(g amps. we

 
  

  
  
  
    
   
    
    
    
    
   
 
  
  
 
  

iPRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BE-
< GINNERS IN BEEKEEPING

BY WILMON NEWELL,

JState Entomologist and Entomologist of the Texas Experiment
Y Station.

te Entomologist’s office at College Station in 1902, the edition
gwhich has been exhausted for some time. The constant demand
‘m farmers, fruit growers and others for information which will
able them to keep bees on a small scale makes a new issue im-
 ative, This paper, like the original edition, is not intended for
Vfessional beekeepers or specialists, but for those who possess
le or no knowledge concerning bees, and wish to learn how to care
i’ a few colonies. For-that reason technical discussions are strictly
ided. - -

<By law, the Professor of Entomology at the Agricultural and
hanical College of Texas is made State Entomologist, and as
1th is charged with enforcement of the law for control of diseases
bees and with maintaining an experimental apiary in which ex-
'ments are conducted for the benefit of Texas beekeepers. Several
11a of pure-bred bees are kept on the A. & M. College grounds
i use in connection with a course in beekeeping given to students
o_ the Agricultural Courses of ' study, and for demonstration pur-
zes. A more complete apiary, well-equipped with modern tools and
lements, is maintained by the present State Entomologist on the
zos River, about seven miles from the College. This apiary con-
 at present forty colonies and is used for experimental work
lusively. A small apiary for studying conditions in the south-

gite Experimental Farm at Beeville, Bee County. The results of
eriments under way, and reports on the work of foul brood
dication in Texas, will be given in future bulletins of a more or
'  technical nature.

g early every farmer is so situated that a few colonies of bees can
ilfkept to advantage, but many are deterred from taking up the
 k for lack of sufficient information. Below we give, in as brief
anner as possible, the gist of what everyone should know when
‘:44 up beekeeping, either as an incidental line of work or as
- of his principal sources of revenue. As the reader progresses
xperience and knowledge the‘fa.cts here given can readily be sup-
ented by reading any of the many excellent text-books’ on the

DESIRABILITY OF KEEPING BEES.

in answer to the question: “Will it pay to keep bees?’ ’—every-
lg that can be said must be in the aflirmative. There are but few

The present paper is a revision of a bulletin publishedlby the.

tern portion of the State has recently been established on the’

  
  
  
   
   
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
    
   
  
 
 
   
  
  
   
   
   
  
  
 
 
  
  
  

6 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

people who do not like honey and its production in sufficient qu’
tities for family use is neither difficult nor expensive. Even if r7
does not consider the sale of any surplus honey, he will find u‘.
well repaid for investment 1n a few colonies by the pleasure =‘
satisfaction of having pure and wholesome honey for his own i!
An outfit requiring an initial outlay of from $5.00 to $15.00 is s 1
cient for a beginning in bee culture. In this connection it sho g
be said that only modern frame hives should be used. for there]
little but annoyance, discomfort and loss to be derived from ke
ing bees in box hives or “gums.” ' ‘
Honey is a wholesome food and one that is not without medic’
value. Persons afliicted with chronic constipation often find pe n?
nent relief as a result of eating honey daily. Honey is one of .
principal ingredients of soothing syrups and cough medicines y,
most of our elders know full well how to utilize it in making 1’
excellent and efficacious home-made cough syrups. Commercia
honey is also used in the manufacture of various cakes and coo
as it is the only substance which will keep them soft and moist
a long time. Relative to the food value of honey, Dr. C. C. Mi n
a prominent beekeeper of Illinois and author of “Fifty Years Am,
the Bees,” says: - \ " i
“About sixty pounds of sugar on the average is annually consumed
every man, woman and child in the United States. It is only within t
last generation that refined sugars have become so low in price that th
may be commonly used by the poorest families. Formerly honey was t
principal sweet. It would be greatly for the health of the present gene -
tion if honey could beat least partially restored to its former place l,
a common article of diet. The almost universal craving for sweets,
some kind shows a need of the system in that direction; but the ex g
sive use of sugar brings in its train a long list of ills. Besides the 
rious disorders of the alimentary canal, that dread scourge, Bright’s DE
ease, is credited with being one of the results of sugar eating.” "

Prof. AL J. Cook, untilrecently at the head of the Department ~
Biology of Pomona College and author of the “Manual of the Apiaryf

also says:
“There can be no doubt but that in eating honey our digestive n
chinery is saved Work that it would have to perform if we ate cane sug x
and in case it is overworked and feeble, this may be just the respite th
will save from a breakdown. i,
“We all know how children long for candy. This longing voices '7
need, and is another evidence of the necessity of sugar in our diet. Ch
dren should be given all the honey at meal time that they will eat. It
safer; will largely do away with the inordinate longing for candy g.
other sweets; and in lessening the desire will doubtless diminish 
amount of cane sugar eaten. ' . a 4.
“Sugar is much usedin hot drinks, as in coffee and tea. The substi I
tion of a mild flavored honey in such cases may be a very profitable thii‘,
for the health. Indeed, it would be better for the health if the only if
drink were what is called in Germany ‘honey-tea’-—a cup of hot wa f
_ with one or two tablespoonfuls of extracted honey.” "

The importance ‘of bees in fertilizing the blossoms of fruit tr’
and of other plants, such as clovers, buckwheats, etc., should not 1
lost sight of. Not infrequently orchards have been found to incre
their yields of fruit very perceptibly when bees have been brou‘

,-

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. I

into their vicinity. In this connection it should be pointed out that
honey bees are not injurious to fruits. They never injure sound
fruits of any kind, and it has been repeatedly "demonstrated that their.
mandibles are not powerful enough to pierce or break the skin of any
fruit ordinarily grown. When ripe fruits are broken open or in-
jured by other insects, by birds or by accident the bees will often
lap up the juices exuding from the wounds. In such cases they are
but utilizing what would otherwise go to waste and no greater mis-
take could be made than that of charging them with being the cause
of the injury.

Bees of the proper kind may be kept without danger of people being
stung, even in the heart of villages and cities, if reasonable precaution
is observed. Bees vary in their dispositions as much as do other
domestic animals. One is not likely to be censured for keepinga
gentle collie on the ground that some bulldogs have been known to
bite. No more should a man be censured for keeping gentle bees in
his dooryard because of the fact that some bees are known to be
vicious and dangerous. For use in crowded quarters, where many
people are about, no bees are better than the Carniolans or a gentle
strain of Italians. The Carniolans, particularly, are very gentle and
from their behavior would not ordinarily be suspected of owning
stings. Suchbees as the Cyprians, hybrids between Italian and black
bees, or even black bees themselves, should not be kept on city prem-
ises or where many people have occasion to come near them.

The profit from keeping bees on a commercial scale is easy to cal-
culate “on paper,” but is not always so easy to realize in practice.
It notinfrequently happens that goo-d colonies, properly cared for.
in favorable seasons yield from 4O to 6'0 pounds of honey, selling at
prices varying all the way from seven to fifteen cents per pound. The
cash revenue from an apiary under such conditions is of course con-
siderable, but unfavorable seasons, disease, lack of skill or insufficient
attention on the part of the beekeeper may reduce the yield to much
less than this amount or even wipe it out entirely. Experienced bee-
keepers have learned that they cannot count on handsome profits
every season but find that by judicious management and by caring for
theirbees in bad as well as in good seasons, they get a good average
return from their investments. As to the question of engaging in
apiculture on a commercial scale one bit of most excellent advice can
be given: Do not enter beekeeping upon a large scale under any cir-
cumstances unless you are an experienced beekeeper. Commence with
a few colonies and increase in knowledge and experience as the
colonies increase. If the colonies fail to increase it is a foregone
conclusion that you cannot succeed in the management of a large
apiary or apiaries. Many sad disappointments and much lost capital
amply attest the fact that this is one pursuit in which the novice
cannot expect to succeed on a commercial scale. This, however, should
not discourage anyone from finding both pleasure and profit in keep-
ing a few colonies.

HOW TO SECURE BEES.
If the beginner does not happen to have bees in box hives, the

best plan for obtaining them will be to purchase from one to five
colonies, if they can be secured in his neighborhood. What consti-

8 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

tutes a reasonable price for colonies depends upon many factors]
chief among them being the extent of the honey crop, the strength 
of the colonies, amount of honey contained in the hives, the purity 
of the queens, and the nature and condition of the hive itself. As 
a general rule, and in most localities, Italian or black bees, in bozi 
hives, are worth from $1.00 to $1.50 per colony. Black bees or 
hybrids, with queens of the same kind, in dovetailed ten-frame 
hives, are worth probably from $3.50 to $4.00 per colony. Pure Italian i

bees, in sound dovetailed hives, are worth at least an average price
of about $5.00 per colony. These prices may be higher or lower,

according to relative supply and demand and according to whether a
the purchase is made just before the honey season or after it is over.
Colonies in bee-trees, as a usual thing, are worth no more than the e

labor required for taking them out and installing them in frame

hives. At times, however, sufficient honey is secured from such

trees to make it worth while to remove the bees from them.

The reader is advised to make his beginning with colonies already
in frame hives, as the task of “transferring” colonies from bee-
trees or box hives to modern framehives is not one that is usually
enjoyed by the novice. However, instructions for transferring will
be found on a subsequent page.

LIFE HISTORY OF THE HONEY BEE.

To be a successful beekeeper, one must have a fair understanding
of the domestic life within the hive, and must understand how bees
are reared, comb built, honey stored, etc. A knowledge of these
things enables the beekeeper to understand what operations may be
performed without disturbing the domestic economy of the colony.
Nature has endowed the bees with certain definite instincts. Man
cannot change these instincts, but he can so work in accord with
them that the bees, aided by their master’s intelligence, can accom-
plish far more than they could without it. By understanding the
life history and habits of the bees, the beekeeper cannot only in-
crease the honey production, but he can protect the bees from enemies
and disease and do it without causing the death of a single bee
and without interrupting the regular work of the bees for more
than a few minutes at a time.

Inside the hive will be found three dis-
tinct forms of adult bees: the queen (Fig.
l), the worker (Fig. 2), and the drone

(Fig. 3). n / 

     
 

Only one queen is nor-
mally found in each col-
ony, and her duty is to  
deposit the eggs from
which all bees are
hatched. ' She alone is
the egg-layer and is the
mother of all bees raised
in the colony. Having

no other duty to per- Fig- 2"W°rker Bee-

Fig. leen Bee. _
form, she is specially adapted by nature for her egg-laying duties.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. ' 9

iShe is even fed and groomed by the worker bees, some of which ac-

company her at practically all times and attend to her wants. From
cell to cell she goes, depositing in each a smallwhite egg, cylindrical
in form and measuring approximately 1.8 millimetres (about 7-100 of
an inch) in length .(See Fig. 4). .  

In appearance, the queen is much longer than the worker bee
and is also slightly thicker and ‘broader. However, on account of

a her lengthened abdomen, she appears much more slender. Her ab-

domen is not as distinctly banded as that of the worker, and is
usually of a uniform tawny or brown color. The thorax is almost
devoid of hairs and presents a shiny appearance. A good queen will,
during the height of the honey season, deposit as many as 1500
to 2000 eggs per day. Usually she will continue active egg-laying
for two years, sometimes three, after which time, if accidental death
does not overtake her, the bees see that she is superseded by a young
ueen.
q The workers are by far the, most abundant in-
dividuals of the colony, numbering in strong col.-
onies as many as 40,000. They are the units of
organized labor, and to" their lot fall all the
duties of the hive, barring egg-laying and fer-
tilization of the queen. They build the comb,
gather the honey, feed the young bees or larvae

and other enemies. In appearance, the workers
differ from the queen in their shorter and
smaller bodies and by a marked pubescence upon
the thorax. Both the queen and workers are
provided with stings, but the queen rarely
makes use of hers, even when roughly handled in the fingers
or even mashed. It is thought that she uses her sting only in battles
with rival queens, a wise provision of Nature whereby this all-im-
portant individual shall not endanger her life except in determining
the “survival of the fittest.” The workers, when angered, use their
stings with telling effect, as everyone knows.

The drones are found more abundant at certain seasons than
at others. Especially are, they plentiful at the approach of the

    

~- w. . _‘»...;-_  _»

Fig. 3—Drone.

swarming season in spring. Rarely more than two or three hundred l

are found in a normal colony, and as a usual thing not more than
seventy-five to a hundred during summer and autumn. The drones
may be readily recognized by their large size, as compared to the
-————— - workers, and also by the fact
that their abdomens are blunt
and rounded, instead of
sharp. Big and clumsy, very
noisy, they perform no part
of the daily labor in the hive,
for their sole function is to
mate with the young queens,
which, under ordinary condi-
tions, appear in the colony about once a year, during the swarming
season. They gather no honey, do no work, and consume large amounts
of the stores gathered by the busy workers. At the approach of
winter, or upon a dearth of honey, they are all killed or expelled

 

Fig 4~¢Queen’s egg, highly magnified.

and protect the community from robber bees,

at 711i.

