of scissors on hand. They may be
tied to the record-book, and the record-book is sure to be
always on hand. Most of the time I have had a pair
of embroidery scissors tied to my record-book with a
string long enough to allow the scissors to be freely used,
but I have been surprised to find that much larger scis-
sors will do very good work. Latterly I have used a
common pair of gentleman's pocket scissors, and I am
not sure but I like them as well as the embroidery scis-

FIFTY YEARS A]vlOXG THE BEES 63

sors. It is just as easy to have a pair of these as a
knife constantly in the pocket. To make good work clip-
])ing, a knife should be very sharp, and I find it is harder
to have a sJiarp knife constantly on hand than a sharp pair
of scissors. Neither is it so necessary that the scissors be
sharp.

FIXDIXG QUEEN. ^

Before a queen is clipped she must be found. I have
seen some attempt at rules for finding a queen, but after
all is said, you must do more or less hunting for a queen
if you would find her. I generally begin looking on the
first frame of brood I come to — hardly worth while to
look on any frame before the brood is reached — and as
I raise the frame out of the hive I keep watch of the
side next me. Then when the frame is lifted out of the
hive, before looking at the opposite side, I glance at the
nearest side of the next frame in the hive ; for it requires
scarcely any time to do this, and if she happens to be in
sight it will be a saving of time to lift out immediately
the frame she is on. Xot seeing her on the frame in the
hive, I look over both sides of the frame in my hand,
and continue thus through all the frames. Although it
was not worth while to look for her on any comb before
the brood-nest was reached, it is worth while to look for
her on the comb or combs remaining after passing over
those that contain brood, for in trying to get away from
the light she will go onto the outside combs.

This trying to get away from the light on the part of
the queen, by going from one comb to the other, makes
me go over the combs as rapidly as possible without look-
ing too closely, for if I do not see her with a slight look-
ing, the chances are that she is on another comb, and I
count it better to run the chance of going over the combs
again, rather than to go too slowly. For if one goes over
the combs slowly enough, it is a pretty safe thing to say
that the queen will be driven clear to the other side of
the hive.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

^ly assistant, however, who is an expert at finding
queens, holds a different theory, and as a consequence
her practice is different. She thinks it better to go more
slowly and make sure of finding the queen first time
going over. She takes more time to go over the combs
the first time, but she doesn't often have to go over the
combs a second time ; so perhaps one way is as good as
the other.

Fig. ig — Hive-Seat zuith Hand-Holes.

If the queen is not found the second time going over,
she may be found the third time, but it is quite possible
that she is hid in sr.ch a way that it may be impossible
to find her with long searching. So it is economy to close
the hive, and try it again another day, or at least to wait
half an hour.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 65

AIDS TO FINDING QUEEN. Y

If, for some special reason, it is very important to
find the queen without any postponement, sometimes the
combs are put in pairs. Two of the combs are put in an
empty hive, the two being" close together ; then another

Fig. 20 — Muench Hive-Tool.

pair is put an inch or more distant from the first pair,
and the remaining combs in the hive on the stand are
arranged in pairs the same way. Wherever the queen is,
it will not be long before she will be in the middle of
whatever pair of combs she is on. Going on with work
at another hive, I return after a little, and look again

66 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

for the queen. Lifting out the comb nearest me, I look
first on the side of its mate in the hive, and if I do not see
the queen there, I quickly look on the opposite side of
the comb in iny hand. I am pretty sure to find her in
the middle of one of the pairs.

If the pairs are sufficiently separated from each other
(I don't mean the two combs of each pair separated, for
the two combs in each pair should be as close together
as possible, but that one pair should be far enough from
another pair so that the bees should not communicate),
the bees will, after standing long enough, show signs
of uneasiness by running over the combs, all but the one
pair that has the queen on, and the quietness of the bees
on that one pair is sufficient warrant for seeking the
queen there.

•If the bees get to running, it is hardly worth while
to continue the search for the queen until they have
quieted down. Sometimes she will be on the side or the
bottom of the hive, and will be found only by lifting
ort all the combs.

BEE-STRAINER.

A strainer may be used for straining the bees through
and leaving the queen. A queen-excluder is fastened
to the bottom of an empty hive-body, and that makes
the strainer. The strainer is set over a hive-body in
which there is a frame of brood but no bees — at least it
must be certain that the queen cannot possibly be in the
hive-body under the strainer. Then all the bees are
shaken and brushed from the combs into the strainer.
The workers will go down through the excluder, being
hurried by a little smoke if necessary, while the queen will
be left in the strainer.

On the whole the queen is generally found so easily
by the ordinary looking over the combs that it is seldom
that any other plan is resorted to.

It happens once in a great while that the queen is on
the cover when it is lifted ofif the hive, so it i^ well to

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 67

glance over the under surface of the cover as it is re-
moved from the hive. Once in a great while I have
known the queen after no little searching to be on the
shoulder or some other part of the operator. How she
managed to get there I don't know.

CATCHING THE QUEEN. "^

When the queen is found, she must be caught before
she is clipped. I want to catch her by the thorax or just
back of the thorax, and if she is in motion, by the time
I reach for the thorax it will have passed along out of
reach. So I make a reach more as if attempting to catch
her by the head, and the movements she makes is likely to
bring my thumb and finger down on each side of her
thorax, and in that position she is held firmly on the
comb (Fig. 21). There is no danger of hurting the
queen by giving a pretty hard squeeze on the thorax, and
indeed there is not so very much danger if the hold is
farther back and the abdomen gets a little squeeze.

Then the thumb and finger are slid up of¥ the thorax,
at the same time pressed together, and this gives me a
grip on the wings, when she is lifted from the comb,
fairly caught (Fig. 22).

All this is done with the right hand, generally, al-
though occasionally she is caught with the left hand. At
any rate, she is now shifted to the left hand, and held
between the thumb and finger, back up, head and thorax
between thumb and finger, head pointing to the left, ready
to clip (Fig. 23).

CLIPPING THE QUEEN.

Then one blade of the scissors is slipped under the
two wings of one side, and they are cut ofT as short as
they can conveniently be clipped (Fig. 24).

The queen will be just as helpless about flying if only
the larger wing on one side is clipped, and clipping the
one wing will not mar her looks so much, but when a

68 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

queen is scurrying across a comb, or when you get just
a glimpse of her in the hive, it is much easier to tell at
a glance that she is clipped if both wings on one side are
cut off.

ADVANTAGE OF CLIPPIXG.

Although nowadays the practice of clipping has be-
come quite general, there are a few who doubt its ad-

Fig. 21 — Catching the Queen.

visability. I would not like to dispense with clipping if I
kept only one apiary and were on hand all the time, and
with out-apiaries and no one to watch them it seems a
necessity. If a colony swarms with a clipped queen, it
cannot go off. True, the queen may possibly be lost,
but it is better to lose the queen than to lose both bees
and queen.

If there were no other reason for it, I should want
my queens clipped for the sake of keeping a proper record

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 69

of them. A colony, for example, distinguishes itself by
storing more than any other colony. I want to breed
next spring from the queen of that colony. But she may
be superseded in the fall after that big harvest, and if
she is not clipped there is no way for me to tell in the
following season whether she has been superseded or not.
Indeed I can hardly see how it is possible to keep proper
track of a queen without having her clipped.

Sometimes when a queen is being found, she will
quickly run under and out of the way, giving one a mere
limpse of her, so that it is not easy to say whether it was
a queen or a worker that was seen, in which case the
missing wings aid in recognizing her. To this, how-
ever, it may be replied that there is less need to find
queens where they are not kept clipped.

BEE-SMOKERS.

You who have used smokers ever since you began
working with bees hardly know how to appreciate them.
At least it is doubtful if you appreciate them as much as
you would if you had done as I did when I first began
bee-keeping, going around with a pan of coals and a
burning brand on it, or else a lighted piece of rotten wood
(indeed this last was quite an improvement over the
first), the only bellows I had being a sound pair of lungs.
Any one of the various makes of smokers I have tried
will do quite satisfactory work. I have used up more
Clark smokers than any others. Although low in price,
the Clark is really more expensive than any other. It
works beautifully while new. but the "new" wears off
entirely too soon. The bellows becomes incapacitated by
reason of the smoke sucked into it, and then there is no
good way to clean it out.

CONTINUOUS AND CUT-OFF BLAST.

The Bingham, Corneil, Crane, and others, are all
good. The cut-off blast lengthens the life of a smoker,
but shortens its blast. The continuous blast, as in the

70 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Clark, allows one to send the smoke with more force,
but, as already mentioned, shortens the life of the smoker,
because the bellows become foul with smoke. The Crane
has the advantage of the full strength of blast without
the weakening of the cut-off, and works in perfection for
a long time. Still, in the course of time, the metal valve
becomes dirty, and it must be cleaned. Fortunately the
part containing the valve can be taken off, allowing all
to be made just as clean as when new. It takes quite a
bit of time to do this, but it is time wxll spent, and one
cleaning a year, even with heavy use, is sufficient. Those
who do not care for so strong a blast will prefer a
Bingham, Cornell, or other smoker with a cut-off, never
needing to be cleaned, while those who like the strong
blast will be willing to spend the time occasionally clean-
ing the Crane. The 'latest Root smokers are the favorite
of all.

CLEATS ON SMOKERS.

Using a smoker all day long is a hard thing on the
muscles that work the bellows, and the stiff er the spring
of the bellows the more tiresome the work. But unless
the spring be quite stiff, the smoker will drop out of the
hand when the grasp is relaxed so as to allow the bellows
to open. I think it was W. L. Coggshall who suggested
little cleats on the smoker, and these cleats have given
great satisfaction. They are merely strips of wood one-
fourth inch by one-eighth, extending across the upper
end of each bellows-board and half way down the sides
(Fig. 80). The sharp edges of the cleats cling to the
fingers, allowing the spring to be — I don't know just how
much weaker, but I should guess only half as strong as
without the cleats. Most of the latest smokers are now
made so that no cleats are needed.

SMOKER-FUEL.

It is a matter of much importance to have plenty of
the right fuel and lighting material. Time is precious

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

during the busy season, and it is trying on the temper
to have to spend much time getting a smoker started, or
rehghting it when it has gone out. There are a great
many different things that can be used for fuel, and it is
largely a matter of convenience as to what is best for
each one. Pine needles, rotten wood, sound wood, ex-
celsior rammed down hard, planer shavings, greasy cot-

Fig. 22 — Caught!

ton-waste thrown away along the railroad, peat, rags
corn-cobs, old bags— in fact almost anything that will
burn may be used in a smoker. Whatever is used, how-
ever, there should be a good stock of it on hand thor-
oughly drv. with no chance for the rain to reach it.

73 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

GREEN FUEL.

And yet there are times when something green is
better. When a continuous and strong smoke is wanted,
after a hot fire has been started in the smoker, it is a
good thing to fill the smoker with green sticks from a
growing tree. The hot fire and the continuous blowing
makes it burn freely, and the smoke from green wood is
sharper than that from dry.

But it is only on special occasions that it is desirable
to have green wood, and it should at all other times be
not only dry but very dry. Nothing is better as a stand-
ard fuel than sound hard wood saw^ed into proper lengths
and split up into pieces about a quarter of an inch thick.
The only objection is that such wood is rather expensive,
for it takes a great deal of time to prepare it. ]\Iuch the
same thing without the cost of preparation may be had at
any woodpile where hard wood has been chopped — I
mean the chips to be found there — and that has been the
favorite smoker-fuel "in this locality" for some time.
When the w^eather is dry, the chips may be picked up in
the chip-yard and filled directly into the smoker, but a
stock is always kept on hand well covered up, ready to
use immediately after the heaviest shower of rain.

■ ' SMOKER-KIXDLING.

When live coals are at hand in the cook-stove, noth-
ing is handier than to put a few of them in the smoker
to start the fire. These are not always at hand. I have
used for kindling carpenter's shavings, kerosene, rotten
wood of some hard wood, especially apple, that kind of
rotten wood that is somewhat spongy and will be sure to
burn if the least spark touches it — all these have given
more or less satisfaction, but nothing quite so much as
saltpeter-rags. Like the right kind of rotten wood, the
least spark will light a salt-peter rag so that it will be
sure to go, but it is not so slow in its action as the rotten
wood, and makes a much greater heat, so that chips of

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 73

sound hard wood will be at once started into a secure
fire.

SALTPETER-RAGS.

To prepare the saltpeter-rags a crock is kept con-
stantly standing, containing a solution of saltpeter. The

Fig. 2S — Ready for Clipping.

strength of the solution is not a matter of great nicety.
A quarter or half a pound of saltpeter may be used to a
gallon of water, and if it evaporates so that the solu-
tion becomes stronger, water may be added. A cotton
rag dipped in this solution will be ready for use as soon
as dried. As a matter of convenience, quite a lot of rags
are prepared at a time. They are wrung out of the solu-

74 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

tion and spread out to dry in the sun, and when thor-
oughly dry are put in the tool-basket, which always con-
tains a supply. AMien taken out of the crock, the rags
may be wrung quite dry, thus containing not so much
saltpeter, or they may be wrung out just enough so the
liquid will not run off on the ground and waste, in which
condition they will be strongly dosed with saltpeter.

A plentiful supply of dry smoker-fuel, with a cor-
responding stock of saltpeter-rags, is a great saving of
the "disposition."

POUXDIXG BEES OFF COMBS. *^

^Mention was made of getting bees off combs. Some-
times shaking is used altogether, sometimes brushing,
and sometimes both. The weight of the comb has some-
thing to do with the manner of shaking. The most of
the shaking — in fact all of the shaking, unless the combs
be very heavy or the bees be shaken on the ground — is
done as shown in Fig. 26. Perhaps it might better be
called pounding bees off the comb. The comb is held
by the corner with one hand, while the other hand pounds
sharply on the hand that holds the comb. By this manner
of pounding I can get almost every bee off a comb with a
few strokes, unless the comb be too heavy.

doolittle's plan of shaking. "^

With a very heavy comb, G. M. Doolittle's plan is
better, and is the one used. Let the ends of the top-bar
be supported by the first two fingers of each hand, the
thumbs some distance above. Keeping the thumb and
fingers well apart, let the frame drop, and as it drops
strike it hard with the balls of the thumbs, then catch it
with the fingers, raise it and repeat the operation. The
bees are jarred both up and down, and don't know which
way to brace themselves to hold on, so a very few shakes
will get most of them off.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 75

PENDULUM PLAX OF SHAKING.

Often it is desirable to shake the bees back into the
hive. In that case brushing may be better than shaking,
but the pounding plan serves very well. A space may be
made by shoving the combs apart, and the frame to be
pounded held well down in the hive. But many times
It is as well to shake the bees on the ground. This may
not be so advisable if the queen is likely to be among the
shaken bees. Yet I have often shaken the queen off
among the bees on the ground, and I am not sure that
she ever failed to find her way with the bees back into
the hive. \\'hen the Dees are to be shaken on the ground
the pendulum plan is used almost altogether. With the
right hand I take hold of one end of the top-bar, letting
the frame hang with the bottom-bar pointing forward,
and then swinging the frame backward like a pendulum
I let it swing again forward, and then as it falls back I
let the lower end of the top-bar strike the ground in
such position that a diagonal from the point that strikes
the ground to the opposite end of the bottom-bar shall be
nearly vertical. It is easier than the other plans, and
takes less time.

BEE-BRUSHES.

Sometimes it is not desirable to get all the bees off,
in which case, or with very light combs, no brushing is
needed. But if all the bees are to be cleaned off, and
the combs are not very light, then brushing must be re-
sorted to. I know of no brush better than one made of
some growing plant, such as asparagus, sweet clover,
goldenrod, aster, etc. Xo little bit of a thing, but a good,
big bunch, well tied together with a string (Fig. 'IT).

But like many a thing that costs nothing, these weed
brushes are too expensive, for they dry up so that a fresh
one must be made every day, and that takes a good deal
of time. So I generally use a Coggshall brush (Fig. 28).
The essential thing about a Coggshall brush is that it
must be made of long broom-corn with a very thin brush,

76 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

and not trimmed at all at the ends. One of these is
always in the tool-basket.

Of course no shaking or pounding of combs is admis-
sible if queen-cells are on the combs that are considered
of any value.

TOOL-BASKET.

The tool-basket spoken of is simply a common splint
basket (Fig. 29). At dififerent times I have had differ-
ent arrangements for carrying the things most generally
needed, at least two different tool-boxes having been
made for that special purpose with separate compart-
ments for the various articles. But the basket is Hghter,
and although things get a little mixed up in it, it seems
to have the preference at present. At one time I tried to
Ts:eep an outfit at each apiary — smoker, hive-tools, etc. —
so that there should be no need to carry anything from
one apiary to another, but one gets used to tools and pre-
fers to use the same ones day after day, so the basket is
used.

CONTEXTS OF TOOL-BASKET.

Of course, the number of objects carried in a basket
must be somewhat limited. The bulkiest part is the
apron, sleeves and gloves of my assistant. The record-
book must always be present. Then there will be smok-
ers, hive-tools, hammer, cages, matches (although
matches are always kept covered with the fuel in each
apiary), saltpeter-rags, nails, and any other light objects
that may happen to be needed at any particular time. Of
course there will be heavier articles, not convenient to
-carry from one apiary to another, and each apiary must
have its own, as a hive with a closed entrance and a rob-
Tjer-cloth, ready to contain at any time frames of brood
or honey safe from robbers. Generally, however, there
will be no need to be so careful against robbers, and the
one or two frames lifted out of a hive will be leaned
np against it. taking pains to stand any frame where the

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 77

hot rays of the sun may not strike too directly upon it^
and to stand it np straight enough so it will not sag with
its own weight.

RESTING FRAME DIAGOXALLY IX HIVE.

A\'ith one frame out of the hive there will be rooiu
enough for the rest to be moved about in the hive, and
returned to it as soon as examined. Sometimes when it

Fig. 24 — C lipping the Queen.

is desired to set a frame back in the hive very quickly,,
or when a queen has been caught and is held in the
fingers, so that the frame must be handled by one hand, it
is convenient to set the frame in the hive resting diag-
onally, as shown in Fig. 36. The frame is lowerd till
one end of the top-bar rests upon one rabbet, and then
the bottom-bar is allowed to rest upon the other rabbet.
Perhaps oftener, however, I use both hands to handle
a frame, even while holding a queen in one hand. While
searching for the queen the frame is held in both hands^

78 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

and as soon as she is seen the end of the frame held bv
the right hand is rested upon the hive, the right hand
catches the queen, and she is then allowed to run upon
the leg of my trousers, upon the thigh (it is an exceed-
ingly rare thing that a laying queen will offer to fly),
and then I catch her in the hollow^ of my right hand,
holding her in the hollow formed by the three fingers,
while with the thumb and forefinger I am free to handle
the frame at leisure.

BEES BALLING QUEEN.

When a colony is being oyerhauled, it sometimes
happens that the queen is found balled. This balling
is likely more because the colony, being frightened, is
seeking to protect the queen than because of any hostility
to her. Fig. 30 shows a queen thus balled, or rather the
balling bees are shown, the queen being hidden by them.
The ball is small, whereas a ball of bees bent on the de-
struction of a strange queen is likely to be as large as a
hickory-nut, or larger.

Whether the object of the bees be to protect the
queen or not, anything that tends to excite them suffi-
ciently may lead them to do violence to the queen. So
when I find the queen thus balled, I ahvays close the
hive immediately, not generally touching it again till
the next day, when everything will be found all right.

MAKING REC'ORDS. »/

After the overhauling of a colony is completed, a
record thereof must be made. If Alay 10, 1902, should
be the date of the visit, and if I should clip the queen at
that visit, I would make the entry, "May 10 cl q (01),"
which means that I clipped the queen May 10, and that
she was a queen reared in 1901. If, later in the season,
I should clip a queen reared that same season, the entry
would be, "cl q (02)," meaning that the queen was reared
in 1902. In either case the year of the birtji of the old

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 79

qreen in the left-hand margin has a hne drawn through it,
and the birth-year of the new queen is written under it.
If I find a cHpped queen in the hive, then the entry is, ''q
cl," which means the queen was already clipped. It
might not seem important to enter that the queen was al-
ready clipped, but if I do not find her the first or second
time looking over the combs I leave it till another day,
leaving a blank after the date, and that keeps me in mind
of the fact that I have not yet seen the queen.

After clipping the wing of the queen I put her on
the top of a frame directly over the brood-nest. If you
hold her on your finger over the brood-nest she displays
a great degree of perverseness and persists in crawling
up your hand, right away from her proper home. So I
let her crawl upon a leaf, little stick or other object, lay
this on the frames, and she will directly go down into the
cluster.

Xot always, however. Too often she will run about
over the tops of the frames, and even over the side of the
hive, and when thus excited there is some danger she may
be balled when she gets down in the hive. So I like bet-
ter to have a frame of brood covered with bees, lying flat,
or held flat by an assistant, and then I drop the queen
right among the bees on the middle of the comb.

On this first visit I also generally enter in the rec-
ord-book the amount of brood present. If the record is
"2 br," or "3 br," it means that two combs or three combs
are fairly well filled with brood — at least half filled with
brood. If the record is "br in 2,'' that means that brood
is found in two combs, but that at least one of them is
less than half full. So you will see that "br in 3" might
be a good deal less than "2 br," for "2 br" might mean
two very full combs, and at the least will be as much as
one very full comb, while "br in 3" may mean that there
is only a nttle spot of brood in each of three combs.

Any other item that needs especial mention will be
recorded, but generally there is no record made beyond
those mentioned.

80 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

MENDING COMBS. ^

In handling the combs, if any are found with drone-
comb or with holes in them, and if we are not too
crowded for time, the defects are remedied. \'ery Hkely
I may turn over these combs to my assistant, who mends
them before they are returned to the hive. The usual
plan is to mend them in this way :

She takes a common tea-knife with a thin, narrow,
sharp blade, cuts out the piece of drone-comb if the hole
is not already made, lays the frame over a piece of
worker-comb, (this piece of worker-comb may be the part
or whole of some old or objectionable comb), wnth the
point of the knife marks out the exact size and shape of
the hole, removes the frame, cuts out the piece and crowds
it into the hole.

Or, the following plan may be used, especially if
the frame is wired: After the hole is made, (the mice
have probably made the holes in the wired frames), the
cells on one side are cut away to the base for a distance
of ^ to ^ inch from the hole, and a piece of foundation
cut to the right size is placed over the hole and the edge
pressed down upon the base that surrounds the hole. The
foundation must not be too cold. Before fall these
patches cannot be detected, unless by the lighter color
where the foundation has been used.

HIVES AND FRAMES.

Xow that the apiary is all in running order, you may
want to take a look at it. You "don't think it looks re-
markably neat?" Neither do I. If I had only a dozen
colonies and were keeping them for the pleasure of it, I
should have their hives painted, perhaps ornamented with
scroll work, but please remember that I am keeping them
for profit, and I cannot afford anything for looks. I sup-
pose they would last longer if painted, but hardly enough
longer to pay for the paint. Besides, in the many changes
constantly taking place, how do I know that I may not
want to throw these aside and adopt a new hive ?

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

CHAXGES IX HIVES.

I have already changed five times, having begun in
18(31 with a full-sized sugar-barrell, changing the next
3ear to Quinby box-hives, then to a movable-frame hive
made by J. F. Lester, and afterward when J. A'ander-
vort, the foundation-mill man. came and lived perhaps a

vear in ]\Iarengo, I bous^ht out his stock of hiv

I sup-

Fii

-Home from the Out-Apiary.

posed they were the exact Langstroth pattern, but they
had frames 18 x 9 inches, not different enough to make
any appreciable dift'erence in results, but different enough
so that they were not standard, and after I had a few thou-
sands of them on hand and wanted to change to the
regular Langstroth size, the trouble I had would be hard
to describe. I still have some of them, but not in regular
use. These hives were 10-frame, and in course of time
I cut them down and made them 8-frame. Then I
changed to the 8-frame dovetailed hive, and I don't know
what the next change will be.

82 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Another reason for not painting hives is that I am
afraid bees do not do quite so well in painted as in im-
painted hives, especially in winter.

Except the full-sized cleat already mentioned on each
end, my hives are the regular dovetailed. But the frames
are Miller frames.

LOOSE-HANGING FRAMES.

For a good many years handling frames was much
slower work than it is today, because for a good many
years I had loose-hanging frames. In moving the frames
from one side of the hive toward the other, each frame
had to be moved separately. It would not do to shove
two or more at a time, because in so doing bees would be
mashed between the frames. Then when the frames were
returned to place each one had to be carefully adjusted,
judging by the eye when it was at the right distance from
its neighbor. This was slow work, and when done with
the utmost care it was only approximately exact. There
was no dummy to lift out to make extra room ; and the
frames had to be crowded together so as to make room to
get a first frame out. That disarranged the spacing of
several of the frames, even if there were no other occasion
for disarranging them.

SELF-SPACING FRAMES.

Then there came a time of struggling for some self-
spacing arrangement, closed-end, partly-closed-end, and
what not. I tried a good many different kinds. Closed-
ends were probablv warmer for wintering, and were cer-
tainly self-spacing, but it took time to avoid killing bees,
and the trouble with propolis was no small matter. Half
closed-ends were the san:e in kind, only different in de-
gree.

Of these last the Hoffman is probably the most popu-
lar, and I put in use enough to fill a few hives, and some
of them are still in use. When new they work very

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 83

nicely, but as propolis accumulates the difficulty of han-
dling increases, and the frames become more and more
crowded, until it is almost impossible to get out the
dummy, the easier thing being to pry out with a good
deal of force the first frame, either with or without the
dummy. Indeed, the difficulty of getting out the frames
is so great, that the sight of a set of Hoffman frames
when the cover is removed always produces something
like a shudder.

Although I could not have anything in the line of
closed-ends, I wanted the advantage of the self-spacing,
and not finding anything on the market to suit me I was,
in a manner, compelled to adopt something of my own
"get-up." and so for several years I have used with much
satisfaction the Miller frame (Fig. 95).

MILLER FRAME.

The frame is of course of the regular Langstroth
size. lT^sx9^. Top-bar, bottom-bar, and end-bars are
uniform in width, 1^ inches throughout their whole di-
mensions. The top-bar is />§ inch thick, with the usual
saw-kerf to receive the foundation, and close beside this
is another kerf to receive the wedge that fastens in the
foundation. The length of the top-bar is IS^^g inches,
and y% X 9-16 is rabbeted out of each end to receive the
end-bar. The end-bar is 8 9-16xl^x^'8- The bottom-
bar consists of tw^o pieces, each IT^^x^x^^. This
allows )4, inch between the two parts to receive the foun-
dation, making the bottom-bar 1^ inches wide when
nailed.

In Fig. 95 the frame is upside down, one-half of the
bottom-bar nailed on, the other half above, while below
is seen the long strip that serves as a wedge to fasten in
the foundation.

Some of my latest frames, however, have the bot-
tom-bar in one piece, 1^ inches wide, and T'm not sure
but I prefer them. The only object in having the bot-
tom-bar in two pieces is the convenience of an exact fit

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

of the foundation without the trouble of cutting it care-
fully to the right size. A\'ith the bottom-bar all in one
piece, the foundation fitting down close upon it. and
melted wax run along the joint, the bees may be les>
inclined to gnaw a passage under the foundation than
with the double bottom-bar without the melted wax.

SPACIXG-NAILS. y

The side-spacing, which holds the frame at the proper
distance from its next neighbor, is accomplished by means

Fig. 26 — Pounding Bees Off Comb.

of comm.on wire-nails. These nails are IV4 inches long
and rather heavy, about 3-32 inch in thickness, with a head
less than one-fourth inch across. By means of a wooden
gauge which allows them to be driven only to a fixed
depth, they are driven in to such a depth that the head
remains projecting out a fourth of an inch.

Each frame has four spacing-nails. A nail is driven
into each end of the top-bar on opposite 'sides, the nail

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 85

being about an inch and a half from the extreme end of
the top-bar, and a fourth of an inch from its upper sur-
face. About two and a fourth inches from the bottom
of the frame a nail is driven into each end-bar, these nails
being also on opposite sides. Hold the frame up before
you in its natural position, each hand holding one end of
the top-bar, and the two nails at the right end will be on
the side from you, while the two nails at the left end will
be on the side nearest to you.

The object of having the nails so heavy is so that
they may not be driven farther into the w^ood when the
frames are crowded hard together. Once in a great while
the wood is split by having so heavy a nail driven, and if
such a nail could be obtained it would be better to have a
lighter nail with a head a fourth of an inch thick, so that
it could be driven automatically to place without the need
of a gauge, and without the possibility of being driven
farther in by any amount of crow^ding.

I have never tried the metal spacers now used on
what are still called Hoffman frames, but it seems to me
they must be an immense improvement over the original
Hoffman frames, such as I had. I think, however, I
should still prefer such a nail as I have mentioned, be-
cause there is less opposing surface, and so less chance
for propolis. Such nails are in use in Europe.

Objection has been made to metal spacers because
they are in the way of the uncapping knife. But why
should I, who do not use an uncapping knife, be denied
the frame that is best for my use, because, forsooth, it
doesn't suit an uncapper? Y^et I must say I am very
skeptical as to the objections to metal spacers on even
extracting frames. The spacers are only at one end of
the frame at each side, and if the knife starts at the
spacer-end it does not seem necssary to dull it on the
spacers. I have tried it enough to form something of an
opinion, and I have been told by those who ought to know
that the objection is a thing largely of imagination.

86 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

END-SPACING. /

The end-Spacing is done by means of the usual
frame staple, about three-eighths of an inch wide. The
staple is driven into the end-bar, immediately under the
lug of the top-bar. This lug being only half an inch long,
there is room for a bee to pass between the end of the
lug and the upper edge of the hive-end, so no propolis is
deposited there. I like this feature as much as some
dislike it. They complain that with so short a top-bar the
frames drop down in the hive — a nuisance not to be tol-
erated. I do not have that trouble, although the hold
of the. top-bar on the tin support is so slight that if the
work were not exact I can easily imagine the frames
dropping down. Possibly those who complain do not
have very exact work. I am not sure but I would put up
with a little dropping down of frames, rather than to
have the ends of the top-bars glued.

It will be seen that while the frames are automat-
ically spaced very firmly, the points of contact are so
small that the frames are always easily movable. Those
points of contact are the thin metal edges upon which the
top-bars rest, the two end-staples, and the four nail-
heads. The same spacing is in use in other frames, only
staples are used for side-spacing instead of nails. The
staples do not seem quite so substantial, and there is
more danger, when the frames are crowded hard to-
gether, that the staples may be driven in deeper, or that
the head of the staple may dig into the adjoining wood.

The top-bar and end-bar being 1% wide, and the
spacing of the nails 54 bich, the frames are spaced just
1^ from center to center. It is just possible that a little
wider spacing than 1^ might be better, but 1^ is the
general fashion, and so far as possible I like to adopt
standard goods. I may be asked, then, why I should use
a frame not regularly made by manufacturers. Possibly
prejudice has a little to do in the case, but I think the
Miller frame enough better than anything I can find

FIFTY YEARS A.MOXG THE BEES 87

listed, that I prefer to be out of fashion so long as I can
find nothing listed that is quite close to what I want.

usinXt standard goods.

In general I think it is best to adopt standard goods.
They can be more cheaply made, and it is more con-
venient to get them. It cost me no small sum to change

Fis.

-U^eed Brushes.

my frames so little as to make them only 9/3 of an inch
less in length and an eighth of an inch more in depth,
but I made the change, and made it solely because my
frames were not of standard size. Years ago I changed
from four-piece to one-piece sections solely because I
wanted to be in fashion, although I think I prefer the one-
piece now.

WORKING FOR IMPROVEMENT.

At the same time it is one's privilege — perhaps one's
duty — to make some effort toward improvement, if one

88 FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

can only keep from thinking that a thing is necessarily
an improvement because it is different from what has
been. The things and plans gotten up by me that were
different from others would make a pretty long list.
Unfortunately, a full trial has in most cases convinced
me that my supposed improvements were no improve-
ments at all, and so they were cast aside. A few, how-
ever, have stood the test ; the ^Miller feeder and the ]\Iiller
introducing cage having become standard articles on the
price-lists, while bottom-starters, the robber-cloth, bot-
tom-board, and some other things have had from my
brother bee-keepers a reception of which I have
no reason to complain. While the tendency towards
something different needs to be kept in bounds it would
be a sad thing if no changes had been made, and we were
set back just where we were a quarter or a half cen-
tury ago.

GETTING COMBS BUILT DOWX TO BOTTOM-BARS.

While upon the subject of frames, I may as well tell
how^ I manage to have them entirely filled with straight
combs which are built out to the end-bars and clear down
to the bottom-bars, a thing I experimented upon for a
long time before reaching success. The foundation is cut
so as to make a close fit in length, and the width is about
half an inch more than the inside depth of the frame.
The frame is all complete except that one of the two
pieces of the bottom-bar is not yet nailed on. The frame
is laid on a board of the usual kind, which fits inside the
frame and has stops on the edges so that when founda-
tion is laid on the board it will lie centrally in the frame.
The half of the bottom-bar that is nailed on lies on the
under side. The foundation is put in place, and one edge
is crowded into the saw-kerf in the top-bar. Then the
lacking half of the bottom-bar is put in place, and a light
nail at the middle is driven down through both parts.
Then the frame is raised and the ends of the two halves
of the bottom-bar are squeezed together st) as to pinch

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the foundation, and nailed there. Then the usual wedge
is wedged into the fine saw-kerf in the top-bar.

As already said. I am not sure but it is just as well,
or better, to have the bottom-bar in one piece, with the
foundation cut to fit close upon it.

FOUXDATIOX SPLINTS, v^

Xow we are ready for the important part. Little
sticks or splints about 1-10 of an inch square, and about

Fig. 28 — Coggshall Brush.

Yx inch shorter than the inside depth of the frame, are
thrown into a square shallow tin pan that contains hot
beeswax. They will froth up because of the moisture
frying out of them. \\'hen the frothing ceases, and the
splints are saturated with wax. then they are ready for
use. The frame of foundation is laid on the board as
before : with a pair of plyers a splint is lifted out of the
wax (kept just hot enough over a gasoline stove), and
placed upon the foundation so that the splint shall be

90 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

perpendicular when the frame is hung in the hive. As
fast as a spHnt is laid in place, an assistant immediately
presses it down into the foundation w^ith the wetted edge
of a board. About 1^ inches from each end-bar is
placed a splint, and between these tw^o splints three others
at equal distances (Fig. 31). When these are built out
they make beautiful combs, and the splints do not seem to
be at all in the way (Fig. 32).

Five splints in a frame works all right for medium
brood foundation, but in 1909 I filled a number of frames
with light brood foundation, and used seven splints in a
frame.

A little experience will enable one to judge, when
putting in the splints, how hot to keep the wax. If too
hot there will be too light a coating of wax.

It must not be understood that the mere use of these
splints will under any and all circumstances result in
faultless combs built securely down to the bottom-bar. It
seems to be the natural thing for bees to leave a free
passage under the comb, no matter whether the thing
that comes next below the comb be the floor-board of the
hive or the bottom-bar of the frame. So if a frame be
given wdien little storing is going on, the bees will de-
liberately dig away the foundation at the bottom ; and
even if it has been built down but the cells not very fully
drawn out, they will do more or less at gnawing a pass-
age. To make a success, the frames should be given at
a time when work shall go on uninterruptedly until full-
depth cells reach the bottom-bar.

In Fig. o2 will be seen two such frames of splinted
foundation that have been built out and filled with honey.
1 he upper one is built out solid to the frame all around,
while the lower one has a hole at one of the lower corners,
through which a queen can play hide-and-seek.

In Fig. 33 are two that have been built out and filled
with brood. They are built out solid to the w^ood, except-
ing one hole in each at one of the lower corners, but these
two holes are covered up by the fingers so that you cannot
see them. Look carefullv at the frame at the left hand,

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 91

and you will see at least three places where the capping is
slightly elevated, because of the splints beneath.

BROOD TO THE TOP-BAR.

Incidentally your attention may be called to this
comb as a fine specimen of one well filled with brood. It
is literally iillcd. all the cells, sealed and unsealed, contain-
ing brood. It shows that there is no necessity for shal-
low frames to have brood clear to the top-bar. At the
time when it is desired to get bees to start work in sec-
tions, the brood will be up so high in the combs that bees
will start in the sections just as promptly with standard
frames as with those that are shallower. After the bees
have been at work storing for some time, the brood in the
standard frame will not be as near the top-bar as in a
shallow frame, but that will be no hindrance to the con-
iiiiuance of storing in supers.

For a long tin:e it puzzled me to understand why
others should say that in a Langstroth frame a space of
one or two inches would be left under the top-bar where
no brood would be reared, while in my hives, in the
height of brood-rearing, frame after frame would be
filled with brood clear to the top-bar. It was urged that
the trouble arose because the frame was too deep. Fi-
nally it was suggested that horizontal wiring allowed
enough saggiing so that the upper cells were stretched
just enough so they would not be used for brood. In my
frames, with forndation-splints, there was no chance for
stretching, and so the row of cells next to the top-bar
and bottom-bar could alike be used by the cjueen.

Even if brood were not reared in the upper part of a
Langstroth frame. I should still prefer that depth for
comb honey, whatever might be true as to extracted
honey. At one time I had two hives with shallow frames,
and the amount of pollen in sections filled over those
shallow frames was greater than in all the other thou-
sands of sections filled over the Langstroth frames.

Please do not understand that all my combs look like
the four in Figs. 32 and 33. ]\Iany of them do, but more

'j:i FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

do not, because so many of them were built in seasons of
comparative dearth.

There is another way to get combs built down to the
bottom-bar. Suppose you have a comb with a passage-
way under it more or less of its length. Cut it free from
the bottom-bar, and then cut straight across an inch or
more above the bottom-bar ; then turn this piece upside
down and let it rest on the bottom-bar. The bees wall
immediately fasten this piece to the bottom-bar (of course
it must be at a time when bees are working freely), and
very soon they will fill in the gap above the piece.

HIVE-DUMMY. •/

A good dummy is a matter of no light importance. It
is handy to fill up vacant space, its chief use being to make
an easy thing of removing the first comb from a hive.
With self-spacing frames there can be no crowding to-
gether of the frames so as to give one of them extra room,
as is the case with loose-hanging frames, and if a hive be
filled full of self-spacing frames it will be about impossible
to remove the first frame after a fair amount of propolis
is present. A dummy at one side is the thing to help out.

An eight-frame dovetailed hive is 12^ inches wide
inside. Eight frames spaced l}i inches from center to
center will occupy 11 inches, leaving at one side a space
of 1^ inches, abundance of room to lift out the first
frame easily. A dummy put into that space will keep the
bees from filling it up with comb, and it ought never to be
difficult to lift out the dummy. If a dummy a trifle more
than a fourth of an inch thick be put in, leaving a fourth
of an inch between dummy and frame, there will be left
between the dummy and the side of the hive a space of a
little more than half an inch, a space that the bees will
never fill with comb in such a place. As propolis accu-
mulates, however, this space will become less.

The dummy should be light and at the same time
quite substantial, and the one I use fulfills these require-
ments (Fig. 42). The principal board of the dummy is
IGys X 8}i X 5-16, of pine. The other parts are of some

FIFTY YEARS AMOXG THE BEES '.i:>

tougher wood. The top-bar is 18J/^ x 5-lG x 5-l(i. Each
end-cleat is 8^ x >4 x 5-lG.

It will be seen that the dummy is neither so long nor
deep as a frame. That makes it easier to handle, and be-
ing at the side of the hive it never makes any trouble.
If I were making new dummies. I think I world make

Fig. 29 — Tool-Basket.

the principal board 15 inches long instead of l(i>^. It
would be easier to handle, and bees are little inclined to
fill in comb at the ends of the dummy. \Miile the cut-off
top-bars in the frames work nicely, they do not work so
well in dummies, as I found upon trying a number of
them.

HIVE-COVERS.

At the risk of losing caste as a bee-keeper, I ani
obliged to confess that I never got up "a hive of my own."
never even tried to plan one, but I have tried no little
to get up a hive-cover to suit me. A hive is so seldom
moved that I care less for its weight, but when I, or, more
particularlv, my female assistants, have to lift covers all

94 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

day long, when hot and tired, a pound difference in
weight is quite an item. The first covers I had for
movable-frame hives were S inches deep and weighed
about 18 pounds. Xeedless to detail the different covers
I have devised and tried, with upper surface of tin, oil-
cloth, and wood, painted and unpainted. Although I
don't paint hive-bodies, I want covers painted. Some of
my covers just at present are the common plain board
cover, and I don't like them. Some of them are of two
hoards united at the middle by a A'-shaped tin slid into
saw-kerfs, and I like these still less. A new board cover
is a nice thing. After a little it warps, and then it isn't a
nice thing. Put a cleat on each end so it cannot warp —
cast-iron cleats, if you like — and it will twist so that there
will be a grinning opening at one corner to allow bees to
walk out and cold to walk in, to say nothing of robber-
bees.

TIX COVERS WITH DEAD- AIR SPACE.

I have fifty covers that I like very much. They are
double-board covers, the boards being ^ thick, the grain
of^the upper and lower boards running in opposite direc-
tions, with a ^ dead-air space between them : at least it
world be dead-air if it were not for cracks, and I do not
consider the cracks a necessary part if the covers were
properly made. The whole is covered with tin and
painted white. The lower surface is perfectlv flat, with
no cleat projecting downward, for such cleats do not help
rapid and easy handling. Such a cover is light, safe from
warping and' twisting, is cooler in summer than the plain
board cover, and warmer in winter. The greatest objec-
tion is the cost ; I think they cost 25 cents or more each.

Two of these tin covers will be seen at Fig. 37, the
o::e at the right showing the under surface of the cover.

ZIXC COVERS.

Fifty other covers are made on the^same plan and
covered with zinc. These are not painte'd. So long as

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

they remain whole there is no need of paint, and whenever
there seems to be a possibiHty of their approaching any-
thing hke a leaking condition they can be covered with
paint. The same might be said of the tin, only I expect
the zinc to stand the weather nnpainted much longer than
the tin would.

W - -^^^..s.*-:: :.-:*..

:•;,«,:•:; .*.;*>;./->-.yi^

■

^^^H

^j^^^HH

! m

i ^ . 1

Fig. so — Balled Queen.

At Fig. 38 may be seen two of these zinc hive-covers.
The one at the right shows the upper or zinc surface.
The left one shows the under or wood surface ; and if you
look at the right end of this last cover you will see that
the upper layer of thin board projects three-fourths of an

nC) FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

inch so as to serve as a handle. One of these covers
weighs five pounds.

A cover sent me by the A. I. Root Co. covered with
paper and painted, has been in use several years, and so
far it seems to stand as well as zinc or tin. Possibly this
paper may do as well as the metal and save expense. I
would rather pay a good price for a good cover, rain-
proof, bee-proof, non-warping, non-twisting, with a dead-
air space, than to take a poorer cover as a gift.

The hundred covers I have mentioned were made
specially to order, but I am glad to see that the A. I.
Root Co. have now on their list a cover made on the same
principle,

HIVE-STAXDS. ^

My hive-stands are simple and inexpensive (Fig. 39).
They are made of common fence-boards 6 inches wide.
Two pieces 32 inches long are nailed upon two other
pieces or cleats 24 inches long. That's all. Of course
the longer pieces are uppermost, leaving the cleats below.
Two similar cleats, but loose, lie on the ground under the
first-mentioned cleats. This makes it equivalent to cleats
of two-inch stufif, with the decided advantage that only
the loose cleat will rot away by lying on the ground, with-
out spoiling the whole stand. These stands are leveled
with a spirit-level before the hives are placed on them,
(sometimes not till afterward), being made perfectly level
from side to side, with the rear one or two inches higher
than the front. Each of these stands is intended for two
hives, with a space of 2 to 4 inches between the two hives.
It is much easier to level a stand like this than to level one
for a single hive. There are other advantages.

HIVES IX PAIRS. -/ •

This putting in pairs is quite a saving of room ; for if
room were allowed for working on each side of each hive,
only two-thirds the number could be g^t into the row.
But so far as the bees are concerned, it is equivalent to

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 97

putting in double the number ; that is, there is no more
danger of a bee going into the wrong hive by mistake,
than if only a single hive stood where each pair stands.
If hives stood very close together at regular intervals, a
bee might by mistake go into the wrong hive, but if a
colony of bees is in the habit, as mine sometimes are in
the spring, of going into the south end of their entrance,
they will never make the mistake of entering at the north
end, as you will quickly see if you plug up, alternately,
the north and south ends of the entrance. When the
north end is closed it does not affect the bees at all, but
close the south end, and dire consternation follows. To
the bees the pair of hives is much the same as a single
hive, and thev will not make the mistake of entering the
wrong end.

A space of 2 feet or so is left between one pair of
hives and the next pair, so as to leave plenty of room
for a seat.

GROUPS OF FOUR HIVES.*/

In two of the apiaries there is a still further economy
of room by placing a second row close to the first, the
hives standing back to back. That, you will see, makes
the hives in groups of four. I do not know of any ar-
rangement that will allow a larger number of hives to
stand on a given surface. The difference in the amount
of travel in the course of a year in such an arrangement
as compared with one without any grouping, is a matter
not to be despised.

SHADE.

Trees shade most of the hives at least a part of the
day, and at one end of the home apiary the trees were so
thick that I cut out part of them. I had previously
thought that shade was important, and that with sufficient
shade there was never any danger of bees suffering from
heat, but after having combs melt down in a hive so
densely shaded bv trees that the sun did not shine on it all

!)8

FTFrV VKARS A.MOXCi THE BEES

clay long, I changed my mind. 1 value the shade these
trees give, not so much for the good it does the bees, but
for the comfort of the operator working at them. I don't
lelieve bees sufifer as much from the hot sun shining
directly on the hives, as they do from having the air shut
o*T from them by surrounding objects. I have had combs
melt down in hives, the honey running in a stream on the
ground, one of the hives at least being in a shade of trees
so dense the sun never shone on it, and I suspect it was

'' J-'ig. SI — Foundation z^'itJi Splint Supports

for lack of air. A dense growth of corn was directly
back of the hives and a dense growth of young trees and
underbrush in front. I didn't know enough to notice this,
although when working at the bees my shirt would be
as wet as if dipped in the river. I had the young trees
thinned out and trimmed rj). the corn-ground in grass, so
the air could get through, and I now w^ork with more
comfort, and no comb has melted dow^n for 30 years.

!:^ometimes I have found it desirable to shade one or
more hives singly. An armful of the longest fresh-cut
grass obtainable is laid on the hive-cover, and weighted

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 99

down with two or three sticks of stove-wood. But I do
not think anything of the kind is needed on double covers.

MOVABLE SHADE. \/

For hives that are not in the shade, especially during
certain parts of the day, a movable shade (Fig. 58) is a
great comfort to the operator when the sun shines with
blistering heat. Four standards are made of 7-16 inch
rod-iron. Take a piece of the iron G feet 2 inches long;
bend the upper end into a ring or eye, and sharpen the
lower end. Twelve inches from the point or lower end
bend the rod at right angles. Two inches higher up bend
again at right angles, leaving the rod straight except that
knee of two inches, upon which you can set your foot and
drive it in the ground as when spading.

The cloth used for the shade is about as large as an
ordinary bed-sheet, and is usually the linen lap-robe,
which is always at hand, and on which a string is kept
tied on each corner so as to be always ready to set up in
a twinkling. This string has both ends tied around the
cloth at the corner, leaving the string in the form of a
loop. The loop is thrust through the eye of the standard,
looped back over the eye, and there you are.

When the sun is not far from the horizon, only two
standards are used, from which the lap-robe hangs as a
wall between the operator and the sun.

FEEDING MEAL.

I used to read about feeding meal in the spring. I
triecl it, put out rye-meal, and not a bee would touch it ;
baited them with honey, and if they took the honey they
left the meal. Finally, one day, I saw a bee alight on a
dish of flour set in a sunny place. It went at it in a
rollicking manner as if delighted. I was more delighted.
At last I had in some way got the thing right, and my
bees would take meal. The bee loaded up, and lugged off
its load, and I waited for it and others to come for more.

100 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

They didn't come, and that was the first and last load
taken that year. I cannot tell now exactly when the
change came about, neither do I know that I have done
anything different, but I have no trouble now in getting
the bees to take bushels of meal. I suppose the simple
explanation is that there was plenty of natural pollen for
the few bees I had in the first years, but not enough for
the larger number of colonies I had later.

About as soon as the bees are set out in the spring, I
begin feeding them meal, although some years I do not
offer any substitute for pollen. For this purpose I like
shallow boxes, and generally use old hive-covers 4 inches
deep. These are placed in a sunny place about a foot
apart, one end raised three or four inches higher than the
other. This may be done by putting a stone under one
end. although I generally place them along the edge of a
little ditch where no stone is needed, and they can be
whirled around as if on a central pivot. One feed-box is
used for every 10 to 20 colonies, although I am guided
rather by what the bees seem to need, adding more boxes
as fast as the ones already given are crowded with bees.

SUBSTITUTES FOR POLLEN.

I can hardly tell what I have not used for meal. I
have used meal or flour of pretty much all the grains,
bran, shorts and all the different feeds used for cows in
this noted dairy region, including even the yellow meal
brought from glucose factories for cow-feed, although, if
this last were known, it might be reported that I filled
paraffin combs with glucose and sealed them over with a
hot butcher-knife. I think this glucose meal is perhaps
the poorest feed I have used. As to the rest I hardly
know which is best, and I have of late used principally
corn and oats ground together, partly because I was
using that for horse and cow feed, and partly because I
think it may be as good as any.

