GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



NOTE 



OM CANADA 



The common dandelion is one of 

 the hardiest plants in our latitude. 

 About Xov. 18 we had a cold snap 

 Idi- two days in which the ther- 

 iiiDraeter dropped to zero for a 

 low hours. Early in December, on 

 a mild but by no means warm day 

 J noticed quite a few dandelions in full 

 bloom on a southern hillside. There had 

 been no snow, and I was surprised to find 

 the bloom withstanding the recent zero 

 temperature. 



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I am intei'ested in the discussion regard- 

 ing the comparative value of late swamp 

 pasturage as compared with feeding honey 

 or sugar to build up small colonies in good 

 condition for wintering. One factor has not 

 been mentioned, wliieh would have a great 

 bearing on the success of such experiments 

 here in Ontario. The colonies fed in early 

 fall on good sugar syrup would be almost 

 sure to winter if given any ordinary protec- 

 tion, no matter how severe a season might 

 follow. On the other hand, experience has 

 shown that, taking one year with another, 

 late fall honey such as aster and goldenrod, 

 are very uncertain provisions indeed in so 

 far as the wintering of the colonies having 

 this honey is concerned; consequently there 

 is no question but that it will pay us best, 

 when occasion so requires, to depend upon 

 the artificial feeding instead of moving to 

 fall pasture. By fall pasture I have in 

 mind any honey coming in after September 

 in oiir locality. Buckwheat with us has 

 generally proven a good wintering food ; 

 and when it has seemed to give trouble, 

 generally the presence of some honey-dew 

 would explain matters. 



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When sending (lotes for the Dec. 1st issue 

 1 mentioned the fact that October and early 

 November were unusually mild for our 

 locality. As usual, one extreme follows an- 

 other, as the saying goes, and we have had. 

 since about Nov. 12, steady cold weather. 

 To-night, Dec. 14, the thermometer is stand- 

 ing at 2 below zero, and a heavy wind is 

 blowing from the northwest. Bees have had 

 no flight to speak of since the last of Octo- 

 ber", which is quite different from the record 

 of the past two years when flights occurred 

 in early December. 



Naturally this means a longer confinement 

 for the bees wintering outdoors, assuming 

 that spririg flights come about the same time 



as other years. This may or may not mean 

 quite a difference in wintering prospects, 

 especially where the bees are wintering on 

 natural stores of quality none too good, as 

 a late fall flight often means the saving of 

 many colonies that would otherwise suffer 

 if the flight were not available. We are 

 especially concerned about the large apiary 

 wintering on stores, much of which consists 

 of aster honey gathered in September. Not 

 having a late cleansing flight I would not be 

 surprised" if the loss might be heavy. But 

 there is no use in borrowing trouble; and, 

 for all one knows, perhaps we may yet gel 

 a " January thaw." 



LOCALITY, AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE FLOW 

 OF BUCKWHEAT. 



The much abused term " locality," after 

 all, does have a great deal to do in explain- 

 ing differences that are otherwise unexj^lain- 

 able. For instance, if a beekeeper would 

 have told me that buckwheat yields in the 

 morning, then stops and again yields to- 

 ward evening, if I did not know my infor- 

 mant well, would either question his veracitj' 

 or think his powers of observation were out 

 out joint. But on page 834, Nov. 1, the 

 editor says that this is a fact in New York. 

 Of course I believe the statement, even when 

 I am positive that bees never get nectar 

 from buckwheat here in Ontario after it 

 stops yielding about noon, as it always does 

 with us, except on damj? warm days when 

 the sun is partially obscured, when it may 

 yield till 3 or 4 P. M. It is all a question of 

 locality, and the vagaries of this same factor 

 should make us a bit more charitable some- 

 times, instead of questioning too much the 

 experience of some one which seems so 

 diametrically opposed to our experience as 

 to be unbelievable. [In this '' locality " bees 

 never work on buckwheat more than two 

 or three hours in the morning, and again an 

 hour or two in the late afternoon. The 

 explanation is, too many bees for the amount 

 of flora. In tlie Slate of New York, if we 

 remember correctly, there were places wheie 

 the conditions were about the same as those 

 you re]")orl ; but in most places the rnl» 

 seemed to be about the .«anie as in and near 

 Medina.— Ei).] 



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Owing to rural routes being esiablished 

 in our section, my postoflHce is now Mark- 

 ham instead of Mount Joy. Those writing 

 me will kindly note the change. 



