1118 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



man to whom I refer has nothing- to do most 

 of the time, and can profitably spend his 

 leisure time making hives; but the average 

 man who keeps a few bees, and whose busi- 

 ness is not extensive enough to take all his 

 time, and who is working by the day foi- a 

 very meager wage, had better work for that 

 wage rather than to knock off: to make a few 

 liives. He can buy what hives he wants 

 cheaper than he can get ready to make them. 

 And a beeyard of factory-made hives well- 

 painted is an advertisement not <o 'be 

 slighted. 



There are some beekeepers who could not 

 make a success of their chosen vocation with 

 all kinds of up-to-date equipment ; but if I 

 wanted to make a success, I would certainly 

 start in by using factory-made hives. They 

 are a pleasure to work with, as each part 

 tits so I3erfeetl3r; they are interchangeable 

 (something few home-made hives can brag 

 of) and they look much better than a grand 

 ensemble of home-made freakish-looking, ill- 

 fitting' hives which are a drag on the bee- 

 keeping industry and invite foul brood. 



Springville, N. Y. 



THE VALUE OF EDUCATING THE CARELESS BEEKEEPER 



BY ROSS SCOTT 



There is nothing more exasperating to 

 the progressive beekeeper than to have some 

 box-hive apiarist as a close neighbor, espe- 

 cially when disease is known to exist in the 

 vicinity. It is a peculiar fact that the 

 miajority of these farmer beekeepers think 

 themselves well versed in bee culture, and 

 know positively that there could be no dis- 

 ease among their bees, altho every colony 

 may be in a box as impregnable as the rock 

 of Gibraltar. Of course there are laws 

 which permit the inspector to go thru an 

 apiary whether or no; but as a rule the man 

 with a few colonies resents inspection and 

 regards the procedure as an intrusion on 

 his rights. This caus&s more or less un- 

 pleasantness and hard feeling toward the 

 person who called for the inspection ; so, if 

 possible, it is better to approach these stub- 

 born beemen. in some other manner. 



An interesting case of this kind occurred 

 with me last summer. Near by is a farmer 

 who keiDt about twenty colonies in as many 

 styles of hives. Disease was known to be 

 present — in fact, the inspector found two 

 or three cases of American foul bx'ood in the 

 summer of ]914; and, altho two colonies 



were burned, the owner did nothing with 

 the rest. So I decided tliis sj^ring that, in 

 self-defense, I would either buy the bees 

 outright or get control of them somehow. 

 To make the matter more difficult, the bee- 

 keeper in question had put together the two 

 facts that his bees had been inspected, and 

 that he secured no surplus in 1914, and 

 therefore concluded that the inspector and 

 myself had tampered with his bees to spoil 

 his honey crop. However, after consider- 

 able bargaining it was agreed that I should 

 trade some modern hives for a part of the 

 bees, and shake all just at swarming time, 

 thus controlling the swarms and treating the 

 disease at one operation. 



Well, the plan worked ; and in addition to 

 getting the bees all in modern hives and 

 cleaning up the disease we each secured a 

 fair suri:>lus in spite of the poor season. 



Now, instead of being suspicious of in- 

 spectors and modern methods, my neighbor 

 is anxious for the time to come when he may 

 have the inspector back to go thru his col- 

 onies, and also those of some other beekeep- 

 ers who live within range of liis yard. No 

 more box hives for him. 



La Grange, Ind. 



APIARY INSPECTION VS. EDUCATION 



BY WESLEY FOSTER 



The remarks of the editor, and the ideas 

 of Mr. Ames, expressed on page 468, 

 June L5, concerning ''Education vs. In- 

 spection," bring up some matters of vital 

 interest to beekeeping. It apj^ears to the 

 writer that Mr. Ames enlarges upon the 

 efficiency of education and minimizes the 

 educational value of the inspection work. 



The capable inspector in his work has 

 the support and co-operation of the great 



majority of the beekeei>ers in his district. 

 Probably there is not over one beekeeper in 

 ten but that considers the inspector a help- 

 er, friend, and adviser. In most counties 

 hi ('olorado it is not necessaiy to show 

 any authority whatever in the matter of 

 cleaning up, but the power is there and is 

 recognized. 



It has been my experience, time and 

 again, that the owners of diseased bees 



