26 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTliRE 



the extra expense of running the heavy 

 truck. 



This truck can be run into a beeyard, and 

 loaded or unloaded without any fear about 

 stinging horses; and there are not many 

 days in summer when rain prevents its use. 



We used the Hodgson wire-cloth bee- 

 escape boards this season, as before stated, 

 thus doing away with all brushing and shak- 

 ing of bees from the combs of honey, and 

 extracted the honey from seven apiaries at 

 two points. If the honey crop had been any 

 thing like a normal one, of, say, 50 lbs. to 

 the colony, it would likely have paid us 

 better to move the honey-extractor to the 

 honey instead of moving the honey to the 

 extractor. 



Another use for the truck is to transport 

 the Avorkers from home to outyards. From 

 the accompanying illustration it will be seen 



we had quite a number of learners and 

 workers — one each from New York, Penn- 

 sylvania, Jamaica, Cuba, Wales, and three 

 from Ontario, Canada. The one from Wales 

 and a lady from Ontario do not appear in 

 the engraving. 



THE FRICTION-DRIVE EXTRACTOR. 



While on the subject let me say we sub- 

 stituted for the bevel gears on the twelve- 

 frame extractor a friction drive, and also 

 ordered another with this equipment. We 

 found a wonderful improvement in the run- 

 ning of the extractor. A great advantage 

 is that the honey-pump runs all the time, 

 keeping the bottom of the extractor always 

 in view. The extractor, too, can be operated 

 with less trouble. Every power extractor 

 sliould be operated by means of friction. 



Rrantford, Canada. 



BY M. T. CALCUTT 



I have noticed in Gleanings for several 

 years past more or less discussion regarding 

 that peculiar disease known as bee paraly- 

 sis. It is to me the most peculiar of all bee 

 diseases I am acquainted with. I have had 

 my experience with American foul brood, 

 but am no longer alarmed over its visit to 

 my apiary as I have learned how to handle 

 it successfully. Bee paralysis I have also 

 been visited with, and have successfully 

 coped with it, so I do not dread its call, 

 although I am not hankering after future 

 visits. But I am not sorry for the visit I 

 have already had, because I am somewhat 

 like that grand old beekeeper, Dr. C. C. 

 Miller. I have had more than my share of 

 enjoyment attending to the bees, overcoming 

 their affliction, and keeping them out of 

 fheir difficulty; so, as A. I. Root says, it is 

 a great satisfaction to feel that you are able 

 to conquer the difficulties that are presented. 

 It has always been my hobby to tackle some- 

 thing that people say cannot be done. Our 

 pleasure lies in demonstrating that it can 

 be done if we only have the patience to go 

 ahead and do it. 



Now, Mr. Editor-, let us take a good look 

 at this strange disease and see w4iat is the 

 matter. Some say it is due to the honey 

 they gather, and some say it occurs only in 

 lot weather. Others tell us it is due to the 

 queen, and that requeening is what we must 

 do to get rid of it. Now, I have found that 

 they are all wrong. It is not due to the 

 honey they gather at all, as I have had bees 

 afflicted when Ihey did not gather any honey, 



nor had they anything but white-sugar 

 syrup. Then, again, I have cured them 

 without any change in the queen. Now, N. 

 L. Stapleton, of Colquitt, Ga., page 723, 

 Oct. 15, 1913, will say, "Yes, but you had 

 a suspension of brood-rearing." No, not at 

 all. The queen kept right on laying, and 

 Ihc cure was elfeeted just the same. 



What is the cause of it? The bees become 

 lollen-clogged; and unless they are relieved 

 they will die. How can they be relieved? 

 If they are not storing honey in the supers, 

 just give them a cascaret dissolved in a 

 little water and mix the same in a jelly-glass 

 of sugar syrup, 1 to 1. It is well to rej^eat 

 this for three or four days according to the 

 size of the colony, then the trick is done. 



Now let me add that I fully agree with 

 Mr. Stapleton in all he says, with the excep- 

 tions as here stated. A discontinuance of 

 brood-rearing will also effect the cure. If 

 they are storing honey in the super this is 

 the proper method to cure the disease. 



Some writer has said we cannot cure it 

 and get a surplus the same year. Now, this 

 is wrong again, for I am doing it right 

 now. To explain, last spring I had a colony 

 badly affected. They were pulling them out 

 by the hundreds, and thoy were hopping in 

 all directions. As they crawled around they 

 resembled laying queens. One would think 

 they would burst, so distended were tlieir 

 abdomens. This colony was on a Hand 

 switch bottom-board, so I put the queen 

 into the empty hive with a frame of brood, 



