THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



333 



We deem the removal and immediate 

 rendering- up of combs containing in- 

 fected brood, and regular systematic 

 feeding, two important features to be 

 incorporated with the Alexander or 

 Alexander-Miller system, if either is 

 to be successful under California con- 

 ditions. In case of reinfection after re- 

 queening with young vigorous queens of 

 the most resistant stock available, in 

 subsequent treatments during the same 

 year the queens need not be removed, 

 except in the most aggravated cases of 

 reinfection, but merely caged for ten to 

 twenty days, and the colony in other 

 respects treated as previously outlined, 

 at the end of which treatment the queens 

 are again to be released. 



CARNIOLANS TAKE THEIR PLACE BESIDE 

 ITALIANS AS RESISTANT STOCK. 



We have mentioned the use of resistant 

 stock in requeening. It must be borne 

 in mind that this term is merely a rela- 

 tive one, for, at present, there are no 

 strains of bees known to be entirely 

 resistant to the brood diseases. There 

 is, however, a noticeable degree of differ- 

 ence of susceptibility to black brood 

 among the different varieties of bees. 

 The common black or German bees are 

 most prone to succumb. Italians, 

 although not generally known to be re- 

 sistant to certain of the diseases of bees, 

 are, on the other hand, noticeably more 

 resistant to black brood than are the 

 Germans or hybrid-Italians, commonly 

 kept. Of the several strains of Italians 

 experimented with, the golden Italians 

 seemed to be most resistant. 



The writer is known to the bee keep- 

 ing public to be a strong advocate and 

 lover of the Carniolan bees and the 

 gentler varieties generally. It can read- 

 ily be imagined with what gratification 

 and pleasure it was to us to find that 

 Carniolan bees, when tested side by side 

 with Italians, were found to be equally 

 resistant to black brood, and this pre- 

 dicted trait of theirs thoroughly es- 

 tablished by experiment. In fact, it was 

 with interest that we learned of a colony 



of Carniolans of the best stock obtainable 

 in this country that withstood the black 

 brood when Italians on every hand were 

 infected and reinfected; and more than 

 this, the colony in question supplied to 

 weak colonies about it some twenty 

 frames of brood during the spring 

 months. It must not be construed that 

 we base our estimate of the resistance 

 of Carniolans entirely upon this single 

 colony, but simply cite it as a striking 

 example of what a blessing a good stock 

 of Carniolans can be even in an Italian 

 apiary. Our real estimate of Carniolan 

 bees has been arrived at through ex- 

 periments with a large number of 

 queens sent to the infected region, and, 

 as we have said, they take their place 

 beside the Italians as resistant stock, 

 and one more good trait is to be identified 

 with this irresistible and excellent variety 

 of bees for the commercial bee keeper. 



THE VALUE OF A SOURCE OF HONEY DURING 

 MAY AND JUNE. 



From what has been emphasized in 

 regard to the need of a source of honey 

 in order to make the treatment of black 

 brood effective, and, in the absence of 

 such a source, the necessity of regular 

 systematic feeding, the importance, if 

 possible, of supplying the bees with a 

 source of honey during the spring dearth 

 in the San Joaquin valley is seen. During 

 our field work in May and June last we 

 had this feature in mind and everywhere 

 looked for possible sources to fill in this 

 gap. Our quest seemed not in vain, for 

 in many places, growing, it is true, in a 

 limited amount, yet, nevertheless, grow- 

 ing and slowly getting a foothold, we 

 were pleased to find what we at once 

 recognized as two invaluable sources of 

 honey. We refer to the two sweet 

 clovers, Melilotus indica, and Melilotus 

 alba respectively. Tne former commonly 

 known also as "yellow top," blooms a 

 little earlier and is the lesser of the two 

 plants, both in size and importance as a 

 honey yielder. The white sweet clover, 

 melilot or Bokhara clover as it is some- 

 times called, is a plant worthy of the 



