650 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



part of the year there are also some hundreds of males called drones. 

 These are often removed or greatly restricted in numbers by the bee 

 keeper. These three types are easily recognized by a novice. 



Handling Bees. Bees should be handled so that they will be 

 little disturbed in their work; as much as possible stings should be 

 avoided during manipulation. This is true not so much because they 

 are painful to the receiver, but because the odor or poison which gets 

 in makes them more irritable and difficult to manage. Superfluous 

 quick movements tend to irritate the bees and the hives should never 

 be jarred or disturbed any more than is necessary. The best time 

 to handle bees is during the middle of warm days, particularly dur- 

 ing the time of honey flow. Do not handle them at night or on cold, 

 wet days, unless absolutely necessary. In handling bees for the ex- 

 amination of the comb, inspection of the brood cells, etc., it is usually 

 best to be provided with a smoker by means of which a few puffs of 

 smoke may be directed into the hive at the pleasure of the attendant. 

 This causes the bees to fill themselves with honey and makes han- 

 dling much easier. The art of handling bees is easily learned and 

 can hardly fail to become a source of pleasure to those who have con- 

 veniences for keeping bees and can devote some time to their manage- 

 ment. 



On many farms the production of honey for the home table 

 is the primary object, although it often happens that more is pro- 

 duced than is required at home which may be sold to good advantage. 



The Production of Honey. The obtaining of honey from bees 

 is generally the primary object of their culture. Bees gather nectar 

 to make into honey for their own use as food, but generally store 

 more than they need, and this surplus the bee keeper takes away. By 

 managing colonies early in the spring as previously described the sur- 

 plus may be considerably increased. The secret of maximum crops 

 is to "Keep all colonies strong." 



Honey is gathered in the form of nectar secreted by various 

 flowers, is transformed by the bees, and stored in the comb. Bees 

 also often gather a sweet liquid called "honeydew," produced by 

 various scale insects and plant-lice, but the honeydew honey made 

 from it is quite unlike floral honey in flavor and composition and 

 should not be sold for honey. It is usually unpalatable and should 

 never be used as winter food for bees, since it usually causes dysen- 

 tery. When nectar or honeydew has been thickened by evapo- 

 ration and otherwise changed, the honey is sealed in the cells with 

 cappings of beeswax. 



It is not profitable to cultivate any plant solely for the nectar 

 which it will produce, but various plants, such as clovers, alfalfa, and 

 buckwheat, are valuable for other purposes and are at the same time 

 excellent honey plants ; their cultivation is therefore a benefit to the 

 bee keeper. It is often profitable to sow some plant on waste land ; 

 sweet clovers are often used in this way. The majority of honey-pro- 

 ducing plants are wild, and the bee keeper must largely accept the 

 locality as he finds it and manage his apiary so as to get the largest 

 possible amount of the available nectar. Since bees often fly as far 



