E 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



2 



BEEKEEPERS FACE A CRISIS 



Sugar Shortage Now Demands Immediate Action in Many Sections of the Coun- 

 try, Just What Beekeepers Can and Should Do at Once. 



The danger of staivation now threatens 

 unnumbered thousands of colonies of bees 

 in the eastern and central United States, 

 because of an unprecedented sugar famine. 

 It is nothing short of a catastrophe that 

 menaces the beekeepers. 



It was last month that we published a 

 telegram from Dr. E. F. Plnllii)s, explain- 

 ing- how beekeejiers could ol)tain the much- 

 needed sugar for v.'inter stores. We regi'et 

 to say that this arrangement has not work- 

 ed out. It should be distinctly understood 

 that this is due to no fault of the Sugar 

 Equalization Board. As soon as the Octo- 

 ber Gleanings was out the Board was simj^ly 

 swamped with so many appeals for sugar 

 that they Avere cjuite unable to supply the 

 demand. 



The situation, the country over, is that 

 there is little or no sugar to be had, and 

 there will be little before January 1st next. 



Beekeepers are in the greatest need of 

 sugar in New York, Pennsylvania, the New 

 England States, North Carolina, Georgia, 

 Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and ])arts of Michi- 

 gan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and per- 

 haps elsewhere. Unless steps are taken im- 

 mediately, disaster will follow. 



This great sugar shortage has been caus- 

 ed by the unusual consumption of sugar 

 brought about by prohibition and the tend- 

 ency to use more sugar than ever as soon 

 as the restrictions were removed. The eon- 

 sumption of sugar during the first nine 

 months of the present year greatly sur- 

 passed the total amount consumed in 1918. 



Of the vast amounts of sugar consumed 

 in the United States, a great part of it is 

 used east of a line running thru Butfalo 

 and Pittsburg. According to a recent rul- 

 ing, all cane sugar from the West Indies 

 will be distributed east of this line. There- 

 fore all beekeepers west of that line must 

 depend on beet sugar (just now coming 

 into the market) for wintering their bees, 

 and all east of that line on cane sugar. 



Those beekeepers east of BufPalo needing 

 sugar to keep their bees from starvation 

 should, if possible, combine for the pur- 

 chase of sugar in carlots, as it can be ob- 

 tained there in carlots — and in carlots only. 

 Beekeepers in New York should send a 

 telegram immediately to G. H. Rae, Ex- 

 tension Division, Coi'nell Univei-sity, Itha- 

 ca, N. Y., stating their needs. Those in 

 Pennsylvania shoidd immediately telegraph 

 to Prof. J. A. Sanders, Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, Harrisburg, Pa. Everywhere else 

 east of tlie Buffalo-Pittsburg line, beekeep- 

 ers should club together and buy in carlots, 

 sending their order directly to the United 

 States Sugar Equalization Board, 111 Wall 

 St., New York, naming one consignee. 



West of this line beekeepers may wire 

 directly to the beet-sugar refineries, if they 

 club together and order in carlots. But it 

 would be a much better plan to get in touch 

 inunediately with the local county agricul- 

 tural agent, the state apiarist or state in- 

 spector and have him wire to one or more 

 of the nearest sugar refineries stating the 

 beekeepers' needs and giving financial ref- 

 erences. In order to avoid delay it would 

 doubtless be a good plan to name a bank 

 as consignee. The sugar refineries or com- 

 panies will insist that the beekeeper guar- 

 antee the sugar will be used for his bees 

 only. 



We know of one county agent who at 

 the suggestion of the beekeepers of his 

 county got busy without a moment's delay 

 and has now obtained sugar from a nearby 

 sug'ar refinery and is supplying the bee- 

 keepers of four counties with all the sugar 

 needed. County agents elsewhere will do 

 as much for the beekeepers if the beeke3p- 

 ers will at once appeal to them. 



The list of beet sugar refineries which 

 may be appealed to, is as follows : Conti- 

 nental Sugar Co., Deti-oit. Mich.; Holland- 

 St. Louis Sugar Co., Holland, Mich. ; AVest- 

 ern Sugar Refining Co., Marine City, 



