BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Another thing in favor of comb-honey production is the fact that bees will not build in sections till the lower body is full of something, either honey or brood, and they keep it full. When fall comes you are quite sure to be well fixed with winter stores. It is very different in producing extracted honey. By putting brood upstairs bees will work up there whether there is anything below or not. I have, and no doubt you have, found a full hive body on top with nearly nothing below. I had that demonstrated to me this last season to my satisfaction. I had a poor year--two days of twenty-degree weather during fruit bloom--and those,days were a week apart. One day it got down to fifteen degrees. Everything that ever produced a drop of nectar was killed--even the dandelions, and that is going some. The bees were short of stores on account of it. I, like most beekeepers, depended upon somewhat of a spring flow. I do not any more, but I did. I had to feed until white clover showed up. When it did show up it was a mighty poor showing. No-body would sell a hoof of stock last winter or spring, and everybody had more stock than feed. As fast as a clover head would get in bloom it was eaten off. I got nothing from it at all, but just enough to keep the bees breeding till sweet clover came. I have no complaint to make on what the sweet clover did. I had a good flow for about four weeks. I harvested 260 eases of comb honey from the hives at that time, and about 9,500 pounds of extracted honey; and those colonies were in good shape. I sold the comb honey. Then dry weather came. Heartsease bloomed, but the' weather was so dry that there was no nectar in any kind of bloom. It stayed dry till frost. Of that 9,500 pounds of extracted honey I had to give back to the bees 6,000 pounds or go out of the bee business. I did not need to feed the comb-honey colonies more than 500 pounds altogether, all of which seems to me to be a mighty good argument in favor of comb honey. I found colony after colony with not a pound of honey in the brood chamber and a full ten-frame body above, in which case I simply took out the excluder.
In getting the honey ready for market I have a heavy work bench about waist high. I put the full supers on this, and with a stiff painter's putty knife, ground sharp on one side like a chisel, I scrape the top of the sections just as clean as possible while they are still in the super. When the tops are clean the rest is easy, as just a little cleaning finishes the job, the rest of the section being protected by the section holder. The net weight is stamped on the top, they are put in the cases, nailed up, and are ready for the crate. The crate is arranged to hold six cases with handles. Comb honey must be well packed for shipment, and these crates must be rightly planned and stiff enough to stand all likely strain. I will say that I have never had a damaged shipment of comb honey. I pack it so well that it will require a wreck or the limit in carelessness to damage it.
To you extracted-honey men I would suggest getting some comb-honey supers. You will find a quick market for all you can produce and more. Our honey is finished and can be made ready to sell before the cheaper western honey gets here, and that is the time to sell it. Early in the fall people begin to think about honey, and that is the time to get it on the market. I believe you will find it a most attractive branch of your business, and I wish you success.
# Bekeeping in Tennessee
By G M. Bentlley
## 7 Preface
In 1905 the writer began to gather information relative to the bekeeping interests in Tennessee, the chief purposes of which were to learn the possibilities and to get a survey of the industry in all parts of the State. Many apiaries of the State were examined during that year and successive years, up to the present year and some 3,000 apiaries have been located and'sent printed lists of questions directly pertaining to bekeeping as conducted by the owners. The larger per cent of these blanks were filled in carefully and returned. On nearly every blank names were given of additional beekeepers, to whom blanks were also sent. As a result of this study, continued for 7 years, together with data gathered from the experimental apiary which was installed at the Agricultural Experiment Station when the work was first begun, some interesting and valuable information has been gathered concerning the bekeeping interests of Tennessee. To present as well as to prospective beekeepers this information should be of value. This bulletin will greatly facilitate correspondence coming to the Agricultural College and to this Office inquiring about bekeeping. The inquiries are increasing in number as these investigations are being carried on. Information thus far gathered shows conclusively that Tennessee is well adapted for bekeeping. The varied flora, the abundant rainfall, the number of growing days, and the mild winters are all important factors pointing toward success to him who will keep strong bees of the right kind in a modern way. According to the U. S. Census of 1900, there were 38,300 farms in Tennessee upon which honey bees were kept. The accompanying map locates by means of small spots the number of apiaries having 10 and more colonies, which have been located by our survey and from which we have gathered information for the contents of this bulletin. Since 1905 the bekeeping interests in Tennessee have increased fully 50 per cent and the business is still growing. As this bulletin goes to press 6 beekeepers having large interests in as many Northern States came to this Office seeking information concerning the possibilities of Tennessee as a honey-producing State. Some 20 letters from beekeepers in other states seeking the same information have been received within the last three months.
