April, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



223 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



the colonies are bettor off to be rid of them, 

 as they were the ones which were suffering 

 most from their long confinement. Recent 

 examination of the colonies in several well- 

 kept yards wintered outdoors shows that 

 nearly all colonies are doing well in spite 

 of the fact that they have not had a flight 

 for over three and one-half months. It was 

 very noticeable that those colonies which 

 were run for comb honey last fall are suf- 

 fering most. Surely, it was a serious mis- 

 take to produce comb honey last fall when 

 brood should have been reared in abundance 

 for the winter cluster. 



In some parts of Michigan the dandelion 

 and fruit bloom is so abundant that soon 

 after the flow begins the queen becomes 

 crowded and brood-rearing is restricted. 

 Often swarming follows. We cannot afford 

 a restriction in brood-rearing at this time, 

 because whether swarming follows or not it 

 results in less workers for the clover flow. 

 This year if your bees are in one-story hives, 

 try putting another brood-chamber under 

 the first at about the beginning of fruit 

 bloom. This will give the queen an abund- 

 ance of room and also leave some for storage 

 of honey. In many parts of the State 

 dandelion yields in such abundance as to 

 constitute a source of surplus honey. The 

 reason that it is not usually secured, is 

 either the colonies are too weak, or there 

 is "no room in the hive for storing surplus. 

 Each year for the past three, good colonies 

 in the vicinity of Lansing have stored on 

 the average 25 pounds of surplus extracted 

 hon(\v from dandelion. In many counties 

 of the State dandelion would constitute a 

 major honey flow if our bees were strong 

 enough to get it. B. F. Kindig. 



East Lansing, Mich. 



s * * 



In Minnesota.— ".^;'^^ a great disap- 



pointment to Minne- 

 sota beekeepers that the Short Course which 

 was to have been given at the University 

 Farm by Dr. Phillips and his staff had to 

 be postponed on account of the flu. We 

 understaml that it is planned to hold the 

 course some time next fall. 



One of our progressive beekt'ejiers, A. W. 

 Knapji, has passed away. He was a good 

 man and loved by all who knew him. Some 

 > ears ago Mr. Knapp gave up an important 

 position in business life because of failing 

 health and turned his attention to beekeep- 

 ing. He was a close observer and an en- 

 thusiastic beekeeper. We shall miss him at 

 our State an<l county gatherings. 



It seems to be the same old story over 

 again, ''faulty census work." As in otho" 

 States so in ^Hnnesota. The bee and honey 

 ir<lustry was passed over by the census 

 takers as of no special importance. We 

 liad been told that "higher ups" were look- 

 ing after the matter to see that the census 



l)lanks contained the necessary questions in 

 Older that the fiasco of 1910 'might not be 

 rei)eated. Evidently we were misinformed. 

 Minnesota beekeepers will probably be 

 able to secure all the sugar they need for 

 spring feeding, provided they are willing to 

 pay the price. The State Department of 

 Agriculture has made a thoro investigation 

 of the sugar situation in the State, and 

 without doubt would have been able to have 

 kept prices down somewhat, had it not been 

 for the confusion caused by inconsistent 

 rulings of the U. S. Department of Justice. 

 The State Department of Agriculture has 

 published the results of its findings in a 

 bulletin. The paragraph which gives the 

 reasons for the varying prices of sugar is 

 exceedingly interesting, but it is too long 

 to give here in full. The closing sentence 

 reads, "In fact with no basic sugar price 

 and no restrictions or regulations by any- 

 one, prices and profits are in a hopeless 

 state of confusion."" 



Conditions for a good honey flow this year 

 in Minnesota seem to be ideal. There was 

 plenty of moisture when the ground froze 

 in the fall and a heavy coat of snow on the 

 ground all winter. The discouraging side 

 has to do with the condition of the bees. 

 Scarcity of sugar last fall left many colo- 

 nies with insufficient stores, and many with 

 poor quality of honey. Also the severe cold 

 weather which came before the bees were 

 put in the cellar certainly tends to make 

 matters worse. The demand for bees is 

 large, and it will pay well to give the colo- 

 nies extra attention this spring. See this 

 column in the April, 1919, number, page 288. 

 During the past winter we have heard of 

 a number of Minnesota amateur beekeepers 

 who are planning to go into beekeeping o"i 

 a larger scale. They are planning, of course, 

 to start right. Their attention has been 

 called thru advertisements to the aluminum 

 comb, and now that one of the popular 

 magazines has given a very fascinating 

 "write up" on the subject, we imagine that 

 the amateur who is thinking of increasing 

 the number of his colonies will feel that 

 here is a great opportunity to get combs 

 that are ready for the bees to use and that 

 will not have to be destroyed in case Ameri- 

 can foul brood overtakes him. Now we 

 suggest that j^ou "prove all things and hold 

 fast that which is good." During the last 

 two seasons the writer has had two of these 

 combs in use in his own apiary and sees no 

 good reason why he should increase the num- 

 ber. These combs were purchased in April, 

 1918, and it is possible that the comb has 

 been somewhat improved since that date. 

 Anyway, whether that be true or not, we 

 would suggest that the amateur who is plan- 

 ning to use them try only a few to begin 

 with. ' Chas. D. Blaker. 



Minneapolis. Minn. 



