1899 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



the weight of the evaporation of water it contains), 

 the Italian bee. having a longer reach, cleans out the 

 cup of the blossom-cell to the bottom, giving us not 

 onlv a richer and finer quality from the same bloom, 

 but the honey require-; less ripening or evaporation of 

 water. The same quantity when first stored would 

 result, in weight and bulk when ripened, largely in 

 favor of the Italians. My observation is, that the 

 same size of comb when first stored by the Italian is 

 more dense, needs less ripening, and is, therefore, 

 heavier than that of the black. 

 \* 



To fasten foundation into brood-f tames, Mr. 

 L. E. Thompson savs he saws the top-bar in 

 two lengthwise to within an inch of the end. 

 Slip the sheet in and nail the frame together. 

 E. R. R. says this is a very old idea, 

 ifc 



J. A. Bearden, of Tennessee, says a ten- 

 frame hive is better than an eight-frame in 

 his latitude. He describes a hive-tool that 

 seems to me to be a good thing ; but what a 

 pity there is no cut of it ! The description 

 occupies two inches, while a cut would not 

 need to be more than half an inch, to say 

 nothing of clearness, and time saved. 

 >*/ 



On the first page of this journal, Jan. 12, 

 Prof. Cook gives his views on the nature of 

 honey -dew. The interest with which he 

 clothes the subject makes one wish, as Oliver 

 Twist did for soup, for " a little more." The 

 tenor of the article is to show that honey-dew 

 is not of plant origin, but from the larvae of 

 insects working in scores. His conclusions 

 are, as stated by himself : 



Honey-dew is always a secretion from insects. It is 

 always wholesome, and often delicious. It may be 

 produced in exceeding quantities, and become the 

 source of much honey. In such cases, coccid honey- 

 dew will often be rank and ill flavored, and should he 

 kept as much as possible by itself, and sold for other 

 purpose than table use. Honey-dew is secreted by 

 insects to serve them in attracting bees, etc., which 

 shall repel the bird enemies of the nectar-secreting 

 insects." 



The article goes far toward rendering honey- 

 dew honey more palatable. Wouldn't it be a 

 good plan to avoid the use of such a word as 

 " lice " in speaking of aphides? There's much 

 in a name. Some don't like a fiddle in church, 

 while a violin charms them. By the way, 

 Prof. Cook's idea of a summary at the end of 

 an article is excellent. 

 \t> 



C. Davenport, of Minnesota, following the 

 above, gives an account of the remarkable 

 endurance of bees in cold weather. On the 

 20th of last November, the mercury fell to 18° 

 below zero. A terrific wind blew, and the air 

 was filled with ice and flying snow. Some 

 hives were uncovered, and some tipped over. 

 They were thus exposed from some time in 

 the night till the next afternoon. Although 

 many bees perished, no colony was destroyed. 

 The loss in many hives not disturbed was 

 about as great, however. As bees can work 

 well at a temperature of 104, this shows that 

 they can live without " clothes " in a range of 

 122 degrees. 



\»/ 

 " Honey as a Fat-producer " is discussed by 

 Dr. Miller. An excellent half-tone of the 

 doctor is also given; and if the object in show- 

 ing it is to afford a "word-picture" of the 



fattening power of honey, then there's hope 

 for those who have become tired of so many 

 "anti-fat" remedies; for certainly our friend 

 looks comfortable. In answer to the question 

 as to whether honey is conducive to fatness, 

 he admits he doesn't know, but seems to 

 think, from analogy with corn and sugar, that 

 it is. Probably, however, the chief value of 

 honey is as an assimilant of other foods. It 

 causes other food to agree with me, and, when 

 used with milk, that is enough of itself to 

 furnish a complete meal. The use of honey 

 rapidly creates a liking for more. A few years 

 ago I could eat only a spoonful, while now 

 half a common section is none too much. 



\>> 

 The above was written before I read what is 

 said on page 27 about great honey-eaters. It 

 seems that Mr. York doubted whether three 

 persons ever ate a pound of comb honey at one 

 sitting. Mr. Murry says two often eat that 

 much. Certainly — why not? Evidently Mr. 

 York can't bear honey as well as some of us 

 human bruins can. I can eat half a pound of 

 good clover honey at one meal any day, with 

 impunity (or milk without the impunity). 

 But I never eat on a wager nor to show what I 

 can do. I eat to live, and stop when I have 

 enough. 



\h 

 AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 

 The editor strongly favors a test of Apis 

 dorsata, and gives a fine view of this bee, 

 greatlv enlarged. 



>»/ 

 G. M. Doolittle follows with an article on 

 that important subject, getting ready for next 

 season. Doolittle can't be condensed, so he 

 must be handed over bodily. 



tti 

 A. E. Manum has begun a series of articles 

 on the proper size of hive. He takes neither 

 extreme, but proposes to show why large ones 

 should be used in some places and small ones 

 in others. Mr. Manum's experience will en- 

 able him to handle the question in a scientific 

 manner. 



J. Ikeda, of Tokyo, Japan, has an illustrated 

 article on bee-keeping in his country. Their 

 quaint way of bleaching wax, cutting out 

 comb, pressing out inferior honey, etc., is in- 

 teresting, as the picture shows how it is done. 

 Mr. Ikeda publishes an agricultural journal in 

 his language, with a bee department. 

 \ti 



Arizona honey is described by C. A. Hatch, 

 of Wisconsin — a man who knows how to do it. 

 There are three main sources in the valley of 

 the Salt River — mesquite, alfalfa, and wild 

 ground- cherry. He says the average quality 

 of the hone}- produced there is rather inferior 

 to that of white clover and basswood Mes- 

 quite is the lightest in color and best in flavor. 

 But alfalfa is the honey-plant. When that 

 fails, all else is minus. 

 v»/ 



The close connection between good prices 

 for honey and a good salesman is shown by 

 Mr. Hill in the fact that M. M. Baldridge sells 



