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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Nov. 23, 1905 



and shiny black in color. Her bees were much like the com- 

 mon black bees, yet were exceedingly amiable. We opened 

 the hive with no use of smoke. It had rained hard nearly 

 every day for a week — and we know such weather is not con- 

 ducive to storing, and so usually makes cross bees We 

 knocked against the hive and brushed the bees rudely, even 

 pressing against them with the flat of the hand, yet the\' 

 made no sign of anger, nor gave any evidence of irritation or 

 wish to sting. 



Dr. Phillips is planning to work for better bees. He has 

 in these Caucasian bees all that we can wish for temper : and 

 as they are of the black type, they will doubtless give a very 

 white grade of honey. We will hope and believe that Dr. 

 Phillips will be able to unite with these peculiarities such 

 other desirable traits as the long tongue, activity and indus- 

 try of the best yellow races. Burbank would affirm that we 

 had in these bees every requisite to success. That it will be 

 possible to keep all the good now found, and even to empha- 

 size this, and by wise crossing and innumerable trials, we 

 may brace these characteristics with others that will fashion 

 the ideal — the perfect bee. 



There is one feature of these experiments that is worthy 

 of mention : One reason that Burbank has won his phenome- 

 nal laurels in plant-breeding comes from the fact that after 

 crossing he can plant thousands of seeds, and thus try almost 

 infinite experiments, anti get results in a very short period. 

 In most cases of breeding in animals the work is slow and re- 

 sults tardy of appearance. With bees the case is different ; 

 we can get results with great promptness, and each year may 

 get valuable returns, or at least may push work to completion. 



Keseaech Fund. 



Just here I have a suggestion that I believe we should 

 press for all that may come of it. It will be remembered that 

 Mr. Carnegie has endowed research with a large endowment. 

 Some thousands of this fund have been wisely handed over to 

 Mr. Burbank, that he may give his entire energy to the work 

 where he has proved himself such a master. There are still 

 thousands more to be granted. Why should not $1500 or $2000 

 be appropriated annually to aid Dr. Phillips in his valuable 

 work of queen-breeding ? This would make it possible to give 

 fullest energy to these researches. The object sought is surely 

 worthy most careful research and the best ability and atten- 

 tion. 



We have every reason to believe that Dr. Phillips is spe- 

 cially well fitted by temperament, taste, culture and energy 

 to do the work. There is every reason why this fund should 

 be voted. If the two National Associations shall take the 

 initiative they will surely exert a great, if not a telling, in- 

 fluence with the board that is in control of this fund. If such 

 initiative is supported by earnest petition from bee-keepers all 

 over the country, representing every State and, if possible, 

 every county, then truly we may hope for the appropriation 

 and look for most valuable results at Dr. Phillips hands. Let 

 us lose no time in inaugurating this important movement. 



# 



How Many Pounds of Honey Produce a 

 Pound of Wax ? 



BY ADRIAN GETAZ 



HOW many pounds of honey does it take to produce one 

 pound of wax ? is a question that has received all sorts 

 of answers from, if I am not mistaken, lyi to 30 pounds. 

 The high figures, especially when it comes to 20 or 30 pounds, 

 are certainly in error, as can be easily seen by considering 

 how they were obtained. 



The first experiments made were by Huber. He shut 

 some bees in a suitable box and fed them sometimes brown 

 sugar and sometimes honey, and saw the scales of wax pro- 

 duced and some comb built. The honey or sugar fed and the 

 comb produced were weighed. 



As an estimate of the honey used in a colony under nor- 

 mal conditions to prodnce one pound of wax, Huber's figures 

 are useless. Too few bees were used, the temperature was 

 merely that of the room, and therefore much below that of a 

 hive. Each experiment lasted only a few days, and we know 

 that the formation of the wax commences only three or four 

 after the heavy-feeding (honey-flow or artificial feeding) has 

 begun. Only the built comb was weighed, the scales of wax 

 that might have been on the bodiesof the bees were neglected. 



The first idea that will come to the reader's mind is. How 

 can it be possible that an experiment could be so carelessly 

 conducted ? And if the other observations of Huber were not 

 better made, what reliance can we place on his assertions ? 



