BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
A. There is probably no work published that treats particularly of honey-plants, although the text-books on bee-culture give some information regarding them. It is not likely that you will find any plant that will yield sufficient honey to make it profitable for you to occupy land with it unless it yields a profit in some other way. Sweet clover will probably come as near it as anything you can find. If stock in your locality has learned to eat sweet clover, either green or dry, it will pay to occupy good land with it.
Horsemint.Q. I have some horsemint plants on my place. Will they yield honey, and if so will this honey hurt the grade of my other honey?
A. Horsemint is not usually abundant enough in the northern sections of the United States to produce surplus quantities sufficient to make the taste noticeable. However, in Texas, horse-mint honey is a regular crop. I should say that if you had horse-mint in sufficient quantities it would probably give a mint flavor to your other honey. It yields about the same time as white clover.
**Houses, Getting Bees From. (See Buildings.)**
**Hybrids.-Q. Is the hybrid of yellow color?**
**A. When the word "hybrid" is used concerning bees, it generally means a cross between blacks and Italians, and such hybrids may have one, two, or even three yellow bands similar to the yellow bands of Italians, but if only part of the workers have the three bands, then the colony is considered hybrid. I suppose the word "hybrid" might also apply to a cross between Italians and Carniolans, or between any two different varieties.**
**Q. Are hybrids as good for honey-gathering as full-blocks?**
**A. Very often they are.**
**Q. Are hybrid bees as good as pure stock?**
**A. Sometimes they are better, and sometimes not so good. But even if better, they are more likely to run out than pure stock.**
**Hydrometer.-Q. On page 5 of the American Bee Journal for 1908, in an article on "Testing Honey as to Ripeness," it is said, "it would be a good thing" to "get a hydrometer." What is a hydrometer, and, especially, how is it used? Of course, I understand a "hydrometer" must be an instrument to measure moisture. Still, I repeat the question, what is it and how is it used?**
**A. A hydrometer is an instrument for determining the density of liquids, consisting of a weighted glass bulb with a long stem on which there is a graduated scale. It is put in the liquid, where it stands upright, the denser the liquid the higher it stands, the figures on the scale thus showing the density. If an up-to-date daityman is near you, he may have a hydrometer, which he calls a lactometer.**
**Ice.-Q. If small particles of ice form on the hive-entrance of a colony that is wintering on the summer stand, is it an indication that it is not in a good condition for winter?**
**A. No, there is nothing alarming about it any more than there is in seeing a man's breath form in icicles on his beard when he is out in freezing weather.**
**Inbreeding.-Q. What do you call inbreeding? Give a practical illustration.**
**A. "Inbreed," says the dictionary, means "to breed or to foliow a course of breeding, from nearly related animals, as those of the same parentage or pedigree; breed in-and-in." It would be in breeding to have a young queen meet a drone from the same hive, or even with the relation less close.
Q. Does the honeybee degenerate through inbreeding? If so, what is the result?
A. Indiscriminate inbreeding among bees, as with all other animals, is likely to result in deterioration, the bad qualities becoming intensified. With intelligent control the result may be the other way.
**Income From Bees (See Living From Bees.)**
**Increase.Q. I am 21 years old, and I own four colonies of bees. I am as interested in the bee-business as I think any person can be. I have read all the bee literature I could for three years. At present I am taking four bee-papers. Would you advise me to buy more bees, or to wait until those I have increase?**
A. That depends. If you want to increase to a considerably larger number and have an opportunity of buying a few colonies at a bargain, as sometimes happens at an auction, or when one wants to get rid of his bees, it will be well for you to buy. But if you can't buy for less-than $5.00 a colony, then it will be more profitable for you to run your bees for increase than for honey. Only don't make the mistake of having a number of weak colonies on hand in the fall. It would, no doubt, be an easy thing to increase those four colonies to twenty or more by fall, and then lose most of them in the winter because too weak; but in the long run you will get on faster to move a little more slowly and surely. Of course, something depends upon the season. In a very poor season it may not be safe to increase at all, unless you do a good deal of feeding. But if you reach next fall with ten or twelve strong colonies, another good season ought to bring you up to forty or so.
