The Library of Work and Play: Outdoor Work

eeper's Review one day and my eye

usiness Wo

llege plans, built up a bee business which he sold for one thousand dollars. In the meantime his bees had not only paid their own board but his as well. If one boy

TO B

o visit a practical apiary and watch the owner among his bees, taking note of what he does and says. Offer your services if he needs help, asking him to explain what he is doing and what for. Stay a few days or a week if he will keep you and learn all you can. One young woman spent a summer va

n be bought for two dollars or three dollars, but a colony of choice Italians in a modern hive with

the golden rule, and is not here recommended. What fun it would be, though, to secure a runaway swarm and make the visitors comfortable in a temporary hive. You would probably find they belonged in the apiary nearest you and ten to one the owner would just as soon you kept them unles

strict account of all your expenditures in supplies, and credit the bees with all the honey you take off and with the new swarms. If I say this often, it is because it must be repeated to fix its importance in the mind. If you make good int

T PLACE

ntry, where fields of clover, groves of basswood, and patches of buckwheat abound. An orchard or large garden is incomplete without a few hiv

from the street or road, because bees do not recognize the laws of the open road and turn neither to the right nor to the left. If necessary to put them next the street or close to a neighbour's garden, there sh

ched." It will not take much imagination to draw a plan on paper locating the principal objects in and near the apiary-to-be, and to sketch in the location of the ten, fifteen, or twenty hives you are likely to have five years from now. If you have no large, deciduous trees to offer ideal shade you needn't give up the idea of keeping bees. With the modern ventilated covers, bees are successfully kept out in the sun, if protected from wind and storms. A grape arbour afford

f their forethought, you have a real evergreen windbreak on your place. If you have not this idea

ast and leave space enough between the hives to run a lawn mower. As your number

of fourteen years, I could easily reach this ideal in six years and keep my other duties up, too. By that time I should know whether I wanted to be a bee-keeper or not. A great many people find that the chicken business combines well with some other business or profession. It is surprising that more people do not consider bee-keeping in the same way. Barring accidents, bees are far easier to handle, cleaner, and they board themselves. You can leave them over Sunday without any qualms of

etty well fagged out with a long flight. If she should settle in a tangle of grass she would be likely to give up the struggle and fail to answer to roll call the next morning. Keep the grass short in front of the hives, then, if you have t

ING

complicated structure. The entrance to the hive should be closed with wire cloth after the bees all get home in the early evening. If closed in the middle of the day you are cheated. In warm weather the cover should be taken off; in its place should be put the super over which wire-cloth has been tacked. Strips of wood can be nailed on top of t

ut the risk is less. Get a strong colony that has wintered well, which contai

"hail, fellow, well met" with all their live stock, and although even the best tempered bee might resent a cordial slap on the flank, there are bee-lovers who tell of stroking their little winged friends with a grass stem. It requi

he more good-tempered, being at the same time hardy, prolific, and industrious. Good hybrids, that is, a mixture of black and Italian blood, may do almost as well as pure stock, but pur

usand two hundred), should be accompanied by a tested queen, and housed in a modern hive with three frames of comb. The queen sets to work laying eggs in the cells, new frames should

s for your swarms, honey sections, and other supplies. Don't buy everything that looks useful or is highly recommended by the salesman. Mayb

the supplies you are pretty

ver gives room for two supers on top at once. The only advantage in the chaff hives seems to be that winter protection is not needed for bees housed in them. The obvious di

extra

; four sup

ey. You will not need very many of these the f

ered, you may safely choose the one

e gloves; o

ndation, for the ne

foundation for starter

d bee-keeper tells me that he likes the

ter bee

bee

ley trap is made with bars instead o

e. (See list of boo

vice should work with one eye on the printed page. A good book on bee-keeping should be included in the

