210 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Apr. 1 



NOTES FROM CANADA 



By R. F. Holtermann. 



winter losses. 

 At this time of writing, March 8, bees in 

 this section of country, if outside, have had 

 a splendid fly. So far as I can judge, bees 

 properly preparedandwintered outside have 

 wintered well. On Saturday, March 5, the 

 weather was so mild the bees were working 

 on hyacinth and other blossoms offered for 

 sale on the Brantford market square. 



IS HONEY-DEW AN EXCRETION? 



Observations covering many years and sec- 

 tions of the country convince me that honey- 

 dew may be an excretion from plant-lice or 

 that it may be given off by the leaves them- 

 selves. It may be possible to prove the 

 above; but I pity any one who attempts to 

 prove that it never is an excretion. In my 

 estimation, not much damage can be done to 

 the honey- dew industry. It speaks for itself. 



ARTIFICIAL POLLEN. 



Jacob Alpaugh recommends peameal or 

 "Brose " as a substitute for pollen, and ad- 

 vises mixing it with chopped oats or bran, 

 feeding it in a sheltered place near the api- 

 ary, setting the trays out in the morning, and 

 taking them in or covering them in the eve- 

 ning so the dew will not wet the mixture. 

 He recommends either putting a little honey 

 here and there on the artificial pollen to en- 

 tice the bees, or putting some on the end of 

 a stick, collect bees on the end of this stick 

 from the entrance of a hive, and then carry 

 the bees to the pollen on the stick, in this 

 way introducing the bees to the pollen. 



WHEN THE SWARMING TENDENCY IS GREATEST. 



Page 138, March 1, Wesley Foster says: 

 " In this country I know the control of swarm- 

 ing hangs around a few days after the lower 

 hive is well filled before we get the bees ful- 

 ly convinced that supers are ihe next on the 

 program, and not swarming." The above is 

 a very important point in this country. I 

 consider that, when the time indicated is tid- 

 ed over, there is not much danger from 

 swarming until the supers become crowded. 

 A large entrance and shade are, however, 

 no mean factors in preventing swarming. 



KEEPING HONEY FROM GRANULATING. 



On page 134, March 1, the editor states, 

 "Apparently, then, a very cold temperature 

 or a very warm temperature is less favorable 

 to granulation than any point between." 

 This is just my experience. To quite an ex- 

 tent the result from these two extremes is 

 the same. In the former, granules show no 

 tendency to form (may I so express it?); in 

 the latttr the honey is so thick the particles 

 can not move, and the process is retarded. 

 In this latter case, however, I believe a mi- 

 croscopical examination would reveal many 

 tine grains. 



The provincial apiarist has sent out the fol- 

 lowing advice, which will commend itself to 

 beekeepers generally: 



I understand from our inspector's reports that you 

 have had, within recent years, foul brood in your api- 

 ary. If this is the case you should be particularly 

 careful to prevent robbing during the warm days be- 

 tween now and summer. All hives where bees have 

 died must be taken indoors, away from all possible 

 robbing. It is not enough to close them, because rob- 

 bers will often gain an entrance when least expected. 

 All entrances of live colonies should be made quite 

 small, especially where the bees are weak in numbers. 



Use every precaution and great watchfulness to pre- 

 vent robbing. Do not under any circumstances leave 

 combs of honey out for the bees to clean up. Any 

 honey you have is likely to contain germs which 

 would scatter disease in your healthy colonies. On 

 account of prevalence of disease in unexpected places 

 throughout the province it is neverwise to feed honey 

 to bees; and where disease is known to exist it is the 

 worst of folly. 



I hope you understand fully the symptoms and cure 

 of foul brood. If so, you can be your own doctor, as 

 the inspector's time is fully occupied with those who 

 do not understand the disease. If not, drop me a 

 card, and a bulletin with description, and full in- 

 structions will be sent you. 



LECTURING IN CANADA. 



On page 42 the British Bee Journal con- 

 tains the following: 



I am an old English country bee-keeper, and have 

 settled out here in British Columbia. I find the Amer- 

 ican system of bee-keeping is the only one practiced ; 

 and, having learned all there is to be known about it, 

 I keep my opinion that it is not to be compared with 

 our British method of manipulation. We enjoy very 

 long summers here, and the climate is favorable for 

 bees; but there does not seem to be any one except 

 novices in the bee-business, and some have been very 

 successful, so I have no fear of my results. I am an 

 all-Britisher if possible, and shall push the old-coun- 

 try appliances as soon as I can fix up my depot and 

 get a good home firm to represent. By profession I 

 am a watchmaker; but out here things are not so fine- 

 ly defined, and it is not unusual to change one's 

 trade. What books would you recommend to one 

 who intends to make bees a leading line as a lecturer, 

 for instance? 



Victoria, B. C. E. C. Appleby. 



Many English complain that they are not 

 properly treated by Canadians when they 

 come to this country. Let me point out that 

 the above lemark indicates clearly a spirit 

 that Canadians say is altogether too preva- 

 lent am( ng the English when they come to 

 Canada; and the few or many, as the case 

 may be, who manifest this spirit make the 

 position difficult for those among the Eng- 

 lish (and I believe of the latter there are 

 many) who have no such exalted view of 

 their own attainments. 



As far as the pt sition of lecturer is con- 

 cerned, there is no such opening in this 

 country; and if there were a lecturer going 

 abroad in such a spirit he would have to 

 become his own employee, advertiser, au- 

 dience, etc. 



I have read the British Bee Journal with 

 profit for years, as also German and French 

 journals, and these papers can be read with 

 profit by bee-keepers on this continent; yet 

 what little 1 know|of " the American system 

 of bee-keeping," and particularly in its api- 

 arian appliances, has a foremost place with 

 me. I beheve we have been ready to em- 

 body every good invention, such as the 

 honey-extractor, comb foundation, etc., into 

 our system, and therefore we have never 

 assumed a position of knowing it all. 



