The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-10-01
Bees.

The fall management of bees will claim
our attention in this article. Your close
attention will be required, to prevent your
weak stocks from being robbed. When
we say "stocks," we refer to families, one
year or more old. Swarms of the present
year are not properly called stocks. Weak
swarms are not so liable to be robbed, as
weak stocks, in consequence of the combs
of their hives being generally better pro-
tected by the bees. All hives of weak
stocks should, at this season of the year,
be set closely upon the floor boards, (some
apiarians raise all their hives about half
an inch in the spring, which is rightly and
then the passage way should be contracted,
so that but two or three bees can pass
IN and out at the same time: and if any
signs of robbing occur let them be cen
tracted still smaller. If you find hive
being robbed, and the case is bad one,
close up all entrances to it Immediately, at
the same time running some thin wedges
under it, to admit air but not thick enough
to admit bees. Let it remain closed till a
little after shutdown, when you should
open the entrance, and rap smartly upon
the sides of the hive, to hasten out the
marauders When all have left, close the
entrance again, and keep it closed the next
ud1, WuCu 1OQ ilidH dDOW u ofudll DdSSdSt
for the bees that belong to the hive, and
they will protect themselves from further
robberies, if the passage way is contracted
sufficiently. .t
Another important point in our north
ern latitude, is to examine all stocks, and
ascertain if any are infected with diseased
brood. If so, it is useless to winter them,
as they will in all cases dwindle away to
die out the next season, without swarming
Such families, if quite weak in numbers,
may be dispersed among other hives, on
some pleasant day in October or Novem-
Der, to run their risk of being Killed
Turn the hive bottom upwards and rap on
its sides smartly few minutes, to cause
the bees to gather on one side, by becom-
ing alarmed, and then proceed to cut out
the combs, and with the feather end of
quill brush off the bees from the combs,
as you take them out. Probably the most
of the bees will be killed, as they attempt
to enter other hives, but nothing better
can be done with such families when very
weak in numbers. On the contrary, if
populous, they may be driven out, and
joined with some weak stock or swarm,
that is not diseased. This operation
should be performed very late in the sea-
son, when the weather is too cold to allow
them to leave their hives, but not cold
enough to prevent their being Joined.
There will be some fighting of course. bnt
in many cases the majority of the family
driven out have been saved, and have
rendered the wintering of the family, to
which they were Joined safe, when had
no such junction taken place, it would
have persisted. 1t is q good plan to
sprinkle both families freely with o thin
syrup of honey, in which little essence
of wintergreen, or other pleasant per-
fumery is mixed. The bees of both fami-
lies will at once commence to clean, or
gather off this sweetening, and in so doing
all become blended in the same scent, and
thereby lose their identity, as bees can
only distinguish the members of other
families by their smeg-each family hav-
ing pecliar smell, or scent of its own.
To ascertain whether your bees are dis
eased or not blow a little tobacco smoke
among them, after turning over the hive, !
and then with q long knife cut into the
centre combs and ascertain the condition |
of the brood. The diseased brood look |
black, and have a fetid smell, being in a
putrid state. If no such brood is found |
below the centre of the hive, when in this
position you may consider the families
healthy. l5ii 81. .et7.la
Families are joined in the following |
manner: Turn the hive, containing the
family to be driven out, bottom upwards,
and place it upon the stand Of the family |
to receive the bees. Then set the latter |
upon the former, and wind cloth around |
the junction of the two hives, 90 as to ex-
clude the light. Then take a couple Of |
rods and rap upon the sides of the under \
hive during 20 or 30 minutes, when the /
most of the bees will have assembled and 4
joined the upper family.-Rural american.