BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
However, there are some objections to clipping queens. If nobody is around to attend to the queen and to replacing the hives, the old queen may become lost, the bees rear a new queen, and swarm again as soon as she hatches, unless they have given it up. The queen, being a virgin, the swarm may not cluster but may go away at once if not hived in the usual way. If the old queen has found her way back to the old hive, the bees may not be satisfied upon their return and may swarm again and again, until they become weary, kill the old queen, and rear a new one, with the results stated. But it is possible to tell by outside appearances of a colony whether it has swarmed, and if, upon examination, this is found to be true, or queen cells are found, the colony may be divided, or shaken into a new hive, as soon as discovered.
It is a good policy to have all queens clipped, especially in distant out-yards only visited oceassionally, as the loss of a clipped queen alone is not so serious as the loss sustained by an unelipped queen leaving with the bees of a swarm. The chances are that swarming with clipped queens can be thwarted in many instances and the bees saved.
Natural OR ARTIFICIAL INCREASE.
Ordinarily, bees increase fast enough for most persons by natural swarming, even upon keeping this within the limit of one good swarm to each colony inclined to swarm, as there are always some colonies that do not swarm. The desire of the experienced beekeeper is to prevent swarming, rather than to allow the bees to increase this way. If increase is desired, it is made artificially, by dividing strong colonies at a time, usually after the honey flows are over, when this will not interfere with honey storing. It is always advisable not to divide the colonies too often. Increase should be made slowly, and it is not wise to more than double the number of colonies in a season. The stronger in number of bees each division is, the better they will progress.
The most commonly used method is that of forming small colonies, or nuclei, by simply taking two or more combs of hatching brood,honey and adhering bees, and putting these into a new hive on a new stand. A rip queen cell should be given, or, better, a laying queen, as it is not advisable to permit any but very strong colonies to rear queens. Besides, the nuclei will progress much more rapidly, as no time is lost waiting for a new queen to be reared.
A few bees shaken from three or four combs from any strong colony and placed in a hive supplied with two or three combs of hatching brood and honey, and provided with a queen, or rip queen cell, will build up to a strong colony, if properly cared for. These little colonies should be helped from time to time by adding to each a comb of hatching brood and honey, or they may be helped by feeding them, if necessary. Properly handled, such nuclei will not only be strong enough for the winter, but may gather some honey before the season is over.
When conditions are favorable and there is ample time in which the colonies may be built up sufficiently for the honey harvest, all strong colonies may be divided equally and two colonies made of each one. One-half the combs, bees and brood are placed in a new hive. The remaining space is filled up with frames containing full sheets of foundation. The old hive with half the combs, bees and the queen are now moved to a new place in the apiary. The new hive is set on the old stand and may rear a new queen, or better, have one supplied to save loss of time.
One of the best forms of increase is that secured by shaking or ''swarming'' the bees artificially, as already described under ''Swarm Prevention.'' In this way the number of strong colonies can be easily doubled. If only one-third increase in number is desired, most of the bees from two colonies standing close together may be shaken in front of a new hive, placed about midway between the two, and the old colonies removed to new stands.
## 10 Making Rapid Increase.
Bees may be rapidly increased by dividing each strong colony into a number of nuclei. This is accomplished by putting one comb of brood, honey and bees, together with a comb of honey taken from some other colonies, in each of as many hives as there are such combs to supply them with, thus allowing them to build up into strong colonies. If possible, a caged laying queen should be given to each division, except the one having the queen of the original colony, as this helps them to build up much more rapidly. Otherwise ripe queen cells should be given.
If such colonies are deprived of their queen a few days previous to the division, better results will be obtained, as queenless bees will remain, when placed on a new stand, much better.
