BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The worst colony to introduce a laying queen to is one that has been queenless long enough so that there is a _possibility_ of one or more virgin queens being in the hive. It is hard to decide definitely in all cases when such colonies are queenless. Most young virgins, after they are three or four days old, are very apt to be mistaken for workers, especially by a beginner. It is not always practicable to wait until they have built queen-cells, especially if you happen to have a nice surplus of laying queens for which you wish to find room. We prefer colonies that have not been queenless more than a couple of days \(-\) just long enough to see cells start, and just long enough so the bees begin to recognize their loss, but not long enough for them to get cells under way. Cells nicely started or capped over are quite apt to make the colony feel as if it wanted something of its own?, and when a laying queen is introduced to them they take a notion sometimes that they _eon't_ have a strange mother.
What to do if bees shall the queen.
When we introduced queens in the old-fashioned way--that is, before cages were constructed so as to release queens automatically \(-\) we used to experience much trouble by bees balling queens. If the bees were not ready to accept her when she was released by the apiarist, they were pretty sure to ball her. But here is a point that it is well to observe : When the _bers_ let out the queen they very rarely bull her. But when it is necessary for the _epiarist_ to perform the work, opening the hive, accompanied by general disturbance, is apt to cause the bees to ball her as soon as released. Well, suppose they do ball her. Lift the ball out of the hive and blow smoke on it until the bees come off one by one. When you can see the queen, get hold of her wings and pull the rest of the bees off from her by their wings. Do not be nervous about it, and you can get her loose and cage her again. Put more candy in the opening, and give her another trial. Some one--we do not remember who--advised dropping the queen, when she is balled, into a vessel of water. The angry bees will immediately desert the queen when, she can tie easily taken out of the water, and re-eaged. We have never tried it, but we believe we should prefer the method first described.
What to do when the queen flies away.
Sometimes a beginner is very nervous, and by a few bungling motions may manage to let the queen escape from the hive where he expects to introduce her. Or this may happen : The queen may take wing right off from the frame--become a little alarmed because there are no bees about her, and fly. In either case, step back immediately after opening the hive, and in fifteen or twenty minutes she is quite likely to return to the same spot, and you must not be surprised if you find her again in the hive. If you do not discover her in the hive near where you are standing, in about half an hour look in other hives near by. If you see a ball of bees somewhere down among the frames, you may be quite sure that here is the queen that they away, and that she has made a mistake, and entered the wrong hive.
INTRADUCIING.
INTRducing virgin quens.
\(\wedge\)s previously explained, a young virgin just hatched, generally weak and feeble, can usually be let loose in a queenless colony without eaging, and be favorably received; but one from two to six days old is, as a rule, much more difficult to introduce than a laying queen; and one ten days old, more than old enough to be fertilized, is most difficult. Such queens _can_ be introduced, however, but generally it is a waste of time to attempt it in a strong vigorous colony. Better by far give them a cell or a virgin just hatched, thus saving time and vexation; for even should the old virgin be accepted, she may be minus a leg, or be so deformed from rough treatment as to become in a large measure impaired for usefulness. Under head of Queen-bearing we describe " baby nuclei;" and, as already stated, it is much easier to introduce any queen, either virgin or laying, to a nucleus or weak force of bees than to a strong vigorous colony; so if we would attempt to introduce four or five day old virgins, give them to nuclei\(-\) the smaller and weaker the better; but, as we shall direct under Queen-bearing, it would be much better to give queen-cells or young virgins.
**INVERTING.** See Reverising.
\(ee\)**Italian BRES.** At present the Italians, and even hybrids, have shown themselves so far ahead of the common bee that we may safely consider all discussion of the matter at an end by the great majority of bee-keepers. Many times we find colonies of hybrids that go ahead of pure stock; but as a general thing (taking one season with another), pure Italians,where they have not been enrefebleed by choosing light-colored bees to breed from, are ahead of any admixture. There has been a great tendency with bees, as well as other stock, to pay more attention to looks than to real intrinsic worth, such as honey-gathering, prolificness of the queens, hardness, etc.; and this may have had much to do with the severe losses we have sustained in winters past.
Even if it were true, that hybrids produce us much honey as pure Italians, each bee-keeper would want at least one queen of absolute and known purity; for although a first cross might do very well, unless he had this one pure queen to furnish queen-cells he would soon have bees of every possible grade, from the faintest trace of Italian blood, all the way up. The objection to this course is that these blocks, with about one band (with the exception of the Eastern blood), are about the worst kind of bees to sting, being very much more vindictive than either race in its purity; they also have a very disagreeable way of tumbling off the combs in a perfectly demoralized state whenever the hive is opened, except in the height of the honey-season, and of making a general upor when they are compelled, by smoke, to be decent.
