14 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Jan. 1 



FIG. 2. — MIGRATORY BEE-KEEPING IX HOLiLAND. 



The bees are sent by rail to the station nearest the buckwheat-flelds, and then transported to the de 

 sired location by rail. 



MIGRATORY BEE-KEEPING IN HOLLAND. 



BY HANS MATTHES. 



EXTRACTING HONEY AS SOON AS 

 COMBS ARE REMOVED FROM 

 THE HIVES. 



THE 



In the Oct. 1st issue, 1908, was an illus- 

 trated article showing my apiary, and I now 

 take pleasure in submitting some new views 

 which will, perhaps, be of interest. Fig. 1 

 is a portion of my home apiary, the hives 

 being sheltered in the winter time by the 

 low roofs. My dwellinghouse appears back 

 of the bees, 



!• ig. 2 shows the colonies being unloaded 

 from the cars to be transported to the buck- 

 wheat-fields, as was mentioned in the above- 

 named article. Early in the season I go 

 with my bees to the cabbage, mustard, and 

 white-clover fields, transporting the whole 

 outfit in a launch. The distance to the 

 buckwheat-fields being rather considerable, 

 I have to use the railroad, which brings the 

 bees to the nearest station, and then they 

 are brought to the fields by wagon. 



I am also sending a view showing the in- 

 terior of my house, which may, perhaps, be 

 interesting, because at the table a box of 

 my honey appears ready for the cakes. 



Breukelen, Nederland. 



[We are glad to present this brief though 

 interesting communication, for it shows 

 that our Dutch friends can probably teach 

 us a number of things in regard to migra- 

 tory bee-keeping. We should be glad to 

 have further particulars, especially in re- 

 gard to the details of moving to the cabbage 

 and mustard regions by launch. — Ed.] 



Honey which Stands in Dark Combs Away from 



the Bees Becomes Injured in Flavor; the 



Gravity Strainer Criticised. 



BY GEO. SHIBER. 



If black or dark brood-combs are uncapped 

 quite deeply, so that some of the black cells 

 are cut off with the cappings and a few of 

 such cappings put into a bottle of fine clover 

 honey, and allowed to remain for 24 hours, 

 the delicate clover flavor of the honey will 

 be gone, and in its place a rank dirty flavor 

 left. It is not necessary to have more than 

 a very small amount of the cappings in pro- 

 portion to the honey. 



This unmistakably dirty flavor may be 

 noticed in honey that is set away for a day 

 and a night in the honey-house in dark 

 combs. A few years ago I had my extract- 

 ing all finished with the exception of ten or 

 twelve stories, and for some reason or other 

 I was unable to extract these for several 

 days. If I had known then what I have 

 learned since, I would have placed these 

 stories back on the hives again. Well, when 

 we did extract the honey, about three days 

 later, the flavor was simply awful although 

 the body and color were all right. For this 

 reason INIrs. Shiber and myself (and she is 

 more strenuous than I, if any thing) have 

 laid down this rule: After combs are re- 

 moved from the bees in the yard the honey 



