CHAPTER XX.CALENDAR AND AXIOMS.
[1]These dates are arranged for the Northern States, where the fruit trees blossom about the first of May. By noting these flowers, the dates can be easily changed to suit any locality
[1]These dates are arranged for the Northern States, where the fruit trees blossom about the first of May. By noting these flowers, the dates can be easily changed to suit any locality
Though every live apiarist will take one, at least, of the three excellent journals relating to this art, printed in our country, in which the necessary work of each month will be detailed, yet it may be well to give some brief hints in this place.
During this month the bees will need little attention.—Should the bees in the cellar or depository become uneasy, which will not happen if the requisite precautions are taken, and there come a warm day, it were well to set them on their summer stands, that they may enjoy a purifying flight. At night when all are again quiet return them to the cellar.—While out I would clean the bottom-boards, especially if there are many dead bees. This is the time, too, to read, visit, study and plan for the ensuing season's work.
No advice is necessary further than that given for January, though if the bees have a good fly in January, they will scarcely need attention in this month. The presence of snow on the ground need not deter the apiarist from giving his bees a flight, providing the day is warm and still. It is better to let them alone if they are quiet.
Bees should still be kept housed, and those outside still retain about them the packing of straw, shavings, &c. Frequent flights do no good, and wear out the bees. Colonies that are uneasy, and besmear their hives should be set out, and allowed a good flight and then returned.
The colony or colonies from which we desire to rear queens and drones should now be fed, to stimulate breeding. By careful pruning, too, we may and should prevent the rearing of drones in any but the best colonies. If from lack of care the previous autumn, any of our stocks are short of stores, now is when it will be felt. In such cases feed either honey, sugar, syrup, or place candy on top of the frames beneath the quilt.
Early in this month the bees may all be set out. It will be best to feed all, and give all access to flour, when they will work at it, though usually they can get pollen as soon as they can fly out to advantage. Keep the brood chamber contracted so that the frames will all be covered, and cover well above the bees to economize heat.
Prepare nuclei to start extra queens. Feed sparingly till bloom appears. Give room for storing. Extract if necessary, and keep close watch, that you may anticipate and forestall any attempt to swarm. Now, too, is the best time to transfer.
Keep all colonies supplied with vigorous, prolific queens. Divide the colonies, as may be desired, especially enough to prevent attempts at swarming. Extract if necessary or best; adjust frames or sections, if comb honey is desired, and be sure to keep all the white clover honey, in whatever form taken, separate from all other. Now is the best time to Italianize.
The work this month is about the same as that of June.—Supersede all poor and feeble queens. Keep the basswood honey by itself, and remove boxes or frames as soon as full. Be sure that queens and workers have plenty of room to do their best, and suffer not the hot sun to strike the hives.
Do not fail to supersede impotent queens. Between basswoodand fall bloom it may pay to feed sparingly. Give plenty of room for queen and workers as fall storing commences.
Remove all surplus boxes and frames as soon as storing ceases, which usually occurs about the middle of this month; feed sparingly till the first of October. If robbing occurs, contract the entrance of the hive robbed. If it is desired to feed honey or sugar for winter, it should be done the last of this month.
Prepare colonies for winter. See that all have at least thirty pounds, by weight, of good, capped honey, and that all are strong in bees. Contract the chamber, by using division board, and cover well with the quilt. Be sure that one or two central frames of comb contain many empty cells, and that all have a central hole through which the bees can pass.
Before the cold days come, remove the bees to the cellar or depository, or pack about those left out on the summer stands.
Now is the time to make hives, honey-boxes, &c., for the coming year. Also labels for hives. These may just contain the name of the colony, in which case the full record will be kept in a book; or the label may be made to contain a full register as to time of formation, age of queen, &c., &c. Slates are also used for the same purpose.
I know from experience that any who heed all of the above may succeed in bee-keeping,—may win a double success:—Receive pleasure and make money. I feel sure that many experienced apiarists will find advice that it may pay to follow. It is probable that errors abound, and certain that much remains unsaid, for of all apiarists it is true that what they do not know is greatly in excess of what they do know.
The following axioms, given by Mr. Langstroth, are just as true to-day as they were when written by that noted author:
There are a fewfirst principlesin bee-keeping which ought to be as familiar to the Apiarist as the letters of the alphabet.
First. Bees gorged with honey never volunteer an attack.
Second. Bees may always be made peaceable by inducing them to accept of liquid sweets.
Third. Bees, when frightened by smoke or by drumming on their hives, fill themselves with honey and lose all disposition to sting, unless they are hurt.
Fourth. Bees dislike anyquickmovements about their hives, especially any motion whichjarstheir combs.
Fifth. In districts where forage is abundant only for a short period, the largest yield of honey will be secured by averymoderate increase of stocks.
Sixth. A moderate increase of colonies in any one season, will, in the long run, prove to be the easiest, safest, and cheapest mode of managing bees.
Seventh. Queenless colonies, unless supplied with a queen, will inevitably dwindle away, or be destroyed by the bee-moth, or by robber-bees.
Eighth. The formation of new colonies should ordinarily be confined to the season when bees are accumulating honey; and if this, or any other operation, must be performed when forage is scarce, the greatest precautions should be used to prevent robbing.
The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in Oettl's Golden Rule:keep your stocks strong. If you cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you invest in bees, the heavier will be your losses; while, if your stocks are strong, you will show that you are abee-master, as well as & bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on generous returns from your industrious subjects.
"Keep all colonies strong."