BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
Probably a room partitioned in a house cellar which is heated by furnace is as good a repository as can be hit. It is usually dry, of even temperature, and allows readily of good ventilation either through the upward draft of air or through communication with the rest of the cellar. But the outapiarist will hardly have a home cellar large enough to accommodate all his leaves, nor will the houses at his outwards be so located that he will be able to take advantage of them.
A few years ago, not a few beekeepers practiced keeping their bees in clumps. The exposure of these is small and they are especially suited to the outward which is not permanent and in a location where outdoor wintering is not feasible. Yet it takes a peculiar soil to \(10\), suited to wintering in clamps and we can hardly recommend this method as worthy of trial by the outvall beekeepers. There are too many failures.
Edward (i. Brown, in western Iowa, winters all of his outwards in temporary cells which he says can be made at a cost of from \(25\) to \(50\) dollars. Mr. Brown is located where the soil stands up extremely well under all conditions. When he builds a cellar he sets four posts at the four corners,having them over four feet in the ground so they will go below the floor of the cellar. They stick above ground two feet, and the two feet above ground is boarded up to hold the dirt as it is thrown from the inside in evacuting. The enclosure is now dug to a depth of four feet, the dirt thrown out against the boards adding the extra two feetin depth, making six in all. A board ceiling is made and a roof placed over all, the space between being filled with some good packing material. Mr. Brown states that he winters with only one to two per cent loss and the cellar is usually good for from three to five seasons.
If the beekeeper has a reasonably permanent situation it will be to his advantage to build a permanent cellar.
This is usually built in connection with the honey-house one roof furnishing shelter for the two. In the France apiaries, in Wisconsin, the cellars under the houses are used in the summer for honey tanks and receptacles. Thus the honey is run by gravity directly from the extractor without double handling.
Figure 38: Apiracy of Edward G. Brown in the sweet clover belt of Western Iowa. Notice the cheap, under-earth cellar in the background.
In such colours the walls are built of cement or stone and the ceilings may be plastered. Unless the drainage is especially good, it will hardly be feasible to leave a dirt floor, cement being much hotter, unless the cellar is very dry.
Some for large beekeepers with central plants provide for wintering all of their lives in a central repository.
## Chapter 3 Moving Bees
With modern methods for moving bees it is possible to transport them in almost any kind of weather and at all seasons of the vear. Yet it is generally preferable not to move during late fall
Figure 39: Hives screened for moving in hot weather.
or winter when the bees may not have a chance for a cleansing flight before the winter period. Nor is it generally advisable to move during the hottest weather, nor when hives are heavy with honey. This will avoid snothering of bees and breakage or melting down of combs.
Ideal conditions for moving are to have colonies light in stores, fairly light in brood, thus giving chance for best ventilation. Cool weather, in early or late spring, when bees hardly fly, is best. If the weather is hot, take advantage of the cool of night to move.
It is imperative that all hives be perfectly tight at the joints and well nailed so that there may be no leakage of bees. Even then it is no uncommon occurrence to have bees come out from some partly cone-ealed knot-hole or partially rotated bottom-board. A package of coarse absorbent cotton will answer well for such an emergency. It will not only quickly stop the leak but has the effect of repelling the bees. Wet clay may be used in an emergency.
For moving, the hives should be closed when all field bees are at home so as to have no loss. This can be done in the evening or early morning.
Use care in hauling not to jar or jerk the hives any more than can be possibly helped. Avoid all excitement or heat to the bees, especially at the start of the haul. For overland hauling, hives should be loaded with the frames running crosswise of the wagon or truck; on railroad cars, lengthwise.
If it is necessary to haul with wagons and horses, too much caution against having trouble with escaping bees and consequent stinging cannot be taken. Immediately any trouble is encountered, teams should be unhooked and gotten away from the angry bees until all is quiet.
### Moving Short Distances
It may be necessary to change location of the outyard only at small distance, say a few hundred yards. This can be done very nicely in the evening or early morning, taking care to handle all as carefully as possible, and it may not be necessary even to close the entrances.
It should be borne in mind, however, that many bees, unless precautions are taken, may take flight without noticing the change in location, and on returning, go back to the old location and be lost. To avoid this the shade board or other suitable board may be leaned in front of the entrance that outgoing bees may notice the change of location at once and mark it, similarly to the manner in which young bees mark their home when making their first flights from the hive.
Even with these precautions some bees may return to the old location. These may be saved by leaving one or two weak colonies for a few days at the old location to catch the drifting bees as they return.
### Moving a Few Miles
If the weather be cool and the bees can be transported to the new location in a very short time, it may not be necessary to provide special ventilation during the haul; the hives may be closed, entrances and aii. But it is better to err on the side of too much ventilation than too little. The hauling at evening or in the early morning, to take advantage of lower temperature, will help.
