BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The worker-bees are undeveloped females. They are hatched from a fertilised egg just like a queen, but at the end of the third day of the larval stage they are put upon a less nutritious diet which retards the development of the sex organs, hence they are unfit to become mothers. Their business is to carry in nectar, pollen and water, incubate the eggs, feed the larvae, do the scavenger-work of the community, ventilate the apartment; in fact, do anything useful that happens to be necessary at the time. In the period of flight they live about six weeks, their short career being due to their intense industry, but those hatched in September and October generally last until April, when their successors appear on the scene. Broadly speaking, the main effort of the community is to have as many producers as possible during the honey-flow, and as few consumers as will keep the community going during the period of dearth.
The Drones.
The drones are the male members of the colony. They are called into existence in late spring in preparation for the mating season, and are merciessly exterminated at the end of the honey-flow. From their structure they are unfit to gather nectar or pollen from blossoms, so the bee-keeper considers them as merely consumers, and rather costly ones at that; therefore, he limits their number as closely as possible to the actual needs of his apiary. By the use of wax foundation in the brood-frames he prevents the building of drone-cells; should the bees outwit him, he cuts the drone-comb out of the frames.
The mating of a queen with a drone occurs usually only once, when she is but a few days old, the event taking place in the air. When she makes her marriage flight, she flies swiftly away from the hive pursued by thousands of drones, the swiftest of then being the winner of the race; but he pays for his success with his life, for she deprives him of the sex organs, rupturing his abdomen so completely that he expires almost immediately. As the result of the intercourse, she is able to fertilise the hundreds of thousands of eggs she may lay in the course of her life, which may endure from a few weeks to several years.
Worker-bees are produced from eggs that have been fertilised, but drones are raised from eggs that have not been impregnated. These, therefore, have no father; consequently, any queen that has failed to mate, and this is not very unusual, will be the mother of drones only. Such an one is known as a drone-laying queen.
Development Table.
The following table shows the duration in days of the various stages of development of queen, worker, and drone:-
egin{tabular}{l c c c} & Egs. & Larva. & Pupa. & Total Time. \ Queen & 3 & 51 & 7 & 151 \ Worker & 3 & 5 & 13 & 21 \ Drone & 3 & 6 & 15 & 24 \ \end{tabular}
From the start the novice will know the workers, as in suitable weather they are continually moving in and out of the hive. Drones appear about the 1st of May. They are bigger than the workers, fly generally in the heat of the day, making a loud hum, from which their name is derived. The queen never leaves the hive excepting to mate or with a swarm; therefore, to be seen she must be looked for on the frames. She is easily found in the spring months when the colony is weak in numbers, but rather difficult to find in the height of the summer. Once seen she will be readily recognised, as her abdomen is very much longer than that of the bees that surround her. Also, she moves very slowly, especially when she is laying freely, as she is then heavy with eggs. There is but one queen to a hive.
For the first two weeks of her life the worker does inside work only, her recreation being a short flight along with thousands of her kind round the hive entrance in the heat of the day. These play-spells are sometimes mistaken for swarms coming off, so numerous become the young workers in midsummer. At the end of two weeks the worker becomes a fielder--that is, a provider. It is worth while to note, for it is of practical value in hive management, that five weeks elapse from the laying of the egg to the day when the young worker carries in her first load of nectar.
## Chapter VI. The Cycle of the Bee-year in British Columbia.
Since bees pass the cold days of winter in a semi-dormant condition, flying freely only on fine sunny days when the thermometer is at least 48\({}^{\circ}\) in the shade, one is tempted to consider that the bee-year will start with the carrying in of the first pollen, which occurs in the coast regions of the Province towards the end of February--in Victoria as early as the 22nd, and in the dry belt a few weeks later; March 12th in the Okanagan. As the probable date draws nigh, even the oldest bee-keepers kindle with enthusiasm and watch for the first bee that is carrying the brilliant-lued pellets on her hind legs. Not only does he rejoice over the prospect of once more being active with a pleasant part of his life, but when he sees bee after bee alighting with her load he knows almost to a certainty that brood-raising has been started and all is well with the queen. If, however, he observes a hive where no pollen is being carried in, while others are busy, he is suspicious that the queen has died in the course of the winter. He makes note of all such colonies and at the first favourable opportunity, that is a day when the sun shines brightly, the air is quiet, and the temperature is comfortably warm, rapidly learns whether the colony is queen right or not. Opening the hive, he chooses a frame in the middle of the cluster, looks into the cells to discover the presence or absence of eggs or larvae. When these are found he investigates no further, but if they are wanting he will inspect the balance of the frames. Failing to find signs of brood, he will then look for the queen, an easy task at this time of the year. If she be located all is satisfactory; if not the case is very suspicious, but it does not do to assume she is actually missing. But if on examination a week later the same conditions exist, then the colony should be combined with one that has a queen. (See chapter 13.)