Our pure Italian stocks can be opened at any time and their queens removed, scarcely disturbing the cluster, and, as a general thing, without the use of any smoke, at all, by one who is fully conversant with the habits of bees. A good many hybrids will not repel the moth as do the half-bloods and the pure Italians. For these reasons and several others,we would rear all queens from one of known purity. If we do this, we may have almost if not quite the full benefit of the Italians as honey-gatherers, even though there are black bees all about us.
The queens, and drones from queens obtained direct from Italy, vary greatly in their markings, but the worker bee has one peculiarity that we have never found wantings; that is, the three yellow bands we have all heard so much about. Unfortunately, there has been a great amount of controversy about these yellow bands; and to help restore harmony, we have been to some expense for engravings.
Every worker - bee, whether common or Italian, has a body composed of six tubes, or segments, one sliding into the other, telescope fashion. When the bee is full of honey these segments slide out, and the abdomen is elongated considerably beyond the tips of the wings, which are ordinarily about the length of the body. Sometimes we see bees swollen with dysenter spreading the rings to their fullest extent, and in that condition they sometimes would be called queens by an inexperienced person.
On the contrary, in the fall of the year when the bee is preparing for its winter map, its abdomen is so much drawn up that it scarcely seems like the same insect. The engraving on the left shows the abdomen of the bee detached from the body, that we may get a full view of the bands or markings that distinguish the Italians from our common bees. Now we wish you to observe particularly that all honey - bees, common as well as Italian, have four kinds of bright-eolored down, \(\lambda,K,\lambda,M\), one on each of the four middle rings of the body, but none on the first and none on the last. These bandsof down are very bright on young bees, but may be so worn off as to be almost or entirely wanting on an old bee, especially on those that have been in the habit of robbing very much. This is the explanation of the glossy blackness of robbers often seen dodging about the hives. Perhaps squeezing through small crevices has thus worn off the down, or it may be that pushingthrough dense masses of bees has something to do with it; for we often see such shiny black bees in great numbers, in stocks that have been nearly suffocated by being confined to their hives in shipping, or at other times. These bands of down differ in shades of color, many times, and this is the case with characteristic of the Italians; for, after this has worn off, the yellow bands are much plainer than before. \(\Lambda,\mathrm{B},\mathrm{C},\) are the yellow bands of which we have heard so much, and they are neither down, plumage, nor any thing of that sort, as you will see by taking a careful look at an Italian on the window. The scale, or horny substance of which the body is composed, is yellow, and almost transparent, not black and opaque, as are the rings of the common bee, or the lower rings of the same insect.
The first yellow band, \(\Lambda,\) is right down next the waist; now look carefully. It is very plain, when you once know what to look for, and no child need ever be mistaken about it.
At the lower edge is the first black band; this is often only a thin sharp streak of black.
The second, \(\mathrm{B},\) is the plainest of all the yellow bands, and can usually be seen in even the very poorest hybrids. The first band of down is seen where the black and yellow join, but it is so faint you will hardly notice it in some specimens.
We have at the lower edge of the scale, as before, a narrow line of black; when the down wears off, this shows nearly as broad as the yellow band.
When we come to hybrids, we shall find a greater diversity; for while the bees from one queen are all pretty uniformly marked with two bands, another's will be of all sorts, some beautifully marked Italians, some pure black, others one or two banded. Some will sting with great venom, while otherswith only one or two bands will be as peace-, able us your best Italians. Without a doubt, many queens have been sent out as pure that produced only hybrids; but since our recent studies in the matter we are quite well satisfied that we have sold several queens as hybrids that were really full-blocks. A very slight admixture of black blood will cause the band C to disappear on some of the bees, but we should be very careful in such matters to be sure that the bees in question were really hatched in the hive; for bees of adjoining hives often mix to a considerable extent. If you examine a colony of blacks and one of hybrids that stand side by side, you will find many Italians among the blacks, and many blacks among the Italians. Take young bees that you are sure have hatched in the hive, and you will be pretty safe, but you can not readily distinguish the third band until they are several days old.
four and five handed Italians.
In 1890 and the following year there was quite a rage for four and five handed Italians. These are nothing more nor less than Italians bred for _bands_ by selection. For instance, we may take a lot of black fowls, and from one having a few white feathers we can, by selection, breed fowls that are entirely white by selecting the whiteset fowls to breed from for successive generations. Some Italians show a tendency toward the fourth band. Perhaps some of the daughters of the mother of these bees will show in their bees a _greater_ tendency toward the fourth band. Again, we breed from the last named queen, and select from her another breeding queen whose bees show quite clearly the fourth band with a glimmering of the fifth. By continued selection we may be able to get the fifth. But after all, when we have bees with four and five yellow hunds, we are liable to have bees for color and not for business. It is possible to develop any trait that we may wish to have characteristic of our bees. In the same way it is possible to breed bees that are very energetic. But as a general rule we shall have to lose slight of fancy colors.
holy-land and cyphian hees.
