- - -. - - .. : -...--

~ BEEKEEPING

-

•-•..

1-----»--J. ---

How to use this pamphlet.

,,•

• BEEKEEPING~L!!Sa"" - -,.

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICAIRVING, TEXAS

1988 Printing of the1983 Revision

RequirementsI. Study a hive of bees_ Remove the combs. Find the queen. Figure

the amount of the brood and the ownber of queen cells. Figurethe amount of honey in the hive.

2. Show the differences among the drones, workers. eggs, larvae. andpupae at different stages. Tell the differences among honey. wax,pollen, and propolis. Tell how bees make honey. Tell where waxcomes from. Explain the part played in the life 01 the hive by thequeen, the drones. and the workers.

3. Hive a swarm or divide al least one colony. Explain how a hiveis made.

4. Put foundations in sections or frames. Fdl supers with frames orsections. Take off fiUed supers from the hive. Fix the honey formarket.

5. Write in not more than 200 words how and why the honeybee isused in pollinating farm crops. Name live crops in your area pol­linated by honeybees.

contentsTheBees'Jobs_ __ ......• _••.•...........•..... 3TheBeeColony ...••.••••..•..•..•........ 9Equipment __ . __ _ __ ..••.••.•... 17Beekeeping Basics __ .. _•............... _ 21Spring Management _ 29Summer Management _.•.••... , _.. , 39Fall and Winter Management ...........••. _•..•.•.. , . , , 45Bee Diseases _.. , . . . . . . • . • • . • . . . . . . . . . 49Books About Beekeeping. _.. __ . __ . __ ........•....•..•....... 55

Copyright 1957, 1983Boy SCours of AmerlceIrving, TexasISBN 0-8395-3362-4No 3362 Prlnted In USA 2M1288

2

The Bees' JobsDid you ever step on a bee and kill it? Maybe you were stung by a bee

when you were younger. How much do you think that honeybee wasworth? No one could tell you, at least not in dollars and cents. Buthoneybees are worth plenty-more than most folks realize. For example,some 4 to 5 million colonies produce up to 250 million pounds of honeyand about 4.750,000 pounds of beeswax every year in this country.Every year this honey and beeswax sell lor more than SIOO million.

The value of bees as pollinators, however. is more than 100 timesgreater than their value as producers 01 honey and wax.

PollinationSome plants can produce seeds only if pollen is brought to them by

insects. The flower of an apple tree. for example. may not set fruitunless pollen from another apple flower is transferred to it. The beedoes the transferring job very well. Suppose farmers had to transferpollen to all the apple flowers inevery orchard. What a jobl

01 course. pollen from theflower of an apple tree won't helpa peach tree.. Fortunately. a beevisits only one kind of flower duroing a trip from its hive. Here's howthe bee lransfers the pollen.

At the base of a Dower there isa nectar gland that secretes asweet sugar solution (nectar),which atlracls bees. As the beeforces its way through the flowerto get at the nectar, it gets dustedwith pollen. Pollen grains stick tothe hairy back of the bee. As thebee forces its way into the nextflower. some of the pollen aed·dentally gets brushed off onto thesticky stigma of the flower. Thus

3

Top-By .ddlng wax to this sheet of found.tlon, bees hIIve made lite cellideeper. Middle-Bees collect pl.nt waxes, from whIch they make propolls orbII. glue. 8ollom-TheM tiny pollen pellets were taken from some bee celli InwhIch 1hey hIId been packed.

4

pollen is transferred from one flower to another. This enables the polli­nated plant to produce seed, from which a new plant may grow.

Bumblebees also carry pollen; so do butterflies and other insects.Current agricultural production practices, however, have tended to makepollination by wild bees and other native insects less reliable. Intensivecultivation such as ",onaculture, where large areas of land are used togrow only one type of crop, have eliminated the natural nesting sites ofmany wild insects. Pesticides used to control harmlul insects also havekilled many wild insect pollinalors. For this reason, honeybees are theonly reaUy important pollinators as far as farmers are concerned. Theyare the only insects that can be domesticated. multiplied in numbers,and moved as needed.

About 50 different farm crops depend in part on the honeybee forproper pollination. First. there are the fruits, both large (apples. peaches.oranges, etc.) and small (blueberries, cranberries, etc.). Farmers rentthousands of hives from beekeepers every spring for orchard pollination.One or more colonies is commonly used on an acre of small fruits.

Secondly, sweet clover, alsike clover, 'red clover, white dover, andalfalfa must be visited by an insect to produce seed. In some areas,farmers grow these crops just for the seed. Bees were not always usedto pollinate such crops. When bees were first used, seed yields increasedmany times. For example, in one area five colonies of honeybees 10 anacre of alfalfa resulted in yields 01 1,000 pounds or more of seed anacre. Seed yields before were only 265 to 300 pounds an acre. Cloverand allalfa also are used as forage and pasture crops lor livestock andpoultry.

Bees also pollinate some grain crops-buckwheat, for example.Melongrowers have increased yields by bringing in colonies 01 bees topollinate their crop. Insects must transfer the pollen of cucumbers,muskmelons. and other vine crops. Bees also are used to pollinalesome vegetable crops grown for seed,

How Honey Is ModePollination-the bee's most importanl job-is done automatically as

the bee gathers food. As far as the bee is concerned, gathering andstoring nectar and pollen for food is its main job. The bee needs thefood to live.

When a bee enters a flower. she sucks in the neclar and carries it inher honey stomach. When she returns to the hive, she gives the nectar

5

to a worker who puts it into a cell. The nectar becomes honey lhroughan evaporating and ripening process.

Nectar is a dilute sugar syrup. Nectar from white clover. for example.ranges from 27 to 50 percent water. Other nectars have less water.more sugar. It takes some 20.000 bees to bring in one pound of nectar.This makes only aoout one-quarler pound of honey Honey contains only12. to IS-percent moisture. The bees evaporate or ripen nectar by fan·ning their wings so fast they actually set up a current 01 air in the hive.

While the nectar is in the bee's honey stomach. and when it is Irans·ferred to the hive, enzymes go to work. They mix wilh the nectar sothai during the ripening process the sugars are converted into simplesugars called levulose and dextrose. When the honey is ripened. thebees cover or cap each cell with a thin layer of wax. called beeswax.

Differences in HOneyThe honey from one apIary (group of beehives or bee colonies) will

not always be the same as honey from another apiary. The taste andcolor may be different. 11 will even smell different. The plants fromwhich the nectar is gathered determine these differences.

In the North. white clover is one of the chief sources of honey. Thishoney is light in color. It is. in a sense. the standard for comb honey.Basswood or linden trees in some localities are sources of a honey thatis slighUy yellower than clover honey. Basswood honey has a distinctiveflavor. very popular with some people. Buckwheat yields crops 01 dark.purplish honey with a strong flavor.

In the Western states, especially at high altitudes, aUaUa grows inabundance. Honey made from alfalfa nectar is light in color and has amild cinnamon flavor. In southern California. wild sages give a lightwater-white honey.

The honeys of Texas olten come from mixed sources, such as whitebrush. horsemint. guahilla. and mesquite. Most of these honeys are lightor light amber. In the humid regions of the South. the honeys areusually amber and are from mixed sources. The navors are usuallyrather strong.

The swamp Spanish needle in such regions as the Kankakee swampIn northern Indiana and Illinois and along the Mississippi and Dela­ware Rivers is the source of an amber honey. Sweet clover. plentiful innonhero Kentucky and other areas. is the source of honey with 8 slightgreen tint. with just a suggestion of vanllla flavor.

6

Food for the BeeHoney, of course, is food not only for you. but also for the bees. If the

honey supply in the hive is low you can give )'Our bees a sugar syrup.which is simply a mixture of granulated sugar and water. To make thesyrup add sugar slowly to hot water. stirring all the lime.

The proportions of sugar to water vary according to the season of theyear and your reasons lor feeding. For instance. in early spring you maygive your bees a thin sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water) tostimulate brood rearing. In the fall. when the bees are storing foud forthe winter. you may feed them a thicker syrup. Anytime the hive's honeysupply gel'! very low, you should feed the bees a thick syrup to preventstarvation

Pollen is food for bees, too. It is the only source of protein fed to thelarvae. Larvae are young, immature, wingless bees. Without pollen.brood rearing is practically impossible.

PoUen is gathered by bees and packed in two special "pollen baskets"on their hind legs. When the baskets Me full. the bees ny to the hiveand deposit the pollen in cells on the outer or upper edge of the brood.Other bees pack the pollen in the cells. (See oottom illustration. page4.)

If a colony is short on pollell. )'Ou can buy pollen substitute and giveit 10 the bees. Substilutes usually are made 01 soybean Oour and yeasl.

How BeeSwax and Combs Are MadeBees use honey to produce wax. If you magnify the underside of a

worker bee's abdomen you will see lour pairs of special wax glands. Onthe surface of these glands. small scales of wax are fanned by anunusual (and still unknown) process of digestion. Bees seal honey and.brood cells with the wax and make their combs with it.

Bees gather honey and produce wax at the same time, bUI they willbuild combs only if they need room for honey storage. The longer a beeretains honey in ber stomach. the more wax she produces. If the beecan store gathered honey right away. she will produce only enough waxto repair and seal cells or to make cells deeper. If bees remain filledwith honey lor 24 hours or more, enough wax scales are produced tobuild combs.

Combs usually are built from the top downward. They are made oftwo layers of six·sided cells placed end to end, with a sheet 01 wax

7

(midrib) between them. The cells are inclined slightly downward Iromfront to back so honey will not run oul

Two or more units of a comb are started side by side. As these unitsget bigger their edges meet, so that eventually all the units in one lineform one comb. At the vertical seams where the units join are odd­shaped and irregular cells called accommodation cells.

Worker ceUs are the smallest-five cells to an inch or 55 cells persquare inch on both sides. There are four drone cells to an inch and33.5 cells per square inch on both sides. A queen cell is large and lookslike a peanut. Queen cells are placed here and there on the comb.mostly at the edges. A queen cell hangs vertically, in contrast to thehorizontal positions of worker and drone cells.

Commercial beeswax is made by melting old or broken combs andthe cappings removed during the boney-extracting process, Beeswax isused as an agent in salves. ointments, camphor, and pomades. It'sused for making candles. comb foundations. polishes. and many otherproducts. Beeswax makes the best candles because it doesn't smoke asit bums. It doesn't soften at higher temperatures, so beeswax candlesdon't bend or droop.

