1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



953 



is probably at the present time the best-known 

 bee-keeper in Europe. He, more than any 

 other one man there, has been the means of 

 introducing movable-frame hives among the 

 French, standing alone, practically, at first. 

 Soon after Mr C. Dadant came to America in 

 1863, he saw the immense advantage of mova- 

 ble frames, and tried in vain to advocate their 

 use through U Apiculteur, edited by Mr. 

 Hamet, a very fine gentleman, but one whose 

 back was always resolutely set against any 

 change in the old order of things. By work- 

 ing with Mr. Bertrand on that side of the At- 

 lantic, Mr. Dadant has done so much to im- 

 prove bee-keeping in France and Switzerland 

 that their name is a household word there — so 

 much so that Camille P. says they literally 

 hugged him when he went into their homes 

 while on his recent visit. Mr. Bertrand's 

 works are numerous and popular. We have 

 them all here, some being printed in Russian 

 and some in Flemish, as well as the original 

 French. Those who have Gleanings for 1891 

 will find on page 697 for that year a picture of 

 Mr. Bertrand, with a full account of his life, 

 written by Thos. W. Cowan. Perhaps Mr. 

 York will lend us that view of Mr. Bertrand's 

 fine residence at Nyon, Switzerland. Such 

 men should be kept in remembrance. From 

 private correspondence I have had with Mr. 

 Bertrand I feel that a visit at his home would 

 repay the trouble of a visit to the land of 

 mountains and of William Tell. 



In my mind, one of the most interesting pa- 

 pers on honey and sugar in general is one 

 from Thos. W. Cowan, now of California, edi- 

 tor of the British Bee Journal. It treats on 

 the chemical properties of glucose, honey, 

 sugar syrup, corn syrup, starch, cellulose, dex- 

 trose, wine, and other substances, and shows 

 how adulteration of honey can be detected by 

 means of the polariscope. It is impossible to 

 make any condensation of this great paper, 

 and it will not be necessary, as a copy of it 

 can be had by an} body desiring it. But it is 

 not light reading. Every paragraph demands 

 study, as does any scientific matter worth 

 reading. Mr. Cowan shows that many sub- 

 stances are chemically like others, and yet are 

 widely different. Sawdust is the same as corn 

 flour ; leather is the same as beefsteak ; tea is 

 chemically of no more value than plum and 

 willow leaves. Mr. Cowan well says : " We 

 prize honey, not because it consists, as the 

 chemists would say, of sugar and water, but 

 because it possesses delicate aroma and flavor 

 which are always absent from, and can not by 

 any known means at present be imparted to, 

 any artificially made syrup." That ought to 

 be pasted on every honey-label sold in the 

 United States and in the lands surrounding. 

 At the close I see the editor of this journal is 

 reported as saying he fears the article is too 

 technical for the most of us ; but I really be- 

 lieve it would benefit us all to become more 

 familiar with such matters, and to be able to 

 think over the thoughts of some other men 

 after they have put them on paper. The es- 

 say was read at the Chicago convention. 



A NEW OLD METHOD OF INTRODUCING. 



Using an Escort from the Hive to which a Queen 

 is Introduced. 



BY C. p. BONNEY. 



[The following letter, addressed to Dr. Miller, was 

 by the latter sent to us with the recommendation that 

 we publish it. As it contains much of value I am glad 

 to do so. — Ed.] 



Dr. C. C. Miller : — On receiving Glean- 

 ings to-day I noticed a Straw, page 680, where 

 you placed bees from a strange colony with a 

 queen, and she was kindly received. You ask, 

 " Why can not this be made the basis of a 

 safe introduction ? " I have been using such 

 a plan, and it is the most satisfactory of any 

 I have ever used. 1 once introduced queens 

 by caging a part of the colony. To this part 

 caged I gave the queen, and then ran them 

 in at the entrance. This plan worked well, 

 but was considerable trouble, and I thought I 

 could carry the same principle to the caging 

 plan. I found by experimenting that I could 

 use quite a less number of bees than half the 

 colony, with perfect safety, and I now use 

 only a few dozen bees and the caging plan. 



I now use a large Miller introducing-cage, 

 % inch thick, and with a bee-chamber four 

 inches square. I go to the colony to be de- 

 queened, find the old mother, and remove 

 her. By the aid of a brush I scoop several 

 dozen bees into the before-mentioned cage. 

 When enough have entered the cage, or when 

 it is comfortably full without being crowded, 

 I put in the stopper and set the cage away 

 for half an hour, then take the queen from 

 the shipping-cage, and place her in the intro- 

 ducing-cage, and she will be kindly received. 

 After the bees have had time to become well 

 acquainted with the queen, say two hours, 

 place the cage in the hive, and the queen is 

 safe. Please try this method, and report in 

 Gleanings. 



Woodburn, Oregon. 



[At the time of sending this letter Dr. Mil- 

 ler gave his indorsement after this fashion :] 



Dear Ernest : — This looks to me like a good 

 thing. After the workers have been caged 

 half an hour they will be in no humor to mo- 

 lest the queen ; and with so large a force of 

 bees that already have belonged to the colony, 

 when the candy is eaten through, especially 

 if pasteboarded, the queen ought to be safe. 



C. C. Miller. 



[Along with this letter of Mr. Bonney 

 came one from Mr. Pridgen, to whom it had 

 also been referred by Dr. Miller, evidently. 

 Mr. Pridgen, one of the very best authorities 

 in this country on queen-rearing, writes :] 



From my experience in introducing queens 

 by using bees from the colonies to which they 

 are introduced, I consider the plan outlined 



