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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



time, I am convinced that it is tlie bast 

 method of Avintering, in this part of Penn- 

 sylvania at least. About an average of 43 

 degrees, and as little change as possible 

 from that, seems to be best. 



Beekeepers should look well to the bees' 

 winter stores. The unusual amount of fly- 

 ing weather will cause heavy consumption 

 of honey. Many colonies, especially in the 

 central and eastern counties, were light in 

 the fall, anyway. 



The regulation cake of bee candy may be 

 given, or a feed of thick sugar syrup may 

 be given on one of these warm days. Now, 

 I suppose some one will hold up his hands 

 and cry out against winter feeding because 

 it will stimulate brood-rearing — a cold spell 

 coming, consequent losses, etc. It won't 

 hurt if the feed is all given at one time and 

 made with just sufficient Avater to melt the 

 sugar, and no more. Bees will fly frequent- 

 ly from now on, anyway, but it would make 

 no difference if they didn't fly for a month. 



It is interesting to know that, notwith- 

 standing our small appropriation for api- 

 ary inspection, 933 apiaries were Adsited, 

 9384 colonies inspected, and 258 cases of 

 foul brood found and cared for. Of these, 

 61 were American foul brood and 197 Eu- 

 ropean foul brood. 



THE SPREAD-OUT HIVE. 



M'Cready's Spread-out Idea hive, page 

 30, interests me. Most enthusiastic begin- 

 ners invent a hive about the first thing they 

 do, and generally it is about the most im- 

 practicable kind of hive too (no reflections 



on M'Cready's, however). This Spread-out 

 Idea is good, only I think it needs some 

 fixing. My twentieth anniversary in bee- 

 keeping will arrive next April, and I have 

 a notion to invent a hive by way of a 

 celebration. If I do. it Avill embrace the 

 Long-idea and the Spread-out Idea. I may 

 call it " The Ladies' Friend, or Anti-lift " 

 hive. 



Reynoldsville, Pa. 



[Some two or three winters ago Mr. J. 

 E. Mai-chant and later Geo. H. Rea were 

 conducting some experiments in m.aking 

 bees breed while in our cellars. Both proved 

 tliat by feeding candy they could build up 

 weak colonies in mid-minter into thoroly 

 strong ones with young bees. A constant 

 supply of fresh food has a tendency to start 

 brood-rearing; and, as they proved at the 

 time, this can be done provided one knows 

 how. 



The average beginner and perhaps the 

 average beekeeper would do well to let the 

 proposition alone, for breeding in the cellar 

 is sometimes accompanied with dysentery; 

 but Avhen nice clear crystalline candy is 

 used, and cellar conditions are right, thei'e 

 will be but little danger. 



Mr. Rea, who is now back in Pennsyl- 

 vania, it would seem has been trying the 

 same experiment again, and he was likewise 

 successful again, even in a different locality 

 and in a different cellar. 



What man has done, man can do, but it 

 does not follow by any means that all men 

 should try mid-winter feeding. — Ed.] 



Gold medal offered by the Michigan Beekeepers' Association at the fiftieth annual convention at Grand 



Rapids, Dec. 15 and 16. Awarded to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Markham, Ypsilanti. 



See report by F. Eric Millen, page 125, Feb. 1. 



