24- 
BEE-=CULTURE. 
Advice to Beginners. 
By Isaac Hopkins, Apiarian, in Bulletin 
18 of N.Z. Department of Agriculture. 
(Continued from last Issue). 
‘V. WORKING BEES ON SHARES 
It is by no means an uncommon thing 
in some parts of America for one man to 
-engage to work another man’s bees on shares 
and I have several times been called upon 
for advice on this matter in New Zealand. 
‘Though not more than two or three in- 
‘stances have come under my notice where 
‘it has been carried out in this colony, I 
have no doubt that it will become more 
common as bee-farming progresses. The 
following briefly outlined schemecoversthe - 
ground, and is the usual one adopted, 
“The owner of the apiary or  bee-farm ‘ 
provides all the bees and appliances in 
good condition; and on™ the» site where 
they are to be worked. The other works 
the bees right through the season to the 
best advantage, and finally fixes them up 
for winter, leaving a winter supply of 
food in the hives. The crop of honey is 
equally divided, each paying half cost of 
putting it up for market, or if each half 
is put up in a different manner each pays 
for his own packages. Should the parties 
-concerned arrange to market to- 
gether, each pays half the expenses and 
the net returns are divided equally. All 
increase to be the property of the owner 
-of the apiary, he, of course, finding the 
hives, The person working the apiary 
will then find it to his advantage to 
keep down ircrease, and work for honey 
only. 
—:0:—— 
VI. HANDLING BEES. 
Before any person can be successful 
‘with bees he‘or she must be able to 
handle: them fearlessly. It is to be ex: 
pected that the beginner. will feel: some 
timidity at first; but a little experience 
‘should enable him to get. over.this, A 
lesson or two from an experienced bee- 
keeper will help considerably. 1 cannot 
‘give credit to the oft-repeated statement 
‘that bees have a particular aversion’ to 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
some people. A person who thinks this 
of himself will feel nervous when near 
bees, and in that condition is likely to do 
something to irritate them, and uncon- 
eciously cause them to attack him. In 
my novitiate days, while I was learning 
how to handle them. I got a fair share of 
‘stings, and this [ think is the experience 
with most people. Experience should 
' bring confidence: if it does not within a 
reasonable time, I think it would be 
better for the person to drop out of bee- 
keeping. 
—Bee veil and Smoker,— 
All beginners should protect themselves 
with a bee-veil, and asmoker is absolutely 
necessary, both to the beginner and to 
the old hand, if he wishes to get through 
his work’ rapidly, without unnecessarily 
killing bees, As for gloves, to me they 
are a nuisance, therofore I never wear 
them. There are specially oiled cotton 
mittens supplied now, that might be much 
better than gloves, as the ends of the 
fingers are freé. Gauntlets alone, or 
elastic bands around the sleeves, where a 
~ person is not working with bare arms, are 
useful to prevent the bees crawling up 
the sleeves. 
Smoke is the best and handiest bee- 
quieter known; a puff or two of pungent 
smoke will send the bees to their honey; 
it does not require much, and when they 
have filled themselves they are pretty 
decile, and can be handled if one is 
careful. ©The handiest. fuel for the 
smoker is old dry sacking rolled up 
loosely. 
—How to Manipulate a Hive.— 
The smoker should be well alight and 
the bee veil fixed. Blow a few puffs of 
smoke into the entrance of the hive; then 
wait for half a minute orso. Nextremove 
the cover without jarring the hive. It 
may be well to remark here that all 
movements about the hive should be 
quiet and deliberate, and there should be 
no jarring of any part of it, as nothing 
irritates the bees so much as jarring their 
hive. ‘Lift one corner of the mat, and 
blow‘another:puffor two down between 
the frames while removing the mat alto- 
gether. By this time the bees should be 
pretty quiet, but keep the smoker near 
by, and if they begin to ‘boil’ up over 
the frames, give them another puff or two 
-of smoke: The frames may now be 
prized apart, and one‘of the side ‘frames 
removed to make:room to get at. any. of 
the others. When) finished, the frames 
July 1, 1909 
a 
can be replacéd in their original position 
and the hive be closed—a screwdriver 
or an old chisel is a handy tool to 
have, 
The best time to handle bees is on fine 
bright days when they are flying freely 
and gathering honey. The beginner 
should never interfere with them on dull 
gloomy days if it can be avoided. 
Bee-Song. 
I suck the dews of May and June 
When blossom time is young; 
All summer long you hear my tune 
In spicy gardens sung; ae 
September days 1 swim amid 
The buckwheat’s milky foam, 
But-never lost and never hid— 
I know the bee-line home. 
Sometimes where plum or peach begins, 
To blush I love to stay, 
Or pasture mint or thistle wins 
My flight a mile. away. 
A thousand circles I describe, 
Yet never where I roam 
Forget my master and my tribe, 
Nor miss the bee-line home. 
Praise pinks and milkweeds to 
bee, 
Wild rose and goldenrod, 
Or call the fragrant basswood tree 
The honey-maker’s god 
But banks of bloom could ne’er delay 
The call that bids me come, 
Nor tempt the hive-born heart astray 
That knows the bee-line home. 
the 
There brim the crystal nectar-cup, 
The pollen-cakes are clean, 
There, soothed with tender 
sups 
The brown-eyed castle queen, 
What wonder that I longing seek 
My walls of flowery comb 
And quit the balmiest posy’s cheek 
To wing the bee-line home? 
music. 
Ye bees that walk on human feet, 
You hurry everywhere, 
But straight for you a shining street 
Leads homeward through the air. 
To find it in your evening flight, 
‘Unlost amid the gloam, 
Have you the light that burns at 
night, 
And shows the bee-line home? 
—Theron Brown in“ Gleanings.’ 
