BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
If colonies become crowded for room before the honey flow, they should be given a hive-body containing frames of drawn comb, or foundation in case one lacks the drawn comb. This hive-body should be the same size as the brood-chamber, so that two or three frames of brood may be raisedinto this story, the frames of brood in the lower story being crowded together so there will be no danger of the brood's chilling, and the vacant space at the side should be filled with frames of drawn combs. If the combs in the second story are old dark brood-combs, the queen will usually move "upstairs" promptly without combs of brood being placed above, provided the colony is strong and needs more room; but, if new white combs are given, it is better to put at least two combs above in order to induce the queen to begin work promptly in the second story. Conbs of foundation should not be given during a dearth of nectar, but should be given only when the bees are gathering enough honey from early flowers to induce them to draw out the foundation and build comb. Two or three combs of brood should then be placed in the middle of the upper story, and the frames of foundation placed on each side. The foundation is drawn out more readily in those frames adjacent to the combs of brood, and if the colony is quite strong the combs of brood can be placed in the middle of both the upper and lower stories, so that four frames of foundation are adjacent to combs of brood, two above and two below; but usually it is better to have all the foundation drawn out in the upper story. As soon as the combs adjacent to the brood are built out, they can be exchanged with frames of foundation not yet drawn out, in order to hasten the drawing-out of the foundation. Giving the queen so much room makes the colony more contented and less liable to swarm.
### Time of the Harvest.
The honey harvest comes with the bloom of the chief nectar-producing plant (or plants) of the beekeeper's locality. In northern regions this honey flow is brief, but the nectar production is usually heavy while it lasts. In some southern regions the honey flow lasts longer but is not so intense, while in other regions it is intermittent. The honey flow varies in different localities as do the plants of those localities. So it is necessary that the beekeeper know what the honey-producing plants are in his neighborhood; know when these bloom; and exert every effort to have his colonies of bees strongest when the big honey-producing bloom comes, in order to secure the largest quantity of nectar possible. The control of swarming, about which there is always so much discussion among beekeepers and in all beekeeping literature, is only for the purpose of bringing the bees through the honey flow in the strongest possible condition. To build the colonies up to great strength in time for the honey flow, and maintaining this condition throughout the honey flow, is a difficult problem in northern regions where the honey flow comes early and may last only a very brief time; and where the honey flow is longer and evener, it is difficult to maintain the colonies at highest strength throughout the entire period.
So, let it be remembered that the successful management of the bees for greatest service during the honey harvest requires a thorough understanding of the conditions of the beekeeper's locality. For instance, part of such "locality" knowledge concerns not only the big flow of nectar at honey-harvest time, but also the earlier honey flows which provide stores for the bees and furnish a stimulus to breeding. This knowledge of the periods of blossoming is especially necessary in regions where the blossoming periods are short, as in the North. By consulting an experienced be keeper of the neighborhood the beginner may learn about when to expect the different honey flows and especially the main honey flow. For instance, if he lives in the clover belt, he will probably be told that the honey flow may be expected to begin about ten days after the first few clover blossoms are discovered. Knowing the time of the opening of the honey flow, he will lay his plans accordingly.
Swarm Prevention.
Very often it helps in preventing swarming to raise the hive from the floor by means of half-inch blocks in front in order to give an extra-large entrance and a little more ventilation. Sometimes in the hottest weather during the swarming season it pays to raise the covers from the supers a slight crack, blocking the covers up by pieces of broken sections or other equally thin pieces of wood that will not allow a bee-space. This should be done only in extreme cases when the bees are hanging out in front of the hive because the hive is too hot. Some shade is also a help, since colonies usually swarm more in the sun than in shade. Again, colonies with young queens do not swarm so readily as do those with old ones. Keeping queens under two years old is, therefore, a help in preventing swarming. Keeping down the number of drones is another aid in preventing swarming. This may be done by cutting out drone comb and replacing it with worker comb. (See page 115.) It is also a good practice to cut out any queen-cells, that may be found, every seven or eight days during the swarming season, provided the queen-cells have just been recently started and contain only eggs or very small larvae; but this will not always stop the swarming fever. It will do no good to destroy the advanced queen-cells. Plenty of room in the brood-chamber for the queen to lay is of great importance in the prevention of swarming. Super room should always be given in advance of the colonies' apparent need of it.