When the feed-boxes are put in place, in the morn-
ing, (and I commence this feeding just as soon as the

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 101

bees are out of the cellar), I put in each box at the raised
end about four to six quarts (the quantity is not very
material) of the feed. The more compact, and the less
scattered the feed the better. The bees will gradually dig
it down till it is all settled in the lower end of the box,
just the same as so much water would settle there. This
may take an hour, or it may take six, according to cir-
cumstances. As often as they dig it down, I reverse the
position of the box, just whirling it around if it stands
on the edge of the ditch. This brings the meal again at
the raised end of the box. When the bees have it dug
down level there is little to be seen on the top except the
hulls of the oats, and what fun it is to see the bees bur-
row in this, sometimes clear out of sight.

It is alwavs a source of amusement to see the bees
working on this meal, and the young folks watch them
by the half-hour. Bv night the oat-meal and finer parts
of the corn are nearlv all worked out, and after the bees
have stopped working, the boxes are emptied, piled up,
one on top of another, and at the top, one placed upside
down so that no dew or rain may affect them. If I think
it is not worked out pretty clean, I may let them work it
over next dav, putting three or four times as much in a
box. When' the bees are done with it, there will be
empty oat-hulls on top, and the coarse part of the corn on
the bottom. It does not matter if it is not worked out
clean, for it is fed to the horses or cows afterwards.

After the first day's feeding, the boxes must be filled
in good season in the morning, or the bees annoy very
much by being in the way, and throughout the day, while
the bees are at work, if I go among the feed-boxes to
turn them, or for any other purpose, I must look sharp
where I set my feet, or bees will be killed, as they are
quite thick over the ground, brushing the meal off their
bodies and packing their loads. Before many days the
meal-boxes are deserted for the now plenty natural pollen,
although if vou watch the bees, as they go laden into the
hives, even when working thickest in the boxes, you will
see a good many carrying in heavy loads of natural pollen.

102

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

It seems to be a beneficent natural law, that bees do
not like to crowd one another in their search for pollen or
nectar, or else the meal-boxes would be untouched and all
the bees would work upon the insufficient supply of
pollen. In consequence of this law it is necessary to fur-
nish a sufficient number of boxes, for although the bees
will work quite thick if only 5 boxes are left for 150
colonies, they will work scarcely thicker if only one box
is left.

— ~R|

Fig. 32 — Combs of Honey.

OUT-DOOR FEEDING.

I have fed barrels of sugar syrup in the open air,
and it is possible that circumstances may arise to induce
me to do it again, but I doubt.

There are serious objections to this out-door feeding.
You are not sure what portion of it your own bees will
get, if other bees are in flying distance. Considerable ex-
perience has proved to me that by this method of feeding,
the strong colonies get the lion's share, and the weak

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 103

colonies very little. ^lorever, I have seen indications that
part of the colonies get none, both of the weak and
strong. You are also dependent on the weather, as wet
and cliilly davs may come, when bees cannot fly.

As already mentioned, when the bees are brought out
of the cellar, colonies are marked that are suspiciously
light, and their immediate wants supplied as soon as pos-
sible! But with 8-frame hives there will be a good many
colonies that will run short of stores before there is any
chance for them to supply themselves from outside.

STIMULATIVE FEEDING.

Some would say that I ought to practice stimulative
feeding for the sake of hastening the work of building
up the colonv. But it takes a good deal of wisdom to
know at all times just how to manage stimulative feedmg
so as not to do harm instead of good ; and I am not cer-
tain that I have the wisdom.

Whatever else may be true about spring feedmg, I
am pretty fully settled 'in the belief that it is of first nii-
portance that the bees should have an abundant supply of
stores, whether such supply be furnished from day to day
by the bee-keeper, or stored up by the bees themselves six
months or a year previously. Moreover, I believe they
build up more rapidly if they have not only enough to use
from day to dav, but a reserve or visible supply for future
use. If a colony comes out of the cellar strong, and with
combs full of stores, I have some doubts if I can hasten
its building up by any tinkering I can do. So my feeding
in spring is to make sure they have abundant stores,
rather than for the stimulation of frequent giving.

RAPID CONSUMPTION OF STORES.

After so many years of experience in that line, I am
nevertheless still surprised sometimes to find how rapidly
the stores have diminished under the constantly increas-
ing demands made by brood-rearing. So there is little

104 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

danger of getting too much honey in the hive. It is not
enough to have sufficient to last till the white clover har-
vest begins. To be sure, that might be all right so far as
the building up of the colony is concerned. But no honey
will be put in the supers so long as there are empty cells
in the brood-chamber, and it is better to have enough
honey left in the brood-chamber so that the first white
honey shall go straight into the supers.

SURPLUS COMBS OF HOXEY.

Nothing is l^etter than to have plenty of full combs
of sealed honey saved over from the previous year, with
which to supply any colony that may need them. If I
were as good a bee-keeper as I ought to be, there would
always be enough of these so that nothing else would be
needed to take their place. But I am not as good a bee-
keeper as I ought to be, and while some years I may have
all the extra combs of honey that can be used, at other
times they may run short, even to not having enough to
supply the pinching wants of colonies just taken from the
cellar. There may, however, be some combs at least
partly filled that have been taken from colonies that died
in winter, or from the uniting of colonies in spring, and
these may supplement the number of combs saved up
from the previous year.

FEEDING SECTIONS OF HONEY.

\\"hen the combs of honey are all gone, the next best
thing is to give sections in wide frames. This seems like
an extravagant thing to do ; but if the sections contain
dark or objectionable honey, and if they can be cleaned
out and used for baits, there is no very great extrava-
gance about it. I have given sections by sliding them
under the bottom-bars, a thing very easily done with bot-
tom-boards two inches deep, but such sections are ruined
for use as baits, and all you can do with the empty comb
in them is to melt it into wax.

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES 105

FEEDING TO FILL COMBS.

If neither combs of sealed honey nor suitable sections
are to be had, then feeding with Miller feeders is in order.
But colonies that need feeding in spring are not always
very strong, and a weak colony makes rather poor work
on a feeder at that time. Instead of distributing feeders
to all colonies that need feeding, they are limited to a
small number of the very strongest, whether these need
feeding or not. Then filled combs are taken from these
strong colonies and given to the needy colonies whether
at home or in the out-apiaries, for the feeders are gener-
allv used only at home.

It may be that these strong colonies are already well
supplied with honey. Whatever honey they have is taken
from them, unless it be in combs containing brood, and
empty combs given in place. The feeder is put directly
on the brood-chamber. After the bees get a fair start
on the feeder an upper story with empty combs may be
given, but just at first they will make a better start with-
out this second story. When the feeder is put on 5 or 10
pounds of sugar is poured in, and an equal quantity of
water poured on the sugar. It is much better to have
the water hot. It would be well to fill the feeder full
but in that case a good portion of it would be left to get
cold, and faster work will be done if no more is given
each day than will be taken that day. Very often when
I go around to the feeders next morning I find most of
them with sugar still in the feeder, but the liquid all
taken. That doesn't matter; more water can be added.
Indeed 12 or 15 pounds of sugar may be put in the feeder,
and then each day only so much water as the bees will
use out that day. ' For' they are not likely to do much at
night unless the weather be quite warm.

■ WHOLESALE FEEDING.

There come times, however, when the feeding must
be rushed, and there can be no puttering with getting one

106

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

colony to store for another. One of those times came in
the year 1902. The second week in June, at the time
when in a good season there ought to be Hvely work
piling on supers, I found nearly every colony on the point
of starvation. If there was any difference, the strongest
colonies w^ere the worst. The combs were filled with
brood, requiring large daily consumption, stores in the

f'ig- 33 — Combs of Brood.

hive were exhausted, and not enough for daily supplies
coming in. It would hardly be proper economy to have
combs filled with honey saved up for such emergencies,
seeing that they are not expected to come often, so the
w^hole force of feeders, some fifty, were put into action.

Part were put in the home apiary and part taken to
the out-apiaries. When going to an out-apiary a bag of
sugar was taken along. Water was put in the wash-
boiler on the cook-stove and a good fire built under it.
A good-sized tin pail was filled half full or more with the
heated water, then sugar was poured' in till the pail was
nearly full, and it was stirred with a stick till fairly well

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 107

dissolved, which did not take very long. The syrup was
then poured into the feeder on one of the hives, a pail
half full of water was taken in and poured into the boiler,
and then another colony was fed, and this was continued
till all the feeders were supplied. The next day or so
the feeders were shifted to another set of hives, till all
were fed.

FEEDING IN JUNE.

You will notice this is considerably different from the
early spring feeding. The colonies were stronger in
June, the weather warmer, and the bees made rapid work
carrying down the feed. It was better to dissolve the
sugar before putting it in the feeders (perhaps it is bet-
ter at any time), for then there was no danger of having
dry sugar left in the feeder. /Perhaps there was no real
gain in using hot water when the colonies were strong and
the weather warm. I tried cold water in some cases, and
it worked all right, only it took more stirring.

ORIGINAL MILLER FEEDER.

Most of my feeders are of the original pattern (Fig.
40). At Fig. 41 is seen one of them dissected. The
lower part is an ordinary section-super. On this rests
the feeder proper, with the little board at one end re-
moved, also the little board at one side, so as to show the
inside wall under which the syrup may flow, and the out-
side wall, which lacks enough of coming to the top so
that the bees can come up over it and go down into the
feed.

IMPROVED MILLER FEEDER.

The improved Miller feeder of the catalogs, instead
of being all in one has two parts, and the bees go up
through the middle. I though it was an important im-
provement to allow the bees to go up the middle instead

108

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

of up the two sides, because the heat ought to be greater
at the middle. After a thorough trial of the two, side
by side, I am obliged to admit that the improvement is
one in theory only, and that the bees go up the sides
whenever they will go up the middle, and it seems a little
better to have the feed all in one dish.

Pk- 34— Part of Home Apiary {from Northwest).

If it were not for the expense of keeping two sets of
feeders, I should like to keep a set of Doolittle division-
board feeders, for there may come times when it is cool
and bees will not take feed readily from a Aliller feeder,
yet would take it from a division-board feeder, because
closer to the brood-nest. But most times I should prefer
the Miller, so that has the preference.

CROCK-AXD-PLATE FEEDER.

I have used the crock-and-plate feeder (Fig. TSj, and
it answers a very good purpose. It has the advantage
that any one can make a feeder at a minute's notice with
materials always ready to hand. Take a gallon crock.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 109

fill it half full of granulated sugar; then fill nearly full
with water, all the better if stirred till dissolved ; cover
over the crock a thickness of flannel or other woolen cloth,
or else four or five thicknesses of cheese-cloth ; over this
lay a dinner-plate upside down ; then with one hand under
the crock and the other over the plate, quickly turn the
whole thing upside dow^n. Of course a smaller quantity
of feed may be used if desired.

The feeder is then set over the frames of a colony,
an empty hive-body placed over, and all covered up so no
bee can get to it except through the regular hive-entrance.

WATERING-CROCK.

This crock-and-plate feeder is a good one for those
who like out-door feeding, if only a small quantity is to be
fed. It also makes a good watering-place for bees, if one
does not mind the trouble. Better than this is a six-
gallon crock standing upright with a few sticks of fire-
wood in it for a watering-crock (Fig. 44). A little salt
thrown into the water helps to keep it sweet, and pre-
vents it from being a breeding-place for mosquitoes.

CORK-CHIPS FOR WATERING. •^

But I hit upon something that is so efifective, so
cheap, and so little trouble, that I can hardly imagine
anything better. Go to your grocer and ask him to save
you some cork-chips, such as he gets in kegs of grapes,
and probably throws away. Take a pail or other vessel
(I use a half-barrel), put in as much water as you like,
and on this put on so much of the cork-chips that the
w^ater will barely come up enough for the bees to reach.
A bee can not drown in this. When the water gets low,
a fresh supply can be poured in, and it does no great harm
to pour it directly on the bees. They climb easily to the
top of the cork after their bath. The cork remains ef-
fective throughout a whole season.

-^co>;(A y-u •Vjoofitu, cl^

110 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

It is important to start the watering-place early in
the season, before the bees make a start at some pump
or other place where they will be troublesome.

LACK OF SYSTEM.

I would like to say that I am very methodical about
overhauling and seeing to the building up of colonies,
from the time they are placed on the summer stands, till
the honey harvest begins, but it would hardly be in ac-
cordance with facts. Conditions of bees or weather may
make a difference in course of action. Possibly some
other duties aside from the direct care of the bees may
make a difference. So when I attempt to tell things just
as they are, my want of system confronts me, and makes
the task somewhat difficult.

At this point I fancy I can hear some of my good
friends saying, "Why don't you keep a smaller number of
colonies, so that you can have system enough to be able to
tell a straight story, and derive more pleasure and profit?"
I know it would be more pleasure ; as to the profit, I
doubt. If I had so few that I could at all times do every
thing by a perfect system, I am afraid I should have part
of the time a good deal of idle time on my hands.
Neither is it fair for me to charge my lack of system en-
tirely to the number of colonies. Some of it comes from
ignorance in not knowing how to do any better, some of
it from changing plans constantly, and perhaps some of
it from lack of energy in doing every thing just at the
right time.

DIMSIOX-BOARDS.

In former years I made some attempt to keep the bees
warmer by the use of a division-board, closing down to
the number of combs actually needed at the time by the
bees. I was disappointed to find no clear proof that any
great good came from it. Since then, the experiments of
Gaston Bonnier have shown that combs serve as good a
purpose as a division-board, so the trouble of moving a

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 111

division-board from time to time to accommodate the size
of the colony is avoided.

VERY WEAK COLONIES IX SPRING. "^

I have had, one time and another, a good many very
weak colonies in the spring, and I am puzzled to know
what to do with them. It seems of no use to unite them,
for I have united five into one, and the united colony
seemed to do no better than one left separate. About
all I try to do, is to keep the queen alive till I find some
queenless colony with which to unite them.

One year I took the queens of five or six very weak
colonies, put them in small cages, and laid the cages on
top of the frames, under the quilt, over a strong colony.
When I next overhauled this colony, its queen was gone,
probably killed by the bees on account of the presence of
other queens, but the queens in the cages were in good
condition, and became afterward the mothers of fine
colonies. I had put two of the queens in one cage, as I
was short of cages, and did not attach much value to the
queens, and these two did as well as the others. Of
course this was an exception to the general rule.

In my locality I do not think the colonies can ever
become strong and populous too early in the season.
Theoretically, at least, then, I see that every colony as
soon as it comes out of the cellar, has plenty of stores to
last it for some time. I know this is a very indefinite
amount. Perhaps I might make it more definite by say-
ing, for an ordinary colony, the equivalent of two full
combs of stores. If they have not so much I supply
them. I formerly thought it desirable to have any feed
given them as far as possible from the brood-nest, so
that they might have the feeling they were accumulating
from abroad. Further observation makes me place less
confidence in this.

STRONG VERSUS WEAK COLONIES.

I think that with increasing years I have an increas-
ing aversion to weak colonies. At the time of the honey

112 FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

harvest, 40,000 bees in two colonies will not begin to
store as much as the same bees would do if they were all
in one colony. Of course you have thought of that, but
possibly you have not noticed so clearly that something
like the same rule holds good about building up in spring.
Take a colony that comes out of the cellar with only
enough bees to cover two combs. It will remain at a

Pig- 35— Port of Home Apiary (from SoutJizcest).

stand-still for a long time. Indeed, it may not stand still,
but may become weaker, so that it will not have as
much brood June 1 as May 1, with a possibility of peg-
ging out altogether before the harvest opens. On the
other hand a colony with bees enough to cover well three
frames is likely to hold its own, beginning to increase
slowly as soon as weather permits ; and if it has bees
enough to cover four frames it will walk right along in-
creasing its brood-nest.

GIVING BROOD TO STRONGER.

Shall I take frames of brood from strong colonies to
give to the weaklings? Xot I. For tht damage to the

FIFTY YEARS A:^I0NG THE BEES 113;

strong colonies will more than overbalance the benefit ta
the weaklings. If any taking from one colony to give
another is done in the spring, it will be to take from the
weak to give to those not so weak. If one colony has
four frames of brood and another two, taking from the
stronger frame for the weaker would leave both so
weak they would not build up very rapidly, whereas tak-
ing one from the two-frame colony and giving it to the
four-frame colony would make the latter build up so much
faster that it could pay back with interest the borrowed
frame. ;

GIVING BROOD TO WEAKER. ^

Xot till a colony has six or eight frames of brood is
it desirable to draw from it brood for weaker colonies,
and there's no hurry about it then. When a colony has
its hive so crowded with brood that the queen seems to
need more room, then a frame of brood can be taken
from it to help others. The first to be helped are not
the weakest, but the strongest of those with less than
four frames of brood. When the three-framers are all
brought up to four frames, it is time enough to help the
weaker ones. Toward the last the little fellows can be
helped up quite rapidly. Perhaps a colony with two or
three brood (if you will allow me to use brood for short
when I mean frames of brood) has had brood taken from
it, leaving it with only one brood. It has stood so for
several weeks, and now it can have three or four brood
given to it, setting it well on its feet.

\Mien brood is thus taken, generallv the adhering
bees are taken with the brood, of course making sure
that no queen is taken. Where a single brood is given
with adhering bees to a colony, I have never known any
harm to come to the queen of the reinforced colony. In
rare cases I have had the queen killed when several
frames of brood have been given at a time to a very weak
colony. A precautionary rule is that when more than
one brood is given at a time, each one is taken from a
different colonv.

114 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

GIVING SECOND STORY. ^

When a colony is beginning to be crowded and there
are no colonies needing help, and sometimes even when
others do need help, a second story is given. This sec-
ond story is given below. Putting an empty story below
does not cool off the bees like putting one above. The
bees can move down as fast as thev need the room. In-

P^S- 36 — Comb Resting Diagonally in Hire.

deed this second story is often given long before it is
needed, and sometimes two empty stories are given, for it
is a nice thing to have the combs in the care of the bees.
They will be kept free from moths, and if any are mouldy
they will be nicely cleaned out ready for use when wanted.

Sometimes when a colony is very strong and a story
of empty combs is given below, a frame of brood is taken
from the upper story and put below, an empty comb be-
ing put in its place above. But unless the colony is very
strong, this hinders rather than helos the buildins: vr>.

I may say here that after a good deal of experience
with colonies having two stories, I find that there is no

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 115

trouble from having the queen stay exclusively in one or
other of the stories. She passes up and down freely,
keeping filled with brood in both stories as many combs
as the bees will care for.

SUBSEQUENT OVERHAULING.

Any overhauling subsequent to the first, is an easy
matter. As a broodless frame was left at the farther side
at the first ovehauling, and the brood-nest commenced
with the next frame, I can count that the bees will con-
tinue this arrangement, only in some cases there will be
brood found in the outside frame. So in any examina-
tion after the first, I commence at the near side and when
I come to the first frame of brood, I need go no further,
for I know that the brood-nest will occupy all the rest of
the combs except the outside one. If they have not plenty
of feed, of course it can be given, although it may not
often be necessary to give stores the second time, for in
this locality they can get good supplies from fruit-bloom.
I suppose they can forage upon 10,000 fruit-trees without
going a mile.

If, however, the first frame of brood I come to, con-
tains only sealed brood, I must look further to see whether
they have eggs or very young brood, for it is possible
they may have become queenless. If eggs are plentiful,
but no unsealed brood, I know that they have a young
queen which has commenced laying, and I must find her
and clip her wings.

If there is nothing but sealed brood, and no eggs, I
am not sure whether they have a queen or not, and it is
not safe to give them one till I do know, so I give them,
from another colony, a comb containing eggs and young
brood. I make a record of giving them this young brood
thus: "May 20, no eg gybr," (no eggs; gave young
brood,) and in perhaps a week I look to see in what con-
dition they are. If I find queen-cells started I am pretty
sure they have no queen.

116 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

OUEEXLESS COLONIES.

What shall be done in that case depends. If the
colony is weak, it is at once broken up, brood and bees be-
ing given wherever they may be needed, and I heave a
sigh of relief to think I am rid of the weakling. If it is
strong — an accident may have happened to the queen of
a strong colony at the last overhauling — it may be broken
up and the brood and bees distributed where they will do
the most good, but more likely a weaker colony with a
good queen will be united with it. Just possibly, the
queen-cells started may be allowed to go on to completion.

BROOD AS A STIMULANT.

If it happened that they had a virgin queen when the
young brood was given them, the presence of this brood is
supposed to stimulate the queen to lay the sooner, and I
may find eggs on this later inspection. It may be, how-
ever, that I shall find neither eggs nor queen-cell, in which
case I consider it probable that they have a queen which
has not yet commenced to lay, and they are left for ex-
amination later.

LAYING WORKERS.

Although laying workers are not so likely to be
found early in the year, it is still possible. In some cases
the scattered condition of the brood awakens immediate
suspicion. This scattered condition is shown in Fig. 59,
but the picture does not clearly show how the sealed brood
projects above the surface like so many little marbles,
being thus projected because drone-brood is in worker-
cells.

Often the presence of laying workers can be detected
before there is any sealed brood, by the fact that drone-
cells are chosen in preference to ^vorker-cells, that is,
drone-cells will be filled with eggs or brood — perhaps two
or more eggs in a cell — while plenty of unused worker-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 117

cells seem handy. Eggs in queen-cells are also likely to
be found, and if you find a queen-cell with more than
one Qgg in it you may be pretty sure laying workers have
set up business. Sometimes a dozen of eggs may be
found in one queen-cell. An egg in a queen-cell with no
other brood or eggs present is a pretty sure sign of
laying workers.

TREATMENT OF LAYING-WORKER COLONIES.

When a colony of laying workers is found early in
the season, about the only thing to do is to break it up,
and it matters little what is done with the bees. They are
old, and of little value. Indeed, there are never any very
young bees with laying workers, when the bees are
Italians or blacks, and it may be the best thing in all
cases to break them up, distributing the bees and combs
to other colonies.

Yet if a strong colony is found at any time with
laying workers, and if, for any reason, it may seem de-
sirable to continue the colony, a queen-cell, or a virgin
queen just hatched may be given, for it is not easy to get
them to accept a laying queen.

DRONE-LAYING QUEENS.

Drone-brood in worker-cells may be present with no
laying workers — the work of a drone-laying or failing
queen. The brood in that case, however, will not be so
scattering as in Fig. 59. Such a colony is more amenable
to treatment, and can be well utilized by uniting with a
weak colony having a laying queen.

BREAKING UP FAULTY COLONIES.

When fruit blossoms are about ready to burst forth,
and bees are carrying pollen whenever it is warm enough,
I do not expect to lose any more colonies except those
that are queenless or have faulty queens. But I do expect
to have the satisfaction of breaking up every colony that

118

FIFTY YEARS A.MONG THE BEES

does not have a good queen, for when I find a colony that
is queenless or one whose queen is more or less a drone-
layer, it is no longer any satisfaction to me to nurse it
and coax it along for the sake of saying 1 haven't lost
that colony. The real satisfaction is in having it out of
the way. Time was when it seemed a nice thing in case
of finding a strong colony without a queen to give it young

P^g- 37 — Painted Tin Hive-Covers.

brood and let it rear a queen ; but much observation has
shown that a queen reared thus early is only an aggrava-
tion nine times out of ten. So when a colony is found
that is not queen-right, it is remorselessly broken up, and
distributed amongst other colonies, or united with a weak
colony having a good queen. The breaking up of such
colonies does not make the number less in the long run,
for by fall the number can be made greater than if no
breaking up had taken place.

RECORD ENTRIES.

While care is taken to omit no entry in the book that
will be of future importance, there is really not such a

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 119

great deal of writing done, as will be readily understood
when it is remembered that only one page is allotted to
three colonies, allowing only 22 square inches for each.
It is seldom that a colony requires more than its allotted
space in the season, hardly half the space being used
on the average. There is a great deal of monotony about
the entries, and there are a few words which are so fre-
quently used that abbreviations aid much in saving room
and time for making the entries. Some abbreviations
that are constantly used are as follows : b for bees, br for
brood, c or qc for queen-cell, g for gave, k for killed or
destroyed (kc means I destroyed the queen-cells), q for
queen, s for saw, but sc means sealed queen-cell, t for
took, V for virgin queen, Q for super.

PLACE FOR PENCIL.

To make sure of having a pencil always handy to
make entries, it is tied to the book, as also is a pair of scis-
sors for clipping queens unless the latter is replaced by a
pair of pocket scissors. A strong string is put in the
middle of the book, passed around the back and tied, and
to this is tied a long string that holds the pencil, and an-
other for the scissors. To prevent the scissors hanging
open with its two shaps points, a common rubber band
is so fastened on the handles as to hold them together.
\Vhile the band holds the scissors together when not in
use, its elasticity allows their free use when needed.

KILLING GRASS.

This is a good time to salt the ground at and about
the entrances of the hives, to kill the grass, although too
often I leave it till it has to be cut with a sickle. Grass
growing in front of the hive annoys the bees, and that
growing at the side annoys the operator, especially if the
operator is of the female persuasion, and the grass is wet
with dew or rain.

120 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

HARBINGERS OF HARVEST.

There are certain things always noticed by a bee-
keeper, with much interest, as heralding the beginning
of spring or of the honey-harvest. Among these are the
singing of frogs, the advent of bluebirds, and the opening
of various blossoms. With me the highest interest centers
in white clover. As I go back and forth to the out-
apiaries, I am always watching the patches of white clover

Fig. s8 — Zinc Hive-Covers.

along the roadside. If your attention has never been
called to it, you will be surprised to find how long it is
from the time the first blossom may be seen, till clover
opens out so bees will work upon it. I usually see a stray
blossom days before it seems to have any company. In
my location I do not count upon anything usually besides
white clover for surplus, so no wonder I am interested
in it.

VARIOUS HOXEY-PLANTS.

\>t there are a good many other plqjits whose help,
all taken together, is not to be despised. If I kept only a

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 121

few colonies, it is quite possible that I might secure some
surplus from more than one of them.

Dandelions help no little in brood-rearing.

Raspberries are eagerly visited by the bees, but there
are not enough of them to give a noticeable amount of
raspberry honey. It is a very pleasant sight to see the
bees thickly covering a field of raspeberries in full bloom
(Fig. 45).

Red clover may yet be of importance. Whether it
be the change in the bees or the change in the season I do
not know, but formerly I never saw a bee on red clover
except at rare intervals, and now it is quite common. I
think it may be that the bees are different.

Alsike clover is becoming common.

SWEET CLOVER.

It is hard to tell just how much, but I think the bees
gather quite a little from sweet clover (Fig. 46). The
earlier part of the sweet clover bloom is probably of no
great value, because it comes at the same time as white
clover, but it continues after white clover is gone, thus
making it of greater value. It has a habit of throwing
out fresh shoots of blossoms on the lower part of the
stalk after the whole stalk has gone to seed and appears
dead, and thus it continues the blooming season till freez-
ing weather comes on. A branch of this kind will be
seen at the right in Fig. 46. I value sweet clover for hay.

Yellow sweet clover blooms from 2 to 4 weeks earlier
than white sweet clover, and on that account is of less
value in a year when common white clover yields well.
But in the years when common white clover is a failure
yellow sweet clover may be of very great value, for so
far as I know there are no years of failure with either
kind of sweet clover. There may be no small advantage
in having the annual variety of yellow sweet clover.

Alfalfa (Fig. 47) is not plenty here. It is a rare
thing to see a bee at work upon it, and I think it is gener-
ally understood that it does not yield nectar east of the

122 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Mississippi. But the experiment station says that if the
land in Illinois be inoculated with some of the soil from
the proper alfalfa regions of the West, it will grow as well
here. If they can make changes in its growth, is it not
just possible that it may yet become a honey-plant here?

GIANT WHITE CLOVER.

A new honey-plant was mentioned a good deal in
foreign bee- journals, a giant white clover, called Colossal
Ladino (Fig. 48). I succeeded in getting some seed
from Switzerland, sowed a few of them in the window
in the winter, and had the plants blooming in the
summer of 1902. For the purpose of comparison you
will see in Fig. 4(S, at the right, a branch of red clover,
and at the left a plant of common white or Dutch clover,
both grown on the same ground. As you will see by
looking at the picture, the new plant has leaves as large
as those of red clover and in appearance I think they are
identical. The blossom, however, which you will see
toward the left, looks precisely like a large white clover
blossom. The habit of growth, too, is that of the com-
mon white clover, running along the ground and taking
root as it goes. A look at the picture will show this, the
roots being seen coming from the stalk at the left.

Just how much value there is in this new clover I do
not know. As will be seen, it grows much larger than
the common white, but only as its leaves and leaf stems
are larger, for it does not grow up and throw out branches
like red clover. It died out the second winter.

LINDEN, CATNIP, GOLDENRQD, ASTERS, HEARTSEASE.

Linden or basswood (Fig. 49) is a scarce article, the
flavor of linden honey being seldom perceptible in any
honey stored by my bees. I take great pleasure, how-
ever, in the sight of a row of lindens running from the
public road up to the house (Fig. 50).

Catnip (Fig. 51) is scattered about, in some places
quite plentiful where it has the protection of hedges, for

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 123

which it seems to have a great Hking. It has a long sea-
son.

Goldenrod (Fig. 52) grows in abundance in several
varieties, and while other insects may be seen upon it in
great numbers, a bee is seldom seen upon it. ^luch the
same may be said of the asters (Figs. 53 and 54). In
some other places both these plants are said to be well
visited by the bees.

The summer of 1002 was very wet, and for the first
time in my observation heartsease (Fig. 55) was busily
worked upon by the bees. Probably it was not plenty
enough before. At any rate it has now become a honey-
plant of importance. In some localities heartsease is, I be-
lieve, the chief honey-plant, producing amber honey.
But I tJiiiik it yields very light honey here.

CUCUMBERS.

I think the white clover crop, for some reason, is
more unreliable than it was years ago. Some years there
is a profusion of clover bloom, but there seems to be no
nectar in it. As some compensation, I think there is
more fall pasturage than formerly. One reason for this
is that two pickle factories are located at IMarenisro, and
my bees have the run of one or two hundred acres of
cucumbers. And yet I must confess that I am not at all
sure what cucumber honey is. Sometimes the honey
stored at the time of cucumber bloom is objectionable in
flavor, and sometimes the flavor is fine. Two or three
years the bees at the Hastings apiary stored in the fall
some fine honey, remarkable for whiteness, and Fve no
idea what it was gathered from unless it was heartsease.
On the w^hole I am in a poor honey region, and would
have sought a tetter one long ago but for ties other than
the bees.

ARTIFICIAL PASTURAGE.

I have made some effort to increase the pasturage for
my bees. Of spider-plant I raised only a few plants. It

12 i

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

seemed too difficult to raise to make me care to experi-
ment with it on a larger scale. Possibly if I knew better
how to manage it, the difficulty might disappear. Or, on
other soil it might be less difficult to manage. The same
might be said of the other things I have tried. My soil
,is clay loam, and hilly, although I live in a prairie State.
I am at least a mile distant from prairie soil. I had an
acre of as fine figwort as one would care to see. It died
root and branch the second winter ; even the young plants
that had come from seed the previous summer. It was

Fig- 39— Hive-Stand.

on the lowest ground I had, very rich, and much like
prairie.

\Mien the boom for Chapman's honey-plant (echin-
ops spherocephalus) was on, I was among the first to get
it, and I succeeded in having a large patch. Bees were
on it in large numbers, but close observation showed that
a great proportion of them were loafing as if something
about the plant had made them drunk. I concluded I did
not get nectar enough from it to pay for the use of the
land, to say nothing of cultivation.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 125

One year I raised half an acre of sunflowers, and I
have tried other things, but have given them up.

APPLE-BLOOM.

Quite likely if a second crop of apple-bloom came a
month or two later than the usual time, I might get some
surplus from that ; but coming so early I think there are
hardly bees enough to store it. Still, the bees are at this
time using large quantities of honey for brood, and so
the apple-bloom is of very great value. Another ad-
vantage is that the great quantity of bloom has somewhat
the effect of prolonging its time, for the latest blossoms,
that \vith a few trees would amount to little or nothing,
are enough to keef) the bees busy. So it happens that
often I can scarcely recognize any interim between fruit-
bloom and clover. A few items from a memorandum for
1882 may be interesting:

MEMORANDA OF 1882.

Apr. -1. — Last bees taken out of cellar.

^lay 8. — Plum-bloom out. Bees still work on meal
and sugar syrup.

May 10. — Wild plum, dandelion, cherry, pear, Si-
berian, Duchess of Oldenberg.

]\Iay 31. — Saw first clover blossom.

June 5. — Apple about done.

June 12. — Commenced giving supers.

June 13. — Clover full bloom — plentiful.

June 20. — Locus out.

Aug. 1. — Clover failing.

Aug. 5. — Robber bees trouble.

You will notice that the earliest apple-bloom
( Duchess of Oldenberg) commenced May 10, while the
Janets and other late bloomers were still in blossom on
June 5, several days after the first clover was seen, mak-
ing about four weeks of apple-bloom. Possibly this was
unusual — certainly the clover lasted unusually long, be-

126

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ing aborT T>4 weeks from the time the bees commenced
working on it, for they do not seem to commence work
till after the blossoms have been out some time.

TIME FOR GIVING SUPERS.

Y^ou see that I did not commence putting on supers
till r2 days after I saw the first clover-blossom, and if I
had had only a dozen colonies, I might have waited later,

Fig. 40 — Original Miller Feeder.

but with a large number I must commence in time so that
all shall be on as soon as needed. Usually I put on supers
as nearly as convenient to ten days after seeing the very
first white clover blossom. A little time before bees com-
mence work in supers, little bits of pure, white wax will
be seen stuck on the old comb about the upper part, yet I
hardly wait for this, but go rather by the clover.

Another year (1884), I saw the first clover-blossom
on May 21, apple being still in full bloom; and I com-
menced putting on supers June 2. One year, I remember^
clover failed on July 4, the earliest l' ever remember.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 127

MEMORANDA OF 1901.

Turning to another year, the year 1901, I give a few
•entries :

March 17 — Bluebirds, prairie chickens, robins, larks.

March 25. — Frogs.

April 5. — Soft maple.

April 28. — Dandelion.

May 1. — Hard maple, plum.

May 2.— Cherry.

May 5. — Apple"!

May 6. — Strawberry.

May 23.— White clover.

June 20. — Sweet clover.

June 29. — Linden.

WHITE CLOVER UNCERTAIN.

That year, 1901, had perhaps the finest show of white
clover bloom ever known, but it was a dead failure, per-
haps on account of the terrible drouth, although some-
times white clover blossoms bountifully and fails to yield
lioney when nothing that can be seen in the way of
weather is at all at fault. About the middle of August
the bees began storing, perhaps from cucumbers and
sweet clover, and gave a surplus of 16 pounds a colony.
It would have been better to have had it all stored in
lirood-frames, I think.

The following year, 1902, was still more exceptional.
As already told, the bees would have starved in June but
ior feeding, yet later on they did some good work, some
colonies yielding as much as 72 sections. The bulk of
this was stored toward the last of August or later.

Fig. 70 is from a photo taken Oct. 1. In the picture
the bee appears to be perfectly still, but these are not mov-
ing pictures, and I assure you that that bee was in Very
lively motion when taken.

OVERSTOCKING.

To a bee-keeper who has more bees than he thinks
advisable to keep in the home apiary, pasturage and over-

128 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

stocking are subjects of intense interest. The two sub-
jects are intimately connected. They are subjects so elu-
sive, so difficult to learn anything about very positively,
that if I could well help myself, I think I should dismiss
them altogether from contemplation. But like Banquo's
ghost, they will not down. I must decide, whether I will
or not, how many colonies will overstock the home field,
unless I make the idiotic determination to keep all at home
with the almost certain result of obtaining no surplus. I
do not expect ever to have any positive knowledge upon
the subject, because if I could find out with certainty just
what number of colonies a given area would support in
one year, I have no kind of assurance that the same kind
of a year will ever occur again. So I act upon the guess
that in my locality it is never wise to have more than 100
colonies in one apiary, and possibly 75 would be better.

SURPLUS ARRANGEMENTS.

The first surplus honey I obtained worth mentioning
was secured in boxes holding somewhere from 6 to 10
pounds. The boxes had glass on one or more sides, and
were placed on the top of box-hives. Then for a year or
more my surplus was extracted honey obtained with the
old Peabody extractor (Fig. 2), in which the whole affair,
can and all, revolves.

SECTIONS.

Then I started on sections of the four-piece kind, and
later used one-piece. I have used the 4^x4^x1%
size much more than any other. I have used a few hun-
dreds of the tall sections, but my market does not seem
to like them any better, if as well, as the square sections.
I have tried 4^4 square sections of several widths, 1 15-16
inches wide, 7 to the foot, also 8, 9, and 10 to the foot. I
have made some trial of plain sections, but for my market
I am not sure that there is advantage enough in them to
make me change from the two-bee-way sections.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 129

T SUPERS.

The T supers I use are 12yg wide inside, just right
for 8-frame hives. Just why I adopted this size I do not
know, for at that time I was using 10-frame hives, and it
was a Httle awkward to use a super so much narrower
than the hive. But at least part of the time I used only
eight frames in the 10-frame hives.

HOW TO MAKE A T SUPER.

So many have asked how to make a T super that it
may be well to give directions here. It is a plain box
without top or bottom, the inside width being the same
as that of the hive, and the depth ^ inch more than the
depth of the sections to be used. Mine being for the
8-frame dovetailed hive, and for 4:% x 4^ sections, are
17^ inches long, inside measure, 12^ inches wide, and
41^ inches deep. If they were all to be made over again,
I think I might prefer to have them % inch shorter.
Unless the lumber is very thoroughly seasoned, the depth
should be a little more than ^ inch more than the depth
of the sections. To support the sections, three T tins
are needed, and there must be something to support these
T tins, 3 supports on each side. With your super lying
before you upside down, make a mark on the edge of
each side at the middle. Xow, half way between this
mark and each inside end of the super, make another
mark. Those 3 marks on each side will tell you where
the middle of each support is to be. Most of my supers
have for these 6 supports pieces of sheet iron l>^xl
inch. Lay the piece flat on the edge of the side of the
super, and fasten it by 2 nails about % inch from the
inside edge of the side of the super. As the wall of
the super is % thick, that will allow the support to pro-
ject inside about ^ inch, and the support is of course 1
inch wide. Some of the latest of my supers, instead of
these squares of sheet iron, have staples as supports. A
staple is driven in about ^ inch from the inside edge,

330 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

then bent over and hammered down flat. The staples are
an inch wide. To support the sections at each end of
the super a strip of tin is nailed on. It is 13^ x S/g, and
is nailed on so as to project inward ^4 inch. The 12-inch
T tins are bought ready made. The super is hardly long
enough to close the top of the hive. I like this. When
the harvest is booming I let the super be shoved forward
enough so there will be at the back end a space of ^4
inch for ventilation, which is an important factor to pre-
vent swarming. But the sections near this ventilation
will not be finished so rapidly, and at the beginning and
toward the close of the season a cleat is nailed on the
super to close fully the opening. Yet I remember at
least one year when it worked the other way, and the
sections were sealed sooner at the open end than at the
closed end. Perhaps it was because the weather was
very hot.

The separators used are plain wood, and are gener-
ally bought new every year, for it is about as cheap to
buy new as to clean the old, and more satisfactory. The
usual follower fills out the super, wedged in with a super
spring.

SUPER SPRINGS.

Until the introduction of super springs, my supers
of sections were wedged together by crowding in behind
the follower a straight stick about as long as the inside
length of the super, and 3^ x ^ inch. I find the super
springs a very great improvement. When the sections
are filled into the super, the corners, which have been
wet. are not yet entirely dry, and no matter how tightly
wedged, as they dry out there will be a shrinkage of the
contents of the super, so that in some cases the wedge-
stick will drop down. The metal springs will adjust
themselves to this, and continue to press the sections to-
gether, although with less force, after all have entirely
dried out. It is easier to put the springs in, and very
much easier to take them out. In a word, the sticks are
not always a fit, and the springs are.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 131

Another thing of perhaps still more importance is
that the stick, being crowded in diagonally, forms a
pocket in which the bees are apt to congregate when one
is trying to get them out of the super, and it is very
hard to dislodge them from this pocket. The springs
form no such pocket.

I am not sure whether it is better to use one spring
or two to a super.

The T tins are not fastened to the super, but loose
(Fig. 5.)

SECTIONS READY IN ADVANCE.

The work of getting sections and supers ready for
use has been all done long before the time for putting on,
and something will be said about how that work is done.

At the time the supers are needed for putting on
the hives, they are all nicely piled up in the store-room
of the shop, ready to carry out.

\>ars ago I though I was doing pretty well if I had
ready in advance as much as 4 supers filled with sections
for each colony. Certainly, if I could average, one year
with another, 96 finished sections per colony, it would
not be such a bad thing. But if preparation is to be made
in advance, it must be not for an average crop, but for
the largest crop possible. Allowance must be made, too,
for unfinished sections that will be taken off at the close
of the season, and also for a good many that the bees
have not begun on at all. Being caught short of sections
and having to get them ready right in the rush of harvest
made me change my mind as to the number that should
be ready in advance. Several times I had to chance my
mind, each time setting the mark a little higher, for as
the years went by the yields of big years became bigger.
One reason for this was no doubt the improvement in
pasturage. Another was the improvement in bees by con-
tinuous breeding from the best storers.

AN EMPHATIC SEASON.

The year 1903 was one of the years that emphasized
the need of having a big stock of sections ready in ad-

332 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

vance. It emphasized also the variableness of the sea-
sons. Another item of no small importance was the har-
vests of the present and future as compared with the past.
Some have said that with the advance of civilization, the
plow and the ax have cut off our resources for nectar,
and we are no more to expect such crops as we have
had in the past. We shall see where the year 1903 put
the emphasis in that matter.

A furnace put in the cellar somewhat late the pre-
vious winter had made bad work with the wintering, so
that by the 12th of May, 1903, I could muster only 124
colonies all told, and some of them were very weak
indeed. The dense carpet of white clover promised well,
provided the weather was good (as it turned out there
was too much cold and wet for best expectations), but
enough supers were piled ready-filled to satisfy any rea-
sonable demands. The cool, wet weather hindered stor-
ing no little, but was no doubt an advantage in the long
run, for it kept the clover growing and blowing, and I
don't know really when it did cease to yield.

The season was remarkably early, so that second
stories were given some colonies by May 13, and May
25 we began giving supers. Three days later there were
evidences of abundant storing. July 1 we began taking
off supers, and from that on had a busy time both taking
off and putting on. Xo trouble with robber-bees ; supers
could be set on hives and left till the bees all ran out of
their own accord, standing all day if necessary. This up
to July 18, after which time the bees would have spells
of letting up, only to go at it afresh after the pause.

Finally it began to dawn on us that our stock of filled
supers was running dangerously low. More sections were
ordered. Getting them ready as needed was added to our
already heavy task. We were kept on the jump till near
the middle of August. Then came the National conven-
tion at Los Angeles. Some 12,000 finished sections wxre
piled up in the house, but a lot more were on the hives,
and I hesitated about going. But my assistant insisted I
should go ; the bees had let up on storing, and I thought

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 133

it would do no great harm to leave all sections on till I
got back, so I left August 12, getting back the 28th.

Scarcely had I got out of sight when the bees made a
fresh start as fierce as ever, and gave Miss Wilson the
busy time of her life. Up at 4 o'clock in the morning to
get sections ready, then to one of the apiaries to take off
and put on supers, with no let-up in the work of going
through colonies to keep down swarming. Yes, indeed,
there was swarming galore, and had been all through the
season. It is generally understood that when bees are
busily engaged at storing they give up all thoughts of
swarming. Not in 1903. I'm not sure I ever knew so
bad a season for swarming. We fought our best to pre-
vent it, but every now and then the bees would get the
start of us.

Some 6,000 finished sections were taken off during
my 16 days' absence, and on my return I found every-
thing about the work kept up in as good shape as if I had
been at home. And Miss Wilson was still alive.

We didn't get the last sections off the hives till well
along in September, and the final footing up was not con-
ducive to despondency. From 124 colonies, spring count,
we had 18,150 pounds of comb honey (about 20,000
finished sections), increasing to 284 colonies ; or, an aver-
age of more than 146 pounds per colony, with 129 per
cent increase. As the storing was mainly by one set of
colonies and the increase by another, it would perhaps be
fairer to say that 100 colonies averaged 181^ pounds per
colony with no increase, and that each of the remaining
colonies was increased to 7 2-3 colonies with no surplus.
The best colony gave 300 sections, and several colonies
Avere close on its heels.

NUMBER OF SECTIONS NEEDED PER COLONY.

That average of 146 pounds per colony was equiva-
lent to about 160 sections per colony. With 24 sections
to the super, those 160 sections would lack 8 sections of
filling 7 supers. There were probably more than 8 unfin-

134

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ished and empty sections per colony, so it will be readily
seen that for another year like 1903 it will be a conserva-
tive estimate to count on having 7 supers of sections
ready in advance for each colony. Such a year may
never come again, but then again it may. So remember-
ing the old saw, "It is better to be ready and not go than
to go and not be ready," it will be the wise thing to have

Fig. 41 — Miller Feeder Dissected.

7 supers filled in advance each year. If they are not
needed they will keep over all right, even if kept so long
as 4 or 5 years.

Perhaps it will be well as a general rule, to have
ready as many as will be needed in your best year, and
then an extra super besides for each colony. That, of
course, might make it more, or it might make it less, than
7 supers to the colony.

SHOP FOR BEE-WORK.

The shop (Fig. 71) in which the filled supers are
stored is a plain wooden building 18 x 24, two-story, with

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 135

a bee-cellar under it. The bee-cellar, however, has not
been used for some years. The upper story is used for
storing empty supers, hives and other articles not very
heavy, or such as are not often needed. The outside
door opens into the middle of the east side of the house
into a store-room ; immediately in front of you as you
enter are the stairs leading to the upper story, and at
your right a door opens into the work-room. In this
work-room is a coal-stove, and the room, being ceiled up,
is comfortable in the severest weather.

. ROOM FOR QUEEN.

up to the time of putting on supers the queen has
had unlimited room with the design of encouraging the
rearing of as much brood as possible. When the harvest
begins, she may have as much as 6, 9, 11, even up to 14
frames well occupied wnth brood and eggs. A good deal
depends on the season, as well as the queen. At one time
I thought I ought to be able to make a success of continu-
ing the two stories of brood-frames throughout the har-
vest. It seems that when a colony is so strong as to have
12 or 14 frames of brood, there ought to be no difficulty
in having good super-work done by putting the supers
above the two stories ; and one season of failure the only
super I had filled was on a two-story colony. But I was
never able to have that thing repeated, and whatever the
reason may be, I have not been able to make a success of
putting comb- honey supers on two-story colonies. Even
if the two-story plan would work all right it involves
much extra lifting.

REDUCING TO ONE STORY.

So before putting on supers the colonies are reduced
to one story each. If a colony has 9, 10, or more frames
of brood, all but 8 are taken away. The surplus frames
of brood are given to those which have less than 8 frames
of brood each, the effort being to have in each hive 8

136 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

frames well filled with brood when a super is given. The
season may be such that it will not be possible to have as
many as 8 brood in each hive. A colony strong enough
to have 6 frames well filled with brood is likely to be in
condition for good super-work, but the work will be better
if it has 7 or 8. On the other hand the season and the
early condition of the bees may be such that when each
•colony is brought up or down to its 8 frames of brood, a
considerable surplus of brood may be left.

DISPOSAL OF EXTRA BROOD.

Circumstances will decide what shall be done with
this extra brood. It may be needed for building up nuclei,
or for new colonies. It may be piled up temporarily in
piles of three, four, or five stories each, to be used later
in any manner desired. It does not take three times as
many bees to care for the brood in three stories as it does
to care for the brood in one story. If two or three stories
■of brood with adhering bees are piled up, in two or three
weeks there will be enough bees there so that when re-
duced to one story it will be all right for super-work.
Or, it may be left just as it is, and allowed to store in
combs for the next spring's use.

BURR-COMBS.

At the time of putting on supers, it is desirable that
there shall be as Httle inducement as possible toward the
building of burr-combs between top-bars and supers. A
very strong inducement of that kind consists in the pres-
ence of any beginnings of such combs already there.
Formerly I had a space of }i of an inch over top-bars^
and if a super of sections were placed directly on the hive^
burr-combs in abundance would be built.

HEDDOX HOXEY-BOARD.

In such conditions the Heddon slat-honey-board
(Fig. 6) was a boon. Between the top-bars and the

FIFTY YEARS A.MONG THE BEES

137

lioney-board was a mass of burr-combs filled with honey,
making a disagreeably dauby, sticky, dripping mess when
the honey-board was removed ; but the space between the
honey-board and the bottoms of the sections was left
"beauti fully free from burr-qombs, so the section bottoms
were left clean. This while everything was new ; for if
Jioney-boards were put on a second year without clean-

Fig. 42 — Hive-Dummy.

:ing there would be the beginnings of burr-combs between
honey-board and sections, or more than the beginnings if
the honey-boards had gone more than one year without
■cleaning. So at some time before putting on the honey-
boards they were carefully cleaned. But cleaning the
honey-boards was not enough. The tops of the frames
had to be cleaned as well, and this cleaning was done with
a common garden-hoe, an assistant smoking the bees out
-of the way while the top-bars were hoed.

CORRECT BEE-SPACE.

It was a great step in advance when we learned that
-.instead of a space of ^ of an inch there should be only

138 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES '

y^ inch, or perhaps a shade less. In other words we
learned that a bee-space, or that space in which bees were
least inclined to put either comb or propolis, was a scant
quarter of an inch. With a correct bee-space between
top-bars and sections, we can dispense entirely with any-
thing in the shape of a honey-board. There will be a lit-
tle trouble with the building of bits of comb under the
sections, but not enough to make it worth while to use a
honey-board. But that trouble will be greatly aggravated
if there be any beginnings of burr-combs on the tops of
the frames when supers are given. So the tops must be
cleaned off wherever there is anything to clean off before
the supers are put on the hives.