PropollsBees also produce propolis. often called bee glue. This is a gluelike

material made from resinous WilJ[es collected from the buds and limbsof certain plants. Bees also will pick up tar, chewing gum, or anysimilar waxy material to make glue. The bees use propolis to fill cracksin the hive. They also use this material to make hive entrances smalleror to strengthen hive parts.

8

The Bee ColonyLet's hop Into a helicopter and

hover a medium-sized city for awhile. The population could beanywhere from 30,000 to 75.000,That's how many bees live in ahive, too. You'll find that the cityand tbe beehive are quite similar.

From the helicopter you cansee a network of streets. The bee­hive has streets, too-bee spaces,they're called. How about thepolice offICerS on the corners? Thebees have a police force, too. anda good one. It keeps out bee rab­beTs. In the city you can see p«»­pie going to work, for there arefamilies to feed. Bees also have families to feed Workers leave the colonyfor work every day.

As you look down at the city, look for the window air conditioners.You won't see units in the bee cily, bUI iI's air-cooled nevertheless. Thetemperature is always about the same in the bee city. How do they doit? With the wings. Bees have a fanning system that gives them perfectventilation and air condilioning.

This is about as far as the comparison between a city and a beehivecan go. For one thing, males don't work in the bee city. Sterile female.bees called UJOrken do all the labor in the beehive. The males, calleddrones, are loafers. They stay In the hive all the time. The worker.> wiUkill unwanted drones. The bee city has no mayor or other form ofgovernment. Instead, It has a queen.

TheOueenThe queen is not a real queen, At leasl. she doesn't rule over her

colony. She doesn't direct the colony's policies. She's simply an egg­laying machine. She can lay 1.50tl 10 2,000 eggs a day, She can be themother of 100,OUO workers in one beehive.

9

Top-A sealed queen looks like a peanut. Middle-Left to right are the queen,drone, end worker. Botfom-The butletllke cappIng. ere drone brood.

10

The queen comes from the same kind of egg as lhe worker. Her diet iswhat makes her a queen instead of a worker. The larva of a potentialqueen is fed an extremely rich food-called royal jelly-by nurse beeworkers. Other bee larvae get the rich food only for lhe first three daysof the larval stage. Then Ihey are fed a mixture of honey and pollenduring lhe rest of the larval developmental period.

The nutritional quality of the queen·s food influences her development.She is larger and longer than the other bees. and has fully developedreproductive organs. Her abdomen comes 10 a point Her wings seemshorter tban the worker's. (See illustration, page 10.)

The queen chews around the tip of ber cell and emerges at the end of16 to 18 days. If the queen in a hive is killed accidenlally. a new queenis reared by the nurse bees from a worker larva. The worker larva.however. cannot be more than three days old.

Soon after emergence the queen gets food, then destroys any remain­ing queen cells. Often she may have 10 fight and kill queens that havealready hatched.

Between 5 and 10 days after the queen hatches, she takes one ormore flightJ and males with one or more drones while in the air. Afterthis the queen remains fertile for life. About two days later she beginslaying eggs. The eggs are pearly while and aboul one-sixteenth of aninch long. The queen usually lays eggs from February 10 October. Thelength 01 the egg-laying period depends on weather and available pol·len and honey.

In lhe egg-laying process, nOI all eggs gel fertilized. An unfertilizedegg produces a drone: a fertilized egg. a worker or queen.. U the queendoesn'l mate within three weeks after hatching, she usually loses theability to mate. BUI she can still lay eggs that develop into drones, Evenif she mates, she may nol aJways become fertile and thus will produceonly drones. A queen lhat produces only drones should be replaced.While a queen can live 3 years or more, most beekeepers replace herwith a new queen every year or every 2 years.

The DroneA bee without a sting-that's the drone, He can't even collect honey,

The only useful thing he does is male with the queen so worker beescan be produced. Alter a drone males with lhe Queen, he dies. Theother drones simply loaf. They eat food that is stored In the hive. Buttheir life of luxury is short. After the swarming season or whenever the

11

race have three to five bands of yellow on the abdomen. The head andmost of the resl of the body is black. The Italian bees winter well, and ifpurebred are usually gentle.

Probably the second 1II0St popular race is the Caucasian race. Thesebees are often recommended for back·lot beekeepers, especially if neigh­bors are close. Purebred Caucasians are quite gentle. They swarm verylittle and winter well. One strain is yellow, somewhat like the Italians.Bees of the strain used by most beekeepers are gray. There are otherraces-Carniolan, Cyprian, Egyptian-and there are crosses, too.

If you wanlto start a lively discussion among beekeepers, ask whichis the best race of honeybees. Actually there isn't any c1ear<ul answer,bul you'll probably find that Ihe best race for you is the race that othersin your area are keeping.

honey supply runs short, the workers drive the drones oul of the hive 10die of cold and hunger. If a colony is queen less, the drones are usuallyallowed 10 slay until a new queen is fertilized.

The drone is the only male member of the hive. He's larger andheavier than the worker, but shorter than lhe queen. His body is quiteblunl at the end and his wings extend the entire length of his body. He'shatched from an infertile egg and reared in a cell thaI's larger than thecell of a worker. A drone develops fully in 24 days.

The WorkerA worker or honeybee develops fully in 21 days. She doesn't live very

long-she literally works herself to death in 6 to 8 weeks. In winter,when they are less active, fall-hatched workers may live for severalmonths.

Worker bees are sterile females. They do not produce eggs exceptunder unusual conditions. They are produced from fertilized eggs laidin worker cells. When they emerge from their cells they are fully mature.The abdomen of the worker is shorter than that of the queen andcomes to a point more abruptly. It's also smaller in diameter.

Workers have a barbed stinger. When a worker bee pulls away fr.omher victim the barbs bold. pulling the stinger from her body. The beesoon dies.

A honeybee starts working almost immediately after she emergesfrom her cell. She never stops working until she dies. Here's her workschedule: First, she combs hersell and eats honey and pollen to gainstrength. Then, during successive periods, she cleans oul cells: feeds theolder larvae. then produces royal jelly that is fed to the younger larvae:cleans. cools and guards the hive: evaporates nectar: produces wax andbuilds comb: and takes orientation flights. She also may work as anursemaid to Ihe queen. After about 3 weeks, she carries waler, pollen,nectar, and propolis as a field bee. She may also serve as a seout bee,finding these materials and helping locate a future homesite for theswarm.

Bee RacesThe queen, drones, and workers make up the colony in a hive. But

before you establish a bee colony, you'll have to decide what race ofbees you'll keep. The Italian bees are more commonly used than otherraces and generally are recommended for beginners. Bees of the Italian

Top-From left to right .,.. •newly laid egg, newly Mtehedttoneybee lal'Vll, clay-cHd lal'Vll,2~-okIlal'Vll, 3-day-old lal'Vll,4-day-olcl lal'Vll, • caPSMd cell,an empty ceil. Rlghl"':'l matu,..Ia1YII as seen from one skfe ofa cell.

1213

• I' ~. t ...I ~· .,• .

" t

';"~.I

•I .

~~ .. ..,

\.,; '-".-,

•• '" ?~ ,~ ,

The BroodEvery hive has brood-the eggs

and young larvae of the bee. Thereare several kinds of brood. Anempty queen cell looks like anacorn cup. Sealed, it looks like apeanut. A sealed (capped) workerbroext has a yellow to tan. leatheryappearance and is quite uniform.The drone brood has round cap­pings that look like bullets. usu·ally found in the lower corners of Top left-An egg Is lakt In the bonomthe frames. Capped honey cells 01. cell by the qulMO. Top right-Egg

later hatches Into a larvll. Bottom-A.tnonnally are white and may look end 01 laNai period•• cocoon Is medewater-soaked. Pollen cells usually (the pupal stage).

are only partly filled. Ihus are seldom sealed. Pollen is used. of course.as lood lor the worker and drone larvae.

Three days after an egg is laid it becomes a grub or larva. All larvaeare led royal jelly by the worker bees. Royal jelly is a high-protein.creamy substance produced in glands in the heads of worker bees.Alter 3 days. only the future Queen bee continues to get royal jelly. Thefuture worker bees are fed honey and pollen.

In 5 or 6 days a larva nearly fills the cell and is sealed in with a waxcapping. The larva becomes a pupa. In the pupal stage. the leglessgrub changes into an adult bee. The bee then chews its way out of the cell.

14

The queen bee remains in the pupal stage for 7 108 days. II lakes 1610 18 days for an egg to become an adult Queen bee.

The worker bee remains in the pupal stage for 12 or 13 days. II takes21 days for an egg 10 become an adult worker bee.

The drone is in the pupal stage 15 to 16 days. It lakes 24 days for anegg to become an adult drone.

Importance of TemperotureTemperature has alai 10 do with the activities of bees. In fact. honey­

bees rarely do any useful work when the temperature goes below SOOFor above 100°F. Their activity slows al temperatures below 70° andabove 95°. They do practically alllheir comb building and brood rear·ing allemperatures of 92° or 93°.

When the outside temperature hils 57°, bees slart 10 duster. In acluster, bees make !.heir own heat. It's warmest al the center of thecluster. As the temperature continues to drop. the cluster draws closertogether. The temperature on the surface or outer edge 01 the clusterremains close to 43° to 46°. As winter progresses. the cluster tempera­ture atlhe center gels higher. Finally it reaches a brood-rearing temper­ature of 93° to 96°. usually in January or early February. Then thequeen starts to lay and brood-rearing begins.

15

••

•i·•••

•

.~ •.,~~..--

HIve parts Include; (1) cove" (2) Inner cover, (3) secllon super, (4) shallowsuper, (5) excluder, (6) deep super, (7) bottom board, lind (8) 1M hive stand.

16

EquipmentExcluders. foundation. brood chambers. combs, supers, hive 1001.

smoker-do you know whal these are? You'll need them if you want 10keep bees. If you've handled bees before. a review or bee equipment andhow 10 use it may help you do a betler beekeeping job.

The HiveYou'll wanl to use a movable-frame hive. In fact. in many stales the

law requires that you use it There are other types of hives, such as thebox hive. bul they're seldom used today and are nol practical. Themodern hive. in its simple form. is made up 01 the following (seeillustration. page 16):

Starting at the bottom. there is a hive siand with an alighting board.Although not essential. it does keep I.he hive off the ground. Resting onthe hive stand is the bottom board or noor of your hive. Your bees enterthe hive through the opening belween this board and the hive bodyabove it. Mounted on the bottom board is an enlrance-contracting cleat,a device that makes the entrance smaller, Ihus keeping out cold air lhatcan chill your bees. The cleat is taken oul in hot weather. The cleat alsoallows weak colonies 10 guard the entrance, preventing robbing bystronger colonies.

