Bee-Keeping in War-Time is a compact practical guide by W. Herrod-Hempsall, editor of The British Bee Journal and The Bee-Keeper’s Record. Published in 1918, it belongs to a period when household and farm production received renewed attention.
Despite its wartime title, the booklet is chiefly an introduction to the ordinary work of an apiary. Ten short chapters move from housing and colony biology to swarms, handling, honey, queens and a monthly calendar.
Understanding the hive and its inhabitants
The first chapter contrasts the natural dwelling of bees with the artificial housing supplied by the keeper. It explains why movable combs matter for inspection, management and harvesting without destroying the colony.
Herrod-Hempsall describes double-walled and single-walled hive arrangements and introduces the parts used in a working hive. He stresses the convenience of standard equipment and interchangeable parts.
The population chapter distinguishes the queen, workers and drones. It discusses their development and duties and introduces the relationship between the queen’s performance and the continuing strength of the colony.
These descriptions establish the vocabulary needed for the later operations. Biological explanations and judgments about bee strains should be understood within the scientific knowledge of the period.
Swarms and establishing an apiary
The chapter on natural and artificial swarms describes how a colony increases and the preparations associated with swarming. It then turns to catching, housing and dividing colonies.
The next section considers how to establish and manage bees. Buying stock, choosing a site, preparing a hive and introducing a swarm are treated as connected decisions.
Seasonal management includes providing room, fitting supers and preserving useful comb. The author connects the timing of these tasks with the availability of forage and the condition of the bees.
Food reserves and feeding also receive attention. The booklet distinguishes spring stimulation from the provision of autumn stores and discusses why delays or unsuitable conditions can affect the result.
Handling and the honey crop
A separate handling chapter addresses opening hives, using smoke, protecting the operator and lifting combs. It encourages preparation and controlled movement rather than hurried interference.
The text explains the keeper’s position at the hive and describes manipulating frames while avoiding damage to the bees or comb. It is a concise account of the physical routine behind the more general management advice.
Heather honey is given its own chapter. The author considers moving colonies to the moors, the timing of the flow and the special difficulty of extracting this particular crop.
This regional harvest discussion distinguishes the booklet from a bare list of beginner’s tasks. It shows how a particular forage source can change transport, equipment and the treatment of the product.
Queens, health and the economics of a small apiary
The queen chapter discusses rearing and introducing queens, including the preparation of small colonies and the handling of queen cells. Herrod-Hempsall connects stock selection with productivity and the behavior of the colony.
A short disease chapter describes the problems then called dysentery, foul brood and Isle of Wight disease. Its explanations and remedies are historical material, not current diagnostic or treatment guidance.
The cost-and-returns chapter lists the outfit required to begin and compares different levels of expenditure. Its prices are useful as evidence of the original setting rather than as a modern budget.
Advertisements for equipment, books and disease remedies are retained in the scan. They form part of the historical booklet and should be read separately from the author’s instructional chapters.
A calendar for following the year
The final calendar compresses the work into monthly reminders. It links winter repairs, spring checks, swarm preparation, supering, queen work, harvesting and autumn preparation.
Readers can use this sequence to understand the author’s annual plan, while remembering that the dates assume his British setting and cannot be transferred unchanged to every climate.
This free ebook suits readers studying traditional beekeeping, household production and practical manuals of the First World War. The PDF contains 40 digital pages, including covers, library material and advertisements. The printed booklet ends on page 32; the main instructional chapters begin on printed page 7.
Book details
- Author: W. Herrod-Hempsall
- Publisher: Country Life, Ltd., and George Newnes, Ltd., London; Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York
- Year: 1918
- Edition: 1918 booklet
- Digital length: 40 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 0.89 MB