But Huber never tried to find out how many pounds of honey 

 it takes to make a pound of wax — he may never have thought 

 of it at all. At the time he was living nearly everybody be- 

 lieved that the wax was gathered on the flowers, or at least 

 on the plants. And all he wanted to prove was that the wax 

 was not gathered outside, but is a secretion of the bees produced 

 from the honey they eat ; just like the milk of a cow is a, 

 product of the food she eats. Those who have used his figures 

 to prove that it takes 20 or more pounds of honey to produce 

 one pound of wax are the ones to blame. 



Another set of figures, often misused in the same manner, 

 are those of Dumas and Milne Edwards. Their experiments 

 were very carefully conducted — everything, even the bees 

 themselves, was counted, weighed and analyzed. Their sole 

 object was to show, like Huber, that the wax is a secretion 

 and a product of the honey consumed. But when it comes to 

 determine how many pounds of honey it takes under normal 

 conditions to produce a pound of wax, tbeir figures are nearly 

 as objectionable as those of Huber, and for similar reasons, 

 and should never have been used for such a purpose. 



Other experiments have been made in a more direct way 

 by feeding confined bees. Most of them are more or less ob- 

 jectionable on the same lines as those of Huber. Even the 

 best can not be considered as reliable. Bees confined, and 

 without queens and brood, will not work like they do under 

 natural conditions. So we may dismiss at once all attempts 

 made in that direction. 



French Experlments. 



Another method to get at it was undertaken and discussed 

 a few years ago by Messrs. Sylviac, Maujean, Devauchelle, 

 and other leading French apiarists, and reported during 1901 

 and 1902 In the Apiculteur and the Revue Internationale. The 

 principle is this : 



During the first two or three days — perhaps four — after a 

 swarm is hived, quite an amount of comb is built, but only a 

 few bees, comparatively, go to the fields; that is, when 

 neither comb nor foundation is given. The lack of room to 

 put in the nectar gathered forces a large number of bees to 

 remain at home and work at wax-producing and comb-build- 

 ing instead of going to the field. It may be assumed that the 

 few bees which go to the field bring in enough to keep the 

 colony alive, and that the amount of wax-scales that the bees 

 brought in on their bodies is offset by what they may have at 

 the end of three days, or about ; that is, before any honey is 

 stored in the combs. It is then taken for granted that the 

 comb built is the product of the honey brought out of the 

 parent hive by the swarm, or at least an equivalent amount. 

 Knowing that the bees of a swarm come out with their honey- 

 sacs full, knowing the weight and approximately the number 

 of bees of the swarm, and also the amount of honey that a bee 

 does carry out when swarming, it ought to be very easy to 

 make a fairly good estimate. 



The figures obtained were widely different with the differ- 

 ent swarms. Quite a discussion followed concerning their in- 

 terpretation, the correctness of the assumptions mentioned 

 above, and what corrections should be introduced. The out- 

 come was an estimation of from 2 to 4 pounds of honey for a 

 pound of wax produced under such circumstances. 



During the discussion Mr. L. Maupy suggested that, 

 chemically speaking, 100 grams of wax contain about82grams 

 of carbon, 13 of hydrogen, and 5 of oxygen. On the other 

 hand, 100 grams of honey contain 28 grams of carbon, 8 of 

 hydrogen, and 64 of oxygen. It follows that to make up the 

 82 grams of carbon contained in 100 grams of wax, not less 

 than 2,'4 or 3 times that amount of honey must be consumed. 



So far as the mere transformation of honey into wax is 

 concerned, I think this is all that is needed. But there is the 

 extra warmth needed, to be considered. To make it plain, let 

 us consider a colony having no super. All the warmth needed 

 is enough to keep up the temperature in the brood-nest. But 

 let us add a super. Then this super will have to be kept 

 warm enough to insure rapid production of wax and comb 

 building. And of course an extra quantity of honey will have 

 to be consumed to that end. In very warm weather it might 

 be next to nothing, but in cool weather it might be quite high. 



Hasty'8 Experiments. 



Some 20 years ago (in July, 1885) Mr. Hasty made an ex- 

 periment in the same line as the above. A prime swarm was 

 weighed and hived, and the hive placed on a delicate balance 

 at sundown. The swarm weighed 2 pounds and 12 ounces. 

 During the night the decrease of weight was 2 ounces, while 

 during ihe experiment the average decrease every night was 

 4 ounces. 



The plan was to weigh the colony morning and night, to 

 ascertain the amount brought in ; let them work 4 days, then 