Next comes the h/IJe body or brood chamber. somelimes called deepsuper. This is simply a box that holds the brood frames. Mosl beekeep­ers (apiarists) use hive bodies containing 10 brood frames. Each framehas comb foundation made of pure beeswax that Is embossed on bothsides with six-sided cells. The Queen lays her eggs in these cells. Therealso is ample cell space for honey and pollen, If you're buying equipment.remember that many parts are interchanged. thus aU must be the samesize and style. Beginners should consider using self·spacing frames.

Not all beekeepers use a queen excluder. but you'll probably find itmakes colony management easier. The excluder is placed over thebrood chamber. confining the queen there. It is essential where shallowframes are used 10 produce bulk or cut-eomb honey,

Every hive has a warehouse-a place for bees to store their honey.This warehouse is called a super. You use supers with regular movablecombs if you produce extracted honey, with section honey boxes if you

17

produce comb honey. You can buy shallow or deep supers. Shallowsupers are preferred by most Scouts. Deep supers are Quite heavy.

Many apiarists use an inner cover because it helps insulate bees fromheat and cold. The outer (telescope) cover laps over all four edges of thetop super to protect the hive.

The main feature of the movable· frame hive is bee spaces­passageways. These are spaces (one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch)between eac.h frame and between the frames and the sides of the hivebody. The spac.es keep the bees lrom gluing the frames to the hive bodywith propolis.

Comb FOundationIt's cheaper to give bees a comb than to have them make their own. ft

takes 16 to 20 pounds of honey to make a pound of wax. If bees makeall their own comb, you lose the honey they otherwise would beproducing.

Four principal types of comb foundation are medium brood founda­tion lor use in brood and extracting frames, thin surplus foundation foruse in sections and bulk comb honey frames, vertically wired. andthree-ply foundation for use in broOO and extracting frames, and plastic­based foundation for use in brood and extracting frames. Wire-embeddedfoundation is recommended. If you like. you can buy foundation andembed your own support wires.

TOols and ClothingYou can control bees with a bee smoker. It's one 01 the beekeeper's

most uselul 10015. A smoker is a fire pot attached to a bellows. Cedarbark, rotten wood, corncobs, cation waste, scraps of burlap, or piecesof corrugated paper from old hoxes often are used as fuel. When youwork the bellows you force air through the burning fuel. making adense smoke. Smoke has a quieting effect on bees.

You'll need something with which to pry apart supers, loosen frames.and scrape unwanted material, such as propolis, from frames andhives. While you can use a screw driver or a wide-blade puuy knife.you'll lind a regular hive toof best.

While some beekeepers prefer to brush bees from combs when remov­ing surplus honey, beginners will probably find a bee escape makes thejob easier. It is a little metal device that can be inserted In an inner

18

cover that is put between the hive body and the super. The bees can godown from a super through the escape to the brood chamber, butcannot return.

You may have to feed your bees once in a while_ A popular feeder is a5- or IO-pound iridian-type honey pail or large glass fruit jar wilh ametal screw top. You put holes in the lid with a three-penny wire nall­one or two holes for slow feeding, three to five holes for winter feeding.The pail is filled with syrup and inverted over the bee escape hole ofthe inner hive cover. Or you can place it right on top of the frames.There are other feeding methods.

Some beekeepers handle bees with their shirt sleeves rolled up. Butunless you're an expert. don't take chances. Wear light-rolored clothes.A zippered coverall fastened at Ihe WTists and ankles makes a goodoutfit. Wear high-topped shoes or boots.

When handling bees. you should always wear a veil. preferably onewith a wire cloth facing. It should be fastened securely around the neck-bee-tigbt. Straw hats or any hal covered with callao dotb is best.Bees tend to sting felt or flannel.

19

20

WIUl the hive ready and poU­1Ioned, the hive tool Is used to~ the COYef from lhe topof the package Cllge. Keep theCO'iW for subsequent use.

Bounce bees to bottom of c.ge,then rttmove leeder cen endqueen Cllge. Place cover btlckon~ 10 temporarily confinethe bee•.

Remove the cork from theCIIndy end of the queen cttga.Place the queen cage betwftntwo ' ....m•• In the center of thehive with the screen '.clng theback or Ironl of the hive. Makeaura candy end ia toward thetop.

Bounce and shake the beesOVllr the frames of the hive.Maka ....r•• libera' supply ofthe bu••r. shIIllen dlrecll)'over the queen cage.

Whl~ allowing the bees to crawldown Into the hive, place en­'nine. feeder in bonom baudentnlnce. Then ge~ put Innercover on lop of the hlvtl.

The telescoping ouler cover Ietnen placed on top 01 the hlvll.Then pIece the entrance re­dueer In the bottom board aren.Se aura f••d Is In entrancefeeder.

BeekeepingBasics

You can keep bees almost anywhere-on an apartment house roofor in the middle of the desert. Regardless of where you live, you do needone Ihing 10 be successful-available nectar and pollen-producingnowers, shrubs. weeds, or other food crop wilhin about 2 miles of yourcolonies.

If you live in a city apartment and are thinking of starting a roof-topapiary, get in touch with your merit badge counselor before you start.Ask him where to locale your hive. A few cities have ordinances restrict­ing location of beehives within the city limits.

LocationIf you were soing to build a house and had your choice of location,

where would you put it-in the middle of a field, on a shaded 101. or inthe middle of the woods? Would a windbreak make your home morecomlortable?

The shaded lot would be best. of course. It would also be best foryour bees, and for the same reasons. Unless there's some shade. yourbees won't work hard, especially during the middle of a hot day. Beeslike comfort just as much as you do. Bees are also less likely to swarmif there's some shade. Beekeepers in bot climates build sbeds to sheltertheir hives.

You can provide 100 much shade. however. Be sure the hive is notshaded all day. Set your mves so they face away from the prevailil)gwinds. Put up a windbreak. too, or set your hives out so that you takeadvanlage or any nearby natural windbreak. A slatted board lence inback 01 the hive is ideal. Be sure thai fresh water is available for yourbees at all times.

Grasses and weeds around a hive can be a nuisance. Keep them cuI.Better yet, pUI gravel or cinder under and in front of your hive.

Buying BeesThere are a number of ways to get bees. You may be able to buy a

swarm or find one that no one claims. You can often buy established

21

colonies-hive and all-from local beekeepers. Examine the hivescarefully to make sure they are in good condilion. Make sure you get aninspection certificate from an apiary inspector. Your county agent orcounselor can tell you more about Htis. Inspection is necessary so thatyou don't buy a diseased hive.

You won't get diseased colonies if you buy package bees. This methodof buying is recommended for beginners. You'lI find package bees adver­tised in the beekeeping magazines listed at the end of this pamphieLThese packages actually are wire cages containing 7,000 to 10.000bees. Two-and three-pound packages are the most common. You get aqueen bee with each package unless you state that you don't want one.There's also a small feeder filled with syrup in each package.

Where you live will determine when to buy bees. In general, the fruitbloom period is considered a good delivery time. Your bees shouldarrive 7 or 8 weeks before the main honey now if you are to obtain ahoney crop.

Installing package BeesYou'd have a hard time moving into a hoose that was only half buill.

wouldn't you? Bees can'l move into a hive that isn't ready, either. Eachhive should be placed where it will remain. Use a hive body and 10frames with full sheets of loundation and an empty super. Have aleeder filled and ready lor use.. You can make a good feed by dissolvingone to one-and-a-half parts white cane sugar in one part warm walerby volume. You'lI need 20 pounds of sugar for each package of bees. Ifyou don't use combs containing pollen, make sure you install your beeswhen conditions for gathering pollen are lavorable.

If you buy package bees. here's a step-by-step outline of what to do.First, leed the new arrivals. You can do this by shaking, painting, orspraying the sugar syrup on the bees through the cage sides.

Next, put the package in a cool room unlil evening when you'll houseyour new friends. Or if it's a cloudy and cool day, you can install themany time.

If the bees are not quiet. wet them down with warm water or sugarsyrup. Bounce the cage on the ground to shake the bees to the boUom.Pry the cover off the c..1se. exposing the feed can, and remove lhe can soyou can take out the cage holding the queen. (See illustration, page 20,)This cage usually is fastened with a wire to the top of the package. Putthe package cover back 10 prevent escape of the bees from the package.

22

II the queen is alive. remove the paper or cork from the candy end ofher cage. Run a match or small nail through the candy so the bees willstart at once to remove the candy and release the queen. The queenmay be dead upon arrival. In that case, follow the instructions thatcame with the package.

Next. suspend the queen cage between two frames at one side of thehive body and shake most of the bees onto the top of the frames overthe queen cage. Place tbe package (open side down) on top of theframes on the side away from the queen cage. Place the feeder can overthe cluster of bees surrounding the queen cage, just in front or orbehind the queen cage. Set the empty super on the bottom hive bodyand close the hive. Reduce hive entrance to 3 or 4 inches to prevenlrobbing.

Don't bother the colony for a week except to give it sugar syrup. Feedit all the syrup it will use until the foundation frames in the bottom hivebody are buill into combs.

After the week is up, examine the colony to see whether the queenhas been released and accepted. Look for eggs or brood in comb thathas been built-don't try to find the queen. If you find eggs or brood,close the hive and leave it another week. U you don't find either, lookagain in 2 days. If you still don't find evidence of the queen. either unilethe bees with a colony that has a queen or introduce another queen.

After the package has been installed for 1 week. consider your colonyestablished. Remove the queen cage, package, and feeder that camewith the original package. The regular feeding of tbe colony must becontinued. There are other ways to install package bees.

Opening the HiveOnce your colony is establisbed. there will be times when you'lI have

to examine the hive. For example. you'll have to check for disease:you'lI have to see that brood rearing is going along all right; you'll haveto check the bees' food supply and find out whether the queen is a goodone; you may have to add more room, remove honey-filled supers, orget the colon)' ready lor winler. You'll find that it's best to open a hiveon a warm day. preferably between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Bees are lesslikely to sting lhen. DOll't open a hive after a chilly rain.

You'll need your bee smoker and hive tool. Wear your veil and a beesuit or olher suitable clothing. Most beginners wear gloves, althoughthey usuall)' discard them laler as being too clumsy. Light your smoker

23

24

To open II hive, first direct twoor three puffs 01 smoke at theIInlt.nell. Work from aide 01hive.

