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Read Ebook: Improved Queen-Rearing; or How to Rear Large Prolific Long-Lived Queen Bees The Result of Nearly Half a Century's Experience in Rearing Queen Bees Giving the Practical Every-day Work of the Queen-Rearing Apiary by Alley Henry
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Ebook has 351 lines and 23117 words, and 8 pages
Page
Breeding queen, where to keep 16
Cell building, how to prepare a colony for 18
Cell building, method number one 19
Cell building, method number two 26
Cell building, method number three 29
Cell building, feeding while going on 29
Cell building, how to prepare eggs for 21
Cell building, destroying eggs 22
Cell building, theory of using young bees 24
Cell building, how to rear the best 27
Drones, objectionable 37
Drones, how to catch and destroy 37
Drones, how to obtain and preserve 44
Drone-trap, utility of 46
Honey, how to prevent candying 54
Nuclei, how to form 31
Nuclei, how to feed 44
Pipe for burning tobacco 41
Queen-cell frame, description of 38
Queen-cells, transferring 40
Queens, how to care for 49
Queens, age at which they mate 49
Queens, virgin, forcing to mate 50
Queens, age at which they lay 51
Queens, to know fertile from unfertile 50
Queens, fertilizing in confinement 51
Queens, respect bees show them 51
Queen-cells, destroying 51
Queens, comparative size 53
Queen-rearing, first improvements 11
Queen-rearing, latest improved methods 12
Queen-rearing, on a large scale 14
Queen-rearing, proper conditions of apiary 15
Queen-rearing, to prepare eggs for 16
Queen-breeding colony, how to start 19
Queen-breeding hive, how to make 17
Queens, fertile, how to introduce 34
Queens, unfertile, how to introduce 35
Queen nursery, how to use 29
Queenless bees, necessity of 28
IMPROVED QUEEN-REARING
How to Rear Large, Prolific and Long-Lived Queen Bees
INTRODUCTION
In the year 1857 I had very little knowledge of apiculture, yet I had seen bees in hives apparently working, "making honey" as it was called in those days by all who kept bees; had heard all the talk about the "king bee," and had seen hives draped in mourning when a member of the bee-keepers' family died. I had also seen the bee-keeper and his family out in the apiary pounding upon tin pans, ringing the dinner bell, and raising a hub-bub generally when a colony had cast a swarm. Then I had seen bees "carry wax" on their legs, etc., etc.
Well, I did not require very much experience with bees to find out that all the above performances were indulged in only by ignorant and superstitious bee-keepers. With all the literature we now have concerning apiculture, some bee-keepers may be found who know no more about bees than those who kept them 50 years ago.
In the month of July, 1857, I found a fine swarm of bees hanging upon a limb of a tree in my garden. The bees were hived in a small packing box, and at once commenced to build comb and store honey. When fall came the box was well filled with bees and stores, and the colony went into winter quarters in fine condition, and came out in the spring strong in numbers, proving to be a first-class colony in all respects.
In the spring of 1858, I purchased another colony which was in a box-hive that had a 7 x 9 glass in the back side through which I watched the bees many hours. Well do I remember the great interest I took in bees at that time. One day while watching the bees through the glass, I saw the queen pass around one of the combs, and had really seen the great "king bee." Before winter set in, I had not only seen other queen bees but had actually reared a few. Then I got an idea that I had learned all there was to know about bees and queen rearing. But this little bit of egotism was dispelled by each year's experience, and I soon found that there was much to learn about bee-keeping. And now, after my long experience in queen rearing, I find that no one can live long enough to learn all there is to know about the subject of bees and apiculture generally. Surely no one can learn the art of bee keeping in one year as many bee-keepers of the present day claim.
Rearing queens was so fascinating that I soon began to rear them in great numbers, in fact I had them growing at all times during the warm months. Of course this was only for amusement as no bee-keepers were in want of queens, nor was there any demand for them. Well, I continued to advance in the art and enlarge my experience, not only in rearing queens, but in bee-keeping generally. About this time I found a man who had also been "stricken" with the bee fever and he had as much experience with bees as myself, and had reared queens merely to exhibit at a cattle fair held in his town and only three miles from my place. This man had made a frame about twelve inches square, to which glass was fastened on both sides, thus forming a one comb observation hive. A small piece of brood comb containing eggs and larvae was fastened at the top of the frame by strings, and the bees, of which there were about a pint, were actually building queen cells. Thousands of interested people were watching the bees while at work, and many of the people were asking all sorts of questions about queens, bees and honey. My first queens were reared in about the same way as above described.
In the year 1860 I practiced queen rearing on a larger scale, as we had then heard about Mr. Langstroth and his wonderful book and still more wonderful hive, which is today more marvelous than anything else connected with apiculture. From this time on rapid advancement was made not only in queen rearing but in all branches of bee culture. We soon went from box-hives to movable-comb hives. About this time the famous Italian bees came in, and then queen-rearing was carried on in earnest; not for amusement but queens were reared by the thousand for sale. At first they were sent by express in small one-comb boxes, then by mail to all parts of the United States; later on queens went by mail to all parts of the world.
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