Mysteries of Bee-keeping Explained Part 27

All can understand why it is a loss to have bees eat honey part of the winter and then die--that the honey consumed might have been saved--that it makes no great difference to the bees whether they are killed in the fall or sacrificed in the winter. I am not an advocate for fire and brimstone as the reward of all unfortunate stocks, and shall recommend it only when its use will make it no worse. We will see how far it can be dispensed with.

GREAT DISADVANTAGE OF KILLING THE BEES.

Those rustic bee-keepers who are in the habit of making their hives very large, such as will hold from 100 to 140 lbs., and killing the bees in the fall, and sending the honey to market, will probably continue the use of sulphur, unless we can convince them of the greater advantage of making the hive smaller and have fifty or eighty lbs. of this honey in boxes which will sell for more than can be realized for their larger hive full, and at the same time, save their bees for a stock-hive, making a better return in the long run, than one hundred dollars at interest. When hives are made the proper size, the honey will not be an object sufficient to pay for destroying the bees.

SECTION OF COUNTRY MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN WHAT POOR STOCKS NEED.

The kind of requisite to be supplied to our deficient stocks, will probably depend on the section of country. Where the princ.i.p.al source is clover and ba.s.swood, it will fail partially, at least, before the end of warm weather.

Some poor or medium stocks will continue to rear brood too extensively for their means, and exhaust their winter stores in consequence; such will need a supply of honey. But where great quant.i.ties of buckwheat are sown, cold weather follows almost immediately after this yield, and stops the breeding. Consequently a scarcity of bees is more frequent than honey. There are exceptions, of course; I am speaking of these cases generally. My experience has mostly been in a section where this crop is raised, and will say that there is not more than one season in ten, but that the honey will be in proportion with the bees the first of September; that is, if there are bees enough, there will be honey enough.

WHEN BEES ARE NEEDED.

I have frequently had stocks with stores amply sufficient to carry a good family through the winter, and yet too few bees to last till January, or even to defend themselves from the robbers. Hence I am in the habit of supplying bees oftener than honey.

I usually have some few hives with too little honey, as well as too few bees. Now it is very plain if the bees of one or more of this cla.s.s were united with the first successfully, we should have a respectable family. I have made additions to stocks in this way that proved first-rate.

CAUTION.

Whenever we make additions in this manner, it would be well first to ascertain what was the cause of a scarcity of bees; if it was over-swarming or loss of queen, it is well enough--but if from disease, reject them, unless the bees are to be transferred the next spring, and then, when too many cells are occupied with dead brood, as the bees cannot be successfully wintered.

PRINc.i.p.aL DIFFICULTY.

The greatest difficulty in uniting two families or more in this manner, is where they have to be taken from different places in the same apiary; where the locations have been marked. It is sufficiently shown that bees return to the old stand.

To prevent these results, it has been recommended "to set an empty hive with some pieces of comb, fastened in the top in the place of the one removed, to catch the bees that go back to the old stand, and remove them at night for a few times, when they remain." This should be done only when we cannot do better; it is considerable trouble; besides this, we do not always succeed to our satisfaction.

HOW AVOIDED.

I like the plan of bringing them a mile or more for this purpose, and have no after trouble about it. Two neighbors being that distance apart, each having stocks in this condition might exchange bees, making the benefit mutual. I have done so, and considered myself well paid for the trouble. But latterly I have had several apiaries away from home, and now manage without difficulty.

ADVANTAGES OF MAKING ONE GOOD STOCK FROM TWO POOR ONES.

This making one good stock out of two poor ones, cannot be too highly recommended; aside from its advantages, it relieves us from all disagreeable feelings in taking life, that we can with but little trouble preserve.

TWO FAMILIES TOGETHER WILL NOT CONSUME AS MUCH AS IF SEPARATE.

Even when a stock already contains bees enough to make it safe for winter, another of the same number of bees may be added, and _the consumption of honey will not be five lbs. more than one swarm would consume alone_. If they should be wintered in the cold, the difference might not be one pound. Why more bees do not consume a proportionate quant.i.ty of honey, (which the experience of others as well as myself has thoroughly proved), is a mystery, unless the greater number of bees creates more animal heat, and being warm, eat less, is a solution, (which if it is, is a strong reason for keeping bees warm in winter.)