THICK TOP-BARS.

Another thing that may help to keep down burr-
combs is the thickness and width of top-bars. My top-
bars are ]/% thick and 1^ wide, leaving a space of ^
inch between them. There are more burr-combs than I
like built between them, and I have wondered whether
any other space would be better. If the sides as well as
the tops of the top-bars were cleaned off at the time of
giving supers, it would help to keep the bottoms of sec-
tions clean, but I doubt its paying.

THICK TOP-BARS FOR WHITE SECTIONS.

Even if the ]/% thickness of top-bar were of no other
advantage, I should want it for the sake of keeping the
cappings of the sections white. At one time I had wide-
frames of sections facing brood-frames (the brood-frames
were used to bait the bees up into the supers), and if the
brood-frames were left there till the sections were sealed,
the sealing would be almost if not quite as dark as the
sealing of brood-combs. The bees seem to carry bits of
the old, black brood-combs to use in capping the sections.
So the thick top-bar increasing the distance of the sec-
tions from the brood-combs helps to keep the former
whiter.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 139

NO EXCLUDER UNDER SECTIONS.

"Before putting on the super, would you advise me
to put a queen-excluder (Fig. 56 ) over the brood-cham-
ber?" It would increase the space between the brood-
combs and the sections, and in that way would be a
further help toward prevention of dark cappings on the
sections, and it would make a sure thing as to preventing
burr-combs on the bottoms of the sections. But I don't
believe there would be enough advantage in both ways to
pay for the excluders.

I think I hear you say, "But wouldn't it pay to u.se
excluders for the sake of keeping the queen out of the
supers?" I may reply that the queen so seldom goes up
into a siper that not one section in a hundred, sometimes
not more than one in a thousand, will be found troubled
with brood. So on the whole I hardly think that all the
advantages to be gained from using excluders would pay
for the time and trouble of using them. I need not con-
sider so very much the cost of them, for I have a lot on
hand lying idle. At one time I thought I had a plan for
prevention of swarming by the use of excluders, and was
so sanguine about it that I got 150 of them. I think a
great deal of queen-excluders, and wouldn't like to do
without them, but I did not need 150 of them, for my ex-
cluder-swarm-prevention plan did not turn out to be a
howling success.

EXPERIMENTING ON TOO LARGE SCALE.

Allow me to digress long enough to confess that one
of my weaknesses is being a little too sanguine about new
plans while they are yet in the raw, and so experimenting
on too large a scale. More than one crop of honey has
been lessened by means of some foolish project that I
thought might increase the crop. But I haven't done as
badly as I might have done, for my good wife has acted
somewhat as a balance-wheel, advising me to "go slow^"
and not experiment on too large a scale, and she has al-

140

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ways been abetted by her sister, who is perhaps over-con-
servative. I could have tested my plan with 15 excluders
just as well as with ten times that number, but I knew
the plan would work, and I couldn't wait ! I think I
didn't consult my wife about ordering the 150 excluders.
As I grow older I may learn caution, and experiment on
a smaller scale, but too much should not be expected
of me.

F^S- 43 — Crock-and-plate Feeder.

PLEASURE OF EXPERIMENTING.

As an offset to the mischief done by experimenting
on too large a scale, I may say that one of my keenest en-
joyments is the working out of problems connected with
l3ee-keeping. There is never a time, summer or winter,
when I am not cooking one or more schemes, plans or
projects connected with the business. No doubt more
money could be made at bee-keeping if everything in the
business were fully settled and we knew beforehand just
exactly the right step to take in any given c:ise, but there
wouldn't be nearly the fun in it.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 141

BROOD AND POLLEN IN SECTIONS.

It may be asked why it is that I have so Uttle trouble
with queens laying in sections, while some others are
much troubled in that way. Possibly the thickness of top-
bars may have something to do with it, but very likely
it may be that the amount of foundation in sections has
a bearing on the case. Some use small starters in sec-
tions, while my sections are filled as full as possble with
foundation. When drone-comb is absent from the brood-
nest, there seems such a desperate desire for drone-brood
that I have known the queen to leave the brood-nest and
fill with eggs a patch of drone-comb two or three frames
distant from the brood-nest. On the same principle she
would go up into the sections if drone-comb were there,
and nearly always when I find brood in the sections it is
drone-brood. With small starters in sections there is
plenty of chance for building drone-comb, but when the
sections are full of worker foundation there is no chance
for it, hence no special temptation for the queen to go
above unless very much crowded for room.

Of course, when brood enters the sections, pollen
is likely to follow. Perhaps a more common cause of
pollen in sections is the shallowness of brood-frames.
Against this, an excluder is powerless to help. I had a
little experience with frames shallower than the -ang-
stroth, and had more pollen over one hive with the shal-
lower frames than over fifty of the others.

PREPARING SUPERS OF SECTIONS.

This work is done in the winter, or at least so early
in spring that it will not interfere with other work, but as
an understanding of it may help just a little toward under-
standing some of the summer work, I will talk about it
here.

CLEANING SUPERS AND T TINS.

The propolis is scraped from the supers by means of
the hatchet alreadv mentioned. Cleaning T tins is an-

142 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

other matter. The plan used is the invention of my as-
sistant, and I think I can not do better than to let her tell
about it by copying the following article which she wrote
for Gleanings in Bee-Culture:

"When we commenced work in the shop, the first
super I filled with the nice clean sections, I looked at the
T tins all covered with propolis and thought to myself,
^If we are to have sections unstained by propolis it will

Fig. 44 — W at ering-C ro ck .

never do to put them on these dirty T tins. But, oh dear !
it will be an endless task to scrape them all. I can never
do it.' Just then a happy thought struck me. Why not
boil the propolis ofif? Sure enough, why not?

"T repaired to the kitchen, placed the wash-boiler on
the stove (one we use for such work), filled it with water
and T tins, then went back to the shop to work, and left
them to boil at their own sweet will, delighted to think I
had such an inspiration. In about an hour I went back
to the kitchen to see how my T tins were progressing. I
fully expected to see them all nice and clean, and was

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 143

most bitterly disappointed to find that they looked even
worse than they did when I put them in, as the propolis
was more evenly distributed all over them.

"T next tried scrubbing them with a broom in the
boiling water, but it would not work. I meditated awhile,
then concluded I would try concentrated lye, provided
Dr. Miller did not object. I did not know what effect the
lye would have on the tins. He said I might try it. I
put the boiler back on the stove to try once more. I did
not feel quite so sanguine as I poured in part of a can of
concentrated lye.

"T did not leave it this time, but anxiously watched
to see what effect it would have. It brought it off pretty
well, but was not quite strong enough. I put in the rest
of the can of lye, and. Eureka ! the propolis disappeared
as if by magic. I stirred the tins with the poker to insure
the lye reaching all parts of them ; then with the tongs I
lifted them into a tub and rinsed them off with cold wa-
ter and set them up in the sun to drain, as bright and
clean as when they came from the tinner's.

"T filled up the boiler with T tins again, and so on,
until the strength of the lye was all used up, when I
turned it out, filled up the boiler afresh, and began all
over again, continuing until they were all done. I used
a can of lye to a boiler of water.

''Every time I fill up a super with the nice clean T
tins I feel more than paid for the work it took to make
them so. I am pretty sure that washing-fluid would clean
them almost if not quite as well as the concentrated lye,
providing it were used strong enough, although I have
never tried it. However, I think I should prefer the lye,
as it does the work most thoroughly and does not hurt
the T tins in the least, that I can see.

"If you have a lot of dirty T tins I advise you to
clean them in this way, and see if you are not as delighted
as I was to see them come out so bright and clean. Be
sure to use plenty of water in rinsing them off."

1-i-i FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

WETTING SECTIONS.

The well-known Hubbard section-press is used for
putting the sections together. If the sections are fresh
from the manufacturer and as good as they ought to be,
they can be put together at once without any preparation.
If they have been held over from the previous year they
may be so dry that too many of them will break in fold-
ing. The joints of these are wet in a somewhat wholesale
manner. If they are crated in such a way as to be favor-
able for it, the whole crate of 500 are wet before being
taken from the original package, one side of the crate
being removed so as to expose the edges of the sections.
If the crate is not of the right kind for this, then the sec-
tions are taken from the crate and put in the proper posi-
tion in an empty crate lying on one side with the top and
one end removed. Of course the sections do not lie flat,
but on their edges, the grooves of each tier corresponding
with the grooves of the other tiers, so that a small stream
of water poured into the grooves at the top will readily
find its way clear through to the bottom. If necessary
the sections must be wedged together, so there will be no
room for water to get between them only at the grooves.

A pint funnel is specially prepared for the work. A
wooden plug is pushed in from above, projecting below
two inches or less. The lower end of the plug is whit-
tled to a point, and either by means of a bad fit or by
means of a little channel cut in one side of the plug, there
is just leak enough so that when the funnel is filled there
will be a continuous fine stream of water running from
the point of the plug. Holding the funnel in one hand
I pour into it boiling water from a tea-kettle held in the
other hand, at the same time holding the funnel so that
the stream from the point of the plug shall be directed
into the grooves, moving the funnel along just fast
enough so that the water shall be* sure to go clear through
to the bottom. Cold water will not work well.

A plan I like better is to have a vessel of hot water
somewhat elevated, with a small rubber tube running

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

145

from It, so that the stream from it can easily be directed
mto the grooves. A fountain syringe works nicely

Before wetting, the box oi sections should be stood
so that the sections are on end. and then jolted heavily
so as to make the grooves correspond the whole depth
ot the box. After the sections are wet thev swell imme-
diately, making them fit too tightlv in the box to be got-
ten out without much difficulty, the boards are torn off
one end of the box, and after the sections are taken out
the boards are nailed on again, if it be desired to preserve
the box.

FOLDIXG SECTIOXS.

Sometimes I put sections together mvself, but gen-
erally some boy or girl does the work unless my wife be
pressed into service. The operator seated at the ma-
chine (Fig. 57) has a pile of sections laid at a convenient
height at her left hand, the sections piled so that ends
correspond. As fast as the sections are taken from the
press they are neatly piled in order on a board at the right
of the operator. (I know that some throw the sections
indiscriminately into a basket as thev leave the press, and
It seems this ought to take less tim'e, but I think in the
long run my way saves time.) It is desirable that the
board upon which the sections are piled should be light
as no great strength is required, and sometimes several
thousand folded sections will be piled up ahead, and
It IS pleasanter to handle the light board. A dummy or
almost any board will answer, but oftener wood-zinc
queen-excluders are used. One of these is of such size
that there may be placed upon it side by side three rows
of sections with ten sections in each row' Upon these are
placed three other rows, break-joint fashion, with nine
sections m each row, and this piling up mav continue till
the upper rows contain four or less each. 'Generally the
piling goes no higher than to have six sections in the
upper rows, making 120 sections a board-full. As fast
PS one board is filled another takes its place, and the filled
board is piled up, unless Miss Wilson is putting in foun-

146

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

dation at the time and is ready for a fresh boardful of
sections.

SIZE OF STARTERS IX SECTIONS.

Foundation for sections comes from the factory in
sheets large enough to fill several sections. At different
times the sheets have been of different sizes, but for some
time past they have measured 3J^ x 15^. This size is

No. 45 — Field of Raspberries in BIooi

just right to make four top-starters354 inches deep, and
four bottom starters ^ inch deep. Occasionally a bot-
tom-starter of this depth makes trouble by lopping over,
but not often, and a shallower starter is more likely to be
gnawed down by the bees. Moreover, I think the deeper
the bottom-starter the more promptly the two starters
are fastened together.

With two starters of this size in a 4J4 section, there
should be a space of % inch between the two if it were
not that the space is made larger by the melting away of
the edges of the starters when thev are put in the section
(Fig. 60).

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 147

CUTTING FOUNDATION.

I have one time and another used different plans for
cutting. A simple way, and one that is quite satisfactory,
is the following: Take a board 18 x 12 inches or larger;
on one end nail a block as a stop for the ends of the
sheets of foundation to rest against, and on one side nail
four blocks about 2}i inches long as stops for the one
edge of the foundation to rest against. It is well also to
nail one of these S^^-inch blocks on the other side near
the stop at the end, so as to make a space oi 7ys inches in
which the ends of the foundation shall be confined, other-
wise the foundation has a disagreeable habit of sluing off
to one side when the first cut is made at the other end.
Of course these stops are to be nailed on the upper
surface of the board and not on the edges. The two
blocks that are nailed nearest the end-stop are to be tight
against it, the others at such intervals as to allow for
cutting the 314 starters. The size of these blocks is not
important ^-i square being a good size. With a rule of
any convenient length ^x^, this rule being used to
guide the knife in cutting, the machine would now be
ready for the foundation if one had an eye accurate enough
to put the rule in the right place. In order to do this
quickly and accurately, nails against which to place the
rule at the right places are partly driven in on both sides ;
2^-inch wire finishing-nails are good for this purpose.
The board is to lie before you, having the side with the
four stop-blocks nearest you. Drive a nail into each
side of the board so that there shall be a space of just
3^ inches between the end-stop and the nail. I don't
mean you shall mark a point 3^4 inches from the end-stop
and drive your nail there, for that would make S% inches
from the end-stop to the middle of the nail, whereas it
should be 3>4 from the stop to the nearest side of the
nail. The distances of the other nails from the end-stops
will be as follows: 6>^, 9^, 13, 13^, 14^4, UJ/g. Now
your cutting-board is all ready for work.

148 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Two knives are needed, one to be heating while the
other is cutting. For heating I use a common kerosene
lani]) put in a box deep enough so that when a board is
laid over the top of it and a knife is laid on that board
the end of the knife-blade shall be directly over the lamp,
nearly or quite touching the top of the chimney. I don't
know what kind of a knife is best. A Barlow knife makes

-1 '

'■

'«(♦''

\ i

.igAMrMm

Fig. 46 — Siveet Clover.

good work, but I think I like better a common tea-knife
with a thin steel blade broken ofif, so it is 2^ or 3 inches
long, and somewhat square at the point.

Preparatory to cutting, the foundation must be care-
fully and evenly placed on the board. Take seven sheets
and even them up true and nice, and lay the pile with
one end tight against the end-stop and one side against
the side-stops. Xow lay a similar pile close beside it.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES U9

Beginning at the right-hand end, place your rnle against
the left-hand side of the nails, and with a quick stroke
make a cut with the knife held flat against the rule. If
you don't look out you'll hold the rule so that you'll cut a
piece oft" the tip of the thumb or finger of the left hand,
l3ut you'll not be likely to do it many times. If you are
not careful to hold the knife flat against the rule you will
be likely to cut into it. To avoid this I have tried cover-
ing the rule with tin, but do not like it so well. The
rapidity of the stroke is important. If your knife is hot
enough you can cut clear down through at one stroke,
but that's bad. The edges of the foundation will be
melted tofrether, and you will have trouble getting them
apart. Turn down your lamp, and get it so three or four
strokes will be needed.

L?tterly I have given up heating the knife, and like
it better. The small blade of a pocket knife is used, and
it is kept very sharp, especially at the point. Several
rapid strokes do the business. The rapidity of the strokes
is important, but some practice is needed, for with the
verv quick stroke there is some danger that the knife
will cut into the stick.

Although this plan takes n:ore strokes, it still saves
time for there is no heating or changing of knives. It
also saves the time of pulling the pieces apart, for with
the hot knife there will always be at least a little melting
together at the edges. Of course the cutting must not
be done when the foundation is too cold, or it will be
more or less broken.

Cutting fo'-'ndation in a miter-box with a corrugated
bread-knife was highly commended. I tried it, and was
quite pleased to think it made faster work, although
hardly such exact work. Then I tin:ed it by the watch,
and was surprised to find that it took more time than the
old way.

When the boardful is cut I take a super with a bot-
tom in it, gather up and put into it 56 bottom-starters,
also the ofi top-starters, making them in a neat pile.

150 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Instead of using a single rule, I have for some time
preferred to have a rule for every cut. making a saving of
time. Take seven rules and lay them on the board on
the proper places for cutting. On the ends of the rules,
at each side, lay a thin strip of wood 15 inches long or
longer — a one-piece section without the grooves does
nicelv — with one end of each strip tight up against the
end-stop. Xow nail together in this position, clinching
the nails. You will use this with the other side up, the
rules above, the side-strips below (Fig. 61). Of course
the guide-nails are not needed with this arrangement. In
the picture three of the rules appear all right, but the
other four, which are very close together, look as if they
were all one.

The cutting-board rests on a little work-table (Fig.
62), which is quite convenient for this and other pur-
poses.

The sections being folded and the founndation cut, we
are now ready for putting starters in the sections. This
is the work of Miss Wilson and she is an expert at it.
After tr\'ing a number of foundation-fasteners, I have
found nothing with which I can do better work than with
the Daisy fastener.

DIVISION OF LABOR.

I may remark in passing that when I speak of doing
things it does not always mean that I do such things per-
sonally, for it may be that some one else does the work
entirely. But when any new implement is to be used or
new plan tried, I first carefully study it up and tr\' to
learn just how it ought to be used, and then I instruct
the one who is to make a specialty of that part of the
work, and in a short time the specialist far exceeds the
instructor. Miss Wilson can put in, I think, five starters
to my one ; my son Charlie, when a little chap, could dis-
tance me in putting together sections : and I think Philo
can beat me at taking sections out of supers.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 151

PUTTING STARTERS IN SECTIONS.

The Daisy foundation-fastener is so well-known that
I need say nothing about the use of the machine itself.
As the operator sits at the machine with a small pile of
starters in the lap, a boardful of sections is at the left
hand at a convenient height, the side of the board toward
the operator (Fig. ST). The bottom-starter is put in
first, then the top-starter. When the section has its two
starters, it is put directly into the super. With a starter
as deep as 3j4 inches it would hardly do to throw the sec-
tion in a basket. Formerly the sections when filled were
placed in order on a board the same as the board from
which they were taken, and it was a separate job after-
ward to fill them in the super.

PUTTING SECTIONS IN SUPERS.

By means of an implement of my own devising,
which for want of a better name may be called a "super-
filler" (Fig. 63), the separate job of filling sections in
supers is now. entirely dispensed with, and the sections
go directly from the Daisy fastener into the super, taking
no more time to be put into the super than it w^ould take
to put them on a board. Indeed, I think it takes a lit-
tle less time, for there is not the same need of care in
placing the sections so other sections will not be knocked
ofT the board, but the sections are shoved into place in
the super in a sort of automatic way. Then, too, it is a
comfort to get them directly into the super, for while on
a board, even for a short time, there is always danger
of some mishap by which a boardful may tumble over
and come to grief.

SUPER-FILLER.

ril tell you how to make a super-filler. Take a board
as large as the outside dimensions of your super or
larger. (The one in the picture is a board hive-cover.)
Xail a cleat on one end of the board, and another cleat on

152

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

one side as in the picture. These cleats may be Yihy %
inch, but the dimensions are not important. Now put a
super on the board, shoving one corner snug up in the
corner made by the cleats. With a lead-pencil, mark on
the board, on the inside of the super, where the sides of

Fig. 47 — Alfalfa.

the super come. Put eight sections in the super, four on
each side, with three T tins in their proper places.
With a pencil rule across the board each side of each T
tin, so as to show where the T tins come. Now take ofif
the super and its contents, and get six strips, each 11^
inches long and }i inch square. Nail these on as shown
in the picture, so as to keep at equal distances from the

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 153

pencil-mark of the super at each side, and about a fourth
of an inch distant from the marks made for the T tins.
The super-filler is now complete.

It stands at a convenient height at the right-hand
side of the one who operates the Daisy fastener, with
the side-cler.t at the farther side (Fig. 87). A super is
placed on it with one corner of the super tight against
the angle made by the cleats ; but no T tin is yet put in the
super. As the sections come from the fastener they are
placed in the super at the end toward the back of the
operator. When the first row of six is completed, the T
tin is slipped under these sections into its proper place.
In like manner a second row of sections and a T tin ; then
a third row and a T tin, and lastly the fourth row. Then
without rising, the operator lifts this filled super to one
side and gets an empty one.

PUTTIXG IX SEPARATORS.

Generally these filled supers are not separatored till
the day's work of fastening foundation is done. Then a
small table is used at which the operator sits. This table
is made of three hive bottom-boards, or boards 21x14.
Stand two of the boards on end ; nail the other board on
top ; nail light boards on one side for a back, or brace
with two pieces of lath diagonally ; and there's your table
(Fig. 62). Being convenient for other purposes, sev-
eral of these little tables are on hand. The table is placed
near a pile of supers to be separatored, and the separators
are filled in.

TOP SEPARATORS.

As the sections now stand, there is som.e space be-
tween them endwise, allowirg them to be out of
square, and making a convenient place for the bees to
deposit a disagreeable quantity of propolis. To remedy
this, there is crowded in ?t the top between each two
rows of sections a little stick 11^ by ^4 by scant yg.
Then the follower is wedged in, and when all are done

154

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the supers are carried into the south room or store-
room, and piled up to await the harvest time.

BAIT-SECTIONS.

Bait-sections are put in enough supers so that the
first super put on each hive shall be baited. Generally

Fig. 48 — Colossal Ladino Clover.

only one bait-section is in a super, the bait being in the
center, and these baited supers are piled in the store-room
where it will be convenient to reach them first.

SATISFACTION IN HAVING SUPERS READY.

There is a feeling of real satisfaction in seeing the
larger part of the store-room filled with piles of supers
ready to go on the hives. How m.-my times I have

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 155

counted them and admired the nice even piles reaching to
the ceiHng! Perhaps I should not appreciate them so
much if I had not, years ago, felt the annoyance of run-
ning out of sections or foundation right in the middle of
the honey season, waiting days for it, and the honey
wasting.

Having spent thus much time telling what was done
the previous winter, let us get back to warmer weather.

GIVING ADDITIONAL SUPERS.'

Understanding now that each colony has had a super
given to it about ten days after the very first w^hite clover
blossom has been seen, the further history of this super
and its possible successors is a matter that varies so much
in different seasons that it is difficult to tell it straight.
By the way, you may think that I'm always thrilled with
the sight of the first clover blossom. T'm not. Scarcely
ever a thrill. The colonies are never all of them as
strong as I would like for the beginning of the harvest,
and that first clover blossom is merely a warning that
the time for building up for the harvest is becoming very
short.

UNCERTAINTY OF SEASONS.

As to giving additional super-room, it is a thing that
may or rot be. That first clover bloom may have so
few successors that there will be no harvest ; or bloom
may be abundant with no nectar. So sometimes it
happens that after it becomes a clear case that the harvest
is a failure, the supers are taken off as innocent of honey
as when they were put on. Oftener it happens that the
bait-section in each super is filled and sealed and not a
cell drawn out in the other sections. From that up, the
seasons will vary so that the average number of sections
to eich colony will be 10, 24, 48, and up to 150 or more,
although these latter seasons do not come with any
alarming degree of frequency.

]56 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

If one covUl know in advance just what the season
was going to be, one could tell a good deal better what to
do in the way of giving additional super-room. One may
give so much room that there will be an undue propor-
tion of unfirished sections at the final taking off, or one
may leave the bees so crowded for room as to lose part
of the crop. I am not likely to make the latter mistake,
which I consider a good deal worse than to have too many
unfinished sections.

GUESSING ABOUT MORE SUPER-ROOM.

On the whole, there is a mixture of judgment and
guess-work as to putting on any super after the first.
Perhaps the nearest to a general rule in the matter is to
give a second super when the first is half filled. If, how-
ever, honey seems to be coming in slowly, or if the colony
is not strong, and the bees seem to have plenty of room
in the super, no second super is given, although the one
already there may be nearly filled with honey. On the
other hand, if honey seems to be coming with a rush, and
the bees seem crowded for room, a second super may be
given, although there is very little honey in the first.
These same conditions continued, a third super may be
given when the second is only fairly started and the first
not half full, and before the first super is ready to take
ofif there may be four or five supers on the hive.

RISKING IN GOOD SEASON.

In the year 1897 — a remarkably prosperous year-
there were on the hives in the Wilson apiary an average
of four supers to each colony, some colonies with less
than four and some with more, before a single super was
filled. As I would lie at night thinking it over, I would
say to myself, "What if there should come one of those
sudden stops to the flow that sometimes occur, and you
should be caught with those tons' of honey with scarcely
any sections finished in the lot? Wouldn't you wish

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

157

you had gone a little slower, and had the bees finish up-
what they had, rather than coax them to spread over
more territory?" And then the cold chills would run
up and doW'U my back. But the sudden stop didn't
come, and the crop was finished in good style. The

Fig. 4Q — Linden or Basszvood Blossoms.

supers were all well filled with bees, and although I
took some chances as to unfinished work, I feel pretty
sure that if I had allowed less room it would have been at
a loss. But that was a very exceptional case.

Usually, in a fair season, when the harvest is in full
blast and fairly along, there will be 3. 4 or more supers
upon each hive, at one tin.e. Th?.t does not mean, by

158 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

anv means, that all of them will be finished, for very
likely the last super given will have very little honey in
it when the harvest is over. But it will not do to let the
bees be crowded for room, and if all the sections on the
hive are about full, if the harvest has not entirely closed
an empty super must be given, in case they might need it.

SUPERS FOR OUT-APIARIES.

If there is guessing abort the number of supers to
put on in the home apiary, there is still more guessing as
to the number to be taken when starting to an out-apiary.
If I take a smaller number than needed, I may have to
take a spcial trip for more. If I take more than are
needed, I will hardly want to take them back home with
me. and they are put in piles and covered up in the hope
that thev may be used the next time. But there is some
danger of their being affected by rain when piled up at
the out-apiary, so there is trouble either way. On the
whole it is better to take too many than too few, and so
there are generally some extra ones at the out-apiaries.

To take supers to the out-apiaries, they are piled up
on the wagon in five piles, a lath is nailed from top to
bottom on each pile, and they are braced on top with lath
(Fig. 64.) Fifty empty supers can be taken at a load,
but it is not often that as many as forty filled supers are
taken at a load.

V ADDING SUPERS UNDER OR OVER, y/'

""r^ J /^g ^j-jg harvest advances I am more chary about giv-

ing room, and it is only given when the sections already
on are pretty well filled. Suppose toward the last of the
season I come to a colony that has its sections nearly all
filled. There is a possibility that the bees may be able to
finish up what they have and a few more in an additional
super, but the great probability, is that they will do no
more than to finish what they have. Although that prob-
abilitv mav amount to almost a certaintv, I do not act

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

159

upon it, but go for the possibility and give the extra super.
But I put it on top of the others, so that the bees will not
commence work in it unless actually crowded into it.

During the early part of the harvest, so long as there
is a reasonable expectation that each additional super will
be needed, the empty super is put under the others, next
to the brood-chamber. Work will commence in it more
promptly than when an empty super is placed on top, and

Fig. 30 — Rozif of Lindens in Bloom.

that greater promptness in occupying the new super may
be the straw to turn the scale on the side of keeping down
the desire for swarming. But when a super is put on
toward the close of the season, not because it seems really
needed, but as a sort of safety-valve in case it might be
needed, I do not wish to do anything to coax the bees
into it, so it is put on top, and the bees can do as they
please about entering it. It is true that if an empty
super is put under the others at a time when the harvest
is nearing its close, the bees may not do a thing in it, but
merely go up and down through it and keep to work in

160 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the super above. But it is not so well to have them work-
ing so far from the brood-nest with empty space beneath.
No bait-section is needed in any super after the first.

EMPTY SUPERS OX TOP. ^

Latterlv I have fallen into the practice of giving an
empty super on top, even when an empty super is put
under. This for more than one reason. It sometimes
happens that the upper starter of foundation is not secure-
ly fastened the entire length. If fastened half way
across the top-bar of the section, it will look all right,
but if put under other supers, next to the brood-
chamber, a heavy weight of bees coming upon it suddenly
will drag down the foundation at one side. If put on
top, the bees will enter the super only gradually, and the
foundation will be fastened in place before any great
weight of bees comes upon it. This empty super on
top gives a less crowded feeling, and may help a little
toward preventing swarming. No matter how full or
empty the lower super may be, this top super serves as a
sort of safety-valve, in case any need for more room
should arise. The next time there is need to give a
super below% this top super is moved down and another
empty super put in its place, ^^l^en the top super is
put down, I think the bees start work on it just a bit
sooner than if it had not been above.

^ SWARMIXG NOT DESIRABLE. ^

If I were to meet a man perfect in the entire science
and art of bee-keeping, and were allowed from him an
answer to just one question, I would ask for the best and
easiest way to prevent swarming, for one who is anxious
to secure the largest crop of comb honey. There are
localities where a large crop of honey is secured in the
fall, and in such place, or in any place where the honey-
flow is long enough, a larger crop may be secured by in-
crease, but I am not i so sure about that. If a man in

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 161

such a place starts in the spring with 75 colonies, he may
get a larger crop by increasing early enough to 150,
supposing 150 colonies to be the largest number his
field will bear ; but would he not have a still larger crop
if he had 150 all through the season and made no in-
crease? However that may be, in my locaHty, which
bee-keepers generally would consider a poor one, where
white clover is the chief if not the only source from
which a crop may be expected, and where the harvest is
all too short, if, indeed, it comes at all — in such a place
I am satisfied that more honey can be harvested
by commencing in the spring with the largest number
the field will bear and holding at that number, always
provided that the means taken to keep down increase
shall in no wise interfere with the best work on the part
of the bees.

If I were working for extracted honey, I suppose the
matter might be managed, to a great extent, if not to the
fullest extent, by simply giving abundance of room in
every direction ; but with comb honey, I do not believe
that an abundance of room in the brood-nest is compatible
with the largest yield of surplus.

Or, if I were working for extracted honey, I might
at the beginning of the harvest put all the brood over
an excluder in an upper story, leaving the queen on
empty frames below, but that would hardly work for
comb-honey production.

MANAGEMENT OF SWARMING COLONIES.

From my first using movable frames, I think I have
kept my queens' wings clipped, so my experience in hav-
ing natural swarms with flying queens has been very
limited. But my experience in having swarms issue
where and when I did not want them, has been very large.
Only extreme modesty and humility prevents my being
very proud of so large an experience. If I should ever
reach that point where I shall be equally successful in

162 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

preventing swarms. I make no promise to be either
modest or humble.

So long as success in prevention of swarms has not
been reached, it remains an important matter to know the
best thing to do when swarms do issue. Under ordinary
circumstances some one must be on hand to watch for
swarms. For several years I have had no watching for
swarms, and have had no swarms except those which
swarmed in spite of my efforts to prevent them. Y'et if I
had only the one apiary, it is just possible that I might
allowing swarming, at least so far as to allow the bees to
swarm and then return to their old hives. At any rate
there are a great many so situated as to allow their bees to
go thus far in swarming, and I feel pretty sure that for
them there may be some interest in knowing what I did
when swarms did issue, so I will give an account of my
management when I formerly allowed the bees to swarm.

WATCHING FOR SWARMS. V^

AMth as many as 100 colonies in an apiary, the one
who is on watch can hardly be allowed to do anything
else. The regular noise is so great among so many that
the added noise of a swarm is hardly noticed ; so sight,
not hearing must be depended on. I have gone on with
my regular work and taken a look once in five or ten min-
utes along the rows to see if any swarms were out. but
it is not a very satisfactory way of doing. A bright boy
or girl can watch very well, if faithful. It is not neces-
sary, of course to watch all day ; and the weather has
much to do with the hours at which swarms may be ex-
pected. On a hot morning a swarm may issue as early as
6 o'clock : but this is exceptional, and if the weather has
been cloudy through the day, clearing off bright and
warm in the after part, a swarm may issue after 4 o'clock.
Ordinarily, howxver, it is not necessary to be on the look-
out before 8 a. m., or much after 2 p. m. I had a swarm
issue once in a shower, but, that is so unlikely to occur
that I would not think it worth while to keep any watch
at such a time.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 163

The watcher will soon learn the points of advantage
from which he can easily command a view of the whole
apiary, not needing to stir from his seat unless a swarm
issues. Sometimes, however, there is so much playing
going on among the bees, that there is no alternative but
to travel about and take a close look at each colonv that

Fig. ji — Catnip.

shows unusual excitement. It is an advantage at this
time to have the hives in long rows. I have 30 or -iO
hives in a row. At the middle is a shady place to sit.
A clock or watch lies in open sight so that a look at every
hive may be taken once in five minutes. If there is no
time-piece to go by, the watcher may become interested

164 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

in something else, and think the five minutes not up when
double that time has passed ; but having the time meas-
ured out, he is free to read or do anything else between
times. At each five minutes, the w^atcher, who is sitting
at the middle of the middle row, rises, glances along the
back row to the north end ; then, along the middle row to
the north end ; then, stepping forward, glances along the
front row to the north end ; then along the same row to
the south end ; then to the south end of the middle row ;
and lastly to the south end of the back row. All this has
taken less time than it takes to write it, and the watcher
is ready to sit down till another five minutes is up.

If, however, unusual commotion is seen — and, sight-
ing along the rows in this way, it can easily be seen — the
watcher goes to the hive for a closer look. Up to the
middle of the day or later, there is not often much ex-
citement, unless there be a swarm ; but after this time so
many colonies take their play-spells that the watcher
needs to spend most of his time on his feet.

ONE-CENT CAGES.

The watcher is provided with a number of queen-
cages. These are easily made and the material costs less
than a cent apiece. I take a pine block, 5xlx^-inch, and
wrap around it a piece of wire-cloth 4 inches square. The
wire-cloth is allowed to project at one end of the block a
half inch. The four sides of this projecting end are bent
down upon the end of the stick and hammered down tight
into place. A piece of fine wire about 10 inches long is
wrapped around the wire-cloth, about an inch from the
open end, which will be about the middle of the stick, and
the ends of the wire twisted together. I then pull out the
block, trim ofif the corners of the end a little so that it will
easily enter the cage, slide the stick in and out of the cage
a number of times so that it will work easily, and the
thing is complete (Fig. 65). When not in use, the block
is pushed clear in, so as to preserve the shape of the cage.
Such cages can be carried in the pocket without danger
of being injured.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

165

FINDING OUEEN OF SWARM.

When the watcher finds a swarm issuing, he is pretty
dull if he does not become interested in looking for the
queen. I do not know of any sure way to find the queen,
but she is not often missed. I think I can find her most

Fig. j2 — J'^ase of Goldenrod.

easily by watching on the ground in front of the entrance.
\>ry frequently she comes out at the back end of the hive
or at the side, when the hive is raised on blocks. Rarely
she may be found at some distance from the hive, on the
ground, with a group of bees about her. If not found,
she is most likely in the hive, and the swarm may re-issue
in a day or two. She may be lost, but at this particular

166 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

time her loss is not so very great. There is no danger
of the swarm being lost ; it will return to the hive in a few
minutes, although I have known them to cluster for half
an hour or more before returning. It may happen, some-
times, that a swarm may go into a hive whose colony has
swarmed a little while before, and where it is always
peacefully received. I do not like this doubling up, but I
do not know that I lose anything by it, for the bees can
store up just as much in one hive as another.

When the watcher finds the queen, she is caged.
Either the cage is held down for her to run into, or she is
caught and then caged. After the queen is in the cage,
the block is pushed in an inch or so, and the cage put
where the bees can take care of it. Usually it is thrust
into the entrance, close up against the bottom-bars, so that
if a cool night should come there will be no danger that
the bees will desert it.

The watcher keeps a little memorandum book, and
puts down in it the number of the colony that swarmed ;
for it might make bad work if it should be forgotten and
neglected until the emergence of a young queen to lead
out an absconding swarm.

doolittle's plan.

Some years ago Mr. G. M. Doolittle gave a plan for
management of swarming colonies when no increase was
desired. I do not think that he uses it now. I do not
know that I shall ever use it again, and yet it was valuable
to me, and for some circumstances nothing may be better.
The plan, in brief, was this: The queen being caged
and left in the hive, all queen-cells are cut out in five days
from the time the swarm issued, and five days later all
queen-cells are again cut out and the queen set at liberty.

I used this one season with great satisfaction, and I
do not remember that any colony thus treated swarmed
again.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 167

VARYING DOOLITTLe's PLAN.

The next season I varied the plan. Instead of leav-
ing the queen with the colony to remain idle for ten days,
I took her away and gave her to a nucleus, a new colony,
or wherever a queen was needed. At the end of the ten
days I returned her to the colony, placing her directly
upon a comb taken from the middle of the brood-nest.
Often, however, I gave them a different queen, for after
an absence of ten days. I doubt if they could tell their own
queen from any other. Besides, they were in a condition
to take any queen without grumbling.

After the first year, however, I had some colonies
swarm again after the queen was given them. Whether
it was the season, the change in the plan, or some other
cause. I am unable to say.

PUT-UP PLAN.

I then adopted a plan which relieved me of the neces-
sity of hunting for and cutting out queen-cells. No mat-
ter how careful I might be, there was always a possibility
that I might overlook a queen-cell, although this very
rarely happened, if ever. But it took a good deal of valu-
able time. I give herewith the plan, which I think an
improvement :

When a swarm issues and returns, it is ready for
treatment immediately ; although usually it is put down
in my memorandum of work to be done, and the time set
for it may be the next day or any time within five days,
just as suits my convenience. The queen is caged at the
time of swarming, and left in the care of the bees, as al-
ready mentioned.

W^ithin the five days, I take off the super, and put
most of the brood-combs into an empty hive. Indeed, I
may take all the brood-combs, for I want in this hive all
the combs the colony should have. In the hive left on the
stand. I leave or put from one to three frames, generally
two. These combs must be sure to have no queen-cells.

1G8 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

and may be most safely taken from a young or weak
colony having no inclination to swarm. The two combs
are put in one side of the hive, two or three dummies
place beside them, and the rest of the hive left vacant.

The question may be asked, "Will not the bees build
comb in this vacant part of the hive?" No ; at least they
do not for me. Queenless colonies are little given to
comb-building, and not at all inclined to make a fresh
start in a new place.

If I did not do so at the time of taking out the
frames, I now shake the bees off from about half the
frames, not being particular to shake them off clean.
These bees are of course shaken off into the hive on the
stand. The supers are now put on this hive with its two
or three frames of brood, the cover is put over the supers,
and the "put-up" hive filled with brood is placed over all.

.GETTING THE BEES TO DESTROY THE OUEEX-CELLS.

A plenty of bees will be left to care for the brood, the
tjueen will commence laying, all thought of swarming is
given up, and every queen-cell torn down by the bees. In
perhaps two days I take a peep to see if the queen is lay-
ing, for it sometimes happens that at the time when I
"put up the queen" (as I call the operation I have just
described), there is already a young queen just hatched,
and then the old queen is pretty sure to be destroyed. In
this latter case I may remove the young queen and give
them a laying one, or I may let the young queen remain.

PUTTING DOWN THE QUEEN.

In ten days from the time the swarm issued — some-
times ten days from the time I "put up the queen" — I put
down the queen. If by chance, a young queen is in the
upper hive, I do not like to put her down until she com-
mences laying and her wing is clipped, for fear of her tak-
ing out a swarm. It seems a foolish operation for them
to swarm when there is nothing in the hive from which
a queen can be reared, but I have had it happen. The

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

169

Operation of putting down is very simple. I lift the hive
off the top, place it on the ground, remove the supers,
take the hive off the stand, place it on one side, put the
hive containing the queen on the stand, and replace the
supers.

f'ig- 53 — Tzt'o Asters.

You will see that this leaves the queen full chance to
lay from the minute she is uncaged, and at the time of
putting down there will be as much brood as if the queen
had remained in her usual place. Most of the bees, of
course, adhered to the lower hive when the queen was
put up, but by the time she is put down quite a force has
hatched out, and these have marked the upper hive as

170 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

their location. Upon this being taken away, the bees, as
they return from the field, will settle upon the cover,
where their hive was, and form a cluster there ; finally an
explorer will crawl down to the entrance of the hive be-
low, and a line of march in that direction will be estab-
lished immediately. In a day or two they will go straight
to the proper entrance.

GOOD CHANCE FOR NUCLEI.

We left, standing on the ground, the hive with its
two combs, which had been taken from the stand. These
two combs, when the queen was put up, probably had a
good quantity of eggs, and brood in all stages. They
now contain none but sealed brood, some queen-cells and
a pretty heavy supply of pollen. Or, it may be that eggs
from a choice queen were given, and the queen-cells are
to be saved. A goodly number of bees adhere to the two
combs and I know of no nicer way to start a new colony,
than simply to place the hive in a new location. Or, the
bees may be shaken ofif at the old stand and the combs
given to a nucleus which needs them.

I may remark in passing, that these queenless colo-
nies will produce queen-cells not excelled by those of a
swarming colony, and not surpassed in excellence by those
produced by any of the best plans used by queen-breeders.
In short, I do not belive it is possible to have better. It
must be remembered, however, that all of them are not of
equal excellence. For the bees will continue to start cells
for several days, and the last ones started will be from
larvae too old to make good queens. You may be able to
distinguish these cells by their poorer look, or, if you give
the bees several cells, among them at least one or two of
the finest looking, they will make no mistake in making
the proper selection.

WORKING OF QUEENLESS BEES.

It may be objected that this keeping bees queenless
for ten davs makes them work with less vigor. I am not

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

171

sure but it ought, but I must confess I have had no strong
proof of it come directly under my own observation. So
far as I could tell, these bees seemed to work just as
hard when their queen was taken away as before. In the
spring of 1885 one colony was, by some means, left en-
tirely away from the proper rows — some three rods from
any other colony. I took it away, put it in proper line, and

'j§^H

."^•■^-'^'

P^S- 54 — Three Asters.

left to catch the returning stragglers a hive containing one
comb, this comb having no brood and very little if any
honey. This colony having been a very weak one, very
few bees returned to the old spot, but these few surprised
me by filling a good stock of honey in empty comb, before
they were put with the rest of the colony.

Swarms treated on this "puting up" plan often
swarmed again, but if they did they were put up again.

172 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

An objection to the plan was that these "put-ups" were
in the way and had to be Hfted down when anything was
done with supers. Still, for anyone who allows the bees
to swarm, and who does not object to the lifting, the
plan is a good one.

GIVING NUCLEUS TO SWARM.

A plan that has seemed to be as satisfactory as any
other, although it is not always convenient to use it, is
rpon the issuing of a swarm to pick up the queen so as
to have her out of the way, remove the old hive from th'^
stand and place on the stand a nucleus in a regular hive.
The supers are put upon this hive, and the swarm is left
to return at its leisure. This takes little time and trouble,
and there is no danger of further swarming. I have seen
it stated that when the swarm returns the queen of the
nucleus may be killed, but that does not occur "in this
locality."

PREVENTION OF SWARMING.

I don't quite like that heading. It may be under-
stood to mean that I am entirely successful in profitably
preventing swarming, and I am not certain that I have yet
attained to that. I say profitably preventing it, for there
might be such a thing as preventing it in a way that would
hardly pay. If a colony disposed to swarm should be
blown up with dynamite^ it would probably not swarm
again, but its usefulness as a honey-gathering institution
would be somewhat impaired. Swarming might also be
prevented by means of such character as to involve an
amount of trouble that would make it unprofitable ; or it
might be prevented in such a way as to have a very un-
profitable effect upon the honey-crop. The thing I am
after is profitable prevention.

NO DELIGHT IN SWARMS.

I have read of the great delight felt by the bee-keeper
at the sight of an issuing swarm, the bees whirling and

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 173

swirling in delirious joy, but such things do not appeal to
me. I do not like swarming. I never did. I don't think
I ever shall. In my many years of bee-keeping experience,
I think I never looked upon the issuing of a swarm with
feelings other than those akin to pain, unless it might be
the first swarm I ever had.

BAD MAXXERS OF SWARMS.

I am not an expert at hiving swarms. They don't
act nicely for me. After I have climbed a tree with
laborious pains and shaken down a swarm with a hive
under it at just the right place, the swarm instead of
entering in a well-mannered sort of style will just as like
as not keep flying back every time it is shaken down, un-
less it should take it into its head to give me more exercise
by taking another tree. I got a ]\Ianum swarm-catcher,
but I do not remember that I ever used it with success.
One day when I was trying to use it, J. T. Calvert, the
energetic business man of the A. I. Root Co., was here.
He helped me. He made a catcher of his hands and put
the bees in the catcher by main strength. But they
wouldn't stay "catched," and they didn't. So I don't like
swarming, even if I didn't think it interfered with the
honey crop.

Upon no other subject connected with bee-keeping
have I studied so much, tried so many plans, or made so
many failures, as with regard to prevention of swarming.
If I knew all about just what makes a colony swarm, I
would be in better shape to use preventive measures ; but
I don't know all about it. Of course I know that want
of room and want of ventilation may hasten swarming,
and possibly some other things of that kind : but after all
there is a good deal of mystery about the whole afifair.

VEXTILATIOX AXD ROOM.

I think it is of some use to take pains to see that the
bees are never really cramped for room. I believe that

174

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

raising the hive on blocks ^ of an inch or more is a
good thing. It is also a good thing to rear queens from
stock that has shown little inclination to swarming. In-
deed, with room enough and ventilation enough it is

Fis.

-Heartsease.

possible that bees would never swarm. Some one will
say to me that bees may swarm with a hogshead of room.
Yes, but the combs may be in such condition that the
queen will be cramped for room, even in a hogshead.

NON-SW- ARMING PILES.

For a good many years I have been in the habit of
having in each apiary one or more colonies whose hives

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 175

were kept as a sort of store-house where extra frames of
brood or honey could be put, to be drawn from as occa-
sion required, but often there has been no drawing, and
these "piles" have grown to be four or five stories high
with an immense force of bees. I never knew one of
them to swarm. But the ventilation was as immense as
the force of bees, for each story had an entrance of good
size, and perhaps the super-abundance of ventilation was
the secret of their not swarming.

YOUNG QUEENS AND SWARMING.

, It was said that colonies with queens of the current
year's rearing would not swarm, and one year I supplied
all the colonies of one apiary with young queens about
the beginning of the honey harvest. It didn't work.

Once when a colony swarmed and returned to its
hive, I removed its queen and gave it a queen that I think
had not been laying more than two or three days. Within
three days that queen came out with the swarm. It seems
the condition of the colony has more to do with the case
than the condition of the queen. C. J. H. Gravenhorst,
late editor of Deutche Illiistrierte Bienenzcitung, gives
what I think is the truth about young queens and swarm-
ing : A given colony will not swarm with a queen of
this year if the queen was reared in this colony ; if reared
elsewhere it may swarm. Why that difference he did not
know. But some have claimed exceptions to this rule.

TAKING TWO FRAMES OF EROOD WEEKLY.

One season I kept eight brood-combs in the hive, and
every week or ten days took out two of the central combs,
replacing them with foundation or empty combs.
This was to give the queen so much room that there
should be no desire to swarm. It was successful in most
cases, but there were too manv exceptions to make the
plan reliable.

176 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

TAKING AWAY ALL BROOD.

Afterward I carried the same thing to its extreme
Hmit in a good many cases, taking away all the brood.
One frame of brood, however, was left for two or
three days, perhaps a week, for fear the bees would be
discouraged and desert an entirely empty hive. This one
frame of brood was then taken away because it was the
common thing for the bees to start queen-cells on it. Yet
it is just possible that no swarmins^ would have taken
place, in spite of the queen-cells.

FORCED SWARMING.

This plan has come into great prominence lately un-
der the name of forced, shaken, or brushed swarms.
Gravenhorst, the great German authority, practiced and
advocated it in the seventies of the last century. L.
Stachelhausen was earnest in his advocacy of the plan in
this country, and E. R. Root, editor ©f Gleanings in Bee-
Culture, took it up with great enthusiasm. Probably a
good many had done more or less at it independently, for
it would naturally suggest itself that taking away all the
brood would leave a colony in much the same condition
as if they had swarmed ; and in actual practice most of
those who had tried the plan have found bees no more
inclined to swarm after it than after natural swarming.

FORCED VERSUS NATURAL SWARMING.

Many have found the plan a material advance over
natural swarming. One very great advantage is suf-
ficient to commend it ; the bee-keeper is master of the
situation, and is not dependent upon the whims of the
bees as to when they shall swarm — an inestimable boon to
those who have out-apiaries, and indeed to any one who
does not wish the trouble of watching for swarms.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 177

STRONGER FORCE IX FORCED SWARMING.

It also gives the bee-keeper control over the number
of bees that shall remain with the swarm. In natural
swarming there may be too few bees go with the swarm
for best results in storing, while there may still be not
enough for any hope of good work in the parent colony,
with a possibility of this latter force being still further

Pig- 56 — Queen-Excluder.

divided by after-swarms. In the case of a forced swarm,
all the bees may be allowel to remain on the old stand
except merely enough to care for the brood which is taken
away. This brood may then be put on a new stand, and
with the addition of a queen or a queen-cell allowed to
start out on its career as an independent colony.

SHAKING OFF ALL BEES.

Or, the forced swarm may be made still stronger, by
giving it all the bees, and distributing the brood to nuclei,

178 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

weak colonies, or wherever it will do most good. In no
case, however, would it be a prudent thing in this locality
to follow the recommendation of some, by putting the
brood on a new stand without any bees, trusting to the
warmth of the weather to hatch out young bees fast
enough to care for the brood. If such a colony — if you
can call it a colony — should not fall a prey to the robbers,
there would in most cases be a serious loss of brood from
starvation and chilling.

NO FORCED SWARMING TILL QUEEN-CELLS STARTED.

In no case did I practice this forced swarming till I
found by the presence of queen-cells that the bees were
thinking of swarming. There would be less labor in the
long run (supposing that all wxre to be swarmed sooner
or later), to do up the whole business at a suitable time,
without waiting for the bees to take the initiative. In-
deed, conditions may be such in some localities that there
might be a loss to wait for queen-cells.

