BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
' The question naturally arises, who are likely to develop the bee-keeping industry of the West Indies and what class of people should take it up as a serious occupation. This is best answered by stating who are the most successful in other lands. On the American continent the most successful bee-keepers are professional men, lawyers, doctors, dentists, schoolmasters, and graduates of colleges, while there is a large number also to be found in the ranks of farmers. It is usually considered that a person who has some taste for natural history and a pre-direction for mechanics has the best chance of success. The latter is an important qualification for a bee-keeper, as all expert bee-keepers are clever at making tools and minor appliances to assist them in their work. A certain amount of business tact is alsorequired to reap the full measure of success, for after producing a crop of honey and wax there is still the task of selling it to the best advantage. Some bee-keepers wholly fail in this part of the work. The best remedy is to read the literature on the subject of selling to be found in the pages of the bee journals.
Both in Europe and America many clergymen are engaged in bee-keeping as a means of augmenting a scanty income and giving them agreeable outdoor exercise. Schoolmasters are particularly well situated for engaging in bee-keeping. Medical men generally take to bee-keeping as a pleasant hobby; the celebrated surgeon John Hunter setting them an example, for he discovered how wax was produced when he had been advised to take up some hobby to keep his mind from the engrossing cares of his profession. Europeans, especially ladies, who wish to supplement their income in the West Indies will find bee-keeping a pleasant occupation. The work can be carried on in the shade. In addition, the various operations are interesting and not laborious, and in the case of a large apiary, with the assistance of a boy to do the rougher work, a European lady can superrise and look after bee-keeping in the tropics with little or no fatigue.
In America there are many instances of women of refinement engaging in bee-keeping with success, and in Jamaica we have heard of at least one lady who has done and is doing well. "A lady in Vere, in Clarendon parish, last season produced over 10,000 pounds of extracted honey. She had only been in the bee-business a little over 18 months. Several times she became discouraged, but, being a plucky little woman, she was determined to go on'for one more season.' Ultimately she extracted over 10,000 lbs. from 30 colonies of bees. I may mention that a 'colony' of bees is a brood nest and as many'sopers.' or surplus boxes as may be needed. 'This lady used as many as five'sopers.' She lives in an ideal location--mangrove on one side with logwood and other honey-producing plants and trees on the other. I claim for this lady and Jamaica the largest average crop of honey from a given number of hives pro duced anywhere in the world."+Planters, large and small, will understand that the industry is suitable for them and whenever their sons or daughters show a liking for it, they should encourage their bent. Probably the most prominent quality required of a bekeeper is perseverance, for at the start some rebuffs and disappointment must be expected. The man or woman who perseveres in spite of rebuffs is bound to succeed and it is just as well for the rest of the bee-keepers that some persons are easily discouraged. Stings frighten many persons out of the business, though by the exercise of patience these drawbacks could be overcome till all fear from this source has vanished. It is only the careless or ignorant bee-keeper who gets stung, so that the remedy is obvious enough.
Footnote : _West Indian Bulletin,_ Vol. I., p. 307.
* [1] Buy your lives, after the first, packed flat and nail them together yourself.
* [2] Paint the exposed portions of the hives and the edges where partscome together with white paint.
* 8. Select a suitable place, and erect stands to keep the hives about two feet above the ground (p. 13).
* 4. Fit the comb foundation into the frames. (p. 48).
* 5. Buy healthy bees ; two swarms will be sufficient to start with. (p. 24).
* 6. Introduce the bees into the hive, following carefully the directions on pages 24 to 26.
* 7. In windy localities place a heavy stone on the cover of the hive.
* 8. Keep a sharp look-out for signs of swarming.
* 9. Keep one or two empty lives ready to receive new swarms.
* 10. Do not try to increase your stock of bees by artificial swarming. You will almost certainly fail.
* 11. Do not proceed too fast. Learn all you can, and do not buy many hives until you have mastered the management of bees.
* 12 Do not expect large yields of honey until you have become an expert. The yields depend on you, not on the bees.
