1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1073 



CAUCASIAN BEES AT "THE CABIN" IN THE 

 WOODS."' 



On p. 753. June 1. I told you about divid- 

 ing a colony of hybrids into three equal 

 parts, giving a young Caueasian (jueen to 

 eaeh of two of the parts. This was the first 

 week in May. I stayed with them until both 

 young queens had begun to lay: then I fixed 

 things as well as I could, and left them en- 

 tirely by themselves for seven weeks. I felt 

 quite a little anxiety during the seven weeks 

 to know whether they would be self-sustain- 

 ing or not. 



Well. I have told you about getting back 

 to the cabin the first week in July: and my 

 first anxiety was to see whether Ijees were 

 going out and in at all the entrances. Sure 

 enough, each colony was working finely, in- 

 cluding the two-story twin hive. Grass and 

 weeds had come up near the entrances, so 

 there was much trouble in getting out and 

 in: but on looking inside I found that honey 

 had evidently been coming in continuously 

 from the first week in May until the first 

 week in July. Before we had been there 

 two hours, one of the Caucasians sent out a 

 swarm. Was that not clever, to wait almost 

 until the very moment I got around? The 

 same colony sent out two after-swarms, but 

 they were both hived in two-story twin 

 hives. The other Caucasian colony swarmed 

 also; and. last of all. a swarm came out of 

 the colony having the old hybrid queen. 

 That made seven colonies from one in two 

 months. The original rather weak hybrid 

 colony was made into three by artificial 

 swarming: the three sent out four natural 

 swarms, making seven. Of course, these 

 young queens swarmed the same season; 

 but their hives were crammed full of honey, 

 and one of them was in a two-story nucleus 

 hive. This one had eight nice queen-cells on 

 just one of the little frames. 



When I made my first trip up to the cabin 

 I carried four nucleus hives in a bundle in 

 my hand; and after I got there I had four 

 more sent me by express, filled with frames 

 of foundation. I mention this to show how 

 little the expense of transportation will be 

 in keeping bees in these two-story nucleus 

 hives. On the page I have referred to, June 

 1, I said you could get very nice honey out 

 of these little* frames, and that is just what 

 the boys and I have been doing for the past 

 three weeks. Either the natural swarming, 

 or the fact that we had Caucasians, made 

 those little hives of bees extra workers, and 

 I lately have, for almost the first time in my 

 life, fallen in love with natural swarming as 



a method of ini-rease. If you keep bees in 

 these little hives it will encourage it: and I 

 think I never enjoyeil any fun as I did see- 

 ing those little second and third swarms go 

 to work antl build up. Of cour.se. they had 

 frames of foundation. But one of these little 

 sheets woukl l)e built out into pretty white 

 comb, quite deep enough for the queen to lay 

 in just over night. Basswof)d came out 

 about the middle of July: and just as soon 

 as the young Caucasians could see they were 

 out and at it: and some of them would come 

 in with heavy loads, even after it was fairly 

 dark. Of course. I cut the weeds away from 

 the entrances, anfl fixed them nice "door- 

 yards.'" The little hives wei'e in the shade 

 of the peach-trees in front of the cabin. 

 Well, it was so easy taking the honey from 

 these little hives that several times while we 

 were eating our meals (and the boys hap- 

 pened to express a wish for some of that 

 nice honey) 1 took a plate from the table, 

 opened the hive, cut out a chunk, and was 

 back almost before they missed me. As 

 basswood Avas not out. the bees were work- 

 ing strong on milkweed on a deserted farm 

 near us. Well, the boys thought (and I do 

 not know but I agreed with them) that it 

 was about the most delicious honey we ever 

 tasted. The combs that were put back in 

 the little hive, with a gap or opening in them 

 would be built up again with beautiful white 

 comb in 24 hours or less. Just think of it! 

 The hives are so light and simple that you 

 can easily carry four of them in one hand. 

 They are'making them a little wider now. so 

 that' with the division-board removed it is 

 just right for five little combs: so that a two- 

 story nucleus has a little more capacity than 

 three Langstroth frames, and the shape is 

 ever so much l^etter for building up or for 

 storing honey than three Langstroth frames. 

 Now, if you wish to keep Ijees in these lit- 

 tle hives you do not need any of the compli- 

 cations of sections and supers — that is. if you 

 want to raise just enough honey for your 

 own table. If the little hive gets too full 

 you can put on a third story; or if you want 

 increase, let them swarm, and the swarms 

 from these little hives are just the prettiest 

 things to play with I ever got hold of in my 

 life.* Whenever any woman or child came 

 on the premises it was a delight to me to 

 show such my treasures; and you ought to 



* When the bees commence on one side of a sheet 

 of foundation, and draw out the cells on this side be- 

 fore they commence on the other, the side where they 

 are at work will bulge outward, making the comb 

 convex instead of fiat. In order to get the combs all 

 flat and straight I looked them over every day; and 

 with the ball of my hand I pressed the convex sur- 

 face back where it ought to be. Well, at first I 

 thought I would have to shake the bees off: but I 

 soon discovered that, with the Caucasians, this was 

 not necessary. By placing the hand gently on the 

 backs of the" bees they will scatter out of the way; 

 but it is just fun to see them hustle back to their 

 work after the hand is removed. When the Cauca- 

 sians are building comb you can take out the frames 

 and pass them around among different people, and 

 they keep on drawing out the soft wax— that is, if it 

 is a" hot summer day, just as they do while the comb 

 is in the hive. Other races of gentle bees may do 

 this, but I never noticed it before. 



