90 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



The proprietor, in order to avail liiinself of a por- 

 tion of the lioncy uitliout destroying tho bees, — 

 which is in no case necessary, — and also for the 

 purpose of chanorinn; the comb, must use double 

 covers, between wliicii he m;iy introduce dividers, 

 fur the purpose of separating tlie tiers. In all cases 

 of takinor honcv, the upper tier must l)e removed 

 and empty ones insi-ru-d at the bottom. To multi- 

 ply artificial swarms, without the trouble of swarm- 

 ijio- and hiving, place two empty hives, plate 3, 

 iicr. 4, (connected with the spout) as usual near the 

 wall, witli a full hive, j, beliind tliem, (or a full 

 Jiive, plate :l, fig. 5, may be placed on the top of 

 two or more) with a suitable communication for 

 the bees to pass through the empty hives to the 

 Rp-->ut. When the new hives become filled with 

 comb and ynung brood, they must be separated, 

 and will become independent cohmies. All the 

 hives must be of equal dimensions as to length and 

 breadth, with tops like other hives, tliat they may 

 at any time be used as tier liives. 



In order to employ bees profitably when they 

 cannot collect honey from abroad, the feeding ma- 

 chiTie, plate 3, fig. 6, must be used ; to construct j 

 v/h:ch prepare a board of the size of the bottom of! 

 the hive, plate 3, fig. 7; then make a frame of four : 

 sides, equal in size to the board, plate ;^, fig. 8, j 

 three inches deep, the front side of plank, with a i 

 hole through it to correspond with the mortise in j 

 the cement floor, with a groove in the upper edge 

 extending from one end so far that a slide, plate 3, i 

 fig. r>, may be introduced, to cut off tlie coinmuni- ! 

 cation with the spout, in order to prevent robber- j 

 ies, &c. On the upper edge of tliis frame is to be i 

 f^.sten':'d tin, or other s:uooth metal, projecting in- ! 

 wardly one inch, and sloping iorty-tive degrees, as ■ 

 may be seen in the sections of the frame and board, ' 

 plate 3, figs. 10 and 11. The obj(xt of the tin is to 

 prevent the grub from ascending. Over this the 

 hoard is to be placed, with the hole, /.-, plate 3, fig. 

 7, corresponding with ihat in the plank of the frame, 

 /, plate 3, i\g. 8. All that part of the board, 7?i, n, 

 o, />, plate 3, fig- 7, which covers the inside of the 

 frame, is to be cut into openings, three eighths of an 

 inch wide and one inch assunder, corresponding 

 with the mortises in tlie cover. Between the cov- 

 er and the tin is to be a slide, plate 3, fig. 1*2, of the 

 size of the inside of Uie frame, for the purpose of 

 excluding the light when clearing the machine. 

 The back side of the frame is to be used as a door, 

 and kept in place by the springs, fr^ r, plate 3, fig. 

 13. This machine is to be placed near the walls, 

 with the hole in the plank over liiat in the floor, 

 and the h've kept on it at all times when there is a 

 scarcity of flowers. By the use of this macliine, a 

 hive infested witli gruLs, or other foreign matter, 

 may be cleared of them, as they will fill through 

 the open'.n^v.^ in the fore part of the season, and 

 mav be taken out without disturbing the bees. It 

 is also to be used wiienever it may be necessary to 

 feed the bees. 0,> the approach of cold weather, 

 the machine, with the hive on it, is to be moved 

 back fron^ the walls so far as to close the avenue ; 

 the hole in the plank must be closed by the small 

 hlide, plate 3, fig. !'; tlie large slide removed, and 

 the machine filled with cut straw, or other dry ma- 

 terial, and the space between the wall and the 

 hives filled with straw. Other covering should be 

 placed on and about the hives, and removed in the 

 npring. The hives should be made in a workman- 

 like manner, of good timber, and all smooth except 

 the bottom of the cover. 



ADDITIONAL DIRECTIONS FOR USING 



THE FOREGOING PATENT. 



To :rjii:rd Bees against the. variable temperature of 



the atmuspherc. 



The cTits on pages 8S and 8!), represent a build- 

 ing which has answered every expectation in rela- 

 tion to temperature. The buildmg should be 10 

 feet by 20, to contain 36 hives ; 10 by 25, for 4-1 ; 

 and in the same proportion for a larger or smaller 

 number. It ma}- be cens'ructeti of brick or stone, 

 provided the bees are kept sulHcicntly high to pro- 

 vent the bad cflecls of moisture'. A room in the 

 s'.dc, or g:ible end, of any building will ansiver a 

 good purpose, if the wail is lined with brick, or 

 some other materia] well secured with lime mor- 

 far, that a proper degree of warmth can be secured, 

 and the moth prevented from depositing its eggs. 