Taking for granted that the beekeeper is working for a crop of surplus honey, he approaches the honey harvest seeking to have his colonies as strong as possible. In case of the strongest colonies he has placed another hive-body containing a little brood above the brood-chamber, to give more room and so avoid swarming. As the honey flow approaches he will find brood-rearing going on actively in both stories of the brood-chamber. After the queen has moved "upstairs" she often abandons the lower brood-chamber and confines her work to the second story. If the early flowers yield considerable nectar, it is sometimes necessary to put on a third story before the main honey flow begins, to prevent the queen from being crowded "downstairs" again, which would probably result in swarming. About a week after the main honey flow begins, or when the second story is fairly well filled with brood, honey and pollen, there now being many vacant cells below, the queen should be hunted up. If she is not already on one of the brood-combs in the lower story, she should be placed there and a queen-exelnder put on to confine her there. If the weather is warm and honey is being stored freely, a super of empty combs may now be placed above the exelnder, and the former second story placed on top, making the hive three stories high. When combs of brood are left separated from the queen by an exelnder, the bees frequently start queen-cells on them. These queen-cells should be torn down eight or nine days after separating the queen from the brood in the super. As the brood in these combs now above the queen-exelnder emerges, the bees will store honey in the cells thus vacated, and these combs now become extraeting-combs.
When the honey flow is on and the weather is very hot, the swarming tendency will be diminished by moving the inner cover back a little, leaving a quarter-inch crack at the front of the bive, giving additional ventilation. To give still more ventilation, the supers may also be moved slightly backward or forward to give a bee-space, and the hive itself may be raised from the floor by inserting a small block at each front corner. When the hive is raised on blocks in this way, a little smoke should be blown in the opening at the side when beginning work at the hive; otherwise, the sentinel bees stationed along the crack to protect their home will be likely to dart out and sting. The beginner should be cautioned against giving such excessive ventilation except as a last resort in preventing swarming during very hot weather and when the honey flow is on, for at other times there is danger of robbing. In the northern part of the United States, sufficient ventilation may usually be provided by leaving a crack at the rear, between the brood-chamber and first super. This is done by moving the first super forward about half an inch and piling the other supers squarely above the first one.
One might suppose that, if all our directions have been carefully followed, no queen-cells would be started for swarming; but, in a few cases, queen-cells may be started in spite of all our care. For this reason colonies should be carefully examined every seven or eight days during the swarming season. If, at any time, queen-cells are found that are not far advanced, or if the swarming season is about over, the bees may be induced to give up swarming by simply destroying the queen-cells, supplying more supers, and giving the queen more room to lay by placing several combs of emerging brood in an upper story and replacing these with empty eombs below. In some cases, even when this has been done, the bees persist in carrying out their own program as to swarming, and if left alone will swarm usually about the time the first of the queen-cells are sealed. If a colony is allowed to swarm in the natural way, its work is more or less interrupted just at the time the bees should be storing honey. Also, it is either necessary to drop one's other work and hive them whenever they decide to swarm; or the bees, if the queen is not with them, will return to the hive and repeat the performance shortly, and, if the queen is with them, will absend and be lost if not hived promptly. In some cases, moreover, even though their queen is clipped and can not accompany the swarm, the swarming bees may escape by joining some runaway swarm and leave for the woods or some other new home. When well-advanced queen-cells are found indicating that the colony is determined to swarm, the following treatment may be given.
Swarm Prevention with Increase.
Temporarily place an empty hive-body beside the brood-chamber, and, after tearing down all capped queen-cells, put into it all the combs from the brood-chamber with adhering bees, with the exception of one comb containing some larvae and the queen. Be sure that the queen with a few bees is on the one comb left in the brood-chamber. On either side of this comb place sufficient frames of foundation (or preferably drawn combs) to fill the brood-chamber, and put a frame of foundation (preferably a drawn comb) into the hive-body to which the brood has been removed in order to make up the I0 frames there. Above the brood-chamber put a queen-exeluder, replace the supers, adding empty ones, if necessary, to have at least three shallow or two deep supers. These supers may be partly filled with honey, but the lower one should be left with plenty of room for storing. Next, on top of all should be placed the hive-body of brood just removed from the brood-chamber. Some provide a small opening in one of the upper stories to permit the escape of drones, but most of the bees continue to use the regular hive entrance below.
This upper hive is so far removed from the power and queen-comb are now a queenless colony, and thus the bees seem to regard it, for they straightway proceed to finish the splendid-looking queen-cells just as they ordinarily do under the swarming impulse, and yet in the hive below no queen-cells appear. At the end of seven or eight days nearly all the brood in this upper hive will be sealed and some of the queens just about ready to emerge. The uppermost hive may then be moved to a new location for increase, and left with the entrance contracted. All but the best queen-cell should be destroyed. Of course, a floor and a cover should be given to this new colony. The queen-cell left in the hive should be the best one, long and plump, with well-defined pits on the sides. To avoid injuring the unemerged queen, the frames should be carefully handled without jarring and held in the same position in which they were hanging in the hive.
