884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



second flow yielded somewhat better, and 

 in some locations very fair crops have been 

 secured. It is too early to speak definitely; 

 but it is my opinion that the honey crop 

 will not be over 75 per cent of that of 1903. 



The status of the 4X5 section appears to 

 be that it sells a little more readily, but will 

 not bring any higher price, in most markets 

 at least. The reason it is preferred seems 

 to be that, to many people, it looks larger 

 than it really is in comparison with the reg- 

 ular size, and in this self-deception of the 

 buyer lies its only advantage over the square 

 section. Cases weigh somewhat more; and 

 if 1^2 sections are used they are apt to go 

 considerably over the weight required by 

 the grading-rules. To the large producer it 

 is a serious matter to give away a pound or 

 two of honey with each case. Aside from 

 these considerations, I believe it costs me 

 more to produce 4x5 than the regular. 



One of our correspondents advises the ed- 

 itor to visit a soap-factory to learn how to 

 cut up candied honey. Perhaps a visit to a 

 brick or tile factory would answer as well. 

 There the clay as it comes from the machine 

 is cut into lengths by a swinging frame, us- 

 ually made of gas-pipe, with holes drilled at 

 proper intervals through which pass hooks 

 with thumbscrews for adjustment. Over 

 each set of hooks is looped a piece of steel 

 piano wire, kept taut by the thumb-screws. 

 In this way pieces of exact size can be cut 

 very rapidly. No doubt this is on the same 

 principle as the one in use at the Home of 

 the Honey-bees; but I have described it, as 

 some might wish to make one for them- 

 selves, which would not be hard. 



[It is the same in principle. —Ed.] 



The bee-keepers of the Plateau Valley, 

 one of our best honey-producing districts, 

 have united with the fruit-growers in an as- 

 sociation that seems to have worked very 

 well the past season. Two carloads of bee- 

 keepers' supplies were distributed at very 

 satisfactory prices. A large amount of 

 stock has been subscribed, and buildings are 

 to be erected this winter for warehouses, etc. 



The association here has not met with the 

 support among bee-keepers that it has de- 

 served, and it has been necessary to order 

 supplies through the Fruit-growers' Associ- 

 ation here. The only objection there could 

 be to co-operating in this way is that here 

 the fruit-growing interests so far overshadow 

 those of bee-keeping that there is little finan- 

 cial benefit to the honey-producer in the 

 union. 



Do not use too much smoke in removing 

 honey. Honey is sometimes badly damaged 

 by the undesirable flavor thus given it. Try 

 it by putting a few drops of honey on a 

 board and smoking it a few seconds. Un- 

 sealed cells in honey to be extracted will ac- 

 quire this flavor in the same way. I have 



heard of large crops of extracted honey that 

 all tasted of smoke, reducing its value ma- 

 terially. Sealed honey will not absorb the 

 smoke so readily, but even that will be af- 

 fected by too much smoke. Cappings cut 

 from honey that has been smoked much will 

 'taste strongly of the smoke, and even the 

 honey drained from them will be flavored. 

 Hot smoke is worse than cold in this respect, 

 and care should be taken not to hold the noz- 

 zle of the smoker too close to the honey. 

 Comb honey should always be taken by 

 means of a bee-escape, except in times of 

 great plenty when little smoke is needed. 



Now is the time to requeen your colonies. 

 There is a chance for a difl^erence of opinion 

 as to whether it is profitable to requeen all 

 your colonies each year, but this much is 

 certain— that it will pay you well to replace 

 every queen whose colony has been below 

 the average in honey-production. We may 

 add to this every queen that is more than a 

 year old, unless she is an extra good one. If a 

 queen is much above the average I would 

 follow the good old rule of letting the bees 

 supersede her themselves. If your time is 

 valuable, and there is no honey-flow in pros- 

 pect, you can simply remove the old queen 

 and insert a ripe cell in a cell-protector. 

 Ordinarily it will pay you better to raise 

 your queens in nuclei by some of the modern 

 methods. If you can not do any thing more 

 you should at least give each colony whose 

 queen should be replaced a ripe cell in a 

 cell-protector, this without paying any at- 

 tention to the old queen. Many of these 

 young queens will be allowed to supersede 

 the old queens. If your queens' wings are 

 clipped, as they should be, you can easily 

 verify their replacement. This method re- 

 quires little labor, and tends to improvement 

 of stock. 



Most bee-keepers and many queen-breed- 

 ers are not careful enough about breeding 

 for nice comb honey. We all know that 

 white comb honey sells best, and that the 

 watery-looking cappings that some bees 

 make detract very largely from the appear- 

 ance of the honey. Some seem to imagine 

 that all Italians produce honey that has 

 more or less of this water-soaked appear- 

 ance. This is not true. Some strains cap 

 their honey almost as white as the black 

 bees. It does not cost any more to produce 

 white honey than the watery-looking stuff, 

 and the difference in selling price may be 

 considerable. It will pay to get a strain of 

 bees that make nice comb honey, and re- 

 place every queen whose bees cap their hon- 

 ey so closely. 



I got a few queens from one of the most 

 widely advertised breeders, several years 

 ago; but when the bees of this supposedly 

 superior stock began working in the supers 

 I promptly pinched every queen's head. 

 These bees were all right for extracted hon- 

 ey, but they were poor workers for comb 

 honey, and their honey did not look nearly 



