CHAPTER X.
PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago, and even at the present time, by the ordinary methods of bee-keeping, if a profit of five dollars from one hive of bees in one season was gained, it was considered "good luck." You know there is no system in the ordinary methods of bee-keeping. It is either "good luck" or "bad luck;"—all "luck" and "chance," anyway.
In one year they get five dollars profit from a stock of bees; the next honey season they get nothing, and the bees all die in the winter; or perhaps they will survive that winter, and the next season swarm, and fly away to the woods; or perhaps refuse to swarm, and fly away to the woods; or perhaps refuse to swarm, and remain idly clustered on the front of the hive throughout the entire honey season, and die for want of food before the winter is half gone.
Bee keeping by the ordinary methods is a very precarious and uncertain occupation. The profits are small at best, and losses large and frequent.
With my Controllable Hive and common sense System of Bee Management (as described in this work,) founded on correct and scientific principles, bee keeping is reduced to a science. There is no "luck," no "guess-work," no "chance," about it. There can be no loss in bee-keeping without a cause; there can be no gain without a full and correct understanding of the natural habits and requirements of bees. A correct knowledge of the subject insures success.
I will now present a few statements, exhibiting the practical results which follow the use of my Controllable Hive and New System of Bee Management, and showing the great contrast in profits and general success in the care of bees.
In the season of 1870, one of my hives of native bees yielded two hundred and fifty-three pounds of surplus honey, in glass boxes, from the 20th of May to the 1st of July. In 1875 one hive yielded three hundred and eighty pounds of surplus honey in glass boxes during the season. This was the largest yield I ever had, and shows what is possible by liberal feeding with a thrifty stock of bees, giving them every facility, with a view of securing the largest possible amount of surplus box honey. In this case, I selected in early spring, the very best stock I could find, and pushed it as hard as possible throughout the entire spring, summer and early fall. My success exceeded even my most sanguine expectations. As it may serve to fix others in producing large yields of honey, I will describe minutely the method pursued to secure this large and extraordinary yield.
Very early in the spring I selected the most populous stock in my possession. It was ruled by a young and exceedingly prolific Hybrid queen, a mixture of Italian and Native blood. I commenced early in the spring to feed this stock lightly but regularly, every day at evening. I fed about one-half pound of feed per day, until a few days before the flowers were in bloom profusely. This was done to encourage breeding. Very early in the spring they were fed corn and rye meal, as directed in this work.
For a few days before the flowers were blooming profusely, I fed liberally—in fact, gave them all I could possibly induce them to take up; the object being to get the store comb in the body of the hive, not occupied with brood, completely filled with honey. The glass boxes twenty-six in number (with the Feeder,) each holding about four and one-half pounds of honey, were arranged in connection with the hive (sides and tops,) several weeks prior to the appearance of the flowers, that the bees might become accustomed to them, and the more readily enter them and commence work. When I ceased feeding (which was on the appearance of the flowers yielding a good supply of honey,) the boxes were filled with bees, and comb-building had commenced. The hive was at this time filled to overflowing with bees, and the combs had brood in all stages of growth, from the egg to the perfect bee. I had taken the precaution to cut out nearly all the drone comb, and fit in its place worker comb, so I had but very few drones to consume the honey. I had also arranged so as to have no increase by swarming, but to have all the bees employed storing surplus honey in the boxes throughout the season.
As fast as the boxes were filled, they were removed and empty ones substituted in their place. I never saw bees work with such determined industry, early and late, and in all kinds of weather. When honey failed at the end of the season, there was a set of boxes on the hive partially filled. I immediately gave the bees feed until these two were finished. I found, on weighing the product of this hive in the fall, that they had given me a fraction over three hundred and eighty pounds of surplus honey in boxes. This honey I sold at thirty-five cents a pound, a little over one hundred and thirty-three dollars, for surplus honey sold from this one stock. Reader, go thou and do likewise.
I had one stock of bees which occupied the same stand winter and summer, for six years, and during that time they swarmed but once, and from it I sold every year over fifty dollars' worth of surplus honey in glass boxes. A neighbor several times offered me fifty dollars for this stock, early in the spring before the bees commenced their labors.
In 1874, I purchased a swarm of bees in an old box hive. They had not paid their owner a dollar in profit for years. Some seasons they would swarm and fly away to the woods; in other seasons they would remain clustered on the front of the hive through the entire season, refusing to swarm, or enter the two small boxes covered with a cap on top of the hive. I transferred the bees from this hive to the Controllable Hive, and they gave me a profit of over forty dollars the first year.
I sold my honey in 1874 for from thirty-three to thirty-five dollars per hundred gross weight—that is, no tare deducted for the weight of the box.
In the season of 1880 one stock in a Controllable Hive, in the month of June, without being fed or having extra care, yielded seventy-two pounds of surplus honey in boxes. Another treated in the same manner, yielded over eighty pounds of surplus in the same time. Another new swarm, since the first week in June, filled the brood frames with honey, and produced thirty-eight pounds of surplus honey in glass boxes (filling eight boxes as full as they could be crowded,) and gave me a large swarm the last week in June.
