BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
T he re are Methods to times w h e n to prevent the beekeeper swarming will find it economical to prevent swarming. This may be to prevent a second swarm from a colony, or it may be to prevent a very late swarm which would not have sufficient time to build up and get strong before cold weather, or it may be that the beekeeper already has as many swarms as he wishes to care for. Much has been written in regard to methods to prevent swarming. It is interesting indeed to note the various ways adopted by different beekeepers in the different part of the State. From experiments at the experimental apiary it is evident that the same method will not always accomplish the same purpose, but from experiments covering 7 years the following methods have been found most successful: To examine the bees and to know their condition in regard to brood and number of bees in the hive has been found most advantageous. Frequently the simple matter of additional space
Figure 18: Hive with INTERchangeable Brood Chamber and Super Vell and smoker on hive
and better ventilation will prevent a swarm. Again, after inspecting a colony which shows indication of swarming, to cut out the queen cells and provide more space in the hive acts as a check. Very successful indeed has been the method of removing three or four frames of brood and inserting in their places frames and empty comb. In this case one would increase the number of colonies but would prevent the swarm. The advantages derived from this separation of a colony are, first, to suit the work to the operator's convenience; second, to facilitate hiving, if the clipped queen is not used; third, and perhaps the most important of all, to save the bee's time in gathering honey.
Many questions have come to us in regard to the
Figure 19: A Tennessee Apiary
Figure 20: Clipping the Queen's WINGS
The word "robbing," meaning the taking of honey
Taking honey
from the bees, is an obsolete word in modern
beekeeping, for never is the hive robbed of its
honey. In the brood chamber the honey and
brood is never disturbed unless it may be at certain times to cut out
drone cells. The honey is taken from the super. It is the surplus
honey in which there is no brood if precautions have been taken. At
this point it might be stated that it is always well to have a queen-
excluding honey board between the brood chamber and the super.
This will prevent the queen from going into the super and depositing
eggs. To remove honey simply lift off the super a day or two before
you wish to take out your honey and insert a bee escape between the
super and the brood chamber. This device allows the bees to go from
the super to the brood chamber but not to return. This having been
been done, when you remove the honey there will be no bees present.
After the filled frames or sections have been removed replace empty
ones with full sheets of foundation.
Too much stress can not be laid upon the
Marketing honey
portance of the appearance of your products
from the apiary. If honey is sold in
pound sections all propolis, or bee glue, should be removed from the wood, and
it is sometimes well to bleach the caps with burning sulphur. The
sections may be placed in neat pasteboard cartons, making the honey
more attractive and carrying out the idea of sanitation. It will be
worth your while to adopt a brand, and grade very carefully all the
products leaving your apiary. A large majority of the people in
Tennessee sell "chunk honey;" which is honey comb as it is cut from
the frames. It is usually sold in buckets or glass jars. It
sells for
less than the bound sections and for little more than extracted honey.
Figure 22: Exhibition of the Products of the Bee.
sell honey. It is economical both to the consumer and to the bekeeper, and the Pure Food requirements prevent adulteration, which in the past has been detrimental to the sale of any form of extract honey, and this has been the chief means of popularizing comb honey. A honey extractor for extracting the honey from the frame will effect a great saving in the life of the bees and will increase the honey production. It will be as easy to get a reputation for a certain brand of extract honey neatly put in glass jars or in tin cans. A practical beekeeper recently told the writer that he valued every frame of empty comb which he had at $1.00. The actual amount of wax in this comb is much less than a bound, but the beekeeper has in mind the conservation of the life and energy of his bees as well as the time consumed in making the wax. The time to sell your honey will be governed by two things. If you have a suitable place for storing your surplus, a better price frequently may be secured later in the season after the honey flow has ceased. In Tennessee the best prices are paid for honey during the holiday season. If you have no place to store your surplus honey it will be best to sell it immediately upon taking it from the hive. Early honey in this case will bring a good price, as well as that taken in the early fall. There is nothing connected with beekeeping that
Robbing among will try the patience of the beekeeper more than the bees robbing among his bees. If this be continued for any length of time serious losses may result. Even in the best managed apiaries there will be colonies of varying strengths. At certain times there may be weak colonies which are liable to be attacked during robbing and completely destroyed. Even with the strong colonies there is frequently a considerable loss of bees in the attempt to ward off the robbers. Robbing is often induced by too large an entrance to the hive; and sometimes by covers being raised and left up to increase ventilation; but the chief cause of robbing is the careless exposure of bits of honey or parts of hives to which honey is attached. When the honey flow is on it is rare that robbing takes place but during a dearth of honey flow the least provocation will start robbing.
