Bee-keeping for beginners

Front matter

|SF 523 .B87 jCopy 1

Bee=Keeping@-~

FOR

Chapter II

Varieties of Bees in the Hive — Workers, Drones and Queen- Undeveloped Females — Duties of Workers — Size of Worker Cells — L,ength of L,ife of Workers— Object of the Drones — L,ength of Life of Drones — Size of Drone Cells — The Queen or Mother Bee — Her Appearance, Sting, Size of Ovaries, and Difference in Size of Abdomen at Different Seasons, and when Placed in Different Size Colonies — Duties of Queen — Fertilized Eggs, Unfertilized Eggs, Number of Eggs a Queen I,ays, and L,ength of Time to Hatch — L,arvse, Royal Food, and Development of Queen— Impregnation of Queens — Parthenogenesis — Spermatheca — Fertile Workers. 4

Chapter III

Locating an Apiary— The Best Pasture— Distance Bees Can Go for Forage — Arrangement of Hives — Shade — How to Start in the Business — Mistakes of Beginners in Making Purchases — Bee-Keeping for Invalids — Handling Bees — Protection Against Stings — Structure of Sting — Antidotes — How to Open Hives — A Good Smoker Indispensable — How to Use It— Disposition of Different Varieties of Bees — Iufiuence of Color on Temper of Bees — Eength of Tongue — Best Honey Gatherers 13

Chapter IV

Hives — Patents — L,angstroth Hive — Size — Top Bars of Frames — Self-Spacing — Narrow Top Bars — Division Boards— Eight Frame Hives— Rabbetted Corners versus Dove-Tail — The People's Hive — Excelsior L,angstroth Hive — Paint— L,eaky Tops — I,oose Bottom Boards .22

CONTENTS

CHAPTER V. page Swarming Instinct — Condition of Colony at Time of Swarming — Rearing Drones— Queen Cells— When First Swarms Issue- Hanging Out Not Always an Indication of Swarming — Appearances that Indicate the Time of Swarming— When the Queen Comes out — Clustering — How to Prepare the Hive for the Swarm — Hiving — Straight Combs — How to Separate and Hive Swarms that Cluster Together — Balling Queens — Piping of Young Queens — After Swarms — How to Take Swarms Clustered in High Places — Absconding Swarms- How to Make Swarms Settle— Abnormal Swarms, and Cause of Their Swarming— Swarm Catchers — Ringing Bells 27

Chapter VI

Weak Colonies— How to Dispose of Them — Uniting— When to Unite — Feeding and When to Feed — Cost of Feed for Winter Stores — How to Feed — Feeders — How to Feed a Colony in a Starving Condition — Stimulative Feeding — Egg Production and amount of Brood Influenced by the Honey Flow — Advantages of Strong Colonies Rich in Stores in Spring — Individuality of Bees — How to Make Sugar Syrup — Care Required in Feeding — Robbing — What Colonies Do the Robbing — How to Detect Robber Bees — How to Prevent — How to Arrest the Habit When Formed ". 36

Chapter VII

Transferring from Box Hives Into Frame Hives — At What Time to Do It, and Where to Do It — Tools and Implements Required — Transfer Sticks — How to Proceed — The Kind of Comb to Select — How to Get the Bees Into the New Hive — When to Remove the Hive to Its Stand— A Good Plan for Beginners 42

Chapter VIII

What is Honey ? — Honey From Other Sources than Bloom — Adulterations— Do Bees Injure Fruit — Pollen and Its Uses — Propolis — Wax and How Formed — Comb Foundation and How Made — Brood Foundation, How Best to Use It and How to Fasten It in the Frames — Section Foundation, and How to Fasten It 48

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IX. page Which is the Most Profitable, to Run An Apiary for Comb Honey or Extracted ? — Size of Brood Chamber when Working for Comb Honey — Ci'ate to Hold the Sections — Bee- Space — When to put on Sections — How to Work to the Best Advantage — Wide frames— What Colonies will Work in Sections— How to Dispose of Partially Filled sections- Swarming and Great Surplus Incompatible— Place to Store Sections that are Filled— How to Keep Out the Worms- Fumigation— Best Hive for Extracted Honey— When to Extract—How to Take the Frames of Honey from the Hive- How to Extract— Rules to be Observed— Uncapped Brood Injured— Time When the Extractor Should be Used with Caution 55

