April, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



205 



Det'onibor, 1919, was the coldest December 

 in the past 46 years from a statistical stand- 

 point. Bees left out had to suffer all of this 

 cold weather, many beekeepers probably 

 placing them , in the cellar the middle of 

 December. Surely those bees were not fit 

 to be put in the cellar. 



Similarly in the spring, the Weather Bu- 

 reau can be of service. Suppose the wea- 

 ther has been nice for several days, and 

 pollen in sight for the bees to gather, if set 

 out. The beekeeper Seriously thinks of re- 

 moving the bees from the cellar. Possibly 

 the season seems earlier than usual. How- 

 ever, if he knew that 72 hours later, there 

 would be a sudden drop in temperature, and 

 liis bees would be subject to a week of 

 freezing weather, he certainly would not re- 

 move his bees from the cellar. The bee- 

 keeper does not know this, neither does the 

 weather calendar hanging on the wall in his 

 kitchen. The forecaster of the Weather 

 Bureau does, and the beekeeper can have 

 this information for the mere asking. 



Young queens, plenty of young bees, 

 ample protection, good and sufficient stores, 

 and proper cellar temperatures are all de- 

 termining factors in wintering. For the 

 man who winters his bee's in the cellar, there 

 is one more problem: When to put them 

 in, and when to take them out. The U. S. 

 Weather Bureau can assist you in solving 

 this important problem each fall and spring. 



Ocononiowoc, Wis. 



[In a private letter which Mr. Aeppler 

 wrote us he says, "What I can't understand 

 is that more beekeepers who winter in the 

 cellar have not in the past availed them- 

 selves of this splendid service." In the 

 .January, 1920, Domestic Beekeeper he saw 

 the following by Mr. Kindig: "This year 

 a large part of the bees which are normally 

 w^intered in the cellars of Michigan were 

 put in without an opportunity for a cleans- 



ing flight. At this time some of the bees 

 are swollen, and in other colonies unmistaka- 

 ble signs of dysentery are present * * * 

 at a recent convention the following ques- 

 tion was raised * * * * should the 

 bees be put in anyway, etc. * * * *The 

 writer hopes that some of those who follow 

 cellar-wintering will write in their experi- 

 ences as they relate to the solution of the 

 above question." Mr. Aeppler, accordingly, 

 wrote to Mr. Kindig suggesting that he get 

 in touch with his local Weather Bureau and 

 determine whether or not they recorded a 

 temperature of 50 degrees or more on Nov. 

 17 or 22. From his knowledge of climate 

 and weather he thought the bees should 

 have had a flight in Michigan on Nov. 18 

 or one day later than in Wisconsin. 



Mr. Kindig was quite interested in the 

 matter and obtained the desired data, which 

 showed that the bees of Michigan had a 

 chance for flight on Nov. 17. On that date 

 the temperature in Michigan was 7 degrees 

 higher than in Wisconsin at the same lati- 

 tude, the westerly winds being tempered in 

 crossing Lake Michigan. Also, the day was 

 clear and suitable for the flight of bees. 

 The fall of 1919, Mr. Aeppler says, was one 

 of the most open falls in the past 46 years, 

 and the beekeepers, therefore, did not quite 

 realize the lateness of the season and thus 

 left their bees out too long. Had they made 

 use of the Weather Bureau this would not 

 have occurred. This one illustration should 

 serve as an object lesson to those who win- 

 ter in the cellar. Mr. Aeppler believes the 

 only safe practice for any beekeeper is to 

 get the climatological data for his immedi- 

 ate vicinity and determine how many 

 chances his bees have for a flight before 

 Nov. 20. He is convinced of the wonderful 

 service that the Weather Bureau has ren- 

 dered and can render to the beekeepers of 

 America, if they will only ask for the in- 

 formation when needed. — Editor.] 



PACKAGE BEES A SUCCESS 



Large 'Packages at Beginning of 



Main Flo^ More Profitable Than 



Small Packages Earlier 



By Dr. Ernest Kohn 



THE tjoutli 

 can more 

 easily pro- 

 duce bees than 

 a crop of honey. 

 Their honey flow 

 is usually light 

 for many months 

 of the year. This 

 is conducive to 

 brood-rearing, at the expense of the honey 

 crop. The North can more easily produce 

 honey than Vjees. There is usually a heavy 

 honey flow, with periods of scarcity of 

 I'ectDr. 



It is possible to take advantage of these 

 conditions by utilizing the Southern bees 

 to gather the nectar of the North. The 

 transportation of the bees may be in their 

 hives by freight, or by packages of bees by 



parcel post or 

 by express. 

 Wlien the dis- 

 tance is short, as 

 between Utah 

 and California, 

 the freight ship- 

 ment of colonies 

 and equipment 

 is ■ considered 

 profitable. For the North-Central States 

 and Canada, on account of the long haul and 

 the time consumed on the road, the freight 

 shipments of colonies with equipment has 

 usually met with failure. The package busi- 

 ness, however, has generally boon successful. 



Success of Package Bees. 



The object of a package of bees is to be 

 or to make a profitable colony by making 



