[PDF] Beekeeping

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tlbe iRural Science Series

Edited by L. H. BAILEY


BEEKEEPING


Kifc iEural Sctenre Srrtrs

Edited by L. H. Bailey
The Soil. King.

The Spraying of Plants. Lodeman.

Milk and its Products. Wing. Enlarged and Revised.
The Fertility of the Land. Boberts.

The Principles of Fruit-growing. Bailey. 20th
Edition , Bevised.

Bush-fruits. Card.

Fertilizers. Voorhees.

The Principles of Agriculture. Bailey. 15th Edition,
Bevised.

Irrigation and Drainage. King.

The Farmstead. Boberts.

Rural Wealth and Welfare. Fairchild.

The Principles of Vegetable-gardening. Bailey.
Farm Poultry. Watson. Enlarged and Bevised.

The Feeding of Animals. Jordan.

The Farmer’s Business Handbook. Boberts.

The Diseases of Animals. Mayo.

The Horse. Boberts.

How to Choose a Farm. Hunt.

Forage Crops. Voorhees.

Bacteria in Relation to Country Life. Lipman.
The Nursery'-book. Bailey.

Plant-breeding. Bailey and Gilbert. Bevised.

The Forcing-book. Bailey.

The Pruning-book. Bailey.

Fruit-growing in Arid Regions. Paddock and Whipple.
Rural Hygiene. Ogden.

Dry-farming. Widtsoe.

Law for the American Farmer. Green.

Farm Boys and Girls. McKeever.

The Training and Breaking of Horses. Harper.
Sheep-farming in North America. Craig.
Cooperation in Agriculture. Powell.

The Farm Woodlot. Cheyney and Wentling.
Household Insects. Herrick.

Citrus Fruits. Coit.

Principles of Rural Credits. Morman.
Beekeeping. Phillips.







Frontispiece. — The apiary of the Bureau of Entomology, Drummond, Maryland.



BEEKEEPING


A DISCUSSION OF THE LIFE OF THE HONEYBEE
AND OF THE PRODUCTION
OF HONEY


BY

EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS, Ph.D.

vr

IN CHARGE OF BEE CULTURE INVESTIGATIONS, BUREAU
OF ENTOMOLOGY, UNITED STATES DEPART¬
MENT OF AGRICULTURE


Netn gorfe

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd.

1915


All rights reserved


Copyright, 1915,

By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.


Set up and electrotyped. Published August, 1915.


Norbjootj ^ress

J. S. Cushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.


AUG 19 1915

©CI.A410142

** /






Go

M. H. G. P.







PREFACE


The present book is the result of an effort to present a
logical discussion of the various phases of the complex sub¬
ject of beekeeping. It was not planned as a book of rules
to which one may go for directions for each day’s work, for
beekeeping cannot be treated correctly in such a way. The
activities of bees vary during the seasons and no two localities
present to the bees and their owners exactly the same environ¬
mental conditions, so that the successful beekeeper is one who
has a knowledge of the activities of bees, whereby he can in¬
terpret what he sees in the hives from day to day, and who
can mold the instincts of the bees to his convenience and profit.

It has seemed desirable in the early chapters to discuss bees
as they exist without man’s interference, thus giving the foun¬
dation on which the practice of beekeeping rests. The bee¬
keeper is not especially interested in the anatomy of the bee
and, while it is necessary to use illustrations of various organs
and to describe them briefly, an effort has been made to treat
the bee as a living animal and to have the discussion deal with
physiology and especially with activities, in so far as investi¬
gations have thrown light on these processes. In the prepara¬
tion of the chapters devoted to the management of the apiary,
an effort has been made to present the various systems of
manipulations in such a way that the underlying principles
shall be evident, rather than to attempt to describe each sys¬
tem as if it were separate.

The author has been helped by the facilities of the office of
the Bureau of Entomology with which he is connected and is

vii


Vlll


Preface


under obligations to Dr. Jas. A. Xelson and George S. Demuth
for friendly advice and assistance. To E. V. Coville, of the
Bureau of Plant Industry, thanks are due for assistance on
the chapter on the sources of honey and to Dr. C. C. Miller for
counsel on spring management and comb honey, on which sub¬
jects he is the highest authority. Especially to his wife, the
author would express his gratitude for most valuable help.

The illustrations with a few exceptions were either drawn
for this book from material gathered from many sources or
have been borrowed from publications prepared in the office
of bee culture investigations of the Bureau of Entomology.
The new drawings are by J. E. Strauss. A few illustrations
copied directly from other sources are credited individually.