1O “Texas Aeinoinirriiaxi. EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

from the hive, doubtless as a matter of economy. The drone de-
velops from an unfertilized egg, and as the queen appears to have
the power of laying fertilized or unfertilized eggs at will, drones
are produced Whenever needed, as at the beginning of the next honey
flow or at the approach of swarming time. ‘
The egg, already mentioned, when seen under the microscope,
presents a beautiful appearance, its surface being covered with a
fine network of lines. About three days after it is deposited the
egg hatches into a small white larva, or “grub.” At or just before
the time of hatching it is surrounded ‘by a liquid, milk-like food
by the nurse bees. The growth of the larva is very rapid. For
about six days it is- fed by the worker bees, which are serving duty

Fig. 5—A frame of bees and honey, just from the hive (original).

as nurses, and about ten days after deposition of the egg the larva
is sealed over with a thin covering and left to go through its third
stage of existence, known as the “pupal stage.” It remains sealed
over for ten or eleven days, during which time it gradually assumes

the appearance of an adult bee. Twenty-one days after deposition ,
of the egg in the case of young workers, and "twenty-four days in ~

the case of drones, the bee completes its. growth, gnaws open the
covering of the cell and emerges a perfect, full-grown bee. Soon it
grooms itself, straightening out the small hairs covering its body,
and then proceeds to a cell of honey and gets its first square meal
as an adult. After the first or second day out of the cell the young
worker bee takes up. the duties-of “nurse,” and gives food to the
larvae. When the adult bee becomes older it takes up the work of
comb building, honey gathering, etc.

The young workers in the hive do not take much part in protect-
ing the colony against intruders, Bees that have just emerged from
the brood cells can be handled with impunity. It is the middle-aged
and old bees in the hive that make trouble for the operator when the
hive is opened or disturbed.

In looking over the combs in a hive the majority of cells will be
found of a uniform size. These are the worker cells. In spots, and
rarely occupying entire frames, will be noticed cells which are
markedly larger than the rest. These are the drone-cells, making
up what is termed the “drone-comb.” It is in these large cells

that the drones are reared. No material difference in the larval

l§)R.-\C'l‘lCAll INB‘()RMI.\'L‘ION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 11

history of the drone is noted, as compared to that of the, worker,
except that twenty-four days instead of twenty-one are required
for the attainment of maturity.

The life history’ of the (‘lueen is (liscusstad on a subsequent page

77

under the head of “Swarming.

Fig. 6—Piec<- of comb showing both worker and drone cells, the latter largest and occupying
the lower portion (after Phillips, Farmers’ Bulletin No. 397‘, U. S. Dept. ot" Agr.).

HIVPIS.

The “hive” is the box or “house” in which the bees are domiciled.
That they may be properly observed, that queenlessness may be
avoided, and remedied when it does occur, and in order to see that
the bees do not run short of stores, as sometimes occurs when the
beekeeper has “robbed” the colonies too closely, it is necessary to
use a hive from which the frames can be readily removed for ex-
amination. We, therefore, have What is designated as the “frame
hive.” Many different sizes and patterns have been manufactured
and a great variety are in use at present, each having its advocates.
The hive in most general use, and doubtless better adapted to Texas
conditions than any other, as well as being admirably suited for the

beginner, is the one known as the ten-frame dovetailed hive. Such

a hive, with a “super” or upper story, is shown in Figure 7.

The same style of hive is also made smaller, so that it holds but
eight frames. Formerly the eight-frame size was quite popular but
of recent years it is going out of use and it seems quite certain that
under ordinary conditions a vigorous colony with a prolific queen
needs more room in the brood-chamber than is available in the eight-
frame hive. The ten-frame hive is at present the one in most exten-
sive use.

The complete hive consists of bottom-board, hive-body, super and

v" il.-ii_lg_i_-ig. Q gm Q‘. _Q Q _ _ __ _ __ _ ..._. _@_ _._ __A __

12 - TEXAS _ AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

cover. The bottom-board has a narrow cleat nailed 0n top of each
side and 0n one end. The hive-body, consisting of a rectangular,
dovetailed box, rests upon the bottom-board and the cleats support-
ing it leave a narrow entrance for the bees at one end. This is
designated as the “front” of the hive, and it constitutes the only
pasageway which the bees have for entering or leaving the hive.
Inside the hive-body are ten frames, having protruding top-bars,
which rest upon tin rabbets within each end of the hive-body. ‘One
or all of the ten frames can be removed from the hive at pleasure,
and in each one the bees construct a comb.

6'

Fig. 7—’1‘en-ira1ne, dovetailed hive with super. The larger frame seen on the outside is a
“brood-frame,” taken from the lower part, or “hive-body.” The smaller frame belongs in
the super, or upper story. Both frames are seen filled with comb “foundation” (original).

As with hives, we have also
a variety of frames. One of
the most popular and useful
styles is that designated as
the “Hoffman.” By refer-
ence to figure 8 it will be seen
that one side of the end of
each frame has, toward the
top, a V-shaped projection,
while the opposite side has a
flat surface. NVhen the frames
are placed side by side in the
hive,’ these V-shaped projec"
tions keep the frames a “bee-
space,” or the proper distance
apart. This is an important
feature, for when the frames
are placed too close together
insufficient room is left for

Fig 8~—Hofiman self-spacing brood-frames.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 13

the bees to cluster above the brood and _to pass to and fro in their
work. On the other hand, if the frames are too far apart, the bees
will attempt t0 fill up the space by either building additional parrallel
combs outside the frames 0r “brace-combs” from one frame t0 an-
other, both of which are an aggravation t0 the beekeeper. By using
the Hoffman, or a similar frame, the beginner avoids this difficulty,
for these frames are “self-spacing.” Frames which are not self-spac-
ing are now rarely used by progressive beekeepers, owing to the loss
of time involved in spacing them by hand each time the colony is
examined. One of the marked improvements made in frames in recent
years isthe metal-spaced frame. In principle, this frame is not unlike
the Hoffman, but, instead of having V-shaped projections on the end
pieces, it has a stamped metal band running over the ends of the top
and down along the ends. This metal band has on it projections which
keep the frames the proper distance apart. Being tacked securely to
both the top-bar and the ends,- this band gives the frame additional
strength. The bees are not able to fasten together, by means of
bee-glue, or propolis, the metal-spaced frames as they do the all-
wood frames. As a great amount of propolis is gathered by the
bees in Central and East Texas, the metal-spaced frame is prefer-

able to all others in these localities. These frames are slightly more
_ expensive than the all-wood frames, but, as they outlast the latter,

they are much the cheapest in the end.

Before the frames are placed in the hive, there should be placed in
each sheet of comb “foundation.” This is made by machinery and
consists of a sheet of pure beeswax having impressed in it, on both
sides, the bottoms of the cells, as Well as portions of the side Walls.
As its name implies, it is the foundation upon which the bees build
the comb. By its use much time and labor is saved the bees, to say
nothing of the fact ‘that it insures straight combs and reduces the
amount of drone-comb to a minimum. This foundation is fastened
into the frame with a double groove and wedge (Fig. 9) by means of
melted wax or with a foundation roller. After being inserted in
the frame, the roundation should have imbedded in it three or four
small tinned wires, which have previously been tightly stretched
through the frame from
end to end. The imbed-
ding of the Wires in the
foundation is done with a
‘ ‘ spur wire-imbedder, ’ ’ which
is merely a small steel tracing
wheel with alternating teeth.
These wires serve to hold the
comb firmly when built out
and _to prevent its breaking
or sagging when shipped or

.  handled. Under no circum-

 itaiziwaa ixztiaissJsaigtiizissaayiisme sisiisss siisiiid iiiis Wiring is
A. I. Root 00.). omitted, for during extreme-

ly hot summer weather the combs become very soft and easily broken.
They have even been known to melt under the sun ’s heat when not
properly shaded during the hot months. Upon the hive-body is

    

‘v‘__ ‘-.-.___..___

14 TEXAS’ AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

placed the cover. Covers are also made in various designs, but a

good cover should be Water-tight and the boards should be prevented i

from Warping by being inserted in grooved end-pieces. During the

summer months, if the hives are not located in a shady place, a *

“shade-board” must also be placed on top of the hives to protect
them from the sun. The shade-boards can be made of rough lumber,
old boxes or of anything that “comes handy.”

When surplus honey is being gathered by the bees a super, or
upper story, is placed upon the hive-body and the cover on top of
the super. At times as many as three or four supers are necessary
on the hive at one time, to afford the bees sufficient room in Which
to Work and store the honey. (Read the paragraph on “Supers,”
page 26.) g

OTHER EQUIPMENT".

In addition to hives and bees, it is imperative that the beekeeper
have a strong veil and good smoker. Veils of various styles and
prices may be secured from dealers in bee supplies. One of the good
ones on the market is made from black cotton tulle, With a face of
fine silk tulle. The silk tulle does not interfere materially With the
sight. We have found, however, that cockroaches and crickets are

seemingly very fond of the tulle, and sooner or later they 11nd oppor- ,

tunity to detsroy the veil. We have, therefore, adopted a veil made
principally of Wire cloth, With hat piece and neck piece of-heavy
muslin. This veil, besides being insect-proof, admits more air to the
face of the Wearer than do the cotton veils. As the Wire cloth can not
touch the face at any point, it is impossible for the bees to sting
through it. A good veil may be made at home of either tulle or mos-
quito netting. A band of rubber should be inserted in the upper end
of the veil to hold it snugly around the hat brim, and the veil itself
should be of ample length so it can be tucked beneath the coat or vest.
It is also Well to be pro-
vided ivith a pair of heavy
cl.oth or medium Weight
leather gloves, preferably
With long sleeves. Cotton
gloves, either with or With-
out fingers, are supplied
by manufacturers of bee-
keepers’ supplies. In Warm
Weather the beekeeper
Will soon prefer Working
Without gloves, but it is
Well to have them con-
stantly at hand for use
With cross colonies or in
case a “spree” of sting-
ing is started by robbers.
The use of the veil
should not be dispensed
With, even With gentle
Fig. IOQ-Bee veil pf tulle (after Phillips, Farmers’ Bul-beeg, f0? unexpected at-
letln l\o. 39¢, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture). tacks Wm Sometimes Occur

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. '15

in spite of all precautions. The bees can be prevented from crawling
up the trousers legs by tucking the latter in the stockings, ‘oy Wearing
leggins 0r by securing the trousers with bicycle pants-guards.

A good smoker is necessary, Smokers may be purchased at prices
varying from thirty or forty cents to several dollars. For fuel in
the smoker almost any dry material will answer. Dry rotten Wood,
fine shavings, old rags, and oily Waste, such as is obtainable from
machine shops, are excellent fuels. Sulphur should never be used
in a smoker and tobacco but rarely. We have at times addded a lit-
tle tobacco to the fuel in the smoker in order to subdue bees that
were exceptionally vicious and that had to be manipulated or in-
spected at the time. The tobacco smoke stupefies the bees and if used
too heavily will even kill them.

An outdoor box or other receptacle should be provided in Which
to keep the smoker When not in use. Sparks often remain in the
smoker’ for hours arm it has been emptied, hence it should not be
kept in a building. Our plan is to nail a good Water-proof box to a
tree in the apiary, the box having a good door and lock and in this the
smoker is kept at all times.

After considerable experimenting ave have hit upon a method of
lighting the smoker Which rarely fails. A small handful of excclsior
is pressed into firm lump, held over the smoker barrel and a match ap-
plied to its under side‘. As soon as it catches it is pushed down in
the barrel and dry, rotten Wood placed on top of it, the bellows being
Worked in the meantime. By this plan it is easy to light the smoker
in a high Wind, or even during a rain, provided only that the exccl.sior
and Wood are dry.

HOWV TO OPEN A HIVE.

Having adjusted the veil, and

having the smoker Well going,

‘ k‘ blow one or two puffs into the en-
, p trance of the hive to be opened.

i Do this With a strong closing of
the smoker bellows, so as to drive
the smoke thoroughly into every
part of the hive. This does not
mean that the bees should be de-
luged with smoke. All that is re-
quired is that each bee in the hive

  
 
  

 

 \\\ \

t‘,
l

 

 

  , should get a whiff, however light

l \ a I it may be. Next grasp the hive-
-—-_" / cover by one end and gently raise
it, blowing a puff or tWo of smoke

   
  

Fig 11—Sm0ker (after Philli s Farmers’ Into the crevice thuS-made' In the
Bulletin No. 397, U. S. Dept. ofpAgriculture). majority 0f C3393 thls Win be Sllf‘

. ' fieient, and further smoke will be
unnecessary. In case, while working with them, they fly out and
attempt to sting, a little more smoke may be blown into the hive
from above. On general principles, no more smoke should be used
than is necessary to prevent them from stinging. Smoke demor-
alizes the bees, and as considerable time is required for them to
recover from a severe smoking, much time, and sometimes honey,
is lost by them. As soon as smoke enters the hive, and the bees are

11__1.

1 ‘v ‘i.

