AUGUST.
I have already sufficiently insisted upon the necessity of uniting second and third swarms, so that, amongst my readers, not even one second or third swarm can be found by itself. It should be impressed upon the mind of every apiarian, "that the larger the colony at the outset, the better the Bees will work, and the more prosperous it will become." A stock weak at the outset never does well. The method of returning, as given at [page 53], is very simple, and may be accomplished in a few minutes, even by the most inexperienced person.
Returning Swarms.—Returning first or second swarms to their parent hive, is not only attended with much trouble, and, generally, with a failure of the object desired, but also with much loss of time to the Bees, and that at a season of the year when every hour is of importance to them. A swarm left a Nutt's hive on the 3rd of June; the queen was captured, and the swarm returned. Within a few days of the time before mentioned it came out again, and was treated in a similar manner; and so it continued to go on until nearly the end of the month, when the swarm, instead of being returned to the parent hive, as had been done so many times before, was hived into an improved cottage hive, where it did very well; but during the whole time that swarming was going on, which occupied three weeks, and these the best three weeks of the year, working was entirely suspended (which is always the case), and not a pound of honey was stored; whereas, had the swarm been put in the cottage hive in the first instance, from 15 to 20 lbs. of honey would, in all probability, have been collected by it in that time. An apiarian, in Norfolk, some years since, had a stock of Bees in a favourite hive, which, very much against his wishes, and notwithstanding every means having been taken to prevent it, sent out a swarm. He captured the queen, and returned the swarm; after a few days the swarm came forth again, and was treated in the same manner, and it went on to swarm for either seven or nine times, and was returned as many times, except the last, when it was put into a new hive. Thirteen queens were captured and destroyed during this process, very nearly a month was spent in swarming and being returned, and, consequently, no work was done during that time; the result of which was that the best part of the season having been lost neither swarm nor stock was of any value. I would, therefore, say, Let all be done that can be done to prevent swarming, by giving room and ventilation, which has very rarely failed; but if, after every means has been used to prevent swarming, a swarm should come off, never attempt returning it, but hive it by itself in the usual manner.
Early Swarms.—Now, as early swarms appear to be so very desirable, it may be asked, What are the most likely means of insuring them? And, in reply to this question, I would say, Leave the stocks rich in store in the autumn, the contents of each hive weighing, at least, from 20 to 25 lbs., and let the population also of each hive be very numerous; if it be not so, add the Bees from weak hives into it.
Autumnal Unions.—Where second and third swarms have been hived by themselves, they will generally be found too poor to live through the winter, even with feeding; and, where this has been done, they may be put two or three together in the manner directed at [page 60].
Taking Honey.—Those persons who have been so fortunate as to get their glasses filled with honey will now be preparing to take them off; but I would recommend every one to do it with great caution; and not only first to weigh the matter well in their own minds, but also to weigh their hives, and if it can be satisfactorily proved that they will contain 20 lbs. of honey each when the glasses are removed, all well; but if not, let the glass or box remain upon the stock hive until the bees have emptied it of its honey; as soon as this is ascertained, let it be removed.
Some persons having found much difficulty in expelling the Bees from a glass or box, after having removed it from the stock hive, and others who have complained of the time occupied in effecting this object, may adopt the following very ingenious and useful apparatus, invented by Mr. Antram, a clergyman of Devonshire, and which has been kindly handed to me, with his permission to make it public. It is a contrivance for emptying a hive of its occupants; it may also be applied to a bell-glass, or box, either at top or attached to a board on which the removed glass is placed. He calls it his
Bee-trap; and it is, he says, "An invention for taking the honey from every description of double hive, which is not only simple, but very efficacious, and entertaining to watch. I should premise that every extra box or hive must be furnished with a second aperture never to be opened except when the honey is to be taken. Provide a block of wood 1 inch longer and half an inch deeper than the aperture, and 3 or 4 inches wide; cut the front to an angle of 45° or less; then cut out of the under part a groove the exact size of the aperture, thus leaving a thickness of half an inch of wood at the sides and top. Get a piece of talc, or very thin horn (glass is too heavy), cement or gum it to a piece of ribbon, which latter fasten to what remains of the sloping front above; divide the talc into portions about a quarter of an inch wide. A tin bottom should be affixed to the whole, to which the talc must reach, and on which it must rest.