* 13 If some ore else keeps bees in your locality maintain good terms with him and learn all you can. The most ignorant bee-keeper can sometimes give you a good hint.
* 14 In reading foreign books about bees remember that they are intended probably for cold countries.
* 15 Remember always to order large hives for any island in the West Indies, except Barbados.
* 16 Try first of all to sell your honey in your own neighbourhood.
**WHERE BESS MAY BE KEFT.**
Bees are profitably kept in many situations provided there is abundance of food and the following points are observed. Hives should not be placed in such a position that the bees, flying home, laden with nectar, have to pass over a large body of water. A safe plan is to place the hives about one or two miles from any large body of water such as a river, lake or arm of the sea. A distance of at least 100 feet should be allowed between a live and any frequented highway, unless a closed fence, 6 feet or more in height, intervenes. It is also undesirable to keep hives in places frequented by cattle or horses. An ideal place is under an open-sided thatched shed or under a large mango or other good shade tree. Very tall trees are not suitable for shading hives. A rough trellis covered with creepers forms an excellent shelter.
**A** long thatched shed will be found serviceable where many hives are kept, and would also serve to protect the bee-keeper from the weather when he is at work. It is a common practice in Cuba to use such a shed, which is frequently provided with a floor and a room at one end where tools and appliances are stored. For a few hives a simple thatched shed will be sufficient. Inerecting such a shed, care must be taken to build it with its length running due north and south. The early morning sun then strikes the front of the hive and the setting sun strikes the back, whilst the hives are fully protected during the heat of the day. _It is an axiom in West Indian bee-keeping to face_ _lives to the morning sun_.
Where frogs or toads are common, it would be always desirable to raise the hives about two feet from the ground.
**THE BEREEDS OF BEES.**
Modern books treat only of one species of bee, _Apis mellifera_, thus giving the impression that there is but one kind of domesticated bee. This is by no means the case. There are in India at least three distinct species of bees capable of domestication. It is possible that one or more of these bees could be profitably introduced into the West Indies, especially where a large production of wax is desired. In Brazil several species of stingless bees exist, as also in some West Indian islands.
With regard to the ordinary hive bee, there are numerous distinct races. The most common is the blackish-brown bee from northern Europe which has been introduced into America. Next to this is the yellow Italian bee, sometimes, misleadingly, termed the Ligurian bee ; this is admirably adapted to a semi-tropical country. The Dalmatian bee very closely resembles the Italian and is of a good race. The Cyprian is likely to do well in the West Indies, as also is the Syrian or Palestine bee, which is closely related to the former. The latter can seldom be obtained in a pure state and the choice of a race for the West Indies is practically limited to the Italian, which is also the one best suited to local conditions.
Books and journals refer commonly to " hybrids." These are simply crossbred bees, obtained from the ordinary black and the Italian bee. They are excellent workers, better than their parents, but they have a tendency to deteriorate, becoming darker with each succeeding generation.
One breed of bees only should be kept, and if possible all the bees in one neighbourhood should be of the same race. Bees can only be kept up to the best standard by keeping an accurate record of the breeding of the queens. This is essential to success. Queens which show signs of possessing energy and stamina, and are also prolific, should be used for breeding purposes. The characteristics of the queen are sure to manifest themselves in the progeny of workers, hence the importance of securing a queen of the best quality.
**THE BESS OF A HIVE.**
There are three kinds of bees in a hive, (1) the drones, (2) the queen and (3) the workers. The drone is the male bee, whose function is to mate with the queen ; it may be recognised by its large size, and greater breadth. The eyes are also much larger, and the general build is heavier than that of the queen or workers. The queen is often aptly termed the mother, her functions being mainly maternal. The queen is larger than the worker, longer and more slender than the drone ; she mates once only, a few days after she is fully grown. Mating takes place in the air, the drones and queen flying some distance from the hive. The queen subsequently settles down in the hive, the workers taking every care of her, as they know her value. Workers are imperfectly developed females ; they are smaller than both the queen and the drone, and do practically all the work of the hive.
