Village Squire, 1978-10, Page 11Bee dards are spread throughout a 30 mile radius of the Fear's
Wingham home.
Wingham. They travel to these yards from Clifford and Donegal
in the east to Auburn in the south to No. 9 highway in the north
and Ripley in the west up to 15 times during the year to perform
the various tasks involved in beekeeping. That means among
other things a beekeeper has to have a good truck and be
prepared to spend a good deal of money on gasoline and truck
expenses.
When the Fears say that they have been beekeeping full time
for 10 years they do mean full time. For a large operation like
theirs it's far from a hobby. The job begins in the early spring
with the unpacking of the hives from their protection for winter.
Nev: colonies of bees will be set out in May or June and new
queens are imported from the United States. Usually a few hives
of bees are lost each winter and some of the queens stop
producing so new queens must be imported. Nearly all bee
breeders are in the southern U.S. Queen bees cost about $6 each.
in American money so it can be an expensive process when you
have as Targe an operation as the Fears.
About the end of June it's time to put in the queen excluders,
special screen large enough to let worker bees pass through but
which won't allow the queen bees with a fatter body to pass
through from the lower part of the hive to the honey supers in the
top.
• Extracting operations begin about the third week of July and
continue until the end of October at the Fear's large operation.
After that, it's time to feed the bees. making sure they will have
enough honey 'or sugar to see them through the winter and into
the spring when trees and flowers start to bloom and the bees
can produce their own honey for food. This feeding and the
packing of the hives for the winter is finished up by about
mid-November. November to March is taken up with making
new equipment. repairing old equipment. painting. and sorting
combs for the next season.
If all that doesn't scat you off, there's also the work of getting
the honey out of the supers. A large building in the back yard at
the Fear home is the honey house for the operation. It's large
enough for a truck to be driven directly inside to unload the
honey -laden supers. They are taken then from the loading dock
WHERE THE VALUES ARE!
Join the crowds at
BAINTON'S AUTHENTIC OLD MILL
in downtown Blyth
Famous for leather and woollen products.
It's that time
of year!
Oct. 1 to Dec. 31
Annual Factory Outlet Sale
of wool and leather goods at
BAINTON'S T
DowntownHEORIGINAL In BlythOLD SlncsMILL 1894
84th ANNIVERSARY SALE
THE LARGEST INVENTORY OF FINISHED
WOOL AND LEATHER PRODUCTS IN OUR
HISTORY
Our customers know that 83 years of experience in
the wool and leather business has made
BAINTONS The Authentic Old Mill in Blyth
The Place To Shop!
Where the choice is greater and the prices are
lower
a non
Since 1894
THE ORIGINAL
OLD MILL
IN BLYTH
AT THE RAILWAY TRACKS
Telephone 523-9666
WINTER HOURS:
Monday -Thursday 9-6
Friday & Saturday 9 -9
Sunday 1-6
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1978. PG.9.