214 



ipio 



American See Jonrnal 



on hand if you do not want degenerated 

 bees." 



" But why speak of these matters 

 now ? One will hardly think of stimu- 

 lative feeding before next spring." 

 Next spring will be too late. If frames 

 of sealed honey are to be on hand next 

 spring, they must be gotten ready this 

 summer. The matter is considered of 

 such serious importance that it was 

 thought worth while to urge it once 

 more, in the hope that some who other- 

 wise would not give it sufficient thought 

 might be induced to secure a sufficient 

 stock of sealed combs to be ready for 

 any emergency next rear. 



Why Bees Fear Smoke 



It is common knowledge that bees 

 are frightened when smoke is blown 

 upon them; but not every bee-keeper 

 has stopped to inquire 'why. Some 

 have said that when the bees smell 

 smoke they suppose their home is in 

 danger of being burned down. But 

 how should they have learned to con- 

 nect smoke with fire; or, indeed, why 

 should they fear fire? In the introduc- 

 tion to the book, "How to Keep Bees 

 for Profit," it is thus explained : 



In former times "the bees were 

 hunted in their native habitat in the 

 clefts of the rocks, in the heart of the 

 trees of the forest, and such other 

 places where they are accustomed to 

 build their combs. In securing their 

 golden stores the hunters were com- 

 pelled to smoke and destroy the bees, 

 thus creating in them a fear of smoke- 

 that has been inbred for centuries." 



This makes the matter simpler, for it 

 leaves fire out of the question alto- 

 gether; century after contury, when 

 they have smelled smoke they have 

 learned to associate it with the destruc- 

 tion of the colony. Why not ? 



But when we come to inquire just 

 how the fear is inbred, how the fear in 

 a colony that has been destroyed to 

 the accompaniment of smoke is con- 

 veyed to Its posterity, the whole fabric 

 falls down. For none of the colonies 

 destroyed ever had any posterity! 

 Couldn't have. At least it could have 

 no postertiy proceeding from it after 

 Its destruction. And none other could 

 count. 



Evidently we have not yet the true 

 answer to the conundrum. Perhaps we 

 never shall have. Fortunately it does 

 not so greatly matter. 



Bees that Best Resist Foul Brood 



In America and in Australia it is the 

 prevailing belief that Italians are less 

 subject to foul brood than blacks. In 

 England and in Switzerland the oppo- 

 site view IS held. Commenting upon 

 foul brood in Switzerland, the British 

 Bee Journal says : 



. The fact that in Southern .Switzerlaiici. 

 just where (he Itahan bee is indigenous, foul 

 brood IS most extensively found throws a 

 Deculiar heht on the statement in American 

 papers and that of some of the German 

 ones, that bees of the Italian race arc less 

 subject to foul brood. The statistics have 

 sliownjust the reverse. It is in the canton 

 lessin where the Italian bee is exclusively 

 cultivated, .iiid whence queens are lart'elv 

 exported, that the highest iiercentat'e of 

 cases was found, namely, i6 percent. 



The argument is hardly to the point. 

 The fact that foul brood prevails where 

 Italians are exclusively cultivated 



proves that Italians are not immune to 

 foul brood — a thing which perhaps no 

 one claims. The question is: If blacks 

 were kept in the same region, would 

 more or less than 1(1 percent of them 

 be affected with foul brood ? 



If an American bee-keeper, holding 

 the belief that Italians are better honey- 

 gatherers than blacks and less subject 

 to foul brood, were to keep bees in 

 Switzerland for a year, he would likely 

 change his mind. Likewise a Swiss 

 bee-keeper, after a year in this country, 

 would likely und"ergo a change of 

 mind. The fact is, there are blacks and 

 blacks. .\lso there are Italians and 

 Italians. Granted the variation in the 

 two different kinds, it is easy to be- 

 lieve that some blacks are better than 

 some Italians, and that some Italians 

 are better than some blacks. 



The American bee-keeper is very 

 sure Italians are better than blacks. 

 He has tried the two side by side, and 

 he knows. But is he sure that the 

 blacks in England and in Switzerland 

 are just as poor as the blacks he has 

 kept? Is it not possible that the 

 blacks of_ this country are a specially 

 poor lot? Is it not worth trying to 

 find whether the best blacks of Switzer- 

 land are better or worse than the Ital- 

 ians in this country ? Possibly Swiss 

 blacks are not adapted to our climate. 

 And just possibly they are. 



Returning to our original question, 

 it will probably be found that the most 

 vigorous bees are the least subject to 

 foul brood, whether they be blacks, 

 Italians, or hybrids. 



Eight Frames vs. 1 2 Frames 



R. F. Holtermann and the Canadian 

 Bee Journal are not agreed as to the 

 size of hives. Mr. Holtermann says 

 that "a large hive (a 12-frame Lang- 

 stroth) is much better than an8-frame." 

 Editor Hurley says : 



" We do not hesitate to take issue with Mr. 

