136 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



wooden paddle is superior to a spoon in 

 stirring or beating the candy. A confec- 

 tioner's thermometer is an advantage. 



As soon as the sugar has begun to dis- 

 solve, prior to boiling, remove the paddle 

 from the kettle, and do not stir while cook- 

 ing. To do so will cause a coarse grain. 

 Remove and cool to 125 to 130 degrees F.. 

 when the specified boiling-point has been 

 reached. Then stir it vigorously until the 

 mass appears in color and consistency like 

 boiled starch or paste. At once pour into 

 feeders and cool. 



FINE-GRAINED CONTENTS FOR QUEEXLESS 

 CAGES. 



Another way to cool the candy is to 

 prepare a marble slab with bars of square 

 iron, making a form. The candy may be 

 poured upon the marble, and with broad 

 putty-knives the mass may be l^eaten or 

 worked upon the marble. This produces a 

 finer grain^ and usually a firmer and whiter 

 fondant for use in queen-mailing cages or 

 the transportation of bees. 



By varying the boiling-point at which the 

 cancly is removed from the stove its hardness 

 may be controlled. Furthermore, it should 

 be boiled to one or two degrees higher on 

 cloudy or gloomy days than on dry days. 



STORING THE CANDY. 



The fondant is best stored in a covered 

 earthen crock which preserves the normal 

 moisture. Over the mass should be placed 

 a sheet of paraffin paper upon which is a 

 moist cloth or towel. Queen-cage candy 

 should always be kept in this way to pi-e- 

 sen-e its consistency. 



REMAKING THE CANDY. 



If at any time the candy harden.s it may 

 be softened by the application of a few 

 drops of water, and may be recooked by the 

 addition of a small amount of water, and 

 boiling as before. 



Bees from the Akron Swamp Inclined 

 to Show Dysentery 



Our readers will remember that last fall 

 we carried several yards of bees to points 

 about thirty miles east of us, in the vicinity 

 of that 1000-acre swamp — see pp. 570. 614. 

 702. 747. 791, and 920, last year's volume. 



Tt will be recalled also that our bees 

 gathered considerable aster hone3^ Mr. 

 Halter who had them in charge mentioned 

 the fact that colonies supplied with this 

 food were inclined to show dysentery 

 through the Avinter. There have been many 

 other similar rei)orls. Tt is not always that 

 aster honey does this; but fearing that it 

 might do so we moved most of the bees that 

 had been reared in and near the Akron 



swamps to Virginia. Thei'e were, however, 

 about forty colonies that we kept at home 

 for the purpose of experiment. The greater 

 portion of these we ])ut in our upper bee- 

 cellar, and a part of them are showing dys- 

 entery already, and some are as good as 

 dead. We are thanking our stars that we 

 moved practically all the colonies with aster 

 stores to Virginia, where they are having 

 almost daily flights ; for be it remembered 

 that, when we examined these bees in Janu- 

 ary, there were no traces of dysentery. 



GREENHOUSE FOR CURING COLO.MES AFFECTED 

 WITH DYSENTERY 



For the purpose of experiment we are 

 placing some of these colonies that have 

 dysentery as a result of the aster stores in 

 a small greenhouse in the hope that we can 

 save them. 



Early last winter we had one colony 

 showing slight signs of dysentery. This we 

 placed upstairs in our office building, in a 

 warm room. In front of it, to catch the 

 flight of the bees, we ]ilaced one of our 

 regular wire-cloth cages that we use Avhen 

 a colony is attacked by robbers. This is 4 

 feet long, 2 feet high, ai d 2 feet wide. 

 Many of the bees actually did fly out into 

 this and discharge fheir feces. Some of 

 them returned, but the most of them worried 

 themselves on the wire cloth and died. There 

 must be a couple of i^ounds of dead bees 

 lying on the floor of the cage. Examination 

 of the hive this morning, Feb. 10, showed 

 quite a cluster of nice bees; and although 

 this colony has been in a warm room con- 

 tinuously it shows no signs of dysentery. 

 As a cure for the malady it worked well, but 

 as a wintering proposition it can hardly be 

 called a success. 



But possibly a cage like tliis may be used, 

 or, better, a greenhouse, to let some colonies 

 from the cellar afflicted with dysentery clean 

 up in the absence of any warm flight days. 

 We will give our readers a little later the 

 benefit of our experiments. 



By the way, our bees, with the exceptions 

 noted, some 300 colonies, are wintering nice- 

 ly in our cellars. 



Oh, yes! another exception should he 

 noted: and that is. that bees for exhibition 

 purposes that have been on display in the 

 windows of drugstores and groceries to 

 advertise honej' are practically good foi' 

 nothing when brought back. These were 

 l>ut into the cellar, thinking we might save 

 ihem; but the general disturbance and ex- 

 citement of several days of exhibition got 

 them so demoi'alized that they kept on with 

 their uneasiness until they all died off. We 

 have concluded that exhibition bees, after 

 they have served the purpose of advertising, 

 are practically a total loss. 



