BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The only way is to put queen-traps on all the hives during the swarming season. In order to obtain sufficient ventilation it is necessary to have the entrances two inches high by the whole width of the hive. The traps should also be of the width of the hive, and sufficiently high. The drones must be destroyed as fast as caught, because they obstruct the passing of the bees through the zinc. It will not do to turn them outside, for they will congregate on the traps and be in the way even worse than they were when inside.
Clipping will not do at all in out-apiaries. A swarm issuing in the absence of the apiarist will, if it has a clipped queen, return to the parent hive; but usually the queen is lost. Later on, a second swarm will issue with a virgin and go to the woods unless the apiarist happens to be there just at that particular time; and in the majority of cases he will not discover it until the colony is practically ruined.
The use of queen-traps does not necessarily prevent him from shaking swarms or unqueening, or doing something to prevent or reduce swarming. It is better to be on the safe.side, and be sure that no swarm will be lost.
When I established my second apiary I took the bees from the other. I shook them into wire-cloth cages, and carried them to the new place. I did not move any hives or combs.
Adrian Getaz,
Knoxville, Tenn.
UNITING BEES.
Uniting.two or more weak colonies into one strong populous colony previous to the honey-flow is quite an item when we keep bees for cents and dollars. No one should keep bees scattered about in hives just for the sake of saying that he has so many colonies of bees, for he has more money tied up in bee-supplies than necessary, and it requires too much time to look after these small swarms or weak colonies of bees, and then very often not get a pound of surplus honey from them. This is not a satisfactory way to keep bees; but if the weak colonies are united into strong ones, there will be less money invested in supplies, and the time required to give the bees necessary attention will be much less. All colonies, being strong, will store a surplus of honey, and bee-keeping will be in every respect more satisfactory. If you are keeping bees as a side issue, and haven't much spare time to give them you should adopt uniting them. The extra hives left empty from uniting can be scraped or cleaned up to put new swarms in. Bees should be united in early spring in order to get as much honey as possible during the spring flow; then in the fall of the year, just before we put the bees up for winter.
When two or more colonies are united, all the queens will be killed but one; and if you have no choice among the queens, just unite them and the bees will make a choice and kill the others. But if you have a choice among the queens in the colonies you wish to unite, kill all others some time during the day you wish to unite them, and at the same time inspect all the weak colonies closely and see how many strong colonies they will make, or how many colonies you want to make out of them; then cut enough pieces of screen wire the same size of the hive (or a little larger would be better) to go between each two hives to be united. Then later in the afternoon, when all bees are in, remove the covers from the hives you wish to remain on their stands, and put a sheet of wire over it; then lift a hive gently from its bottom and set it on top of this one; and if there is to be another hive united with these, remove the top from it and put a sheet of wire over it and set another hive on it. Now there is nothing but wire between each two colonies of bees, and they will at once begin to acquire the scent of each other. Be sure that you have one of the choice queens in one of these hives thus prepared.
Now let the bees remain thus over night, next day, and the next night; then early in the morning they are ready for uniting. Slip the wire out from between each hive and give them a good smoking through the entrance of the bottom hive, and the bees will all run together; then in fifteen or twenty minutes; give them another good steady smoking and they will not know one from another; but watch them for a while to see that they do not get to fighting; but it is not likely that they will; and if they do, give them another good smoking, and this will unite them. Let them remain thus until the following day, then put the frames of brood and choice frames of honey all in one hive, and you will have a good strong colony of bees which will be ready for the approaching honey-flow. The frames of comb and hives left on hand can be used as the apiarist may see fit, but should be left in the care of the bees if the weather is warm. There are too many weak colonies tolerated in the South, and the plan of uniting should be adopted.
## 111 Wintering Bees.
Bees will winter safely on their summer stands anywhere in the South; but they should be properly provided with stores, for they will consume considerable honey during the warm spells which come often during even our coldest months. Then in the early part of winter, or very early in spring our earliest pollen and honey plants will begin to bloom, and bees will begin to spread their brood more rapidly, and consume stores fast, for the flow which may be on will be very light and at intervals. If bees get a setback at this critical time it will be a hard matter to get them over it before our heavy honey-flow in the spring; so bees must be supplied with plenty of stores when they are put up for winter to expect the best results from them during the spring flow. Of course, it is best to put them all up strong colonies for winter; but weak ones, and two, three, or four frame nuclei will winter safely almost anywhere in the South if they have plenty of stores.
