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Photographs
and other
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H. GEARY
EXPERT TO THE LEICESTERSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION, ETC. ETC.
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tg: ey
2 ti, <a Sa ae
J.T. Burgess & Son
Guinea Street, EXETER. (Established 1863.)
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Honey loavwwowwrsy aconey acspoccen)
ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY
NEw YorxK STATE COLLEGES
OF
AGRICULTURE AND HomME ECONOMICS
AT
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Cornell Cie Library
SF 523.G292 1917
‘ll io
4 003 218 ia
EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS
BEEKEEPING LIBRARY
ND
ES
ianship at
W.B.C. Hive.
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TWO SPLENDID VOLUMES
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BY EXPERT AUTHORITIES.
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By T. WIBBERLEY, N.D.D.,N.D.A,, Agricultural Expert to the
Irish Agricultural Organisation Society. Crown 8vo. Cloth.
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Mr, Wibberley has invented a revolutionary system of all-
weather farming capable of doubling or trebling the profits of even
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Dairy Farming for Smallholders.
By JAMES LONG, formerly Professor of Dairy Farming, Royal
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Crown 8vo, Cloth. Price 2s. 6d. net; post free 2s. 9d.
THE CHAPTERS DEAL WITH :—Our Dairy Cows; The Cow
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http://www.archive.org/details/cu3 1924003218769
OPENING A FRAME HIVE
Blowing smoke over the Frames preparatory to removing Quilts
Frontispiece
PROFITABLE
BEE-KEEPING
SMALL-HOLDERS AND OTHERS
BY
HENRY GEARY, F-E‘S,
Expert to the Leicestershire Bee-Keepers’ Association, ete, etc.
AUTHOR OF 7
“"BEES FOR PROFIT AND PLEASURE’ ETC.
WITH 13 PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
.
London
C. Arthur Pearson Ltd.
gp PPS
First published
Second Edition
CONTENTS
FAGE
INTRODUCTION F ; . ’ « (Pt
CHAPTER
I. THE Economy oF THE Hive, ‘ . 15
I. Srocxinc an APIARY . c . » 2i
III. Hives anp APPLIANCES. ‘ . an)
IV. Tu PREPARATION OF FRAMES AND SECTIONS 33
V. FEEDING PRINCIPLES . : . » 40
VI. Tue Propuction or Honey. . - 47
VII. Natura Swarms . - . . » 53
VIII. MarkETaBLe PRopucTs . ‘ ‘ . +59
TX. Correct MANIPULATION. : ‘ . 65
X. Mrip-season Work . ‘ . cae
XI. THe APIARIST AND HIS Fors ., ; 97
XII. INCREASING AND UNITING . , : . 81
XIII. QUEENS AND.QUEEN-CELLS . ~ . 85
XIV. THE PREPARATION oF HONEY . - . 89
XV. HEATHER Honey . : . . + 95
XVI. Drivinc Bess. ; ; . . 98
XVII. Sare WINTERING . : : . + IOI
XVIII. SELLING THE PRODUCE i . . » 105
XIX. Races or BEES ; ; 5 ° » 108
XX. Appliance MAKING FOR AMATEURS . + III
XXI, Hive Maxine . . i . + 117
: INDEX . , . ‘ . + 121
LIST OF. PLATES
OPENING A FRAME HivE ,
WorKER BrooD . :
INTERIOR OF A STRAW SKEP
SPRING STIMULATION 7
FINDING THE QUEEN .
Fou. Broop ‘ ‘
A SuperReD Hive . a‘
EXAMINING SHALLOW CoMBS
Hivinc A SwarM
ANCIENT AND MODERN HIvEsS
Honey EXTRACTOR . .
Uncappinc Honey . ,
TRANSFERRING A SKEP .
Frontispiece
to face page 17
”
”
”
”
17
32
32
49
49
64
81
81
89
89
96
PROFITABLE
BEE-KEEPING
INTRODUCTION
No small-holder should be without a few stocks
of bees. If he neglects to provide these adjuncts
to his other forms of entérprise he is not utilizing
to their fullest. extent the means which lie to his
hand. This may seem-a very bold statement, but,
notwithstanding, it is a true one, and one which
is not likely, to be contradicted by anyone ac-
quainted with the science of bee-culture.
As is well known, the very, foundations of stic-
céss on small-holdings rest on the tenant deriving
his income from more than one source. In fact,
and within reason, the more irons he has in the fire
the better, providing he thoroughly understands
his various ventures. The small-holder must not
be dependent on any, single crop, but must ever
have a reserve of force to counteract any possible
failure. By, these means he guards against the
vicissitudes of this most uncertain climate, the
loss of stock by disease, and the falling of markets
se
12 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
owing to the superabundance of any particular
kind of produce. Thus his cows and pigs will
have support in poultry and bees. These in turn
are backed up by fruit and vegetables, and so
forth. Working on these lines total loss is prac-
tically impossible, whatever the conditions, and the
knowledge of this should go far to make the small
farmer an optimistic man.
Now among all the kinds of stock or crops
which may be worked upon a small-holding, there
is not one which will give the returns which bees
will give, taking an average of seasons and pro-
viding they be properly managed. It is quite a
common thing to find apiaries which recouped
their owner for his initial outlay during the first
season. With what other stock is there even a
possible chance of this being done?:
Properly. worked, bees will show a profit in
practically any situation, although the amount of
this profit will vary greatly. This is on account
of the variation in the honey producing power of
different districts. The difference is very great in
some cases where special florage is available, taking
as an instance apiaries situated within reach of
both clover and heather. Apiaries in such districts
have been known to show a profit of 50/- per
colony in a good season. Speaking generally,
however, and taking an average of years, bees
should show a profit of 20/- per colony per
annum. When this is compared with the average
price of a stock of bees, which is about 25/-,
INTRODUCTION 13
and the upkeep about 3/- yearly, further comments
on the profitable nature of the pursuit are super-
fluous.
Again, as regards selling the produce the bee-
keeper is in a most enviable position. The supply
of first-class British honey is not nearly sufficient
to meet the demand, and good prices are readily
realized. The imports of foreign honey into this
country are of the value of about £35,000 an-
nually. This honey finds a market, apart from its
use in manufacture, mainly owing to the paucity in
the home supply, for which there is an ever in-
creasing demand.
There is no foreign honey which can compare
in quality with the native article. A further point
is that good honey. will keep for an indefinite
period without deteriorating in any way, and,
should low: prices rule, the bee-keeper can hold
his produce for a better market without suffering
loss. This necessity does not often arise, except
in the case of a honey glut, as in the record
year of 1906. Many poor colonies secured fifty
pounds of surplus honey in that year, and some
of my own yielded over a hundredweight each in a
medium district.
It will thus be seen what an aid to success. a
well-ordered apiary can be, and it is within the
power of nearly every man to become a successful
bee-keeper. The attention required is really very
little. No special location is necessary, as any
rough corner which is not suitable for cultiva-
14 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
tion will generally answer admirably, for the bee-
hives.
The main thing is to understand thoroughly, the
habits of the bees and the working of the hive.
It is with the intention of teaching this that this
little book Has been written. As regards the text,
abstrusé wording has been carefully avoided, and
the idea has been to produce a plain, straight-
forward work for the use of the great body. of
small-holders, The number of necessary appliances
has been kept within strict limits. Many bee-
keeping appliances which figure in catalogues can
readily be dispensed with, and thus a certain
amount of capital is retained.
As in every, other pursuit much money may be
uselessly spent, and my object has been to elimi-
nate all articles which may, be dispensed with
without injuring in any way the efficiency of the
practical work.
By. the same rule the anatomy of the bee and
the economy of the hive have only been touched
upon sufficiently to serve the everyday needs of
the apiarist. ;
CHAPTER I
THE ECONOMY OF THE HIVE
BEFORE commencing an explanation of the prac-
tical operations connected with bee culture, it will
be well to devote a few lines to a brief description
of the bee with which we have to deal, and which
is indigenous to these islands.
The honey-bee is classed by entomologists as
follows: Class, Insecta; Order, Hymenoptera ;
Family, Apide; Genera, Apis; Species, Mellifica ;
and finally. the various varieties—English, Car-
niolan, Italian, etc., as the case may. be.
The honey-bee is possessed of six legs—anterior,
intermediate, and posterior. The posterior legs in
the case of workers are fringed with stiff bristles,
forming the well-known pollen baskets, in which
the pollen is conveyed to the hive. They have
two pairs of membranous wings, while the frame-
work of the body consists of an external skeleton
composed of a horny. substance known as chitine,
arranged in the form of segments in the abdomen, .’
each segment being formed by. a dorsal and ven-
tral plate. The whole body is more or less thickly
covered with hair. There are three distinct kinds
of bee in a hive, all of which have much in
15
16 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
common, but differ in many important particulars.
The drone or male bee is stingless, and is also
destitute of pollen baskets; while the queen, the
only fully developed female in the hive, possesses
a sting, and is also endowed with a series of pro-
ductive organs. She alone of all the inmates of
the hive can perpetuate the race. Thé worker
bee is an undeveloped female, and it is this bee
which alone performs the whole of the work in
the bee kingdom. She it is who gathers the
honey, pollen, propolis and water, feeds the young
larvee, builds the combs and protects the colony
from attack, finally dying in harness. :
A good queen will lay from two to three thou-
sand eggs per day during the height of the breed-
ing season, and she is usually at her best in her
second year. After this time she gradually fails,
and should be supplanted by a younger mother
bee. If left alone the bees will often do this for
themselves, but the careful apiarist leaves nothing
to chance, and elects to do it for them as a rule. _
The queen is the centre round which the whole
prosperity of the colony revolves, and without
good young queens the best results cannot be
obtained. She is the mother of the whole of the
other inmates of the hive, and has the marvellous
ability of laying eggs which will produce at will
either drones or worker bees. The queen is abso-
lutely the same as a worker bee.at birth, but is
reared in a special cell and is fed with special
food, and it is this food alone which is sup-
WORKER BROOD
A fine Comb containing practically no drone cells
INTERIOR OF A STRAW SKEP
Note the irregular formation of natural Combs
To face page 17
a
THE ECONOMY OF THE HIVE ‘17
posed to bring about the evolution. The worker
bees being debarred from the stimulating food
which conduces to the perfection of the queen
are rendered physically incapable of mating with
the drone, and therefore can never head.a colony.
The worker bee can lay eggs, and does so at
times, but these eggs produce drones only.
This curious feature of reproduction without
fecundation is known as parthenogenesis.
‘The eggs laid by the queen hatch on the third
day, and after passing through the larval and
chrysalis stages peculiar to insects, the fully-
developed bee hatches on the fifteenth or six-
teenth day if it be a queen, on the twenty-first
day if a worker, and on the twenty-fourth day if
it be a drone. These dates are taken from thé
time the egg is laid.
A short survey has now been given of the life-
history of the bee and of its anatomy. This
account is sufficiently full for inclusion in a prac-
tical manual, and now we will take the course of
events which have place in a normal colony during
a season’s working. By this means the following
chapters will be readily understood and easily put
into practice.
Towards the end of February bees begin to
move about more freely, and to shake off the
lethargy of their winter semi-hibernation. The
queen will begin to lay eggs, a tiny circle at
first in the centre of the cluster, which rapidly,
enlarges as the days grow longer and pollen
B
18 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
becomes more abundant. The food supply, which
has been reduced but little during the winter
months, now dwindles rapidly with so many young
mouths to feed, and the population of the hive
begins to show a marked increase. This increase
goes steadily on, and with the first fruits of the
new season’s honey, gathered from the willows
and fruit bloom, breeding quickly rises towards
its height. The hive now becomes very con-
gested, and drone eggs will be laid. Towards
the end of April drones will be hatching out in
forward colonies, showing that the season is com-
mencing in earnest. With May in, good colonies
will be packed to the verge of suffocation, and
queen-cells will be built in which the queen will
lay eggs, and when these are seen it is a sign
that* the bees are thinking of swarming. °*
If adverse weather comes on these cells may be
pulled down, but otherwise if they are completed
‘a swarm may be expected at the capping of the
first cell, providing the weather is suitable.
This swarm will be headed by the old queen.
On the ninth day after the first swarm leaves the
hive a second swarm or cast will probably be
thrown off, headed by the young queen first
hatched, and if no restraint has been put upon
the bees other small after-swarms may issue.
‘These after-swarms are headed by unfertile. queens,
which, after hiving, fly forth to meet the drone.
And it should be thoroughly understood that a
queen only leaves the hive for two purposes, either
THE ECONOMY OF THE HIVE 19
to lead a swarm or to meet the drone for the
act of fertilization.
After the honey season breeding gradually slows
down in the colonies, so that by the end of August
very little brood is to be found in the hives, unless
there is a late flow of nectar.. The bees now
begin to think of winter, all stores are sealed up,
and the hive is made practically air-tight, as re-
gards the top and sides, by the use of a resin-
ous substance called propolis, gathered from the
limbs and branches of trees. The drones are
usually killed off by the end of July, there being
no further need of their services, and incidentally
it may be noted that the presence of drones in
a hive during the autumn or winter months is
almost a sure sign of queenlessness. Towards the
autumn the bees become gradually more and more
inactive with the advent of the first frosts, until
at the approach of winter they fall into the semi-
dormant condition in which they exist until the
spring sunshine rouses them to renewed activity.
This, then, is a brief résumé of a season’s
happenings in a colony of.bees which are left
to their own devices. Such devices, however,
while well enough, no-doubt, from the bees’ point
of view, would be very detrimental, many of them,~
to profitable bee-keeping, so I will later endeavour
to show how these wonderful little insects may
be led into such paths as will benefit their owner
without loss to themselves.
Old-fashioned bee-keeping consisted almost
20 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
entirely, of the let-alone system just described,
terminating with the concomitant horrors of the
brimstone pit and the garnering of a mess of in-
describable components, by courtesy called honey.
This honey was extracted from the brood combs
by means of a press or the aid of fire.
The honey of to-day bears no resemblance, I
am thankful to say, to the honey of our grand-
sires, while our modern systems are alike bene-
ficial to bee-keeper and to bee.
CHAPTER II
STOCKING AN APIARY
THERE are several ways in which an apiary may
“be effectively stocked, and the advisability of
adopting any one method is much a question
based upon the time of year in which the work
is to be carried out. Bees may be acquired in
the form of (a) established colonies in frame
hives, (6) as colonies in skeps, (c) as swarms,
(d) as driven bees. In the case of established
colonies, whether in frame hives or skeps, they
may be bought at any time except during the
winter months, say from October to March, when,
as no proper examination of the bees can be made,
it is not advisable to buy. The best time for
purchasing these colonies is at the end of March
or during April, when a warm day may be chosen
and, a satisfactory examination made. A novice
is strictly cautioned against purchasing any stock
on their own combs unless he has expert advice
as to their freedom from disease, or a written
guarantee from the vendor stating that the bees
are perfectly healthy.
Geod theoretical knowledge is of no use in
21
22 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
diagnosing disease. Foul-brood, for instance, that
arch-pest of bee-keepers, could not be detected by
one novice in a hundred in an incipient stage.
I cannot lay too much stress on this point, for
as one who has been through the fire more than
once, I speak feelingly when I say that the acqui-
sition of diseased bees by a beginner will in all
probability, effectually quell all his aspirations in
the direction of apiculture, and many a good
man has thus been lost to the craft.
Colonies secured in April, if in fair condition, '
give ample time for getting the bees up to a
point when they can take full advantage of the
honey flow. Cases are quite common where the
first season’s honey has paid for the bees. A
fair price for a colony of bees in a good hive
is from 25/- to 30/- at this time of the year.
For this money the buyer should receive a colony
which covers from six to ten frames thickly, with
brood on at least four frames, denoting the pres-
ence of a fertile queen. They, should be abso-
lutely healthy and the combs should be good.
When speaking of good combs, I mean that they
should be quite flat and free from drone comb.
