GLEANINGS LN BEE CULTURE 



aged, will average to bring a larger force 

 to any flow than any strain of Italians. 



Unlike Mr. Holtermann, p. 10, Jan. 1, 

 1912, we have had excellent success with 

 these bees when using the eight-frame hive; 

 but we add one or two stories to accommo- 

 date them before the How, or else we draw 

 from the Carniolans to build up the Ital- 

 ians. However, we are working more to- 

 ward a large hive, using ten-frame size 

 largely, and have no doubt that in many 

 ways the twelve-frame may be better. 



BAXATS A FAILURE FOR COMB-HONEY PRO- 

 DUCTION. 



Three years ago the enthusiasm of a 

 near-by beekeeper for the Banats led the 

 writer to try 130 c|ueens of this stock, as 

 they were very highly recommended by 

 se\eral. They were one of the finest and 

 most uniform lots that I have ever seen, 

 and they arrived in splendid condition aft- 

 er their long journey. They were nearly 

 all successfully introduced. This was one 

 of the most disastrous mistakes in my ex- 

 perience. The much-praised non-swarming 

 comb-honey Banats will build up to great 

 strength in the spring (much like the Car- 

 niolans), swarm as much as any bees, and 

 wlien a good flow . comes they crowd the 

 brood-nests (if comb honey is produced) so 

 that they are scarcely numerous enough to 

 work one super when the second flow ar- 

 rives. They winter well, but their product 

 will run at least one super per colony less 

 than any bees that I have ever owned. 

 Only one Banat colony of all that I have 

 owned has made 100 sections of comb hon- 

 ey, while many Italians, in the same season, 

 far exceed this amount. This inferiority 

 is not so apparent if extracted honey is the 

 liroduct; but naturally the Banats are being 

 weeded out of our apiaries, while the Car- 

 niolans are being used in increasing num- 

 bers. 



We usually buy and breed some of the 

 best Italians eveiy year, having, one sea- 

 :Son, 30 Italians from a famous breeder 

 that gave us at least one dollar per colony 

 more than the average from the remainder 

 of the yard. 



Since but few breeders can supply purely 

 mated Carniolan queens, we sometimes buy 

 many of them mated to Italian drones, as 

 that strain is better than a lot of uncertain 

 black and hybrid bees. Then we have an 

 imported breeder to use when we have time 

 to rear some of our own queens. 



We have occasionally had a few Carnio- 

 lan colonies that would fill two supers be- 

 fore any Italian colony would fill one, and 

 their white cappings and hardiness are val- 

 ued while their prolificness is a decided 

 help in liandling disease. If it is true that 



the Italians are so superior to the Carnio- 

 lans in handling disease, how is it that the 

 late Capt. J. E. Hetherington, with his 

 thousands of colonies, was, before his death, 

 introducing hundreds of Carniolan queens 

 into both the Virginia and New York api- 

 aries, in the latter yards finding them a 

 great aid in combating disease"? 



If they are such great swarmers, how is 

 it that Capt. Hetherington could handle 

 them to advantage in liis many yards? 



If, as claimed for them, they are likely 

 to convert their surplus into brood, how is 

 it that our helpers find our Taylor yard, 

 mostly Italian blood, very light for winter, 

 while in the Highland yard, three miles 

 south, with Carniolan stock, the hives are 

 packed with stores"? 



If they are such great swarmers, how is 

 it that a row of 20 of them in the home 

 yard, with but little care, made over 100 

 lbs. per colony, and cast only two swarms, 

 while the entire yard averaged but 63 lbs., 

 there being but little Carniolan blood in the 

 other colonies? 



The beekeeper who can not adapt his 

 manipulations to the racial characteristics 

 of the Carniolans had better continue with 

 the Italians. But for those who will so 

 adapt their methods, the Carniolan race 

 offers some marked advantages in some 

 localities. 



Meridian, Ida. 



Preventing Granulation in Comb Honey 



In looking over a copy of Gleanings for May 15, 

 1909, page 305, I notice an article on candied comb 

 honey, by Frank Raiichfuss. In the footnote to the 

 article you speak of experiments you were at that 

 time conducting in trying to liquefy candied comb 

 honey without spoiling the sections in any way. You 

 say the chief difficulty is in keeping a steady tem- 

 perature. This subject has interested me for some 

 time past. If you will give me any information in 

 regard to the experiment I shall be greatly obliged. 



Forest Park, III., Dec. 16. J. W. Allers. 



[ We finally abandoned all attempts to keep comb 

 honey liquid by very high heat. We do, however, 

 store our comb honey in a room, the temperature of 

 which rarely goes below eighty degrees Fahrenheit, 

 and we aim not to let it go above ninety. A rapidly 

 changing temperature from cold to hot, and vtce 

 versa, is conducive to granulation. We have actu- 

 ally reduced granulation by keeping the honey 

 around 103 degrees Fahrenheit; but the expense of 

 the undertaking is far greater than the advantages 

 warrant. Besides this, there is very great danger of 

 the honey melting down suddenly so that large quan- 

 tities are lost outright. Some combs will stand a 

 higher temperature without sagging down than 

 others, and some honey requires a higher tempera- 

 ture to be reduced, so that, take it all in all, we have 

 come to the conclusion that the best way is to sell 

 comb honey before it granulates, and not be obliged 

 to resort to expensive experiments after granulation 

 has actually begun. 



By a little effort granulated comb honey can be 

 sold. There is nothing wrong with it so far as taste 

 is concerned, although if sold indiscriminately to 

 those who do not know what it is, it is likely to cause 

 suspicion of adulteration, the average person think- 

 ing that it has "gone back to sugar." — Ed.] 



