196 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



March, 1917 



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MR. Crow-j 

 foot, on 

 page 37,1 

 January, tells us 

 that his honey 

 was all sold by 

 Nov. 1. It is 

 somewhat s u r- 

 prising the way 



extracted honey went this year. However, 

 we have been able to get enough of late to 

 supply us until the new crop comes in. 



* * * 



The editor, page 57, says one producer re- 

 tailed his entire crop of 46,000 lbs. It 

 would be interesting to know whether he was 

 located in a rural community or near large 

 towns or cities. [He lives in a rural com- 

 munity but drives around to the larger 

 towns with his honey. He also attends 

 large gatherings of people on special days. 

 In this way he introduces his honey every- 

 where in his locality. — Ed.] 



* * * 



On page 52, January, M. H. Mendleson, 

 we are told, allows no handling of comb 

 honey after sundown, which we are given 

 to understand will prevent the development 

 of the larva of the wax-moth on the combs. 

 Not So here in the East. If a super is 

 taken off and sealed at once, but left where 

 warm, worms are almost sure to appear if 

 there is soiled comb or an open cell of 

 pollert. When there are moths, bees evi- 

 dently carry their eggs about the combs on 

 their bodies, and drop them in all sortsof 

 places inside the hive or on the section 

 combs. 



I have sometimes wondered if it would 

 not pay to have standard glass honey-con- 

 tainers. At the present time we have to 

 depend to some extent on containers manu- 

 factured for those who put up pickles or 

 olives or other groceries. Most bottles are 

 made to hold so many ounces of water; and 

 as honey weighs one and a half times as 

 much as water, it often gives us an undesir- 

 able weight. Again, if there were standard 

 sizes that could be made in large quantities 

 they could be made cheaper. Alas! how 

 much trouble " many men of many minds " 



make ! 



» ■» * 



The writer of the Texas department, page 

 53, seems to think that a heavy flow of hon- 

 ey here in the North would check swarming 

 the same as in Texas. Not so hereabout. 

 The past season we had an unusually heavy 

 flow, and bees swarmed to match and kept 

 it up until the heavy flow was over, but we 

 were working for section honey. 



SIFTINGS 



J. E. Crane 



1 



r^^^^^^^ 



TU 



51. 



" The wealth 

 of the California 

 wild flowers can- 

 not be imagined 

 by one who has 

 not seen them in 

 t heir fullest 

 glory," says Mr. 

 Chadwick, page 

 Doubtless he is correct; yet I some- 



times think we have more here in New Eng- 

 land than we appreciate. I have been sur- 

 prised in riding over the state during the 

 last few years to notice the fields of flowei-s, 

 one white, another yellow, and another pink 

 or purple. How much more we might en- 

 joy if only we had eyes to see! 



The experience of Mi\ Macey, page 1127, 

 as to how far bees will fly, is of rather 

 unusual interest. His experience, how- 

 ever, does not prove that even his bees 

 were not in the habit of flying a mile or 

 more. After the storm reported, the bees 

 may have flown for half a mile or more, 

 and, finding nothing, may have returned 

 to the hive and given up the search. 

 Again, the result of the storm may have 

 kept the sweet clover from yielding honey. 

 I have known a thunderstorm to stop the 

 flow of honey so completely, altho the 

 pastures remained white with clover bloom, 

 that little or no honey was gathered after- 

 ward. 



In a footnote, page 1113, Dec. 1, the 

 editor says it is bad practice to sell one 

 case of honey for $2.75, another at $2.50, 

 and another at $2.25. Now I want to 

 ask a question : Do the western beekeepers 

 sell by the case without regard to weight? 

 With our present law every section must 

 be marked and we are advised to place 

 each weight in a ease by itself. So we 

 have cases weighing from 16 V2 to 21 lbs. 

 if we put up 11 oz. for No. 1. If the price 

 is, say, 15 cents per pound net, the lighter 

 case should sell for $3,371/2, while the 

 lieavy case should sell for $3.15 — a plain 

 difference of 80 cents per case. Here in 

 the East, dealers seem to be a little partic- 

 ular, and want to pay only for what 

 they get and are willing to pay more for 

 a case weighing 21 lbs. than for one weigh- 

 ing 16 or 18 lbs. [Practically all comb 

 honey west of the Missouri River is sold 

 by the producer by the case. The various 

 grades, however, require certain weights 

 per case and the price is based on weight as 

 well as gTade. — Ed.] 



