262 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



NOTES FEOM CANADA 



J. L. Byer, Markham, Ontario 



From numerous reports in late 

 issues of the Journal, as well as in 

 private letters to hand, I might be 

 doing- a bit of worryii,g about that 

 yard up north which I have not 

 seen since early in November, and 

 which is wintering mainly on aster 

 stores. Many are reporting bad results in 

 localities further south, where the bees have 

 had a cleansing flight. There are 250 colo- 

 nies in the yard in question; and as there 

 is no practical beekeeper right near the 

 bees to report conditions to me, I have not 

 the slightest idea how they are. I had pur- 

 posed to go up before this; but as the 

 distance is nearly 100 miles from my home, 

 and nothing except gratifying my curiosity 

 would be accomplished by the trip at pres- 

 ent, I have delayed going. I expect to go 

 there when the first warm spell comes along, 

 and will then report just how things are 

 for the benefit of the many who have made 

 inquiries. 



It is not often that the editor gives me 

 such an opening as that on page 176, March 

 1, when he tells of so many colonies being 

 dead. He says, " We found the clusters 

 actually starved to death with plenty of 

 stores within two combs distance, either on 

 one or both sides, because the weather re- 

 mained cold so continuously." It is easy to 

 explain the cause of this loss. There was 

 too much " winter nest." But, joking aside, 

 this is an illustration to prove the necessity 

 of having combs well filled to be sure of 

 successful wintering outdoors in a climate 

 as cold as here in Ontario— much colder, by 

 the way, than it is in Ohio. It is because 

 we have learned this fact by dear experience 

 that I would not be afraid to wager a good 

 deal that, among hundreds of colonies being 

 wintered outside by Sibbald and others, 

 none will be found in the condition so well 

 described by the editor. Bees seemingly 

 can move upward on stores, no matter how 

 cold the Aveatber is: but with steady cold 

 weather they cannot break cluster and move 

 sidewise. 



« « « 



April is the month in our latitude when 

 beginners often do harm to colonies by 

 handling them too often, many times in 

 unseasonable weather. As a matter of fact, 

 beginners are not the only ones who make 

 these mistakes. Generally speaking, if one 

 has the bees well protected, knows they have 



sufficient stores, etc., a let-alone policy is 

 the best by all means. Possibly there may 

 be a vei'y few exceptions, but they simply 

 prove the rule. Hundreds of good queens 

 are lost every spring by the colonies being 

 manipulated too early or at least too often. 

 At this time of the year, for some reason, 

 the bees are unduly solicitous as to the 

 queen's safety, and often on the slightest 

 disturbance they will ball her — something 

 that spells disaster for the colony at this 

 early date. I know it is very tempting on 

 a nice warm day in early spring to have a 

 look to see how that favorite queen is doing 

 — to see how many combs of brood the 

 colony has, and to see the fresh pollen ; but 

 better curb your curiosity till a later date 

 than to find, a few days later, when again 

 examining the brood-nest, that some stub- 

 by queen-cells are started, telling you that 

 the queen you were anxious about has 

 disappeared. 



On page 180, March 1, P. C. Chadwick 

 says the writer of these notes " complains " 

 because the bees have had no flight since the 

 last of October. I hasten to say that is not 

 quite correct — at least I hardly meant it 

 that way, even if what I said does sound 

 somewhat like a complaint. It is my honest 

 opinion that the man who is keeping bees 

 for a living will either develop the virtue 

 of patience or else become a confirmed 

 grouch; and while I am not any too pa- 

 tient at best, still I hope that I do not 

 qualify under the latter heading. I try not 

 to complain about things I am not respon- 

 sible for or have no control ovei' — the 

 weather comes under this list; and if I 

 wish to complain, there is always enough 

 material to draw from in connection with 

 things I am responsible for. 



P. C. Chadwick's bees may have too many 

 flights to suit him during the winter season 

 — if we can term any part of the year in 

 California under that heading; but when I 

 say that at this date — March 8 — our bees 

 have not yet had a flight, I venture to say 

 that he would sooner choose conditions as 

 they are with him than to change with us. 

 However, we are doing no worrying; and 

 if the bees have had no flight, we have had 

 a delightful winter, and the chances are 

 that we shall have enough bees left for 

 " seed " anyway. A few weeks at the most, 

 and we shall know the worst or the best as 

 the case may be. 