Figure 23: The Development of Comp Honey in which to
Remedies: To contract the entrance of the hive; also to place before the entrance a cloth soaked with a few drops of carbonic acid or asparagus tops or grass. It is sometimes necessary entirely to close the entrance to the hive containing the weak colonies or remove it to some enclosure away from the robbers. The best course, however, is that of precaution. Knowing those things which induce robbing, the beekeeper should exercise every care to prevent it.
The apiary may be placed in the dooryard, in
Suitable site for
the orchard, in the meadow, at the edge of an apiary
woodland, or on a hillside. If the hillside be chosen and the hill be of considerable height, it is well to have the apiary located about half way up. Bees may be successfully kept i n
houses having entrances
through the sides of the building. Bees may also be kept upon roofs of high buildings. Here, at the University of Tennessee, a hive of bees set before an open window of the third story of Morrill Hall has done as well as colonies m the University Farm. Wherever your bees are kept, it is necessary to have a certain amount of shade. An ideal site is one which would protect the bees from the midday sun but would give them an opportunity of having the morning and late afternoon sun. The hives should be more or less protected from the prevailing winds. In this State the California privet grows very rapidly and will quickly furnish a very desirable windbrake for an apiary. The hives should be faced to the east of southeast, with lighting board slightly elevated from the support. Several experiments with hive stands at varying heights have proved that a low stand is preferable.
If the hives are
$, 10, or 12 inches above
the ground the
heavily laden
bees returning
from the field
will often drop
to the ground
before reaching
the entrance,
losing consider-
able time, if
they gain the
entrance at all.
If hives are on
r at t her high
stands it is
well to have a
sloping en
trance reach
Figure 25: Arrangement of Hives by Twos
ing near, to the ground. The question is raised by some as to whether a hive on a low stand is likely to become infested with ants, roaches, mice, etc. We have had no trouble of this kind excepting in one case where the colony was very weak. The hives may be arranged separately or in pairs. We are using a low stand containing two hives with about 8 or 10 inches between. Several of the better beekeepers of the State are keeping bees after this method and several have the stands single with from 5 to 10 feet between. The writer is inclined to think that the location of hives in an apiary's a matter more to be decided by the operator. The hives should all face in the same direction, and between the row there should be sufficient room for the bees to rise up out of the way of the operator. Referring again to the matter of shade, the growth should be of a kind which sheds its leaves in winter and produces not too dense a shade in summer. In case it is impossible to have shade a double-walled hive will be found advantageous. The hive should be placed on a stand nearly level from side to side with a very slight tilt forward to allow water to run out in case of a beating rain. The grass should be kept short around the hive so that the bees may have free access to the entrance.
The prospective beekeeper wishing to secure Moving bees a few colonies of bees may start in one of three ways. He may secure from a reliable beekeeper a small hive of three or four frames of pure-blooded bees, known as a "nucleus." These should be purchased in the early spring, in March or April. They may be put into a regulation-size hive, and as the brood hatches the colony will be increased to fill the hive. In this case it is well to keep watch of the bees and prevent them from swarming the first year. This way of starting beekeeping is to be highly recommended.
A second way of making a start is to secure from a beekeeper a colony or two in modern hives and move them to the desired location in March or April. If these are strong colonies one may expect a swarm in the latter part of April or of May. By securing bees in the early spring one has the advantage of a swarm to increase the colonies.
The third method is to buy log gums or box hives containing the black, or German, bees and plan to transfer them into a modern 10-frame hive and Italianize them with a good queen purchased from a reliable queen breeder. Suggestions for transferring and Italianizing are given in another place in this bullet.
