March, 1918 



G T. E A N T N G S IN BEE CULTURE 



141 



stirred. WIumi the boiling-point is reached 

 again, tlie stirring is discontinued. When 

 tlie temperature reaches 238 by a candy- 

 mixer 's thermometer, the mixture is remov- 

 ed from the stove and allowed to cool. When 

 it cools to 120 it is stirred again until it 

 l)egins to "cream." As soon as it looks 

 like paste or starch, it is ready to use. 



In ease the beekeeper is unsuccessful in 

 securing sugar, either with or without a per- 

 mit from the Food Administrator of his 

 state or other official source, he may be able 

 to get common cane molasses, or, he may be 

 able to purchase a cheap candy. In either 

 case, such food should not be given unless 

 the bees can fly at least twice a week. By the 

 first of Marcli) the bees will be able to get 

 out of the hives occasionally in most of the 

 Northern localities. 



THE CONTINUOUS cold winter that has 

 2>revailed thrxiout the eastern section of the 

 country and Canada 



Some 



Warnings and 



Suggestions. 



and as far south as 

 Florida, has caused 

 considerable appre- 

 hension among bee- 

 keepers. Where colonies were put in single- 

 walled hives in the northern states and left 

 outdoors the mortality will be considerable. 

 On the other hand, where the bees have been 

 put in cellars, or been well packed outdoors, 

 the losses will probably not exceed that of 

 former years, providing there are sufficient 

 stores to carry them thru until spring, and 

 providing also that their entrances have not 

 been clogged with snow and ice. 



In the states south of the Ohio river, 

 where bees are left outdoors in their sum- 

 mer hives without packing, the estimated 

 mortality will be from one-third to one-half. 

 In the states bordering the Gulf and south- 

 ern sections of the United States the losses 

 will be heavy in bees and brood. While 

 these losses may not involve colonies, they 

 will reduce the strength of them so that they 

 will be in bad condition to breed up in the 

 early spring. Should this be true, it will 

 be unfortunate because the demand for bees 

 in package form will be the largest this 

 year that has ever been known in history, 

 and there is a possibility and probability 

 that our Southern breeders will be seriously 

 handicapped in supplying the demand. This 

 would mean they would have to cancel some 

 orders and possibly delay others that they 

 do fill. 



Thruout the Northwest bees are wintering 

 well, as the winter has been very mild. As 

 the West provides the great bulk of carload 

 shipments. Western honey will be very much 

 in evidence this coming summer, whether 

 clover honey is produced in the East or not. 

 The great danger in the East from winter- 

 ing this year, especially in case of no upper 

 ventilation, will be due to shortage of sugar 

 to feed, and to entrances clogged with ice 

 or snow. At one of our yards during a severe 

 snow storm the entrances of some of tlie colo- 



nies were filled full of snow and sleet. The 

 warm breath of the bees thawed this, and 

 then the snow water froze, sealing the en- 

 trances hermetically. Out of 70 colonies at 

 one yard 19 were found dead where the en- 

 trances were thus sealed. At most of the 

 other yards wintering up to. date, Feb. 7, ap- 

 pears to be excellent. Colonies in DeMuth 

 packed hives are showing up well, as well as 

 those in the Government winter-packed 

 cases. The latter haye the decided advan- 

 tage over the DeMuth in that the entrances 

 do not clog with ice. The summer stand en- 

 trance catches snow which melts and then 

 freezes. The Government winter cases, four 

 colonies to the case, have their entrances 

 about eight inches above the ground with no 

 ledge to catch the snow or ice, with the 

 result that these entrances are free from ice 

 and snow. 



In most cases, colonies in good cellars will 

 winter well. The danger will be that the low 

 temperature outside will cause a great drop 

 inside the cellars, in which case there will 

 be more or less dysentery and consequent 

 loss, 



The great danger that confronts every 

 beekeeper this winter is shortage of stores 

 and the difficulty of securing sugar to feed 

 in the spring. The reader is requested 

 to see editorial on this subject on the first 

 editorial page. 



Later. — Since writing the foregoing, we 

 have gone over all our bees, and, except for 

 those at the basswood apiary, where there 

 was a heavy windsweep that filled the en- 

 trances with snow that froze, we had very 

 little' loss — not exceeding two per cent, with 

 the rest of the bees in good condition. Ee- 

 ports of other beekeepers in the locality are 

 equally good. We have also had some re- 

 ports from the extreme North and West, 

 which indicate that the winter losses are not 

 going to be nearly as heavy as was at first 

 feared. A report from south of the Ohio 

 river shows that the losses will not be above 

 normal, altho it was feared they would go 

 above' 50 per cent. Fortunately, warm wea- 

 ther came on Feb. 14, in the nick of time to 

 give the outdoor bees in the country a flight. 

 The weather map shows that this warm spell 

 was general thruout the Northern and East- 

 ern States. This, of itself, will be worth 

 many thousands of dollars to the beekeeping 

 industry. 



FKOM PEESENT indications, there will be 

 a large business in combless packages of 

 bees this coming 

 Getting Bees sjiring. Even among 

 Out of Pound the larger beekeep- 

 Packages. ers there have been 



heavy losses which 

 must be replaced before the opening honey- 

 flow. Ordinarily one is able to buy from 

 neighboring apiaries; but this year many of 

 the small beekeepers will be entirely elimi- 

 nated as far as selling any bees is concern- 



