As THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER is published in the interest of beginners,
allow me to say to them that the first thing to be learned is the fact
that no set rules can be given to suit everyone under all the varying
conditions of climate, location, etc., and that everyone must use
intelligence and make rules to suit his own individual case--must make a
vigorous use of his own “think shop.” He must thoroughly acquaint
himself with the flora of his location; he must know when the honey flow
is likely to commence and end, and must manipulate his bees to suit that
time. Friend Doolittle’s advice to manipulate our bees at the proper
time cannot be too strongly impressed upon the minds of beginners. In my
locality we have two honey flows each year. The early flow last season
ended on the 24th day of July, the fall flow commenced on the 16th of
September. There was a dearth from July 24th to September 16, of 53
days. A hive full of bees during these 53 days are not only of no use to
me but a positive disadvantage. They are only consumers and not honey
gatherers because there is no honey to be gathered. Reason would dictate
to me that I must use every means in my power to build up my colonies as
strong as possible from early in the spring to within 35 days of the end
of the honey flow, or about the 19th of June, that about this time,
certainly not later than June 25th, I must restrict my queen to as few
frames as possible, so as to have but few bees during the 53 days of
dearth. (I base my calculation upon the fact that 21 days are required
for the egg to hatch and then the bee must be 14 days old before it
becomes a forager.) Now I wish to say emphatically that every one whose
location is similar to mine must practice restriction or his honey crop
will be a failure every time. Again by the 16th of September. I want my
hives as full of bees as possible ready for the fall flow. Then going
back 35 days from September 16th takes me to August 12th, the day on
which the eggs must be laid for the bees to have hatched out, ready for
the beginning of the fall flow. But as the queens could not under any
circumstances fill the hives full of eggs on the 12th day of August, (or
any other one day for that matter,) reason would again tell me that I
must remove the restrictions from my queens two or three weeks before,
or, say July 24th to August 1st, and then stimulate brood rearing. If
the beginner fails to follow this plan he will certainly get no surplus
fall crop. We must also make sure that each colony contains a good
prolific queen.
Brother Demaree’s “Practical hints in Bee Culture” on page 179, AMERICAN
BEE-KEEPER, is timely and should be read and studied until perfectly
familiar with every “hint” he has given. When he speaks of the bees
“crowding the queen” being simply an effort on the part of nature to
assist the bees by curtailing brood rearing during the honey flow he is
certainly correct, yet, by restricting our queens as I have suggested
above we accomplish the same end, provided the restriction is performed
at the right time. When he speaks of giving his colonies, after
swarming, a queen cell instead of a laying queen, as some “innocent bee
men” had written him, he gives a “hint” that should be well and long
remembered. By this plan he also assists the bees in curtailing brood
rearing, when such brood would hatch out bees that would be consumers
instead of honey gatherers.
His article on “Concentration of Forces” in _Bee-Keepers Guide_ for
December, 1891, page 356, is worth the price of that paper for several
years. “Concentration of forces” is his remedy against poor honey
seasons. His plan of “concentrating forces” can be easily carried out in
connection with the suggestions I have given. He says “not a swarm
should be allowed to issue.” He accomplishes this by one single
manipulation, which is simple and easy, and performed “just at the
commencement of the honey season, and before any swarms issue.” All the
colonies strong enough to cast swarms are treated on the following: