G T. E A N I N G R IN BEE CULTURE 



SKPTKXfBKR, 1919 



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WHEN the 

 honey How 

 stops 1 

 think it is th(? 

 custom of queen - 

 rearers to con- 

 tinue their work 

 by feeding sugar 

 syrup. I won- 

 der if it would 



not be money in their pockets to feed honey. 

 I shouhl expect more queens to be matured, 

 and of a little better quality. 



-je ^ -if 



T. W. Riggs, page 510, August Gleanings, 

 springs something new. He says: " P]very 

 one knows that in a yard of Italians there 

 are nearly always a few bees in front of 

 each hive trying to get in and steal and oc- 

 casionally doing so. This keeps the colony 

 always upset and nervous. ' ' So much does 

 this hinder the colony in gathering that he 

 has noticed that colonies hid in weeds where 

 the robbers cannot find them average at 

 least 20 to 25 per cent better than the rest 

 of the yard. That's exceedingly important, 

 if true in other localities. But I'm pretty 

 sure it wouldn 't work in my locality. When 

 a good flow is on, not a robber will be found 

 in front of any good colony. Moreover, in 

 a time of scarcity I'd trust my bees to find 

 a colony ever so well hidden, if it was in 

 robbable condition. 



"Shade is convenient, but not essential," 

 page 518. I should hardly want to accept 

 that statement without qualifications. There 

 may be places where the bees are better off 

 without shade. In this locality — and I 

 rather think in most localities — I should say 

 it is generally important, and sometimes es- 

 sential. Remember that the beekeeper a^ 

 well as the bees is to be considered, and in 

 the hottest days is not shade absolutely es- 

 sential to the comfort of the beekeeper.? 

 When a newly hived swarm deserts its 

 hive, in nine cases out of ten it is because 

 the bees are too warm. To avoid this de- 

 sertion, ventilation and shade are very im- 

 portant, if not absolutely essential. 



* * * 



J. L. Byer, page 520, you seem troubled 

 to take such big prices for honey, and say: 

 "The only way I see to square up is to take 

 the money and then shell out some of the 

 proceeds to needy institutions. '' I sympa- 

 thize with you in your feelings, but don't 

 you think we can stand high prices for a 

 while until we average up some of the times 

 when we got less than living prices for our 

 honey? 



* -Jr ■» 



Years ago I think it was the belief that 

 two laying queens were never to be found 

 in the same hive. Then came reports here 

 and there of two queens, mother and daugh- 

 ter, laying side by side for a time, and 

 filially it was not considered a very remark- 

 able thing, altlio still excejttioiial. I tliiuk 



STRAY STRAWS 



Dr. C. C. MiUer 



1 



s 



that has been 

 the belief for a 

 iium])er of years; 

 but now comes 

 C. W. Phelps, 

 page 523, and 

 says it is the 

 usual thing, 

 when a queen is 

 superseded, for 

 her to remain in the hive with her super- 

 seding daughter for a week or two after the 

 daughter begins to lay. I wonder if that 

 can really be the case. Please remember 

 that when bees are left to their own de- 

 vices, every queen is superseded before she 

 dies. If each queen lives to be two or three 

 years old, then that means that in a third or 

 half the hives in a yard there will be for a 

 week or two each season two laying queens. 

 No, not so much as that, for he doesn 't say 

 ' ' always ' ' but ' ' usually. ' ' Even at that it 

 seems we should find the two queens much 

 oftener than we do if Mr. Phelps is correct. 



* * * 



Prof. John H. Lovell, you say, page 522, 

 "It is largely my practice to wear a white 

 veil, altho such a veil is more difficult to see 

 thru." As a personal favor to me, I wish 

 you would give up that practice. A man 

 with the knowledge of posies you have is 

 too valuable to go blind, and I knew one of 

 the veterans to go nearly blind years ago 

 from Avearing a white veil. Of course, the 

 white veil is all right if it has a black face- 

 piece. ^ ^ ^ 



' ' While California is beautiful and the 

 climate delightful, good old Ohio with its 

 beautiful gicen shade trees and green fields 

 was never more appreciated than now. ' ' 

 Thus ye editor, page 489. I wouldn 't swap Il- 

 linois for Ohio; and the Calif ornian would- 

 n't swap with either of us. "East, West, 

 hame's best." It's well that it is so. The 

 beekeeper seeking a new location will find 

 nine times out of ten that the very best 

 jjlace in the world for him is right where he 

 is. A fairly large per cent of those who 

 have been at no small expense to move a 

 long distance to a new field, after a year or 

 more have repeated the expense to get back 

 to the old home. But it may be worth all 

 it costs to have them then contented. 

 Blessed are they who are contented right 



where they are. 



* * * 



Yes, I "take notice," Mr. Editor, of those 

 skyscraper piles, especially Fig. 4, page 493. 

 Now it 's up to you to convince Mr. Warren 

 he should adopt those big hives you have 

 been exploiting, so there will be no danger 

 of his piles being knocked over by aero- 

 planes. ^ ^ ^ 



R. F. Holtermann, you say, page 506, "If 

 I could devise a method by means of which 

 I could, at the close of the honey flow, get 

 rid of all the old bees, and even the half- 

 worn-out ones, I would do so. ' ' Well, it 

 would be an easy thing to do as you suggest. 