‘ww~w_w=w-t—_g_g¢ §€

16 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

disturbed, the majority of the workers go to the unsealed honey and
proceed to fill up, presumably on the supposition that their home is
about to be destroyed and in being compelled to leave they purpose
to take with them as much of their treasure as possible. Why smoke
should have such an effect upon the bees is often a source of wonder
to many people. The probable explanation is simple. All wild crea-
tures are afraid of fire and the bees, not unlike other creatures, have
learned by generations of experience that fire is a force which they can
not hope to combat successfully. As smoke is the forerunner of the
fire they doubtless conclude that it is better to load up with their
household supplies of. honey and prepare to, vacate than to attempt
opposition to the smoker and its operator. When a bee is well gorged
with honey it will show no disposition to sting, and where exception-
ally eross colonies are to be managed they will be found more docile
if- a puff of smoke is blown into the entrance about five minutes be-
fore opening the hive. This will give the bees time to gorge them-
selves with honey and they will not be as pugnacious as they other-
wise would be. In opening the hive, if the cover sticks, do not jerk
it off, but use a small screw-
driver, pocketknife, hive tool
(Fig. 12) or other instrument
to gently pry it. Having re-
moved the cover, jar the bees off
in front of the hive, turn the
cover on edge and sit down on
it. Now gently push the frames
apart, or, if stuck tightly, pry
them apart with chisel or knife

Fig._12—Hive tools (after Phillips, _Farmers’ and lift gut the one that is t0
Bulletin No. 397, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture). be examined. ,

It will be noticed that where the cover joins the hive, and where
the frames touch each other at the ends of the hive, is found a gray-
ish-yellow substance of a very adhesive nature. This is “propolis,”
or bee-glue, which is gathered from various plants and flowers, and
is used as cement for making secure all parts and for sealing up all
openings and crevices in the hive, except, of course, the entrance. It
is this material that sometimes causes thecover to adhere tightly and
the frames to stick together. Lift the frame by the ends of the top-
bars and keep the entire frame vertical. When it is desired to ex-
amine the reverse side of the frame, turn it up on end, Without
changing the hold, always keeping the comb in a vertical plane, and
revolve it through a half-circle, using the top-bar as a pivot. The
other side will now be toward the operator, and can be examined
at leisure. This method of handling is to prevent any possibility of
the comb breaking or sagging, and is especially necessary in hot
weather and-when combs are not wired. It is based upon the very
simple principle that the comb hanging directly down from the top-
bar, or supported by the top-bar when reversed, is not nearly so
liable to sag as when the comb is held in a horizontal plane supported
by the top-bar at one edge only. If the colony is in prime condition,
plenty of bees will be found clustered on all combs, the two frames
next the outside of the hive will be found filled with honey, much of

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 17

it sealed, and the ends and about one or two inches along the tops of
all other combs will also contain honey. In the central frames of the
hive will be found sealed brood, which, by its even surface and brown
color, is readily distinguished from the sealed honey, unsealed larvae
and eggs, each of the latter being attached by its end to the bottom

of the cell. This part of the hive containing eggs and larvae is des- '

ignated as the “brood-nest” of the queen, and in it, or near its outer
edge, she will usually be found. At times she appears to take little

excursions to the most remote parts of the hive, probably by way of

exploration, and may be found in a remote corner. Especially if
much smoke has been used in opening the hive, the queen will be-
come alarmed and make every effort to elude the operator by run-
ning from comb to comb, dodging around corners of the frames, and
crowding under thick clusters of bees. A little practice will enable
the beekeepr to locate her easily. The brood-nest may cover the
greater part of seven or eight, or even ten frames during the height
of the honey season, and from this number of frames on down to one
or two in the case of a dearth of honey. During the Winter season
a relatively small amount’ of brood will be found.

After examining the colony, the frames should be replaced in the
same order in which they were prior to opening, in order that the
brood-nest of the queen may not be disorganized. Having the frames
all replaced, push them over against one side of the hive, as close as

they will go, and as close to each other as the V-shaped projections

will allow, They will then be correctly “spaced,” without further
attention, This will, of course, apply only to the Hoffman or other self-
spacing frame. In some localities the “all-wood” frames are used
extensively. These latter are not provided with any self-spacing de-
vice and must be-placed the proper distance (one-fourth inch) apart
by the operator. Their only advantage lies in the fact that they are
a trifle cheaper than theHoffman frame, but the time lost in spacing
them correctly is worth more than the additional cost of the Iloffman
or the metal-spaced frames. The hive, after each examination, should
be carefully closed, pains being taken to see that no cracks or open-
ings are left between the hive and cover through which robbers might
enter.

It is well to keep a stone, brick or other weight upon the covers at
all times to prevent the hives being overturned by hard winds. In
summer, shade-boards should be provided, as above suggested.

LOCATION OF HIVES AND APIARY.

Perhaps the best location for an apiary is in a shady grove of de-

ciduous trees, where there is ample ventilation, and where the limbs
are sufficiently high so as not to interfere with the flight of the bees
or with the work of the beekeeper. Places which are densely shaded
are to be avoided, for in such places dampness often causes the un-
sealed honey and the pollen stored in the hive to ferment or mould,
to the detriment of the bees.
' Each hive should be slightly ifaised from the ground, either by
means of bricks or by specially construcsted hive-stands. The hive
should be slightly raised—-one 0r two inches——at its rear end, so that
rain water beating in the entrance will quickly drain off.

y more commonly called, a number of important points must be cons“,

  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
  
  
   
  
 
 

18 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

All grass and weeds around the hive should be kept cut down, ,
as to afford the bees free passageivay to and from the hive. '
The direction in which the entrances face appears to be of 1i
consequence, except that they should never be toward the north?‘
northwest. Many beekeepers prefer to have the hives facing .4,
or southeast, on the theory that the early morning sun will warm i
hives and induce the bees to begin work early. ,
In hilly sections, the apiary should always be located on the e

or south slope,
In the location of “out-a iaries ” or “out-vards ” as the z
7 a 7

ered in choosing the location. An out-apiary is usually situated seve 
miles from the beekeeper’s home and in attending to it he must trait
back and forth a good many times a year. The first consideration- I
of course, the honey-bearing flora of the neighborhood, for no apia -
can be successful unless the forage for the bees is good. Other thin
being equal the out-apiary should be so located that it can be reach
over good roads, rather than bad ones, as this means a big econo' .
in time and in the cost of transporting supplies and honey to a
from the apiary. A water supply should also be within reach of t ‘=4
apiary in order that the bees may get water at all times of the yea
Temporary supplies of water, such as shallow ponds and “tanks,
should not be depended on for they will fail during severe drout
just at the time when the bees will need water the most. In sho _
common sense and good judgment should always govern the loeati
of both hives and apiaries. _ I

' t 0 EQUIPMENT FOR EXTE

SIVE WORK.

\ I While the outfit describedfj

l’ ' above will suffice for the small?
beekeeper who is producing
honey for his own use, and only?
a limited amount for sale, hej
will find that there are a num-g
ber of implements very conveni
ient, and in case he intends ene‘
larging his apiary ultimately,
implements that are necessary
in saving time and putting his
products into marketable shape.
A few of these will here be men-
tioned. A honey extractor i:
one of the most useful and labori
saving devices yet invented E01
Fig. 13—Two-frame honey extraetzor (aftgr  

Phillips, Fgrniers; Bulletin No. 39 , U. .
Dept‘ °f gnu“ we)’ the combs, so that the latte]

may be returned to the bees to be again filled by them. This save
much time during the height of a honey flow. As it requires sev
eral pounds of honey to make a single pound of comb, it will b-
seen that much honey is saved‘ by thus using the same combs ove

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 19

and over again. The honey extractor is constructed on the sa.me
principle as is the cream separator, i. 9., centrifugal force. The
extractor consists of a galvanized iron can, having Within it two,
four or more pockets, each of which will receive a frame or comb of
honey. These pockets are mounted upon a frame pivoted at top
and bottom, so that it can be revolved rapidly by means of attached
gearing and handle. The rapid motion throws out the honey from
the outer cells of the comb, whence it runs down the sides of the
extractor and is drawn off through a gate below. The frames are
now reversed or turned with the other face to the outside of the
extractor, and the frame is again revolved, throwing out the re-
maining honey. The combs are now ready to be returned to the hive.
Honey extractors are manufactured in various styles and sizes adapted
to more or less extensive WOFk. A well-built. extractor, capable of
holding two combs at a time, such as is shown ‘in figure 13, is amply
large enough for an apiary of fifty colonies or less. Along with the
extractor a honey knife, or uncapping knife (See Fig. 14), will be
needed for cutting comb, cleaning, and especially for shaving the
cappings ofl.’ the sealed honey before it is placed in the extractor. The
uncapping knife should be
kept very sharp, and it
will be found to work best
if immersed from time to
time, during uncapping, in
hot water kept near the
Fig. 14.—_Uneapping knives (after Phillips, Farmers’ uncapping" can ()1- ex-

Bulletin ho. 2-1517, b. S. Dept. of Agriculture). tractor.

While the two-frame extractor is amply large enough to meet the
needs of the average beekeeper, extractors are also made in larger
sizes, holding four, six or eight frames at a time. The six and eight-
frame sizes are rather heavy for operation by hand and they are
usually run by a small gasoline engine of one or two horse-power. In
very large extracting plants the engine also operates a small honey

 

_ pump‘ which receives the honey as it comes from the extractor ant:

transfers it to a large storage tank from which it is later drawn and
placed in cans or barrels for shipment.

An Lmcappiiig can or uncapping box is quite essential when the
honey crop reaches sewral hundred pounds or-more. This is either
a can or box of convenient size having a slatted or screened bottom
to catch the cappings as they fallfrom the knife and having
means for letting the honey drain from the cappings to
be drawn off in a separate vessel. The combs, while having
the cappings shaved off, are allowed to rest on a simple framework
above the uncapping can. Descriptions of the various styles of uncap-
ping cans and boxes will be found in the catalogue of any manu-
facturer of beekeepers’ supplies. In recent years uncapping cans
have been devised which melt the cappings and automatically sep-
arate the wax and the honey. The cappings should never be thrown
away for they are of nearly pure wax and the beeswax obtained from
melting them is the very‘ choicest and prettiest obtainable. The cap-
pings will furnish approximately one pound of wax for each one

““" “ “““ “‘I*€ i‘ t Q ‘i?

   

20 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

hundred pounds of honey extracted. In a recent experiment in which 
1500 pounds- of honey were extracted We carefully saved all cappings __
and they yielded, when melted in the solar wax extractor mentioned 

below, a total of 15% pounds of choice yellow beeswax.

Next in importance comes the solar wax extractor for reducing
combs, cappings and scrappings to wax. This consists of a box
covered. with glass, and having inside it a metal tray paintedblack,
into which the combs are dropped. At the lower end of this tray
are one or more tin vessels for catching wax and honey. When

placed in the sun, the heat of the latter meltsthe comb and allows -
all honey, and the greater part of the wax contained, to run down t

 

_‘.a._..l.r..¢s: “my. i» ' ‘Y  l "

Al‘ .1~;n;.

into the vessels below, from which they can be taken at leisure. 
After being allowed to cool, the wax in the pans will solidify and 

can be taken out in cakes.
apiary, exposed to the direct rays of the sun, and into it should
be thrown allold or broken combs, scrappings of wax, etc. The wax
obtained in this way will in a short time pay for the original cost
of the device.

When the apiary reaches considerable size an extracting house, or
“honey house” in which to keep extra supplies, tools, etc., and in
which to extract and pack honey, becomes desirable. If the apiary
is located at one’s home it is often practical to use-a room in some

regular farm building for this purpose, but when the apiary is lo-

cated at a distance, a small building may be erected to advantage. A
small shed, with clay or wood floor, will answer very well for extract-
ing purposes if made and screened so that bees -can not get into it
during extracting time. -i

A number of Texas beekeepers use tents in which to extract, mov-
ing these tents from one apiary to another as needed. ‘Usually such
tents are fitted with wire cloth in the gable ends so as to give better
ventilation. Still other beekeepers construct large wirecloth cages,

large enough to hold the uncapping can and extractor, and still others,

use an extracting cage mounted upon a wagon. The uncapping, ex-

tracting, etc., is done inside the wagon cage, which 1s covered with y

wire cloth and has a screen door and as soon.as the extracting is

This wax extractor should be kept in the if

finished at one apiary, the wagon and outfit is driven to the next one. _

The individual beekeeper will have little difficulty in" fitting up an ex-
tracting outfit to meet his particular needs.

The bee-escape, shown in figure 15, should be pl-aced at the tops
of screen doors and windows in the extracting room to permit the
escape of bees carried in with the combs. These bee-escapes can
also be placed in honey-boards (Fig. 17) in such a manner that
the latter, when inserted between super and hive-body, will permit
the bees to leave the super but not re-enter it. In this way all bees
may be cleared from the
super before the hive is
opened for the removal of
surplus honey. i

Queen-excluding honey
boards (Fig. 16) are also

, useful where honey is pro-

Fig. 15-Porter bee escape (after Phillips, Farmers’

Bulletin No. 397, U. S. Dept. o1 Agriculture). $3316-

These boards, made

duced upon a considerable .

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 21
of wood and perforated zinc, have
. openings which permit the passage

.. of the worker bees, but which are
too small to admit the queen, By
placing them between hive-body
and super the queen 1s prevented
from depositing eggs in the supers,
to the disfigurement and impair-
ment of the surplus honey.

_ A _ i,

_ _ _ ,_

‘ A 2W — " .

1 I

; V

_- ~ a a ‘ A ‘A ~_- a — 1
~* -—‘-I‘j_“—‘—‘*‘_—€

TRANSFERRING.

