March, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



151 



c 



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SUGAR has 

 been selling 

 in Washing- 

 ton for some 

 time past for 

 from 15 to 22 

 cents a pound. I 

 think 20 cents 

 is now the regu- 

 lar price. ^ » ^ 



On page 10 of January Gleanings, refer- 

 ring to the "McDonald Metal Combs" the 

 Editor says: "Our experiments thus far 

 would lead us to feel, however, that for 

 straight brood-rearing or storage purposes 

 the bees prefer combs made of wax." Last 

 season it was our experience that frames 

 of foundation placed beside the aluminum 

 comb were built out and filled before that 

 of the artificial comb. I understand some 

 desirable improvements have been made in 

 them the past season, and we may still hope 

 for something of value to come of them; or, 

 it may be, that after bees have once bred in 

 them, they may in another season accept 

 these combs more readilv. 



"The Old Lesson, Taught Again," begin- 

 ning on page 16, is a most valuable editorial, 

 that should be read over and over by those 

 for whom it was written. It was especially 

 appreciated by myself, as I had to clean up 

 a lot of about the same size and condition 

 two years ago. If the owner of this lot of 

 honey came off with the loss of but one- 

 third the price of his honey, he was fortu- 

 nate. When will people learn wisdom, and 

 save by a little thought and care? 



* * * 



The second paragraph on page 24 begins, 

 "If there are any beekeepers in New Eng- 

 land in need of sugar," etc. It should read 

 Vermont instead of New England. I am 

 sorry to say the author of "Siftings" is 

 quite human and liable to make mistakes 

 just as other mortals do. The State of Ver- 

 mont does not expect to furnish sugar ex- 

 cept to its own citizens. 



* » » 



The article on page 36, "Propolis Makes 

 Good Floor Paint," doubtless gives the ex- 

 perience of the writer, but as he informs us 

 that his propolis probably comes largely 

 from the sweet-gum tree, its value for this 

 purpose may not be as great when gathered 

 from other sources. It might be worth while 

 for beekeepers in different sections to test 

 their propolis for this purpose, and report 

 the results. 



* » « 



Speaking of the danger of fermentation 

 Mrs. Allen, on page 28, recommends extract- 

 ing only combs that are sealed solid. But 

 how is one to follow such advice when he 

 leaves his extracting supers on until the 

 close of the season and after, and yet ten 

 per cent are not sealed solid? Perhaps ten 



SIFTINGS 



J. E. Crane 



3 



iUl 



per cent of the 

 combs or cells 

 will remain un- 

 sealed. We un- 

 cap the sealed 

 combs and ex- 

 tract, and have 

 no trouble, but 

 our honey is 

 largely from 

 clover. It might not work so well with 

 some other kind. The fact is that every 

 beekeeper must watch out and think for 

 himself. 



On page 18 J. 

 Long Can They 



A. Green inquires, "How 

 Live?" referring to the 

 bees, and gives an example of a small colony 

 that had survived for seven months. With 

 all our modern knowledge of bees, so far as 

 I know, no one can tell how long a worker 

 bee may live. It all depends on many 

 things. Some bees may be endowed with 

 greater powers of endurance than others, or 

 are longer-lived, as we say. Perhaps more 

 will depend on the activity of the bees than 

 on anything else. We all realize how much 

 shorter-lived bees are in summer than in 

 winter. The active life of summer proves 

 far more fatal than the cold of winter. A 

 very intelligent beekeeper was telling me 

 not long since of finding some bees chilled 

 and stupid with cold. A part of them he 

 placed in a warm room where they became 

 very active but lived only two or three days. 

 Others were kept in a cool place; so they 

 remained quiet or semi-torpid. These lived 

 several weeks. Other examples might be 

 given to show that the length of the life 

 of a bee depends largely upon its inactivity. 

 This would go to show that the best success 

 in wintering would come from keeping bees 

 just as quiet as possible from the time they 

 are thru brooding in the early fall until the 

 following spring. In sections where the 

 winters are somewhat open, it is better to 

 keep bees in hives well packed and shaded 

 rather than in thin hives in the sun. 



That item by J. L. Byer in regard to test- 

 ing thermometers is well worth remember- 

 ing. "Just place your thermometers in a 

 mixture of snow and water, and if they 

 register 32 degrees they are correct." [See 

 A. N. Clark's "Heads of Grain," "Ther- 

 mometers for Bee-cellars," page 161. — Edi- 

 toi--] * » » 



T. R. Gorden's method, given on page 36, 

 for advertising and increasing the sale of 

 honey is worthy of commendation. There is 

 no reason why beekeepers should not be as 

 interested in advertising their peculiar prod- 

 uct as others are in advertising theirs. Much 

 has been done in the last few years; but 

 much remains to be done, if prices and de- 

 mand are to keep up with the prospective 

 supply that is likely to come with improved 

 methods of production. 



