The Italian Alp-bee; or, The gold mine of husbandry: short and practical instructions to breed genuine prolific Italian queens; to multiply them by hundreds in a few months and how to change German hives into ItalianHermann, H. C. (Heinrich C.)
Science
The Italian Alp-bee; or, The gold mine of husbandry: short and practical instructions to breed genuine prolific Italian queens; to multiply them by hundreds in a few months and how to change German hives into Italian
Hermann, H. C. (Heinrich C.)
Bee culture; Bees
For that purpose, take a box four inches square, in the lid of which
make three or four incisions or cuts, to admit air to the bees. A piece
of covered old honey is loosely wrapt up in blotting-paper and nailed
firmly to the bottom of the box. That the nail may not pass through
the honey and the honey gets loose and smother the bees, it is well to
put a piece of pasteboard or leather, of about two-inch square under
the head of the nail, as a lining. Then put the queen with a handful
of her own people (500 or 1000) in the box and nail it down; then wrap
a loose piece of linen round the box, so that the bees have sufficient
air, but that the light is somewhat interrupted, to keep them quiet on
the journey. The blotting-paper must be wrapt round the honey in such a
manner that the honey shows at one end that the bees can gradually eat
it up. If, neither blotting-paper be used, nor the honey nailed down,
there would be risk that the honey rolled about during the journey and
smothered the bees, or run out of the comb and drown the bees in it.
The blotting-paper takes up any honey run out, so that the bees can
only gradually eat it up.
It must be well understood that a queen is not sent before she is
impregnated, that is, until she has laid eggs. These boxes will stand a
journey of ten days.
§ 19.
REMARKS ON UNITING BEES.
Another caution must be observed on uniting of two bee-colonies.
Bees are naturally avaricious and therefore permit every bee, even a
stranger, laden with honey to enter. This is a hint, and advantage must
be taken of this their passion.
Before two colonies are joined together, take care that the bees which
are to be added are quite satiated with honey. It does not matter if
both parties have been previously well fed, for then they are not so
capable of beginning to fight.
Bees, well filled with honey are everywhere welcome, and when the bees
have discharged their burdens in the cells they fraternise and forget
all quarrels.
Honey is therefore a very good means of union. But to sprinkle the
bees only with honey, or honey-water, produces just the contrary
effect; they become irritated and impassioned and kill each other.
If, therefore, you desire success, give them honey to their heart's
content. If a hive is to be driven out, stop up loosely the principal
hole, blow a little smoke into it, then turn it over and knock
it gently for about ten minutes; the object will thus be gained,
because the bees, anticipating the danger, will make haste to provide
themselves with food for the journey. A bee can suck in double her
weight in provision.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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