March, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



o 



c 



zi 



tern pera- 



t u r e for 

 Decembei' was 

 the lowest for 29 



years. 



* * * 



The records up 

 to Feb. 1 show 

 that the rainfall is a little below the average 

 for the season. 



What we feed is of little more importance 

 than wJien we feed. 



* * « 



If no moths are allowed to hatch in neg- 

 lected combs they will get pretty scarce in 



a sliort time. 



* * * 



It is a great deal better to have a lot of 

 supplies ready that j'ou do not need than to 

 need a lot that you do not have ready. 



* * *■ 



A man who can be trusted to do the right 

 thing when no one is looking at him is the 

 kind of man to have at an out-apiary. 



* * * 



If a low grade of honey can be used by 

 large concerns for making desirable pastry, 

 why can not the housewife learn to do the 

 same ? « * * 



There was less pollen brought into my 

 hives during December and January than at 

 any time for thirteen years during the same 



months. 



* * * 



A little lemon juice is excellent to remove 

 propolis stains from the hands after they 

 have been cleaned of the propolis (ladies, 



take notice). 



* * t 



San Diego County's farm adviser is col- 

 lecting samples of honey to aid in standai'd- 

 izing tlie product thruout the county. — Cali- 

 fornia Cultivator. 



* * * 



Book theory of beekeeping is valuable ; 

 but when we add to this the real, dearly 

 paid-for exiDcrience that most of us get, we 

 learn the things that we remember. 



* * * 



The last sentence of my third paragraidi 

 on page 52, January issue, should have 

 read : " I believe more harm is done by in- 

 judicious spreading than good is done by 

 knowledge of the art." 



January ended the fourth consecutive 

 month with the mean temperature below the 

 average. It was even colder than Decem- 

 ber. There were 24 days when the mini- 



IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick 



1 



U 



193 



mum reached be- 

 low 40 degrees; 

 ten days when 

 the minimum 

 was down to the 

 freezing - point 

 and below, and 

 twen t y days 

 when the maxi- 

 mum did not reach sixty degrees. 



* * * 



Wintering five-frame nuclei is expensive. 

 I have some nuclei to which I have given 

 more combs of honey during the winter than 

 my ten-frame hivas had at the beginning of 

 the winter, yet tlie ten-frame hives have 

 more honey at present than the five-frame. 



* * * 



If you fin(J a colony destitute in cold 

 weather, do not try to feed the beas thin 

 honey or syrup, but give them pure thick 

 honey or very heavy syrup. They have to 

 put in a lot of work on thin feed, reducing 

 it, and that makes midue excitement, which 

 is not desirable in cold weather. Thin syrup 

 is all right for stimulating— the thinner the 

 better so long as they will take it up. 



* * * 



The county bee-inspeotor of Los Angeles 

 County has been placed under civil service, 

 and all deputy inspectors must pass an 

 examination. This seems like an excellent 

 idea, at least so far as getting competent 

 inspectors is concerned, provided the ex- 

 amination is up to a high enough standard. 

 It won't put "pep" into an inspector, 

 however, and that is really an important 

 qualification for this oflSee. 



* * * 



During the winter of 1915 wood rats or 

 trade rats, as they are called, got very bad 

 at my apiary ; and in order to save the ex- 

 pense of their waste I purchased a can of 

 poisoned wheat at a local drugstore and fed 

 them freely on it. In the spring I was over- 

 hauling my equipment, and, to my surprise, 

 I found a very cosy nest in a stack of 

 supers, with plenty of my dangerous wheat 

 in easy reach of the nest. The rat had 

 either had his stomach lined or the wheat 

 was not sufficiently poisoned. 



During March the apiaiy should be care- 

 fully inspected to locate "any di-sease tliat 

 may appear. If a few colonies are ftmnd 

 that show disease, make them safe by leav- 

 ing only a very small entrance until tliey can 

 be cared for. If Anierican foul brood ap- 

 pears, melt up the combs at once, and be 

 sure that the bees do not get into other hives 

 before you kill them. If it is European 

 foul brood, and there are only a few colo- 



