April, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



223 



H 



OW many 

 in our pro- 



OUTSIDE OBSERVATIONS 



fession arc 

 diligent enougli 

 in taking notice 

 of what trans- 

 pires about tlie 

 apiary and about 

 the hive en- 

 trance? A bee- 

 keeper who has cultivated a trait of keen 

 observation is indeed fortunate. When 

 we leave home for an outyard do we look 

 straight ahead and permit our thoughts to 

 ponder over our probable crop or prices for 

 honey, or do we observe the bloom along 

 the roadside, and record that visited by 

 bees, the number of bees noted on the bloom, 

 what they are gathering, the time of day, 

 etc.? If we are observant we might 

 catch a "line of flight" a.s we travel along. 

 The line of flight is worth studying. Are 

 they our bees? If in doubt, it might 

 pay us to follow up, if only to discover 

 that soUieone had jumped our location and 

 placed an apiary but a few hundred feet 

 from our own. It is not a bad idea to be- 

 come acquainted with the bees in our vicin- 

 ity. Moreover, on some ideal bee day dur- 

 ing April we might spy a swarm along the 

 roadside. In other words, be a keen ob- 

 server and let crop and honey prices take 

 care of themselves. 



Observations About the Apiary. 

 Upon arrival at a yard at the busy sea- 

 son of the year, it is a great temptation to 

 light the smoker at once and start right in 

 on a row of colonies. This is an unwise pro- 

 cedure under any circumstances. 



WatcMng the Flight of Bees. 



The first thing we do is to watch bee ac- 

 tivity, and we walk about the yard and 

 mark the direction in which the bees are 

 going. (In all our observations we take par- 

 ticular note of the time of day.) By study- 

 ing their line of flight a few moments we 

 can judge fairly well, taking into consider- 

 ation several factors such as climate, time 

 of day and year, etc., whether the colonies 

 are (1) wearing themselves out, (2) making 

 a living or (3) storing a surplus. (1) When 

 but a few bees are flying in almost any 

 direction and with no marked line of flight, 

 they fly "wild" and are known as search- 

 ing or prospecting bees. There is then no 

 incoming nectar and, if some colonies are 

 to be manipulated, precaution against rob- 

 bing must he resorted to on the very first 

 hive opened. (2) A fair amount of general 

 activity about the colonies with a marked 

 line of flight, and with the intake of nec- 

 tar balancing the consumption of stores, 

 protection against robbing is likewise in 

 order. (3) The line of flight is well marked, 

 even in two or more directions. Tlie flight 

 is swifter and lastly the tone of the bees is 

 very audible. In fact, upon just reaching 

 the apiary and just after the motor has 

 been stopped, we know whetlier or not the 



Significance of What the Bees Do 



as Seen in External Examinations 



Before Hi'ves Are Opened 



By M. C. Richter 



bees are storing 

 a surplus. The 

 line of iliglit 

 helps to deter- 

 mine what the 

 bees are doing, 

 but hive- en- 

 trance observa- 

 tions are just as 

 important. This 

 subject will be discussed later. 



Mean Bees About the Yard. 

 Another thing we notice upon entering 

 the yard is whether the bees seem unduly 

 cross. If we have some hybrid stock we 

 take it into consideration. However, if 

 the bees seem unusually mean we look for 

 an overturned colony, and not finding any 

 we will ' ' try ' ' several tops to ascertain 

 whetlier or not they are "tight," for per- 

 haps some colonies have been manipulated 



Swarm returning to parent colony. The general 



direction of flight is towards the hive, and the 



bees are rapidly alighting at the entrance, setting 



up their "call" for their sisters to follow. 



during our absence. If the tops be in order 

 we look for skunk tracks. Another cause 

 for meanness could , be attributed to the 

 shutting-off abruptly of a honey flow. It 

 might be added that pure Cyprians confine 

 their stinging to the hive, and that crosses 

 show a most vindictive character for weeks 

 after manipulation. 



Looking for Swarms. 

 We almost always look for swarnis about 

 the apiary and after several seasons learn 

 to know their favorite clustering places. 

 It is a characteristic of black bees to clus- 

 ter higher than Italians. We never take it 

 for granted that we know the condition of 

 our bees to the extent that they won't 

 swarm on a certain day. Surprises are very 

 apt to occur; but, granted that no swarms 

 have issued, it often happens that outside 

 swarms are attracted to the apiary and 

 cluster near by. Aside from natural swarm- 

 ing there are found, but only in poor bee- 

 keeping practice, hunger and disease 

 swarms. In treating for American foul 



