Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-05
Bee Notes.

Bee Notes.
The sense of location with bees is
| very strong. This is shown by their
| ability to return to hive after cross
| country flights in all directions when
out IN quest Of supplies. After be-
| coming accustomed to a certain stand.
It is the location more than the hive
itself, that enables them to find their
rightful hive home Thus it becomes
Of great Importance that the hive
stands should be changed as little as
| possible. 1t is especially hazardous to
make such changes late in the fall
after the bees become lethargic
When necessary to change stands it
is better, if possible, to move them
gradually, but few feet each dav.
| By so doing the bees will be able to
find their hives by the sound. call, or
perhaps scent of their fellow hive
mates. A sudden and distant change
of stand during variable fall weather
may result in a material weakening of
the colony, caused by the inability of
the bees to find their hive in it's new
location after becoming chilled bv
flight.
Any changes that are to be made
for winter protection OR for any pur-
pose should be completed while the
bees are strong and lively. Changes
made after winter sets in would often
| be better left undone. In severe
climates hives should not stand out
unprotected from wind and weather.
A very slight expense in labor and
material will often provide sufficient
protection to save many colonies. A
practical form of protection may be
provided by use of light, rough boxes
Of sufficient size to turn down over the
hives, leaving small air space all
around. The box should be deep
enough to extend to the groun1 and
there be snugly packed with earth On
the outside. Just opposite the
entrance to the hive bore a two inch
hole and arrange it 50 the bees can
go in and out at will.
Queen cells are never built until
1.-THE bees think of swarming, EXCEPT
the hive loses it's queen. The workers
will then take some eggs, if they have
them, not over three days old and con-
struct queen cells, put in the eggs and
feed the larvae with royal jelly. This
jelly is a highly heterogeneous sub
| stance. The lavare thus treated de-
veloped very rapidly and grew to be
| twice the size they would if fed on
ordinary food. Had the third day
passed without being fed on the
| special food, workers would have re-
| suited without power of renewing bee
| life. Honey occupies a large place
among the valuable and economic
food products required by the human
! race and is destined to become more
valued as it's peculiar medicinal
properties become better understood
| It's food value has been understood, to
| some extent, as long perhaps, as anv
other natural product, but it's me-
dicinal qualities are not appreciated
| as its value warrants. 1t belongs to
that class of medicinal remedies that
cure indirectly, by putting the vital
| forces in such condition as enables
them to overcome diseased action
| Where does honey come from? It
is by some, considered to be a natural
production of plants and by others as
| q secretion of the bees. Had it been
q natural vegetable product the laDo-
ratory would have furnished us with
genuine honey long ago. The sugar
l rrT,,a 41o4 Zt%4 nSy
flowers is in no case honey until it
| has passed through the stomach of the
bee. The bees gather this saccharine
material IN their stomach iabo-
a gastric element for two purposes,
! one to give it the character Of honey,
| the other to make it assimilative for
the formation Of wax. Honey is both
an irritant and a sedative, its first
! effect may irritate and be followed by
a sedative effect. 1t is also valuable
| in it's antiseptic properties. AS a
food, or properly speaking, as a
nutrient, it has certain Qualities
which serve to arrest certain diseases,
notably consumption, by reason of its
being so easily assimilated and by it's
! stimulating and restorative effect
upon the vital organs. Sugar is
frequently given to make fat, but the
| system often refuses it when honey
will be readily assimilated, this
property alone makes it very valuable
to help stay wastes caused by disease.
The most effective and enjoyable way
to benefit from the general use of
pure honey is to keep in every
home ready supply, diluted in the
proportions of one pound to quart
of water kept in a glass or proclaim
vessel. One tablespoonful Of which
taken in cupful Of warm water with
each meal will frequently benefit the
physical and mental condition to a
much greater extent than the in
| furious decoctions and curealls so
blindly believed in and restored to,
by suffering humanity.
When a colony Of bees is about to
swarm the queen makes preparation
by depositing eggs in few queen
cells that the instinct of the workers
has taught them to prepare. The
workers feed these princesses until
they are full grown. When the
mother queen hears them piping she
leads a colony Of bees forth to find a
new home. The remaining bees
liberate one of the young queens,
which in a few days is fitted for her
~