This piece was written by the beekeeper, Mr. H. B. Hains in 1889. He was a respected beekeeper and active in the beekeeping community.
Two years later he was distributing an engraving of his apiary (I assume this one) at the Ohio State Bee Keepers Convention.
Can you blame him? What a beautiful set up.
REPORT FROM WELCOME APIARY
SIXTEEN YEARS OF BEE-KEEPING, AND A PICTURE OF FRIEND HAINS' BEE-YARD.
WELCOME APIARY is located in the village of Bedford, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh and Cleveland & Canton Railroads, both of which run through it, dividing it about equally — the east half only showing in the engraving.
It may be said to have been established July 4, 1844, when a fugitive swarm of bees clustered on a tree near where the house-apiary now stands. Being eleven years of age, I assisted in hiving and caring for them, and from that time they received box-hive attention—sometimes numbering a score or more, at others only two or three colonies, but never becoming entirely extinct.
In the spring of 1870, there being but three stocks, I transferred and Italian-ized them, and commenced bee-keeping on modern principles. I have tested nearly every thing said to be an improvement or a help in the business. I have retained only such as proved to be beneficial, among: which I may mention movable frames, comb foundation, honey-extractor, smoker, veil, slow feeder for spring, and rapid feeder for fall, division-boards to contract brood-nest, and last, but not least, pure Italian bees in well painted chaff hives, in the shade of trees.
Notwithstanding I have had uniform success in wintering bees in the house-apiary, I wish to class it among the things I do not recommend on the score of economy and convenience.
In the spring of 1870, there being but three stocks, I transferred and Italian-ized them, and commenced bee-keeping on modern principles. I have tested nearly every thing said to be an improvement or a help in the business. I have retained only such as proved to be beneficial, among: which I may mention movable frames, comb foundation, honey-extractor, smoker, veil, slow feeder for spring, and rapid feeder for fall, division-boards to contract brood-nest, and last, but not least, pure Italian bees in well painted chaff hives, in the shade of trees.
Notwithstanding I have had uniform success in wintering bees in the house-apiary, I wish to class it among the things I do not recommend on the score of economy and convenience.
I keep bees only in the south side, and it is more work to care for them than for an equal number in hives. You had better invest your money in chaff hives. I want no bee-bench, bee-shed, nor bee-house of any kind. I want no queen-excluding honey-boards, no sections larger nor smaller than one pound, no reversible frames. I fill my wired frames clear down to the bottom with foundation, and there is no necessity of reversing them to get them filled with comb: and if the honey in brood-combs is uncapped when the sections are put on, the bees will remove the honey as fast as the queen needs the room.
Although this article is already too long, I wish to refer to one feature of the work in our apiary, and that is, it is largely done by women, which demonstrates that women can adapt themselves to the business, and become successful apiarists.
Although this article is already too long, I wish to refer to one feature of the work in our apiary, and that is, it is largely done by women, which demonstrates that women can adapt themselves to the business, and become successful apiarists.
Mrs. Hains and her cousin, Miss Dennett (who, by the way, arc treasurer and secretary of the Progressive Bee-keepers' Association, which holds its next meeting in this place May 6th) have almost exclusive charge of the queen-nursery, as well as other departments of the work. Inexperienced persons would not hesitate to pronounce them wasteful in the extreme should they witness their selection, or, rather, rejection, of all small and medium sized queen cells—a rule which they rigidly enforce, believing that none but the most perfect arc worthy to bear the title of royalty, and that, through careful selection, we may expect to come the nearest to realizing the hopes of all bee-keepers, which is, securing the best possible race of bees.
In addition to the apiary illustrated above, I have six others, in adjoining towns, aggregating about 200 colonies, and they are managed for comb honey principally, while my home apiary, which is kept as near a hundred as circumstances will permit, is devoted to queen-rearing and the production of extracted honey.
My winter loss in my home apiary is usually about ten per cent, composed largely of united nuclei. My report for the winter past is as follows:
Of 86 stocks on summer stands, lost 4: of 25 in house-apiary, lost none; of 18 in cellar, lost half.
I have purchased about as many bees as I have sold during the last sixteen years, in which time I have increased from 3 to 300 stocks. The largest yield of honey obtained from one stock in one season was 120 lbs. The average yield, year after year, has not exceeded one-fourth that amount. On the whole, I believe I have received just about a fair compensation for the money invested and the time devoted to bee culture, and am fairly satisfied with the result, as I expect to earn about a hundred cents to get a dollar out of any legitimate business.
J.B.Hains
Hedford, Ohio, Apr. 1, I860.
In addition to the apiary illustrated above, I have six others, in adjoining towns, aggregating about 200 colonies, and they are managed for comb honey principally, while my home apiary, which is kept as near a hundred as circumstances will permit, is devoted to queen-rearing and the production of extracted honey.
My winter loss in my home apiary is usually about ten per cent, composed largely of united nuclei. My report for the winter past is as follows:
Of 86 stocks on summer stands, lost 4: of 25 in house-apiary, lost none; of 18 in cellar, lost half.
I have purchased about as many bees as I have sold during the last sixteen years, in which time I have increased from 3 to 300 stocks. The largest yield of honey obtained from one stock in one season was 120 lbs. The average yield, year after year, has not exceeded one-fourth that amount. On the whole, I believe I have received just about a fair compensation for the money invested and the time devoted to bee culture, and am fairly satisfied with the result, as I expect to earn about a hundred cents to get a dollar out of any legitimate business.
J.B.Hains
Hedford, Ohio, Apr. 1, I860.
Friend Hains, I am very glad indeed to hear that your apiary is "managed by women". Perhaps this has something to do with the neat and tidy appearance it presents. I remember Mrs. Hains quite well; and, if I remember correctly, she does not look as if the duties had been so arduous or fatiguing as to wear her out, either mentally or physically.
We should be very glad indeed to have some reports from either of the ladies. I fear we are not having so many communications of late from the other sex as we used to have in former volumes of Gleanings.
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