Q. Can you make a 20 per cent increase by going through the apiary and making a colony at different times without hurting the honey-flow?
A. I think it might be done without diminishing the crop, at least in some cases. Just enough strength taken from each colony to prevent swarming might increase rather than diminish the total harvest.
Q. Can I take a colony and make four or five out of it and put a new queen in each? If so, how?
A. You may do it in a good season. One way is to wait until the colony is strong, then take a little more than half the brood and bees and put in a new hive on a new stand, giving a new queen and leaving the old queen on the old stand. When each of these becomes strong, divide again the same way.
Q. As I am only 25 miles from you, please recommend the best method to increase and still get a crop of honey, for our locality. I have your book "Fifty Years Among the Bees."
A. There are so many different circumstances and conditions that it is not easy to say what system is best. What is best one time may not be best another. In the book you mention the matter of increase is discussed as fully, at least, as in any book I know of. After a careful study of what you find there, you will be able to decide for yourself better than I could decide for you. If, however, I were obliged to confine myself to any one plan, with the idea of interfering little with the honey crop, I think it would be the nucleus plan. With that you can make much or little increase, and you need not draw from one colony enough to hinder it from doing fair work in supers. But if by "still get a crop of honey" you mean to get as much as if you got no increase, I don't believe you can make it in your location. That only happens where there is an important fall flow.
Q. Is the Swarthmore method, i. e., shaking the bees on full sheets of foundation and then giving them a laying queen, better than the Alexander method of increase, as in "A, B, C of Bee Culture?"
A. Likely the Alexander plan may be better for you, as it allows little or no chance for brood to be chilled. But if you expect to double your crop of honey, as Mr. Alexander says you may, by dividing, you are likely to be seriously disappointed unless you have a heavy late flow, as Mr. Alexander had from the buckwheat.
**Increase, Alexander Plan.-Q.** What is the best way to double any number of colonies?
A. Something depends upon circumstances what is the best way. If you have had very little experience it may be best for you to depend upon natural swarming, but allowing no after-swarms. When a colony swarms, set the swarm on the old stand and set the old hive close beside the new one. Then a week later move the old one to a new place ten feet or more distant. That will prevent afterswarms, and the swarms will give you surplus if there is any surplus.
If you prefer not to have natural swarming the Alexander plan of increase may suit you. A little before it is time for bees to swarm in your neighborhood, lift out of the hive all but one frame and put them in an empty hive-body. Leave the queen with the one frame of brood, and destroy any queen-cells that may be on that frame. Fill out both hives with frames filled with foundation, or with starters or drawn comb. Put a queen-excluder over the hive containing the queen and one brood-frame, and set the other hive on top of this. Five days later look for queen-cells in the upper stories. If you find queen-cells in an upper story, let it stand another five days, and then set it on its new stand, giving it a queen-cell from one of the others. It will hurry up matters if you can give a laying queen to each.
Q. When taking the top story off, how many bees should go with it?
A. I think Mr. Alexander took all that were in it.
Q. Do you consider the above method better than allowing natural swarming with clipped queen, or dividing by forming nuclei?
A. No, not for me, and probably not for one in a thousand in the North.
Q. I have three colonies and should like to increase and also try Caucasians. Could I take one or two frames from each colony, unite them and then introduce a Caucasian queen? Will it prevent the mother colonies from swarming? Can you suggest a better plan if, mine isn't practicable?