In 1892 considerable excitement arose over two new races of bees brought over from the Old World by D. A. Jones, of Heeton, Ontario, Canada, who was the leading beeeper across the line. They were called Cyprian and Holy-Land bees, from the places where he found them. The former, from the lse of Cyprus, seem to have been for many years isolated, and are a very distinct and uniform race.
While they look like Italians, and might be classed as such by bee-keepers not familiar with their peculiarities, yet they have a few distinct characteristics. Holy-Land bees show whiter fuzz-rings, and the bodies are slimmer than those of the ordinary Italians. They are more like the ordinary abinos. In fact, most of the abinos formerly sold were of Holy-Land extraction. The Cyprus look very much like the four and five banded Italians. The yellow bands are of a deeper orange than those of the Italians, slightly wider, and sometimes more than three in number. Just at the base of the thorax, and between the wings, there is a little yellow spot that is quite distinct and prominent, called the "shield." This may be seen on some yellow Italians, but it is less pronounced.
When Italians are crossed with Cypians or Holy Lands it is a little difficult to detect the difference except by their nervousness. And this brings us to the
tembermement of eastern hees.
They are more nervous, especially the Cypians. Sometimes smoke seems to have no power over them. They will fly up twenty or thirty at a time without warning, and sing the moment they touch the apinist. The more smoke is used, the more enraged they become. Cypians especially are the crosseset bees ever brought into this country--so cross, indeed, there is scarcely a breeder in the United States who has then for sale. The same objection, though to a less extent, applies to the Holy Lands.
We once sold an imported Cyprian queen; and our customer, after he had kept her for a while, returned her, saying that her bees were so various that on one occasion they stung every thing in sight, and drove even the family down cellar. We bought the queen back: but after we had had her for a few weeks and her bees had begun to hatch out we found it would hardly be safe to keep them in the yard. They would become so enraged at times that the whole colony would rush out in battle array. While the progeny of this queen was exceptionally cross, the general run, both of Cypians and Holy Lands, is so disagreeable to handle that they are now well high discarded by the bee beepers of the United States.
The only possible redeeming feature is that they are good broad-rearers: but they breed to excess after the honey-flow, usingup all their available stores in raising bees, when Italians would conserve their energies and leave enough honey for winter.
In the matter of rearing queen - cells, either the Cyprians or Holy Lands will ream more queens than any Italians, Gruniolans, blacks, or hybrids we ever saw. We have known as many us a hundred natural cells on one frame; and we also had one instance where 25 cells from a Holy Land queen hatched within a few minutes of each other; and so vigorous were these young queens that sono of them actually flew the moment they popped out of their inclosures.
**ITALIZING.** Few questions are asked oftener than, "How shall I Italianize?" and when shall I do it?" There is always a loss in removing a queen and substituting another, even where we have laying queens on hand; and where we are to use the same colony for rearing the queen, there is still greater loss. Under the heads of Nuclei and Queen - hearing these points will be found fully discussed. Where one has in a binary of black bees, his cheapest way, especially if he has plenty of time to devote to the subject, is to purchase three or four choice tested breeders, and rear his own queens from them after the honey-flow. If should then put drone-traps on all his black and hybrid colonies, leaving only the Italian drones the freedom of the air. SeeDronnes. If the breeders are bought in the spring or summer months, we would not remove the old queens until the summer crop of honey is over; only, instead of allowing natural swarming, take two or three frames from each old stock about swarming time, and make nuclei, giving them queen-cells from the breeding stock.
When these queens are hatched and laying, build the nuclei up, with frames of brood given one at a time until they are full stocks. By such a course you have the full benefit of your old queens during the honey-season, until the new ones are ready to take their places. After the honey-yield has begun to black you can remove the old queens, and give the now small colonies queen-cells, as you did the nuclei at first. This does the swarming for the season, and the Italianizing, at one and the same time. See IX-crease; also Ncycles.
If you have more money than time to spare, and wish to have the work done up quickly, purchase as many queens as you have colonies, and introduce them at any season of the year, as directed in Isthroducing queens. You can purchase all tested queens if you wish, but we would advise taking untested Italian queens during the months of July and August, when they are the cheapest, as this is also the best time of the year to Italianize. If done in the spring it is liable through change of queens to cut off brood-rearing, and, hence, cause few worker-bees when the harvest comes on. Some did it more convenient to change queens _during_ the _seaming_ season, first for the purpose of stopping swarming, and, second, because there are plenty of cells usually at this time from choice stocks. See West's queen-cell protector under Queen-rearing.
