GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Fig. 4. 



chant apiai'y six miles 

 above. He had pawed 

 things over generally. 

 This same bear was evi- 

 dently making for our 

 bees; but seeing and 

 hearing our boat come 

 up the river he took for 

 the opposite shore, and 

 probably will not ap- 

 pear again. 



Speaking about bears 

 and their fondness for 

 honey, Mr. A. B. Mar- 

 chant told of the expe- 

 I'ience of a friend of his 

 who watched a bear 

 climb a bee-tree. His 

 bearship ascended to the 

 bees and then began biting and tearing 

 away to make the flight hole larger. The 

 bees attacked him so fiercely that he rubbed 

 his eyes and nose with both paws. Down 

 he fell pellmell, crashing through the limbs 

 till he reached the ground. Nothing daunt- 

 ed he started up again and renewed his 

 attack. Finally the bear got his paw into 

 the combs of honey and began forthwith to 

 smear his face, eyes, and nose with the 

 sticky stuff. There was evidently method in 

 his madness. With this extemporized bee- 

 \eil he began and finished his repast on the 

 combs of honey. 



This same eye-witness had seen other 

 bears in the same act. A bear will always, 

 he says, smear his face with honey as soon 

 ;!s possible, the evident purpose being to 

 prevent the bees from stinging. How far it 

 would prevent them from using their little 

 weapons is difficult to say. But we do not 

 suppose any of our readers would care to 



liives in readiness for (he increase at the Root Florida 

 apiary. 



rely on this exjiedient in the absence of a 

 veil or smoker. If they do will they please 

 tell us how it feels — the honey or the 

 stings. 



Speaking of snakes, there were several 

 large ones in the cam^j, and the boys feed 

 and play with them. They are the so-called 

 gopher snakes, useful in exterminating rats, 

 gophers, and other small vermin. They are 

 so tame that Ernest Marchant caught one 

 and put it around Thompson's neck, and 

 then took a photo; but the negative was 

 poor, or we would produce it. 



Camp life at our landing is not altogether 

 uninviting. The boys buy their groceries 

 by the wholesale, and then divide up the 

 expense between them. Ernest Marchant is 

 the cook, and a good one he is. The fishing 

 is good, and squin-el-shooting fine. The 

 camp is 16 miles from Apalachicola, and is 

 seen from the river on the right side as one 

 goes up. More anon. 



REPORT OF THE LONDON, 



TAMEO, DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS' CON- 



BY R. F. HOLTERMANN 



The recent meeting of beekeepers from 

 the vicinity of London was pretty well 

 attended, and there was no lack of interest 

 throughout the meeting. Mr. H. Gibson 

 occupied the chair. 



" Spring Management " was a subject 

 vetT^' ably handled by John A. Lunn, Fin- 

 gal. He claimed that the foundation for 

 spring should be laid the year before. First, 

 there should be a young Cjueen, for with 

 such there is a better chance to bring the 

 colony through the sjjring. The old queen 

 might be good ; but there are rarely as many 

 young bees to go into winter quarters when 



an old queen is present. The requeening 

 should be done the pi'evious August. Pro- 

 tection is a good thing; but Mr. Lunn had 

 seen colonies in box and other hives brought 

 through the winter without protection. The 

 bees should be packed on their summer 

 stands. Each colony should have an abun- 

 dance of stores; they should not be allowed 

 to run short, as scant stores means less 

 brood-rearing and a poorer colony. When 

 spring comes in his locality (Middlesex 

 County, Ontario), the colonies should be 

 examined, if possible, in March for winter 

 stores. If no honey can be seen between the 



