250 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1919 



ME time 



c 



^^ during m a - 

 pie bloom 

 or fruit bloom 

 there will doubt- 

 less be a wonder- 

 ful spring day 

 when the entire 

 apiary will be 

 vibrating with 

 the music of humming bees. Then is an 

 ideal time to become acquainted with those 

 fascinating little friends that have impelled 

 us to a reading of these pages. 



Preparing to Open the Hive. 



Armed with a good bee-veil and lighted 

 smoker, and bearing in mind that bees seri- 

 ously object to sudden jarrings and quick 

 motions, it will be found that, if our direc- 

 tions are followed, good Italian bees may be 

 quite safely handled, even at the first at- 

 tempt. 



On approaching the hive give one or two 

 gentle puffs of smoke at the entrance, just 

 to inform the ever vigilant sentinel bees sta- 

 tioned there whose duty it is to protect the 

 colony from sudden attack, that, tho their 

 hive may be unavoidably jarred during the 

 next few minutes, it would be well for them 

 not to be too highly sensitive, since the in- 

 truder is well prepared to defend himself — 

 with smoke. 



A Glimpse Within. 



AVorking from the side of the hive, care- 

 fully remove the outer cover and insert the 

 edge of the hive-tool in the crack between 

 the ends of the inner cover and the hive and 

 gently pry the cover, breaking the propolis 

 with which the bees. have cemented the 

 cover to the hive. Then lift the front end 

 of the cover a quarter of an inch or so 

 from the top of the hive, at the same time 

 blowing a gentle puff or two of smoke over 

 the tops of the frames. This will drive 

 many of the bees from the tops of the 

 frames down on to the combs, where they 

 will immediately dip into the cells of honey 

 and proceed to gorge themselves, after 

 which they will be very docile and easily 

 handled. Even those not gorged with honey 

 will still be enough confused by the smoke 

 to prevent their acting in accordance with 

 their natural instinct to protect the colony. 



Handling Frames. 



After removing the inner cover select for 

 inspection first the second or third frame 

 from the side, where the queen is less likely 

 to be found, for if the queen should be on 

 the first frame removed* she might possibly 

 be injured by being rubbed or crushed when 

 the first frame is withdrawn from the close- 

 ly adjacent frames. Now place the curv- 

 ed end of the tool between the ends of 

 bars and gently pry one frame loose from its 

 neighbors. Also loosen the opposite end, 

 and, with the curved end of the tool, lift the 

 frame just enough so that the fingers of the 

 left hand may easily grasp the end of the 

 top-bar. Then take the opposite end with 



TALKS TO BEGINNERS 



By Zona Fowls 



1 



the right hand 

 and slowly lift 

 the frame 

 straight up, 

 holding it a 1 - 

 ways in a verti- 

 cal position. 



If one wishes 

 to turn the 

 frame over and 

 look at the opposite side, it should not be 

 turned directly over with the bottom-bar re- 

 maining hornzontal; for, if the comb is 

 heavy with honey and insecurely attached, 

 it may break from the frame. Moreover, if 

 a frame is held horizontally, it might result 

 in the queen 's fall and injury, for a laying 

 queen is quite easily dislodged from a comb. 

 As the frame is held by the ends of the 

 top-bar perpendicularly in front of one (see 

 Fig. 1), raise the riglit end above the left, 



Fig. 1. — First position of frame. 



thus bringing the top-bar into a perpendicu- 

 lar position (see Fig. 2); then revolve the 

 frame on this perpendicular axis until the 

 opposite side is toward the beginner (see 

 Fig. 3), when the riglit hand may be lowered 

 to a position level with the left hand, thus 

 leaving the frame 

 still in a vertical 

 position, and still 

 held by the ends of 

 the top - bar; but 

 the bottom - bar, 

 now at the top (see 

 Fig. 4) instead of 

 at the bottom, as in 

 the original posi- 

 tion. In order to 

 get the frame in 

 the right position 

 for returning to the 

 hive this operation 

 should be reversed. 

 This manner of 

 handling may 

 sound rather in- 

 volved and quite 

 unnecessary; but in 

 reality it is very 

 simple, and may 

 save the beginner 

 a broken comb or 

 the loss of a queen. 

 Practice it with an empty frame. To make 

 room to work place the first frame removed 

 to one side in a box. 



Keeping Bees Under Control. 

 After working a few minutes at the hive, 

 many bees will probably come up on top 



Fig. 2. — Second position. 



Arrows show direction 



in which the frame is 



now to be turned. 