A. Yes, your plan is feasible. But taking away only one or two frames of brood from each colony is not likely to prevent swarming, although it will delay, and in a few cases prevent it. To fulfill your desire you will do well to follow what is called the Alexander plan, varied a little. Wait until the time comes when there is danger of swarming. Then put all brood but one frame in a second story, leaving in the lower story the one brood and queen, filling out with drawn combs or frames filled with foundation, and pay no attention to where the bees are. Put a frame of comb or foundation in the second story to fill out the vacancy. Have a queen-excluder between the first and second story. A week or ten days later lift off the second story and set it on a new stand, destroying all queen-cells, if there are any. Twenty-four hours later give to this new colony a laying queen, a virgin, or a queen-cell.
Q. I have two strong colonies of bees; in each hive the brood-chamber is a double 10-frame brood-chamber, making 20 frames to each.
Now, I wish to know what is the best way to make "increase"of my bees. I would like to avoid the troubles of the usual swarming, and yet increase my stock.
**A.** Here is one good way: Operate a little before the usual time of swarming in your neighborhood; or, if you wish to take a little more pains, operate after queen-cells are started, but before they are sealed, for with the first sealing a swarm is likely to issue. Set one of the stories on a new stand, putting in it all the frames of brood with adhering bees and leave the rest of the combs and bees with the old queen on the old stand. The hive on the old stand ought to give a good surplus in a good year. There is, however, some danger of a swarm as soon as the first young queen emerges. You can prevent this by destroying all queen-cells but one. Or, you may prevent it by dividing the brood into two parts, providing you want the increase.
It may be still better first to put all the brood in the upper story, with an excluder between the two stories, and the queen in the lower story. Then, a week later, move the upper story to a new stand. In this case there ought to be no danger of swarming.
Q. Referring to the Alexander method of preparing colonies for division, by placing the older brood above an excluder until sealed, and the queen with open brood below upon the bottom; I would like to divide as early as there is sufficient brood, and, for that reason would like to know if the process might not successfully be reversed, the queen being placed above the excluder, and the brood for sealing below, and thus avoid desertion of the queen by reason of unexpected cold, which has been reported by one observer.
A. Yes, the queen may be put above the excluder, leaving the brood below, although you will probably not like it quite so well, for the natural thing is for bees to work downward, with the brood.
**Increase, Artificial, by Division.-Q.** I have 28 strong colonies and want to increase to 50 if possible this season, and would like to do it artificially, as I think it will save a lot of time. This is my second season with bees. How shall I proceed? Would it do to divide the bees just before they are ready to swarm, and is it best to put frames of foundation in the old colony where I take out the frames of brood?
'A. Yes, one of the simplest ways is to divide each colony into two parts before the bees swarm. Leave the old queen on the old stand and put more than half of the brood with adhering bees on a new stand and they will rear a queen. Fill vacancies with frames having full sheets of foundation.
But that's far from the best way. Just what the best way is,depends upon circumstances, and it would take much room to go fully into the whole subject of artificial increase. Study upper general principles in your text-book, and you will be better prepared to judge what is best for you.
Q. Which is the better, natural swarming, or dividing?
A. Whether the swarm made by dividing is as good as a natural swarm depends upon how the natural swarm is made. It may be made weaker than a natural swarm, and it may be made stronger. There are, however, advantages in dividing such that experienced beekeepers generally prefer it to natural swarming.
Q. How late would it be safe to divide, and also to buy a queen? Our seasons are long here. The 10th of October is a very early frost. Cotton blooms till frost. (Oklahoma.)
A. I don't know just how late it might be safe to divide. If the flow continues until October 10, and a laying queen is furnished, you might risk a division as late as September 1 to 10, providing the colony be strong, with plenty of brood.
Q. How many days after the swarm issues should I divide?
A. About seven or eight days.
Q. When is the best time to make new swarms? I worked with a beeman one summer before I bought my bees. He made his new swarms when he was extracting. But I think it disturbs the bees so much when they are working hard, and it looks to me like they will not store as much honey if torn apart at this time.
