GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



inverted over the frames and covered with 

 four thieknes;ses of newspapei', with a final 

 fold of sacking (see illustration). A wood- 

 (>n rim II/2 inches by the dimensions of the 

 hive permitted the use of the covers de- 

 scribed above. 



Others, again, were similarly i)acked ; but 

 the candy was of different composition. Tn 

 this ease the beet sugar was boiled for one 

 hour and twenty minutes, and some honey 



Duiiim ilii' wiiitrr the bees eoiisuiiUMl flie cainlv- an 

 comb. In fact, the cluster passed the winter sur 



was then added. When the syrup was al- 

 most cold it was rapidly beaten into a fine 

 creamy consistency and allowed to cake in 

 shallow paper dishes. These were then 

 given to the bees as mentioned above. 



We again varied the treatment with an- 

 other group. A number of new Hoffman 

 frames (wired as for foundation) were laid 

 out on greased paper, and a mixture of 

 sugar and the white of an egg was theri 

 poured in and- permitted to harden. (This 

 candy was compounded of warm beet sugar 

 whisked up with the white of an egg (albu- 

 men) into a creamy batter, and was very 

 similar in ai)]iearance to the icing of a 

 cake.) These Hoffman frames of candy 

 were placed in the brood-nests withour 

 packing of any kind. 



Here are the results of our observations 

 in epitomized form : 



Grroup 1. — Colonies wintered on honey 

 consumed about 9 lbs. of food, and con- 

 tained a small patch of eggs. 



Group 2. — Colonies on plain sugar cage 

 consumed 5 lbs. of food, and most had a 

 small lot of eggs. 



Group 3. — Colonies on sugar and honey 

 consumed 4 lbs. of food, and possessed eggs 

 and brood. 



Group 4. — Colo- 

 nies on sugar and 

 I'gg consumed 3I2 

 lbs. of food, and built 

 new comb into the 

 space so made. This 

 new comb contained 

 eggs and brood, a 

 ]ihotograph of which 

 accompanies this ar- 

 ticle. 



To test the egg- 

 diet in another direc- 

 tion we gave some of 

 the egg candy to col- 

 onies in gi'oup 3 with 

 the result that brood-raising progi'essed 

 marvelously. Up to time of writing there 

 is no new comb in any other hives. I'^.xcept 

 that the continental war has dislocated food 

 stutfs we should certainly have presci'ibed 

 an egg diet for the whole apiary. 



We omitted mentioning that on odd days 

 all the colonies gatliered a little honey from 

 the cider gum {Eucalyptus Gunmi). Al- 

 though we have tried both cane and beet 

 sugar we have discovered nothing. Tlie 

 bees apparently do as well on ore as on 

 the other. 1 have in mind the British objec- 

 tions to beet sugar. In England the beet 

 sugar was of German manufacture. Tn 

 Australia it is made under the supervision 

 of a Californian (Dyer). Would this make 

 any difference'? 



Briagolong, Victoria. Australia. 



fl built small i)ii'i-i>s of new 

 ■rounded bv tandv stores. 



COLOKADO PRODUCERS DISCUSS COSTS, GRADING, AND EFFICIENCY 



T'.Y WESLEY FOSTER 



The annual meeting of The Colorado 

 Honey-] )roducers' Association was held at 

 the Auditorium Hotel, Denver, Dee. 28, 29, 

 1914. Some of those placed on the program 

 could not be present, but their subjects were 

 handled by others, and by ])articipants in 

 the general discussion. 



The experience of a luimber of beekeepers 

 in buying queens was given, and on the 

 whole it seemed to be highly unsatisfactory; 



but several admitted thai th ■; Ihoughl il 

 should not be given up. because, once in a 

 while, a vdry valuable queen is secured. 



The question of the cost of producing 

 comb and extracted honey aroused active 

 discussion, and pencils were used by many 

 in figuring the estimates of the different 

 speakers. One phase of the cost concerned 

 the depreciation that should be fi.snired on 

 an automobile the first year. The figui'es 