Perhaps the greatest good the investigation of the bekeeping interests in Tennessee has done is to show the urgent demand for simple instructions and an apiary inspection. Since 1911 an Apiary Inspection Law has been in effect and already the importance of this work has been felt.
For the loan of cuts : Figs. 1, 2, 7, 82, and 85 on pages 10, 12, 82, and 33, grateful acknowledgment is due Doubleday, Page & Co., New York; also the A. 1. Root Co., of Medina, Ohio, for cuts Figs. 5, 9, 10, 20, 28, 24, 25, 28, 34, 36, 37, and 44, on pages 11, 13, 21, 24, 25, 28, 33, and 39.
For assistance in making photographs, credit and appreciation are due F. H. Broome of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Knoxville.
**INTRODUCTION**
From frequent written articles and lectures on beekeeping we are led to believe that anyone, without preparation, can make a success in beekeeping. Too many times the drawbacks met by nearly every keeper of bees are not mentioned; neither is due importance placed upon the preliminary knowledge of beekeeping. Beekeeping today is coming to be restricted more to the expert than to the general farmer. The day when nearly every farm in the State had a few hives of bees has passed. It has been found that to keep bees in a hollowed out log or a soap box; to rob them once a year and get a mixture of poor honey and dead bees, is neither a pleasant nor a profitable business. Bees kept in these conditions have in many cases become so weakened, doubtless from disease--American and Euro-pean fool brood, or both--that the bee moth has easily overcome the colonies. To determine what trouble the general farmer is having with bees a blank has been sent to 3,000 persons in all parts of Tennessee, and the general complaint is that the "weevil" or "bee moth" is so bad that bees can not be kept in their locality. This is a sure indication that the persons reporting this trouble are not familiar with beekeeping, for the bee moth can not overcome a colony of bees when the colony is strong and healthy. The trouble resulting from bee moth really is secondary, and is a strong indication either that the bees are queenless or that fool brood is present, causing the colony to dwindle and weaken. That the prospective beekeeper may not be misled by flowers statements making beekeeping to the unexperienced a "get-rich-quick scheme," that beekeeping on the farm may be built up, and that commercial apiaries may profitably be conducted in Tennessee are the purposes of this bulletin.
It is a fact that beekeeping in Tennessee can be conducted profitably when managed carefully by putting into practice what has been found out by experts in the management and use of modern appliances. Beekeeping should be encouraged, as it may well form a vocation for the young as well as for the old, for those living in the city as well as those living in the country, for the hale and hearty as well as those suffering from impaired health. Emphasis, however, should be laid upon the importance of beginning in a small way and developing as one's interests and love for beekeeping enlarges. In the wintertime and on rainy days the beekeeper gets his hives in readiness for the coming honey flow. When spring comes and the bees begin to fly, a short time spent examining the bees will furnish information as to their condition. It is not advisable, however, that the hives be opened at this time if the weather is cool. The condition of the bees in the spring will usually be an index as to how they were prepared for winter. Bees which are strong and active are those which had plenty of honey and a strong colony. In this State bees winter well out of doors, but care should be taken to see that they have plenty of honey, a surplus of 25 to 30 pounds will be sufficient.