But the harvests here are such that it is usually better
to have swarming delayed. Moreover, a good many of
my colonies, if let alone, will go through the entire season
without attempting to swarm, and such colonies are the
very ones that give the best yields, and forced swarming
would be practiced upon them only at a loss.

DISADVANTAGE OF FORCED SWARMING.

With all the advantage forced swarming has over
natural swarming, it still leaves something to be desired.
As already said, those colonies which hold their force in-
tact throughout the entire season are the ones that give
the best results. It is true that in forced swarming the
entire force of bees may be left on the old stand, but there
are thousands of prospective bees in the brood taken
away. If you take away that brood to-day, you are tak-
ing away the bees of to-morrow, and of twenty more days
to come.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 179

"But the bees that emerge to-morrow do not emerge
as field-bees, and will not be field-bees till they are sixteen
days old. If the harvest closes in sixteen days the ad-
ditional force will only be a lot of useless consumers."
While the first part of your statement may be true
enough, I cannot say as much for the second.

BEES DO THE WORK MOST NEEDED.

\Vhile the bees that emerge to-morrow may do no
field-work for sixteen days, they begin housework at a
very tender age — housework that would have to be con-
tinued by older bees if this brood were taken away. As
fast as one of these young bees is ready to begin house-
work, it takes the place of an older bee, which can now
go afield. I know that, as a general rule, the different
departments of work are done by bees of certain ages, but
I also know that bees accommodate themselves to cir-
cumstances. I have seen bees at five days old carrying
in pollen because there were no older bees in the hive to
preform that duty, and we all know that in early spring
nursing and housework are done bv bees several months
old.

So it is reasonable to believe that at least to a certain
extent the necessities of the case rather than the matter
of absolute age decides what duties a bee shall preform ;
and the logical conclusion from that is that the larger
force of bees we have in a hive the more storing we shall
have even if a good many of the bees be quite young.

Without, perhaps, giving any satisfactory reason for
it, I am also quite of the opinion that better work is gen-
erally done when bees are allowed to go right along rear-
ing brood at their own sweet will ; for toward the close
of the harvest they, of their own accord, curtail work in
that direction.

XOX-SWARMIXG PREFERRED TO FORCED.

AMiile I yield to no one in my appreciation of the
advantages of forced swarming over natural swarming,

180

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

I believe that the advantages of no swarming whatever
over forced swarming are as great as the advantages of
forced over natural swarming.

So you will hardly blame me if instead of resting con-
tent wath forced swarming I continue to pursue that will-
o-the wisp — in the opinion of many

P^g- 57 — Folding Sections.

KEEPING COLONIES OUEENLESS.

The next season after practicing the removal of two
frames of brood, I settled upon a plan which I felt pretty
sure would prevent the possibility of swarming. It was a
no less radical measure than to keep the colony queenless.
I reasoned that as I had never had a queen hatched inside
of eleven days from the time the queen was taken away,
or from the time the bees started queen-cells, the colony
was safe from sw^arming if once in ten days I took aw^ay
their brood and gave them fresh ; also, that it was only
bees over two weeks old that worked in the field ; add to
this the three weeks that it took from the tgg to the full-
fledged worker, and it was five weeks or more from the

FIFTY YEARS A^IO^G THE BEES ISl

time the egg was laid till the bee became a gatherer.
Clearly, then, only such bees as came from eggs laid five
Aveeks or more before the close of the honey harvest were
available as gatherers. Why not have the colony queen-
less during this five weeks? So I took away the queen,
leaving in the hive three combs, one of which contained
eggs and brood in all stages, the other two containing
lothing from which queen-cells could be started.

Once in ten days the comb of young brood with its
queen-cells was taken away and a fresh one given them,
and at the close of the five weeks, which was about the
close of the harvest, the queen was returned.

NOT A SUCCESS.

As a preventive of swarming, it was a complete suc-
cess. Xot one colony thus treated swarmed ; how could
they? As a means of securing a large crop, I think it was
an egregious failure ; although I can hardly tell with great
definiteness,, the season itself being a failure. Possibly
the absence of the queen itself had something to do with
lessening their stores, but I doubt it. But when all combs
of brood but one were taken away, a large force of pros-
pective bees were taken away that would have hatched out
in the next twenty-one days.

If I had allowed four or five frames of brood, chang-
ing every ten days, the result might have been quite dif-
ferent. Moreover, the one frame they did have was, for
the most part, filled with brood so young, that little or
none of it hatched while in the hive. If I should try any-
thing in the same line again, I should keep four or five
frames in the hive, and this should be mainly brood well
advanced so that much of it would hatch out to replenish
the wasting numbers.

KEEPING QUEENS CAGED.

Success was reported by others with the plan of keep-
ing queens caged in the hive during part or the whole of

182

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the harvest, and although I tried it on a large scale there
was no case of success with me.

FASTENING YOUNG QUEENS IN.

The good old-fashioned way of managing after-
swarms was to return them as fast as they came out.
This gave the young queens a chance to fight it out till
only one was left, and when only one was left there would

Fig. 58 — Movable Shade.

be no more swarming. So I planned to let the young
queens fight it out without the trouble of returning
swarms. I put a queen-excluder between the bottom-
board of the hive, so that no queen could get out. As no
queen could get out no swarm could leave. When the
young queens emerged they could settle their little differ-
ences to suit themselves till only one queen was left. I
would keep track -of what was going on inside the hives
sufficiently to take away the excluder after all but one
queen had been put out of the way, so the young queen

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 183

conld go out on her wedding-trip. The thing was so cer-
tain to work that I spent $37.50 for qneen-excluders to
put the plan in practice.

SWARMING GALORE.

In due time when queen-cells were sealed the swarms
began to issue. Then they returned. Then they came
out next day. Then they returned again. After doing
more or less of this, the time came when the young queens
began to emerge. Business became lively. Swarming
once a day did not always satisfy them. The number of
issues in a day became such that several swarms would
be out at a time, and they were not at all particular to
keep separate. Neither were they as methodical as
prime swarms about returning to their own hives. Al-
most any hive seemed to suit them providing there was
a good deal of noise at the entrance, and when swarming
got well under way for the day there were plenty of
hives with noise at the entrance. Whether the excluders
leaked queens, or whatever may have been the reason,
there were some cases of young queens being out, and
when there was a young queen in a swarm there was no
telling how many swarms would unite with it.

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR.

After a swarm had been balked in its efforts a num-
ber of times there seemed to be a reckless disregard in
a good many cases as to the propriety of returning when
they had had plenty of time to discover that no young
queen had come out with them, and sometimes they
would settle and remain clustered for half a day, perhaps
several swarms in the cluster. Nothing so very bad
about that, if I had only been entirely sure that some
time they would return ; but when I stood gazing on a
brnch of bees as big as my body when I'm in best con-
dition, and meditated upon the chance of there being a

184

FIFTY YEARS A^iONG THE BEES

young queen in the bunch to incite them to sail off into
the ethereal blue — well, it was not the sort of meditation
most conducive to composure of mind.

Inside of the hive the program as laid down was
pretty generally carried out; at the proper time the ex-
cluder was removed, and in due time the young queen
was laying. The plan is a good one if one could only in-
duce the bees to refrain from swarming out until only
one young queen is left in the hive. I could not induce
them to do that.

i-<

¥^%--^[

"*%**

P^g- 59 — Brood of Laying Workers.
REARING QUEEN IN '"pUT-UP.'"

It is not necessary to tell of all the plans that were
tried. One was finally hit upon that proved to
be quite satisfactory, so far as tried. When the
presence of well-advanced queen-cells showed that
a colony was. bent on swarming, all but one or
two frames of brood were taken from the hive and put
in another hive that was "put-up" on top, of course hav-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 1S5

ing no communication with the bees below. In the old
hive below the old queen was sometimes left, and some-
times the bees were left without any queen ; but in either
case care was taken that no queen-cell was left below,
and ten days later search was made for queen-cells be-
low, or else the brood was exchanged for brood from a
colony where there was no danger of queen-cells, and
the old queen was removed. To the "put-up" was given,
at the time of putting up, a virgin queen or a ripe queen-
cell, and as soon as the young queen was laying the old
hive w^as taken away and the "put-up'' hive was put
down in its place. Thus the whole force of the colony
was kept together, there was a young queen of the cur-
rent year's rearing, practically reared in the hive, and
that colony was past the anxiety for the season. Some,
however, say that such a queen will swarm with them.

GETTING BEES TO DESTROY CELLS.

I said the brood was put up, but said nothing about
the bees or the queen-cells. No attention was paid to
the queen-cells, and about half the bees were shaken off
the combs — perhaps more than half. Just how many
bees to leave in the "put-up" hive was not an easy matter
to gauge. If too few there would be chilled brood.
If too many the young queen would leave with a swarm.
Of course the latter danger could be avoided by destroy-
ing all queen-cells in the **put-up," but that would make
more work, and if there are few enough bees all super-
fluous cells will be destroyed by the bees themselves, and
there will be no danger of swarming.

NUCLEUS TO PREVENT SWARMING.

A modification of the plan somtimes used was to
take a nucleus from somewhere else and put in the place
of the colony. But in this case the colony was made
queenless two or three days in advance. Either plan
left the colony without any diminution of its forces, and

186 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

with no very great check to its work. Before speaking of
this, however, it will be well to speak of the preliminary
work, which is the same for all colonies, whether the after
treatment be on the ''put-up'' plan or some other plan.
Then I struck upon a plan that seemed equally effective
but quite a little easier.

Fiy. 60. — Top and Bottom Starters in Section.
PRELIMINARY WORK.

As soon as colonies become strong and are work-
ing busily, we begin to be on the lookout for queen-cells.
This generally wnll not be till the bees are at work on
clover bloom, although it may happen in some seasons
that preparation for swarming begins during the last of
fruit-bloom. Of late years dandelion has become so im-
portant that there is a possibility it may start swarming.
Whether it be in apple or clover bloom, we begin to ex-
amine some of the strongest colonies to see if any prep-
arations for swarmmg are made. If we fin' none in
the strongest colonies it is hardly worth while to look

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 187

through the rest. When, however, we find one or more
queen-cells with an egg in each, then it is time to begin
a systematic canvas of all colonies, and to keep it up in
all so long as we continue to find queen-cells in any, ex-
cept in a case where a colony has already been treated or
has treated itself in such way that it need not be expected
to swarm.

COLONIES THAT DO NOT NEED WATCHING.

In struggling with the swarming problem, there are a
few things that may be relied upon with some degree of
certainty. A swarm that has been hived in an empty
hive this season will not send forth a swarm this year, with
rare exceptions. Equally safe from swarming is a colony
whose queen has been removed and the colony allowed
to rear a new queen, provided only one queen is allowed
to mature. Also a colony kept queenless about 10 days
and then given a laying queen of the current year's rear-
ing. Colonies that do not come under either of these
heads will need watching until the time comes when bees
have given up starting cells in all colonies.

LOOKING FOR QUEEN-CELLS.

We plan to go through each colony about once in
ten days to look for queen-cells. I say about once in
ten days, for it is not always possible to be exact. It
may happen that one or two days in succession will be
rainy, and then the ten days become eleven or twelve.
Or, it may be that on account of some interference with
our work that we can see in advance, we may think it
best to shorten the ten days to nine or less.

Suppose w^e go through a certain colony and find no
queen-cell with as much as an egg in it. The next time
around it may be in the same condition, and so it may
continue throughout the season. In that case there is
nothing to be done with that colony beyond the examina-
tion every ten days but to let it alone and be thankful.

ISS

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

Such cases are not as plenty as I should like, but I think
thev are on the increase.

DESTROYING EGGS.

Suppose, however, that upon one of our visits we
find one or more cells containing eggs. We destroy the
incipient cells by mashing them, and in the record-book
write after the date, "keg" a contraction for the express-

Fig. 6i — Cutting Foundation.

ive, if not very elegant entry, "killed eggs." It is pos-
sible that upon the next visit we may find no more queen-
cells started, and that may be the last of them for the
season. So long as we find only eggs, we do nothing
more than to destroy them.

Generally, however, when eggs are found in cells.
the next visit will find cells with grubs well advanced.
When grubs are found in cells, then the colony must be
treated.

As already mentioned, an easier plan than the "put-
up" plan was struck upon, and for a time that had a run.

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES 1S9

It may be called the excluder plan, and I will now give it
as we first practiced it.

EXCLUDER PLAN OF TREATMENT.

We find and cage the queen, destroy all queen-cells,
remove the hive from its stand, and put in its place a
hive containing three or four frames of foundation. The
foundation is on one side of the hive with a dummy next
to it. The rest of the hive is left vacant. Upon this
hive is put a queen-excluder, and over the excluder the
old hive with its brood and bees, and over this the supers
as before (Fig. 6(3). Then the queen is run in at the
entrance of the lower hive, and the colony is left for a
week or ten days.

At the end of the week, or as soon after that time
as we can conveniently reach it we take away the lower
story with its excluder, and put back the queen in the
old hive, which is left on the stand. When we remove
the lower story with its three or four frames that a week
before contained foundation, there will be less advance
made in those frames than you would be likely to sup-
pose. The vacant part will still be vacant, the amount
of honey will be very small, generally only one or two
frames will have been occupied by the queen, and pos-
sibly nothing beyond eggs will be found. If larvae are
found, they will be still small, and not in large quantity.
It appears from this that there is some sulking for a time
on the part of the queen, or else that the bees are rather
slow to prepare the foundation for her. It is possible
that this interim without any laying may be an important
part of the treatment. I don't know.

SOME FAILURES.

At any rate, in the first two seasons of using the
plan, there was no case of any colony making any
further prepai'ation for swarming after being thus
treated. The third season (1902) everything did not

:90

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

work so smoothly, but possibly the treatment was not
fairly administered in all cases. Some of the colonies
did not take kindly to the foundation, and in a few cases
it looked as if they might have swarmed out rather than
to use the foundation. In one case they built comb and
started a brood-nest in the vacant part, leaving the foun-
dation untouched. But there was some excuse for this
as the foundation was weather-beaten and hard.

Fig. 63 — Super-Filler.

WORKING TOWARD NOX-SWARMIXG.

Of course it is no little work to go through the
colonies every ten days up to the time of treatment, and
I think it likely that it would work all right to treat
every colony on the excluder plan, or some other plan,
€arly in the honey-flow, whether they had grubs in qreen-
cells .or not. But there are some colonies that will go
through the whole season with never a grub in a queen-
cell — possibly never an ^gg — and exactly those colonies
are the ones most likely to give record-yields. To interfere
with their work, even for a week in a slight degree, is not

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 191

desirable. There is also another important reason for
allowing every colony willing to do so to go through
the whole season without any preparation for swarming
and without any interference. I am trying all the time
to work at least a little toward a non-swarming strain
of bees, and if all colonies were treated in advance
how world I know which were the non-s warmers from
which to choose my breeding stock? Their careful rec-
ord mrst be kept.

EMPTY FRAMES USED.

Some time later a little change was made so as
to make the queen better satisfied with her ne^^- quarters.
Instead of putting foundation under the excluder, a
brood-frame is put there, at one side. It is preferably
one with very little brood in it, the object being merely
to hold the queen in the hive, but not to encourage her
to do much in the way of laying. As a farther dis-
couragement to laying and comb-building no other comb
is put in the hive, nor even the least starter of founda-
tion. Two or three other frames entirely empty are
placed beside the brood-comb. No dummy is needed.
You might expect that the bees very promptly fill with
comb one or more of these empty frames. They don't.
At the end of a week or ten days you may find one
frame half fillled, with a very little comb in the second ;
perhaps only a little comb in the one frame.

As to the rest, of course the proceeding is just the
same as when foundation was used. ^

DESTROYING QUEEN-CELLS TO PREVENT SWARMING.

Among the first things a beginner thinks he has
learned is that destroying queen-cells will prevent swarm-
ire. ?rd tl-en he is sorelv disappointed to find that he is
mistaken about it. But I must confess that I have a good
denl more faith in it than I formerlv had. Not that

192 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

I would for a minute trust to it as a sole means to
prevent swarming. But I do know that in a good many
cases it is efficient. Perhaps one cause of my change
of view is the change in my bees. Breeding constantly
for improvement in storing, and at the same time
giving preference to those least inclined to swarm, it
is possible that destroying cells has more effect than it
formerly had.

It may be well to give some examples, taking just as
they come in order some colonies that needed no other
treatment to prevent swarming. I take them from the
}ear 1908, one of the best honey years. The first one
I come to had a 2-year-old queen, and Ji-^ne 23 I de-
stroyed a grub in just one queen-cell. No other queen-
cell was started. If that had not been destroyed, I
suppose the colony would have swarmed, and that would
have lessened the number of sections produced, which
was 181, beside finishing up some "go-backs." The
next had a three-year-old queen, and gave 244 sections.
June 23 one egg in a cell was destroyed, and that was
all for the season. The queen was superseded after
August 8. The next had a 2-year-old queen, and gave
2T6 sections. I destroyed, June 15, one egg in a queen-
cell, and June 24 one grub. The next had a queen of
the previous year and gave 100 sections. It never had
even an egg in a queen-cell the whole season. The next
had a yearling queen, and gave 145 sections, besides
having taken from it, in May, 3 brood with adhering
tees. Not an egg in a queen-cell. The next had a
yearling queen, and gave 211 sections. It had one egg
in a queen-cell June 6, also July 27 and August 6. That
may be enough to show that at least in some cases de-
stroying cells was worth while. Perhaps one colony in
three will behave thus well.

DEQUEENING TREATMENT. *

Latterly no one plan of treatment is followed ex-
clusively. It may be the "put-up" or the excluder plan.

FIFTY YEARS A:M0NG THE BEES 103

or it may be dequeening for about 10 days. This de-
queening treatment is the one most generally used. The
queen is removed, the queen-cells are killed, and in
10 days the queen-cells are again destroyed and their
own queen returned, or another queen given. Some-
times a queenlessness of a week seems to do as well.
At any rate, a queen in a provisioned cage may be given
in a week, for it will be a little time before she is out
ready to lay. F^ossibly, instead of waiting 10 days and
giving a laying queen, a ripe queen-cell or a newly born
virgin is given at the time of removing the old queen.
This has the advantage that if there is anything like
European foul brood in the case, it may be considered
somewhat in the light of a cure. It has the disad-
vantage that my assistant is quite strongly opposed to
the idea of having a virgin in a honey-hive, lest she
-hould take it into her head to get the colony to swarm
out, a thing that may happen once in a great while in
reality, and in the imagination of my assistant quite fre-
quently.

REPLACING WITH BETTER QUEEN.

On the whole perhaps the most common thing is
to replace the removed queen with a young laying queen
taken from a nucleus. This will generally result in replac-
ing the old queen with one of better stock, for the young
queen will be reared from best stock. If, however,
the old queen be an extra good one, she will be put into
a nucleus when removed, and then returned at the
proper time. Whether the old queen be returned or a
new one given, she is likely to be given with a frame of
brood and adhering bees from the nucleus, so there
is no interruption in laying. If for any reason she is
given in an introducing cage, the cage is thrust into the
entrance of the hive, in such way that the bees will be
sure to take care of it, and where it can be looked at
any time without opening the hive. I am not sure but
what a queen at the entrance is a little better received

194

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

than elsewhere. Of course there might be a little
danger of chilling in a very cold time.

If the old queen is returned there is a possibil-
ity of furthur attempts at swarming. But if a young
queen be given, after ten days of queenlessness, that
colony is considered settled for the season, and no
further watch is kept against swarming.

Pig- 63^Super-Filler

Somewhat curiously, it is the common thing, upon
opening a hive a week after giving the queen to find one
or more queen-cells started. I don't know why. Per-
haps the bees have been frightened because of their
spell of queenlessness, and want to provide against its
happening again. At any rate, when these cells are
killed they are not replaced. Possibly the bees would
destroy them themselves after finding thit the queen
was settled to work.

Some think it best, when a queen arrives at a
certain age, to replace her w^ith a young queen. It is
held by some that a queen does her best work in her

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 195

first year, and that no qneen should be allowed to do a
second year's work, because there will always be a gain
by replacing her with a younger queen. Some of the
men that hold such views, and practise accordingly, are
such successful beekeepers that I dare not say they are
wrong. Whether it be a difiference in bees, in locality,
management, or what not, I do not believe that such prac-
tise w^ould be best for me.

I am pretty sure that many of my queens do as
good work in the second as in the first year, possi-
bly better. But it is not altogether a question as to
whether a queen does as well or better in her second
year, comparing it with the first. The question is
rather as to what she will do in her second or third
year as compared with what would be done by the
average young queen that would replace her. How-
ever it may be elsewhere, the rule with my bees is that
a queen which distinguishes herself by a good crop of
honey in her first year, will keep above the average
as long as she lives. And I can count on the bees super-
seding her at the close of harvest wdienever she reaches
PIT aee when it world seem profitable for me to re-
place her with a younger queen.

Another thing may be worth considering. It
is claimed, and with some show of reason, that longev-
ity in bees is an important factor. One colony will be
stronger in bees and brood than another beside it,
while the latter will store more honey. The explan-
ation given is that the bees in the second colony are
longer lived. It may not be unreasonable to suppose
that if one has a strain of bees with queens which
live to unusual age, that the workers will also live to
unusual age. So it may be the part of wisdom to en-
courage those queens which show a disposition to
live beyond the usual span.

On these accounts it is my practise to leave the
matter of superseding entirely to the bees in all cases,
except where for some reason other than age it will seem

H)r. FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

an improvement to replace with a younger queen.
That reason may be that the workers of a queen are
unusually vicious, that they do not seal their honey
white enough, or there may be some other fault, but
generally it will be because they did not store honey
enough the previous year. When, then, the colony
of such a queen shows persistence in the matter of prep-
aration for swarming, she will be replaced by another as
part of the treatment of that colony. But old age alone
will not endanger her life.

An item of some interest is the fact that when
I look through the colonies in the spring to clip any
qreen that may have whole wings, I find very little use
for the scissors if the previous season was very poor,
whereas after a big honey-yield I generally find a good
deal of clipping to do. In other words, there seems to
be more superseding at the close of a good than of a
poor year. Has it only happened to come so, or does a
good harvest wear out the queen faster?

THE "jumbo" hive.

At one time I had strong hopes that by the use of a
large hive with a large frame I might greatly diminish,
if not entirely suppress, swarming. Others reported
success with what was called the Jumbo hive. At Fig.
67 will be seen one of these hives. The frame is 2%
inches deeper than the regular Langstroth frame, and if
you will look at the front of the hive in the picture, you
will see that it is 2^/8 inches higher than the 8-frame
dovetailed hive by its side. The Jumbo has ten frames,
and the extra depth makes its equivalent to a 12-frame
Langstroth.

I put bees in two of these hives in the home apiary,
and waited to see what would result the next summer
with much interest. The very first colony to send ort
a swarm was in one of these Jumbo hives ! I was
sorrv, but it didn't make me sick abed. I had be-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 197

come hardened to failures and disappointments in
following after the will-o'-the-wisp — non-swarming.

PILES OF STORIES.

The problem of prevention of swarming would be
very much easier if I were running for extracted honey
instead of comb. I am very much of the opinion that I
could pile up stories as in Fig. 68, and not have one
colony in a hundred swarm, the fact that no such pile
ever swarmed for me confirming that opinion ; and I
have had a few such piles every year for a number of
years.

VEXTILATIOX TO PREVENT SWARMIXG.

It is not, I think, so much the abundance of room,
as the abundance of ventilation thats prevents swarming,
although the room is important. Notice the opportunity
for ventilation in that pile in Fig. 68. The entrance,
which you cannot see, is 1'? inches wide and 2 inches
deep. The second story is shoved forward on the first
story so as to make a ventilating space of half an inch at
the back, between the two stories. The third story is
shoved back to make a space in front : and the ventilating
space between the third and fourth stories is at the back.
Lastly the cover is shoved forward to make a space of
half an inch or more. Thus you see there is a fine
chance for a free circulation of air right through the
whole pile. Alas that such a thing can not be used for
comb honey.

DEMAREE PLAN.

If I were running for extracted honey, I could get
along with little or no swarming by following the
plan of G. \\\ Demaree. When the time comes that
there is danger of swarming, put into a second story all
the frames from below except one containing the least
brood, fill up the vacancies with empty combs or frames

198 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

of foundation, put a queen excluder between the two
stories, and leave the queen in the lower story. Then
as the brood hatches out in the second story the combs
will be filled with honey and become extracting-combs.

SHAKEN SWARM WITHOUT INCREASE.

Another plan that I would enjoy trying if I were
running for extracted honey is one variation of forced
or shaken swarms. It is the simple plan of making
a shaken swarm, say from A, and then piling all the
brood from A on another strong colony, B. European
bee-keepers tell us that with this accession of brood B
will not swarm. S. Simmins, of England, and some
others, give A half the bees from B. A would be all
right for comb honey, but B would not — at least not
right away — but it would be all right for extracted honey.

ACCIDENTAL SWARMS.

The best I can do there will sometimes be what
might be called accidental swarms. Perhaps a strong
colony has in some way lost its queen in the busy season,
and when the first reared young queen emerges — if one
is allowed to emerge — there will surely be a swarm is-
sue. Generally such a thing will be headed oflf before
the young queen has a chance to emerge, but once in a
great while she gets ahead of me.

Although there is to me nothing entrancing in the
sight of such a swarm whirling through the air, there is
one thing I do very much enjoy in it — it is the sight of
the seething mass hurrying into the hive when dumped in
front of it, as in Fig. 69. You will see that a deep bot-
tom-board has been placed in front of Xo. 32. on which
the swarm was dumped (it had previously settled on a
low plum tree), and the bees have flowed all over the
sides of the bottom-board, and also over the front of the
hive. But I don't want the distress of seeing them pour-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 199

ing out of the hive in a swarm for the sake of the pleas-
ure of seeing them hustle back into the same hive when
dumped down in front of it.

TAKING OFF SECTIONS.

As fast as supers are filled they are taken off. I do
not think I could be bothered to take off each section as
fast as finished, putting in an empty one to take its place.
It would take too much time. Neither do I like to wait
till every section in a super is entirely finished. Unless
the bees are crowded very much, there will be some un-
capped cells in the outside sections which the bees will
be very long in sealing. If these are waited for, the
central sections may lose a little of their snowy whiteness
— the thing which, perhaps, helps most to sell them.

A super is, then, taken off when all but the outside
sections are finished. This can be pretty well told by
glancing over the top of the super, although sometimes
the sections may be all sealed at the upper part and hard-
ly filled below. A look at the under part of the upraised
super will decide it. The sharp, circular end of the hive-
tool is thrust under the supers to pry apart the attach-
ment of bee-glue.

Unless care is taken, bees will be killed when a
super, which has just been taken off, is put back again.
Sometimes there may be so few bees in the way that the
super can be put on quickly without danger. Oftener
too many bees are in the way for this, so I put one end
on its place, and with a series of rapid up-and-down mo-
tions, gradually lower the other end to its place. This
gives the bees time to get out of the way, and there are
seldom any crushed by it.

CLOSE OF CLOVER HARVEST.

Formerly I took off all supers at the close of the
white-clover harvest. Of late there has been a tendency

200 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

to leave them on for the later flow. I am not sure
whether this is wise, except in the few years in which
from some unknown source some exceptionally white
sections were secured at the Hastings apiary. In other
years at the Hastings apiary, and in all years at the other
apiaries, the honey stored during the cucumber flow is
rather dark in color, and is likely to have an unpleasant
appearance on the surface, as if lightly varnished with

Fig. 64 — Load of Forty Supers.

l:ee-glr,e. But of late years the late honey has been im-
proving, both in color and flavor. I don't know why. Pos-
sibly a greater proportion of sweet clover may have im-
proved the flavor. Possibly, also, tlie increase of
heartsease may have something to do with it. Although
I think my bees get no inconsiderable cfrantity of lioney
from cucumbers, I confess I don't know what pure
cucumber honey tastes like, but I am afraid it does not
rank very high in flavor.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 201

LATE HOXEY.

As I said, I am not sure that it is ever wise, except
in the Hastings apiary, to allow supers to stay on after
the white-clover harvest is over. True, a considerable
amount of honey may be got in sections from the late
flow, but it is not all of it of the best, and if it were stored
in brood-combs and saved as extra combs to be crowded
into the brood-chamber the next year before the begin-
ning of the harvest, there might be nearly or quite as
many more sections of white-clover honey stored, to off-
set what was lost in sections in the fall.

GETTING BEES OUT OF SECTIONS.

For the purpose of getting bees out of sections I
have tried pretty thoroughly the Porter escape and other
escapes which work on the principle of allowing the bees
to go down out of the supers without the chance of
returning, but they do not work fast enough to suit
me. When I go to an out-apiary. I always want to bring
home with me all the honey taken off that day. Even
at home I want it taken in the same day it
is taken off. I may want to go elsewhere the next morn-
ing, and I don't want to be hindered from an early start
by having to get it in before starting. Besides, I am
just a little afraid that if I should make a practice of
leaving honey out over escapes till the next day, some
one none too scrupulous might learn the trick and by a
night visit save me the trouble of taking off some of the
honey. So whatever honey is taken off any day is got
into the house before we get to bed that night ; for some-
times it happens that when we have a big day's work at
an out-apiary we do not get home till 8 o'clock or later.

SMOKING BEES DOWN.

WTien a super is to be taken off, smoke is blown
down into it until a sufficient number of bees have gone
down out of it. What that sufficient number is depends

202 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

upon circumstances. If it is early in the day, and we do
not care to take the honey home till late, there is no need
to drive out so many bees. Other circumstances may
also make a difference, and we "crt our coat according
to the cloth."

SUPERS STANDING OPEN.

Suppose the honey-flow is in full blast, and we com-
mence to take off supers early in the day, or at least in

F'g- ^5 — One-cent Cage.

the forenoon. At such a time there is little need to be
very careful about robbers, and it may be that honey
may stand exposed for hours without being troubled by
them. So when the super has been smoked it is taken
off and set on the ground leaning against the hive, the
hive-cover is put on the remaining supers, and then our
removed super is set on its end on top, so as to project
a little over the side of the hive. After a time, perhaps
half an hour, the bees are likely to start a trail from the

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 203

super over the side of the hive to join the bees of the
colony below.

A number of supers may be thus standing at a time
on their respective hives. Sometimes two supers are
taken from the same hive, and, in rare cases, especially
late in the season, three.

WATCHING FOR R0B1JH:R-BEES.

These supers, left standing on the hives, however,
are never left entirely out of mind, and a glance is given
toward them every few minutes. If at any time bees are
seen flying with their heads towards a super, immediate
attention is given to the matter, and the supers hustled
ofif the hives. When the bees are nearly all out, or at
any time when it is not desirable to leave supers stand-
ing on the hives, they are put in piles, preferably not
more than ten high.

WHEN ROBBER-BEES TROUBLE.

If fear of robbers does not allow the supers to stand
exposed, the super is still put on top of the hive, and a
good many of the bees are at once driven out by smoke.
The smoker is held on the side toward the wind, so that
the wind will help drive the smoke between the sections,
and from time to time the bees are brushed off. The
bee-brush generally used is the Coggshall, but if it were
not for the trouble of preparing one fresh every day, I
think I would prefer a good-sized bunch of asparagus,
sweet clover, goldenrod, or something of the kind tied
together.

MILLER TENT-ESCAPE.

In piling the supers a sunny place is preferred, to
entice out the bees. A deep bottom-board is put on the
ground, a super placed on it, and the entrance closed with
wirecloth somewhat as a hive-entrance is closed for haul-

20-1

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ing (Fig. 72). Then over the super is thrown what
Root's "A B C of Bee Culture" has been pleased to call
the ]\Iiller tent-escape (Fig. 73). (Later on Fll tell how
it's made). When a second super is brought to the pile,
the escape is kicked off, the super placed on the pile and
the escape thrown over it. When the pile becomes too
high to kick off the escape, it is shoved off with the
hand, but still allowed to fall to the ground, and after-
ward picked up.

Fig. 66. — Colony at left treated for sicanning.

The bees can now make their exit through the top
of the escape at their leisure, and from time to time those
that have gathered on the wirecloth below are allowed to
escape. ^Matters may be hurried up a little by blowing
in smoke below. But this is hardly advisable, for the
smoke, being more or less confined, is likely to give an
unpleasant flavor to the sections. When there is abun-
dance of time for the bees to get out without being hur-
ried, or if the pile is only five or six high, it is better
not to have any opening at the bottom of the pile, but to

FIFTY YEARS AMO^Xx THE BEES

>05

set the first super on a fiat surface that admits no fight,
or right en the grass.

KEEPING TALLY OF SECTIOXS,

The number of the colony from which each super is
taken is marked in pencil on one of the middle sections,
perhaps when the super is first taken from the hive, cer-
tainly before it is taken from the hive entirely. A board

" «BV

j .^l^ggjjBHjra^

Fig. 67. — Jumbo Hive (at right).

or a slip of paper is kept where the supers are piled, and
as each super is taken to the pile the number of the hive
and the number of sections in the super is taken. Oc-
casionally the number of supers in the pile is counted, so
as to see whether it tallies with the number taken on the
memorandum, for without this there is danger that some
super might be forgotten, and the colony not have proper
credit. Wdien convenient, possibly while we sit resting
a little while after the supers are all piled, possibly not
till the next morning, the numbers on the memorandum

206 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

are used to give each colony its proper credit in the rec-
ord-book.

CREDITING COLONIES.

The credit to each colony is entered over the first
line that belongs to that colony, so that it may easily be
seen at a glance, and so that it may be convenient to have
all the credit on one spot. If a super containing 2-1: sec-
tions is taken from a colony, the number 24 is entered
over its first line. Then when another 24 sections is
taken from that colony, +24 is written after the first 24,
and whatever number is taken each time, that number is
put down with the plus sign preceding. Sometimes it
happens that a super partly filled is taken from one hive
and put on another. Suppose it is estimated th-^.t the
super contains the equivalent of T sections, and that it
is taken from No. 21 and given to Xo. 45. At Xo. 21
will be entered +7, and at X^'o. 45 will be entered — T.
At the end of the season the whole will be summed up.
In an extra good year, an average colony mav have some
such account as this : 24-1-48-^48—7+24+16=153. But
the minus sign very seldom occurs.

WHEELING SUPERS IN.

At the home apiary, the piles of supers are generally
left till nightfall, so the bees will have abundance of time
to be fully out. Then they are taken on a wheelbarrow
to the honey-room (Fig. 74).

You will notice that the wheelbarrow is innocent of
any box or tray. It is a common railroad barrow, with
the tray removed. In this shape it is very convenient
for wheeling supers or stove-wood, the principal uses to
which it is put. When desired the tray can be replaced
to be used for other purposes.

HAULING SUPERS FROM OUT-APIARY.

At the out-apiaries the supers must be loaded on
the wagon, and sometimes at the close of the season that

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

20'

is a rather ticklish job. When we go to the apiary in
the morning, we drive pretty close to the place where
the piles of supers are to be — much closer than it will be
safe to take the horses at the close of the day's work

fig. 68. — Pile of Stories.

when the bees are thoroughly stirred up — and after the
horses are unhitched the wagon is taken by hand to the
most convenient spot for loading on the supers.

LOADING SUPERS ON WAGON.

Unfortunately, although the wagon was built espe-
cially for the purpose, some irons prevent a perfectly

208 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

level floor on which to put the supers, so strips of thin
board or lath are laid so the supers will be level. The
size of the wagon-box is such as to take on one side three
supers running crosswise, and on the other side two
supers running fore and aft. Great care is taken to
build up the piles true, and when all are on they are
fastened together by laths with nails driven partly in, so
the nails can easily be drawn upon reaching home. Each
pile has a lath vertically, across the top laths are braced
in both directions, so that the whole load is practically
one solid pile (Fig. 64). As the load comes mainly on
the hind axle, 40 supers are as many as we like to haul
at one load. We seldom take so large a load.

As I have said, putting the load on the wagon at the
close of the season is something of a ticklish job, and is
mostly done under cover of smoke, my assistant playing
the smoker wherever it will do the most good. The
character of the tent-escape comes into fine play here, for
it can so quickly and surely be thrown into the right
place that the robber-bees have little chance at the piles,
so the smoking is mostly done at the wagon. A robber-
cloth (Fig. 75) is even a little better than the tent
escape.

When the load is all on, the wagon is drawn away to
a distance safe for the horses. This may be 8 or 10 rods,
or it may be more than twice that distance. Fortunately,
at each out-apiary the ground lies in such a way that
after the first few rods the ground is descending, making
is easy to draw the load the longer distance. Then the
horses are hitched on as speedily as possible.

HONEY-ROOM.

Generally. Philo will be ready to take oflf the load
when we get home, unless we get home too near bed-
time and Philo has gone home, in which case I am not
plways a good enough fighter to keep the women from
helping to carry the supers into the honey-room. This

FIFTY YEARS AAIOXG THE BEES 209

is an addition built onto my dwelling-house. It is 20x15
feet, and the floor-timbers are blocked up with stones so
that it will sustain a great weight without breaking.

A\'hen the supers of sections are taken in, they are
piled up near the center of the room with no very great
precision, usually being piled crosswise, that is, each
super placed across the one under it, for the double pur-
pose of ventilation and to make it easier to lift the supers
off the pile than they would be if piled straight and stuck
together with bee-glue.

PUSH-BOARD.

Perhaps the sections will be taken out of the supers
the next day. possibly not for a week or more. A push-
board (Fig. TG) is used to push the sections out of the
super. This is made as follows :

Take a board IQ^i inches long and 11 inches wide.
Take boards 12 inches long and ^ inch thick and nail
them across the first board so as to just cover its length,
rmd project ^ inch at each side. This makes a surface
1 69/^x12 inches. If this board be now put inside an
empty T-super, and the T-super raised, it will be seen
that the board will easily drop through the super, ex-
cept where it is upheld by the three T-tin supports on
eich side. Places must be cut out of the board so that
the supports will present no hindrance. In order to
make these places abundantly large, I cut them 1^2x3^
inch. When cut out. the measure will be, from the cor-
ner of the board to the first place or hole, 3^ inches,
then 1^2 inches for the hole, then 2 13-lG inches to the
next hole. Pleasure the same way from each of the
other three corners, and you will have on each side three
holes that will allow the supports of the T-tins to pass
through without obstruction.

Occasionally, after pushing sections out with the
push-board. I found at the lower part of some of the cen-
tral sections some of the cells looking watery, showing

210

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

that the push-board had crowded down a httle too hard
at the central part. To obviate that I put a httle cleat
about ^ inch wide and }i thick at the outer edge of the
board on all sides, giving the pressure right where it is
needed. If the outer part of the sections comes out. there
is no danger that the rest of the sections will not keep
company. Unfortunately, the picture does not contain the
little cleats.

Fig. 6g. — Szvarm dumped before No. 32.

TAKING SECTIONS OUT OF SUPER.

Being now ready to take out the unfinished sections,
the first thing is to see whether there are any to take out.
if a careful inspection shows that all sections in a super
are sealed down to the bottom, it goes directly to the pile
of finished sections. If any sections are seen that are not
finished, the super is placed on the table, and the little
sticks removed that were crow^ded between the ends of
the sections on top. A flat hive-cover, or a board a little
larger than the super, is placed upon it. Then super and

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 211

board are both turned upside down, the board being
firmly held on the super by one hand while reversing.
If the super should be reversed without this board being
held on it. there might be a possibility of sections
tumbling out and breaking. (The board is needed under
the reversed super in any case). The super is now ly-
ing upside down on the board, the board even with the
edge of the table. The side of the super having the fol-
lower is nearest, and I slide the super toward me enough
so that I can push the follower down and let it drop out.
I then push the super back on the board and lay the push-
board on the bottoms of the sections. Before putting
the push-board on the sections, however, I remove any
bits of wax that may be on the bottoms of the sections,
otherwise the push-board coming down hard upon them
will crush the comb enough to make the sealing on the
lower part of the sections look watery, if it does no
greater damage.

As the super now lies, the sections are not resting
on the board beneath, there being J4 inch space there.
I push the push-board down till the sections rest on the
board below.

EXCEPTIOXALLY TROUBLESOME CASES.

The sections may fall that quarter of an inch with
their own weight, and they may not go down at all with-
out urgent coaxing. If the honey was stored with a
rush in the early part of the season, there will be very
little gluing, and the sections will come out easily. The
later in the season, and the slower the storing, the more
gluing, and the more trouble. If there is a lot of glue,
and if it is warm, stringy- and sticky, it must be humored
a little. It can hardly be jerked loose suddenly any
more than if it was nailed ; but if it is allowed time
enough the weight of the sections may be enough to
bring them down. Of course a little insistence will
hasten matters to some extent, but it seems to be a matter

2V>

FIFTY YEARS AMO^XT THE BEES

of principle with that kind of glue not to let go too sud-
denly. Sometimes I take a super of that kind and place it
low enough to sit down on the push-board, and then let it
take its time. \Mien I feel it give way under me, I give
up my seat, unless I continue matters a little longer by
taking hold of the super at each end and lifting up while
still sitting on the push-board.

W^HEN THE GLUE IS BRITTLE.

Sometimes the glue is brittle, especially if quite cold.
The case is then quite different. Sitting on it all day
would do no good, unless one is heavy enough to bring

W ^ ** 9h^I

HfiM

' ^J^^QII^' '^H

jJIJ^ mi

Fig. yo. — Bee JJ^orkiug on Red Clover.

down the whole thing suddenly. If pushing down with
the hands on the push-board produces no effect. I pound
with the fist on each corner enough to make the start.
Then lifting on the super at each end with the fingers. I
push the sections out of the super by pushing down on
the push-board with the thumbs (Fig. 77).

After the first start is made, perhaps the super is at
once lifted off without any trouble, and perhaps further
coaxing is needed, and the super must be treated some-
what as one treats a refractory bureau-drawer. I lift on
each end alternately, holding down the push-board with
one hand and lifting with the other, then with both hands
lift off the super (Fig. 7s ).

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 213

This sounds a little as if it was hard work getting
sections out of supers, because I have spent so much
time talking about the troublesome cases, but these are
the exceptional ones, and in general the work is easy
enough to be done rapidly.

TAKING OUT UNFINISHED SECTIONS.

The empty super being set down and the push-board
removed, the unfinished sections are picked off, and the
super is put back on the sections as it was before. Then
the super and the board under it are reversed, and the
board lifted off. Finished sections from another super
used for that purpose, are put in to take the places of
the unfinished sections that were removed, and the super
with its 24 finished sections is put on the pile.

BLOCKING UP SUPERS OF SECTIONS.

The piles of finished sections are 20 supers high, the
piles being about 6 inches from each other and from
the wall. Four blocks J^. of an inch thick are placed
under the corners of the first super in the pile, and four
are put on the corners of each super before the next
super is placed over it. This for ventilation (Fig. 79).
The sun has a fair chance to make this room a pretty
warm place, and screened doors and windows allow free
passage for the air.

FUMIGATING SECTIONS.

Y^ears ago it was very important to fumigate these
sections, or else a good many of the larvae of the bee-
moth would disfigure them. The trouble gradually faded
away until for several years I have done no fumigating
whatever, and no harm has come from the omission.
I do not know why there should be so much change
except a change in the character of the bees that stored
the honey. Y^ears ago black blood was present in my
bees to a larger extent than now. The weeding out

214 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

of bees too lazy to fight away the wax-moths may have
much to do with it.

"go-backs/'

The unfinished sections that were taken out are to
be disposed of. They are filled into supers and returned
to the bees to be finished up, and these supers of sec-
tions that are to go hack to the bees for finishing are
called "go-backs," for short. In filling up these supers
of "go-backs," no very great care is taken as to assorting
them, although it is desirable so far as convenient to have
all in the same super at nearly the same stage toward
completion.

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS IN "gO-BACKS/'

All except the two outside rows. In these two rows
are put the sections that are the least advanced, the four
corner sections often containing only foundation.

There are two objects in having these outside rows
dififerent from the others. The bees will not make as
rapid work finishing them as the others, and if all were
alike the super would have to be left on too long before
all would be finished. So there is no expectation of their
being finished, and it is not worth while to put in the
outside row any that are near completion. There is
another reason. Toward the close of the season, espe-
cially, there will be no other supers on a hive that has
"go-backs," and these outside rows are needed to give
them a chance to do some storing while finishing up the
sealing of sections that allow little or no room for stor-
ing:

COLONIES FOR "gO-BACK"" WORK.

Being more convenient, the "go-backs" are all given
to colonies in the home apiary. When the first are given,
the honey harvest is usually still in full blast, and a good
many colonies in the apiary will have "go-backs," each

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 215

colony having only one, that being placed on top of its
other supers. We keep watch to see which colonies
make the best work on "go-backs." Some seal faster
than others, some seal sections with extra whiteness. In
order to help keep track of the rate of progress, each
"go-back," at the time it is put on. has marked on one of
the middle sections the word "go-back" and the date.
If the super were not thus marked, the colony would get
more credit than it deserved when the super was re-
moved.

A little later in the season the number of colonies
chosen for this work is limited, only those which do the
best being continued at it, and these are not allowed to
have any other supers. Generally two supers at a time
will be enough for a colony to have ; but sometimes three
will be given. As fast as one super is ready to come off
another takes it place.

ROBBER-CLOTH. ^

Before fulfilling my promise to describe the tent-
escape, I must describe a robber-cloth (Fig. 75), which
forms an essential part of the tent-escape. I take a piece
of stout cotton cloth (sheeting) or burlap large enough to
cover a hive and hang down four inches or more at both
sides and at each end. This must be weighted down at the
side with lath, and for this purpose I take four pieces
of lath about as long as the hive. I lay down one piece
of lath with another piece on it, and one edge of the
cloth between the two pieces of lath. I then nail the two
together and clinch the nails. I use the other two pieces
of lath for the opposite edge of the cloth. This makes
a good robber-cloth just as it is, but it is better to have
the ends also weighted down, especially on a windy day.
For this purpose I make a hem in each end, and put in it
shot, nails, pebbles, or something of the kind, stitching
across the hem here and there so the weighting material
will not all run together at one side or the other.

216 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

QUICK COVERING WITH ROBBER-CLOTH. ^

In any case where one wants to cover up a liive
quickly against robbers, as when opening and closing
the same hive frequently for the sake of putting in or
taking out combs, this robber-cloth will be found a great
convenience. No careful adjustment is needed, as in

Fig. 71. — Shop (looking South).

putting on a regular hive-cover, but one can take hold
of the lath with one hand, and with a single throw the
hive is covered securely, with no kilHng of bees if any
should happen to be in the way.

MILLER TENT-ESCAPE.

Having made the robber-cloth, an escape, not in the
shape of a cone, but in the shape of a pyramid, is
fastened centrally upon it (Fig. 73). Take three tri-
angular pieces of wire-cloth, each of the three sides meas-
uring alike. Put them together in the form of a tent,

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 217

sewing the edges together at the three sides by weaving
fine wire through. At the top, however, let each of the
pieces be folded out, so that a hole large enough to push
your finger in will be left. Lay the tent centrally on the
robber-cloth, and mark where the three corners of the
tent come. Now starting at each of these points, cut
the cloth to the center. Cut away the three flaps of cloth
all but about 1^ inches, and turn this 1^-inch margin
up on the outside of the tent and sew there with heavy
thread.

Another way is a little easier to do, and it is a little
better, although a little harder to describe. Take a piece

/ \ /

/ '^

\ ^

' \ /

V V

of wire-cloth 2 1-3 times as long as it is wide. ]\Iark
a point at the middle of one of the longer sides, and on
the other side mark a point half way from each end to
the middle, as shown in the figure. Make a fold at each
of the dotted lines. The wire-cloth may be cut away
at the two outside dotted lines, or, what is better, the end
pieces may be folded over and sewed down. Now bring
the two parts of the upper margin together and sew with
wire, and then proceed to fasten the tent in place as be-
fore. In this latter case, of course, a hole must be cut
at the top of the tent. Before the tent is sewed together,
cut a slit about an inch deep in the two dotted lines at the
top, and then fold out the three points.

When one of these tent-escapes is placed on a pile
of supers, or on a hive containing bees, the bees will pass

218 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

out freely at the top, but the bees that try to get in at-
tempt to make the entrance farther down. Once in a
great while there will gather a bunch of the outgoing
bees at the top so as to clog the exit, and then the rob-
bers will settle on this bunch of bees and work their way
in, but a little smoke will scatter the bunch of bees.

But bees are persevering creatures, and are not
likely to stay scattered. In that case it is a good thing to
put two escapes over the pile, a larger one over a smaller
one. The piece of wire cloth used in making some of
mine is 22x9^ inches, and in others it is 14x6. The
smaller ones seem to work just as well as the larger, and
it is a convenience to have the two sizes when a case such
as I have mentioned occurs. But it does not often occur.

''once a thief" not "always a thief.'"

For many years I believed what perhaps is generally
believed, that the saying, "Once a thief, always a thief,"
was true of any bee ever guilty of robbing. There is, no
doubt, some ground for such belief, for a bee that has
spent to-day robbing from a certain hive will very likely
start in on the same business to-morrow, if any more
plunder is to be had in the same place ; but it is not true
that a bee that has been engaged in one robbing scrape
will never after return to honest labor.

Indeed, so far as the bee is concerned, getting honey
out of another hive probably seems just as honest work
as to gather nectar from the flowers. And the more
active a bee is when engaged in the field, the more active
might we expect to find it in trying to rob when there is
nothing more to be had in the field.

Many a hive is robbed out in spring, and many a bee
is engaged in the robbing ; yet the first day in which an
abundance of stores can be had in the field, every bee
of sufficient age gleefully joins in the quest abroad, and
the fact that honey may be exposed with little danger
shows that the bees that were formerly so intent upon
robbing are now afield with the others.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEE5

219

LEAVING SOMETHING FOR ROBBERS.

