The Paonia progressive and the Paonia newspaper., 1911-08-24
B E { K EEPIN G
Interesting Facts Pertaining to
Bee Keeping by MIR.
Wesley Foster

bees are heard very often, and they
in the main may be true. This has
the effect of encourag ng many inex
perienced to embark in the business,
without.a thorough understanding OF
the cost of producing a crop of honey
and the labor necessary to get it
ready for market. Many of the Jour
mails and newspapers of the country
have encouraged the keeping of bees
in the back yard, taking no account
of the fact that an abundance of
flowers that secrete nectar must be
in flight range OF the bees.
1t is fact that the ranks of the
specialists are filled from among the
beginners and the beginner should
not be unduly discouraged, but he
should know that the disease known
as the American Foul Brood is in
nearly every bee yard I'm the county
and II not controlled or checked will
eventually wipe out the industry in
the county. II the disease is under
stood and the treatment for it's cure
thoroughly administered there is not
such "A heavy loss, but neglect Will
soon give the disease a chance to
spread and kill all the colonies in a
few months.
II you do not havestraight nova
BILE combs do not attempe to keep
bees" till they are on straight combs.
They may he transferred tomovable
combs 10y drumming and smoking
the bees up intoa box placed on top
Of the hive with the cover removed.
When the bees are all out OF the hive
or nearly so, cut out the combs in as
large pieces as possible and fit them
into the frames of the new hive. fas-
tening the combs in by using splints
on each side of them. As far as pos
sible keep the brood together in the
new frames and honey also. When
the combs are all transferred. shake
the bees from the box into the new
hive with the transferred combs and
place the bees. new hive iand all. on
the old location. The old box may
now be burned. Should there be any
disease in the bive. the bees alone
can be saved. The old combs and
hive may be burned or rendered after
getting the bees out of II into the
new one.
Appearance of Foul Brood: The
cappings of the brood become sunken
with holes torn in many of them.
The larvae or grubs that have died
turn brown, settle in mass on the
lower sides of the cells. rope and
stretch ont when stick is inserted
and withdrawn andgive off an offen-
sive odor when rotten with the dis
ease. In the latter stages the brood
becomes dried down into a scale on
the lower side of the cell.
The Insertion of stick or straw
and discovering the ropiness Is the
most conclusive test outside of a bac-
THEOLOGICAL examination. II YOU
have reason to believe your hives
diseased. secure a good bee book and
read all there printed, or send to the
Department of Agriculture. Washing
ton, d. c., for the bulletin The
Treatment of Bee Diseases" by b. F.
Phillips. Do not depend upon the
Inspector &c. care for your bees. but
1t Will be well for you to notify him
when disease is found or seriously
suspected. Do not think 1t Will go
away or disappear. but study the
matter In the books on bee cultune
and care for the bees as best youcan.
Permit no robbing and coutract the
entrance to all weak colonies.
The County and state Inspectors
will aid all as far as possible who
apply, but without the cooperation
of each bee keeper caring for his own
bees little of Importance can be done.
1t Will be impossible to inspect all
bees, so let each one care for his own
as far as possible.
Correspondence with the State Bea
Inspector, Fort Collins, Colorado
Agricultural Collegel will be cheer
fully Wesley Foster. Tha
State INSPECTOR of Bees