Chapter X

Artificial Swarming— How to Make Swarms by Division — Cyprian and Syrian Bees Great Queen Cell Builders— Honey Production and Queen Breeding Antagonistic to Each Other in Practice — Which is the Most Profitable?— The Queen the Prime Factor in the Colony— Capable of Improvement- Highest Type of a Queen— Necessity for Select Breeding Queens and Drones— The Proper Condition of a Colony to Make Good Queen Cells— How to Procure the Eggs to Get the Larvse— The Right Stage for Use — How to Prepare it and Fix it in the Frame — How to Prepare the Hive — How to Get Bees of the Right Age to make the Queen Cells — How to Keep the Dates — When to Remove the Cells — How to Make Nuclei for the Reception of Cells — How to Insert the Cells- Bees Cutting Cells- How ^to Prevent— Introducing Virgin Queens— Howto Introduce Fertile Queens— Mailing Cages —Candy for Food— How Prepared 64

CHAPTER XL Diseases of Bees— Dysentery— Cause— Foul Brood— Appearance— Cause— Treatment— Infection— Treatment of Infected Combs and Hives— Bee Paralysis— Causes— Remedies 79

Chapter XII

Enemies of Bees — The Wax Moth — When Introduced into this Country— Description— Its Eggs and Larvae— Galleries and Cocoons- Moth Proof Hives - Mallophora— Braula Coeca^ or Bee House— Ants and Termites— How to Exterminate— Protection Against Mice— Toads Depredators— Spiders— Birds. . 82

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIII. page Bee Pasturage — Diversity of Mellifluent Plants in the Southern States — How to Form an Estimate of the Honey- Value of a Plant— The Proper Conditions for Honey Secretion— Southern Hone3'-Flora— Classed as to Value— Honey Resources of Florida— Honey Dew and its Formation 88

Chapter XIV

Marketing Honey— The People must be Educated to a full Appreciation of the Uses of Honey— Strained and Extracted Honey— Granulation no sign of Impurity— How to Prepare it for Market— How to Offer it— To Whom to Ship— Glutting the Market 96

Chapter XV

Uses of Honey in Medicinal Preparations, in Cooking and in the Arts— Remedies for Diseases of the Mouth, Throat, Bronchi and Eungs— Eagrippe and Colds— Receipts for Honey Cakes, Ginger Snaps, Cookies, Puddings, Vinegar, Metheglin, Mead, &c - 99

CHAPTER XVI. Apiary Work Planned for the Year 105

Bee=Keeping for Beginners.

Chapter I

History of Bee-Keeping — Profits and Pleasures— "Luck" — Pluck — Requisites for Success— -Be u Literature.

FT ROM THE FACT that the hive bee,, apis melts HJicv, has been a subject of deep study by the learned in every age, and that apiculture has been successfully conducted by the ancients, it may sound strange when I assert that it has only been within the last fifty years that bee-culture has been developed into a science. Before Huber conducted his observations in the hive, through his assistant, Burnens, the natural history of this wonderful little insect was very imperfectly understood; but since the invention of movable comb hives, the introduction of the Italian bee, honey extractors, comb-foundation, and numerous other appliances to make easy and to facilitate apiarian operations and observations, the economy of the hive is now well understood.

Bee-keeping, when intelligently pursued, affords more profit in proportion to the capital invested, more pleasure, and a greater field for mental exercise than any other of the small rural industries. Poultry keeping soon becomes monotonous. It requires no great amount of judgment to mate up your fowls, to gath

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

the eggs, to set hens, to feed, &c. It soon centres down into a sort of routine task work ; but not so with the culture of the honey bee. Here every day gives rise to a new problem for your solution. Jt is one of nature's grand novels, where the plot is so well laid that the farther you read the more deeply you become interested in the subject.

Bee-keeping is like any other sort of business that is subject to failure and success It does not follow, neither can it be expected, that every one who takes hold of it is going to make it a success. In this business there is no such thing as that abstract something called " lucky Luck in bee-culture is always measured by "pluck," and by an observance of all those conditions upon which its successful prosecution depends.