A practice that is jnst as far from right as the
theory about which we have been talking is the practice
of taking away whatever the robbers are working upon,
without leaving anything in its place. If by carelessness
I have left a section of honey on a hive, and find the
robbers at work upon it, I can hardly do a worse thing
than to take it away.

If I leave it, the bees will stick to it, and clean it out,
and for some time a number of robbers will stick to it

Fig. 72. — y^o. 12 Closed for Hauling.

after the honey is all gone, but they stick to that one
spot, and if the empty comb is left there, they keep hunt-
ing it all over and over, and by and by conclude the
honey is all used out of it and go about their business.
If the section is taken away and nothing left in its place,
they seem to think they have made a mistake as to the
place and hunt all around for the missing section, until
they force their way into the nearest conquerable colony.

220 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

If a weak colony is attacked, I may sometimes take
it away, but if I do, I immediately put in its place an
empty hive in which I put some scraps of comb contain-
ing a little honey. They will rob this out and that will
he the end of it. It is possible that dry comb without
any honey might answer.

ROBBING, FAULT OF BEE-KEEPER.

Except in case of queenless colonies, I am somewhat
of the opinion that most cases of robbing have been
through my own carelessness. When there is nothing
to do in the fields, the bees may be seen busily trying to
enter cracks about hives so small that there is no possi-
bility of their entering, and they are sharp to observe
any change. If, at such times, a fresh opening be left
anyw^here about a hive, it is sure to be discovered. An
entrance at the top of brood-chamber, at the back end,
may be left open all the season without being disturbed by
robbers. But if it has been kept closed until a time when
robbers are troublesome, and then opened, whether it be
that the robbers are stirred up by seeing the change, or
whether the bees of the colony are not in the habit of
protecting themselves in that quarter, the robbers are
pretty sure to give the new entrance especial attention ;
and if the colony be not very strong there may be serious
trouble.

STARTING ROBBING BY FEEDING.

As feeding is done only in a time of scarcity, it is
one of the most common causes of robbing among care-
less bee-keepers. When general feeding is done with
Miller feeders, there is little danger, no matter what time
of day the work is done ; but if some weak colony is short
of stores, I try to be somewhat careful to do nothing
to attract especial attention to it. I have sometimes fed
at night, and so far as convenient prefer to feed late in
the day, but convenience does not always allow it.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

221

One time I found a colony at the close of the honey
harvest, by some means about at the point of starvation.
A\'ith more carelessness than was excusable. I gave them,
I think in the forenoon, two or three combs filled with
sugar syrup. Some time after, I happened to look to-
ward that end of the apiary and saw what looked like a
swarm. The bees had become excited over their new-
found stores ; the robber-bees had joined in and the bees

Fig- 73- — Miller Tent-Escape.

of the colony seemed to think forage was so plentiful
that it wasn't worth while to be mean about it, there was
enough for all ; so the robbers were doing a land-office
business without let or hindrance.

STOPPING ROBBIXG WITH WET HAY.

I closed the entrances of the other hives in the im-
mediate neighborhood, so that only two or three bees:
could pass at a time, and then threw a lot of loose, wet
hay at the entrance of the besieged hive.

222 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Not only did I put hay at the entrance, but piled it
up all around to the top of the hive. For some time I
kept everything very wet all around the hive by pour-
ing on pails of water, and then left them till next day.

No other hives were attacked. I somewhat ex-
pected to find the queen killed, but she was all right
next day, and no further trouble occurred, as the colony
was a strong one, and when in its right mind, capable
of taking care of itself.

DO ROBBED-BEES JOIN THE ROBBERS?

One of the venerable traditions that is perhaps
generally accepted without question is that when a
colony is being robbed it is a quite common thing for the
bees that are robbed to join the robbers and help carry
ofif the stores. T am very skeptical as to there being any
truth in the tradition. I do not say such a thing never
happened, but I never saw such a case, and I have seen
from first to last quite a number of cases of robbing. I
have known a number of cases in which all the stores
were emptied out of the combs by robbers, and the bees
of the colony seemed to be all left, and generally by tak-
ing the right kind of pains I have succeeded in re-estab-
lishing such a colony. In such cases there was certainly
no joining the robbers.

I have found other cases in which the bees were en-
tirely gone, and I could only guess what had become of
them. Aly guess was that after being robbed of all their
stores, and having used up all the honey in their honey-
sacs, perhaps some time after the robbers had ceased to
pay any attention to them, they had swarmed out as any
hunger-swarm will do, and had united, or tried to unite,
with some other colony. Would they not be likely to
join some colony other than the one that had treated
them so unkindly?

PILES SOMETIMES A TARGET FOR ROBBERS.

Piles of four or five stories with abundant ventila-
tion at each story are in no danger from robbers under

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 223

ordinary circumstances ; but if you ever have such piles,
and are so unfortunate as to get the robbers once started
at them, you "better watch out." Even if there should be
a dearth for some time, robbers are not likely to attack a
pile ; for they have probably got into the habit of think-
ing that such a pile is not to be meddled with, but just
you do something to call particular attention to the pile,

Fig- 74. — Wheeling Load of Supers.

such as letting a comb of honey stand by it exposed, and
there are so many exposed places to defend that the rob-
bers are likely to have things their own way.

A BAD CASE OF ROBBING.

One time George W. York was here when bees were
not busily at work in the fields, and I opened up a pile of
four stories, for what purpose I do not now remember ;
very likely I was trying to show ofif in some way. At
any rate I showed him a fine case of robbing, for the rob-
bers pounced down upon every exposed point, and before
I had noticed what was going on they were having a gay

224 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

time. Of course I couldn't build a haystack about the
four stories, but I had to do something, for although the
colony was a powerful one it was utterly inadequate to
the protection of four exposed stories, and without any
interference on my part its doom was sealed. I closed
all entrances except the lower one, and then applied the
hay and water to the lower story successfully.

PILES IN LATE SUMMER.

During the usual working season there is need of
some foolishness on the part of the bee-keeper to start
robbing at a pile having a strong colony, but after the
weather becomes quite cool toward fall, the case is differ-
ent. Of course, all but the lower entrance should be
closed before cold nights come, but sometimes there is a
case of neglect. In a cold night the colony shrinks down
into the lower or the lower two stories — all the more
because there is a current of air right through the hive
— and the two or three upper stories are left without any
bees.

In the following morning they do not go up again
into the upper stories till some time after the day has
warmed up. The robbers, however, do not wait so long,
but finding an upper entrance unprotected go to work in
lively style.

As late as October 6, in the year 1902, a pile was
left with an upper entrance or ventilating space still
open, and on the forenoon of that day I observed lively
work at that place, while all was quiet at the lower or
regular entrance. I shoved the cover back so as to close
the space, and then took a snap-shot of the bees trying
to get in, as shown in Fig. 81. Only two stories show
in the picture, although the pile was four stories high.
Fortunately no other place was open except the regular
lower entrance, and it was so far from top to bottom that
the robbers made no attempt below — indeed I suppose
they would have been promptly repulsed if they had —

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

225

so after trying for a time to get in the place I had closed,
they gave up and left the hive.

PLAYING BEES AND ROBBERS.

I think I can tell by carefully looking at bees when
flying with unusual commotion at the entrance of a hive,
whether it is a case of robbing or bees at play, but I am
not sure I could tell some one else the difference in ap-

Pk- 75.— Robber-Cloth.

pearance. Looking at bees at play in Fig. 82, and com-
paring with Fig. 81, there appears little difference. In
actual life there will be seen the same excited eagerness
in each case.

The time of day helps to decide. During the mid-
dle of the day, say from noon till the middle of the after-
noon, playing is common ; earlier or later than that time,
if there is big excitement at the entrance of a weak col-
ony, the likelihood is that robbing is going on.

226 FIFTY YEARS AMCXG THE BEES

SIGNS OF ROBBING.

One pretty sure sign of robbing, when there is a
good deal of stir at the entrance, is to see bees working
frantically to force an entrance under the cover or at
some other part of the hive. Just why they should do
this at times when they seem to have plenty of chance
to get in at the regular entrance I do not know — it seems
to be a way they have.

A sure sign of robbing is to find the 1 ees entering
the hive with empty sacs and coming out with their sacs
full. The contents of the sac can be told by killing the
bee, pulling it in two, and squeezing out the contents of
the sac. Indeed, the squeezing is hardly needed.

BEES STICK TO THE SAME ENTRANCE.

A glance at the hive shown in Fig. 81 would show
that it is a case of robbing, for the flying is at an opening
never used for an entrance. It is a somewhat curious
fact that bees are very persistent in continuing to use
the same place for an entrance.

After the bees have become used to going in and
out at the regular place, if I make an opening at the
back end of the hive, no matter if it be as large as the
front entrance, that back opening will never be used as
an entrance. One would think that young bees taking
their first play-spell would be as likely to use the back
as the front opening, but when I have had ventilating
openings at the backs of the hives I do not remember
to have seen bees playing at the back. Perhaps the noise
of the regular traffic in front attracts them there.

LOSING THE ROBBERS.

I make it a rule to stop operations usually when rob-
bers are very bad, but sometimes it seems necessary to
fight it out. I have sometimes taken advantage of the
plan of making cross bees or robbers lose themselves, or

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

227

rather lose the object they are after by rapidly changing
the base of operation, (jne day at the \\'ilson apiary I
had taken off some wide frames of sections and wanted
to take them from the place where they were piled up, so
as to put them on the wagon. The robbers were so
fierce and persistent that it seemed impossible to open a
crack without their immediately forcing their way in.
My wife was provided with a smoker in full blast, and a

Fig. 76. — Push-Board.

big bunch of goldenrod or other weeds. A robber-cloth
covered the pile. With one hand I lifted the cloth and
with the other took out a frame of sections, then quickly
dropped the robber-cloth in its place, my wife keeping a
cloud of smoke in the way of any robbers which should
attempt to enter the pile while the cloth was raised. In-
stantly the frame was ort of the super, the robbers made
for the frame of sections. I made for the wagon and
my wife made for me. Running in a zig-zag. circuitous

228 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

course, my wife followed me, puffing and switching at
every step, and by the time we got to the wagon the rob-
bers were lost, the frame was slipped quickly into the
super on the wagon, and the robber-cloth dropped over
it. The Scotch folks at the house had a good laugh over
the crazy couple chasing one another through the
orchard, but we beat the bees. Under ordinary circum-
stances it would be better to take an easier plan or wait
till dark.

PROTECTION FROM STINGS.

I have been a bee-keeper since 1861, and since 1878
I have made the production of honey my sole business,
aside from writing about bees, and yet I have not reached
that point where I care nothing for protection from
stings. When I first commenced keeping bees, a sting on
my hand was a serious affair, swelling to the shoulder,
and troubling fully as much the second day as the first.
Now, if I receive a half-dozen stings or more, I cannot
tell an hour or two later where I was stung, except as a
matter of memory. Y^et I think that a sting gives me
fully as much pain for the first minute now, as it did fifty
years ago. Sometimes the pain is so severe that it liter-
ally makes me groan, especially if no one is within hear-
ing. I sometimes wonder at those who scout at any sort
of protection, and query whether there may not be just
a little of a spirit of bravado about it. I think I could go
through a year without any sort of prqitection, but I do
not think I ever shall. A bee inside my clothing makes me
very nervous, and I cannot go on in comfort at my work
with a .feeling of uncertainty as to where and when its
little javelin shall pierce my flesh. If I feel it c^ait^ing on
me, and then cease to feel it because it is on the clothing
and not on the skin, I am in momentary drekd as to
where it shall turn up next ; and it is a real relief when
it stings me, for I know then the precise spot where it is,
and have no further expectations from it.

FIFTY YEARS AAIONG THE BEES 229

BEE-VEIL.

So I seldom go among the bees without a veil. I
may not have it over my face, but it is on the hat, ready
to be pulled down at any time. The veil is made of in-
expensive material, called by milliners cape-lace or cape-
net. It is 21 inches wide. A piece is cut off as long as
the circumference of the brim of a straw hat, and both
ends sewed together. Shirr a rubber cord in one end of
this open bag, thoroughly soak or wash out the starch,
and sew the other end on the edge of the hat-brim. It
is important for the eye-sight that the stuff of the veil be
black, but the black coloring crocks one's clothing. So
of late years a border of white cloth is sewed on the veil
to receive the rubber cord.

The rubber cord holds the veil close about one's
neck, yet not close enough but what a bee sometimes gets
under it. Although a bee is not at all likely to sting
when it gets inside a veil, it is just as well to have it re-
main outside. So my assistant devised the plan of draw-
ing the veil down very tightly in front, and pinning it to
her waist with a safety-pin. Seeing it work so well with
her, I have also adopted the plan, pinning to my suspen-
ders on one side, or to my vest if I have one on.

Sometimes a face-piece of silk net is sewed in the
veil. Instead of having the veil sewed to my hat, so that
the bee-hat must be taken along when we go to an out-
apiary, I sometimes have in my pocket a veil made with
a rubber cord shirred into each end, and when I reach
the apiary the veil is slipped on over the hat I am wear-
ing-

The openings at the wrist and neck of my shirt are
small, ih? cloth lapping over so as to give a bee little
chance f vr entrance. If bees are likely to be on the
ground I put my pants inside my stockings, or still better,
put on a pair of trouser guards such as bicyclists wear. I
get a great many stings on my hands, but the inconveni-
ence and discomfort of gloves are so great that for many

230 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

years I felt the stings to be the less of the two evils. But
after working for years to get bees that would give the
most honey, without paying any attention to the temper
of the bees, I finally had bees so cross that in spite of
the inconvenience I felt obliged to use gloves.

My assistant prefers to wear gloves, not only to
avoid the stings, but to avoid the bee-glue. I may say
in passing that I am not always very particular about
getting the bee-glue off my hands, but when I do clean
them I usually give the bee-glue a good rubbing with
butter or grease, and then wash off with soap and water.
I confess I don't very much mind having bee-glue on
my hands unless there is so much of it that it sticks to
the bed-clothes at night. But I do abhor the sticky feel-
ing of honey on my hands, and when they get daubed, if
I have no water I pick up some soil to rub them with.
That at least takes away the sticky feeling. Perhaps
you think the soil is worse than the honey. I don't.

BEE-GLOVES.

For some time Miss Wilson wore a kind of cheap
white glove that I think was made of pig-skin. She
dislikes the smell of oiled canvas gloves, although to me
the smell is not very bad, and the smell of the pig-skin
is horrid. Latterly she wears light buckskin, which are
free from smell, and wash well, or else a pair of kid
gloves with a pair of 10-cent pickle gloves over them.
The latter are rather bungling.

GETTING OUT STINGS.

T like to get a sting out of my skin as soon as pos-
sible, rf not too busy. A little trick in this direction is,
I think, not known to all bee-keepers. I am not sure
whether I learned it by instinct, or from the writings of
G. M. Doolittle. If a bee stings my hand, I instantly
strike the hand with much force upon my leg, with a
sort of quick, wiping motion. This mashes the bee,
generally, and rubs out the sting at the same time.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

231

SCOLDIXG BEES.

If one thinks of the thousands or millions of bees in
a large apiary, it will be seen that comparatively few
bees make any attack. Sometimes a single bee' will
threaten and scold me by the hour, perhaps finally sting-

Fig.

-Pushing Sections out oj Super.

ing me by getting into my hair or whiskers, and for
aught I know the same bee may keep rp the same thing
for days — I mean the scolding, not the stinging. It is
sometimes worth while to get rid of the annoyance by
stepping to one side and kncckins: it down with a stick
by a few rapid strokes back and forth in front of my
face. I often mash it by slapping my hands together.

232 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

CROSS COLONIES.

Sometimes the bees have seemed very cross, and a
little observation has shown these bees to proceed from
a particular part of the apiary, and really from only one
hive. A careless observer might have said all the bees in
the apiary were cross. I have had a few colonies so cross
that merely walking by the hive was the signal for a gen-
eral onslaught. Truth obliges me to say that I have
sometimes been so bady stung by one of these, w^hen
working at them, that I have taken refuge in inglorious
flight, glad to get a respite and scrape out the stings.
Just why there should be one or two of these in a year
in such marked contrast with others I cannot say. The
only remedy I had was to kill the queen.

DRESS FOR THE HOTTEST WEATHER.

During the principal part of the honey-flow, a prom-
inent element of hardship is the endurance of the heat.
Sometimes the heat really has made me sick, so that in
spite of a press of work, I have been obliged to give up
and lie down for an hour or more. At such times you
may be sure I am not very warmly clad. One straw hat
and veil, one cotton shirt, one pair cotton overalls, one
pair cotton socks and one pair shoes, comprise my entire
wearing apparel (Fig. 83). Before noon, shirt and
pants are both thoroughly wet wath perspiration.

SPONGE-BATH AT NOON.

In this heated condition, I sponge myself ofif with
cold water before dinner, put on dry pants and shirt, and
hang up the wet ones in the sun to be put on next day.
I am sure that by this refreshing change, I am able to do
more work. It might be thought that applying cold
water all over the body when every part is dripping with
perspiration might make me take cold. I have never
found it SO', even if followed up every day. The body is

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

133

SO thoroughly heated that it easily resists the shock, and
a brisk rubbing leaves one in a fine glow.

My overalls are white, such as painters or masons
use. I do not enjoy being so conspicuous when I hap-
pen to be on the streets clad in white ; but I would rather

Fig. /8. — Lifting off the Super

be conspicuous than to be stung ; and I feel sure that I
do not get so man}- stings as I would with darker cloth-
ing.

woman's bee-dress.

My assistant is not dressed so coolly as I. Her de-
sire to keep her dress clean makes her warmer than she

234 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

otherwise wonld be, for she wears an apron that covers
all the dress except the sleeves (Fig. 84). This apron is
made of denim, and has two large pockets. It is made
after pattern No. 3,696 of the Butterick Publishing Co.
To cover the sleeves of her dress, she uses a pair of white
sleeves fastened together by a strap sewed to each sleeve
across the back, a similar strap in front being sewed to
one sleeve and buttoned to the other. The wrists of
these sleeves are sewed to the wrists of her gloves, and
ripped off whenever it is necessary to wash either gloves
or sleeves. For convenience, several pairs are kept.

QUEEN-REARING BREEDING FRO:\I BEST.

My sole business with bees being to produce honey,
I am not particubr to keep a popular breed of bees, only
so far as their popularity comes from their profitableness
as honey-gatherers. I am anxious to have those that are
industrious, good winterers, gentle, and not given to
much swarming. For some years I got an imported
Italian queen every year or two. Then for a good many
years I preferred to rear from queens of my own whose
workers had distinguished themselves as being the most
desirable. The chief thing considered was the amount
of honey stored. Little or no attention was paid to
color, and unfortunately no more to temper. So I had
bees that were hybrids, hustlers to store, but anything
but angels in temper. Then, beginning with 1906, I in-
troduced quite a number of Italian queens, in the hope
that among them I might find one as good as my hybrid
stock, without so much ill temper. The hope was not
realized, but continued effort may bring success.

IMPORTANCE OF SELECTION.

The queen being the very soul of the colony, I hardly
consider any pains too great that will give better queens.
The first thing is to select the queen from which to rear,
for generally all rearing will be from the same queen,

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

235

whether for the home apiary or an outside apiary. The
records are carefully scanned, and that queen chosen
which, all things considered, appears to be the best. The
first point to be weighed is the amount of honey that has
been stored. Other things being equal, the queen whose
workers have shown themselves the best storers will have
the preference. The matter of wintering will pretty

Pig- 79- — Supers of Sections Blocked Up.

much take care of itself, for a colony that has wintered
poorly is not likely to do very heavy work in the harvest.
The more a colony has done in the way of making prep-
arations for swarming, the lower will be its standing.
Generally, however, a colony that gives the largest num-
ber of sections is one that never dreamed of swarming.

BREEDIXC, FROM BEST.

I am well aware that I will be told by some that I am
choosing freak queens from which to rear, and that it
would be much better to select a queen whose royal
daughters showed uniform results only a little above the

536 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

average. I don't know enough to know whether that is
true or not, but I know that some excellent results have
been obtained by breeders of other animals by breeding
from sires or dams so exceptional in character that they
might be called freaks. I know, too, that it is easier to
decide which colony does best work than it is to decide
which queen produces royal progeny the most nearly uni-
form in character. By the first way, too, a queen can be
used a year sooner than by the second way, and a year
in the life of a queen is a good deal. I may mention that
a queen which has a fine record for two successive sea-
sons is preferred to one with the same kind of a record
for only one season. At any rate, the results obtained in
the way of improvement of stock as a result of my prac-
tice have been such as to warrant me in its continuance,
at least for a time.

The danger from inbreeding must not be lost sight
of entirely. With two or three hundred colonies kept in
three different apiaries it is perhaps not great. Should
signs of degeneracy at any time appear, it will not be
dif^cult to introduce fresh blood.

CONDITIONS FOR QUEEN-REARING.

Having chosen the queen from which to rear, I have
Icept in mind that unless conditions are favorable the
royal progeny of the best queen in the world may be very
poor. Queen-cells must be started when the weather is
sufficiently warm, when bees are gathering enough to
make them feel that there is no need to stint the royal
larv?e in their rations, and until near the point of
emergence it is much better that the cells shall be in the
<:are of_a strong colony. So I do not begin operations
for queen-rearing until about the time that bees inclined
to swarming would begin to make preparations therefor.

REARING QUEENS IN HIVE WITH LAYING QUEEN.

It would be too long a story to enumerate all the
plans I have used in queen-rearing. I have reared ex-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 237

cellent qr.eens, and many of them, by the Alley plan, and
by the Doolittle cell-cup plan, together with its modifica-
tions by Pridgen and others. I think I was the first one
to report rearing a queen in a colony having a layings
queen ; and I have reared them in stories under as well as
over the story having the laying queen. Neither is it ab-
solutely necessary to have a queen-excluder between the
stories. In lieu of an excluder I have used a cloth with

Fig. 80. — Cleafed Smoker.

room for passage at the corners. Neither excluder nor
cloth is absolutely necessary: distance is enough. That
first reported case was on this wise :

Upon a hive containing a colony had been piled four
stories of empty combs for safe keeping. To make sure
that the bees would not neglect the care of the most dis-
tant combs, I put a 'frame of brood in the upper story.
A few weeks later I found a laying queen in the upper

23S FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEE3

story with the old queen still below. The bees that had
gone up to that frame of brood were so far from the
queen that they had reared a queen of their own. A
hole in the upper story had allowed the flight of the
young queen without invading the domains of her
mother. For those who produce extracted honey this
plan might be used to advantage.

UNOUEENIXG COLONY TO START CELLS.

I have reared good queens by the old and simple
plan of taking away the queen of a strong colony. Of
course this must be a choice queen. Previous to the re-
moval of the queen the colony is strengthened. Frames
of well-advanced brood are from time to time given from
other colonies until it has two — perhaps three — stories
of brood. None of this brood, however, is given less
than five or six days before the removal of the queen.
The queen is taken with two frames of brood and ad-
hering bees and put on a new stand in an empty hive, an
empty comb and one with some honey being added.

TIME TO START XL'CLEL

In nine or ten days from the removal of the queen
it is time to break up the queenless colony into nuclei.
It might generally be left till a day or two Fter before a
young queen would come out to destroy her baby sisters
in their cradles, but it is best to take no chances. If it
were true, as formerly believed, that queenless bees are
in such haste to rear a queen that they will select a
larva too old for the purpose, then it would hardly do to
wait even nine days. A queen is matured in fifteen days
from the time the eg^ is laid, and is fed throughout her
larval lifetime on the same food that is given to a
worker-larva during the first three days of its larval ex-
istence. So a worker-larva more than three days old, or
more than six days from the laying of the egg would be

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

239

too old for a good queen. If, now, the bees should
select a larva more than three days old, the queen would
emerge in less than nine days. I think no one has ever
known this to occur.

Fig. 8i. — Robber Bees.

BEES DO NOT PREFER TOO OLD LARV.E.

As a matter of fact bees do not use such poor judg-
ment as to select larvae too old when larvae sufficiently
young are present, as I have proven by direct experi-
ment and many observations. It will not do, however,
to conclude from this that all queen-cells started by a
queenless colony left to themselves will be equally good.

240 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Bees have a fashion of starting cells for a number of
days in succession, and will continue to start them when
larvae sufficiently young for good queens are no longer
present. So some means must be taken to make sure
that no nucleus has for its sole dependence one of these
latest cells. If several cells can be afforded for each
nucleus, there is little danger they will all be bad.
Neither is there great danger if a cell is chosen which is
large and fine-looking. Perhaps the safer way is to
give the queenless colony a frame with eggs and young
brood three or four days after the removal of the queen,
and then they will not be obliged to use the older larvae
of the other combs.

PLACING QUEEN-CELLS.

Two or three frames of brood with adhering bees
are taken for each nucleus. If one of the frames has a
cell or several cells in a good location, well and good.
If not, the lack must be supplied. But the cells must be
where they will be sure to be well cared for. They must
not be on the outer edge of a comb, with the chance to be
chilled, neither must they be on the outer side of the
comb, but on the side of the comb that faces the other
comb. Any cells that are not just wdiere they are
wanted must be cut out. For this purpose I like a tea-
knife with a very thin and narrow blade of steel.

STAPLING CELLS ON COMB.

A staple, such as is used to fasten a bottom-board to
a hive, is used to fasten a cell in place. The cell is placed
where it is wanted, then the staple is placed over it, one
leg of the staple close to the cell, and the other leg is
pushed deep into the comb (Fig. 85).

MAKING BEES STAY IN NUCLEI.

Each nucleus is put upon a stand of its own, and
the entrance is plugged up with leaves so that no bee

FIFTY YEARS A:^I0XG THE BEES

241

can get out. (3ne of the nuclei, however, is left without
having its entrance closed, and this is put in the place of
the hive wliich contains the queen, and the hive with the
queen is put back on the old stand from which the queen
was first taken. The entrances may be left closed until
the shrinking of the leaves allows the bees to make their
way out, but I generall}' open them in about twenty-
four hours, first pounding on the hive to make the bees

lug. 82. — Bees Playing.

Although queen-

mark their location upon

less bees are much better than other

they are put, there will be still fewer bees return to the

old place if the nucleus is fastened in twentv-four hours

at staying wherever

or longer.

LOOKIXG FOR EGGS.

Twelve or fourteen days after forming the nuclei I
look to see if the queens are laying. I might find eggs
in less time, but not always, and at any rate not in con-

242 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

siderable number, and it saves time on the whole !:ot to
be in too much of a hurry. If no eggs are found a coml^
of young brood is given as an encouragement to start
the young queen to laying, and a day or two later, if
queen-cells are started on this young brood, a mature
queen-cell is given,

KEEPING BEST QUEEN IN NUCLEUS.

Instead of having my best queen in a strong colony,
as in the plan just given, she is usually kept in a two-
frame nucleus throughout the summer, the nucleus being
strengthened into a full colony in the fall for wintering.
One object of this is to make the queen live longer. It
is generally understood that a worker lives a longer time
if it has little work to do, and probably the same is true
of a queen. As laying eggs is her w^ork, the less the num-
ber of eggs she lays the longer she ought to live, and i'l
a nucleus she lays a smaller number of eggs than in a
strong colony.

There is another reason for keeping her in a nucleus.
Some who have tried to have comb built in the colony
containing their best queen complain that they can get
only drone-comb built. That may be avoided by filling
the frame with w^orker-foundation, but the better Avay is
to keep the colony with the queen so weak that only
worker-comb will be built. In a nucleus only worker-
comb wall be built.

STARTING BROOD FOR CELLS

Having my breeding queen in a two-frame nucleus,
I take away one of the combs, and in its place put a
frame in which are two small starters four or five inches
long and an inch or two wide. One of these starters is
prt about four inches from each end (Fig. 86). The
nucleus must be strong enough in bees so that a week
later this frame wall have a comb built in it that will fill
most of the frame, the comb being fairly well filled wdth

FIFTY YEARS AMONG TFIE BEES

243

eggs and young brood ( F'ig. cS8). It is taken away, and
another frame with two small starters put in its place as
before. Thus this nucleus will furnish once a week a
frame of comb with brood of the best sort for queen-
rearing. It will be a dav or so after the frame is g^iven

Pig- ^3- — Bee-Dress.

before the queen lays in it, so that the brood will not be
too old even if the bees were so foolish as to prefer it.

The comb being new^ and tender makes it probably
an easier job for the bees to build queen-cells upon it ;
at any rate they ahvays show a preference for such
comb, and start on it a larger number of cells than they
would on older comb.

244 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

BEES FOR CELL-BUILDIXG.

Having now arranged for the right kind of brood
and eggs to be ready on the same day of each week, the
next thing is to find the right kind of bees to start the
cells. Xot only to start them, but to take the very best
care of them. We can probably find no bees better fitted
to produce good queen-cells than those that of their own
accord have already engaged in the business. So a strong
colony is chosen which has already started queen-cells
in preparation for swarming. All queen-cells already
started are destroyed, the queen is removed, and one
of the frames is taken away, leaving a vacancy in the
center of the hive. ]\Iost likely the colony has one or
more supers, but these are not to be taken away.

BROOD FOR OUEEX-CELLS.

We now go to the nucleus containing our best c(ueen,
take out the frame with the virgin comb, and replace it
with an empty frame with its two starters, brushing back
into the hive the bees from the comb taken out, and clos-
ing the hive. Looking at the comb taken out, you will
see that instead of the oldest brood being in the center,
it will be in the two places wdiere the two starters were
put. It was for this purpose the two starters at the sides
were given rather than a central one. For by this means
the wavins: contour will give opportunity for a larger
number of queen-cells on the edge of the comb than
would otherwise be the case.

TRIMMING T?IE BREEDING-COMB.

For a little distance at the edge, the comb contains
eggs only. This part is trimmed away, leaving the
youngest of the brood at the edge of the comb (Fig. 89).
One reason for this is that, other thines beins: eciual, the
bees show a decided preference for building on the edge
of a comb. Another reason is that I decidedly prefer to

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 245

have cells on the e:lge, thus making them easier to cut
out when wanted. The part cut away would only be
in the way of both of us.

b]-:es using younx. larv.?^ only.

When a queen is taken away from a full colony, the
bees start cells from voung brood, and as I have already

Fig. 84. — Woman's Bee-Dress.

said, they continue to start fresh cells for several days,
and until after there is no longer brood of the proper
age, so that the last cells started will contain larvae too
old to make good queens. But on these combs prepared
as I have described, they do not do so. Rarely, if ever,

24G FIFTY YEARS AMO\X, THE BEES

will a cell be found elsewhere than on the edge of the
comb, and I have never known the bees to start a cell
after the larvae were too old. T do not know why there
is this difference. T only knovs' the fact. But it is a
ver}" convenient fact.

AGE OF LARV.5: FOR OUEEXS.

Scientists tell us that a worker-larva is fed for three
days the same as a queen-larva, and then it is weaned.
Theoretically, then, up to the time a larva in a worker-
cell is three days old, it ought to be all right to rear a
queen from. Practically, I do not believe a larva three
days old is as good as a younger one. The only reason
I have for so believing is the expressed preference of
the bees themselves. Give them larvse of all ages from
which to select, and they always choose that which is
two days old, or younger. Indeed, it will be seen that
in the comb from which I have trimmed the edge (Fig.
89) the larv^ on the edge of the comb have been out of
the egg but a short time, for I merely trimmed away the
eggs, and possibly not all of them.

PLACING THE BREEDIXG-COMB.

The breeding-comb, thus properly trimmed, is taken
to the queenless colony, and put in the vacancy that was
left for it. On the top-bar of the frame is penciled the
date on which the cells are to be cut out, allowing ten
days from the time of putting in. Thus, if the frame
be given June 27, the number 7 is put on the top-bar, July
7 being ten days later than June 2T. No need to put the
month on. Beside giving the date, that figure marks the
frame, so I can know at a glance which frame to take
out. At the same time a memorandum of this date is
put in the record book to remind me when to cut the
cells.

Some one may ask, "But if you leave nearly all the
old brood in the hive, will the bees not start cells on

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

247

them, with only the smaller part on your breeding-comb?"
So I thought at first, and took some pains to have no
very young brood of the old stock left. But I found upon
trial that when I left all the young brood of the old
stock, the bees ignored this, at the most starting upon it
one, two, possibly three cells, confining their attention to
the prepared frame I had given. Probably the hardness
of the old combs and the lack of convenient places in

Fig. 8j. — Queen-Cell Stapled on Comb.

which to build cells convince the bees that it is better to
use the soft comb where room is abundant. Of course a
cell or two on the old combs can do no great harm, for
they will not be used.

MORE THAN ONE NUCLEUS IN HIVE.

The frames for nuclei are the regular full-sized
frames, and a full hive may be used for each nucleus,
but it is economy to have the hive divided up into
two or three compartments for as many nuclei. Three

248 FIx^TY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

nuclei in one hive are mutually helpful in keeping up the
heat, and thus it is possible to have the nuclei weaker
than if each nucleus was by itself, while results are as
good with the three weaker nuclei in the one hive as with
three stronger nuclei in three separate hives.

NUCLEUS-HIVE.

For many years I have had hives divided into two
or more compartments, and have had much trouble from
the bees finding a passage from one compartment to an-
other, but my latest nucleus hives have not troubled in
that way. They are made from ordinary 8-frame hives
together with the 2-inch-deep bottom-board. First, two
pieces are nailed on the inside of the bottom-board, each
piece 18^xl34xJ'^. One piece nailed 4^4 inches from
one side, the other 4)4 inches from the other side. These
pieces do not lie flat in the bottom, but stand on edge,
with l^i inches between them. Then the hive is fas-
tened on the bottom-board with the four usual staples.
Two division-boards, each 183/:|x934x5-l(). are now put
in place and crowded down tight upon the two pieces in
the bottom-board. These two division-boards are 4^4
inches from each side, leaving 2^ inches between them.
The four spaces at the top, at the ends of the division-
boards, are closed by blocks ^x^^xo-lfi, whittled enough
to allow them to be wedged into place. Light 1^-inch
wire-nails are driven through from the outside to hold
the division-boards in place. A block 10x2x^ is pushed
into the entrance centrally, and held there by a nail light-
ly driven in front of it. That leaves an entrance at each
end of the block for the two side compartments, but no
entrance for the middle compartment. For this purpose
an inch hole is bored in the back end of the hive midway
between the two corners, its center being about three
inches from the upper surface of the hive. Three boards
of half-inch stufip cover the three compartments, and over
this is an ordinarv hive-cover.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

249

At Fig. 90 will be seen a bottom-board for a nucleus
hive. You will notice that the two pieces that run length-
wise through the center of the bottom-board are a quar-
ter of an inch shallower than the rim of the bottonv-
board. If they were 2 inches .leep instead of 1^4, the
bottom-bars of the frames would rest directly on them.
Of course the division-boards are deep enough to come
clear down uj^on these two pieces.

fig. 86. — Starters in Breeding Frame.

Two nucleus-hives will be seen at Fig. 91. The one
at the right faces us, showing the entrance at each side.
The back of the left hive is toward us, showing the round
liole near the top. which serves as an entrance to the mid-
dle compartment.

LARGE SPACE FOR MIDDLE FRAME.

In one of these side compartments there is abundant
room for two frames and a dummy, and three frames
without the dummy can with care be crowded in. The
-central compartment will of course take only one frame.

250 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

It seems as though 2^4 inches is quite too much space for
one frame, but I use that space advisedly. Many years
ago I made a nucleus hive with six compartments, and at
that time not having had much experience I made each
compartment 2% inches wide. Years afterward I made
another nucleus hive, and smiling at my former ignor-
ance and congratulating myself upon the superior knowl-
edge I had gained with the passing years. I made the
compartments more nearly in accord with the usual space
occupied by each frame in a hive, making each compart-
ment— I'm not sure whether it was 1^ or 1^. At any
rate, the bees swarmed out of these limited quarters to
such an extent that I could not use them, whereas they
had not swarmed out of the 2^4 compartments. Neither
have they swarmed out of these later ones. Having so
much room in these central compartments, the bees some-
times build pieces of comb on the sides which I must
clean away, but that is better than to have them swarm
out.

CONTENTS OF NUCLEUS-HIVE.

A nucleus hive is tenanted by a two-frame nucleus
on each side and a one-frame nucleus in the middle. Care
is taken to choose one of the best frames of brood for the
middle nucleus, and perhaps a few extra bees are brushed
in. A third comb may be put in each of the side com-
partments, or a dummy, the same as the dummies used in
the regular hives.

MAKING THE BEES STAY.

^When populated, the entrances of the nuclei are
plugged up with green leaves. These are generally
taken away twenty-four hours later, after the hives are
pounded to stir up the bees, but if they are neglected the
leaves will dry and shrink so the bees can make their
way out. It is better to form nuclei with queenless bees,
for they are not so much inclined as others to go back to
their old place.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 251

BABY NUCLEI.

There has been much interest in the matter of hav-
ing queens fertiHzed in small nuclei containing only ^O*)
bees or so. About the year 1SG3 I had seen miniature
nuclei in the apiaries of Adam Grimm, but they had not
so few bees as the so-called baby nuclei of to-day. Of
course. I had a number of queens fertilized in baby
nuclei, but I did not go to the trouble of having hives
specially built for them. I merely used an 8-frame dove-
tailed hive, putting in it sometimes a 1-pound section
nearly filled with honey, and sometimes two such sections
side by side. A frame of brood with its adhering bees
was taken from some colony, the bees shaken or brushed
into the nucleus-hive quickly, a virgin not more than a
day or two old dropped into the hive among the bees and
all hastily closed, the entrance having been closed in
advance. Of course, the frame of beeless brood was re-
turned to its old place. Three days later the entrance
was opened, and in due time the queen was laying.

However it may be for the commercial queen-reirer,
for the honey-producer there seems no great advantage in
baby nuclei. Fie generally needs to make some increase,
and it is more convenient for him to use 2 or 3-frame
nuclei for queen-rearing, and then build them up into full
colonies.

REGULAR LI IVES FOR NUCLEI.

One year I tried rearing queens on a commercial
scale, producing them for Editor G. W. York of the
American Bee Journal. I may say, parenthetically, that
one season was enough to convince me that it was best to
stick to honey-production, rearing queens only for my
own use. But I had 50 three-compartment hives left
on hand, and in spite of that, truth compels me to say
that latterly they generally lie idle, and I use a full hive
for each nucleus, merely putting 3 or 4 frames in one side
of the hive, with a dummv beside them. To be sure, it

*252 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

takes more bees than to have three nuclei in one hive,
but it is a good bit more convenient to build up into a
full colony a nucleus that has the whole hive to itself.

Fig. 8/. — Putting Foundation in Sections.

QUEEN-CAGE.

When we go to give queen-cells to the nuclei, we
are provided with introducing queen-cages. The first in-
troducing-cage I devised was the Miller introducing-cage,
listed in the catalogs of supply-dealers. Then I got up
one I liked better, three of which are shown in Fig. 92,
the blocks containing the candy being separate from the
cages. This may be called Miller cage No. 2. Two

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 2o:r

blocks 3 inches by Yi by V^ and a piece of wire-cloth
6>^xl%, form the material for the cage. Lay the two
blocks parallel on their edges, and nail on these one end
of the wire-cloth, the end of the wire-cloth corresponding
with the ends of the blocks. Fold the wire-cloth aronnd
the ends of the blocks and nail it on the other side, and
you have a cage 3x1 ^x^^^, outside measure. The plug
to close the cage is not so simple, for the cage is to be
provisioned, and the plug holds the candy. Two blocks
l}ixy2x}4, a piece of tin and a piece of section stuff each
154 inches square form the material for the plug. Lay
the tw^o blocks parallel on their sides, with ^4 inch space
between them. On these nail the piece of tin, turn over,
and nail on the section stuff. Xear one end drive a tack
partly in to prevent the plug going too far into the cage.
That makes all complete.

After using these for some years, I got up another
that in some respects I like still better. This is shown
in Fig. 87}4, and may be called Miller cage Xo. 3. Make
a block 3^xl3/^x5-lG. From one side of the block, at
one end, cut out a piece li/2xll-32. Cut a piece of tin
1x2 inches. Stand the block on edge with the cut-out
place uppermost, and in this cut-out place lay a lead pen-
cil or similar object 5-16 in diameter. Over this bend
the tin, letting it come out flush with the end of the
block. Then laying the block on its side, still keeping
the pencil in place, drive two )4-inch wire nails through
tin and wood, clinching on the opposite side. When the
pencil is withdrawn there is left a tube to be filled with
candy. So much for the plug. The cage itself is made
of a piece of wire-cloth 4 inches square, if one edge is a
selvedge. If there is no selvedge, it must be ^x-t^ and
Vy inch folded over as a selvedge to prevent raveling. A
block must be made, not to be part of the cage, but to he-
used to form the wire-cloth over. It must be a little
larger than the first block, say 5x1 3-1 Gx>}^. If the block
were the same size as the first, there would be too tight
a fit, and if the fit be loose it is easy to wedge in a thin

-2M

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

slip, as a piece of wood separator. The wire-cloth is
wrapped around the block and allowed to project at o le
end about ^ inch. A light wire is wound twice around,
about j/2 inch from the selvedge end (whicn is the part
that does not project) riul fastened. Another wire is
similarly fastened about 1^ inches from the first wire.
Now the projecting part of the wire-cloth is bent down
upon the end of the block, and hammered down with

Fig. 8/^/i— Miller Cage No. j.

a hammer. That completes the cage, but for convenience
in hanging it between brood-frames one end of a light
wire 7 or 8 inches long is fastened into one side of the
cage about ^ inch from the open end. To put it in a
hive, I shove the frames apart, and holding the end of
the wire lower the cage where I want it, and then shove
the frames together. That leaves 3 inches or more of

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES ^oo

the wire above the top-bars, and when I want to take
out the cage I take hold of the wire, draw the frames
apart, and lift out the cage. The wire serves also to
mark the spot where the cage is.

When the tube is filled with candy, it may be pushed
so far into the cage that the bees can not get at the
candy. Then when it is desired that the bees shall get
at the candy, the plug is drawn out until the candy is
exposed. This is more reliable as to time than to have
the usual cage with the candy covered with card-board.
With the card-board there is no certainty as to whether
the queen will be released in 24 hours or much longer.
Sometimes it may be several days. With the No. 3 care
you know just how long the bees have the cage before
they get to the candy, and after the candy is exposed you
may count on the bees clearing out the candy in about 24
hours.

It may be objected that it is troublesome to open up
the hive to change the position of the plug in the cage.
That is true, and often, if not generally, the cage is nofe
prt between the combs, but thrust in the entrance, making
sure that it is where it will be protected by the bees.
After being there about two days, it is only the work of
a minute to take out the cage, expose the candy, and put
the cage back in the entrance.

Sometimes, if I want to have the work done auto-
matically, I use a device that delays the work abort as
much as the card-board, but is more uniform in the time
it takes. I thrust into the center of the tube of candy its
whole length a wooden splint about 1-16 of an inch
square, and that delays the bees at gnawing out the
candy.

When a queen-cell is to be caged, the No. 2 cage
allows more room for the cell.

For making queen-cages, instead of the common
painted wire-cloth that is used for screen doors, I like
better extra heavy bright wire-cloth. It is more sub-
stantial. But E. R. Root says queens have been poisoned

256 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

in such cages, so have a care, although I have had hun-
dreds of queens in them without noting any harm. Per-
haps all tinned wire-cloth is not alike.

DISTRIBUTING OUEEX-CELLS.

When the queen-cells are to he distributed, the first
thing is to provision a number of queen-cages of the No.
2 style, w^ith the usual queen-candy, tacking a piece of
pasteboard on the end of the plug. Then we go to the
nucleus where the cells are stored, cut out the cells, re-
jecting any that do not appear satisfactory, and put the
cells in the cages. Some cells, however, are left un-
caged. When we come to a nucleus that has had no queen
for a day or more, there is no need of caging the cell. It
is put against the comb in a good place, and fastened there
with a hive-staple (Fig. 85). Coming to a nucleus with
a queen which we wish to remove, we put the queen in
a cage, and give the nucleus a caged cell, laying the cage
against the comb and nailing it there with a 1>^ or 1^
'wire-nail (Fig. 93). This nail is slender so as to prsh
easily through the meshes of the wire-cloth. Then the
young queens that we have removed are used wherever
needed.

BRUSHING BEES OFF OUEEX-CELLS.

Before cutting cells from the comb the bees must be
removed, and it would mean the ruin of the cells to shake
the bees ofif. Brushing with a Coggshall brush, al-
though it might do with extreme care, would be likely
to result in torn cells. Even something no stiffer than
goldenrod or sweet clover needs much care. T like best
a bunch of long and soft June grass — a very fiimsy afifair
to use as a brush, but it is safe.

ADVANTAGE OF CAGING CELLS.

Of course the object of caging the cells is to prevent
the bees from tearing them down. At the time of taking

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

257

a queen out of a nucleus, if a cell were merely stapled
on, the bees would be pretty sure to destroy it, for not
yet realizing that their young laying queen has been
taken from them, they feel no need of anything like a
queen-cell. So the cage saves the time and trouble of
waiting and making a second visit another day.

Fig. 88. — Comb for Queen-Cells.

There is, however, another advantage in using the
cage, making it somewhat desirable to use it in all cases.
We often want to know what has been the fate of a cell,
and can generally tell pretty well by its appearance. If
it has the appearance of most of those in Fig. 94, we
know that a young queen has emerged and must be in
the nucleus. If it is torn open in the side, like the one
at the extreme right, we are sure that the young queen in
it was destroyed by the bees.

If the cells have merely been stapled on, the bees are
so prompt about removing them as soon as they are no
longer of any use that scarce a vestige of them is left,
so we have nothing to judge by. But when a cell is en-

258 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

closed in a cage, the bees are very slow about removing-
it, so the cage gives us a better chance for judging.

APPEARANCE OF VACATED CELLS.

In Fig. 94 the first three cells at the left have the cap
still adhering by a neck, showing that it has been only a
short time since the queen emerged, providing the cell
has not been caged ; if it has been caged the queen may
have been out some time. The fourth cell looks entire,
as if it yet contained a young queen. But it is decep-
tive. The bees have a trick of fastening the cap back
again as if it were a great joke, sometimes thus impris-
oning one of their own number. A very close look will
generally show a little crack, and a very little force will
be needed to pick the cap loose. The next six cells show
plainly that a young queen has emerged from each, and
finding a cell of that kind is just as good evidence as a
sight of the queen ; only I would a little rather see the
queen for the bare chance that she may not have perfect
wings. As already mentioned, the cell at the extreme
right shows by the hole in its side that no queen ever
came out of it alive.

MILLER QUEEN NURSERY.

Whatever the advantages of using queen-cells instead
of virgin queens, there are also advantages in having
the young queens hatch out in a queen nursery. So I
have made considerable use of a nursery of my own de-
vising. Fig. 885^. It may take the place of a brood-
frame in any hive, in the lower story or in an upper story.
and it does not matter whether a laying queen is in the
hive or not.

For this nursery I use a regular ?yliller frame, which
lends itself to the purpose admirably, top-bar, bottom-
bar and end-bar being all of the same width, 1% inches.
If you haven't a Miller frame, you can easily make a
frame having all parts the same width, 1^ inches; only
be sure the end-bars are at least ^ thick, and have the
outer dimensions of the frame the same as the frames

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

259

you have regularly in use. I'll give instructions tor
making a nursery with a frame of the Langstroth size,
and if your frames are of different size you must act ac-
cordingly.

Make T pieces, each long enough to reach from top-

bar to bottom-bar ( with top-bar

and bottom-bar

Ficr. 88V2 — Miller Oncen Xurserx.

that makes the length 8 inches), 1)4, wide, and ^ thick.
Saw-kerfs must be made on eich side of these T pieces.
Beginning 1^ inches from one end, on one side of the
piece, with a very fine saw. make a saw-kerf by sawing
about half-way through. Make a similar kerf 1>4 inches
from the first, and then, each time measuring off 1^
inches, make 3 more kerfs, making 5 in all. (Your last
kerf will be more than IV^ inches from the end, but that's
all right.) Do the same thing on the opposite side, be-
ginning at the opposite end. Make sinnlar kerfs in each
end-b?r. measuring from the top-bar for one end, and

260 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

from the bottom-bar for the other end. Of course these
kerfs are to be made on the inside of the end-bar, and
none on the outside. Now distribute these 7 pieces at
equal distances from one end of the frame to the other,
and if you are exact about it the distance between each
two will be 1 25-32 inches. Fasten these 7 sticks in by
driving one nail down through the top-bar into each, and
two nails through the bottom-bar. Before nailing, make
sure that each stick faces right, as mentioned further on.
Nail upon one side of your frame a piece of wire-cloth to
cover it (175/8x9^). Have the nails not more than 2
inches apart all around and on each stick. I use bright
wire-cloth, extra heavy, with meshes of the usual size
in screen-doors.

You now need 40 pieces of tin, 2x1^ inches to go
into all the saw-kerfs. Each piece of tin serves as a
shelf, thus dividing up the whole into 48 compartments.
You will now see the necessity of having the sticks face
each other so as to have the kerfs correspond, as men-
tioned a minute ago. Look out for this before you nail
the sticks in place.

To close these compartments, you need 8 pieces of
tin, each 10x2 inches. That's y^ inch longer than the
depth of the frame, allowing the J^ to be bent over at
right angles on the top-bar. To hold these covers in
place I use heavy pins bent over. Small screw-hooks of
straight pattern might do better. Three are needed in
each end-bar, and 6 in each upright. Of course these
tin covers are put in at the top and slide down.