"When you wish to empty a hive place this before the opening before mentioned, and cut off the communication between the hives; the Bees, seeing the light, will one by one push up the small pieces of talc and escape; the talc falls back in its place; thus there is no re-entering, and your hive becomes rapidly emptied. There is here no previous removing of the hive or box, no danger of a sting, and no fear of robbers; even if the queen be there, she, finding herself deserted by her subjects, will soon depart, and re-enter the stock hive by the accustomed entrance. It acts upon the same principle as the old wire rat-trap. Two loops of tin, with holes through, are added, to fasten or suspend it, when there is no alighting-board. It may be placed on the top of a box, but must then have a hole in the bottom, and a slip of tin by way of a back; the tin bottom may project a little beyond the lower edge of the talc in front, and, indeed, it is better so."
This useful contrivance I feel assured will be adopted by many persons; for it will entirely prevent the tediousness of watching a glass of honey until the Bees have left it, which without this protection is at all times necessary, and more especially so when taken late in the season, and robbers are on every side. I have more than once seen a good glass of honey emptied of every drop by them when carelessly left by its owner for a few hours; now, with this trap attached, it may be left even for days with perfect safety.
Taking off Glasses of Honey.—Some persons, I doubt not, are beginning to be anxious to possess themselves of a few glasses of honey from their Bees. If the combs are sealed up they may be taken; but I would recommend every one who attempts it during hot weather to be more than commonly careful how they remove them, or the combs will fall out.
Fig. 26.
Knife for Cutting out Combs.—This knife, which is so simple in its construction, and so easily used, deserves to be made generally known. Gelieu, to whom apiarians are much indebted, tells us that in Switzerland it is commonly used, and that the combs, from hives of any shape or materials, are extracted without any difficulty. It is formed of a strip of steel 2 feet long by one-eighth of an inch thick; the handle is 20 inches long by half an inch broad. The turn-down blade, of 2 inches in length, is spear-pointed, sharp on the edges, and bent so as to form an angle of 90° with the handle; the other blade is 2 inches long by 11/2 inch broad, and sharpened all round. The broad blade cuts and separates the combs from the sides of the hives; and the spear point, which is also sharp on each side, admits, from its direction and narrowness, of being introduced between the combs to loosen them from the top of the hive.
Entrances to Hives to re Narrowed.—Towards the end of this month it will be necessary to contract the entrances of the hives, that the Bees may be better enabled to defend themselves from the attacks of wasps. In Taylor's Hive, these things are supplied; but, in the Cottage Hive, I have found wedges of cork of different sizes to answer remarkably well.
Wasps' Nests to be Destroyed.—It will be well to have diligent search made in the neighbourhood of the apiary for wasps' nests, and to have them destroyed, for which purpose the spirit of turpentine appears to answer remarkably well. The usual method of procedure, I believe, is to put a small quantity into a common wine bottle, to put the mouth of the bottle into the hole leading to the nest, and surrounding it with earth. Very little turpentine is required—merely as much as will wet the sides of the bottle. If applied in the evening every wasp will be dead the following morning. In no instance have I known it to fail of the desired effect, except in cases where the nest is deep in the ground, or at a greater distance from the mouth of the hole than was anticipated. A failure may sometimes occur when there happen to be two entrances to the nest instead of one; but a second application on the following evening is sure to prove effectual.
Additional Room.—It will be quite useless to give additional room to any colony of Bees, be they ever so prosperous, after the month of July is ended; for the honey season is fast drawing to a close, and the population of the hives very much upon the decrease, not only from the killing of the drones, but by the death of numbers of the workers.
Transporting Hives.—In a fine season, and in the prospect of a fine autumn, every person whose locality admits of it should embrace the opportunity of sending his hives to the moors. The advantages must be incalculable, not only in quantity, but in the delicious quality of the honey there obtained.
Shading.—Should the present month prove hot it will be well to screen the swarms of the present year from the intense heat of the sun, or the combs, being new and tender, may be melted by it; where this unfortunately happens the stock is usually destroyed.
Robbers.—Late swarms and stocks that are weak must be closely watched, and if the least appearance of robbing discovers itself, the entrance to the hive must be closed so as to admit but one Bee at a time.
Dressing Hives.—It would be well if this practice was discontinued altogether; for when done in the most judicious manner the Bees are greatly annoyed by it. A clean dry hive is more pleasing to them than one besmeared with ale, honey, fennel, and all the other good things used by good dames of old. I heard of one having been washed, or smeared, with cream and sugar, and in so profuse a manner that the Bees, which had to travel an hour by rail, were found at the end of their journey to be completely saturated with it, a large portion of them dead, and the remainder in such a state as to render it necessary to kill them the next day, to the vexation and disappointment of the gentleman to whom they were sent, who had been impatiently waiting their arrival for some weeks. Cream I should imagine to be the most disagreeable thing that could be thought of for this purpose, except it should be oil, which is well known to kill a Bee, or almost any insect, the instant it touches it, and this cream I believe was some of the far-famed Devonshire, which in its rich and buttery nature approaches very closely indeed to oil.