418 GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE Juia', 1918 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



might just as well quit his meanness of com- 

 plaining about low prices. 



The second annual short course for Iowa 

 beekeepers was held at Ames Experiment 

 Station, May 13 to 18. The sessions were 

 addressed by a large number of Iowa's best 

 beemen, as well as a number from outside 

 the State. Practical, instructive work and 

 demonstrations in the experimental apiary 

 of the State College were thoroly appreciat- 

 ed. These courses are always given free of 

 charge to those attending and will prove a 

 blessing to Iowa beemen by teaching them 

 to do their work in a practical, uniform 

 way. 



The 1917 annual report of the State Api- 

 arist and Iowa Beekeepers' Association has 

 not yet been issued by the state printer. 

 As soon as it is ready, a copy will be mailed 

 to each member whose dues are paid for 

 1917. Anybody else desiring a copy should 

 address the State Document Editor, Des 

 Moines, or Prof. P. Eric Milieu, State Api- 

 arist, Ames. 



Every Iowa beekeeper ought to belong to 

 the Iowa Beekeepers' Association. There 

 were over 300 paid-up members Dec. 31, 1917. 

 If you have not paid your 1918 dues (50 

 cents), do so at once, sending it to Hamlin 

 B. Miller, Secretary-Treasurer, Marshall- 

 town, and thus keep in touch with the bee- 

 keeping interests of the State. 



Marshalltown, la. Hamlin B. Miller. 



« * * 



Tn Idaho '^^^'^ month of May was dis- 



couraging to honey producers 

 in southern Idaho. Bees came thru the win- 

 ter in remarkably fine condition, built up 

 rapidly, and have been extraordinarily heavy 

 for weeks. About May first cold weather 

 came upon us, accompanied by high winds, 

 and our bees were confined to hives for 

 days. Nectar, which had been coming in 

 quantity sufficient to stimulate brood-rear- 

 ing, was cut off, and the majority of our larg- 

 est producers were compelled to feed, some 

 using all low grade honey on hand and call- 

 ing upon the Idaho Food Administration for 

 sugar in quantities up to two tons. 



During the month we had frost on 12 

 nights, three of these being heavy and two 

 of the killing variety. All of our fruit dis- 

 tricts admit their crops are seriously dam- 

 aged, some having lost their entire setting 

 of apples. The first cutting of alfalfa has 

 been frozen in a number .of districts in this 

 corner of Idaho, but this will not seriously 

 effect honey producers because very little 

 surplus is obtained from it, the bulk of our 

 crop being stored in July and August from 

 the second and third cuttings of alfalfa. 



For some days the weather has been 

 much improved, and with favorable condi- 

 tions from this time forward honey produc- 

 ers will secure the best crop they have had 

 for several years. 



Honey buyers from Coast to Coast are 



now writing and wiring freely ih 'an effort 

 to contract honey for fall delivery, or to 

 have orders booked subject to approval of 

 prices at time of delivery. None will name 

 price at this time, or make an offer, but all 

 want to tie up stock for delivery later on. 

 No contracts are being made in this section 

 of Idaho. P. S. Farrell. 



Caldwell, Ida. 



* » * 



In Ontario— ?"^^ sending in copy for 

 June Gleanings, a large 

 number of reports have been received from 

 many parts of Ontario, and while conditions 

 vary a great deal, good wintering and almost 

 total losses coming from points not far 

 apart, yet the situation on the whole is little 

 changed from conditions of a month ago. As 

 already stated in past numbers, wintering 

 conditions for the past season, briefly sum- 

 marized, point to the fact that wherever bees 

 had abundance of good stores they wintered 

 fair to good; while, on the other hand, 

 where stores were scant or of poor quality, 

 the bees wintered very poorly. At our yards 

 around home here, stores were given in 

 abundance for all ordinary winters, but 

 judging by results, the quality of food was 

 poor. On the other hand, our bees up north, 

 where the stores were over half sugar syrup,* 

 never were in better condition. In the first 

 instance, losses are nearly 50 per cent count- 

 ing colonies too weak to be of any use; while 

 in the other case, loss is practically nil and 

 bees in rousing condition, nearly all ready 

 for any clover flow that may come. 



Naturally, my ideas previously expressed 

 as to the comparative safety of a goodly 

 proportion of sugar syrup in the winter food 

 supply, on the one hand, and stores of doubt- 

 ful or inferior honey in the other case, have 

 not by any means been modified; and, for 

 our severe climate, the sugar syrup is beyond 

 all question the safest, taking one season 

 with another. Just one instance gleaned yes- 

 terday while I was traveling on the train 

 homewards from visiting an outyard some 

 miles away. Meeting a friend I asked how 

 the bees had wintered in his locality. He 

 stated that many had lost very heavily but 

 mentioned one beekeeper who had no loss at 

 all. And he at once added, ' ' But he fed 

 heavily on sugar syrup last fall." 



Generally speaking, a place quite near a 

 large body of water is not a very good lo- 

 cation for beekeeping. Some one says at 

 once that anybody can see that fact, as 

 water takes up space within foraging reach 

 of the bees and never produces any nectar. 

 While this is so, yet I have rather in mind 

 a body of water quite large, but not large 

 enough to prevent bees from flying to the 

 other side. A short time ago I had the privi- 

 lege of calling upon a friend, Mr. J. D. 

 Oliver of Fenelon Falls. Mr. Oliver lives on 

 the north side of Sturgeon Lake a few miles 

 out from Fenelon Falls. The lak© near Mr. 