Neld, rwmove outer coyitt'. pryup Inner cover, end blow MY­.,.1 puft:I of smoU over frames.

Remove Il1Ime nearnl you Ilrst.The queen Is seldom close tothe.lde.

and make sure it stays liL Now you're ready to open the hive.Approach the hive from the side. staying out 01 the bees' line of flight

It's best 10 have the sun at your back. Blow two or three puffs of smokeinto the hive entrance-it'll calm the guards. (See illustration, page 24.)

Next, take off the outer cover if you have one, and direct a puff ofsmoke into the opening in the center 01 the inner cover. Then push yourhive 1001 under the inner cover. Thai should leave a space of about aneighth of an inch. Blow in a little smoke. then let the cover down for asecond. Work slowly. gently. You don't want 10 kill a bee and exciteolher bees to sting.

Take il easy with the smoke during the entire operation. Too muchsmoke may stampede and disorganize your bees. A good guide is Ihis: 11a lot of bees' heads are sticking up between Ihe fTames, and they looklike they're ready 10 fly off, a Iitlle more smoke is needed. II lhey actnervous and line up between the tops of the frames, use )'Our smoker.

un the cover again and use a little more smoke. You may lind thatthe frames are glued together with propolis. If they are. insert )'Our hivetool between the frame and the hive wall nearest you and then genUypry the frames toward the cenler. Next insert )'Our hive tool betweenthe first frame and the one next to if and pry the first frame loose.Always lake the first or second frame out first as it is less likely 10 con­tain the queen or brood. Lilt out the frame by taking hold of the endsof the lOp bar. Set the frame against the front corner of the hive so thequeen can nnd her way into the hive if she is on these combs.

When putting the hive back in order. return all the frames but thefirst Crowd the frames against the far side. put in your first frame. thenspace the others oul. Before closing the hive. place the end bars oltbeoutside frames about one.quarter inch from the side of the hive.

Some other operation hints: Avoid jerky, nervous movements. Don'tjolt or jar tbe hive. Keep your smoker handy and use it occasionally tokeep bees subdued. Don't drop a frame into a hive. Replace all framesin original order.

Of course )'Ou don't have 10 lear down the whole hive to see whatyour bee5 are doing. You can insert your hive tool, lift one end of thesuper, and tilt it on an angle to check.

Finding the oueenYou'll have to open a hive to lind the queen when she is 10 be

replaced. This is one of the few times )'Ou'll actually need to lind the

25

queen. Being able to re1:ognize the work of a failing queen Is moreImportant. If a queen Is failing, you'll find one or more of these: ashrinking of the brood area to half normal size: scattered brood-thatis, the brood is not in a compact mass. but is in more or less scatteredand disconnected areas on the same comb; or a drone brood in thebrood area. Some queens just get too old to do a good job. A drop inhoney production may inclicate that you have a failing queen. Also,there is a tendency for a colony to swarm if a queen is failing.

If you decide the queen should be replaced, your next job is to lindher. There are a number of ways to do this. Here's one method. Openthe hive as already described. (If there is brood in two stories, take theupper story aU and sel it on the cover, then examine the lower storyfirst.) Remove the outside frame and examine one frame alter anotheruntil you find the queen. The queen is usually on or near a combcontaining eggs. If there are no eggs or young larvae in either story andthere are some queen cells started, you can be prelty sure there is noqueen in the hive.

If you jar the hive or use too much smoke the queen may hide andshe'll be hard to find. In such a case, you might use a queen excluder ineither of these ways. Put an empty chamber on the bottom board. andpUI your excluder over it. Shake the bees into the story above theexcluder. and with smoke force the bees to run through the excluder toempty the chamber. The queen will then be found on the excluder. Oryou can remove all hive bodies from the bottom board and put on yourexcluder. Then pul an empty hive body on top of the excluder. Nextshake your bees from the combs to a place in front of the Ilive. The beeswill return to the hive, leaving the queen on the excluder.

RequeeningFind the queen, and you can dequeen your colony. Keep the old queen

in a cage without her attendant bees. The cage can be put betweencombs of brood above an excluder of some other colony until the newqueen starts to lay.

You'll find thai it's best to introduce a new queen during a light honeyflow. Queens are better accepted then. Buy a queen from a reliable.eSlablished queen breeder.

Your queen will come in a mailing cage. Follow Ihe instructions thaIcome with this cage. First, remove any queen cells that are presenl Inyour colony before you introduce this new queen. Next remove the

26

address card thaI's on the cage, but do it carefully. Don't tear off thepasteboard that covers the hole in the end of the candy compartment.You can lay the cage, wire<loth cover side down, aver the space betweenthe hive frames. Sometimes the cage is placed on its side between twotop bars. Or it can be stood on end. with the candy end up, on thebottom board between two brood combs.

Some bees will find the queen while other bees gnaw away the paste­board over the end. Then they'll eat out the candy and the queen willwalk out. This takes about 2'1 hours. When the candy is gone, the beeswill be accustomed to the new queen and should accept her.

27

Tn... bees nave built "burr" comb on 1h. underside ol1ne nl.,. cover. Tnla laa sign they need more room 'or ncmey stol'1lge.

28

1¥

,I

springManagement

If you're just staJting oul wilh bees, your springtime job will be rela·tively simple. But if you have overwintered colonies, you'll be as busywith your bees as the bees are busy themselves. You-and your bees­will be getting ready for the big honey flow, your harvest season. You'lladd bees to weak colonies, maybe unile weak colonies, inlroduce newqueens, take care of swarms, do your spring feeding and other chores.We'lI lake a look al those jobs laler. First, let's see what Ihe new bee­keeper will have to do.

Civing supersOne of your first jobs as a new beekeeper will be to add a super to

your hive. We can't tell you exactly when to do this, but we can give youa general idea. Your merit badge counselor can advise you morespecifically.

In general, don't add a super untiJ tbe colony occupies all the firslstory of your hive and has became crowded enough to welcome moreroom. Don't let that first story get 100 crowded though. Usually a superis given when while extensions of the upper cells af tbe combs arenoticed.

Other things to cbeck: Queen performance, disease, stores (make surethey're ample). swarming indications. The entrance should be small atfirst and enlarged as the weather gels wanner. After spring, you man·age and manipulate your bees as you would any established colony.

House CleaningIf you've been keeping bees aU winter. your first spring job will be

some housecleaning. Once the weather warms up. take a look at theentrances to all hives. If you don'l see any bees flying, knock at the frontdoor and wait for an answer. II no one comes aut, open the hive. If thebees are dead, close the hive; block off the entrance. Then as soon aspossible gel rid of the dead bees. You can bury them, but do it awnyfrom your apiary. Examine the combs for disease or have an experiencedbeekeeper or a bee inspector check them. Store the supers where bees

29

can't get to them. Combs [rom diseased colonies should be burned.Clean all the. e.ntrances where you find bees flying. If possible, clean

off the bottom boards. Remove any dead bees, bils of wax, and dirl

Examining Overwintered ColoniesYou should examine your live, overwintered colonies on a bright,

warm, early spring day when the bees are flyinS and preferably whenthere is a lighl honey flow. The temperature should be near 70°_Openand examine the hive as described earlier. This examination shouldlake only a few minutes in order 10 avoid chilling the brood. What areyou going to look for? Here's a check list:

(I) Does the colony have a good queen? Thai is, are there eggs andbrood of all stages? (2) Does the colony have enough stores? In seneral.you should find the equivalent 01 about 15 to 20 pounds of honey (three(0 four frames) if the colony is strong. If you can see sealed honey alonsthe lop of the frame, you can usually figure thaI the colony has enoughfor about IO days. (3) Are there enough bees to care for the brood nest?A strong colony will cover three to four combs and there should bebrood on at least three combs. (4) Is disease present? Check all deadand weak colonies. Never use equipment from diseased colonies until itis sterilized.

If you have strong colonies when you first examine your hives, theyprobably will not need allention until the brood nest begins to getcrowded.

First ManipulationsHave you examined all your colonies? II you have, chances are you

ran into al leasl one of the conditions iIIuslrated here, " you did, theinstructions below will help you manipulate your hives. Of course, therewill be other condilions in some apiaries. In that case, consult yourmerit badge counselor. Don't attempt any manipulations unless yourcolonies are disease free. Here are the more common conditions:

Being queenless, Colony A (see drawins at left) should be united withColony C. which is fairly strong, but is in need of more bees and stores.Colony B has enough bees and brood. but needs stores. It should be fed15 to 20 pounds of sugar syrup. Colony 0 is queen-right, has enoughhoney, but needs hees. Here you have two choices: you can add aqueenless 2-pound package of bees or unite it with a queenless colony.E is a strong colony. Leave it alone for now. Thai half frame of brood F

30

Queenlen Que;;;' right Queen right3 frames haney 5 frames haney 2 frames haney3 frames bees 3 frames bees 3 frames beesNo broad Vl frame brood 1 frame brood

I

A D G

Queen right Queen right Queen right2 frames honey 5 frames honey .4 frames honey6 frames bees B frames bees 6 frames bees3 fromes brood 4 frames brood 1 frame broad

B E H

Queen right Failing Queen

3 frames honey 5 frames honey3 frames bees 5 frames beesI frame brood 'h: frome brood

C F

indicates a failing queen. This colony should be united with a queen­right colony that lacks bees and stores, such as G. Colony H needs morebrood. Watch this hive, If the queen doesn't expand the brood nestsoon. she should be replaced with a young laying queen. Your coloniesshould reach their proper strength between 6 and 8 weeks alter Ihesemanipulations.

Uniting ColoniesMaking one colony out of two is fairly easy if you use the newspaper

method. Jt works like this.Smoke the bees in the stronger colony (always add the weak colony to

the stronger one.) Remove the cover and inner cover. exposing theframes. Next, cover the frames with one sheel of newspaper and put onthe weak colony. minus the boltom board. Don't leave any openings.This forces your bees to gnaw through the paper and unite with the

31

When cUpping the wings of aqueen, hold her a••hown. Clipthe large wing on one side, ontop. Practice on drone. first.

stronger colony. Because this takes a while. there will be Iitlle or nofighting between the two colonies. Punch a small hole (use a pendlpoint) in the paper only if it is hot or quite warm.

Adding paCkage BeesYou can make weak colonies strong by adding queenless packages of

bees belore the honey flow. But how many bees do you add? Here's afairly good yardstick: If there are about three frames of bees and ayoung queen in the weak colony, introduce a 3-pound package of bees.But if the colony has nearly eight frames of bees. I pound of queenlessbees is enougb.

