The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-08-13
GETTING READY FOR HARVEST.

In nearly all localities where bees can be
kept, there are certain plants or trees which
give a yield of surplus honey at a certain
time of year. while. aside from this, there
is little more honey obtained by the bees
thai is needed to supply their daily wants.
Some localities give surplus at three stated
periods, others at two, while the majority
give only one such yield. Hence, it is APP
parent to all that if such a honey yield or
yields, passes by without any surplus, none
can be obtained during the season. From
this it will be seen that in order to be a
successful apiarist, a person must nave a
knowledge of their locality, and also know
how TO get the ldborers (bees) in the right
time, SO they can be on hand at the time of
the honey harvest. Failing to do this,
there is no profit in agriculture, and the OBJ
icct of this article is to instruct those who
have not thought on this subject, SO that
they can obtain the best results from their
bees. First, then, we have the location.
Here in Central New York, our honey crop
comes mainly from linden or Eastwood,
which blooms from 3uly 9Th to 18th, and
lasts from ten days to three weeks, accord
ing to the weather. In other localities in
this State, white clover is the main crop,
coming in bloom June 18th to Goth, and
again in others ~buckwheat, yielding honey
in August, but as nearly all have a yield
of honey from Eastwood, will speak of
that as the harvest. Bear in mind, how
ever, that it devolves on the reader of this
TO ascertain by careful watching, just when
and what is the source of their surplus
honey crop, SO as to work accordingly.
After having determined when we may ex-
pect our harvest of honey, the next step is
to get the bees in just the right time for
that harvest. If you have a field of wheat
to cut, you hire the laborers when the wheat
is ripe. not before or a%fterward, yet i'll keep
ing bees few give any attention as to get
ting the laborers, SO that, as a rule, they
arc generally produced so as to become
consumers rather than producers, and thus
we often hear persons claiming that bee
keeping does not pay. The queen is the
mother of all the bees in the colony, she
laying all the eggs producing them. She
is capable of laying from 1000 to 4, 900
eggs a day, yet often she is laying only
from 800 to 900 eggs daily at the tim
she should be doing her best. After the
egg is laid it takes three days for it to hatch
into "A little larva. This larva is fed six
days, during which time it has grown so
as to fill the cell, when it is capped over
and remains hid from view for twelve more
days, when it energies a perfect bee, max
ing IA period of twenty-one days from the
egg to the perfect bee. This bee now
more, doing such work as feeding the larvae,
building comb, etc, when il is ready to 20
outside as a field laborer, and at forty-five
days from the time of Matching it dies of
old age, and another generation takes its
place. From the above it will be seen that
the egg must be laid AT least tliiry-seven
days before the honey harvest, in order
that our bee has the opportunity of labor
ing III tiIdi harvest To iit btSi dtNdittaSt.
Now, if the harvest is Eastwood, commence
ing to bloom, say July 10th, the eggs for
our laborers should be laid on or before
June 3D.. But how shall we get the eggs
laid just when we want them? There are
several ways of doing it, but | will give
only one here. About May 18th to Goth |
to do what is known as spread
ing the brood, which is simply the spread
ing apart of the combs of eggs and larvae
in the hive and inserting a frame Of empty
comb between them. This causes the queen
to fill this empty comb with eggs much
sooner than She otherwise would, and thus
many valuable bees are gained. As soon
as this comb is filled, more are added, and
SO on till the hive is full of young bees, in
all stages, SO that there W i'll be a multitude
of laborers at the right time, and double
as many as there would have been had the
bees been allowed to take their own course.
In this way the best possible result in
honey is secured.-G. ~ Dooiafle, in inner
tcdn Rufal Home.