OCTOBER 15, 1913 



spectators by showing' the honey in its vari- 

 ons shapes and forms, jierhaps best in the 

 combs as they are handled from the hive, 

 etc., honey handled in the store, a person 

 purchasing' or admiring a package of the 

 clear licjiiid honej*, or the pure white comb 

 hone}', and shelves of honey in nice glass, 

 as w'ell as exhibits at fairs, with large pyra- 

 mids of honey in glass, or great piles of it 

 in the comb, would help out. But better 

 still, it seems to me, would be such pictures 

 as actually show the honey being used and 

 eaten at the table, with nice brown biscuit 

 or hot cakes, or somebody giving nice bits 

 of wliite comb honey to some rosy-cheeked 

 children in place of pieces of candy. Hon- 

 ey could be displaj-ed in many other inter- 

 esting as well as suggestive ways. 



It is true that not every detail need actu- 

 ally be shown in a picture film to place 

 before the spectators a whole story about 

 honey and the value of good honey. Just 

 as one goes to see a great play, either in a 

 theater or a reproduction of it in a moving- 

 picture show, because he has read a book of 

 the story of the play, so a complete picture 

 story of honey production and honey for 

 food could be g'iven which would create, at 

 the same time, a demand for this product. 



FIELD NOTES FROM MINNESOTA 



BY J. ALF. HOLMBERG 

 Ajnary Inspector 



The results of the treatment of bee dis- 

 eases throughout the State have been very 

 gratifying this year, and it looks to me now 

 as though we were the masters of the situa- 

 tion so far as a cure is concerned. I am 

 pleased to saj- that I have not been able to 

 find any European foul brood this season, 

 and we can keep it so if we can have the 

 co-ojieration of every beekeeper. I have 

 found several places that were stricken with 

 sae brood. The Bureau of Entomology at 

 Washington does not advise treating this 

 disease ; but where there are not too many 

 colonies I think it a good thing. In one 

 instance I treated a colony where sae brood 

 existed, and it produced 75 lbs. of honey 

 the same season. 



So much has been said and written on 

 foul brood that I hardly deem it worth while 

 to enter into a description of this disease in 

 this writing; I shall, however, endeavor to 

 state in my annual report every thing of 

 imi^ortance regarding this disease. 



Allow me to say that I will advise that 

 no chances be taken at all if one desires the 

 quickest way out. This seems to be the 

 gi-eatest difficulty among so many beekeep- 

 ers that liave affected apiaries, and if they 



731 



would just try to keep every thing clean 

 after treating, it would mean more to the 

 bee industi-y than I could mention at this 

 time. On one occasion where I inspected 

 an apiary I found some hives with Ameri- 

 can foul brood. The owner helping me in 

 this work wore gloves. When the work was 

 completed in this yard we were to inspect 

 another yard of his close by. We went 

 there ; and if I had not stopped him he 

 would have used the same gloves and tools 

 without disinfecting them. I afterward 

 found out that he had done this before, and, 

 of course, had spread the disease himself. 

 This, of course, was carelessness on his 

 paii ; and so many seem to think this is 

 such a small matter that it doesn't count : 

 but when a person is dealing with a conta- 

 gious disease he can not be too careful. 



In hiving stray swarms, unless one is 

 positive that they are from healthy colonies, 

 I advise putting on empty frames or start- 

 ers. Later, these can be replaced with full 

 sheets of foundation. Bj- doing this the 

 bees will use the honey they had Avith them 

 for the secretion of wax. 



St. Paul. Minn. 



Screen for Keeping Mice from a Hive 



I had a couple of hives into which mice had found 

 their way. They did a whole lot of damage to the 

 bees before I could find out what the trouble was. 

 Whenever one sees at the entrance an unusual 

 amount of bitten-up bees and larger pieces of comb, 

 wax, or wax mixed with packings, he may surely 

 make up his mind that there is something wrong 

 inside the hive. 



If the weather permits, and the bees are flying, 

 open the hive, and a mouse or something else will be 

 found in the hive. Unless one is careful to catch the 

 mouse it will hide between the frames. If the weath- 

 er is too cold, and the bees are not flying, one may 

 catch the mouse with a small trap on the outside of 

 the entrance. 



To avoid all this trouble, the very best thing I 

 have found is to use a strip of screen (quarter-inch 

 mesh), and fit that in front of the entrance. That 

 will not interfere with the bees going out and in, 

 and will keep out the mice. I get pieces of screen 

 (scrap) at a carpenter's shop or hardware store. I 

 cut them about 3 inches wide, and the length of the 

 entrance of the hive, and bend them at a right angle 

 so they look like a small trough. Then I lay them in 

 front of the entrance. The one side will lie down flat 

 on the bottom-board, and the other side stands up- 

 right against the entrance. 



The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 11. Johx Pashek. 



Another Successful Introduction by tlie Smoke 

 Plan 



I want to tell of my success in smoking in queens. 

 I have used the plan advocated by A. C. Miller, with 

 good success. I -had two colonies that were queen- 

 less for two months. I tried to introduce queens by 

 the cage method but failed. Then I ordered two more 

 queens, and this time I followed Mr. Miller's plan, 

 and I succeeded. The next day after introducing the 

 queens I found they were laying. It is certainly a 

 time-saving method, and I prefer it to the cage plan. 



Sugarcreek, Ohio., Aug. 30. D. W. Miller. 