 That the life of t!ie bees may be more cflectually 

 preserved, the boxes, which are placed over the 

 hives, and which retain the vapor carried <ip by 

 the rarified air, should ofleu be turned over as the 

 weather changes from cold to warm, to allow the 

 vupor to escape ; otherwise it will van down in 

 the form rf water among the bees. A board well 

 planed, with ledges across the ends to prevent 

 waipiijg, j'laced over the hive, will answer the 

 same purpose rs a box. The cut^Viw in the tVed- 



er is liable to become wet. When tliis happens, 

 dry should be substituted. By attending to these 

 precautions, the evils to whicii these hives are ex- 

 posed which stand in an open shed, are entirely 

 remedied. There being no means for the vapor to 

 escape in such hives, it will C'lndense and descend 

 to tlie bottom, combine with the foreign matter 

 which will always accuni'ilate tin re — thereby form- 

 ing a fruitful source for new vapar as the tempera- 

 tuie increases; and when the weather becomes 

 sufficiently cold to congeal water, the bees will be 

 surrounded with frozen vapor. Tlius exposed to 

 ice, bees will often quit such an uncomfortable a- 

 br de as soon as warm weather returns, and perish. 

 This is the reason why so many hives are found 

 without tenants in the spring. 



But here tliese losses are entirely prevented, for 

 bees will never leave a comfortable and pleasant 

 abode, unless a warm sun invites them forth. Bees 

 are much less expo.sed to the heat of summer and 

 the cold of -winter in a house of this kind, than 

 they arc in an open shed ; the temperature vary- 

 ing' mueli less, as is indicated by the thermometer. 

 In a cold morning in spring or autumn, remove the 

 thermometer from the shed to the inside of the bee- 

 house, and the mercury will often rise from 10 to 

 2) degiees. In warm weather the mercury will 

 generally fall as many degrees by opening the ven- 

 tilators. 



It is not known that bees have suffered from heat 

 in a house of this descriptioji ; but should this ev- 

 er occur in warm climates, or in situations exposed 

 to great heat, the temperature can easily be reduc- 

 ed by closing the outside shutters in the morning, 

 thereby retaining tiie benefit of the night air. In 

 tlie heat of the day they may be opened and the 

 screens removed for a few hours, that fresh air may 

 be admitted. 



If this method is not sufficient to keep the house 

 cool in the middle of extreme warm days, cold wa- 

 ter, or ice enclosed in shavings, may be placed in 

 the middle of the room. 



The cold air of winter, if allowed to pass into the 

 hive through the avenr.e at wliieh the bees enter, 

 will increase the vapor, as well as the cold. To 

 prevent this, as the cold season approaches, the 

 hives should be moved back, the avenue closed, 

 and the space between the hive and the wall hi ed 

 with dry straw. The ventilators should be occa- 

 siiinally opened during the winter in calm weather, 

 fn' the admission of fresh air. 



To guard Bees against thrir enemies. 

 A house standing upon posts of wood or stone, 

 may be secured from ants and other creeping in- 

 sects, by a wreath of cotton or cloth, saturated with 

 a compound of gum camplsor and spirit.-^ of tur- 

 pentine, made fast near the top of the posts. 



If the steps are fastened to the building, they 

 should be so constructed that they may be turned 

 up ; if not, they sliould be placed a few inches dis- 

 tant from tiie building, to prevent the approach of 

 insects from this quarter. 



The cover-ng of the building should be of boards 

 1 1-4 inches thick, lallied and plastered both inside 

 and out. Thick boards are requisite, to prevent the 

 lath nails from interfering w;th theTatliing on the 

 opposite side. 



if the building is constructed of 1 1-2 inch plank, 

 designed to rest upon stone posts, no posts within 

 the building will be required. 



The building should be whitewashed every 

 spring, inside and out, with a wash made of quick 

 lime and strong brine of common salt. 



The key-hole should have a drop to close tJie 

 same during uight. When unoccupied, the louv- 

 er end of the spout should be clo-sedjand salt intro- 

 duced. 



Construction of Hiccs. 



Hives should be made of sound, ffcll planed, 



inch boards; 16 inches square, of any eonvenient 



Iieight ; if more than six inches high, they should 



be furnished with cross sticks to support llie combs. 



As a greater security against moths, the hive:; 



should be put together at the corners hy halving 



one piece, the other, that is to be inserted in the 



halving to be hollowed one-fourth of an inch, the 



halving to be sawed under and the cavities filled 



with a mnrtar made of lime and eand, mixed witii 



a solution of salted potash, or ley of wood aslies. 



' The \ippcr edge, all round, and across the bars, to 



be hollowed in like manner, and filled with the 



eam^ kind of Inortar l>efore the top is put on. The 



' thickness of the top imd i'alse bottom oughi not to 



i exceed one fourth of an inch. 



I The outside of the h.ves, the false covers, false 

 bottoms, and the eemeut flo'tr, on wh.eh the hives 

 stand, are to be whitewashed with a mixture of-e-ilt, 

 ley, and quick lime. Wash tl-ie in and outside of 

 , the feeding maclnne with the same. This wiil 

 prove a pure defence ngainBt the bee mnth ; for 



they will neither deposite their eggs nor live in 

 lime and salt. 



