December, 1913. 



413 



American Vee Joarnal 



^/V/5, too, to make another " boy " feel 

 at home. No matter what prompted 

 them in their actions, we will remem- 

 ber for a long while the splendid re- 

 ception given, and hope that at least 

 something of value may have been 

 dropped during the rambling address 

 they heard. 



Kingbirds Catcii Worker Bees 



Mr. A. D. D. Wood says, on page 

 380, that kingbirds only catch drones. 

 I wish that I could agree with him, as 

 the bird in question is one of the best, 

 from an insectivorous standpoint. But 

 I have seen them scores of times catch- 

 ing loaded workers, in the evening, 

 when not a drone would be flying. I 

 have been within a few feet of very 

 bold ones, and saw them catch loaded 

 bees just at sunset. Even if they do 

 catch worker bees, we could almost 

 afford to spare the birds for the good 

 work they do in other lines, but from 

 experience at different times I am 

 afraid they often catch queens when 

 on their mating flight. 



This is particularly true if the birds 

 have a nest of fledgelings near the api- 

 ary. In a case like that an immense 

 lot of food is needed every day. Find- 



ing no worker bees in the stomach of 

 the birds is no evidence, as I have 

 often dissected a bird right after 

 watching it catch many bees, and never 

 yet found a bee perfect enough to tell 

 if it was a drone or worker. I believe 

 that, as a rule, the bee is crushed and 

 certain parts swallowed, the balance 

 being dropped at once on the ground. 

 But if there is anything I am sure of at 

 all, it is that kingbirds catch worker 

 bees as well as drones. 



Comb or Extracted ? 



For a number of years I have ad- 

 vised inquirers to produce extracted 

 honey instead of comb. Judging by 

 present conditions too many have been 

 following this plan. Present prices 

 and co?!ditio>is in the honey market, say 

 with no uncertain sound that the api- 

 arist equipped and qualified for comb- 

 honey production can make no mis- 

 take in following that line of the busi- 

 ness. Some one has asked the Bee- 

 keepers' Review editor to change the 

 familiar "Keep more bees," on the 

 front page, to " Eat more honey.' First 

 class advice, and let all who have in- 

 fluence in these matters in Ontario, 

 take lip the same slogan. 



Contributed ^ Articles^ 



Disturbing Bees in Winter 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A CORRESPONDENT writes thus : 

 "Will you tell us in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal whether it is 

 detrimental to disturb bees in 

 winter. Should one wish to 

 look after their welfare for any reason, 

 such as lack of stores, to see at about 

 what time the queen begins to lay, or 

 anything that a man with the bee fever 

 might want to know, would harm come 

 by so doing ^ Must I positively let 

 them alone after they are in the cellar 

 for the winter months, or if left on the 

 summer stands ?" 



During the summer season, with the 

 mercury at 70 degrees or more in the 

 shade, the handling of bees by remov- 

 ing the frames from the hives can do 

 no harm unless perchance this is done 

 in time of a scarcity of nectar, and so 

 carelessly that robbing is started. But, 

 as a rule, it is better not to disturb any 

 colony unless something is to be ac- 

 complished by so doing. If you wish 

 to post yourself about the inside work- 

 ings of a colony, then it is better to set 

 aside some individual colony for that 

 purpose, and let the knowledge gained 

 be considered as the financial profit 

 from that colony, for no colony can 

 do its best at storing honey where the 

 roof of its house is removed every few 

 hours. 



Where anytliing is to be gained by 

 looking after the welfare of a colony, 

 which is supposed to have a poor or 

 failing queen, scarcity of stores, poor 

 combs, etc., then the disturbance of 

 such a colony is not to be considered, 

 as the profit will exceed the disadvan- 

 tage. 