Very often beekeepers, in such moving, provide clustering room by placing an empty super above each brood chamber, into which the bees can cluster, thus relieving the congestion on the combs below. Some combine this with a screened entrance while still others would not attempt to move even a short distance without a part of the top of the hive screened. A screenedFigure 41: How one California queen-breeder moves his outfit to a new location.
Figure 40: Moving an apiary 75 miles by auto truck.
entrance is objectionable as the old bees, accustomed to fly out through it, worry thenselves to death before it.
When releasing the bees at the end of the haul, it may be wise to allow them to become quiet before opening. At any rate it will be well to have the smoker handy to prevent an excited rush from the entrance with consequent confusion, drifting of bees, etc.
### The Long Haul
Probably a large proportion of the moving trips of the out-apiarist will be over a distance of from ten to fifty miles, either in the establishment of a new yard or in moving an apiary to new pastures by the migratory plan already mentioned. The colonies may have to be moved when heavy with honey or brood, or when the weather is very hot.
In such instances it is well nigh indispensable to provide clustering room and ventilation for the trip by having the whole of
Figure 42: The truck is fast replacing the slower wagon, for moving bees.
the top of the hive screened, the moving screen being (two or more inches deep, with proper re-inforcements over the top to prevent breakage. In rare instances the bottom-boards may be removed and the bottoms of the hives screened also.
It may be necessary to give the bees water during the haul, should they become excited. Water is needed only when they have young brood.
The up-to-date migratory beekeeper provides himself with moving screens, tight hives, and suitable hauling conveyances to take best care of the number of colonies he proposes to move. Edson Brothers of California, as an example, operate 2500 colonies
Figure 43: Where the haul is short and the weather cool, colonies may be moved with the covers on.
of bees practically all of which are moved to the orange and the bean fields for those flows. They have a four ton truck with a capacity of a whole yard of 100 colonies, moving screens and all. Thus they care for a unit of one apiary at a trip. Their moving is done in the night.
### Rail Shipments
As in the long overland haul, ample ventilation should be provided. The trip is apt to be prolonged by delays. Hives should be loaded with frames running in the same direction as the rails as much of the jarring comes from starting and stopping of trains and switching.
Figure 44: Old Sally,' a seemingly indestructible car in the Dadant out-apiary system, seeing service in moving bees a short distance.
Colonies should usually be loaded so that it may be possible to inspect any colony at any time, and one or two barrels of water should be provided in case of necessity.
A thing most often neglected in shipping cars of bees is the bracing of the hives sufficiently to prevent jamming, with consequent loosening of joints, leakage of bees and excitement.
Probably only a small proportion of outapiarists will have more than a rare experience in moving bees by this method, yet there are locations where it may be advisable to move long distances to reach new and heavy flows. This is done by some of California's best beekeepers who g.> to the alfalfa regions of Nevada and Utah each year.
## Chapter 11 Automobiles and Trocks
The automobile has done more than any other one thing to revolutionize outapiary beekeeping. Its adaptability to extensive beekeeping is self-evident. It furnishes a quick mode of travel from one apiary to another, it travels in the heat as well as in cooler weather, it removes the danger of stings to horses
Figure 11: A light pleasure car with commodious box on the rear is a prime requisite in the small outapiary system. Miss Mathilda Candler of Wisconsin.
when used in the apiary. The Dadants succeed in moving 500 colonies, with trucks, nowadays, morereadily than the elder Dadant succeeded in moving 100 colonies in 1880 on lay-raeks.
Then, too, motive power is necessary during only a fraction of the year for outapiary work. The ear may be put away for the balance of the year with a minimum amount of upkeep.
It is often necessary to remain at the outward till late in the evening to replace wet supers, etc. The use of the automobile shortens the hours of the apiarist.
Modern beekeeping may call for many moves of colonies or equipment. These are transported with the least jar and in the least time by the auto truck.
##### Type of Car to Use
Pleasure cars are most generally used by the beekeepers, either in their original form or improved by the addition of a l'nx or l'ol at the back to facilitate the hauling of supers, extracting equipment and other apiary supplies. Not a few are later converted into light trucks to suit the expanding novels of the apiarist.
The light pleasure car has the advantage of being faster, of costing less for running and for upkeep. Yet it has its limits. Other provisions would have to be made by the beekeeper for huling honey home from extracting houses, for huling bees and other heavy equipment.
The question resolves itself into just what style of car is cheapest and yet will adapt itself most readily to the system of each individual beekeeper. Depreciation, upkeep, interest on the investment, mileage costs, and time on the road are all to be considered.
For instance, a heavy two or three ton truck would be unexcelled for hauling large loads of honey, but the depreciation of
Figure 48: Another type of trailer often encountered.