### Essentials in Spring.
The most essential features of a hive when pollen begins to be carried in are: the sure presence of a queen, lots of bees, and plenty of stores--that is, honey or its substitute, sugar syrup. The lack of a queen means certain death to the colony in a few weeks. A hive weak in bees will develop strength very slowly, or dwindle out of existence, while one without stores may die of starvation or do little more than hold its own during the spring months.
The food supply is largely under the control of the bee-keeper, and at one time spring feeding with sugar syrup was strongly advocated, but in recent years it is considered that the best time to feel for spring consumption is in the autumn of the previous year. So the modern bee-keeper, in September or October, begins to put his bees in shape for the honey-flow in June, by making certain that there are at least 25 pounds of honey, or the equivalent in sugar syrup, in every colony.
A Simple D diary.
The bee-year from the apiarist's point of view begins, therefore, in September. But since we have made a little progress with the spring conditions we may as well continue. Every beginner in bee-keeping should keep a diary for the first year, at least as a guide for the future. It need not be in any way elaborate, just a sheet of note-paper lying convenient on which to make brief jottings like these :--
**February 22--**Willow blooms ; pollen carried in.
March 13--**A few dandelions ;** plentiful April 7.
March 15--**First examination of hives ;** temperature, 65**.
April 12--**Early pears.
April 18--**Early plums ;** pollen plentiful.
May 3--**Nectar and pollen above immediate needs.
May 19--**Dearth of nectar ;** feeding.
June 1--**First clover-blossom.
June 19--**Honey-flow starts.
These items are simply suggestive, as the apiarist should make it his business and pleasure to know every plant visited by bees in his locality, also their date of blooming. In most regions there are breaks in the flow of nectar and these should be anticipated, as during a dearth brood-raising will be stopped, with serious loss at the time of the honey-flow unless feeding be done. The end of fruit-bloom often marks the beginning of one of these periods.
Early this month, sooner if possible, lift the hive off the bottom board and clean off the dead bees and other waste matter. The simplest way is to take a spare board, remove the complete hive, place the new board on the stand, then swing back the hive to its place. The operation takes but a minute, so there ought to be no disturbance to the inmates. The old board is now cleaned off and used for the next hive. While lifting the colony one learns roughly its condition as to stores. If light, it must, of course, be fed with as little disturbance as possible, because during this month and next the bees may cluster in a compact ball round the queen--ball her--when the frames are disturbed, and a balled queen is apt to disappear at an early date. Smoke is rarely necessary at this time, provided the bee-keeper is gentle and avoids jarring the frames when returning them to the hive. In the south end of Vancouver Island there ought to be brood in three or four frames about the middle of the month, but, of course, the space occupied by the young in the outside of the nest will be very small.
**April.**
In the coast regions, during the latter half of March and the first week of this month, there is apt to be a cool spell, with cloudy or wet weather which prevents be-flight.** Brood-raising frequently comes to a stop, so that when the warm weather returns there may not be a single egg in the frames. However, as soon as pollen again comes in freely, the queen resumes her duties, laying so freely that by the 20th there is generally brood in as many as five frames. The young bees begin to hatch out about the end of the month, when they are very much needed, as the old ones that carried the colony through the winter are dying off very rapidly. In fact, for a few days at the end of April the low-water mark of population is apt to be reached ; then the tide turns, the working force is rapidly added to, and almost as if by magic the frames become covered with bees. During this month the great source of nectar and pollen in most regions of the Province is the dandelion, but in some parts of the dry belt there is complaint of great scarcity of pollen at this time. In such localities a substitute, in the form of some kind of flour, should be provided, as described in the chapter on feeding. Fruit-blooms are a great help in the latter part of the month.
The end of April is a most important period in the development of the hive in most regions, because the bees that will work on the honey-flow will be hatched from eggs that are being laid now. They will become field-workers about June 4th, at which date white clover, snowberry, and rhamnus (cascara plant) are in blossom, the nectar in a favourable season secreting freely about ten days later.
Broad-raising at the end of April must therefore be encouraged. Should nectar fail, feeding may be necessary ; on the other hand, it may have come in so freely that the combs become honey-clogged, thus preventing the queen from laying. When this occurs it is a good plan to take from such a hive a frame of honey and exchange it for an empty one from another colony. The full comb should be placed next the side of the hive, but the empty frame right in the centre of the brood-nest, so that the queen can proceed to fill it at once. Drone-brood will probably be started this month.
Scrape accumulations of wax and propolis from the top and end bars of the frames.