You will see that each of the compartments furnishes
a large amount of room, 40 of them being 1 25-32x1 i4x
ly^, and the remaining 8 being larger. That gives
abundance of room to put in the largest kind of a queen-
cell. With each cell is given a ball of candy the size of
a pea.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 261

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A QUEEN NURSERY.

If a ripe queen-cell is given to a nucleus or colony,
there is no way to be sure that a queen that is all right
will issue from it. She may be imperfect as to her legs,
and, what is still worse, her wings may be so deficient that
she never can fly. If she can not fly she can never be
fertilized, and so is worthless. Indeed she is worse than
worthless, for she is wasting the time of the nucleus.
Sometimes, indeed, it happens that the occupant of the
queen-cell is dead. All of this is avoided by having the
virgins hatch out in a nursery. If a cell is cut into, and
is given to a nucleus, the bees will at once destroy it, but
in the nursery it will hatch out all right.

One may have a lot of queen-cells on hand with no
immediate use for them. It will not do to leave them
without cutting out beyond a certain time, for the hatch-
ing out of the first one means the death of all the rest.
But if they are put in a nursery they are safe, and may
be left stored in the nursery for some days after hatching
out.

Over against these advantages stands the one disad-
vantage that in the nursery the bees are not allowed to
come in immediate bodily contact with the cells, nor with
the young queen after she issues from the cell. Some
think this so serious a disadvantage as to overbalance all
the advantages of the nursery. It is claimed that the
clustering of the bees about the cells and the young
queens does more than merely to keep up the tempera-
ture to a certain point, and that when this close contact is
lacking something will be lacking in the resulting queens.
Also that the young queens thus isolated and imprisoned
are in a frightened condition, and that a young queen
reared in such an atmosphere is not the same as one that
has the feeling that she is all the while closely surrounded
by friends.

So whether it be wise to use a nursery or not, it will
certainly be wise not to put cells into it before it is neces-

262 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

sary for their safety, nor to leave a virgin in a nursery
any longer than necessity -lemands.

QUALITY OF QUEENS.

The question has been raised whether queens reare 1
in the way I have described are as good as those reared
by the latest methods. I think I can judge pretty well
as to the character of a queen after watching her work
for a year or two ; I have kept closely in touch with what
improvements have been made in the way of queen-rear-
ing, and have reared queens by the hundred in the latest
style ; and I do not hesitate to say that the simple method
I have given produces queens that can not be surpassed
by any other method.

BEGINNER IMPROVING STOCK.

I have been asked whether I would advise a beginner
with only half a dozen colonies, one of them having a
superior queen, to use the plans I have given to rear
queens from his best queen. I certainly should, if he in-
tends to give much attention to the business and increase
the number of his colonies. The essential steps to be
taken are simple enough ; and even a beginner can easily
follow them. But in a few words, here is what I would
advise him :

Take from the colony having your best queen one of
its frames, and put in the center of the hive a frame half
filled or entirely filled with foundation. If small starters
are used in a full colony the bees are likely to fill out with
dron^-comb. A week later take out this comb, and trim
away the edge that contains only eggs. Put this ])repared
frame in the center of any strong colony after taking
away its queen and one of its frames. Ten days later cut
out these cells, to be used wdierever desired, giving the
colony its queen or some other queen.

Now there's nothing very complicated about that, is
there?

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 265

ITALIANIZING WITH NATURAL SWARMING.

Yet Still there are some who don't want to take even
that much trouble. A man says : "All I care to do with
the bees is to hive the swarms that come out, and to put
on the surplus boxes and take them off when filled. I
never take a frame out of a hive any more than if they
were all box-hives. But I have Italians in one hive, and
if I could I'd like to have more of that stock."

For such a one I would advise after this manner:
Suppose we call your Italian colony A, the strongest of
the other colonies B, the next strongest C, the next D,
and so on. When A swarms, hive the swarm and set it
on the old stand, put A in place of B, and put B on a new
stand. All the field-bees of B will return to A, making A
quite strong again. In 8 or 10 days a young queen will
be ready in A to go out with a swarm. Hive the swarm,
put it in place of A, put A in place of C, and put C in a
new place. The field-bees of C will again strengthen A.
and in a day or two another swarm will issue. Put the
swarm in place of A, put A in place of D, and put D in
a new place. Continue this as long as A continues to
swarm, and each one of your swarms will have for its
queen a daughter of your Italian queen. If you have only
five or six colonies, the whole lot may be thus Italianized.

QUEENS FOR OUT-APIARIES.

On an}- day when we are going to an out-apiary and
expect to use young queens, we take them from any nu-
cleus that will furnish them, never putting any escort
bees in the cage with the queen, and generally one or
more extra queens are taken along, for we are never sure
they may not be needed.

Care is taken that the record-book shall always show
the condition of each nucleus ; so we always liave some
idea as to which nucleus will furnish a la\i;\g queen,
which one needs a cell, and so on.

2G4 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

INTRODUCING QUEENS.

A queen may be introduced in a No. 2 provisioned
cage, the cage being nailed directly over the brood, as in
Fig. 93, or she may be introduced in a No. 3 cage let
down between the combs or thrust into the entrance as

Fig. 8g. — Comb for Queen-Cells, Triimiied.

already described. Often, however, when it is con-
venient, I take from a nucleus the frame on which the
queen is found, and put frame and all in the queenless
hive. If this is done at a time when honey is yielding,
there is little or no danger, provided the colony has been
queenless long enough to be fully conscious of its queen-
lessness. Indeed, I have introduced many a queen during
the harvest into a colony conscious of its queenlessness, by
merely taking out a frame of brood and dropping the
queen among the bees on the middle of the comb. If I
wish to run no risk whatever, as in the case of a valuable
imported queen, I put in a hive without any bees several
frames with no unsealed brood, but with plenty of sealed

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 2b5

brood, some of it just emerging, and then closing the
hive bee-tight put it where there is no danger of the
brood being chilled. One way to do this is to put it over
a strong colony, wire-cloth preventing the passage of the
bees from one hive to the other. At the end of five days
the hive can be set on its own stand, and these five-day-
old bees, under the stress of necessity, will soon be seen
carrying in pollen.

ARTIFICIAL INCREASE.

Fighting so bitterly against all increase by swarm-
ing, I would run out of bees entirely if I did not resort
to artificial increase. Without pretending to give all
the ways by which increase has been made, I may tell
just a little about it.

One can make increase by drawing brood or bees, or
both, from colonies that are working for honey, and
thus keep all the old colonies storing, and at the same
time make the desired increase. In that way the largest
number of colonies possible are kept at work on the
harvest, and one might have a feeling that all the in-
crease was clear gain. But the feeling is a delusive one.
It is not the number of colonies at work storing, but the
number of bees, that count. And 60,000 bees in one hive
will store more honey than will the same number of bees
equally divided in two hives. So in planning for in-
crease, I generally count that the colonies that are drawn
upon for increase shall make that their business without
being expected to be called upon to store surplus, while
those that work for surplus are to be left in the fullest
strength possible throughout the season. You cannot
make something out of nothing, and if increase is to be
made you may as well devote a certain number of colo-
nies to that business.

INCREASING BY TAKING TO OUT-APIARY.

The case may be different in a locality where there
is a long and late flow, but I am talking about this local-

266 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ity with white clover as the dependence for a harvest.
In the year 1880 I took 1,200 pounds of honey from
twelve colonies and increased them to eighty-one ; but the
honey taken was extracted buckwheat, and I never knew
such a buckwheat harvest before or since. Perhaps it
will be well to tell more explicitly how that increase was
made. The success achieved will be somewhat dimin-
ished when I say that the bees were supplied with ready-
built combs, so they had no combs to build. But they
had no help from other colonies in the way of bees or
brood except a few eggs from which to rear queens.

The twelve colonies were taken from the home
apiary to the Wilson apiary, and were prepared in ad-
vance for dividing. From part of them the queens were
taken and queen-cells thus secured. Ten-frame hives
were used at that time, and by some help from others of
the twelve, a hive would contain ten frames of brood
and bees without any queen, a sealed queen-cell on each
frame of brood. After standing a day or so this hive
would be taken to the out-apiary, and the ten frames put
in ten different hives. Of course every bee staid just
where it was put. To each of these was added another
frame of brood and adhering bees that had been brought
along, and whether these bees were queenless or not there
was nothing for them but to stay where they were put.
In the course of time these first-formed nuclei were
strong enough to help others, and the latest nuclei were
built up at once into fair colonies.

INCREASING 9 WEAK COLONIES TO 5(3.

In the year 1899, at the Hastings apiary, I increased
nine colonies to fifty-six, making them rear their own
queens, and building up mostly on foundation. Xo ad-
vantage was taken in the way of hauling colonies from
home to divide, and the same plan would work just as
well if I had had only one apiary. The increase was
very satisfactory, considering how weak the colonies

FIFTY YEARS A.MOXG THE BEES

;67

were at the start. ]\Iay 29 there were only forty-one
combs containing any brood in the nine colonies, count-
ing each comb with brood, even if the patch of brood
were no larger than a silver dollar. I doubt if the nine
averaged any more than three and a half good frames
of brood each. On the other hand, the vear was un-

Fig. go. — Xucleits Bottom-Board.

usually favorable for increase, for there was a continu-
ous though not strong flow right through until, I think,
in September.

Xo attempt could be made at increase until the col-
onies were stronger, and the first step looking in that
direction was not made until Jiuie I'l. On that date Xo.
23 T with its seven frames of brood and bees was taken
from its stand, and a hive of empty combs set on the
stand. The queen was found and put in the hive of
empty combs, which by this time had a good many bees
returning from the field. The queen of X'o. 237 was
considered the best in the apiary. X'o. 237 was now set
on the stand of X^o. 235, and X^o. 235 was set in a neu-

268 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

place. Please understand that the stand holds its num-
ber, and that when the hive that was on stand 237 is
moved as stated it is now No. 235. We now have on
235 a hive full of brood and bees without any queen, and
while it will lose the old flying force it had, it will get
the flying force that belongs to its present stand. The
colony that was moved from 235 will, of course, lose its
flying force, and will take its time to recuperate.

The bees on these two stands — 235 and 237 — were
the principal actors throughout the season, the other col-
onies in the apiary merely serving as feeders from which
to draw brood from time to time. On 237 was left the
hive of empty combs, the queen, and the constantly in-
creasing flying force. We now go to the other colonies
and draw from them wdiat brood they can spare without
depleting them unwisely, leaving foundation in place of
the brood. Looking at the record I find this w^as only
four frames of brood. No bees were taken wdth this
brood. An upper story was put on 237 and these four
frames of brood put in it with four empty combs. Of
course the queen and bees would soon be up in this upper
story.

Matters were left in this shape for nine days, the
plan being to visit the apiary every nine days throughout
the summer. A stormy day, however, might extend the
time to ten days, or Sunday coming on the ninth day
might shorten the time to eight days.

At the expiration of the nine days, June 21, we re-
turned. We took the brood with queen-cells and all
bees from 235, and formed two nuclei. Just why we did
not 'start three I don't know, for usually w^e started a
nucleus w^ith tw^o frames of brood, and w^e must have had
more than four frames of brood. No measures were
taken to make these bees stay where they were put ; it
w^as not necessary with such queenless bees.

Then, we took the upper story of 237, with all its
brood and bees, and put it on 235, taking out the queen
and putting her back in the lower story on 237. Then

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

2b9

we looked to see what brood we could get in the seven
colonies that acted as feeders, without reducing any of
them to less than four or five brood. This time we found
six brood, which we took without anv bees, and put on
237.

This was the regular program each time : forming
nuclei with the brood, bees, and cells on 235 ; putting all

Fig. gi. — Nucleus Hives.

brood and bees from 23'

always leaving the

queen at 237; and then getting for 237 a fresh stock of
brood wherever it could be spared.

As none of the assisting colonies were overdrawn,
they would be getting stronger, so that up to a certain

7-^70 . FIFTY YEARS A^^IOXG THE BEES

])oint more brood could be drawn each time. July 18,
for the first time, more' brood was drawn than it was
thought wise to give to 237, there being twenty frames
in all. Sixteen of these, or two hives full, were taken for
237, the other four were used to strengthen some of the
nuclei. Xot the weakest nuclei were strengthened, but
tlie earliest and strongest, for by being helped these
would become strong enough to be helpers in turn. In
fact, toward the last of the season, when there was little
time for nuclei to grow up, the earlier nuclei rendered
substantial aid to the later ones, at least one of them
yielding as many as nine frames of brood. The first nu-
clei were formed June 21, as already mentioned; the last
were formed August 23.

I have gone thus fully into detail, because I believe
this plan can be used successfully by any one who has
only a small number of colonies and is desirous of in-
crease. The first nuclei are formed early enough in the
season so that they have more than time enough to be-
come strong colonies, and the latest must be formed
only in sufficient numbers so that they can be strength-
ened up as soon as the queen gets to laying.

NUCLEUS PLAX OF INCREASE.

AA'ith nucleus hives for queen-rearing, as already
described, it is easy to carry out the nucleus system in
the strictest sense. I go to a nucleus with a laying queen,
preferring a nucleus with two or three frames, take all
the frames with queen and adhering bees, put them in
an empty hive, and set the hive on an empty stand. A
week later a frame of brood may be added. It will be
better if it can be given with adhering bees, and still bet-
ter if the bees can be queenless. Still, there is no great
danger to the queen in any case, although the weaker the
nucleus when strange bees are given, the greater the
danger to the queen. A week later on, two frames of
brood and bees may be added, and the queen will be safer

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 271

if these two frames are taken from two different colonies.
The colony
ow^n devices

The colony will then be strong enough to be left to its

NUCLEUS BUILDING UP WITHOUT HELP.

Indeed, it is not necessary to do anything more than
to let a nucleus stand without any help in a fair season,
if it can stand long enough, yiy assistant is inclined to
be quite optimistic in some things, and one August she
expressed her belief that a nucleus of two frames with a
laying queen w^ould be able without any assistance, if
started on that date. Aug. (i, to build up into a colony
strong enough to winter. I said that would be asking
too much, and we would put the matter to the test. So
two frames of brood with adhering bees were put in a
hive on a new stand, and tw^o days later a laying queen
was given. The two frames of brood were rather better
than the average, for I w'anted her to see that even with
an extra chance it was too late in the season for any such
growth. I don't know whether she watched that colony
on the sly or not, but I did. Looking at it every few-
days, I could see no gain — if anything it grew weaker.
Then I thought I could see a little gain, and in twelve
days from the time it w^as started the two frames of
brood had increased to two and a half. Five days later
there were three brood, and from that on it walked right
along to a fair colony, although it had to be fed up for
winter. Rut I would not want to count on starting for
a full colony so late as that in all seasons, especially if the
frames of brood were not the very best.

INCREASE W^ITHOUT NUCLEI.

These different ways are all on the nucleus plan.
Just one more way I want to mention, and it is not on
the nucleus plan, but if queens are on hand I think I like
it as well as any. We take four colonies, and the first
thing is to have all four strong before anything is done.

272 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Then we take an empty hive-body without any bottom-
board, and into it we put two frames of brood without
any bees from the first hive (a few bees will do no
harm), the same from the second, and the same from the
third, filling out the hive with two empty combs or combs
with some honey. In the middle of the hive is a pro-
visioned introducing-cage containing a laying queen.
Upon the fourth hive we put a queen-excluder, and on

Fig. g2. — Improved Miller Queen-Cages.

this we set our hive full of brood, and cover it up.
Three or four hours later, or twenty-four hours
later if more convenient, this hive is set upon a bottom-
board on a new stand, and the work is all done. A way
that is easier, and nearly as good, is to set the hive with
the six brood immediately in place of the fourth hive,
setting the fourth hive in a new place. The returning
field-bees will populate the new hive. Ten days or two
weeks later the performance may be repeated if the sea-
son is prosperous, and this may be repeated a number of

FlFl V YEARS AMONG THE BEES

275

times. Of course empty combs or foundation will take
the place of the two frames of brood drawn from each
hive. An advantage of this plan is that it makes a
strong colony at once, and there is no danger of being
caught with a number of weaklings on a sudden cessa-

Vr^« »««••»«»

fig- 92- — Caged Queen-Cell.

tion of the harvest. Each new colony formed will in
its turn soon be able to take its part in the game to start
still others.

SHAKING BEES OFF COMBS.

In this last plan, since the frames of brood are taken
without bees, there is a good deal to be done in the way
of cleaning bees off the combs. While it does not mat-
ter if a few bees should be left on the combs, it does mat-
ter greatly that care be taken to make sure that the qreen
is not among the bees taken. So it is well to brush the
combs tolerably clean, and then one can easily see
whether the queen is present. Before brushing, how-
ever, most of the bees should be shaken off, for if tliis
is rightly done it will lea saving of time.

274 FIFTY YEARS A:M0NG THE BEES

FIXAL TAKING OFF OF SECTIONS.

When the time comes that the bees are expected to
do no more work in the sections, whether that be im-
mediately at the close of the clover harvest or later, the
supers with their sections are all brought home and piled
up in the honey-room. On some accounts it is better if
the sections can be taken out of the supers at once and
taken care of, and on other accounts it is better they
should stand for some time. It is a very difficult thing
to scrape the bee-glue from sections while the weather is
still hot, and as disagreeable as it is difficult. There may
be some unsealed cells of honey in the o'/.ter cells of some
sections, and this will have little chance to evaporate if
it is thin, after the sections are in the shipping-cases. So
the sections are likely to stand for some Lime in the supers
after all are taken ofif, being blocked up as in Fig. T9.

FUMIGATING SECTIONS.

Formerly it was necessary to fumigate the sections
with sulphur after they were brought into the house, i"he
fumigation being repeated two or three weeks later. I
suppose I should now prefer bisulphide of carbon to
sulphur for fumigation, but for several years I have not
found it necessary to fumigate. Formerly the larvae of
the bee-moth would make bad work if fumigation were
omitted, and sometimes in spite of it, but now there is
no trouble. I don't know what makes the difference, un-
less it be that formerly there was so large a per cent of
blaok blood in my bees.

When the time does come for taking the sections all
out of the suiters, the work is gone at in earnest and con-
tinued until all the nnrketable sections ?re in their ship-
ping-cases ready for market. Tt will be understood that
all supers taken off before the last, have been handled as
heretofore mentioned, the marketable sections having all
been piled up in the honey-room and the others returned
as "go-backs," and the last lot taken off' will consist of

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

275

every sort, from foundation untouched by the bees up to
sections entirely filled and sealed.

SORTIXG THE SECTIOXS.

Philo sorts the sections into four classes as he takes
them out, although some supers are assigned to one class
or another without being taken out, because all in the
super are of one kind. One lot consists of dry sections,

I-ig. 9-/. — I'acated Qiieen-CcUs.

or those in which the foundation either has not been
touched by the bees, or else has been drawn out so little
that no drop of honey has been put in it. These are put
in a pile by themselves.

FEEDER SECTIONS.

The second lot consists of those which have just a
few drops of honey in them, up to those which are not
more than half filled. Some entire supers will be as-
signed to the first or second lot without being taken out

276 FIFTY YEARS AMONG TliE BEES

of the super at all. When a super feels pretty light, it is
inspected with some care by looking through it from the
under side. If it is found that there is no honey in any
section in the super, it goes to the dry pile without any
taking out. If there is honey in the super, but no sec-
tion in it more than half filled, it goes to the -second pile
without being emptied, even if there is only one section
in the super containing any honey, and that section hav-
ing only a few drops.

BEES EMPTYING SECTIONS.

The supers of sections in this second pile are called
"feeders," because the honey in them is to be fed back to
the bees (Fig. 96). Usually this feeding is not done
until all the "feeders" are ready for the bees. They are
taken into the shop cellar, and if there are only a few
of them they are put in piles bee-tight with an opening at
the top and another at the bottom only large enough for
one or two bees to pass at a time. If the numV.er of
supers is sufficiently large, say half as large as the num-
ber of colonies in the home apiary, then the supers are set
singly all around against the wall of the cellar so as to
make them as easily accessible to the bees as possible.
When there are only a few sections, if the bees have free
access to them they will tear the combs to pieces.

When all the "feeders'' are in the cellar, then the
door is opened wide, and the bees help themselves. The
reasons for having these "feeders" in the cellar rather
than outdoors are, first, that I want to keep the bees away
from, them until the whole of them are ready for the at-
tack ; second, that in the cellar they are safe from the
rain. The best of these emptied "feeders" furnish "baits"
for the following season.

UNAIARKETABLE SECTIONS.

The third pile Philo makes consists of those which
are more than half filled with honey, but net good

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES ^77

enough to be marketable (Fig. 9T). This pile is never
very large, and is easily gotten rid of at home, together
with some help from relatives. Some of it will make as
fine appearance as any honey when placed on the table,
although the under side on the plate may have too many
unsealed and unfilled cells to admit it into the marketable
class. There may also be some broken sections, for sec-
tions have a fashion of falling with half a chance.

Fig. 95. — Miller Frame.
BEES CLEAXIXG DAUBY SECTIONS.

Sometimes it happens that a section otherwise good
IF spoiled, and badly spoiled, in appearance, by having
honey from some section above leak all over one or both
of its faces, ^fiss \\^ilson hit upon a plan for having
srch sections cleaned up in short order, and with very
little trouble. She puts them in a super, puts the super

278 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

over a colony of bees, and an hour later, if the bees are
active, they are taken from the hive as good as new.

The rest of the sections that do not go into one of
these three piles are merchantable sections. That makes
four kinds into which Philo sorts them, and you will see
that it is possible out of one super to take sections that
will go into all four of the piles. Of course there is al-
ways standing a super ready for any odd sections of each
kind, that is, a super for dry sections, another for "feed-
ers," etc.

FIRST PART OF CLEANING SECTIONS.

Having now told how Philo sorts the sections, let
me further tell what he does with them. WTien he
comes to a super that does not go entire to the first or the
second pile, the sections are taken out in the manner de-
scribed on previous pages, leaving the contents of the
super upside down on a board. The T tins are lifted
ofif, and any sections that are not marketable are picked
ofif and their places supplied with those that are market-
able. Then the super that was taken from them is re-
placed by a box without top or bottom, that is, it is much
like the super, only it is perhaps an inch longer, an inch
wider, and an inch shallower than a T super, the exact
size not being important. A piece of board is wedged
into one side, and another into one end, so as to hold the
sections firmly in place (Fig. 98). A case-knife with
the whole length of its edge held at right angles to the
sections sweeps back and forth, and when this has made
the surface fairly clean, Xo. 2 sandpaper is used. A cab-
inet-maker's scraper is better than a case-knife while it is
sharp, but is harder to keep sharp. Then a board similar
to the one under the sections is laid on top, and with one
hand under the under board and the other over the upper
board he turns the whole upside down, the super resting
on one end on the table as he turns it over. The knife
and sandpaper now do their work on the tops of the sec-
tions. Then the wedges are taken out. the box removed,

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 279

and the boardful of sections is slid along the table to
the one who is scraping. This table, which is very con-
venient, is 8 ft. long, and 3 ft. 9 in. wide.

FIXAL SCRAPING OF SECTIONS.

^liss \Vilson generally does all the scraping ; that is,
all the scraping besides what Philo has done, and some-
times his part, as in Fig. 98. She sometimes scrapes on
a board on her lap, but nsnally on one of the small tables
heretofore mentioned (Fig. 99). If the section should
rest upon the table, the knife used in scraping could not
freely reach the lowest parts, so a loose block lies on the
board, on which the sections rest. Another advantage of
the block is that the accumulation of propolis is not so
much in the way. The size of this block is not material ;
it may be an inch thick, four inches long or longer, and
two inches wide or wdder. The block could be nailed
down, but it is more convenient to have it loose, so as to
scrape the propolis off the table from time to time. The
scrapTTigS nave generally been thrown away, but with a
steam wax-press it may pay well to get the wax out of it.
Possibly propolis may yet be a marketable commodity.

The knife used is a steel case-knife kept very sharp.
The sides and edges of the sections are to be scraped,
and, if necessary, sandpaper follows the knife. The fin-
ishing touches are put on Philo's work, knife-marks, pen-
cil-marks, and any discolored spots being carefully re-
moved.

A scraper should be a careful person, or in ten min-
utes' time he w411 do more damage than his day's w^ork is
worth. Even a careful person seems to need to spoil at
least one section, before taking the care necessary to
avoid injuring others. But w^hen the knife makes an
ugly gash in the face of a beautiful w^hite section of
honey, that settles it that care will be taken afterward.

PACKING SECTIONS IN SHIPPING-CASES.

The scraper has in easy reach two shipping-cases.
In one. as fast as they are scraped, are put all sections

280 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

that are not in any way faulty, snch as appear in Fig.
100. In the oth^ii are put any which are a Httle off color,
either as to comb or honey, or which have some cells un-
sealed. These must be sold as second-class at a reduc-
tion of about 2 cents a pound. In Fig. 101 are shown
six such sections, the upper three having the best side
out and the lower three having the poorest side out.

KIND OF SHIPPING-CASES.

For some years I used double-tier shipping-cases
holding twenty-four sections each, the upper tier resting
on a little board supported by two other little boards, so
that no weight came upon the lower tier. A pile of such
cases showed a greater proportion of honey in its surface
than a pile of single-tier cases, and for this reason I liked
it, but it was odd goods, and so I changed to single-tier
cases. I have used mostly the twelve-section case, as
shown in Fig. 102. But please do not think that all my
honey looks as well as that in Fig. 102. The specimens
in Fig. 100 are fairer samples, although they are pos-
sibly a little below the mark.

I have used some single-tier cases holding twenty-
four sections (Fig. 103). These are not so nice and
firm to handle as the smaller cases, but it costs less to
pack a ton of honey in the larger than in the smaller
cases. Grocers who sell by the case are inclined to pre-
fer the larger case, for they say a customer who buys a
case at a time will as readily bu}^ a twenty-four-section
case as a twelve-section case.

In* the year 1910 I got some double-tier twenty-four-
section cases that seem to have become regular goods,
and I like them. Corrugated paper rests on the bottom
of the case, and also between the two tiers of sections.
The slide covers I thought I would not like, but as in
many another case I was mistaken, for they work nicely,
and it is a convenience not to have to nail on the covers.

bIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

2»1

VENEERING.

The most difficult thing about the packing is to pre-
vent veneering. It seems to come so natural, when a
particularly white and straight section goes into the case,

Fig. 96. — Feeder-Sections.

to put it next the glass, best side out at that. But it is
especially desirable that the outside shall be a fair index
of the entire contents of the case. In the long run there
is money to be made by it, to say nothing of the feeling
of satisfaction.

HONEY-SHOW.

\\'hen the cases are filled and weighed, they are
stacked up in piles, and these piles are mostly — perhaps
always — so arranged as to make the best show possible.
There is no object in this beyond the pleasure it gives
the family to see it for a few days, perhaps only for a
day. But the sight is a beautiful one so long as it lasts,
as I think you will agree with me if you look at Fig. 104.

282 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

PLACE TO KEEP HONEY.

I have sold a crop of honey before it was off the
hives and sometimes T have kept part of a crop over till
spring.

In any case the honey for home use in spring must
be kept over. It is not the easiest thing in the world to
keep it through the wdnter in good shape. If kept cold
it is apt to grannlate or candy, as it is usually called. If
allowed to freeze, the combs crack and look bad, and in
time the honey oozes out of the cracks. Honey is deli-
quescent, absorbing from the atmosphere a large amount
of water if conditions are favorable. Try putting some
common salt in a place where you think of keeping
honey ; if the salt remains dry, so would honey. But a
place that is suitable at one time may not be at an-
other. Years ago I filled the back end of the honey-
room with honey. It was a good place for it ; the out-
side walls w^ere thin and the heat of the sun made it a hot
place. When cold weather came, however, it was a bad
place, and the lower sections at the back part — beautiful,
snowy-white, when first put in — became watery and
dark-looking. A fire for cooking was kept in the ad-
joining room, and although there seemed but very little
steam in the air, by the time it got to the back end of the
room, and settled to the lower part, there was enough to
spoil hundreds of sections. You see, warm air is like
a sponge to take up moisture, and cold squeezes the
rnoisture out of it. The point to see to, then, is to have
no air coming from a warmer place to the place w^here
the honey is. I would sooner risk honey in a kitchen
with a hot fire and plenty of steam, than in a room with-
out fire and with a door partly opened into a sitting-
room where no water or steam is ever kept. Indeed, a
kitchen is quite a good place to keep honey, the higher
up the better.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

283

KEEPING HOXEY IX GARRET.

It is well known that a cellar, except in particularly
dry localities, is atout the worst place in which to keep
honey ; but it is not so well known that the place the
farthest removed from the cellar — the garret — is one of
the very best places. ^ly mother kept some sections
throughout the latter part of summer in a garret, and
after enduring the freezing of the following winter they

P'g- 97- — Unmarketable Sections.

were as fine as when first put there. The roasting heat
of the summer in that garret had so ripened the honey
as to make it proof against injury from freezing.

HOXEY IX CELLAR WITH FURXACE.

I just spoke of a cellar as a poor place for honey
except in very dry climates. But a furnace in a cellar
makes a big difiference. In 1902 a furnace was put in my
cellar. Several winters since then I have piled up sec-

:2S4 FIFTY YFARS AAIONG THE BEES

tions beside the furnace, at a distance of 1 to 4 feet from
it, and anything better could hardly be desired.

GRANULATED HONEY.

If comb honey becomes granulated or watery, I
know of no way to restore it. If for home use, or if one
happens to have a market where extracted honey sells
for a good price, the sections may be put in stone crocks
slozuly melted, being sure it is not overheated, and then
when cool, the cake of wax may 1 e lifted off the honey.

The best place to keep comb honey is also the best
place to keep extricted; but if extracted honey becomes
granulated or watery, it may be restored to its former,
or even a better condition. If thin an:l not granulated,
by setting it en the reservoir of a cook-stove and letting
it remain days enough, it will become thick. I suppose
you may have krown this, and also that extracted honey,
when granulated, may be liquefied by slowly heating, but
did you know that when thin honey is warmed for a long
time the flavor is improved?' I have had the flavor im-
proved and could attribute it to nothing but remaining a
couple of weeks on the reservoir. I do not mean by this
that if fine-flavored honey in good condition is placed on
the stove reservoir it will be improved. Most people,
however, who have had much to do wdth honey, must
have noticed that when extracted honey becomes thin
from attracting moisture from the atmosphere, it seems
to acquire a dififerent flavor — perhaps I might say it has
a sharp taste — and the slow heating seems to restore it
partly if not wholly to its former condition.

RIPENING HONEY.

The same thing is true of honey which is taken
thin from the hive, not yet having been brought to proper
density by the bees.

There is a difiference of opinion as to whether honey,
or perhaps nectar, evaporated outside of the hive, is

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

equal to that which remains in the hive till thick. Of
course, no large amount could be evaporated on a stove
reservoir. Some bee-keepers have large tanks in which
to evaporate honey by the sun or other heat.

It must not be understood that when honey has
reallv soured it can be made good by the process men-

Fig. 98. — Sections ]]' edged for Scraping.

tioned. The onlv thing is to use it for vinegar; and fine
vinegar it will make.

DRAINING EXTRACTED HONEY.

There is another plan which I have used to secure-
some extra-fine extracted honey for our private use..

286 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Whether it conk! be used profitably on a large scale, I
cannot say. There are. however, always people who are
ready to pay a high price for an extra article. xAfter a
crock of clover honey has granulated, I turn it on its
side or upside down. ?nd let it remain days eriOLigh to
drain off all the liquid part. If drained long enough,
the residue — and this will be nearly all the crockful — wall
be as drv as sugar, and when this is liquefied by slow
heating it makes a deliciors article. It wnll, however,
granulate very easily a second time. On a larger scale,
the liquid might be drained off by boring a hole at the
lower part of a barrel of granulated honey. I spoke of
treating clover honey in this way ; I do not know^ what
other kinds may be treated the same way, but I ha\''e had
some graulated honey of smooth, even texture, from
v.hich no liquid part could be drained. \Adien set to
drain, the whole mass would roll slowly out.

MARKETING HOXEY.

I have had no uniform w^ay of marketing honey. I
should prefer in all cases to sell the crop outright for
cash, if I could get a satisfactory price ; but some years
I can do better to sell on commission. Judgment must
be used as to limiting commission-men to a certain price.
Some commission-men wnll sell off promptly at any price
offered, and when sending to such men it is best to name
a certain figure, below w^hich the honey must not be sold.
I liave sold in itiY home market, as well as in towms near
by, and have shipped to nine of the principal cities, and it
w^ould be an impossibility for me to say what would be
my best market next year. Prices vary according to the
yield in different parts of the country. If shipping to
a distant point in cold w^eather, I keep up a hot fire to
w^arm the honey twenty-four hours before shipping. If
verv cold I w^ait for a warm spell.

LOADING SECTIONS \VHEN SHIPPING.

On a wagon, the length of a section should run
across the wagon — on a car lengthwise of the car. Con-

FIFTY YEARS AMOXG THE BEES

287

venience of packing in a wagon, however, is of first con-
sideration, for with careful driving it matters httle which
way the sections are placed. On the other hand, no mat-
ter what the inconvenience, I would have the sections in
a railroad car so that when a heavy bump comes the sec-

Fig. (,g. — Sir J ping Sections.

tions must tike it endwise. I always prefer, if possible,
to load the honey directly into the car myself. Then I
know that it will carry well, unless the engine does an
unreasonable amount of bumping.

PACKING SECTIONS IN A CAR.

Very likely a number of cases of honey packed in
a crate do not need any special care in loading ; but if I

2S8 FIFTY YEARS A^^IOXG THE BEES

can make sure that the honey will go through to its
destination without any reloading, I prefer to put the
cases in the car one by one. If the number of cases is so
small that there is no need to pile one case on another,
then the cases are put in one end of the car and kept in
place by a stri]:) of common inch lumber naile 1 on the
floor. If there are enough cases so they must be tiered
up, then the lower tier has a strip nailed on the floor as
before, but each of the upper tiers is fastened differently.
On each side of the car is nailed a cleat to support a
fence-board which runs across the width of the car, rest-
ing flat like a shelf on these cleats. Another cleat is
nailed on the side of the car over the board, so it can
move neither up nor down. The board is rp tight
against the cases, perhaps a little above their middle.
Then a third cleat is nailed on each side of the car against
the board to prevent the board from moving in the least.
If there is a space at the side of the car, straw is
packed hard into it beside the cases. If the space is very
small, pieces of old wooden separators may be wedged
in. Newspapers are laid on the bottom of the car under
the cases, and newspapers tacked on top of them.

HOME MARKET.

Much has been said about cultivating a home mar-
ket, but there are two sides to the matter. If bee-keepers
from neighboring towns come in and supply my home
market at 2 cents per pound less than my honey nets me
\vhen shipped to a distant market, about all I can do is
to leave the home market in their hands. I suspect, how-
ever, that it would have been to my advantage to have
paid more attention to developing my home market for
extracted honey.

HOME VERSUS DISTANT MARKET.

In deciding between a home and a distant market,
there are more things to be tgken into consideration than

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

289

are always thought of. There is breakage in transporta-
tion, and the greater the distance the greater the risk.
If I can load my honey into a car myself, and it goes to
its destination without change of cars, I do not feel very
anxious about it. On this account a car-load is safer
than a small quantity, for a full car-load may be sent al-
most any distance without re-shipping. If re-shipped, it
is not at all certain how it will be packed in a car. I

«.

M^.^^ .-li.i,.

Fig. 100. — Sections Ready for Casing.

once sent a lot of honey to Cincinnati, and when it ar-
rived at its destination, the sections were actually lying
on their sides ! I suppose the railroad hands who packed
it in the car at the last change, thought the glass was
safest from breaking if the case was put glass side down.
The strangest part about it was that I lost nothing by
the breakage. The dogged persistence of a German
consignee obliged the railroad company to pay all dam-
age ; for the consignee was that staunch German and
genial friend of bee-keepers — the late C. F. Muth. It is

290 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the only case in which I have known a railroad company
to pay for breakage of honey.

There is less danger of breakage by freight than by
express. Besides danger of breakage, there is risk of
losing in various ways. You may not be able to collect
pay for your honey. If sent on commission, the price
obtained may be less than the published market report.
You have no means generally to know how correct the
claims for breakage may be. In fact, unless you know
your consignee to be a thoroughly honest man, you are
almost entirely at his mercy. A quarter or half a pound
may be taken off each case by the claim that it is custom
to reject fractions.

PRICES IX HOME AND DISTANT MARKET.

Taking all these things into consideration, together
with the cost of freight and shipping-cases, it must be
a good price that will justify a man to '^hip off honey to
the neglect of his home market. If shipped to be sold
on commission, provided he ships to a near market, the
price should be at least 2i4 cents per pound more than he
can get in his home market, to justify his shipping. If
he ships to a distant market the difference should be still
more, as the additional freight may make a difference
of 1 cent per pound or more, and the risk of breakage
becomes greater.

Not always, however, must I be willing to sell in my
home market for less than I can get abroad. If there is
a year of dead failure in my locality, or so nearly a fail-
ure that the home market must be at least partly supplied
from elsewhere, then I should get more for my honey
than the grocers will have to pay in the large city mar-
kets, for they must add freight to the price they pay
there.

FALL FEEDING.

Some seasons are so poor that the bees do not get
enough throughout the whole season to carry them

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

201

through the winter. One year I took no snrpkis, and fed
2,80U pounds of granulated sugar for winter stores.
Some years the clover crop will be a failure, but plenty
of stores will be gathered later in the season to carry the
bees over winter. It is not always easy to tell in advance
just what will be, but it is best to err on the safe side ; and
it is no harm to have more stores on hand than are
actually needed. It is also better to have the feeding

■wyi"g'iMiH||

Fi^. loi. — Second-Class Sections.

done early. If the feed is given so early that it can be
given thin enough, the bees make chemical changes in
it that make it better for winter.

FEEDING SYRUP.

Formerly I did not take this into account, and syrup
was prepared that approached the consistency of honey.
Water was put in a vessel on the stove, and when at or
near the boiling-point granulated sugar was slowly
stirred in at the rate of five pounds of sugar to a quart

292 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

of water. When the sugar was about dissolved, an even
teaspoonful of tartaric acid for every twenty pounds of
sugar, previously dissolved in water, was stirred into the
syrup, for without the acid the syrup is likely to turn
into sugar in the combs when fed so thick. If I were to
feed late in September, or in October, I think I should
prefer the same syrup now.

FEEDING EARLY FOR WINTER.

But by feeding in August or early in September the
work can be made much easier, and at the same time the
food will be better for the bees. For they will so manip-
ulate the thin feed given theni that no acid will be
needed, making their winter stores much more like the
stores they obtain from the flowers. There is nothing
complicated about the feeding, and there is not the same
trouble with robbers as when syrup is made. First, the
feeders are all put on, and left standing uncovered. Then
the amount of sugar needed in each feeder is put in dry,
whether that be two pounds or fifteen pounds. Then
I go around to each feeder, and, making a depression in
the center of the sugar, put in half a pint or more of
water. I do this rather than to put in the full quota of
water at first, because in the latter case it is possible that
the water would force its way into the reach of the bees
without having much sweetness in it, for I forgot to say
that I use the Miller feeder. I am not sure that this pre-
caution is necessary, but it can do no harm. I now go
around and put in each feeder about as much water as
will balance the sugar, counting either by pints or pounds.
Of course, if twelve pounds or more of sugar should be in
the feeder, it will be impossible to balance the sugar with
water. In that case I put in all the water I can. Next
day or so the liquid will be used out, and I can fill up
again. Indeed, in many cases where equal parts of sugar
and water are given, the water will be mostly out by the
next day, leaving only damp sugar in the feeder, and
more water must be added. Practically, this is giving

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 293

the feed very thin, and I suspect it is all the better. I
have never had any trouble from robber-bees while leav-
ing the feeders open in the way mentioned, of course
covering up as soon as water is all in ; although I have
had trouble by leaving a cover on a feeder that was not
bee-tight, and with such a cover it is better first to put
on a cover of cotton cloth that hangs down all around.

SELECTING COLONIES TO FEED,

I have spoken as if a feeder was put over each col-
ony lacking stores. That is by no means always the
case — indeed, not often the case. There are reasons
why it is better to have a comparatively small number of
colonies do the storing, taking sealed combs from these
to give to the weaker ones. It is a good deal less trouble,
when the feeding is begun in good season, to have one
colony store enough for five or ten others besides itself
than it is to have feeders on all of the five or ten colonies.
Some colonies will store better than others, and the best
can be chosen.

FEEDING IN FALL FOR SPRING.

For some reason, bees seem to store from a feeder
much better late in the season than they do before the
harvest time. The greater strength of the colonies and
the warmer weather would make one expect a difference,
but it has always seemed to me that there was more dif-
ference than could be accounted for without some other
reason. So it is desirable at this time to have not only
enough combs filled to bridge over the winter, but to
supply any possible deficiency up to the harvest time.

An upper story of empty combs is put on, possibly
two. As fast as combs are completely filled and sealed
they can be removed and replaced by empty ones. If it
is desired to have combs filled out upon foundation, beau-
tiful work will be done upon them in these upper stories.
It will easily be seen that it is less trouble to add sugar

294 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

from time to time as needed, also to add water as needed,
than it is to apportion the smaller amounts to a number
of colonies. No great matter if too much or too little
of one or the other is present ; the thing will regulate it-
self. For with cold water there is no danger of the fee 1
being too thick, and all the harm of too large a propor-
tion of sugar is that the bees will have to wait for more
water when it is too dr}' to give down. On the other
hand, they will continue taking it down when it is much
thinner than half-and-half, and perhaps it is all the better
manipulated when very thin.

Perhaps it would do as well to feed as described
under wholesale feeding in spring, but in that case I
should want the feed quite thin, and there would be more
danger from robbers, and more danger of having thin
feed left in the feeders to sour.

DIFFICULTY IX DECIDING ABOUT STORESV

It is not an easy thing to determine just what
amount of stores is needed to carry a colony through to
the next harvest. Some colonies use more than others
under apparently the same conditions. Experience will
enable one to judge fairly well by inspection as to the
amount of stores present, but one can be more exact
about it by actual weighing. Besides, with proper con-
veniences for it, the weighing takes less time. But two
colonies may weigh exactly the same, and one may have
.abundance and the other may starve, because, although
weighing the same, one had much more honey than the
other. One had much pollen, the other little. Or, the
combs of one were new, and the combs of the other very
old and heavy. The only safe way is to have all so heavy
that under any and all circumstances there will be no
danger. So we aim to have each hive with its contents,
its cover, and its bottom-board, weigh as much as fifty
pounds. Some will weigh so much more than this that
hefting \\\\\ show that there is no need of weighing. Even

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

295

a strong colony that stored well throughout the season in
a prosperous year may have had the brood-chamber so
stocked with brood that not enough honey was in the
brood-chamber, so it is well to heft and weigh even in
the best seasons, and to do this late enough so that storing
from flowers need no longer be taken into account, and

Fig. 102. — i2-Section Shipping-Case.

SO early that there will be abundance of time for the bees
to arrange matters to their liking in the brood-chamber.

WEIGHING COLONIES.

A common spring balance with a capacity of eighty
pounds is used for weighing (Fig. 105). An endless
rope passes around the hive under the cleat at each end,
then the hook of the spring balance passes under the two
parts of the rope over the hive, and the slack is taken up
by tying a string around the two parts under the hook.
A hickory stick used as a lever passes through the ring

296 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

of the upper part of the spring balance, the short end of
the lever being supported by a light frame- work that
stands on the adjoining hive. When all is properly ad-
justed, the long end of the lever is raised, and the weight
is read, and then taken down, so that a comb or combs
may be added to bring up to the desired weight. If no
precaution is taken, the spring balance, when first raised,
will slide on the lever down against one's hands or shoul-
der. To prevent this a stout string has one end tied to
the short end of the lever, and the other end tied to the
ring of the balance, so as to keep it within bounds.

RESERVE COMBS OF HONEY.

After all I have said about feeding, I am happy to
say that since about the time of the coming in of the 20th
century very little feeding has been done. ^lost years
not a feeder is put on. This is partly due to the increase
of fall pasturage, and perhaps in some degree to the fact
that the present stock of bees are more provident than
they were some years ago.

In spite of the better fall feed, some colonies in
8-frame hives might be short of stores before the white-
honey harvest. To meet such cases, combs filled with
sealed honey are kept in reserve from the previous fall.
These reserve combs are valuable for another purpose.
Left to themselves the bees would have very little honey
in the hives at the opening of the honey harvest, and all
vacancies in the brood-chamber must be filled before
honey goes into the supers. Now if we have reserve
combs on hand from the previous fall, so as to have the
brood-chamber entirely filled with brood and honev ?t
the opening of the harvest, then there is nothing left for
the bees to do but to tote the first honey up-stairs, instead
of waiting for the brood-chamber to be filled. You may
ask what is gained by merely swapping last year's honey
for honey in the sections. There would be nothing gained
if the honey in the reserve combs were white-clover

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 297

honey. But it is fall honey ; and for every pound of fall
honey we put in the brood-chamber we get back a pound
of white honey in sections.

So I like to have one or two reserve combs on hand
for each colony in the spring. These reserve combs may
be obtained by taking them in the fall from colonies that
are over-heavy, giving in place of them empty combs to
be again filled, or upper stories may be given filled with
combs.

NUCLEI IN FALL.

When the time for rearing queens is over, the nuclei
will be in various conditions. Some will be weak, some
strong, some queenless. Here will be a nucleus hive con-
taining three strong nuclei with a good laying queen in
each nucleus. Nothing is to be done in such a case but
to leave the three nuclei as they are, to be carried into the
cellar without any further preparation, unless it be to
give some honey if it be needed. In the case of the mid-
dle nucleus, that will mean exchanging their comb for one
as much as two-thirds or three-quarters full of honey. In
the nuclei at the sides of the hive, the heaviest frames of
honey will be toward the center of the hive. This will en-
courage the bees to cluster in that direction, thus con-
centrating the warmth of the three nuclei.

UNITING NUCLEI.

But the hives with three strong nuclei and three
queens will be exceptional. Some will have only two
queens, some one. If a nucleus hive has in it only one
queen, it may be that a full hive is set in place of the nu-
cleus hive, the contents of the three apartments of the
nucleus hive put into this full hive, and, if necessary,
enough nuclei added from elsewhere to make a fair col-
ony. If none of the nuclei in any one nucleus hive be
sufficiently strong where there is only one queen in the
hive, then the nucleus with the queen is likely to be put

298

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

in some nucleus hive that has contained only two queens.
In some cases one of the division-boards is taken away,
making one of the compartments large enough to receive
five frames, besides the other with the three frames. Thus
the nucleus in the larger compartment may be built up to
a tolerably fair colony.

Thus you will see that there is little or no destroying
of queens, the effort being to have each queen supported

Fig. 103. — 24-Section Case.

by a good force of bees, considering the size of her com-
partment. No attention is paid to the matter of trying to
make bees stay where they are put. If they don't like to
stay they don't need to ; they'll count somewhere. But as
they are mostly queenless bees that are moved, they are
not bad about returning.

DOUBLE HIVES FOR WINTER.

Not only have I wintered nuclei two and three in a
hive, but a few years ago I had considerable experience

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

29;>

in wintering full colonies in double hives. If I had not
changed from ten-frame to eight-frame hives I should
have continued the practice, but an eight-frame hive
makes too cramped quarters for two full colonies, even
in winter. Still, I approximate it with five frames on o^ie
side and three on the other, and of course the hive could
be divided to take four frames on each side.

There is nothing new or original about two colonies
in one hive, among others Dzierzon's twin hives having

Fig. 104. — Honcy-Slici^'

been highly esteemed by him and others for many years.
These, however, are used the same all the year around.
and my use of them is only during the time of year when
bees can be crowded into a less space than a full hive.

From the time the bees are fed in the summer or fall,
till perhaps the middle of May, most of my colonies would
have room enough in one-half of a ten-frame hive. I am
not sure that any of them ever need more room through
the fall and winter, and in the spring they need no more
till more than four frames are needed for brood. With
some, this may come quite early, but I think I should be

^00 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

well satisfied if I could get all my colonies to contain
four combs well filled with brood by the middle of ]\Iay.
Some of them may have at that time brood in nine or
ten frames, but more of them could have all their brood
■crowded into three or four combs.

ADVANTAGE OF DOUBLE HIVES. >/

Now, if during the time I have mentioned, we can
have two colonies in one hive, we shall, I think, find it
advantageous in more than one direction. It is a com-
mon thing for bee-keepers to unite two weak colonies
in the fall. Suppose a bee-keeper has two colonies in the
fall, each occupying two combs. He unites them so they
will winter better. If they would not ciuarrel and would
stay wherever they were put, he cor Id place the two
frames of the one hive beside the two frames in the
other hive, and the thing- would be done. Xow. suppose
that a thin division-bo'^rd were placed between the two
sets of combs, would he not see the same result? Not
quite, I think, but nearly so. They would hardly be so
warm as without the division-board, but nearly so ; and
iDoth cjueens would be saved. In the spring it is de-
sirable to keep the bees warm. If two colonies are in
one hive, with a thin division-board between them, they
will be much warmer than if in separate hives. The
same thing is true in winter. I have had weak nuclei
with two combs come through in good condition during
a winter in which I lost heavily : these nuclei having no
extra care or protection other than bein'^ in a do ible
hive. You would understand the reason of all this easily
if in winter you would look into one of these double
hives in the cellar. On each side the bees are clustered
up against the division-board, and it looks exactly as if
the bees had all been in one single cluster, and then the
division-board pushed down, through the center of the
cluster.

Now suppose we have 100 colonies that are all fed
up for winter and they are then put into double hives.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

301.

