The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-02-07
KREPING FOR WOMEN.

The first requisite to successfully
handle the lively little fellows is an
absolute lack of fear. Without that
nobody ear do anything worth the
naming with them, and when one
stops to consider now many people are
afraid of them, it is no wonder so few
hives are seen in farmers door-yards.
The first thing, then, is to overcome
your needless fear of them, and then
go ahead. Perhaps the best time to
start an apiary is in the spring. Visit
a bee man and buy a colony of Ital
ians. I say Itilians, because they are
the gentlest, except perhaps the Car
n~olians, but so few bee men have them
that it is almost impossible to get them.
The price in the spring ranges from So
to SIS per colony. Be sure to see that
they are in a good, modern hive, and
do not get them until it is about time
for the pussy willows and naples to
blossom, otherwise, in case they should
not have sufficient stores, you might
lose them, if the spring should be
backward. You could get a late July
or August swarm in summer for about
81 so or 81, but you would have to run
your risk of their laying up enough
stores later in the season to
carry them through winter, and
then you would have to feed them, a
risky thing for q beginner.
One swarm ia enough for a person
with nc knowledge of bees to begin
with. If the spring is early and the
colony strong, they will probably
swarm the last of May. My May
swarms nearly always swarm once
during the summer, and the old one
will swarm once or twice more, so by
fall, in a favorable season, you will
have not less than three and perhaps
five, with the original one. This last
year have taken off from an early
June swarm over so pounds of fine
honey, and this has been a poor year
with me, as my bees did not winter
very we'll, on account of the cellar be-
ing too damp. The old swarm pro-
duced only about IL lbs of surplus, and
several young ines not any at all. The
bees should be located during the sum.
mer somewhere near the back door,
where the noise of swarming can be
readily heard and promptly attended
to. If possible, have them partly
shaded during the hottest part of the
day, as they suffer very much when
their close hives r exposed to the
direct rays of the sun. Hives should
always be in readiness, and as soon as
a new swarm comes out, well water
should be lightly sprayed in then with
spray pump, or if this is not at hand,
a pail and dipper is very good, to ssing
the water directly among them as
high as possible. This will dampen
their wings and cause them to settle
lower than they otherwise would, and
perhaps prevent them from going
away altogether. The Italians. how
ever, have been bred and reared in
hives for so many generations that
they seem to know in most cases no
other life.
One morning early, the past sum
mer, When Icame down stairs, I heard
a great buzzing out among the hives
and went out to see what the trouble
was, and saw what I at first took to
be a swarm coming out, but upon
looking in the top of a tall locust tree
in the door-yard, I saw an immense
swarm which had evidently hung there
all night and were coming back to their
hive. l hurriedly removed the old
hive and placed a new one in it's place,
but they refused to go on in it, as the
queen had evidently already gone in
it. I write Of this primitive method
of hiving bees by allowing them to
follow their natural way of swarming,
because only bee men who have long
been in the business understand and
practice the methods of preventing
swarming. and the other delicate and
intricate points of the business are
too dificulS for beginners to under
stand. And, as nine out of ten Of the
farmers wives and daughters who
will follow my advice and go in the
business at all, will do it simply to fur
nish their own table and have a little
spending money, that way of swarm
ing is easiest and best. But as for the
tenth wife or daughter, who goes in it
for a regular business and to make
money, you will regret the step,
but will become more enthused every
day, as the wonderful life and work
ings of the busy bee are untolded to
you, and you will learn more than you