When the queen is settled in the hive after mating, she commences to lay eggs in the brood comb. **Eggs are of two kinds, male and female. Male eggs, which give rise to drones, are unfertilised. The queen is apparently able to control the production of male eggs. An unfertilised queen will lay only male eggs. Fertilised eggs always develop into either queens or workers, according to the treatment they receive from the bees. When the egg hatches, the grub, if destined to be a queen, is fed on a special food, and if an egg laid in a worker cell is intended to become a queen, the bees will build a larger cell, termed a "queen cell", by tearing down the neighbouring cells and building up one about the colour and shape of a pea-nut. In this the grub floats in "pap," absorbing the latter through the mouth and skin. The food given to these grubs hastens development and increases their size. After sixteen days a fully developed queen emerges, having passed through the chrysalis stage sealed up in the cell.
In the case of workers, similar eggs are dealt with, but the food is much poorer in quality. In the grub stage, the worker is "weaned" and the style of food given to it is not nearly as rich in protein as is the "royal jelly" given to queen grubs. After twenty-one days, the worker emerges from the cell. Drones develop in cells intermediate in size between worker and queen cells, and require a period of twenty-four days.
Workers sometimes lay eggs (especially if the only queen in the hive dies) and these eggs, being unfertilised, always develop into drones. Laying workers are regarded with disfavour by the bee-keeper, as he may see the eggs laid and erroneously conclude that the queen is laying. A sharp look-out should be kept for laying workers.
Should the queen die when there are fertilised eggs in the hive, the bees proceed at once to raise queens by altering the food and giving a certain number of the grubs "royal jelly."
**HVES.**
**There is always much eager discussion over the choice of a hive. In this case it is better to follow the lead of the great majority of bee-keepers and to adopt the improved Langstroth hive. This has the same general dimensions as the hive invented by Mr. Langstroth and has the great advantage of being the \(standard\) size. To a beginner this is of great importance, his hive and fixtures being low in price and always saleable. The necessity to a beginner of purchasing these hives and fixtures cannot be too strongly emphasized. There are many good hives for special purposes, such as the Heddon, Danzenbaker, and Quinby, but the Langstroth is an all-round hive suited to any purpose. Since there is no patent in it, anyone is at liberty to make it, and it is manufactured in such vast quantities that it is cheap and easily procurable.**
**There are slight points of difference in**
**made by different dealers.**
**simplest and probably the best is the 'dovetailed,' deriving its name from the method used to unite the various parts.**
**Fig. 1. "Dovetailed" Standard Hive.**
**The distinctive features of these hives are the hanging frames, of which there are ten in a standard hive ; each frame holds one comb, the frame being \(17
rac{3}{3}\) inches long by 91 inches. The outside dimensions of a ten frame dovetailed hive are \(20\) inches in length, by \(16\) inches in breadth, and \(10\) inches in depth. During the honey season two of these hives are used, one above the other, the top being moveable to admit of it. In this case there will be \(20\) frames in use, tenin the lower chamber for breeding purposes and 10 in the upper for honey. When "comb honey" is desired, the upper live is divided into two half stories or "'spers'; thus a complete live for breeding, a "super."
* **Fig. 2. A "Super."** With Sections partly removed. **Fig. 3. A "Super."** With Sections partly removed. **Fig. 4. A "Super."** With Sections partly removed. **Fig. 5. A "Super."** does it will be advisable to have three supers one above the other, and there is no reason why there should not be so many as half a dozen supers, one above the other, when honey is plentiful.
The bottom of the live is simply a board with a raised rim on three sides. The live stands on the rim, having on one side a narrow platform for the bees to alight upon and pass in and out. The top of the hive is simply a flat board, made water-tight and braced to prevent warping.