Please understand that there is Httle or no extra expense
lor these double hives. They are just the regular hives,
only we take special pains to see that the division-board
is perfectly bee-tight. If the hives are to be hauled
home, as I haul mine each fall, there are only 50 in-
stead of 100 to haul ; just half the bulk, and a much less
weight than the 100 would be. Just half the hives are
to be handled in taking in and out of winter quarters ;

Fig. 105. — JVrigJiiug Colonies.

just half the room is occupied in winter quarters ; and I
think, although I do not know, that the bees will winter
better than if only one colony in a hive. If they are to
be taken, in the spring, to a distant apiary, there is the
advantage of hauling only 50 hives instead of 100. If,
in the spring, any colony be found queenless it is in fine
position to be united with its fellow colony.

CHANGING FROM SINGLE TO DOUBLE HIVES. (/

Possibly you may be ready to agree with me so far
as to sav, "Certainlv, the thing looks desirable, but is it

302 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

feasible? \\'ill not the trouble counterbalance all ad-
vantage?"" I know it is usually a matter of some trouble
to change a colony from one location to another in the
same apiary. I think, however, that I have reduced the
trouble to a minimum. I will give you my plan and you
can judge for yourself.

As I have already told you, my hives stand in pairs,
and I kept them so, years before I thought of double
hives. Some time before the change is made to double
hives, the entrances of the hives are closed at one side,
so that the bees become accustomed to using the same
side of the entrance that they will use when thrown into
the double hive, that is, the right hand colony will use
the right hand side of its entrance, and the left hand col-
ony will use the left hand side of its entrance. Each
colony will have four of its combs so solid with honey
that it will be well provisioned.

Remembering that the two colonies of a pair are on
the same stand, we now remove both hives from the
stand and set the double hive on the middle of the stand.
Then the four combs from the right hand hive will be
put with their bees in the right hand side of the double
colony, and the rest of the bees brushed from the other
combs. The left hand side is treated the same way.
Some bees will still be left in the depopulated hives ; so
these hives can be set at each side, the entrance of the
empty hive at the proper entrance of the double hive, and
left there long enough for the bees to crawl in and join
their companions.

The matter is now accomplished and it has been no
long or difficult job. The bees use the new entrance
obiiost as readily as the old. To them their hive seems
moved less than its width to one side, and there is no
possible danger of their entering the wrong place. I
have tried it, and watched the result, therefore I speak
of not what the bees ought to do, but what they do do.

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

103

CHAXGIXG FROM DOUBLE TO SINGLE HIVES. *^

Can we as easily get them back into two hives in
the spring when they become crowded in this double
hive? Just exactly as easily. \\> simply reverse the
operation. Take the double hive from its place and re-
place it with the two hives, then remove the contents of

Mk. l^

I MT'

Haasl^

• i

^-M

fig. io6. — Colonies Home from Out-Apiaries.

the double hive and put them in the proper single hives,
and the bees will go every time to the right place. I
speak again from personal observation as to what the
bees actuallv do.

BRINGIXG BEES HOME IX THE FALL.

In the fall, the bees must be brought home from the
out-apiary so as to be wintered in the cellar.

There are always a few things upon which bees can
work till quite late ; so it is desirable to be as late as pos-
sible bringing them home. They must, however, he

304 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

brought home early enough so they will be sure of a
good flight after being brought home and before being
put in the cellar. Some say they may be safely put into
the cellar without the flight, but one winter part of mine
were put in without a flight, and that part wintered dis-
tinctly worse than the others. At the latest. I want them
home before Xov. 1. When brought home they are
placed conveniently near the cellar door (Fig. 106).

WHEN TO PUT BEES IXTO CELLAR.

It is a thing impossible to know beforehand just
what is the best time to take bees into the cellar. At
best it can be only a guess. Living in a region where
winters are severe, there are some years in which there
will be no chance for bees to have a flight after the mid-
dle of November till the next spring, and I think there
was one year without a flight-day after the first of No-
vember. One feels bad to put his bees into cellar the
first week in November, and then two or three weeks
later have a beautiful day for a flight. But he feels a
good deal worse after a good flight-day the first week in
November to wait for a later flight, then have it turn
very cold, and after waiting through two or three weeks
of such weather to give up hope of any later flight and
put in his bees after two or three weeks' endurance of
severe freezing. So it is better to err on the side of get-
ing bees in too early.

Theoretically, the right time to cellar bees is the
iiext day after they have had their last flight for the sea-
son, and one must do the best one can to judge after any
flight-day whether it is the last or not. ]\Iore than one
reason can be given for taking in next day after a flight.
The hives are dry ; there are no accumulations of frost or
ice inside ; and the bees are unusually quiet. All the
better if the next morning is cool, as it is likely to be.
Sometimes, however, one cannot have everything as one
wants it, and I have been caught taking in bees in a

FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

305

snow-storm. Better take them in during the storm than
after it is all over and constantly growing colder. But
It seems to do no harm for them' to be taken in covered
with snow.

PREPARING THE CELLAR.

For twenty-four hours before taking in— perhaps
for several days— doors and windows of the cellar are

Fig. 107. — Dripping-Pan Wax -Extract or.

ke]:t wide open, so as to air it out thoroughly, and per-
haps the walls are whitewashed and the floor limed, al-
though this is generally done after taking out in 'the
sprmg. Strips of boards are placed on the ground so
that the bottom hive has its bottom-board an inch or two
above the ground ?X the front end. and an inch more at
the back end.

CARRYING IN HIVES.

Hives are carried in just as they are, because before
the time for hauling bees home all false bottoms were

306

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

removed and the bottom-boards fastened to the hives
where necessarv. With the large ventilating space at
the entrance, and with abundance of stores, there is no
need to loosen the gluing of a cover from before the time
a colony is hauled home till after the time for hauling
back in spring.

PILING HIVES IN CELLAR.

The hives are piled five high, each pile independent
t)f the others, so jarring one hive can jar only lour
others First a row of piles is put at the farther side
of the cellar, the hives close side by side, entrances facmg
the wall, with a space of about two feet between them
and the wall. Then another row is placed back to back
close up against this row. Then comes a space of about
two feet, and another row facing the space, so that en-
trrnces face each side of the space. Then comes another
TOW back to back, and so on. That makes the hives m
double rows, back to back, with a two-foot space m
Avhich to get at the entrances. _

As far as convenient, the heavier hives are put at
the bottom, and lighter at top. It is easier work to do so,
and the lighter ones have nerhaps the advantage by being
liigher up, where it is a little warmer.

CARRYING IN BEES WHEN ROUSED UP.

Often the bees get so warmed up bv the middle of
the forenoon, that they flv out when their hive is littecl
to be carried into the cellar. In this case the hive is put
back on its summer stand, and another colony, less wide-
awake, is taken. But if the rousing up becomes general,
operations must cease until the after-part of the day or
the next morning. If for any reason, as the lateness of
the season, or the fear of an approaching storm, it is
thought best to carry in a hive whether the bees are will-
ing or not, the entrance must be stopped. For this pur-
pose—as there is no danger of suffocation from stopping

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 307

for a short time— I know of nothing better than a large
rag: or cloth which will easily cover the entire entrance.
The rag must be dripping wet. In this condition it can
be very quickly laid at the entrance, and being cold and
wet the bees seem to be driven back by it, and when the
rag is removed in the cellar, few if any bees come out.

Fig. io8. — Screzciiig Dozen JVax-Press.

If dry, the bees would sting the rag, and upon its re-
moval in the cellar a crowd of angry bees would fol-
low it.

WARMING THE CELLAR.

There is a furnace in the cellar where my bees are
kept, which has been there since the winter of 1903-3.

308 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

But let us go back to the time before that, when the chief
difficulty was to keep the cellar warm enough. Some
think it a bad thing to have fire in cellar. I would rather
have the right temperature without the fire. So I would
in my sitting-room. But when the temperature in the
sitting-room w^ithout a fire gets down in the neighbor-
hood of zero, I would rather have the fire. Same way in
the cellar. In this latitude. 42 degrees north. I have
known the mercury to reach 37 degrees below zero, and
some winters there is very little of the time when my
cellar is warm enough for the bees. A thermometer hangs
centrally in the cellar, and I try to keep it at about 45
degrees. Sometimes it goes to 36 degrees, but not often,
and not for long. Oftener it reaches 50 degrees, but that
is neither often nor long.

STOVE IX CELLAR.

Whenever the thermometer appears to have any
fixed determination to stay below 45 degrees, a fire is
started. I would not think of using an oil-stove, or
anything of the kind that would allow the gases to
escape in the cellar. A chimney goes from the ground
up through the house, and a hard-coal stove is used.
For many years I used a common small cylinder stove,
having an inside diameter of abort 8 inches between
the fire-brick. Then T used a low-down open or Frank-
lin stove, and I think I like it as well or better.
With either stove there is the open fire, and one might
fear that the bees w^ould fly into it, but they do not ap-
pear to do so. Neither does any harm come to the hiv^s
that stand within two feet of the stove, for the stove is
right in the same room as the bees. A few minutes' at-
tention each morning and evening will keep the fire 2:oing
continuously, in case it is needed continuously. There
have been winters when fire was kept going nearly all
the wnnter through, and other winters when little was
needed. The winter of 1901-2 was one of the mild ones. A

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 309

fire started Dec. 21 was kept for three days. Another.
Jan. 27, lasted one day. A third started Feb. 3 lasted
seventeen days. I think the outer temperature was at no
time more than 15 degrees below zero.

HEAT FOR DIARRHCEA.

I do not know for certain, but I think I have had
good results at a time when diarrhoea began to trouble
the bees in the cellar, by making a hot fire and running
up the temperature above 60 degrees. The bees would be-
come very noisy, but after the cellar cooled down to the
normal 45 degrees they were quieter than before, and I
suspect the bees felt better.

VENTILATION OF CELLAR.

I believe heartily in the doctrine of pure air and
plenty of it for man, beast and bee. So I consider ven-
tilation a very important affair. With a two-inch space
under the bottom-bars and a 12x2 entrance, there is no
trouble about the ventilation of the hive; but no matter
how well ventilated a hive may be, if the cellar in which
it is placed contains nothing but foul air, how can the
air in the hive be sweet?

FIRE FOR VENTILATION.

I am not sure but I should want a fire in a cellar for
the sake of ventilation even if not needed for heat.

For the purpose of ventilation alone, the warmer the
weather the more the fire in the cellar is needed. Of
course there must be some limit to this, for when the
temperature of the cellar goes above 60 degrees, the bees
show signs of uneasiness.

WARM SPELLS IN WINTERING.

The most difficult time to keep the bees quiet in the
cellar, is when a warm spell comes in the fall soon after

310 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

taking them in, or early in the spring. At such times I
open up the cellar at dark. If very warm, all doors and
windows are opened wide and by morning generally all
are aniet. I leave all open as long as possible in the
morning ; sometimes till noon ; when the bees begin to
fly out all must be darkened. Very likely it would be bet-
ter if there were a way to admit air in abundance without
admitting light.

COOLING AND AIRING CELLAR.

Years ago, when the temperature became too high in
the cellar in spring, and I wanted to keep the bees in the
cellar still longer, I tried cooling down with cakes of ice.
But it was not satisfactory. The trouble was not so
much with the temperature as the quality of the air. Then
I learned that opening the cellar was more effectual.

OPENING CELLAR AT NIGHT.

The first time I tried that trick I got a pretty bad
scare. It was in the sprins^, and there came a warm spell,
lasting perhaps two or three days. It kept getting warmer
in the cellar, and the bees kept getting noisier. At the
same time I kept getting more uneasy, not knowing just
what the end might be. After the trouble got pretty bad,
I thought I would venture to open the cellar wide in the
evening, hoping that it might become cooler through the
night. I think it was 50 or 60 degrees outside, and not
far from that in the cellar. The bees were quite noisy
when the cellar was opened, and I listened closely for the
quieting down. It didn't come. On the contrary, the
noise increased to a roar that could be heard some dis-
tance from the cellar, and the bees were running all over
the hives, some of them hanging out in great clusters as
if getting ready to swarm. I felt afraid they would all
leave their hives and make a wreck. I assi^re you I was
badly frightened ; but I didn't know of anything to do, so
I didn't do anything. As nearly as I now remember, I

FIFTY YEARS AMOXG THE BEES :5ll

did not go to bed till I could recognize a little subsiding,
and in the morning the bees were back in their hives as
quiet as mice, ^lore than once since then I have gone
through the same performance without being troubled by
it ; only the cellar is not allowed to get so bad before it is
opened.

LETTING LIGHT IX CELLAR.

Here is a memorandum written ]\Iarch l-i, 1902 :
"During the past eight days the weather has been un-
usually warm for the season, varying from 29 to 05 de-
grees. The doors have been wide open day and night
except on the two warmest days, and the (east) window
part of the time. Three days ago it was 65 degrees in
the afternoon. Within twenty-four hours the ground
was covered with snow, and yesterday morning the mer-
cury stood at 29 degrees. At 7 a. m. today, it w^as 35
degrees without and 4-1: degrees in the cellar, doors and
window having been open all night. At 9 a. m. it was
40 degrees outside and 45 degrees in the cellar. The sun
'^Jione directly into some of the entrances near the window
without disturbing the bees. At 10 :30 a. m. it was 52
degrees outside and 4T degrees in the cellar ; the bees
still quiet. At 11 a. m. it was 53 degrees without and
48 degrees in cellar. In five minutes by the watch I
counted fifteen bees which flew to the window. I then
closed the window, leaving the doors wide open. At 12
o'clock it was still 53 degrees without and 49 degrees
in the cellar. In five minutes I counted five bees flying
to the door. The light does not shine directly into the
room where the bees are, they being in an inside room.
I can see to read easily at the hives nearest the door. At
3 :20 it was 55 degrees outside and 50 degrees in cellar.
In five minutes I counted three bees flying to the door.
It was then getting cloudy, the sun having been shining
most of the day. I opened the window for five minutes
and twelve bees flew to it. At 6 p. m. the window was
opened again, leaving all wide open till it should again

312

FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

become bright enough on the next or some following day
to make the bees fly out, or cold enough to bring the
mercury down too far in the cellar."

I have not given this as an example of the perfection
of wintering. It is far from that. But it shows that
after 119 days of confinement the bees will stand a good
deal of light and warmth without showing much insubor-

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^ J

^^^^^H

B^-

■M^'H

L '1

^^^^^^^^^i

-jj-

'^k

gll

'■^1

HlS

^^^^m m

h^-

' .<4.

Fig. log. — Enipiying Out Shimgnni.

dination, providing they have an abundance of good air.
It must be higher than 45 degrees to induce them out
when in good condition.

SUB-EARTH VENTILATOR.

Some years ago I put in a sub-earth ventilator of 4-
inch tile, 100 feet long and 4 feet deep. It was of com-
mon porous drain-tile, and becoming a little skeptical of
the quality of the air admitted I allowed it to become
filled up. I am not sure that I did wisely. I am strongly
of the opinion that an air-tight pipe large enough and
deep enough would be a great aid to successful cellaring.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 313

MICE IN BEE-CELLARS.

Mice are troublesome denizens of cellars in winter.
Even if a cellar should be entirely free from them, they
are likely to be brought into the cellar with the bees when
the hives are brought in. Some winters I have closed
the entrances with heavy wire-cloth having three meshes
to the inch. This shuts out mice without hindering the
free passage of bees. Even if a mouse is shut up in a
hive, it will not be so bad as to let it have the free run of
the cellar. Other winters traps have been used and
various poisons, perhaps the most satisfactory poison be-
ing strychnine thinly spread upon very thin slices of
cheese, the cheese being then cut into tiny squares.

CLEANING OUT DEAD BEES.

Aside from attending to warming and ventilating my
cellar, and waging war against the mice, I think of no
other attention given to the bees through the winter, ex-
cept cleaning out the dead bees. For cleaning them out
of those hives which have them — for some reason of
which I am not yet sure, there are some hives which
contain scarcely a dead bee — I have a very simple tool.
It is a piece of round, 14 -inch or smaller iron rod, with
one end hammered flat for about two inches and bent at
right angles, making something like a hook. With this
hook I can reach into the hive under the frames and
scrape out the dead bees.

I have a common kerosene hand-lamp with a sheet-
iron chimney having a little mica window on one side —
such as is used for heating water on lamps. This serves
as a dark-lantern, making little light except in one direc-
tion. Holding the lamp in my left hand, I look in to see
whether any live bees are in sight. Often I see the cluster
near the front of the hive, oftener at the center or back
part of the hive, the bees looking as if dead, so still are
they ; but in a few seconds some one will be seen to stir.
Sometimes the cluster will come clear down so as to touch

314 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the bottom-board, and sometimes not a bee will be seen
below or between the bottom-bars. When the cluster
comes clear down, there may or there may not be bees on
the bottom-board. In any case, all the dead bees are
cleaned out that can be got without disturbing the living.
There is, as has been said, a difference as to the number
of dead bees in different colonies, and there seems also a
dift'erence in different winters. In some cases perhaps the
dead bees all reach the cellar bottom, in others staying in
the hive.

SWEEPING UP DEAD BEES.

It is very unpleasant to have the dead bees under
foot on the cellar bottom. Some fasten them in the hive.
Some sprinkle sawdust on the floor. In either case they
are left in the cellar to foul the air. It seems much better
to sweep out the cellar. During the first Dart of the win-
ter very few bees will be on the floor, and sweeping once
a month will be enough, or more than enough. Toward
spring the deaths will be very much more frequent, and
the sweeping must be more frequent. As giving a more
definite idea with regard to this, I find by referring to the
record that in the winter of 1901-2 the cellar was not
swept till Jan. 29 — seventy-five days after the bees were
taken in. Then it was swept again after respective inter-
vals of twenty-one, nineteen, and five days, the quantity
swept out each time being about the same. That gives
some idea of the greater mortality as spring approaches.
One winter, when the bees were confined 124 days, the
dead bees for each colony amounted to four-fifths of a
quart or three-fifths of a pound, which made about 2,130'
bees for each colony. I think the mortality is usually
greater than that.

FURNACE IN CELLAR.

In the year 1902 the coal famine following the great
anthracite strike caught me with four hard-coal stoves-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

315

and no coal to put in them — indeed, no prospect of getting
any, and winter close at hand.

About that time my friend. E. R. Root, happened to
be here, and strongly advised as the best way out of the di-
lemma to have a furnace put in — one big enough to heat
the whole house, and of such character as to burn wood,
green or dry, coal, hard or soft, and indeed anything hav-
hw anv inclination toward combustibilitv. I followed his

Fig. no. — A'(/// Bo.vcs.

advice, or rather I outran it, for I got a larger furnace
than he thought advisable, the fire-pot being 2T inches in
diameter. I am not sorry the furnace is so large so far as
heating the house is concerned, for it makes a delightful
summer temperature in any part of the house, no matter
how cold the weather, without any of that unpleasant and
unwholesome burnt-air effect. But it made a matter of
impossibility for me to think of keeping the temperature
of the bee-room down to 45 degrees and since that time,
instead of having to make an effort to keep the cellar

316 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

warm enough, the problem has been to keep it cool
•enough.

UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS.

Conditions for successful wintering were by no
means the best.

The workmen that set up the furnace were late in
finishing up the last part of the work in the cellar, so that
the bees were not put in till the 8th of December. On that
day the temperature was 8 degrees below zero. It would
have been much better to have left them out for another
flight if I had been sure of a day warm enough without
waiting too long. But I was not sure of that, and I
thought it better for them to be taken in in rather bad con-
dition than to run the risk of leaving them out longer.
The sequel showed I was wise in so doing, for no day
warm enough for a flight came until February 26.

A thin partition of lath and plaster is all that sepa-
rates the bee-room from the room in which the furnace is
located, and the thermometer in the bee-room generally
•showed a temperature of 50 degrees. Some of the hot-air
pipes pass through the bee-room overhead : and a ther-
mometer laid on one of the two hives directly under one
of these pipes nearest the furnace showed a temperature
of 70 degrees. The pipe is covered with asbestos paper,
but there was only a space of about three inches be-
tween the pipe and the top of the hives. There was plenty
of room to set these colonies in a cooler place, but they
were allowed to stay right where they were to see what
the result would be. They wintered beautifully — until
they died. They starved to death, and that not so very
late in winter, although I think they were well supplied
with stores. No doubt the heat kept them so active that
thev used up their stores with unusual rapidity.

BAD WINTERING.

Under the circumstance? I figured on considerable
loss. The loss went beyond my figuring. Not that the

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 3ir

deaths all occurred in the cellar. They were largely
after the bees were taken out in the spring; none the
less, however, they were chargeable to bad wintering.
I>y the l'2th of May there were left only 1"24 colonies out
of 199 put in cellar, and many of them were mere nuclei.
A loss of 37 per cent was not gratifying, but bee-keeper-
like, I looked forward hopefully to the next winter.

Alas for my hopes ! Instead of 3T per cent, the loss
for the winter of 1903-04 was 47 per cent, leaving 150
colonies alive out of 284. And the loss was mainly due
to lack of sufficient stores. Some of them died in the
cellar, and more would have died there if they had not
been taken out a little earlier than was well, so they
could be fed. But feeding very early in spring is not so
well as having an abundance of stores in the hive in the
fall, and the mortality continued well along in spring.
The fact that after so many years of experience, and
after advising others always to have abundant stores for
winter, I should have lost colonies by the score through
starvation, was humiliating indeed.

But conditions were new and I needed to learn that
in a cellar with the thermonieter generally ranging from
50 to 60, and sometimes going higher, bees consume
stores much more rapidly than at a lower temperature,,
and to the increasing number of those who are putting
furnaces in cellars, I would say, "Look out for starva-
tion."

But along with the disadvantage mentioned, there
are not iackmg advantages. Perhaps I ought to say
advantage rather than advantages, for the one great ad-
vantage is that of an abundant supply of pure, fresh air.
Except in the very severest weather, the outside cellar
door is more or less open, and the air in the cellar is
sweeter than in many — perhaps most — living rooms.
That's good for the people living over the cellar, and it
must be good for the bees. Inside the hives the combs:
are just as dry and nice as in summer. Xo dampness^
no mold, no musty smell.

318 FIFTY YE.\RS A.AIOXG THE BEES

It seems nice to look into a hive and find so few
dead bees lying on the bottom-board, often none. When
a bee wants to die. it is warm enough so it can come
outside, just as in summer.

It would be better if it was so arranged that fresh
air could enter without the light. During the first part of
the winter, the bees do not seem to mind the light at all,
and not very much till toward spring, when the door must
be closed in daytime. But there is no need to be unduly
frightened by a few bees coming out ; for bees will get
old and die ofif, no matter how dark the cellar be kept ;
and there may be some question whether a little light is
as bad as the fouler air when the cellar is closed.

GOOD WIXTERIXG.

Having had such a severe lesson, you may be sure
that in succeeding years I took pains to see that before
the bees went into the cellar they had enough stores to
stand a winter temperature of 50 or 60 degrees. The re-
sult has been very gratifying. I no longer have anxiety
about wintering, and do not expect an}- colonies to die
unless it be from queenlessness.

Somie one may say, "But why don't you make sure
that no queenless colony goes into the cellar?" Possibly
that might be better ; but I doubt. The queenless colony
is not worth very much at that time of year, and any-
thing that would be done with it would hardly pay for
the trouble of hunting through a number of colonies,
causing them no little disturbance.

On the whole I am quite in favor of a furnace in
cellar. To be sure, it does away with one argument in
favor of cellaring, for there may be as heavy consump-
tion of stores as on the summer stands, but that is
greatly overbalanced by having the bees practically out-
doors all winter in a very mild climate. For with the
abundance of fresh air allowed, are they not practically
outdoors? Beside that, I think the bees are stronger —

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 319

I mean each individual bee is stronger — when well win-
tered outdoors than when wintered in the usual close
cellar, and I think there will be that same strength when
wintered in a cellar with a furnace and a full supply
of outdoor air.

EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD.

In the year IDOT a number of cells of dead brood
were found in colony No. 13. I can not now be certain
of it, but I think a few such dead brood had been seen
a year or two previously. A large cherry orchard in
easy range of my bees had been sprayed before the
blossoms had fallen, and it was easy to believe that the
poison sprayed on these blossoms was accountable for
the dead brood. Nothing was done about it, and No. 13
turned out to be one of the best in the apiary. In 19U8
I think some cells of dead brood were found in two
colonies. The season was good, and no attention was
paid to it, the idea still being that the poisonous spray
was the cause of the trouble.

Beginning with the year 19U9 I decided to give up
the last out-apiary (the Wilson) and keep all colonies
in the home apiary. Wlien I found out later wh^.t was
before me, I was thankful that all were in a single
apiary. Diseased brood was found to such an extent
and in so many colonies that I sent a sample to Dr. E. F.
Phillips at Washington. Back came the report that
European foul brood was the thing I had to do with.
I do not know how many colonies were diseased at the
opening of the season, but T do know that we had been
doing orr level best to spread the disease throughout
the whole apiary by indiscriminate exchanging of combs
of brood.

It was fairly along in the season when I got the
word from Washington, and here is what I had to face :
A season of dearth, there being a dead failure of the
early honey-flow : bees in about 150 hives, counting
nuclei and all, and only 22 of them that showed no sign

320 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

of disease throughout the whole season ; with a disease
that at that time was said to be ten times worse than
American foul brood. I felt like giving up. But only
for a little while. If others had fought the disease, why
couldn't I ? Besides, I could now have some live expe-
rience with a thing I had only previously read about.

I started in to use the AlcEvoy treatment, brushing
the diseased colonies upon foundation, after doing some
breaking up and doubling. In all, however, only 56
colonies were actually brushed upon foundation. When
I came to look how they were building up, I found, out
of those first treated, that 9 had left, bag and baggage,
leaving empty hives. That was probably from starva-
tion, so after that I gave to each shaken colony one or
more sections of honey taken from diseased colonies.
So far as I know, this did not in any case convey the
disease. Later, to make more sure against desertion,
one of the diseased combs was left in the hive, and
beside it two empty frames — not even a starter in the
two frames, and the rest of the hive empty. \Mien the
bees made a start at building in the empty frames, the
old comb was taken away, and the hive was filled up with
full sheets of foundation. Sometimes the comb the bees
had built in the empty frames was taken away after a
good start was made on the foundation, and sometimes
not. The outcome seemed to be all right either w^ay.

Partly to please Editor E. R. Root, toward the lat-
ter part of the summer I tried the Alexander treatment.
The gist of that treatment is to remove the queen and
in 20 days give the colony a ripe queen-cell of best Ital-
ian stock, or else a very young virgin. Previous to the
treatment, however, an important requisite is to make
the colony strong.

I varied from the regular treatment by giving hy-
brid virgins instead of Italian, as my bees were mostly
hybrids. It may be a question whether hybrids are not
as good as Italians in carrying out the treatment, pro-
vided the hybrids are of equal vigor.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 321

I made the inexcusable blunder of understanding
that AJr. Alexander had given a laying queen at the end
of 20 days of queenlessness, instead of giving a virgin.
So I gave a young virgin after 10 days of queenlessness,
so that there would be a laying queen present in about
20 days from the removal of the queen. I now think
that the blunder was a fortunate one, since there is a gain
of 8 or 10 days in the time of the treatment, always pro-
vided that continued trial of the plan by myself and
others should prove it to be reliable.

There were some cases of failure, but in each of
these cases the colonies had not been made very strong.
Mr. Alexander had emphasized the point that in order
to have the treatment eitective the colony must be
strong, either by uniting or giving frames of sealed
brood. Aly experience leads me to think that not only
must the colony be strong but it must be strong in young
bees.

With the opening of the season of 1910 you may
well suppose I was on the alert to see whether any
colonies were diseased. In fact I was really hoping
there would be some cases, for I had formed a theory
and wanted to try some experiments. I was not disap-
pointed. In 27 hives could be found the distinctive
mark of the disease, in some only a cell or two, while
in others as much as one cell in every ten was afifected.
Some one may think it a difficult thing to detect the
disease if only one or two bad cells are to be found in a
hive. It is not difficult. The healthy brood is pearly
white, while the diseased larva being distinctly yellow is
quickly spotted, just as you would easily detect a yel-
low hen in a flock of white ones. It was impossible to
say how many of the 27 cases were old offenders and
how many of them were fresh cases brought in from
outside. For there were diseased colonies all abo::t me.
and there was no law in Illinois to clean them up.

About that theory, the theory as to how the disease
is continued in the hive and conveved from one cell to

322 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

another. It is well known that if a larva be broken
open the bees will suck up its juices, and in a case of
starvation the juices of the larvae are consumed and the
white skins thrown out of the hive. When a larva first
becomes diseased, and has not yet become offensive, it
is easy to believe that the nurse-bees will suck up its
juices, and then when they feed healthy larvae the
healthy larvae will become diseased. But in a little while
a diseased larva will become decayed and offensive, so
that it will no longer be eaten by the nurse-bees. If this
supposition be correct, it will come to pass that if egg-
laying should stop for 5 or G days (the time a larva
remains unsealed in its cell) there will no longer be in
the hive at the same time diseased larvae fit for the nurses
to eat and healthy larvae to which the diseased food may
be given, and thus the disease should come to an end.

It was not hard to make the test. I caged the queen
of a diseased colony after strengthening it, and freed her
after six days of imprisonment. Xo more diseased brood
appeared in the hive. Of course, one swallow does not
make a summer, and this might not work in all cases.
Keither would I in any case recommend the continuance
of the old queen after treatment. A queen that has been
for some time in a foul broody colony seems sluggish,
and is better replaced by a vigorous young queen.

As between the ]\IcEvoy and the Alexander — or the
Alexander-Miller treatment as it has been called — there
is so much to be gained in the saving of combs, that
even if the first plan always succeeds and the other
sometimes fails, it may be cheaper to use the latter and
treat over again the failures. But I may remark in pass-
ing that among the 27 cases of 1910 some of them were
of those that had been brushed upon foundation the pre-
vious year.

\\^ith my present knowledge of the disease, here is
the treatment that I believe well worth trying for Euro-
pean foul brood : Make the colony strong, preferably
by giving sealed brood so as to have abundance of young

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 323

bees ; remove the queen and at the same time give a ripe
queen-cell or a very young virgin, which cell or virgin
shall be of the most vigorous stock, and trust the bees
to do the rest.

Now please remember that I do not give this as a
treatment well tried and thoroughly reliable. My theory
is only a theory, and the plan of treatment needs con-
firmation, as the newspapers say. I only say that I
think the treatment worth trying because it has worked
with some success so far ; and if it proves successful
with others it will be no small gain.

Remember, too, that it is European foul brood I am
talking about. For American foul brood the plan would
be worthless.

DRIPPING-PAN WAX-EXTRACTOR.

Before the introduction of the solar wax-extractor,
the rendering of wax was generally reserved as winter's
w^ork, and indeed after the introduction of the solar it was
often convenient to work up in winter some of the mate-
rial saved up. A very simple arrangement on a small
scale did excellent work on much the same principle as
the solar extractor, only the heat of the stove was used in
place of solar heat.

An old dripping-pan (of course a new one would
do) had one corner split open, and that made the ex-
tractor. The dripping-pan is put into the oven of a cook-
stove with the split corner projecting out (Fig. 107).
The opposite corner, the one farthest in the oven, is
slightly raised by having a pebble or something of the
kind under it, so that the melted wax will run outward.
A dish set under catches the dripping wax, making the
outfit complete. Of course the material to be melted is
put in the pan the same as in the solar extractor.

SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTOR.

I do not know that the solar extractor has any ad-
vantage over the dripping-pan arrangement, except that

324 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

the sun furnishes free heat. In either case, when old
combs are melted, a good deal of wax remains in the ref-
use or slumgum, because the cocoons act much like
sponges. Especially is this the case if more than a single
thickness of comb is placed for melting.

STEAM WAX-PRESS.

So when the German steam wax-press came, leaving
the slumgum mostly free from wax, the solar ex-
tractor had to take a back-seat, leaving wax-rendering
again a proper thing for winter work.

The wax-press is placed upon the cook-stove ( Fig.
108) and the work is done according to the instructions
sent out with the machine. I find that time is an im-
portant element in the work, and that there is nothing to
be gained by trying to hurry up matters by screwing down
very hard. If the screw be turned down as tight as can
be done without sliding the can around on the stove, that
is all that is necessary. Then when the wax ceases to run
it can be turned down again. Continuing in this way till
no more wax runs, when the slum gum is turned out
(Fig. 109) it is so free from wax that it is not worth
working over again. The wax saved by using the steam
wax-press will pay immense interest on the money in-
vested in its purchase.

OTHER WINTER WORK.

The work of getting sections ready for the hoped-for
harvest of the coming summer has already been men-
tioned, and the winter affords opportunitv for making
up hives, supers, or any fixtures that may be needed. As
these things are bought mostly in the flat, the chief part
of the work is nailing, and it is a great convenience to
have the different kinds of nails in their proper places
ready for immediate use. A set of nail-boxes, part of
which are seen in Fig. 110, serves the purpose excel-
lently. The boxes are patterned somewhat after a tin

FIFTY YEARS A^JOXG THE BEES

325

nail-box I saw at a tin-shop. \\'hen a box is taken from
its nail on the wall, laid flat and slightly shaken, the nails
are easily picked up from the shallow part of the box.

Truth compels me to say that so many different per-
sons find it convenient to use these boxes and inconve-
nient to return them, that of late the boxes are not always
found in their proper places, and when the picture was
taken they were assembled for that special occasion.

"^ Fig. III. — "Busy of the Typen'riter."
READING BEE-TOURXALS.

]\Iost of the winter-time, however, is occupied with
reading and writing. There are some thirty or forty bee-
journals to be read, and a large part of them are printed
in the Gern:an and French languages. I am a poor
scholar in either German or French, so it is not strange
if I sometimes get behind in my reading, to bring up in
V. inter. I wish I could find the time to read ever again
at my leisure in winter all the bee-journals that I read
more or less hurriedly in summer. But I never find the
tim.e. I used to think that if I ever lived to be fifty years

326 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

old I would take things very leisurely. But I am now
past fifty, and I never was more crowded in my life be-
fore.

W^RITING FOR THE BEE- JOURNALS.

Besides the reading, there is the writing. Some extra
writing usually to be done each winter, besides the regular
work in that line. I have written "Stray Straws'' for
Gleanings in Bee-Culture ever since December, 1890, and
four years later I began writing answers to questions in
the American Bee-Journal. The thought of keeping up
that w^ork year in and year out, with never a vacation,
summer or winter, would be somewhat wearisome if it
were not that I delight in the work. If any one of my
readers should hesitate about sending to me any question
connected with bee-keeping because of the thought that
it will be unpleasant to me. let him disabuse his mind of
any such thought. The receipt of such questions is a
real pleasure.

One thing, however, that gives pain instead of pleas-
ure, is to find a stamp enclosed upon opening a letter, for
then I know that the writer expects an answer by mail,
and, in justice to others, answering bee-questions by mail
is a thing I cannot do. If I should answer one by mail
I must answ^er others, and the only fair way is to treat all
alike. The request for me to answer a question in print
will always be cheerfully complied with without any
stamp accompanying the request.

IF BEGINNING AGAIN. *^

I am sometimes asked whether, if beginning afresh,
I would take the same course I have already been over.
That is not a very easy question to answer. There are
some things that can only be settled by experiment, and
about such things one can not reply offhand. Likely, if
I were beginning all over again not many things would
te different from what they are. But it may be worth
while to answxr as well as I can about a few things.

FIFTY YEARS AAIONG THE BEES 327

CHOICE OF LOCATION.

If I were to start in afresh, I would take some pains
to select a location as favorable for bee-keeping as pos-
sible. I didn't choose a location. I just began bee-
keeping where I was, with no thought of doing anything
in a commercial way, and grew into the business. I cer-
tainly would not start in afresh in a location with only
one principal honey-plant, and that sometimes a failure.
That w^as the condition here, clover the only dependence
for a crop, and that with too many off years. Of late
years, however, the fall crop is worth considering.

HIVE-STANDS.

I surely would not start in with such hive-stands as
I now have. The bottom-board resting upon so large
a flat surface makes a good place for moisture to lodge,
and favors rotting both bottom-board and stand. It
also makes a fine place for the large black ants to lodge
and honeycomb the boards. Something would be better
that allows a smaller area of contact. Tile or cement
might fill the bill.

ITALIAN BEES. ' ;

Through years of selection I have hybrids that are
hustlers. But they are cross. If I had it to do over
again I would look out more for temper, and I think I
would stick to pure Italian blood, even if occasionally a
hybrid colony should store most honey. If I had per-
sisted in breeding from pure Italian stock, I might have
just as good hustlers as I now have, with less tendency
to change, and with better tempers.

EIGHT VERSUS TEN FRAMES.

I changed from 10-frame to 8-frame hives, I think,
more than for any other reason because at that time it
w^as the fashion. I do not know that I got any better

328 FIFTY YEARS A^IONG THE BEES

crops by changing. \Vhen it comes to moving hives
about, the advantages is decidedly in favor of the smaller
hive. The same may be said of the supers. I am not
sure the smaller hives have any other advantage, unless
it be that they occupy less space and cost a little less.
But the larger hive has the great advantage that it can
have a larger supply of stores on hand at all times, mak-
ing less danger of starvation in winter and spring. That
makes less trouhle and less anxiety. An 8-frame hive is
sometimes too small for a queen without a second storv,
where a single stcry with ten frames would answer. So
if it were to do over again, very likely I might continue
the 10-frame hive.

. EXTRACTED HOXEY VERSUS C0:MB.

I have learned the production of comb-honey as a
trade, and it would be a good deal like taking up an en-
tirely different business to take up the production of
extracted honey. Nevertheless I do not knoz<.' that I can
make more money with comb than with extracted honey.
At one time there was so much adidteration of extracted
honey that the price of the genuine article was affected
thereby. Pure-food laws have changed that, so that
comb-honey has no longer that advantage.

There is another matter that deserves serious con-
sideration. If I were running for extracted honey I
would undoubtedly produce more honey than by running
for comb honey. If more honey is produced, more of
it will be consumed, and I believe increased consumption
of honey would be a fine thing for the health of the na-
tion. So if I were broa 1-minded enough, very likely
I would start in again as an extracted-honey man.

"OFFICE."

Possibly some one of my readers mig'ht dtsire a pic-
ture of the office in which I do my work. That would
take a number of pictures. According- to circumstances,

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 329

my office may be on the back porch seen in Fig. 1, or it
may be in any one of nine different rooms inside. A look
at the furnishings in Fig. Ill will show that it is no
serious undertaking to move my "office" whenever de-
sired. I never like to be far from the rest of the family,
and when at work I' enjoy the sound of their voices, even
though I may pay no attention to what they are saying.
They are generally cjuite considerate in refraining from
interrupting my work by remarks directed personally to
me, but sometimes they forget.

I count myself singularly blessed in having a home
•Ahere all the members of the family are so united in their
tastes and enjoyments. One of our chief earthly pleas-
ures is the love of flowers. At our quiet country home we
have room unlimited for prcdn-cing summer roses by the
bushel, and the bay window of the sitting-room brightens
the days of winter with its bright colors and luxuriant
green. If you were here, I am sure you would enjoy a
sight of that window, and then I would take pride in dis-
pla}'ing to you my set of china honey-dishes shown in the
last picture in the book. They were painted by my sister,
each dish showing a separate honey-plant, one-half the
dish being covered by a honey-comb.

I desire to record my deep gratitude to a loving
Heavenly Father for giving me so busy and happy a life ;
and for you, dear reader, I can dardly express a better
wish than that your life may be as happy, if not as busy,
as mine.

Some years ago, at the instigation of Editor E. R. Root, I wrote a
honey-leaflet which has been circulated by hundreds of thousands. It has
been thought well that it should be reproduced in more permanent form
by liaving a "!are in the present work, and here follows:

H )N':;v AG A W.TOLESOME Food

About 80 pounds of sugar on the average is annually consumed by
every man, woman and child in the United States. Of course, many use
less than the average, but to make up for it some consume several times
as much. It is only within the last few centuries that sugar has become
known, and only within the last generation that refined sugars have be-

330 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

come so low in price that they may be commonly used in the poorest fami-
lies. Formerly honey was the principal sweet, and it was one of the
items sent as a propitiatory offering by Jacob to his unrecognized son, the
chief ruler of Egypt, 3,000 years before the first sugar-refinery was built.

It would be greatly for the health of the present generation if honey
could be at least partially restored to its former place as a common article
of diet. The almost universal craving for sweets of some kind shows a
real need of the system in that direction, but the excessive use of sugar
brings in its train a long list of ills. Besides the various disorders of the
alimentary canal, fatal disease of the kidneys is credited with being one
of the results of sugar-eating. When cane-sugar is taken into the stomach,
it cannot be assimilated until first changed by digestion into grape-sugar.
Only too often the overtaxed stomach fails to properly perform this di-
gestion, then comes sour stomach and various dyspeptic phases. Prof. A.
J. Cook says:

"If cane-sugar is absorbed without change, it will be removed by the
kidneys, and may result in their break-down; and physicians may be cor-
rect in asserting that the large consumption of cane-sugar by the 20th
century man is harmful to the great eliminators — the kidneys — and so a
menace to health and long life."

Now, in the wonderful laboratory of the bee-hive there is found a
sweet that needs no further digestion, having been prepared fully by those
wonderful chemists — the bees — for prompt assimilation without taxing
stomach or kidneys. As Prof. Cook says: "There can be no doubt but
that in eating honey our digestive machinery is saved work that it would
have to perform if we ate cane-sugar; and in case it is overtaxed and
feeble, this may be just the respite that will save from a break-down.'

A. I. Root says: "Many people who cannot eat sugar without having
unpleasant symptoms follow, will find by careful test that they can eat
good, well-ripened honey without any difficulty at all."

HONEY THE MOST DELICIOUS SAUCE

Not only is honey the most wholesome of all sweets, but it is the most
delicious. No preparation of man can equal the delicately flavored product
of the hive. Millions of flowers are brought under tribute, presenting their
tiny cups of dainty nectar to be gathered by the busy riflers; and when
they have brought it to the proper consistency, and stored it in the won-
drously-wrought waxen cells and sealed it with coverings of snowy white-
ness, no more tempting dish can grace the table at the most lavish banquet;
and yet its cost is so moderate that it may well find its place on the tables
of the common people every day in the week.

IT IS ECONOMY TO USE HONEY

Indeed, in many cases it may be a matter of real economy to lessen
the butter-bill by letting honey in part take its place. A pound of honey
will go about as far as a pound of butter; and if both articles be of the
best quality the honey will cost the less of the two. Often a prime
article of extracted honey (equal to comb honey in every respect except

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 331

appearance) can be obtained for about half the price of butter. Butter
is at its best only when "fresh," while honey, properly kept, remains in-
definitely good — no need to hurry it out of the way for fear it may become
rancid.

GIVE CHILDREN HOXEY

Prof. Cook says: "We all know how children long for candy. This-
longing voices a need, and is another evidence of the necessity of sugar in
our diet. . . . Children should be given all the honey at each meal-
time that they will eat. It is safer, will largely do away with the inordi-
nate longing for candy and other sweets; and in lessening the desire wilt
doubtless diminish the amount of cane-sugar eaten. Then if cane-sugar
does work mischief with health, the harm may be prevented."

Ask the average child whether he will have honey alone on his bread
or butter alone, and almost invariably he will promptly 'answer, "Honey. "~
Yet seldom are the needs or the tastes of the child properly consulted.
The old man craves fat meat; the child loathes it. He wants sweet, not
fat. He delights to eat honey; it is a wholesome food for him, and is-
not expensive. Why should he not have it?

HONEY BEST TO SWEETEX HOT DRINKS

Sugar is much used in hot drinks, as in coffee and tea. The substi-
tution of a mild-flavored honey in such uses may be a very profitable
thing for the health. Indeed, it would be better for the health if the only
hot drink were what is called in Germany "honey-tea" — a cup of hot
water with one or two tablespoonfuls of extracted honey. The attain-
ment of great age has in some cases been attributed largely to the life-
long use of honey-tea.

Comb .\nd Extr.\cted Honey

At the present day honey is placed on the market in two forms — in^
the comb, and extracted. "Strained" honey, obtained by mashing or
melting combs containing bees, pollen and honey, has rightly gone out of
use. Extracted honey is simply honey thrown out of the comb in a ma-
chine called a honey-extractor. The combs are revolved rapidly in a.
cylinder, and centrifugal force throws out the honey. The comb remains-",
uninjured, and is returned to the hive to be refilled again and again.
For this reason extracted honey is usually sold at a less price than comb*
honey, because each pound of comb is made at the expense of several
pounds of honey.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF FLAVORS

Many people think "honey is honey" — all just alike; but this is a
great mistake. Honey may be of good, heavy body — what bee-kepers calH
"well-ripened" — weighing generally twelve pounds to the gallon, or it may
be quite thin. It may also be granulated, or candied, more solid than lard.
It may be almost as colorless as water, and it may be as black as the-

332 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

darkest molasses. The flavor of honey varies according to the flower
from which it is obtained. It would be impossible to describe in words
the flavors of the different honeys. Vou may easily distinguish the odor
of a rose from that of a carnation, but you might find it difficult to de-
scribe them in words so that a novice smelling them for the first time
could tell which was which. But the different flavors in honey are just
as distinct as the odors in flowers. Among the light-colored honeys are
white clover, linden (or basswood) sage, sweet clover, alfalfa, willow-
herb, etc., and among the darker are found heartsease, magnolia (or pop-
lar), horse-mint, buckwheat, etc.

ADULTER.\TION OF HONEY

In these days of prevailing adulteration, when so often "things are
not what they seem," it is a comfort to know that strictly pure honey, both
extracted and comb, can still be had and at a reasonable price. The silly
stories seen from time to time in the papers about artificial combs being
filled with glurose, and deftly sealfd .over with a hot iron, have not the
slightest foundation in fact. For years there has been a standing offer
by one whose financial responsibility is unquestioned, of $1,000 for a single
round of comb honey made without the intervention of bees. The offer
remains untaken, and will probably always remain so, for the highest art
of man can never compass such delicate workmanship as the skill of the
"bees arrom]ilishes.

Extracted honey, however, is not in<-apable of imitation. Time was
when a tumbler on a grocer's shelf labeled honey might contain honey
and it might contain glucose. If you were well eno'.igh acquainted with
honey you might tell the difference by the taste; otherwise you had to
trust to the honesty of the grocer. Always, however, you could be sure
of the genuine article by gettina: it from the beekeeper himself. Rut the
pure-food laws have changed ail that, and nowadays you may trust that
the label correctly represents what is under it.

CARE OF HONEY WHERE TO KEEP IT

The average housekeeper will put honey in the cellar for safe-keeping
— about the worst place pofsible. Honey readily attracts moisture, and in
the cellar extracted honey will become thin, and in time may sour; and
with comb honey the case is still worse, for the appearance as well as the
quality is changed. The beautiful white surface becomes watery and
darkened, drops of water ooze throngh the cappings, and weep over the
surface. Instead of keei^ing honey in a jilace moist and cool, keep it dry
and warm, even hot. It will not hurt to be in a temjierature of even TOO
degrees. Where salt will keep dry is a good place for honey. Few ]ilaces
are better than the kitchen cupboard. Up in a hot garret next the roof
is a good place, and if it has had enough hot days there through the sum-
mer, it will stand the freezing of winter; for under ordinary circumstances
freezing cracks the combs, and hastens granulation or candying.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 333

GRANULATED HONEY TO RELIQUEFY

When honey is kept for an}- length of time it has a tendency to
change from its clear liquid condition, and becomes granulated or candied.
This is not to be taken as any evidence against its genuineness, but rather
the contrary. Some prefer it in the candied state, but the majority prefer
it liquid. It is an easy matter to restore it to its former liquid condition.
Simply keep it in hot water long enough, but not too hot. If heated
above 160 degrees there is danger of spoiling the color and ruining the fla-
vor. Remember that honey contains the most delicate of all flavors — that of
the flowers from which it is taken. A good way is to set the vessel con-
taining the honey inside another vessel containing hot water, not allowing:
the bottom of the one to rest directly on the bottom of the other, but
putting a bit of wood or something of the kind between. Let it stand on
the stove, but do not let the water boil. It may take half a day or longer
to melt the honey. If the honey is set directly on the reservoir of a
cook-stove, it will be all right in a few days. In time it will granulate
again, when it must again be melted.

Honey-Gems— 2 quarts flour, 3 tablespoonfuls melted lard, yi pint

honey, ^ pint of molasses. 4 heaping tablespoonfuls brown sugar, IJ/2

level tablespoonfuls soda, 1 level teaspoonful salt, 1/3 pint water, ^ tea-
spoonful extract vanilla.

Honey-Jumbles — 2 quarts flour, 3 tablespoonfuls melted lard, 1 pint
honey, 14 pint molasses, 1>^ level tablespoonfuls soda, 1 level teaspoonful
salt, 54 pint water, Yz teaspoonful vanilla.

The jumbles and the gems immediately preceding are from recipes
used by bakeries and confectioners on a large scale, one firm in Wiscon-
sin alone using ten tons of honey annually in their manufacture.

Aikin's Honey-Cookies — 1 teacupful extracted honey, 1 pint sour
cream, scant teaspoonful soda, flavoring if desired, flour to make a soft
dough.

Soft Honey-Cake — 1 cup butter, 2 cups honey, 2 eggs, 1 cup sour
milk, 2 teaspoonfuls soda, 1 teaspoonful ginger, 1 teaspoonful cinnamon,
4 cups flour. — Chalon Foz<.ls.

Ginger HonEy-Cake — 1 cup honey, 1/2 cup butter, or drippings, 1
tablespoonful boiled cider, in half a cup of hot water (or 34 cup sour
milk will do instead). Warm these ingredients together, and then add 1
tablespoonful ginger and 1 teaspoonful soda sifted in with flour enough to
make a soft batter. Bake in a flat pan. — Clialon Fozcls.

