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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



Can you advise me what to do to make them more contented 

 so I can take possession of my place in peace? Elizabeth has 

 been reading back numbers of Gleanings, and says that if 1 

 get her a coat of mail and one of your automatic self-cocking 

 smoke-guns she will be willing to tackle them some dark night. 

 I do not know what I shall do with them; but if 1 do not succeed 

 in apprehending the owner soon, 1 think I will build a sun par- 

 lor over them and open a sanitarium for the cure of rheumatism. 

 My family have an idea that in some way we might rob them of 

 a piece of honey now and then without endangering our lives. 

 If this is possible, please give me particulars. Any information 

 or advice you can give me as to how to keep or get rid of these 

 bees will be thankfully received. I should also be pleased to 

 have you give me the name of the best antidote for bee-stings 

 providing you live in a dry neighborhood. L. S. Smith. 



Cleveland, Ohio. 



TWO NOTABLE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE; SWARM 

 CONTROL AND HOW TO DIAGNOSE THE CON- 

 DITION OF A COLONY AT THE ENTRANCE. 



Beginners should not fail to read the article 

 by Dr. C. C. Miller on the control of swarming, 

 and the one by E. D. Townsend on buying bees. 

 The former goes into minute details showing how 

 Dr. Miller has been able to keep swarming down, 

 and at the same time produce such an enormous 

 crop of honey as he did last year; for it must be 

 remembered that his yield in 1908 was something 

 remarkable. We believe that even some of the 

 veterans will do well to sit at the feet of this 

 Gamaliel occasionally. 



The article by Mr. Townsend touches on the 

 very important matter of honx) to buy bees. He 

 shows how it is possible to determine from the 

 entrance, to a great extent, whether the colony is 

 queenless, whether it is strong, whether, in fact, 

 it is such a colony one can afford to buy at the 

 price asked. To be able to diagnose the internal 

 condition of a colony by surface or entrance in- 

 dications is a very important trick of the trade. 

 While such diagnoses are not always reliable, 

 they help one tremendously when the time is 

 short at an outyard, to relieve distress of colonies 

 most in need of help, without the necessity of 

 opening up all the hives in a yard. Then when 

 one has more leisure he can go through the hives 

 to make such changes as the entrance diagnosis 

 at an earlier time did not show the need of. 



more help from uncle SAM IN COMBATING 

 bee DISEASES. 



The Bureau of Entomology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture expects, dur- 

 ing the present season, to enlarge the work on 

 bee diseases somewhat, and the main work this 

 season will be to determine the distribution of 

 the two contagious bee diseases in the United 

 States. The information thus gained will be 

 used in helping to combat the diseases by the 

 dissemination of literature giving the symptoms 

 and treatment. At present, disease is found in 

 many localities unknown to even fairly progress- 

 ive bee-keepers, and it is the desire of the Bureau 

 of Entomology to help the bee-keepers to find out 

 about these diseases. The chief value of this 

 work is that the information so gained may be 

 given to State legislatures that have foul-brood 

 bills up for consideration. If a list of the local- 

 ities where diseases occur can be given to the 

 men fathering the bill it will be the strongest ar- 

 gument which can be presented. State legisla- 

 tures have a right to know how great is the need 

 for such laws; and if statements of this kind 

 from the United States Department of Agriculture 



can be given them it will aid greatly in showing 

 the legislators the vital need of legislation to the 

 bee industry. The fact that all of these samples 

 are subjected to a careful bacteriological examin- 

 ation adds greatly to the weight of the evidence, 

 for it will not be based on hearsay but on uncon- 

 trovertible facts. 



We learn from the Bureau that the results of 

 these examinations will be sent promptly to the 

 persons sending the samples, and the Bureau will 

 not publish the names of those sending in sam- 

 ples. This plan is to be followed because many 

 persons consider it something of a disgrace to 

 have foul brood in their yards. The Bureau 

 will, however, give the information out by coun- 

 ties when it will help the cause of bee-keeping, 

 and by townships if especially requested to do so. 



Several hundred samples have been examined 

 by the Bureau daring the past two years since 

 work on this subject was begun, and now the 

 Bureau is ready to examine samples from all over 

 the country. The results will be sent out 

 promptly; but it will probably take several days 

 to make the bacteriological examination. Per- 

 haps many will think that this can be done by a 

 microscopic examination; but, as Dr. White has 

 pointed ont in several of his papers, microscopic 

 examination is of little value, and it is necessary 

 to make cultures to be sure as to what bacteria 

 are present. 



Of course a bee-keeper who has had experience 

 with American foul brood can tell it as soon as 

 he sees it; but in the case of European foul 

 brood this is frequently not the case, and a 

 bacteriological examination is necessary. At 

 any rate you can send your samples to the Bureau 

 of Entomology, Washington, D C.,and be sure 

 as to what the trouble is, provided the sample is 

 of either of the two contagious diseases. 



In this connection we would warn our readers 

 that it is not wise to send samples through the 

 mails in pasteboard boxes. We get samples al- 

 most every week that are broken and partially 

 unwrapped. This is dangerous, because the mail 

 may be exposed where bees can get at it. We 

 do not care to endanger our own bees by receiv- 

 ing such samples, and no doubt the Bureau of 

 Entomology is also as anxious to keep out dis- 

 ease. Send your samples in a strong tin or 

 wooden box, carefully wrapped. Under no cir- 

 cumstances should honey he sent in any such combs, 

 as it is almost sure to leak, and is of no value in 

 the examination. 



Dr. Phillips writes that the Bureau will send a 

 strong box on application, and also a frank, so 

 that the sample will require no postage. We 

 hope that bee-keepers all over the country will 

 co-operate with the Bureau of Entomology in 

 this work, and simply flood them with samples. 



The Bureau of Entomology has recently is- 

 sued a list of publications on bee-keeping which 

 are available; and if any of our readers do not 

 know what the Bureau is doing we suggest that 

 they send for this list. , 



AN EXCELLENT KOUL-BROOD LAW FOR IOWA. 



It is very gratifying to learn that Iowa is the 

 twenty-first State to fall into line by the enact- 

 ment of an excellent foul-brood law. A State 

 inspector will be appointed S3D i. 



