Practical beekeeping designed for the use of the beginner and small apiarist

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 Excerpt: ...should have a cluster covering at least six combs, and should have three or four frames of brood in various stages. There should be a supply of several pounds of honey, as, at this critical time, when there is much brood to be fed, and many hungry young bees emerging every day, honey is consumed rapidly and until the flow from early flowers equals the demand, the colony must depend upon its stores from the preceding year. The queen should be not older than from the preceding year's raising, though in the case of choice queens, a queen two and even three years of age may be retained. When thus kept it would be chiefly for breeding purposes. For reasons given previously, it is advisable to begin with a definite sized frame, and the Langstroth frame is now the generally accepted standard, except in certain restricted localities. Colonies having reasonably straight and even combs are to be preferred, as they are much easier of manipulation. Having selected our stock, the next point is a suitable location for the apiary. Before starting an extensive apiary it would be well to look into the surrounding honey conditions, if honey production is aimed at; or if queen rearing is to receive the main emphasis, it would be well to look up the bees of the locality and determine whether they would interfere with securing pure matings. The matter of bee diseases, while important in some states, is not at all to be feared in this state. It is well for the beginner to start modestly, with only one or two, or at the most, three or four hives, until a knowledge of the handling of bees is acquired. A few colonies will keep one quite busy learning, and if mistakes are made they are not of serious import financially. After one has learned the management of a small apiary it can b...