 Holtermann in this statement. The i2-frame 

 is too large to winter in: it is too large for 

 spring; it is too large for fall. There is, in 

 our opinion, to much 'barn' room for the 

 bees to keep at the necessary temperature. " 



There is just a possibility that Mr. 

 Holtermann might say: "To be sure, 

 a r3-frame is too large; but better have 

 a hive too ' barny ' than too small." 

 Possible, but not probable; and not at 

 all probable that he will agree with Mr. 

 Hurley when the latter says : " We 

 would not recommend anything larger 

 than 9 or 10 frames." 



Possibly the friction between these 

 two Kanuck leaders may throw a spark 

 of light on this ve.xed question. 



Itestlessness of Queens iu Winter 



Under the title of "The Long Night 

 in the Hive," Tickner Edwardes has 

 written an article for the Pall Mall 

 Gazette, in which he takes the ground 

 that bees would remain dormant, or 

 nearly so, consuming practically no 

 stores, if it were not for the fact that 

 the queen keeps them constantly stirred 

 up. Among other things he says : 



" Prolonged study of hive-life in U'inter 

 will reveal one hitherto unsuspected fact. 

 At this time, far from settling down into a 

 life of sleepy iuactivity, the quoeu-bee 

 seems to develop a restlessness and impa- 

 tience not to be observed in her at any other 

 season. It is clear that the workers would 



lie quiet enough if they had only themselves 

 to consider. But the queen will not allow if 

 .\ightor day. she seems always in this un- 

 restmg state of mind, and the work of get- 

 ting their queen through the winter season 

 IS evidently a continual source of worry to 

 the members of the colony. Altogether'the 

 most logical inference to be drawn from any 

 prolonged and careful investigation of hive- 

 life in winter is that the queen-bee herself 

 IS the main obstacle to any system of hiber- 

 nation being adopted in the hive. 



' In some future age the mother-bee may 

 be ruthlessly slaughtered at the end of each 

 seasori. another queen being reared when 

 breeding time again comes around. Then, 

 no doubt, honey-bees would hibernate, as 

 do so many other creatures of the wilds; and 

 the necessity for all that frantic labor 

 throughout the summer days be obviated 



The germ of life in all eggs is notoriously 

 hardy; and it is conceivable that bv a system 

 of cold storage, as carefully studied and 

 ingeniously regulated as are most other 

 affairs of the hive, the bees might succeed 

 in preserving eggs throughout the winter in 

 a state of suspended, but not irresuscitable. 

 life. And if ever ihe honey-bee, in some 

 f".ture age, discovers this possibility, she 

 will infallibly become a true hibernating in- 

 sect, and join the ranks of the summer loi- 

 terers and merry-makers. But the bee-mas- 

 ter will get no more honey." 



All this sounds rather wild, and the 

 last part of it, at least, lies entirely in 

 the realm of fanciful conjecture, but 

 the fact that the dignified British Bee 

 Journal has seen fit to devote nearly 

 two pages to copying the article with- 

 out note or comment makes one won- 

 der just how much ground there is for 

 the assertion that prolonged study will 

 reveal the hitherto unsuspected fad 

 that in winter the queen- seems to de- 

 velop more restlessness than in sum- 

 mer. Certainly she does not seem a 

 great idler in summer. Has our much 

 esteemed contemporary enough faith 

 in Mr. Edwardes to take his word for it, 

 that the queen is such a troubler in win- 

 ter, without so much as saying, " How 

 do you know ?" 



According to Mr. Edwardes, if the 

 queen were absent the colony would 

 be so quiet that little or no stores 

 would be consumed in winter. But are 

 not queenless colonies the very ones 

 that are notoriously uneasy and con- 

 sume most in winter ? 



"Bee-Keepers' Guide" 



This book on bees is also known as 

 the "Manual of the Apiary." It is in- 

 structive, interesting, and both practi- 

 cal and scientific. On the anatomy and 

 physiology of the bee it is more com- 

 plete than any other standard Ameri- 

 can bee-book. Also the part on honey- 

 producing plants is exceptionally fine. 

 Every bee-keeper should have it in his 

 library. It has .'')44 pages, and 29.5 illus- 

 trations. Bound in cloth. Price, post- 

 paid, $1.20; or with a year's subscrip- 

 tion to the American Bee Journal — both 

 for $1.90. Send all orders to the office 

 of the American Bee Journal, 14G West 

 Superior St., Chicago, 111. 



" Scientific Queeu-Reariug " 



No other book compares with this 

 one written by Mr. G. M. Doolittle. He 

 is an expert in the business. It tells 

 just how the very best queens can be 

 reared. Bound in cloth. By mail, $1.00 ; 

 or with the American Bee Journal, one 

 year — both for $l.t)it. In leatherette 

 binding, 75 cents, postpaid; or with the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both 

 for $1.2.5. Send to the American Bee 

 Journal, 140 W. Superior St., Chicago, 

 111. 



