Opis: The American Bee Journal, Vol. 3 - Wagner Samuel

Excerpt from The American Bee Journal, Vol. 3: 1867-8

[Several years ago, Professor Mona, of Italy, undertook to establish an apiary for the purpose of rearing Italian queen bees to supply the foreign demand for them, which sprung up after the Italian bees were introduced into Germany, and their superior value became known and appreciated. The business which he thus originated prospered beyond expectation, and soon rendered it necessary that he should procure a competent assistant. He accordingly engaged the services of Mr. Uhle, a practical apiarian of great intelligence and experience, who joined him at Faido, in the spring of 1866, after the apiaries had been removed to Faido, in the canton of Tessin. At the close of the year, Mr. Uhle sent a communication to the German Bienenzeitung, from which the following extracts are taken.]

Having from personal observation satisfied myself of the superiority of the Italian bees, having read the various articles contained in the Bienenzeitung exhibiting their great value and importance, as also the excellent treatise on "the Italian Bee," published by Mr. Kleine, I came here in April last with intensified expectations.

Professor Mona had given up his school to devote himself exclusively to bee culture, and taken up his abode at his paternal home in Faido, though his bees still remained, for the most part, in the neighborhood of Pollegio.

Since the 1st of March, the business of supplying orders by sending out full colonic, driven swarms and single queens, had been recommenced; and now rapidly increased, as the weather grew milder and the roads improved.

The excursions, which I had occasion to make to his different apiaries, enabled me to obtain a comprehensive view of Prof. Mona's arrangements and modes of operating. There were in all about three hundred stocks, with which the active campaign was opened on the 1 st of May. Among these were large as well as small movable comb hives, common log hives or "gums," such as are used in the rural districts, and ordinary box hives of various shapes and sizes. The former were similar to those with which I was familiar in Germany; the others did not impress me favorably, though the exceeding industry of their inmates soon reconciled me to their appearance.

The movable comb hives were deprived of their queens in the course of the month. The larger ones were then used as store stocks for the accumulation of honey, and the smaller ones for rearing queens. From the log hives we drew our supplies of bees in larger or smaller quantities, according to circumstances, to form colonies which were either sent off immediately or placed temporarily in movable comb hives. We also formed a great number of artificial colonies for queen-raising in small nucleus hives. For these the colonies from which the queens sold were taken, furnished the bees, old log hives supplied the combs and brood, and stocks previously deprived of their queens provided the royal cells.

Pasturage being abundant, the log hives from which swarm had been expelled, or which had swarmed naturally, sent forth second swarms in due time. The larger of these were placed in boxes (medium sized) made of thin boards, and speedily became excellent store stocks. The smaller were placed in movable comb hives, and used for rearing queens.

By the beginning of June all the queens of the previous year had been sent off to supply orders, and swarming was, for the most part, over. The queenless log hives were now broken up and the others duly pruned; and at the same time the large movable comb stocks, now again provided with fertile queens, were properly arranged for the storing of honey-strengthening them where necessary with brood from other hives, and limiting the brooding space by the insertion of dividing boards. Thus prepared, they were next transported to some of the higher Alpine villages where the season of pasturage did not open till the midd

Szczegóły: The American Bee Journal, Vol. 3 - Wagner Samuel

Nazwa: The American Bee Journal, Vol. 3 1867-8 (Classic Reprint)
Autor: Wagner Samuel
Wydawnictwo: FB &c Ltd
Kod paskowy: 9781332248988
Języki: angielski
Ilość stron: 250
Format: 15.2x22.9cm
Oprawa: Miękka

Recenzje: The American Bee Journal, Vol. 3 - Wagner Samuel