The LIFE AND HABITS OF THE HONEY BEE
The inmates of the hive, known as the colony, consist during the spring and summer months of 300,000 workers, 300 drones, and 1 queen. The accompanying cut pictures a representative of e a ch S o m e bekeepers by c a r e full manipulation use 2 queens, but this is not to be recommended for the amateur. Success in beekeeping depends largely upon the bees which are kept as much as the care given to them. Table on page 37 for the three predominating kinds of honey bees in Tennessee emphasizes this fact. There are a few Carniolian and Cyprian bees kept in the State. The hybrids of the Italian and black bees surpass all others in the number of colonies. It is a rather difficult matter to keep the strain pure if you have neighbors within three or four miles of you who keep a different variety of bees. Thus it is that the great number of hybrid colonies have resulted. The table referred to is conclusive as to the bees which should be kept in this State. It might be well to say that Italian bees have varieties known as the three-banded, the five-banded, and the golden. Of these the three- or five-banded have given best results.
The beginner The Queen in bekeeping should by all means secure a good queen. The life of a queen is from three to five years, and at the end of this time a new one should be introduced into the colony. Many of the apiaries of the State are gradually dwindling simply because the queens have passed their period of usefulness. The function of the queen is to lay fertile and infertile eggs. From the fertile come workers or queens, according to the food which the young receive. From the infertile come the drones. A desirable queen will lay from 2,000 to 4,000 eggs during a period of 24 hours. In the selection of a queen one should have the advice of an experienced beekeeper or deal with a strictly reliable queen breeder. After a fertile egg has been in the cell 3 days it hatches into a very small, grub-like larva. If a queen is to be developed this larva is given special attention by the young worker bees. It is fed a "royal jelly." As the larva grows the cell is enlarged and is usually in the form of a cone-like tubercle. The grub life of the queen bee is completed in 5% days, after which it is carefully sealed by the bees to protect it from the queen which is already in the hive. During the 7 days the bee changes and becomes similar to the adult and begins to chew off the covering. About this time, if the old queen of the hive does not decide to swarm, taking with her most of the old bees, the newly emerged queen has to gain her possession of the hive by a duel with the old queen. It will be noticed that the queen will develop in 15 or 16 days. If the old queen leaves the have the new queen falls immediately into possession and the new colony is formed with the new brood emerging at this time.
The drones are The Drones present in the hive only during the spring and summer. In number they usually vary from 50 to 300. They gather no honey; neither do they perform any of the duties about the hive; yet they are a drain on the honey supply. The drones are not provided with stingers, although they make a louder noise and are considerably larger than the workers. They may be easily re recognized by their size and their bluntly rounded abdomens. Their sole function is fulfilled in mating with the young queen as she takes her maiden flight days of spring. When the
Figure 6: A and B, Nerve Systems of Young and Adult Honey Bee C, Ganglion (after Cheshire)
Figure 7: Head of Drone, Upper Left Hand Corner. Head of Workshop. Left Hand Corner. Virtual View of Bee Showing Wax Plates, Lower Right Hand Corner (After Hammar)
prepared by other worker bees which remained at home. Still other worker bees go afield gathering pollen, which when mixed with saliva forms the beebread or food of the young bee. The workers are also the source of the wax used in making the comb and cappings. The bee glue or propolis is used in sealing up cracks and firmly fastening the parts of the hive together. Should the honey be too thin for capping it is the worker bee who performs the process of evaporating the surplus water. This is done by rapid action of its wings. The steps in the life-history of the worker are very similar to those of the queen. The main exceptions are that a worker is not fed the "royal jelly" and the worker requires 21 days to develop.
The following table shows the days required for the development of the different members of the hive:
Figure 9: Drone Cells Used for HoneyFig. 10: A Combination of Worker StorageLower Edge of Cell. is and Drone Cells. The Smaller Capped First Cells at Top Are Worker Cells
**Necessary Equipment**
Like all other industries when first undertaken, beekeeping should begin in a simple way. If you are not acquainted with bees it is best to begin with one colony and one or two good books on beekeeping, and subscribe for one of the best bee journals. Study the living bees and your publications together. It will take only a comparatively short time--about one season--to increase your colonies and prepare for making honey. The equipment necessary, while simple, is peculiarly adapted to the business.