A. There is no fixed rule about it. One would think it best to follow nature and make increase at the time bees swarm naturally. But nearly everyone agrees nowadays that natural swarming is decidedly detrimental to the honey crop. In my locality it seems much better to have no increase until at or near the close of the harvest. In some localities, where there is a heavy late flow, it may be better to divide early in the season.
Q. When is the proper time to start new colonies of bees in this climate--40 miles south of St. Louis? What is the best method for a beginner to take in doing so?
A. The very best time is when the bees are inclined to swarm naturally. Bees begin to swarm when honey begins to yield well, and more or less colonies may swarm so long as honey yields, although most colonies do their swarming during the early part of the honey-flow. You may even make increase successfully in the month of September if you make the new colony strong enough.
The earlier you start a colony the less need of its being strong, as it has a longer time to build up before winter. It is not easy to say what may be the best way for you. What may be best for one may not be the best for another. Perhaps the easiest way is to take half the combs, bees and all, out of a hive and put into another hive, filling out each hive with combs or frames filled with foundation, setting the hives side by side, as nearly as possible on the old location, trusting to the queen-less part to rear its own queen. A better way is to look four days later and see which hive contains eggs, and give a laying queen to the other part. That, 'of course, involves buying and introducing a queen. If you want the bees to rear their own queen, here is a better plan : Find the queen and put her with two frames and all adhering bees into another hive on a new stand. A week later a number of queen-cells will be in the now queenless colony, when you let the hives exchange places, and the bees will do the rest. If you want to have more than one new colony, you can divide the queenless part, putting the larger half on an entirely new stand. Increase, Artificial, Nucleus Plan--Q. Give me a good way for artificial increase. A. Take from the strong colony two frames of brood with adhering bees and queen, put on a new stand and imprison them for three days. A week after the queen is taken away, let the two hives swap places. That will double the number. If you want to make more out of that one colony, you can divide the old colony into two or more nuclei at the time of swapping places, being sure that each has a good queen-cell located centrally where the bees will keep it warm, and then if necessary you can strengthen these nuclei after the queens get to laying by giving them brood from other colonies. Q. I have a colony of Italian bees from which I intend to make increase. If I make nuclei from it, will it be safe to give frames of brood with adhering bees from other colonies? Or is there danger that the bees will kill the queen or destroy the queen-cells? If this is not safe, how fast can frames of brood without bees be given? I understand if too much brood is given at once some will starve. A. It requires judgment in giving frames of brood with adhering bees, as it depends upon the strength of the nucleus how much can be given at a time. You evidently have in mind two dangers. One is that the strange bees introduced will kill the queen (there is not very much danger that they will harm the queen-cells); and the other is that the brood will be chilled or starved. Generally more danger of chilling than starving.
Unless a nucleus has bees enough to cover three frames, it is better not to introduce a frame of brood with adhering bces, lest the queen be endangered. With regard to brood, there is little danger of harm being done if bees enough go with it to cover an additional frame.
In any case, the more mature the brood the better, and if the brood is all sealed you may give a frame without any adhering bees, and it will be safe in a nucleus of two or three frames, even: if there appear to be only enough bees present to cover well the two or three frames already present. One reason for this is in the fact that it does not require so much heat for sealed as for un-sealed brood. As soon as most of the young bees have emerged from the frames given, it can be exchanged for another, and this will generally allow you to add a frame each week.
A nice way to do to have frames of brood ready to give to nuclei is to put an excluder over a strong colony with an empty hive-body over it, and put into this frames of brood from other colonies; then, a week or ten days later, there being no young brood present, the frames will be fine for nuclei, whether you take with them the adhering bees or not.
Q. Being anxious to increase as fast as possible, I would like to have your opinion about it. I read one article by W. Z. Hutchinson, saying that he made his increase by taking two or three frames of brood from strong colonies and giving them a laying queen; but not being able to buy my queens, would it do to take a queen from one colony and let the bees rear a new queen? Please give me some of your best plans.
