194 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



A tolerably sure means, and a very simple 

 one indeed, for determining the presence of 

 such glucose, is by what is known as the alco- 

 holic test, incorrectly called the Root test above, 

 but which in reality is a test that we obtained 

 from the Bie?ie?iw(fer (Bee-master), of Germany, 

 and which reads as follows: 



Take a tiiblespoonful of the honey to be tested, 

 and pour it into a small bottle. Then add tliree 

 spoonfuls of alcohol, and shake the wliole tog-ether 

 thoroughly. In about a quarter of an hour thtre 

 will form in the bottle a cloudy, whitish sediment, 

 and from this one may be sure that the honey is 

 adulterated with glucose. 



The directions above say shake; but a better 

 way is to stir it vigorously for some little time, 

 and then allow it to stand. In about fifteen 

 minutes it will look as if a very small quantity 

 of milk had been mixed with a little quantity of 

 water; that is, the mixture will have a bluish, 

 milky cast. While this alcoholic test does not 

 show the percentage of adulteration, it is very 

 reliable in showing the presence of the cheaper 

 article. In this State, at least, it is just as 

 much a violation of the law to put in a little 

 glucose as a large amount, without labeling it. 

 If there is any corn syl'up present at all, you 

 may be sure that the mixer would not stop short 

 of 50 per cent. If he is dishonest enough to 

 adulterate, he will make a job of it. 



Now, I would suggest that bee-keepers buy 

 samples in their local groceries everywhere, of 

 jelly-tumblers containing the liquid stuff with 

 a piece of comb in it. Go to your drugstore and 

 get ten centx' worth of alcohol. Take the stuff 

 home and try the test. If it shows glucose, send 

 the label, detached from the tumbler, to us. If 

 it is not labeled, send the name and address of 

 the grocer handling it. 



Although there may be such. I know of no 

 bee keeper or reliable honey-hou<e that puts 

 up pure honey in this shape. The piece of 

 comb is simply a cloak to cover up dishonesty. 

 The very fact that we have had repeated calls 

 for pieces of dry comb, from concerns whose 

 stationery shows they make a specially of syr- 

 ups, shows very plainly what the object is. 



The heading at the top of Mr. V.'s article is 

 rather startling. I suppose friend V. put it 

 there for the very purpose of catching the eye; 

 but all our readers, or nearly ail of them, in- 

 cluding friend V., will conclude that the bee- 

 keeper can not afford to do otherwise than to 

 sell The pure product of the hive. You will no- 

 tice I put in a clause above, " nearly all." Per- 

 haps I should be justi6ed in striking it out en- 

 tirely. However, as there may be one or two 

 black sheep in our midst, and probably are, I 

 leave it in.— Ed. J 



CHIPS FROM WOODCHOPPER. 



THE USE OF BURR-COMBS. 



Bees usually gnaw the cappings of sections 

 for several reasons. 1. Because they are scared 

 when they are disturbed, and proceed to get a 

 load of honey from the first that comes to the 

 touch. At such times they will cut the cap- 

 pings when there is plenty of unsealed honey 

 within half an inch of them. They seem dazed, 

 or get reckless. I have seen a black swarm 

 bite nearly all the cappings in the brood -cham- 

 ber during an examination, and it is expensive 

 business too; for thev never fix it up again, and 

 a few such scraps will use up a winter supply, 



and unless there is a late flow they will have to 

 be fed, as I have found to my sorrow, some- 

 times, in requeening, when no honey was com- 

 ing in. 



Another reason is, that they never leave the 

 sections and go back without as big a load as 

 they can manage to fly with; and unless this 

 is supplied in some other way they are obliged 

 to bite cappings to get it; and right here is 

 where the much-abused burr-comb does a good 

 turn if they are filled with honey, which, being 

 broken in removal, furnishes their load, and 

 starts them home much sooner than they would 

 otherwise go. I may add that, at any other 

 time, the burr-comb is a nuisance, although 

 bees will enter the sections sooner and work 

 better with them between the top -bars and the 

 super. 



I know one man who had Langstroth hives 

 with light-top-bar frames which sagged half 

 an inch or more, and that space was filled with 

 combs which he never removed, but set the 

 surplus-receptacles directly on them with a 

 thin board bottom between to keep the combs 

 from being attached to the sections. He never 

 gave the bees any other attention than to put 

 them on at the beginning of the harvest, and 

 remove when full; and I have never seen a 

 whole apiary in my life that filled up as uni- 

 formly and in as good shape as that one did 

 year after year; but bees could not be handled 

 in that way if you ever wantei to know any 

 thing about their downstairs condition, for they 

 were as immovable as a box hive, but much 

 better for honey production. (Now, that chip 

 must be twice as large as the whole block.) If 

 that big cave had been located here for the last 

 two years there would be neither tons of honey 

 in it nor even pounds; and how do those fellows 

 know about the amount of lioney, any way, as 

 they say it can't be seen nor got at ? 



BEEPARAUYSIS. 



I've had quite a good many cases of it. Dr. 

 Miller, that did amount to something. I always 

 cure it, but it spoils the swarm for that season, 

 if it gets much of a start before it is attended to. 



CURE. 



Kill the queen and allow them to raise anoth- 

 er from the egg. Don't put in a cell or another 

 queen, buf let the brood get all out of the way 

 before another queen gets to laying. I never 

 had a hive affected again if treated that way. 



BEE-SPACE AROUND END OF FRAMES. 



Why. Dr. Miller, you are over thirty years 

 behindhand if you have just begun to use it. 

 It was the biggest nuisance in the whole busi- 

 ness—that is, to have the ends go down tight, 

 audit always made me out of patience to get 

 hold of such a hive. It's far worse than burr- 

 combs. I used nails for end-spacers once, but 

 discarded them years ago, and don't want any 

 kind now ; and if I wanted fixed frames I would 