After your stocks have all been provided with Italian queens, by either of the plans given above, if you wish your bees to become pure Italians you are to commence replicating all queens that prove to be hybrids, as soon as the young bees are hatched in sufficient numbers to enable you to decide. See Italian Bees. Now, if honey only is your object we would not replace these hybrids until they are one or two years old; for they will average nearly if not quite as good honey-gatherers, and will raise just as pure drones as pure Italians. If you should find the bees of any particular queen too cross to be endurable, replace her with another, at any time. Be careful, however, that these hybrid colonies be not allowed to swarm naturally; for if they raise a queen she will produce hybrid drones*; and this is something we wish most scrupulously to guard against. It will be better to raise all the queens yourself, and make nuclei while seeking to Italianize.
wild animals, belonging to no one so long as they are in their wild state, and property in them is acquired by occupancy, hiving and reclaiming only, and are not the subject of lareeny unless they are in the owner's custody, as in a hive or bee-house, or otherwise confined and within control of the possessor or owner.
finding be-trees.
The Supreme Court of New York in the case of Goodwin vs. Merrill said :"A man's finding bees in a tree standing on another man's land gives him no right, either to the tree or bees: and a swarm of bees going from a hive, if they can be followed and known, are not lost to the owner, but may be reclaimed."
realized bees.
If bees temporarily escape from the hive of their owner, who keeps them in sight and marks the tree into which they enter, and is otherwise able to identify them, they belong to him and not to the owner of the soil. In such a case the property draws after it possession sufficient to enable the owner of the bees to maintain trespass and recover damages against a third person who fells the tree, destroys the bees, and takes the honey, notwithstanding the owner of bees himself is liable to trespass for entering on the land of another for similar purpose without authority.
Where one discovers bees in a tree, obtains a license from the owner of the soil to take them, and thereupon marks the tree with his own initials, he gains no property till he takes possession of the bees, that is to say, he must take them out of the tree.
when bees are or are not a nuisance.
Strictly speaking, a trade or occupation, a business or industry lawful in itself, and which becomes a nuisance because of its location, or the manner in which it is conducted, or the character of the animals or thing is not a nuisance _per se_, though it may be a _prima-facie_ nuisance.
Whether bees are a nuisance or not depends on the evidence submitted to the court, and in a broad way it may be stated that bees are a nuisance when the plaintiff can claim damages for injury either for himself or his business.
where bees may be kept.
This has been very clearly decided by the courts. In case of Olnsted vs. Rieh, before the Supreme Court of New York, the evidence showed that the plaintiff and defendant were neighbors, the latter keeping a large number of hives of bees in a lot immediately adjoining the plaintiff's dwelling, and at certain seasons they were a source of great annoyance to him and his family, and also that they could be removed without material difficulty to a place on the defendant's premises where they would not disturb the neighbors. The action was in the nature of an injunction to prevent defendants from maintaining their apiary at the place above named. The court held that the ease was a proper one for a permanent injunction. In such action the issue was not as to defendant's motive in keeping bees, nor whether he had any knowledge of any vicious propensities of the bees, but simply whether the condition of things as then and previously existing constituted a nuisance. The court held affirmatively, and the bees were ordered removed in order to abate the nuisance.
when not a nuisance.
The most celebrated case of this kind on record is that of Clark vs. City of Arkadelphia, Arkansas (52 Ark. 23). The evidence in this case showed that Clark, who had kept bees in that city for a number of years, was not in political harmony with those in power, and the latter sought to punish him and get rid of his presence by prohibiting the keeping of bees within the corporate limits of the city. Clark was ordered to move his bees, but refused to do so, and his arrest and conviction by the city court under the ordinance followed. He appealed to the Circuit Court, the latter dismissing the prosecution, and the State appealed to the Supreme Court wherein it is held that, "Although bees may become a nuisance in a city, an ordinance which makes the owning, keeping, or raising of them within the city limits a nuisance, whether it is in fact so or not, is too broad and is not valid."
bees may be kept in cities.
In April, 1901, the council of the city of lorehester, N. Y., passed an ordinance prohibiting the keeping of bees within the city limits. W. R. Taunton, who refused to remove his apiary, was arrested and brought before apolice court. The judge set aside the ordinance and the defendant was discharged. The latter was defended by the counsel of the National Bee-keepers' Association.
In the Butchers' Union Co. vs. Crescent City Co. (111 U. S. 746), Justice Fields says: "The common businesses and callings of life, the ordinary traales and pursuits, which are innocent in themselves, and have been followed in all communities from time immemorial, must, therefore, be free in this country to all alike on equal terms. The right to pursue them without let or hindrance, except that which is applied to all persons of the same age, sex, and condition, is a distinguishing privilege which they claim as their birthright." In the same case Judge Bradley says: "I hold that the liberty of pursuit, the right to follow any of the ordinary callings of life, is one of the privileges of a citizen of the United States, of which he can not be deprived without invading his right to liberty within the meaning of the constitution."