The frames inside the hive contain each one comb ; a single comb is \(
rac{\pi}{2}\) inch thick and the space between the combs is usually \(
rac{\pi}{2}\) inch ; thus each frame occupies a space of \(1
rac{\pi}{2}\) inch, that being the distance from the middle \(
rac{\pi}{2}\) of one comb to the middle of the next. These measurements apply to the lower or brood chamber only. In dealing with the upper chamber different measurements may be adopted. If liquid (extracted) honey is desired, the usual plan is to adhere to the sume measurements as in the the brood chamber below. If comb honey is desired, small frames are used, called "sections." Their size is usually \(4
rac{\pi}{2}\) by \(4
rac{\pi}{2}\) inches. Eight sections occupy plain. The single one on the right the space of one is a section with bee-way.
honey. Various forms of sections are seen in Fig. 3.
**Sections have no shoulders by which they may hang, so that it is necessary to provide the super with section holders. These are shallow frames without tops, serving to keep the sections from falling out of the super. Between the rows of sections, thin boards (separators) are placed to compel the bees to build the comb in the most regular manner.**
**In speaking of frames throughout this pamphlet, frames of Langstroth size and style are referred to. The one in general use at present is the Hoffmann frame, which differs from the old Langstroth only by the addition of projections on the end bar \(1
rac{3}{8}\) inches in breadth. The value of these lies in the fact that the bee-keeper simply presses the ten frames of the live together and thereby insures their being correctly spaced. The objection to these is that the bees glue them together where the projections touch, but the correct spacing attained by their use is of sufficient value to the beginner to warrant their adoption. In the staple-spaced frame, these projections are replaced by wire staples;
## Chapter 4 The Staple Spaced Frames.
The Staple Spaced Frames are in position, whilst the third is detached.
Figure 4: The Staple Spaced Frames.
Figure 5: Hoffmann Frame.
an hour before sunset. Then, fully prepared with veil and smoker, the beginner should take the bees outside to the hive prepared for them. He should see that all nails in the case are loose to allow of easy removal. The box should then be placed on the top of the hive, and a hole should be opened at the side to allow the bees to escape. The bekeeper must then go away, taking care not to move too quickly or to run away. After dark a board should be placed on the top to prevent rain getting in, and the bees should be left there for two days. After this time, the bee-keeper should go, armed with veil and smoker, and carefully place the frames in the new hive. The bees on the sides of the shipping box can be shaken out on to the alighting board of the hive, when they will run inside. The above is the safest and most humane method of transferring the bees, though not the quickest.
Where bees are kept in frame hives as in Antigua, and Grenada, the beginner is advised to buy bees locally. Montserrat and Dominica are so close to Antigua that swarms without combs may safely be sent. Inthis case, shake the bees out of the shipping box on to the alighting board of the hive, doing this at six o'clock in the evening. During the night they will enter the hive, and any that cluster on the front of the hive may be brushed down with a feather.
It is sometimes possible to buy bees locally in a kerosene box. The buyer should then see that the bees are _not sent in a cart but are carried on the head. The novice should not attempt to remove the bees from the box, but he should wait until the bees swarm, as they will probably throw out several swarms in quick succession.
The best method of obtaining bees is to buy swarms from a local bee-keeper, stipulating that the bees shall be delivered in a light box as soon as they are safely caught. The bee-keeper then has only to shake the swarm out of the box on to the alighting board of the hive, using a little smoke if necessary and doing this in the evening. The bees will soon run inside the hive, and those that cluster on the front of the hive may be brushed down with a feather. A good swarm should weigh at least four pounds.
