February, 1915. 



American ~Bae Journal 



and extensive experiments we have no 

 use for feeding except as a last resort 

 when honey is not in evidence; hence, 

 we have an iron-clad rule to leave at 

 least six of the best filled combs on 

 every hive for winter stores, for in our 

 location the brood-chamber cannot be 

 relied upon when running for extracted 

 honey, and we realize a greater profit 

 from those combs than can be realized 

 in any market in the world. 

 Birmingham, Ohio. 



F1G.5. -WILD SUNFLOWER 



any purpose whatever except as a last 

 resort to prevent starvation. 



The pernicious practice of extract- 

 ing all the honey and feeding syrup 

 containing a heavy percentage of water 

 is rank heresy in view of the incontro- 

 vertible tact that to e.xpel the excessive 

 water and invert it is the most devita- 

 lizing labor that bees can perform. 

 Those wanting further light upon this 

 subject should read the two articles on 

 " Honey and Biology." pages 315 and 

 346, by J. A. Heberle, B. S., for these 

 are cold hard facts from a scientific 

 point of view. 



Words of truth and wisdom emanat- 

 ing from such a reliable source cannot 

 be lightly ignored, and Brother Heb- 

 erle is deserving of thanks by Ameri- 

 can beekeepers for compiling so much 

 valuable information of a scientific 

 nature relative to the nature and food 

 value of sugar syrup, as well as to the 

 deleterious effect upon the bees that 

 invert it. Perhaps few practical bee- 

 keepers in the United States have had 

 a wider experience in feeding syrup of 

 different density and for different pur- 

 poses than myself, for personally con- 

 ducted experiments along this line 

 have consumed tons of sugar, and sac- 

 rificed the vitality and lives of hun- 

 dreds of colonies of healthy bees. 



While the inversion of cane sugar is 

 undoubtedly fraught with evil conse- 

 quences to bees, these influences are 

 trivial in comparison with the lost 

 vitality and premature death of bees 

 when compelled to expel excessive 

 water imperfectly diffused with sugar, 

 by a process erroneously called "evap- 

 oration;" "evaporation" performs no 



part in the process of expelling water 

 from syrup or nectar. It is gratifying 

 to note that progressive beekespers of 

 today do not advocate stimulative feed- 

 ing, and for the good of the industry 

 there should be less sugar fed for win- 

 ter stores. As a result for expensive 



No. 2.— The Honey-Producing 



Plants-" Yellow Fall 



Flowers" 



BY FRANK C. PELLETT. 

 WILD SUNFLOWER (hELIANTHUS.) 



THERE are many species of the sun- 

 flowers, some of which may be 

 found from the Atlantic Coast to 

 California, and from Canada to the 

 gulf. They are tall coarse weeds with 

 bright yellow flowers. Large numbers 

 of insects of many species may be 

 found on the sunflower blossoms, in 

 search of the nectar. Wherever these 

 plants are sufficiently abundant, they 

 are the source of large quantities of 

 honey. The cultivated sunflowers are 

 of little if any value as honey plants, 

 but produce seed in large quantity, 

 which is a valuable poultry food. The 

 Jerusalem artichoke is a variety of sun- 

 flower, cultivated for the tubers, to feed 

 the hogs. This plant grows wild in 

 the upper Mississippi Valley States, 

 and is commonly regarded as a weed. 

 It is frequently referred to as a valua- 

 ble honey plant. 



Many of the wild sunflowers are 

 perennials, persisting for many years 

 when once established. They are 

 commonly to be seen along wagon 

 roads and railroads and on waste 



FIG. 6-BEE FLY ON WILD SUNFLOWER BLOSSOM 



