January. 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



39 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



SAVING STEPS IN THE APIARY 



In looking at various photograplis of 

 apiaries in Gleanings I have noticed how 

 scattered the hives are in some of them, 

 necessitating many extra steps. The illus- 

 tration herewith shows Mr. Granger's yard 

 in Toronto, where in 1913 6400 pounds of 

 honey was secured. The plot of ground is 

 about 15 X 24 feet, and is situated just 

 south of a greenhouse. There are 48 colo- 

 nies in all in six rows, eight colonies to the 

 row, both end rows facing outward. This 

 gives over 2 feet between the backs of the 

 hives and about 3 ft. between the fronts. 

 In theory this may be too close; but in 

 practice it works perfectly, as is evidenced 

 by the good crops of honey. The extraet- 

 ing-room is just beyond the last row of 

 hives out of sight. Very few queens are 

 lost in mating. W. P. Clare 



North Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 



Hatching Queens Electrically 



In California there is a great variation of 

 climate, and it is not at all unusual for a 

 very wai'm day in the early spring or late 

 fall to be followed by a frost at night. 

 Even in midsummer the nights are usually 

 cold. Under certain conditions it is im- 

 possible to maintain sufficient heat in a 

 colony of bees for the proper incubation 

 of queen-cells in nursery cages. To over- 

 come these extremes in weather conditions 

 during the very early spring months, and 

 secure an absolutely uniform temperature at 

 all times, I was led to the use of the electric 

 incubator for the hatching of queens. The 

 advantages of the electrically heated incu- 

 bator over one heated by a lamp are many. 

 The regTilator is much more accurate, the 

 temperature not varying a quarter of a 

 degree in months. There is no odor, no 

 lamp to fill or wick to trim, and there is 

 perfect safety. 



I have found a temperature of 961/2 

 degi-ees, with the humidity at 50 to 55, an 

 ideal hatching combination. Without the 

 proper amount of moisture the incubator 

 would not be a success in this climate during 

 the dry season. By wet sponges and pans 

 of water in the machine, or by sprinkling 

 the floor of the loom with water, moisture 

 is supplied until the hygrometer registers 

 the proper amount. Of course it is im- 

 portant that the incubator be placed where 

 there is no jar or vibration and also where 



there is no draft. A basement is a very 

 good place. 



There is a noticeable difference in favor 

 of the incubator when it comes to introduc- 

 ing virgins thus hatched, especially if they 

 are a few hours to several days old — a 

 condition which can not always be avoided 

 during rainy weather. The incubator vir- 

 gins have acquired no individual colony 

 odor, ways, or spirit, or whatever it is that 

 causes trouble in introducing. 



WHY INTRODUCE VIRGINS INSTEAD OF RIPE 

 CELLS 



There are several reasons why a virgin 

 queen is to be preferred by the commercial 

 queen-breeder to giving a ripe queen-cell the 

 day before it is due to hatch — the ease of 

 transi>orting the virgins to the out-apiary 

 or mating stations, the opportunity of 

 inspecting virgins so that none but the per- 

 fect may be used, and the saving of one or 

 more days' time in getting virgins into 

 nuclei, for they are simply run in at the 

 top. In case of ripe cells there is always 

 the danger of chilling and jarring; and even 

 when placed with the utmost care in the 

 center of the brood-nest of the mating 

 nucleus, the temperature is seldom sufficient 

 for proper incubation. The result is that 

 a large number fail to hatch at all, and 

 others are a day to three days over time, 

 some having defective wings. Virgins that 

 do not hatch on schedule time are invariably 

 dark, and in every way inferior to queens 

 that have been iricubated properly. 



To my mind there is no detail that the 

 specialist can afford to overlook that will 

 tend to bring his jDroduct to the very highest 

 standard, and also increase his output ; and 

 since We know that an exact and uniform 

 temperature is Very important for the 

 highest development of queen-bees I con- 

 sider the incubator a very desirable ad- 

 junct to a modern queen-rearing establish- 

 ment. J. E. Wing 



San Jose, Cal. 



Under date of Dec. 1, C. H. Clute", of 

 Sanford, Fla., writes: 



Maple is just starting to bloom. I 

 noticed a tree about a week ag'o. and thought 

 it was a freak; but on examination I have 

 found many trees with buds, and with buds 

 just opening. Aster is in full bloom, and 

 the bees in reach of it are on the gain. 

 The bees are in extra-fine condition, and 

 will keep their drones all winter. 



