The Beginning Beekeeper

It is one thing to get enthusiastic about bees from reading about them, but quite another to learn how to secure them and care for them. Many practical questions arise at once. Where shall one find the bees, what equipment will one need, what shall be done with them, and how much attention will they require?

The Time

April, in most localities, is a favorable time to start with such a venture. The fruit trees will be blooming and dandelions will follow so that forage should be plentiful. With the winter past, a colony of bees in good condition should provide its owner with some honey and natural increase before the next critical period. Yes, spring is the best time to start.

The next question is where to find the bees. While there are numerous dealers in the South who make a business of selling live bees in cages, it is better for the novice to buy full colonies near at hand. One without previous experience with bees will find numerous perplexing situations in dealing with a cage of live bees. The hive must be provided and the bees must be fed until they can build their combs and store some honey for food. If the weather happens to be warm and flowers are blooming, it all works out very nicely. Too often, however, the weather is cold or rainy and the bees must be given special attention until they become established.

The one who buys a hive of bees already established and with a sufficient reserve of honey need not worry if there are a few days of bad weather.

Sources Of Information

Many of the states have a man connected with the College of Agriculture or the State Department of Agriculture whose business it is to assist beekeepers with their problems. If there is no dealer in bees and bee supplies near at hand, it is best to write to the Department of Agriculture or the Agricultural College of the state in which one lives and ask where the nearest bees may be secured. There are so many dealers in bee supplies that it is quite probable that one may be located within a few miles.

What To Buy

The beginner may ask a dozen persons for advice as to what to buy and get a dozen answers. Such things are always more or less matters of personal opinion. No two gardeners, for instance, would give the same list if asked to name the best plants for a beginner to buy, yet each list might be good and serve as a very satisfactory start. With this in mind, my readers may not be surprised to receive different advice from the dealer and his advice may be as good as mine.

If possible, secure gentle bees. The Italians are often preferred for the novice because of their bright yellow color which is pleasing to the eye and mismatings can be detected much more readily. If the beginner buys cross bees, he will soon lose interest in them unless he is of heroic mould.

Most authorities will advise the ten frame Lang-stroth hive which is perhaps more widely used than any other. This equipment is very good and one need have no fear of going wrong with it. My personal preference is for a large hive like the Modified Dadant or Jumbo which provides more room for a reserve supply of stores. The big hives require less attention and furnish greater safety for the bees which are not carefully watched.

Things Which Are Important

The novice should buy from one who can be trusted to meet the following requirements. First, that the bees are free from disease. Diseased bees are difficult for the most expert to manage and the common practice among extensive beekeepers is to burn diseased colonies rather than to bother with treatment which is tedious and expensive as well as likely to spread the contagion farther.

It is also important to be sure that there is a vigorous queen which is laying and that there is plenty of brood in the hive with enough bees to insure a harvest when the honeyflow comes. Straight combs are essential and they should be built on foundation. Unless the combs are straight, the hive cannot be opened to determine the condition of the colony at any time.

A colony of gentle Italian bees, with vigorous young queen, in a good hive with straight combs and enough honey to insure safety to the colony, is a better purchase at ten dollars than cross bees on crooked combs at a dollar. The novice will have to depend upon the one from whom the bees are purchased since only experience can enable one to judge the value of the outfit by looking at it. The price of bees varies greatly, but values vary even more and the novice will find a good outfit to be cheapest.

The most common mistake of the beginner is to skimp on supers. The surplus honey is the source of our income and the bees cannot provide surplus without a place to store it. I would suggest about three supers for each hive of bees. Extra hives should be in readiness for hiving swarms also.

When the bees are received, select a place where they are sheltered from winds and where the hives are not near to paths or walks where people pass frequently. The location of the hives will make much difference in the number of stings which result. When the bees sting the neighbors, it leads to annoyance which is unpleasant.