AlOUST, 1022 



G li K A N T N f! S IN B K E II li T U R, F, 



JLia. 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



NOVEL WAY OF TAKING HONEY 



Getting Away with Load of Honey in Early Morn- 

 ing Before Robbers are Abroad 



No robbing whatever, with its furious 

 stinging, its annoyance to neighbors, its 

 loss or injury to colonies, need be experi- 

 enced, if our plan is followed, for taking 

 combs of honey from the bees for extract- 

 ing during a very light honey flow, or after 

 the flow is over. 



We load the truck or trailer, one or the 

 other, with supers of empty comb, if there 

 is to be a later honey flow, and leave home 

 early so as to arrive at the apiary and have 

 our smokers going in fine order "at the first 

 peep of dawn." One jerks out combs of 

 honey and stands them on end around the 

 hive and leaning against it, or against each 

 other, touching at upper end only, so as not 

 to crush bees. Helpers follow as closely as 

 possible, shaking and brushing the bees 

 from tlie combs, placing them in supers and 

 on tlie truck or trailer. One spends part of 

 liis time in putting supers- of empty combs 

 on the hives, in place of those removed, if 

 there may be a later honey flow. 



By this plan, just as the bees begin to 

 fly freely, we have the canvas tied over the 

 load, and are on our way. The bees are not 

 nearly so cross as when the honey is re- 

 moved during their working hours. Peace 

 reigns in the apiary, neighbors are not so 

 often annoyed by cross bees, and the bees 

 are left free from the robbing mania which 

 results from taking honey by tlie usual 

 methods during a dearth or a poor flow. 



It was claimed by the Pettits, years ago, 

 that combs of honey, covered with bees, 

 coukl be quickly set out of the hive, then 

 picked up and brushed, with far less sting- 

 ing than when brushed at once on taking 

 from the super — and there is some truth in 

 the claim: but, if the "jerker" gets far 

 ahead of the "brushers, " the bees on the 

 combs may become very cross. 



Mr. Goodrich of Fresno, Calif., before be- 

 ginning to extract an apiary, contracts all 

 entrances, so that only one or two bees can 

 leave or enter at a time. He says that 

 til en, even though it is robbing time, rob- 

 }>iiig does not make much headway; for if 

 a super of wet combs is put on a colony and 

 hundreds of robbers are on those combs be- 

 fore the hive can be covered, it then takes 

 tlie robbers so long to find their way out 

 through the contracted entrance away down 

 at tlie bottom, that Avhen they do escape 

 they are no longer a menace and cannot 

 well enter again. 



Very extensive beekeepers have told me 

 that they controlled robbing at extracting 

 time, by setting out a few stacks of supers 

 with empty combs from the extractor, a lit- 

 tle distance from the apiary, to attract tlie 

 rolibers, and repeating this as needed: but 



with our apiaries, this is ineffectual, as I 

 fully believe that any number of such supers 

 of wet combs, short of ten to the colony, 

 only suffices to stir up the bees the more; 

 in fact the entire apiary seems to give up 

 all other activity, to indulge in robbing. 



"The peep of dawn plan" may solve 

 some of 3'our troubles as it has solved some 

 of ours. E. F. Atwater. 



Meridian, Idaho. 



SPIDERS TO CONTROL WAX MOTH 



Combs Stored in Open Hive-Bodies Safe When 

 Guarded by Spiders 



Seven or eight years ago J. L. Byer of 

 Canada told, in an article, of leaving his 

 empty extracting-combs piled up outdoors, 

 trusting the spiders to protect them from 

 the wax worms. The idea seemed to attract 

 but little attention, except that a few bee- 

 keepers poked a little fun at Mr. Byer. 



I thought the plan seemed reasonable, so 

 I tried it and have now for six or seven 

 years trusted entirely to the spiders to pro- 

 tect all empty combs up until time to put 

 on the surplus boxes, and all not in use are 

 left right outdoors the season through in 

 care of the spiders. 



The seasons of 1917 and 1918 were fail- 

 ures and I had about 75 hive-bodies full of 

 combs outside, summer and winter, and I 

 have not lost even one brood-comb or ex- 

 tracting-comb while piled out in this way. 



I let them have a good freezing and put 

 them out early enough to be sure the spiders 

 beat the moths to them. 



They are piled six or seven high with a 

 tight bottom-board and cover, then "stag- 

 gered ' ' in two places, leaving about an 

 inch opening at the front and back as a 

 convenient entrance for the spiders. Later 

 this makes a handy opening for the moth, 

 and I am sure that in every iusfance she 

 will be "meat" for the spiders. 



I have a few times piled up extracting- 

 combs in this way after harvest and have 

 not yet lost a single comb, leaving 90 bodies 

 out 'last fall, and a long hot fall at that. 

 They were left entirely uncovered, were 

 soon well stocked with spiders and not a 

 comb was damaged. 



Combs set out this way after extracting, 

 I watch closel}' to make sure the spiders 

 bent the moths to them, as I have not tried 

 the plan long enough to feel perfectly safe. 



If combs were piled out this way and left 

 spider-tight, 1 am sure they would be 

 ruined, as the moth would lay eggs in the 

 cracks of the hives and the worms would 

 crawl in. 



I don't know whether the moth lays eggs 

 in these cracks when the hive-bodies are 

 staggered to leave openings; but if they do. 



