BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
of a nail. Fill the can with the syrup, put in the top, set the can upside down on the top of the frames. As many cans as the frames will hold can be used at once. The bees will carry the syrup as fast as it leaks out. Of course, an empty hive must be on top of the hive to hold in the heat and to prevent bees from other hives getting at the supply. A Mason jar will do just as well. An excellent top-feeder on the market is known as the Miller. With it 25 pounds of syrup can be fed at one time.
For spring feeding the writer recommends the Doolittle division-board feeder, which is placed in the hive alongside the brood-nest like an ordinary frame.
The illustration will show its construction. The sides are made of \(
rac{4}{4}\)-inch wood, \(5\,\mathrm{x}\,17
rac{5}{8}\) inches, rough on the inside to give foothold to the bees. The bottom and end bars are of \(
rac{4}{4}\)-inch wood, \(1
rac{4}{4}\) inches wide. The end bars are 5 inches in length ; the bottom bar is \(16
rac{4}{4}\) inches. Each joint is coated with thick paint before nailing. For the lugs cut two pieces of \(
rac{4}{4}\)-inch wood, \(1
rac{4}{4}\,\mathrm{x}\,3
rac{1}{2}\) inches. From one end of each piece out a check \(
rac{4}{4}\,\mathrm{x}\,1\) inch. This feeder will drown bees unless a slat is put inside of it to float on the top of the syrup. To fill the feeder, turn back the quilt sufficiently far, pour in the syrup, then replace the quilt.
## Feeding a Pollen Substitute.
In some parts of the dry belt there is a lack of pollen in the early spring months, so that in the ordinary course brood-raising is seriously hindered. The bee-keeper in such a region can provide a substitute in the form of finely ground, dry, unbolded rye meal, or even ordinary flour, which is set out in shallow troughs or boxes. The layer must be quite thin, otherwise the bees will drown in it. To attract the bees, smear a little honey on the edge of the tray. The boxes must be placed in a warm spot, sheltered from the wind. Continue feeding until the bees cease to use it, which will be when the blossoms provide the real article.
Various methods have been devised for feeding artificial pollen inside the hive, but in practice they are found to be injurious to the welfare of the colony.
Figure 22: Division-board Feeder.
## Chapter 15 Preparing for Winter.
Since bees fly at 48\({}^{o}\), the ideal temperature for wintering is one a few degrees less, say 45\({}^{o}\), for in this they would consume the minimum of stores, since honey is to them, of course, the source of heat. In r-gions where the temperature falls below zero it is a common practice to winter the colonies in a cellar, most of which is underground, but with careful packing the bees do all right out of doors in the same localities. In the dry belt of this Province, hives that are to be left on their summer stand must be packed for the winter. The easiest way is to construct a bottomless box out of cheap material large enough to give a free space of 6 inches all round the hive when it is in position, say 24 x 32 inches, 20 inches high. Cut out enough from what will be the front to give free access to the entrance.
Now get a sufficient quantity of dry leaves, straw,'excelisor, or shavings. First pack tight underneath the hive, then place the box in position, fitting in a piece of wood to prevent the packing coming down over the entrance. Now fill up all round the hive, ramming the material in tight; next over the top. The latter is the most important part of all, because heat travels upward, so be sure to get enough protection on top. When full, nail on a cover, which must be watertight. Use paint, tar-paper, or canvas to keep out the wet.
The size of the entrance for winter is one of these points on which bee-keepers differ very decidedly, some advocating one the whole width of the hive, while others prefer one about 3 inches long by 3 inch high. The tendency is apparently towards giving plenty of air but without draughts.
In the coast regions many bee-keepers content themselves with no special protection at all, simply leaving the hives as they happen to be at the beginning of winter. Others place two or three strips of lathing across the frames to make easy travel from one part of the hive to another in the warmest part; on these a quilt of sacking; then an empty super, which is packed with anything that will hold in the heat. The cover must be fastened securely, so that it cannot be blown off in the winter gales.
