June, 1913. 



American Vee Jonrnal 



foundation until sufficient honey is ob- 

 tained to cause the comb-builders to 

 secrete wax. Especially is this true 

 with work done in the supers of sec- 

 tions. Hertce, coinbs in the sections 

 relieve the pressure upon the brood- 

 nest. From this relief comes more 

 brood, and this brood stimulates work 

 in the sections and greater activity in 

 the nectar-gathering field workers. It 

 starts the bees to complete all partly- 

 filled sections, or those having starters, 

 or filled with foundation, or where only 

 baits are used, thus bringing on a gen- 

 eral storing above. Having made such 

 a start, they are sure to continue it un- 

 less a sudden stoppage of the flow 

 comes through a change in the weather. 

 Considering the value of drawn 

 combs for this purpose, I have often 

 wondered if some of us were not mak- 

 ing a mistake in striving to have all 

 sections, in which the bees had worked, 

 fully completed at the end of the sea- 

 son ; a few even going so far as to 

 wish to " feed back" extracted honey 

 for this purpose. 



2. When the flow of nectar comes in 

 with a rush, which of the three do you 

 then consider the best? 



From years of experience I know 

 that there is no time in which drawn 

 combs can be used to such good effect 

 in this locality asat the rush that comes 

 with the opening of the basswood har- 

 vest, when the bees that were one day 

 almost living from " hand to mouth," 

 came in the next day so loaded with 

 nectar that they fell short of the hive 

 before the sun was fairly shining in 

 the tops of the trees. Under such cir- 

 cumstances nothing has been done by 

 way of preparation for such a " down- 

 pour," and 3 or 4 days must elapse be- 

 fore sufficient wax can be secreted to 

 build comb of any amount, or founda- 

 tion be drawn so that this flood of nec- 

 tar can be cared for. Here is where 

 the workers for extracted honey, with 

 their supers of ready combs, have the 

 advantage over the comb-honey pro- 

 ducers who depend only upon starters 

 or full sheets of foundation in the sec- 

 tions. 



The comb-honey producers could do 

 nearly, if not quite, as well by the same 

 means, having ready-drawn combs to 

 store this first rush of nectar in with- 

 out the delay of building new store- 

 houses. Under such circumstances I 

 once had a colony, fitted up for ex- 

 tracted honey, store 66 pounds in 3 

 days, while colonies quite as strong 

 had only made a start in the section 

 supers during the same time, further 

 than filling the six sections given them 

 as baits. 



3. In using foundation in sections 

 which is better, to fill the section full 

 or to use only starters ? 



I began keeping bees several years 

 before the advent of comb foundation, 

 and we did not have comb of suitable 

 whiteness to fill the honey-boxes. It 

 was thought that starters of comb were 

 good enough. 



So when thin foundation for sec- 

 tions was proposedat $1.00 a pound, the 

 most of us thought it too expensive to 



use more than a triangular piece, hav- 

 ing a length of 2 inches on a side as a 

 starter. But as the price lowered, 

 most of our practical bee-keepers be- 

 gan to advocate full sheets, a little 

 short at the bottom to save the 

 " buckle " which often occurred in very 

 hot weather by the sag or stretching 

 when it was being drawn. It is best 

 never to count the cost in producing 

 a crop of honey except in connection 

 with the profits. If, at the end of the 

 season, the balance is on the right side 

 of our book-keeping, it is best not to 

 be afraid of the outlay. It always pays 

 to spend money when the ledger shows 

 that the more we spend the more we 

 make. The question should be, "Will 

 it pay ?" instead of exclaiming, "It 

 costs too much !" If it pays, use it. If 

 its use is not attended with a profit, it 

 should be left alone. Spend money, 

 and spend it freely, when it will come 

 back with a profit. If it doesn't, then it 

 is folly to spend it. 

 Borodino, N. Y. 



A Good California Law 



BY A. J. COOK, 

 [State Commissioner of Horticulture.) 