In presenting a book to American beekeepers, the author
would express the hope that it may be as helpful to them as
the cordial assistance and cooperation of many of them have
been to him in his work.


Washington, D.C.,
March, 1915.


E. E. PHILLIPS.



CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

BEEKEEPING AS AN OCCUPATION

PAGES

Two classes of beekeepers — Extent of beekeeping in the
United States and Canada — The relation of apparatus to
the development of beekeeping—Who should be a bee¬
keeper ? — Beekeeping for women — Advantages in exten¬
sive beekeeping—Where bees may be kept—Results to
be expected.1-21

CHAPTER II

APPARATUS

Relative importance of equipment and skill — Apiary
house —Hive stands — Hives and hive parts — Equipment
for handling bees — Other equipment.22-33


CHAPTER III

THE COLONY AND ITS ORGANIZATION

The point of view — Danger from poor work — Advan¬
tage of experience in behavior investigation—■ Zoological
position of the honeybee — Bees not domestic animals —

Necessity of colonial life — Size of the colony — Types of
individuals in a colony — Queen — Workers — Drones —

Brood — Natural nest — Contents of the cells — Arrange¬
ment of the nest — Color of the combs — Protection of the
nest—Comparison with stingless bees .... 34-53


IX



X


Contents


CHAPTER IV

THE CYCLE OF THE YEAR

PAGES

Brood-rearing — Brood-rearing during the season — Tem¬
perature of the hive — Swarming — Preparation for swarm¬
ing— Issuing of the swarm — Stimulus to leave the hive —

Behavior of issuing swarm — Clustering — Supposed aids to
clustering — Scouts — Entering the new home — Parent col¬
ony — Mating flight — After-swarms — Activity of swarms

— Swarming conditions induced artificially — Peculiarities
of bees in swarming—Causes of swarming—Swarm ing¬
out — Gathering of nectar and storing of honey — Collec¬
tion of other materials — Killing of the drones — End of
brood-rearing — Winter cluster — Movements in winter —
Responses to outside temperature — Conservation of heat

— Source of heat—Effect of accumulation of feces . . 54-92

CHAPTER Y

THE LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN RELATION
TO THE COLONY

Developmental stages — Cellular structure of tissues —

Egg — Early embryonic development — Later embryonic
development — Segmentation — Fate of parts of the embryo

— Larval development — Metamorphosis — Length of devel¬
opmental stages — Cycle of duties of the adult worker bee

— Division of labor — The labor within the hive — Comb
building — Feeding of larvte—Composition of larval food

— Feeding of queen and drones — Other inside work — The

guarding of the colony — The labor outside the hive — Divi¬
sion of labor in gathering—Pollen gathering — Propolis col¬
lection — The collection of water — Duration of life — Work
determines length of life — Practical applications — Possible
determining factors.93-131


CHAPTER VI

THE LIFE PROCESSES OF THE INDIVIDUAL

General plan of the body of the bee — Head — Thorax —

Abdomen — Digestion — Circulation — Metabolism — Res¬
piration — Excretion — Locomotion — Protective apparatus 132-161



Contents


xi


CHAPTER VII

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE SENSES

Nervous system — Sense organs — Sight — Smell — An¬
tennal sense organs — Taste — Touch — Hearing — Temper¬
ature sense — Finding of the flowers — Finding of the hive
— Memory — Nature of bee activities.


CHAPTER VIII

THE REPRODUCTIVE PROCESSES AND PAR¬
THENOGENESIS

Origin of the eggs — Origin of the male sex cells — Par¬
thenogenesis — Sex determination — Practical applications
— Hermaphrodite bees — Eggs which fail to hatch


CHAPTER IX
RACES OF BEES

Types of social bees — Species of the genus Apis—Vari¬
eties of the species mellifica — Egyptian — Syrian — Cyprian
— Grecian — Caucasian — Italian — German—Carniolan —
African races — Asiatic races — Chinese-Japanese — Best
race of bees.


CHAPTER X

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE
UNITED STATES

Variation in intensity of honey-flows — Variation in the
value of plants — Beekeeping regions — General regions —
The white clover region — The alfalfa region — The south¬
eastern region — The semi-arid region of the southwest —
The sage region — Restricted regions — Buckwheat — Su¬
mac — Spanish needle — Willowherb — Sweet clover — Blue
thistle — Raspberry — Beans — Heartsease — Variation
within a region — Distribution of bees in the United States
— Migratory beekeeping — Overstocking — Dadant out-
apiaries .