Colonies that are in good condition boom along this month at a great pace. Any hive that on the 1st of May shows bees occupying six spaces between frames is in fine condition. Early in the month one must attend to weak colonies if possible. If the lack of numbers is due to a failing queen, the bees may endeavour to supersede her during fruit-bloom, or she may disappear from the hive. Queens raised in a weak colony at this time are of very little value, and are almost sure to be supplanted again in June or July, provided they live that long. There is also great risk that they will fail to mate on account of the cool weather. The writer has had queens hatched out in the end of April and do all right, but the instance is rather unusual. Most bee-keepers have little use for a queen that is not raised during the normal swarming season, or in the time of the honey-flow.
As fruit-blossoms cease there is often a dearth of nectar the last week of the month ; in fact, up until the honey-flow starts, and unless feeding be resorted to, the colonies will divindle rather than increase. Where broom grows there is no lack of pollen. The dry belt seems to be fortunate enough to have no break once nectar begins to come in.
By the end of the third week of the month a good queen will have brood in every frame, and is anxiously looking for more room. Many, on seeing the hive full of bees, expect surplus honey right away and put on a super ; if it be of the extracting variety it will have a queen-exeluder below it. Now, as a matter of fact, the honey-flow is not due for several weeks, so the real aim at this date should be to get more bees. The extracting super should go on, but the queen must not be kept out. When given free range she will occupy the new frames at once. The eggs she lays now will provide a magnificent army of workers that will be ready for field-work right in the middle of the honey-flow.
Swarming often starts at the end of May, but this subject deserves a chapter all by itself.
This is the great swarming month. Very strong colonies may send out a swarm in the early part of the month, but most will start near the commencement of the honey-flow. The new colony has to build a set of combs, raise thousands of bees and provide stores for the winter; hence the best time to start housekeeping in a new locality is when nectar is coming in freely.
June is also the month of the honey-flow, so its start should be watched for. The first few days the bees will deposit the nectar in the brood-chamber, filling every vacant cell just as fast as they become empty through the hatching of brood. Then comes the capping of the honey. This is the time to put on supers, and is indicated by the whitening of the wax on the top of the frames. If comb-honey supers are put on before this, the bees often remove the foundation to use in the brood-chamber. Where an upper division of empty extracting combs was given earlier, and the intention is to run for extracted honey, nothing need be done excepting to make sure that the bees have enough room.
In the south end of Vancouver Island the honey-flow comes to an end from the 10th to the 15th of this month. The writer has not got very definite data about other regions of the Province, so each beginner must learn the conditions for himself. On the Island there is no fall flow, but in some parts of the dry belt the bees get a second opportunity to gather surplus in August and September.
Ordinarily there is very little swarming in the coast regions after the beginning of the month, and it is well that this is so, as late swarms will simply starve to death unless fed regularly for several weeks.
All sealed comb-honey should be removed from the hive at the close of the flow, to prevent its delicate whiteness becoming soiled by the travel of the bees. Extracted honey should be left on longer, to insure its being thoroughly ripened. When there is a second flow the crops should be kept apart by extracting the first before the other is due.
In most regions there is but little forage for bees in August, this being especially true of the coast regions; in fact, were it not for fall dandelions and thistles, there would be practically nothing coming in. Towards the end of the month the second flow starts in the dry belt.
In the coast districts there is no nectar. Early in the month the hives should be gone through to see how the bees are off for stores. Some bee-keepers feed for the winter before the month closes; others prefer to give half the necessary amount now, the balance a month hence. Any weak or queenless colony should be combined with another.
Before the end of the month make certain that every colony has at least 25 pounds of honey or sugar syrup to carry it through the winter. Feeding over, the colonies should be prepared for the cold months if they are to remain on the summer stand. In the coast region very little protection is necessary; in fact, most people are content to make sure that no moisture can get into the hive. In the dry belt packing is necessary when the hives are wintered in the open air, as is done in the majority of cases on account of the difficulty of securing a cellar that is dry enough. Only a few report wintering bees in this way.
When cellar wintering is to be followed, the hives should be transferred to their winter quarters towards the end of the month.
## Chapter 71.
### 72.1 Swarming.
Living creatures reproduce their kind to insure the perpetuation of the race. (generally speaking, the interest is centred in the direct descent from individual to individual, as each one in turn becomes the fountain source of a new generation. But with bees it is different, for here we have a social organism in which the factor of parentage is subordinate. There is continuity from queen to queen, but this is less important than the reproduction of colonies; that is, the fact of perpetuation is more centred in the community than in any individual. Furthermore, a queen may die and be succeeded by her daughter, without any increase in the population of the bee-world at large; whereas, when new colonies are formed, there is an increase both in communities and in the total number of bees.
