How to keep bees

About this eBook

Author

Comstock, Anna Botsford, 1854-1930

Title

How to keep bees : A handbook for the use of beginners

Original Publication

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1905.

Credits

Carla Foust, A Marshall, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Language

English

LoC Class

SF: Agriculture: Animal culture

Subject

Bee culture

Category

Text

Project Gutenberg

eBook-No. 79076

Release Date

July 12, 2026

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.HOW TO KEEP BEES
2. 2.Untitled
3. 3.Untitled
4. 4.Untitled
5. 5.PREFACE
6. 6.CONTENTS
7. 7.LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
8. 8.Untitled
9. 9.Untitled
10. 10.CHAPTER I WHY KEEP BEES
11. 11.CHAPTER II HOW TO BEGIN BEE-KEEPING — THE VARIOUS WAYS OF BEGINNING — A BEGINNER’S ORDER — NOTES ON A BEGINNER’S ORDER — THE BEES — A TESTED QUEEN — THE HIVE — TWO COMPLETE SUPERS — THREE EXTRA HIVES — ONE STANDARD CORNEIL SMOKER — ONE BEE-VEIL — ONE PAIR OF BEE-GLOVES — 250 SECTIONS — ONE POUND BROOD-FOUNDATION — TWO POUNDS THIN SUPER-FOUNDATION — ONE DAISY FOUNDATION-FASTENER — ONE VAN DEUSEN WAX-TUBE FASTENER — TINNED WIRE — ONE PORTER BEE-ESCAPE — THE MANUM SWARM-CATCHER — ONE DIXIE BEE-BRUSH — ONE DOOLITTLE FEEDER — QUEEN AND DRONE TRAP
12. 12.CHAPTER III THE LOCATION AND THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE APIARY
13. 13.CHAPTER IV THE INHABITANTS OF THE HIVE — THE QUEEN ( Plates V , VI , VII ) — THE DRONE ( Plates V , VI , VII ) — THE WORKERS. ( Plate V , VI , VII .) — THE LAYING WORKER — RACES OF DOMESTIC BEES
14. 14.CHAPTER V THE INDUSTRIES OF THE HIVE — THE SECRETION OF WAX — THE COMB-MAKING ( Plate IX. ) — THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY — THE MAKING OF BEE-BREAD — THE PROPOLIS, OR BEE-GLUE
15. 15.CHAPTER VI THE SWARMING OF BEES — WHY BEES SWARM — WHEN BEES SWARM — HOW TO HIVE A SWARM — DECOY HIVES — MAXIMS FOR HIVING BEES
16. 16.CHAPTER VII HOW TO KEEP FROM KEEPING TOO MANY BEES — THE PROBLEM — AFTER-SWARMS — PREVENTION OF AFTER-SWARMS — HOW TO UNITE COLONIES
17. 17.CHAPTER VIII THE HIVE, AND HOW TO HANDLE IT — THE BROOD-CHAMBER — THE SUPER — HOW TO PREPARE THE SUPER — HOW TO HANDLE THE BEES — HOW TO OPEN THE HIVE — HOW TO EXAMINE THE BROOD-CHAMBER. ( Plate VIII. ) — HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN CELL — HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN — CLIPPING THE QUEEN’S WINGS — HOW TO TAKE OFF HONEY IN SUPERS — OBSERVATION-HIVES (Frontispiece) — MAXIMS FOR OPENING THE HIVE
18. 18.CHAPTER IX DETAILS CONCERNING HONEY — HOW TO MAKE COMB-HONEY — TIERING UP — TAKING OFF SECTIONS. ( Plate XX. ) — STAINED SECTIONS — SCRAPING THE SECTIONS — GRADING COMB-HONEY — SHIPPING-CASES — MARKETING COMB-HONEY — STORING COMB-HONEY — CANDIED COMB-HONEY — MAXIMS FOR PRODUCING COMB-HONEY
19. 19.CHAPTER X EXTRACTED HONEY — HOW TO PRODUCE IT — EXTRACTING-FRAMES — WHEN TO EXTRACT HONEY — UNCAPPING. ( Plate XIX. ) — CARE OF EXTRACTED HONEY — PACKAGES FOR EXTRACTED HONEY. ( Plate XXI. ) — MAXIMS FOR THE PRODUCER OF EXTRACTED HONEY
20. 20.CHAPTER XI POINTS ABOUT BEESWAX — HOW TO MAKE IT — THE PRIMITIVE METHOD — THE SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTOR — THE SWISS WAX-EXTRACTOR — THE WAX-PRESS — REFINING WAX WITH SULPHURIC ACID — ADULTERATED BEESWAX — MAXIMS FOR BEESWAX MAKING
21. 21.CHAPTER XII FEEDING BEES — WHEN TO FEED — HOW TO FEED — HOW AND WHEN TO FEED CANDY — FEEDING RYE FLOUR — FEEDING FOR HONEY — FEEDING BACK — WATERING BEES — MAXIMS FOR FEEDING
22. 22.CHAPTER XIII HOW TO WINTER BEES — IDEAL CONDITIONS — GETTING READY FOR WINTERING — OUTDOOR WINTERING — THE CHAFF HIVE — THE TENEMENT HIVE — WINTERING IN CELLARS — WHEN TO PUT BEES IN THE CELLAR — WHEN TO TAKE BEES OUT OF THE CELLAR — SPRING DWINDLING — MAXIMS FOR WINTERING
23. 23.CHAPTER XIV REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS — QUEEN-REARING — INTRODUCING QUEENS — BALLING THE QUEEN — WHEN TO INTRODUCE A QUEEN — HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUEEN — QUEEN-CAGES — THE NUCLEUS METHOD — MAXIMS FOR INTRODUCING QUEENS
24. 24.CHAPTER XV ROBBING IN THE APIARY — A CAUSE OF DEMORALISATION — WHY BEES ROB — WHEN BEES ROB — HOW THE ROBBING IS DONE — HOW TO STOP ROBBING — BORROWING — WHAT BECOMES OF THE ROBBED COLONY — MAXIMS TO PREVENT ROBBING
25. 25.CHAPTER XVI THE ENEMIES AND DISEASES OF BEES — THE BEE-MOTH ( Galleria mellonella ) — REMEDY — THE INDIAN-MEAL MOTH ( Plodia interpunctella ) — BEE-MOTH MAXIMS — FOUL BROOD — HOW TO DETECT FOUL BROOD — BLACK BROOD — PICKLED BROOD — DIARRHOEA — PREVENTION
26. 26.CHAPTER XVII THE ANATOMY OF THE HONEY-BEE — I. EXTERNAL ANATOMY — II. INTERNAL ANATOMY
27. 27.CHAPTER XVIII INTERRELATION OF BEES AND PLANTS — HONEY-FLOWERS — TREES — HONEY PLANTS WHICH YIELD OTHER VALUABLE CROPS — GARDEN FLOWERS — WILD FLOWERS AND WEEDS
28. 28.CHAPTER XIX BEE-KEEPERS AND BEE-KEEPING
29. 29.CHAPTER XX BEE-HUNTING
30. 30.APPENDIX BEE BOOKS
31. 31.INDEX
32. 32.Untitled

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