Figure 47: Trailer pulled by a pleasure car, bringing in a load of comb honey in cases.
With the large truck also, a small delivery car for ordinary trips would be a necessity.
In the central plant system, a truck of some description is a necessity, as it is in migratory beekeeping practiced regularly. Morley Pettit, of Ontario, furnishes an example of the former, using a one-ton Ford truck. Edson Brothers of California are instances of the latter, having a four ton truck for their 2,500 colonies. With this number, the larger truck should pay.
The tendency seems to be towards a truck of a capacity of from one to two tons, as the Ford, Dodge, light Republic, or similar car.
### Trailers
Not a few beekeepers provide themselves with trailers to be attached to the regular highly geared car, for emergency in super hauling, moving of bees, etc. For the occasional light haul this
Figure 49: For transporting bees, there is nothing better than the launch.
will do, but it is hardly satisfactory for much heavy hauling or daily work. The chances of trouble from overloading and breaking down are too great.
**Launches**
Where streams are available the launch furnishes the ideal method of transportation, though it is slower than the automobile in good weather and on good roads.
Launches are especially desirable, since there is practically no jar while moving and losses are brought to a minimum.
This method of handling outyards is popular in the swanpy regions of Florida. It is there almost the only means available and bees are placed on scaffolds raised above high water mark.
**Motorcycles**
Not a few beekeepers, of the East especially, have found it advantageous to use motorcycles, having all other hauling done by hired vehicles. This is to l." recommended where the apiarist lives in the city and has another occupation during the winter months, with no use for automobile or truck during eight months of the year.
L. F. Howledu of New York estimated that his motorcycle will carry him 100 miles on \(
rac{1}{2}\) gallon of gasoline. It will carry fifty pounds of equipment with ease, and this is all that is necessary for most of the trips. The investment is snal, and upkeep insignificant, compared with the a
## Chapter 10 Honey-Houses and Equipment
In no part of the equipment of the outapirist is there such a wide range of difference as in the style of honey-house used. This is due, not only to the system practiced by the beckeeper, but also to his financial condition, and to the buildings which might have been available when each apiary was established.
Yet we may say that the requirements for a honey-house, in almost all instances, are the same with the same system, the difference in houses coming from the fact that many apiarists do without certain conveniences or requirements for one reason or another.
### 10.1 Requirements
The ideal bee-house should be large enough to care for all operations and extra equipment of the apiary at its maximum. Nine-tenths of the houses built are outgrown in the course of a few years, with the result that the apiarist hesitates to rebuild and does with the little room to the detriment of his work.
The usual mistake is to make the side-walls of the house too shallow. Extracting supers can be piled to a height of fifteen shallow supers as well as ten; so the distance to the eaves may be nine feet as well as six or seven.
If the house is but one story high, with a gable roof, considerable storing space for little used articles should be provided under the gables and above ordinary reaching height. Light articles such as extra frames, empty supers, etc., may be well stored there.
(Coggshall of New York, writing many years ago, advised making the outyard house double the capacity figured as sufficient for the beekeeper's needs.
Another mistake too often made is in not making the house strong enough to stand the jar of the extractor or the weight of such honey as may be stored within the building. Concrete floors are desirable, but should be placed high enough, when building, so that they will be above the surrounding ground, else the drainage will be towards the house rather than away from it.
The house should be bee-tight and mouse proof. There is nothing more annoying nor more apt to make angry bees and trouble than a leaky house during a honey dearth or at extracting time. The ordinary carpenter does not realize the value of such a point to the beekeeper and will almost invariably neglect to make all tight around the eaves, along the joists of the floor, or the lumber he uses may shrink enough to leave cracks for bees.
A very good way to avoid trouble is to cover the framework of the house entirely with tarred paper before putting on the siding, floor, or roof. Tar is obnoxious to bees and they will hesitate to enter where a tar smell is predominant.
Mice are an aggravation, but are easily disposed of. Certain it is that extracting supers should be mouse proof, or the loss from eaten and damaged combs may be considerable.
Windows in the modern house are a necessity. These should be made to slide sideways so as not to trap bees, and openings should be covered with screen which will allow the bees to go out at the top, while preventing their re-entrance. The usual plan is to extend the screen for two feet above the top of the window. The bees will readily run up but will seldom find their way down such a long distance. Honey-house escapes are used much in connection with window openings.
Many beekeopers think it a mistake to let bees out before the end of the day's work, since it is apt to draw more robbers around the house. They have window screens closed during the day to be readily opened at evening to let out the accumulation of bees.
It is hardly desirable to have a screened door. The bees will congregate there at each trip that we make with honey. If a screened door is desired it should be made in the form of an entry
Figure 50: Eees clustering around a screened window, trying to get to the sweets inside.
is shown in the accompanying cut.
Most of the bees lose themselves between the two floors and are trapped in the entry to run out at openings in the screen at the top.
