GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



A SAMPLE OF A PART OF A CAR OF WESTERN HONEY WHICH WAS SOLD TO THE A. I. ROOT 

 CO., AND GRADED NO. 1; SEE EDITORIAL ON PAGE 339. 



also errs because spring feeding by syrup or 

 even dilute honey is a questionable practice. 



I have had almost no experience with buck- 

 wheat honey, and but little with candied 

 sealed honey in spring. That such honey 

 delays the building-up of bees in the spring 

 is attested by Mr. Alexander. Such being 

 the case, let him and others similarly situat- 

 ed follow his teaching. Let all others think 

 twice before adopting his teaching. 



Most of us are not situated as is Mr. Alex- 

 ander. The stores in spring are liquid hon- 

 ey, or, in the case of previous fall-feeding, 

 liquid sealed syrup. Such is the case with 

 me, and allow me, therefore, to state my own 

 experience along this line. 



I have for years compared the building-up 

 of colonies that were fed in spring with that 

 of those which were let alone because of 

 their abundance of sealed stores. I can not 

 now recall one single instance in which the 

 spring-fed colony excelled the other. I can 

 recall a few instances in which the fed colo- 

 ny developed into a very satisfactory colony, 

 but no case of marked superiority. 



Locality may have much to do with these 

 results, and I have figured it out as follows: 

 The matter rests upon the pollen supply. If 

 one is situated where the early pollen supply 

 is sufficient and reliable, then the bees will 

 respond well to spring feeding or to any 

 kind of feeding. With me the pollen supply 

 is most unreliable some springs. There are 

 spells of weather when for a week the bees 

 can not gather pollen. At such a time no 

 kind of feeding will keep up brood-rearing. 

 The queen may continue to lay, but all un- 

 sealed brood will be eaten by the bees, al- 

 though that nearly matured may be sealed. 



If eggs are allowed to hatch, the young larvae 

 soon disappear. But let a warm spell come, 

 the pollen be abundant, and every colony 

 becomes endowed with a new lease of life. 

 Within four or five days there will be great 

 patches of glistening fat larvte. 



Some one breaks in here and asks, "Why 

 doesn't such a state of the weather and 

 scarcity of pollen affect the unfed colony 

 with equal severity with the colony which 

 has been stimulated?" There are three rea- 

 sons at least. In the first place the unfed 

 colony has not been overstimulated too early 

 in the season, and hence the bees have not 

 exhausted the pollen in sight. 



Secondly, the unfed colony is uncovering 

 a supply of pollen every day, pollen packed 

 away the year before, and kept sweet and 

 good under its sealing of honey. 



Thirdly, the unfed colony has a greater 

 store of pollen to begin with. 



No one will deny the possibility of starting 

 a colony into too rapid breeding and thus 

 exhausting the pollen supply before the new 

 pollen is sufficiently abundant. Such a thing 

 may not happen with the expert, and prob- 

 ably does not with Mr. Alexander, if for no 

 other reason than that he waits till about 

 May first before beginning to stimulate his 

 colonies with feed; but it is almost sure to 

 happen with the enthusiastic beginner who 

 will start in to follow Mr. Alexander's ad- 

 vice. The results are very disastrous — tired 

 queen, discouraged bees, and a general apa- 

 thy difficult to overcome. 



That the unfed colony should have a bet- 

 ter initial supply of pollen in the first place 

 may not at first be evident, but the explana- 

 tion is simple. As is well known, all normal 



