1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



169 



In May, queen-rearing and dividing- claim our at- 

 tention. In June, the stocks are all built up, and 

 every thing- is put in readiness for the honey-flow; 

 the supers are put on the last week in June or the 

 first of July. In about two weeks extracting- com- 

 mences, and keeps up until the last of August, 

 when the surplus-honey flow generally ceases. The 

 supers are left on until about the first of October, 

 to catch any surplus that might be stored, then 

 they are taken off and the bees are packed for win- 

 ter. 



Bees are generally wintered in single - walled 

 hives on summer stands, although chaff hives are 

 used. Some give their bees considerable protec- 

 tion, while others consider it unnecessary. 



The honey-market here is not the best in the 

 world, as there are by far too many small produc- 

 ers; but 1 am happy to say that their ranks are 

 weakening. Fruit-growers here look on bees as 

 their friends, while the bee is considered the em- 

 blem of Utah. We hear very little about adultera- 

 tion of honey, as it will not pay. 



We have considerable trouble with foul brood, 

 which is generally found in old tumble-down Kid- 

 der hives, but very seldom found in a well-kept 

 apiary. In fact, I have never seen the disease, ex- 

 cept in neglected apiaries. The foremost bee-keep- 

 ers of Utah are young men, and you may hear of 

 something from us in the way of bee-keeping, in 

 the near future; but be that as it may, bee-keeping 

 in Utah has come to stay, and I predict that, in a 

 very few years, it will be quite a source of revenue 

 to the Territory. J. C. Swaner. 



Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 24, 1889. 



CARE OF COMB HONEY IN WINTER. 



HOW MUCH DOES IT DETERIORATE IF PROPERLY 

 CARED FOR? 



TTp GREAT many honey-producers seem to act 

 ?Mk on the belief that honey is a perishable prod- 



0B; uct, which must be placed on the market as 

 ■*^*- soon as possible after it is secured. Just as 

 soon as the honey is taken from the hives or at 

 least as soon as cold weather is at hand, they make 

 haste to ship it to commission merchants in some of 

 the large cities, cr to crowd it upon grocerymen of 

 their own neighborhood, far beyond their immedi- 

 ate needs. Various evils result from this. In the 

 first place, the markets are often so overcrowded 

 that prices are forced down below where they real- 

 ly belong and would remain if more wisdom had 

 been shown in disposing of the product. As it is, 

 these impatient and over-hasty sellers often fix the 

 price for the remainder of the season, causing loss 

 not only to themselves but to others. The offend- 

 ers in this direction are usually the small produc- 

 ers; but many large producers are not exempt 

 from the same charge. 



An objection that is perhaps more serious to this 

 careless way of disposing of a season's labor is the 

 fact that honey usually deteriorates very rapidlv 

 after it leaves the producer's hands. Comb honey 

 may be kept from one season until the next, unim- 

 paired in quality, but it requires some care and a 

 proper place for keeping it. The producer ought 

 to be able to supply these, while it is perhaps too 

 much to expect of the dealer. The average com- 

 mission store is a very poor place for storing comb 

 honey, and many grocery stores are not much bet- 



ter. It is almost needless to say to any honey- 

 producer, that honey should always be kept in as 

 dry a place as possible, because in a damp place it 

 soon absorbs moisture, and becomes thin and wa- 

 tery. The surface of comb honey "sweats," or be- 

 comes covered with drops of moisture, and the nice 

 white comb becomes dark and unattractive, owing 

 to the increase in bulk of the honey in the cells. 

 Sometimes the caps of the cells even burst from 

 this cause, and frequently the honey undergoes a 

 partial fermentation, and loses much of its sweet- 

 ness. The honey in unsealed cells and broken 

 places becomes so thin that it runs almost as readi- 

 ly as water when the comb is turned on its side, 

 daubing every thing beneath. 



All these results I have seen for myself. Once 

 while making a tour of inspection among the com- 

 mission houses of one of our large cities I came 

 across a large lot of honey, the producer of which 

 was known to me, and I knew that he had taken 

 unusual pains that his honey might reach the com- 

 mission merchant in the best condition possible. 

 There it was, stored in a cellar which, with its 

 damp, cold atmosphere, was of all places the most 

 unsuited for the proper keeping of honey. At an- 

 other place I found a large lot of honey in a room 

 intended for the cold storage of butter and eggs. 

 It was (or, rather, had been) an extra fine lot of 

 honey, and the merchant was taking extra pains 

 with it, as he supposed; but somehow, he said.it 

 was not keeping well. No wonder. It was worth 

 at least three cents a pound less than when it left 

 the producer's hands. Some may see in this a rea- 

 son why their honey sold for so much less than 

 they expected. 



This state of affair may perhaps be somewhat im- 

 proved by a little missionary work among commis- 

 sion men; but the producer must expect to bear 

 the brunt of it himself. In the first place, honey 

 should be prepared for market by a thorough ripen- 

 ing. This is best done by storing the honey in a 

 room which may be heated to about 100°, and kept 

 at that temperature as long as desired. An oil- 

 stove will be found an excellent arrangement for 

 heating the honey-closet, or, if the closet is small 

 and the weather not very severe, an ordinary large- 

 sized lamp will answer. Neither of these will re- 

 quire attention more than once or twice a day. 



This ripening process should begin as soon as all 

 the honey is removed from the hives and stored 

 away, and continue for several weeks. By this 

 means the honey is thoroughly ripened, and ac- 

 quires that rich pleasant taste so often remarked 

 as belonging to honey which has been left in the 

 hive for a long time. More than this, the honey in 

 all unsealed and broken cells is evaporated down 

 until it is so thick that it can not run from the cells. 

 Any one who has ever handled leaky and dripping 

 comb honey will appreciate the advantage of this. 

 "Your honey is always so clean and dry— no sticki- 

 ness about it," was the remark made tome not long 

 ago by a dealer of considerable experience. 



After the honey is once well-ripened it is scarcely 

 necessary to keep the room at this high tempera- 

 ture, although it would no doubt be advantageous. 

 Unless it is kept reasonably warm and dry all the 

 while, it should be warmed up whenever the weath- 

 er is very damp or very cold. If this is done, the 

 honey will not attract moisture, nor crack, as often 

 happens in very cold weather. If proper care is 

 taken in regard to temperature and dryness, comb 



