GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



NOTES FROM CANADA 



J. L. Byer, Markham, Ont. 



While we have no crop of honey 

 yet, and are not sure of having 

 ai\y, in view of the fact that all 

 food products are rapidly advanc- 

 ing in iDrice, naturally we might 

 expect to see honev selling higher 

 than usual as well. I have just 

 received a circular with price list, from one 

 of the largest honey-pail manufacturers, 

 and the price on tinware has made an amaz- 

 ing jump. No doubt the consumer, as usual 

 in about all such cases, will have to bear a 

 share of the increased cost of production, 

 as the beekeeper, in addition to having to 

 pay so much more for supplies, will also 

 have to pay a higher price for all the neces- 

 sities of life that he has to buy. 



* * * 



We have already -mentioned the fact that 

 Ontario is pretty well deluged — at least this 

 is the ease in the two counties in which we 

 have bees. Clover is up to the knees already, 

 with bloom scarcely showing. Farmers say 

 the alsike will be too rank to leave for seed; 

 so if they cut it for hay the heavy rains will 

 prove to be a drawback to the beekeeper. 

 White clover is corresjjondingly of vigorous 

 growth ; and Avhile here in York Co. we usu- 

 ally depend little on this source of nectar, 

 this year it may j^rove to be quite a factor, 

 as it is unusually plentiful. If weather gets 

 fine soon, thousands of acres of buckwheat 

 will go in, as a great acreage is lying idle at 

 date of writing. Buckwheat is a minor crop 

 with us as a rule; but with prices of sugar 

 looming high, naturally a big acreage of 

 buckwheat looks good for a chance for 

 cheap Avinter stores. 



* * * 



At this date, June 10th, some clover is 

 coming into bloom, but not enough to make 

 a showing in the hives, even if the weather 

 were fine. It has rained almost continuous- 

 ly for about two weeks; in fact, with the 

 exception of one week of fine weather, that 

 has been pretty much the story all sjDring. 

 That one fine week was the salvation of our 

 bees, as they were about starving previous 

 to that time. Honey came in with a rush 

 from dandelion and fruit-bloom during the 

 seven fine days, and enough was stored to 

 carry the bees safely to clover bloom. While 

 bees are not as uniformly strong as in some 

 other years, wherever young queens are in 

 evidence, and stores were in plenty, it is 

 surpi'ising how colonies have built up in 

 spite of almost continuously wet weather. 



Ves, we are expecting some honey — that is, 

 if Jupiter Pluvius steps aside for a while 

 and allows the sun to perform- the work 

 usually looked for in June and July. 



« * * 



In Notes for June 1 regarding cost of 

 sugar I mentioned the price as $9.00 per 

 100 pounds. Tliat price, by the way, is 

 about the retail figure prevailing at this 

 date, $8.26 being the actual figaxre wholesale 

 now. Indications are that it will go higher; 

 and I have just been reading an article in 

 which the fruit-growers are afraid that the 

 high price of sugar will seriously interfere 

 with the marketing of their product. While, 

 in common with others, beekeepers will re- 

 gret to see the great masses of the people 

 compelled to pay a high price for an article 

 of such universal use as sugar, yet they need 

 have no fear that high sugar will in any 

 way hamper the sale of honey, as the con- 

 trary is apt to be the case. 



The Beekeeper for June says that a great 

 number of pound packages have been lost 

 during the latter week of May, or there- 

 about. From private information I learn 

 that the loss has been very heavy. Express 

 companies have been blamed in most cases; 

 but I am sure that the customers are often 

 lesponsible for loss. Shippers should be sure 

 that bees will be promptly cleared at cus- 

 toms or loss is bound to follow. Personally 

 we have received two experimental ship- 

 ments from the South, and both lots arrived 

 in good order. Neither consignment was 

 held up for an hour, as we had arrange- 

 ments made for clearance. Wliile both lots 

 arrived in good condition so far as the bees 

 were concerned, there was a vast difference 

 in other ways. The first lot had queens in- 

 side with the bees, or, rather, the queen was 

 in a cage inside of the package, but with the 

 cage so provisioned that queens were about 

 liberated when the bees arrived. Every 

 queen in this ease was all right. The latter 

 shipment had queens in cages attached to 

 the outside of packages; and of all the 

 queens I have ever introduced, fir's lot cer- 

 tainly proved my Waterloo. Nearly half of 

 the queens were lost ; and from th? f ict that 

 three that were finally accepted did not lay 

 for about ten days, I was led to believe that 

 a lot of virgins were sent during tli'?' rush of 

 the very busy season. More later on this 

 subject, as it is one in which many are in- 

 terested at present. 