Use nothing but the modern hive; one that may The modern hive be opened from time to time, permitting you to study the condition of the bees. There are many kinds of modern hives to which the inventor's name is still attached. A 10-frame hive is preferable to any other. A hive constructed on the principles of the Langstroth, with 10 Hoffman frames, with a shallow
Figure 11: Some Reliable Books and Journals on Bekeeping
hive and is used to exclude the queen from the super. Order sufficient medium brood and light section foundations; also some No. 30 tinned wire and a spur-wheel wire imbedder. In buying hives get them in lots of five unnailed or "in the flat" at a considerable saving. Liberal discounts on all apiary supplies are allowed during the winter and early spring months. Also if you are a member of the State Beekeepers' Association, you will be able to buy bee supplies at a discount.
**PLEasure AND PROFIT IN MODERN BEEKEEPING**
As a side line, considering the expense of installation, there is no more interesting and profitable business than beekeeping. Not only is this true for the fruitgrower and farmer, but to the residents of cities, those in mercantile and professional lines. Some of the best beekeepers are women. True it is that time and attention and preliminary knowledge are necessary; but experience will be gained rapidly when the living bees are studied in connection with printed instructions. A visit to an apiary conducted by a practical beekeeper will furnish valuable suggestions and interest in the work. No one who wishes to derive the greatest pleasure and profit from his bees should expect the little fellows to do good work unless provided with suitable hives. Do not for a moment attempt to keep bees in hollow logs or plank boxes; instead have modern hives which can be opened from time to time so that the true condition of your bees may be studied. Surplus honey may be taken off without destroying your bees, even disturbing them. Should your bees become diseased it will be an easy matter, with a separable hive, to inspect them and determine the cause.
**Hive and bees**
From careful statistics gathered from different parts of the State we learn that the production affect yield of honey is affected not only by the kind of bees, but by the style of hive in which the bees are kept, as shown by the following table:
egin{tabular}{l l l l l}
**Style of hive**
**Number of**
**apiaries**
**Average**
**yield of**
**honey per hive**
**extracted honey**
**per colony**
**Log gums**
**22**
**15 lbs.**
**10**
**c**
**$1.50**
**Plank, box hives**
**34**
**18 lbs.**
**11%%c**
**2.07**
**Frame or modern**
**hives**
**....**
**173**
**39%% lbs.**
**12%%c**
**4.94**
These figures prove conclusively that it is econo-**
**Hive parts**
**my to use the modern hive. This may be equipped with a bottom board, brood chamber, with entrance, queen-excluding honey board, super, and cover. The accompanying figure shows the arrangement of these parts. The super may have shallow extracting frames 5% inches by 17%, or it may have small boxes or sections, 4 inches by 5. It has been found that a larger amount of honey will be stored if the frames are used. The hives should be of good size. The hive giving best results is a 10-frame hive. The writer is inclined to favor the Langstroth style with Hoffman frames. The producer of extracted honey may wish to have interchangeable brood chambers and supers.**
**The frames of the hive should have full sheets**
**Full sheets of**
**of foundation put into them and wired. Full foundation sheets of foundation should also be used in the frames or section in the super. It is important that this be done, for the making of wax by the bees is a slow and exhausting process, and very expensive, too, when you consider the loss of time of your bees and the quantity of honey which they might gather. If you have observed your bees you have noticed them from time to time hanging themselves up in rope-like strings among the frames and on the sides of the hive. During this time there are few bees gathering honey. Were you to watch carefully you would find that after several days there would be a small accumulation of wax at 8 different places on the underside of the bee's body. This is the
Figure 14: A Hofmann Frame with Foundation 9% Inches by 17%
Figure 15: Danzenbaker Bood Frame, 7% Inches by 17
newly formed beeswax. Before this wax can be made a large amount of honey must be consumed by the bee. A careful observer has found that it requires 20 pounds of honey to produce 1 pound of wax. Counting honey at 15 cents per pound and beeswax at 30 cents per pound, you will see how important it is to use full sheets of foundation instead of narrow strips as starters as has been recommended by many beekeepers in the past. It should be the object of every beekeeper to save his bees from producing more wax than is really necessary, for every pound of beeswax produced in the hive costs the beekeeper $2.70, to say nothing of the time and energy required by the bees to produce it.
