946 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUIiTURE 



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F the feedino: 



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BEGINNERS' Lessons 



H. H. Root 



lur 



ing for win- 

 ter has been 

 properly attend- 

 ed to, as out- 

 lined in Lessons 

 9 and 10, there 

 is but little work 



left to be done among the bees until the first 

 warm days in the spring. The outside en- 

 trances should be reduced so that if mice 

 are troublesome they can not find their way 

 into the hive. An entrance ^4 inch high 

 will not admit mice. The length of the 

 ope)iing should depend on the size of the 

 colony, 2 to 3 inches for colonies not overly 

 strong, and 6 to 8 inches for x-ei-y strong 

 ones. If winter cases are to be used, thers 

 should be no alighting-board or other ob- 

 struction which would catch the ice and fill 

 up the entrance, thus shutting off the air. 

 It does no harm if the whole hive is covered 

 with snow, altho thawing weather followed 

 by extreme cold is dangerous, as the en- 

 trarces may be entii-ely ^covered with ice. 

 At such times it pays to make an examina- 

 tion and clear the ice away if the hive is 

 jnu'ked in solid. Loose snow never do3s 

 any harm. 



This year many beekeepers who were 

 pievented from supplying necessary stores 

 by reason of bad weather in October, have 

 found themselves confronted with the sugar 

 fainne. If the amount of sugar required 

 is not too large, the grocers will usually 

 sell what is needed to prevent .starvation of 

 the bees, if the situation is explained to 

 them. Remember that dirty sugar can he 

 used, even sugar that has been tainted with 

 coal oil. It is not absolutely necessary to 

 have the white granulated sugar. The best 

 grade of brown sugar, that which is creamy 

 in color, is all I'ight to .use for winter stores. 

 In cold weather any sugar must be fed in 

 the form of hard candy laid over the top- 

 bars, since bees can not take syrup in real 

 cold weather. The candy is made as fol- 

 lows : 



HARD CAND^' FOR WINTER ANTI SPRING FEEDING; 

 HOW TO MAKE IT. 

 Into a dish of hot water on the stovp, slowly pour 

 an equal amount of susrar, stirrins; constantly. Make 

 sure that the sugar is all dissolved before boiling 

 commences. If this nrecaution is not observed, some 

 of the undissolved sugar is likely to burn, injuring 

 the flavor of the candy and almost surely causing 

 trouble for the bees later. If one has a candy 

 thermometer, watch the temperature, and do not let 

 it go above 275 to 280 degrees. Test frequently by 

 dropping a very little of the syrup into cold water 

 (about 50 to 515 degrees F.). When the boiling has 

 continued long enough the drop of candy, when cool- 

 ed in the water, should be hard and brittle when 

 taken out; but when placed in the mouth it should 

 soften slightly, so that it is tough. When this time 

 has arrived, pour the syrup immediately on tn paraf- 

 fined or waxed paper on a table. Have the table 

 perfectly level, and around the outside of the paper 



DECEi[BER, 1917 



put wooden sticks 

 14 inch high to con- 

 fine the syrup and 

 prevent it from run- 

 ning off. When the 

 randy i s nearly 

 hard, crea-^^e it or 

 cut it with a heavy 

 knife so that it may 

 be broken up into 

 right-t;izod s< i arco 

 when hard. 



The color of the 

 candy when co'.d should be about that of light bass- 

 wood honey. If it is darkened very much it is 

 scorched aiid unfit for the bees. To prevent scorch- 

 ing, reduce the fire toward the last so that the syrup 

 will boi] but slowly 



Among the beginners there are members 

 of practically all professions, and there are 

 also printers, storekeepers, poultrymen, and 

 farmers, who keep a few bees. All these 

 can profitably employ their time during the 

 winter months. One who keeps bees as a 

 business usually has plenty to do, for, aside 

 from the reading, studying, and planning 

 for the next season's work, there is wax to 

 b;^ rendered from cappings, if they have 

 been held over from the busy season, or 

 from an accumulation of scraps or old 

 combs; there is the assembling of supplies 

 needed for the next honey-flow, the nailing, 

 painting, etc. 



Beainners and professional beekeepers 

 alike, in view of the shortage of sugar and 

 the veiy great need of a wholesome sweet 

 to be used as a substitute, should leave no 

 stone unturned in the preparation for the 

 honey-flow next season. In the clover dis- 

 tricts especially, indications, so far as they 

 can be read in advance, were never better 

 for a good honey-flow next year. The rain- 

 fall has been above normal, and from every 

 side come reports of an abundance of clover. 

 Beg'inners, sideliners, and those who keep 

 bees for a livelihood, should begin active 

 preparation at once, for it is a patriotic 

 duty to conserve the bees which furnish 

 the purest and most wholesome sweet the 

 world has ever known. Beginners especially 

 should read the best textbooks during these 

 months when the bees themselves require 

 little attention. The following list is recom- 

 miended, any and all of which can be ob- 

 tained from* the publishers of Gleanings, 

 and at a reduced price in combination with 

 a subscription to this journal : "ABC 

 and X Y Z of Bee Culture," by A. I. and 

 E. R. Root; price $2.50; or with Gleanings 

 one year, $3.00 ; " How to Keep Bees," by 

 Anna Botsford Co-mstock; price $1.00, or 

 with Gleanings one year, $1.50 ; " Fifty 

 Years Among the Bees, by Dr. C. C. Miller; 

 price $1.00; or with Gleanings one year, 

 $1.50; " Langstroth on the Hive and Hon- 

 eybee," price $1.00, or with Gleanings one 

 year, $1.50; "Beekeeping," by Dr. E. F. 

 Phillips; price $2.00, or with Gleanings 

 one year, .$2.50. 



