GleamSnigs aim Bee Cualtere 



Published by The A. 1. Root Co., Medina, Ohio 



A. I. Root. Kditor Hoiiii' Di'iiartinent .1. T. CAi.viUiT, Business Mjinjitcer 



H. H. KooT, Manasiiis Kditor K. K. Root, Editor A. 1^. Bovden, Advertising Mamisoi-. 



Entered at the Postotlice, Medina, Ohio, as second-class matter 



VOL. XLIIL 



FEBRUARY 15, 1915 



NO. 4 



EDETOEEAL 



Be sure to rake the entrances of outdoor 

 colonies clear of dead bees. Tf the entrance 

 clogs the colony will die. 



Queen-cage Candy Made out of Iini= 

 vert Siugar 



The ordinary queen-cage candy that has 

 been used for so many years is a mixture of 

 l>owdered cane sugar and honey, mixed into 

 a stiff dough ; but on account of the danger 

 of carrying bee disease we have thought tliat 

 we might use invert sugar instead, since 

 boiling to prevent infection spoils it for bee 

 feed as befoi-e explained. We have been 

 making up some candy made with invert su- 

 gar, and so far it looks all right. If it can be 

 used as a substitute for honey it will elim- 

 inate all i)ossibility of transmitting bee 

 disease in queen-cages. 



The Editor's Whirlwind Western Trip 



About the time this journal is on its way, 

 the editor will be making a trip through the 

 great West. We will go to Denver to attend 

 the National convention, and from that 

 point we will move on to the great North- 

 west, taking in Idaho Falls and vicinity. 

 From here we will go to Portland, San 

 Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Impe- 

 rial A'alley, Cal., we hear so much about ; 

 Phoenix. Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; St. 

 Louis, Mo., and then on home, arriving at 

 Medina about the 15th of March. It will be 

 a whirlwind of a trip, but the object is to 

 get data for Gleanings. We have not been 

 through the West since 1901, and the result 

 of that trip wa.s to make material modifica- 

 tions of some instructions in our ABC and 

 X Y Z of Bee Culture. Oftentimes a method 

 or practice that will work in the East will 

 not work in the West. 



Honey for Baking Purposes 



Before the present war began there was 

 an artificial product that was coming in as 

 a sharp competitor of the cheaper honey for 



baking purposes, namely, invert sugar. This 

 is made by heating cane sugar with some 

 acid^generally tartaric — to invert it. Of 

 course, when invert sugar is cheaper than 

 hone}', it will be used by bakers very large- 

 ly ; but the sharp advance in the price of 

 cane sugar or granulated sugar put invert 

 sugar so high that bakers could not use it, 

 and hence they have been going back to 

 honey. As a general rule, invert sugar will 

 be about a cent a pound higher than gran- 

 ulated sugar. When granulated sugar was 

 4 cents invert sugar would be 5 cents. Be- 

 fore the Great War there was very little 

 honey of any grade that could be bought at 

 that i^rice, and hence- many bakers were 

 using the artitieial product. The tables are 

 turned (thanks to the war) in our favor 

 now. 



mg in 

 Cellars 



A GOOD many of our subscribers have been 

 skeptical about the possibilities of building 

 up a weak colony in the cellar to a fair 

 colony by spring. Some of our best beekeep- 

 ers say it cannot be done. Some others 

 believe that E. R. R. has allowed his en- 

 thusiasm to run away with his judgment. 

 Still others aver that any and all kinds of 

 feeding in the cellar stimulate activity; 

 activity reacts, causing more eating, and 

 overeating causes dysentery, and dysentery 

 causes deatli. But, nevertheless, we have 

 demonstrated that we have been able to do 

 tliis kind of feeding, and cause the bees to 

 breed and build up in the cellar. Mr. Rea, 

 in this issue, page 150, shows how this is 

 done. The bees in the cellar tliat have been 

 fed since the 9th of January, and up to the 

 present date, Feb. 10, have been breeding, 

 are dry and clean, and show no traces what- 

 soever of dysentery. But it is important lo 

 liave the candy right. Syrup or any liquid 

 food will not answer. The candy must be 

 hard enough and soft enougli so that the 

 food supply will come regularly and contin- 

 noiislif. A candy that is not just right will 

 spoil I he whole thing. To be frank, we have 



