1901 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



157 



parts honey would on an average pro- 

 duce one part wax when consumed by 

 the bees. 



Q 

 "Expert Commission of German Bee- 

 keepers' Societies'' is the latest. The 

 object of This new organization is to fight 

 adulteration of honey. 



i 



A good point about introducing queens 

 is made in tlie Plialz. Bztg. as follows: 

 Manage to hav(> the queen liberated from 

 the cage by the bees during the night. 

 The bees, not expecting strange bees to 

 enter their hive at night will not molest 

 the introduced queen. A queen may be 

 installed with perfect safety within thirty 

 hours. 



3» 



Several methods are given in Central 

 BUM to easily secure swarming bees as 

 they are issuing from their hive. A sort 

 of bag made of a loose fabric is attached 

 to the hive just as the bees begin pouring 

 out. Of course, all bees have to stay in- 

 side of the bag. If it has been attached 

 before the queen left the hive she will 

 be in safe keeping and what few bees 

 may have left the hive before the bag or 

 swarm catcher had been put in place 

 will cluster on the outside of it; when 

 the cluster has become quiet the hiving 

 may be done by dumping the bees out in 

 front of their new abode. 



Another method is by .the use of a mir- 

 ror, as follows: Take a position that 

 the rays of the sun strike the glass, turn 

 tlie mirror in sucli a way tliat the reflect- 

 ed rays strike into the midst of the 

 swarming bees and move it back and 

 forth a little. The writer claims that 

 he has been able to induce all swarms to 

 cluster low. many of them on the ground, 

 making hiving a very easy task. A self- 

 hiver is also spoken of as a means to 

 secure the swarms with little labor. 



According to Fleischmann mLeipzujer 

 Bienen-Zeitimg. the Italian bee is losing 

 ground among the (Terman bee-keepers 

 and he claims that Dzierzon is about the 

 only one who champions the yellow race. 

 In Belgium it is said the bee-keepers are 

 of the same turn of mind; in France they 

 are about equally divided. America alone 

 stands solid for the Italian bee (Not 

 quite true. F. G.). 



It is a well-known fact that large 

 apiaries exist in Germany where frame 

 hives are not used. Many of these apia- 

 ries are a reliable source of income as 

 the stamphhon'uj (mashed-down honey) 



produced and the surplus bees find a 

 ready sale. Nearly all German bee 

 periodicals contain a department for the 

 korb-imjjer — one who keeps his bees in 

 log-gums and straw skeps. 



On the average the German bee-keeper 

 owns but a few stands of bees, conse- 

 quently he is not so well-equipped as the 

 majority of American bee-keepers. A 

 great many are not in possession of a 

 !^moker but make the cigar or pipe 

 answer the purpose instead. A wad of 

 rags set on fire is also used and is recom- 

 mended in the papers. 

 & 



Gloeden thinks bees may be safely 

 wintered without pollen. He came to 

 this conclusion from the following exper- 

 iment: A forced swarm was hived in an 

 empty hive late in the Fall. So late in- 

 deed that no pollen was stored. Said 

 bees were fed on sugar syrup abundant- 

 ly, drew out the foundation into combs, 

 capped over the syrup and fixed upas 

 best tliey could for winter. A careful 

 examination before winter showed that 

 not a cell of pollen was present in the 

 hive. The colony wintered well and 

 came out as strong as any. It is not 

 stated whether a pollen substitute was 

 fed in the spring or not. 



F. Greiner. 



CHINA. 



According to a report in Central BUM 

 the Chinese honey bees are exceptionally 

 good-natured and even-tempered. In 

 appearance they are distinct from our 

 races inasmuch as head and abdomen 

 are of a bluish cast. As timber is scarce 

 lumber is not used for hives, but baskets 

 take the place and are coated inside with 

 clay. On account of lack of pasture 

 lands and forests honey yields are said 

 to be meagre and honey high priced. In 

 some localities buckwheat is grown and 

 furnishes some surplus. 



'Tis in books the chief 



Of all perfections, to be plain and brief. 



—Butler. 



That offer which the publishers have 

 made, to send The Bee-keeper six 

 months to new subscribers, struck a re- 

 sponsive chord. The offer still holds 

 good. 



