GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Notes from Canada 



J. L. Byer, Mt. Joy, Ont. 



Monday, Nov. 11, a beautiful day, typi- 

 cal of the best weather we often get in th's 

 latitude during the period commonly called 

 "Indian summer." Bees are flying freely, 

 and some pollen is coming in from scatter- 

 ed dandelion and marshmallow blossoms. 

 A good flight at this time means that bees 

 in Ontario that are wintered inside will go 

 into winter quarters in good shape, as many 

 will carry the bees in just as soon as the 

 weather turns colder again. 



Colonies in Ontai'io are going into winter 

 this year very poi3ulous in young bees, as 

 brood-rearing was kept up very late in the 

 season, unlike conditions of last autumn. 

 Although so many old bees were in the 

 liives last fall, yet we had splendid winter- 

 ing; as a rule, we do not feel like mak- 

 ing any calculations as to this year with 

 changed conditions, although an orthodox 

 view would be that many young bees make 

 good wintering. With such a large popula- 

 tion in the hives at present, the main dan- 

 ger will be starvation; and, as hinted at in 

 a previous issue, I anticipate that many 

 bees will starve in some yards this winter 

 where no feeding has been done. 



* « * 



"He was an honest man and a good citi- 

 zen," page 679, Nov. 1. I thought when 

 reading the death notice of that pioneer 

 beekeeper, J. S. Harbison, that the quota- 

 tion given and taken from friend Merriam's 

 postal was about the best that one could 

 wish for in the way of an epitaph. "An 

 honest man." Do we I'eally understand what 

 is implied in the term? For surely if Iwn- 

 est in the best sense of the term, all the 

 cardinal as well as the minor virtues will 

 be embraced in that phrase. Truly "a good 

 name is rather to be chosen than great 



riches." 



* * « 



Regarding the matter of nomenclature in 

 bee terms, please notice that I found no 

 serious fault with the use of the word 

 "hybrid" as beekeepers misuse the term. 

 Rather was I saying that, when we gener- 

 ally accept some words in their wrong 

 application, why worry so much over an- 

 other one on the list, even if it is in using 

 such butchered English as "shook swarm- 

 ing"? The editor of the Beekeepers' Ga- 

 zette, in a recent issue, shows that he is 

 much opposed to the use of the word hy- 

 brid, as commonly used by beekeepers; but 

 then I notice he has an "M. A.," hence 



naturally would be more shocked at seeing 

 jioor English in print that would be the 

 case with this scribbler with no very accu- 

 rate understanding of words often used in 

 scientific discussions. In so far as I am jl 

 concerned, I still think it a great mistake 1 

 that the term "black brood" was changed 

 into the cumbersome "European foul 

 brood;" and the latter term, according to 

 many good authorities, is fully as mislead- 

 ing as the former one could possibly be. 

 Even if the dead brood in this disease is 

 not quite "black," evei'ybody, nearly, knew 

 what was meant by the term, and that is 

 more than can be said of the name now 

 used, as almost every journal gives evidence 

 of some one using the general term "foul 

 brood" when one has to guess which variety 

 of the disease is meant. 

 * » « 



"The honey-board should always be left 

 on tlie liive under the lid, whether for win- 

 tering or through the season, as few up-to- 

 date beekeepers use cloths any more." So 

 says D. Everett Lyon in the Farm Jour- 

 nal for April. All of you back numbers 

 who still use a quilt, please take notice. As 

 the writer is among this number, and in- 

 tends to stay there, nothing personal is in- 

 tended, you see. Mr. Lyon also says that 

 April is the month to make increase. Even 

 after taking into consideration the fact that 

 he is so much south of us, I am under the 

 impression that the date he gives would be 

 too early. Can any one in his latitude tell 

 us if his advice on the question is sound? 



[This question involves the use of sealed 

 covers versus absorbents for winter. Our 

 own opinions in the matter have been mod- 

 ified somewhat during the last two years. 

 For very cold localities, or for very severe 

 winters, we are inclined to believe that the 

 sealed covers will not give as good results 

 as the porous cover with warm packing ma- 

 terial through which the moisture can pass 

 out and escape. When the absorbent pack- 

 ing is used, there must always be ventila- 

 tion over the packing. 



As to April being the best month for mak- 

 ing increase, that depends. All such state- 

 ments should be qualified by the general 

 conditions that may exist. We would say 

 emiDhatically that, for most localities, April 

 is not the month to make in<-rease. The 

 average beginner, if he attempts to divide 

 during April in Mr. Lyon's locality, would, 

 we fear, come to gi'ief ; and as he is in about 

 the same latitude as ours we are sure he 

 would. — Ed.] 