Bees can not gather honey unless there is honey in the flowers; and the honey secretion 1s dependent upon certain atmospheric conditions for its full development ; or, in other words, the season must be favorable for the production of a good honey crop, the same as a full crop of cotton, corn, oats, &c.

While it is true that bees "work for nothing and • board themselves," it is also true that in order to secure the best results, it is necessary that the labor of these industrious insects be directed by the intelligence and apistical knowledge of the bee-keeper. No one can keep bees profitably without a thorough knowledge of the economy of the hive. He must know what to do, how to do, and when to do ; for everything pertaining to bee culture must be done just at the right time.

Along with the purchase of bees, hives and supplies, the beginner should get books treating of the subject,

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

and should subscribe for a bee journal, and read up, and thoroughly study the question as he progresses. He will in this way combine theory and practice and as he proceeds will become proficient and expert with all details of management and manipulation, otherwise he will find it an up-hill business attended with no profit.

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

CHAPTER H.

Varieties of Bees in the Hive — Workers, Drones and Queen— Undeveloped Females — Duties of Workers— Size of Worker Cells — Length of Life of Workers — Object of the Drones — Length of Life of Drone — Size of Drone Cells— The Queen or Mother Bee— Her Appearance— Her Sting— Size of Ovaries- Difference in Size of Abdomen at Different Seasons and When Placed in Different Sized Colonies— Duties of Queen— Number of Eggs— Fertilized Eggs— Unfertilized Eggs— Length of Time to Hatch— Larv^- Food — Development of Queens — Royal Food —Impregnation of Queens— Parthenogenesis— Spermatheca— Fertile Workers.

IN every normal colony there are worker bees, a queen or mother bee, and during the swarming season, more or less drones or males. The workers are undeveloped females with ovaries in an imperfect condition. They are the "bone and sinew" of the hive. They do all the work — gather the stores, clean out the hive, secrete the wax, make the comb, feed the young, stand guard at the entrance, ventilate the hive, and when necessary defend their home at the risk of their lives. During the busy season of honey gathering, the length of life of a worker wiil not average more than sixty days. Those that pass over the winter live much longer. The cells in which the workers are developed are a trifle over one-fifth of an inch in diameter, or, they will average about 50 to the square inch including both sides of the comb.

DRONE.

The drones are large, lusty fellows, rather awkward in their movements, have great power of wing, and and make a loud coarse noise when they fly. Their primary object would seem to be to fertilize the young queens. They have no stings, are great cowards, and are not provided with any organs to gather pollen and honey, therefore nature never intended them to work in the fields. It is the opinion of many observing apiarists, and I think they are correct, that the drones assist in maintaining the normal degree of

BEE-KEEPiNG FOR BEGINNERS.

heat of the colony, and consequently contribute to the curing and evaporation of the honey; but, on the other haud, he is a consumer of honey and not a producer, hence it is advisable for the bee-keeper not to allow too many drones in his colonies. This can be regulated by cutting out the drone comb and replacing with worker comb or foundation.

The drone has a very precarious tenure upon life. In queenlesscolones or in colonies with old or defective queen?, he may live a whole season, while in other cases he may be allowed to live only a few da\s. When the swarming season is over, normal colonies destroy their drones, and cease to rear others. They also destroy them during a dearth of honey. Hence when you see the workers chasing and pulling the drones out of the hive, you can rest assured that swarming is over with that colony, at least for a time.

The drones are reared in cells larger than those in which the workers are, and when capped over are much more prominent and conspicuous. They Mill average about thirty two to the square inch cou-n ting both sides of the comb. In diamerer they are a trifle more than one-fourth of an inch.

The queen is the mother bee of the colony. In appearance she resembles a wasp more than a worker bee. Her abdomen is a third larger than that of the worker, and when her ovaries are fully developed she presents a graceful and majestic appearance w T hen crawling over the combs. She is provided with a sting, which presents a slight curved appearance, thus indicating that it was intended more for stinging rival queens than other objects. I have handled thousands of queens, but have never been stung by one. The

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

size of the queen's ovaries depends much upon the demand made upon them for eggs. Thus, a queen in a strong colony, other conditions being the same, looks much larger than the same queen would look, after a short time, if placed in a small weak colony where little brood could be reared. For the same reason the abdomen is larger in the spring during the breeding season than it is in the fall when breeding is over.

