202 



GLEANINGS IN 



EE CULTURE 



April, 1918 



Produce More Honey 



FOR WAR FOOD 



A Glorious Opportunity for Beekeeping 



]^EVER BEFORE has beekeeping had 

 such an opportunity to prove its use- 

 fulness. Beekeeping is the only means 

 of saving the tons of honey now wasted. 

 Every beekeeper must help, but the com- 

 mercial jiroducers can do most. 



^HAT DOES IT MEAN when bee- 

 keepers are permitted to buy sugar 

 during a sugar shortage in order that 

 their bees may not starve? Why do the 

 beekeeping supply factories run on fuel- 

 less days? Honey is an important food. 



More Honey Is Needed 



T^HERE must be an increase in the pro- 

 duction of all foods, but the shortage 

 of sweets is especially acute. There must 

 be more Honey. 



JJOW CAN IT BE PRODUCED? The 

 Nectar supply of 1918 is still uncer- 

 tain. However, a failure of the crop is 

 more frequent than a failure of the nee- 

 tar supply. The beekeeper must have 

 his bees ready to get all the Nectar. 



]^0W IS THE CRITICAL TIME. The 

 good beekeeper does two things: 



He has colonies strong before the hon- 

 ey-flow. 



He prevents division by swarming. 



^HE GREATEST LOSS is through fail- 

 ure to have bees ready on time. Now 

 is the time to begin plans and prepara- 

 tions for the honey-flow. Delay may de- 

 crease the crop one-half. 



IJ^HAT BEES NEED. To reach maxi- 

 mum strength early, bees need only 

 three things: 



Plenty of stores. 

 Plenty of room for breeding. 

 Plenty of protection from cold and 

 wind. 



Most beekeeping failures are due to 

 neglect in preparation for the honey- 

 flow. Each colony should have ten 

 frames of brood when it begins. 



QTHER PREPARATIONS. Buy or 

 lease unproductive colonies. There 

 may be a thousand in your county. Or- 

 der necessary supplies at once. Watch 

 for brood diseases this summer. 



JYJARKET the crop intelligently, after 

 studying the bulletins on the Bureau 

 of Markets. 



Keep More Bees 



Can the Department help you? There are several offices in the Department of 

 Agriculture which are anxious to help beekeepers increase their honey crops this 

 year. There are in many of the States, lusjiectors and Extension Beekeepers who 

 are at your service. The Department can tell you who they are. 



Keep Bees Better 



If your bees are unproductive, place them in the hands of a good beekeeper and 

 lot them do their share. 



U S. Department of Agriculture 



Washington, D. C. 



(This space doiiatod hy The G. B. Tjcwis Co., M\ker.s of Beeware, AVatertown, Wise.) 