There are several methods of
transferring bees from box hives
. W into modern frame hives, 0r “pat-
, s  ent gums,” as they are sometimes
a  ll called. The method selected will
‘  ~:' depend largely on the preference
F, 16_ _ of the individual beekeeper, ’l‘he

1g. Queen excluding honey board. “A. B‘ (1 of Bee GLflturQn a welL

known book on beekeeping, gives the following directions for trans-
ferring:

“We will assume that your hive, or hives, having been received in the
flat, are put together and painted, and contain frames of wired founda-
tion ready- for the bees. Light your smoker and put on your bee veil. Move
the old hive back four or five feet, and put the new hive in its place.
Prepare a small box about eight inches deep, and one side open, that will
just cover (not slip over) the bottom of the box-hive. Turn it upside
down; set the hiving box over it, and then drum on the sides of the hive
with a couple of sticks until about two-thirds of the bees pass up into the

 

' box. Gently lift off the box containing the bees, and dump it in front of

the entrance to the new hive. Make sure the queen is among them by
watching for her as she passes with the rest into the entrance. If you do not
discover her, look inside thehive. If you still fail to find her, drum out
bees from the old hive again until you do get her, for, to make the plan
a. success, she must be in the new hive.

“Return to the box-hive and turn it, right side up and set it down a
couple of feet back of the new one, with its entrance turned at right
angles. You now have in the hive about one-third of the original col-
ony, the combs and all the brood. Allow the old hive to stand for at
least twenty-one days, at the end of which time the brood will be hatched
out, with the exception of a little drone-brood, which will be of no value.
Turn the hive upside down and drum the bees out again into the hiving
box, after which dump it in front of the new hive as before. If the queen
in the new hive is the one you wish to keep, put an entrance guard over
the entrance to catch the young queen hatching in the meantime in the
old hive, for she would go in and one or the other would be destroyed.
If there is no choice of queens, let the second drive of bees go in and the
queens will fight it out. Your job of transferring is now completed, and
all you have on hand is an old box-hive containing a lot of crooked combs,
with perhaps a little honey and drone-brood on it. The honey can be ex-
tracted, or used for chunk honey on the table, if fit for use."

The writer employs a method somewhat different from the above,
involving, perhaps, a little more work, and resulting in more stings,
but offering the advantage of getting the transferring work over in

. blown into the entrance of the box hive. The latter is then removed

  
  
  
   
    
  
   

22 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

a short time, and Without any further attention being required. The “-
writer’s method is as follows: _ j

Bee veil, smoker, new hive, frames, chisel, hammer and a long knife?
(such as a butcher knife) are provided. Plenty of smoke is first i

from its stand, and the
I new hive placed in its

stead, with entrance facing 
in the same direction. The ‘
top or side of the box hive
is then pried off with the
chisel, exposing the combs;
on the inside. Plenty 
smoke is used to keep the i,
bees under control and to:
drive them off of ’ the ~
combs as the latter are re- f
moved. The combs are cut ~
out one at a time, and the7
bees brushed off of them ,’
onto the ground in front :1
i, of the new hive. For this ‘i

 

l purpose a bee brush t Fig. f
18) is very handy. 

All parts of comb c0n- :1

Fig. 17.~Hcney-board with beeescape (after_Phillips, ‘gaining either sealed o1- j

Farmers’ Bulletin No. 397, U. S. Dept. of Agrlculture). Open honey are cut out 
and placed in a pan or bucket to be fed back to the bees at some 
future time. If desired, the sealed honey may be kept for table use. 
The combs containing brood are cut to fit into the frames of the new
hive. These pices of brood-comb are then fastened into the frames i
by winding white, soft, cotton cord around the frame several times, .1
from top to bottom, so that the comb is held firmly in place. These i
frames of brood are then placed in the new hive, and the bees imme- 
diately begin clustering on them. In placing this comb in the frame,
care should be taken to have the same edge of the comb upwards as ,
was upwards in the box hive. After the honey and brood has been f
disposed of as above, any bees remaining are shaken down in front‘
of the new hive and allowed to go in.

Usually, enough brood-comb is obtained from a box hive to fill three .I
or four frames in the new hive. The balance of the frames in the new g
hive should have sheets of foundation (preferably full-sized sheets) 1i
placed in them, with the frames wired, and these frames placed inl
the new hive along with the brood-comb.

If it is desired to feed the honey back to the bees in the new hive-i
and this is necessary if the transferring is done at a season when the?
bees are not gathering honey from tlie-fields—this can be done readily
by placing an extra super (without any frames in it) on the hive, this,
super separated from the brood-chamber by a honey-board or super?
cover with a half-inch hole in it. A plate or tray of the honey is then
placed in the super and the bees, coming up through the hole from the

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 
main part oflthe hive,
*\\ t _ Z take it and carry it
,5  .I.,\U.,L\WYA down into the brood
i” l    'l‘~"l  chamber. As rapldly as
l. l-  . l"! l~ W,‘
i l-l-».i ...l\'l l. \

\ .
» the pla.te or “feeder,” 1s
Fig. 18-—Bee ‘brush (after Phillips, Farmers’ Bulletin No. emptles by the bees’ 1t

g ‘J, i. Git“, ‘at: n‘:
I

 

1| all lJl-l  4“

ill, U. s. Dept. of Agriculture). e311 be refilled and the
feeding thus continued until the colony has stored up enough of the
honey to last until the next honey flow or over Winter.

About a Week or ten days after the date of transferring, the hive
should be opened, and if the brood-comb has been securely fastend to
the top and ends of the frames the cotton cords should be removed.
These should be left on the frame, however, until the comb is securely
fastened in place.

Transferring colonies from bee-trees is not particularly different
from the process described above, except that one must first cut down
the tree and then get at the hollow containing the bees by a combina-
tion of sawing and chopping until the combs are made accessible. They
are then cut out and secured in the frame hive as above described. It
is a. good idea to leave the new hive for a few days at the point where
the tree was cut open. This not only givesthe bees time to fasten the
combs in the frames before they are moved, but allows all the bees
t0 find the hive and get accustomed to going in and out of it.

ROBBING.

If bits of honey be dropped about the apiary, or left where bees
can obtain access to them, this will start what is termed “robbing.”
The bees finding this honey will gather it up and carry it away to
their respective hives. When this supply is exhausted they will
greedily search for more, and if none is to be found will attack some
adjacent hive. If the colony in the latter is weak, the invaders will
conquer, kill a majority of the rightful occupants, destroy the brood
and carry off the honey. If the attacked colony is strong a. pitched
battle ensues, the result of which will be hundreds of dead bees on
both sides, even though the robbers be repulsed. Once in the habit
of robbing, this habit is liable to be kept up for days or even Weeks.
Whenever a hive is opened the robbers are on hand and immediately
plunge in. For this reason no honey should ever be left exposd, and
during a dearth of honey hives should not be kept open longer than
is absolutely necessary.

When robbing has
once started, the en-
trances of all adjacent
hives, and especially of
the hives being at-
tacked, s h 0 u 1 d be
closed down to a small
aperture. Grass, weeds
or Spanish moss thrown
over the entrance of the

 

_F1'g. 19-—-D1'vision-board feeder (after Phillips, Farmers’ attacked hive will also

Bulletin No. 397, U. S. Dept. of Agr.). _ assist its inmates in re_

M ~._...

24 TExAs AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIoNs.

pelling the robbers. Sprinkling the front of the hive being robbed with
water and carbolic acid is also effective in driving away the robbers.

WIN TERING.

In northern states beekeepers find it necessary to place the colonies
of bees in cellars during the winterin order to protect them from
severe cold. i

In the mild climate of Texas such pains are unnecessary, the only

precautions necessary being to see that the colonies are supplied with y
plenty of honey for winter use and that the entrances are not too

large. In fact, the latter should be narrowed down severely during
the coldest weather. ‘ _

FEEDING.

If the colonies become weakened from any cause, and there is,
coincidentally, a scarcity of honey for them in the fields, it will be
found necessary to feed them. Especially must the colonies befed
if they run out of honey during the winter months.

There are a number of devices for feeding the bees, one of which
is shown in figure 19. The division-board feeder is inserted in the
hive-body in the place of one or two brood-frames and the honey or
syrup poured into it from above.

We have often used ordinary dinner plates for feeders, placing a
few sticks in them to keep the bees from drowning. The plate is

placed in an empty super above the broodY-nee-t and separated from A

the latter by a super-cover having a half-inch hole in it.

Feed should be made from one part granulated sugar and two parts
of. water. The syrup should never be boiled, but if one will heat
the water to the boiling point before making the syrup, the sugar will
dissolve very quickly indeed. The hot Ivater should be placed in a
bucket or tub and the sugar added slowly, the water being stirred
vigorously during the operation. The bees should be fed each evening
at or a short time before sunset. In feeding take off the hive-cover,
insert a funnel into the opening in top of the feeder and pour in the
syrup. When feeding to stimulate brood-rearing about one pint of
the syrup should be fed daily, and the amount gradually increased as
the colony increases in bees and brood. When feeding for stores alone,
the syrup should be made of one part sugar to one part water, and
can be fed in larger quantities; in fact, as rapidly as the bees will
remove it and store it in the combs. .

Molasses, sorghum syrup, glucose and the like are hot suitable for
feeding to the bees, owing to the substances they contain other than
sugar. No more economical feed than granulated sugar, or pure honey,
is likely to be found. l“

When honey is used for feeding, the beekeeper should make certain
that the honey has not been produced by a diseasd colony.

HONEY FLOWS.

The period during which the bees are gathering honey in consider-
able amount is designated by beekeepers as the “honey fiow.” Honey

flows may be “light” or “heavy,” according to the amount of nectar‘

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 25

available in the open flowers "or nectaries. The honey flow varies
greatly in different localities and in ‘different seasons. Localities
which afford at least one heavy honey flow each year are, as a rule,
adapted to beekeeping upon a rather extensive scale. On the other
hand, localities in. which the honey flow is irregular or is uniformly
light are adapted to beekeeping upon a small scale only. In such locali-
ties the keeping of a few colonies to furnish honey for home consump-
tion will be found most profitable. There are few, if any, localities
in Texas that will not support at least ‘a dozen colonies 1n each location.

The honey flow depends of course upon the number and abundance
of nectar-yielding plants, and localities only a few miles apart may
present great extremes in this regard. Thus at College Station, in
the post oak uplands,- the honey flow is comparatively light and no
surplus is ordinarily produced except during the blooming of the
horsemint in April and May. In some seasons the bees do not gather
more than enough honey for their own needs and feeding must some-
times be resorted to in order to carry the colonies over winter. Bee-
keeping on a commercial scale in such a locality is quite out of the
question. On the Brazos river, however, not more than seven miles
away, a good honey flow can be counted on and commercial apiaries
are a success. In the latter locality a light honey tlo-w is obtained
during March and part of April from fruit trees, wild plum, haws,
youpon and a number of forest trees. This is followed during May
and June by a usually heavy honey flow from horsemint, and this in
turn by honey from the cotton grown extensively in the lowlands
along the Brazos river.

In the semi-arid sections of Southwestern Texas the honey flows are
usually of short duration, occurring during the spring months. As a
usual thing the honey flow in such regions is very heavy while it lasts,
enabling the bees to store honey very rapidly. The main honey-
yielding vegetation of the semi-arid regions is very different from
that of Central and East Texas, being composed of a variety of
shrubs and small trees known collectivelyas the “chaparral.” Among
the most important honey-producing plants in the chaparral are the
huajillo‘, cat ’s-claw2, huisaches, eysenhardtia“ and mesquite? In
general, also, it may be said that regions of considerable annual rain-
fall, such as those of East Texas, usually yield honey of a dark color
in abundance, though often of excellent flavor. The semi-arid
regions. on the contrary, invariably produce honey very light in color,
of excellent flavor and commanding a fancy market price.

The individual beekecper must become acquainted with the nature
of the honey flow in his own locality, and must determine to what
extent it is constant from year to year before he can gauge the extent
of his apicultural operations,

For the best results in the production of surplus honey it is neces-
sary that the colonies be very strong and have plenty of brood when
the main honey flow arrives. To bring about this condition some bee-

1 Havardia brevifolia Small -

2 ‘Acacia .Wrightii Bentham and Acacia GTCQQH A. Gray.

3 Vachellia Farnesiazra Wright and Arnott.

4 Eysenhardtia OTtILOCGTpG S. Watson. .

5 Prosopis glandulosa Torrey and Strombocarpa odorata A. Gray.

' 26 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. .3

_ 

keepers induce brood-rearing for two or three Weeks before the honeyf
flow by stimulative feeding‘, that is, by feeding a small amount ofi
honey or syrup daily. When there is a light, steady honey flow pre-
ceding the main flow, so that the bees are rearing brood steadilyanrl
in goodly amount there is no need of stimulative feeding. In fact,
feeding under such conditions is very likely to induce excessive
swarming, a thing to be avoided as far as possible. On the other
hand, if there is no nectar available for some time preceding the main
honey flow, feeding t0 keep up the rate of brood-rearing will be found
profitable. Unfavorable ureather conditions preceding the main honey
flow may also result in reduced brood-rearing and this can be offset
advantageously by feeding.

CULTIVATED HONEY PLANTS.

Many people are under the impression that handsome profits are to
be derived from growing honey plants especially for the bees. After
many experiments and much observation it must be said that such a
plan is, in the great majority of cases, unsuccessful. During the past
nine years the State Entomologists Department at College Station
has tested all cultivated honey plants available, such as buckwheat,
trefoil, Euphorbias, rape, soja beans, cowpeas, velvet beans, vetches,
Australian salt bush, borage, mustard, mignonette, privet, various
clovers, etc. While these plants yield honey in fair quantity the ex-
pense of their cultivation has always exceeded the value of the honey
produced, and it is a safe conclusion that the cultivation of crops for
honey alone is not profitable in this State.