Before you add the new bees, cage the queen and leave her caged lora few days. This will keep the new bees from killing her. Next. wet thepackage bees with sugar syrup and sprinkle syrup liberally over thecombs of the weak colony. Shake the wet bees on top of the frames orinto a space made by removing three of four frames. Lastly, replace theframes and cover the hive.

Clipping the OueenBy the time it's warm enough to start unpacking overwintered colonies,

you can dip the queens. A light honey flow should be in progress.Clipping should only be done after thequeen is mated. Of course, if you boughtyour queen lrom a breeder it will havebeen mated and will be laying. Youcan ask the breeder to clip her lor you.

Beekeepers clip the wings of queensto make them easier to identify. Thisalso keeps the Queen from leaving witha swarm. Then when the bees miss her,the swarm will return to the hive.

When handling a queen bee, care­lully pick her up by the wings withyour thumb and forefinger. Don't pickher up by the abdomen. To do the clip­ping, transler the queen to your lefthand. pUlting your thumb under herand your forefinger over her as illus·trated .11 left. She won't sting. Next.

32

using a line pair of scissors. clip off baH of one pair of wings. Or youcan clip just the large wing on one side. Some beekeepers clip the leftwing one year and the right wing the next year so they can tell how oldthe queen is.

If you are a beginner. practice Ihis dipping procedure with somedrones first. When you Ihink you can do it well. practice with a fewworkers belore dipping a queen.

Some beekeepers mark their queens to make them easy to find. If youdo this, mark them with a small spot of paint or nail polish on thethorax-not the abdomen.

Spring FeedingBees can starve. In fact. starvation is one of the main causes of

unprofitable beekeeping. Food is especially important in late spring andjwt before the major honey flow. Your bees need plenty of food to rearbrood. Because of the danger of bringing in disease, most beekeepersfeed sugar syrup rather than honey.

To make syrup lor spring feeding, mix one part of hot water and onepart 01 granulated sugar. Add the sugar to the water and keep stirringuntil the sugar is dissolved. You can pUI the syrup in a shallow pan.cover it with cheesecloth to keep your bees from drowning, and put it inan empty super on top of the brood nest. Or you can put the syrup in afriction-lap honey pail and put the pail on lOp 01 the brood Irames inan empty super. Some beekeepers use an entrance feeder to encouragebrood rearing. Do your feeding in the evening to prevent robbing.

Some apiarists feed dry sugar instead of syrup. When a colony isshort of stores tbey simply scalier sugar on top 01 the inner cover. Theblock over the bee escape is removed. The bees soon go to the field.bring in water, then make their own syrup.

RabbingBees can be criminals-robbers. And if they ever stage a full·fledged

robbery in your apiary you'll never forget it. Any bee can become arobber. The more loot bees can steal. lhe worSe they get. They'll exciteother bees and before you know il there will be a roaring battle underway that may last for days.

There can be a robbery any time, but it usually takes place when nohoney is coming in. The robbers generally overpower the guards of aweak colony and cart the food supply back to their hive. You can spol

33

Overcrowded Brood Nest

tt you spot robber beet: around a hive,put green weeds or grau in entJ1lnceto help keep them out. The grass willdry out after the robbers.,. gone, andbees can then gel out.

If, soon alter a hive is unpacked. you notice lhat the brood nest isbulging with honey, consider it a warning sign-the hive is geltingovercrowded. 11 you don't provide more room, swarming preparationswill result. You can give your overcrowded bees more room in differentways.

Ha colony has been wintered in a standard brood nest with a shallowhive body on lOp of it. the queen usually starts laying in the shallowhive body come spring. When it gets overcrowded you simply reversethe two sections. You put the shallow hive body on the bottom boardand the deep chamber on top of the shallow hive body. Add another

swarming

super on top to provide space for bees and nectar storages.Suppose you wintered your bees in two standard hive bodies. You

simply reverse the two hive bodies and add a super.Maybe you wintered your colony in a single standard brood nest. In

that case, when it gets overcrowded you would simply add a hive bodycontaining worker comb. You could put in frames of foundation, butonly if the bees are gathering nectar.

Bees like to swarm. II's their way of dividing a colony. Part 01 a colonyleaves to set up a new home. They leave enough bees behind to main·tain the old or parent colony. If you have only a few colonies and wantto increase the nwnber. you might welcome a swarm. But you'll have 10

know how to handle thai swann. Most beekeepers try to prevent swann­ing and divide their colonies themse.Jves. To prevenl swarming you mustknow how to recognize swarming preparations..

U a colony has been busy but suddenly quits working. and you seebees hanging around the hive, the colony may be gelling ready toswarm. If you find a lot of queen cells ready to be sealed you canexpect a swarm I or 2 days after the first cell is sealed.

Eliminating the causes of swarming, of course, is how you preventbees from swarming. These are the main causes: Overcrowding; lack ofventilation in the hive: lack 01 combs for brood rearing and for storingnectar and boney; presence of old queens; confinement of bees to thehive because of weatber during normal swarming period; too muchheat from the sun; instinct

Of course you can't do very much about a bee's instinct to swarm.This instinct is stronger in some bee races and strains than in others.Thus the bee breeder can innuence this instinct some. Clipping aqueen helps prevent a swarm from going too far from the apiary:Providing shade for the hive also helps. If there is a lack of ventilation(usually because of hot. sultry weather) you might put I-inch blocksbetween the bottom board and the hive at the comers. Make sure yourbees have plenty of room for brood rearing and for ripening and storingtheir crop. If the drones get numerous, destroy the drone comb andreplace it with worker comb. Leave only a few drones. Keeping youngqueens and providing ample comb space help prevent swarming.

Toward the end of the period before the main honey flow. thousandsof worker bees will emerge. They're rather dumsy at first. getting in the

--

robbers quite easily. If you see bees nying around Ihe hive corners orentrances with a quick, sneaky malian, suspect robbery. These robbersacl as illhey expecl to be jumped al any time. They're shiny and sleek.Don't confuse them with bees alplay. Young bees al play will nyaround in front of a hive, butthere's no fighling, no sneakingaround, and the play soon stops.

Fortunately, there are ways toprevent robbing. Here are a few:Keep all colonies slrong. Onlyweak colonies are robbed. Don'lleave honey or cappings exposed.When honey is scarce, don't leavea hive open long. Reduce the en­trance of a weak colony so onlyone bee at a time can be let inby the bee guards. Keep the hivecover bee-Iighl.

To stop robbing when you thinkit's starling, put a bunch 01 loosegrass over the hive entrance. Thehive guards will hide in the grassand take care of any robbers thattry 10 come through. (See illustra­tion al right.)

34 35

way of others, and often shulting off air to some parts of the hive. Thisnaturally results in swanning preparations. To keep the bees from $Warm­ing you might try this:

Put all or almost all of the sealed brood in the lower brood chamberaJong with the Queen_ Destroy all queen cells and pUI a queen excluderover the chamber. On lop of the excluder put one or two supers ofempty combs, then put on the second brood chamber holding theunsealed brood. Destroy any Queen cells that have been started. As thebrood emerges in the upper chamber, it will be replaced with honey.There are other methods of doing this. Discuss them with you counselorand use the method that will work best for you.

Hiving a SWarmDespite all these swarm-prevention practices, your bees might still

swarm. The swarm probably will cluster on some nearby ob;ect. Removethe brood nesl and supers from the stand and replace them wilh a newhive body containing (rames of foundation and a frame 01 unsealedbrood from the old colony. Put the brood frame in the center, theframes of foundation on the outside. Put the empty super from the oldcolony on top of the new hive body. Next. set the old brood nest (parentcolony) on a stand about 5 yards (TOm the new hive. Tum its entranceaway from the new hive. Next, collect the swarm and hive it In the newhive body.

Uyour bees cluster on a bush or tree limb, you can shake them into abasket or other conlainer and take them back to the hive. You may beable to cut oflthe branch containing the cluster. If you can't shake theobject or cut it off, you can brush the bees inlO your conlainer. At thehive, shake Ihe bees onlo the alighting board. The bees will usuallycrawl righl in. Keep your smoker handy though. You may have 10smoke or brush them in.

U the queen isn't with them, your bees will slarl runnins out of thehive again looking lor her. When that happens, look for the queen. Shemay be at the original clustering place or somewhere around the hivealtended by a small group 01 bees.

As a precaution, some beekeepers place an excluder between thebollom board and the bottom super to prevenlthe queen from leavinllthe hive afler the swarm has settled on the combs.

The field bees in the old brood nesl will go lnlo the field. When lheyreturn they'll go 10 the former location of their hive. There, of course,

36

they'll find the new hive and join Ihe swarm. This should weaken theparent colony enough to prevent any more swarming. You should alsoremove all but one or two queen cells from the parent colony when youmove the brood nesl to its new location.

The parenl colony is now a new colony and can be left to rear aqueen of its own. The new queen will emerge, the combs will gel filledwith brood and honey, and you may have to add a super. II the nightsare cool, make sure the colony doesn't gel chilled.

Artificial Increase of ColoniesWhen to increase you colonies will depend on two things: whether

your main object is to produce a crop of honey or whether your soleobject is 10 increase Ihe number of colonies. U you're alter honey, youshould nol increase your colonies at the height of a honey flow Start inthe spring. Bul don't overdo it. And don't take away from a colonyunless il can weU spare the bees and combs. There are a number ofways 10 increase colonies. Here are two.

Prepare a new hive. then fill it with frames containing brood andbees (not the Queens) taken from several colonies. Introduce a new,fertile queen. Stuff the entrance tightly with green grass so the beescannot leave.. The grass will will in a few days and allow the bees toleave the hive. u~ a shade board on the hive until the colony isestablished. Don'l forget 10 put frames filled with foundation in thehives [rom which you look the brood frames and bees.

Some beekeepers take the Queen of a colony and half of the sealedand unsealed brood and bees and put them in a brood chamber on abottom board of a new stand. Plenty of room and honey are given untilthe first honey flow. The other half of the original colony is given a newQueen. II's also given room and honey the same as the new colony. If.you want 10 increase )'Our colonies, ask your counselor for advice onwhat to do.

37

38

SummerManagement

Are you ready for the honey now? Lel's make a quick check to seewhether you are. Make sure your colonies are completely free of disease.Are your hives fuJi of bees? The Queens should have their hives full ofbrood, with enough room for their egg laying. Swarming intentionsshould be under control. What about honey production equipment?Make sure you have everything ready belore the honey flow starts.