Still another method is to wrap thin tar building-paper round the hive. Take off the cover, put on a few layers of sacking above the frames, then put the paper round the hive, leaving the surplus sticking up above it. Strings are worthless for protecting the paper; strips of wood are much more satisfactory. Place one along the edge of the overlap, fastening with a couple of nails. Fold the projecting pieces of the paper over the sacking and replace the cover. Finish off by nailing strips of wood, such as lathing, on the paper at the lower edges of the hive. This covering need not be removed until well along in May, when the bees are strong.
## Chapter 16 Queens.
The average beginner naturally makes no effort to control his bees in their natural impulse to increase by swarming, but one season's experience of retrieving swarms, and of investing money in new hives, with not infrequently very little returns in the shape of honey, will soon arouse a desire within him to become master of the situation, so that increase shall be when he wants it and to the extent that will suit him. To attain this desirable end he must learn a few simple facts about the life history of the queen, from the egg to the time when she begins to lay.
We have already learned that the egg from which a queen is to be raised differs in no way from that from which the ordinary worker develops. Furthermore, it hatches out the same, and for three days the young larva is fed like a worker-larva, but on the fourth day the latter is put on a less nutritious diet that prevents the development of the sex organs. The food of the royal larva remains unchanged ; its quantity is lavish ; with the result that the full development of the insect is secured, not only organically but in actual size. Since she is to be larger than either worker or drone, the ordinary cells of the hive are not big enough, hence the bees must build a special cell for each young queen, which is known as a queen-cell. Fig. 23 will show how they look. In ordinary course, a populous hive will make preparations for swarming by starting a number of royal cells, usually placing them on the edges of the comb that are not attached to the bars of the frame. When complete they somewhat resemble a small peanut, and are about an inch in length. When first started they rather suggest an acorn-cup ; in fact, after their usefulness is past they are usually trimmed down to about the same size. While all other cells are horizontal, queen-cells always hang perpendicularly, with the mouth downward. The number in a hive varies greatly ; sometimes there are only a couple, generally about six, occasionally as many as a dozen.
In due course an egg will appear in each cell, but not all at the same time, as two queens cannot be free in the same hive together. One will certainly kill the other.
When the first cell has been capped over the first swarm will come forth, accompanied by the old queen. A week later the second swarm is due, this being headed by the first of the young queens. Others may follow at intervals of a day or two. As eeh virgin hatches out she tries to get at her rivals in the cells, and if successful stings them to death. Whether she reaches the others or not depends upon the bees, who hinder her progress or give free access as suits them. In any case she issues a challenge, in the form of a shrill peep-peep, which is responded to by the most advanced of the others, but since they are confined in a close chamber the sound is more like qua-qua-qua. When a second swarm is due one can hear both sounds by placing one's ear in contact with the side of the hive. The second swarm having departed, another queen is released. Should both sounds be again heard, a third swarm is likely. But if the bees feel there has been enough of swarming, the other queens will be killed. Many bee-keepers, after the first swarm has issued, open the hive and destroy all cells except the largest one, and so prevent any more.
Figure 23: Queen Cells.
Should a hive in the breeding season become queenless, either through the death of the queen or through her removal by the bee-keeper, the bees at once proceed to develop a successor from the young larvae and eggs on hand, building the cells on the faces of the combs. Should they send out a swarm it will be headed by a virgin, and, of course, the second one will come forth a day or two later.
The facts in the last paragraph give us the key to making increase under the control of the bee-keeper. A simple method, but rather wasteful, is to divide a very strong hive into two parts, leaving one-half on the old stand and setting the other on a new one. The half without a queen will at once start queen-cells. The drawbacks to this plan consists in the probable loss of young brood through neglect in the part that was moved, and in the slowing down of egg-laying by the queen.
