Bees - Their History and Characteristics, With Directions for Their Successful Management - Containing Extracts from Livestock for the Farmer and Stock Owner

BEES

THEIR HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS,

WITH DIRECTIONS FOR THEIR

SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT

Containing Extracts from Livestock

for the Farmer and Stock Owner

BY

A H BAKER

Copyright © 2016 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from

the British Library

CONTENTS

Bee Keeping

VARIETIES AND PECULIARITIES OF BEES.

I. NATURAL HISTORY OF BEES.

II. THE THREE GENDERS OF THE HONEY BEE.

III. VARIETIES OF THE HONEY BEE.

IV. THE SO-CALLED QUEEN OR MOTHER BEE.

V. THE NUMBER OF EGGS LAID.

VI. DRONES OR MALE BEES.

VII. NEUTER OR WORKER BEES.

VIII. VARIETIES OF HONEY.

IX. WAX AND HOW IT IS FORMED.

X. PLANTS ADAPTED TO THE

PRODUCTION OF HONEY.

THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF BEES.

I. HIVES.

II. NUMBER OF SWARMS PROFITABLY KEPT ON A FARM.

III. SWARMING.

IV. HIVING NEW SWARMS.

V. TAKING THE HONEY.

VI. WINTERING BEES.

VII. IMPLEMENTS OF USE.

VIII. A MOTHERLESS SWARM.

IX. FASTENING EMPTY COMB IN FRAMES.

X. FEEDING BEES.

XI. ENEMIES OF BEES.

XII. FOUL BROOD.

XIII. CONCLUSION.

Bee Keeping

Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin: apis ‘bee’) is quite simply, the maintenance of honey bee colonies. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or ‘bee yard.’ Depictions of humans collecting honey from wild bees date to 15,000 years ago, and efforts to domesticate them are shown in Egyptian art around 4,500 years ago. Simple hives and smoke were used and honey was stored in jars, some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamun.

The beginnings of ‘bee domestication’ are uncertain, however early evidence points to the use of hives made of hollow logs, wooden