GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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The entrance of the "bee closet" through the wall. 



cultural College, delivered a practical ad- 

 dress to the beekeepers. At Corvallis, 

 where the college is located, Professor Wil- 

 son has a large class in beekeeping, a 

 course covering a year's work. He has 

 traveled through various parts of the Unit- 

 ed States, becoming acquainted with honey- 

 producers. The most important element in 

 the beekeeping industry, he said, is co- 

 operation among the producers, Avhich en- 

 ables the buyer to secure a higher grade 

 of honej^, and the apiarist a greater com- 

 pensation for his product. 



An interesting discussion then followed 

 concerning the relative merits of the single 

 and double tier shipping-case and the best 

 ways to gi-ade honey. Practically all the 

 beekeepers in Idaho use the single-tier case. 

 As to grading honey, general opinion 

 favored the eastern grading rules. All rec- 

 ognized the expediency of a plan by which 

 representative producers and buyers could 

 mutually agi-ee upon a set of rules. A 

 motion was carried for the appointment 

 of a committee to confer and recommend 

 to the winter meeting of the association 

 the best style of shipping, and a uniform 



set of grading rules. 

 Crop conditions in 

 Idaho, and the sale of 

 honey were subjects 

 then taken up. The 

 beekeepers of Idaho 

 recognize the folly of 

 cutting prices. They 

 realize that honey will 

 be more carefully 

 graded, and better 

 prices secured, when 

 they do not undersell, 

 and especially when 

 they market their 

 honey through one 

 medium. This conclud- 

 ed the formal part of 

 the program. 



BEE PARALYSIS PREVA- 

 LENT IN SOUTHERN 

 IDAHO. 



A subject receiving 

 perhaps more atten- 

 tion than any other, 

 and informally dis- 

 cussed, was that of 

 bee paralysis. This 

 menacing disease is 

 widespread through- 

 out Southern Idaho. 

 Not excepting foul 

 brood it is, perhaps, 

 the greatest enemy to 

 apiculture in this 

 State. It makes its 

 appearance most noticeably between the first 

 and second alfalfa flows ; but it may attack 

 an apiary at any time during the summer. It 

 has been known to destroy the complete 

 working force of an apiary. A shortage 

 in crop can many times be traced to the 

 harmful effects of this disease. 



There were almost as many remedies of- 

 fered as there were beekeepers present. 

 Many apiarists described various methods 

 for treating each hive separately. Most of 

 these methods have failed. The reason for 

 this, we believe, lies in the fact that in 

 Idaho the whole apiary is infected if one 

 hive shows symi^toms of it. Such has been 

 our own experience. Bees by the thousand 

 will be found crawling from the hive into 

 the grass to die. But these can be seen 

 only during early morning or on very cool 

 days, which explains how the strength of 

 an apiary can be diminished before the 

 apiarist is aware of it. When attacked by 

 this disease, the abdomen of the bee is 

 greatly swollen, and black and shiny. There 

 is a fluttery motion about the wings. If 

 a personal reference may be pardoned, the 

 most effective way to deal with this disease, 