A discussion on feeding may be divided into Feeding two heads' viz.: feeding to hasten increase, and feeding to save the colony. Feeding to hasten increase.--Early spring feeding has a tendency to stimulate the rearing of brood. This practice is especially desirable in late springs or when the early spring flowers seem to produce little if any nectar. The result of this stimulation is to produce strong colonies which will be ready to work as soon as the honey flow is on. In the spring as soon as it becomes warm enough to open a hive safely one should inspect the frames to see if there is sufficient honey for the brood and the spring feeding should be governed by this investigation.
Feeding to save the colony.--In the latter part of October the colonies should all be carefully examined to see if they have plenty of surplus honey for the winter months. There should be at least 25 to 30 pounds of honey for winter feeding. In case the fall flowers have not produced sufficient nectar, or in case the colony is weak or is a late swarm, the bees should be fed upon honey or a syrup made by boiling granulated sugar with a small amount of water. The sugar syrup may be readily made by adding 1 quart of water to 4 pounds of granulated sugar. Bring this to a boil and skim.
When feeding, every precaution should be used
Kinds of feeders to prevent bees from robbing. Hence it is well
to feed rather late in the evening or to use a
feeder which does not open outside of the hive. There are various
kinds of feeders.
Two of these are
shown in the accompanying cuts.
The Boardman
entrance feeder
consists of an
vert e d M a s o n
fruit jar the cov-
er of which is
perforated w i t h
many fine holes.
The syrup or hon-
ey is placed in the
jar; the jar is in-
verted and placed
in t e b l o c k,
which holds it in
an upright position. This block
is then placed in
the entrance of a
hive.
The Alexander
feeder is highly
recommended as a
spring feeder for
stimulative purposes. This feeder
er f t s beneath
the brood chamber at the end of the bottom board, with entrance pro-
jecting to the side. It is very convenient to refill. The block covering the projection prevents outside bees from getting to the feed.
The Doolittle division-board
feeder consists of simply a box
opened at the top which occupies
the space of a brood frame. This
feeder is placed in the hive and
is especially recommended for feeding during cool weather.
Reference to any of the leading bee supply catalogues will give
additional information on feeding devices.
To the beeeperthe
The sting of the
siting occasion-
ally received
when he is tending his bees means
nothing, but for the beginner this
sting is that of which he lives in
fear and often prevents him from
deriving pleasure from his bees. It is, however, only a short time
Figure 27: The Boardman Entrance Feeder
Figure 28: The Alexander Bottom-
Board Feederbefore the beginner gets very bold, and proud is he when without veil or gloves he approaches the hive and with the use of a little smoke handles his bees with impunity. It is a fact that the sting affects different people in different ways, but the writer believes it is also a fact that one can to a greater or less extent become immune to the poison resulting from the sting. Upon receiving the sting from the honey bee, immediately remove the stinger by means of a knife or a finger nail by pushing the stinger sideways. Never use the fingers or a pair of forceps to try to extract the stinger for in doing this more of the poison, or formic acid, is injected and more serious will be the result of the sting. A little honey smeared over the affected spot will give relief as quickly as anything. The best recommendation, however, is that of prevention. Secure gentle Italian bees, and do away with the common black ill-tempered bees. Visit the apiary often, learn the behavior of the bees; and the bees will come to know you the same as higher animals do. Work among your bees leisurely, avoiding all quick motions and in opening a hive 'do it as carefully as you can. Use the smoker judiciously.
At another place reference is made to the undef
Kind of bees
sirability of the black, or German, bee and the
three- or five-banded Italians are recommended.
This information for the amateur should be sufficient; yet it may not be out of place here to say that there are many races of bees, each of which has its own individuality. The following table is taken from
"Cook's Manual of the Apiary":
Apis indica, Fab.
A. Dorsata bicolor,
Klug.
A. Dorsata zonata,
Carniolin or Krainer
German bee.
Erzegovinian
Smyrnan
Tunisian
Egyptian bee.
Cannon Black
Syrian (?)
