Show PROFIT AND PLEASURE IN BEE INDUSTRY at t i mt 0 ail 7 IP I P gr aggi jg gi A well arranged apiary beekeeping for pl pleasure ensure and profit la is carried on by many thousands of people in all parts of the united states there are many places where an experienced beekeeper can make a good living by devoting his entire time and attention to this line ot of work it Is usually unwise however to undertake under talie extensive beekeeping the V U S department of agriculture says without considerable previous experience on a adall scale since there are so many minor details which go to make up success the average annual honey yield per pe colony for the entire country under good management will probably be twenty five to thirty pounds of combo comb honey or forty to ity pounds of extracted honey ho latter being more productive owing to the fact that the comb Is used repeatedly instead of being made anew by the bees each time the money return to be obtained from the crop depends entirely on the market and the method of selling the honey if sold direct to the consumer extracted honey brings from ton ten to twenty cents per pound and comb honey from fifteen to twenty five cents per section if sold to dealers the price varies from six to ten cents for extracted honey and from ten to fifteen cents for comb honey the location of the hives Is a matter of considerable importance As a rule it Is betti better r for hives bives to faco face away from the prevailing wind and to tiu ot protected from high winds in the north a south mouth slope Is desirable it Is s advisable for hives to be so placed that the sun eun will strike them early in the morning so BO that tile the bees become active early in the day and thus gain an advantage by getting the first 3 I 1 3 3 r I 1 C k ten frame rams hive with comb honey super and perforated zinc queen excluder supply of nectar it is also advantageous to have the hives shaded during the hottest part ot of the day so that the bees will not hang bang out in front of the hive instead of working they should be so placed that tho the bees will not prove a nuisance to passersby or disturb live stock this latter precaution re caution may save the beekeeper trouble for bees sometimes prove dangerous especially to horses bees are also sometimes annoying in the early spring for on their first flights they may spot clothes hung out to dry this may bo be remedied by removing the bees from the collars cellars on days when no cothes are to be hung out the plot on which tile the hives are placed should bo be kept free from weeds especially in front of the entrances the grass may bo be cut with rt a lawn mower but it will ivill often bo be round found more convenient and as efficient to pasture one or more head of sheep in tile the apiary inclosure the hives should be far enough spart to permit of free manipulation it if hives are too close together there is danger of bees entering the wrong hive on returning especially in the spring As a rule it Is not considered best to keep more than one hundred colonies in one apiary and apiaries should be at least two miles apart there are so many factors to be ba don considered si however howey pr that hat no general rule can be laid down the only way to I 1 team learn how many colonies any given locality will sustain la Is to study tho the honey flora anil and tho the record of that place tho the beekeeper must then do cide for himself tile tho best number to bo be kept and where they shall bo be placed hives tho the type of hive havo most moat generally general lr used in this country consists of a plain wooden box holding frames hung from a rabbet at the top and not touching tho the sides aides top or bottom hives of this typo type aro are made to hold bold eight ten or more frames whatever hive Is chosen there are certain important points which should be ba insisted on the material should be ba of the best the parts must bo be accurately cura tely made po BO that all frames or hives hires in the apiary are interchangeable all hives should be of the w spring bee escape same style and size and should be Rs aa simple as it tg Is possible to mako make them to fac facilitate militate operation As am a rule it Is better to buy hives and frames from a manufacturer of such goods rather than to try to make them unless one Is an expert woodworker hives dives should be painted to protect them from tile the weather it la is usually de desirable mirable to use white paint to prevent heat in the colony hot weather other light colors are satisfactory is but it Is best beat to avoid red or black hive stands standa generally it Is best to have each hive on a separate stand the entrance should be lower than any other part of the hive stands of wood bricks tile concrete blocks or any other convenient material will answer the purpose the hive should be raised above the ground so that the bottom will not rot it Is usually not necessary to raise the hive mora than a few inches directions for manipulations bees should be handled so that they will be little disturbed in their work As much as possible stings should be avoided during manipulation this Is 13 true not so much because they aro are painful to the operator but because the odor of poison which gets into the air irritates the other bees and makes them more difficult to manage mans go for this reason it Is most advisable to wear a black veil over a wide br brimmed hat and to have a good smoker gloves cloves however are usually moro more an inconvenience than otherwise gauntlets gauntlett Gaunt lets or rubber bands around the cuffs keep tho the bees from crawling up the sleeve it Is best beat to avoid black clothing since that color seems to excite bees a black felt hat bat Is especially to be avoided superfluous quick movements tend to irritate the bees the hive should not bo be jarred or disturbed any more than necessary rapid movements are objectionable because with their peculiar eyo eye structure bees probably perceive motion more mora readily than they do objects per persons sons not accustomed to bees on approaching a hive often strike at bees which fly toward them or make some quick movement 0 of f tho the head or hand to avoid the sting which they fear ts 13 to follow this should not bo be done for the rapid movement even it if not toward the bee Is far more likely to be followed by a sting than Is remaining quiet the best time to handle bees la Is during the middle or of warm days particularly during a honey flow never L 1 knives for uncapping Un capping honey handle bees at night or on colt cold wet days unless absolutely necessary the work of a beginner may be mado made much easier and more pleasant by lic keeping gentle bees caucasians Carni olans bonats and some strains of italians ordinarily do not sting stin 9 much unless unusually provoked or except in bad weather common black bees or crosses of blacks with other races are more tiri irritable fable it may bo be well worth while for the beginner ginner to procure gentle bees while gaining experience in manipulation later on this Is less important for the beekeeper learns to handle be beba a with ath little inconvenience to himself 0 or to the bees vu verlous ious remedies for bee sting havo have been advocated but they are all useless |