The universe is made up of wonders. Every object proclaims the touch of an omnipotent hand. The little honey bee bears this divine impress as wonderfully and as powerfully as the largest animal. When we trace the queen through all her stages of development we are most forcibly reminded of this.

It is the mission of the queen to lay the eggs that are to hatch and develop into the perfect inmates of the hive. During the breeding season, when in a large colony, she lays from 2,000 to 3,000 eggs every twenty-four hours. Those eggs that are fertilized or impregnated and deposited in worker cells produce worker bees, and the eggs that are deposited in drone cells are not impregnated and hatch out drones. After the queen deposits the egg in the cell she devotes no further attention to it, and leaves it to the care of the workers. In three days, a little sooner if the weather is very warm, it hatches out a tiny little grub or larva. The workers stand ready at this stage to supply ic with a whitish gelatinous looking food which they abundantly deposit around it. If a w y orker larva, it will come forth a perfect worker in twenty-one days counting from laying the egg. It takes twenty-four days for the perfection of a drone. The time is somo-

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

what influenced by the temperature— if very warm, the development is slightly hastened.

When a colony is deprived of its queen, and there are in the hive worker eggs or larvre not over three days old, the bees go to work to rear another queen from the just-hatched larvse. These little grubs, fed and nursed in the ordinary way, would develop in twenty-one days into common workers ; but the bees intend othewise. They now go to work and enlarge the cell around the little worm-looking mite, and fill up around it with the gelatinous food ; in fact, the embryonic insect literally floats in this substance.

The cell is still enlarged and elongated until about the fifth day from the time the bees started the cell, it is capped over. It now presents the appearance of a ground-pea or goober. The transformation that takes place in this cell is wonderful. Under ordinary feeding, the grub would come forth a worker ; but by the great abundance of the rich food, called royal jelly, deposited in the cell, the anatomical structure of the common worker grub is changed— the abdomen is elongated, the ovaries are completely developed, the sting and mouth organs are changed, the hind legs have not the pollen baskets of the worker, and the very instincts and habits are changed from the worker bee.

Instead of crawling forth a perfect worker in twenty-one days from the egg, she emerges forth a perfect queen in about twelve days from starting the cell, or in sixteen days from the laying of the egg.

The approximate time occupied in the development of the worker, drone and queen bee is given in the fol-

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

lowiDg table, tabulated by Frank Benton, in bis work on "The Honey Bee" :

EGG.

LARVA.

PUPA.

FROM DE- POSIT OF EGG TO IMAGO.

Queen . .

Worker Drone..

Days.

3 3

3 i

Days.

Days.

Days.

13 21

15 24

In from six to eight days, on an average, the young queen will go out on her 'bridal tour," as it is termed, to meet the drone. One trip is usually sufficient, but in case she fails to meet her mate, she will go out again until she succeeds. When fertilized, herovaries commence to expand and her abdomen increases in size, and in from four to six days she will be laying. If she does not become impregnated inside of seventeen days, she will rarely leave the hive for this object after that, and will be a drone layer. Of course, now and then, there may be an exception to the rule, but all such cases of delayed fertilization are attended with defective ovi-production. Unimpregnated queens can lay eggs, but these unfertilized eggs will only hatch drones. Hence drone eggs are not fertilized with the male sperm. This law of parthenogenesis— of a virgin queen laying eggs that will hatch without impregnation— seems wonderful, butthesame law applies to some other species of insects. The fact was first observed and confirmed by Dr. Dzierzon, a celebrated German bee-keeper and scientist.

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Fig 4.

OVARIES OF QUEEN.

After (be queen becomes impregnated, it is for life, and she never leaves tbe hive unless to go out with a swarm. During copulation tbe male sperm~'is deposited in a sac called tbe spermatheca, located on tbe side of the ovi-duct. Tbe male is killed by tbe act of copulation. ' Tbis sac contains sufficient sperm cells or spermatozoa to fertilize all tbe worker eggs that tbe queen may lay during her lifetime ; and whether the egg laid shall be a fertilized one to produce a worker, or an unfertilized one to produce a drone, is a matter of volition of the queen.