Care should be taken to guard reduced or artifi- 

 cial swarms from the moth, since the bees in such 

 hives are sometimes too few to keep guard nights. 

 In such cases close the balcony atnight, and moths 

 cannot obtain entrance. There is no <langer from 

 the moth in full swarms, fur in them the bees will 

 defend their own premises. 



Tier and hive mean the same thing. 

 Hives whicli have been used, are as good as new 

 ones, if kept perfectly pure. 



After the house is finished, and the whitewash 

 llioroughly dried, a bee-dress must be prepared, 

 wliich consists of pantaloons and a tight waistcoat 

 of cotton cloth, well painted,— the former large 

 enough to wear over others; a pair of thick gloves; 

 a screen sulHciently large to envelope the hat, era 

 bonnet frame, with a string to draw tiic lower part 

 snugly round the neck under the rolling collar of 

 of the waistcoat. 



If it is de.sired to move a swarm from their ac- 

 customed place, do the same in a cold day in the 

 spring, as the loss will be much less than in a warm 

 day. First, place the mortise in the plank in the 

 feeder over the mortise in the cement floor, with a 

 false bottom on the feeder. On the top of this place 

 a tier six inches hifyh, and above this set the hive. 

 If the swarm is of ordinary size the bees will be 

 likely to swarm, and the swarm will be much larg- 

 er than it wftuld otherv^'ise be ; and this is very de- 

 sirable, as success in the management of bees de- 

 pends very much upon having well peopled colo- 

 nies. 



If the hive is very large, put under a tier a foot 

 high ; or let it stand upon one six inches high, un- 

 til tliey liave filled it; then put under another. To 

 ascertain when a hive is full, a pane of glass 7 by 

 4 1-2 may he fixed in one side. Let the glass in up- 

 on the outside, if it is to be secured by putty, as oil 

 is offensive to bees. It may be tinned in upon the 

 inside. Should the two lower tiers be filled by the 

 last of August, or the first of September, they may 

 betaken away. Tliey cannot be removed late in 

 autumn without endangering the life of the bees. 

 To do this v/ith the least trouble, introduce the di- 

 viders, take off the old hive, cover the remaining 

 one with a suitable board ; then invert the old hive 

 upon a light carriage, and draw it gently away; or 

 the iiive may he carried into a dirk room, with a 

 small aperture to admit light, and through which 

 the bees will escape and return home. If a clus- 

 ter remain, it is an indication that the queen is there; 

 and you will be under the necessity of taking the 

 hive back to the spout from which the bees were 

 removed, carefully placing the comb on which they 

 are lodged, at the bottom of the spout. The queen 

 and her subjects will soon be disposed to enter. 

 Jars for collecting Honey. 

 When the old, clumsy hives are laid aside, the 

 work ia much easier, and the profit greater. Spe- 

 cie Jars, or Specie Bottles, as they are often called, 

 may now be emplo3'ed. Vase.s, or other g'a3i ves- 

 sels of suitable form, may be used ; yet specie jars 

 have the best shape for preserving and transporting 

 Jioney, 



Ret the adapter upon the top of the hive; invert 

 the jars in the holes of the same ; then cover them 

 with a box to exclude the light. 



The larger tlie vessel the fnore honey will Uc col- 

 lected; for if the jar \s very saiall, a sulficient num- 

 ber of bees cannot be accommodated to raise the 

 temperature high enough to enable them to build 

 comb, e,=!ccept in very warm v.-eather, as the heat 

 must reach about 1*0 degreess in the box before they 

 can proceed with their labor. 



'I'he gre'atest quantity of lioney can be obtained 

 in v.-ooden boxes. A suitable size is six inches high 

 and thirteen s<puire. They may be constructed of 

 sasli, fasLene<l at the corners with scrvws, having 

 tlie rabbit ins.de, and the glass tinned itj. If con- 

 structed 4 1-3 inches Wide and 13 long, the false 

 Cover should be in tlirce pieces, that one may bs 

 removed at a tiuje- Boxes 4 1-3 inches may be 

 made of half incli boards. They shoulxi he furn- 

 nishetl with a glass. 



Tlie proper time fi)r introducing jars upon hives 

 which have been kept through llie winter, is on 

 the first a:pi>carance of white clover blossoms. — 

 Tliis v**ill not prevent their swurmmg. Jars may 

 be set over yotuig swarms when they are a week 

 old. 



Bees never rear their yoking, nor deposite bee- 

 breati, in the appendages upon tiie top. 



A piece of white cwmb placed in the neck of the 

 jar, or within the box, w-Il greatly facilitate the la- 

 bor oi the bee at the commencement of its work. 

 \Virdcrln.g Bees. 

 Tiiirty pounds of honey is suiiicient to suppl}' 

 ftny awaroi with ibod through the ^^•j^tep. I^arge 



