490 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



August, 1919 



to learn; and, if they do not learn it, they 

 will lose out and that right speedily. 



One of the problems that the migratory 

 beekeeper encounters is the behavior of the 

 queens. We will say he moves his bees from 

 Idaho, where the winters are cold, down into 

 some location in southern California. The 

 queens that went thru strenuous service in 

 the northern locality, but which have had 

 onlj' a very short rest, begin breeding again. 

 They may, in fact, lay every month in the 

 year. The result is, their vitality is exhaust- 

 ed by the time of year they ought to be do- 

 ing heavy duty in egg-laj'ing. The remedy 

 is, of course, to requeen, and that costs mon- 

 ey. When he ought to requeen is often the 

 time when he can not get queens. 



Again, there are wintering problems in 

 tropical and semi-tropical States just as 

 there are wintering problems in the North. 

 Bees in the Southland require more watch- 

 ful care than bees in the North; and we 

 have sometimes said that it is more difficult 

 to keep bees in a semi-tropical than in a 

 temperate climate. 



Again, the question of bee disease is much 

 worse in semi-tropical than in temperate cli- 

 mates; and this is especially true of Euro- 

 pean foul brood. While the treatment is es- 

 sentially the same in both climates, the 

 problem of handling and curing is greater. 



The bee-moth proposition is not a serious 

 one. in northern climates, for the reason that 

 the cold winters kill off the eggs and larvae. 

 In semi-tropical climates these pests thrive 

 the year round, and woe betide the combs 

 that are left entirely exposed. Thousands of 

 dollars' worth are wasted every year in 

 warm States for beekeepers who are careless 

 enough to leave their stuff around. 



While bee nature is the sariie in all cli- 

 mates, to a certain extent that same bee na- 

 ture is modified; and unless the producer 

 modifies his methods of management he will 

 lose out. 



AT THIS TIME it is a little premature to 

 forecast what the white-clover crop will be 

 this season; but re- 

 Honey-crop ports at present 



Conditions. from most of the 



clover districts, in- 

 eluding Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, 

 Michigan, and parts of Ontario, indicate a 

 decided shortage. In New York the yield 

 will be normal. The season in the Eastern 

 States was full of promise — promise which 

 at this time (Julv 21) appears not to be ful- 

 filled. 



We have learned that there is a shortage 

 in Colorado, but a heavy yield of alfalfa in 

 some of the other alfalfa-growing States. 

 There surely was a shortage of mountain 

 sage and orange in California. 



On the other hand, there are vast stocks 

 of honey left over from last season, particu- 

 larly in Europe. Also there are reports of a 

 large quantity of 1917-18 honey in South 

 America, West Indies, New Zealand, and 



Australia. Just how far these left-over 

 stocks will offset the shortage of crops this 

 season, fancied and real, no one can at this 

 time say. The left-over stocks must be 

 subtracted from last year 's crop and added 

 to this year's. At the time the armistice 

 was signed there were large quantities of 

 honey ready to go to Europe, but which had 

 to be held. 



In the mean time there appears to be a 

 scarcity of sugar, and in many parts of the 

 United States the housewife has been limit- 

 ed to five and even two pounds per family. 

 We have been unable to buy granulated su- 

 gar to feed our colonies to build them up 

 for winter, and have been compelled to use 

 brown sugar and molasses, some of which 

 the bees would not touch. Even the brown 

 sugars are hard to get. 



Our readers will remember th9.t one of 

 the sugar magnates of the Pacific coast told 

 the editor that there was a million-ton short- 

 age this year. This has been denied; but 

 on the other hand there is the stubborn fact 

 that we cannot get sugar at the present 

 time. The newspapers are saying that there 

 is a shortage of sugar in Europe. Is some 

 one profiteering by storing vast quantities 

 of sugar against a rise in price? We do not 

 know. It looks as if there were a colored 

 gentleman somewhere. 



In spite of all these different rumors we 

 are told that in the near future there will 

 be plenty of sugar for everybody. However, 

 it is evident that Uncle Sam appreciates the 

 fact that there is a shortage of sugar, for 

 he has put a temporary ban on shipping 

 American sugar to Europe. If that is the 

 case, is it not probable that Europe, as she 

 did during war times, will turn again to 

 honey, use up her left-over stocks, and then 

 come to the United States for more? We 

 do not know. 



The Great War has left a big question 

 mark, and at the present time the honey- 

 producer in the United States is guessing 

 what the mai-ket is going to do. That the 

 price has gone up since the beginning of the 

 season is shown by market quotations. 

 Whether it may or may not go higher, no 

 one can say. It is an honest question 

 whether it ought to go higher, because the 

 housewife hesitates to buy honey at present 

 prices, saying that she can use jellies, jams, 

 find molasses instead. 



We are all a-guessing, and one guess is as 

 good as another. We probably shall not 

 know until September or possibly October 

 just what is going to happen. 



Those who feed their bees for winter 

 would do well to lay in a stock of sugar 

 when they can get it. The Government will 

 not and can not this year divert sugar from 

 other uses to benefit the beekeeper. 



Later. — Since the foregoing was written 

 and just as we go to press, our sugar short- 

 age has been relieved, and we are advised 

 that there will be plenty of sugar for every 

 one in from 30 to 60 days. 