Healthiness should be a sine qua non, and they,
should not be pollen-clogged nor should they be
too old. Colour indicates age, and in. a light
brown state, as distinct from dark brown or black,
they will do. There should be a fair amount
of brood in all stages and some stores, but if
the other essentials are there the question of food
STOCKING AN APIARY 23
supply may be waived and the bees féd with
sugar syrup. =
Skeps of bees should certainly not be bought
by, beginners on their own responsibility, and in
fact it would be best if they, ignored them alto-
gether. Disease cannot be detected at all in a
skep, as the combs are fixed and cannot be ex-
amined without cutting them out. An expert, if
he wanted bees, would take the risk, cut out the
combs and examine them, afterwards transferring
them to a frame hive if healthy; if otherwise,
destroying the combs and treating the bees as
an artificial swarm or driven lot. This work,
however, is quite beyond the beginner. If he
buy, skeps at all he must be prepared to take
the risk, and this is not advised. If by any
means he comes into possession of any, the safest
way. of dealing with them is to place them on a
stand and allow them to swarm, hiving the swarms
into frame hives. As skeps are only acquired
nowadays as adjuncts to. frame hives, this method
is to be preferred even in the case of healthy,
skeps to the usual method of dealing with them,
which consists in transferring the bees and combs
as mentioned before. The state of the combs
matters little in this description of hive. They,
should not be too black, but that is the only. thing
that need be insisted on. The usual price for
skeps is from 12/- to 15/- each, but the latter is
a top price.
Swarms are usually, recommended for beginners,
24 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
and there is much to be said for such a recom-
mendation, as swarms cannot transmit disease, and
if they are obtained early they will often give a
handsome surplus in their first year. Indeed,
like good stocks, they will often recoup their owner
for his outlay. They should be obtained as early
in May or June as possible, and preference should
be given to those weighing about six pounds.
Swarms are usually sold by the pound, and it
is much the best way of buying them. The price
is usually 3/- per pound in May and 2/6 in June.
It will be noted that swarms when received will
weigh a little less than the weight charged for,
especially if they have been sent from a distance.
This is owing to the fact that when bees swarm
their honey sacs are full, but when received by.
the buyer this honey has-been partially consumed,
and there is a corresponding loss in weight.
Swarms should be hived in a clean hive, and
with new quilts and frames. There will then be no
danger of disease of any kind; and the persistent
way in which this method of starting is advocated
is well borne out in practice.
“Driven’’ bees are utilized for conversion into
‘stocks. To the uninitiated I may, explain that
‘“‘ driven ”’ bees are the bees taken from cottagers’
skeps during August and September, bees which
are saved from a cruel death in the sulphury pit,
which unhappily still exists and has many votaries,
especially in remote country districts. These bees
may. be purchased at about 1/- to 1/6 per pound,
STOCKING AN APIARY 25
and it takes a. six-pound lot, which sometimes
means the contents of three skeps, to make a good
colony for a frame hive. These bees are placed
in a hive containing about six frames of founda-
tion, or preferably.of empty combs, and fed up
rapidly with good syrup, when usually they will
turn out a good colony in the spring. This
method of founding colonies is not advocated
unless the bees can be had for nothing or for a
small consideration. This is only possible when
skeps are personally driven, when the rule is that
the driver takes the bees for a trifling acknow-
ledgment and the skeppist takes the honey. This
done, stocks may be made up cheaply, but when
the bees have to be bought, along with ‘comb
foundation and sufficient sugar to feed them up for
wintering, the total cost comes perilously near
that of a prime swarm. Now a May swarm, nine
times out of ten, will give a surplus, but “driven”
bees cannot possibly give any return before the
following season. Thus a season’s working is lost ;
wintering risks have to be faced with bees which,
be they ever so good, are rarely up to the stamina
of a swarm for facing its rigours. Driven bees
do not transmit disease.
To summarize, it may be said that, putting aside
the proviso regarding gratuitous “ driven’ bees,
the choice should lie between stocks and swarms,
with stocks for preference if properly bought, but
for untutored hands swarms, and nothing but
swarms.
26 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING.
Apiaries should be situated if possible in a
sheltered position. A small glen or valley suits
them very well, and the hives should be screened
from prevailing winds. A south-east or southerly,
aspect suits the bees best, and the hives should
be placed on bricks, or cinders may be put down
and a firm base made by these means. Weeds
and long grass should be rigorously kept down,
and if the hives are on grass land a scythe may
be used with good effect in keeping down the
grass. Where there is any choice a careful selec-
tion should be made as regards locality. Most
localities are fair honey districts, but there are
some. which are twice as good as others, both as
regards the quantity and the quality of the honey.
crop. Careful attention must therefore be given
to this. What is wanted is a good clover or sain-
foin district, which means wide breadths of these
valuable honey producing plants, along with plenty,
of fruit blossom for early brood production.
Other good honey districts have such local crops
as heather, mustard, or beans. Now all of these
are valuable, and the apiarist who is situated in
their midst has most of his hardest work done
for him,
CHAPTER III
HIVES AND APPLIANCES
PROBABLY the earliest hive of which we in this
country have any record is the old straw skep, and
even now this hive is in extensive use, especially
in remote country districts. As a home for bees
it answers its purpose admirably, but as a means to
up-to-date honey production it is utterly useless,
mainly on account of its fixed combs, which make
it impossible for any manipulations to be carried
out. Now the proper manipulation of the bees
and combs is absolutely necessary if the best
results are to be obtained, and such work can only
be carried out by keeping the bees in modern
hives.
It must be clearly pointed out, however, that
many people have modern hives and get no better
results than they would have done with skeps, in
fact they would have been pounds in pocket had
they adhered to that primitive method of hive
architecture. That, of course, is their own fault.
The simple fact that the bees are in frame hives
will not of necessity make the bees produce more
honey, in the case of an ignorant or negligent
owner, for with such an owner they would do
7
28 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
quite as well, or perhaps better, if he had them
in a hollow tree. ;
The frame hive in its modern form is, roughly,
speaking, divided into two classes, and nearly all
other types are merely modifications. First we
have the double-walled hive on the celebrated
““W.B.C.”’ principle. This hive consists of a
floor-board with sunk entrance and detachable
splayed legs, brood-box, eke and loose outer cases,
covered with a span roof. All the sections are
loose, and there is a free air space between the
outer and inner walls, which tends towards an even
temperature in the brood-nest. This hive may,
be used for the production of either comb or ex-
tracted honey, and if the former a special section
rack, known as the ‘ W.B.C.” racks is used. In
this rack the sections are worked in wide frames,
which keep them clean, and also admit of their
interchangeability in the event of a poor honey.
flow. In such a poor flow the centre sections will
be completed while the outer rows are untouched,
and by bringing the outer rows to the centre full —
racks may be obtained. It may be said that both |
comb and extracted honey, may be worked for at
the same time.
Our second type of hive is the well-known
single-walled hive, and probably there are more of
this kind in use than any other. Its name is
rather a misnomer, as, strictly speaking, it is
single-walled on two sides only; the other sides
have inner walls placed for carrying the frame-
HIVES AND APPLIANCES '29
énds, and on these two sides there is a dead air
space. The supers for extracting purposes are
precisely similar to the body-box in construc-
tion, but shallower, and there is a lift for the
quilts, the roof being either sloping or span. The
floor-board has a sunk entrance at times, while
at others the entrance is taken out of the bottom
edge of the body-box. When sections are worked
on this type of hive extra lifts are needed to
accommodate the section racks. These are gener-
ally of the form known as the ‘T.”’ super, and
contain twenty-one sections each.
Both single- and double-walled hives as now
made are variable as regards outside measure-
ments and in minor details, but in one respect
they are standardized, and that is in respect to
the size of the frames. The number of frames in
a hive is ten usually, and it may be nine or
eleven, but they will be of the outside measure-
ments of the British standard frame. This frame
is 14 inches by 84 inches outside measurement,
with a 17-inch top bar. This bar should be ?
thick by % wide, the side bars } inch thick, and
the bottom bar 4, These thicknesses are deviated
from by various makers, but the outer measure-
ments are inviolable. For supering purposes what
is known as a shallow frame is used. This is
identically the same as the standard frame except
as regards depth; it is 54 inches deep only.
With regard to working qualities both these
types of hives are admirable, and there is practi-
30 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
cally no difference in the results to be obtained.
Scientifically the ‘‘W.B.C.”’ is the better hive,
and it is rather more pleasant to work with on
account of its lightness and the detachability of
all its sections. Against this, however, it must
be pointed out that it is a difficult hive to secure
for travelling, ahd a more expensive hive either
to purchase or to make than the other variety.
Where a few hives only are being kept for a
hobby this hive should.be purchased, but for a
bee farmer the so-called single-walled type is
recommended.
When commencing bee-keeping there are a cer-
tain number of indispensable appliances which
must be obtained. This list, however, need neither
be lengthy nor costly, but the articles obtained
should be of the best possible quality, and of
the simplest construction compatible with effi-
ciency. Appliances should never be bought
second-hand, except perhaps in the case of ex-
tractors and ripeners, which may be picked up
in that way. All other goods should be bought
new, and from a good firm.
A veil and smoker are two of the most neces-
sary items, and it should be seen that the veil
is large enough. Many veils are narrow and of
poor material, an abomination to the wearer, and
an inadequate protection against the attacks which
it is their duty to ward off. The veil should
always be black in colour, or it is not easy to
see through, but white net may with advantage
HIVES AND APPLIANCES 31
be used for the part which covers the neck, as
being cooler during the heat of the summer.
The smoker should preferably be of the ‘ Bing-
ham ”’ pattern, and of a good size and quality.
The best articles are made of sheet steel, and
these are to be preferred, for a poor smoker may
be worn out in a season’s working. Gloves should
““not be worn. Their use makes the bees more irri-
table than they would otherwise be. This is mainly
on account of the clumsy way in which their owner
handles the frames; clumsy he perforce must be
with gloves on, for no skilful bee-work can be
done except with the naked hands.
Other articles which will be needed are feeders
(one for each colony), excluder zinc (one sheet
for each hive), an extractor if extracted honey is
to be worked for, sections and section racks if
comb honey is desired. In the case of extracted
honey a supply of supers and shallow frames will
be needed, as well as spare standard frames for the
brood-boxes.
One or two queen-cages are also necessary, in
fact indispensable at times. As will be seen, a
certain number of the articles in this list may be
eliminated if the bee-keeper decides to work for
honey in one form or Other only, and it may be
said at once that it will be found in nine cases
out of ten that extracted honey will be- the best
form in which to turn out the produce. The ex-
planation of this will be given later.
With regard to this list it should be noted that
32 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
_ the feeders had better be of the ‘‘ Universal ”’
or graduated type, while the extractor should be
of a size suitable to the number of colonies it is
proposed to keep. A small extractor, costing
perhaps 15/-, would be quite large enough for
an apiary of half a dozen hives, but for a large
apiary. a large machine such as the ‘‘ Cowan ”’
should be acquired. This fine extractor takes four
combs at once, and honey can be thrown out by
the cwt. In buying queen-cages the pipe-cover
variety will be found to be the most generally
‘useful. They cost 6d. each, and if two are ob-
tained it will be ample for a small apiary.
In buying frames, whether standard or shallow,
the kind is largely a matter of individual choice.
They are all alike in size, but differ somewhat in
construction, which is not: a vital point at all.
If the buyer has not any particular preference, he
may be recommended to get the ordinary dove-
tailed frame with a saw-cut in the top bar, which,
in the writer’s case, fulfils all requirements very
satisfactorily.
The other items mentioned will be described
and commented upon in the chapters devoted to
their use, as in that way the reader will be better
in a position to understand their workings.
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Naan SHL ONICGNIA NOILVIAWILS ON
CHAPTER IV.
THE PREPARATION OF FRAMES AND SECTIONS
BEFORE new frames and sections can be used in
the hives it is necessary that they should undergo
a certain preparation, which consists in filling, or
partially filling them with sheets of comb founda-
tion. Comb foundation is pure beeswax rolled out
into sheets of varying thickness and embossed with
the imprint of worker cells, or more rarely. with
the form of drone.cells. This is done by passing
the sheets through heavy rollers, which embosses'
and at the same time imparts an added toughness
to them which is very useful in assisting the
combs to withstand the high temperature of the
hive without breaking down. The invention of
this material has probably done more to revolu-
tionize bee-keeping than any one thing, with the
possible exception of the honey extractor. By
its aid combs may, be obtained perfectly flat, built
entirely of worker cells, and with a very great
saving to the energy of the bees, which saving is’
that of the bee-keeper also.
Before this material was brought out it was im-
possible to obtain, consistently, combs of even fair
c 33
34 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
quality. Théy, were crooked, and generally con-
tained a large percentage of drone comb, which
made them practically useless as a means of honey
production. With the use of these wax sheets the
bees find half of their work already done for them :
the septum or mid-rib of their cells is in position,
and all that remains to be done is to draw out the
walls. Needless to say, comb building progresses
at a rapid rate.
Comb foundation should bé used with the
greatest liberality, as liberality—not extravagance
—in this direction is most profitable. The more
work the bees can be saved in comb building
the greater the gain, for note that bees con-
sume from thirteen to twenty pounds of honey. in
secreting the wax for one pound of comb. Many,
bee-keepers who are supposed to know their trade
even now make a regular practice of placing
starters in all their frames and sections. Starters
are narrow strips of wax, about half-inch deep,
placed along the top-bars, and their use, as their
name indicates, is to give the bees a start. It
does that and nothing: more, and the resulting
combs in the majority of cases give strict indica-
tions as to their origin. Full sheets of founda~
tion should always be used, and not starters, or
even half sheets. The sheets are made in several
thicknesses for different purposes. There is
medium and thick brood foundation for the brood
or standard frames, medium and thin brood for the
shallow or surplus frames, and thin super for
FRAMES, AND SECTIONS 35
thé sections. -The sheets are sold in sizes to fit
the various frames and sections.
Before frames can be filled with foundation it is
very necessary that they should be wired to give
* the best results. They, may, be used without wiring,
but in that case there is a great danger of the
combs falling: out of the frames during manipula-
tion, and of their being thrown out by, the force of
the extractor.
Wiring consists of passing two or three strands
of No. 20 tinned wire across the frames, which
wires are embedded in the wax sheets, holding
them in position, and ultimately, becoming en-—
veloped in the combs. Three wires are sufficient
for the standard frame, and two for the shallow,
placed at equal distances apart, and running across
the frames from one side bar to the other. The
simplest way of wiring frames is to bore fine holes
in the side bars—three or two as the case may, be
—and secure one end of the wire to a fine tack
placed just beside the first hole and on the out-
side. Then thread the wire to and fro across the
frame, tighten up and finish off on another tack
placed outside the last hole. It should be noted
that in the case of dovetailed frames the joints
must be nailed, as the dovetails alone are in-
sufficient to carry. the weight of a heavy, comb
filled with honey.
The foundation should now be placed in posi-
tion in the top bar, and this may. be a little
difficult where saw-cuts are the means used for
36 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
holding the sheet. The best way is to open the
cut by means of two small wedges placed at
either end outside, then insert the sheet, which on
removal of the wedges will be securely held.
Note that the sheet should hang in the frame quite
squarely, but just clear of the side bars, and a
quarter inch short of the bottom bar. If it touches
the side bars it will buckle, while if it reaches
to the bottom there will be no room for “ stretch,”
which exists to a small extent in even the best
foundation. The wires may now be embedded,
and for this purpose a board must be obtained
of a size to fit the inside of a frame, and in thick-
ness a shade under half the thickness of the
frame to be fitted up. In the case of a frame
having a top bar seven-eighths wide, a board
about three-eighths thick will be right, and strips
should be nailed across the back so that it may.
go no further than this depth into the frame. This
board is now covered with a sheet of damp brown
paper to prevent the wax adhering to it, and
the ‘frame with its sheet of foundation is fitted
on to the board, with the wires uppermost. The
best tool for the actual work is the ‘“‘ Woiblett ”’
spur embedder, which consists of a toothed and
grooved wheel, which is heated by a spirit-lamp
and run along the wires, which are effectually,
secured. This little tool only costs a shilling, and
is well worth the money. Care should be taken
in using it to see that it is not too hot and that
too much pressure is not used. Neglect of these
)
FRAMES AND SECTIONS '37
precautions will result in the wax sheet being
cut completely. through. Only just sufficient heat
and pressure should be used to effect the object,
which is the sinking of the wires well into the
wax. This work may be done with an awl with
a V groove filed in the point and heated in the
fire, but the above-named tool is vastly. superior
and should be obtained.