PAGES


162-180


181-191


192-204


205-221




xii


Contents

CHAPTER XI

THE FIRST STEPS IN BEEKEEPING

PAGES

Purchase of colonies—Purchase of bees to be shipped
from a distance — Requirements in purchased colonies —

How to learn beekeeping — Value of reading—Merits of
beekeeping courses — Beginner’s outfit .... 222-227

CHAPTER XII
THE APIARY SITE

Apiary grounds — Exposure to the sun — Care of the api¬
ary grounds — Arrangement of hives — Number of colonies
in one apiary—Out-apiaries—Conveniences less essential
in out-apiaries. 228-233

CHAPTER XIII

THE MANIPULATION OF BEES

Disturbance to be reduced to a minimum — Equipment
for manipulation — When to handle bees — Opening a hive

— Remedies for stings — Removing frames — Handling
frames — Desirability of straight combs in manipulations —

Closing the hive — Occasional manipulations — Feeding —

What to feed — Feeders — Uniting — Influence of hive odor

— Learning the new location — Transferring — The best

time to transfer colonies — Methods — Transferring from
walls of houses — Transferring from hollow trees — Prevent¬
ing robbing in the apiary—Moving bees — Elimination of
non-essential manipulations — Two essentials — Increase in
efficiency through system.234-254

CHAPTER XIV
SPRING MANAGEMENT

Object of spring manipulations — Prevention of drifting

— Spring protection—First examinations—Cleaning the

hives — Equalizing the colonies —Clipping queens — Sum¬
mary of favorable spring conditions — Questionable manipu¬
lations — Stimulative feeding — Spreading the brood —
Substitutes for pollen . 255-264



Contents


CHAPTER XV

SWARM CONTROL AND INCREASE

Loss from division of the working force — Variation in
swarming — Variation in colonies in respect to swarming
preparations — Direction of the beekeeper’s efforts — Pre¬
ventive measures — Breeding — Mechanical devices—Pre¬
ventive manipulations — Miller’s methods — Remedial meas¬
ures — Control of natural swarms — Automatic hivers

— Location for the swarm — Disposition of the brood after
swarming — What to use in the brood chamber in hiving
swarms — Remedial manipulations — Unbalanced condition
of swarming colonies — Break in the emergence of brood —
Requeening combined with dequeening — Removal of brood

— Mechanical appliances — Increase.

CHAPTER XVI

THE PRODUCTION OF EXTRACTED-HONEY

Increase in the production of extracted-honey — Advan¬
tages of extracted-honey — Disadvantages of extracted-honey

— Extracted-honey hives — Choice of storage combs — Use
of extracting combs smaller than brood combs — Number
of supers — Manipulation of supers —Need of abundance of
drawn combs— System in producing extracted-honey—Re¬
moving honey from the bees — House for extracting —
Portable extracting outfits — Uncapping — Cans for cappings

— Capping melters — Types of extractors — Extracting —
Straining the honey — Storage tanks — Reduction of the
lifting of honey— Returning combs to the hives .

CHAPTER XVII

THE PRODUCTION OF COMB-HONEY

Purity of comb-honey — The “Wiley lie'’ — Decrease
in comb-honey production — Demand for fancy comb-honey

— Advantages of comb-honey — Disadvantages of comb-
honey — Restrictions in comb-honey production — Honey-
house— The best hive for comb-honey — The early devel¬
opment of the section —Types of sections — Types of supers

— Other equipment — Preparation of the sections — Manip-


xiii


PAGES


265-285


286-300


XIV


Contents


ulation of the bees — Keeping bees in proper condition —
Manipulation of supers — Removal of supers — Caring for
the crop — Preparation of bait sections — Storage in supers

— Bulk comb-honey — Bulk comb-honey for home use —

Cut comb-honey for market.301-319

CHAPTER XVIII

MARKETING THE HONEY CROP

Preparation of extracted-honey for market — Wholesale
packages — Retail packages for local markets — High-class
retail packages — Blending — Argument for blending —

Heating honey — Preparation of comb-honey for market —

Cleaning the sections of propolis — Grading— Shipping
cases—Glazed sections — Use of cartons—Shipping comb-
honey — Preparation of bulk comb-honey for market — Prep¬
aration of granulated honey for market—Wording of labels

— Development of the home market — Co-operative selling 320-333

CHAPTER XIX

THE PRODUCTION AND CARE OP BEESWAX

Rendering the wax — Wax presses — The residue — Re¬
moving wax by dissolving — Cleaning wax—Granulation
of wax — Bleaching wax — Adulteration of wax — Prepara¬
tion of wax for market — Special production of wax—Uses
of beeswax. 334-342