If you live in a northern stale. the boney flow may start in June orJuly; in the southern stales it may be a couple of months earlieI'. In thefar west and in the sweet clover and alfalfa regions. the main honeyflow usually starts about the first of August. In California and Florida,the honey flow will come in March and April.

producing Extrocted HoneyAs a beginner you'U find it a lot of fun to produce both extracted and

comb honey. Too, you'll learn more about honey production than youwould if you specialized. You can let your strongest colonies producecomb honey, your weaker colonies exlracted honey-or chunk honey ifyou don't have extracting equipment

Of course. large commercial apiaries generally specialize. They pro­duce either all exlracted honey or all comb honey. II you go into large­scale beekeeping some day, that's what you'll want to do.

Until the main honey now starts. the job of the extracted-honey pro­ducer is the same as that of the comb-honey producer. But starting atthe time of the honey (low. their jobs differ. So to avoid confusion, Jet'sdiscuss the jobs separately.

Equipment

First. of course, you'll need supers. You'll find it best to use shallowsupers. They're not too heavy for Scouts to handle, and Ihey also can beused for comb-honey production. For extracted honey, have at least twoor three supers for each hive. You'll need a queen excluder to keep the

39

EItracting

When uncapping, move the !mile backand forth •• you work up the comb.Lean the comb lorward so the cap­pings wllllall clear of the comb.

queen from getting intn the supers. You'll also need bee escapes, apair of uncapping knives, containers for your finished product, an extrac·tor that can take two or three frames, two tubs, cheesedoth for straining.a funnel, and a lamp stove for heating your uncapping knives. You can,of course, buy complete extracting ouUits.

II you have only two or three colonies, you'll probably produce chunkhoney-square chunks cut out of frames with a hot knife. You don'tneed uncapping knives or extracting equipment. Use thin surplus, notwired, foundations.

putting on SupersOnce you have your equipment and hives ready for the honey now,

your next job is adding supers for the honey harvest Exactly when toput on that first super will depend upon your location. In general, adda super when the honey flow begins. A guide used by some beekeepersis this: If the combs look white along the top bars, pUI on the lirst super.the bees should be busy flying in and out of the hive entrance. In someareas the honey flow is large and starts suddenly. Beekeepers there puton supers before the combs get whitened. Find out what others in yourarea do.

Put on one super at a time. II you have a few combs that are partlyfilled with honey, you might put them in the cenler of your firsl super.Tbey'll act as bait to draw your bees up. Once the bees are well slartedand the honey flow is strong, put on another super. This system isknown as top supering. You can add more supers later, but don't putthem on too fast. Make sure your bees need more room. If you addsupers too fast, they may get only half filled.

Your first super is usually ready 10 be removed for extracting once itis two-thirds or more capped over. (Capped over means that the honeyis sealed into the cell with wax.) First. take off all supers. lhen put backthe super that is next nearest full. Next. put on a bee escape board. fiatside down, bee space up. The super thaI's ready for extracting now goeson top. The bees in this super will go down in about 48 hours. Then thesuper is ready for removal from the hive. Be sure covers are light withno holes where robber bees can get in. Instead of using a bee escape,some keepers brush or shake the bees into the second super.

Once the honey flow starts letting up, SlOp adding supers. lei yourbees fillihe supers you have on the hive. Remove the honey as fast as itbecomes ripe.

40

You'll find that extracting is easier if you can go to work right afteryou take your combs from the hive. Having all your equipment in place

and ready to use will make thework easier, too. For example,heat ){)ur uncapping knives aheadof time.

First. you uncap the combs. (Seeillustration at left.) Rest the combon a crossbar over the tub that is10 receive the honey and cappings.Next, use your knife to slice thecappings from the comb. Start atthe bottom and move upward,sawing back and forth. As youuncap. till the comb forward alittle at the top and the cappingswill drop neatly into Ihe tub. Un·cap both sides of Ihe comb.

Alter all the combs are un·capped, load the extractor so thatcombs of about equal weight areopposite each other. Twn the cranka few times. slowly. Then reverse

the combs (or direction of pockets if you have a reversible extractor) andtum the crank until the second side is dean of honey. Reverse the frames~n .and extract the remaining honey. Lift oul the combs and put themnght mto supers. When a super is filled wilh combs. put it back on thehive if the honeyflow is still on. Your bees may then refill the combs.~hen you are. done extracting a batch. put the cappings into a large·

stramer (make It from cheesecloth) and let them drain into the tubcontaining the liquid honey. Or if you have cappings baskets fiJi themwith the cappings and hang them in the extractor. A few fa~t turns ofthe crank should extract the honey. The cappings can then be washedand meHed. Cappings make a fine light wax.

Chunk Honey

If you don't have an extractor or if you keep only a few colonies, youcan. of course, produce chunk honey. When your combs are entirely

4'

Comb honey, marketed In cartonslike thll, makes en anfactive package.Honey .180 I. protected from dust.nd InHCts.

copped over, you simply lake a hot. thin knife and cut the honey out ofthe frames in SQuare chunks. Let the chunks drain overnight on a piece01 hardware cloth placed over a shallow pan. Then wrap them so loryour family or for sale to neighbors. Chuck honey should be eaten assoon as possible, since drainings tend to crystallize rather rapidly. Somebeekeepers put chunk honey in jars.

producing Comb HoneyBeekeepers who live where they have an exceptionally good honey

flow have the most success with comb honey. Sections have to be filledfast. This type of production is exacting and requires good hivemanagemenL As for special eqUipmenL youll need comb-honey supers.foundation, sections, queen excluders, bee escapes. and containers foryour honey. You do not need uncapping knives, a honey extractor, tubs,or other equipment used in extracted-honey production.

Hlvl! ManagementIf you're going to produce comb honey. you'll need strong colonies.

For best results, your comb-honey colonies should each occupy at leasttwo fulJ.depth hive bodies. These colonies should be welJ.protected fromthe wind.

When the first blossoms come out and your bees seem to be flying inand out of the hives regularly, irs time to put on your first super. You'll

probably notice that the combsare whitened near the top.

There are, of course, a numberof ways to handle your supersonce !.he main honey flow begins.Which system you use will dependon where you live and the type ofapiary you have. II you are a be­ginner, get advice from your coun­selor or local beekeepers. They cantell you exactly what to do. Thefollowing plan--called the MillerPlan-is used by many beekeepers.

When the main honey now starts,the oldest brood, with the queen,is put in the lower brood Ilest The

42

rest of the brood, with enough bees 10 protect it, is set on a new bottomboard al a new localion. A queen excluder and two supers are put overthe full brood nest. Because the bees are then crowded almost to thepoint of swarming, you'll find that they usually run into the supers andstart work immediately. II they do not. you can bail them up. You mayhave to control swarming preparations after the bees are confined tothe one brood nest. Use methods described earlier.

As long as the honey now is steady, new supers are put just abovethe queen excluder. The super most nearly completed is put on top ofthe new super. Other supers are arranged on top of this. Exactly howyou arrange supers will depend on how much honey they contain.Remember, as long as the honey flow is steady the super in which themost work has been done is placed on top of !.he hive.

Tactics are changed once the height of the honey Dow is over. Thenewest super added is put on top of the hive-not directly over thequeen excluder as is done when the honey now is steady. Thus, the beeswill fill the older supers before they slart on a new one. The supers areremoved as fast as they are filled.

What about the extra brood on the new bottom board? You can use itfor several things.. Some beekeepers use it to strengthen weaker colonies.Some let the brood emerge, !.hen use the new queen to requeen theparent colony. Or you can let the new colony increase.

Taking OH HonewYou don't have to wait until every section in the super is completely

fdled before you take it off the hive. Beekeepers usually remove thesuper when all butlhe sections in the outer rows are finished. Once asuper is ready to be removed, it must first be moved "upstairs" andcleared or bees. You put an escape board under the finished super. Thecover on top should be IighL Illeft this way overnight, the next day thefinished super usually wUl be free of bees and is then taken ofL

It's best to pack your honey right away. Scrape the sections free of allpropolis. then sort them according to weight, finish. and color. Partlyfinished seclions should be placed in supers. These supers can then beput on strong colonies to be finished. Unless you have a large apiaryand ship comb honey by the case. wrap each section in cellophanewrappers. J( you intend to sell your comb honey, you might put thesections in window-type cartons. (See illustrations, page 42.)

If you don't pack your honey risht away, put your supers in tiSh! pilesin a warm, dry room. These supers should be fumigated immediately

43

and every 5 or 6 days thereafter for wax-molb control. Do not useparadichlorobenzene as the odor can ruin your honey. See paRe 54 forfumigating practices.

You can gel the liS. honey-grading standards by wriling to the Agri­cultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. U.S. Department ofAgriculture. Washington, DC 20250. Most local ASCS offices will havecopies of the honey-grade standards_

44

Fall and winterManagement

In the fall you face what you might think will be a dull winter so faras bees go. But it will only be dull if you make it that way. There arestill a lot of interesting things you can learn about bees, and there arechores to do.

Did you know that a duster of bees, dosed in a hive during winler,shou.ld always move up? Why? do you know how hot it is inside one ofthese dusters? It can be as high as 93° F. when brood is being reared,while an inch away from the outer part of the duster it may be wellbelow freezing. A colony of bees always forms a duster when thetemperature approaches 57° F.

There are many management problems you should know. Let's goover a few.

Getting Ready fOr WinterEarly fall is the beekeeper's "new year." You'll see why as we list your

chores. $tart preparing your colonies for winter in late August (toward

45

the end of the maln honey flow) by checking your colonies for disease.Also check your queens. Requeen if necessary. A poor queen meanspoor wintering. The only bees that contribute 10 good wintering areyoung bees reared from eggs laid in late August or early September.

Remove all surplus honey, even if it is not capped. You'lI want toreduce your hive to two brood chambers, but you'll have to provideample stores. Thai means about 50 pounds of honey in tbe upper100fTame. full-depth hive body and 20 pounds in the lower hive body.Put the 20 pounds of honey in the upper pari of the combs, just abovethe winter clusler space. If it is available, pUl four to six frames ofpollen in the lower hive body.

If necessary, feed your bees in early lall. This will give them enoughtime to slore and ripen the sugar solution. Feed them a thick sugarsyrup-two parts sugar. one part water.

Late summer or early fall is the time to unite weak or queenlesscolonies with medium or strong colonies. When a hive is ready forwinter, at least six combs in the lower chamber should be covered withbees. All these fall preparations should be completed by the middle offall-Octoher 15. in most areas.