Sometimes in small queenless colonies there fare what are termed fertile workers that really do lay eggs that will hatch out drones, and those hatched in worker cells will be of small size. In such cases tbe

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

bees seem to be so intent on having a queen that some workers, by engorgement of food calculated to stimulate the ovaries, become capable of laying eggs. These

Fiff. 5.

NERVORS SYSTEM OF THE BEE.

eggs are deposited in the cells without the regularity of those laid by a fertilized queen. Some are placed here and there— lying across each other— piled on top of each other without order or system. In such abnormal colonies there are usually more than one fertile worker. In appearance they can not be distinguished from ordinary workers. The only way to tell them is to catch them in the act of laying. This I have repeatedly done, and have found the underside of the abdomen of these bees a trifle more pendulous than that of the common worker.

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Chapter III

Locating an Apiary— The Best Pasture— Distance Bees Can Go For Forage— Arrangement of Hives— Shade— How to Start- Mistakes of Beginners in Making Purchases— Bee-Keeping for Invalids— Handling Bees— Protection Against Stings- Structure of Sting— Antidotes— How to Open Hives— A Good Smoker Indispensable —How to Use It— Disposition of Different Varieties of Bees— Influence of Color on Temper of Bees— Length of Tongue— Best Honey Gatherers.

YT7HERE are very few places in our country where ®J[® there are no honey yielding plants. The location should, if possible, be near the forage. In our Southern country the best forage is found along the water courses, and in the swamps and bottoms, but on account of malaria that usually abounds in such low places it would be best to locate it on higher ground. One or two miles are not too far for bees to go for forage. I have known them to go four miles, but this distance is too great to enable them to store much surplus.

In our climate hives should be arranged with special reference to shade. I prefer the shade of fruit trees. An arbor of the scuppernong grape vines makes a grand and dense shade. Other varieties of

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

grapes often shed their leaves so soon that they answer a poor purpose. For a shade tree that 'does not get overly large but has a close compact foliage, I can recommend the Caradeuc lilum. While it is a shy bearer, the fruit is very delicious. The Mimosa, Chiuaberry or Pride of India tree (particularly the low umbrella variety), and stercutia platanijolla or varnish tree, are fine for shade, for forage, and very ornamental. These trees are only suited for culture in the Southern States. The honey locust makes a dense shade and at the same time it is a grand honeyyielder. This tree grows well in the Middle States. Where natural shade can not be had, the next best shade is obtained by using pieces of boards for extra covers. The hives should be set with reference to avoid having the hot afternoon sun glaring upon the entrance. In fact it is best not to allow this sun to strike the hive at all; for nearly all the damage to combs by melting is caused by the sun pouring on the hive between the hours of 12 m. and 3 p. m.

When starting to keep bees it is best not to commence with too many colonies. A half dozen in well arranged hives would be sufficient to start with. You must learn to handle them. Practice must be combined with theory. Then, as you gain knowledge you can enlarge your apiary to a profitable size. As knowledge in bee-culture can be conveyed and obtained more rapidly by the eye than by any other means, a few days spent in some well conducted apiary under the direction of an expert apiarist would be of immense benfit.

Beginners often make great mistake* in making their first purchases. Instead of consulting some skilled, practical and reliable bee keeper as to the arti-

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

eles they need, they report to some voluminous catalogue of apiarian supplies, and pick out at random articles that are not worth a pewter sixpence to any practical apiarist. Of course their money is spent to no purpose, and quite likely they will soon abandon the business in disgust.

Bee-keeping is often recommended to invalids as a source of outdoor exercise. An invalid might successfully manage a few hives, but it requires a great amount of hard work to properly care for fifty or one hundred colonies. Opening hives, removing frames of comb, hunting queens, extracting honey, forming nuclei &c, &c, is not quite as easy as you might suppose. There is much lifting to be done, stooping over, and often with the hot sun pouring down upon you.

One of the very first requisites towards successful bee-keeping is a knowledge of the nature and temper of the honey-bee, and of the means by which the insect's irascibility can be controlled.

