Junk, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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LESSON NO. 5- 



lesson we con- 

 sidered ways 

 and means for 

 getting a start 

 with bees — 

 where to get the 

 bees, i n what 

 form, etc. At 

 this time especially, the reader is urged to 

 review not only the last lesson but the first 

 three as well. 



One of the first problems tliat confronts 

 the beginner afler securing his bees is where 

 to put them. Conditions vary according to 

 circumstances. One living in the country 

 or in the suburbs can do no better than to 

 have the hives in an orchard or in the 

 partial shade of some tree. Too much shade 

 is as bad for bees as for human beings. 

 Some producers go so far as to say that no 

 colonies do well if they stand in the shade. 

 A little protection from the sun in the hot- 

 test part of the day, however, is advisable. 



A beginner living in a city or town is 

 often perplexed to know what is the best 

 place for the bees. If they are located in 

 a back lot they may cause some annoyance 

 to neighbors, especially if the neighborhood 

 is thickly settled. There is no objection to 

 a back-lot location provided there is a high 

 fence, trees, or buildings that will cause the 

 bees to fly high, especially in case of streets 

 or alleys close by in the direct line of flight. 

 One should anticipate any trouble by pre- 

 venting the conditions that may cause it. 



If there is no high fence or hedge, or even 

 shed or building to act as a shelter from 

 cold winds, also to cause the bees to fly high, 

 it is frequently advisable to put the hive in 

 an attic or on some flat roof easily acces- 

 sible. A flat tin roof, especially if painted 

 a dark color, is apt to be a pretty hot place, 

 therefore the hives should surely have some 

 shade, for there is danger of the combs melt- 

 ing down. 



There is no objection to the attic other 

 than the inconvenience of going up and 

 down stairs; but it is important to have 

 the hives set close to the outside walls with 

 an entrance cut thru so that the bees can go 

 in and out at any time. There should be 

 a window near by to give plenty of light, 

 and this window should be on hinges so that 

 it may be swung entirely out of the way, or 

 else it should be so arranged that it can be 

 taken out when the bees are being looked 

 over. If this precaution were not taken, 

 those bees that fly from the combs toward 

 the light would merely buzz up and down 

 on the window and die, being unable to find 

 their way back to the hive. If there is no 

 glass in the window the bees will fly toward 



Beginners' Lessons 



1 



H. H. Root 



lU 



457 



the light and will 

 eventually find 

 their way back 

 to the regular 

 outside entrance. 

 Attic beekeeping 

 has this addi- 

 tional a d V a n- 

 THE FIRST WORK. tage, that t h e 



hive does not need to be painted. 



If the hive is located in the back lot, 

 make sure that the entrance is turned away 

 from any nearby path or sidewalk. In this 

 connection it may be well to remark that 

 nothing makes the bees madder than to 

 have some one stand right in front of the 

 entrance. The returning bees, noticing a 

 change in the appearance of the hive be- 

 cause of the obstruction, will often collect 

 in quite a cloud. It is just as important to 

 see that the bees in their line of flight — that 

 is, the direction they usually take when leav- 

 ing the hive, are not annoyed by moving 

 objects. 



THE FIRST WORK. 



Most beginners overdo the first work. 

 Pulling the hive all to pieces and distribut- 

 ing the combs around just for fun is an 

 expensive kind of pleasure. At the earliest 

 opportunity, however, the combs should be 

 looked over carefully to make sure that 

 there is a queen, that she is laying, and 

 that the conditions of brood-rearing are nor- 

 mal. Even as early as March in most 

 northern localities there should be brood in 

 all stages — not a large amount of hatching 

 brood, it is true, but some at least ; and in 

 April, May, and on into June, the amount 

 of brood-rearing should have steadily in- 

 ci'eased. If the queen is not prolific, or if 

 she is defective in any way, as shown by ir- 

 regular work, she must be replaced; other- 

 wise there is no chance of surplus honey. 



A good queen starts laying in the central 

 part of the comb, gradually enlarging the 

 circle as conditions warrant. She should 

 lay in regular order one egg in a cell with 

 almost no cells skipped. If a colony is 

 made up of old bees largely, the queen at 

 first will be greatly hampered, for there are 

 no young nurse bees to care for the brood. 

 Under such circumstances, therefore, the 

 queen should not be blamed for not starting 

 in brood-rearing with a rush. 



Some time in the spring, before the colony 

 becomes too populous, the queen should be 

 clipped. This work should be done in 

 the middle of the day when most of the 

 field bees will be outside of the hive. It is 

 then much easier to find the queen. The be- 

 ginner especially should stand or sit with 

 the light falling over the shoulder, and he 

 should pick out one of the combs in the 