A. It is not easy to say what may be the best plan for you. What is best for one is not always best for another. But taking the plan you mention, you can do very well with a little variation. Decide which colony you think has the queen of best blood, and see that it is strong, if necessary giving it frames of hatching-brood from other colonies to strengthen it. You may even fill two stories with brood. Call this hive A. When the time comes for bees to begin making preparations for swarming, take the queen with 2 or 3 frames of brood and adhering bees, and put them in hive B, on a stand a rod or more distant. About eight or ten days after taking the queen away from A--don't delay longer than ten days--take out one of the frames with the queen from B, put it in an empty hive, C, and fill out C with empty combs or frames filled with foundation-starters. Take hive A from its stand and set hive C in its place. You will now make as many nuclei as you can from the brood and bees in A, taking two frames of brood and bees for each nucleus, putting each on a new stand. It may happen that without any intention on your part there will be one or more good queen-cells on one of the combs in each nucleus. It may be, however, that most of the queen-cells are on one or two combs, and you must cut out at least one good cell for each nucleus. You can fasten it on the comb by pushing over it a hive-staple. See that it is centrally located where the bees will be snre to keep it warm. A cell must also be given to B, and it will be well that this be given in a cage so that the bees cannot get at it for a day or two, lest they destroy it before they discover their quenclessness. The bees of the nuclei being queen-less, will remain pretty well where pnt, but you might fasten them it for a day or two.
**Increase, Natural.--Q**. I have 25 colonies of bees and want to increase to 50 next year and secure as much surplus honey as possible. How would you do this? We have plenty of white clover that begins blooming May I, and blooms two months.
A. There is, perhaps, no better way than to let each colony swarm once, moving the parent colony to a new location and hiving the swarm on the old stand. That will give a strong force to the swarm, which will do the principal storing, although the mother colony may store some if there is a late flow.
**Increase With Queen-Cells.--Q**. Is it safe to form a colony by taking frames of sealed brood and queen-cells instead of queen?
A. Very unsafe if no precaution whatever is used. For when you look a day or two later you are likely to find the bees mostly gone and the brood chilled. After putting the two frames with adhering bees in your nucleus hive, shake into it the bees from one or two more frames. Then see that your hive is closed be-tight, so that not a bee can get out, for two or three days. It's not a bad plan to stuff grass or green leaves into the entrance, plugging it tight and hard. The green stuff will dry and shrink, and in two or three days the bees will dig their way out.
(If the weather is very hot, better keep this hive in the cellar during that time, as they might smother in the hive under the sun,--C. P. D.)
**Increase, Prevention of, (See Swarm Prevention.)**
**Introducing (See Queen Introduction.)**
**Italian Bees.Q.** Has Italy two kinds of Italian bees, the leather-colored and the golden; or are the goldens bred in this country by select leather-colored stock?
A. In Italy there are the leather-colored and also a lighter kind, but I think no 5-banded or golden, which is an American affair, not at all always from the leather-colored kind.
Q. How can I tell a pure-bred Italian queen? I notice all the queens I buy, and also the drones, vary in markings.
A. The workers should not show less than three yellow bands. But you may find in a colony of pure Italians, black workers that have come from other hives. Look for the downy little chaps that are quite young; amongst them there should be none without three bands.
Q. Are Italians the only bees having three yellow rings on the abdomen? Should the rings be wide or narrow?
A. There are others having three such rings, as the Cyprians. It doesn't matter about width of rings, the distance of one ring from another being the same in all cases.
Q. Please distinguish between leather-colored Italians and other Italians.
A. Leather-colored Italians are, as the name indicates, rather dark in color, the colored part being the color of sole-leather, as compared with other Italians of lighter color.
Q. I would be glad to know what the difference is between the 3-banded and the golden Italian bees, and how are they obtained?
Also, are the 3-banded bees longer-tongued than the golden? I had goldens that worked on red clover, but I see they are always classed differently.