There are many cases, however, in which a crop that is of value for

forage or seed will also yield considerable honey, the latter in such a
case being clear profit. Thus in sections adapted to its growth alfalfa
is a paying crop on account of its value as hay and a not inconsider-
able amount of honey is secured from it. The same remark applies
to white clover, which makes excellent pasturage and is a good yielder
of nectar. Buckwheat can frequently be profitably grown for seed
and considerable honey is secured from it, .
- On most premises trees and shrubs which yield nectar during their
blooming periods can be utilized for ornament. Well placed hedges
of California privet add to the beauty of farm premises and the early
blooms assist very materially in rearing of the brood prior to the main
honey flow. Umbrella china, so frequently planted about farm yards,
affords a short but early supply of honey for brood-rearing. Fruit
trees furnish a goodly supply of honey very early in the spring, and
fruit trees of all kinds will be found to bear more abundantly when
honey bees are present to cross-pollinate the blossoms.

SUPERS.

As soon as the bees have filled the hive-body with brood and honey
a super, or upper story, should be placed on the hive. Supers are of
various kinds, according to the form in which the surplus honey is
desired.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 27

If “section honey,” that is, honey stored in small frames contain-
ing a pound each——ready for market—-is desired, a section super must
be used. Several styles of sections are obtainable, a full description
of which will be found in any bee supply catalog.

The best results in producing section honey are obtained in locali-
ties where the honey flow is heavy and fast and where there is but
little propolis. When the latter is abundant the bees stick the sec-
tions together with it and it is very difficult to have the sections free
of propolis stain when they are finished.‘ The production of section
honey has not become popular in Texas.

If extracted, or “separatored” honey is to" be produced an “extract-
ing super” should be used. This may be either a full depth hive-body,
identical with the one used for brood-chamber, or it may be a “shal-

. low extracting super” (see Fig. 7) with frames about half the depth

of those in the hive proper. When the full depth super is used the
frames should all be wired. With the shallow frames this is not im-
perative but when extracted honey only is tobe produced, it is well
to wire these frames also.

Perhaps the most marketable form of honey in the Southwest is that
known as “bulk comb,” or chunk honey. This is sealed comb honey
packed in glass jars, or in tin pails or cans, and having the interstices
filled with extracted honey. Many customers have an apathy to ex-
tracted honey alone, and many others hold an erroneous idea that
honey can not be pure unless they see a piece of comb in it. It is
more profitable for the beekeeper to pander to this notion than to
try to educate his customers as to what constitutes the choicest honey.
The chunk honey is also easily. and cheaply produced and can be put
up for market quickly. Bulk comb, or chunk honey, is usually packed
in three, six, twelve or sixty-pound cans. For shipping, the three-
and six-pound cans are conveniently crated in cases of sixty pounds
each; the twelve and sixty-pound cans in crates of one hundred and
twenty pounds.

Regardless of which of the three varieties of honey the beekeeper
produces, extracted, section or bulk comb, he must adhere firmly to
certain practices if he would obtain the maximum amount of honey.
As soon as the white “brace-combs” o-r bits of wax begin to appear
at the tops of the brood-frames, the super should be placed upon the
hive. Regardless of whether it contains sections or extracting frames,
these should contain full sheets of foundation-or at least starters,
which are merely narrow strips of foundation in the frames or sec-
tions, instead of full-sized sheets. If possible, a frame of unsealed
honey, or a few partially filled sections saved over from the previous
season, or taken from another colony, should be placed in each super.
These “baits” will induce the bees to enter the supers and commence
work much sooner than they otherwise would. If it is desired to keep
the queen from laying in some of the super-frames a queen-excluding
honey-board (Fig. 16) can be placed between the brood-chamber and
super. In case a colony obstinately refuses to go to work in the super,
take an entire super—bees.and all—-from another colony, during the
middle of the day and place on the obstinate colony. at the same time

,..;‘.:Tr;t;_....‘incxxi n, .

28 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

transferring the empty super to the other colony?‘ This exchange
of supers will in the majority of cases start them to work in good
shape. As soon as the first super is three-fourths filled, lift it up and
insert another empty one beneath it. By the time this is half filled,

, or over, the upper one should be nearly or completely finished and

capped. This process of “tiering up” may be continued until the
honey flow is nearly over, but care must be exercised towards the
last or a number of unfinished combs will remain in the supers. Be-
fore being removed from the hive all honey should be sealed. This
indicates that it is sufficiently evaporated or “ripened” so that it will
keep. If sufficient supers are not on hand to tier up during the entire
honey flow, it will of course be necessary to extract from time to time,
or remove the completed combs and substitute empty ones in their
place. The same Will hold true of those localities with an exceptionally
heavy flow. In no case should honey be taken off before sealed, as
by so doing its keeping qualities will be impaired and it will later
turn sour or spoil.

MARKETING HONEY.

For those who are not extensive producers of honey it is best to
create and depend upon a local market. Honey is esteemed a delicacy
and in every locality some buyers will be found. If the beekeeper
will practice strict cleanliness in his work, offer for sale only honey
of good flavor, thoroughly ripened, and advertise to some extent he
will have no trouble in building up a local trade at fair prices.

When the crop is so heavy that it cannot be disposed of locally, the
honey can be sold to firms ‘which make a business of buying and
selling honey, or it can be shipped to reliable commission men.

Many extensive beekeepers find it profitable to work up a trade
with grocers and others in distant as Well as in local towns, thereby
combining marketing with production and getting the profits of both.

FRAUDULEN T PACKING.

A deceptive method of packing bulk comb honey has recently come
to our attention and it cannot be too strongly condemned, both by cus-
tomers and honest beekeepers. As explained on a preceding page, bulk
comb honey, when properly packed, consists of cans filled full of comb
honey, the latter cut into just as large pieces as will go into the can.
What few openings then remain are filled with extracted honey.

Some beekeepers ‘have, however, adopted the plan of filling the
honey cans only about one-third full of comb and then filling up the

~ can with extracted honey. Of course the pieces of comb float on top

of the extracted honey and when the customer takes off the cover the
can appears to be filled with comb honey. The deception is not dis-
covered until the customer has purchased the can and used out about
a fourth of its contents. Such a deception is little short of actual
fraud, for bulk comb honey usually sells at from two to five cents
per pound higher than extracted and when the customer pays the

“This can be done only when a queen-excluder is used, or after the queen has been definitely
located in the lower portion oi the hive; otherwise the queen might be carried along in the
transfer of supers.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 29

higher price for bulk comb he is certainly entitled to it, not to a
mixture containing 75 ‘per cent of a lower priced honey,

BEESWAX.

Beeswax is a product of the bees, and makes up the larger part of
the constituents of the comb. When the necessity for comb building
occurs in the hive, as at the approach of the swarming season and
the honey flow, a greater or lesser number of bees gorge themselves
with honey and cluster from the top of the hive or upon a comb, re-
maining quiet for some time. Presently (varying from one-half to
three days, according to different authorities) little scales of wax
appear upon the under side of the abdomen, being the resulting
secretion of certain glands located at that point. These minute scales
are then taken-probably in the majority of cases by other bees-and
carried to the newly building cells. Here by being thoroughly
worked up and mixed with secretions, they are added to the founda-
tion to make the complete comb, or built directly into comb if founda-
tion is not present. Ordinary comb is therefore made up largely, but
not entirely, or pure wax. In xvorking about the apiary all bits of
comb, spoiled or broken foundation, burr and brace combs, etc.,
should be placed in the solar wax extractor. These small savings will
in the course of a season amount to considerable, and will more than
pay for the time and trouble required. In order to whiten the Wax
and make it more presentable, it may be placed in the solar wax ex-
tractor several times in succession, the sunlight having a marked
bleaching effect upon it. Wax is in good demand by all manufac-
turers of foundation and bee supplies, and commands a ready sale
at all times. Wax should never be adulterated in any way. Aside
from moral reasons, such adulteration is readily detected and, fur-
thermore, any adulteration renders wax entirely worthless.

SWARMING.

All forms of life, that they may not become extinct, .have some
method of reproduction. In the case of the greater number of animals
this reproduction is merely the reproduction of individuals. In the
case of bees it will be seen that the increase of individuals alone would
only result in the strengthening or maintenance of the colony. Were
reproduction of individuals the only method of increase, the species
would ultimately become extinct, for a colony under natural condi-
tions cannot exist indefinitely. In all forms of communistie life in
the animal kingdom, we find also a. division of communities or colonies.
In the case of bees this division takes the form of “swarming,” and
will be briefly described.

In the spring when the plants are yielding plenty of nectar and
pollen, the combs are being rapidly filled-with honey and the bees are
increasing rapidly within the hive, the bees become possessed of the
“swarming fever.” Regarding the cause or nature of this but little
is understood, except that it is the instinct calling for a division of the
commonwealth. The changes that take place within the hive at such
times are well understood, however remote the real nature of the
swarming fever. At this time the bees evidently prepare specially con-

30 - TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

structed cells, in which the queen deposits eggs, these eggs differing
in no way from those which regularly produce workers. As soon as
hatched, the young larvae in these cells are fed by the nurse bees with
a special food designated as “royal jelly.” Regarding the nature and
composition of the royal jelly little is known, except that through
its influence and great abundance the sexual organs of the larvae are
fully developed during growth and do not remain rudimentary and
useless as in the case of the Worker bee. The queen-cell is much larger
than the ordinary cell, and is elongated so as to form a cone-shaped
receptacle, very easily found upon the comb, usually at the lower
edge. The queen requires a shorter time for development than does
the worker, and during her entire larval and pupal stages is protected
by the bees from the old queen who, if permitted, would destroy her.
Nine days after‘ the egg is deposited the queen-cell is sealed over and in
seven days more the perfect queen emerges. At this time or before,
weather conditions being favorable, the old queen and a large portion
of the bees in the hive swarm out and seek for another location. Soon
after leaving the hive they usually cluster on a limb or bush and re-
main there for some time, varying from a few minutes to several
hours. It is supposed that while thus clustered they send out scouts
to find a suitable location, as a hollow tree, wherein the new colony
can make its home. This habit of clustering before leaving the vicinity
makes it possible. for the apiarist to capture the new swarm, al-
though in some cases it "departs from the apiary without showing any
inclination to cluster. Evidence is at hand, also, that a swarm may
wander about for several days or longer, gradually losing in numbers
until entirely destroyed.

When clustered upon a limb the colony is easily secured by cutting
off the limb and shaking the entire swarm off onto the ground in front
of the hive which it is desired it shall occupy. This ‘hive should be
prepared beforehand and placed in its permanent location awaiting
the swarming of the bees. The frames should all contain full sheets
of foundation, wired, and when the swarm is placed in the hive a
frame of brood, without bees, should be taken from another colony
and placed therein. This will insure the bees remaining in the new
hive. The super should also be placed upon the hive at once, as im-
mediately following the swiarming experience the bees repair to work
with much vigor. A device known as a “swarm-catcher” is sometimes
used for taking a swarm from a high limb (Fig. 22).

PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF SWARMING.

The control of swarming is closely coupled with the question of
surplus honey production. Inasmuch as the honey-gathering ability
of a colony depends primarily upon the number of workers in the hive
it will be seen that it is of decided advantage to keep all colonies as
strong in numbers as possible. Swarming decreases the number of
bees in the colony, and could it be entirely prevented would very ma-
terially increase the honey production. Where increase is desired it
is advisable to allow each colony to cast one swarm a season, and for
the beginner we would not advise the attempt to control swarming
by any of the complicated methods often recommended in bee journals.
None of them are perfect and considerable loss of time and labor, be-

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 31

sides confusion, may result if the inexperienced bee keeper attempts
to solve this problem—one which should be attempted only by ex-
perienced apiarists. -

Upon one important point, however, experienced beekeepers are
fully agreed and that is the fact that a crowded condition of the hive
is what precipitates swarming. As soon as the hive becomes packed
with honey the bees will prepare to swarm, but by furnishing an
abundance of super room the beekeeper can defer swarming for a
considerable time and sometimes prevent it entirely. If surplus
honey, rather than increase of bees, is desired the beekeeper should see
that the bees are supplied with plenty of super room during the early
part of the season and all during the honey flow.

A few practical methods have been devised by which swarming may
be anticipated, as it were, and increase of the colonies made without
swarming. One of the most successful of these methods is the one
known as the “shaking” method, frequently employed in Texas.
Briefly, this is as follows: When the swarming fever is fairly 0n, the
old hive is removed from its stand and a new hive put in its place
containing frames with full sheets of foundation. The super, bees
and all, is now taken from the old hive, and placed upon the new. The
combs are then taken from the old hive and the bees shaken off in
front of the new hive. The queen is also placed in the new hive. The
old hive, now containing nothing but brood in all stages and a few bees,
is placed in a new location, the entrance narrowed down to a small
aperture and left to itself. The bees in this hive, hatching rapidly,
will care for the brood and will rear a queen from among the young
larvae; hence at the end of 21 days it will be a complete colony. In-
stead of allowing the bees to rear a queen, a mature queen or a “ripe”
queen-cell (a cell in which the queen is nearly ready to emerge) can
be given this colony. It is supposed that the rough handling, shaking
and entering the new hive in a way satisfies the swarming fever
of the bees, and upon this point apparently rests the success of the
method. If no increase in the number of colonies is desired the shak-
ing process can be modified to meet this requirement. When all the
brood in the old hive has hatched, which will be at the end of 21 days
after the shaking, the bees can be shaken off the combs in front of
the new hive. They will be readily accepted and as the swarming
fever will have been overcome in the meantime the colony will now
possess its original number of workers. The frames in the old hive
may be used in the building up of neuclei or the honey may be ex-
tracted from them and the frames used in extracting supers or in
brood-chambers of other colonies.

