PROFITS IN BEKS. 



345 



PROPOLIS. 



In deciding the question whether we our- 

 selves should keep more bees, we must go 

 very cautiously, not increasing the number 

 all at once, but a little at a time, making ike 

 bees pay their ivay. Generally speaking, it 

 would be the biggest piece of folly for one to 

 borrow the money to treble his equipment 

 of bees and hives in one season. 



"^ FROFOZiIS. This is the gum or var- 

 nish that bees collect for coating over 

 the inside of their hives, filling cracks and 

 crevices, cementing loose pieces of the hive 

 together, and for making things fast and 

 close generally. It collects, in time, on old 

 hives and combs, so as to add very material- 

 ly to their weight. It is not generally gath- 

 ered in any great quantity until at the close 

 of the season, when it seems to be collected 

 in response to a kind of instinct that bids 

 them prepare for cold weather. We see 

 them almost every day, during a dearth of 

 honey, collecting propolis from old hives, 

 old quilts, and pieces of refuse wax, when 

 we are so wasteful and untidy as to leave 

 any such scattered about. That the prin- 

 cipal part of it comes from some partic- 

 ular plant or class of plants, or tree, we 

 are pretty well satisfied, for almost the 

 same aromatic resinous flavor is noticeable, 

 no matter what the locality or season of 

 the year. Bees gather propolis with their 

 mandibles, and pack and carry it precisely 

 as they do pollen. It is never packed in the 

 cells, however, but applied at once to the 

 place wanted. It is often mixed with wax 

 to strengthen their combs, and is applied to 

 the cells as a varnish, for the same purpose. 

 In the absence of a natural supply, the bees 

 frequently resort to various substances, such 

 as paints, varnishes, resins, pitch, and the 

 like; and the superstition, popular in some 

 sections, that bees follow their owner to the 

 grave, after his death, probably obtained 

 credence from seeing the bees at work on 

 the varnish of the cofiin. To save the bees 

 the trouble of waxing up the crevices in 

 their hives, it has been suggested that a 

 mixture of melted wax and resin be poured 

 into the hive and made to flow along the 

 cracks and corners. This may do very well, 

 altliough we fancy the bees can do this bet- 

 ter and cheaper than we can. Our principal 

 trouble has been to get rid of the surplus 

 propolis, and we would much rather hear of 

 some invention to keep it out of the way 

 than to add more. 



now TO KEEP ruoroLis fuom surplus 



HONEY. 



Of course, the readiest means is to remove 

 all sections just as soon as a single one is 

 capped over; and, as but little propolis is 

 gathered during a strong yield of honey, 

 but little will be found on the honey unless 

 it is left until the yield has ceased. The 

 bees not only cover all the wood- work of the 

 sections if left on too long, but they also 

 varnish over the whole surface of the white 

 capping, almost spoiling the looks and sale 

 of the honey. 



It is next to impossible to keep propolis 

 from the sections entirely. Bees will depos- 

 it at least some in the interstices between 

 the sections. As Nature abhors a vacuum, 

 so do the bees dislike a crack or crevice. 

 The nearer we can get surplus arrangements 

 so as to leave but few crevices or i)laces of 

 contact accessible to bees, the less proi)olis 

 will be deposited. Some surplus arrange- 

 ments are made so as to i)roduce compres- 

 sion upon the sections, thus reducing the 

 space formed by contact with sections to a 

 minimum. Some prefer to have the outside 

 of the sections covered entire. This can be 

 accomplished either with the wide frames or 

 with suri)]us arrangements having the to]i 

 and bottom to corresp; md with the outsides of 

 the sections. For removing propolis from 

 s( ctions, see Comb Honey. 



now TO KEEP propolis from sticking 

 TO the fingers. 



At certain times of the year, notably in 

 the fall when propolis is very abundant and 

 sticky, after the honey-flow is over and the 

 bees have nothing else to do. they will some- 

 times gather a great deal of resinous matter 

 which they chink into every available 

 place, sometimes smearing over the brood- 

 frames. When these latter are handled the 

 fingers gather up a great deal of the sticky 

 stuff, making the work unpleasant, not to 

 say annoying. At such times one may wear 

 gloves; but as many do not like them, the 

 trouble can be overcome to a great extent 

 by dipping the fingers in vaseline. 



HOAV TO remove PROPOLIS FROM THE FIN- 

 GERS. 



A variety of substances have been sug- 

 gested. Alcohol is perhaps the neatest, but 

 is rather expensive; benzine or gasoline or 

 common lye for soa])-making answers near- 

 ly as well, and is cheap; soap Avill answer 

 if a little lard be rubbed on the hands first 

 but will have little effect on it otherwise. 

 A friend down south says he has a pair of 



