1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



179 



and hence this condition is supposed to give 

 such bees a great advantaue by the lime fi ee 

 flights occur. 



The bee keeper finding his colonies abso- 

 lutely without pollen (inough 1 btlievethis 

 is a rare occurrence with p^ rmanent colonies 

 properly managed) begins to turn things 

 over in his mind, and ttiinks his bees will be all 

 backwai'd if he does not supply the deficiency. 

 I have done this many a time, and yet often 

 have I declared 1 would never do it again. 

 But the advent of a backward season, and 

 no natural pollen available, together, per 

 haps, with a personally restless experiment- 

 al turn ijf mind, I have "gone and done it 

 again, " hoping that possibly some new adapt- 

 ation might at Ust bring the dt sired result. 



In the first place, I would say tJiat a pohen 

 substitute placed in the cells, either dry or 

 in ihe furm of paste, is noi all used by the 

 bees, though a great deal is shifted and pack- 

 ed in ther cells like natural pollen. Wnen 

 the latter comes in freely thei e is found the 

 remiiant of the stale stuff which the bees do 

 not seem willing to clear out until the genu- 

 ine honey business is in fuil swing, and then 

 they have to pare the cells down to the mid- 

 rib before it can be disposed of. There is 

 also considerable waste of the same material 

 corroding the floor, but that is nut the end 

 of the subject. It should be understood that, 

 no matter how fine may be tht meal given 

 by the owner, whetherit be sieved or "dress- 

 ed " free from all shucks, the bees appear to 

 select only the cream, and a great deal of 

 dross is to be noticed after they have work- 

 ed it over. 



But the real quesion at issue is whether 

 the substitute is wanted or not. Certainly 

 the bees can not breed without pollen; but if 

 you do not give it to them they will sit still; 

 and bees that are quiet are not ageing or 

 dwindling to any extent, though at t..e back 

 of my mind I will confess there is some idea 

 that bees wintered absolutely without pollen 

 have not the same stam naas those that have 

 it; for bees certainly consume nitrogenous 

 food in cold weather, if they have it, while 

 they may not be rearing brood. 



While the substitute starts them to breed- 

 ing when fed in early spring, I have always 

 noticed it has not been to the same extent 

 that the natural supply will do, and this is 

 probably why this artificial feeding seems to 

 reduce their vitality ultimately, 'here not be- 

 ing sufficient compensation lor the wear and 

 tear induced. 



Certainly I prefer stocks wintered with 

 namral pollen; but when in future I have to 

 carry any through without it I tiave decided 

 not to give them any substitute, though 

 doubtless I shall sl.'ift poUtn stored combs 

 around in due season if any are available. 



WHITE OF EGG AS A SUBSTITUTE. 



Some of your German readers may rem m- 

 ber that, man} years agn, one of their coun- 

 trymen claimed to have carrit d out some very 

 succesbful experiments (in Germany; by 

 fee-ing tht white of eggs while building up 

 his stocks. I am sorry i have mislaid the pa 

 per referring to this matter, so that I can not 



now give the exact method. It was probably 

 beaten or whisked into a froth, and mixed 

 with honey. I should imagine- sugar syrup 

 would be unsuitable, as the mixture would 

 tend to harden. 



EXCHANGING COMBS. 



So many bee-keepers worry over pollen- 

 clogged combs that, if it were not for the 

 danger from foul brood, a good business 

 might be done in exchangi.ig poUenless for 

 sucn overcharged combs. The latter would 

 be invaluable lO the apiarist who has no pol- 

 len in the ear.y season; and if he had to ouy 

 such combs they would be cheap at a dollar 

 apiece if in good condition. 



Heathfield, c-ng., Jan. 24. 



[Mr. Simmins in times past has done a 

 large amount of experimental work and in 

 the matter of giving artilicial pollen it would 

 seem as if he had gone over the whole ground. 

 His conclusions, reached from a different set 

 of experiments, are practically the same as 

 those arrived at by A. I. Root many years 

 ago, and, we may say, by all others who have 

 tried giving artificial pollen. In this con- 

 nection the reader will be interested in our 

 reply to F. Dundass Todd on page 123 of 

 Feb. 15th issue.— Ed.] 



HISTORY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF 



THE HONEY-BEE INTO THE 



HAWAIIAIN ISLANDS. 



BY ALBERT WATERHOUSE, 

 of the Garden Island Honey Company. 



[This is the beginning of a series of articles we have 

 in habd on Hawaiian bee- keeping, furnished by prom- 

 inent writers at the solicitation of the Hawaiian Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station.— ED.] 



About ihe time gold was discovered in 

 California a society was organized in Hawaii 

 known as the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural 

 Society. At a meeting of this society held in 

 Honolulu on the 14th of Augu t, 1851, the 

 following resolution was passed: "Resolved, 

 That a committee be appointed to procure 

 the honey-bee from Austi alia. Central AiL.er- 

 ica, or Chile, who are authorized to incur the 

 necessary expense. R C. Janion, chairman, 

 Baron de Thierry, J. Montgomery, were ap- 

 pointed." 



As California was still onlyaminirg camp, 

 no bees were to be found there, and the first 

 efforts of the committee weie to secure col- 

 onies from New Zealand. At the annual 

 meeting of the society in June, 1852, the 

 committee reported a promise of thiee colo- 

 nies from New Zealai^d. I quote the follow- 

 ing tribute to the honey bee from the com- 

 mittee's report, written by Baron de Thierry: 



The bee, from sipping the sweets of the flowers, 

 takes nothinK from their beauty; andif we should ben- 

 etitihe neighbor who has bees whilst we have none, 

 we know that, even in so small a degree, we are con- 

 tributing to the welfare of our fellow-creatures. The 

 culti>aiion of flowers promotes domestic happiness, 

 soothes ihe mind, and richly repays for the trouble be- 

 stowed upon them. The wealthiest, accustomed to the 

 glare and gliiter of state, are prouder of a fine nosegay 

 than of their massive plate and costly silks; and the 

 mightiest of queens would scarce appear in festive at- 

 tire without a bouquet in her hand or a rose in her 

 bosom, emblematical of the purity of her mind and 

 homage to the exquisite works of a greater Being above. 