But when it comes to the winter 

 rnonths we have altogether different 

 circumstances. The bees have "gone 

 to bed " for a six weeks to four months' 

 nap, in accord with continued cold out- 

 of-doors, or with the will of the api- 

 arist if wintered in the cellar. If the 

 apiarist has been "abreast the times," 

 he will have looked after their stores 

 in the fall, to make sure that none will 

 be short until spring opens. Good 

 stores and a temperature of from 43 to 

 47 degrees, with darkness, arc neces- 

 sary for cellar wintering, and good 

 stores, proper protection through wind- 

 breaks and packing are all that is re- 

 quired for wintering on the summer 

 stands. So why disturb the bees ? Bet- 

 ter post up for the next season by get- 

 ting down your back volumes of the 

 American Bee Journal and all the 

 looks you can afford which treat on 

 our specialty. 



But if the bee fever of a novice runs 

 so high that his curiosity must be sat- 

 isfied as a safety valve, then perhaps it 

 would be better to disturb the bees of 

 one colony at their peril than that the 



patient pine away under the fever. If 

 the bees are on the summer stands, 

 and a day comes sufficiently warm for 

 the bees to fly freely, there is no harm 

 in looking at them, for there is very 

 little if any brood, and should there be 

 a little in two or three frames, the large 

 number of bees in proportion will clus- 

 ter over this brood so no harm will re- 

 sult. Often there will be a few hours 

 of sunshine with the mercury up to 50 

 in the shade, when bees in chafT-packed 

 or double-walled hives will hardly 

 wake up enough to fly. Under these 

 conditions I have thought it paid to 

 arouse the bees by opening the hive of 

 such colonies as do not fly, or jar or 

 pound on the hive a little to wake them 

 from their winter sleep, so they will 

 fly and carry over honey from the out- 

 side combs into the cluster, thus pre- 

 paring them for a few weeks more of 

 cold weather. 



Where bees have been properly pre- 

 pared for winter during September and 

 October, they should be let alone dur- 

 ing the winter months. If there is a 

 neiessi'ty for disturbing them I should 

 not hesitate. Only do not create a 

 necessity through procrastination or 

 willful neglect of getting the bees in 

 the best possible shape for winter dur- 

 ing the fall months. There is little 

 question but that disturbance causes 

 the bees to consume greater quantities 

 of food, and often sets them to rearing 

 brood when they otherwise would not 

 do so. 



But I have many times proven that 

 such disadvantage was overbalanced 

 by the advantage gained along other 

 lines. Let me give one or two illus- 

 trations : 



When I had been keeping bees some 

 two or three years a farmer living two 

 miles distant, advertised 27 colonies for 

 sale in box-hives at $5.00 each. This 

 was considered a big price at the lime, 

 but like any beginner I was anxious 

 for more bees, so I went to see them. 

 He kindly consented to let me look 

 them over, which I did by carefully 

 tipping the hives on the benches they 

 occupied, as they were wintering out 

 doors. I found that most of them were 

 light in stores, and that there was only 

 one colony in the lot that I considered 

 worth the $5.00. I offered $5.00 for 

 this one, which he took. I wrapped it 

 in one of the sheets I had brought 

 along, put it on the opposite side of 

 the cutter seat which I occupied, turn- 

 ing it bottom-side up, and drove home 

 in the twilight of a cold evening in the 

 forepart of January. I well remem- 

 bered how the bees roared, as the 

 sleighing was poor, and how I in- 

 wardly censured myself for not leav- 

 ing them where they were until spring, 

 as "such a disturbance as this " would 

 surely cause them to die. When they 

 got quiet, about 10 o'clock that night, 

 I carried them to fhe cellar where the 

 rest of the bees were, took the sheet 

 off and set them in their place beside 

 the others, still bottom-side up, as in 

 the early 70's we always wintered bees 

 in box-hives that way. 



No more of the farmer's bees were 



LEWIS BEEWARE MEANS 



GOOD QUALITY, SCIEN- 

 TIFIC WORKMANSHIP 

 CAREFUL PACKING 

 EFFICIENT SERVICE 



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