Various

“ The management of bees kept for profit will vary according to the object of the beekeeper, whether it be the production of honey or the rearing of bees or queens. In running for honey alone, we have the swarming and the non-swarming methods. The experiences of good bee-men are so diversified that one is reminded of the old saying, “when doctors differ, the patient dies.” The bee-man must strike out his own line of action suitable to his own special circumstances. In running for extracted honey, swarming is, to a great extent, controlled, for “Poverty maketh humble;” ”

“ Self interest for one is self interest for all honey producers. It is better to make a little pay than a good deal not pay. I am not talking for the supply business; if I were, I should undoubtedly advocate the extractor, because what bees it does not kill in the larval state are hastened to an untimely death by a cruel and barbarous system, which creates a demand for fresh victims, fresh queens and fresh workers, so that now the supply dealer alone makes anything. ”

“ I once saw a beekeeper take a very heavy colony consisting of two colonies which in swarming clustered together, and smother them, because he thought that owing to the large number of bees the colony might not have enough winter stores. Yes! a clown of a fellow actually burned with straw his young swarms, because they came rather late. But I do not intend to occupy my time describing the wrong mode of keeping bees, as through the length and breadth of the land this has been so passionately spoken of and they will learn, only 129 as matters progress, to adopt a better mode of beekeeping. ”

“ It is a principle in beekeeping if one desires to derive a benefit from his bees, to see that one keeps very populous colonies. The mere number of colonies has nothing to do with amount of value; but their strength, the number of inhabitants in a hive, is the measure of its worth. 128 One single populous colony is worth more and will store more honey than four weak ones. In fourteen days the one will bring in more honey than the four will in four weeks. ”

“ Beekeeping is, strictly speaking, a branch of agriculture, and many a farmer is to-day getting a greater return from his investment in bees than that received from any of his other stock; but right here I say that beekeeping as a pursuit has to-day become a “specialty.” The man who enters upon this pursuit (leaving the question of capital aside) must be one endowed with physical and mental ability; a man with open eyes and ears, one ready for emergencies, prompt to do what is necessary at once, and one who is not easily discouraged. ”

“ When looking for the queen, blow a little smoke in at the entrance as this causes the queen to run up on the comb and the bees that may be running about on the bottom board will fill with honey.
One of the first steps for the beginner is to decide, as far as possible, to which class he intends to belong, and what amount of capital he can safely invest.
Where one has a limited capital and wishes to become an expert or a specialist, it is far better to begin on a small scale and gradually increase his number of colonies making them pay their way and also furnish funds for new investments. ”

“ When a law is passed by the Legislature against the wicked practice of extracting honey as now carried on, it will be the happiest day that the bee, or the beekeeper who keeps bees for profit, has seen. ”

“ At present, for all purposes 123 of sale and honey-gathering, the Ligurian or Italian-Alp bee is the principal one in demand; but the very best race of bees will afford but little profit unless the queens are carefully looked after. As fast as signs of senility appear, these should be removed and their places supplied by younger and more vigorous queens. The apiarist for profit should not only rear queens, but know how, when and where to replace them. He should also know the requisites of a good queen, and how to judge of her progeny. ”

“ Increase in pasturage means increase in surplus honey. It is now time to prepare for the coming honey harvest and indeed in many sections of the country the surplus boxes have been placed in the hives, or the honey extractor resorted to. When the colonies that are to be run for section honey become populous and begin to build white comb along the edges of the top bars, and perhaps between the combs, it is well to place one set of sections on the hives but they should have only the amount of surplus room that they can utilize and other sections should be added as they are needed. ”

“ Emergencies will occur needing heroic treatment, but the beekeeper with mind and hand trained by experience and thoughtful consideration of his “specialty,” will rise superior to any occasion, and when discouragement comes, as it inevitably will, in the words of the immortal Longfellow, “He will look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again, but wisely improve the future for it is his.” ”

“ The answer that he received was this: in case the honey flow ceases suddenly, the bees will tear down their worker brood and rid themselves of it to prevent starvation which, so far as my experience goes, I have never found to be the case, although I have known the honey flow to cease very suddenly and very often with me.
When the honey flow suddenly ceases it is a very common thing to see the bees dragging out drone brood; but whenever I see any of my bees carrying out their worker brood I know that that colony is troubled with the moth (or wax) worm. ”

“ I place a strong colony at 40,000 working bees; of these 13,000 to 16,000 can daily fly out and bring in stores; the remainder stay at home to care for the brood, to build comb, and to perform such other duties as may be required of them.5
Of four weak colonies, however, each calculated at 12,000 workers, only 4,000 can fly out leaving 8,000 at home. These four colonies together not only cannot send to the fields as many workers as the one strong one, but they also labor under many disadvantages. ”

