1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



91 



was found in great numbers in the 

 gut of all the infected bees, often 

 almost as a pure culture, and was 

 also found in the blood. It is not 

 identical with the form of B. para- 

 typhi found in man and domestic ani- 

 mals. The feeding of healthy bees 

 and of vespa with pure cultures dis- 

 solved in S per cent sugar solution 

 showed positive results, but mice, 

 guinea pigs and rats were not sus- 

 ceptible. While the organism is not 

 normally found in healthy bees, it 

 has occurred exceptionally. In these 

 cases the infection has possibly been 

 present in such hives, and it is cer- 

 tain that many cases of paralysis and 

 dysentery recorded in bees have been 

 due to paratyphus. 



"This somewhat infectious and ma- 

 lignant disease can be spread (1) by 

 purchase of infected bees and of 

 apparently healthy bees that orig- 

 inate from a hive that sometime pre- 

 viously has been attacked by the dis- 

 ease; (2) through foreign infected 

 males ; (3) through beekeepers car- 

 rying the infection from attacked 

 apiaries to healthy ones; (4) through 

 infected frames, tools or hives. The 

 author therefore proposes measures 

 controlling the purchase of bees and 

 the prohibition of the importation of 

 foreign bees and queens." — (Supplied 

 by William Hugh, President of the 

 Beekeepers' Association of British 

 Columbia.) 



(This is another name for the cause 

 of May disease or paralysis. We are 

 not wanting for names. "Bacillus de- 

 pilis, bacillus Gaytoni, bacillus para- 

 typhi-alvei"! But what we need worse 

 than names is to know how the trou- 

 ble originates and how to cure it. It 

 will come by and by. — Editor.) 



Beekeeping in Costa Rica 



By W. B. Gehrels 

 (Continued from February.) 



Our second year here proved to be 

 abnormal. It did not rain more than 

 one-third the usual amount. About 

 the first of October the honey flow 

 started, but was followed quickly by 

 a three weeks' rain, and before the 

 honey flow started up again, after the 

 rains ceased, the bees had used up 

 their stores o converted them into 

 brood, so that we had to do some 

 feeding. For feed we bought brown 

 sugar; this is sold in cakes, as it is 

 molded into clay molds at the cane 

 mills. This sugar we boiled, adding 

 some water. When the syrup thick- 

 ens, cool off and stir; it will grain 

 very fine and when cold, if it is just 

 right, it can be very quickly rubbed 

 into empty conbs. This feed excited 

 very little robbing and gave good sat- 

 isfaction for us. Bees do not seem to 

 be inclined to rob as badly here as in 

 the States. 



Towards the middle of November 

 the honey flow opened up better 

 again, but not so good «. - the previous 

 year. The lack of rain during the 

 winter cut down the flowering of the 

 trees considerably, but by the end of 



the second year we had increased to 

 550 colonies and produced n,000 lbs. 

 of honey. The largest part of this 

 honey was not inferior to the best 

 honeys produced in the States, such 

 as clover, orange or catsclaw. A 

 small part of the honey, that pro- 

 duced from one variety of mangrove, 

 had a slightly salty taste, but was 

 white in color. The bees did not 

 gather any honeydew, or any honey 

 that was dark in color or of a strong 

 flavor, but the largest part of the 

 honey was of a distinctive, different 

 flavor from the honey produced last 

 year. As the largest part of our 

 honey comes in the dry season, the 

 honey is very thick and heavy, so 

 that it will hardly run out of a bot- 

 tle, but on the other hand, it very 

 seldom candies here on the coast. In 

 the higher altitudes in Costa Rica 

 honey candies, however, much the 

 same as it does in the States. 



We have heard of the cheap honeys 

 from the West Indies and Central 

 and South America, which, of course, 

 discount the prices of the article 

 produced down here. There is some 

 ground for this kind of talk, and the 

 cause is nearly always the way the 

 honey is handled, packed and 

 shipped, and again the way it is 

 handled after it is received and final- 

 ly put on the market in the country 

 where it is consumed. I have sam- 

 pled bottled honey put up in the two 

 countries that are the most advanced 

 in beekeeping — our own United 

 States and England — that was so 

 much inferior in color and flavor to 

 the honey produced here that it 

 would not admit of comparison. I 

 have bought the bottled honey that 

 I mention, in Panama. 



As I am writing this, I have my 

 typewriter on some empty bee hives 

 under the shade of a palm tree, and 

 the bees are coming in clouds over 

 my head heavily loaded with honey 

 from the forest, and the air is full of 

 the sweet-smelling fragrance of rip- 

 ening honey in the hives. 



Beginning with si.x colonies two 

 years ago, the bees have, with our 

 help, more than made our living for 

 a family of eight members, not figur- 

 ing the increase to 550 colonies. My 

 good wife and daughters are my help- 

 ers ; my son is now in the United 

 States attending a mining school. 



HONEY PLANTS 



It is only possil)le to get an incom- 

 plete list of the honey-producing 

 plants of Costa Rica, as we have been 

 in the country only two years. Some 

 plants have escaped our notice, and 

 there are undoubtedly many other 

 good honey plants in other parts of 

 the country. I will just give them 

 here as I find them in my memoran- 

 dum book, without any attempt at 

 listing them alphabetically. 



The maranyon produces honey, 

 fruits and nuts; blooms from Novem- 

 ber till April. 



Tamarind — Honey and fruit, April 

 till September. 



.'\guacate— Honey and fruit; De- 

 cember and January. 



Mango — Honey, fruit and pollen; 

 November till April. 



Marango — A tree used for fence 

 posts; produces honey; blooms all 

 year round. 



Cocoanut and cojol palm bloom all 

 year round; produce honey. 



Guava — Fruit and honey; not im- 

 portant; blooms all year. 



Oranges and limes — Usually bloom 

 twice a year; produce some honey. 



Bananas — Fruit and honey; not im- 

 portant; bloom all year. 



Three or four varieties of wild 

 plums; some have very good fruit, 

 all produce some honey; bloom from 

 December till March. 



Xispero — Fruit and honey; blooms 

 several times a year. 



Coffee — Honey; not important; 

 bloom period too short; April. 



Cacao — Honey; not important; 

 April. 



Balsa, espavel, cedar, genisero, 



(After.) 

 Apiary of J. H. Alexander, of. Ladner, B. C, who bought the Chinaman's bees and transferred 

 them to bives. — Photo by F. Oundas Todd. 