Make your honey-house door wide. If barrels are used for for honey storage the house door should be large enough to pass the barrel without shunting it back and forth, or standing it on end. Wheelarrows, hand-barrows, large extractors and other equipment should pass through readily.
### Location of the House
The honey-house should be located as handy to the apiary as possible. If on a slope, it should be slightly below the apiary to make for case in huling full supers of honey down.
Ordinarily
Figure 51: Screened entry to the honey-house that will keep the bees out.
it will be handiest at the side of the apiary, or at the back, rather than in the center or in front, and doors should be so located as to give best results both for hauling in from the apiary and for loading and hauling honey away.
### Types of Houses
Where a fairly good building is available it will hardly be necessary to build specially. When comb honey is raised or if extracting is done centrally, it wil only be necessary to have a house large enough for storage. In fact many apiaries are handled without any honey house at all. In the migratory system this is the rule rather than the exception. Yet some sort of a shelter should be provided for extra equipment if it is to be left out for any length of time.
### Temporary Houses
The temporary cloth house is used by many where the apiary is located only for a short time. Many years ago, in the France
Figure 52: A temporary house in use in a Texas apiary system.
apinaries, such houses were used. These were put up at the time of extracting and were taken down and removed to the next apiary as fast as the crew extracted. In this case rough shelter was provided for extra equipment the year around. The Frances have since changed their methods because they now have permanent yards, and permanent houses were built in connection.
W. L. Chambers, of Arizona, has been another extensive user of the temporary cheese cloth shelter for extracting. These houses may be made large to allow ample room for extracting, since their cost is small and the labor in setting up, insignificant.
Temporary extracting rooms in the form of tents are much used. They are a makeshift, being hot in summer and not beproof.
**The Portable House**
Since the earliest days of outyard beekeeping, portable outfits, mounted on heavy wagons or days, have been used. In these, space is conserved as much as possible, and only necessary equipment for extracting is carried. One description calls for a bed 4 feet wide and 12 feet long, a rather small extracting room. In such, naturally, honey storage receptacles are outside the house and supers are removed as fast as extracted, either to be replaced on the hives or piled up and covered.
The big truck has made a change in construction of these portable outfits. They are now large enough to house the modern extracting equipment and the power of the truck is sufficient to haul the most complex equipment desirable.
These portable extracting outfits mounted on auto-trucks are very popular in the West and more especially in California where migratory beekeeping is practiced, and where the same location may not be desired two years in succession.
**Sectional Houses**
Several Michigan beekeepers and others use sectional houses for apiaries which are fairly permanent, where it may be necessary to move location a short distance from time to time. These are well built houses of lumber with each side, roof and floor, in sections, to be easily taken down. They are made large enough for the needs of the apiary the year round, and when well put up can be made bee-tight. Easily taken down, they can be loaded on a wagon or truck and rapidly transported to a new location.
### The Permanent House
By far the larger percentage of apiary houses are of permanent construction, carefully built, oftentimes with cement floor and large enough to house all extra equipment. The most of them are used in connection with a portable extracting outfit, though not a few are equipped with a permanent one.
Figure 54: Honey-house built so that it may be readily cut apart into sections and removed. Where the cut is to be made, rafters or studding are placed within an inch of each other and holes bored so that the sections may be drawn together with bolts when set up again.
A house of such construction, designed for an apiary of 1C0 colonies, should be made at least 16 feet wide and 20 feet long, while a larger house would be a convenience; the size desirable, of course, being dependent upon the complexity of extracting outfit, on the system of supering, and also upon whether honey is to be hauled home as fast as extracted, or stored at the outyard until sold. Many have storage tanks in connection, running the honey by gravity directly into the honey tank.
Not a few such houses are made two or more stories high, to allow of honey packing, carpenter work, etc., with well built cellar for wintering beneath. These involve extra investment but are exceedingly desirable when conditions warrant them.
Figure 55: Honey-house built with ample ventilation for extracting.
Figure 56: A France outapiary house with cellar beneath which serves as winter cellar.
Figure 57: Central extracting plant of K. E. Sutton in Colorado. All honey is hauled in from outapiaries, to be extracted.
The central extracting plant has many features which make it attractive to the outapiarist so located as to make such a system practicable. Having all equipment in one building and all expenditures for houses to be embodied in one central house, it is possible to so plan as to include, in this one, all modern equipment advantageous for running several hundred colonies of bees.
This plan is much favored by any beekeeper who has once practiced it, and we have to hear of a single instance where the central plant was given up when once tried. Almost all beekeepers using this plan, however, have had previous experience with outyard work and were able to judge whether it would fit in with their system of management before they made the change.
Central plant of the Jager apiaries in Minnesota. This is one of the most complete buildings of its kind anywhere.