In fixing foundation in sections the method to
be adopted depends on the kind of section which
is being used. Sections are made to take founda-
tion in various ways. There are split-top sections,
split-top and side grooves, split all round, and
solid sections with neither split nor groove. The
two sections most used, however, are the split-
top and the solid section, and these shall be taken
first. Section boxes are made in one piece, with
V grooves at the joints and dovetails to lock the
whole together. When they are bought they re-
quire folding, and before doing this a little warm
water must be poyred along the V grooves to
impart elasticity, for they are liable to break if
very. dry. In folding split-top sections only one
half of the lid should be placed in position be-
fore inserting the sheet of foundation, which is
then secured by closing the other portion of the
lid. Foundation for sections should be cut very,
-accurately. It must not touch the sides, and, as in
frames, it should hang a quarter inch clear from
the bottom. Being so exceedingly thin it will
buckle at a touch, and buckled sheets of founda-
38 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
tion mean bulged and unsaleable sections when
completed. In using solid sections there is more
need than ever for accuracy in cutting the wax
sheets, for they are secured to the section on three.
sides by molten wax. They should be cut with
a die of a size to fit exactly the inside of the
section, less a quarter inch at the bottom. In
fixing the sheets a block must be made exactly,
the same as the one described for the frames,
and one-sixteenth less than half the width of the
section, and as the section will probably bé two
inches in width, the block will be fifteen-six-
teenths. A little beeswax must then be melted
in a cup placed in a pan of boiling water, and
the section placed upon the block with the founda-
tion in position. Now take a little wax in a
spoon, pour it along one edge of the wax sheet,
and by tilting the section the molten wax will
flow completely round and firmly fix the sheet.
This may. seem difficult, like many other things,
but as a matter of fact it is very easy, and little
practice is needed to become proficient, while the
bits of appliances required will last a lifetime.
With the other types of sections the ways and
means of fixing the foundation will be fairly ob-
vious when their construction is seen, and a know-
ledge gained of the previous methods. The main
thing is cutting the foundation accurately and
seeing, that it is not nipped at any point, and
that means that the section-boxes must be folded
up squarely. After the boxes are folded they
FRAMES AND SECTIONS 39
should be put back into the racks which should
be ready for their reception, and wedged up to
keep all square, This is most necessary, as other-
wise a lot of labour and foundation will probably
be wasted. Empty section-boxes cannot be kept
true unless they are properly squared up in the
racks. After the bees have filled them with honey
the case is different, as all the joints are then
immovably fixed.
Finally, I would impress upon the novice the
need for the utmost care and accuracy in this task
of preparing frames and sections for the use of the
bees. If this work is not well and efficiently per-
formed, the work which follows afterwards will be
equally bad. Combs will be twisted, or fall from
their frames, while sections will be out of truth
when filled, and eventually it will not be possible
to glaze them. The blocks and dies must be
accurately made and carefully used. If thin super
foundation is ‘‘ nipped” in the slightest degree, it
will ‘‘ buckle,” or bulge in the centre, and a bad
section is the result.
A frame is now being sold with a half-inch
top-bar, and it has much to commend it. The
ordinary bar, especially if it be split, is much too
prone to sag under the weight of a heavy comb.
This increases the space over the top-bars, with
an additional amount of brace-comb, and other
minor evils.
CHAPTER V
FEEDING PRINCIPLES
IN modern bee-keeping it is absolutely necessary
that a certain amount of sugar feeding be done
if the greatest possible amount of profit is to
be derived from the bees. The duration-of this
feeding and the amount of food supplied depend
to a great extent on the method of bee-keeping
practised by the owner of the bees, and also to
a considerable degree on the district in which the
apiary is situated.
Broadly speaking, feeding is practised for three
purposes, which shall now be described.
First we have autumn feeding, the purpose of
which is to supply the bees with a sufficiency
of food to enable them to winter safely. Now in
some districts little if any autumn feeding is neces-
sary, on account of there being flows of nectar
from certain late summer and autumn flowering
crops peculiar to the districts. These crops enable
the bees to gather a sufficiency of food for their
meeds, and as the supers will have been removed
from the hives at the end of July, it is stored
where it is required—in the brood-nest. With
40
FEEDING PRINCIPLES ‘41
good bee;keeping, during the honey season proper
little if any honey. can be stored in the brood-
nest owing to the management. The apiarist sees
to it that the brood-combs are a solid mass of
brood, and takes care there is a queen present
who will keep them so. What honey is gathered
therefore goes into the supers, which are taken
off at the end of the regular honey flow, usually
about the end of July. After that time what the
bees gather they are allowed to keep. If there
is a late flow to enable them to fill their depleted
exchequer, well and good; if there is not, then
they must be fed.
Again, to go to the other extreme, bad bee-
keepers frequently have to do but little autumn
feeding, and that is owing to the utter badness of
their methods. These bee-keepers have many of
their hives with comparatively worthless queens in
possession, quite incapable of utilizing more than
half of the brood-chamber for breeding purposes.
Consequently the most of the early honey gathered
is stored in the brood-chamber instead of in the
supers, for be it noted that bees will never store
in the supers while there is space in the brood-
nest.
Spring feeding is food supplied for the purpose
of inducing the bees to breed faster than they,
otherwise would, and is most important and even
necessary in the case of apiaries situated in early.
fruit-growing districts, where bees must be very,
42 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
strong at an unusually early date if any surplus
is to be secured. The amount of food given
depends to a great extent on the quantity of
stores with which the bees went into winter quar-
ters, for it is neither necessary nor desirable to
give fresh food until most of last year’s stores
are consumed, and if the beés are heavily fed
in autumn it often happens that no fresh food is
required.
The theory, of spring feeding is this. . Bees
if left alone and with a sufficiency of stores will
progress at their normal rate, which means that-
the hive will be at its best about the middle of
June, when swarming will be in full swing. Now
for the majority of districts, where the main honey,
flow is not due until then, true stimulative feed-
ing is not’ required. All that is necessary is to
see that there is always plenty of food in the hive,
especially if bad weather intervenes in May and
June. The districts that require stimulative feed-
ing, however, have their main honey flow con-
siderably earlier than the above date, so early that
if left alone the bees would be much too weak
to be effective, so the owners of bees in such dis-
tricts must stimulate them.
The third kind of feeding is feeding that must
be done at times, irrespective of weather or season,
if the bees are to be kept alive. Of course in
many. cases it is negligence or bad management
that calls for this kind of feeding, but in other
FEEDING PRINCIPLES 43
cases it is not so; There have been, and there will
no doubt be again, summers in which it was
necessary, to feed the bees all through on account
of the utter wretchedness of the weather, which
quite precluded any, honey gathering. It must
be noted that during the breeding season the
amount of food consumed by, a strong stock is
enormous, and a few days of rain may bring it
to the verge of starvation; in fact, inattention
has killed thousands of stocks before now in bad
years. The bee-keeper must make sure that there
is always a supply of food in the hive if through
adverse climatic conditions the’ bees are unable
to gather a daily supply. It is quite easy for
bees to be starved to death with thousands of
acres of clover in bloom around them. Therefore
when there is no food in the hive, feed, and feed
until the bees can bring some in.
Now regarding the method of carrying out
feeding we will take autumn feeding first again.
When the supers are taken off in July, if there
is no other late source from which a honey flow
may, be expected, it is a good plan to feed gently
about a quart of syrup weekly to each stock, until
the beginning of September. This will induce the
queen to continue breeding later, and ensure the
colony going into winter quarters with a strong
force of young bees, which are a most valuable
asset in wintering safely. The food should be
given them through one hole only, of a graduated
bottle feeder. The feeder consists of a bottle
44 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
with a metal top perforated with nine small holes.
This is inverted on a metal plate contained in a
wooden stage. The metal plate is furnished with
a slot, and by, turning the bottle round feed may
be given from any number of holes from one to
nine, or it may be withheld entirely. At the be-
ginning of September this slow feeding should
be stopped, and food should be given as rapidly,
as the bees will take it, until the hives contain
thirty pounds each of food. This may be esti-
mated by examining the combs, noting that about
4} inch square of sealed comb equals one pound.
For this fast feeding what is known as a rapid
feeder is often used, a box-like receptacle hold-
ing about a half-gallon of syrup, but bottle feeders
will do if the bees are allowed to feed from all
the holes. The recipe for syrup for autumn feed-
ing is as follows: 1olb. of best cane sugar,
5 pints of water, 1 tablespoonful of vinegar, and
a pinch of salt. Boil for a few minutes.
Spring feeding or spring stimulation is practised
entirely with the graduated feeder if continual
feeding is required. It should be commenced
-at about six weeks before the expectéd honey,
flow, that being the time that an average stock
takes to get into condition. Food should be given
very slowly, from one or at most two holes of the
feeder, but it must be continuous. During the
whole of this six weeks the bees must be handling:
food without ceasing, but they must not be storing
it in any. quantity. While honey or syrup is com-
FEEDING PRINCIPLES 45
ing in, or is being manipulated by the bees, even
in driblets, the queen will continue laying, ap-
parently under the impression that there is a honey.
flow; but should the supply cease, even for
twenty-four hours, then the queen ceases also, and
the hive is the poorer by, two to three thousand
young bees. The supply must be regulated to
the daily. needs of the bees, and it must be given
so slowly that it takes them the whole of their
time to obtain it. Should it be given too quickly,
and too-fast for their consumption, they will store
it in the combs, crowding out the queen, who will
thus be restricted in her breeding.
When there is a heavy store of last year’s food
in the hive this should be utilized before more is
given. The best way of doing this is to bruise
a few inches of capping thrice a week. This can
be done with a knife, when the bees will clear
out the cells, When all the stores have vanished
continue the feeding if necessary. with the bottle.
The recipe for spring syrup is: 10 1b. of best cane
sugar, 7 pints of water, 1 tablespoonful of vine-
gar, and a pinch of salt. Boil for a few minutes.
This recipe is used for food at all times during
the spring and summer, but syrup must’ not be
given between the months of September and April.
If bees need food then it must be given to them
in the form of soft candy, which may be obtained
from any dealer in apiarian supplies.
It is not necessary, but it is very desirable, that
all food given should be medicated with napthol-
46 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
beta solution, as a deterrent to the attacks of
foul-brood. This drug may also be obtained from
appliance dealers in one-ounce packets, along with
directions for the use of it.
Where Isle of Wight disease is prevalent, sub-
stitute ‘‘ Bacterol ” for napthol beta asa medicating
agent, and on no account omit adding it to
syrup. Few liberties could be taken in the treat-
ment of foul-brood—none can be taken when this
latest pest is in the vicinity.
Careful attention should be paid to the quality
of all sugar syrup fed to bees, and also to the
season of the year when it is given. Neglect of
these details may set up dysentery in the colonies.
This trouble is often caused by the feeding of low-
quality sugar, and also by feeding it so late in the
autumn that the bees are unable to seal it down.
Fermentation then takes place, and is accentuated
if syrup of thin consistency is used. The symptoms
of dysentery consist of a great weakness of the
bees, and a quick decrease in their numbers, com-
bined with much soiling of the hives with excreta,
both internally and externally. The treatment
consists of shaking the bees into a clean hive, with
fresh combs of good stores, or, failing these, candy
should be used. Pack the bees up warmly, closing
the hive up with a division board to the number of
frames covered, and give ample ventilation. By
such means the lowered vitality of the colony will
be raised to the normal. Undue disturbance of the
bees in winter also tends to set up this malady.
CHAPTER VI
THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY
THE main thing with nine-tenths of the people
who keep bees is the production of honey and
the pecuniary, benefits to be derived from the
sale of that valuable article of food. Now keep-
ing bees and producing honey in large quantities
are two widely different things, as many people
have before now found out. Many people, in fact
anybody, can keep bees, but it is not everyone
who can become a bee-keeper. A keeper of bees
and a bee-keeper are by, no means synonymous
terms,
A bee-keeper must be in sympathy with his
charges: he must understand their peculiarities
and be thoroughly alive to their every need, both
immediate and prospective. The mere fact of
having bees in the garden is not to be taken as
an augury of honey in the cupboard, for in some
seasons the production of honey. calls for skill
on the part of the bee-keeper of no mean order.
1 could take as an instance the season just past,
when probably not more than one-third of the
47
48 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
people who keep bees secured surplus honey worth
the name.
To secure honey in quantity it is necessary that
the stocks should be at their strongest just at
the time when the main honey flow occurs in their
particular locality—just at the time, neither before
nor after. This is only to be secured by having
good queens at the heads of the colonies, and by,
careful attention in the way. of management as
described in the previous chapter. At the time
when the honey flow is about to commence the
brood-chamber of all hives should be a solid mass
of brood, and if it is not in that condition it must
be made so. This may be done by uniting the
stocks as described elsewhere. It is a common
failing with the majority of bee-keepers to esti-
mate the strength of their apiary by the number
of hives containing bees. This is entirely wrong,
for often half of the hives contain bees that are
but remnants of colonies. Such hives are of no
use at all for honey production, and left to them-
selves they might secure sufficient honey for their
own consumption, but that would be all. If, how-
ever, they are united under one roof, making up
a colony packed with bees and brood, good re-
sults will be secured if the season be favourable.
That is the great secret of honey production—
hives packed with bees and brood at the right
time. Two colonies of bees under one roof will
secure far more honey than if they were separate,
and therefore as honey is what is required, unite,
6b aded aoey oL
Apyyeur ay} jo syoadse
paidnoso are qorqa jo [e ‘sradng mmo Surdsred: Snolva Surmoys ‘quios peseasip-A]peq & jo uoiod y
HAIH GauadAs V dqdooud-Tno0d
THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY. 49
and then if necessary divide the colonies again:
later for increase. Unite three or four lots if
necessary, to make a strong stock.
The bee-keeper should make up his mind as to
what form he wishes his surplus honey to take,
for on that will depend the whole of his supering
arrangements. If he wishes to produce comb
honey he will require section racks and sections,
which must be fitted up in readiness. If he should
prefer combs for extracting he must equip himself
with the requisite number of supers fitted up with:
shallow frames.
Each hive should be furnished with two. supers,
and these will usually be sufficient for all require-
ments.
In the case of sections it should be carefully,
noted that they should always be used with sepa-
rators. These are thin slips of metal or wood,
which are placed between each row of sections. |
Their object is to prevent the sections being built
out of shape and of varying thickness. Without
the use of ‘separators it would bé impossible to
obtain even approximately perfect sections.
The super is placed on the hives at the first
indication of the honey flow, and this may be
easily known by taking a glance at the brood-nest.
If the cells along the top bars are being ex-
tended, which will be known by the snowy. white-
ness of the new_comb,. it is known that the bees
need further storage room, and it should be given
at once. In placing a super in position little skill
D-
50 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
is néeded, but it should be seen to that the tops
of the brood-combs are scraped clear of projecting
brace-combs and a sheet of excluder zinc laid
over them, the slots of which should run at right
angles to the frames. This excluder zinc is simply
a sheet of slotted zinc which will admit of the
passage of the workers but not of the queen.
The object is to prevent the queen using the super
for breeding, to the detriment of the shallow
frames kept solely for honey producing purposes.
This zinc may be omitted in using section racks,
but it should always be used under shallow frames.
The reason of this is that the queen has a great
objection to passing through the narrow entrances
of section boxes, but will freely pass up into a
shallow frame super. Having the zinc in position,
place the super directly down upon it, and cover
all up as warmly as possible. When the first super
is two-thirds full of honey the second one may be
given, placing it under the first. By the time
the third super is needed, if one is needed, the
top one will be ready to come off.
Always place the last super given next the
brood-chamber, that is, underneath all the others,
except towards the close of the season. If, how-
ever, there are signs that the honey flow is failing,
although the bees require more room, the last
super may be placed at the top, when the bees
will only. use it if necessary.