CHAPTER XX

THE CARE OF BEES IN WINTER

Losses in winter — Object of winter protection — Require¬
ments of successful wintering—Winter stores — Cause and
effects of humidity in the hive — Effects of ventilation —

Source of heat and effects of changes of temperature — Dis¬
turbance— Methods of wintering bees — Outdoor wintering

— Cellar wintering — Effects of confinement — Spring dwin¬
dling . 343-358




Contents


xv


CHAPTER XXI

THE SOURCES OF NECTAR AND POLLEN

Reasons for knowledge of nectar sources — Difficulties of
identification—- Study of neighboring locations — Function
of nectar—Variations in nectar — Variations in secretion
—Effects of climatic conditions on secretion—Advantages
of swamp sources— Cultivation of plants for nectar — Value
of the minor sources — Gathering of pollen — Value of bees
in cross-pollination — Damaging effects of incorrect spray¬
ing— Bees do not puncture ripe fruit — Supposedly poison¬
ous honeys — Plant honey-dews — Insect honey-dew —
Annotated list of honey-plants.


CHAPTER XXII
BEE DISEASES AND ENEMIES

Brood diseases — American foul brood—-European foul
brood — Sacbrood or pickled brood — Methods of spread —
Treatment — Shaking treatment — Fall treatment — Addi¬
tional treatment for European foul brood — Diseases of
adult bees — Dysentery — Nosema disease — Paralysis —
Spring dwindling — Enemies of bees — The wax-moth ( Gal¬
leria mellonella) — The lesser wax-moth ( Achroia grissella )
— Remedies — Other enemies.


CHAPTER XXIII

THE REARING OF QUEENS

Commercial queen-rearing — Systematic requeening —
Conditions under which queens are reared—Saving natural
queen cells — Having natural cells built — Miller method

— Alley method — Hopkins method — Queen cells on
artificial bases — Transferring larvse — Swarm box —
Having cells built out — Nursery cages—Mating hives —
Classification of queens — Mailing cages — Introducing
queens — Improvement of stock — Study of breeding needed

— Selection of drones — Desirability of pure races —

Danger from inbreeding.


359-396


397-416


417-429


XVI


Contents


CHAPTER XXIV

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

PAGES

Literature on bees and beekeeping — Organizations of
beekeepers—Laws — Supplies for beekeepers — The uses of
honey— Honey crop reports — Educational work in bee¬
keeping— The Bureau of Entomology. 430-437

APPENDIX

Explanation of Symbols used in Anatomical Illustrations 439-448


ILLUSTRATIONS


Note.— Illustrations marked by asterisk are from Farmers’ Bulletins
Nos. 442 and 447 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Other illustra¬
tions are credited by authors individually.


Apiary of the Bureau of Entomology, Drummond, Md. . Frontispiece

FIG. PAGE

1. A primitive box-hive.1

2. A bee and apple blossoms ........ 5

8. Mud hives in Palestine. (From photograph by Metcalf) . . 5

4. Group of Caucasian hives.6

5. An old Greek hive. (From Wheler, 1682) .... 6

6. Gravenhorst hive, a combination of skep and frame-hive . . 7

7. German hive, opening at the rear ...... 7

8. Bee-house in Carniola, Austria. 8

9. Carniolan hive..9

10. Bee-house mentioned in “ The Iloosier School Boy ” . . 9

11. W. B. C. hive of England ... .... .10

12. C. D. B. hive of Ireland.11

13. Frame of C. D. B. hive . . . . . . . .11

14. A woman beekeeper.15

15. Roof apiary in lower New York City. (Drawn from photograph

by Root).18

16. Apiary on shed roof, to economize space.19

17. Tropical apiary, San Sabastian, Porto Rico . . . .19

18. Honey-house door. 24

19. Porter bee escape *.24

20. Ten-frame Langstroth hive with queen excluder, comb-honey

super and telescope cover *.26

21. Diagram showing spacing of frame and rabbet in Langstroth hive 27

22. Spacing of Hoffman frames.28

23. Spur wire-imbedder * . 29

24. Smoker *.29

25. German beekeeper’s pipe . 30

26. Cotton netting veil with silk tulle front * . . . . .31

27. Hive tools *.31

28. German bee brush *.31

xvii


















XV111


Illustrations


pupa


FIG.

29. Tool-box seat.

30. Alley queen and drone trap *

31. Bee escape board *.

32. Comb-foundation cutter ....

33. Van Deusen hive clamp ....

34. The honeybee : worker, queen and drone*
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