374 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



but I have never found any good reason 

 for accepting it. At one time I disturb- 

 ed some of mv bees a good deal during 

 the winter, but I always failed to detect 

 any evil effect. And if we look into the 

 reason of the thing, why should it be ex- 

 pected to have any bad effect? Grant 

 that the bees may consume a little more 

 honey, say twice as much as they would 

 have consumed that day if they had not 

 been disturbed, that at the worst would 

 only be equivalent to adding one day to 

 the length of their confinement, which 

 would not usually be considered a very 

 serious matter. To be sure, they are 

 liable to load up with honej^ but that no 

 doubt will be unloaded without injurv to 

 the bees when the disturbance ceases. 



.•\ SAFE METHOD OF INTRODUCING 

 QUEENS. 



On page 727 instructions are given to 

 enable a novice to "make a sure thing" 

 of introducing a queen. Two or more 

 frames of brood, all capped, and some 

 hatching, and "every last" bee brushed 

 off, are shut up bee-tight with a comb or 

 two of honey in a hive for five days and 

 kept sufficiently warm. That is substanti- 

 ally all. I don't know when would be the 

 best time to let the queen in but I suppo.se 

 not until a handful of bees appear. 



DISCUSSION f)N "nature's WAY" TOO 



I^ONG DRAWN OUT. 



On page 698 we find there is room in 

 Beedom Roiled Down, too, for ringing the 

 changes on Nature's plan in the queen 

 laying the first eggs. Wouldn't it be 

 wise to put Nature's plan in this matter 

 in its little bed ? 



.\ DOUBTFI'I, KOUI< BROOD CUKE. 



In the .same department, page 743, ap- 

 pears another easy way of curing foul 

 brood. It comes from over the water. 

 It is done by "vigorously smoking (sic) 

 every two or three days in the evening 

 for two weeks." Whatever that may 

 mean, I hardly think I would trust it. 



BOILING FOUL BLOODY HONEY FIFTEEN 

 MINUTES IS SUFFICIENT TO KILL 

 THE GERMS. 

 Dr. Miller (Gleanings, 7901 has found 

 a statement that confirms him in the 

 opinion that foul-broody honey should 

 be boiled 2^ hours to make it a safe food 

 for bees, so he returns to the subject and 

 expresses the opinion that possibly I am 

 giving dangerous advice in saying that 15 

 minutes are enough. I have had con- 

 siderable experience in this matter; some- 

 times boiling combs honey and brood al- 

 together to get them out of the way quick 

 ly; always aiming to have the boiling 

 continue 15 minutes; and such hone}' I 

 have fed in considerable quantities to a 

 good many colonies; and it never carried 

 the disea.se. Every one who ha? any- 

 thing to do with foul brood should be 

 careful and continually on his guard, but 

 it is worse that useless to boil honey 2^3 

 hours to kill the germs of foul brood 

 which it contains. 



HONEY IN THE COMB DOES NOT LOSE ITS 

 FLAVOR AND AROMA. 



The editor of Gleanings and Dr. Miller 

 are having a discussion of the question 

 whether comb imparts t. fla\or to the hon- 

 ey it contains. The editor thinks it does, 

 and as proof cites the fact that so many 

 prefer comb honey, and suspects that 

 those who prefer extracted honey do so 

 for convenience in eating. He says fur- 

 ther, "only yesterda}' I was eating a nice 

 sample of comb honey and one of ex- 

 tracted, both clove-, but it seemed to 

 me the comb had the better flavor." 

 ( Gleanings, 790, 826) The doctor thinks 

 comb has practically no flavor to impart, 

 but confesses "I always prefer the honey 

 tliat has run out on the bottom of the 

 plate." I like to see brethren agree. 

 Can rhey not make common ground of 

 the fact that the comb preseives the 

 aroma and the fine flavor of the honey ? 

 Honey exposed to the air readily takes 

 up moisture and its aroma is as readilv 

 dissipated; hence it is that so many pre- 

 fer comb honey, notwithstanding the un- 

 desirable presence of the wax. There 