Here is a much more efficient way : Remove the hive from the stand and in its place put one containing only empty combs or foundation. Take out the centre comb, then turn to the old hive and look for the queen. When she has been found, set the frame she is on in the centre of the empty hive. Put a queen-excluder above, then on top place the old hive, into which now put the empty comb from the lower one ; replace the cover. Leave the combination alone for five days, then look carefully over the combs in the upper body to see whether or not queen-cells have been started. If such are found, carry the upper story to a new stand. We have gained much in the five days. The queen has been stopped but little ; much of the brood above has hatched, lessening the carcs of the workers there, and there is an army of young bees in the upper division that will stay where they are put. When no cells are started, leave the hives together for five days more. After moving the upper story to a new stand it must be provided with a frame containing larvae and eggs, for, of course, all its own larvae are too old. This frame may be taken from any hive, preferably from one that is noted for good workers. Slake all the bees off the frame, to make certain you do not carry the queen with you.
As many queens get lost in the mating flight, it is always advisable to examine a hive about twelve days after the queen hatches out. If eggs are found, things are probably all right ; but if no eggs are present, then give a frame of brood with eggs from another hive, so that, if necessary, another queen may be raised.
### Diseases.
Bee diseases are divided into two kinds, those that attack the mature bees and those that affect the brood.
The adults are : liable to diarrbox, paralysis, and a vague one in the early part of the season that is generally called " spring dwindling." Diarrhea frequently occurs when the bees have been compelled for several weeks to **s**'ay in the hives, especially on poor stores, such as fruit-juices and honey-dew--the latter being an excretion from aphids and scale insects which is sometimes plentiful in the autumn in the coast regions. Honey-dew is usually very dark, often granulates quickly, and has an unpleasant taste. When in : health, bees empty their bowels only when on the wing, but when flight is hindered for some weeks the evacuation may occur in the hive. This is the reason why bottom boards should be cleaned off early in spring, so as to get rid of the germs.
See paralysis is not a common disease in cool climates, but there are a few reports of its occurrence in the Province. The sick bees look black and greasy, and have a very swollen abdomen. They generally stagger around as if paralysed. The disease is supposed to be constitutional, so the usual remedy is to destroy the old queen and introduce another from a healthy stock.
Spring dwindling is a term that may cover a multitude of troubles. There is undoubtedly a germ disease affecting the intestines that sometimes develops in the spring months, but not much is definitely known about it. Dwindling may, however, be due to lack of bees--that is, not a sufficient number to keep the hive warm enough for brood-raising, or from want of stores--either honey or pollen.
Broad Diseases.
The diseases that attack the larvae are American _fail_ brood, European foul brood, and pickled brood. Both of the forms of foul brood are very deadly, and once they get a _foothold_ in a district they will, if _unchecked,_ _wipe out_ every colony. The bees themselves are unable to cope with them ; hence it is utterly futile for a bee-keeper to conceal the fact that there is something wrong with his bees, in the hope that the trouble may disappear. If left alone, a slight case of _infection, once it gets headway, will spread, not only over every colony in that apiary, but in the district. The writer cannot speak too strongly on this subject, especially since at the time of writing, the Province is probably free of these diseases. But continued immunity will be got by vigilance only, for in the older settled regions of the Doninion and in some parts to the south of us a fierce fight is being carried on with foul brood. This Province is free because it is young. To keep it free, the introduction of _contagion must be prevented as far as possible. Every bee-keeper can help by following two simple rules : First, not to bring into the Province any hives of bees, empty hives, or used appliances of any kind ; second, never to feed honey to his bees unless he knows for certain that it was produced in an apiary free of disease. The germs of foul brood are present in the combs and honey, so that the reasons of the above recommendations are very apparent. Furthermore, at the slightest hint of diseased larvae being found in his own hives or those of another, every bee-keeper is earnestly urged to at once notify the Department of Agriculture, so that steps may be taken for its eradication.