OUR LEGISL.A.TURE has just 

 passed, without any opposition, 

 what I believe to be one of the 

 best apiarian bills ever enacted 

 by any State or country. The 

 loss from black brood in California 

 for the past year has been alarm- 

 ing, and as soon as the people of the 

 State realized this, all opoosition was 

 drowned. This bill, which I enclose 

 herein, appoints a commission consist- 

 ing of the State Commisioner of Hor- 

 ticulture and the president and secre- 

 tary of the bee-keepers' association of 

 the State. 



It is the duty of these gentlemen to 

 appoint a State apiculturist, as those will 

 see who read the bill. This man must 

 be specially fitted to have .charge of the 

 work. This, I think, is a great point in 

 favor of the bill. This apiculturist and 

 the commissioners are to conduct ex- 

 aminations for inspectors, in order 

 that no one will be appointed who has 

 not passed an examination, and who is 

 not well qualified for this important 

 work. 



In these bacterial diseases great cau- 

 tion and no little knowledge and train- 

 ing are required, else the disease may 

 be scattered more than it is cured. Our 

 law will now secure, by rigid examina- 

 nation, only fit men for this inspection 

 work. Our horticultural law has this 

 same good feature, and it has greatly 

 improved the service of our horticul- 

 tural inspectors. We expect the same 

 of this new law. The State apiculturist, 

 as he goes around, will instruct the 

 several inspectors, giving advice and 

 suggestions wherever needed. 

 Sacramento, Calif. 



IThe law in question is too lengthy 

 (about 9 pages) for insertion in our 

 columns. It creates a school of apicul- 



ture which every bee-inspector must 

 attend for at least a week annually. 

 The State apiarist, who is practically a 

 chief inspector, receives a salary of 

 $1800 per annum out of an appropria- 

 tion of $-50oii, the balance of the amount 

 being intended to defray expenses. 



The State commissioners mentioned 

 by Com. Cook in the above letter form 

 a Board of Apicultural Examiners, 

 who have power to recommend to the 

 County Supervisors the appointment 

 or suspension of any local inspector. 

 They are to hold an annual meeting, 

 without pay, for the examination of 

 candidates for apiary inspection, and 

 the date of their meeting is to be pub- 

 lished in three bee journals. The com- 

 pensation of apiary inspectors is fixed 

 at $.5.00 per diem and expenses. 



Bees brought from another State, 

 or from one county into another must 

 be accompanied with a certificate of 

 inspection, or must be examined at 

 once upon their arrival. 



If this law is properly enforced it 

 should prove efficient. Its best feature, 

 to our mind, is the educational part, 

 which provides for a school of apicul- 

 ture. Every one of our States will 

 have to come to this. — Editor.] 



Non-Swarming Strain of Bees, 

 Swarm Control, Capturing 

 a Swarm Under Diffi- 

 culties, Etc. 



BY G. C. GREINER. 



WHENEVER the subject of breed- 

 ing a non-swarming strain of 

 bees has been spoken of in our 

 bee-magazines, I have been 

 wondering whether its advo- 

 cates really meant what they said or 

 whether they were really joking. I am 

 not a scientist, but judging from a lay- 

 man's standpoint, I would consider 

 such a procedure an utter impossi- 

 bility, being contrary to Nature's law. 

 To succeed in that line, we would have 

 to go back some GOi'O years or more 

 and countermand the AU-w-ise Crea- 

 tor's command, installed at about that 

 time, "Be fruitful and multiply." If 

 this could be done it would have the 

 same efTect as to breed a strain of 

 poultry that would lay unfertile eggs 

 only; in either case it would mean the 

 annihilation of the race. 



The best we can do towards produc- 

 ing a non-swarming strain is to breed 

 from some of our queens that show the 

 least inclination to swarm. In this we 

 may be successful in a measure, or we 

 may not. For a generation or two we 

 may have the satisfaction that these 

 daughters inherit this much coveted 



LEWIS HIVES 



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 Are Perfect in All Respects 



Send for Aonual Cntnloff which will tell 

 you who is your nearest Distributer. 

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AVatertown, Wis. 



