230 



GLEANINGo IN BEE CULTURE 



Apr. 1 



ler reduces the period of queenlcssness by 

 quite a margin; but as our experience goes 

 in the matter so far, it is not very likely that 

 Mr. Scott will try any thing short of the 

 more radical methods, in view of the pro- 

 nounced failures experienced by using the 

 full 21 days' term of queenlessness. Please 

 do not think I am belittling Dr. Miller's ef- 

 forts in the least, as I believe with all others 

 that the plan has been a success with him; 

 but as to such methods working out that 

 way in Eastern Ontario at the present time 

 — well, I for one sincerely wish that the re- 

 mote success were a possibility. 



In a footnote to a recent article of mine on 

 this subject the editor does not think there 

 is a difference in virulence, but rather in- 

 clines to the view that the difference in bees 

 may explain matters. Regarding the viru- 

 lence I can give no positive statement, as I 

 have seen the disease in only one section, 

 and can not give comparative evidence. As 

 to the bees, it is only fair to say that nearly 

 all in the affected district are blacks — regu- 

 lar old stagers that can sting a little quicker, 

 and oftener, than any bees I have ever en- 

 countered. However, Mr. Scott's bees are 

 now all pure Italians, and this past season 

 an out-apiary of as pure stock as can be 

 found on the continent was affected, and I 

 believe they treated about 80 out of some 

 100 colonies. 



While on this subject of black brood, I 

 might say I am pleased to see D. M. Mac- 

 donald, of Scotland, also Editor Hurley, of 

 the Canadian Bee Journal, making a vigorous 

 kick against the term "European foul 

 brood." The name has led to endless con- 

 fusion, and why should we have any thing 

 better (or worse) than the term "black 

 brood," which all will understand? What's 

 in a name, any way, so long as it expresses 

 intelligently what we want to refer to? 

 "Foul brood "is not such a high-sounding 

 or scientific term by any means, and yet it 

 answers its purpose finely. Why not drop 

 "European foul brood" and say "blacK 

 brood," and cut out all chances of confusion 

 in the nomenclature of the two diseases? 

 That the term does lead to confusion is evi- 

 dent in almost every bee-journal that comes 

 to hand; and even Mr. Gibson, in his excel- 

 lent article, gives us a hint in that line, as I 

 believe no one who has ever handled genu- 

 ine foul brood will think it is a possibility to 

 care the disease without destroying the 

 combs. Therefore, instead of saying, as he 

 d )es, that 21 days is not long enough for a 

 colony to be queenless in order to effect a 

 cure of American foul brood, better by far 

 leave out the latter disease when discussing 

 methods of curing black brood, as 121 days 

 of queenlessness for a colony affected with 

 genuine foul brood would be no more effec- 

 tive than 21 days, unless the longer term 

 would give a chance for the wax-moths to 

 get things cleaned up out of the way. 



A BEE-LINE MAY NOT BE A STRAIGHT LINE. 



As Raleigh Thompson points out, p. 125, a 

 bee-line is not necessarily a straight line 

 from the hive to a given point, even if we 



all have heard the oft repeated phrase, "as 

 straight as a bee-line." West of our home 

 apiary, until the last two or three years, 

 there was a strip of hi^li woods about half a 

 mile in width. At the other side of this 

 woods there has r '■■ a •$ been a lot of alsike 

 grown, and the bees invariably flyaroui.d 

 either the south or north end of the woo; s 

 while going to and from the apiary to the 

 clover-fields. During the flow of honey, if 

 one went close to the woods on the east side 

 no bees could be seen or heard; but on go- 

 ing toward the north or south ends they 

 could be seen by the hundreds, althougn by 

 taking these courses at least a quarter of a 

 mile more would have to be traversed as 

 compared with a direct course over the tree- 

 tops. At the Cashel yard there is a tall row 

 of spruce-trees directly north of the bees, 

 running east and west; and off at one side 

 of the yard a bit, there is an opening where 

 a few of the trees did not grow well. All 

 the buckwheat grown in reach of the bees 

 has generally been directly north; and many 

 a time have I noticed the bees going and 

 coming through this opening in such swarms 

 that it really seemed as though they would 

 knock ag«iinst one another in their flight. 

 Really it is wonderful to see the bees from 

 about 100 colonies working on buckwheat 

 during a heavy flow, when practically all of 

 them are going through an opening only a 

 few feet wide. The point I wish to note is 

 that the bees, instead of rising and going di- 

 rectly north in the direction of the buck- 

 wheat, rather preferred going west a short 

 distance and then making a tack so as to 

 avoid flying so high over the tree-tops. 



While I am inclined to believe that bees 

 are enticed toward nectar by scent, yet I 

 rather doubt that the circumstance related 

 by friend Thompson proves the matter. Two 

 years ago there were hundreds of acres of 

 alsike near us, some of it not more than two 

 rods away from the bees, and yet for some 

 reason there was no nectar in the blossoms. 

 Last season we had a tremendous flow from 

 alsike for six or seven days; and after that, 

 although the clover was in bloom for two 

 weeks more, yet hardly any more honey was 

 secreted. How do we know that the field of 

 clover mentioned by Mr. Thompson was 

 yielding nectar previous to the day the bees 

 were noticed working on it? Even if the 

 bees were noticed around small patches near 

 home, yet that does not prove conclusively 

 that the field in question was yielding, as we 

 have often observed that the bees would be 

 working heavily on one field when possibly 

 some other field nearer would have very few 

 bees. Our only theory has been difference 

 in soil conditions, as, generally speaking, 

 the heavier clay soils do better in clover- 

 honey production than do the lighter ones. 

 However, I will admit that it looks as though 

 the bees in Mr. Thompson 's case did scent the 

 nectar; yet I repeat, it is not a conclusive 

 case by any means. 



SHEEP TO KEEP THE GRASS DOWN. 



The editor's advice to S. E. Williams, page 

 124, regarding the good work of sheep in an 



