460 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



I 



T now seems 



certain that 



the cold 

 weather prevail- 

 ing over practi- 

 cally the whole 

 country in the 

 early part of 

 May not only 



delayed all forms of vegetation but foiled 

 the plans of northern queen-breeders who 

 were hoping to get started in queen-rearing 

 early. Northern breeders, therefore, will 

 be unable to start shipping out queens as 

 early as usual. 



Apiculture is now being taught in twen- 

 ty-two colleges and universities of the Unit- 

 ed States, according to Dr. E. F. Phillips, 

 of the Bureau of Entomology. 



* * * 



B, Anderson, County Agent at Winston- 

 Salem, N. C, is of the kind that does much 

 to promote beekeeping in his territory. He 

 has a " bee club " to which he sends out in- 

 formation and encouragement whenever 

 necessity arises. His letters Avritten to the 

 beekeepers about Winston-Salem are al- 

 ways timely and always deal with the im- 

 mediate problems before the beekeeper. If 

 every county agent in the United States 

 were of the B. Anderson kind, the beekeep- 

 ing business of America would begin jump- 

 ing. 



* * * 



The Michigan legislature at its late ses- 

 sion passed an appropriation bill which will 

 give the State Inspector $1500 per year 

 more than previously, to use in hiring dep- 

 uties for bee-inspection work. This money 

 will be available July 1. The services of a 

 deputy have been secured. Until the neAV 

 appropriation becomes available not a great 

 deal can be done excepting the inspection of 

 the yards and vicinities of the queen-breed- 

 ers. This work is required by law. The 

 money provided under the old law is about 

 exhausted, and nearly all promises to in- 

 spect before July 1 will have to be canceled 

 until the new appropriation becomes avail- 

 able. The new law in Michigan makes it 

 a misdemeanor to keep bees in a box or 

 crossed-comb frame hive, and provides a 

 penalty of from $5.00 to $25.00 for each 

 offense. The State Inspector will enforce 

 this law, but will give reasonable time for 

 transferring- the bees. 



4f to * 



Honey-producers will be interested from 

 a money point of view in the following 

 " tip " sent out by Dr. E. F. Phillips, Api- 

 culturist of the United States Department 



June, 1917 



of Agriculture : 

 " In order that 

 the b eekeeper 

 may be . assisted 

 in placing his 

 honey where it 

 will be most 

 needed, this De- 

 partment p r 0- 

 poses to furnish two kinds of informa- 

 tion. The Bureau of Crop Estimates will 

 issue in May, July, September, and No- 

 vember honey - crop reports and crop 

 prospects. The Office of Markets will issue 

 at intervals the available data on honey- 

 crop movements and prices from actual 

 sales at wholesale centers. These two lines 

 of information will be furnished the bee- 

 journals, and the crop reports already go 

 to many beekeepers. Arrangements will be 

 made to send the reports of the Office of 

 Markets to interested beekeeiDers. Every 

 beekeeper should hold his honey until he 

 has received these reports, for they will be 

 free from bias, and more accurate than 

 most quotations." 



* * * 



The Bureau of Entomology at Washing- 

 ton reports that the Texas beekeepers are 

 coming to the front nicely on combless 

 packages. They have over 10,000 pounds 

 ready to go to Idaho and Colorado and there 

 will soon be more. The bureau notes that 

 " this is a tine response." 

 » * * 



The Bureau of Crop Estimates puts the 

 winter losses in Idaho at 46.6 per cent, and 

 states that there are only 60 per cent of 

 tbe working colonies in that state now that 

 there were a year ago. This is a tremen- 

 dous shrinkage of bee power in one of the 

 most important honey-producing sections of 



the country. 



* * * 



GOIKG AHEAD WITH THE WORK. 



The Apicultural Department of the Bu- 

 reau of Entomology at Washington informs 

 Gleanings that the work mapped out at the 

 national conference of beekeepers and in- 

 structors held at the national apicultural 

 station at Drummond, Md., is being vigor- 

 ously pushed. Literature urging the largest 

 possible honey production this j'ear, with 

 helpful suggestions, has been sent to the 

 beekeepers of 18 states and to all the county 

 agents in the United States. Nine thousand 

 honey-crop reporters have been called on 

 for service. Reports on freight embargoes 

 in New England and on the glass-container 

 situation have been submitted to the Seere- 

 taiy of Agriculture. Organization has been 

 completed for gathering and publishing, by 



