CHAPTER VI. (CONT'D)

BEE CULTURE.

[By G. B. Olney.]

At the solicitation of the compilers of this volume, I reluctantly strive to give a practical article on Apiculture, reluctantly because of diffidence, knowing that often these things are assailed on all points by the harshest criticisms, no matter how true, how plain or how simple the theme is treated. Many will raise the cry, "keep aloof, touch not, this is a snare to entrap the unsuspecting." For nature has endowed the bee with all that is necessary, and man wants no more knowledge on the subject. This is the talk I heard years ago, and the same I hear to-day, even among good business men in other respects. This ignorance is a terrible barrier to overcome, but its must give way, and intelligence with its many pointed spears of scientific facts and shield of onward progress, and the grand development of immortal truths will ever march triumphantly over discordant error and faithless fiction. Apiculture, or the culture of bees, is a science of itself, and when properly carried out, will pay the operator as good a dividend as any business of the farm, on the amount of capital invested. The first thing a man wants, to engage in this business is, a good location, a southeast slope being preferable to any other, as the hives are then protected, more or less, from the northwest winds, which are apt to chill the young brood. In the second place, and this is very important, a good hive is necessary. The best is one that can be handled for all purposes possible, with the least trouble and expense. The world-wide reputation of the Langstroth hive is well known, the dimension of which has been adopted as the standard, by all the conventions of bee culturists of the United States and Germany. Since artificial comb and the extractors have come into use, however, the old outward form, only, is used, but with the manipulating sides, that came into use in 1871. Still another improvement has been make by the writer, in 1884, on these sides whereby making the hive cheaper and more easily handled. The object of using the extractor is that the operator can handle three to one of any other hive. The best time for running the extractor is when the most of the bees are afield at work, and this is between 9 o'clock A.M. and 4 P.M. Though late in the fall, when the hive is quite full, and there is but little room for the queen to deposit her eggs, I extract and give her empty comb that she may go to laying. This is for the purpose of having young bees to go into winter quarters, as bees only live from eight to twelve weeks. By thus having young bees to commence on, you avoid the complaint of losing bees, when they have plenty to live on, the hives being full of honey, etc. In wintering hives a good dry cellar, with good ventilation, is perhaps the best quarters. A colony in such a place will consume about from eight to ten pounds of honey. As soon as warm weather approaches take out the hives and set on summer stands, close to the ground, and bank up with old straw or dirt around the hive to protect the brood from sudden changes of weather. In swarming artificially, make it as near natural as possible, by allowing the bees to fill themselves as much as possible by first driving them in by introducing smoke at entrance. Then tap on the hive, which will start them to battle. Then give them more smoke, which frightens them so that they leave. They first fall to their store to carry off all that is possible. When they are well filled, look for the queen, by taking out one card at a time. When she is found, place the card with the adhering bees in a new hive, then add one more card. Shake off from the cards what would make a fair swarm, place the new hive, with the queen in it, in place of the old one, and set the old one in a new place, and work is done.

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Transcribed by Deb Lightcap-Wagner, March, 2014 from:"History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens", published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 295-297.