934 



GLEANINGS IK BEE OULTUKE. 



Dec. 



these uew hives was so great, not only in appear- 

 ance but in point of excellence, that, possessing 

 the spirit of the times as much tin the father and 

 son both fiid, they could uot think of using the old 

 box hive any longer, even if money was scarce, and 

 there were many other needs also; so a second 

 order was soon made out. 



They naturally expected there would b,-' some de- 

 lay, as they had taken time to get their sample 

 hives, and well knew that other orders in advance 

 would receive attention first; but as days length- 

 ened into weeks, and yet they received no notice 

 that they had been shipped, they grew quite im- 

 patient. Their bees had already commenced 

 swarming, and had to be hived as before. 

 To he contimied. 

 ■ ^ I w 



A GOOD REPORT FROM WEST VIR- 

 GINIA. 



SOME VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS ON PRODUCING 



AND SKLLINO HONEY, BY ONE WHO MAKES 



BEES PAY. 



T AM located in the " Pan Handle " of this State 

 ,a? —that narrow strip of land lying on the Ohio 

 ^t River between the States of Ohio and Penn- 

 *"■*■ aylvania. The average yield in this part of the 

 State might be put at 40 lbs. of comb honey, 

 spring count. After some sales last spring T had 

 .^B colonies left in mj' home apiary, and I'l colonies 

 three miles out. The 56 swarms wore so closely 

 evened up by interchanging brood that they all 

 had cast swarms within five days from the issue of 

 the first swarm. Twenty-four first swarms in one 

 day! When swarming had ceased there were but 

 .56 colonies in the apiary, as before. 



SWAKMING, AND HOW TO MANAGE. 



At the beginning of the surplus yield, each hive 

 was supplied with a case of sections— room for 

 rJOO;) lbs. of comb hones' for the .'16 colonies. By the 

 time the sections were two-thirds full, s warming- 

 began. My queens are all clipped; and as fast as 

 swarms issue they are hived and placed near the 

 old stand. 



All swarming for the day having ceased, the 

 cases of sections are taken off; the combs in the 

 hives are extracted of all the honey; queen cells 

 arc destroyed, drones' heads shaved oft'. They then 

 are returned to the original hive, where they are 

 soon cleaned up by bees remaining at the old stand. 

 The eases of sections are put iivplace; and just at 

 sundown, each hive having that day cast a swarm, 

 it is re enforced by another, and, as far as possible, 

 a new location by interchanging is given the re- 

 turned swarms. iThis seems to better satisfy them. 

 By the next day (often the next hour), after being 

 returned, the bees are back in the sections; and by 

 the time there is further disposition to swarm, the 

 sections are finished, when they are removed and 

 the upper story filled with combs, for extracting 

 what honey may yet be gathered. If there has 

 been any preparation for swarming at the time of 

 taking off the sections, this is broken up by de- 

 stroying cells, placing empty combs in the brood- 

 nest, or by any of the many well-known plans of 

 breaking up the disposition to swarm. 



This season I did not work for much comb honey, 

 and hereafter T will work for less, as I have a much 

 better demand lor extracted honey. From the 56 

 colonies at my home apiary I got 2000 lbs. of comb 

 honey and liOOn lbs. of exti-acted honey. I sold :!4 



throe frame nuclei, from those which wei-e formed 

 by taking from full stocks, three frames having 

 the most brood with the adhering bees and queen; 

 this was done during the latter part of the honey- 

 harvest. It lessened my crop of honey somewhat. 



HOW AN INVESTMENT OP g''40.00 REALIZED ?340.00. 



Last spring I bought 14 colonics in double-walled 

 L. hives for .'?40.00. These were moved to within 

 three miles of my place. They were generally 

 weak. Some queens had to be superseded, as they 

 were away past the " flower of their age." 



By the time white clover was doing its best, these 

 bees were ready for more room. I gave them 

 a case with four full frames of comb and five 

 frames with starters, which were soon filled and 

 ready for the extractor. From these 14 hives I 

 took 2000 lbs. of extracted honey, which brought 

 me ^240.00, and I have the bees left in fine shape 

 for winter— a pretty good investment, 1 thinl<. 



Altogether from the 70 colonies I received 2000 

 lbs. of comb honey and .5100 lbs. extracted honey, 

 and sold from them 34 three-frame nuclei. All are 

 iu prime condition for winter. Every colony has 

 a queen of this season's rearing. My bees are 

 ready for the winter, and all I have done was to 

 make passages through the combs, cover the 

 frames with a piece of woolen carpet, put over this 

 a clialf pillow, open entrances wide, and leave on 

 summer stands. 1 expect to find them all right 

 next spring; at any rate I would not give ten per 

 cent to have them insured. 



My honcj- was all sold in the short time of four 

 weeks, from the time I began to sell. Comb honey 

 was sold for 18 cts., and an average of 13',i cts. foi- 

 extracted. Part of the extracted was sold for art 

 purposes; part for medicinal purposes, at 15 cts., 

 and quite a good deal to families for table use, at 

 12^4 cts. per lb., or ten lbs. for an even dollar. 



A HONEY-KETAILING WAGON, AND HOW TO SELL. 



On 'our retailing wagon we have a large tin can 

 holding 4(10 lbs., v.'ith honey-gate and scales under 

 this, which makes it convenient for quickly weigh- 

 ing the required amount. A case of comb honey 

 is taken along to sell to people who will not bii>- 

 any thing else. Some who could not be induced to 

 buy extracted honey were gratuitously supplied 

 with a "mess" "free for nothing;" and by the 

 next time we "came around" there was another 

 customer ready for a "dollar's worth of that strain 

 cfi honey." I can now sell 400 or 'M pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey in one day in some towns where, 

 at first, it took fine talking to sell .50 lbs. 



I often wonder why it is that so many of our bee- 

 keepers have so hard a time in selling their hone.-\-. 

 True, we are surrounded with many good-sized 

 towns here; but commission men bring to these 

 places great quantities of honey, which is olTered 

 low. To convince myself that 



HONEY CAN BE SOLD IN ALMOST ANY PLACE, 



I loaded up, one morning, 400 lbs. of extracted 

 and 101) lbs. of comb honey, and started right out 

 through the country. Among farmers I sold froin 

 .50 cts. to !<5.00 worth at almost every farmhouse; 

 and long before night we were home, and honey all 

 sold. 



It is at all times necessary to have a first-clas!< 

 article of honey to build up the trade. I bonght, 

 some years ago, 2 barrels of linden and one barrel 

 of California sage honey, and sold it out on the 

 strength of my reputation; but it was the means of 

 hurting my trade foi- a long time. Linden and" 