American Foil brood.
American foul brood has been so named because the germs that cause it were first isolated on this continent. The symptoms of the disease are thus described by an authority :--
"Some of the brood fails to hatch. Cappings here and there are sunken and perforated at the centre. On opening one of these cells there will be found a dead larva lying on one side of the cell, somewhat shrunken, and of a brownish colour, varying all the way from a light pale brown to a dark brown. In the more advanced stages the brown is of the colour of a coffee-berry after being roasted. In the incipient stages the brown is of the colour of the coffee we drink, when greatly diluted with milk. But so far all these symptoms may be present as the result of _chilled, over. heated, or pickled brood. But to determine whether it is the real_ _ropy foul brood, run a toothpick into the dead larva and then draw it slowly out. If the matured mass adheres to the end of the pick like spittle, stretches out from one-half to one inch, and finally the fine thread breaks when the pick is drawn back, it is probably a case of foul brood. With all other forms of diseased brood, with perhaps the exception of European foul brood, where the roping is never more than slight, this ropiness does not appear ; but with foul brood it is invariably present. There is another symptom and that is the odour, while not exactly foul, resembles greatly that from a cabinetmaker's glue-pot; and when the disease is pretty well advanced in the hive, the odour will make itself manifest upon lifting the cover or quilt, even before exposing the brood. If other colonies are affected, and the disease spreads, it is probably American or ropy foul brood."
European Foil Brood.
The germs of this disease were first discovered in Europe, hence the name. The appearance of this form of foul brood is thus described :--
"Adult bees in affected colonies are not very active, but do succeed in cleaning out some of the dried scales. This disease attacks larvae earlier than does American foul brood, and a comparatively small percentage of the diseased brood is ever capped; the diseased larvae which are capped over have sunken and perforated campings. The larvae when first attacked show a small yellow spot near the head and move uneasily in the cell; when death occurs they turn yellow, then brown, and finally almost black. Decaying larvae which have died of this disease do not usually stretch out in a long thread when a small stick is inserted and slowly removed; occasionally there is a very alight 'ropiness,' but this never very marked. The thoroughly dried larvae form irregular scales, which are not strongly adherent to the lower side-wall of the cell. There is very little odour from decaying larvae which have died from this disease, and when an odour is noticeable it is not the 'glue-pot' odour of American foul brood, but more resembles that of soured dead brood. This disease attacks drone and queen larvae very soon after the colony is infected. It is, as a rule, much more infectious than American foul brood and spreads more rapidly. European foul brood is most destructive during the spring and early summer, often almost disappearing in late summer and autumn."
Pickled Brood.
This is the name given to a disease of the brood about which very little is at present known. Many of the symptoms are very like those of European foul brood, but the cause of death is supposed to be starvation, excess of heat or cold, or poison in the food. We have seen that there may be a sudden stoppage of nectar at certain seasons; consequently, in a hive that is short of stores at such a time, thousands of the young must literally starve to death. In extremely hot weather, when ventilation is deficient, the inside temperature of the hive may become so hot as to cook the young larvae; on the other hand, a sudden drop in temperature will cause the bees to contract their cluster, exposing many of the young so that they freeze to death. Then in the fruit-bloom season some ranchers spray before the blossoms fall with a poisonous solution, and, of course, the bees that visit such an orchard not only die of the poison, but frequently are able to empty their load into the cells before succumbing. The poisoned honey kills any brood to which it is fed.
We see, therefore, that the presence of dead brood in a hive demands instant consideration. The first question to be asked is, what is the likelihood of starvation? The condition of the stores should answer that. Next, has any one in the neighbourhood been spraying blossoms with a poisonous mixture? The bee-keeper should know by the season, the number of dying bees round the hive, and the habits of his neighbours. In the same way he will probably know the facts about recent temperatures. When the disease is due to any of these causes the bees in due course clean out the cells, and there is no trouble with subsequent brood. Should, however, neither starvation, heat, could, nor poison account for the condition, or should the diseased brood continue or increase, then help should be solieited from the Department of Agriculture. As a diseased hive weakens, bees from other hives rob it of its stores, thus conveying the germs to all the hives in the vicinity.
