Bee-keeping for profit

Comb Foundation.—It is this wonderful invention that with the bar-frame has made bee-keeping a practical factor; without it, indeed, the bar-frame hive would be useless from a commercial point of view. The "comb-foundation" is a thin sheet of bees-wax, impressed by machinery, on both sides, with true hexagonal, or six-sided, bases of cells, a slight foundation for the walls being also impressed. Thus the bees are given a start, as it were, in their work. This foundation is made either with "worker" or "drone" cells and the bees will follow unfailingly the lead thus given them in their building. It is made in three degrees of thickness—"thin," "medium," and "thick"; the first for use in sections, and the others in the brood chamber.

As a rule bee-keepers in England buy only the worker-brood foundation, for should drones be required they can be secured by merely cutting away the lower part of a honey-comb, or supplying only half a sheet of foundation in the frames, for the bees will almost without fail build drone cells on these.

Foundation is catalogued by all makers of bee-keeping appliances, but it should be obtained only from reliable sources, for one of its essentials is that it should be made from pure bees-wax thoroughly cleansed and sterilized. Otherwise it may contain germs of brood disease.

Old Foundation.—If a stock of foundation should at any time be left in hand it is advisable that it should be slightly warmed before it is given for the use of the bees, for unless it is quite pliable the bees will reject it.

Excluder Zinc.—It is impossible to work the bar-frame hive for profit without the aid of excluder zinc, for it is this useful appliance which prevents the queen from entering the supers and spoiling the surplus honey by laying her eggs in the comb. For the novice must learn at once that no honey should be extracted from combs which contain brood.

The queen excluder should completely cover the open space above the brood nest before the super is placed over it.

A new queen excluder is now on the market, made of hard wires strapped together, and the patentee claims that more workers can pass through it than is possible with the old type.

Feeders.—There are many varieties of feeders in use among bee-keepers, and to attempt to give a description of them all would occupy far too much space. It would, moreover, be unnecessary, for, after all, the method of feeding is one to be decided by the bee-keeper's own convenience and resources. Several feeders are on the market to meet the requirements of quick feeding; these are made either of tin or wood and include the "float feeders" and the Canadian pattern, both of which find considerable favour. Another type covers the so-called "slow feeders," in which the supply can be regulated by turning the food vessel round to allow a larger or smaller quantity of food to escape at the option of the bee-keeper.

A cheap and serviceable feeder may be made by filling a glass jam jar or pickle bottle with syrup and stretching a piece of bleached calico over the top and tying it securely round the neck. The jar is then placed in an inverted position over the feed-hole of the hive. Should the syrup escape too quickly another thickness of calico can be added. Glass jars should always be used as inverted feeders as the quantity and condition of the remaining food can be seen at a glance.

Scrupulous cleanliness is necessary with all feeders, or the food is liable to turn sour or ferment.

Uncapping Knives.—Used for the purpose of removing the cap of wax from the cells when extracting the honey from the combs, these knives should be made of good material and be kept perfectly clean and bright. Blades which discolour quickly should not be used, and where large quantities of honey are extracted at a time it is advisable that two knives should be available. This enables the process to be continuous, as one knife can be heated—in hot water—while the other is in use.

In using the knife it is better to give it a sawing motion when uncapping, for by so doing the chances of injuring the cells are considerably lessened. It should be so arranged that the cappings fall, as they are removed, into a tray or dish.

The Extractor.—This is a machine which should be included in the outfit of every bee-keeper who is working with a view to profit. The initial outlay may seem large, but by its quickness and efficiency a good machine soon pays for itself and contributes to the credit side of the account. The extractor is usually cylindrical in shape and contains two cages, each sufficiently large to hold one standard frame of comb. These cages are attached to a spindle which runs through the centre of the machine, and is worked either direct by a handle or by a simple chain or cog gear at the top. A lid and a honey tap complete the outfit. The advantages of the extractor are many, but the chief one is that the honey can be separated from the combs without breaking the latter.

Hints for working the extractor are given on page 98.

