The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-09-25

| 10 have an elaborate and expensive
outfit representing an investment
much larger than most beginners feel
willing to make.
"As matter of fact, one may start
in the bee business at cost inside of
a ten dollar note. II is much better to
begin in this way and increase the
plant MS one gets experience.
"a couple of two-story Langstroth
hives-and, by the way, there is no
patent or royalty of any sort on the
hive designed by this patriarch of bee
culture, and any one may make it
who knows how-to begin with. 1t is
q good plan to buy one hive ready
made, and then, if one has facilities
and ingenuity, make others like it.
There are factories where all the
pieces that enter into the construc-
tion of hive are sawed TO measure,
and fit accurately. These are done up
in crates holding five hives, and may
be shipped TO any part of the country.
From the picture OF hive any one
with moderate skill may set the hive
up and nail it, making it quite as good
as those that are far more expensive.
These hives cost less than a dollar
apiece if bought in crates of five. It
is good plan, which has been followed
with success, for two or three persons
to order hives together. Three peo-
pie order two crates and divide them
equally, the expense being but little.
at is well to start in with couple
of small colonies of bees. What is
known to the bee trade as two-frame
nucleus and queen is sufficient. This
may be purchased at any time early in
the season and put out on the lawn,
and, If carefully watched and guarded
from accident, one may, by little
management, have three or four col
onies by autumn. 1t is q good idea
to ask the bee merchant to clip the
queens wing before shipping her, as
the novice might not be able to do
this without danger of injuring her
imperial majesty, and upon her good
condition the prosperity and profit of
the plant depend.
"When there is an abundance of
nectar in the flowers the bees will work
industriously, and the queen will fill
the hive with eggs, and the brood will
flourish in all stages. 1t is amazing
how rapidly colony will increase il
the queen is good and the food abun-
dant. After a time, when the hive gets
full, queen cells will be formed and
new queens will hatch out. Then a
swarm may leave the hive, which will
be quite loss unless they are care.
fully watched. To avoid this, one
may prepare box just large enough
to hold couple of frames. Lift out
the frame containing the queen cell,
taking care not to bring out the orig
inal queen with it, as she walks all
about the frames and one may find her
almost anywhere. The frame contain
ing the queen cell should be put into
a box with two or three others and a
few bees, and may be covered by wire
netting or put in hive that may be
tightly closed, allowing, OF course, suf-
ficlent ventilation through wire
screened openings, with which most
hives are provided. After being closed
in for couple of days, the bees will
get accustomed to their new location
and will carefully guard the queen
cell, as upon this depends the future
of the colony. When the queen is
full grown she emerges from the cell,
and should then be given liberty to
fly about to seek mate. As soon as
she has established herself in hew new
home and is laying freely, it is well to
clip one wing, in order that she may
not take French leave and carry her
train with her.
"a queen and two-frame nucleus
can be bought for from 50. so to SO. so.
This, with few frames, couple of
hives, and some boxes that almost any
one can make out of material on hand,
with a good smoker to quiet the bees
when it is necessary to handle them,
is sufficient outfit for a beginner
New York Ledger.