Bees should not be wintered on the north side of a building nor where they will not get the full benefit of the sun during the winter; for it is very essential to their progress; and the entrance should be turned toward the south, so they can crawl out on the alighting-boards and'sun themselves, which they seem to love so much to do. If there are any cracks or crevices about the hives that will let the cold wind in on the clusters of bees they should be stopped, and the bees molested no more than possible during winter.
During October is the best time to put bees up for winter, and to outline the work. Look over the apiary and see where your surplus honey is, or where feeding will have to be done, and mark the colonies thus; then take an empty hive body and bottom, also a box or bench to set the hives on while you are preparing it for winter, manipulating and cleaning up the frames. Remove a hive and set it on the box or bench, and put the extra bottom on its stand and set the extra empty hive-body on it. Now remove the cover and smoke the bees down and scrape the tops of the frames if there is any comb or any wads of propolis on them; then remove the division-board and cut the burr comb off, if there is any, along the side of the frame, and py it loose with the hive tool (a plane-bit is a good tool for this purpose), and clean the other side of the frame off; then lift it out and set it in the empty hive body, put it to one side, and take special notice of the honey there is in it. Clean the next frame up in like manner, and set it in beside this frame, and so on until all the frames have been cleaned up or scraped well, and set them in the extra hive-body in the same position they were in the old hive, so as not to upset them in household affairs. If all the frames have been closely inspected as they were cleaned up, a very accurate estimate can be made on the bees and honey in the hive; but weak colonies will consume about as much honey during winter and spring as strong ones, so the bees should not be a matter of consideration unless they are very weak; but the amount of stores is a matter of much importance; and if the two outside frames, or the two frames on either side of the brood-nest, are not from a half to two-thirds full of honey one of them, at least, should be changed for a full frame of honey from some colony which may have it to spare; then if there is a good rim of honey around the brood in each frame the hive may be marked "O, K. for winter," when the division-board has been cleaned up and set in and wedged up behind the frames, and the cover cleaned up and set on. If there is no surplus frames of honey in the apiary this amount of stores can be fed them (see "Feeding Bees").
Now clean up the bottom and hive-body which you have removed the bees from, and you will have extra ones for the next colony, which should be treated in like manner, and so on until all the colonies in the apiary have been put up for winter. Then you can rejoice over the fact during the winter months that your bees will be in the best possible condition next spring on your first inspection tour; and the frames will be cleaned up and in readiness for their manipulation during the coming season.
There is another thing we must not overlook in preparing our bees for winter, and that is to see that all hive entrances are contracted enough so that they will not let mice into the hives, for they will eat up no small amount of honey, and pollen too, should there be any in the comb on the outside of the cluster of bees; besides, they will tear down the comb and perhaps build a nest in it; and they will kill many bees, pulling them apart at their waist, and eat out their interior parts.
## 111 SHADE AND LOCATION FOR BEES.
There can be no doubt that bees need shade here in the South during our warmest weather, for many colonies and no small amount of honey are lost here each season by the hives being exposed to the direct heat of the sun. In locating an apiary we should have this subject in mind and, if possible, locate it in some thinly shaded place, for a dense shade such as scuppernong or grape-arbors, and the shade of the umbrella china-trees and other low dense trees is not good shade for bees, for there is too much dampness under it for bees; and, besides, such a shade would be a hindrance to the flight of the bees. Fruit-trees furnish good shade for bees, but usually the land is cultivated in orchards, and for this reason it would not be a good place to locate an apiary. Small low pine-trees furnish good shade for bees during summer; but as they should not be shaded in winter this would not be a good place for the apiary. Under large tall timber is not a good place, because bees will often settle in the tops of such trees. There is no better location for bees than under small oaks of any kind, for they furnish shade during warm weather and shed their leaves in the fall and give the bees the full benefit of the sun in winter, which they need. If it is desired to plant out some trees in a suitable place to furnish shade for the bees, there is nothing better for this purpose than the pecan-trees, for they furnish good shade and nuts too.
If there is no available shade, bees can be shaded by laying boards or planks over the hives; but it is no small job to remove these every time we look through them. They should be just as light as possible, and extend far enough out to shade the alighting-board and the side of the hives most exposed to the evening sun, as well as the cover of the hives.
Bees should never be placed in some out-of-the-way place, for they are much gentler where they see you constantly passing; and besides, it is more convenient to give them attention.
There is nothing more attractive about a home than a well-cared-for apiary located in the same grove as your home, in full view of the road or public highway; and it will furnish the passers-by a source of many long interesting conversations; and if the apiary is located near your home, where you can see the little streams of bees pouring into and out of the hives, and hear the heavy roar of the mighty army of busy toilers at night, it will furnish an inspiration that could not come from any other source.
split; but it should be kept painted well, for, as it is very soft and sometimes thin, it will let the water or dampness through.
