Lesson Cv

The Industries of the Hive

Leading thought—In the hive are carried on the industries of wax-making, building of honey-comb, storing of honey and bee-bread, caring for the young, keeping the hive clean and ventilated and calking all crevices with bee glue.

Method—This lesson should be in the nature of a demonstration. If there is an apiary in the neighborhood, it is quite possible that the teacher may show the pupils a hive ready for occupancy by the bees; in any case she will have no difficulty in borrowing a frame of brood comb, and this with a section of honey which can be bought at the grocery store, is sufficient if there is no observation hive. This lesson should be an informal talk between teacher and pupils.

An observation hive in the schoolroom is an object of greatest interest to the pupils, as through its glass sides they may be able to verify for themselves the wonderful tales concerning the lives and doings of the bees which have been told us by naturalists. Moreover, the study thus made of the habits of the bees is an excellent preparation for the practical apiarist, and we sincerely believe that bee-keeping is one of the ways by which the boys and girls of the farm may obtain money for their own use.

The observation hive is very simply constructed and can be made by anyone who knows how to use ordinary carpenter tools. It is simply a small, ordinary hive with a pane of glass on each side which is covered by a hinged door. A hive thus made is placed so that the front end rests upon a window sill; the sash is lifted an inch or so, a strip of wood, or a piece of wire netting being inserted underneath the sash except in front of the entrance of the hive, to hinder the bees from coming back into the room. A covered passageway should extend from the entrance of the hive to the outside of the window sill. This window should be one which opens away from the playground so that the bees coming and going, will not come into collision with the pupils. The observation window should be kept carefully shut, except when the pupils are using it, since the bees object to light in their homes.

The A. I. Root Co., of Medina, Ohio, sell a pretty observation hive which we have used successfully by stocking it afresh each season, it being too small for a self-sustaining colony. But it has the advantage of smallness which enables us to see all that is going on within it, which would be impossible in a larger hive. This hive comes in several sizes, and will be shipped from the makers stocked with bees at prices ranging from $1.25 to $4.00.

Observations—Industries and care of the hive—1. What is the hive, and what do wild bees use instead of the hive? Describe as follows:

2. Describe a brood chamber and a super and the uses of each.

3. How many and what bees live in a hive.

4. How the honey-comb is made and placed and the purpose of it.

5. How the wax is produced and built into the comb.

6. How honey is made.

7. What bee-bread is and its uses.

8. What propolis is and what it is used for.

9. How young bees look and how they are cradled and fed.

10. Does the removal of the honey from the supers in the fall do any harm to the bee colony?

11. How much honey should a good-sized colony have in the fall to winter well?

12. How should the hives be protected in the winter and summer?

What may be seen in the observation hive—13. Describe how a bee works when building honey-comb.

14. How does the bee act when storing honey in a cell?

15. How does a bee place pollen in a cell and pack it into bee-bread?

16. Describe how the nurse bees feed the young, and how the young look when eating.

17. Describe how the “ladies in waiting” feed and care for the queen.

18. Try to observe the queen when she is laying eggs and describe her actions.

19. How do the bee workers keep their house clean?

20. How do they stop all crevices in the hive? If you keep the hive uncovered too long, how will they curtain the window?

21. Describe the actions of the bees when they are ventilating the hive.

22. If there are any drones in the hive, describe how they are fed.

23. How can you tell queens, drones and workers apart?