“ Out of the many styles of movable-comb hives now in existence, the beekeeper will select one best fitted for the business in which he means to engage, be it the production of comb or extracted honey, queen-rearing, bee-selling, or a combination of all.
The specialist who intends to rear bees for sale will do well to employ that hive which will take the size and style of frame most in use in the district in which he resides. ”

“ To many a one they hold out the hopes of “the glorious privilege of being independent;” and to obtain these profits the specialist, gifted with the requisite mental and physical qualities, must be “the right man in the right place.” He must have hives of the movable-frame order. Moses Quinby wrote thus, in 1858: “There is not the least doubt, in my mind, that whoever realizes the greatest profit from his bees will have to retain the movable combs in some form;” ”

“ It is also best to learn if there are many bees kept where you wish to locate; as, while there is no law to prevent your establishing an apiary by the side of your neighbor, yet the latter has rights which it is proper and just to respect. This again will not matter without you intend to build up a large apiary.
One may secure a large yield of honey and yet find a poor market for it; hence it is always best to take into consideration the advantages for establishing a good home market. It will pay far better than shipping to large markets and giving all your profits to commission men. ”

“ As a pursuit, beekeeping should not be entered into without careful thought and consideration as to the capital required, the location and the suitability of the employment to one’s temperament. To-day, before embarking in the business, it is possible for the intending beekeeper to serve an actual and willing apprenticeship in the yards of well-known and successful bee-masters. ”

“ But if the ocelli are intended for near objects, it is difficult to understand why they are surrounded by a growth of hair so dense as to permit unobstructed vision only in a very narrow field, and why they are so placed on the top of the head as to be debarred from seeing any objects in the neighborhood of the mandibles and the proboscis, the ability to see which objects would appear to be very necessary in the constant and delicate labors of the worker honey-bee among the flowers. ”

“ If the hives are painted they will last many years.
The nucleus colonies should consist of three combs and two quarts of bees. When ready to form them, place in one of the hives two combs containing honey and, in the centre, one containing brood, after which add the bees. Perhaps the better way would be to remove from a full colony a comb containing brood, together with the adhering bees, being careful of course not to take the queen with them. In such case there will be a sufficient number of bees on the comb to care for the brood ”

“ In this section one man can properly manipulate at least 150 colonies and their increase, make the extra hives, and extract all the honey from them, excepting possibly, a very few days when honey is stored more rapidly than usual.
As to tools wearing out with use, I will say that I have extracted 40,000 lbs. (20 tons) , in the last two summers with a four frame “Novice” geared extractor with no appreciable wear, and my honey knives are as good as when first bought. A well made hive should last a lifetime, so that the depreciation in value of utensils is more imaginary than real. ”

“ Thousands embark each year on the sea of business enterprise and the shoals and quicksands are strewn with stranded wrecks, yet there are those who, by rigid economy and shrewd management, accumulate a competency besides establishing a good remunerative business. ”

“ Beekeeping is now a science, a study, and the conditions which govern one season, or colony of bees, will be completely changed for the next. Every stage in the life of a colony of bees requires to be understood. ”

“ The specialist is a man who reads, and although he may not get or use a single one of the many traps, or patent articles now offered, he should know all about them; for at any moment, what he has read about these things may give him an idea, the successful carrying out of which may help him over a difficulty. The capacity of the beekeeper to attend to a certain number of colonies, be it greater or less, will have a great influence on the profits of the pursuit. ”

“ If unfavorable weather should follow, and the flow of honey cease, the strong colony is supplied and the four weak ones are lost in the winter if they be not fed, which latter is associated with much expense, trouble and inconvenience and even then often fails, not to mention the facts that the weaker ones cannot depend upon themselves as well against robbers, moths, ants, etc. ”

“ The answers to questions 1 and 2 depend simply on the annual yield of honey per colony, and the success attained in wintering. Should a surplus of 100 lbs. or more be obtained from each colony (spring count) , together with a moderate increase in bees and with little or no loss in wintering, success would be assured; but, should the average yearly surplus amount to no more than 40 or 50 lbs. coupled with severe losses in wintering, the business could not prove otherwise than a financial failure. ”

“ The latter class constitute the majority 131 of the beekeeping fraternity and only too often are their needs overlooked by those who write upon the subject of apiculture.
While we are aware that if one is adapted to beekeeping, and enters into it properly in a favorable location and masters it that success will follow; yet, as a rule, we advise keeping bees in connection with some other vocation, as when one becomes thoroughly familiar with all the requirements of beekeeping it is an easy matter to enlarge his apiary. ”

“ There is not the slightest reason why nearly every person who has a fair-sized garden should not keep a few colonies of bees and thus provide the table with nature’s purest and most healthful sweets. Success in any vocation always means hard work, together with push, tact, and energy. ”