144 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



March, 1922 



THE TIME FACTOR A BIG ONE 



Importance of Being Fully Prepared 

 for the Rush Season. Yard Work 

 Should be Done During Honey Flow 



By M. C. Richter 



TIME is a 

 very impor- 

 t a n t factor 

 in successful bee- 

 keeping p r a c- 

 tices. Good man- 

 agement and the 

 proper planning 

 of work will 

 bring about con- 

 ditions where it is possible for us to avail 

 ourselves to the fullest extent of the time 

 factor. 



Why is time such an important factor in 

 beekeeping, and why should we place so 

 much emphasis on this fact? It is because 

 we deal with a colony of bees that can be 

 worked at certain times only. Such times 

 are relatively short and are, generally speak- 

 ing, during periods of honey flows. Work 

 at such- periods, then, must be definitely 

 planned beforehand, so that it may progress 

 rapidly, smoothly and intelligently. There 

 are many days during April and May when 

 our time may be valued at several dollars 

 an hour. Working weather with the bees 

 during honey flows utilizes our most precious 

 moments. We must do everything in our 

 power so to arrange our work that our best 

 energies may be expended with the bees 

 themselves. A realization of this is of the 

 utmost importance, and it is the purpose of 

 this article to place special stress upon this 

 fact. 



Of course, there is a considerable amount 

 of work to do with bees when they are in- 

 clined to rob, but the work can be mini- 

 mized surprisingly thru proper management. 

 We all unite in saying that there is no bet- 

 ter time to work bees than during a honey 

 flow. Let us then plan our work so that we 

 may take advantage of this most important 

 consideration. 



In early spring, as far as it is possible, 

 everything about the apiary buildings, the 

 equipment and yards should be in readiness 

 for the season's work. We will describe 

 how our plant is arranged, but the reader 

 must bear in mind that the description is 

 useful only in so far as it is of value as a 

 time-saver. The plant is a home extracting 

 plant, located on a sage range and run for 

 extracted honey. The apiary buildings con- 

 sist of a warehouse (storage room for equip- 

 ment), extracting room, tank room, shop, 

 garage and wax-house. 



The Warehouse. 

 Tlie warehouse is amply large enough so 

 that it will accommodate, without crowding, 

 sufficient honey cases, extracting supers, 

 tops, bottoms, excluders, etc. The arrange- 

 ment of the equipment in the warehouse is 

 such that each particular kind of equipment 

 is set off in separate piles. We will take, 

 for instance, the item of extracting supers. 

 There are in the warehouse in March the 

 following: (1) pile of supers containing No. 

 1 brood-combs, 10 to the super, this pile be- 



ing limited in 

 number to about 

 one-third as 

 many supers as 

 we have colo- 

 nies of bees; (2) 

 pile of supers* 

 containing either 

 No. 1 or No. 2 

 brood-combs con- 

 taining eight combs to the super, this pile 

 consisting of about three supers to every 

 colony of bees that we possess; (3) pile of 

 supers containing 10 frames of foundation 

 each to the super, this pile consisting of one 

 and one-third supers to every colony of bees. 

 There are, perhaps, other piles, such as su- 

 pers with wired or empty frames, or the 

 empty supers themselves. In like manner 

 til ere are separate piles of tops, bottoms, ex- 

 cluders, escape-boards, moving screens, nu- 

 cleus boxes, etc.; but in each instance each 

 pile is easily accessible and at a moment 's 

 notice may be made available to a waiting 

 truck at the doorway. It need hardly be 

 mentioned, I hope, that all supers, tops, bot- 

 toms, etc., must be in proper shape before 

 being placed in piles. It is important to 

 maintain an inventory of the various piles. 

 Extracting Room and Garage. 

 The extracting room joins the storeroom 

 and adjoining this is the garage. They are 

 all under the same roof. When a load of 

 supers containing honey arrives at the plant, 

 the truck is driven into the garage and the 

 doors are closed. The supers are then car- 

 ried into the extracting room (a door opens 

 from the garage into the extracting room). 

 During extracting, the empty supers, as soon 

 as filled with wet combs, are placed directly 

 on the truck and are thus ready to go to a 

 yard when the proper time arrives. Here is 

 a saving in the handling of a super of at 

 least once and at a time when time is so 

 valuable. There can be no robbing since 

 both rooms are bee-tight. 



When honey flows are rapid, the extract- 

 ing outfit must be capable of liandling at 

 least a daily output of two to three tons. 

 This is easily obtainable today with our 

 modern appliances. 



Shop and Wax House. 



The shop is a corner in the storeroom and 

 must be fitted so that it will take care of 

 ordinary repairs in the extracting room and 

 on the truck. Tools must always be replaced 

 after being used, and the shop must be kept 

 iu order at all times. Endless time is lost 

 during the busy season, if tliis important 

 rule is not observed. 



The wax-house is a building by itself, suf- 

 ficiently removed from the other, on account 

 of the danger from fire. This liouse may also 

 serve for the purpose of handling American 

 foul brood. Old, broken and diseased combs 

 and scrapings are rendered into wax after 

 the extracting season is over. The same 