AN EXPERIMENT.

Notwithstanding all this, I cannot recommend making a _good_ stock better by adding the bees from another good one as a source of profit.

I tried it a few times. I had purchased some large hives for market, and wished to dispose of the bees without sulphur, and try the experiment of uniting two or more. The next spring when they commenced work such double stocks promised much; but when the swarming season arrived, the single swarms, such as were good and had just about bees enough, were in the best condition, in ordinary seasons. Whether this was owing to the circ.u.mstance of there being already bees enough that were beginning to crowd and interfere with each other's labors, and less brood raised in consequence, or to some other reason, I cannot say. I have often noticed, (as others have), that stocks which have cast no swarms, are no better the next spring than others. The same cause might operate in both cases. Therefore it would appear unnecessary to unite two or more _good swarms_, unless it is to spare our feelings in destroying the bees. The two extremes may generally be avoided, and not have too many or too few bees.

SEASON FOR OPERATING.

The season for operating is, generally, when all the brood has matured and left the cells. The exceptions are when there are not bees enough to protect the stores; it may then be necessary, immediately after the failure of honey.

Col. H. K. Oliver, of Salem, Ma.s.s., is said to be the inventor of the fumigator, an instrument to burn fungus (_puff-ball_). By the aid of this the smoke is blown in the hive, paralyzing the bees in a few minutes; when they fall to the bottom, apparently dead, but will recover in a few minutes, on receiving fresh air.

THE FUMIGATOR.

I am indebted to a communication from J. M. Weeks, published on page 151 of the Cultivator for 1841, for this method. The description of the fumigator that I constructed will vary a trifle from his, but will retain the principle. I obtained a tin tube four inches long, and two in diameter. Next, I made a stopper of soft wood, three inches long, to exactly fit one end of the tube when driven in half an inch, and secured it by little nails driven through the tin. Through the centre of this stopper I made a hole one-fourth of an inch in diameter. To prevent this hole filling up, the end in the tube was covered over with wire cloth, made a little convex. The end of this stopper was cut down to about half an inch, tapering it from the tin. For the other end a similar piece of wood is fitted, though a little longer, and not to be fastened, as it must be taken out for every operation. The outer end of this is cut down into a shape to be taken into the mouth, or attached to the pipe of a bellows. (I fitted them in the turning lathe, but have seen them fixed very nicely without.) It could all be made of tin; but then it is necessary to use solder, which is liable to melt and cause leaks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FUMIGATOR.]

"The puff-b.a.l.l.s must not be too much injured by remaining in the weather, and should be picked, if possible, just before they are ripe and burst open. When not thoroughly dry, put them in the oven after the bread is out." When used, the cuticle or rind must be carefully removed; ignite it by a lamp or coal (it will not blaze in burning), blow it, and get it thoroughly started, before putting it in the tube.

Put in the stopper, and blow through it; if it smokes well, you are ready to proceed. When it does not burn freely, unstop and shake it out. The dry air is much better than moist breath at the commencement.

DIRECTIONS FOR UNITING TWO FAMILIES.

The hive to receive the bees is inverted, the other set over it right end up, all crevices stopped to prevent the escape of the smoke. Now insert the end of the fumigator into a hole in the side of the hive (which if not made before will need to be now); blow into the other end, this forces the smoke into the hive; in two minutes you may hear the bees begin to fall. Both hives should be smoked; the upper one the most, as we want all the bees out of that. The other only needs enough to make the scent of the bees similar to those introduced. At the end of eight or ten minutes, the upper hive may be raised, and any bees sticking between the combs brushed down with a quill. The two queens in this case are of course together; one will be destroyed, and no difficulty arise. But if either of them is a young one, and you have been convinced by some "bee-doctor" that such are much more prolific, and happen to know which hive contains her, and wish that one to be preserved, you can do so by varying the process a little. Instead of inverting one hive, set them both on a cloth right side up, and smoke the bees; the queens are easily found, while they are all paralyzed; then put the bees all together. The hive should now have a thin cloth tied over the bottom, to prevent the escape of the bees. Before they are fully recovered, they seem rather bewildered, and some of them get away. Set the hive right end up, and raise it an inch; the bees drop on the cloth, and fresh air pa.s.sing under soon revives them. In from twelve to twenty-four hours, they may be let out.