S WAGE

enthusiasm and gush. Enthusiasm helps you do the hard part of your job. Gush only makes you ridiculous. Is there anything worth doing that doesn't take time and work? The honey-producing business is no exception. But the people who keep bees like their job. "Yes," th

as the average. A good colony ought to turn out thirty or forty pounds of comb honey a year beside what they need for wint

at that price you can see for yourself what you would get per hive. The new swarms add to your assets and you are out nothing except for supplies. Compare this with the expense of going into chicken or squab raising. The following is quoted fro

nnually, and a half million pounds of beeswax. Will not our bees work ju

I

We say as we pass on the road, "Those people keep bees," and our mouths begin to water. But what do the hives look like inside? They

The old-fashioned hives were very picturesque affairs; you see them in pictures, and when you travel in Europe you may see them still in use. Those skeps do not encourage doing much with the bees or knowing what is going on in the dark hive. I wonder how the folks ever got any honey to eat. The modern bee-keeper wants to open his hive for a good many reasons. He

hook, horses kick, and so on. Some method of self-defence is their right, and I doubt if we should find bees so interesting if they did not carry concealed weapons. We certainly respect their rights as we might not if th

wing parts in th

upers are the attic store rooms. The flat cover is the rain-proof roof. The hive must be a good home for the bees and easily handled by the operator. The bottom board should not rest directly on th

th the introduction of these movable frames by Langstroth, fifty years ago, a new era in bee culture began. The furniture of the second-story rooms consists of rows of little section boxes, empty at first, but r

g among his hives, the bee-keeper who knows his place keeps to the rear. If you respect their privacy to this exte

N IN THE BR

towards one end: the increase of the number of bees in the world. When the hive gets too full of bees, the colony divides and a "swarm"

e selling each queen, in order to be sure that she has mated with a pure-blooded drone. These are called tested queens. Their progeny can be depended upon to possess the good qualities of both parents. If the eggs of fine Italian queens develop into nervous, lazy, black-coated, and black-tempered workers, you m

e cuts a hole in the cap of her cell, sheds her skin for the last time (she did this five or six times during the larval or growing stage), and comes forth. It takes her about one day to dry her "feathers," adjust herself to her environment, and "get busy." She finds many little open wells of unsealed honey, and as nobody pays any attention to her she drinks her fill. A round of duties await her, and she goes at them without being told how. She must do nursi

in the bee colony there is no such thing as an old ladies' home. With their wings worn to stumps, their once velvety backs rubbed shiny

hive, we cannot tell much in detail here. Your own book on bee-keeping and larger books of reference will be mines of information. But there are undisc

AR

it in a cool place. Bees swarm to increase the number of colonies. The date of swarming depends on local conditions and nobody can tell but the bees themselves, and they won't, what these conditions are exactly. If there are too many bees, too much honey stored, thousands of workers hatching daily, many young queens ready to emerge, t

of young and old ones. No one knows how the decision is made as to who shall go and who sh

ey go! The air's full of them. They're swarming. I'll bet they get away. No, they're settling."

odern methods so that no one will be raising a din by beating an old wash boiler, etc. If you have a garden hose handy, let some one play a fine spray on the whirling bees. Nothing brings them to time more quickly. When the bees

by. Why not provide her with a still more convenient forked stick as some bee-keepers do? She climbs up this, calls her family together, and you do the rest. You may prefer to capture the queen in your little queen trap, and place her at the entrance to a new hive which you should place on the stand where the old hive w

