Apiculture. 
BEE-KEEPING FOR EXTRACTED HONEY. 
By H. STEPHENS, 
Parr I. 
Tre best time to commence with bees is in the spring, about September, or as 
soon as the cold weather is over, although they may be got at any time during 
the summer; but the earlier in the season the better, as they will have a longer 
time in which to gather honey before the winter, and will pay for themselves 
in the first season with ordinary care, and if a swarm ean be secured, the 
expense of starting is very trifling. Most people have seen a swarm of bees 
hanging to the branch of a tree, and have no doubt kept at a safe distance 
away from them; but those who wish to become bee-keepers must not be 
afraid of stings, and bees, when they have swarmed, are not generally disposed 
to use their stings unless too roughly handled, as before leaving the hive 
the worker bees fill themselves with honey, and a bee in that state is like a 
man after a good dinner—not inclined to be quarrelsome. If a swarm of bees 
settles on a branch that can be conveniently cut off, they may be carried where 
you wish, of course within a reasonable distance; but it is best to make a cut 
on the underside of the branch first, as if this is not done the branch when cut 
through may hang by the bark ; but it often happens that the bees are not so 
obliging as to cluster on a branch of this kind, in which ease they have to be— 
secured by means of a box or swarm-catcher, and the plan of working is then 
as follows :-— : 
When the bees are nearly all clustered, place or hold the box under- 
neath the swarm; and then with the other hand sharply jerk the branch they 
are on, when they will fall into. the box, which must be closed at once with 
anything that will keep the bees from escaping, and if the queen-bee is inside 
they will remain quietly with her, and may be left in a shady place till a hive 
can be prepared, which should only require putting in position, as it does not 
do to be behind with things, but everything should be ready beforehand. Of 
course they may be left in the box they were caught in; and if an entrance 
is made in the lower edge, and the box placed ona piece of board to forma 
bottom, the bees will go to work and start building comb just as if they were 
in the best frame hive; but most people who commence bee-keeping will wish 
to start right, and keeping bees in box hives is neither starting right nor most 
profitably. The proper hive to use is what is known as the frame hive ; 
because the bees, instead of fixing their combs to the sides of the hives, are | 
made to fix them into light wooden frames which hang froma rebate in the 
top edge of the hive, thus permitting the combs to be lifted out when 
necessary for observation. ‘This is a very great advantage, and has made bee- 
keeping pleasant and easy as compared with the old methods, when much was 
left to chance. The plan of having the combs built in frames was first invented 
by Rev. L. L. Langstroth, and the frame hive is in consequence known as the 
Langstroth hive. 
Lhe usual number of frames in a beehive in this colony is ten, but some 
beekeepers use an eight-frame hive, which has exactly the same sized frames. 
In this paper the ten-frame hive will always be meant, as that is the kind most 
generally used.* 
* Full details are given here by the author for the construction of a perfect frame hive. 
Exigencies of space, however, compel us to omit this portion of the paper. 