Families put together in this way will seldom quarrel (not more than one in twenty), but remain together, defending themselves against intruders as one swarm.

I once had a stock nearly dest.i.tute of bees, with abundant stores for wintering a large family. I had let it down on the floor-board, and was on the lookout for an attack. The other bees soon discovered this weakness, and commenced carrying off the honey. I had brought home a swarm to reinforce them only the day before, and immediately united them by means of the fumigator. The next morning I let them out, allowing them to issue only at the hole in the side of the hive. It was amusing to witness the apparent consternation of the robbers that were on hand for more plunder; they had been there only the day before, and had been allowed to enter and depart without even being questioned. But lo! a change had come over the matter. Instead of open doors and a free pa.s.sage, the first bee that touched the hive was seized and very rudely handled, and at last dispatched with a sting. A few others receiving similar treatment, they began to exercise a little caution, then tried to find admission on the back side, and other places; and attempted one or two others on either side, perhaps thinking they were mistaken in the hive; but these being strong, repulsed them, and they finally gave it up. I mention this to show how easy it is, with a little care, to prevent robberies at this season. Too many complaints are made about bees being robbed; it is very disagreeable. Suppose that _none were plundered through carelessness_; this complaint would soon be a rare thing.

UNITING WITH TOBACCO SMOKE.

By the use of tobacco smoke, bees may be united with nearly the same success. First, smoke the two to be united, thoroughly; disturb them and smoke again, that all may become partially drunk, and acquire the same scent. Then invert both hives, and with your pruning tools, cut the combs down on the sides of the hive, and across the top, and take out one comb at a time with the bees on it, and brush them with a quill into the other hive; they immediately go down among the combs, without once thinking it necessary to sting you. When done, the bees are to be confined, the same as in the other method. I do not like this method as well as the first, and do not resort to it when I can get the puff-ball. The bees are more liable to disagree, and it compels me to take out the comb, which I do not always like to do at the time. To avoid it, I have tried to drive them, but when the hive is only part full of combs, or contains but few bees, it is a slow job; and more so in cool weather.

CONDITION OF STOCKS IN 1851.

The latter part of the summer of 1851 was very dry and cold; the yield of buckwheat honey was not a tenth of the usual quant.i.ty; the consequence was, that none but early swarms had sufficient honey for winter; twenty-five pounds is required to make it _safe_ in this section. I had over thirty young swarms with less than that quant.i.ty.

Feeding for winter I avoid when I can; they would not winter as they were; and yet I made the most of them good stocks for the next summer by the following plan.

HOW THEY WERE MANAGED.

I had about twenty old stocks with diseased brood, and but few bees, yet _honey enough_. Now this honey appears healthy enough for the old bees, and fatal only to the young brood.

I transferred the bees of these new swarms to the old stocks with black comb and diseased brood. The bees were thus wintered on honey of but little account any way, and all that was in the others, new and healthy, was saved. These new hives were set in a cold dry place for winter; _right end up_, to prevent much of the honey from dripping out of the cells; some will leak then, but not as much as when the hive is bottom up. Honey that runs out, when the hive is bottom up, will soak into the wood at the base of the combs; this will have a tendency to loosen the fastenings, and render them liable to fall, &c.

The next March the bees were again transferred from the old to the new hives. My method is as follows: As the combs in the hive to receive the bees are rather cold, I set them by the fire, or in a warm room, for several hours previous. I take a warm room before a window, and as some few bees fly off, they will collect there. The new hive is turned bottom up on the floor; the old one on a bench by the side of it, having smoked the bees to keep them quiet. One comb at a time is taken out, and the bees brushed into the new hive; (a little smoke will keep them there). When through, I get the few on the window, and tie over a cloth to confine them, and keep them warm for a few hours longer.

Paralyzing with puff-ball will answer instead, but they do not always all fall out of the combs when the hive is filled to the bottom, and it is possible that if a few were left, the queen might be one. Also a very few bees are worth saving at this season, and the combs might have to be broken out at last, for this purpose.