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The Edwin J. Anderson
A PICULTURAL LIBRARY
Edwin J. Anderson
The Pennsylvania
State University
As long as 1 can remember, even as a boy, there were bases kept on our farm. Father, early in his career as a successful farmer, recognized the importance of keeping bees on the place, and this not alone because of the delicious honors they produced, but rather because their presence meant the proper fertilization of the fruit biosensors.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Harriert, my good wife, to say nothing of Tim and Martha, are all deeply interested in the apiary out in the apple orchard.
Honey has become such a necessary part of our daily diet, especially during the fall and winter when griddic-exhes are in order, that we should be lost without it.
Our fifty colonies of bees, though requiring but a small part of our time, have paid us a larger return than any other stock on the place, and we would as soon part with our team of (fatiful greys, whose steady steps I have (frequently followed behind the plow, as to part with our bees.
Not only as a predispersed food has honey found a place upon our table, but in the treatment of odds and throat troubles we have found it to be invaluable.
If there are any so-called serects in the art of bekeceping, they are fully exposed in the following treatise, and it is my earnest desire that the reader may learn to his profit.
Most of the photographs herein reproduced have been taken by Tim, especially for this little volume.
The book is written not only for the professional beekeeper, although he will find within its lids much that will be new to him and much that he has in his experience proved, but also for the farmer and others interested in rural life who are beekeepers on a small scale, and for those who have not as yet become the happy owners of these interesting little people.
It is a mistaken notion to suppose that bees are naturally vindicates, and prone to siting, as the opposite is the truth; for if one will but avoid doing consciously or unconsciously those things which irritate the bees, he will, in the language of my old friend the late Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth, the father of American bekeeping, " Need to have little more fear of the stings of his bees than the horns of his favorite cow, or the heels of his faithfulness of those,"
If one is timid, however; the use of bee weil, gloves and smoker will enable the beginner to avoid being stump at all.
My readers will doubtless be surprised to know that there are localities where bees are not kept, which would bring in spindell returns to those who will keep them; and even on the roofs of city dwellings hives are kept with success, their busy denizens laying tribute upon almost impossible sources for their honey.
My endeavor has been to eliminate from this book all useless material and proved failures in both methods and implements, give to the reader the cream of it all, and outline only methods that are up to date and successful,
JACOB BRIGLE
###### Contents
* [1]_Overview for, warry, a brief review, you're preferred your age with goult/-real-timetime_.
* [2]_If it nor other reason than to insure the proper fertilization of fruit and other blossoms- every aircraft, fruit grower or expander should keep a few bees upon his seriously._
* [3]_In our habit of regarding backkeeping from the commercial standpoint, and measuring its profit solely by the amount of money produced, many of us have overwhelmed the real mission of the honey-be in life, which is, properly to
* [4]_In looking at the body of the bee, we discover that it is
* [5]_Cated all-user with a fuzzy dbn, which, differences the pollen of the blossum it enters
* [6]_in quest of nectar, and "or waste waste", as the little fellow
* [7]_Iaves I the blossum_
* [8]_with a spiral motion, it unconsciously carries the pollen from the amhers of the blossum to its stigma, and performs an important work which all un-to-date horichelmetrists have proved._
* [9]_From an entirely mistaken motion that bees puncture fruit, some fruit growers have been antagonistic to the keeping of bees by their neighbors, and little knew that by so doing they were opposing their own best interests.
Frequently a hornet, wasp or other insect has with its strong mandles punctured a grape, peach or other fruit, and after taking its fill, has gone its way leaving the sweet juice to continue to evade; then the little bee, coming along and finding the puncture, has taken a sign, and being observed when so doing, has but confirmed the opinion in the mind of the observer that bees are "injurious to fruit,"
Bees have no organ sharp or strong enough to accomplish the puncture of fruit, unless it be their sting, and we know absolutely that this organ is never used for that purpose; so bees are surely innocent of the charge brought against them. The late Loreano _lansst_, who more than any other man had carefully observed the habits of the honey bee, once made an experiment that forever silenced all oppose on the subject. He selected a bunch of nice ripe grapes, carefully placed it in a hive of bees, right over the centre of a strong colony, and left it there for several days, and when he removed it the was overloed to find that not a grape had been named or pierced.
In a number of states, conventions of fruit growers have discussed this question pro and con, and have acknowledged that the keeping of bees was an important factor in the production of fruit. The main damage is done to fruit by birds, and other insects that bees, as proved by the fact that a vineyard or orchard in close proximity to woodland seems to suffer most. The United States Agricultural Station was instructed in 1885 to test the matter thoroughly, by shutting up bees with sound fruit, and the results conclusively showed that the bees were innocent.
