The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-08-21

sometimes couspire to fill the Golfers of
those whom the gods seem to favor.
That money Is to be made in bee keep
ing goes without saying, but those who
depend solely upon this sort of bust
hess for their livelihood are. all things
considered, likely to have a meager
one, If they do not come to grief alto
gether,'' and the speaker, an old bee
keeper, deliberately pinched off a eou-
pie Of superfuous queen cells from
the frame he was examining and slip
ped it gently down among the gold
banded Italians that buzzed and fiut-
tered around his hands.
"a great many more people would
keep bees If they were not afraid of
them, and they are afraid of them
simply because they do not take the
trouble to get acquainted with them.
Il l kept flock of pigeons and went
near them but once in few weeks and
then made great deal of fuss if they
came near me, the probabilities are
that they would beat their lives out
against the bars of the cage. It
sounds rather 1roll to many persons to
talk about getting intimately acuuaint-
ed with honey bees, but can say from
experience that this is entirely possible
and that most Leople can handle bees
with perfect safety and comfort if they
only set about 1t in the right way.
quiet, deliberate handling is one of the
necessities, and contact and familiar
fly with the pretty creatures breeds
admiration and respect. 1 never get
a sting unless l hurt one of the bees
or happen to come across one of the
cranks that almost every hive con-
tains. 1t is a curious fact that even
In the gentlest colonies there may be
Two or three exceedingly ilI-tempered
bees. They will follow one all about
the place, almost into the house: some
times quite through the door. make
1t a rule to kill such bees whenever I
md them. They are annoying and not
worth keeping. The hives should be
opened, II possible, on a bright sun
ny day, when there is little or no
wind. A breeze blowing across the
hive irritates che bees, and on dull
Gays the majority of them are likely
IN be hanging around home. When
the weather is clear and sunshiny. they |
are out foraging for nectar. and the
h9Fe will contain not much more than |
half the usual number of workers
Whenever hive is opened there are |
tWo things to think OF. One ia 70 see |
that the queen is there and all right. |
the other to examine for queen cells.
TX there are capped cells one must
either destroy them or remove the
frame to a queenless colony or start a
new one. 1t is possible to almost en-
tireiy control swarming, and it is much
easier to pinch cut the queen cells than
70 chase an absconding colony up hill
ana down dale, and then be Obliged to
climb trees ana saw limbs, with the
CHARGES against the hunter of getting
tho swarm intact. Haadled on proper
linn5 eight or ten colonies of bees
ought to pay the groSers bills for
SmelE family. Almost all grocers will
take few pounds OF honey, and it
2om u up rapidly. OF course it is not
meant by this bit of counsel that every
body should SO to raising honey. as
hat would be as imOroyident as for
eVelg man to turn blacksmith or car
lol ter. As an exclusive business. bee
teepiGg is not to be recommended
INT as supplementary occupation to
,ther pursuits, it is one of the most adj
'irah'e end least laborious of the
q ney me- hods whereby one may turn
IN honest penny