WindbreaksLeI's lake a recheck: Are your colonies strong'? Do they have enough

honey-50 to 60 pounds per colony? Pollen? Do you have }'Qung queens,young bees? Those are the imporlant factors in colony make-up forwintering bees. Providing a windbreak also is important. A windbreakis any protective shelter [rom the wind. This windbreak might be aheavy growth of bushes or young trees, or a slalted board fence. Yourapiary should be located so that the fence or trees keep the prevailingwinds from hitting your beehives. A solid board fence wnuld not worksince the wind would bounce off the fence. travel up. then be forceddown on the opposite side-right in your apiary.

Each hive should have a watertight cover. Better weight it down, 100,

so it won't be blown off. Keep your hives well painted. If you live northof the snow line, you may want 10 pack your colonies for the winter. Inthe south, wind protection usually is alilhal is needed.

packingIf you'll be wintering bees for the first lime, ask your counselor if

packing is necessary in you area. If it is, perhaps he'lI help you get

46

In reaUy cold ar.a., some bee­keepers us...phlilt shellthlngpaper for winter packing. Leaves,straw, or other InsulatIon Is sluffedbetween the paper lind the hive.After II lop entrance bfock Is nail«lon. lop, the lop of the paper isfolded In. middle, then securedwith the outer hive cover andtwine, below.

paper method. often called slaler's-­felt method, has become quite pop-­ular where packing is practiced.

Asphalt pape~ single- or double­ply. is fastened with tacks or lalhto the sides and ends of the lowerpari of the hive. Then insulationmaterial (dry, not green. forestleaves, sawdust. wheat straw, clo­ver chaff) is put in between thepaper and the hive. The four cor­ners are filled first, then the sides.The top of the hive is covered with8 to 12 inches of insulation. The

started. Fmd out all you can aboutdifJerent ways to pack hives. thenpick the method best suiled to you.There are many methods-somequite expensive, others relativelycheap.

You can put your hives inwooden packing cases. Some bee­keepers wrap their hives in news­paper, then cover wil h tar paper.Others use different types of insu·lation board. Some simply useleaves. The following asphalt-

47

paper is then folded down and tacked with nails. Oftena second strip of paper is then placed over the hive and tied down. Ifthe hives have telescopic covers with inner covers, the telescope coversare removed and put on top of the packed hive, weighted with bricks. Ifthe hives do not have inner covers, the outer covers are left on.

lf snowfall is usually heavy in your area, or if the lower entrance getsclosed by ice, a top entrance should be used. To make this upperentrance simply drill a small hole (five-eights or thre~uarters of aninch in diameter) just above the hand hole of the hive body. Use anentrance block as illustrated.

If you do not pack your colonies, you'll want to have an upperentrance in the event that the lower entrance is closed by snow or ice.Bees may also get out an upper entrance for flights during the winter.

The lower entrance probably should not be closed entirely, even inareas having a very cold climate, In other areas the lower entranceshould be reduced in size. To keep mice out of your hives you can useentrance screens of half·inch hardware cloth.

Bee DiseasesAs well organized and well run as a colony 01 bees is, there's one

thing the bees can't handle. That's disease. Even the beekeeper can finddisease "too hot to handle." Disease has put thousands of beekeepersoul of business. It has caused losses amounting to millions 01 dollars.Today, fortunately, there are many good disease-control measures. Ifyou are going to keep bees----even one colony-you'll want to makeyourself thoroughly familiar with the main bee diseases and how tocontrol them. Read whal follows here, but also read other literature,ask questions 01 other beekeepers, and seek advice.

State or county bee inspectors will help you. If you suspect trouble ina colony, call your county inspector or get a sample ul the diseasedcomb to your nearest bee culture laboratory.

American Faulbraad

49

The most common brood disease is American foulbrood. It is also themost destructive. A brood disease is one that attacts brood. Some dis­eases also affect adult bees.

The American foulbrood germ kills the bee larvae soon after the cellsare sealed. Diseased colonies have cells with sunken, darkened, greasy­

looking cappings, often withirregular holes or perforations. Ifyou look into diseased cells you'llfind lan, coltee-brown to brownish-­black dead larvae lying length­wise along the lower cell wall.Olten the tongue of a diseasedlarvae sticks to the top 01 the cell.Stick a toothpick into the decayedbody. (See illustration at left.)The sticky, gluelike contents oltenwill cling to the toothpick andstring out when you pull the toolh-­pick oul. You'll also notice a dis­agreeable odor. Put the toothpickin your smoker so it will beburned up.

To lesl lor American foulbrood, pusha toolhplck Into a punctured capping,then pull II oul slowly, If the cell ladiseased, Ihe ropy browniah remainswill stnllich oul aa shown here. Bumthe toothpkk.

Winter ChoresOnce your bees are sel for the winter, leave them alone. Don't open a

hive. You might look the colonies over occasionally to see Lhat entrancesare not clogged with dead bees or ice. If a colony dies, dose it up, findthe cause, and dispose of it as described earlier.

Winter is also a good time 10 check over and repair your equipment.Get you spare combs, hive bodies, and extracting equipment ready forspring and summer use.

4B

t .'

Heads of larvae deld trom sacbroodpoint up towlrd the top walll of theceUI. Other bees removed lomecapplngs.

You can cure this disease. Your bees will lend a hand, 100. They willremove the diseased larvae. You should strengthen infected colonies byadding more bees. Dequeen for awhile to break the brood·rearing cycle.This will give your bees more time to clean up the colony.

Antibiotics, primarily terramycin, have been used in the preventionand cure of European foulbrood, Check with the entomologist al yourstate experiment station for the latest recommendations. European foul·brood is found in all slates.

Other Brood DiseasesParafoulbrood is another brood disease, but it is found only in a few

areas, generally in North and South Carouna. Georgia. and Florida.The disease usually attacks the larvae before the cells are sealed, butsometimes it kills late larvae in sealed cells and also young pupae. Thedead brood is first grayish white, then gets light brown. brown, reddishbrown, or dark brown. (See illustration below.) The dead brood will befound stretched out on the cell floor. heads raised. Scales are easilyremoved from the cells. If you have any doubts about what disease it is.seek expert advice. Conlrol is the same as for European foulbrood.

A fourth brood disease. found in almost all areas, is called sacbrood.It seldom causes serious losses. In colonies with sacbrood. the brood isslightly irregular. Scattered here and there you'll find cells containingdead brood. The cappings over dead brood are first punctured and

This section of brood comb II Infectedwith parafoulbrood. The dead droneIs Ql'"ayllh white It first, then tumsbrown.

European foulbrood is a tricky disease. It'll often show up whenbeekeepers least expect it. Fortunately. it is not as common as Ameri·can foulbrood. A larva is attacked and usually dies before the cell issealed. It generally turns a light yellow; later a grayish or blackishcolor. It gives off a slightly sour odor. The larva loses its rounded formand can be found in almost any position in the cell. The best way toprevent European foulbrood is to keep strong colonies with young vigor­ous queens.

European Foulbrood

There are control measures. State laws and regulations help controlthis disease. But since bee inspectors can't inspect every colony. youshould do the following: Donl buy bees in hives unless you're sure theyare healthy. Don't use borrowed equipment unless you know irs disease:·free. Make sure there is no source or infection within bee flight of yourapiary. Feed disease-free honey only. Insp<."Ct your colonies for diseaseregularly. Learn all symptoms. If you suspect disease. get experl advice,do nol transfer combs Irom a suspect hive. and guard against robbing.

Sodium sulfathiazole or terramycin are used in many areas to help(ight this disease. However. some state experiment stations do not rec·ommend using drugs as preventives. If used. they should be fed only asa preventive in the fall or spring under Ihe advice of your stale ento­mologist to avoid getting drug residues inlo the honey. Killing and burn·ing the infected colony is the most effective treatmenl.

Before you kill your diseased colony, select a spot thal won't bedisturbed for a long time and dig a hole 24 inches deep. It should belarge enouHh to hold all the materials to be burned. After the bees aredead, carry your hive to the pit and put it on newspaper or burlap tocalch bits of comb or dead bees that may drop. Start a fire in the pilWhen the (ire is burning well put in the bees and combs as fast aspossible. When everytrung is completely burned. rake all the debrisaround the pit into the fire and let it burn: then fill the pit with soil.Honey should not run out of the pit onlO the ground. Always use a pitfor bee burning-not an incinerator.

Save the bottom board. hive bodies, and covers. Scrape them clean,Catch all scrapings on paper and burn them. Thoroughly scrub theboard, hive bodies, and covers with a strong soap and water. It wouldbe even bener to use a botlle gas blowtorch to lightly scorch and scrapethe wooden equipment.

50 51

later removed by the bees. (See lIIustration. page 51.) The dead larvaeusually are stretched out full on the cell floor with dark brown or blackheads showing through the openings. It you took out a larva and held itup. the watery contents would flow to one end. You'd then have aminiature sack-thus the name sacbrood. There's no definite treal1llentsince this disease usually disappears during a honey flow. U the diseasedoes become serious or prevalent change to queens of a ditferent strain.Queens should not be reared from a colony containing sacbrood.

DysenteryOf all the diseases that allack adult bees, dysenlery is about the

worst. I( you live in a warm climate it won't be as serious a problem asil is for those who live in the northern stales. Dysentery is. more exactly,diarrhea. Affected bees drop dark, walery excrement over the hives andcombs. This is often referred 10 as "spotting:' Under normal conditions,bees drop their feces while flying. Suspect dysentery when the hive isbadly spotted in January, February, or a month before warm weather isdue. However, a little spotting-usually a result of a bee night on agood sunshiny day-is perfecUy normal.

There are several causes of dysentery: lack of a good windbreak.poor packing. poor and unripened honey, poorly ventilated quarters,poor fruit juices harvested when there was a lack of honey.

The best preventive measure is to see that your colonies are strongand large enough lor wintering. A windbreak is a must. Never usehoneydew for winler Slores-use only good, well-ripened sealed honeyor thick sugar syrup. Extract any fruit juices your bees may store incombs. If the spotting is bad the colony is usually doomed. On the otherhand. if the colony is nol 100 badly SPOiled, dysentery usually dis­appears with the first flights of the bees.

Nosema DiseaseNosema disease also affects the adult bee. It's caused by a parasite.

Affected bees will be found in front of the hive, usually in the earlyspring just before a major honey flow. The bees will be trembling andcrawling around aimlessly. Some will remain inside. The abdomens areoften swollen and look shiny or greasy. Sometimes their wings aredisjointed. In the advanced stages. the bees can't fly.

