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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 10, 1906 



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Conducted by Morley Pettit, Villa Nova, Ont 



Good Advice for Beginners 



Writing: to beginners in Farmers' Advocate, E. G. H. 

 has the following' good advice : 



The first hives should be bought from a regular manufacturer of 

 bee-supplies, and for a beginner it might be advisable to have one of 

 them made up at the factory, so he can see just exactly how the pieces 

 should go together. After he learns how to handle the hives and 

 frames, and realizes the importance of absolute accuracy and uni- 

 formity, he may make the hives himself, if he is a fairly handy man 

 with a saw and plane. 



The Langstroth hive is generally recognized as the standard, and 

 is a safe hive for any beginner to adopt. There is no patent on this 

 hive or any of its parts, so that any one is at liberty to make it if he 

 wants to do so. Bees in this style of hive will sell from 10 to 30 per- 

 cent higher than in any other size hives. E G. H. 



After so many clippings from Canadian papers I have 

 no doubt our readers in the United States will be glad to 

 see something from their own press. We have the follow- 

 ing from the Detroit Free Press : 



Bees Gather Honey in Winter. 



People who visited St. John'6 cemetery, Sandwich, Friday, tell of 

 a strange sight which they viewed at a newly-made grave. An abun- 

 dance of cut flowers were laid on the grave, and within a few minutes 

 the blossoms were almost covered with honey-bees. 



The bees were as active as in July or August, and hummed about 

 the blossoms while sucking out the honey in as business-like manner 

 as they do when flying around r06e blossoms in gardens in the summer- 

 time. 



When the bees secured their fill of the sweet nectar from the 

 plants they flew away to the hive, and were coming and going until 

 the sun began to sink in the west. The bees deserted the flowers 

 when the air became chilly, but yesterday they returned to the attack, 

 and their hum could be heard through the cemetery until the rain 

 started in the afternoon. 



Those who witnessed it are unable to understand the phenomenon 

 unless it be that the warm weather has caused the bees to awake from 

 their winter's nap, and they think that the spring has come. 



At last the question, "Do Bees Hibernate ?" has been 

 solved. The Free Press reporter has demonstrated that it 

 is possible for bees to "awake from their winter's nap!" 

 But what we would like to know is where to secure such cut 

 flowers. Would be glad to set a vase of them in front of 

 each hive in the spring to make sure of a good honey crop 1 



Elementary Directions in Bee-Keeping- 



E. L. Colpitts, in the Maritime Farmer, quotes elemen- 

 tary directions to beginners from Leaflet 128, of the British 

 Board of Agriculture. Besides the usual advice, he men- 

 tions among useful articles for a beginner to have '• a straw 

 skep for taking swarms," and "a super-clearer for clearing 

 bees from section-rack or supers." I must confess my 

 ignorance as to what a super clearer is like. [It is what 

 your cousins in England call our " bee-escape." — Editor.] 

 The Hive. 



There are many patterns of hives, all made to take the one British 

 standard frame. A simple one should be chosen possessing accuracy 

 of workmanship and soundness of material, so as to stand exposure to 

 weather for years. The outside of the hive should be thoroughly 

 painted, to keep it rain and damp proof. It must be placed on its 

 stand in a spot sheltered, if possible, from the cold north and east 

 winds, and with a free flight for the bees in front. Space should be 

 left behind it for easy access, so that all manipulations can be carried 

 on from the back ; this avoids irritating the home-coming bees. 



These points are so good as to bear repetition. The 

 hives to be "simple," "standard," " accurate," " painted." 

 The location to be " sheltered ;" clear in front for flight of 

 bees, and clear behind for work. I do not know when I 

 have seen beginners advised to keep away from the front 

 of the hive. They are supposed to know that— but visitors 

 do not, and why should beginners? 



The beginner is advised to buy a first or "head" 



swarm, and bring it home in a box to be placed in a new 

 hive. 



