(Entered at the Post-Office at cinr.-iKo as Second-Class Mail-Matter.) 

 Published Weekly at $1.00 a Year, by George W. York & Co., 334 Dearborn Street. 



CEOHGK W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 28, 1906 



Vol. XLVI— No 26 



editorial Jiod 

 and Comments 



■ o _ 



Sugar for Queen-Cages In the Mails 



During the many years that we have had to do with 

 mailing queen-bees, we have almost invariably found that 

 queen-breeders put the right kind of sugar-candy in one end 

 of the queen-cages in which they mail queens. However, 

 occasionally we have received queens from breeders who 

 evidently are somewhat new in the business, and do not 

 understand the manner of making the right kind of queen- 

 cage sugar-candy. Any of the standard bee-books give in 

 full the method of making this candy. Of course, no up- 

 to-date queen-breeder would be without all of the standard 

 bee-books and bee-papers if he wishes to be up to date in 

 his line of business. 



We have received queen-cages that evidently had put in 

 them simply granulated white sugar, for, by the time they 

 arrived at this office there was about as much of the sugar 

 at one end of the cage as at the other. In fact, the sugar 

 and bees were pretty well mixed up. It was possible, after 

 the card was taken off the cage, to shake practically all the 

 sugar through the wire-cloth covering. It would not be 

 surprising if many queens were lost in the mails when 

 sent with such food. 



Any bee-keeper contemplating going into the queen 

 rearing and mailing business should get all the information 

 possible, so as to conduct every detail of the business in 

 the right way. By so doing frequent losses of queens may 

 possibly be avoided. 



Honey-Dew Without Aphides 



Mr. C. P. Dadant, of Hamilton, 111., sends us the follow- 

 ing concerning his recent experience on this subject : 



Mr. Editor: — In an article which I sent you, I mention the fact 

 that the bees were harvesting a sweet substance from the acorns on 

 some of the oaks. I have since mailed you several twigs showing a 

 good size drop of " honey " on some of the acorns. This substance 

 has been produced so freely on one tree that a number of drops of it 

 have fallen to the sidewalk, and the bees are now bu6y on this tree 

 from early morning till night. 



None of the so-called honey-dew can properly be called by that 

 name, for the reason that it does not settle like dew from the atmos- 

 phere. In most cases, the sweet substance gathered by bees is pro 

 duced by aphides or plant-lice, which eject it from their bodies, when 

 it falls in the form of a very fine spray. This is the most common 

 form of honey-dew. 



In the present instance, however, there is no insect or louse of any 

 kind, and the exudation from the oaks comes during a cold night fol- 

 lowing a warm day. This exudation is most profuse on the acorns, 

 but the use of a magnifying glass reveals it also on the stem below 

 and above the acorn. This is evidently the product called " miellee,'' 

 by Bonnier. The most plausible explanation that can be given of this 



phenomenon is that the cold of night shrinks the tender shoots of 

 fresh growth, and that the sap which is ascending becomes unable to 

 extend to the leaves on account of the contraction of the tissues, and 

 exudes through the pores of the wood, by channels called " nectar- 

 iferous tissues." We have often seen the bees working on the acorns- 

 during cool summer days, but have never seen the sweet exudation in 

 so large a quantity as in this instance. The liquid is very sticky, and 

 has a slight twinge of bitterness with the very plain taste of oak-bark. 

 For years discussions have taken place as to whether hooey dew 

 was a real product of plants or whether it came through plant-lice. 

 This instance proves that both views are correct, according to the cir- 

 cumstances. The aphides' production is much more common than the 

 sap exudation. C. P. Dadant. 



The samples sent by Mr. Dadant are very fine indeed. 

 The exudation is plainly visible to the naked eye, and also 

 in sufficient quantity to taste easily. It is quite sticky to 

 the touch, and, as Mr. Dadant says, has a distinct oak-barky 

 flavor. 



Caucasian Bees in Germany 



More than a quarter of a century ago Caucasian bees 

 were discussed in Germany, and Otto Luhdorff gathers up, 

 in the American Bee-Keeper, some of the testimony con- 

 cerning them. All united in pronouncing them phenome- 

 nally gentle. They were said to be much given to swarm- 

 ing, 5 colonies sending out 19 swarms, and 100 queen-cells 

 in a single colony of moderate strength was nothing diffi- 

 cult to find. They varied much in color, there seeming to 

 be a light and a dark variety. They were good defenders 

 against robbers, and their activity indicated that they were 

 good gatherers, but on this point testimony seemed lacking. 

 Mr. Luhdorff concludes by saying : 



There are no more Caucasian queens offered to-day in the bee- 

 papers or catalogs in Germany. They seem to be forgotten, although 

 in 1889 the papers were full of them. The principal races offered in 

 Germany to-day are the common German black bee, the Italian and 

 the Carniolan. The Italian and Carniolan queens seem to be at the- 

 head of everything, and liked the best. 



The British Standard Frame 



At a late meeting of the British Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, after a full discussion, the standard frame, which has 

 been in use in England for years, was unanimously en- 

 dorsed. It is 14 inches long and8'; deep, outside measure. 

 The Langstroth frame — the one in most common use in this 

 country — is 17) s x9,'s, therefore 35 percent larger than the 

 British standard. The 10-frame Cowan hive has the capac- 

 ity of a little less than ~'/z Langstroth frames. 



Putting Wire-Cloth on Queen-Cages 



We notice that some queen-breeders are sending out 

 cages with light-colored wire-cloth instead of black. Per- 

 haps they had not thought of it, but it is almost impossible 

 to see the queen^ through the light-colored wire-cloth. We 

 do not know why any queen-breeder should use anything 

 but the black wire-cloth. Perhaps those who use the light- 

 colored can give a good reason for so doing. 



Here is another thing that needs a little attention : In 

 cutting the wire-cloth for queeu-cages we notice that some 



