GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



c 



TALKS TO 



By the 



LJ 



IvJ. ginners m 

 beekeeping 

 have received 

 their inspiration, 

 as well as their 

 start in beekeep- 

 ing, from a stray 

 swarm that 

 chanced to pass 



their way as if to dare the uninitiated to at- 

 tempt to put them into a hive, or perhaps 

 that took up its abode uninvited in some 

 empty box or barrel on the premises, thus 

 thrusting themselves upon the future bee- 

 keeper and in many cases changing com- 

 pletely the career of the newly made and 

 involuntary owner of the runaway swarm. 

 By this simple method many of our noted 

 beekeepers, including A. I. Eoot and the 

 late lamented C. C. Miller, began their bee- 

 keeping career. 



Beginners might be advised to adopt this 

 method in making a start in beekeeping; but 

 in most eases they would be compelled to 

 wait a long time for the stray swarm to 

 chance their way, and, in addition to this, 

 in many cases the inspiration comes before 

 the bees. 



The inspiration may come thru some one 

 of the many subjects which are so closely 

 related to beekeeping, as enumerated by 

 Grace Allen in this issue. For instance, many 

 of the entomologists of this country are en- 

 thusiastic beekeepers, their interest in bees 

 coming thru the general subject of entomol- 

 ogy. In a few cases only does the inspiration 

 to keep bees come from a desire to make 

 money out of the business, the it is prob- 

 ably one of the best-paying playthings in 

 the catalog of diversions for tired folks. 

 Most of the successful beekeepers who are 

 making a good living from their bees today 

 began without a thought of financial profit, 

 but because of a keen interest in the subject, 

 tho they • may have had in mind from the 

 start the possibility of furnishing the table 

 with just a little "home-grown" honey. 



When the inspiration to keep bees does 

 come, it usually comes with a vengeance, 

 and the enthusiasm of the beginner runs 

 high. This impelling enthusiasm is known as 

 the "bee -fever," and few who have ev^r 

 had a real siege of it fully recover. 

 Books and Bulletins. 



This month is a good time to prepare for 

 a beginning in beekeeping in the spring. 

 The very first thing, if not already done, is 

 to procure and read some of the best books 

 on beekeeping, as well as the available bul- 

 letins on the various phases of this subject 

 published by the Department of Agriculture 

 at Washington. By writing a postal card to 

 the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. 

 C, asking for bulletins on beekeeping apply- 

 ing to your locality, you can obtain free of 

 charge several bulletins properly selected 

 for your needs. 



Best Way to Purchase Bees. 



The second step is that of arranging to 



BEGINNERS 



Editor 



1 



February, 1921, 



procure the bees 

 and the neces- 

 sary equipment. 

 Tlie very best 

 wny to obtain 

 till' bees, where 

 it is possible to 

 do so, is to pur- 

 chase one or 

 more colonies in 

 well-made modern hives from some neigh- 

 boring beekeeper. The books and bulletins 

 referred to above contain illustrations and 

 descriptions of the modern beehive, so the 

 beginner should be able to tell if he is buy- 

 ing a standard modern hive from its gen- 

 eral structure and appearance. When bees 

 are purchased locally the beekeeper from 

 whom they are purchased can render valu- 

 able assistance by preparing the bees for 

 moving. 



Judging Condition of Colonies. 

 It is usually necessary for the beginner 

 to take the word of the one who sells the 

 bees as to the condition of the colonies. The 

 two chief things to look for at this time of 

 year in selecting the colonies are the size of 

 the bee cluster and the amount of honey in 

 the hive. The beekeeper can show the pur- 

 chaser the size of the cluster by looking in 

 at the top of the hive to see how many 

 spaces the bees occupy; and some idea of 

 the amount of honey in the hive may be ob- 

 tained by lifting the hives if they are not 

 packed, then lifting an empty hive to note 

 the difference in weight. The cluster should 

 occupy not less than four of the spaces be- 

 tween the combs when the temperature out- 

 side is near freezing, and the hive, bees, and 

 honey should be 25 pounds or more heavier 

 than an empty hive at this season. 



If colonies of bees in good hives can not 

 be purchased locally, it may be possible to 

 purchase neglected colonies which may be 

 in modern hives but having combs so crook- 

 ed that they can not be removed without 

 tearing them to pieces, or they may be in 

 boxes or log gums. Usually the job of trans- 

 ferring bees from boxes or gums to modern 

 hives should not be attempted by a beginner 

 until after he has handled bees under more 

 favorable conditions, but the writer has 

 known several beginners whose first experi- 

 ence in handling bees was in transferring. 

 If it is desirable to obtain a lot of experi- 

 ence in a short time this is a good way to 

 do it, but the ordinary beginner will do 

 well to have a more experienced operator do 

 the work while he looks on. A bulletin which 

 tells how to transfer can be had free from 

 the Bureau of Entomology at Washington, 

 D. C. If bees cannot be obtained locally they 

 can be obtained from a distance in full 

 colonies, small colonies (nuclei), or in comb- 

 less packages. When sold in this way the 

 shipper sends complete directions for tak- 

 ing care of the packages on arrival. The 

 address of reliable dealers who sell bees in 

 this way may be found in thg advertising 

 pages of this journali 