During the whole operation of making increase under the swarming impulse (as just described) the hive is opened but twice, and it is opened the second time only to set the uppermost story on a new stand. The work of the colony has not been interrupted in the slightest; the brood, until sealed, has been left in the warmest part of the hive, and the whole colony left for a week to increase the new one. But, above all else, the success of the plan is doubtless due to the fact that the method so closely follows nature'splan of swarming. Most of the old field bees are in the new hive below, storing honey and starting housekeeping anew, while the young bees and cell-builders are in the upper or old hive where they are busily engaged in wearing a new queen.
Swarm Prevention Without Increase.
The above plan may be altered if no increase be desired. In that case, instead of moving the old hive to a new stand at the end of seven or eight days, the queen-cells of the upper story may be destroyed and the brood distributed to other colonies or left in its position at the top of the hive to increase the original colony. As the brood emerges the cells will be filled with honey, if the bees are gathering freely.
Supering.
When the queen is confined to the first story by means of the queen-exeluder, about a week after the opening of the honey flow as already advised, one comb, or better, two, should be removed from the super, preferably one at each outside, and the remaining combs spaced an equal distance. These combs will, later on, be bulged with honey beyond the edges of the frames. The super will thus hold a little more honey than if the full number of combs had been used with close spacing; but, what is more important, the fat bulged combs may be uneapped in much less time than is required for uneapping thin combs, and fewer combs are handled in extracting a given amount of honey.
The fact that brood has been reared in these extracting-combs makes them stronger, easier to uncap and less likely to break in the extractor. Such combs may be used year after year, and they will grow tougher and better all the time.
The beginner should never wait until the first super is entirely filled before putting on the second one; otherwise, this crowded condition may cause swarming. When the first super--that is, the second story which had been used for a time for brood-rearing--is a little over half full of honey, it should be set to one side temporarily, a second super put in its place, and then the first partly filled super placed on top. This can be done when the queen is put below the excluder. The second super should contain in the center the two combs taken out of the first super to permit the wider spacing, the rest of the room being taken up by wired frames containing full sheets of foundation, provided no other extra combs are available. Until the foundation is drawn out into combs the frames should be closely spaced in order that the foundation may be drawn out evenly. Here it should be said that combs are greatly to be preferred to foundation in extracted-honey production; and the more combs the extracted-honey producer has, the better.
It does no harm to leave the extracting-supers full of honey on the live till after the honey flow before extracting, stacking them up three, four or even six high if necessary. The nearly full supers should always be put on top, the additional ones underneath next to the brood-chamber,except near the close of the honey flow, when the last super to be needed should be placed on top, as the bees will then fill the lower supers full before beginning work in the added super at the top, which result is very desirable. The longer the honey is left on the hive, the thicker and riper it becomes if the weather is hot and dry.
**EXTRACTING.**
CHAPTER XIII.
In general, we may say that honey should never be extracted until it is thick and well ripened. As soon as the bees consider it properly ripened they begin capping it over. Those combs, therefore, that are at least three-fourths capped over would probably be sealed in a few hours if left on the hive, and may, therefore, be safely extracted. But if honey is extracted before the bees have ripened it, it will be thin and of unpleasant flavor, and, after being kept for a time, will doubtless ferment.
There is nothing gained by extracting before the honey flow is over except in localities where another source of nectar begins to yield before a preceding one is over, and where it is desirable to remove the earlier and choieer crop before it can be mixed in the combs with a less desirable crop. Sometimes, also, the beginner may be caught with too few supers and extracting-combs to permit tiering up throughout the honey flow. Then it becomes necessary to extract in order to provide empty supers. If one is willing, however, to go to the extra expense of keeping himself supplied with sufficient supers and frames so that no extracting need be done until after the honey flow, he will find that this requires less labor and gives much thicker and finer-flavored honey except in arid regions of the West where the honey is ripened quickly. The employment of this plan may result in a somewhat smaller crop the first year because of the necessity of the bees drawing out so much foundation; but it should be remembered that these same combs may be used year after year, probably for the remainder of one's lifetime. Therefore, it would be poor economy to attempt a small saving the first year that would result in a loss during each succeeding year; and unless one lives in a locality where one source begins before another ceases, and there is consequent danger of undesirable mixing of the two flows, we really see no excuse for extracting before the end of the honey flow.