The management when comb honey is worked
for differs in no vital particular from the above,
THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY 51
but it may be pointed out that it is of no use
attempting to secure good sections unless the
stocks are very strong and the district at least
fairly good. It is impossible to produce good
section honey in poor districts, and in such dis-
tricts attempts are only a waste of time. It calls
for much management to keep down the number
of incomplete sections. The apiarist must be very,
careful to give no more room than is absolutely,
required and compel the bees to finish their work
as far as possible as they go on.
In removing surplus honey from the hives the
super clearer should be used. This is a flat
board, the size of the hive top, with a “Porter”
bee-escape in the centre. This escape allows the
‘bees to leave the super, but effectually prevents
their re-entering it. This is an invaluable ap-
pliance, and should always be used when honey is
to be removed. Evening is the best time to
place it on a hive. A little smoke should be
blown into the super, which may be then removed
and placed upon the clearer, which should be in
readiness by the side of the hive. Then replace
the super on the hive, with the escape still under-
neath it, and cover up with the roof. The bees
will all have left the super in twenty-four hours,
and it may, then be removed.
As regards the advantages of working for either
comb or extracted honey, it must be confessed that .
most bée-keepers.go in for the latter. It has
many advantages which section honey, does not
52 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
possess. In the first place it is not every dis-
trict that will produce sections, and then again
when produced they must be consumed at once,
or they deteriorate.
With the changed economical conditions and
the great rise in food values, it is certainly most
advisable to work for extracted honey. There is
no doubt that as a food honey will be once again
a prominent factor, but it is very unlikely that the
price will again fall so low as in the past. Section
honey is indisputably a luxury, and it is as an
essential article of food that we would have honey
looked upon. In this case it is not in accord-
ance with the spirit of the times to produce comb
honey of a perishable nature: when we can pro-
duce a far higher quantity of extracted honey,
which keeps indefinitely, and is obtained much more
cheaply by the producer. Food values will with-
out doubt remain high for many years, and bee-
keepers should do their best to augment as far as
may be the nation’s food supply.
It should be widely known that honey taken
from diseased colonies is quite wholesome, and
may be used for household purposes in the ordinary
way. Germs of bee diseases are absolutely harm-
less to human beings; it is only necessary to keep
the honey secure from the visits of marauding
bees.
CHAPTER VII
NATURAL SWARMS
ToOwarDs the end of the month of May swarms
may be expected from strong colonies. As a rule
there will not be many swarms during this month,
by far the greater number coming off in June or
during the first week of July. Still it is best to
be prepared in time, and by this date spare hives
should be in readiness for use if necessary.
There are various reasons which explain the
swarming of bees, first and foremost being that it
is their natural mode of increase. In a great
measure this accounts for the fact that the numer-
ous devices-intended to eliminate swarming have
never proved entirely successful. There are, how-
ever, other cohditions which conduce to the -bees ~
seeking another home, conditions which may be
swept away by the apiarist if he has no use for
increase,
Chief of these’is want of room in the hive for
the teeming population, the exposure of the hive
to intense heat, and the failure to give adequate
ventilation. A colony is also more liable to throw
off a swarm if it be headed by an aged queen.
These incitements to swarming may, be obviated
53
54 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
by, giving ample room for the requirements of the
colony, the deposing of old queens, and provision
for a sufficiency of ventilation and shade during.
hot weather.
If a hive swarms, however good the manage-
ment a certain amount of honey is lost, so that
the greatest amount of surplus can only be secured
by the checking of this propensity so far as is pos-
sible. Much may be done to this end on the lines
laid down, but steps must be taken in time. If
no attention is given until the bees have de-
cided to swarm, which is known by the fact of
their building queen-cells, attempts at prevention,
if not quite useless, are very nearly so.
It is most difficult to check swarming when
queen-cells have been once started. The swarm
usually issues at the capping of the first queen-
cell, and is accompanied by the old queen. The
bees will only issue if the weather be fine and
warm, and the time usually selected is between
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Should there come a period
of adverse weather the bees may not leave ‘the
hive, but, tearing down the queen-cells, either
await a more favourable opportunity or abandon
the idea for the season.
When a swarm leaves the hive the bees fly forth
in a thick stream, and after circling round for a
few minutes in the air alight in a dense cluster,
generally on a neighbouring tree or bush. As
soon as they have become quiet they, should be
hived at once. [If they are left alone, after a
+
NATURAL SWARMS 5
varying length of time they will again take wing.
If this happens the swarm will probably be lost, as
the bees may travel many miles and at a high
rate of speed.
The operation of hiving is really very simple,
and consists of merely, placing an empty skep or
box beneath the bees and dislodging them into it
by a vigorous shake. Then gently place the re-
ceptacle on the ground, crown upwards, and raise
it an inch or so by placing a small stone under
the bottom edge. Soon the flying bees will have
entered, when a cloth may be drawn over the
mouth of the skep and the whole at once removed
to the position to be permanently occupied.
It may be said that apart. from the presence
of queen-cells in the hive there are no certain
signs that a colony, is about to swarm. The bees
are often listless and apathetic just previous to
swarming, but this is not always the case, nor
is it an invariable indication of their intentions.
It may. be that the swarm will have clustered
in a rather difficult position, as in the bottom of
a, hedge, or on the limbs or trunk of some tall
tree. In such cases the ingenuity of the bee-
keeper will be called into play to effect the cap-
ture. If the bees cannot be shaken into the skep
they. must be driven into it by means of a feather
dipped in a solution of carbolic acid and water,
or by, the aid of a smoker. In nearly every case
it will be necessary to adopt one of the two
methods given, and when carbolic acid is used
56 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
it should be a 25 per cent solution of Calvert’s
No. 5.
The transference of the swarm to the frame
hive should be left until evening. The frame
hive must be prepared with the full number of
frames filled with whole sheets of foundation, and
a division board. Cover the frames with quilts,
consisting of a Sheet of strong calico at the bottom
with a three-inch circular hole for the feeder,
and three good felt wrappers above. Block up
the front of the hive about an inch from the
floor-board, and make a sloping platform up to
the entrance. This platform may consist of a flat
hive roof covered with a tablecloth, and on it
the bees should be thrown, as close to the entrance
as possible. Jerk them gently from the skep, and
when all have entered the hive-front may be
lowered. Owing to the heated state of the bees
it is best to remove all the quilts except the
bottom one for twenty-four hours, after which
time they may be replaced. Give food, however,
in the form of syrup, and continue to do so until
all the combs have been built out and honey is
available.
When replacing the quilts on the second day
contract the hive with the division board to the
number of frames occupied by, the bees. Add
additional frames to the cluster when required,
until all have been drawn out. Then if honey is
abundant a super may, be put on over a sheet
of excluder zinc.
NATURAL SWARMS 57
One of the best methods of utilizing a swarm
is to hive it on the parent stand, moving the old
stock to one side with the entrance at right angles
to that of the swarm. The next day turn the
entrance of the parent colony, a little more towards
its old position, and continue doing so each day,
until at the end of a week the two entrances are
side by side. Now remove the old stock to a new
position, which will add a considerable number of
flying bees to the strength of the swarm, and also
discourage the throwing off of after-swarms on
the part of the old stock.
Casts are second swarms thrown off by old
stocks, generally on the ninth day after the first
or prime swarm. They are headed by an unfertile
or virgin queen. Usually it is best to return these
swarms, after cutting out all the remaining queen-
cells. Other after-swarms may be thrown off
if not prevented, in addition to the casts. These
small swarms should always be avoided by the
removal of the cells, as they greatly weaken the
parent stock.
Casts and after-swarms will issue in any kind
of weather, and frequently travel far afield.
When swarms are required for sale due atten-
tion should be paid to their packing, especially,
in the matter of ventilation. They travel best
either in the original hiving skep, or in a specially
constructed swarm-box. ;
If they are- despatched in the skep the mouth
should be tied over with a single thickness of
58 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
cheese-cloth, and the skep placed upon its crown
and secured in an open box.
Special swarm-boxes are constructed with large
openings in the sides and top, which openings are
covered with perforated zinc, providing a plentiful
supply of air. In all cases label conspicuously,
‘Live Bees, With Great Care,” and despatch to
the customer at once. When sending by rail they
should always be sent by passenger train.
When swarm-boxes are used it simplifies matters
if the bees are hived directly into them. This can
easily be accomplished by darkening all the venti-
lation openings round the box by means of brown
paper or cardboard tacked on the outside. The
box then can be used in the same way as a skep,
but be careful to uncover the ventilation openings
before sending the swarm away.
With Isle of Wight disease so rampant it is
very inadvisable to send bees from one district to
another, for there is no doubt disease is largely
spread in this way. No one can definitely say that
their apparently clean bees may not be spore
carriers, and for the time being, at any rate, it
would be well for all swarms to be sold at home.
One effect of the ravages of this disease is a sharp
rise in the price of bees, in the shape of either
swarms orstocks. These cannot now be obtained
at the prices quoted in other chapters. The prices
now are in a sense abnormal, and while it may be
a considerable time before we get back to the old
prices—we may not get quite back to them at all—
there will without doubt be a considerable fall as
the supply of bees again reaches the normal.
CHAPTER VIII
MARKETABLE PRODUCTS
THERE are, in modern bee-keeping, various ways
in which the stock may be turned to profitable
account. To utilize to the full these numerous
opportunities of making money should be the aim
of every progressive bee-keeper. It is only, how-
ever, in isolated instances that it can be said that
the most is being made of the apiary.
For selling purposes we have in an apiary sale-
able stock and products. Taking the products
first, these may be subdivided into two classes.
In the one class we have articles produced more
or less. in every apiary, and which consist of comb
and extracted honey. and wax. In the second
class we have articles of food, etc., manufactured
by the bee-keeper to supply requirements in his
trade, such articles containing a certain amount
of either honey or wax.
Among these articles special mention may be
made of mead, honey vinegar, furniture cream,:lip
salve, honey soap, and a large variety of cakes
and confectionery.
As regards the stock which may be sold, this
consists of swarms, stocks, nuclei, and queen-bees.
With reference to the manufactured articles there
59
60 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
is really nothing to prevent any bee-keeper making:
and creating a market for their sale, providing
that he finds that it pays him best to do so. He
must, however, make one branch of the pursuit
particularly, his own, the other branches being
looked upon as merely subsidiaries. As to which
particular branch he favours, this is largely a
matter of individual preference, tempered by, the
quality of the district and the class of trade which
is to be catered for.
In some good districts, where fine light honey.
and -good sections can be produced in quantity,
it would probably pay the best to take that line.
In another district, that produces an abundance of
inferior honey, the apiarist should go in for the
selling of stocks, swarms, and queens. An early,
honey district, too, is very good where swarms are
looked upon as a chief source of income. In
these districts the swarms come off very early,
and make a price which is considerably in ad-
vance of those of a later date. In making his
plans the bee-keeper. must never forget that he
cannot produce and sell both bees and honey in
quantity unless he has an exceptionally large
aplary. It must be one or the other in most
cases. A
If swarms are allowed to come off, if the best
colonies are sold, or if queen rearing is largely,
indulged in, very little honey will be secured—
probably none unless heavy sugar feeding, is
adopted to replace any that is taken away. .
MARKETABLE PRODUCTS 61
Where honey is produced it will usually be
found advisable to go in for the extracted article,
on account of its superior keeping qualities, al-
though where there is a good demand for sections
there will be little difference from the point of
view of profit.
Good extracted honey in bulk will readily sell
at sevenpence per pound, while first-rate sections
will make about ninepence each in dozen lots.
Against this must be put the fact that bees will
produce about thirty per cent more of extracted
than of comb honey, so that the prices are fairly
even.
Section honey must be sold quickly or it granu-
Jates in the comb, and becomes unsaleable on
this account. This form of honey should not be
extensively produced until it is known that: there
is a ready sale for it. There is such a large
demand for good honey that little more need be
said at this point. The bee-keeper will find that
his greatest difficulty as a rule is to cope with
his orders.
Beeswax is a very valuable article, and is pro-
duced to some extent in all apiaries. For this also
there is practically an unlimited demand by den-
tists, chemists, and similar professions. The very,
high melting-point of this wax makes its use im-
pérative in some of the mechanical processes of
various trades, and every scrap of comb should
be religiously, preserved for melting down and
converting. into cash. There is not a very, large
62 . PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
quantity of British wax thrown upon the market,
owing to the fact that much of it is converted
into foundation by the bee-keeper for his own use.
Wax in bulk sells for about 1/8 per pound, or
2/- if it be melted into one-ounce cakes for re-
tailing over the counter.
The utilization of honey, and wax in the manu-
facture of articles for domestic use or for food is
becoming an increasingly large industry, and I
know at least one extensive bee-keeper who has
built up a large trade. This line is very useful
where, owing to the district, a crop of dark honey,
is secured. Dark honey makes but a low price
on the market, but answers admirably for the
making up of confectionery; better, in fact, than
the light honey of more delicate flavoyr.
This class of trade has of course to be created
and built up by canvassing shopkeepers and by
advertisement, but when once the trade has been
secured it is very remunerative. Recipes for
various articles may easily be obtained, but I give
two excellent ones for mead and honey vinegar.
In selling swarms the motto should be to get
them as early as possible, and for this reason it is
well not to give the bees too much room. Eight
frames will be ample, and every incitement should
be given them to swarm in May. Swarms should
be sold by’ weight, which is the fairest way for
both buyer and seller. If it be a May, swarm,
charge 3/- per pound; if the month of June or
early July, 2/6 is the usual price.
MARKETABLE PRODUCTS 63
Colonies of bees may be sold at any time of the
year between March and October, although they,
are much more valuable in spring than in autumn.
A fair price for a good stock in spring is 25/- to
'30/-, but in the latter part of the year they are
not worth more than £1, Both colonies and
swarms are very saleable, in fact I never knew a
season of late when the supply was equal to the
demand. In selling stocks be sure that they are
free from disease, and if they are sent off by rail
great care must be exercised in packing them.
Bees on combs travel badly.
The packing of a frame hive will be found
described in the chapter dealing with heather
honey. If stocks are sold off, the supply, must be
kept up by raising new qnes each season. This
may be done by forming nuclei early in May,
giving each of them a queen-cell, and building up
these small lots into full colonies.
The sale of queens is becoming a very impor-
tant item in apiculture, but it is a branch in which
a reputation has to be made, and this often takes
several seasons of hard work. The most expensive
part of queen-rearing is in the fertilization of the
virgin queens, and where many are raised nearly.
the whole of the stocks in the apiary have to
be broken up into nuclei for this purpose. Queens
fetch a good price in early spring and sometimes
in late autumn, and the breeder must lay. his plans
to meet this demand.
Much care and attention is needed in queen-
64 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
raising, and none except really superior stock
should be sold. A fair price for ordinary fertile
queens is 5/- each from March to May, 4/- in
June, and 3/6 at other times.
Recipe for Honey Vinegar. Take one and a
half pounds of honey to a gallon of water, a
crust of bread, and a tablespoonful of brewer’s
yeast. Place these in an earthenware barrel, and
stand in a warm place. After fermentation has
ceased cover the bung with a piece of linen to
exclude insects, and allow the liquor to stand until
ripe.
Recipe for Mead. Take six gallons of water
and one gallon of honey. Boil until it is reduced
to four gallons. Add half-ounce of ginger, quar-
ter-ounce of cinnamon, half-dram each of cloves
and peppercorns ina bag. Boil for a few minutes
longer, and then let it stand until fermentation
has ceased. Add yeast if necessary to assist fer-
mentation. Barrel, and bottle at the end of twelve
months.
a
EXAMINING SHALLOW COMBS
Showing Honey partially sealed
To face page 64
CHAPTER IX
CORRECT MANIBULATION
THE gréat majority of the people who kéep bees
have much to learn as regards the proper handling
of their stock. This is usually due to sheer ignor-
ance, owing to the lack of.a little tuition or the
want of a reliable text-book or periodical. It is
rarely through any unwillingness to learn, as the
modern methods are in every way cleaner, quicker,
and far more pleasant than the antiquated forms
of apiculture met with in many secluded districts.
