The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-21
scrEN IFIC BEE CULTURE.
rne Old Method of Hiving and the
New.

J., the human race. and have from very
o,rly times been kept in hives OF greater or
Ioss simplicity according to the varying
o+o+as of civilization of their owners, their
,,ro6ucts-wax and honey-having always
been valued, especially the latter. which
WAS for ages practically the only sweetener
Known. being used for most, if not all, OF
+ba purposes for which sugar is now in use.
Put saws the Saturday Reuielo, though SO
1o7o and so widely known and studied, 1t
has remained for the beekeeper of this CEN
+nry to introduce what is called scientific
baateepiuc-a system by which the bee
i,eener's harvest, wax and honey, is OBJ
tanned in the largest possible quantity and
of the greatest purity, and this without the
destruction of the unfortunate producers.
The old world method of Bookkeeping
bod doubtless the merit of simplicity, but
vas barbarous in the extreme, consisting,
ss II did. in allowing the insects to fill their
hive md when this was accomplished in
oiacnq it over pit containing some burn
Ing abomination, generally sulphur, the
Times Of which made short work OF the
wretched inhabitants. This system was, or
we are sorry to say is-for. like all bad
habits. it dies hard, and is still but too
nrevalent-not only barbsrous, but waste
ful-6rst, because destruction of the
bees in the autumn results in an
enormous waste of power, which, under
the modern system, is made available in
the ensuing spring; and, secondly, because
tha wax and honey under the old system
are obtained in the worst possible condi-
tion, as the whole contents of the hive have
10 he cut out; and however careful the OPP
Grafton may be performed the brood-comb-
in other words, that containing young bees
in all stages of growth-must be mixed
with that containing the honey.
In most cases, however, those beekeepers
who. not moving with the times, still use
the snlphur pit are, as might be expected,
careless in gathering their harvest, and to
save themselves trouble turn out the con-
tents of the hive en- masse, and then, by ap-
plying pressure, squeeze out what they are
PLEASED to call the honey-a brown mess
composed, no doubt. largely of honey, but
strongly impregnated, not only with 'bee
bread" which is comparatively harmless,
but also with much less agreeable things.
Those beekeeperS, or beemasterS, as they
prefer to Q called, who adopt the modern
system, are, we think, correct in terming it
scientific, as it is the result of long study OF
the life history of their favorite insect-a
study wbic !, though it had been pursued
for centuries, had led to little result until
the time of that great father of modern
beemasters. the blind Huber. 1t must not
first who discarded the sulphur pit, as Eve
lyn, SO long ago as 1854, tells us in his diary
that that most obliging and universally
curious Dr. Wilkins of Wadham college"
showed him "the transparent apiaries
which he had built like castles and palaces,
and so ordered them one upon an another
as to take the honey without destroying
the bees; these we're adorned with variety
of dials, little statues vanes, etc. u
We NAV add that it is OnIV within the
last quarter of a century that, even among
'beamasterso the "castleS and palaces"
have given away to the businesslike frame
hives now found In all well regulated
aparies. These are constructed in number
less different ways, but the principle is the
same in all of them. The hive itself is
rectangular box, usually made of wood.
capable, though exposed to the weather
throughout the winter, eff keeping its in
habitants warm and dry, and is covered
with a penthouse roof, which can be re-
moved without difficulty. This box is filed
with light frames which rest on bars or
lodges running along its sides-in most
apiaries these frames are interchangeable.
the hives icing all of the same width-and
is the home and breeding places of the bees,
containing the whole of the broodcomb and
the stores of honey required to keep them
through the winter.
The object of the frames is to enable the
beemaster to remove and examine tie
combs when he pleased, and it is therefore
obvious that the bees must be persuaded to
build straight in each frame, and not cross
ways from frame TO frame; this object is
attained by the use of comb found ition, :"
as it IS technically termed, a thin sheet of
beeswax so pressed as exactly to resemble
the commencement of NIB, which is in
serted in each frame. This foundation is
no DOUBT thoroughly approved by the bees,
as the cells being begun for them, they have
merely to lengthen them, and that, to q
very considerable extent, with the material
supplied, and are thus saved an immense
amount of time and labor, a fact which
they are thoroughly capable of appreciat-
ing.
When the bees are in full work supers are
placed over the hives. These usually take
the form of wooden frames called racks"
or crates" which contain the sections in
which the honey is stored. These
latter require no description, as comb
honey is now usually sold in them.
The bees consider these supers solely
as storerOoms, and the consequence is
that the honey and wax deposited in them
are of the purest; from them the beemaster
gathers his harvest of comb honey, remov-
lug them from time to time as the comb is
filled and sealed over, and substituting
others in their place. Honey in the comb
is, however, by no means the whole of his
harvest, as run honey" forms no incon-
siderable part of it. This is obtained from
the honey stored in the frames, and is best
extracted from the comb by means of an in
genious machine known as an extractor, "
which throws the honey out of the cells by
centrifugal force.
1t is impossible to give even bare out
Ii of the economy of hive beyond stat
Ing the fact, well known to most, that the
Inhabitants consist of the queen bee, the
only perfect female, the workers, undevel-
oped females, and the drones, or male bees,
though the latter can only be said to be
temporary inhabitants, as they are ruth
lessly destroyed by the workers in the
autumn. We must, however, devote few
lines to the queen bee, as she is all import
ant, being literally the mother of the stock.
her province and occupation consist in
laying the eggs from which originate these
Prodigious multitudes that people hive. u
Every bee in the community is apparently
aware Of this fact, and consequently treats
her with due respect, even to the extent OF
never turning its back upon her until the
hlve, heing overcrowded and new queen
having been made, swarm is thought neces-
sary, when all respect disappears and,
should she show the least reluctance, she is
forced out to seek new quarters with other
emigrants.
Inc creation of queen is, in our opinion,
one OIL the greatest wonders of that most
wonderful of insect communities. a hive of
bees; for no sooner does the old queen die,
a haO