G APP

en you come to try to apply them to practical use. There are lots of patented appliances for sale that make an experienced bee-keeper smile. He undoubtedly knows a clever boy at home who can rig up a home-made contraption that will cost nothing at all,

iculture of the United States Department of Agriculture. The construction is so simple that I believe I could make one myself! Though home-m

ade from a picture of the swarm-catcher in the same report. The apparatus consists of a box with one end open and supported on a pole. The materials required are na

orks like magic. Any

swarm-catcher are perforated with holes about one half an inch in diameter. While the framework of the box s

will not be interfered with by the projecting end of the pole. A slot should be cut lengthwise of the top, sufficiently large to allow a frame of honey-comb to be put in so that it hangs down inside to attract the bees. This honey bait is essential to

a swarm anywhere with this device. If they light on a stone wall, a tree trunk, or on the ground, you simply brush a pint or so of them into the box, stick the sharp lower end of

he box. Put on your veil and gloves and hoist the box up into the tree. Put the open end of the box up against the mass of bees and get as many of them into it or onto it as possible. Catch the branch with the hook on the box and give it a vigorous shaking. This unsettles the rest of the bees and they will be attracted instinctively to follow the rest into the box where the brood cell

the swarm-catcher either into or in front of the hive. With large swarms it is advisable to prop the hiv

ime to locate themselves and set to work at honey gathering, the hive should be moved to its permanent location. It is not saf

me of young brood from some other hive and try them again.

NG TH

y the invention of the hive with movable frames.

ake off

gh honey has been

ind the

roduce a

amine th

t with propolis by the bees. A dull putty knife or screw-driver is a good tool for this job. As fast as you unseal the cracks, blow smoke into them. At this juncture it is well to close the hive for a few minutes to give the bees time to "think it over." The better the grade of bees the less smoke is required. Take your time. Keep your nerve steady and the smo

rone and worker closely resemble one another, but the drone cells are the larger. Honey is stored in both drone and worker cells. If you wis

een trap at

shape from the workers. It is well to study her picture before going to look for her. A queen's wings are not much to cut, but you will need a steady nerve if you do it free hand. Many devices are to be had to

sh ready and as you lift the fitted sections out of the super, brush the bees that cling to them down to the entrance to the hive. This is the old way and is fraught with dangers. Moreover, the bees may regard one robbery as sufficient excuse fo

REVENTION

s on the way you behave when working with bees. If you are nervous and anxious you probab

ou happen to have handy. If you use the thumb and finger you squeeze the tin

omething" for a spot that hurts so mighty bad. So go ahead and put on alcohol or baking soda or ammonia; you c

Keep Bees," gives these ma

dy to give forth a

are the bees rather

he hive lest the bees pass

ments with which you are working

ily and no

the bees understand what runni

move slowly away, smok

threatening attitude for so

TER

upply of honey is not short. If the season has been a bad one for flowers, or if the region provides few blossoming fields it may be necessary to feed the bees. Special directions are needed and any bee book will supply them. A strong swarm, supplied with twenty-five pounds to thirty-five pounds of honey, will winter without serious loss in

papers and waterproof pap

of this as if you intended to send the box by mail. Use a few tacks if needed. Over this fold a large piece of tar or other waterproof paper. There is a right way to fold the ends of this outer wrapper, and a wrong way. The illustration shows the right way. If the paper is brought down from the top first and rou

ese down over each hive and pack the space between hive and case with any kind of dry packing material, such as shavings, sawdust, cork chips, dry leaves. Any of these materi

ED

essary. A flat tin pan works admirably. The best sirup for all purposes is plain granulated sugar and water, made cold. Stir in all the sugar that the water will hold

e feeding of honey is likely to start the bees to robbing. Under no circumstance

RNISH HONEY OR

r-the-gr

ush m

dandelion

w haw

red

fruit

ultivated)

fa lo

t clover

y catnip

m horse

rry mu

nut s

sum

at smar

lower mi

s golden-

eed a

pe

UCTS OF

But this list leaves us little the wiser. No chemist has been able to combine these materials into honey. The nectar gathered by bees passes directly into a receptacle, the honey-sack or honey-stomach, which is used for that purpose only. It does not go the same road as the bee's food. The notion that bees swallow the nectar and then unswallow it is

ains or curtains, each bee clinging by her front feet to the hind feet of the one above her, like Japanese acrobats; and there they remain sometimes for two days until the wax scales appear pushed out from every pocket." Sometimes a honey-and pollen-laden bee will come home f

posit her honey, then to the brood cells where she combs the pollen off her legs into a cell where it is stored to feed the young bees later. Perhaps she sees in passing some cells which need capping, does that, then away to gorge herself with honey and make wax, then builds her own or her neighbour's wax onto the comb. If

k hive, or if he is ambitious to solve some of the mysteries. An ordinary hive can be made into a good observation hive by putting a pane of glass in the sides and top. There should be hing