Occasionally one comes across some hoary-headed
unbeliever who persists in keeping to the tradi-
tions created by some remote ancestor, but the
breed is fast dying out, and bids fair soon to be-
come extinct.
The great secret of manipulating bees is to be
gentle but firm, and the more the former quality,
is cultivated the less need will there be of the
latter. Bees are very nervous insects, and object
exceedingly to anything in the way of roughness.
_ In opening a frame-hive always stand at the back
of it if possible, or at the side, but never in front
of the entrance. A veil must be worn, but no
gloves, and some form of subjugator will be re-
E 65
66 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
quired. This usually takes the form of a smoker,
or of a cloth sprinkled with a solution of two parts
of water to one part of Calvert’s No. § carbolic
acid. First remove the quilts until only the
bottom one remains. Gently raise the edge of
this and blow a little smoke over the frames,
afterwards replacing ¢he quilt. The effect of this
smoke is to frighten the bees, causing them to
fill their honey-sacs from the open cells. In this
condition they are much less liable to sting.
If there are no open cells containing honey, a
condition of things which often exists in early
spring or late autumn, a little sugar syrup must be
poured over each of the seams of bees. It will
take the bees a couple of minutes or so to fill
their sacs, after which time the quilt may be
removed and a little more smoke blown over the
combs. Any examination that may be required
can now be made. In taking out the frames, first
remove the division-board at the side, if there is
one, and then take out the first frame.
In handling frames there is one correct method,
and one only. Draw the frame a little sideways
to clear it from the next comb, and then gently
raise it by the lugs. Examine the side. nearest
to you, and then, lowering one hand until the top
bar is perpendicular, swing the frame round like
the leaf of a book and bring the hands level again.
The effect of this will be that you are now look-
ing at the other side, with the bottom bar upper-
most. To bring the frame back to its proper
CORRECT MANIPULATION 67
position reverse the movements. Other and
quicker methods will occur to the novice, but there
is no other way, in which the comb is absolutely,
safe. In the manner described it is impossible
for the comb to fall out of the frame, and this
is a very real danger, especially in summer when
the wax is soft and the combs heavy with honey.
The result of a heavy comb leaving the frame and
falling into the hive is not readily imagined, but
it is always a severe lesson.
When replacing the frame in the hive be careful
that it does not drop hard on to the runners,
and place it against the near side of the hive,
after which examine the other frames in strict
rotation. Two thorough examinations annually,
are quite sufficient for ordinary purposes, one in
spring and the other in autumn. Careful notes
should be made at these times of the state of the
colony as regards strength, the age of the queen,
and the condition of the combs. Especially should
close scrutiny be made for signs of disease.
A hive should not be kept open longer than is
necessary, and in case the bees get restive they,
should be subdued with a little smoke. Novices
should note that it is not always necessary to
hunt the queen up, providing that her presence
is assured, and of this worker brood and eggs are
a sufficiently sure sign. In replacing the quilts,
first smoke the bees from the top bars, and then
lay the wrappings on one by one. If a carbolic
cloth be used instead of a smoker, it should be
68 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
drawn over the frames as the bottom quilt is
peeled off. In a minute or so remove it, only
using it further when the bees show signs of in-
subordination. a
When the spring examination is made, and it
should be made on a warm day towards the end
of April, a clean hive must be given to each colony,
afterwards scraping out the old hives and wash-
ing with strong soda and water applied very. hot.
In examining straw skeps, the combs being
fixed, their removal is out of the question. All
that can be done is to blow a little smoke in at
the entrance and then invert the skep. The combs
may be prised apart with the fingers, when the
presence of worker brood will indicate that the
skep contains a fertile queen. Nothing further -
however, can be done as regards examination, and
often the weight is no very correct guide to the
‘amount of stores contained, as pollen-clogged
combs may account for much of it.
In manipulating bees it will be seen that their
temper varies a great deal. They are much
quieter at some times of the year than they are
at others, and they are easier to handle on warm
days than they are on cool ones. It is unwise to
examine them late in the evening, and the best
time of all is in the middle of a warm day, when
~honey is coming in. It will be found also that
they are especially irritable at the close of a
honey flow, say at the end of July and August,
when great care is needed in handling them.
CORRECT MANIPULATION 69
It is of course to be expected that occasionally
the apiarist will be stung, although his chief
troubles will commence if his bees sting the neigh-
bours. It is the fear of stings that deters thou-
~sands from taking up this most fascinating pur-
suit, but really a sting is a mere nothing to most
bee-keepers. It is all pure imagination chiefly.
The flesh swells a little with some people on
first being stung, but even this discomfort usually.
disappears after a short time, until except for a
little momentary pain there is no ill effect what-
ever. In many, cases I often receive stings with-
out noticing them. There are exceptional cases
where people are constitutionally unable to bear
the effect of stings, and where a single sting even
causes most serious symptoms, but such instances
are very rare.
With regard to treatment, most apiarists after
removing the sting ignore it altogether, but if it
be thought advisable, a little ammonia, washing
blue, or soda may be rubbed on the affected part.
Brisk rubbing should be strictly. avoided, or a
painful swelling may be caused, owing to the
diffusion of the poison. The sting must always
be removed at once by a scratching motion of
the finger-nail.
Beginners in bee-keeping should try and gain a
fair idea of the condition of a colony from out-
ward indications. This knowledge can only be
acquired by close observation and experience, but
it will save a considerable amount of manipulation,
7O PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
and be it noted that manipulation is not good for
bees, and the less they have of it the better.
The strength of a colony may be gauged by
the number of the flying bees; the presence of a
queen by the way in which they carry in pollen;
want of food will be known when larve are cast
forth ; robbing will be easily discovered ; the pres-
ence of disease indicated, and even a desire to
swarm occasionally foretold. The alighting board
of a bee hive is an open book to those who can
understand its language, and many things of which
I havé no space to tell will be found printed there.
Study carefully your hive entrances, and watch
the movements of the bees. You will thus save
yourself the.trouble, and the bees the annoyance
of many unnecessary disturbances of the colony.
It is here that you will often see the first dread
signs of Isle of Wight disease, and be able to take
immediate steps for effectively dealing with it.
The different colours of the pollens will tell you
what are the sources of supply, or the lethargic
demeanour of the bees betray the fact that the
honey flow has ceased, and that there is no work
to do. The experienced bee-master rarely pulls
his colonies to pieces, but he never ceases his
watch over the entrances of the hives. Never
open up a colony if you can possibly discover
what you require from outside indications,
CHAPTER X
MID-SEASON WORK
AFTER his supers are on the bee-keeper must
redouble his vigilance, or he will be liable to
suffer loss in various directions. Particular care
must be exercised in seeing that the bees have
plenty of room for storage purposes, and space
must always be given in advance of their require-
ments. The exact amount of space required is a
matter which can only be learned by experience,
but it may be said that an abundance may be given
to strong colonies at the commencement of the
season. Towards the end of the honey flow much
more care must be used, or a lot of unfinished
work and unripe honey will be the result. When
the honey flow is on the wane, which is easily
seen by a peep into the supers, give extra room
very sparingly. Empty supers of combs should
not then be given, except to very strong stocks,
but full combs of capped honey may be taken
from the centre of supers and their places taken
by empty combs.
If too much room is given at this time the
bees will scatter the honey, about, using a small
portion of each of many combs, and filling none,
71
72 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
a form of storing which makes much extra work
for their owner. This question of getting all
work finished off applies in a much greater degree
to sections. Unfinished sections are unsaleable.
At the best they can only be extracted, and it is
poor economy to extract sections. To ensure ~
their being finished off, the finished sections should
be taken from all the racks as soon as the supply.
of nectar is seen to be failing, and full racks
made up of the unfinished ones that are left.
These racks must then be placed upon the very
strongest stocks and wrapped up warmly. By
these means the bees will be induced to complete
them.
Swarming is usually the chief trouble to many
bee-keepers at this time, and every means possible
should be used td avoid this trouble if a large
amount of surplus is required. The best method
for checking it and dealing with the swarms has
been pointed out elsewhere, but there are a few
other points well worth mentioning. One of these
is that if sections are worked for, the number of
swarms will be much above the average. Bees
intensely dislike these little boxes, with their tiny,
cubicles and general lack of space. It is not a
natural way, in which to compel them to build
comb, and consequently the great majority of such
stocks throw off swarms. These swarms must be
treated strictly on the lines indicated, as regards
hiving them on the old stands and giving them
the supers.
MID-SEASON WORK 73
The common way of dealing with a swarm is to
hive it on a new site, and more often than not
the supers are left on the old stock. This is not
a bit of use, and the adoption of this method
will lead to a loss of nearly the whole of the
honey crop. ~~»
A few spare queens may be easily reared when a.
swarm comes off, by the simple plan of breaking
up the old stock into three nuclei; each nucleus
consisting of three frames with the adhering bees,
and one or two good queen-cells, of which there
will usually be an abundance. The division is
best made about six days after the stock has
swarmed. In making it, allow one nucleus to re-
main on the stand of the old colony, and make
the two others on new locations. The one re-
maining on the old spot may be left rather weaker
than the others when the division takes place,
as it will be strengthened somewhat by a number
of flying bees which will return to it from the
others. In a few days time the queens will have
hatched, and on becoming fertilized may be use-
fully employed for re-queening purposes, or for
sale. The nuclei may then be joined up again to
make a full colony.
At the end of the honey flow, unless every care
is taken, there will be much trouble from rob-
“bing. bees, and when bees commence to rob in
earnest the apiary rapidly becomes demoralized.
It very. soon becomes the despair of its owner
and a terror to the neighbours. Fighting takes
74 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
place on a large scale and many bees are killed.
The strong stocks rob out the weak ones, and
when these are finished off fight fiercely among
themselves in their endeavours to rob each other.
As a rule one strong stock cannot rob out another
which is equally strong, or even moderately strong,
if the weaker one has a little assistance from the
apiarist.
The great thing is to check robbing at the very,
commencement, to nip it in the bud before the
business has time to get fairly under way. If it
becomes a serious case it is very difficult to put
it down, and it certainly means the removal of
nuclei and weak colonies to another apiary for
the time being.
Robbing is nearly always caused by careless-
ness on the part of the apiarist himself. He
throws bits of comb about on the grass, keeps
the hives open too long, or leaves supers of honey,
thoughtlessly exposed. Honey or syrup is spilled
about the apiary and the deed is done. The
trouble commences at the close of the honey flow,
and if it is fairly started it will often go on in-
termittently until the frosts put an end to the
predatory warfare.
It should never really get a start, and certainly
ought never to get out of hand if due care is
exercised. Honey must be removed from the
hives in the evening, and examinations of colonies
made at that time also whenever possible. The
bees will then have ceased flying. No sweets of
MID-SEASON WORK 75
any kind must be left about exposed to attack,
and: all hive entrances should be contracted.
Strong colonies may have a two-inch entrance, but
weak colonies and nuclei must have one bee space
only.
If a colony be attacked sprinkle the alighting
board with diluted carbolic acid, and throw a
bunch of loose, wet grass over the entrance. A
sheet of glass may also be propped before the
entrance. This will help to baffle the robbers
in their attempts to force a way in. If these
methods fail, the attacked stock must be removed
for the time being.
It may be remarked here that when stocks are
moved at a time of the year when the bees are
flying freely, they must be taken a distance of
at least two miles, or many flying bees will re-
turn to the old site and be lost. If it is necessary
for any purpose to remove them a short distance
at such times, the hives must be moved at the rate
of two or three feet on each fine day. This, how-
ever, would not be practicable if for any. pur-
pose it was necessary to move a stock a dis-
tance of a mile. In such a case they, would have
to be taken to a spot three miles distant, kept
there for a week or so, and then placed in the
desired position. In the winter, when the bees
have been closely confined to their hives for a
period, they may be moved either long or short’
distances without loss.
The cleaning-up of combs wet from the ex-
76 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
tractor will be a part of the work which has to
be done at this period, and this is a fruitful cause
of robbing. The supers of wet combs must be
placed on the hives at nightfall, and care taken to
see that no bees can effect an entrance from the
outside. The combs may be allowed to remain on
the hives for a week, at the expiration of which
they may be removed and stored away.
It is recommended that this ‘‘cleaning-up” of
wet combs should be entrusted to one or two
colonies, as by this means there is not so much
danger of distributing disease germs.. The usual
method is to give the combs back to the colony
from which they were taken, but it must not be
forgotten that such combs have usually followed
others through the wet cages of an extractor.
Where the extracting is done by taking one colony
at a time, and cleaning the extractor for each, I
would allow each colony to clean its own combs,
but not ‘otherwise.
We are speaking now of an apiary in which
there is no known disease. It is only to such
apiaries that the above remarks apply. Where
any mild cases of foul-brood exist—a few infected
cells, say, here and there—the honey from such
stocks must be treated quite as a thing apart. In
such cases extract the honey from the healthy
colonies, and finish with the others, finally dis-
infecting the extractor.
CHAPTER XI
THE APIARIST AND HIS FOES
THE time has undoubtedly arrived when no in-
telligent bee-keeper can honestly resist the intro-
duction of an Act of Parliament dealing with bee
diseases. The advent of Isle of Wight disease
(Microsporidioszs), with its terrific ravages, makes
such an Act a vital condition of successful api-
culture. Formerly the apiarist considered his
troubles to be infinite when his apiary contracted
foul-brood,. but this old brood malady pales
beside the fierce and deadly pestilence which is
now devastating our apiaries.
Briefly, the chief foes of the apiarist are Isle of
Wight disease, and foul-brood, and he should be
thoroughly conversant with the symptoms, aspects
and treatment of these maladies. He has other
troubles, dysentery, bee paralysis, and May pest,
while at times toads, tits, and a few other birds
will prey upon his bees, and wasps will steal his
honey. Mention is made of dysentery in an earlier
chapter, while the depredations of the toads and
other small fry are usually infinitesimal, and may
be easily checked. In the case of bee paralysis,
and May pest, there are grave suspicions for.
77
78 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
assuming that these are but mild forms of Isle of
Wight disease.
Isle of Wight disease is caused by the presence
of a small parasite in the chyle-stomach, and in-
testines of the bee. This parasite (Vosema apts)
after passing through various stages, forms spores,
and it is by means of spores that the disease is
spread. Itisacomplaint which is very difficult to
diagnose at times, as the symptoms vary consider-
ably. In mild cases it may take the form of
‘spring dwindling,’ or that of a bad case of
dysentery, but in its more serious phases it is no
longer open to misconstruction. Several things
may happen even then, however. Frequently the
bees are found dead in a heap on the floor-board
of the hive, when the spring examination is made,
and at other times the bees vanish entirely, and are
never seen again. The very commonest form is
the spectacle of great numbers of bees crawling
about on the ground, and ascending blades of
grass and other objects, unable to fly, and exhibit-
ing distortion in several forms. The abdomen
may be distended, and appear to hang downward,
wings are often projected from the thorax at un-
natural angles, and one or more pairs of legs may
‘be paralysed. Occasionally, the combs are soiled
with excreta, but not always, although any fouling
of the hive interior gives good ground for sus-
picion. The worker bees are the first usually to
be attacked, and the queen is, as a rule, the last to
fall,
THE APIARIST AND HIS FOES 79
It will thus be seen that there are many aspects,
but the progress of the disease is very rapid as a
rule, and any bee-keeper who is losing many bees,
in conjunction with any of the symptoms men-
tioned, will be correct in assuming that the trouble
. is Isle of Wight disease.
As regards treatment, it is to be regretted that
no certain cure has been found for infested stocks,
and most of them perish. Something may be
achieved in mild cases by feeding the bees with
food medicated with Bacterol, and by spraying the
bees with a solution of the same preparation.
Serious cases should be dealt with in the most
drastic manner. The stocks should be destroyed,
and the bees, combs, and all interior hive fittings
burnt, although any honey or wax may be used
for household purposes if desired. The hives
should be scorched out with a painter’s lamp,
washed out with a five per cent. solution of
carbolic acid, and the outsides re-painted. The
ground under and about the hives should be
turned over, and sprinkled with lime, or carbolic
solution, and a good supply of fresh water should
be assured. Stagnant water is a fertile source
of infection.