South Palestin (?)
Cyprian (?)
Italian (?)
Greek (?)
Bonnat (?)
Caucasian (?)
A. Mellifera unicolor
Latr. Madagascar
A. Mellifera adonsoni,
African bee.
All cappings and broken pieces of comb should be saved and extracted for beeswax. Beeswax extractor is always in demand in the market and sells for from 28 to 35 cents per pound. The accompanying figure shows a solar wax extractor, which is a very convenient and inexepnsive one. This device may be set so that the rays of the sun will shine directly through the double glass front and the wax will be melted by the heat generated.
Figure 30: A Solar Wax Extractor
The beekeeper will get his greatest yields by Honey extractor extracting his honey and replacing the empty frames in the super. This is the most economical way of producing honey, there being very little waste of beeswax and the time required of the bees in making the comb. A device for extracting honey is shown in the accompanying figure; it simply being an arrangement in which two frames of honey may be placed and revolved rapidly after the caps have been cut from the comb. This whirling, or centrifugal force, will completely throw the honey from the comb. By turning the frames, both sides may be completely extracted. There are extractors made which are reversible and do not require the removal of the frame until both sides are extracted. Honey extractors are inexpensive and the extra honey produced will soon pay for the equipment.
Figure 30: A Honey Extractor
## Chapter 5 Outlook of Honey in Tennessee
From a special circular letter sent to the largest beekeepers of the State asking them to give the names of the chief nectar-producing flowers in their sectiin, the following was gained. The list given below is arranged in order of importance in the estimation of these practical beekeepers. The number following the name indicates the persons reporting same as a source of honey.
egin{tabular}{l l l l} White clover & 152 & Wireweed & 3 & Raspberry & 1 \ Poplar & 101 & Boneset & 2 & Oak & 1 \ Linden or basswood & 96 & Buckbush & 2 & Spanish needle & 1 \ Sourwood & 65 & Huckleberry & 2 & \ Aster & 39 & Whorleberry & 2 & \ Black locust & 33 & Elm & 2 & \ Fruit blossom & 29 & Yellowwood & 2 & \ Chestnut & 19 & Daisy fleabane & 2 & \ Goldenrod & 19 & Heartsease & 2 & \ Stickweed & 18 & Cane & 1 & \ Red clover & 14 & Crowfoot moss & 1 & \ Persimmon & 14 & Willows & 1 & \ Alsike clover & 12 & Bitterweed & 1 & \ Cowpeas & 11 & Turnip bloom & 1 & \ Buckwheat & 10 & Dandelion & 1 & \ Tanglefoot & 9 & Strawberry & 1 & \ Sumac & 8 & Pea wood & 1 & \ Maple & 8 & Cottonwood & 1 & \ Black gum & 6 & Cedar & 1 & \ Alfalfa & 5 & Blackberry & 1 & \ Melioltus & 4 & Catnip & 1 & \ Cotton & 4 & Fruit berries & 1 & \ Corn & 4 & Aspen & 1 & Fig. 31--Linden or Bass-wood \ \end{tabular}
During certain years honeydew is a source of a considerable amount of honey in the different parts of the State. Honeydew is recognized by its shining appearance on leaves, varnishing their upper surfaces. It is often found in considerable quantities on sidewalks beneath trees. During the months of spring and early summer it is in greatest abundance. The sources of honeydew may be mentioned under three heads: from plant lice or aphids; from certain scale insects and from certain plants. By far the greatest source, however, is that of plant lice. This sweet substance is ejected by the plant lice and is frequently thrown some distance, an explanation as to why honeydew is frequently found on leaves above which there are no overhanging trees. The honey made from honeydew seems to be variable according to the source of the honeydew. From aphids it produces a very fair grade of honey, while that from scale insects produces a rather dark, highly scented honey. According to the Food and Drugs Act, pure honey is not produced from honeydew. The definition for pure honey being "The nectar of flowers gathered by bees and stored in honeycomb."Figure 32: White Clover Fig. 38: Buckwirat
**PRESENT CONDITIONS AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES OF BEEKEEPING IN TENNSSEE**
At the present time Tennessee ranks fifth in the honey-producing states of the Union. Few people not having the chance to study the beekeeping interests in Tennessee know to what proportions they have attained. Honey production in the State has never been brought properly before the beekeeping world and in a general way little is known as to what is really being done in this line of business by the people of Tennessee. It may be interesting to see a few conservative figures in regard to present conditions obtained from a careful survey of the beekeeping industry.