In putting the covers together, great care should be exercised to turn to the weather the side of the board which grew nearer the center of the tree, else they will warp much more, and you will have to nail them well with small-bodied flat-headed nails, long enough to go through and clinch on the other side. Finishing nails are not good for this purpose, as their heads are too small, and will pull through the wood should the board be inclined to warp, and they would not hold it in place. After the covers are made they should be painted well before they are put on the hives.
Where hives are exposed to the sun more or less, Fig. 1 is the best cover, as it has a one-inch air-space between the top of it and the bottom, admitting a current of air through it. Hives with covers on them like this one, and well vented at the bottom, will stand the heat of the sun anywhere in the South.
Nearly every bee-keeper has had some experience with heavy combs of honey melting down in his apiary, and many large vigorous colonies of bees, and full hives of honey, have been lost by the heat of the sun.
Fig. 3 is an end view of cover Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a still cheaper cover, very easy and simple to make, and is durable, but should not be used except when hives are shaded.
Permit me to say here that, if there had been as much time devoted to the study and care of honey-bees as there has been lost in hive-making, bee culture would not be where it is to-day. But bee-supply manufacturers have not had many agents in the South, and supplies were hard to get; but we now have plenty of supplies near, and let us avail ourselves of them.
## 11 Weak colonies.
Weak colonies are those that are below an average in bees, and they can be found in nearly every apiary. "Weaklings," as they are more commonly called, are hard to get rid of, for a populous colony will often get a back-set; and as bees are very short-lived insects they soon dwindle down below an average. Especially is this true if they do not receive prompt attention at the time they start backward. So it is common occurrence, even at the close of the honey-flow. to have some colonies four stories high, some three, some two, and some with only one story. The apiarist who has a large number of colonies to look after has more of these weaklings to contend with than the apiarist who has only a moderate number of colonies to care for. It is hard to get rid of the weaker colonies, and stay rid of them, but they can be used to advantage, for good queens can be mated or kept in them until they are needed elsewhere. Sometimes they will store a few pounds of surplus honey during a heavy flow. But generally they require much attention to keep them from running short of stores, or to keep the beemoth out of them or keep them from dwindling out.
There are two ways of getting rid of these weaker colonies. One way is to unite two or more of them together and make strong colonies of them; and the other way is to build them up to full colonies from the strongest ones.
The question now is, "Does it pay to remove some sealed brood from the strongest colonies, thereby weakening them, and give it to the weaker ones to build them up?" Yes, and no, if it can be done long enough before the approaching honey-flow, and the bees given constant and proper attention. A populous or strong colony has a prolific queen and plenty of bees to nourish her brood; and if an empty clean comb is set in the middle of the brood-nest it will soon be full of eggs and brood, and the colony will get over its loss of a frame of brood if the honey-flow is not too nearly on them; but if it begins in less than three or four weeks it would be best to leave the brood with them, for the weak colony would just about get built up ready for honey-gathering at the close of the flow; but if the work was done in time it would be ready for the flow, and the other colony would be over its loss. All colonies thus treated should be stimulated by feeding them a little. If the weak colonies are very weak they could not be built up in this way in early spring, for the weather would not be favorable, and it would be better to unite them.
During summer, when bees are living in a hand-to-mouth manner, or a very light honey-flow is on, it is a good time to build up colonies.
HONEY-HOUSES.
Every progressive apiary should have a honey-house conveniently located in or about it so that it will be as convenient to carry the honey in as possible, and to get to with a wagon to haul it away. Honey should not be kept or stored in our dwelling-houses, for several reasons. It will draw the ants and bees into the house, and soil the floor should any drip on it or be accidentally dropped on it. And propolis, or bee-glue, and particles of comb will get mashed on it, and be hard to remove; and, in fact it is too messy to have about dwelling-houses. It is not a good idea to keep bece-veils, smokers, hive-tools, and all kinds of bee-supplies about the dwellings or premises, for they are likely to get misplaced or be in the way. So there can be no question that every bee-keeper needs and should have a honey-house to keep all his apiarian supplies and honey in, only as they are used.
Honey-houses are variously constructed, and of different sizes to suit the needs of apiaries, and for the convenience of the bee-keeper; so each bee-keeper can best plan and build his own honey-house.