“Artificial division” of the colonies is sometimes resorted to Where
increase in the number of colonies is especially desired. When the
colony is nearly ready to swarm the queen and four or five frames of
bees and brood are placed in a new hive and the latter moved to a
new stand. 'I‘he extra space in both hives is filled with frames con-
taining full sheets of foundation. At least one queen-cell is left in
the colony occupying the old stand and within a few days this colony
has a laying queen. This division may be made even before swarming
time so that the young colonies will have opportunity to gain strength

32 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

before the honey flow. Division should not be made in any case un-
less the colony is very strong and it must not be made too early‘ in the
spring or “chilling’ of the brood may occur during cool nights. In
short, considerable experience is necessary in order to make this
method a success, and the beginner, if he attempts artificial division
at all, should try it only when the colony is nearly ready to swarm.

Prevention of swarming by proper manipulation of the “divisible
brood-chambcr” hive is said to give good results in the hands of ex-
perts; but the use of such a hive by the amateur beekeeper is not to
be recommended.

Where natural
swarming is allowed by
the beekeeper, several
plans may be resorted
to with success to pre-
vent the issuing swarms
from leaving the apiary.
Among these we may
mention clipping the

 2°.:.2P;Y.;i:.%;“r.:idare.‘gepszzifezfxigias: Fm“- gjg-jsseojftfge gggff; 33g
queen trap, or the entrance guard. At the approach of swarm-
ing time the queen in each hive may be caught and the outer por-
tion of the wing on one side clipped off, care being taken not t0 cut
too close to the body. The queen should always be picked up by the

 

wings or thorax from the combs, whether for clipping or not, and.

never handled by the abdomen. In clipping the wings hold the
queen between the-thumb and forefinger of the left hand, grasping
her by the thorax. The outer portion of the wing can now be clipped
off with a. small pair of scissors, and the queen gently replaced upon
the comb. In the absence of scissors the wing can be taken off with
theblade of a sharp pocket knife, by" so holding the queen that the
wing to be clipped lies flat upon some smooth wooden surface, as
upon the top of the hive, and the edge of the knife blade pressed
down upon it. When a swarm emerges from a colony having a clipped
queen the queen will attempt to follow but being unable to fly will
fall in front of the entrance or near it where she can be readily
picked up by the apiarist. The swarm may continue flying in the air
for some time, usually long enough for the apiarist to remove the old
hive and substitute a new one. The swarm, finding its queen missing,
will return to the old stand and enter the new hive placed to receive
it. While the swarm is entering, the old queen is released and al-
lowed to enter with‘ it. The hive containing the brood, swarm and
young queen, or queen-cell, is placed on a new stand. The device shown
in Fig. 20, known as the "drone and queen trap, is used in muchthe
same way. As will be noticed from the figure, this trap exactly fits
over the entrance to a hive and no bees can enter or leave without
passing through the oblong openings in the perforated zinc of which
the trap is made. These openings are of such a size that workers may
pass through readily, but neither drones nor queens can pass at all.

_ PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN IBEEKEEPING. 33

Above the lower part of the
trap is a. separate compart-
ment, having openings lead-
ing into it from below, large
enough to admit queen or

cones of Wire netting. The
queen, in attempting to es-
 a   ~ cape from the hive with the
Fig. 21—Entrance guard. emerging swarm and finding

. herself unable to pass
through the smaller openings, passes into the upper compart-
ment and is trapped. The trap and all can now be removed by the
apiarist. The old hive is removed and a new one put in its place as
before. When the swarming bees return the queen is released from
the trap and allowed to enter with them. This same device is also

    

drones, and covered with

used for catching the drones from a colony where they are no longer

needed for fertilizing queens, or where the drones come of stock
which we do not wish to mate with select queens. The entrance guard,
shown in figure 21, is used in a similar way, except that it will not
trap either drones or queens, although it will prevent them leaving the
hive.- This is especially useful to prevent the flying of drones from
undesirable colonies when the mating of young queens is in process.

UNITING WEAK COLONIES.

It sometimes happens that autumn will find the beekeeper with sev-
eral weak colonies upon his hands. These may be swarms which issued

late in the season or they may result from queenlessness or other.

causes. It is well to “unite” these into strong» colonies so they will
withstand the winter in better shape. Nothing is lost by uniting them.
Though the number of colonies retained by the beekeeper is dimin-
ished, he nevertheless still has on hand the same number of bees and,
after uniting the weak ones, has colonies which w'ill be likely to survive
the winter and be in prime condition for work at the beginning of the
spring hon ey’ flow.

A number of different methods of uniting are explained in text-
books on bee culture, but one which was brought to our attention by
Mr. E. G. Le Stourgeon of San Antonio is far and away so much
better than any other we know of that we hardly deem it necessary

to describe any other. Mr. Le Stourgeon’s method of uniting is as

follows:

The queen should first be removed from the weaker colony, or if
the queen in one of the hives is a poor one, she should be the one
removed. The cover is now taken off both colonies and two sheets
of ordinary newspaper laid completely over the top of the strongest
colony, so that no openings remain. The brood-chamber of the weaker
colony is then lifted bodily from its bottom-board and placed on top
of the stronger colony. The hive-cover is placed on top of the upper-
most hive-body and is lifted a very small space for a few toothpicks
stuck in between the cover and upper edge of the hive-body. We
thus have the two colonies on one stand, one above the other, but
separated from each other by the two thicknesses of newspaper. The

34 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT ST1\TIONS.

bees on both sides of the newspaper immediately begin cutting and 

by the time they have cut through the paper (twenty-four to forty-
eight hours) they will have become “acquainted” and will not
fight. The toothpicks are placed under the cover t0 give the bees

in the upper chamber ventilation until the papers have been perfor-
ated. About two days after uniting in this way the beekeeper should -

open the hive and remove the pieces of paper remaining. We have
tried this method several times and in every case the results have
been entirely satisfactory.

QUEEN-RErARYING.

Queen-rearing is a highly specialized branch of the industry and
in a bulletin like the present one it is not deemed advisable to discuss
the methods in use. The average beekeeper should know, however,
what to do in case any of his colonies become queenless through care-

- less handling, accident-or
(itherwise. When a colony
becomes queenless and
there are eggs or very
young worker larvae in the
hive the bees will rear a
queen themselves without
further attention. If, how-

ever, they are “hopelessly
queenless,” that is, have
neither brood, eggs nor
queen, they can be given a
frame of young brood
from another colony and
they will then proceed to
rear a queen. In prefer-
ence to the above, the bee-
keeper may purchase a
queen from some of the
-  queen-breeders who‘ make
Fig. zz—Manum Zwaiirn-gitgilgiiréglsievice (courtesy of 3, Spemalty (yf real-lug
them. Under present con-
ditions, and considering the cheapness of queens, it will not usually
pay the amateur beekeeper to rear queens of his own. They can be
purchased at about the following prices: Untested, 65c to $1.00;
tested, 85c to $1.50, according to the season of the year. An “un-
tested” queen is one which has been fertilized and has already de-
posited eggs, but which has not been kept sufficientlylong to see that
her bees, when matured, prove that she has been mated to a drone of
the same race as herself. A" “tested” queen is on that is not only
known to be mated, but is positively known to be purelymated, that
is, to a ‘drone of her own race. To distinguish these from a queen
that has not yet mated, the latter is designated as a “virgin” queen.
The beekeeper who wishes to study queen-rearing in detail, with a
view to rearing his own queens, should consult some of the text-books
upon bee culture, or books which are devoted exclusively to the sub-
ject of queen-rearing. '

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 35

By consulting the advertisements in the various bee journals, the
beginner will find the addresses of queen-breeders throughout the
country, together with the races and strains of which they make a
specialty. As a usual thing, queen-breeders are found to be reliable.
The fact is that the continuance of their business depends largely
upon the purity of the queens they ship. Fortunately, none of the
bee journals will knowingly accept an advertisement from an un-
reliable party, and this makes it well-nigh impossible for a fraudulent
queen-breeder to remain long before the people

‘ ‘ LAYING WORKERS. ’ ’

This is a condition which is most annoying to the apiarist. When
a colony has been queenless for a considerable time some of the work-
ers seem to get the idea that they are queens. At any rate they pro-
ceed to deposit eggs, but these eggs, being unfertilized, hatch only
into drones. The bees in the colony soon get lazy and do little if. any
work. This condition can be detected by (1) absence of any queen in
the hive, (2) the irregular manner in which the eggs are deposited
by the laying workers, (3) the bullet-shaped cappings over the drone
pupae in the worker-cells and, if the colony has been queenless for
a long time, (4) the abnormally large number of drones present in
proportion to workers. The bees are also constantly building queen-
cells over the male (drone) larvae and trying to make queens of
them—a very hopeless ambition indeed. _

Colonies having laying workers will very rarely accept a good queen
when she is introduced and will sometimes kill as many as a dozen
queens in succession. It is usually a waste of time and money to try
queening a laying-worker colony. However, one always wishes to save
the bees and combs and make use of them. A plan often adopted by
Texas beekeepers and the most successful plan we know of, is as fol-
lOWS: '

The laying-worker colony is picked up, hive and all, and carried a
few hundred yards from the apiary. Here all the combs are taken
out and (all bees shaken or brushed onto the ground. They are left
there and the empty hive and its combs carried back to the original
location, Most of the workers will get back there before the hive
does and practically all of them will be back in the hive in an hour or
so. The laying workers (which can not be distinguished from other
workers) however, possessing certain queen characteristics, do not
find their way back to the hive and are lost. At any rate the method

usually works and after this treatment, a queen can be introduced or, '

better yet, the colony can be united with a good strong colony having
a laying queen, by the process just ‘described under the head of
“Uniting.”

ENEMIES OF BEES.

The beekeeper, like those engaged in all other pursuits connected
with agriculture, has enemies to contend with. The enemies of bees
and their products fall naturally into two classes; the insect enemies,
and the diseases caused by bacteria, moulds or pathological conditions.

36 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

THE WAX-WORM.

The wax-worm is the cause of constant and often heavy losses
where bees are kept in box hives, or where the colonies are allowed
to become weakened. To the progressive beekeeper, however, this
pest offers few terrors.

The adult insect is a small brownish moth that may be seen flitting
about empty combs, abandoned hives and similar places, always
searching for a place to deposit her eggs. The latter are laid by pref-
erence upon the combs themselves but are often laid in cracks and
crevices of the bee hives or in particles of beeswax or stored honey

kept in the extracting house or other building. The eggs hatch into

small, ash-colored worms which, when mature, are about an inch in
length. These worms eat their way through the combs, destroying
any bee larvae that may be in their way. They spin a silken web as
they go, and a badly infested comb soon becomes a filthy mass of
worms, excrement and webs.

The first requisite infighting these pests is to have the bees in noth-
ing but good, tight, modern frame hives.‘ Nothing can be accom-
plished against this nuisance Where bees are kept in box hives or
“gums.” In a frame hive all combs can be taken out by the bee-

keeper and examined for the worms, When they are detected they;

can be cut out of the combs with the point if a knife and destroyed.
The silken galleries through the combs at once indicate their where-
abouts. In addition to destroying the worms found in the combs, the
bottom-boards of the hives should be kept cleaned of all trash and
cuttings. t

The second requisite is to have all the colonies strong, that the bees
themselves may fight the moths successfully. Italian bees are rarely
troubled by the wax-worm, and in localities where the wax-moth is
prevalent the beekeeper should Italianize his bees, that is, he should
secure Italian queens from some reliable queen-breeder and introduce
them into his colonies. This is not an expensive or difficult process.
It is only necessary to purchase the queens and, upon their arrival,
follow the directions for introducing which are furnished by all
queen-breeders. .