In combating the disease, absolute cleanliness is
essential, and all means should be adopted to
maintain the utmost vitality in the bees.
Foul-brood (Bacillus Alvet) differs from Isle of
Wight disease in that it is a larval disease, but it
1s little less formidable on that account, and takes
80 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
a heavy toll of bee life. The bacillus, after certain
changes, forms spores, analogous to the seeds of
plants. These are easily disseminated, and of
great vitality, retaining their power of activity
after a period of years, and they are immune toany
chemical agent which would not injure the bees.
When attacked the larve turns toa pale yellow,
and later toa dark brown substance of glue-like
consistency, and with a very objectionable odour.
In the early stages the larva which is unsealed is
noticeably flabby and distorted, while the sealed
larve in bad cases shows sunken and dark-coloured
capping, often perforated by the bees with irregu~-
lar holes, as if an attempt had been made at
removal. i
Black brood is a very similar disease, and in bad
cases both of this and foul-brood, the same mea-
sures should be adopted as for Isle of Wight
disease. Milder cases may be treated by the
starvation method. This consists of shaking the
bees from their combs, and confining them ina
box, or skep, for forty-eight hours without food.
Give them plenty of air, and at the expiration of
the time hive them in a clean hive on sheets of
foundation, and slow-feed with syrup medicated
with napthol beta. If possible re-queen the
colony.
In dealing with these two disorders, it must
never be forgotten that both are highly infectious,
and the spores may be readily carried from colony
to colony by means of contaminated appliances.
HIVING A SWARM
ANCIENT AND MODERN HIVES
Here will be seen an old straw Skep in company with a modern ‘“W.B.C.” Hive
To face page 81
CHAPTER XII
INCREASING AND UNITING
IT frequently happens that it is desirable to divide
colonies, either for increasing the stock or with a
view to the prevention of swarming. The method
usually adopted is the one known as artificial
swarming, and it is capable of many variations.
Artificial swarming is especially useful in cases
where it is suspected that colonies may swarm,
for. then this may be done for them, and any,
possible loss of the natural swarm or trouble in
securing it obviated. There are certain rules to
be observed inthis process of division. They
are few in number, but they must .be rigidly
adhered to, or failure will attend the efforts of
the apiarist. First, only strong colonies must be
divided; secondly, the swarm must be made in
the middle of a warm day, when the bees are
flying freely; thirdly, it must not be done before
drones are plentiful for the fertilization of the
young queens.
To divide one colony into two, take the frame
on which the queen is found and place it in a
new hive, filling up the hive with frames of empty,
comb or sheets of comb foundation. A frame
F 81
82 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
must also be placed in- the first hive to replace
the one taken out. Now remove the full colony
to a new location, and on the vacant site place
the hive containing the queen. The bees which
are out gathering, along with others which will
return from the removed hive, will make up the
swarm, which should be well fed until established.
The old stock will raise a new queen, but if a
fertile queen can be given, or even a ripe queen-
cell, valuable time will be saved.
Where one stock is made into two no honey is
secured that season as a rule, and the next varia-
tion is recommended as giving moderate incréase
with a possibility of surplus honey as well.
‘This form of division consists in making three
colonies out of two. Select two strong colonies,
and from one of them take five good frames of
brood. Place them in an empty hive and fill up
both hives with empty combs or sheets of founda-
tion. No bees must be taken with the brood, and
the hive containing it must be placed on the
stand of the other selected colony, moving the
latter to a new position. Thus the bees are
secured from one stock and the brood from the
other. In this case it will be observed that it
is the new colony which has to be given a queen,
or if necessary allowed to raise one. If it be
desirable the frames of brood may be taken from
any, number of colonies up to five, when their
loss will not be felt.
We will now reverse this procedure, and turn to
INCREASING AND UNITING 83
uniting. This operation becomes an obligation at
times, as in the case of weak stocks which are
unable to winter, or with nuclei at the close of
queen-rearing. It is also necessary with moderate
colonies just before the honey flow, so that they.
may be placed in a position to take advantage
of it,
When bees are united care must be taken to
prevent fighting, and if precautions are not taken
the weaker of the two parties will be killed. The
best plan with weak colonies is to gradually move
them towards each other until they stand side by
side. Remove all empty combs until each colony
occupies the same number -of frames as nearly,
as possible. Take away the worst of the two
queens, and cage the other upon a comb with a
pipe-cover cage. Now dust the bees thoroughly,
with flour in the hive containing the queen, and
space the combs wide apart to admit of the others
being placed alternately, with them. Then dust
the queenless bees and place them in the spaces
reserved for their reception. Take away the empty
hive, cover up the united stock, and liberate the
queen in twenty-four hours.
Syrup scented with peppermint may be used
instead of flour if preferred. Never attempt to
unite “‘ driven’ bees by running them into the
entrance of an established colony, or they will be
killed. If it is necessary to use these bees for
strengthening purposes, hive them first upon
combs, and then proceed upon the lines indicated.
84 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
With the plan given, any number of nuclei may ~
be joined together, and if there is no choice in
the queens it is not necessary to remove them.
The bees will settle that to their own satisfaction
without any trouble on your part. It is only
advisable to cage the queen when all the others
have been removed, to avoid any risk of her
being damaged.
When disease exists in a locality it is wise to
refrain from interchanging brood and bees from
established stocks, No more colonies should be
interfered with than is absolutely necessary. In
making up a nuclei, for instance, if three are re-
quired, break a colony up entirely, but do not
make-one from each of three colonies. This form-
ing of nuclei colonies early in the season is a very
good method of increase, but care must be taken
or they will suffer checks, and fail to build up
sufficiently strong for wintering. They should be
gently fed when there is no natural supply, and
carefully protected from robbers.
Instead of increasing native stocks it will be
advisable to add to the number of Dutch colonies
for the present. These Dutch’ bees, while not
immune from the attacks of Isle of Wight disease,
have very strong constitutions, and are great
disease resisters. Unfortunately, just now the
demand for these bees exceeds the supply, but
with a cessation of war conditions this would
probably adjust itself.
CHAPTER XIII
QUEENS AND QUEEN-CELLS
‘THE importance of young queens in an apiary
cannot be over-estimated. They are a necessity
if the utmost profit is to be obtained from the
pursuit, and yet no phase of bee-keeping has less
attention paid to it in the majority of cases.
Why. the queen is so important is obvious, but
what is not generally known is that queens, like
most other things, deteriorate as they get older,
until they. reach a stage when they are no longer
profitable. A queen is at her best in the second
season, and she will probably do well in her
third, but after then ft is not advisable to retain
her. Thus, then, theoretically we ought to renew
our queens at the end of every second season or
thereabouts, but personally I am no advocate -of
such an arbitrary system. While a queen con-
tinues to do well I should retain her to the third
season, but I should have a younger queen ready
to depose her if she failed before that time.
When a queen is past her prime. the bees will
depose her themselves, first building a series of
cells called supersedure cells, and raising a young
queen. The bees, however, may drive this work
85
86 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
on to a time long past that defined by the apiarist
as his limit, and therefore it is not wise to leave
it to them.
When bees are found to be building super-
sedure cells, by all means let the good work
go on and utilize the cells, as they produce the
best of queens. Good cells may also be obtained
when a colony, swarms, but at other times when
the apiarist wishes to rear queens he must com-
pel his bees to raise a batch. This is done by,
making a colony queenless, and at the same time
depriving it of all unsealed brood and eggs.
Twenty-four hours afterwards give them a frame
of eggs from the hive containing the best queen
in the apiary, first cutting the comb away at the
bottom up to the first row of eggs. This will
give. room for the queen-cells to hang. Feed the
queenless colony gently, and in about ten days’
time the nuclei may. be formed.
Nuclei are small colonies of bees formed for
the purpose of getting the young queens fertil-
ized, and they should consist of three good frames
of bees, two of the frames containing mature
brood. The queen-raising colony will form three
good nuclei, one of which, and the weakest of
the three, should be left in the original hive.
Nuclei may, be placed either in full-sized hives
or in small hives holding three frames only.
Give each of these small colonies at least one
good queen-cell, enclosed in a cell-protector, and
cover the whole up warmly. In a fortnight from
QUEENS AND QUEEN-CELLS 87
that time, if all goes well, the young queens should
have hatched, have become fertilized, and be lay-
ing. They, can be used as may, seem desirable,
and a fresh batch of cells given to the nuclei,
It will be seen that although a queen raiser,
can breed from his best queen, he cannot select,
the drones with which the young virgins are to,
be mated. Much has been written about the
fertilization of queens with selected drones, but
in a country so thickly populated as our own the
thing is practically impossible. Fertilization takes
place high in the air, and even if the bee-keeper,
kept nothing. but selected drones in his own apiary,
a large proportion of his queens would probably be
mated with those which belong to his neighbours.
When introducing new queens to a colony pre-
cautions must be taken, or they, may, be killed.
‘The usual method is to cage the queen on a
comb, placing the cage in the centre of the brood-
nest and over a few open cells of honey. Feed
the bees gently, and liberate the queen in from
twenty-four to forty-eight hours. It will be readily,
seen on releasing her whether the bees are dis-
posed to be friendly or otherwise towards her.
If they, commence to pull the queen about, or
enclose her in a tight mass of bees, a form of
attack termed ‘‘palling,’’ she must be caged again
until they are willing to accept her.
‘Another method of introducing, is to enclose
the queen in a cage, at one end of which is a
quarter-inch hole filled with soft candy. The
88 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
queen is then released by the bees themselves
eating away the candy block. In any case be sure
that there is no virgin or other queen in the
hive, or any attempt at introduction is bound
to end in failure.
For commercial queen raising it is usual to
make up the nuclei in small hives, taking frames
half the size of the standard, thus economizing
the bees required fot the fertilizing stage. These
small frames are-clipped together and used as
ordinary standards during the early part of the.
season, afterwards taking them apart when form-
ing the nuclei. System is the secret of profes-
sional queen raising. Everything must as far as
possible work smoothly, and batches of cells must
be. continually brought forward to replenish the
nuclei from which fertile queens have been sold.
This branch of apiculture is not for beginners,
and should be adopted very cautiously and gradu-
ally, extending operations as the demand increases
and experience ripens.
In the presence of disease, the hands should
be well washed with carbolic soap between the
examination of One stock and another, and the
appliances should be disinfected with a twenty-
five per cent. solution of carbolic acid. If your
stocks are healthy it is a most unwise thing to
introduce fresh blood into the apiary at the
present time. Many thriving apiaries have been
ruined by neglect of this precaution.
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CHAPTER XIV.
THE PREPARATION OF HONEY
WHEN the honey has been removed from the
hives, much still remains to be done before it is
fit for the table or the market. In the first place,
if it be extracted honey that has to be dealt with,
it requires grading, extracting, ripening, and finally
putting up in jars or other receptacles.
This werk must be carried out in a room which
is impervious to the attacks of bees or wasps,
as it usually comes at a time when these insects
are highly aggressive. Should they be able to
effect an entrance the work will soon be brought
abruptly to a standstill.
The honey should first be graded, as it is a
mistake of the first order to extract the whole
of the combs in one lot. The honey which is
collected by the bees is of various colours and
qualities, and it must not be mixed if the best
is to be made of the product. If the combs be
held up to the light it will readily be seen that
they contain honey of both light and dark shades,
and these shades should be separated and ex-
tracted apart. Light honey will fetch threepence
or fourpence per pound more than dark honey,
89
go PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
although for my own part I much prefer a good
honey of a medium colour. However, the fact
remains that light honey is synonymous with high
prices, and in this respect there is no dark honey,
that can compete with it save and except the
incomparable heather honey of the Scottish moors.
This grading of honey must be done very care-
fully, for a very little dark honey will spoil the
colour and bring: down the price of a large quan-
tity. of light. The combs should be tested in a
good light. After grading the extracting must
be proceeded with, and for this purpose an ex-
~tractor will be required, and also a few other
necessary, articles. The honey extractor consists
of a metal cylinder, within which reyolve two
-or more cages fixed to a vertical central shaft.
The honey is extracted by uncapping and placing
combs in the cages, which are then caused to,
rotate swiftly, by means of a handle at the top
or side, which handle in most cases is fitted with
chain or. cog gearing. The honey is thrown out
by. centrifugal force against the sides of the
cylinder, and runs to the bottom, whence it is
drawn off by means of a honey valve. All ex-
tractors work on this principle, and the machines
run in different sizes, taking either two or four
combs as a rule to each filling. ‘As to which
size is necessary, depends on the amount of work
which has to be performed and the price which the
buyer wishes to pay, which may, be anywhere
from fifteen to fifty, shillings.
&
THE PREPARATION OF HONEY 91
Having the extractor, then, the other articles
needed are two large sharp knives—the W. B. C.
uncapping: knife is best, but carving-knives will
do well enough; a jug of hot water with which
to heat them, or preferably a tin of water kept
hot over a, small oil stove; a tin for the cap-~
pings; and one or two cloths. Place the knives
in the hot water, and then take a comb, which
should be held in the manner depicted in the
illustration. Now wipe the water from one of the
knives, and remove the capping with one sweep-.
ing upward cut. The knife must be changed for
the other side of the comb. As will be seen
the comb is held at an angle so that as the cap-
ping is cut it falls away from the comb and
‘into the tin. After uncapping both sides place
the comb in one of the extractor cages, after-
wards uncapping another of about the same weight
for the other cage. Now turn the handle sharply
until all the honey, is thrown out, after which
the combs must be turned and the operation re-
peated to -extract the other side. Do not turn
the handle too quickly, or the combs will be
forced from their frames. Only sufficient motion
is required to effect the purpose in view, so that
the speed required will be very, readily seen.
Continue the work until all the combs have
been extracted, raising the machine as often as
may be required to draw off the honey, and taking
care not to mix the various qualities.
92 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
The honey, should be drawn off into a honey-
ripener. This is a tall, cylindrical vessel, shaped
something like a milk churn, and is fitted with a
strainer and lid. Its purpose is to ripen the
honey. When honey is extracted there is a con-
siderable quantity thrown out of the cells which
has not been- sealed over by the bees. This
honey is unripe, and if it is bottled along with
the ripe honey. will cause fermentation.
The ripener is for the purpose of separating this
thin honey, which should not be sold, but may
be fed back to the bees. Having filled the ripener,
then, place it in a warm corner and allow it to
stand for a week. It will now be found that the
thin honey has risen to the top, and as all ripeners
are fitted with valves at the bottom the good
honey may be drawn off, leaving the thin behind.
We now come to the putting up of honey for
sale, and the methods employed are various. First
let me say that cleanliness and neatness, combined
with good taste, are the great secret of it all.
Take whatever form of package you like, but your
ultimate success in finding a market rests in the
main on your observance of the qualities men-
tioned.
For the retail trade, or for shopkeepérs, ex-
tracted honey is usually sold in pound and half-
pound screw-cap jars. These jars are fitted with
a cork wad, and if tastefully labelled they are
‘particularly attractive. For the wholesale market
THE PREPARATION OF HONEY 93
it is customary to run the honey into fourteen or
twenty-eight-pound tins, with a lever lid. Larger
sizes than these should not be employed, as they.
are very heavy, to handle, besides being incon-
venient in cases where it is necessary to liquefy,
the honey after granulation. Square tins are the
most convenient for packing where the produce
has to be sent over railways.
Comb honey in sections also requires grading,
and the combs should be sorted into first and
second qualities. The first quality, consisting of
the very best combs, fully capped over, built out
to the wood all round, and of snowy whiteness,
the seconds well filled but lacking in finish. After
grading the wood must be scraped round with
a sharp knife, to remove any marks of propolis,
pollen, etc., and then for a finish it is best to
glaze the sections. This is effected by attaching a
square of glass with lace paper to each side of the *
section, using strong paste for the purpose. The
glass should be four and three-sixteenths square
for four and a quarter inch sections, and both
glass and lace paper may. be bought very
cheaply. °
It pays to glaze sections. In the first place
they will make at least eighteenpence per dozen
more than unglazed ones; then, again, the glass
protects the combs from damp and the attacks of
insects; finally, many shopkeepers will not buy
them unless they are glazed. Comb honey is of
a most fragile and delicate nature, and should
04 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
have some protection if it is to be kept at all.
