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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



3] 



EDITORIAL 



THE ErrOETS on the part of Dr. E. F. 

 Phillips of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 Washington, D. C; 

 Emergency Geo. H. Rea of the 



Winter same Bureau, with 



Feeding. headquarters at 



Ithaca, N. Y., B. F. 

 Kindig of East Lansing, Mich., President 

 of the National Beekeepei's ' Association, 

 and State Apiarist for Michigan; of other 

 State apiarists, an<l last, but not least, of 

 the American Bee Journal and Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture — all these, have done not a lit- 

 tle to supply the beekeepers with the need- 

 ed sugar in the crisis that faced them last 

 month. Geo. II. Rea was instrumental in 

 distributing over 200,000 pounds of sugar 

 for New York alone at a time when grocers 

 were unable to obtain a single pound. B. F. 

 Kindig and other State apiarists did their 

 fair portion. Gleanings obtained two car- 

 loads which we have sold out to the bee- 

 keepers on the basis of cost. In spite of all 

 this, many beekeepers were unable to obtain 

 sugar — primarily because they did not take 

 any bee journal or because they were not 

 connected with any beekeepers ' society. 



There are hundreds of beekeepers all over 

 the country whose bees faced starvation, 

 but who, fortunately, were able to obtain 

 half rations of sugar, or, better still, had 

 a short fall flow of honey that sui)pUe<l 

 their colonies with winter food, but yet not 

 enough to carry them thru the entire winter. 

 We have had promises from all sides that 

 there would be plenty of sugar available by 

 Jan. 1 — certainly by Feb. 1; but if some of 

 these promises hold out no better than they 

 did a year ago the beekeepers will still be 

 calling for sugar. 



At the present time we are advised by 

 Geo. H. Rea that the Sugar Equalization 

 Board of New York warns us that consumers 

 are strongly protesting against furnishing 

 sugar to beekeepers, on the allegation that 

 beekeepers are selling honey at 40 cents a 

 pound and yet feed a nine-cent sugar. While 

 this may have been true in a very few cases 

 on the part of small beekeepers, we know it 

 is not true of the great mass of beekeepers. 

 Moreover in many cases the beekeeper can- 

 not give honey on account of the danger of 

 disease. 



Everybody is wanting sugar. The candy- 

 makers are restricted to 50 per cent, and 

 the beekeepers to 70 per cent of their nor- 

 mal requirements. Other industries have 

 been curtailed in a similar way; but the bee 

 industry differs from all of them from the 

 fact that for every pound of sugar given to 

 the bees they return on the average, on a 

 conservative estimate, 10 pounds of honey. 

 In many cases they will return more. 



There have been various newspaper clip- 

 pings to the effect that after Jan. 1 sugar 

 will soar to 18, 19, and even 20 cents a 

 pound, and it may do so. But very recently 

 the Sugar Equalization Board has fixed the 

 price of beet sugar at 10% cents, and Louisi- 

 ana sugar at a maximum of 17 in carlots. 

 There has been some intimation that this 

 Board is to be continued until December, 

 1920. No one seems to know. If Uncle Sam 

 removes all restrictions, sugar will soar, and 

 honey — well, that will go up too. 



How to Feed During Cold Weather. 



Assuming that sugar will be available by 

 February, and before the bees run out en- 

 tirely, some instructions should be given 

 as to how to feed during midwinter. Where 

 the colonies are in a cellar, thick liquid 

 syiup can be given, but sparingly, and as 

 little as possible; ami if the bees have 

 enough to last a couple of months they 

 should not be fed until toward spring. The 

 same rule should apply to outdoor bees. The 

 less actual disturbance during midwinter the 

 better, either indoors or out. 



Let us suppose that John Jones was ex- 

 j^ecting a fall flow that did not materialize, 

 as is the case with a good many. Unlike 

 the case mentioned in preceding paragraph 

 Jones ' bees have enough to carry them thru 

 to January. We will suppose he is able to 

 get sugar after that date. If he must feed, 

 we advise giving cakes of hard candy. A 

 two- or three-pound cake, placed with as 

 little disturbance as possible to the bees, 

 under the packing, and directly on top of 

 the frames, should carry the colony thru un- 

 til the first of Mai'ch, when another cake 

 can be given. 



The question arises as to what kind of 

 candy to use and how to make it. The ordi- 

 nary Good or queen-cage candy is not alto- 