One of the best methods for securing these results, and at the same time, excellent queen cells for making rapid increase, is to collect eight of the best combs of hatching brood from a number of strong colonies and place these in a ten frame hive, so that a space will be left between the combs in the center of the hive for another comb. This comb is supplied from one of the best colonies in the yard, from which queens are to be reared. It is previously prepared by placingan empty comb in this hive three days before the increase is to be made, so that it will be well supplied with eggs just ready to hatch, and of the right age, when placed in a queen cell building colony. The hive thus prepared is placed on a stand of a very strong colony, which latter is removed to a new stand. About a quart of bees from the strong colony is shaken in front of the newly prepared hive, care being taken not to shake the queen with them. These and the field bees will make a powerful nucleus to take care of the hatching brood, and, thus supplied with a vast number of newly hatching bees, the nucleus is in the best condition for the building of a large number of extra fine queen cells, in which the larvae are supplied with an abundance of royal jelly, produced in large quantity by the young nurse bees. This method is one of the best for producing large and valuable queens. If a still larger number of nuclei is wanted, a number of such colonies may be prepared. Just before the queen cells are ripe, or nearly ready to hatch, or about ten days from the time the nucleus was made, as many hives are prepared as there are combs containing honey and brood, and the entire nucleus is divided into nine nuclei, as already described. One of the best queen cells, carefully cut from the comb containing them, is placed on the side of each brood comb, in each nucleus, by pressing a hollow place with the finger and laying the queen cell so that its lower end will hang downward, or in the natural position, and a bent wire staple is stuck over the cell and through the comb on either side of it to hold it in position. The two combs are then pushed together as closely as possible and the nuclei carefully carried to the stands they are to occupy. Care should be taken to have about an equal share of bees in each of the nuclei, and nearly all the bees from the one remaining on the old stand may be placed in the nuclei to be taken away, as the bees that return will still leave the strongest nucleus on the old stand. The entrance to each nucleus hive should be tightly filled with green grass or weeds to prevent many of the old bees returning to the former location and at the same time to prevent robber bees from destroying the nucleus.
Another excellent way, especially when shallow supers are used in addition to the brood nest so brood may be reared above, is to slip a queen excluder between the super and the brood nest of each strong colony that has a sufficient amount of brood in the super, taking care that the queen is below. About ten days later, when all the brood is sealed, these supers are simply lifted off and carried to the new location in the apiary, where a bottom board, to receive them, has already been placed on a stand. The entrances are then immediately closed, with green grass or weeds, to prevent the bees from returning to the old hive. At the same operation a ripe queen cell, or, better, a laying queen, is given to each of these nuclei, and they build up into prosperous colonies immediately. The secret of the method is in excluding the queen from the super so that there is mostly hatching brood and no young larvae to starve when the supers are removed. In this way, much increase can be made from time to time throughout the season, without materially depriving the old colony of its strength for storing honey.
QUECEN REARING.
The simplest method of queen rearing is to select queen cells from colonies that are preparing to swarm, and place these in colonies, or nuclei, in which they may hatch and the young queens become mated. During the swarming season, many superior queens may be reared by selecting choice queen cells from colonies that have swarmed, and it is advisable for beginners to do this at that time.
Queen cells are built under two different conditions. When bees are preparing to either swarm or supersede their queen, cell cups are started and the queen deposits eggs in these. When bees are deprived of their queen and they are forced to rear another from the eggs or young larvae at hand, they are compelled to build the cells about the worker eggs, or larvae already in the cells, by tearing down the cell walls. Queens reared from supersedure cells are just as good as those from swarming cells, and it is possible to obtain a large number of choice cells from a colony by removing them promptly and forcing the bees to produce more cells in their effort to supersede their queen.
Various artificial methods are employed by which superior queen cells may be obtained. One of the best has already been described under the heading of "Making Rapid Increase." Eight combs of hatching brood and honey are placed in a ten frame hive and spaced apart somewhat wider in the center than regularly for a ninth comb with select eggs, from which the queen cells will be built out. The wider space permits a larger number of feeding nurse bees to cluster on the comb with the developing queen cells, and also allows freer removal of the comb without injury to the extending delicate queen cells.
An improvement in preparing the larvae for queen cell building is known as the "Alley Plan," in which the worker comb containing the eggs are cut into strips and attached to the lower edge of a comb, after a few inches of the lower part of it is cut away. From these the bees then construet the cells. The strips have a single row of e-lls containing eggs on one side, while the damaged cells on the other side are cut down to within one-eighth of an inch of their bottoms. This side of the strips is then dipped in melted wax and stuck on to the lower edge of the prepared comb, or upon bars, which are then fastened in a frame in such a way that the cells containing the eggs will hang downward. The egg in every alternate cell is destroyed by twisting a sulphur match into the base of the cell. This frame of prepared cells is given to bees which have been made queenless about six hours previously. The cells are started and completed in the queen rearing colony, and when ripe may be cut off and used wherever wanted. Some queen rearers of experience place these cells in little nursery cages, a large number of which fit into a frame, and the young queens are allowed to emerge from the cells. From these cages the queens are introduced into nuclei. Virgin queens just emerged can be liberated in nuclei without being destroyed. After they are about five days old, however, tobacco smoke should be used in introducing them.
