June. 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



CAN THIS BE DONE? 



AFTER the 

 experiment 

 recorded in 

 the last issue 

 with the virg:ins 

 from the chilled 

 cells, we at once 

 grafted a large 

 number of cells 

 so that the experiment for the first time 

 might be given a good fair test. On account 

 of the distance from Medina to this large 

 greenhouse where the mating experiment is 

 under way we decided to start this graft in 

 our queen-rearing yard here at Medina. 

 The weather at that time in April was ideal, 

 bees flying eveiy day and all day long; and 

 on account of the greater convenience, 

 therefore, we felt this to be the best plan, 

 all things considered. 



The unexpected happened, however, as it 

 sometimes does. Instead of a June atmos- 

 phere with drones flying and conditions nor- 

 mal for summer time as at the time the 

 graft was started, the weather suddenly 

 turned cold, and for several weeks we had 

 March weather. In 

 fact, conditions at 

 Medina were no ex- 

 ception to those in 

 the entire northern 

 part of the country 

 — there were days 

 at a time when the 

 bees could not fly. 

 The queen-cells that 

 we were caring for 

 were destroyed of 

 course. Much to 

 our d i s appoint- 

 m e n t, therefore, 

 there are no new 

 developments in the 

 mating experiment 

 to report this 

 month. When so 

 much is at stake 

 we are sorry that 

 so many unforeseen 

 difficulties arose. 



The long delay, 

 however, is not 

 without its compen- 

 sations, for we have 

 had the privilege of 

 making a most in- 

 teresting study of 

 pollination. 



The CO mpany 

 owning this large 

 building also own a 

 gi-eat many other 

 greenhouses, some 



Continuea Cold Weather Causes 

 Bees to Destroy the ^een-cells 



By the Editors 



One perfectly developed cucumber and two culls 

 -the culls being the result of incomplete pollination, 



of them nearly 

 as long but none 

 of them as liigh, 

 the roofs being 

 of the familiar 

 M type. The 

 manager of the 

 whole series of 

 buildings gives it 

 as his opinion that a blossom must be visited 

 not once but many times in order to be 

 thoroly pollinated. In the smaller build- 

 ings he has found it necessary to have at 

 least one colony of bees in each aisle, for. 

 altho there is no wall between each part of 

 the M roof, the cucumbers grow so thicklv 

 that the bees do not readily go from one 

 roof to another, in spite of the fact that 

 they are so close together. In the small 

 buildings entirely too large a proportion 

 of the cucumbers are culls," as shown in the 

 illustrations. The one cucumber at the left 

 probably because the blossom was vei^' 

 prominent, was visited time after time by 

 the bees with the result that the cucumber 

 is splendidly developed, uniform, and sym- 

 meti-ieal. The two 

 others close by are 

 examples of mal- 

 formation caused 

 by incomplete pol- 

 lination. 



In the large build- 

 ing where the glass 

 roof is so high, and 

 where the cucum- 

 bers are growing in 

 one unbroken vast 

 field, the culls are 

 the exception rath- 

 er than the rule. 

 In fact, they are 

 very rare. The bees 

 in the hives located 

 above the vines 

 have as good a 

 chance at one blos- 

 som as at another 

 and the work of 

 pollinating" is far 

 more consistently 

 and thoroly done. 

 In the smaller 

 Ijuildings, more 

 bees are required, 

 p r p o r tionately, 

 and even then the 

 percentage of culls 

 is greater than it 

 should be. 



