1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1323 



EUROPEAN NOTES. 



German Ideas Regarding Heather and 

 Dandelion Honey. 



BY J. A. HEBERLY. 



The details of bee-keeping are dictated to the 

 expert by climate and flora. Only a thorough 

 knowledge of the time of the honey-flow enables 

 him to obtain the best possible results. For this 

 reason I should have thought that on account of 

 the time at which the various plants and flowers 

 begin to yield nectar and pollen, and the length 

 of time any flower in a particular locality secretes 

 nectar, would be more frequently met with, as 

 this would be interesting for comparison. 



Regarding heather honey, I will say that your 

 correspondent is misinformed, at least as far as 

 Southern Germany is concerned, because heather 

 honey is here considered inferior; but I infer that 

 in Northern Germany it is also considered infe- 

 rior, since I frequently see such honey advertised 

 at nearly half the customary price. This honey 

 is from Erica ^-vulgaris, and is so viscous that it 

 can not be extracted — at least not in the ordinary 

 way. The flower opens here Aug. 10 — 12, but 

 in other parts earlier. 



Another heather. Erica cartiea, ling, which 

 does not grow near here, blooms in early spring, 

 and yields nectar and pollen when old snow may 

 be near by in quantity. I do not know, but I be- 

 lieve that honey from Erica cartiea is much finer, 

 but none is to be found in the market. 



Dandelion grows here in abundance, opens 

 about May 15, and lasts two weeks. The honey 

 from it should be extracted as soon as the flow 

 ceases, because it will break the combs later on 

 when trying to extract it. It is of a deep-yellow 

 color, and crystallizes, after extracting, in a week 

 or two. It is rich in ethereal oils, and on this 

 account people accustomed to mild honey find it 

 too strong. Some consider it rank; most get to 

 like it. It keeps well, and seems to improve 

 with age. Owing to its viscosity and the ten- 

 dency to crystallize so rapidly it would not be a 

 desirable winter food. Since it is the first honey 

 early in the season, I think none is left in the 

 fail to make the bees " thirsty " in winter; but if 

 any is left it is so far from the center of the brood 

 that it won't be reached until the bees can fly 

 again. 



I wish to state that my opinions and obser- 

 vations are based on experience here, and may 

 often fail to be reliable in your country, owing 

 to the different conditions. Honey from the 

 dandelion is the only variety of which I know 

 that should be extracted as soon as the flow 

 ceases. All the other honey should be capped — 

 at least any frame two-thirds to three-fourths full 

 before being extracted, because uncapped honey 

 is unripe and inferior to capped honey from the 

 same source. I was amazed to see plans discussed 

 for ripening honey artificially. Such honey would 

 be inferior to that ripened in the hive; but where 

 an excess of aroma is present it might do, because 

 a slight loss of ethereal oils might then mean no 

 harm. I do not see why bee-keepers want to 

 extract unripe honey. They save a little time, not 

 having to uncap much; the yield is increased just 

 a little; but these are only seeming advantages, 

 because the inferior quality of unripe honey will 



mean a greater loss in price. Whenever honey 

 is sold according to quality it gives more trouble 

 to sell, and should be sold rather early, because 

 it won't keep so well; in fact, there is a possibility 

 that it might become unsalable while ripe honey 

 may be kept, under favorable conditions, for 

 years. Besides all the advantages — yes, even if 

 it were a slight disadvantage to extract only ripe 

 honey — I think the bee-keeper should have so 

 much pride and moral courage that he will offer 

 only the best honey that he or any one else in 

 that locality can produce, in a clean, neat, and 

 attractive package. 



Regarding sugar feeding (cane sugar is identi- 

 cal with beet sugar), it is best here to feed early. 

 One to one or just a little more is deemed best. 

 By late feeding, as much as two to one may be 

 used. Speculative feeding should be commenced 

 in August. In spring it is not advisable, because 

 the bees become excited, and fly out when the 

 temperature is so low that large numbers are un- 

 able to return. Here not more than 5 to 7 lbs. 

 should be fed unless the locality produces honey 

 unfit for wintering, such as from Scotch or silver 

 fir and honey-dew. Sugar should be fed only in 

 the fall — never in the spring — because brood- 

 rearing does not progress so rapidly as with honey ; 

 besides, there is danger of some sugar syrup or 

 invert sugar being carried up into the extracting- 

 super later on when making room for the queen. 

 This may also happen when feeding very large 

 quantities of sugar in the fall. The natural food 

 for bees is honey — not sugar. 



I would never recommend any kind of acid to 

 invert the cane sugar, but let the bees do the invert- 

 ing. I am inclined to think the acid might be 

 injurious — more so than the work of inverting. 

 The bees might be injured, and the bee-keeper 

 never know of it. It may shorten the life, lessen 

 the energy, and escape completely our observa- 

 tion. 



SPRING LOSS. 



We have had verandas (cloisters) for years. 

 These should exclude light and provide shade, 

 and should not interfere with the exchange of 

 air. On no account should the bees in warm 

 weather be confined. As soon as they find that 

 they can not get out they become alarmed, ex- 

 cited, and may with their dead bodies prevent the 

 entrance of fresh air, and thus endanger the 

 colony. These verandas provide about a cubic 

 foot of space, and are valuable where bees arp 

 kept during the winter on their summer stand. 

 During winter, when there is no danger that the 

 bees will fly, the door of the veranda is shut. 

 No mouse, bird, rain, wind, or snow will trouble 

 the bees. In spring, however, when it gets 

 warm, the door of the veranda must be opened. 

 If a shade over the entrance is provided, it will 

 save many bees. Mr. Weber's entrance-con- 

 troller would, according to my experience, be 

 much improved if he would leave out the wire 

 cloth; as it is, it would be dangerous here; then 

 the bees can get out if they want to. No harm 

 will be done, and at the most dangerous time 

 fewer bees will fly out then without it, and there- 

 fore fewer get lost. Mr. Halter's storm-door will 

 do about the same. If the bottom-board is suf- 

 ficiently long, a combination of the two might 

 bean improvement; but instead of the a a notches 

 I would suggest putting a small block or stick 