or in an upper story of a strong colony having a queen-excluding zinc between it and the brood chamber, where they will be completed. Care must be used to remove the cells before any queen emerges, as the first one hatched will destroy all the rest of the cells. - A still further improvement is that of using queen cell cups pressed by a machine upon flanged, cylindrical wooden cell cup blocks, which are attached to cell bars in such a way that they can be easily removed and interchanged. The cell cups are "grafted," as transferring the larvae to them is termed, and placed in the cell building colonies in the manner already described, and when the cells are completed they are used as desired. The nuclei used are of different sizes, ranging from a few combs in the standard hives to very small boxes containing little combs and only a mere handful of bees. It is impossible to go into details concerning other various employments and advantages here, however. Further information can be obtained out of books pertaining to the subject of queen rearing.
improving bees.
There are hundreds of beekeepers who pay very little attention to the improvement of their stock, and the result is that their bees are not up to the average in prolifeness and honey-gathering qualities. A few dollars spent in purchasing queens of any pure race is one of the best paying investments a beekeeper can make. Suppose the average yield of honey obtained by common stock is $2.00 per colony and that, by spending a few dollars for only a half dozen untested queens from a reliable breeder, from which to rear young queens to replace the inferior ones in the colonies, the result would be the improvement in the stock would add only 50 cents in the way of increased. yield per colony--in other words, instead of each colony yielding $2.00, the yield would be $2.50--the gain in one year would be quite an item, especially if many colonies were kept. Furthermore, the value of the stock would increase from year to year, and, if the improvement was continued, the gain in five or ten years would amount to quite a snug sum. It pays, therefore, to spend a little time in improving the stock of bees, and this should not be neglected as much as it is.
REF-QUEENING.
In most of the apiaries, whether consisting of only a few colonies or of a considerable number, there are always some colonies that far outstrip others in honey yield, while there are many that produce very little, and some almost no honey at all. This condition is one that costs the beekeeper considerable, in that the labor expended on those giving almost no returns is practically the same as upon the good ones, and is one that will not be allowed by the wise beekeeper. Instead of wasting time with these inferior colonies, whose inefficiency is generally due to the kind of queens, they should be replaced by better stock.
The best time to do this is immediately upon the close of the honey season, as it is then that one is able to tell the colonies that have done the best work and those that have not come up to the mark. Another reason is that the prices of queens are lower at this time than for those reared earlier in the season; and a third reason is that the changing of queens at this time can be done without interfering with the honey crop. All colonies should be re-queened as soon as they are found to have inferior queens, no matter at what time of the year.
There are various ways of re-queening colonies. In case the beekeeper has not the time to rear his own queens, purchasing untested queens by the dozen, if a large number are required, will make the investment a slight one, as compared with the improvement of his stock and the better and larger yields of honey that will be received in return. Even the small beekeeper with only a few colonies will do well to buy queens with which to replace the inferior ones he may have. The beekeeper who has time to rear his own queens can have ready by this time young laying queens, to be introduced in the regular manner, after the inferior ones are removed.
Another method practiced is that of placing a hatching queen cell in the super of each of the colonies to be re-queened, and paying no attention to the inferior queen below. This method is the most practicable one, if carried out on an extensive seal, as the young queen hatching above will find her way into the brood nest below and the chances are that the young virgin will kill the old queen. This saves much valuable time to the beekeeper, which would otherwise be consumed in hunting up the old queens, especially in strong colonies. No matter what method of procedure is adopted, re-queening all colonies that are not doing well on account of inferior queens should be counted as a paying investment.
and abiltiy to rear good queens is enabled to make just that much more profit in beekeeping. By always breeding from the best stock, the erop of honey may be increased to such an extent that it will pay many times over the extra cost of rearing queens, and one is not required to order good stock from various queen rearers who may not send out any better stock than those reared at home. However, this can be prevented by a little investigation as to the reliability of the queen rearer from whom it is contemplated to order queens, with the result that nothing but extra good stoek will be secured. Queen rearers of established reputation can be found who are prepared to produce large numbers of superior queens at a much lower price than the beekeeper, who has all he can do to attend to his bees in the production of honey ; and if queens are purchased in large numbers, they can be obtained at a very low price.
If the beekeeper is favorably situated to do so, rearing his own queens is a point in his favor, provided he has the time to devote to it. In many instances, however, the location is not such as to permit the rearing of good queens, without interfering with the honey erop, while the location may be unsurpassed for producing extensive crops of honey.
