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Show FCR BEGINNERS IN BEE CULTURE Bj Mrs. A. Joseph, California. A great many pcoplo would bo glad to keep a fow colonics of bees If they did not cverlantlngly Bwarm. This dlfilculty may be overcome to some extent. Boos swarm because of lack of room. If instead of using a slnglo hlvo you use ono of 'double capacity, or ono on top of the other, tho swarming swarm-ing tendoncy will bo very much curtailed; cur-tailed; so tho best way In to use hives of largo size, or those of ordinary size ono piled on top of' tho other; the bees and queens should bo given plenty of room. At the beginning of the season, ono story of a hive will be enough. Just before fruit-blooms open up, another story uhould be added, containing empty combs or frames of comb foundation, and a3 the season advances, ad-vances, moro stories added nfl required, re-quired, j A large entrance should bo provided pro-vided at the bottom of each story so as to keep tho bees Inside the hive, for if the bees cluster out In front they will Lo sure to swarm; so thero should be enough room to kcop tho bees lnsldo the hlvo 'and at work. ill Aw Colonics worked this wav(may store, from 60 to 200 pojiml of fine honey. Somo colonies hunrilcjU In this way i may swarm, but ihfry wjll not bo ' very, mnnvi In suoh I'ases put over thft on trance' un uliey trap. This will allow the? worker bees to pasu in and , out, but when the queen comes out .with a swarm bhe Is trapped becauso ' she cannot go thrqugh tho samo slot the workers go through. " ' While the swarm lb In the air the trap containing the queen Is taken off. tho old hive Is removed and a new I ono containing frames or combs put In Its place. The trap Is then placed j In front of tho now hlvo, now on the old stand and In 20 minutes or ono- ' half hour tho swarm In the air will return and go Into the new hive. Tho queen Is then released from the trap when she will go Into the swarm. ' The bees will then start house- j keeping anew. In this way you avoid climbing trees, or cutting their limbs off or making that horrid noise of pounding the pans. In this manner tho attontlon tho bees require could be given by tho farmor's wife or the son or daughter and If ho will lot them have the monoy made from the bees, they will got so Interested In them that they will learn to handlu a large number of bees in a short tlmo and will bo j able to lay aside a little ready money. ' Of course there Is an occasional season when bees will hardly mako their own living. Then they should bo fed to keep them from starving, but there may be only one poor season sea-son in four or five. In tho good seasons sea-sons they will more than pay for their kcop. A good, but simple hive may be constructed easily. There should be two rows of holfs. one six Inches above the other, so that when shelter Is not provided, and It snows, tho lower holes are usually covered with snow or loo, tho upper ones remain- Ing open to admit fresh air, which i Is very important Then after a long Journey, bees alighting nt the upper; holes have a xlimtfyr distance to travol to rach their "tore of sweets. I The hive Is 1212x15 lncho? Inside meisuroinent ond when filled with j honey w HI hold siifilrjent to Hoop a t large colony of bops during any sea- j son not fruitful of flowers. MA iv Mm fey'3P I For holding tho comb, small round sticks aro used, "the same as In tho old,, hive, the cover Is rcmovablo and tho edges beveled to hold In position a small upper hlvo or uppor stories to be added as needed. Eeglnners bhould not purchaso largo colonies oT bet's. Begin moderately moder-ately and go slow. Colonies placed In an open situation situa-tion and somewhat shaded by trees or vines will bo much more conveniently handled than when placed In an ordl- mwSr Sunrnilng-Batj in Position. nary shed or out-of-door beo-houses. The swarming bag is one of the best things In bee culture It Is about six feet In length and ono foot in diameter diame-ter and formed of alternato lengths of calico and mosquIto-notllng Kach length of about ono foot has a ring of wlro or hoop to holt! the bag distended. dis-tended. When tho bees aro about to swarm and arc Inclined to como outside the hive, the bag Is fastened onto the front of the hive and the other ond fastened to a stake. When tho queen enters the bag he bounds to the upper end and Is oui"klv surrounded by her followers and the swarm Is then captured with faf Roginners are vr ofti-n impatient for Increase. Tf ,u lncrcat-e your boes too rapidly you will got less honey unless you have a first-class ntraln of bep-. Even thoi If the son-non son-non Is a poor one or uhe locality In which you live la ovemtoclcod, the amount of honey may not be as large oi you would expect. t' - ' -. ; r-- ls5i' -t-,!Sli,' 3r7 rii cn?-rj "' - l J l t? w rmvw- zosrzzJ! J gy-yy i rX7 A PROFITABLE PECOS VALLEY, TEXAS, APIARY. |