At present there are 144,487 colonies of bees in What the bees
Tennessee. Estimated at $3.50 per colony, their
save each year
value would be $505,704.50. The amount invested
in honey houses and other apparatus connected
with beekeeping, exclusive of hives, would doubtless approximate 6
per cent of this amount, or $30,842.27.
From statements received from 3,006 beekeepers in the State it is found that the average yield per colony is 39% pounds of honey. This makes the production of the
144,487 colonies 5,707,236% pounds of honey, which at an average
price of 15 cents per pound aggregates $856,085.48. There are also
sold in the State annually $2,600 worth of queens, averaging $1 per
queen. At present there is no accurate estimate of the beeswax produced, but the amount is considerable, selling as it does for 28 and 30
cents per pound. Counting a swarm for every two colonies, and
valuing them at $1, this would amount to $72,243.50. As a total we
thus find the annual output of the beekeeping industry in Tennessee
to be--
Figure 40: Tennessee Honey Exhibit at Tri-State Fair, Memphis October, 1911.
keepers in the past have found it impossible to keep their bees strong and healthy and to get greater yields of honey.
Many sections of Tennessee are admirably adapt-Tennessee as a ed to the keeping of bees, in that clover grows beekeeping state luxuriously. Leaving these regions we find the beekeepers producing honey profitably from poplar, linden, cotton, sourwood, aster, etc. The largest honey producers in the State, with very few exceptions, produce extract honey. The bulk of the honey produced is consumed in the State and large shipments are made to Tennessee from California and Texas. The possibilities of the beekeeping interests of the State are exceptionally good, they being not only fostered by State aid in the control of diseases, but also by instruction in the introduction of modern appliances and methods of management. As a rule the beekeepers are extending their business and this will continue to be enlarged as attention is directed to this industry. The beekeepers who will not give their bees care and attention and who still adhere to the log and plank "gums" will soon be forced out of business by bee troubles resulting from lack of attention, and in their place those making a study of the industry and using modern hives and appliances will push on to success. The market for honey throughout the State is exceptionally good. The writer has been surprised many times to find comb honey selling in the cities during holiday season for 35 and 40 cents per pound. The average price for extract honey in the State is from 12% to 15 cents. In Texas, where the bulk of the honey is produced in the United States and where much of it is sold at wholesale, the average price is only 6 cents per pound.
More attention in the State is being paid to modern hives and the improved strains of bees than ferent bees ever before. People are eager for information on the subject and scores of letters each month are sent to the Experiment Station and to this office for instructions. There are at present several firms in the State selling bee supplies, and besides, many agents are selling for outside firms. Few beekeepers today are keeping the black, or German bees. These have been exchanged for more gentle bees--the three-banded, and golden Italian and the Carnoliians. *
The following table shows the number of beekeepers keeping Italian, Hybrid, or black (German) bees; also the yield of extract honey from each:
No. of beekeepers No. of colonies Yield--Lbs.
Italian 93 2557 391%
Hybrid 30 691 301%
Black (German) 34 561 20Some of the advantages of this State over the Advantages for colder states are, that it is not necessary for the beekeeping in beekeepers in Tennessee to solve the wintering Tennessee problem; the colonies keep well out of doors during the winter; the great number of growing days in the state make it possible for bees to gather honey as late as the latter part of November; the honey plants are varried, coming into bloom at different times of the year; and apiaries may be located in various parts of the State we find them on tops of mountains, in the valleys, and in the level sections. The map on page.... shows the 'ocation of the larger apiaries of the State. Every inducement is offered to the energetic beekeeper who understands and loves the bees and is willing to make an effort to assist them in caring for their store of honey.
## 11 A primary inspection