## Ansoyances.
Complaint is made from certain regions that in some years wasps become so numerous in the autumn that by sheer numbers they can overcome the inmates of a hive and rob the stores. In all cases of robbing, whether by wasps or bees, narrow the entrance down to a space just wide enough to permit only one bee to pass at a time, so that defence will be very easy. A small bit of wood makes a good entrance block. The wasps that fly round in May are queens, so that every one killed then means a colony exterminated. A death at this time prevents thousands of lives in the fall.
### Melting Wax.
In an eight-frame hive the combs contain about 2 pounds of pure wax, but after several years' use they may weigh as much as four times the original weight. The increase is due to dirt in various forms. The cappings that are removed during extracting are almost pure wax, there being usually about I pound of wax to every 50 pounds of honey. Pure wax is always a marketable commodity in a fruit district and in every drug-store. In Victoria the latter pay 45 cents a pound for it. We therefore see that every scrap of comb is worth saving, so that it may be rendered at the end of the season. After making dozens of experiments, the writer believes that for the small apriarist the oven method is the best, and although it produces a little less than half of the available wax in old comb, it is as effective as any other process short of a regular wax-press. To pay the cost of the latter, one would have to work over about 100 pounds of old comb,
Take a bread-pan or similar dish and in one end at the bottom punch a hole a quarter of an inch wide, any length. Fill it with comb and set it on the upper shelf of the oven, with a small stone under the unpunched end to tilt it up. On the lower shelf, so as to catch the drip, place another dish containing water. When the oven gets hot enough the wax will run from the old comb into the pan below. To make a nice cake of the wax, melt all the bits in a dish of water, then set aside to cool. A vessel with sloping sides like a lard-pail is good.
A hive that is strong in bees in early spring will attain great strength early in the season, while one that is weak will make very little headway, possibly may have a hard struggle to live. The laying capacity of the queen is limited by the number of larvae the workers are able to care for; therefore, if we can add more bees to the colony the quicker will it develop. The skilful apiarist in the spring often does quite a business in transferring bees from one hive to another, but to be successful he must understand the limitations. In the first place it never pays to rob a medium strong colony to aid one that is weak. A hive that has every frame covered may be drawn upon, but never one that is weaker. Second, it it useless to give a frame of brood without nurse-bees to a weak colony, as the workers there are doing all they possibly can; but, on the other hand, it is risky to give old bees with a frame of brood, as these strangers may attack the queen, at least early in the season. Young bees are less liable to interfere.
To give young bees to a weak colony, go to a strong hive, select a frame containing brood, but be sure the queen is not on it--the only way to be certain is to see her--and shake the bees on to a large board in front of the hive. The old bees will fly home in a few minutes, then shake those that remain on the alighting-board of the hive to be strengthened. They will crawl inside and be made welcome.
Some give aid by exchanging sealed brood, preferably hatching, for eggs. To do this, take a frame of sealed brood from the strong hive and shake off the bees, then carry it to the weak one and exchange it for a frame of eggs, as before shaking off the bees. In each case place the new frame in the centre of the cluster.
When the weak hive is fairly strong, say with bees on five or six frames, one need not hesitate to give it a frame of brood with adhering bees, provided it is not put next the frame on which the queen happens to be at the time.
To combine a queenless colony with another hive, in the evening, when flying has stopped, go tc the latter and remove the cover and quilts and spread a sheet of newspaper above the frames, punching a hole with a pencil in the centre of it, so as to give communication. Then lift the queenless hive and set it on top. The bees will gradually remove the paper and intermingle without fighting. In about a week remove the frames that are unoccupied, so as to make a compact brood-nest.