192 



June, 1915. 



of late years there has been a wonder- 

 ful increase in the number of women 

 entering different lines of business 

 formerly followed by men alone, while 

 for many years it has been considered 

 entirely appropriate for women to en- 

 gage in beekeeping. Instead of being 

 crowded oul by beekeepers of the 

 sterner sex, they have been welcomed, 

 and at bee conventions the few women 

 attending are always treated with the 

 greatest consideration. 



In some respects beekeeping is es- 

 pecially adapted to women, with their 

 deftness and delicate touch. The busi- 

 ness can be managed so that there is 

 not much heavy lifting, and when it is 

 needed, a woman with little physical 

 strength can get the help of a man or 

 boy. In many cases, however, there 

 will be an increase of physical strength 

 for the outdoor exercise, together with 

 an absorbing interest, tend directly to 

 an increase of health and strength. 



To start with, your love of bees is an 

 important asset. Add to that the study 

 of a good bee-book, such as Dadant's 

 Langstroth, and then begin with two 

 or three colonies, letting your book- 

 knowledge and your practical experi- 

 ence grow together, as also the in- 

 crease in the number of your colonies. 

 Better, however, be prepared to take a 

 few stings, for if you do very much 

 with bees you may not find them 

 always so considerate of your feelings. 



American Hee Journal 



by scattering among other colonies, as 

 they will consume all surplus. After a 

 day or two close the top opening at 

 night, after the field bees are in. 



"This method does away with the 

 swarm trouble, but cannot be used for 

 requeening and building up for a honey- 

 tlow unless there is some How of 

 nectar, as the bees in the lower hive- 

 body will rob those above, also other 

 hives. I think the best time is near 

 the end of a flow. 



" I advise all half-sick women, and 

 men, loo, who can learn to love and 

 like to care for bees to try beekeeping. 

 I can never tell any one how much 

 they have meant to me, coming as they 

 did after a severe operation and long 

 years of semi-invalidism. I spend 



Requeening and Building Up 



"The letters in the American Bee 

 Journal have been so much help to me 

 that I am constrained to give my ex- 

 perience in the hope of helping some 

 other novice. I liave only had one 

 season's experience, having begun last 

 spring with four gums. These I have 

 increased to ten, getting only about fiO 

 pounds of honey, as the season was 

 very poor. 



"I seem to have hit upon an unusual 

 plan for requeening and building up 

 for special honey flow. I take the 

 queen and all the frames from the hive- 

 body except one containing eggs or 

 larvs, and put in a separate hive-body. 

 I now (ill all or nearly all the remain- 

 ing space in old hive with brood comb 

 or comb foundation. Over this I place 

 one or two supers, then a piece of wire 

 cloth somewhat larger than the super. 

 On this I place the hive-body containing 

 queen and frames with adhering bees, 

 leaving small opening at first at the 

 top under covering, suspending alight- 

 ing-board near opening. I leave them 

 this way until the honey-flow is on. I 

 then remove the queen and all the 

 frames from the upper hive-body with 

 part of the adhering bees, and put them 

 somewhere else to start again. Be sure 

 that th ; bees left below in the first 

 operation reared a queen and that she 

 is laying before taking away the old 

 queen. 



" If no increase is desired, remove the 

 wire-cloth and kill the queen you least 

 want. If in looking for the queen you 

 have to smoke one colony, be sure to 

 smoke the other else they will fight, 

 otherwise I have had no trouble. If 

 the honey-flow is shortand no increase 

 desired, remove all frames and young 

 bees from the upper hive and strengthen 

 the weak colonies or dispose of them 



hours of pure happiness with them, 

 where otherwise I would have been 

 restless and lonely." 



Hattie L. McManus. 



There are some good features in this 

 plan. When the young queen is reared 

 below, and the old queen and brood 

 taken away from above, all the flying 

 force will still be left, and with no 

 notion of swarming there should be 

 good field work. It will be learned 

 only by trial how well it may be adapted 

 elsewhere. One who with only a single 

 year's experience blazes out a path for 

 herself ought to have a fine career in 

 beekeeping, and further reports will 

 be awaited with interest. 



Caufornia ^ Bee-Keeping 



Conducted by J E. Pleasants. Orange. Calif. 



The California Outlook 



The season here, as has been stated 

 before, started out very favorably, with 

 good winter rains. This is always 

 the prime essential for a honey crop 

 here. The bees bred up early and 

 were, generally speaking, strong in 

 numbers up to .April 1. From March 29 

 to April 20, the weather was very dry. 

 An unusually dry period for the time of 

 year. Things were beginning to look 

 " dubious." But on April 20 there was 

 rain, and this was the beginning of a 

 very moist period of long duration, 

 lasting until May 8. 



During this time almost four inches 

 of rain fell, and almost continuously 

 the weather was cloudy and misty. This 

 kept the bees in, and they not only 

 consumed all their stores, but in many 

 instances had to be fed. It was hard 

 on tliem, especially as European foul- 



brood is prevalent in many apiaries. 



It is still a mystery how this disease 

 is carried. If this could be learned it 

 would be of much practical help in 

 preventing its spread. I wish we could 

 prevail upon our investigators at the 

 experiment stations to send a few men 

 well qualified to work in the field in 

 infected districts, to work on this one 

 problem. 



There was considerable honey taken 

 from the orange flow until the cold, 

 damp weather interfered. Orange flow 

 commenced about April 10, and lasted 

 a month. Extracting from sage and 

 other wild bloom will be delayed about 

 a month. During the last few days the 

 bees have been working finely on sage 

 and hoarhound There have been re- 

 ports from different sections of the 

 black sage looking badly, and one or 

 two rather alarming reports from 

 Santa Barbara and Ventura counties 



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looCObONY AHIAKY OK .1. K. WHITK AT STKRLING CITY. CAMK. 