Having decided that it is not economical to keep Transferring from bees in the box or log gum, and that the use of the box or log brimstone to kill the bees whenever honey is to gum to modern he taken is extravagance, we want to start right, hives and suggestions as to how to transfer with the least inconvenience are in order. Lighting your smoker and putting a bee veil over your face, approach the box or gum, puffing a little smoke into the entrance. The modern hive is placed in the exact position of the old one. The log gum is split apart or the box hive is opened and the larger pieces of comb with the bees are removed and placed into the frames of the new hive. These pieces are held in place by wire, strings or sticks. After all the larger pieces of comb have been placed in the new frame the surplus bees may be shaken on a piece of cloth spread at the entrance to the new hive. The operator should take pains to see that the queen gets into the new hive uninjured. A little smoke now and then may be used
Figure 16: A Single and Double-Walled Hive
to quiet the bees during the operation of transferring. In a short time they will become quiet and if the honey flow is on at the time the bees will soon make the repairs to the broken comb and begin building new. Great care should be taken to prevent robbing. It is well to transfer when the bees are busy gathering honey, and the work should be done as soon as possible, care being taken to leave but little broken honey exposed. Broad comb taken from the old hive should be placed near the center of the new hive. After the comb and bees have been introduced into the modern hive it is well to contract the entrance to the hive. If the colony is strong the bees will soon join all the parts, and fasten all the combs securely to the frames, when the sticks, wire or string may be removed.
From the middle of April to the middle of June Swarming one may expect from the strong colonies sufficient increase to make it necessary for a swarm to come forth unless precautions are taken by giving space and ventilation, or by dividing the colony. Swarming is the natural method of reproduction among the bees. It is the old queen and the old bees which leave the hive seeking new quarters. When indications of swarming appear immediate attention is necessary. The hive with 10 frames with full sheets of foundation or frames containing empty comb should be ready and as soon as the swarm is out the new hive should be placed in exactly the same position as the old one, which may be set a few feet to the side. The swarm made up of the old bees advances from the hive, followed by the queen. After flying about for a short time they cluster on some near-by object. It may
Figure 17: Double-Walled Hive. Where Shade is Impossible Use THIS Type of Hive
be a tree, a bush, a post, or a building. Here the swarm remains for an indefinite length of time, during which scouts are supposed to be seeking a suitable new home. Swarming time is an occasion of great excitement, and by the older beekeeper the settling of the swarm was supposed to be encouraged when bells were rung and pans drummed upon or sand thrown into the air. The modern swarm causes very little excitement, for the queen's wing has been clipped on one side and the swarm will be found only a short way from the hive, usually on the ground. The new hive having been placed, the swarm is now taken to the entrance of the hive and shaken on the cloth spread before the entrance. In a few minutes all the bees pass within and usually they remain adapting the new hive for their new home.
Certain precautions are important. Du e care should be taken not to injure the queen, and the new hive should not be too warm. If the hive is new and strongly scented with pitch it is well to bruise grass or leaves on the sides to neutralize the odor. If all has gone well the swarm becomes quiet and in a few days all the bees are working normally. There are times when from conditions the bees do not seem to adapt the new home and settle down. In this case to introduce a frame or two of brood from some strong colony will correct the trouble.