How Many Stocks Should Be Kept
Categories: BEE PASTURAGE.Bee Keeping: Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained
"What number of stocks can there be kept in one place?" is another
question often asked. This is like Mr. A. asking farmer B. how many
cattle could be pastured in a lot of ten acres. Farmer B. would first
wish to know how much pasture said lot would produce, before he could
begin to answer; since one lot of that size might produce ten times as
much as the other. So with bees, one apiary of two hundred stocks might
find honey in abundance for all, and another of forty might almost
starve. Like the cattle, it depends on pasture.
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Great Disadvantage Of Killing The Bees
Those rustic bee-keepers who are in the habit of making their hives very large, such as will hold from 100 to 140 lbs., and killing the bees in the fall, and sending the honey to market, will probably continue the use of sulphur, unless we can convi... Guess Work
The time before it is ready to leave the hive for honey, I might guess would be two or three days. Others have said "it would leave _the day it left the cell_;" but I guess they guess at this point. They tell us, too, that after the bees seal over t... Guide-combs Necessary
It will be found a great advantage, previous to nailing on the top, to stick fast to it some pieces of guide-combs in the direction you wish the bees to work. They are also an inducement for them to commence several days sooner, than if they had to ... Hall's Patent
Mr. Hall has added a lower section to his hive, about four inches deep, with two boards inside, like the roof of a house, to discharge the worms, &c.; but as these boards would interfere with close inspection, they are objectionable. Several other v... Hive To Be Inverted
Whatever conveyance is employed, the hive should be inverted. The combs will then all rest closely on the top, and are less liable to break than when right end up, because then the whole weight of the combs must depend upon the fastenings at the top... Hives Can Be Made With Less Expense
The one I shall recommend, without paint, will not cost, or need not, over 37-1/2 cents, with cover, etc. Now, if we wish hives for ornament, it is well enough to expend something for the purpose; but it is well not to refine too much, as there are ... Hives Not Always Full Before Swarming
I know Weeks, Colton, Miner and others, tell us the hive _must be full_ before we need expect a swarm; but experience is against them. Bees do sometimes cast a swarm before filling the hive. From close observation, I find when a hive is very large, ... Hives To Be Thoroughly Made
Hives should be constructed of good materials, boards of good thickness, free from flaws and cracks, well fitted and thoroughly nailed. The time of making them is not very particular, providing it is done in season. It certainly should not be put... Honey-dew
Honey-dew is said to be a source from whence large collections are made in some places. When or where it appears or disappears is more than I can tell. I have seen the accounts of it, but accounts I have learned to doubt until I find something corro... How A Small Family May All Freeze
Suppose a quart of bees were put in a box or hive where all the cells were filled and lengthened out with honey; the spaces between the combs would be about one-fourth of an inch--only room for one thickness of bees to spread through. The combs wou... How Avoided
I like the plan of bringing them a mile or more for this purpose, and have no after trouble about it. Two neighbors being that distance apart, each having stocks in this condition might exchange bees, making the benefit mutual. I have done so, and c... How Far Will They Go In Search Of A Home?
How far they will travel in search of a home, is also uncertain. I have heard of their going seven miles, but could not learn how the fact was proved. I have no experience of my own in this matter, but will relate a circumstance that happened near m... How Found
In the morning, when cool, raise the hive, and you will find them on the board. You must not suppose that these chaps are bred outside the hive, got their growth, and are now on their way among the bees, but the reverse. They are _bred in the hive_,... How Is Wax Obtained?
