The Hive In Late Autumn

In the northern states November is usually a month of uncertain weather. There are days that are chill and raw, there are days that are rainy; there are frosty mornings and an occasional balmy day when it is pleasant to be in the open air.

At this season the harvest in the apiary is over.

The field bees cluster quietly on the combs and rest from their labors. Brood rearing has ceased and the nurse bees find themselves with little to do. The season of rest and quiet has begun and the tireless activity of the summer days has given way to idleness. The bees should have laid up a large reserve of food to carry them through the long winter. The cluster will form on the lower part of the combs with the sealed honey in the form of a half moon above.

Nothing remains to be done except to provide sufficient heat to warm the colony. In mild weather the bees will scatter about on the combs in friendly groups, but when the temperature drops they gather in a compact mass. The colder it gets the tighter they cluster. Heat is formed by muscular activity and the consumption of stores. Adult bees consume but little food at this season except for the purpose of generating heat.

In addition to the honey, there should be a large supply of stored pollen in the cells in anticipation of the needs of the young brood to be reared at the beginning of the next season.

Results Of Idleness

Too much rest does not tend to bring out the admirable qualities. It seems to be necessary to hustle in order to enjoy the fruits of one's labors. When there is nothing for the bees to do, they become concerned as to their stores and resent the approach of any creature. Let a man or an animal come too near the hive and he may receive a surprising reception. Bees that have been gentle and quiet while busy with the harvest sometimes sting mercilessly should the beekeeper find it necessary to open the hive. I have seen a dog which innocently passed by the apiary, punished severely. On one occasion a calf was tethered near some of my hives. The bees swarmed over it and set the poor creature wild with misery. The girl who attempted to rescue the calf was herself driven to the cellar.

Such incidents are likely to occur only on mild days when the bees leave the hive in search of nectar, and, finding none, approach the hives of their thrifty neighbors and seek entrance in search of plunder.

The bee, usually an industrious creature, makes the most of every opportunity to add to her store by peaceful and honorable means. But when the frosts cut down the flowers and there is no longer any wealth to be gathered from the fields, she manifests a different character.

When The Bee Turns Bandit

No matter how rich her store and how unnecessary it may be to seek for spoils, if she finds access to her neighbors' stores she will attempt to secure possession. At this season the careless beekeeper who has neglected to reduce the entrances to his hives to a small space easily defended, may find trouble on his hands.

When the warm sunshine lures the field bee into the open after the flowers are gone, she seeks far and wide for some treasure to add to her store. Finding none in the field, she examines every nook and crevice that may be open in neighboring hives. Finding an opening unguarded, she slips in and fills her honey sac from the open cells. Returning home, she displays her find with a series of wild dances which give one the impression of a shimmy. Other bees are immediately excited and rush into the open in search of the treasure. Soon the unfortunate colony with poor defenses is overpowered and its stores rapidly carried away by more fortunate neighbors.

Under such conditions the air will soon be filled with flying bees. Fighting may speed from colony to colony until the whole apiary is in an uproar. A bit of carelessness at this season may result in the near ruination of an entire apiary. Once war is on, the results are disastrous among bees as well as among men.

It sometimes happens that a housewife who chances to be making candy or a belated batch of preserves before an open window finds herself the victim of an onslaught which is as disconcerting as it is surprising. Such jobs as candy making at this season should be done behind tight window screens through which no bee can find its way. Such incidents, fortunately, are rare and usually are the result of carelessness on the part of somebody.