**strain of Italian probably caused by an admixture of Cyprian blood. At the end of this pamphlet will be found the names of a few breeders of repute. There are many others. Care should be taken to ascertain that the breeder is reliable before sending money for queens ; also that the strain offered is healthy and pure.**
**MANIPULATING HIVES.**
**When placing hives in position it is advisable to use a spirit-level to get them set perfectly level. The combs in such a hive will be perfectly perpendicular and much awkwardness will be avoided.**
**In order to have the combs solidly attached to all sides of the frame it is advisable to turn the hive upside down for two or three days, until the bees have attached the comb firmly to the bottom of the frame. Such combs are far stronger, and this is of especial importance in the West Indies. It is unwise to invert a hive too soon. Several months should elapse so as to allow the bees time to strengthen the combs by raising brood in them. When inverting a hive, actas follows : (1) take off the top ; (2) place two bars (of lath) or sticks across the comb frames reaching from side to side : (3) place the bottom on the top and the top on the bottom and tie the hive together with a rope ; (4) now invert the hive by raising one _eurd_ and turning it round. _Now turn a hive on its side_. Leave the hive thus for 72 hours. During this time the bees will firmly attach the comb to the bottom bar of the frames, giving the latter a far stronger hold.
In moving hives from one spot to another over a short distance, it is advisable to move the hive only a foot or so a day until it reaches its destination. Similarly if a hive facing West is to be turned to the East, it should be moved round no more than a couple of inches daily, until it faces in the right direction. If a number of hives are to be moved only a mile away, it is best to take half of them one week and the remainder the next week.
In moving hives three miles or more, all that it is necessary to do is to put a piece of wire cloth on the entrance and tie the hive securely together with a rope. Hives are best carried by being "I headed," and care should be taken to see that they are not set down in any other position than upright. Work of this kind can only be carried out at night.
**Taming Bees**.
The fear of stings deters many people from bee-keeping as a pursuit ; those who have sufficient "'nerve " and a taste for the work soon learn not to fear stings, and a cool, collected bee\(\,\)keeper has little to fear.
The following precautions will prove valuable to beginners and those unaccustomed to handling bees : Have a good snoker, well filled with dry wood ; tie the legs of the trousers tightly at the bottom so that the bees may not be able to climb up. Wear a coat and either tie the wrists or wear gloves. If gloves are used cut off the
Figure 7: The Bingham Smoker.
fingers. Wear a veil, as in Fig. 8, with a broad brimmed hat. Carry a screw-driver to assist in taking off the top of the hive which is often glued down by the bees.Approach the hive from behind. Give a few puffs of smoke at the entrance to drive in the "guard " bees. Do not jar or jerk the hive or anything containing bees. (This is the great art in handlingbees.) Do nothing in a hurry. Prise off the top of the hive with the screw-driver, puffing in smoke as soon as possible.
Lay the roof in front of the hive so that any bees on it may run inside. Handle frames by the shoulders provided, _and never turn a comb on its side,_ test it fall out. If the queen is on a comb, handle it with great care. Never puff smoke right at the bees, and use as little as possible. Smoke frightens bees, which then gorge themselves with honey, so that they can live for several days if they have to leave the hive. If a colony is much disturbed by handling, leave it alone for a week, during which time they will forget. Be careful not to kill bees. Push the frames close together when the examination is finished. If once stung, do not run away, but should the bees get out of control slip behind a bush or fence. Then get the smoker well alight, return to the hive, blowing clouds of smoke round you, and thoroughly subdue the bees. It is an advantage to have someone to work the smoker.
If there is much difficulty in managing bees, it is advisable to see someone handle them who understands it. Anyone accustomed to bees can handle them to any extent and they can be managed exactly as other animals. Beekeepers who get stung often get so callous that the stings do not hurt ; this condition is reached by some people in a few weeks, and they can then handle bees without veil or gloves, using only a smoker. Ladies should wear a special dress, sqld by the large dealers in hive appliances.
**SWARMING.**
Swarming is regarded with great interest by the novice, as he is often at a loss to account for it, but the experienced bee-keeper looks on it as a nuisance and hopes for a breed of bees that do not swarm or for a live that prevents it. Swarming is the manner in which bees increase and spread. A hive with too great a number of bees becomes restless and the bees decide to divide. Accordingly they raise a few queens in anticipation of the event and when these are about half-grown, the old queen quits the hive with half the colony, leaving the remainder to care for the young queens. The emerging swarm, forming a mass as large as a man's head, usually clusters on the branch of a tree near by and scouts are sent out to find a hollow tree