**Taking Off the Honey.**
When it is time to begin extracting, the bees may be trapped out of the super by means of the bee-escape. The bee-escape board is a board exactly like an inner cover (and may serve as an inner cover when not being used for removing honey), having in the center a device called a bee-escape. Through this the bees can pass down from the supers into the brood-chamber below, but cannot return. If placed under the super in the forenoon, the bee-escape almost completely frees the upper supers from bees by the next day. The beginner must observethe greatest care not to leave any opening into the supers above the escape-board large enough to admit a single bee. For, if he commits this carelessness, robber bees will find the opening, carry away all the honey and make trouble generally. But by the proper use of the bee-escape, the honey may be removed without the bees knowing anything about it--no hard work, no stings, no danger of robbing; in fact, if the supers of honey are not removed from the hives until after the honey flow has ceased, a beginner should not ordinarily attempt to get the bees off the combs by any other plan: for, after a few days of idleness following a good honey flow, the bees are proviling around, apparently just looking for trouble; and a little exposed honey is like easy money, and the bees are quick to start robbing. During a dearth following a honey flow, therefore, a beginner cannot be too careful, for it is easier to prevent robbing than to stop it when once it gets started.
Cold honey is much harder to uneap and extract than warm honey. For this reason some who extract honey directly from the apiary use a screened or ventilated pattern of escape-board instead of the ordinary one. This ventilated escape permits the warmth from the brood-chamber to rise and keep the supers warm even after the bees have left through the escape. Those who prefer to use the common escape-board often pile their supers of honey in a warm room in order that the honey may be extracted more easily.
When the bees fail to leave the supers by way of the escape-board, as may happen when the escape becomes clogged by dead bees, when the queen may accidentally be shut above the excluder, or when the combs in the super contain some brood, it may be necessary to shake or brush the bees from the combs. In case there is a light honey flow and no danger of robbing at the time, this may be easily done. A little smoke should be blown in at the entrance of the hive, the cover taken off the super and several vigorous blasts of smoke blown down between the combs, thus driving the bees out of the way. The combs should be withdrawn from the super and given a sharp shake or two downward while held over the alighting-board of the hive. Not all of the bees can be dislodged by shaking, and, therefore, the few remaining should be brushed off, the comb being held as shown in the illustration, and the brush quickly and lightly swept over the sides alternately. With the comb held in this position, it is not necessary to reverse it when brushing the other side. If the bee keeper has a helper it saves considerable time to let the helper do the brushing with a brush in each hand.
As soon as the supers of honey are freed from bees, they should be removed to the room where the extracting is done. It is hard to find anything more convenient than a wheelbarrow for carrying heavy combs, except where the ground is rough and uneven. Even though bees may be bringing in honey, it is well to keep the supers containing honey covered to prevent robbing; and, of course, if there is a honey-dearth, the honey should not be left uncovered a second longer than is absolutely necessary.
**Necessary Extracting Equipment.**
Before going to the expense of securing an extracting outfit, the beginner will do well to learn if he can locate a near-by beekeeper already having an extractor, who will be willing to do his extracting for from one to two cents per pound. By so doing he may save considerable initial expense.
For the beekeeper with but few colonies, a simple practical outfit may be provided at very small cost, and this outfit will be sufficient until his apiary has increased to 25 or 30 colonies. He will want a small extractor, which should be securely attached to a solid box firmly bolted to the floor, the box being of the right height for drawing off the honey. The best location for the extractor is near the wall where there is less vibration when in operation, for continued vibration is apt to pull the can or box loose, especially if care is not taken to place combs of equal weight in the two sides of the extractor.
Near this extractor should be the uncapping-can. This may be made of a barrel with one end bored full of holes, and a coarse screen nailed over these holes. Aeross the top, about one-third of the distance from one side, a two-inch strip should be nailed, at the middle of which a sharp-pointed nail projects upwards about an inch to hold the frame while uncapping. The barrel itself may be supported in a tub to catch the honey which drains from the eappings. The screen at the bottom catches and retains the wax of the cut-off eappings.
If one cares to take the extra trouble, a cheap yet handier receptacle could be made similar to that in the figure. This box may be made of any desired length and about 19 inches wide, so that the uncapped combs can be suspended cornerwise in one end of the box until they are extracted. Near one end is a crosspiece, with the upward-projecting nail-point for holding the frame while uncapping. The bottom of the box is covered with heavy, coarse screen, which is held above a shallow galvanized-iron tray by half-inchcleats nailed on lengthwise of the box. The box and tray are placed at the right height for easy unequping, the outlet end of the tray being somewhat lower than the opposite end, and just above the reeeptacle into which the honey from the eappings is to drain.