Having slrong colonies with ample slores and young vigorous queensare the best preventive measures for this disease. There should be a

52

nearby sourCe of fresh water for your bees, 100. Nosema germs likestagnant water. Some beekeepers have found that requeening helps.Research indicates that fumagillin may be effective against Nosemadisease. Ask your state entomologist about it.

paralysisThe symptoms of paralysis are similar to those of Nosema disease.

Affected bees become weak, sluggish, hairless, and shiny, and theytremble. Their wings are often flattened and disjointed. They eithercrawl out of the hive or are pusbed out. The symptoms generally dis­appear if the colony is given some emerging brood from other coloniesand is requeened with a young, vigorous queen. Paralysis causes morelosses in hot than in cold dimales.

poisoningBees can be killed by insecticides that farmers apply to crops 10

control harmful insects. Other pesticides that are applied for diseasecontrol, in a few instances, also may harm bees. Bees that pick up apesticide while gathering honey usually die before getting back to thehive. Pollen collectors. however. bring the tainted pollen back to thehive for storage. As a result. many nurse bees are poisoned and crawlout to die, forming a fanlike carpet in front of the hive entrance.

Your best preventive measure against poisoning is to become familiarwith the pesticide program in your area, then manage your beesaccordingly. Avoid putting hives in areas where highly toxic pesticides(parathion, malalhion, heptachlor, lindane. etc.) are used Some statesprohibit spraying fruit trees when they are in bloom.

EnemiesWhen it comes to control of the wax rnOlh, an insect thai can destroy

combs at a lerrific rale, we can't emphasize enough whal we've saidagain and again-"Keep strong colonies:' In a strong colony, the beeswill destroy the wax moth larvae and carry them oUI of a hive. Thewax moth can make headway only in weak colonies.

Wax moth eggs are laid in small cracks and crevices about the hive.When the larvae hatch Ihey eat the combs, reducing them to a mass ofwebs and waste material. Next. Ihey cal a depression in the wood offrames and spin their cocoons.

53

Beekeepers who have nondescript black bees and find wax worms intheir live colonies usually requeen with an Italian queen. They may adda pound of Italian bees to destroy the worms.

Wax moths can get into stored combs. To prevent this, you can put allyour empty combs in hives with entrances dosed and leave them outuntil after a good winter freeze. This will kill eggs. larvae, and adultmoths. In warm areas, you can fumigate their combs. Get adult helpwhen you do any fumigating. Paradichlorobenzene can be sprinkled ontop of some paper and put on top of a tier of combs. Everything iscovered with a tight lid and left a few days.

Mice will damage stored equipment or colonies if proper precautionsare not taken. Keep slored combs in rodent·proof buildings. You canuse wire screen guards over the entrances 01 wintered hives. Skunkscan be trapped or killed. You can also drive them away by sprinklingpowdered lye in the skunks' passages. An electric fence around yourapiary will keep bears out.

Final AdviceIf you suspect disease in even one hive, don't wail 10 see what develops.

If you don't know what it is or how to treat it, get a laboratory diagnosisof your trouble immediately, Get in touch with your nearest bee inspector.your state Extension entomologist, an experienced beekeeper. or yourcounselor.

54

BookS AboutBeekeepingAdams, John F. Beekeeping. Avon. 1974.

Dadant, C. P. First Lessons in Beekeeping. Rev. ed. Scribner. 1980.

Hanson, Louise G. Beekeeping for Fun and Profit. McKay, 1980.

Mace, Herbert. The Complete Handbook of Beekeeping. Van Nostrand.1976.

Root, A. I. ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture. A. I. Root, 1978.

Sammataro, Diana and Avitabile, Alphonse. The Beekeeper's Hand·book. Scribner, 1981.

Taylor. Richard. The How-To-lk;lt Book of Beekeeping. Linden. 1977.

Taylor. Richard. The Joys of Beekeeping. Sl Martin's, 1974.

Weiss, Edward. The Queen and I: A Manual for the Beginning Bee-keeper. Harper & Row. 1978.

MagazinesAmerican Bee Journal, 51 South Second Street. Hamilton. IL 62341.

Gleanings in Bee Culture, Box 706, Medina, OH 44258.

NeWSpaperThe Speedy Bee, P. 0. Box 998, Jesup, GA 31545.

other SourcesWrite to the bulletin clerk of your state experiment station for pam­

phlets on beekeeping in your state, or ask your county agent for treecopies. An excellent circular for the new beekeeper is Beekeeping for .Beginners, available from the Bioenvironmental Bee Laboratory, Agri­cultural Research Center-East, Building 476. Beltsville. MD 20705. Askfor Home and Garden Bulletin No. 158.

The United States Department of Agriculture has prepared an excel·lent handbook on the subject. Beekeeping in the United Stales (AgricultureHandbook No. 335) is for sale through the U.S. Government PrintingOffice. Washington, DC 20402.

55

AcknOwledgmentsThe Boy Scouts of America wishes 10 thank John G. Thomas of the

Texas Agricultural Extension Service {Entomology~ College Station. Tex.:Luther and Moina Maserang 01 C. L Maserang ApiaiTies, Fort Worth.Tex...: and Deborah L Sizemore. science and agriculture writer, for review­ing IlUs pamphlet. Information and ideas contributed by them led tothis revised edition.

The following were used in the preparation of this pamphlet:

Bee Culture in Kansas. Ralph L Parker. Kansas Slale College of Agri·culture and Applied Science, Manhaltan. Kans.

Beekeeping. E. J. Dyce, New York State College of Agriculture of CornellUniversity, Ithaca. N.Y.

Beekeeping in Minnesota, M. H. Haydak. University of Minnesota. St.Paul. Minn.

Diagnosing Bee Diseases in the Apiary, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

First Lessons in Beekeeping, C. P. Dadant, American Bee Journal.Hamilton, Ill.

Handbook of Beekeeping in California, J. E. Eckert, California Experi­ment Stalion. Berkeley, Calif.

Pollination-An Agricultural Practice. Roy A. Grout. Dadant & Sons,Inc., Hamilton. Ill.

Seasonal Management of Commercial Apiaries, Russell H_ Kelty. Michi·gan State College Extension Division. East Lansing, Mich.

Slarting Right with Bees. The A. I. Root Co., Medina. Ohio.

Photo CreditsAmerican Bee Journal, Hamilton. III.J. E. Eckert. Manual IS, University of CaJifornia. DavisKansas Stale College, ManhattanLambert StudiosC. L. Maserang Apiaries. Fort Worth. Tex.Ontario Agricultural College, Department of Public Relations. Guelph,

CanadaThe A. L Root Co., Medina. OhioEdwin Way TealeUniversity of Minnesota. St. PaulU.S. Department 01 Agriculture

56

t!eRIT BADGE LIBRARY

ThOugh Inlended as an aJd to Boy SCouts. varsity Scouts, and quaHlied Explorersin meetmg meril badge requIrements, these pamphlets are of general inlaresland are made available by many schools and public libraries. The latest revisiondale of each. whICh may not necessarily colTespond to the copyrighl date of lhepamphlet. is shown below (corrected to April '. 1988)

....... -N,_ -N,_ -=- "" 3363 E>w."'.,...."" -- ,..,=-- "" ...... .... 3382 PO_Mig "'".... ........ """"' ....

"..-- --_...... ....""' ........- ,,,.

"'" - .... ....- ....= ............. "" "" "'- "" 331. P!lnery ..._............ ,... "'" ....... "" =-"'" ..-, -3301 FISh _ WddIitIo Comm_ ,..,""" ........,."

'OM ",,=-' "" 32'51 Puok HelIlIh ,...",. '" ,.. ,." "" ---.;re """"'" ........... .... "'" '"'- -"""' .......... """"" ........ ",. 3240 Qaroen,ng "" 337!i Rallbrl Raising """'" """",...., ,..,

=~ "" "" ..- """" "'- ,.. "n 3292 Railroading ''''3323 ~klng "" "'" "- ,... 3383 Re-'ing ""3:J13 BdilMry "" "'" "'" ,'" 33012 Re~iHo SluUy "n"'" ......,,"" ,.., """ ' ........ 3311 Air and SlloIgun3282 Bud St~ ,,.. ........ "" ....."" ""3378 Bookblnd,ng ,... 3380 Hiking '''' 3)\12 Rowilllil """" -", '''' 332liI Hom. Repalra "" 33<17 5aI1!1~ ""6IIglIng ISM U"'*l 3298 Hcneman.h1p "" 3351 s..leImaItship ""325ll Ctompong ,... 3J5lI Indian l.otto "" 338" 5ehollmh'p ""~ c.r-'ng "" ~ InsecI Slucly .... 3322 ScUlpWtl ,...~~""fW "n 3350 JoutnIolilm ,.., =- """" to_ 3250 Sl<ellng ,..,

Comm_ ,... Ardl,IllClUfWi "" "'" "..::t... "eo32S2 Cil.-.hIp In lhe"'" too "" 33111 S S8lIong ,....- "" 33lO 1.MMllenoof~

,.., 3291 SolI _ w.m.r~ cmz.n.r"p .. "- 327lI ~ng "'" ""'"""""" "'".... ,...

~~,..,

""' .....- ...."'" """~ "" "n

==~"n

"'" """"""""- ""=~.... ""....- ,... -"" ........ """"" - ...... "" 3m .- ,.. ""--'

,..,"'" """"" .... 32llD Mociel 0M'lI" _ -- ""=-. - ....... -"'" -- ...."" -- ""=~ "" 33il 1tIffic: SIIIwty ",.=~ - ,.. "" ........ "" ..- "" .............., ""==~..t. "" """- .... 3281~ Sc:>eIw:e """" "'" .--... "" ""- -.... ........., =- .... "'" - ....Prwc-..._

""_............. .... 32'&$W~ s..v-I -""" ...... "'" "" ....... 3J1S Wood c.w.; -3:Pfi EnguilMr,ng "'" 3281~ "" 3311 'o'tboc2wcri: ""-

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA • SUPPLY DIVISION

NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER DIRECT MAIL CENTER2109 Westinghouse Boulevard P.O. BOll 909

P.O. BOll 7143 PIneville, NC 28134-0909CharlOlle, Ne 28241-7143 For lase credit card ordel'S--

VISA. MasterCard. American Ellpress-call BSA operators loll·free

'-800-3~

ADVANCE IN SCOUTING .EARN MERIT BADGES .READ

(i;) BEEKEEPING

•

I•