Some years ago in California the fruit growers raised such a protest that the beekeepers of that locality were compelled to move their bees from the neighborhood; but when the fruit growers found the following season that their output was greatly reduced, they were glad enough to reinforce the beekeepers to bring their bees back again, with the result that the output went back to its original quantity.
**Up** in Schenectady County, N. Y., the heart of the buckwheal country, a man who made it a business to go around in the fall threshing the buckwheal, by machine, declared that when he got into the area that was visited by the bees from one of the largest apariers in the state, the buckwheal was larger and finer than that of other sections where bees were not in evidence. Yet, strange to say, some of the farmers of that section were inclined to think that the bees robled the buckwheal of something which the bekeeper had no right to take.
Everyone realizes that in recent years it is a hard matter to get red clover seed that is strong in power of reproduction, and this is due to the fact that the little humblebee has in certain sections of the country become extinct, owing to the breaking up of its habitat in the meadows. The corrolla blossom of the red clover is too deep for the ordinary bee to reach the nectar, and the result is that it seldom visits it, and much of it is not properly fertilized.
Until recent years Germany was a large buyer of our red clover seed, and a few years ago that government sent to this country a commissioner to secure thousands of humblees for introduction in that country, and some of us recall how the boys up in New York state were kept busy catching these little bees for him, with the result that Germany now largely raises its own red clover seed.
The disappearance of the humblebee in some sections has led the Agricultural Department at Washington, D. C. to experiment along the line of increasing the length of the tongues of the ordinary honey-bees, so that they would visit the red clover bloom and thus insure its proper fertilization, to say nothing of securing from this source the millions of pounds of honey that every year remain unharvened; and the results were so satisfactory that a large number of queen-bee breeders are selling the well-known " long-tongue red clover quences," whose bees work on red clover and secure some of the richest honey and insure a strong and vigorous seed for the coming season.
There have been cases where fruit growers have located many miles away from bees, and though their trees blossomed abundantly, no fruit was produced until bees were brought into the vicinity.
At Morganville, N. J., Mr. J. E. Becker who has nearly three acres in glasshouses, some years ago conceived the idea that it be could secure the pollination of cucumber blossoms in the months of February and March, he could overcome the climatic advantage of Florida and put into the New York markets cucumbers that would bring top-noch prices.
At that season of the year it would have been fully for him to expect that the bees would be flying; so to overcome this, he placed in each of his greenhouses a hive of bees, and lured forth by the genial atmosphere they fairly swarmed from blossom to blossom, and as a result enabled him to produce the goods. The bees, however, seemed unable to find their hives again, and died from putting against the glass top of the flouchestes, so that it was necessary for him to buy new bees each season: but this was a small tip of expensive compared with the tremendous, crops of cucumbers he annually produced.
Professor Liberty Bailey of Cornell University declares we previously proposed that "bees are much more efficient agents of pollination than wind; and their absence is always deleterious." Other authorities have experimented by giving a bag around a branch of blossoms until the pollination period had passed, and although the tree bore abundantly on other branches, no fruit was produced by the bloom that had been secluded from the bees.
There are other considerations besides the question of fruit bloom that make beckeeping a delightful adjunct to other farm work--namely, the honey produced and the real pleasure of working among bees.
## Chapter 1 What race to keep
_Keeps are kind of beat and they?_ _I don't know you_.--Ifarriet.
In order to manage bees successfully, it will be well to understand a bit of their life history.
The common honey-bee belongs to the order thymempotra or membranous winged insects, in the family Apide, several types of which compose it--such as Apis or live-bee, Bombus the humble-bee, and Xyloception the carpenter-bee. Megachide or leaf-cutter, and Meliproma the stripeless-bee of South America.
Our common bee is Apis mellifera, and is scattered all over the country, having been originally imported from Europe in the seventeenth century.
In each live- or colony of bees there are between twenty and forty thousand worker bees, with one queen, and in the spring of the year drones or male bees may be present in large numbers.
The queen bee, easily distinguished by her unusually lung tapering body, is the only perfectly developed female in the hive, and thus she is the mother of the family, laying as many as three or four thousand eggs in twenty-four hours and living to be three and four years old. Usually she mates but once, with a drone on the swing, from which union her eggs are fertilized for life. She is in no sense a queen as regards royalty, and there is no evidence that the workers regard her as having royal traits or prerogatives, although some romantic writers have attempted to prove it; on the contrary (**9**)
aged, and more prone to allow the bec-moth to traverse their combs than the yellow races, and have the many habit of flying directly at one who approaches their lives. The backkeeper had better pass this race by, and select another that has more desirable traits, or character.
