106 



THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



For the American ApicuHurist. 



ADVICE TO BEGINNERS. 



Jacob Dickman. 



Ed. "Api" : That prize for the 

 best essay on the Prevention of In- 

 crease may go to some one else, 

 also the two other prizes, but when 

 it comes to giving advice I'm in. 

 Who can't give advice ? My advice 

 to beginners in beekeeping to about 

 nine out of ten would be short ; and 

 after they have tried beekeeping 

 three or four years, the}' will think 

 it would have been exceedingly good 

 for them had they taken it. 'Tis 

 simply doii't begin. Beekeeping is 

 exceedingly fascinating to the most 

 of us, and we are all apt to look 

 only on the bright side, but there 

 are so many drawbacks that come 

 unlooked for, that ere we are 

 aware, our enthusiasm is gone and 

 virhen we meditate we find it was 

 only our enthusiasm that kept us 

 going ; and we have a good stock of 

 hives on hand which we were 

 obliged to pay full price for, but 

 which are entirely worthless unless 

 we continue in the business. To 

 those determined to try, we would 

 say, after having obtained one 

 stand of Italians (start with Ital- 

 ians) we shall be more sanguine of 

 your success if you will not spend 

 another cent for bees, but be sure 

 to put a fence around the lot in 

 which you intend to keep them, to 

 keep animals out and also that little 

 toddler whom your wife might for 

 one moment forget, and don't be too 

 stingy to subscribe for several good 

 bee-papers and purchase some good 

 standard works \\\)(m bee-ciillure. 

 Then, choose the hive you wish, and 

 I would recommend the Lang- 

 stroth. As to hives, if all neigh- 

 borhoods are like mine, one can 

 buy good hives of those who have 

 lost their enthusiasm and their 

 bees, for less than half price, 

 thereby keeping his expenses as 

 low as possible. By all means run 



nine out of ten of your stands for 

 extracted honey. You will have 

 seen ere this that there are needed 

 a smoker, bee veil, honey extract- 

 or, honey knife, etc. 



We have had in our mind those 

 only who have other occupations 

 to obtain a livelihood. To those 

 intending to make it their exclu- 

 sive business, first, I say don't, 

 don't. If you will, in spite of this 

 advice, you better give one sum- 

 mer's work in the apiary of some 

 experienced beekeeper, and board 

 yourself, in order to gain experi- 

 ence in the business. 



Defiance^ 0. 



For the American Apiculturist. 



QUEEN-EXCLUDERS AND 

 SLOTTED DIVIDERS. 



English beekeepers have discard- 

 ed the use of zinc queen-excluders, 

 not only because they were a hin- 

 drance to the workers, as Dr. Tinker 

 says on page 65 of March Api, but 

 also for the more important reason 

 that they never keep the queen from 

 entering and laying in the supers if 

 she has made up her mind to do so. 



I have yet to see the ordinary 

 queen-excluder zinc that will keep 

 out a queen fully bent on going 

 through unless she, like Barnum's 

 late elephant 'Jumbo', happens to 

 be extra large. Queens are mostly 

 like ladies : 



"If tliey will, tliey will 

 You may ileiieiid i>n iD. 

 U'tliey won't, lliey won't. 

 And there's iin end of it." 



And although they may not be 

 able to walk boldly through the 

 perforations yet they have a very 

 cute way of sidling' through when 

 quietly walking about at leisure 

 and not worried by fear which seems 

 to unnerve them as it does the 'lords 

 of creation' sometime. You must 

 n«t infer that we get eggs laid in a 

 large percentage of our sections, as 