Every particle of wax and comb that is left lying about, either out
of doors or within, furnishes a breeding place for the moths—a source
of supply from which moths may go to the hives containing bees and
there continue their increase and damage. It is therefore of prime im-
portance that the utmost cleanliness be maintained by the beekeeper
in all his work and no breeding places left in which the moths can
increase. The wax-worm is especially liable to attack stored comb
honey, empty combs or “bait” combs being kept over from one sea-
son to another. Even~when such materials are kept in tight supers
or boxes too tight for the moths to got at them—they will become in-
fested by the “worms” or larvae. This is probably brought about
by the wax-moth depositing her eggs on the outside of the receptacle
and the minute larvae crawling inside soon after hatching from the
eggs. Stored combs should be examined from time to time and at
the first evidence of attack should be fumigated with bisulphidepof
carbon (“high-life”). We have found it necessary during the sum-
mer months to examine combs of this kind at least once a week and

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR‘ BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. .37

during the winter season at least once in every two weeks in order to‘
prevent serious damage by the larvae. Fumigation of combs or comb-

honey With the bisulphide of carbon is by no means difficultor ex-
pensive and the flavor of the honey is not impaired by the use of this
chemical. Supers or hive-bodies containing the combs to be treated
are tiered one above another, the bottom one resting on a perfectly
tight floor or level board free from cracks On top of the tier an
empty super is placed and all cracks between the hive-bodies made
as nearly air-tight as possible. A saucer containing a few table-
spoonfuls of the bisulphide is now placed on top of the highest row
of frames and the tier covered over with a heavy blanket and allowed
to remain for several hours. It should be borne in mind that the
carbon bisulphide is highly inflamable, and under some conditions
explosive, hence care must be taken in its use and handling to avoid
proximity to fire of any kind; lighted lamps, lanterns, pipes, stoves,
etc. A better plan during summer, when combs are found to be in-
fested, is to place them over a strong colony of Italian bees. The lat-
ter will make quick work of the moth larvae. In short, this is the
best place to keep such combs, supers, etc., at all times. Strong colo-
nies, in good frame hives, are rarely if ever attacked by the wax-moth.
To summarize the means of dealing with the wax-moth:
Keep bees only in modern frame hives.
Keep all colonies strong and vigorous.
Italianize all black and hybrid colonies.
Keep bottom-boards free of trash and dirt.
.Allow no bits of unprotected wax or comb to accumulate on the
premises.

ANTS AND OTHER ENEMIES.
Ants of various kinds, and especially the smaller species, often visit

the bee hives for the purpose of stealing honey, and some of the more
pugnacious ants will even attempt to kill and carry away the bee

larvae. As a generaIIthing strong colonies will resist the attacks of ~

the ants successfully although there is one species, known as the
“Argentine ant,” in Louisiana which attacks the bee hives in such
overwhelming numbers that resistance is entirely useless. This par-
ticular ant is not known to occur in Texas, but may make its appear-
ance here at some future time. i

Very often the ants can be followed to their nests and there de-
stroyed by the use of bisulphide of carbon. It is only necessary to
make a hole in the ants’ nest with a sharp stick, pour in a little of the
bisulphide and cover the entire nest with tightly packed earth. A
little water sprinkled over the nest immediately after the (lirt is
tamped down will add to the effectiveness of the treatment. The
explosive nature of the bisulphide must never be overlooked, as ex-
plained in our preceding paragraph on the wax-worm. Gasoline, or
even boiling hot water, may also be used for destruction of the ant
colonies. , . ~

The use of “ant poisons” about an apiary is not advisable for the
reason that the bees are as likely to be killed by them as are the ants.

In addition to destroying the ants’ nests, one can keep the little
pests out of the bee hives by placing the latter on stands or elevated
benches, the legs of which rest in cups containing water, kerosene oil

38 TExAs AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

or crude petroleum (“Beaumont oil”). It is often sufficient to
merely rub the legs of the benches with the crude oil, the odor alone-
being sufficient t0 prevent the ants from passing. Another excellent
expedient is t0 dip a few bricks in crude oil and place one of these
under each corner- of the hive, taking care to see that no grass or
Weeds touch the hive to afford a passageway for the ants.

The Rev. Albert Biever, an enthusiastic beekeeper of New Orleans,
finds that Vaseline, mixed With a small quantity of kerosene, is very
effective when placed about the legs of the hive-stands and repels the
ants successfully.

The Writer discovered, while keeping bees in Louisiana, that the’

medium and small-sized ants Will not cross a surface having upon it

a very small amount of dry corrosive sublimate. Strips of cotton tape

or of thin cloth Were accordingly soaked in a saturated water solution
of corrosive sublimate and afterwards dried. These, when wrapped
around table legs, etc., effectually prevented the ants from crossing,
and we used them in the same Way with success in keeping ants away
from the bee hives. The tape, however, is not effective when wet nor
will it retain the corrosive sublimate after being washed by rains. Its
use is not adapted to localities where rains are frequent but the
method might well be used with success during the dry seasons in
the southwestern part of Texas. In preparing and handling the tape
it must always be remembered that the corrosive sublimate is a most
powerful poison and every precaution against accidental poisoning
must be taken, Particularly must the hands be well washed after
making or handling the tape. The use of this poisonous tape under
bee hives seems not to affect the bees in any way and it does not deter
them from crawling up the legs of the hive-stand when, perchance,
they fall to the ground themselves.

Large robber-flies often capture worker bees and perhaps queens,
but there is little the beekeeper can do to prevent their work.

Spiders occasionally spin webs near the entrances of the hives and
capture a considerable number of the bees. The best preventive of
such damage is to leave no cracks or openings about the hive in
which the spiders may find a hiding place. Webs should be destroyed
when found and the spiders themselves killed at every opportunity.

BIRDS.

Very rarely an individual bird, especially the bird known as king~
bird or bee-martin, will capture the bees as they fly to and from the
hive. This habit is not a universal one with any bird and is only
developed by individuals. Where the offender perslsts in his at-
tacks a shotgun is the best remedy but in no case should Warfare be
made upon birds as a whole, or even upon the kingbirds as a rule, to
atone for the offenses of a single individual. The kingbird is pre-
eminently, as are to a great degree all of our song birds, insectivorous,
that is, its main diet is made up of worms, larvae and insects. The
good that birds of any species—barring, possibly, the turkey buzzard
—do to the farmer, planter and fruit grower far more than offsets the
occasional damage. Their protection and preservation is, therefore,
to the utmost interest and welfare of the farmer and fruit grower, as
well as to the State at large.

‘PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 39

DISEASES OF BEES.

Two very dangerous diseases of honey bees occur in the United
State's, known respectively as “American foul brood” and “European
foul brood.” Both are highly contagious and are capable of destroy-
ing an entire apiary in a remarkably short time. Other bee troubles,
such as paralysis, pickled brood, etc., are of less common occurrence,
and, being apparently non-contagious, are far less serious than the two
kinds of foul brood, though they occasionally do considerable damage
locally. . ‘
AMERICAN FOUL BROOD.

This is a disease affecting the larvae, or young bees, before they
reach maturity. ~It is caused by a minute organism, known as Bacillus
larvae, which multiplies rapidly Within the bodies of the bee larvae
and causes their death. It cannot originate spontaneously, or of its
own accord. It can occur only as a result of the bees obtaining ac-
cess to hives Where the disease occurs, or to honey which has been
taken from an infected hive and which itself contains the germs of
the disease. Likewise the disease can not disappear of its own ac-
cord, but will continue to attack colony after colony until cured by
treatment or until the bees are all dead. ,

The bee larvae are attacked by the disease shortly before time for
them to be sealed over. At first the larvae turn to a chocolate color
and then to a dark brown. After the larvae are sealed decay con-
tinues and the crappings become sunken or perforated. If a toothpick
or other sharp piece of wood be inserted into the body of a decayed
larva, twisted about and slowly withdrawn, the decayed substance
adheres to it and comes out in a string or ropy mass, sometimes as
far as one-half to three-fourths of an inch. After the decayed larvae
dry they form brown scales in the cells of the comb, these scales being
readily detected by holding the comb so that strong sunlight strikes
into the cells. In colonies badly diseased a disagreeable odor is always
noticed, one that is frequently described as the odor of heated glue.
The adult bees in a diseased colony make little attempt to clean out
the decaying bodies of the larvae, soon become discouraged and work
with lessened vigor. This disease occurs in many parts of Texas and
is at present doing enormous damage to the beekeeping industry.

STATE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF FOUL BROOD.

Chapter 126 of the General Laws of Texas, Twenty-eighth Legisla-
ture, provides for eradication of foul brood in the State of Texas
and charges the State Entomologist at the Agricultural and Mechan-
ical College with the enforeement of this law.

At the present time a vigorous effort is being made by this ofiice
to prevent further spread of American foul brood within the State
and to eradicate it where it already occurs. Unfortunately, the dis-
ease has obtained such a start in some portions of the’ State that it is
impossible for the State Entomologist, with the appropriation avail-
able, to carry on the work in more than a few counties at a time.
Material progress has been made in several counties 1n reducing and
eliminating the disease and the work will be undertaken in additional

“flue-i 2., ..  W,

40 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. i

counties as soon as funds permit. The beekeepers in the countia
concerned have been generous in their co-operation and assistance
and the support of this work in all localities is earnestly requested.

A booklet has been recently issued by this otfice, in which is con-
tained the “fould brood law” of Texas, regulations for facilitating
the eradication of disease and particulars concerning the counties
where this“ work is now being carried on. This booklet is free upon
request.

All correspondence relative to foul brood eradication, requests for
this booklet, as well as requests for information relative to apicultural
matters should be plainly addressed to thei“State EntomologistA.

'& M. College, College Station, Texas.

TREATMENT FOR AMERICAN FOUL BROOD.

Where only a few colonies, out of many, are diseased, it is by far
the safest plan to burn up the diseased colonies, hives, brood, bees and
all. 'To do this stop up the entrance of the hive after dark, so no
bees can escape. Bore a one-half inch hole through the cover and
pour into the hive about a teacupful of gasoline, afterwards stopping
up the opening. In doing this, do not Iiave a light 01" fire near enough
to explode the gasoline. This will kill the bees within the hive in a
couple of hours. Next dig a hole about six inches or a foot deep,
and large enough toimore than. hold the diseased colonies. In this
hole place plenty of kindling and wood. Move the diseased hives to it,
open them and pile bees, frames and hives on top of the kindling,
adding coal-oil if desired. Be careful that no bits of honey or comb
fall outside the hole or out of reach of the fire. Set fire to the entire
lot, being careful to avoid the sudden blaze which will be caused by
presence of the gasoline. After the burning is completed, cover the
ashes with dirt, so as to prevent other bees from getting any drops
of infected honey which may not have burned up. Themoving and
burning of. the hives should take place at night, so that bees from
other colonies will not get at the infected material.

Where entire apiaries, or a large percentage of the colonies in
them, are diseased, treatment is preferable to burning. To treat dis-
ased colonies, proceed as directed below:

As foul brood is a disease caused by a germ, it is necessary to
disinfect hands, tools, etc., to kill the germs that get on them in‘ the
course of handling infected hives, honey or bees. Secure from your
druggist a solution of corrosive sublimate, made at the strength of
one part corrosive sublimate to two hundred and fifty parts of water.
This is a deadly poison, but there is no danger connected with its
use if you use proper precautions. Do not get’ any of the solution
in your mouth, and do not fail to wash your hands well with soap
and Warm water after using this solution. Keep it labeled, and do
not allow children to get at it. The corrosive sublimate solution
should be kept in glass, wooden or earthenware vessels—never in
metal vessels or bottles. This solution is for disinfecting tools,
veils, etc. '

Take all hive-bodies, bottoms, covers, super-bodies and tools and
store them in a bee-proof house. Take all old brood-frames, used
super frames, used combs and particles of wax, and burn them up,

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 41

following the directions for burning given above. In other words,
zlear the apiary of all bits of comb, old frames, etc., so as to get rid
3f all contaminated material. The bottoms, hive-bodies, covers and
empty super-bodies should be disinfected in the following manner:

1. Char them well, inside and out, by holding over a fire or by
using a gasoline plumber ’s torch; the latter way is preferable.

2. Then paint them, inside and out, with a solution of carbolic
acid, one part of acid to two of water.

Inspect all colonies and mark those which are diseased. In mak-
ing this inspection, examine, first, those colonies which you do not
suspicion of being diseased. After examining a diseased colony, dis-

infect hands, tools, veil and smoker by dipping all in the corrosive.
sublimate solution mentioned above. Of course the smoker must ‘

be allowed to cool before being dipped in the solution. As soon
as the things are dry, they are again ready for use. You will see
at once that your work will be facilitated by having several complete
outfits of veil, smoker, etc., so that you can be using one outfit while
another is being disinfected.

When making these examinations, or when working with the bees
for any purpose, do not allow any drippings of honey, brace-combs,
etc., to lie about even for a few minutes. When examining the
frames, hold them over the hive, so that any honey dripping out will

fall back into the hive and not on the ground. Remember that‘

honey from a diseased hive contains the germs of the disease; if
bees from other colonies get at it, they will carry the disease to their
own hives. _

In the case of colonies that have died out entirely, burn the combs
and frames and disinfect the hive-bodies, as directed above, Burn
all dead bees also.

In the case of weak, diseased colonies, unite two, three or more
colonies, burning up the extra frames and disinfecting the hives,
bottoms and covers in the same way.

If diseased colonies still contain enough bees so that they are able
to continue work, or if they are only fairly strong, stimulate brood-
rearing by daily feeding, in small amounts, of syrup made from cane
sugar and cold water. Do not feed honey. If your bees were dis-
eased during the last honey flow, your honey contains the germs of
the disease, and by feeding it you will only be aggravating the disease.
Feeding with sugar syrup will permit some of the young bees reaching
maturity, and will result in building up the colony to some extent,
despite the disease. .

Provide yourself with as many new hives (or disinfected hive-
bodies, covers and bottoms) as you have diseased colonies. Secure
new brood-frames sufficient for these hives. Also, secure enough
foundation for the frames in these hives. Use your own judgment
as to using starters, half-sheets or full-sheets.

Nail up the frames, insert the foundation, put them in the new
or disinfected hives, and have them all ready for use. You will then
be prepared for the treatment proper, which should be made‘ on a
day during the height of the honey flow, when all the bees are ‘very
busy gathering honey in the fields.