Every beekeeper should, however, acquaint himself with the rearing of queens, so as to be prepared in ease of an emergency. Wherever it is possible to do so without loss, queens should be reared at home. If this is not the fact, it would be best to purchase them. Queens may be obtained at almost any time of the year from a large number of queen rearers whose advertisements appear in bee journals.
## 111 Introducing queens.
Colonies of common bees, bought in either frame hives or in boxes and then transferred into frame hives, can be improved by introducing a queen of a good strain of Italian or other pure race of bees by simply hunting out and destroying the common queen and giving the new queen to the colony. The colony having an inferior or aged queen may be improved by introducing a new queen after removing the old one, and any colony that has become queenless by the loss of its queen may be made ''queen right' in the same way.
It must be remembered, though, that if the queen of a colony is removed and a strange queen put in her place, the bees will promptly seize the intruder and sting her to death or 'ball' her until she is dead. In balling, they erowd into a large cluster and squeeze together with sueh force that the death of the queen follows. Instead of liberating the queen into the hive, she should be placed in a small cage provided with screen wire cloth on one side and having a passage-way in one end filled with 'queen eage candy.' The bees will remove this candy, which takes from three to four days. By the time the passage is cleared, the queen has not only acquired the same sent as that of the colony, but the bees of the colony realize their queenless condition, and she is permitted to march out of the eage unmolested and takes up her egg-laying duties almost immediately. There are various styles of queen-introducing cages, but they all work on the same principle. The mailing cages, in which the queens are received from the queen rearers, have the candy passage arranged in such a way that the bees will liberate the queen in the proper length of time. These are usually provided with a small piece of perforated cardboard over the candy hole in one end of the cage, to extend long enough the time required by the bees to clear the passage-way. The queen would be destroyed if she were freed too soon.
Valuable and high-priced queens should be placed on a comb with very young bees and hatching brood inside of a screen wire cage into which the frame containing this comb fits and is fastened so no bees can find access to it. This is then hung in the center of a queenless colony after two combs have been removed from the hive, and left for a week or ten days, when the comb with the queen can be removed from the screen wire cage and gently placed back in the hive.
Another way is to fold a piece of screen wire cloth into the shape of a shallow box about three-fourths of an inch deep and three or four inches square. The screen wire is cut about an inch larger than the box is to be deep, then pieces are cut out of each corner one and one-half inches square. Next the wire threads are removed from the outside edge of all four sides half of their distance. Then the sides are bent down square, forming the box with the ends of the wires protruding so they may be stuck through the comb. The queen is now placed upon the comb where young bees are hatching, and the cage placed over her and pressed firmly into the comb. No old bees can get to the queen, and the young hatching bees will care for her properly until she is released in a week or so.
Another way is to place a screen wire cloth over the top of a colony of bees that has been made queenless, and set on top of this another hive. In this is placed a comb containing many young and hatching bees and some honey, or an extra comb of honey may be placed by the side of it, which is preferable, and the queen is released upon the brood comb. Later she may be removed into the lower chamber, or a colony may be formed in the top hive by putting combs of brood into it from time to time and then removing the top story all together.
TEXAS DIVIDED APICULTURALLY.
On account of the large area of Texas and the variations in soils, altitudes and climatic conditions, and consequent differences in flora met with over its surface, there are distinctive main sources for surplus honey in different sections of the State. For convenience, Texas may be divided into six different parts apiculturally, viz: North, central, east, south, west, and southwest Texas. Each of these regionswill be described further under the next subject, ''Main Honey Sources.'' Numerous inquiries are every year received in regard to suitable locations for beekeeping. A sufficient answer is, that it is impossible to suggest, in print, a specific spot that would be _best_, on account of the fact that the State is such a large one and the localities so varied. Besides this, locations are being constantly taken up by beekepers. It is hoped that statements contained in the next chapter will serve the purpose of imparting such information as is generally desired concerning the apieultural value of the various sections of Texas. More definite knowledge can be obtained through correspondence with beekeepers located in the several sections, or, better still, by, personal investigation. It is advisable that the beekeeper, desiring a new location, make a personal visit before moving to a new place. Persons from a distance should take advantage of the many ''home seekers'' excursions offered by the railroads. If satisfied with a new location, after looking over the ground thoroughly, a final move can safely be made. Under no circumstances should ''stakes be pulled up at home,'' especially if the old place is a fair one for beekeeping, or an immediate move made to a new location without due consideration. It should be remembered that climatic and other conditions, as well as various advantages, may not be as favorable in a new location. This is given as a warning note to guard against beekeepers giving up a good location where they are able to make their pursuit profitable, for a new one with which they may be quite disoppointed.
## main honey sources.