ArRir., 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



where there are bee diseases, nor for most 

 inexperienced beekeepers. There are some 

 practical beekeepers, however, who make a 

 success of running their bees at long range 

 and visiting them only once or twice in a 

 season — ^^once to take off the honey and again 

 to put them into shape for winter. 



Allen Latham of Norwichtown, Conn., has 

 done it, but on account of the possibility of 

 bee disease may not find it practical to con- 

 tinue it. The average beginner would do well 

 to look the hives over a numbei* oi' times in 

 a season, but not too often. In this connec- 

 tion it may be well to say that many begin- 

 ners "tinker" their bees to death. 



But no let-alone hive will work unless it 

 has a large capacity, a location screened 

 from prevailing winds, and unless in a locali- 

 ty where there is an unfailing fall flow. 

 There is a large field for development in the 

 Latham plan. Latham plan did we sayf 

 "We mean, development of the large-hive 

 idea, which is as old as the hills. There is 

 no question but that a hive of large capacity 

 requires less attention than one made up of 

 small units requiring the addition of an ex- 

 tra unit every now and them. In a small 

 hive the bees are liable to starve for the 

 want of stores either during the summer or 

 winter, unless frequently inspected, while 

 the hive of large capacity that is not "tin- 

 kered ' ' with too much may carry a colony 

 thru from year to year with onee-or-twice-a- 

 year visitation, providing the locality is 

 suitable and the right man is on the job. 



THE SUGAE SITUATION, while not as 

 tense as it was, is far from being satisfac- 

 tory. Large quan- 

 The Sugar titles of sugar have 



Saipply for been sent inland 



Beekeepers. from both coasts. 



More s u, g a r is 

 available, but not enough to supply many 

 beekeepers who are urgently in need of it. 

 Some states have already followed Ohio 's 

 example by gathering up a supply of sugar 

 exclusively for the use of beekeepers. This 

 sugar has been put into the hands of local 

 bee-supply manufacturers and is being sold 

 at cost. 



As Gleanings was instrumental in buying 

 about 10,000 pounds of sugar for Ohio bee- 

 kee]iers and a supply of this is still on hand 

 at Columbus, we can help in our own State, 

 if Buckeye beekeepers will apply to Prof. 

 Jas. S. Hine, Ohio State University, Colum- 

 bus, or to The A. I. Eoot Company, Medina, 

 O. Michigan beekeepers should write to 

 B. F. Kindig, State Apiarist, East Lansing, 

 Mich. He will issue a permit so that sugar 

 can be obtained of M. H. Hunt & Son at 

 Lansing or of A. J. Woodman & Co., at Flint, 

 Mich. Massachusetts beekeepers should ap- 

 ply to Dr. Burton N. Gates of Amherst, 

 Mass. Illinois beekeepers should apply to 

 Dadant & Son, Hamilton, 111. 



In a general way, we would advise bee- 

 keepers who are unable to obtain sugar from 



local grocers to apply to their nearest bee- 

 supply dealer. Failing to get it of him, 

 write to the U. S. Food Administration, 

 Sugar Division, at your state capital, stat- 

 ing your exact needs, and how many colo- 

 nies you have that will starve unless you can 

 arrange to get sugar thru your grocer or 

 supply dealer. 



In very many cases, the starvation situa- 

 tion can be easily met by taking combs of 

 stores from colonies that have died during 

 the winter and giving to those that are 

 alive. These combs will be perfectly good 

 unless badly smeared with dysentery stains. 

 Even then, in case of no sugar, we would 

 give such combs. If the colony is strong 

 it will clean up and prosper. 



Qt= 



IT FKEQUENTLY happens that there is a 

 shortage of bees in the North and at the 

 same time a great 

 ReLLeving the surplus in the 

 Shortage South. This is es- 



of Bees. pecially true after 



a long, hard winter 

 such as we have just experienced; but un- 

 fortimately the winter has been severe on 

 bees in the South and many of our Southern 

 bee- and queen-raisers are going to be hard 

 pressed to take care of all the demands for 

 bees. 



Another condition sometimes arises and 

 that is this: A Northern beekeeper can use, 

 owing to the unusually favorable conditions 

 in his locality, two or three times the num- 

 ber of bees that he has available. During 

 the same season, at almost exactly the same 

 time, there are other beekeepers in other 

 localities where the season promises to be an 

 absolute failure, who will have a large num- 

 ber of bees on hand that will be nothing but 

 an expense. If the two men could get to- 

 gether, the one using the capital of the oth- 

 er, it would help out wonderfully during a 

 season when there is a world shortage of 

 food. "We have a case in point. The bee- 

 keepers of the Northwest could probably use 

 twice the number of bees that they now 

 have. On the other hand, there are beekeep- 

 ers in New Mexico and other southern sec- 

 tions, where the alfalfa fields have been 

 converted into grain fields, wlio will have 

 thousands and thousands of colonies that 

 will not be honey gatherers this year. 



"We suggest that the considerable number 

 of Government apieultural extension work- 

 ers scattered over the United States might 

 be able to place in touch with each other 

 the two classes of beekeepers, those who 

 nefd bees and those who have them to spare. 

 It would do no harm for one or the other of 

 these two classes to correspond with Dr. E. 

 F. Phillips, Bureau of Entomology, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. He could put the enquirers in 

 communication with the nearest special 

 field agent, who might, and probably would, 

 know just where there was a shortage or a 

 surplus of bees, and bring about the desired 

 combination of bees and territory. 