Cespanness.--These large grey bees are originally from the cool alpine regions of Carnisho, Austria, and are remarkably gentle and the pro-discers of the best comb-honey ever-seen. They are others, all desirable traits. They are not only every gentle, but, being of a bright golden hue, are beautiful to lebold. This race is very quiet when handled, and will not run all over their combs as do the blocks; and seldom sting unless provoked to it. They are rarely ravised by the hee-month, and decided their lives well from rubber bees. If properly cared for in the matter of ventilating and shading their lives, they are not much given to swaming.
Cecpanisms and Brants.--These two races of bees are of recent introduction into the country, and are noted for their great gentiness and energy in gathering houses.
There are other races, such as the Cyprus, Holy Lands, Syrians, etc. from the region of the Mediterranean Sea bus or victims are their temps that lie have already to keep them, despite the fact that they are great honey sanderers.
Taking all things into consideration, the heeignner will make no mistake in adopting the Italian bees, and then as he becomes acquined with them he can successfully into pieces of other races and try them in comparison.
The verier has tried many different races and is compelled to say that all things considered the Italian bee is the best general-purpose bee to keep.
## Chapter 3 How to make a start
There are several ways in which the reader may make a start keeping bees. One way is to buy a few hives of bees from a neighboring heckeeper, or a dealer, and with the aid of new hires make artificial increase by dividing and shaking the bees. Another way is to purchase bees in old bcs hives in the fall, and in the spring transfer them to modern hives.
A third way is to buy a complete apiary, a method 1 should not advise; for, apart from the expense involved, it would be the height of tolly to invest a lot of money in such an enterprise, without the requisite experience.
The best way is to start on a small scale and increase your colonies as you become more experienced, and in two or three years you will be able to handle successfully many colonies, whereas at the beginning they would but result in failure. If it is the purpose to make heckeening a profession, then spend a season or two in the yards of a successful heckeeper; thus the beginer will learn more in one season than by years of unaided work.
By all means get the bees into modern hives as soon as possible, for by so doing disease can be avoided and the work of the apiary carried on expeditiously. The various methods of transferring are treated in the chapter on Spring Manipulation.
_Handligal to store data forenside, therefore, start right,_
_Esfarmer Vincent._
There are several ways in which the reader may make a start keeping keeps. One way is to buy a few hives of bees from a neighboring heekeeper, or a dealer, and with the aid of new hives make artificial increase by dividing and shading the bees. Another way is to purchase hees in old has lives in the fall, and in the spring transfer them to modern hives.
A third way is to buy a complete binary, a method I should not advise; for, apart from the expense involved, it would be the height of tolly to invest a lot of money in such an enterprise, without the repuligative experience.
The best way is to start on a small scale and increase your colonies as you become more experienced, and in two or three years you will be able to handle successfully many colonies, whereas at the beginning they would hit result in failure. If it is the purpose to make heekeepering a profession, then spend a season or two in the yards of a successful heekeeper; thus the beginner will learn more in one season than by years of unaided work.
By all means set the bees into modern hives as soon as possible, for by as doing disease can be avoided and the work of the apiary carried on expedidously. The various methods of transferring are treated in the chapter on Spring Manipulation.
## Chapter IV Hives and implements
_Notes made digital support the lives at apos the same behind the device-Tim._
The kind of hive to use will be largely determined by whether comb or extracted homes is to be produced. While it is true that here and there is a developer will run an apatory for both comb and extracted homes, the majority of them stick to either one or the other.
Whatever the method adopted, by all means do not be led into the fully of attempting to make your own lives.
The writer well recalls some early experiences in home-made hive malies and did not until after some seal experiences learn the wisdom of getting his lives from the supply dealers. The supply dealers with his modern machinery, and the ex- experience of hundreds of heekers, behind him, is better able to turn out a his and fixtures than the amateur without that experience.
When once the heekers have used the a _risk-system_ as a new smooth, and well-made _risk-system_ as a new, always of some republic of some republic of the world.
desler, the well-reer again return to the party appliance of his early efforts. About the described (2)hive, as its locked corners are a sure safeguard against leaking or warping, and it will last for many years.
While some beekeepers use the hand-spaced frames, a larger proportion use a self-spacing frame, for by so doing the bees are the more easily moved and the danger of mashing them in going over the colonies is largely overcome.
Much could be said concerning the tops and the bottom boards to be used, but as there are many manufactured, and most of them good, a safe way will be to get the catalogues of a number of manufacturers and take your choice.
If extracted honey is to be the aim, then be sure to adopt the ten-frame hive, as the tendency is more and more toward large hives for extracted honey, for there is no doubt that a booming colony in one hive is far better than two small ones in smaller hives. There are some supply dealers who advocate small eight-frame hives for extracted honey production, and the only reason I can see for their action is that the smaller the hive the more of them must be used.