" .into the new hive, As soon as the shaking is completed, take thi

   
    

42 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

Go t0 one of the diseased colonies, taking with you one of the 
hives containing new frames and foundation. Place the hive co"
taining the diseased colony to one side and put the empty hive i,
its place. Take the frames from the old hive, one at a time, .1»,
shake or brush the bees off themin. front of the empty hive. Aft,
the bees are shaken off, return the brood-frames to their own (old v
hive. You will thus get all adult bees and the queen (but no brood
hive of brood and put it where the bees can not get at it. 

If new honey is in the combs at the time of this operation, thd
bees should be brushed from the combs and not shaken, as shaking
dislodges the honey, and it is desired to retain every drop of this in,
the old comb. 

Proceed in the same manner With the next diseased colony, and}
so on until all the diseased colonies have been treated. The diseasei
should not appear again in these treated colonies unless bees fromf
them obtain access to infected colonies or infected honey. 

If one wishes to make doubly sure of success, the treatment can‘

be repeated three days later, the bees being again shaken onto new7

frames containing fresh foundation, and the combs, built in the mean-
time, destroyed." _ _

After completing the treatment, you will have on hand hives full
of diseased brood. This diseased brood is exceedingly dangerous, for
it is literally teeming With billions of the foul brood germs. Some
beekeepers tier up the hive-bodies containing such brood, over a
weak colony, allow the bees to mature (that is, as many as are not
killed by the disease), and then treat this colony, afterwards burn-
ing up the empty brood-frames or rendering the combs into wax."
However, We personally prefer to burn up these frames of diseased
brood as soon as the shaking process is over. We consider it much
safer. After burning up the brood-frames, the hives which con-
tained them should be charred and disinfected as directed above.

It is a very difficult matter to destroy the germs in infected honey.
Ordinary boiling will not kill the spores of the disease. The only
Way in which the honey may be made sterile (free from germs) is

to boil it for at least an hour in a tightly closed vessel. Even then,

there is danger of a few spores remaining in the honey, and we do
not consider that it is economy to take such a risk of perpetuating
the disease in order to save a small amount of honey.

When combs from diseased colonies are rendered into wax, it
should be done by boiling in water or, better still, in a steam wax-
extractor. Never render such combs in a solar extractor.

If you have a large apiary, and only a very few colonies are diseased,
we would advise burning these up in toto at once, instead of treating
them. This would not be economical, however, if a considerable num-
ber of colonies were infected.

After completing the treatment, and ‘disinfecting everything, keep

a close lookout for reappearance of the disease, especiallyafter the.
honey flow subsides and the bees get to robbing as much as they can. ‘

Treat diseased colonies as fast as they are located, but when there is
no honey flow to speak of treat only at dusk in the evening, so there

will be no robbing. When there is a honey flow on, and the bees"

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERSIIN BEEKEEPING. 43

are very busy, the shaking treatment may be carried on all day Without
interruption 0r danger.

Treatment should always be discontinued immediately should the
bees commence robbing. ‘

EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD.

This disease was formerly known to beekeepers under the term
of ‘black brood.” More or less confusion has existed as to the
identity of “black brood,” but, through the researches‘ of Drs.
Phillips and White, of the Bureau of Entomology, United States
Department of Agriculture, it has been quite well established that

many, at least, of the cases of “black brood” were of the disease"

now designated as “European foul brood.” While not quite as
destructive as “American foul brood,” is it, nevertheless, almost as
much to be dreaded.

European foul brood has not yet been found in Texas, but is
known to occur as near as certain counties in Arkansas, and every
Texas beekeeper should be on the alert for its appearance here,
especially as there is always the possibility of its being introduced
with shipmnts of bees from other States. The following descrip-
tion is taken from Circular No. 79, Bureau of Entomology, by Dr.
E. F. Phillips, and will be of use to beekeepers in ‘distinguishing
this disease from American foul brood:

“Adult bees in infected colonies are not very active, but do succeed in
cleaning out some of the dried scales. This disease attacks larvae earlier
than does American foul brood, and a comparatively small percentage of
the diseased brood is ever capped. The diseased larvae which are capped
over have sunken and perforated cappings. The larvae when first attacked
show a small yellow spot on the body near the head and move uneasily in
the cell. When death occurs they turn yellow, then brown, and finally al-
most black. Decaying larvae which have died of this disease do not usually
stretch out in a long thread when a small stick is inserted and slowly re-
moved. * * * There is very little odor from decaying larvae which have
died of this disease, and when an odor is noticeable it is not the “glue-pot"
odor of the American foul brood, but more nearly resembles that of soured
dead brood. This disease attacks drone and queen larvae very soon after
the colony is infected. It is, as a rule, much more infectious than Amer-
ican fould brood, and spreads more rapidly. On the other hand, it some-
times happens that the disease will disappear of its own acord, a thing which
the author never knew to occur in a genuine case of American foul brood.”

The treatment for European foul brood is the same as that al- i

ready outlined for American foul brood.

PICKLED BROOD.

A peculiar aifection of brood, known to beekeepers generally
under the name of “pickled brood,” sometimes appears suddenly
and "does a very considerable amount of damage before being checked.
During the past spring (1911) it was more prevalent and destructive
in Texas apiaries than ever before known.

In this disease the larvae die at various stages, but usually when
half grown or larger. In severe cases, many larvae die after being
sealed over and the dead sealed brood has much the apearance of
having been scalded with a ‘dash of hot water. The cappings are

44 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

rarely perforated to any considerable extent. The dead larvae turn
dark 0r dark yellow soon after death. The dead bodies do not disin-
tegrate quickly, as in American foul brood, nor is the “ropiness”

present. The characteristic odor of American foul brood is lacking ~

and, instead, the brood has a very acrid, sour smell. In the first
stages of the disease, and during mild attacks of it, the bees per-
sistently remove the dead larvae, but seem unable to keep up with
this task when the trouble becomes real severe. This trouble is
hard to distinguish from European foul brood and, on the other
hand, it is sometimes hard t0 tell from chilled or overheated brood.
One remarkable diiference is noted, however. If a frame of pickled

A brood is placed in a healthy colony the disease is almost immediately

communicated to the healthy brood on either side of it. The same
thing occurs when a frame of healthy brood is inserted in a colony
having pickled brood, the healthy brood becoming infected very
quickly. Such a “contagion” does not occur when chilled brood is
placed in the same hive with healthy brood. Some authors go so
far as to express the opinion that pickled brood is nothing more than
brood which has died as a result of chilling, under-feeding or other
natural cause, but in view of our own observations and experience
with it we can hardly subscribe to such a view. '

By a number of authorities the view is held that pickled brood
is the manifestation of a pathological condition, or a “constitutional”
disease, it being held that the queen is in some way incapable of
producing eggs which can develop into healthy larvae. Experience
lends considerable support to this theory, as a number of leading
beekeepers have found that a cure of the trouble has followed a
change of queens. In our experimental apiary the past spring we

had but one colony affected with pickled brood, but the case was.

a very severe one. A number of treatments were tried without suc-
cess, and finally the queen of this colony was killed and a strong,
vigorous queen from a healthy colony introduced in her stead. Al-
though nearly all brood in the hive was dead at the time of her
introduction, the dead brood was rapidly cleaned out and the larvae
hatching from the new queen ’s eggs were all healthy. In the course
of a month after her introduction all signs of the disease had
disappeared. '

, The outcome of this one experiment would not. of course, justify
us in stating that re-queening will always cure the disease. but our
experience is corroborated by the similar experience of other bee-
keepers, and in cases of pickled brood it may be well worth the while
of the beekeeper to give this method, a trial.

CHTLLED, STARVED. OVERHEATED BROOD, ETC.

Not infrequently brood gets too cool and is killed as a result.
Normally, the bees will cluster thickly over the brood and keep it
warmed to the proper temperature, but cold nights. coming late in
the spring, may lower the temperature so that the bees are not
able to “hover” all brood in the hive at a time when considerable
brood is present. Under such circumstances the brood in the outer
frames is killed. The same thing may happen after the beekeeper
has divided his colonies for the purpose of making increase, and has

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR BEGINNERS IN BEEKEEPING. 45

failed to reduce the entrances sufficiently to enable the bees t0 main-
tain the proper temperature. Brood killed by chilling is usually re-
moved rapidly by the bees, particularly in colonies that are fairly
strong. ‘Chilling can be almost entirely prevented if the beekeeper
will avoid too large entrances, especially as long as the nights are
cool. Excessive “spreading” of the brood is also to be avoided.

Death of the larvae sometimes results from just the reverse con-
dition—too high a temperature and insufficient ventilation. If en-
trances are of fair or liberal size, overheating of the brood is not
likely to occur except in the very hottest weather, and not then un-
less the hives are unshaded. Suffocation of bees and brood is most
likely to occur when bees are shipped with insufficient openings for
ventilation. _

A sudden stoppage of the honey flow, when brood is abundant and
the colonies low in stores, may often result in larvae dying for lack
of sufficient and proper food. The remedy for such a condition con-
sists of immediate feeding to meet the needs of the colonies.

The statement is made ‘by some authors that brood is at times
poisoned as a consequence of fruit growers spraying fruit trees while
in bloom, the nectar being poisoned and the workers bringing it to
the hives. It seems more probable that the poisons ordinarily used
for spraying would be likely to kill the majority, if not all, of the
workers attempting to carry the poisoned nectar. Nevertheless, when
dead brood occurs and can not be traced to any other definite cause,
it may be well to ascertain whether any such spraying has been done
in the neighborhood, i

In Louisiana we have noticed a brood trouble which does not seem
to have been heretofore recognized. With continued damp weather,
mildews and moulds find lodgment in the combs of colonies not lo-
cated in open, well ventilated places. The fungi mentioned find a
favorable medium in the pollen stored in the cells and perhaps also
in the unsealed honey and in the semi-liquid food placed by the nurse
bees about the larvae. In such colonies considerable ‘dead brood is
found and the masses of fungi growing on the cells of pollen are much
in evidence. The ‘dead brood is brownish in color and watery, while
the odor from affected hives is very strong and in no way distinguish-
able from the “glue-pot” odor accompanying American foul brood.
The decaying larvae do not show the “ropiness” of American foul
brood and the fact that a return of dry or cool weather always causes
the trouble to disappear entirely refutes any opinion that it is a con-
tagious or bacterial disease. While we have not seen this afiection in
Texas it is nevertheless quite likely to appear in localities of heavy
rainfall or during protracted periods of wet weather.

PARALYSIS.

The diseases thus far considered affect only the brood or larvae;
never the adult bees.

But one disease is known which affects the adult bees and this is
termed “paralysis.” It does not affect the larvae. The workers
affected have their abdomens somewhat swollen and the entire body
assumes a ‘dark, greasy appearance. Badly affected workers shake
or tremble quite violently. The affected workers are often noticed at

46 TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

the entrance or on the ground about the entrance after their eviction
by the healthy members of the colony.

The editors of “A_ B. C. of Bee Culture,” Messrs. A. I. and E. R.
Root, recommended as a remedy the exchanging of diseased and healthy
colonies. That is, the colony affected with paralysis is placed On the

stand occupied by a strong, healthy colony and the latter is placed on .
the stand formerly occupied by the colony with paralysis. The result-_

ing addition of strong, vigorous bees to both colonies is thought to
result in the eviction of all diseased bees and the infection is thus
eliminated and a cure effected.

EDUCATIONAL.

The beekeeper who, by experience with his bees, has verified the
simple statements made in this bulletin will doubtless wish to pursue
his studies further. For this purpose he may secure any one or more
of a number of excellent text books on apiculture, among which we
may mention the following:

Comstock, Anna B.—“How to Keep Bees.”

Root, A. I. & E. R.-—“..A. B. C. and X. Y. Z. of Bee Culture.” (In
French, English or German.)

Maeterlinck, Maurice—“The Life of the Bee.”

Miller, C. C.—-“Fifty Years Among the Bees..”

Cook, A. J .—“Manu.al of the Apiary.” I

Hutchinson, W. Z.—“Advanced Bee Culture.”

Buschauer, Hans—-“Amerikanische Bienenzucht,” (in German).

Doolittle—‘ ‘ Scientific Queen-Rearing. ”

Among the magazines devoted exclusively to beekeeping “Glean-
ings in Bee Culture,” published at Medina, Ohio, and the “American
Bee Journal,” published at Chicago, Ill., are perhaps best suited to
Texas beekeepers as both have departments regularly devoted to bee-
keeping in the South.

Beekeepers who keep even a few colonies should not fail to join
both the State and National Beekeepers’ Associations, both of which
are devoted to furthering the interests of the beekeeping industry.
Full particulars regarding both these Associations may be had free of
charge by addressing their respective secretaries. Mr. E. B. Tyrrell,
230 Woodland Ave., Detroit, Mich, is Secretary of the National As-
sociation, and Mr. W. T. Childress, Batesville, Texas, is Secretary
of the Texas Beekeepers’ Association. v '

The amateur will also gain considerable information by requesting
catalogs of the various firms which advertise in the beejournals.

Where special problems arise, when difficulties are encountered or
when specific information is wanted upon any phase of beekeeping
the State Entomologist’s Department at College Station, Texas, may
be consulted. All such letters will be cheerfully answered at all times
and without charge. '

College Station, Texas.

December 18, 1911. ' a