350 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



that it has only a few bees and the queen wi^h no 

 brood, the plan can not be made to work unless 

 another frame of brood and bees is added to it. For 

 full particulars on this plan of uniting see " Unit- 

 ing," in our ABC and X Y Z of Bee Culture. 



The plan of having virgin queens mated from the 

 upper story of a strong colony generally results in 

 failure. It sometimes works, however, during a light 

 honey-flow. Even Mr. Doolittle himself does not 

 advocate it now except under certain conditions. In 

 any case the average beginner will succeed very 

 much better by having his virgins placed in sepa- 

 rate hives by themselves. — Ed.] 



How to Know Honey-dew 



Some are inquiring how to know honey-dew. If 

 honey-dew is heated, there will be a scum about two 

 inches thick. Skim this off and continue heating, 

 and it 'will keep on throwing up froth indefinitely. 

 If boiled, I fancy it will all go to froth. 



If bees can have a flight once a month they will 

 winter on honey-dew. When one-third of my bees 

 died with it in the cellar, a few years ago, I un- 

 capped the combs in the spring and gave them to 

 the bees, and they built up finely on the "bug-juice." 

 It is dangei'ous only when bees can not have a flight. 

 If any beekeepers find that their hives contain hon- 

 ey-dew, and they are in the cellar I would advise 

 them to carry the bees out the first day they can fly, 

 and again in not more than one month's time. 



Islington, Ont. J. D. Evans. 



[We might suggest that there is some honey that 

 will throw up froth after boiling, as well as honey- 

 dew. We do not, therefore, believe that the rule 

 suggested by our correspondent is infallible. The 

 best test is the one of taste and color. While there 

 are some honey-dews of fair quality, the most of 

 them are very inferior, not to say nauseating, hav- 

 ing a dark color, or purplish black. Nearly all hon- 

 ey-dew honeys have a sort of flavor that is common 

 to all, although there is a honey-dew from Hawaii 

 that does not taste like the American article; it re- 

 minds one more of New Orleans molasses. Chemi- 

 cally, however, it has the same qualities as the 

 American product. 



It may be true that bees can be wintered on hon- 

 ey-dew if they can have a flight once a month ; but 

 sometimes a winter -nnll come when they can not 

 have a flight for three months. For that reason we 

 strongly ^dvise extracting all honey-dew and feeding 

 sugar syrup in the fall, for all localities north, we 

 will say, of the Ohio River. — Ed.] 



Best Time of Season to Requeen 



I notice reports from different sections, of bees 

 using up stores in early breeding. Not so, however. 

 in this locality. 



We look for a bumper crop of honey this year. 

 The prospects are the brighest for it that I have 

 ever seen. There is more white clover than there 

 has been for a decade. 



I have a few two-year-old queens that I should 

 like to replace with young ones. What would be the 

 best time to do this — at the beginning of the harvest 

 or near the end of it? 



Mr. DeMuth, in his article on comb honey, rec- 

 ommends the dequeening of colonies that are pre- 

 paring to swarm, and letting them rear a queen or 

 giving them a laying queen in ten days or two 

 weeks. Will the bees work with as much vigor dur- 

 ing this period of queenlessness as they would other- 

 wise ? 



Weston, W. Va., March 3. Addison Gould. 



f Mr. DeMuth is about right in his suggestion 

 concerning requeening. The best time to raise queens 

 is during the swarming season, when large swarm- 



ing-cells can be secured from colonies that are doing 

 good work in the supers; for we would not use even 

 swarming-cells unless from a colony of good work- 

 ers. Removing a queen, however, in the height of 

 the honey-flow, has a tendency to check slightly the 

 activity oi a colony ; but if the colony can have a 

 vigorous virgin coming on, it will work almost as 

 well as if it had a laying queen. But there will be 

 danger that it will swarm out when the virgin takes 

 her wedding-flight. As a general thing, however, 

 where one has to buy queens he will find the best 

 time to requeen is along in July and August, 

 when queens can be secured at a low price, and 

 when the interchange of queens will cause no inter- 

 ruption to the colonies. Then we always like to have 

 young queens in the hive in the fall. Such queens 

 will lay in the fall when old ones will stop laying 

 entirely. A lot of young bees in September and Octo- 

 ber is an important factor in good wintering. — Ed.] 



A Super-rest 



I am sending a drawing of a simple article which 

 I find very convenient. I call it a super-rest. The 

 upper drawing shows a sawhorse arrangement which 

 is easily made by any one. The lower drawing shows 

 a box which is about as simple to make, and will 

 hold smoker, tools, etc. The upper one shows a super 



in place. The two ends of the holder should be about 

 16 in. apart. I find this a great help when examin- 

 ing hives, as I can place this near the hive, usually 

 in front, and set the super or supers on it. It saves 

 crushing bees, and your super will not fall over as 

 they will do when set on end. 



Mystic, Ct. Elmee E. Waite. 



Honey Crop Practically a Failure in Australia 



The honey season in Australia can be written 

 down as a failure so far. While there have been 

 isolated instances of good yields, the record generally 

 is none at all, and bees dying or doing very little. 

 There is a great shortage of pollen; and unless this 

 alters very materially during the next six weeks the 

 mortality of bees during the coming winter will be 

 very great. The whole failure has been due to 

 drouth ; and now the rain has come, and the weath- 

 er prophets say we shall get wet weather for another 

 six weeks, or until the end of March. If this proves 

 true, the outlook is not bright, because the season 

 will be at an end by then in all places except the 

 northeastern portion, where ^ flow from ti-tree can 

 be expected. 



