756 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Polk County beekeepers' picnic, July 14, 1915, held at the apiary of N. J. Harris, 

 Highland Park, Des Moines, la. 



deep. Tliat ended the frost on the ceiling, 

 but the tempeiatuve was still too low, so I 

 put a small stove in one corner of my cellar, 

 letting' a stovepipe through a Avindow. This 

 raised the temperature and dried out the 

 '•ellar. The temperature then stood at 43 

 most of the winter. I did not use the stove 

 after the dampness was removed. 



The bees wintered in fine condition witii- 

 out the loss of a single colony. However, 

 after removing them from tlie cellar I lost 

 six. Three of these were queenless. Two 



were robbed out, and the bees of one drift- 

 ed, as it was a veiy windy day wlien 1 set 

 them out. 



I swept iip one. bushel of bees from the 

 cellar floor. A few showed signs of dysen- 

 tery. I do not think dampness is destruc- 

 tive to bees at a temperature of 45 degrees, 

 with a good current of air. There was quite 

 a bit of brood-rearing- in all the colonies, 

 so they were practically as strong when 

 taken out as they were when put in the 

 cellar. 



Fairfield, la,, April 23. 



IOWA BEEKEEPERS' PICNIC 



BY F. C. SCRANTON 



There were about 65 in attendance at the 

 picnic of the Pclk County Beekeepers' 

 Association. 



Dr. Pammell and Prof. Bartholomew, 

 both from Am^es, and Mr. Pellett, state bee 

 iiisi)ector, gave very instructive and inter- 

 esting talks. The beekee^Ders were very for- 

 tunate in having these three men in attend- 

 ance. Miss Vessie Clow entertained with a 

 fine reading, as did also Arthur Wright. 

 J. W. Schlenker, of Ankeny, gave a demon- 

 stration in shaking. C. E. Dustman, of Des 

 Moines, had a fine lot of queen-cells in 

 vai'ious stages. Mrs. Long-worth, the vice- 

 president, presided in the absence of John 

 Schweer, the president. 



Two things the Polk County Beekeepers' 

 Association can be given credit for are, 

 securing recognition of beekeepers' associa- 



tions in the State Fair Premium List, and 

 securing a deputy county inspector for 

 Polk County. Just as soon as Inspector 

 Pellett saw the need for the inspector in 

 this vicinity he decided to appoint a man 

 for the work. 



The object of the association is the en- 

 couragement of good fellowship among the 

 beekeepers, educating tlie public in the use 

 of honey, thereby increasing the demand, 

 co-operation, and betterment in all direc- 

 tions. Probably the hardest thing we will 

 find to cope with will be the securing of 

 better prices as there always seem to be a 

 few beekeepers in every locality wlio will 

 dispose of their crop at any figure they can 

 secure of it ; but we can accomplish a great 

 deal by united and determined effort for 

 betterment in this line. 



Des Moines. Iowa. 



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