262 



September, 1912. 



American Vae Journal 



to odor. Of course, Zander was re- 

 ferring to some of the good German 

 varieties of cheese when he makes this 

 comparison." 



I.s Bordeaux Mixture Poisonous 

 to Bees? 



In the Agricultural Gazette, of New 

 South Wales, quoted in Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture for June 15, one apiarist 

 sustains the harmlessness of spraying 

 blossoms in regard to the bees. He 

 reports that, in his experience, neither 

 the Bordeaux mixture nor the subse- 

 quent arsenate of lead had any affect 

 upon the bees, when they worked upon 

 the bloom. 



It may be opportune to state in this 

 connection that the Bordeaux mixture, 

 when unmixed with arsenates or other 

 poisons, is of itself comparatively harm- 

 less. Those who have had occasion to 

 use it know that its copper taste makes 

 it extremely unpalatable. The least 

 quantity of it upon fruit or blossom 

 would render the juices unfit to use on 

 account of its extreme bitterness. Be- 

 sides, the sulphate of copper and lime, 

 which enter its composition, can hardly 

 be listed as poisonous by the side of 

 the arsenic or other insect poisons 

 usually employed. The Bordeaux mix- 

 ture is of value only upon fungi, like 

 the black-rot, but is harmless to insects 

 unless they are literally soaked with it. 



Concerning this question, we read 

 the following in L'Apiculteur of Paris, 

 June, 1912, over the signature of the 

 renowned Dr. Carton : 



" Having a large area devoted to grapes in 

 my garden, near my apiary. I made divers 

 observations upon this matter. The addi- 

 tion of sugar to the sulphate solution in- 

 creases its adherence to the leaves of the 

 vines, so that the first rain storm may not 

 dissolve and remove the mi.xture. Usually 

 molasses is used in doses of 5 grams per 

 liter of solution. I have added totheanti- 

 cryptogamic solutions different sweet prep- 

 arations, first molasses, then pure sugar. 

 During the past two years I have even used 

 honey in the copper solution, and have never 

 seen anv bees upon it." 



On the other hand, there is no doubt 

 that the arsenical preparations are in- 

 jurious to all insects, bees included. 



Feeding Sugar to Bees 



It is possible that it will to some ex- 

 tent always seem, at least in some 

 places, a matter of necessity to feed 

 more or less sugar. Better to feed 

 sugar than to let the bees starve, or to 

 winter them on honey that will kill 

 them. But. on some accounts, it would 

 be better if no sugar were ever fed to 

 bees. There is always danger of the 

 suspicion that when sugar is fed it is 

 with the intention of having it go into 

 the surplus. However good sugar may 

 be for bees as a food for winter, it can- 

 not compare with honey as the proper 

 food to be used for brood-rearing. 



Neither is there the gain linancially 

 that some imagine in replacing honey 

 with sugar. On paper it looks like a 

 good thing. Say sugar can be bought 

 at 5 cents a pound, and honey can be 

 sold at I'l cents. A pound of sugar 

 goes farther than a pound of honey, 

 and if 20 pounds of honey be extracted 

 from the brood-chamber and replaced 

 with 2i) pounds of sugar, isn't that a 

 clear gain of one dollar per colony ? 



But it is by no means certain that zcilh 

 bees a pound of sugar goes as far as a 

 pound of honey. Certain it is that at 

 all times except /« icinler the honey is 

 better for them, as already suggested, 

 and even in winter, honey of good 

 quality may be better food. Besides, 

 there is a considerable loss in feeding. 

 So when these things are considered, 

 and the time reckoned that is taken for 

 extracting and feeding, the dollar per 

 colony would be dearly earned. 



face of the top-bars is clean. To keep 

 the bees out of the way, an assistant 

 plays smoke "ver the top bars. The 

 editor of the South African Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Journal commends the carbolic 

 cloth to drive the bees down. This 

 would at least have the advantage that 

 one person could do the work, although 

 possibly one alone might get along 

 with the smoke. 



Improvement in Bees 



It is hardly necessary to say that the 

 Editor does not accept responsibility 

 for the opinions expressed in con- 

 tributed articles. 



In the current number Mr. A. F. 

 Bonney, of Iowa, and Mr. Slayden, of 

 England, hold opposite sides in an 

 argument on the improvement of the 

 bee. Mr. Bonney, who shows deep 

 thinking and a thorough education, 

 writes entertainingly against the possi- 

 bility of improving the bees. Among 

 other things he says that " industry is 



Queen-Candy Witliout Honey 



Nowadays one who ships queens by 

 mail must have an inspector's certifi- 

 cate of inspection or else make affidavit 

 before a notary that the honey used in 

 mailing-cages is boiled. In the Bee- 

 Keepers' Review it is suggested that it 

 is not necessary to use honey at all in 

 queen-candy. At least one queen- 

 breeder is using candy that has no 

 honey in it. "Syrup is made of granu- 

 lated sugar, and then powdered sugar 

 is added to make the dough. To pre- 

 vent crystallizing he adds a little glyc- 

 erine." It is simply a matter of using 

 sugar-syrup instead of honey, and the 



One of the Scenes Which Help Make Sandpoint Attractive— Lake I^en d'Okeille 

 (See Mr. York's article, page 276.) 



not a transmittable attribute, and that 

 man is the only industrious animal 

 alive." The Editor takes an opposite 

 view. As Mr. Slayden argues, the fact 

 that there are variations in the industry 

 of the bee is evidence that there is 

 possibility of improvement. 



addition of glycerine to the syrup 

 gives to the syrup the quality of honey 

 as to non-crystallization. Acid might 

 do as well as glycerine. 



Cleaning ott' Top-Bars 



Bees are likely to build more or less 

 bur combs above top-bars. Some think 

 this a good thing to encourage them 

 more readily to pass iiitn the super. 



more readily 

 while m;i , . 

 combs scrape 



. .. . _ _. ._ pass lUUI LIIC MipCl, 



while many prefer to have these bur 



:d off when thev become 

 c ,.,.„„ fu;«i. ;* ,^„.,,- 



Age of Swarming Bees 



In these days of artificial increase 

 there is danger that the behavior of a 

 natural swarm may be forgotten, h'di- 

 tor Herrod, of the British Bee Journal, 

 is giving a series of excellent talks un- 

 der the heading, "Helpful Hints for 

 Novices." In one of them he says that 

 one of the things the novice should 

 always remember is that "it is the old 

 queen and the old bees which consti- 

 tute a natural swarm." Bro. Herrod, if 

 you will visit some cottager at the time 

 when he is having a swarm, you may 

 revise your opinion. If British bees 

 deport themselves in the same way as 

 .American, you will find in the swarm 

 old stagers with ragged wings, and 

 from that down to those which have 

 scarcely flown before. In the mother 



