GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 



E. R. Root, Editor H. H. Root, Managing Editor 



.V. I. Root. Editor Home Department J. T. Calvert, Business Manager 



Entered at the Postoffice, Medina, Oliio, as second-class matter. 



VOL. XLIV. 



DECEMBER 15, 1916 



NO. 24 



Entrances During Winter 



It is important that winter entrances be 

 small enough to exclude field mice. A 

 couple of mice will ruin a colony in very 

 short order; and they not only destroy the 

 combs, but they keep the colony in a con- 

 stant state of disturbance. It is an axiom 

 now that a constant disturbance during- win- 

 ter is sure death to a colony. Many be- 

 ginners, being anxious to see how their bees 

 are coming on, make the mistake of open- 

 ing the hives frequently. Fearing that the 

 colonies will run short of stores they begin 

 feeding; and feeding at such a time is like- 

 ly to cause dysentery. On occasional very 

 warm daj's when the bees are flying, a 

 quick examination may be made if neces- 

 sary; but it is far better to have the col- 

 onies so well cared for in tlie fall that 

 no tampering will be needed until spring. 



Keeping Comb Honey Over Winter 



It should be kept in a room where the 

 temperature dees not go below 70 nor above 

 100 degrees. If it could be kept at 80 de- 

 grees F., it w^ould be better. Comb honey 

 will granulate more quickly in the early fall 

 if subjected to extremes of temperature. If 

 it is kept in an atmosphere of about 80 de- 

 grees F., before it starts to granulate, from 

 November on till Jan. 1, there is not much 

 danger that it will granulate afterward; but 

 we advise holding it at a temperature as 

 near that of a living-room as jiossible. 



The large demand now for extracted hon- 

 ey will possibly stimulate the demand for 

 comb honey later on. If kept in a warm 

 room it will bring a fair price by next 

 March or April; and the price will continue 

 good until the new crop comes on. 



This year of all years, producers and 

 dealers who have comb honey should care- 

 fully watch it, and see that it is not subject- 

 ed to changes of temperature. The produc- 

 er or dealer who is compelled to carry over 

 his honey until next season will not lose by 

 it, and lie mav sell a' a good (iiiure. 



The New Monthly Gleanings 



As announced in our issue of Nov. 1, 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture will become a 

 monthly with its next issue, January 1, 

 1917. We have little to add to our orig- 

 inal announcement of this important change 

 in Gleanings' publication, except possibly 

 to correct the wrong impression tliat the 

 change from semi-monthly to monthly pub- 

 lication was to be macle chiefly with a 

 view of curtailing expense in these days 

 of excessive cost for every kind of publish- 

 ing. This was not at all the determining 

 consideration in making the change. On 

 the other hand, the fact is that our plans 

 for publishing the new monthly Glean- 

 ings call for a larger financial outlay 

 than that required for the semi-monthly. 

 Tn size, in mechanical and artistic qual- 

 ity, in editorial amount and quality and in 

 every other detail the new monthly will, we 

 hope, surpass the former semi-monthly. 



We wish to repeat with added emj^hasis 

 what was said in our original announce- 

 ment of the change, which was this: " The 

 first and foremost purpose of the change 

 from a semi-monthly to a monthly is to 

 give the editors of Gleanings the 

 needed time to make a better and hand- 

 somer journal." That expresses what was 

 and is the one consideration in deciding 

 upon the change from semi-monthly to 

 monthlj^ — to make a bigger and better 

 and handsomer and more useful journal 

 for our readers. As we further said in 

 making our first announcement of the 

 intended change: "There is no good rea- 

 son for continuing a semi-monthly if it 

 stands in the way of an improved month- 

 ly ]niblication of a higher class." 



We are glad (o say that Ave have had 

 some very satisfactory and explicit con- 

 firmation of this view from our readers. 

 While some have written us expressing 

 regret for the change from the semi- 

 monthly to monthly, very many more of our 

 readers have written us expressing apjiroval 

 of the change to the monthly, saying that 

 a. once-a-month publication for beekeepers 