When box honey brings from thirty-three to thirty-five cents a pound, gross weight, my usual yearly average is a little over fifty dollars clean profit from the sale of box honey, from each stock of bees I keep. I intend to keep about twelve stocks each season. I sometimes have a much greater number; yet it is my purpose to keep only this number each season, for the production of surplus honey, swarms, etc. My average yield of surplus box honey is about two hundred pounds (perhaps a trifle less) from each hive of bees that I keep, during each season, when swarming is prevented and each stock liberally fed.
I will here give the testimony of a few of the many who have adopted the plan of bee management recommended in this work. I should give the name and post-office address of each, were it not for the fact that they would receive so many letters of inquiry, as to make it very disagreeable to them. I have the original and complete letters in my possession, and such letters I am prepared to show at any time. My object in presenting this testimony here, is to show that the system of bee management recommended herein is not only successful with me, but with all intelligent bee-keepers as well.
A gentlemen from Vermont writes me under date of September 15, 1879, as follows: "I take this opportunity of informing you of the experience I have had with the bee hive received from you. About the 10th of May I transferred a swarm of bees from a box hive to the Controllable Hive. I transferred all the brood combs, and about eight or ten pounds of honey. I fed them until flowers were plenty, which encouraged them to build rapidly. About the 25th of May I put in surplus boxes on the sides, which they soon entered, and went to work. The middle of June I put boxes on top, as the bees showed symptoms of swarming. By the 10th of July the side boxes were nearly all filled, and the bees were at work in the top boxes. July 15th I took off sixteen of the twenty side boxes, well filled and capped, and placed empty ones in their places. August 6th, I took six of the ten boxes off the top, well filled. Then the dry weather set in, and the bees came to a stand still (thinking the honey season over,) but the bass wood revived it for a short time, enabling them to fill up the boxes pretty full. I obtained in all from this swarm twenty-eight boxes weighing one hundred and ten pounds. I shall have ten hives made this winter for use the coming spring."
A gentleman writes from New York, under date of April 2d, 1879: "I have received your hive, which meets my ideas of what a bee hive should be. It contains all that is required in a bee hive, or in other words it is just the thing I have been wanting. I have been using the Quinby hive, so called, but I am now going to keep bees in earnest on your plan. I have the fullest confidence of success with your hive and plan of management. Your plan for wintering is a good one, on scientific principles, and the arrangement for feeding and surplus honey can't be beat."
A gentleman writes from New Hampshire, under date of April 26th, 1879: "I have tested your hive, and my bees have done first-rate. I believe the hive is just what it is represented. One strong reason why I think so much of your hive is, there were not a dozen bees died in the hive last winter, while three of my first swarms in other hives all died—some of them with fifty pounds of honey in the hive. I have lost some winters as many as fifteen or twenty swarms. I have now tested your hive to my satisfaction, and I do not believe bees will die in it, if your instructions for wintering are carried out. I think your hive is what every bee keeper should have to make a success of bee keeping."
A gentleman from Missouri, under date of May 1st, 1879: "Your bee hive I like very much. I put in the swarm last season. They did much better than any swarm I had in the American hive. I took away more surplus honey than from any of the others. I can recommend the Controllable Hive to all bee keepers. This spring I have put up fourteen more Controllable Hives and shall use no other hive in the future."
A lady bought a swarm of Italian bees of me in 1874, and from that one stock she increased to over twenty the third season, besides obtaining over one hundred pounds of nice surplus honey from the swarm I sent her in the first season.
Here I desire to be clearly understood. I do not wish to hold out inducements which will never be realized, for the purpose of causing any one to commence bee keeping with unreasonable expectations of profit. There is labor and care required to bring success in any enterprise; and usually the greater the care and labor bestowed on any business, the greater the reward in profits. Bees give ample return for each little care and attention bestowed upon them; and if neglected and permitted to go uncared for, there is corresponding loss. I believe that bee-keeping on correct and scientific principles should be encouraged, until bees enough are kept to collect the honey now allowed to go to waste, and which if collected would add millions of dollars to the wealth of the country.
The statements of large yields of honey here presented show what it is possible to do; yet no reasonable person would commence bee keeping with the expectation of realizing, on each of a dozen or more stocks kept, the large yields above specified. Some stocks will pay a much greater profit than others. And it is only under the most favorable circumstances, with our very best stocks, that we secure the results here named, such as three hundred and eighty pounds of box honey from one stock in a season. This serves to illustrate what may be derived (but not what we may reasonably expect) from each stock, where a dozen or more stocks are kept. Two hundred pounds from each stock on the average is about right. And this last is only secured with good care and attention, perseverance and labor, judiciously applied to the work.
The question is often asked: "How many stocks of bees can be kept in one place on your plan?" This depends on the number of honey yielding plants and flowers. Some localities furnish a much greater number than others. In some localities, fifty stocks would do well, and pay yearly a handsome profit; in others it would not be profitable to keep half as many. I am in a place said to be very unfavorable to bee-keeping. I find twelve stocks about the right number for me to maintain. Bees will go seven miles or more to collect honey but the shorter the distance, the more honey will be collected in a season; consequently the greater profit will follow.
It can only be learned by practical test how many stocks of bees may be profitably kept in any locality. Commence with a few, and increase the number moderately, until you find you have as many as you wish to keep, or as many as the locality will support, with good profit, when managed judiciously.