Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-03-25
agricultural.
A CHAPTER ON BEES.

hives to use, and what is the best time
of year to start With them 2 Mrs. L.
L. s., Kansas City, Mo.
One who is not thoroughly acquaint-
ed with the management of bees should
start with but one or two colonies, then
with the aid Of some good work on bee
culture one cannot we'll make mistake,
as all works published now treat the
subjects alike on tie principal point, in
connection with bees, so that there is
nothing but the one course of manage
ment laid down by all. Some of the
works are very cheap, and are sold at
fifty cents, and others are more elabor-
ate, have many engravings, and cover
the work more in detail and cost from
81 to 81.
GOOD WORK NECESSARY.
| have frequently heard the remark
80, do not care to buy books and study
up, as | do not intend to make bust
ness Of it, but merely keep few colo
MES of bees to supply what honey need
for my own use." lfany one is interest
ed in bees, it is only pastime with them
to read work on bee culture. If it is
simply honey they like, and do not care
anything about bees, they better buy it
from some one who loves his bees.
FULL COLONIES ARE BEST
1t is always best to start with full
colony of bees. and one that is in every
way in first class condition. 1t is true
that you can buy part of colony for
less money, but it is the dearest in the
long run, and more liable to be a failure
with you. A full colony of bees in one
season are capable of storing 100 to 200
pounds of honey, besides they may
swarm and make from one to three COL
onies; and more, full colony of bees
are in Q condition to take care of them
selves, and do not require such difficult
manipulation as that of nucleus, or
pounds of bees, and queen, etc. Full
colonies are always sent in the ordinary
hive used In the apiary, and are equip
ped with the necessary fixtures to have
everything in working order the mo-
ment the bees are located, and the en-
trance opened.
ANN NhSnooAhh |
To care for few colonies of bees, it
is necessary to have few implements
A bee smoker, honey knife, a bee
brush. queen cages, swarming box,
bee veil, best des extra hives and if we
expect to raise comb honey, we want
section boxes and supers to hold them
on the hives, also a supply of comb
foundation. II we prefer to extract the
honey, we want an extractor, and if we
use the extractor we will not need the
section boxes The smoker is the in
dispensable article A honey knife
may be made of any ordinary good
table knife with long and slim blade.
A brush; nothing is better than quilts
from the wings Of turkeys or geese.
Queen cages are easily made from little
blocks of wood, and 80 is also the swarm
ing box, which is made of light stuff,
about twelve by fourteen inches square {
with one end open, aud sides perforated
with oue-inch holes, with long handle
similar to fork handle pu: through the
narrow way near the center of box A
bee veil may be made of cheap yelling
stuff Of any kind that will admit of as
good vision as possible A bee veil is
not a necessity. although beginner
may get along better at first, but think
after you once get we'll started, the bee
veil will be thrown aside.
BEST TIME To BEGIN
The best time to begin is in early
spring. although there is nothing to
hinder commencing at any time of the
year, except in dead of winter OF
course we can not do anything with
bees in winter, and the proper thing is
to let the bees strictly alone in winter,
except when necessary to look after their
welfare during warm spell of weather
When We thus purchase bees in spring
we have no risk to run, and il the colony
is in proper condition, which of course
it should be, it will easily pay for itself
the present season, and before any risk
is run, as in case of wintering. Bees
usually sell in spring for about double
they do in autumn, but even at this l
consider them much cheaper in spring.
Bees may be safely moved, or shipped
in early spring after the weather is pretty
veil settled and all continued spells of
cold weather are past
HOW MANY BEES IN A COLONY.
THIS depends upon the season of year
as to the number of bees in colony
However, a few hundred bees and a
queen may be callea small colony,
but believe an average colony contains
perhaps thirty or thirty-6ve thousand
bees, and during the honey season when
4 they are at their greatest strength, they
may have double the above number. and
when at their lowest number, which is
in late winter, they may run down to
ten thousand, or much less TO get at
any correct estimate Of this is rather
difficult, and many give the average of
a fair working colony at twenty or TWEEN
ty-fvc thousand, while some think it
possible for colony to reach seventy
five thousand.
THE BEST KIND OF HIVES
The hives that are in most general
use are the Langstroth pattern. Some
call them the "Langstroth" Of the 81"
hive, simplicity hive" the .dovetail
hive. All of those contain the Lang
stroth style Of frame, which is the prin-
cipal part Of the hive l think nine
tenths of all bee-keepers use this frame
10 some Of its forms. which may be- oon-
sidered one and the same. The hive
business has been thoroughly tested,
aud those who are just adopting hive
should take this in consideration and
they will be more likely to make no
mistake "A. II d in Agricultural
EpitOmist.
1t is not always possible to detect
roup or catarrhal difficulties in their
early stages, SO that frequently the dis