1122 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Thirdly, the wax-moth makes holding- 

 over of combs vei'y hazardous. Not only is 

 it exceedingly problematical to keep combs 

 of honey over from the spring to the fall, 

 but also it is only less so to keep them thru 

 the winter. Our friends north of Mason 

 and Dixon's line know relatively little about 

 the ravages of this pest. In Pennsylvania 

 we have left combs standing in hives, en- 

 trances wide open, for three weeks at a 

 time, in midsummer, and have often under 

 such conditions found not a single moth- 

 web. We should like to see any one try that 

 here (rather, we should not wish them to try 

 it). Here, three days are enough to infest 

 combs with tiny webs. In a week they will 

 be alive with big fat larvae — the dull gTay 

 larvffi of the wax-moth, with the voracious 

 appetite. In two weeks a hive of empty 

 combs left exposed will be hopelessly ruin- 

 ed, and in a few days additional nothing 

 will be left but masses of webs in galleries 

 and sheets. 



The hive-bottom will be half an inch deep 

 with debris, mostly dark-brown pellets, and 

 the side walls of the hives, the rabbets, and 

 the frames, will be built solid with cocoons, 

 so dense and so closely joined that they can 

 be pulled off in solid sheets. The soft 

 pine or cypress wood of the average hive, 

 after such an ordeal, is pitted, scarred, and 

 worm-eaten, till it resembles a dead pine log 

 eaten away by the sawyers or borers. 

 Even the projecting ends of the tops of the 

 frames will be eaten clear thru and break 

 with the least touch. 



One can easily see what a problem it is 

 to attempt the keeping of comb honey in 

 such a climate. Not long ago a letter came 

 from an amateur apiarist in the central part 

 of the state. We append a portion of this 

 letter : 



In looking over some sections in cartons 

 which I have had in a dark room, and which 

 I was saving for later use, I discovered 

 that the honey was leaking. A careful ex- 

 amination showed signs of webs and worms 

 in every section. I immediately placed the 

 sections in supers, and put them back on 



top of a strong colony, to be cleaned up. It 

 is fine palmetto honey, and rather expensive 

 for winter stores. 



We wrote back at once about as follows: 



I am afraid you have made a mistake in 

 putting the honey on top of a strong hive 

 of bees, if you expect to save any of it for 

 market or table use. I am inclined to think 

 the bees will open many cells, and perhaps 

 ' ' clean out ' ' and remove all the honey, if, 

 as you say, the combs are already leaking. 

 In such circumstances the bees are likely to 

 clean them up with a vengeance. 



Then we told him of our experience, and 

 our efforts to keep comb honey six or more 

 months ; and while the amount kept at any 

 one time was not great, still the results are 

 satisfactory. So we detail it here for what 

 it may be worth. 



We first put the combs into a tight cabi- 

 net or case, and kill all live insects or larv33 

 by a single treatment of bisulphide of car- 

 bon, hy the usual methods. Then about 

 ten days after the treatment (the combs re- 

 maining all that time in the tight box) each 

 case of sections is wrapped in heavy wrap- 

 ping paper, several thicknesses of it, and in 

 strips large enough to Avrap over and fold 

 up all around, under corners, top, and bot- 

 tom, thereby making a completely moth- 

 proof package. The packages thus wrap- 

 ped are then placed on a shelf in the kitch- 

 en, as near the ceiling as possible, and al- 

 most above the kitchen range, where the air 

 is almost alwaj's warm and often very warm. 

 We find that comb honey thus treated and 

 preserved will keep intact all winter — no 

 moth, no leaking, no candying. It seems 

 that a specially warmed cabinet could be 

 constructed along lines similar to the plan 

 here suggested, provided the amount of hon- 

 ey were sufficient to warrant artificial heat. 

 We feel confident the plan will work. We 

 have tried it and are still doing it in a limit- 

 ed way. 



To recapitulate in an alliterative way, 

 the enemies of our comb-honey production 

 in Florida are miles, moisture, and moths. 



Deland, Florida. 



NATIVE HONEY -PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



BY W. B. BRAT 



It is a peculiar thing that, while there 

 are no native honeybees in New Zealand, 

 most of the native plants are honey-pro- 

 ducing. Honeybees were introduced here 

 by missionaries a hundred years ago, and 

 they thrived exceedingly on the native flora. 

 The following are some of the native flow- 



ers of my district. They all help the bees 

 to build up for the clover flow. The fusehia 

 and the kowhai are the most valuabl?3 

 flowers. 



1, FiLclisia excorticata. — Maori or native 

 name kotukutuku for tree, and konini for 

 fruit. Shrub or tree 10 to 45 ft. in height. 



