Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-05
HallOWell Advertisements.

.nct The aplarist-S face from the attack
Of angry eJee5. Thus prepared. one may
| learn in a short time. by giving close at
iention 10 al the directions given in nj
| bee- book 10 look through the cones and
| perform any necessary operation COT
nected with modern Bookkeeping; ana az
er learning To handle gentle Kind ike
the Italians. the more vicious varieties,
by practice and patience. may be mas
tered and banded successfully also
AL ih!s l. much easier said shan done,
however For instance. as bees do NOS
like 10 be disturbed. they generally keep
guards on the lockout for tntruders.
Heace. when one approaches the hlVes;
these guards are very apt to fly toward
HIM as II to inquire whether harm is in
tended: and should he not inspire them
with fear. by using smoke or some SIM
lar means. they are quite Likely 10 puzl
around him uncomfortab.y CLOSE: ana
should ne show any signs of fear or ner-
v1usness. by jerking has head back or 10
one side. be II movement of only an
inch or two. the suspicious guards are
pretty SUR. TO try to resent il With u
sting on the other hand, If one keeps
perfectly cool. anu moves ABOUT with DE-
liberation. generally ne will get along
withou. any hosttities at ali. and thus
unnecessary CONNEXIONS in the hive viii
be aver;ed.
Nerve is j most important factor in
hano.ing bees. and while they should DC
smoked into subsection whenever they
need X. they never should be smoked 20
excess. or just simply for the fun or It.
Accordingly, il is valuab BILE instruction 10
The beginner to visit occasionally some
expert dbee-keeper. and see for himself
now he more intricate things ire done.
Way? Because bees require 50 much
looking after and handling. 1t IS some
times desirable 10 take combs of brood
from strong colonies 20 buiid up weaker
ones in the spring, and often to take
combs OF brood and adhering bees from
strong ones for making artificial colonies.
Then all the queen cells but one may
have TO be cut out 10 prevent after
swarmS. afte" he prime swarm has been
secured: while again, queen ceAs may
have tn be removed from the combs Of
colonies THAT have swarmed. to supply
queenless ones with queens when there
are no laying queens to give them.
Bees should not be handled too much.
however. neither should the number of
the colonies be increased other than by
natural svarming Artificial swarming
is work oniv for the professional. If the
lose all, or nearly all. his bees, and con-
seguently throw up the business sooner
or later in disgust.
The best time TO start in with bees is
during the spring. not earlier than April.
and not later than May: and when the
colonies are received, tfley should be
placed at once on the identical spot
where one expects to have them remain,
for changing bees around to different 10
cations on the premises never agrees with
them, and frequently will ruin them.
Before going into bees. though. one
should consider whether the conditions of
his locality are adaptable to them. Some
places afford good bee pasturage. while
Others do not. Then, again. much de-
ficut 10 say just how much honey can be
taken from a colony. In one locality the
yield may run from nothing up TO hum
dred pounds to the colony the average
being perhaps fifty. while in another
place the very best yield may not ex-
coed twenty-five pounds.
Ut is not strictly necessary that bees
have pasturage very near-5y. but. all the
same. they will do better when it is not
too far away. A half mile is the best ra
dius for them TO work in. albeit they will
often work at good advantage on any
thing within a mile and a half or two
miles. If one is situated that he must
depend mainly on orchard trees and gar
den flowers for pasturage my advice is
that he let bees alone.