38 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[August, 



der it clear that the mass in regard to consistence 

 is composed as we are accustomed to find 

 honey — it becomes also in jars partly crystallized 

 and partly fluid. 



The feeding of bees upon grape sugar was be- 

 fore mentioned, and gave us this experience, 

 that when chemically pure it was useful as a 

 bee food. And why should it not be ? Is not 

 grape sugar and honey the same ? In the for- 

 mer the aroma alone is wanting. 



It is to be remarked that there are but two 

 kinds of sugar that can be used as a bee food. 

 Cane sugar, grape sugar, or that almost similar 

 to the last, honey ; but one difference is found, 

 that grape sugar can be transformed into either 

 crystallized or mucilaginous sugar. The crystal- 

 lized grape sugar is certainly pure, while grape 

 sugar syrup may not be free from sulphuric 

 acid. As the sugar syrup has been the means 

 of destroying whole hives, whose inmates have 

 fed upon it, it is well to have this so-called syrup 

 chemically pure before feeding it to the bees. 

 If one would mix chemically pure grape sugar 

 syrup with a sufficient quantity of crystal- 

 lized sugar, and perfume this with a small quan- 

 tity of the oil of some well known flower, the pro- 

 duct would be artificial honey, which as regards 

 quality and aroma may be compared fearlessly 

 with that product which our bees gather from 

 the flowers and store in their hives. 



When the bees are allowed to partake of the 

 decoction of malt — thickened by evaporation — 

 they will extract the grape sugar ; but it is not 

 always advisable to allow this, as the dissolved 

 gluten remaining in the extract, will in certain 

 temperatures readily undergo changes, so that 

 the mass will undergo a process of fermentation. 

 This fermenting honey, used by the bees in 

 feeding their brood, will act like the fermenting 

 Havana or Cuba honey — introduce foul brood. 

 Who really, in analysis, has examined the above 

 mentioned means of subsistence, when they 

 have been partaken by the bees, and does not 

 see in them a cause of this brood pest, and un- 

 dertakes to ignore the discovery made by him 

 and others before and after him, he may feed 

 his bees that analyzed means of sustaining foul 

 brood! — he may feed them the fermenting malt 

 extract, in order through experience and disaster 

 he may become wise. Nevertheless, the main 

 point must not be overlooked. Before feeding, 

 he should establish the purity of such means of 

 subsistence, or have it ascertained by others, so 

 that it will be in a known condition. It is not 

 to be denied, that in this there is no absolute 

 certainty to be attained, but it can be judged by 

 its outward appearances, which are oftentimes 

 deceptive ; which, in the light appear as nothing 

 less than dangerous aids, in that their form and 

 substance wholly disappear. Should the brood 

 after the sixteenth day partake of this analyzed 

 nourishment in a raw or undigested condition, 

 it will not fail to bring on foul brood. Prove 

 that it is not so ! A. Lambueciit, 



Chemist and Beekeeper. 



Buraum near Burstein. 



[Translated from the Bieuenzeitunv.J 



Extracting Honey in Cold Weather. 



Time is money to men — and honey to bees. 



At the convention of German Beekeepers, 

 at Darmstad, Major Von Hruschka remarked 

 that the Honey Extractor had not yet attained 

 its full usefulness. Heat must be introduced so 

 the honey can be extracted in cold weather. 



I reflected over these remarks and became con- 

 vinced that the introduction of heat into the ma- 

 chine would not work, the combs requiring a 

 longer time to render the honey fluid, than 

 could be obtained by this means. I thought of 

 another plan, which two years ago I communi- 

 cated to various beekeeping friends. I would 

 willingly have made a trial of my plan the first 

 fall after discovering it, but the honey harvest 

 was short, so that all the honey had to be given 

 to the bees for wintering. Often I have to pur- 

 chase honey to feed my bees. Towards the end 

 of October. 1871. an unlooked for opportunity 

 occurred for the testing of my discovery. Herr 

 Klein, Domainenrath of Tanbuckshof, invited 

 me to spend a few days with him, and aid him 

 to prepare his bees for winter, his official duties 

 having prevented him from attending to them. On 

 my arrival the bees were immediately taken in 

 hand. They having quite a quantity of surplus 

 honey, and as Herr Klein had no thought of 

 using the Extractor, but thought of melting the 

 combs, I remarked to him, " Let us prepare a 

 room, and to-morrow we will use the Extractor." 



This was immediately done. With the aid of 

 two assistants, the combs were placed in a warm 

 room. In an hour everything was in readiness, 

 the Extractor fastened firmly to the floor with 

 woodeu screws. In three hours the experiment 

 was made with these combs standing nearest 

 the stove, and behold ! it went just as easy as 

 though it were midsummer. The next day quite 

 a quantity of reserved honey was extracted. 

 What joy this gave Herr Klein, I cannot de- 

 scribe ; it saving him so many whole combs, of 

 which he was in great need, having had to de- 

 stroy many hundred beautiful combs on account 

 of foul brood, with which his apiary was a few 

 years back afflicted. At present Herr Klein's 

 apiary is a model, and one of the finest to be 

 seen. 



W. Gunther. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Controlling Fertilization. 



Mr. Editor. — In a communication to the 

 Journal last fall, I confessed that all my attempts 

 to have queens fertilized in confinement had 

 been complete failures, but then said I had 

 devised a plan in which I intended to succeed 

 this season if anybody did. During the winter I 

 made the bee my chief study, and held an ex- 

 tensive correspondence with other prominent bee- 

 men, and by the middle of April I decided that 

 the thing could not be done. It is against na- 

 ture, and all attempts will fail. I am also of 

 opinion that those who say they were successful 

 only think they were ; they were not positively 