The bee when out foraging never acts on the offensive—always on the defensive. But when its hive is threatened to be disturbed, or its stores taken, or when excited by disagreeable odors, or by persons standing in its range of flight, or by striking at it, or pinching it, &c, its actions may be both defensive and offensive. Its weapon of defense is its sting, w r hich is located at the extremity of its abdomen. This organ does not consist, as many suppose, of one solid pointed body, but is made up of two sections that fit closely together along their edges, while there is a groove running along their inner side through which the poison is injected. The sting is enclosed in a sheath when not in use. Its extremity is barbed, which causes it to stick fast in the object stung. The bee

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

can only release itself by the sting pulling out of its body, along with comes the poison sac and usually some of the intestines. Hence this insect gives also its life along with the blow it strikes.

Fig. 6.

Fig 6. shows the sting and its parts. C. is the poison sac. U. sheath. A. sting proper. B. B. Transverse section of sting. Fig. 7. Barbs of sting very greatly magnified.

When stung, the sting should be immediately removed, or the strong muscles that drive it and still adhere to its base, will force it deeper into the wound.

It should always be scraped out with a dull knife, and not pulled out with the thumb and finger which would squeeze the sac and inject more poison. When I am stung I do not wait for the blade of a knife to remove the sting, but I rub it out with my hand, or if stung on the hand I pass it quickly against a corner of the hive.

In many cases the sting of a bee is attended with much pain and swelling; while in others there are no ill affects produced whatever.

There is no doubt that the system can soon become inured, as it were, to the poison so that no bad effects are produced. The writer well recollects the time when a bee-sting was very painful to him, and was always attended with much pain and swelling; but now he would rather at any time be stung by a bee than be pricked by a thorn.

Many remedies have been suggested for stings, and while they all may do good in some cases, in others they fail. As formic acid is the principle constituent of the poison it seems that those remedies that contain an alkali, such as ammonia, soda, &c, prove effacacious. An application of the tincture of iodine to the wound is said to afford great relief. A continued application of cold water to the part stung is most excellent, and usually prevents the pain and swelling. It can be applied to the part by a wet towel or by pouring from a pitcher.

While it is impossible to work much among bees and never get stung, it is also possible, in most of cases, to keep them "peaceably inclined," so that stings need be "few and far between." One person possesses no more "charms" in handling bees than another, if the same laws and rules are observed.

BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

Nevertheless, the odour or emanations from the bodies of some persons seem to be mere disagreeable or exciting to them than those of others.

In all our operations with our bees we must use gentleness. All quick sudden jars and motions irritate them. So does breathing on them. Bees are always more gentle and less inclined to sting when they are gathering honey ; and at such times hives can be opened with very little danger ; whereas when a dearth of honey prevails the inmates of the same hive might show a great spirit of resentment. I have observed that color exerts some influence on the temper jof this insect. I have found that dark shades of clothing, particularly red, are more distasteful to them than white. Hence when working among them I always go iu shirt sleeves or in light colored clothes.

When opening a hive always stand on the side opposite to the wind, and never in front of the entrance. It is bee-nature, that when alarmed, for the insect to take to its stores and gorge itself with honey. When in this condition they never sting unless struck at or squeezed. Most writers tell us that this engorgement of the honey sac soothes the anger of the insect and makes it peaceable. While this is partly true, in the main it is incorrect. When the honey receptacle is engorged, the abdomen is much distended, which deprives the bee of making the necessary muscular action of this portion of the body in order to bring the sting into a proper position for a thrust.

Before you start to open a hive it is necessary that you go prepared. I advise a bee- veil for a protection to the face, but it is best to have the hands unprotected, as gloves are much in the way in handling the frames. Rubber gloves are hot and retain the perspiration ,*

BEE KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.

besides, the propolis on the frames soon softens the rubber and destroys them. Woolen gloves covered on the back of hand and fingers with white muslin or homespun answer a pretty good purpose. In order to guard against bees crawling up the arms and legs, it is best to confine the sleeves at the wrist with elastic bands, and to pull the socks over the bottom of pants. It is best not to work among bees after dark, for then they can not see to fly, and "are great at" crawling, and will poke their "noses" in every little opening about the clothing.