1424 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



righteousness of legal control follows as day fol- 

 lows the night. If encroachment is in the nature 

 of stealing, why should there not be a law against 

 it just as against any other kind of stealing.' 



For fear there will be no one to say a word 

 against a tariff on honey, I arise to remark that 

 the danger from introducing foul brood with im- 

 ported honey might be greiter. Not many buy 

 honey to feed, and the up-to-date bee-keeper 

 would not think of feeding any honey unless he 

 were sure as to its source. The only danger 

 comes from some ignoramus who doesn't take a 

 bee-journal, and he is likely to let his bees starve 

 before buying honey to feed them. [We do not 

 quite know whether you are for or against a tariff 

 on honey; but we infer that you believe no good 

 would arise from it. But foul brood, it should 

 be remembered, is not transmitted necessarily 

 through the feeding of infected honey, but from 

 the fact that it may be on sale where the bees can 

 get at it. If it is true that foul brood is spread- 

 ing very rapidly throughout the United States, it 

 may be wise to put a tariff on honey to prevent 

 its importation from localities where there is 

 foul brood. — Ed.] 



One OF THE THINGS I've Wanted to know is 

 how deep a space there can be under bottom-bars 

 without having the bees build comb in it. |ohn 

 Silver says, Irish Bee Journal, 63, that he has a 

 hive with a one-inch space under the frames, " and 

 the bees keep the floor board of this hive as clean 

 as a new pin. These frames have had an inch 

 under for three years, and no comb is built un- 

 derneath. " If bees refrain from building in such 

 a space, is it advisable to give them any thing 

 less.'' [The danger of bees building comb under 

 the bottom-bars when there is a space of more 

 than y% inch, has been very greatly overestimat- 

 ed. It is agreed that, between the upper story 

 and the lower story, there should not be more 

 than -{'y, inch. But between the bottom-bars and 

 Hoor of the bottom-board the space can be any- 

 where from 1 to 3 inches — at least, various reports 

 that have come in show that the bees will not 

 build comb in this space except during an excep- 

 tionally heavy honey-flow. The building of 

 such comb adds to one's supply of wax, and, 

 what is quite important, causes the combs above 

 the bars to be built clear down in contact with 

 tht m. We have advocated for several years, as a 

 happy medium between the extremes, a one-inch 

 space under the frames; but we have always be- 

 lieved that two inches could be used to better ad- 

 vantage. We observe that the field bees in their 

 return flight seem to like a large open space to 

 fly into. When there is two inches under the 

 frames, or even one inch, there will be a cluster 

 of bees hanging down on which the fielders may 

 alight. This affords the heavily loaded bees the 

 finest kind of cushion against which to bump. 

 Given their choice, the average bee will alight 

 quicker on a bunch of bees than on a wooden 

 alighting-board, no matter how favorable its 

 slant. Mr. Vernon Burt and the editor made 

 this a special point of observation some two years 

 ago, when the bees were working heavily in the 

 field. We lay prone on the ground and watched 

 the fielders come in; and nine out of ten of them, 

 where the entrance was from one to two inches 

 deep, would fly clear through and alight on the 

 other bees. — Ed.] 



J. J. Wilder, American Bee Journal, 338, has 

 tested Caucasians for three years, the past season 

 in seven or tight apiaries. Tuey are great drone- 

 rearers, bad at gathering glue near the close of 

 the season, build too much burr and bracf'-comb, 

 and the first cross with Italians is cross But 

 their good qualities overbalance their bad ones. 

 They are superior gatherers, building up strong- 

 er than Italians in spring, at the same time being 

 less inclined to swarm. [J. J. Wilder's e.xperi- 

 ence is the same as ours, except Caucasians were 

 inferior gatherers of honey, and very much more 

 inclined to swarm. The general testimony has 

 been that Caucasians and Carniolans alike swarm 

 far more than Italians, and we therefore conclude 

 that Mr. Wilder's experience on this point is 

 rather unusual. We have had reports to the ef- 

 fect that Caucasians were the equal of Italians as 

 honey-gatherers, and somewhat ahead. But the 

 reason they failed so much at our yard was be- 

 cause they swarmed and swarmed and swarmed. 

 This could have been held in check if a man had 

 been kept on hand to watch. The fact that the 

 Italians, in the same yard, with the same treat- 

 ment and environment, did not swarm, would 

 seem to show that for out-apiary work, especially 

 Caucasians, for us, at least, would not be very 

 desirable. 



We should be glad togetfurther reports, and in 

 the mean time we wish to draw attention again to 

 something to which all are agreed, that this black 

 race runs excessively to the rearing of drones. 

 This one fact would tend, wherever they are in- 

 troduced, unless checked, to run out Italians in 

 very short order. Should it subsequently develop 

 that they are inferior to the yellow bee, the un- 

 happy possessor of the Caucasians would be in a 

 bad plight. The late J. B. Hall, of Canada, for 

 example, found this out to his sorrow, and, as he 

 said, it took years to run out the taint of this 

 black race. — Ed.] 



Editorial 



By E. R. Root. 



When putting colonies in the cellar it would 

 be a good time to unite any that may be weak. 



A TRIP through the southern part of Ohio in- 

 dicated that there has been a very severe drouth 

 — much more severe, in fact, than in the regions 

 immediately surrounding the big lakes. In some 

 quarters there is a feeling that this drouth will 

 affect the clover market ifor another season. As 

 to this, see editorial elsewhere on this subject. 



If you are desirous of moving your apiary a 

 few rods, it is comparatively easy to do it during 

 winter or the following spring If the bees are 

 wintered indoors, next spring set .the hives out 

 anywhere you please, if they are wintered out- 

 doors, move the yard after the bees have been 

 confined to the hives for a month or six weeks; 

 but do the moving after it begins to warm up, 

 and before the bees have had a flight. 