Oberlin Honey Fruit-Cake — M cup butter, f4 cup honey, 1 3 cup
apple jelly or boiled cider, 2 eggs well beaten, 1 teaspoonful soda, 1 tea-
spoonful each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, 1 teacupful each of raisins
and dried currants. Warm the butter, honey and apple jelly slightly, add
the beaten eggs, then the soda dissolved in a little warm water; add spices

334 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

and flour enough to make a stift" batter, then stir in the fruit and bake in a
•slow oven. Keep in a covered jar several weeks before using.

Honey Popcorn Balls — Take 1 pint extracted honey; put it into an
iron frying-pan, and boil until very thick; then stir in freshly popped corn,
and when cool mold into balls. These will especially delight the childreix.

Honey Shortcake — 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoonfuls baking-powder, 1
teaspoonful salt, Y^ cup shortening, l)/i cups sweet milk. Roll quickly,
and bake in a. hot oven. When done, split the cake and spread the lower
half thinly with butter, and the upper half with ^ pound of the best-
flavored honey. (Candied honey is preferred. If too hard to spread well
it should be slightly warmed or creamed with a knife). Let it stand a
few minutes, and the honey will melt gradually, and the flavor will per-
meate all through the cake. To be eaten with milk.

Oeerlin Honey Layer-Cake — 2/3 cup butter, 1 cup honey, 3 eggs
Taeaten, Yz cup milk. Cream the butter and honey together, then add the
eggs and milk. Then add 2 cups of flour containing 1^ teaspoonfuls
"baking-powder previously stirrd in. Then stir in flour to make a stiff
"batter. Bake in jelly-tins. When the cakes are cold, take finely-flavored
candied honey, and after creaming it, spread between the layers.

Honey Nut-Cakes — 8 cups sugar, 2 cups honey, 4 cups milk or water,
1 pound almonds, 1 pound English walnuts, 3 cents worth each of candied
lemon and orange peel, 5 cents worth citron (the last three cut fine), 2
large tablespoonfuls soda, 2 teaspoonfuls cinnamon, 2 teaspoonfuls ground
cloves. Put the milk, sugar, and honey on the stove to boil 15 minutes;
skim off the scum, and take from the stove. Put in the nuts, spices, and
candied fruit. Stir in as much flour as can be done with a spoon.
Set away to cool, then mix in the soda (don't make the dough too stiff).
Cover up and let stand over night, then work in enough flour to make a
stiff dough. Bake w'hen you get ready. It is well to let it stand a few
days, as it will not stick so badly. Roll out a little thicker than a common
cooky, cut in any shape j'ou like.

This recipe originated in Germany, is old and tried, and the cake will
Iceep a year or more. — ^Irs. E. SmitJi.

Muth's Honey-Cakes — 1 gallon honey (dark honey is best), 1.5 eggs,
3 pounds sugar (a little more honey in its place may be better), 1^ oz.
haking-soda. 2 oz. ammonia, 2 lbs. almonds chopped up, 2 lbs. citron, 4 oz.
cinnamon, 2 oz. cloves, 2 oz. mace, 18 lbs. flour. Let the honey come
almost to a boil ; then let it cool and add the other ingredients. Cut out
and bake. The cakes are to be frosted afterward with sugar and white
of eggs.

Oberlin Honey-Cookies — 3 teaspoonfuls soda dissolved in 2 cups
warm honey, 1 cup shortening containing salt. 2 teaspoonfuls ginger, 1 cup
liot water, flour sufficient to roil.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 335

Honey Tea-Cake — 1 cup honey, Yi. cup sour cream, 2 eggs, ^ cup
"butter, 2 cups flour, scant Yz teaspoonful soda, 1 teaspoonful cream-of-
tartar. Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven. — Miss M. Candler.

Honey-Ginger-Snaps — 1 pint honey, ^ lb. butter, 2 teaspoonfuls gin-
ger. Boil together a few minutes, and when nearly cold put in flour until
it is stiff. Roll out thin, and bake quickly.

Honey-Caramels — 1 cup extracted honey of best flavor, 1 cup granu-
lated sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls sweet cream or milk. Boil to "soft crack,"
or until it hardens when dropped into cold water, but not too brittle — just
so it will form into a soft ball when taken in the fingers. Pour into a
greased dish, stirring in a teaspoonful extract of vanilla just before taking
•off. Let it be 3^ or ^ inch deep in the dish; and as it cools, cut in
squares and wrap each square in paraffine paper, such as grocers wrap but-
ter in. To make chocolate-caramels, add to the foregoing 1 tablespoonful
melted chocolate, just before taking off the stove, stirring it in well. For
chocolate-caramels it is not so irrportant that the honey be of the best
•quality. — C. C. Miller.

Honey Grape-Jelly — Stew the grapes until soft; mash and strain
them through cheese-cloth, and to each quart of juice add one quart of
honey, and boil it until it is thick enough to suit. Keep trying by dipping
■out a spoonful and cooling it. If you get it too thick it will candy. Any
other fruit-juice treat just the same.

Moore's Honey Ginger-Snaps — One pint of honey, one teaspoonful
of ginger, and one teaspoon rul of soda, dissolved in a little water, and two
-eggs. Mix all. then work in all the flour possible, roll very thin, and bake
in a moderately hot oven. Any flavoring extracts can be added, as you
may wish.

Moore's Honey Jumbles or Cookies are made in the same way as the
above, without any sugar or syrup, but add some shortening. In using
honey for any kind of cakes, the dough must be as stiff with flour as pos-
sible, to keep them from running out of the stove.

To Spice Apples, Pears or Peaches — One quart of best vinegar, I
•quart of honey, Yz ounce each of cloves and stick cinnamon. Boil all
toegther 1.5 minutes, then put in the fruit, and cook tender. Put in a
stone jar with enough of the syrup to cover the fruit. It will keep as
long as wanted.

For Sugar Curing lOO Pounds of Meat — Eight pounds of salt, 1
<|uart of honey, 2 ounces of saltpeter, and 3 gallons of water. Mix, and
"boil until dissolved, then pour it hot on the meat.

Mrs. Barber's Honey-Candy — One quart honey, 1 small teacup of
•granulated sugar, butter size of an egg, 2 tablespoons strong vinegar. Boil
i.mtil it will harden when dropped into cold water, then stir in 1 small tea-
•spoonfulful of baking soda. Pour into buttered plates to cool. Without
the vinegar and soda it can be pulled or worked a long time, and is just

336 FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES

the thing for an old-fashioned candy-pull, as it is not sticky, and yet is
soft enough to pull nicely.

Scripture Honey-Cake — One cupful of butter — Judges v. 25; 3 J/2
cupfuls of flour — I Kings iv. 22; 2 capfuls of sugar — Jeremiah vi. 20; 2
cupfuls of raisins — I Samuel xxx. 12; 2 cupfuls of figs — I Samuel xxx. 12;
1 cupful of water — Genesis xxiv. IT; 1 cupful of almonds — Genesis xliii.
11; little salt — Leviticus ii. 13; 6 eggs — Isaiah x. 14; large spoonful of
honey — Exodus xvi. 31; sweet spices to taste — I Kings x. 2.

Follow Solomon's advice for making good boys, and you will have a
good cake — Prov. xxiii. 14. Sift two teaspoonfuls of baking powder in the
flour; pour boiling water on the almonds to remove the skins, seed the
raisins, and chop the figs. It makes one large or two small cakes.

Mrs. Barber's Honey-Cookies — One large teacupful of honey. One
egg broken into the cup the honey was measured in, then 2 large spoon-
fuls sour milk, and fill the cup with butter or good beef dripping. Put
in one teaspoonful of soda and flour to make a soft dough. Bake in a
moderate oven a light brown.

Gotham Honey Ginger-Cake — Rub ^ of a pound of butter into a
pound of sifted flour; add a teacupful of brown sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls
each of ground ginger and caraway seed. Beat 5 eggs, and stir in the mixture,
alternately, with a pint of extracted honey. Beat all together until very
light. Turn into a shallow square pan, and set in a moderate oven to
bake for one hour. When done, let cool and cut into squares.

]\Irs. Aikin's Honey Apple-Bltter — One gallon good cooking aoplfs,
1 quart honey, 1 quart honey-vinegar, 1 heaping teaspoonful ground cin-
namon. Cook several hours, stirring often to prevent burning. H the
vinegar is very strong, use part water.

Howele's Hard Honey-Cake — Take 6 pounds of flour, 3 pounds
honey, 1^ pounds of sugar, 1^ pounds butter, 6 eggs, J/2 ounce saleratus;
ginger to your taste. Have the flour in a pan or tray. Pack a cavity in
the center. Beat the honey and yolks of eggs together well. Beat the
butter and sugar to cream, and put into the cavity in the flour; then add
the honey and yolks of the eggs. Mix well with the hand, adding a little
at a time, during the mixing, the ^ ounce of saleratus dissolved in boil-
ing water until it is all in. Add the ginger, and finally add the whites of
the 6 eggs, well beaten. Mix well with the hand to a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 7 equal parts, and roll out like gingerbread. Bake
in ordinary square pans made for pies, from 10 x 14-inch tin. After put-
ting into the pans, mark off the top in ^-inch strips with something sharp.
Bake an hour in a moderate oven. Be careful not to burn, but bake well.
Dissolve sugar to glaze over top of cake. To keep the cake, stand on end
in an oak tub, tin can, or stone crock — crock is best. Stand the cards up
so the flat sides will not touch each other. Cover tight. Keep in a cool,
dry place. Don't use until three months old, at least. The cake improves
with age, and will keep good as long as you will let it. Any cake sweet-

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 337

ened with honey does not dry out like sugar or molasses cake, and age
improves or develops the honey-flavor. This recipe has been used with
unvarying success and satisfaction for 100 years in the family that reports.
A j-ear's supply of this cake can be made up at one time, if desired.

Maria Fraser's Honey-Jumbles — Two cups honey, 1 cup butter, 4
eggs (mix well), 1 cup buttermilk (mix), 1 good quart of flour, 1 level
tcaspoonful soda or saleratus. If it is too thl,,, stir in a little more flour.
If too thin it will fall. It does not want to be as thin as sugar-cake. Use
very thick honey. Be sure to use the same cup for measui-e. Be sure to
rai-x the honey, eggs and butter well together.

Honey Fruit-Cake — Take I3/2 cups of honey, 2/3 cup of butter, Vi
cup of sweet milk, 3 eggs well beaten, 3 cups of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of
baking-powder, 2 cups raisins, 1 teaspoonful each of cloves and cinnamon.

IIoxEV Ginger-Snaps — One pint honey, ^ pound of butter, 2 tea-
spoonfuls of ginger, boil together a few minutes, and when nearly cold
put in flour until it is stiff, roil out thinly and bake quickly.

^Irs. Minnick's Soft Honey-Cake — Put scant teaspoonful soda in
teacup, pour 5 tablespoonfuls hot water on the soda; then fill the cup with
extracted honey. Take V2 cup of butter and 1 egg and beat together; add
2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoonful of ginger; stir all together, and bake in a
rery slow oven.

Honey-Cake — One quart of extracted honey, J^ pint sugar, J^ pint
melted butter, 1 teaspoonful soda, dissolved in >4 teacup of warm water,
H of a nutmeg and 1 teaspoonful of ginger. Mix these ingredients, and
then work in flour and roll. Cut in thin cakes and bake on buttered tins in
a quick oven.

REMEDIES USING HONEY

Honey and Tar Cough-Curf, — Put 1 tablespoonful liquid tar into a
shallow tin dish, and place it in boiling water until the tar is hot. To this
add a pint of extracted honey, and stir well for half an hour, adding to it
a level teaspoonful pulverized borax. Keep well corked in a bottle. Dose,
1 teaspoonful every one, two, or three hours, according to severity of
cough.

Honey as a Tape- Worm Remedy — Peeled pumpkin seeds, 3 ounces;
honey, 2 ounces; water, 8 ounces. Make an emulsion. Take half, fasting,
in the morning, remaining half an hour later. In three hours' time two
ounces castor-oil should be administered. Used with great success. — Med-
ical Brief.

338 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

HoxEY FOR Erysipelas, is used locally by spreading it on a suitable
cloth and applying to the parts. The application is renewed every 3 or 4
hours. In all cases in which the remedy has been employed, entire relief
from the pain followed immediately, and convalescence was brought about
in o or 4 days.

Honey for Dyspepsia — A young man who was troubled with dyspepsia,
and the more medicine he took the worse he became, was advised to try
honey and graham gems for breakfast. He did so, and commenced to gain,
and now enjoys as good health as the average man, and he does not take
medicine, either. Honey is the only food taken into the stomi;h tliat
leaves no residue; it requires no action of the stomach whatever to digest
it, as it is merely absorbed and taken up into the system by the action of
the blood. Honey is the natural foe to dyspepsia and indigestio i. as well
as a food for the human system.

HoxEY FOR Old People's Coughs — Old people's coughs are as distinct
as that of children, and require remedies especially adapted to them. It is
known by the constant tickling in the pit of the throat — just where the
Adam's apple projects — and is caused by phlegm that accumulates there,
which, in their weakened condition they are unable to expectorate.

Take a fair-sized onion^a good strong one — ail I't it simmer in a
quart of honey for several hours, after which strain and take a teaspoon-
ful frequently. It eases the cough wonderfully, though it may not cure.

Honey for Stomach Cough — All mothers know what a stomach cough
is— caused by an irritation of that organ, frequently attended with indi-
gestion. The child often "throws up" after coughing.

Dig down to the roots of a wild cherry tree, and peel off a handful
of the bark, put it into a pint of water, and boil down to a teacupful. Put
this tea into a quart of honey, and give a teaspoonful every hour or two.
It is pleasant, and if the child should also have worms, which often hap-
pens, they are pretty apt to be disposed of, as they have no love for the
wild-cherry flavor.

Honey and Tar Cough Candy — Boil a double handful of green hoar-
hound in two quarts of water down to one quart; strain, and add to this
tea two cups of extracted honey and a tablespoonful each of lard and
tar. Boil down to a candy, but not enough to make it brittle. Begin to
eat this, increase from a piece the size of a pea, to as much as can be
relished. It is an excellent cough candy, and always gives relief in a
short time.

Swiss Remedy for a Cold Settling on the Chest — Boil a quart
of pure spring water; add as much camomile as can be grasped in three
fingers, and three teaspoonfuls of honey, and cover tight. The vessel is
then to be quickly removed from the nre and set on a table at which the
patient can comfortably seat himself. Throv.ing a woolen cloth over the
patient's head so to include the vessel, he is to remove the cover and inhale
the vapors as deeply as possible through the mouth and nose, occasionally

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 339

stirring the mixture until it is cold, and then retire to a warmed bed. In
obstinate cases the treatment should be repeated for three evenings.

Honey Croup Remedy — This is the best known to the medical profes-
sion, and is an infallible remedy in all cases of mucus and spasmodic
croup: Raw linseed oil, 2 oz. ; tincture of blood root, 2 drs. ; tincture of
lobelia, 2 drs. ; tincture of aconite, 1,4 dr. ; honey, 4 oz. Mix. Dose, yi to
1 teaspoonful every 15 to 20 minutes, according to the urgency of the
case. It is also excellent in all throat and lung troubles originating from
a cold. This is an excellent remedy in lung trouble: Make a strong de-
coction of hoarhound herb and sweeten with honey. Take a tablespoonful
4 or 5 times a day.

Honey on Frost-Bites — If your ears, fingers, or toes become frozen
nothing will take the frost out of them sooner than if wrapped up in
honey. The swelling is rapidly reduced, and no danger occurs.

Honey and Cream for Freckles — Have you tried a mixture of honey
and cream — half and half — for freckles? Well, it's a good thing. If on
the hands, wear gloves on going to bed.

Dr. Kneipp's HoNEY-SALVE-^This is recommended as an excellent
dressing for sores and boils. Take equal parts honey and flour, add a little
water, and stir thoroughly. Don't make too thin. Then apply as usual.

Summer Honey-Drink — 1 spoonful of fruit-juice and 1 spoonful
honey in J^ glass water; stir in as much soda as will lie on a silver dime,
and then stir in half as much tartaric acid, and drink at once.

Dr. Peiro's Honey-Salve — for boils and other diseases of a similar
character — is made by thoroughly incorporating flour with honey until a
proper consistency to spread on cloth. Applied over the boil it hastens
suppuration, and the early termination of the painful lesion.

Honey as a Laxative — In olden time the good effects of honey as a
remedial agent were well known, but of late little use is made thereof. A
great mistake, surely. Notably is honey valuable in constipation. Not as
an immediate cure, like some medicines which momentarily give relief only
to leave the case worse than ever afterward, but by its persistent use
daily, bringing about a healthy condition of the bowels, enabling them
properly to perform their functions. Many suffer daily irom an irritable
condition, calling themselves nervous, and all that sort of thing, not
realizing that constipation is at the root of the matter, and that a faithful
daily use of honey fairly persisted in would restore cheerfulness of mind
and a healthy body. — Le Progres Apicole.

Coughs, Colds,, Whooping Cough, Etc. — Fill a bell-metal kettle with
hoarhound leaves and soft water, letting it boil until the liquor becomes
strong — then strain through a muslin cloth, adding as much honey as de-
sired— then cook it in the same kettle until the water evaporates, when the
candj' may be pourcl into shallow vessels and remain until needed, or
pulled like molasses candy until white.

340

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Honey for Sore Eyes — A neighbor of mine had inflammation in his
eyes. He tried many things and many physicians; was nothing better, but
rather grew worse, until he was almost entirely blind. His family was
sick, and I presented him with a pail of honey. What they did not eat
he put in his eyes, a drop or two in each eye two or three times a day.
In three months' time he was able to read coarse print, and after four
months' use his eyes were almost as good as ever. I have also found
honey good for common cold-sore eyes. — S. C. Perry.

-- ^'^^^^M

Set of Honey-Dishes.

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

INDEX

Abnormal Behavior 183

Adam Grimm, Italians from.. 29

Age of Larvae for Queens. . . . 246

A. I. Root. Visit to 23

American Bee Journal Found 2 2

Assistant Bee-keeper 56

Average Yield Depending on

Numbers 35

Bad Year 37

Baits. Brood-combs as 33

Bait-sections 154

Balling Queen 78

Bee-brushes 75

Bee-Dress, Woman's 233

Bee-gloves 230

Bee .iournals, Reading 325

Bee-journals, "Writing for.... 326

Bee-keeping Sole Business... 33

Bee-palace 16

Bees Doing Work Most Xeeded 179

Bees, First 15

Bees, Italians 327

Bees Xot Preferrins: Too Old

Larvae 239

Bees Off Combs, Pounding... 74

Bees Off Combs, Shaking. ... 74

Bee-space 137

Bee-strainer 66

Bee-veil 229

Beginner Improving Stock... 262
Best Bees, Keeping in Home

Apiary 43

Best Queen, Keeping in Nu-
cleus 242

Bottom-board 47

Boyhood Days 9

Breeding-combs. Trimming . . 244

Breeding-comb. Placing 246

Breeding from Best 234, 235

Bringing Bees Home in Fall. . 203

Brood as a Stimulant 116

Brood, Disposal of Extra.... 136

Brood for Cells, Starting.... :M2

Brood, Giving to Stronger... 112

Brood, Giving to Weaker. . . 113

Brood in Sections 141

Brood, Taking Away All.... 176
Brood. Tarking Two Frames

Weekly 175

Brood to Top-bar 91

B'u-r-combs 136

Cages, One-Cent 164

Caging Cells. Advantages of. . 256

Carrying in Bees 305

Cellar, Airing 42

Cellar, Cooling and Airine. . . . 310

Cellar, Furnace in 314

Cellar, Keeping Open 310

Cellar, Letting Light in 311

Cellar, Preparing the 305

Cellar, Ta'kino- Bees Out of . . 41

Cellar, Time to Put Bees in.. 304

Cellar, Too Warm 309

Cellar, Ventilation of.... 45, 309

Cellar, Warming 307

Cell-building, Preparing Bees

for 244

Changing from Double to Sin-
gle Hives 303

Changin<r from Single to Dou-
ble Hives 301

Chicago, Three Years in 28

Cincinnati, Winter in 27

Cleaning Hives 59

Cleaning Out Dead Bees 313

Cleaning Supers and T Tins. . 141

Cleats for Hive 46

Clipping, Advantage of 68

Clipxiine, Implement for 62

Clover, Giant White 122

Clover Harvest, Close of 199

Clover, Sweet 121

Clover, White, L^ncertain. . . . 127

College Life 13

Colonies to Feed, Selecting... 293
Comb Foundation, Attempt at 22
Combs, Getting Built to Bot-
tom-bars 88

Combs. Mending 80

Consumption of Stores 103

Cork Chips for Watering... 109

Countrv Life 30

Covers* 93

Covers with Dead-air Space.. 94

Covers. Zinc 94

Crediting Colonies 206

Cross Colonies 232

Digression 56

Division-boards 110

Division of Labor 150

Doolittle's Plan for Swarms. . 166

Doolittle's Plan, Varying.... 167

Doolittle's Plan of Shaking. . 74

Double Hives. Ad'>">ntases of 300

Double Hives for Winter 298

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Dress for Hottest Weather. . . 232

Drone-la^-ing Queens 117

Dummy 92

Economy to Use Honey 330

Education, Early 9

Eggs, Destroying 188

Eggs, Looking for 241

Entrance-block 48

Entrance-closer 49

Entrance. Size of 46

Excluder, None Under Sec-
tions 139

Experimenting on Too Large

Scale 139

Experimenting, Pleasure of. . 140

Extractor, Peabody 24

Feeder. Crock-and-Plate 108

Feeder. Improved Miller 107

Feeder, Original Miller 107

Feeder Sections 275

Feeding Eirlv for Winter. ... 292

Feeding, *Fali 290

Feeding in Fall for Spring... 293

Feeding in June 107

Feeding. Outdoor 102

Feeding. Stimulative 103

Feeding to Fill Combs 105

Feeding. Wholesale 105

Fire for Ventilation 309

Foul Brood. European 319

Foundation. Cutting 147

Foundation Plan to Prevent

S\varming 191

Foundation-splints 89

Foundation Treatment 188

Frame. Miller 83

Frame Resting Diagonally in

Hive <"?

Frames. Loose-hnnging 82

Frames. Self-spa-cing 82

Frames. Taking Out 60

Fuel for Smoker 70

Fumigating Sections 274

Go-Backs 214

Go-Back Work, Colonies for. 214

Good Year 37

Harbingers of Harvest .... 120

Hauling Bees 48

Hauling Supers from Out-api-

arv ' 206

Heat for Diarrhoea 309

Heddon Super 38

Hives and Frames 80

Hives. Chirnges in 81

Hives. Eight vs. Ten Frame. 327

Hive-seat '5

Hives, Groups of Four 97

Hives in Paii-s U6

Hive-tools 58

Home Market 288

Home vs. Distant Market.. 288

Honey, Adulteration of 332

Honey a Wholesome Food... 329

Honey-board. Heddon 136

Honey-cooking Recipes .... 333
Honev, Different Kinds and

FlaVors of 331

Honey, Draining Extracted.. 285

Honey. Extracted vs. Comb.. 328

Honey, First 16

Honey. Granulated 284

Honev, Keeping in Garret.. 283

Honey, Late 201

Honev. Marketing 286

Honey, Place to Keep 282

Honey-plants, Various ..120. 125

Honey. Reserve Combs of . . . 296

Honey. Ripening 284

Honey-room 208

Honey-show 281

Honev. To Reliquefv Granu-
lated 333

Honey. Where to Keep 332

Increase, Artificial 265

Increase by Taking to Out-api-
ary 265

Increase, Nucleus Plan of . . . 270

Increase, Too Rapid 24

Increase Without Xuclei 271

Increasing from 12 to 81. . . . 266
Increasing 9 Weak Colonies

to 56 266

Introducing Qui e-^s 264

Italians. First 20

Jumbo Hive 196

Killing Grass 119

Laying Workers 116

Loading Sections for Shipping 286

Location, Choice of 327

Making Bees Stay 240. 2-50

iiarktiing Honey liSo

Meal. Feeding 99

Medicine, Study of 12, 15

Memoranda 125

Mice in Bee-cellar 313

Miller Feeder 107

Millrr Tent-ei=c pe 203. 216

Xon-swarming Piles 174

Xon-SAvarming, Working To-
ward 190

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Nuclei, Baby 251

Xuclei, Good Chance for ... 170

Xuclei in Fall 297

Xuclei. Starting 238

Xuclei. Uniting 297

Nucleus. Building Up Without

Help 271

Xucleus. Giving to Swarm... 172

X'^ucleus-hive 2 48

Xucleus-hive, Contents of . . . 250
Xucleus, More Than One in

Hive 247

Xucleus Plan of Increase... 270

Xucleus to Prevent Swarming 185

X'ucleas with Best Queen. . . . 242

X'umbering Hives 51

One Story. Reducing to 135

Opening Cellar at Night 310

Opening Hive 59

Overstocking 127

Pasturage, Artificial 123

Pendulum Plan for Shaking.. 75

Piles in Late Summer 224

Piles of Stories 197

Piles Sometimes a Target for

Robbers 222

Piling Hives in Cellar 306

Plaving Bees and Robbers. . . 225

Pollen, Substitutes for 100

Pounding Bees off Combs.... 74
Prices in Home and Distant

Market 290

Propolis. Bees and Localitv

for 61

Push-board 209

Put-Up Plan for Swarms.... 167

Queen, Aids to Finding 65

Queen, Bees Balling 78

Queen-cage, Improved Miller 252

Queen, Catching 67

Queen-cells, Appearance of Va:-

cated 258

Queen-cells, Brood for 244

Queen-cells, Brushing Bees Off 256

Queen-cells, Distributing 256

Qufen-cells. Getting Bees to

Destroy 168, 185

Queen-cells. Looking for .... 187

Queen-cells. Placing 240

Queen-cells, Stapling on Comb 240

Queen, Clipning 67

Queen. Finding 63

Queenless Bees Working 170

Queenless Colonies 116

Qieenless. Keeping Colonies.. ISO

Oieen of Swarm. Finding.... 165

Queen Xursery. Miller 258

Queen. Putting Down 168

Quten. Putting Up 167

Queens, Quality of 262

Queen-rearing 234

Queen-rearing, Conditions for 236
Queen. Rearing in Hive with

Laying Queen 236

Queen, Rearing in "Put -Up" 184

Queen, Room for 135

Queens for Out-apiaries 263

Queens, History of 53

Queens, Introducing 26 1

Queens, Keeping Caged 181

Queens, Supersedure of 192

Queens, Supplanting Undesir-
able 191

Queen. Watching for 62

Ra:bbets, Cleaning 61

Record-book 52

Record-book, Advantage of. . 54

Record-entries 118

Record. Making 78

Robbed Bees. Do thev Join

the Robbers ' 222

Robber Bees, Watching for. . 203

Robber-cloth 215

Robbers, Leaving Something

for 219

Robbing. Bad Case of 223

Robbing, Fault of Bee-keeper 220

Robbing, Signs of 226

Robbing, Starting by Feeding 220
Robbing, Stopping with Wet

Hay 221

Saltpeter Rags 73

Scolding Bees 231

Scraping Sections 279

Seasons. LTncertainty of 155

Seat, T Super 58

Second Story, Giving 114

Section Honey, First 32

Sections 128

Sections, Cleaning Daruby. . . 277

Sections, Bees Emptying .... 276

Sections, Feeding 104

Sections, Final Taking Off . . . 2 74
Sections, First Part of Clean-
ing 278

Sections, Folding 145

Sections, Fumigating ...213. 2(4
Sections, Getting Bees Out

of 201

Sections, Keeping Tally of. . . 205
Sections, Loading when Ship-
ping 286

Sections, Packing in a Car. . 287

Sections, Packing in Cases . . 279

Sections, Putting in Supers.. 151

Sections, Ready in Advance.. 131

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Sections, Scraping 279

Sections, Sorting 275

Sections. Taking Off 199

Sections, Taking Out of Super 210
Sections, Taking Out Unfin-
ished 213

Sections, Unmarketable 276

Sections, Wetting 144

Selection, Importance of . . . . 234

Separators, Putting in 153

Separators. Top 153

Shade 97

Shade. Movable 99

Shaken Swarms 176

Shaken Swarms Without In-
crease 198

Shaking Bees Off Combs 273

Shipping-cases 280

Shop for Bee-work 134

Smoker Fuel 70

Smoker Fuel. Green 72

Smoker-kindling 72

Smokers 69

Smokers, Cleats on 70

Smoking Bees Down 201

Spacing End 86

Spacing-nails 84

Sponge-bath at Noon 232

Spring Overhauling 55

^Standard Goods. Using . . . 87

Stands 96. 327

"Starters in Sections, Size of 146
"Starters. Putting in Sections. 151

Stings, Getting Out 230

Stings, Protection from 228

Stories, Number of 294

e*ove in Cellar 308

Strong vs. Weak Colonies... Ill

Sub-earth Ventilation 312

Subsequent Overhauling .... 115

Super-filler 151

Supers for Out-a^iiaries .... 158
Supers, Giving Additional.... 155
Supers, Loading on Wagon.. 207
Supers of Sections. Blocking

Up 213

Supers, T 129

Supers, Under or Over 158

Super-springs 130

Surplus Arrangements 128

Surplus Combs of Honey 104

Swarming, Cause of 173

Swsrming Colonies. Manage-
ment of 161

Swarming, Demaree Plan to

Prevent 197

Swarming, Destroying Queen-
cells to Prevent 191

Swarming, Disadvantage of

Forced 178

Swarming. Empty Frames to

Prevent 191

Swarming Forced 176

Swarming, Forced vs. Natural 176
Swarming, Foundation Plan to

Prevent 189

Swarming Galore 183

Swarming. Natural, for Ital-
ianizing, to Prevent 263

Swarming Not Desirable 160

Swarming. Prevention of 172

Swarming, Replacing Queen

to Prevent 193

Swarming, Ventilation to Pre-
vent 197

Swarms, Accidental 198

Swarms. Watching for 162

Sweeping Up Dead Bees.... 314

Syrup for Feeding 291

System, Lack of 110

Tent-escape 203. 21 «

Tool-basket 7»^

Top-bars, Thick 39. 138

Total Crop Rarther than Per

Colony 36

T Super 39

Uniting Nuclei 297

Unqueening Colonies to Start
Queen-Cells 238

Value of Pure Air 318

Veneering 281

Ventilation and Room to Pre-
vent Swarming 173. 197

Ventilation of Cellar 309

Warm Spells in Wintering.. 309

Watering-crock 109

Wax-extractor, Dripping-pan. 323

Wax-Extractor, Solar 323

Wax-press, Steani ... 324

Weak Colonies in Spring... Ill

Weighing Colonies 295

Wide Frames 33

Wintering, Disastrous 25

Wintering, Unfavorable Con-
ditions 316

Wintering Upside Down .... 18

Winter Work 324

Working for Improvement. ... 87

Young Queens and Swarming 175

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

ILLUSTRATIONS

Alfalfa 152

Balled Queen 95

Bee-dress 243

Bees Playing: 241

Bee Working on Red Clover. . 212
Bottom-board and False Bot

torn 40

Brood of Laying "Workers... 184

Busy at the Typewriter 32 5

Caged Queen-cell 2 73

Carrying with Rope 31

Catching the Queen fiS

Catnip 163

Caught 71

Cleated Smoker 237

Clipping the Queen 77

Coggshall Brush Nft

Colonies Home from Out-api-
aries 303

Colonies Intended for Out-api-
aries 36

Colony Treated for Swarming 204

Colossal Ladino Clover 154

Comb for Queen-cells 2 57

Comb for Queen-cells Trimmed 26 4
Comb Resting Diagonallv in

Hive ". . . . 114

Combs of Brood 106

Combs of Honey 1 02

Crock-and-Plate "Feeder 140

Cutting Founda-tion 18S

Dripping-pan Wa.x-extractor . . 305

Emptying Out Slumgum 312

Entrance-block -14

Entrance-closers 54

Feeder Sections 281

Field of Raspberries in Bloom 146

Folding Sections 180

Foundation with Splint Sup-
ports 98

German Steam Wax-press.... 307

Heartsease 174

Heddon Slat Honey-board. ... 25

Heddon Super 19

Hive Closed for Hauling .... 219

Hive-dummy 137

Hive-seat with Hand-hole.... 64

Hive-seat with Strap-handle.. 60

Hive-stand 124

Hive-staples 38

Home from the Out-apiary. . . 81

Home of the Author....*.... 11

Honey-show 299

Improved Miller Queen-cages. 272

Jumbo Hive 205

Lifting Off the Super 233

Linden or Basswood Blossoms 157

Little Work-table 190

Load of Forty Supers 200

Miller Cages 254, 1'72

Miller Feeder Dissected . . . .' 134

Miller Frame 277

Miller Queen-nursery 259

^"^iller Tent-escape ' 221

^lovable Shade ". 182

Muench Hive-tool 65

Xail-boxes 315

Xucleus Bottom-board 267

Xucleus-hives 269

One-cent Queen-cage 202

Original Miller Feeder 126

Painted Tin Hive-covers 118

Part of Home-apiary (from

Xorthwest) 108

Part of Home-apiary (from

Southwest) . . . .' 112

Peabody Honey-extractor ... 13

Pile of Stories" 207

Philo Carrying a Hive 34

Pounding Bees Off Comb.... 84

Push-board 227

Pushing Sections Out of Super 231

Putting Foundation in Sections 252

Queen-cell Stapled on Comb.. 24 7

Queen-excluder 177

Rack for Haailing Bees 50

Ready for Clipping 73

Record-books 57

Robber-bees 239

Robber-cloth 225

Row of Lindens in Bloom... 159

Scraping Sections 287

Second-class Sections 291

Sections Ready for Casing. . 289

Sections Wedged for Scraping 285

Set of Honev-dishes 6

Shop ". 216

Starters in Breeding-frame.. 249

FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES

Super-filler 194

Supers of Sections Blocked Up 235

Swarm Dumped Before Hive. 210

Sweet Clover 148

Three Asters 171

Tool-basket 93

Top and Bottom-starter in

Section 186

T Super 21

Twelve-section Shipping-case. 295
Twenty -four-section Shipping-
case 298

Two Asters 169

Two Carrying with Rope.... 26

Unmarketable Sections 283

Vacated Queen-cells 275

Vase of Goldenrod 165

Wagon-load of Bees 47

Watering-crock 142

Weed Brushes 87

Weighing Colonies 301

Wheeling Load of Supers.... 223

Wide Frame 17

Woman's Bee-dress 2 45

Zinc Hive-covers 120

BOOKS ON BEE-KEEPING.

The bee-keeper who would be down-to-date and progressive will
find in a recount of the experiences of others the very suggestions
he needs for saving time and money. Verv few other occupations
have been blest with so many well written books covering the
pursuit in its many different phases. To bee-keepers are offered
authoritative works at a minimum of expense and the opportunity
to gain knowledge in this satisfying way should not be neglected.

For the benefit of those who wish to purchase other books on
bee-keeping — covering the subject in a general way or some phase
of the work in partacular — we have compiled the following list.
These books may be had at the prices named from THE A. I.
ROOT CO., Medina, Ohio, the publishers of the volume in which
this arrouncement appears, or from dealers in bee-keepers' sup-
plies everywhere.

THE ABC AND X Y Z OF BEE CULTURE.

A. I. and E. R. Root. The latest edition
• f this work is the most complete of any
liee-book that has ever been issued in the
English language. While it is for the be-
ginner, it may be read with profit by the
;tdvanced bee-keeper. Its sale is so large
that neither time nor money are spared to
!:eep this book fully abreast with the times.
In the latest edition some scientific and
technical matter as well as the practical
has been added to its pages. It has been
most carefully edited and revised. Its
authors and publishers feel that, more than
fver, it is a safe and reliable guide to bee-
keeping. Nearly 130,000 copies in the Eng-
lish language alone have been sold. It has
lieen translated into French and German.

In this edition there is a large number of
half-tone reproductions from what might be
called moving-pictures, showing various
i^teps in the processes for handling bees.
While a detailed description goes with the
separate views showing each step, yet one
can almost learn how to handle bees by
simply looking at the series of photographs.
Under the head of "Frames, to Manipulate," for example, there are
a large number of new engravings that show not only the method
of handling frames but handling hives and bees in such a way
as to do the work with the greatest economy of labor, with few
or no stings, and with but little fatigue.

The new methods of queen-rearing have been carefully reviewed,
and the main points incorporated in the new edition, so that the
practical bee-keeper who possesses a copy will have the best ideas
of the subject constantly by his side for reference.

The new methods of wax-production are treated in an exhaustive
fashion, and as this subject is now of more importance than
formerly, more space has been devoted to it.

The new power-driven automatic extractors are amply illus-
trated and described. The subject of diseases has received entirely
new treatment to keep pace with new discoveries of the last few
year'^. The laws relating to bees have for the first time received
full treatment. No other bee-book treats of this very important
subject. The divisible-brood-chamber hive and the subject of
swarm control have received special attention. Honey, sugar,
nectar, and glucose, written up by a United States government
chemist, are carefully defined in accordance with the demands of
our new pure-food laws.

The authors have traveled thou.sands of miles in the United
States, with notebook and camera, and have endeavored to incor-
porate in the pages of this volume all the latest and best practices

known to the professional and amateur bee-keepers. There is
scarcely a practical method or device known to the bee-keepers
of the country that is not here described. Besides the immense
amount of valuable material gathered through extensive travel,
the work has been enriched with the choicest material that has
appeared in the columns of Gleanings in Bee Culture, an illustrated
semi-monthly by the same authors.

Besides the matter relating to methods and devices, the book
contains a complete dictionary of apicultural terms, and a picture-
gallery comprising a list of the choicest illustrations that have
appeared in Gleanings in Bee Culture for the last ten years.

Prices, cloth bound, $1.50; full leather, $2.50; half leather, $2.25.
When sent by freight or express, 25 cents less. The editions bound
in full and half leather include the bee-models, with key, bound in.

FOREIGN EDITIONS OF THE A B C— Carefully translated
editions of this complete cyclopedia of bee-keeping may now be
had in the German and F^-ench languages. The German edition
(ABC DER BIENENZUCHT) sells for $2.00 in paper and $2.50
in cloth binding. In French (A B C de L'APICULTURE) may be
had in cloth for $2. By freight or express deduct 20 cents from
the above prices.

OTHER PRACTICAL WORKS ON BEES.

The books mentioned on this page are all devoted to practical
bee culture, although a few of them, as will be noted by their
descriptions, have more or less scientific value. A somewhat care-
ful reading of the descriptions below will undoubtedly show any
one just what book will suit him best. If several books are to be
selected covering a wide range of subjects, the following list may
be helpful in deciding what you want: ABC and X Y Z of Bee
Culture (see preceding page). Langstroth on the Honey-bee, Ad-
vanced Bee Culture. Or this list: How to Keep Bees, Forty Years
Among the Bees, A Modern Bee Farm.

LANGSTROTH ON THE HONEY-BEE. By C. P. Dadant.

The bee-keeper who does not like this book is hard to suit. The
present volume is termed the "Twentieth Century Edition," and
contains a vast fund of information on all subjects relating to prac-
tical bee culture. It has long been recognized as a standard work,
and should be found in the library of every progressive bee-keeper.
It is well illusti^ated. and has 575 pages. I'rice by mail, $1.25; by
freight or express, 15 cts. less.

FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. By Dr. C. C. Miller.
This is another standard book of 300 pages and 100 illustrations,
written by a specialist with an experience of more than forty years.
The author has read not only all of the literature on bees pub-
lished in this country, but much of that published in Europe, and
is a recognized authority. Price by mail, $1.00; by freight or
express, 10 cts. less.

MANUAL OF THE APIARY. By Prof. A. J. Cook. This is a
very complete treatise on bees and bee-keeping, and is particularly
valuable where one is interested in the anatomy and physiology
of the bee, which has been very completely covered in this work.
It is also valviable for its chapter on honey-plants, or bee botany:
540 pages with good illustrations. Price by mail, $1.15; 15 cts. less
by freight or express.

DOOLITTLE'S QU EEN- REARI NG. This is practically the only
comprehensive book on queen-rearing now in print. It is looked
upon by many as the foundation of modern methods of raising
queens wholesale. Mr. Doolittle has an entertaining way of
writing on bee subjects which enables his readers to follow him
with pleasure, even if they never intend to raise queens at all.
Cloth bound, 124 pages, $1.00 postpaid; by freight or express, 5
cts. less.

QUINBY'S NEW BEE-KEEPING. Bv L. C. Root. A modern
edition of that early volume on bees entitled "Quinbv's Mvsteries,"'
revised some years ago by a well-known bee-keeper, a son-in-law
of the original writer. Mr. Quinby was a practical bee-keeper,
and greatly assisted Mr. Langstroth in laving the foundation of
American apiculture. For this reason it should be read bv all
bee-keepers who want to know of the early work in bee-keeping.
Cloth bound, 270 pages, by mail, $1.00; bv freight or express, 10
cts. less.

ADVANCED BEE CULTURE. By W. Z. Hutchinson; Revised
Edition. This is a very unusual work — we might say indis-
pensable to any one who is thinking seriously of becoming a
specialist in apiculture. The author himself has been a special-
ist and right down to the present time he is in closest touch with
these methods: and nothing now in print could be of more benefit
to the practical bee-keeper than this book. It is fully illustrated,
well printed, and is sure to please. Price by mail, $1.00; 10 cts.
less by freight or express.

HOW TO KEEP BEES. By Anna Botsford Comstock. This
is a charmingh- written manual for amateurs, describing in the
clearest language all necessary details. The authoress combines
enthusiasm, literary ability, and a knowledge of bee-keeping into
a goodly volume. Having herself made a start in the bee-busi-
ress, she fully appreciates the perplexities of the situation and
makes provision accordingly. The book is well suited to the
.vants of the suburbanite who wishes a hobby which will give
somethirg by way of return for labor and capital expended, or
those who wish to keep only a small apiary either for pleasure or
profit. If there is any better book than this for the purpose in-
dicated, we do not know of It. Cloth bound, 228 pages, $1.00
postpaid; by freight or express, 10 cts. less.

BIGGLE BEE- BOOK. This is a very neat cloth-bound book,
well printed and illustrated. It is 5^4 by 4 inches, by % inch
thick — just right to carry in the pocket, it is just the thing for
the busy man who would like to get a birdseye view of bee-
keeping, and who has not the time to read the more comprehen-
sive works. The book is boiled down, containing only the best
practices known. Price by mail, .50 cts.; .5 cts. less if sent by
freight or express.

A MODERN BEE- FARM. By Simmins. is one of those books
which will cause you to sit up and take notice if you are a real
live bee-keeper with lots of formic acid in your blood. The
author is an English bee-keeper of note, who not only knows and
understands bee culture in his own home land, but is as well an
earnest student of American apicultural methods. He is not very
orthodox in his views, but his book is all the better for that, see-
ing he wants to take us cut of the ruts. You can read the book
right straight through as it runs along like a narrative or a novel.
Cloth bound, 4.30 pages, 1904; price $2.00 postpaid; by freight or
express. 1.5 cts. less.

BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' GUIDE BOOK. By T. W. Cowan.
This is the leading English work on practical bee-keeping in Eng-
land, and as such has had an immense sale. The work is con-
densed into 179 pages, handsomely bound and well illustrated.
Price $1.00 by mail; by freight or express, 5 cts. less.

THE IRISH BEE-GUIDE. By Digges, is, as its name implies,
a guide to the bee-keeping industry of Ireland. This is a closely
printed, well-bound book of 220 pages with excellent illustrations
on fine paper. It would be useful to any one who wishes to be-
come acquainted with the status of bee-keeping in the old land.
Price $1.00 postpaid; by freight or express, 5 cts. less.

THE HONEY BEE. By T. W. Cowan. A complete scientific
treatise on the honey bee. its natural history, anatomy and

physiology, by one of the foremost writers on apiculture. More
than 200 pages — nearly 150 illustrations. Bound in substantial
cloth. $1.00 postpaid.

WAX- CRAFT. By Thomas William Cowan. No bee-keeper
of any pretensions can afford to be without one book on bees-
wax. 'This is the only book on the subject in English. Price by
mail, $1.00; by freight or express, 5 cts. less.

These books may be obtained from the publisliers of this
volume or from dealers in bee-keepers' supplies everywhere.

POPULAR WORKS ON BEE CULTURE.

The following books are for the most part by writers of well-
known literary ability, and are very interesting indeed, and are
greatly valued by bee-keepers and others for their literary merit,
and the popular style in which bee-keeping is depicted, and we are
very glad to have the opportunity to offer them to bee-keepers and
others. The description of each work will give a fair idea rf the
same, but a pamphlet giving an extended view of these and the
practical books on bee culture listed in the preceding columns
will be sent on application.

THE CHILDREN'S STORY OF THE BEE. By S. L. Ben-
susan, London. This volume was written for children, and the
author endeavors to tell the story of the bee before a youthful
audience as completely as possible under the circumstances. It
traces the life of the drones, queen and worker from the egg to the
final destiny of each, telling the story of each in a semi-fanciful,
entertaining way. At the same time, the bool<; gives a very clear
idea of its life, and will appeal strongly to all who know but little
about these interesting insects. It has 250 pages. Price $2.00; 10
cts. less by freight or express.

THE HONEY- MAKERS. Ev Miss Margaret W. Morley. This
is the story of the life of the bee, told in very interesting stvle —
how it lives, gathers honey, and all about it. While clothing the
general subject with an air of poetry, it seems to be entirely within
the limits of known facts while attempting to deal with them.
We believe it will give all thoughtful bee-keepers a greater liking
for their business to read it. Probably it has more to do with the
curious traditions connected with bees than any other book of the
kind. Price $1.50 postpaid.

THE LIFE OF THE BEE. By Maeterlinck. This is a master-
piece of fine writing by a modern Shakespeare. The words fly
from the pen of this v.riter like sparks from a blacksmith's anvil,
the result being a glorification of the honey-bee. Maeterlinck is
considered by many to be the finest writer now living, and any-
thing from him is sure to be worth reading. He is, to a certain
extent, familiar with bee-keeping, but the truth about bees does
not interest him so much as the romance of the queen and the
drone and the swarming instinct. The book itself is well bound
and beautifully printed. Price $1.40 postpaid.

THE BEE PEOPLE, A book on bees, especially for children,
from the pen of ^Margaret W. Morlev. Including its elegant illus-
trations, it is in some respects, the prettiest bee-book in existence.
It has 177 pages, very coarse print, the reading being ingeniously
interwoven with the illustrations showing the parts of the bee. The
story of bee-life is told in a fascinating marner, and is well cal-
culated to get the casual reader, as well as children, interested in
this useful insect. The cuts go just enough into detail to explain
fully the lesson taught, without confusing the mind with other
things. We think the book well worthy a place in every bee-
keeper's home. Fittingly designed cover. Price $1.50 postpaid.

THE LORE OF THE HONEY-BEE. By Tickner Edwards. A
fine work for those who desire an interesting book about bees.
Does not deal with practical details, but gives valviable informa-
tion about bees in general. Verv readable and entertaining. Price
$2.00 postpaid.

THE GLEANINGS LIBRARY.

So called because of great popularity of the following books
when offered in combination with Gleanings in Bee Culture.

ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE.

By the late E. W. Alexander, who conducted the largest apiary in
the United States. A wonderfully interesting discussion of bee-
keeping in its broadest phases. Any one can understand it. 35
chapters, 95 pages. Paper bound, 50 cts. postpaid.

A YEAR'S WORK IN AN OUT-APIARY. By G. M. Doolittle.
Packed full of most valuable information ever given to bee-
keepers. A practical and interesting book by a very successful
apiarist. Sale has reached nearly 5,000 copies. 60 pages, paper
bound, 50 cts. postpaid.

THE TOWNSEND BEE BOOK. By E. D. Townsend. AVritten
by one of the most progressive, successful and extensive bee-
keepers in the U. S., this new book has been in great demand from
the day of its announcement. Tells how to make a start with
bees, and will ■ greatly benefit beginners and experienced bee-
keepers. 90 pages, paper bound, 50 cts. postpaid.

In Combination With Gleanings in Bee Culture for One Year
either of the above Books may be had for the price of Gleanings
alone, $1.00. Foreign postage 60 cts. extra. Canadian postage 30
cts. extra.

THE BEE-KEEPERS' TEN-CENT LIBRARY.

The following books are neatly bound in paper, well illustrated.
.Just the thing for beginners to help them with their troubles.
Price 10 cts. each postpaid.

No. 1. BEE-KEEPERS' DICTIONARY. It helps a beginner or

one who is not acquainted with the literature of bee-keeping to

understand the different terms used by writers on the subject. A
reference work giving clear definitions of current terms.

No. 5. TRANSFERRING BEES. Practical methods of trans-
ferring from boxes to modern hives.

Xo. 11. WINTERING BEES. The problems of wintering bees
in different localities and suggestions for their solution.

No. 16. MODERN QU EEN- REARI NG. Detailing the latest
methods, by leading breeders, embracing the best of several sys-
tems

No. 17. HABITS OF THE HONEY-BEE. A condensed account
of the life and habits of the bee in simple language.

No. 21. FACTS ABOUT BEES. Just what its name indicates.
A very popular booklet of 60 pages containing a complete descrip-
tion of the Danzenbaker hive, and instructions for its management.

No. 29. MOVING AND SHIPPING BEES. Full of helpful sug-
gestions on a subject in which many bee-keepers are interested.

No. 30. THE BEE-KEEPER AND THE FRUIT-GROWER.

Why and how their interests are mutual.

These books may be obtained from the publishers of this
volume or from dealers in bee-keepers" supplies everywhere.

CKMAN

DERY INC.

^ APR 84

"W N. MANCHESTER, I
0^ INDIANA 46962 J

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