But perhaps a few suggestions will not be out of place. If a bee-keeper operates only one small home apiary, and does not care to keep any more bees, a small house 6 x 8 feet will be large enough to keep honey and supplies, and to set them up in, and everything used in bee-keeping can be kept in there out of the way, and safe. Of course, if the apiary is a large one the honey-house should be larger; and if out-apiaries were established the honey-house should be still large at the home apiary, so that the honey from out-apiaries could be stored in it. Honey-houses at out-apiaries should be constructed of x 12-inch plank in sections small enough to be hauled on wagons. It is not necessary to put a floor in these outer honey-houses; but the main honey-house at home should, have a wood or cement floor, because there is always more or less dampness arising from the earth, and honey-houses should be kept dry. All honey-houses must be constructed bee-proof, or have no openings about them that will admit bees through them; for after the honey is put in you will not want to go to the trouble of putting it up bee-proof; besides, you could not work with honey during the day if the house were not bee-proof, for the bees would come in on you. Each honey-house must have a door and one or more windows in it, covered with screen wire on the outside, making it bee-proof, and a glass or wood shutter on the inside. The door should have a wooden shutter on the outside, and a sliding screen-wire door on the inside that will make the opening bee-proof. These shutters should be opened while working in the house during warm weather. If the apiaries are operated for extracted honey there should be small sliding windows with only a wood shutter in each house; for if the honey is carried in at the door a few bees will get in every time there is any carried in, and they will be killed or in the way; but the window can be opened and shut so quick that only a few if any bees can get in it. On the inside of these small windows there should be a small platform or shelf built so that the comb-buckets containing the honey can be pushed in on them, and the buckets containing the empty comb set on them to be carried back to the hives.
Perhaps the cheapest and most durable honey-houses can be constructed out of x 12 plank set up perpendicularly, and strips nailed over the joints; and if the roof has a very good pitch to it, the same kind of plank will make a good cover for it, nailing down wide strips over the joints well; but if the roof is nearly flat the strips should be left off and the plank covered with some kind of prepared roofing. In constructing a honey-house out of this kind of material there is but very little framing used in it, and it makes a good strong durable honey-house, and is easily kept bee-proof, and costs but little, and is easy to construct.
Wax-Rendering.
Beeswax is a part of the product of the apiary for which there is always a great demand, and it brings a good price. All undesirable combs, fragments of combs scrapings from the frames and interior of the hivest should be saved and rendered into wax, and the bees given credit for it.
In going over the apiaries, all scrapings should be balled up at each hive, and, when the cover is put on, the ball should be laid on top of it; and, after the work is done, gather up the balls of scrapings and comb, and dump them into the wax-extractor. In transferring bees the empty comb can be left in the old hives until the transferring is over; but if there is any honey in the comb it should be placed in sacks or in boxes, for the bees will tear the comb up while removing the honey, and much of it be lost if it is left scattered about. As soon as the transferring is over, all comb should be rendered up.
Almost all old people understand how to make beeswax in the old-style way, and it is a very good way too, but very messy, and sometimes they get tired of the job, and a lot of wax is lost in the slumgum.
A wax-extractor is the best device to render comb into wax. It saves labor and wax, costs but little, and is simple to operate.
After all the inferior comb has been rendered into wax in an apiary a solar wax-extractor will do all the wax-rendering for it; but where transferring is done, or a lot of old comb is to be rendered, a wax-extractor is necessary, or some other device; and the best one I have ever tried was made out of an old box-hive that was made out of twelve-inch plank, I nailed a bottom on it so that it would extend out five or six inches on the same side the entrance was on; then I tacked two small strips on this extended portion of the bottom so that, when the wax would run out at the entrance, it would run off in a narrow stream. I make a stout lattice bottom and put it down in the hive on the bottom so that it will not interfere with the flow of the wax, elevating it from the bottom with a small strip under it at each side. I set the hive on a solid foundation where I could use a pry to press the slumgum. In this I put a new strong burlap sack which had been used to put corn in, and spread the mouth of the sack over the top of the gum, and tacked it to the hive so that, when the slumgum was poured in it, it would not fall down in the gum.
Then two lard-cans were filled about a third full of water, and set on the fire; and as soon as the water was warm, comb was added from time to time until they were nearly full. As soon as all the comb was melted, a tub was set under the extended portion of the bottom so as to catch the wax and water; then the cans of melted comb were melted into the sack in the gum, the mouth of the sack closed, and the slumgum moved around in the gum so as to let all the water and wax escape that would, then the sack was well folded down on top of the slumgum, and a plunger, made about the same size as the interior of the gum, and the pry put on this, and the slumgum well pressed, then the pry removed, and the slumgum shaken up well and pressed again. Now the cans were again partly filled with water, and set on the fire; and, while the water was heating, nearly a cupful of sulphuric acid was poured into the tub of water and wax to drive or settle the impurities to the bottom of the tub; then the wax is dipped off the top of the water and poured into vessels to cake.