The inquiry is now made, "Where do they get it from, if not from pollen?" I might with propriety answer, they don't get it at all. "Stop, there, if you please; if you expect us to credit you, you must not give us too much absurdity." Well, let me as... How Large Hives Can Be Made Smaller
A short time after, I attended, on a cold day, with a sharp saw, square, &c. I found his hives fourteen inches square inside, and eighteen deep, holding about 3,500 inches. Of this square, a little more than ten inches in height, would make just the... How Long It Will Do To Wait Before Feeding
If it is wished to wait as long as possible, and not lose the bees, a test will be necessary to decide how long it will do to delay feeding. In this case, _strict attention will be necessary; they will need examination every morning_. If a light tap... How Many Stocks Should Be Kept
"What number of stocks can there be kept in one place?" is another question often asked. This is like Mr. A. asking farmer B. how many cattle could be pastured in a lot of ten acres. Farmer B. would first wish to know how much pasture said lot would... How Part Of The Swarm Is Frozen
A good family will form a ball or circle about eight inches in diameter, generally about equal every way, and must occupy the spaces between four or five combs. As combs must separate them into divisions, the two outer ones are smallest, and most ex... How Pollen Is Stored In The Breeding Season
But in the height of the breeding season, a circle of cells nearly all bee-bread, an inch or two wide, will border the sheets of comb containing brood. As bee-bread is probably the principal food of the young bee, it is thus very convenient. When... How Small Stocks Commence
The first eggs are deposited in the centre of the cluster of bees, in a small family; it may not be in the centre of the hive in _all_ cases; but the middle of the cluster is the warmest place, wherever located. Here the queen will first commence; a... How Swarms Are Generally Managed That Leave For The Woods
Some of my neighboring bee-keepers lose a quarter or half of their swarms by flight, and how do they manage? When the word is given out, "Bees swarming," a tin-horn, tin-pan, bells, or anything to make a "horrible din," is seized upon in the hurry o... How They Pass The Winter
But it is altogether a different thing with our hives in which bees are wintered; they are seldom or never entirely exempt! Perhaps it is impossible to winter bees without preserving some eggs of the moth or a few worms at the same time. The perfect... How They Were Managed
I had about twenty old stocks with diseased brood, and but few bees, yet _honey enough_. Now this honey appears healthy enough for the old bees, and fatal only to the young brood. I transferred the bees of these new swarms to the old stocks with b... How To Find Queen When Two Strangers Are Together
First, look into the lower hive for a dead queen, and, if none is found there, look thoroughly, as far as possible, for a little compact cluster of bees, the size of a hen's egg, that may be rolled about without separating. Secure this cluster in a ... How To Proceed When Attacked
Striking them down renders them ten times more furious. Not in the least daunted, they return to the attack. Not the least show of fear is perceived. Even after losing their sting, they obstinately refuse to desist. It is much the best way to walk a... Huber's Account Of A Commencement Of Comb
Huber, it is said, "having provided a hive with honey and water, it was resorted to in crowds by bees, who, having satisfied their appetite, returned to the hive. They formed festoons, remained motionless for twenty-four hours, and after a time scal... Ignorance Of Officers And Committees
Thus it appears to be with granting patents and premiums, if we take what has been patented and praised by our committees and officers as improvements in bee-culture. These men may be capable, intelligent, and well fitted for their sphere, but in be... Imperfectly Understood
The time that bees commence raising their young brood is but imperfectly understood by most people. Many persons that have kept them for years, have bestowed so little attention on this point, that they are unable to tell at what time they commence,... Improper Remedies
Notwithstanding it is common to hear remarks like this, "I had a _first-rate_ hive of bees," (when the fact was he had not looked particularly at his bees for a month, to know whether it was so or not, and if he had, very likely would not know,) "an... Inclined Bottom-boards Do Not Throw Out All The Worms
Inclined bottom-boards form the basis of one or two patents, said to be good to roll out the worms. I can imagine a pea rolling off such a board; but a worm is not often found in a rolling condition. Most of us know, that when a worm drops from the ... Indications Of Robbers
We will now notice the appearance about a weak hive that makes no resistance, and show the result to be a total loss of the stock, without timely interference. Each robber, when leaving the hive, instead of flying in a direct line to its home, will ... Indications Of Swarming Inside The Hive
These glass boxes are usually filled with bees; before leaving they may be seen in commotion, long before any unusual stir is visible outside, sometimes for near an hour. The same may be noticed in a glass hive. Now, in good weather, when we have re...