ES AND

arelessness along this line is inexcusable and will surely cause failure. Several states have official inspectors whose business it is to know bee diseases and methods of controlling them. He is required t

active organization. The United States Department of Agriculture can give you much needed information

TING

ney at all, know it only as a "spread" for hot biscuits or griddle cakes. But not every one knows that honey is a very much more wholesome sweet than cane sugar. Many people cannot eat sugar at all, but find honey does not cause

ng some receipts in which honey takes the place of sugar. If you make a success of this

ed a pity to waste a good postal card and everybody likes to help a bright boy along; and beside they wanted the honey! It might be well to have a little pamphlet telling about your honey and of the many uses it may be put to, with a receipt for honey cake, perhaps. You wil

ENCE WITH

her. One fine spring day a few of us were walking down the road toward the swimming pool when we found a swarm of bees on a fence post. One of the fellows knew how to hive the swa

cents, very well satisfied with the bargain, for of

to sting anything next day. I bundled up until I was sting proof and then got them straightened up. The combs were broken wh

s and the other was weak and died. It began to seem as though bees were hard to keep. I got a book called "A B C of Be

s and implements and I furnished the bees and labour. We were to divide profits equally. We bought two hives, a smoker

ts of things. The two hives we had were not the best, so we sold them and bought five of a differ

ere out squirrel hunting and he found a swarm that had built combs on the limb of a large tree. We got it into a hive and I bought his share of the swarm. This colo

the colonies and introduced the new ones. They did some good work that summer and lived through the winter. The next spring I had two colonies of black or wild bees and two of Italians. The blacks togethe

our years of failure. That last honey crop was worth about thirty dollars, an

gricultural college in this state offered me a chance to work my way through college by ta

urce of pleasure and recreation during my spare moments on week days and on Saturdays

ire tuition and expenses for five years at college. Besides studying and attending to my bees, I have

not worth the stings, but my advice

S. St

ED TWO HUN

my high school course was broken into by illness and I had an enforced vacation of one year and a ha

etc. I had about ninety nuclei of two frames each. During the swarming season I used a good many natural cells from the better colonies. Later I used artificial, dipped cells which I made myself. In the latter case I took larv? from the very best queens in the apiary and place

llege. Two years later I began my studies at the University of California, working for my board in a private family and d

so that I was able to enter again into the queen rearing business. That season I sent out advertising cards to the members of the Calif

books, paper, and such necessities, also subscriptions to the college daily paper, class and association dues, tickets to college jinks, theatricals, games, etc. I also sp

a Mc

OF BEE

e-keeper, for boys and girls who may become interested in this very

ing as sailors say of seafaring-on

er. That first spring and summer there were only those old box hives, which could not be opened for inside study, and all observations had to be confined to watching the bees from the outside. The next summer some modern hives that could be taken apart and every nook and corner laid open to observation were bought. In the fall I was very fortunate in securing eighteen colonies of bees at an auction sale, paying therefor only fifty cents a colony, much to my satisfaction and my neighbours' amusement. Most of

in a small way, in a few years he should be able to manage one hundred colonies. But it should be remembered that the yield per hive may decrease somewhat as the number of colonies increases, because of the dange

siastic student helped in no small degree toward the inauguration of a course in bee-keeping at our own Ohio State University. To make the story complete I think I should

nvestigation, and the agricultural colleges and experiment stations will no doubt in the future give mor

r H.