In good condition it is a most beautiful and dainty
article of food ; badly put up, sticky and messy, it
is most uninviting and practically unsaleable.
Another way of putting up extracted honey is
in the form of compressed paper, or fibre jars.
These are after the form of the jars used for send-
ing out cream, and are very cheap and serviceable.
The paper is waterproofed, and the package is
made in various sizes; some which I received
lately were made to hold two pounds of honey, and
were fitted with a lid displaying the name and
address of the producer. These paper jars are
filled with the liquid honey, and the lid closed
down, when they may be packed to travel by rail.
Of course when the honey has granulated very
little packing is needed, the paper being of a very
tough and impervious nature.
This package is a very good one indeed for
heather honey, and for any honey which granulates
rapidly and solidly, as charlock blends. It is not
quite so good as a jar for poor honeys of thin
consistency, or for some of the fine clover honeys,
many of which remain semi-liquid for years.
It is a good plan when selling honey wholesale
to send screw-cap jars out in returnable boxes,
and each box should contain a dozen jars, with
separators between. Such boxes will stand for
years, are a great aid to labour saving, and
prevent losses from breakage.
CHAPTER XV.
HEATHER HONEY
HEATHER honey is considered the finest honey.
produced by many experts, and it is certain that
their opinion seems to be generally endorsed,
judging from the large number of people who are
prepared to pay the high price charged for the
product. There has never been a season in recent
years when the supply was equal to the demand,
and the prices secured often range from 1/- to
1/6 per pound for the pressed article, and 1/6 to
2/- each for good sections.
This honey is of a very dark amber colour,
aromatic, and exceedingly thick. Ina good samplé
it much resembles jelly. The best qualities are
secured from high altitudes, such as the Scottish
moors, and parts of Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
From lower levels the honey is of an inferior
character. Heather honey is a most uncertain
crop, and in most years there is a heavy shortage.
The bloom comes at a time when the weather is
often very unfavourable to the secretion of nectar,
the nights being chilly, and there is frequently
much rain. :
As in working for clover the stocks must be
95
96 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING -
very, strong, and the body-box solid with brood
when, the bees are sent to the moors. If there
is much room below, most of the crop will be
stored there. Should this happen it is practically,
lost to the bee-keeper, as this honey, cannot be
extracted in the ordinary. way. It is usual to
work for sections, and the colonies should be
strengthened until there are at least sufficient bees
to fill one crate in addition to the brood chamber.
Very warm packing is absolutely necessary, or the
bees will not work in the supers.
It is a great advantage if the apiarist can get
his sections drawn out during the clover flow, as
this saves valuable time and is true economy.
Bees are usually sent to the moors on a light
spring cart or dray, in which they should be
placed above a good thickness of straw.
When packing these strong colonies great Care
must be taken to ensure free ventilation, and the
means employed are the same as when sending by
rail. The frames should be secured from move-
ment by screwing strips of wood over and across
the lugs, and the body-box must be secured to
the floor-board by screws also. Take out the
entrance slides and close the entrance with a piece
of wire gauze, and either gauze or cheese-cloth
should be stretched over the frames after the re-
moval of the quilts. This gives thorough ven-
tilation.
Unless they are needed to accommodate the
bees it is best to place the supers in position after
TRANSFERRING A SKEP
Skep placed above a Frame Hive to admit of the bees transferring themselves
To face page 96
HEATHER HONEY 97
arrival at the heather. In placing the gauze over
the frames it is an improvement if it be mounted
on a light frame made of half-inch wood, which
will give a good bee-space above them.
If the apiarist makes a regular practice of going
to the moors, he should have a. three-inch hole
cut in the bottom-board, and covered with per-.
forated zinc. A cover may be made for this hole,
which is only required at this particular time.
The journey must be made at night,-arid the bees
released early next morning.
As.I have mentioned, heather honey cannot be
extracted, but must be pressed out. For this
purpose a honey press is needed. In these presses
the combs are enclosed in cheese-cloth and crushed
between metal plates. The honey is thus extracted
and strained at the same time, ready, for ripening
and bottling. As this method involves the sacri-
fice of the combs most bee-keepers elect to work
for sections in preference.
A bee-keeper is doubly fortunate when circum-
stances give him access to two such crops as
clover and heather. He has not only a double
chance of securing surplus honey, but even in
years when the heather bloom is a comparative
failure he usually secures sufficient honey. to feed
up the bees for the winter, and this alone is well
worth the trouble and expense of the journey to
the moors.
CHAPTER XVI
DRIVING BEES
ALL apiarists should be able to drivé beés, and
especially those who reside in country districts
where skeps are much in use. Skeppists are
often only. too willing to allow their skeps to be
driven at the end of the honey flow, and the acqui-
sition of these bees supplies the modern bee-
keeper with an opportunity of strengthening his
weak stocks at a nominal cost. I do not advise
the buying of driven bees, but where they can be
procured for the trouble of driving, or for a
small consideration, they are most useful.
There are two methods of driving, open and
close, and it is with the former that we have to
deal. The latter method is not largely used now,
but I may say that it consists of inverting a full
skep upon its crown and turning down upon it
another empty skep of the same size. The junc-
tion is secured with a cloth, and by drumming
upon the bottom skep the bees may be caused to
ascend into the one placed to receive them. There
is too much working in the dark with this method,
however, which with open driving does not exist.
Practically, all that is required for open driving
98
DRIVING BEES 99
is a set of driving irons, and some skeps, linen
bags, or boxes for the reception of the bees.
Gently, smoke the skep to be driven, and turn
it upon its crown, afterwards attaching an empty
skep upon it as given below. The skeps are
pinned together with the short iron, the others
being used to support the sides. The point of
junction, which forms the bridge by which the
bees will reach the top skep, must be at the end
of the central comb. This is a most important
feature. The combs must run away from the
operator, not across him from left to right, or
there will be trouble. Place the skeps so that
~ the strongest light comes from behind the oper-
ator, and then commence to steadily beat the sides
of the bottom skep with the open hands. Soon
the bees will begin to ascend, and in a few minutes,
the skep containing the combs will be clear, after
which the irons may be removed and the bees
shaken into a box or bag, leaving the empty. skep
ready for the next lot. If the bees instead of
ascending show a disposition to boil over the sides
of the skep, they must be checked with the smoker
and induced to take the right direction.
These bees are useful either for the strengthen-
ing of weaklings or for the forming of new.
colonies. In the latter case about six pounds of
bees will be needed, or roughly the contents of
two or three skeps. If necessary two or three lots
of bees may be placed in the same box at the
time of driving, first removing any queens which
100 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
are known to be old. It is best to hive these
bees on built-out combs where possible, and feed
them up rapidly. If this cannot be done, five or
six sheets of foundation must be given to them,
and they may winter on a contracted brood-nest
of-that extent.
Comb building at this season should be spared
them when possible. It is to the advantage of
the bee-keeper to obtain his bees as soon after
the beginning of August as he can, and to this
end he should be early afoot—or perhaps I ought
to say awheel—among the outlying districts. Many
old skeppists will probably be averse to having
their bees taken up at this early date. Then it
should be explained to them that except in odd
districts, or in heather localities, the skeps get
lighter nearly every week after the end of July,
and this they~may easily prove if they take the
trouble to weigh them.
It is not a, bad plan to go round in early spring
and make arrangements with cottagers for the
driving of their bees at the end of the season, and
if a trifling amount per skep is offered there. will
usually be little difficulty in settling the matter.
In hiving the bees they should be treated ex-
actly as swarms, and then fed as rapidly as they
will take the syrup. A good set of driving irons
may be made by taking some stout wire, about
one-eighth thick, and bending it to the desired
form.
CHAPTER XVII
SAFE WINTERING
WITH each recurring spring a large percéntage of
colonies fail to respond to the roll-call, and their
disappointed owners cast vainly round for some
explanation of what is to them an unintelligible
mystery. The bees were all right in the autumn,
strong, full colonies, and now they are dead.
The same old thing repeats itself year after year,
and will continue to repeat itself until bee-keepers
more thoroughly understand what is required in
order that their bees may winter safely.
Stocks ought to, and will winter safely, and I
will guarantee that ninety-five per cent might be
brought through. Personally I only admit of pos-
sible loss in one direction, and this is owing to the
bees becoming queenless during the winter. There
is no remedy for this. Queens, like everything
else, die at times from natural causes, and if
this occurs in winter the stock becomes a total
loss.
All these lost colonies, however, of which I
speak are starved:to death in ‘nineteen cases out
of twenty. Fhis may seem an astounding fact,
IolI
102 PROFITABLE ._BEE-KEEPING
but it is so, and when I state that I know of an
apiary in which seventeen stocks out of twenty-
four met with this fate last winter, nothing fur-
ther need be said.
Bees can be winteréd much safer than many,
other creatures on a farm if a few simple rules
be thoroughly understood and acted upon. In
the first place, they must have from twenty-five to
thirty-five pounds of good food; secondly, they,
must be kept very, warm in a good hive, from
which wet, draughts, and mice must be rigorously,
excluded; finally, the colonies must be strong in
bees and headed for preference by young queens,
although this last is not an item of the first im-
portance as regards wintering.
Preparations for wintering should begin at the
end of August, when all colonies should be gone
through and the food-supply carefully gauged,
recollecting that a little over four square inches
of comb contains about one pound of food. Make
sure at the same time that there is a fertile
queen present. When all the colonies have been
examined proceed to give them any food that may,
be necessary, to make up the requisite quantity,
for winter use. This should be given in what is
known as a rapid feeder, a drawing of which will
be found elsewhere.
When feeding is over, place a split ball of
napthaline in each of the back corners. of the
floor-board, and across the frame top bars lay
SAFE WINTERING 103
two strips of wood, about two inches apart. These
strips should be three-eighths of an inch thick,
and of a sufficient length to go right across the
centre of the frames. Their use is to give the
bees a, passage over the frame tops, enabling them
to travel from comb to comb in search of food
without leaving the warm atmosphere which pre-.
vails at the top of the brood-chamber. This
done, pack all down as warmly. as possible with
good thick quilts. Finally, secure the roofs from
high winds, and if necessary place a strip of per-
forated zinc across all entrances to exclude mice.
Be sure that the hives are waterproof, as damp is
fatal to bees.
If these instructions are thoroughly, carried out,
winter losses will become a, thing of the past, and
what was formerly a game of chance will be
practically a certainty.
In connection with this chapter a word may be
given as to the proper care of surplus standard
and shallow combs during the winter months.,
These combs, which are most valuable stock, must,
be safely stored away, either in supers or in boxes
specially made for the purpose. In any, case they,
must be secured against the attacks of mice, and
it is necessary, that they be kept dry. The greatest
enemy, is the wax moth, the larve of which do
much damage to disused combs. Their depreda-
tions may be easily seen, and when they are
present the combs should be well fumigated with
104 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
burning sulphur. Prevention, however, is better
than cure, and if the combs are kept in a re-
ceptacle which is moth-tight there is small fear
of any harm coming to them. .
A wintering system, which has much to com-
mend it, is one known as the claustral detention
system. In this method the hives are fitted with a
special porch, which can be closed at will, and the
bees confined to the hive during inclement weather
in spring, or at any other time should the need
arise. Ventilation is provided for by means of
special tubes, and many other advantages are
claimed for this hive entrance, which was intro-
duced by the Abbé Gouttefangeas. It is asserted
that bees have been confined for so long as five
months in this way, and it is certainly very
valuable in case of. moving bees to new locations,
and in the making of artificial swarms, the pre-
vention of robbing, and the eradication of bee
diseases. In this latter case all that is necessary
is to close the hive up entirely. Then no robbers
can gain entrance, nor can the rightful inhabitants
escape. There is no fetching and carrying of
disease, and at the same time the medicinal treat-
ment of the affected colony can go on.
CHAPTER XVIII
SELLING THE PRODUCE
THERE are a great many bee-keepers, mostly
those who have small apiaries, to Whom the sell-
ing of their produce at remunerative prices is an
annual source of difficulty. These men, living
as they, do often in good but remote honey dis-
tricts, can produce honey much more easily than
they can dispose’ of it, while others having prac-
tically an unlimited demand are at their wits’ end
to supply their customers. It is quite time that
this state of things was remedied, and some scheme
launched on a co-operative basis whereby honey
can be distributed evenly over the markets. The
schemes which are now being inaugurated by
the Smallholder would no doubt embrace some-
thing of the kind, as there are infinite possibilities
in it, both for the selling of honey and any other
kind of produce grown on small-holdings. As
the thing stands at present, one man is producing
large crops with no market for them, owing some-
times, I confess, to his own lack of business energy,
while another man is running here, there, and
everywhere in vain attempts to satisfy his numer-
ous and ever increasing customers.
105
~~ OSN
106 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
Without further digression, however, I would
say that there is no crop which can be more readily
sold than bee-produce, whether it be honey, or
wax. Most bee-keepers fail owing to causes which
are very, obvious. They are deficient in push and
energy, they reside in outlying districts and make
no serious attempts to reach the towns, their goods
are badly prepared for sale and offered in a
‘messy and undesirable condition. These are the
prime causes of failure, for I never knew a good
bee-keeper yet who could not sell his honey; in
fact, when a reputation for good honey has been
made, people will readily fetch it, without caus-
ing any trouble to the apiarist.
First it is most essential that honey should be
put up in faultless condition, and of a good level
colour. Instructions for grading it have been
given elsewhere, but the bee-keeper should try.
and make the grades approximately the same each
season, Further, he will do well to establish a
fair and regular price, to be adhered to with-.
out variation, either in good seasons or in bad.
Create and establish a standard article at a fixed
price. Put it up in the same way each year, until
people can recognize your honey as far off as
they can see the bottle. Never send out honey of
inferior quality, or in a badly labelled, sticky jar.
If these precepts are adhered to, a market will
be founded in an incredibly, short time, and always
remember that every, satisfied customer usually,
brings others in his wake. Circularize the dis-
SELLING THE PRODUCE 107
trict and advertise in the local newspaper, at the
same time making a small but tasteful display;
in your window, if you be living by the side of
the highway. If this does not clear your produce,
recourse may be had to the nearest town and
honey offered to the shopkeepers there, either by,
means of circulars, canvassing, or advertisement.
Should this fail most shopkeepers will make a
display, on sale or return terms.
‘Try by all means to deal direct with the con-
sumer, as then the highest possible profit is made.
With regard to the packages, there is nothing
better than the usual screw-cap jars for extracted
honey for the retail trade, and twenty-eight-pound
square tins with lever lids for the wholesale market.
All comb honey should be glazed preferably, or
failing that it may. be wrapped in grease-proof
paper, and placed in cardboard cartons stamped
with the name and address of the producer.
‘All honey should carry a distinctive label, con-
taining the name and address of the seller, and
to this should be added a notice stating that if the
honey. granulates it is merely a further sign of
its purity, and that it may be readily re-liquefied*
by, immersion in warm water. These hints if acted
upon will do away with nearly all honey-selling
troubles, which should never exist, seeing the large
yearly, influx of foreign honey.
CHAPTER XIX
RACES OF BEES
A QUESTION which is often asked by beé-keepers,
especially just after they have left the novice
stage, is, Which is the best variety of bee for
me to keep? I invariably answer that a good
strain of the common brown bee cannot be beaten.
Among honey-bees there are a number of
varieties, but, except when kept experimentally,
three only are commonly met with in this country.
The ones usually seen are Italians, Carniolans,
and our own brown bee. From time to time other
races have been experimented with, but none of
them have become popular. °
The Italian bee is a brightly coloured insect,
with an abdomen marked with distinct yellow
bands. In the pure state it is exceptionally quiet,
a prolific breeder, and an energetic worker. Many,
people here profess to have great faith in its
good qualities, but candidly I have no great love
for them personally. They have the good qualities
I have spoken of, but they also have other bad
ones, and one of these is that they are not of the
slightest use for working on section honey, owing,
to the peculiar water-soaked appearance of their
108
RACES OF BEES 109
capping. If this was their only defect I could
forgive them; but it is not, for while admitting
the prolificacy of the queens, my pure stocks
never attained the strength nor did they show.
results equal to my. blacks. This I lay entirely.
to the delicacy of the adult bees, which caused
their death-rate to be far Higher than with other
colonies. They do not seem to be sufficiently,
hardy for our fickle Northern climate, but I firmly.
believe in their great value for crossing with and
improving the native race.