By this means be will avoid all the pitfalls of disease or lack of 

 condition, which only a practised eye can detect, but which beset the 

 purchaser of second-hand colonies. 



Directions are given for hiving the swarm then : 



If the swarm has been a long time on its journey, or if the weather 

 is bad on its arrival, the bees, will be greatly benefited by being sup- 

 plied with half a pint of warm, thin syrup, given through an opening 

 in the quilt, and by means of the bottle-feeder. 



Conditions Conducive to Success. 



It is important that the beginner should clearly understand the 

 principles that underlie successful bee-keeping. A colony of bees con- 

 sists of a queen, a large number of worker-bees, and (during summer) 

 a certain proportion of drones. The strength of a healthy colony 

 depends upon the vigor and laying power of the queen, which is at 

 her best in her second season, i. e., a queen hatchd in June, 1905, will 

 be at her best in May, 1906, and should be replaced by a young one in 

 1907, either by natural swarming or by re-queening. Queens may be 

 purchased or reared by the methods described in text books. The 

 economy of a hive depends, first, on the keeping up of the warmth of 

 the brood-nest (by means of the heit evolved from the bodies of the 

 clustering bees) to such a point as will stimulate the queen to lay 

 eggs, and enable young bees to be reared ; secondly, on the feeding of 

 toe queen, the nursing of the brood, and the cleansing of the cells for 

 the queen's use; thirdly, on the collection of pollen, water and nectar 

 for the brood ; lastly, on the building of storage combs and collecting 

 nectar for the future supplies of honey. 



The first three of these conditions must be fulfilled before the last 

 can be begun; therefore, it is only by means of a large and vigorous 

 surplus population that a colony can gather enough stores for its 

 future use, and provide also for the bee-keeper. The aim of the bee- 

 keeper is to keep his colonies 6trong, for a weak colony is always un 

 profitable. 



The next consideration is, that the crowded condition of the hive 

 should be secured at the right time, i. e., at the honey-flow. 



Those who propose to keep a few colonies of bees ooly, may pro- 

 ceed in the manner outlined above; anyone intending to keep a large 

 number of colonies is advised to get a season's instruction in a well- 

 managed apiary before laying out capital in the business. 



The "Wood Binder" for Bee Journals 



One scarcely appreciates little conveniences before 

 giving them an actual test. The Wood Binder is one of 

 the handiest things I have on my table. It keeps the year's 

 numbers of the American Bee Journal right at hand, and 

 in order for immediate reference. 



And the cost is onlv 20 cents ! — [Send for it to the 

 American Bee Journal office. — Editor ] 



Southern 

 4* 23eebom -fr 



Conducted by Louis H. Scholu New Braunfels, Tex. 



Order of Bees in the Cluster 



J 



Hardly any bee-keeper will think that the bees of dif- 

 ferent age will have to occupy a certain place in the hive ; 

 nevertheless we can prove that in this respect, too, a certain 

 order is necessary, and that it prevails in the hive. This 

 order corresponds with the order of the brood. The young- 

 est bees prepare the food for the queen and for the youngest 

 larva?, as the queen with every new brood period lays eggs 

 near the oldest capped brood, and just in those cells from 

 which young bees had gnawed out. She is always near 

 these young bees, and receives the necessary chyle or blood 

 from them. So we see the queen surrounded by young bees 

 (as shown in the " A B C of Bee Culture " under " Queen ") 

 which feed her. But the queen does not remain there in the 

 same place. She moves around in circles from comb to 

 comb, and everywhere she meets young bees of just the 

 proper age on the empty cells, which have cleared and 

 warmed their own cradles, and so prepared for a new baby. 



The young bee, which has just fed the queen, remains 

 in the same place with the eggs and keeps them warm ; and 

 after 3 days, when the small larva; are out of the " egg- 

 shell," they are fed by the same bees in the same way as a 

 short time before the queen was fed. These larva? grow 

 and need more food every day ; finally the food is not 