Use full sheets of foundation in the frames, and not simply barriers, and see that they are well wired in horizontally, as this will prevent breaking down of the combs when being whirled around in the extractor.
If the aim is the production of comb-honey, then use a hive having the main body or brood nest more shallow than that to be used for extracted honey, for by so doing the bees are completed, by lack of storage room over the brood, to carry the surplus up into the surplus section boxes in the upper stories.
A smoker is a necessary adjunct to every apiary, and there are many on the market, some good and some not worth a cent. Personality I prefer the Root Junbo. The smoker is used for puffing a little smoke in at the entrance of the hive to be opened, which alarms the bees, subdues them, and randers -- handling easy.
The fuel used va-ries. Some use dried leaves, other svd-dras, while others burn planer shavings.
I have found the latter to be a very satisfactory rule.
Oil waste is be coming very popular as a fuel.
The idea is to get a fire that will give out lots of smoke and no flame. To accomplish this many bekeepers take old bags, sack them in saltpette water and allow them to dry, which does the business very satisfactorily. Little pieces of it often wood, or pieces of dried apple-tree branches, will give a fire that will last for several hours without refilling.
Another necessary article is a bee well, and it can either be bought of the supply dealer or made at home. Take some black mosquito-netting and sew it to the outside brin of a big straw hat; let it be long enough to tuck down under the coat collar, or else have a drawing string that will permit of its being tied down over the shoulders.
## Appendix S Spring Manipulation
_A dual two squares we have:_=Martha.
Whether the bees have been sputtered indoors or outdoors, it is the height of folly to thicker with them until warm weather is on, as the opening of a hive on cold days allows the warmish of the colony to escape, and may chill and kill much brood, which means a loss of young bees at the honey flow later on when they are most needed.
If the truth were known many a beckeeper has failed to reap a harvest of honey because of a reckless opening of hives during the cold days of early spring.
When settled warm weather is on, the first thing to be done is to go over the apiary and make a careful examination of the colonies, to see if any have died or have lost their queen.
If any have died, remove the hive and its combs to a safe place away from the bees, so that robbing will not be encouraged. If any have lost their queen, remedy the condition at once by giving to that colony a frame of young larvae or eggs from another colony, being careful not to have the queen of the colony from which it is taken on. It
A better way is to buy a queen at once, from one of the many reputable queen breeders of the country, and introduce her to the quenceless colony according to the directions on the cage in which she comes through the mail. Sometimes a large number of quencs will be required if many hives
are kept, and in this case it will pay the beckeeper to rear his own quens (which see in chapter on Queen Rearing and Introducing).
Before opening a hive see that the smoker is smoking satisfactorily, and then go to the hive to be opened and put a little smoke in at its entrance and wait a few moments; then the operation should be repeated. When the bees appear to be quiet, live and examine it carefully to find the queen. I never hunt farther than the first frame if it be well filled with young larvae, for it is a sign that the queen is present and laying all right.
One by one each hive can thus be examined, and it is astonishing how many lives can-be examined in the course of an hour. We have frequently gone over a hundred colonies in four or five hours and not hurtried at that.
If any colonies are weak they should be strengthened by giving a frame or two of brood and bees from a strong colony, being careful not to give them the queen; and if suffering from lack of food they should be fed a thick syrup made of equal parts hot water and good granulated sugar; made without cooking.
For this purpose there are many feeders, but nothing is better than an ordinary Mason glass fruit-jar with a number of small holes pushed in the metal cap, and when the jar is filled it is given to the colony in an extra hive body that is placed on top of the brood body for that purpose.
First saw a piece of board just the size of the outside dimensions of the hive body, and in the center of this board cut a hole in enough to insert the cap of the jar, the jar having first been filled and cap and rubber band screwed evenly on, and lifting the hive lid from its place, put the piece of board referred to over the brood nest with the filled jar in the hole. Then place over this an extra body, and inside of this body pack some old clothes or bags to conserve the warmth of the colony,--and the trick is done; the bees will soon carry the feed below. I have used all kinds of patent feeders, but have found nothing to equal this.
are kept, and in this case it will pay the heckeeper to rear his own quencs (which see in chapter on Queen Rearing and Introducting).
Before opening a live see that the smoker is smoking satisfactorily, and then go to the hive to be opened and put a little smoke in at its entrance and wait a few moments; then the operation should be repeated. When the bees appear to be quiet, live and examine it carefully to find the queen. I never hunt farther than the first frame it it is well filled with young larvae, for it is a sign that the queen is present and laying all right.
One by one each live can thus be examined, and it is astonishing low many lives can be examined in the course of an hour. We have frequently gone over a hundred colonies in four or five hours and not hurtler at that.