The bees' method of reproduction, then, is by the formation of new colonies. When the proper season has arrived, generally in June, the hives become very strong with a superabundance of inhabitants, and some fine day thousands of them rush pell-mell out of doors, circling in the air in an ever-darkening cloud for several minutes; then, as if of one mind, they settle in a cluster on a convenient object, which is generally the branch of a near-by tree. Here they cling for quite a while, frequently hours, as if awaiting important news from somewhere; then, if unmolested, they will suddenly cleanup to parts unknown, locating in a hole in the trunk of some decaying tree, and there start up the routine of the colony afresh. But in a well-conducted apiary the flight to distant regions is summarily prevented by the bee-keeper, who secures the cluster and houses it in a regular hive. Ordinarily, they accept the domicile, just as pleased as if it were of their own selection. The whole procedure is technically known as swarming.
In a hive in summer-time there are to be found bees of all ages and occupations. The very youngest are nursing the larvae, making wax, building combs, curing the honey and capping it over; the older ones are field-workers, their business being to carry in nectar, pollen, water, and propolisis. An interesting point at once arises, what is the age of the bees that form the swarm? The old queen undoubtedly leaves the hive; that is beyond all dispute; and it is believed that the greater part of the swarm consists of fielders, but there is also a fair proportion of younger ones whose duty is concerned with the inside labour. This should be so, for the best welfare of the new community.
Each bee fills her honey-sac to its utmost capacity before starting out, so that the new colony is provisioned for several days ahead, should inclement weather prevent the gathering of nectar. On arrival at the new abode, part of the swarm starts at once to clean it out; another gathers into festoons and proceeds to secrete wax; while still others collect the wax and build combs. Just as fast as cells are built the queen lays eggs in them, or the workers store honey, so that in a few days the usual routine of a bee community is established.
In the hive from which the swarm emerged there has been left quite a strong force of bees, thousands of young brood in all stages, from egg to those about to hatch, and several queen-cells, from each of which there may come out a queen. If the conditions seem propitious, the workers may decide to send off several swarms, each accompanied by a virgin queen. Since the hive has been decidedly weakened by the loss of the first swarm, the second will be much smaller, the third weaker still, and so on with the others, until the last may consist of a mere handful of bees. Such weak colonies are almost certain to die of starvation during the winter, as they are rarely strong enough to build up a numerous force and lay in sufficient stores before the cold weather sets in, excepting in very highly favoured localities.
## Rerieving a Swarm.
The handling of a swarm is not a serious proposition, provided it does not settle in a rather inaccesible place. Until it does cluster nothing can be done with it; therefore it is utterly useless, so far as the bees are concerned, to beat tin pans, ring bells, or otherwise make a hideous noise. Such strennosity may provide occupation for the beekeeper at a time when he feels he ought to be doing something to show he is in control of the situation, but he will display more wisdom if he sedately waits until they settle, in the meantime providing himself with a bushel or clothes basket and a large apron or similar covering. When the cluster is at the end of a low branch the basket is held close under it, then the branch is given a sudden downward jerk that tumbles the bees into the basket, which is then quickly covered with the apron. For a higher branch a stepladder is almost a necessity; sometimes one must climb the tree to reach the bees. In windy weather they may gather on a thick branch, or even on the trunk, in which case they must be brushed off with the hands. When the branch happens to be a small one the speediest way is often to cut it off. In any case, it is always as well to have a small saw handy when gathering in a swarm, to cut away twigg and sprays that interfere.
Once the swarm has been secured it is carried to the new hive, in front of which a sheet has been spread or boards laid to form a runway. A small lot of the bees is dumped out close to the entrance, the rest farther away, or they may be left in the basket, which is stood on edge leaning against the hive-front. In a few minutes some daring spirit will venture into the entrance and soon all will follow. In warm weather
Figure 18: Retrieving a Swarm.
it is always wise to have the cover a little raised at the back, to provide plenty of ventilation; otherwise the lack of air may tempt the bees to make a second flight. Do not use smoke while living a swarm.
Prevention of Swarming.
The prevention of swarming is to the bee-keeper a regular will-\(o\)'-the-wisp. He wants surplus honey, but he knows by experience that he will get far more from a colony that does not swarm than he will get from one that does, even with the aid of all its offshoots. Therefore, he tries hard to get rousing strong hives by the beginning of the honey-flow, and to hold the forces intact all through the season.
Thousands are wrestling seriously with the swarming problem every summer, striving to understand the immediate cause. It is not enough to say it is the bees' method of reproducing the species, for all strong colonies in an apiary do not throw off swarms in the season; often the majority do not. Again, it is not a problem of sex instinet, for the queen has no desires but to lay; in fact, the decision whether to divide or not to divide the colony is determined by the workers, who are free of the sex impulse.
Uneasiness, discomfort, practically sums up the conditions that develop the swarming impulse. It is caused:--