iVLVY, 1919 



G L)': A X T N a S IN BEE C II L T U R E 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



able for a distanco of about seven miles. 

 The evaporation was very little, but the 

 amount the bees would use per day was sur- 

 juising, being something like 20 gallons per 

 100 colonies. Just as the buckwheat ceased 

 to furnish nectar, such increase as desired 

 was made and the apiaries moved to the 

 wheat fields for the blue curl. Here it was 

 also necessary to haul water. In ordinary 

 years considerable surplus honey would be 

 gathered, but ^ freak rain early in the fall, 

 just when most of the little plants were in 

 blossom, stopped the honey flow completely. 

 Corona, Calif. L. L. Andrews. 



* * * 



In Minnesota The beekeepers in the 



southeastern part or 

 the State held their annual meeting at 

 Winona March 12 and 13. The meetings of 

 this association are always interesting and 

 profitable. Eeports showed that the honey 

 crop of last year was very far below the 

 average, but all present seemed to think 

 that the prospects for the coming season 

 are excellent. The annual picnic will be 

 held at Homer sometime in August. Several 

 beekeepers in that locality have been ex- 

 periencing the loss of young queens; that 

 is, queens reared the previous fall. These 

 queens die at the beginning of the honey flow. 

 L. A. Stickney of Minnesota City reported 

 that in 1916 he lost 14 per cent of all the 

 queens in his apiary. In 1917 he lost 40 

 per cent and in 1918 the loss was 23 per 

 cent. As a result of his experiments he 

 believes that this loss can be checked by 

 requeening from colonies that have not su- 

 perseded their queens for two years. But 

 why the loss? Can any one throw any light 

 on the subject? 



The Hennepin County Association held 

 an "experience" meeting on March 27. The 

 subject was wintering. The majority re- 

 ported that their bees had been more restless 

 than usual, but none reported severe losses. 

 Those who had fed sugar reported better re- 

 sults than those who depended on honey 

 alone. It was the unanimous verdict of 

 those present that it is wise to feed not less 

 than 10 pounds of sugar syrup in the fall 

 after the aster flow is over. 



Thru the hearty co-operation of the bee- 

 keepers of the State an amendment to the 

 State apiary law has been secured, which 

 provides for the traveling expenses of the 

 state inspector. This will make it possible 

 for him to hold meetings in various parts 

 of the State, speaking on the subject of bee 

 diseases, giving demonstrations, and in a 

 special way emphasizing the educational 

 part of the work, which is acknowledged by 

 all to be very important. However, there 

 seems to be a tendency on the part of some 

 to overwork the educational idea. But ex- 

 perience teaches that the inspector must be 

 more than an educational officer, for, while 



all beekeepers ought to be instructed how 

 to diagnose and treat boo diseases, some 

 would not obey the instructions or even al- 

 low an inspector on their premises, were it 

 not for the persuasive influences of wise 

 legislation which provides a penalty for dis- 

 obedience. Chas. D. Blaker. 

 Minneapolis, Minn. 



In Michigan.—^" !fP°r^ \'' ^^ """"H 



o in the March issue of 



Gleanings regarding the possibility of in- 

 vestigating the cost of producing honey un- 

 der the various conditions presented in 

 Michigan, I am sorry to report that at this 

 time only two beekeepers have written re- 

 garding it, one of them being an Indiana 

 producer. If this may be considered an 

 index of our interest in the subject, I as- 

 sure you it will not be mentioned again by 

 me. 



During the last two years a large number 

 of comi:)laints have been received regarding 

 the poisoning of bees by arsenical sprays. 

 During the same period, it is known that 

 the so-called "disappearing disease" has 

 appeared in various parts of the State. In 

 order that beekeepers may know positively 

 whether or not arsenical poisoning is the 

 cause of the trouble, the College is now pre- 

 pared to make analyses of bees for arsenic. 

 There is no charge for this work. In sending 

 in bees, an ounce is sufficient. 



On April 11 and 12, there will be held at 

 Three Rivers, St. Joseph Co., the first two- 

 day Beekeepers' School to be held outside 

 of the College. Beekeepers cannot all come 

 to the College for Short Courses, so the plan 

 is to take the College Short Course (in an 

 abbreviated form) to the beekeepers. This 

 Beekeepers ' School is being arranged for 

 jointly by County Agent J. M. Wendt and 

 the St. Joseph County Beekeepers' Associa- 

 tion. The School will be put on for the 

 present only in counties having a county 

 agent or a local beekeepers' association 

 which is willing to take the matter in 

 charge and arrange the necessary details. 

 This requirement is made because our ex- 

 tension agent, Mr. Ewell, has so many de- 

 mands upon his time that he cannot afirord 

 to spend the time necessary for making local 

 arrangements and advertising. 



Some of our beekeepers practice rearing 

 some queens in their own yards from certain 

 selected mothers. Most beekeepers prefer 

 to purchase queens because of the work in- 

 volved in rearing them. Such beekeepers 

 could without great trouble maintain a 

 drone-rearing colony headed by their best 

 queen. The next best queen could be used 

 for queen-rearing. But why rear drones? 

 For the very useful purpose of Italianizing 

 the bees of the vicinity. Good drones are 

 of more importance in general for breeding 