The Honey Press.—This is used to squeeze thick or dense honey from the combs. There are many varieties and makes on the market, ranging in size down to that of the ordinary potato squeezer. Those used by the larger honey farmers work with screw pressure. The combs are placed in a wrapping of cheese-cloth, laid between pieces of American wire which rest on fluted or ribbed boards, and the pressure applied. The honey escapes by means of the fluted guides and the wax remains as a solid cake.

The Smoker.—This is an indispensable article in the equipment of the bee-keeper. It is not intended for the purpose of stifling the bees, but on the contrary to make them good-humoured, and, although it does not always have the desired effect, most bee-keepers have often proved the smoker a good friend. The effect of the smoker when properly applied is to cause the bees to gorge themselves with honey, for bees, like most human beings, are good-tempered after a hearty meal.

After the smoker has once been lighted it should be placed on end, for should it be laid flat the fuel will probably be extinguished.

It is always advisable when working the smoker to have a spare cartridge handy so as to replace the one immediately it is consumed.

Fuel for the smoker can be made from thin corrugated strawboard, brown paper, calico, cotton wool, or anything indeed that will smoulder rather than burn with a flare. It is a good plan to roll together some fast and slow burning materials, thereby ensuring a steady smother while it lasts. A supply of "cartridges" of this kind should be cut and tied into lengths ready for use when required.

Carbolic Cloths.—These are useful for driving the bees down from the frames into the hive, when the frames need manipulating. The cloths are usually about 18 inches square, made of calico, and sprinkled with one part of carbolic acid to two parts of water. They are laid over the tops of the frame, but care has to be taken that the carbolic solution is not too strong, or the bees will be driven from the hive.

When not in use, the cloths should be kept rolled up in a tin to ensure their cleanliness and to retain their strength.

Brushes.—Bees are very particular concerning the kind of brushes used by the bee-keeper to brush them from the combs, or to gather a swarm together when it is scattered under a bush or in a position where it is not possible to shake them into a hive. They have a firm objection to anything of a hairy nature, and the very best method to rouse them to wrath is to use a housemaid's broom under the circumstances mentioned. It is a certain incitement to trouble.

Most brushes sold by appliance makers are of fibre, but one of the very best forms can be made from montbretia leaves. The leaves, or blades, should be cut from the plant near the ground and the tops doubled over and tied near the end of the stalk. The stalk end is used as a handle, the "brush" consisting of the intervening part. Montbretia is a very adaptable plant and will thrive almost anywhere with a little care.

Disinfectants.—Disinfectants play a large part in the work of the bee-keeper, to secure the cleanliness which is such an essential factor to success, for the prevention of disease, and the confounding of the many enemies of the bees.

Carbolic Acid is the disinfectant most generally used, probably because it is available for other purposes. It should not be used, however, when supers are being removed or on any combs containing honey that is to be taken for use. When cleaning the inside of a hive only one part of carbolic acid should be used to ten or even twenty parts of hot water, and care must be taken that the hive is thoroughly dry before combs are placed in it, or the bees admitted.

Naphthalene and Camphor are each used for disinfecting purposes, but more especially as antidotes against the wax-moth and other insects that play havoc in the hive. Two fairly large pieces can be placed in one hive, either in the cavities at the ends of the frames or over the quilt.

Veils.—Some bee-keepers scoff at the necessity for a veil for protection when handling the bees, but there is no question that in spite of the grotesque appearance it imparts the veil is "a very present help in trouble" to the average bee-keeper. Some people are fortunate enough to be sting-proof and such can afford to smile at those who seek, protection from a veil, but to those who are not immune from the consequences of the angry attentions of the bee the veil is indispensable. Serviceable veils can be made of Brussels or silk net, mosquito netting, or fine wire. They can be procured in any colour, though black is most generally adopted, that having been found the least objectionable to the bees, who entertain violent prejudices on the subject of colour.

Personally, I believe that it is the human breath to which the bees particularly object, and I have found that if a little honey be eaten before one opens a hive the enmity of the bees will be neutralised to a very great extent.

A pair of gloves, with gauntlets, are absolutely necessary to the bee-keeper's equipment, though an admirable makeshift for the latter can be adapted from old stocking legs. These pulled over the sleeves of the coat, after the gloves have been buttoned, form an efficient guard against an exploring bee.