Carniolans are bees very similar in appearance
to our own, and by many would be taken for
such. They have, however, a more greyish ap-
pearance, and are much quieter in disposition than
brown bees. Their queens are very prolific, and
the workers are energetic and build splendid sec-
tions. Their worst defect is that they are in-
veterate swarmers, but, like Italians, they are very
valuable for crossing purposes.
All these Eastern races have the swarming trait
very. strongly developed, and this feature causes
considerable trouble to’ their owners, for if left
unchecked some colonies will swarm while there is
a pint of bees left in the hive.
Coming to our own brown bee, which is not a
pure race at all, I do not consider that it can be
beaten, provided that.a good strain is secured.
They are not so gentle as the foreign bees, I
admit, but they are good workers, fairly prolific,
and do excellent work on sections. A good strain
4
110 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
is what beginners should endeavour to obtain,
and when he has it let him yearly breed from
the best queen in the apiary, when in a few
seasons he will have bees which will beat any of
the imported races. It will often be found that
the best strains have a little Italian blood in
their composition, which may make them of a
rather fiery nature, but this is a detail if the
balance sheet comes out right.
There is another side, however, from which the
pure bee question can be viewed. Bees cannot
be kept pure in this country, for it is too thickly
populated, and there are too many bees. If pure
stock is imported, owing to the peculiar method
by which queens are fertilized, it rapidly becomes
crossed, and in his endeavours to keep his bees
pure the beginner often ignores the important
feature of strain altogether. He finally finds him-
self with a lot of three-quarter bred Italians, of
no particular merit as honey, gatherers, but demons
to sting.
Mind, I am not decrying these bees if they be
used in their native land, as there is no doubt.
that in their proper element some strains are first-
rate. What I do maintain is that in this country,
they are inferior to our own, and if, as some-
times happens, foreign bees of an inferior strain
are secured, the comparison becomes more strik-
ing, so I adhere to my, conviction that success
is far more likely if a good strain of the native
bee is secured.
CHAPTER XX
APPLIANCE MAKING FOR AMATEURS
Our ideal bee-keeper is a handy man to whom
very little comes amiss. It is an axiom that
“bees do nothing invariably,” and their many.
little tricks and vagaries would fill a book many
times the size of this volume. To deal properly
with the many curious circumstances which crop
up calls for a certain amount of adaptability and
ingenuity, in the making, or improvising, of special
appliances to suit the needs of the moment. Under
SS
Fo
Sa crams dl
Fic. 1
these circumstances I am satisfied that most people
who are able to keep their bees in order will find
but little difficulty in making the appliances given
Il
112. PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
in this chapter. This work, while affording pleas-
ant amusement, will fill in profitably the long
winter evenings, when little else could be done.
The articles given by, no means exhaust the list,
for a great many other things could also be made
with but little trouble.
A point I would emphasize is the necessity of
accuracy in the measurements. A’ quarter of an
inch more of less does not matter in many things,
but in bee goods everything must be just right,
or it will not be satisfactory. Then, again, it
is recommended that the wood be bought ready,
planed on both sides, which will bring it to an
even thickness. If the amateur has to do a large
amount of rough planing the keen edge will be
taken off his enthusiasm before he gets to the
really interesting work.
The first example (Fig. 1) is a most useful
article, and is designed for the purpose of carry-
ing the tools round from hive to hive, and also
to act as a comb-rest. It is necessary at times
to remove the first comb in a, hive to give free-
dom in manipulation. In such cases the removed
comb can be suspended on the stand, instead of
placing it upon the ground, as is usual, to the
danger of chilling the bees.
Very, little need be said about the details, as
the drawing makes it fairly clear. It should be
made of ? inch stuff, and well painted, while the
various parts may be either screwed or nailed
together.
APPLIANCE MAKING FOR AMATEURS. 113
The super clearer (Fig. 2) should be carefully,
made. The measurement, 18 inches square, is
given on the drawing, but this may, be modified
by, circumstances. The outside measurement of
a super clearer should be the same as that of the
body-box of the hive on which it is to be used.
The central portion (A), which extends right
through to the outside, is formed from two 4 inch
boards glued together. Round the edges, on both
top and bottom sides, are placed the strips B,
which are mitred at the corners and attached with
screws. These strips are 13 inches wide by 3
inch thick, and their purpose is to form bee-
ways. The appliance is finished by fitting a
“Porter? bee-escape into the centre. These
escapes may be bought for sixpence each. A
better way, of making this article is to make a
solid frame, 13 by 14 inches, plough-grooved on
the inner side to take, the central portion of the
clearer. This will prevent any, ‘ twisting.”
The rapid feeder (Fig. 3) is on the Canadian
a i
/
114 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
principle. In this the joints must be a very,
correct fit. They must all be screwed and white-
leaded. Unless this is done the feeder will not
be tight, and the syrup will escape. This feeder
may, be made of } inch wood for the outside, with
3 inch for the inner partitions. First make the
sides and ends, the former of which must be
grooved to take the piece A. Groove the end B
and the piece A to take the six slats, after which
fasten the outside together.
Now attach the bottom, cutting slots in it as
at A (Fig. 4). Place the screws very close
together at the bottom, especially where the cen-
tral portion is secured to the two inner walls
BB (Fig. 4). The ends and the inner wall A
(Fig. 3) are all of the same level at the top,
APPLIANCE MAKING FOR AMATEURS 115
finishing 4+ inch below the level of the sides.
The pieces BB extend right to the bottom, but
the four slats in between finish } inch from both
top of A and the bottom. The walls BB finish
2 inch below the sides of the feeder, and 3+ inch
below the level of the piece A (see diagram,
Fig. 5). The piece A must be cut away } inch
deep in the centre of the bottom edge, as shown in
the diagram (Fig. 6). The lid C (Fig. 3) is of
3 inch stuff, fitted with two ledges D to keep it
from twisting. Round the bottom of the feeder,
and on the outside, tack strips 4 inch wide by }
inch thick, to give a, bee-way underneath. The
quit
FIG. 5 Fic. 6
appliance is used by drawing the lid aside, €x-
posing the reservoir at the end, into which the
syrup is poured. From thence the food flows
under the piece A and into the various divisions
forming the central portion. The bees ascend
through the openings AA (Fig. 4), and are
prevented from drowning by the slots, which at
the same time admit of a great number of bees
drawing upon the food at one and the same time.
This is a very good feeder for autumn use, and
it may, be improved by, lining; the inner portion
with tin. If well made, however, thickly, screwed
116 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
and leaded, a very serviceable article will have
been secured. When finished melt a few ounces
of paraffin wax and place it in the feeder, turning
it about so that it may flow over all the joints.
This will effectually fill any crevices there may be.
It is possible that some readers may possess
straw skeps, and would like to know how to fix up
a modern super for them. Years ago a bell-glass
was considered the correct thing for a skep, but it
is now possible to buy modern supers containing
either shallow frames or a crate of sections. It is
a very simple matter to make such a super, taking
an ordinary super from a frame hive as a guide.
The only difference is that a bottom must be nailed
on, with a hole in the centre corresponding with
the feed-hole in the top of the skep. Over this
hole a small piece of queen-excluding zinc must be
fastened. The sides of the super should be a
little higher than the frames in order to carry
the quilts—say 7 inches over all, instead of 6
inches as in an ordinary super, and a light roof is
needed. The two inner walls, which carry the
frame ends, should be removable, when somb
honey may be worked for if desired. In placing
the super in position, it will facilitate matters if a
piece of felt is placed between the skep and the
super, as it will rest more solidly, especially if a
brick is placed upon the roof,
CHAPTER XXI
HIVE MAKING
THE hive (Fig. 7) is a good type of what is
known as a single-walled hive. This hive is most
efficient as regards its working, and it is also
simple and economical to make. It is square
as regards outside measurement, thus enabling
it to be used with the frames either parallel to
the entrance, or at right angles, as the owner
wills.
The material used should be ? inch red deal,
although other woods may -be used. The hive
floor board is designed for placing upon brick
supports, but legs may be easily added if de-
sired. First cut the pieces for the body-box.
These will consist of the front and back, 18}
by, 9 inches; the sides, 17 by 9; and the smaller
pieces for the porch and entrance slides. To these
add two pieces for the inner walls AA (Fig. 7),
171 by 8% inches, and } inch thick. Place these
inner walls at a distance of 14 inches from the
front and back, leaving a space of exactly 14%
inches between them. -They should be grooved
into the sides to a depth of } inch on either side,
finishing flush with the sides on the bottom edge,
117
118 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
but 2 inch down at the top, to allow for the
frame top bars.
Fic. 7
Single-walled Hive
The space between the inner and outer walls
must be filled in with strips of wood. Place
these strips flush at the bottom, but } inch below
the level of the inner walls at top. It is well to
bevel the top edges of these inside walls to a
; HIVE MAKING 119
thickness of + inch, and the bevel should be on
the outer side. The porch and strip for entrance
slides may, be screwed on from the inside before
sliding the inner. walls into position. Half-inch
wood will do for these. Rebate the slide strip on
the inner bottom edge, and the slides on the outer
top edge, but let them fit rather loosely. With
regard to this, note that while hives require to be
made correctly they should fit easily. Bees dis-
‘like nothing so much as the sharp jerks caused
_,by the sectional parts of hives being tight.
" .The slides should be 10 inches long by 1}
inches in width, while the plinths which run around
the bottom edge at BB are 2 inches wide by 2
“inch thick. They are bevelled on the top edge
as shown, and fall } inch below the bottom edge
of the body-box. They are slightly rebated on
the inner bottom edge, in order to make an easy
fit.
The floor-board consists of two pieces, 3 by.
14 inches, C, on which are nailed ? inch boards.
It will be noticed that it is necessary to sink the
front board for the purpose of forming the
entrance. This is known as a sunk entrance, and
is far and away the best of its kind, as it entails
no cutting of the body-box.
‘'" The lift consists of two pieces 181 by 6, and
‘two others 17 by 6. It has plinths made and
fitted the same as the ones on the body-box,
, éxcept that they are on all four sides. For the
- roof two pieces 20} by, 3 inches and two others
120 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING
183 by 2 inches will be needed, the two former
being shaped as shown at D. On this nail the
two wide boards EE, which should overhang 2
inch all round, and be capped by a ridge piece
F. If any difficulty is experienced in obtaining
these wide boards in deal, use American white
wood for the purpose.
There are no plinths on the roof. It is made
to fit right over the lift, and a stop is placed
inside. This stop consists of strips 4 inch square,
tacked all round at a distance of ? inch from
the edge.
‘All corners of hives should be well screwed,
the screw-heads being countersunk and the holes
filled with putty. Bore an inch hole in the gable
ends of roof for ventilation, and cover it on the
inside with wire gauze. Three coats of paint may
now be given, and the hive will be ready, for
use. ‘
Shallow frame supers for this hive are made in
exactly the same way as the body-box, but only
6 inches deep, and with a plinth all round. Two
of these supers should be made for each hive.
. Frames should not be made but bought. They
can be bought so cheaply that it is poor economy
to attempt to make them. ,
A well-made hive of this description will last
a lifetime if kept well painted, while a substantial
saving will have been made in the initial cost.
INDEX
Apiaries—
Best situation for, 26
To stock—
By colonies in skeps, 21
By “ driven” bees, 21
By established colonies in
frame hives, 21
By swarms, 21
Apiarist’s Foes—
Bee paralysis, 77
Black brood, 80
Dysentery, 77
Foul-brood, its cause and
treatment, 77-79
Isle of Wight bee disease, 77
May pest, 77
Mice, 78
Toads and Tits, 78
Wasps, 78
Appliances for Bee-keepers—
Excluder Zinc, An, 31”
Extractors, , 31
Feeders, 31
Home-made, 112-116
Queen-cages, 31
Smokers, “ Bingham” type
preferred, 31
. Appliances for Bee-keepers—
Supers and shallow frames,
31
Veils, 30
Bee-keeper’s attributes, A
good, 47
Bees—
Begin to stir at the end
of February, 17
Secret of manipulating, 65
Beginners, Hints to, 69
Colonies of bees, To divide
81, 82
Combs—
Cleaning up emptied wet, 75
Colour of, indicates age, 22
Foundation for, How to use,
33) 34
Good ones, Points of, 22
To store in winter, 103
“Driven” bees, How to get,
and price of, 24
Driving bees, Two methods,
98
Drones, or male bees, 16
120
122 PROFITABLE
English honey
sufficient, 13
supply in-
Feeding Principles—
Autumn Food, Composition
of, and how to give it,
40-44
Occasional feeding
reasons for, 42, 43
Spring Food, Composition
of, and how to give it, 41,
44, 45
Sugar-feeding necessary, 40
and
Formation of bees, The, 15
Foul-brood, To guard against,
22
Frames—
Comb foundation, filling for,
33
Correct method of hand-
ling, 67
Wiring of, The, 35
“Woiblett” tool for wiring,
36
Habits of bees month by
month, 17-19
Heather honey, How to get, 96
Hives—
Excluder zinc and how to
use, 50
Frame hive “ W.B.C.,” 28
How to deal with them, 67
How to place the supers, 50
BEE-KEEPING
Hives—
Number of frames in, 29
Separators and how to use
them, 49
Single-walled frame, 28 ; To
make, 117
Spring examination of, 68
Two supers for each hive,
49
Hiving operation,-The, 55
HWoney—
Comb honey, 49
Extracted honey, Advant-
ages of, 51
Extracting process, The, 90
Glaze sections of comb
honey, 93
Grading, and how to do it,
89
_ Heather honey, Facts about,
95, 96
Packing for trade, 92
Ripening process for, 92
To remove surplus, 51
To secure in quantity, 48
Marketable Goods, Practical
advice on, 60
Marketable Produce—
Advice on selling, 105-107
Cakes and confectionery, 59
Comb, §9 ::
Dark honey for confection-
ery, 62
INDEX 123
Marketable Produce—
Furniture cream, 59
Honey—
Good extracted honey,
Price of, in bulk, 61
Section honey sells quick-
ly, 61
Honey soap, 59
Honey vinegar, 59 (recipe
for, 59)
Lip salve, 59
Mead, 59 (recipe for, 64)
Nuclei, 59
Practical advice on, 60
Queen bees, Prices of, 59, 64
Stocks, 59
Swarms, 59; Prices of, 62, 63
Wax, 59, 61
May swarms, 18
Mid-season work, 71
Prices ofa good colony of, 22
Profits attainable by bee-
keeping, 12 ~~
Queens—
Deposed by the bees, 85
Duties of, 16
How to force bees to raise
new, 86 :
To introduce to a new
colony, 87
To raise for commercial
purposes, 88
Young ones essential, 85
Races of Bees—
Brown bees, 109
Carniolan race of, 109
Italian race of, 108
Removing stocks when bees
are flying, Precaution in, 75
Robbing bees, To check, 73
Sale stock and production,
59
Sections—
Finished ones necessary for
sale, 72
Rack for, 39
Solid ones, and how to fix,
38
To fix foundation in, 37
Various kinds of, 37
Skeps—Prices of, 23
Small-holders, Valuable source
of profit to, 11
Stings, and what to do for
them, 69
Swarms—
Casts, and after-swarms, 57
How they leave the hive, 54
How to capture, 55
Reason of natural swarms.
53
Recommended for begin-
ners, 24
Sold by the pound, 24
To obviate swarming, 54
124
Swarms—
To pack for sale, 57
To transfer to a frame hive,
56, 73
To utilize, 57
Travelling boxes for, 58
Temper of bees varies
greatly, 68
Three classes of bees, 16
PROFITABLE -BEE-KEEPING
Uniting Stocks of Bees,
Method of, 83
Varieties of honey bees, 15.
Warning to purchasers of
bees, 21
Wintering preparations for
bees, 101-103
Worker bees, 16
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