FEBRt'ARV. 19-21. GLEANINGS IX BEE CULTURE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH fi-l 



across the State west and south of which 

 the clover does not thrive owing to the 

 extreme hot dry snnimers. In northeast 

 Texas this phint is grown for pasture and 

 hay, and is a great addition to the honey 

 flora. Ah soon, however, as the great plain 

 area is reached white sweet clover seldom 

 lives thru the summer, its blooming period 

 being much reduced. 



We have long known of A/j/.s vicllifica 

 in all of its forms, the East Indian honeybee, 

 the Tiny East Indian honeybee, the Giant 

 bees of India and the stingless bees of tropi- 

 cal America as producers of commercial 

 honey, but we learned only a few days 

 ago that there existed in Mexico and 

 the adjacent parts of the United States 

 quite a trade in ant honey. This honey 

 is obtained from a number of species of 

 ants. In one group called the honey ants, 

 certain individuals act as storage tanks for 

 nectar gathered by the worker ants. This 

 honey is obtained by crushing these ants. 

 We are told tliat another group of ants 

 store honey in combs, but could find out 

 nothing definite as to just how it is stored. 

 The Mexicans say this honey is better than 

 honeybee honey and largely used in medi- 

 cines and drinks. Dr. S. A. Eohwer of the 

 National Museum, Washington, D. C, writes 

 us that the Indians of this region have long 

 been users of this ant honey, and that a 

 long account of the use of this honey can 

 be found in "The Ant Book" by Wheeler. 



The Texas Honey Producers ' Association 

 will hold its annual meeting Jan. 18 and 19, 

 1921, at the headquarters in San Antonio. 

 This has been a prosperous year for the as- 

 sociation. In 1920 the capital stock was 

 raised from $15,000 to $65,000 and all the 

 stock sold. At the annual meeting, the elec- 

 tion of officers and business sessions will be 

 followed by a social program, including a 

 visit to the new honey packing plant, and 

 some of "Zims" stunts. A larger number 

 of members than usual will be present. 



Every State likes to brag of its bee loca- 

 tions, but Texas has every reason to be 

 proud of her bee territory. Carrol E. Weber, 

 proprietor of the Hermosa Apiaries in 

 Texas and California, is bringing all his bees 

 to Texas, as he can make more honey here. 

 K. C. Ormand of Pleasanton, Texas, the 

 owner of 400 colonies, got the moving fever. 

 He spent 60 days vsiiting California, Colo- 

 rado, and other western bee countries, look- 

 ing for a location. He returned satisfied. He 

 will stay in Texas. H. B. Parks. 



College, Station, Tex. 



In lo^ 



.^^ This certainly beats all. the 



Iowa winters I have ever 

 seen, and last December I saw my 4Sth. The 

 last statement proves that I do not belong 

 to the feminine gender. I am working in 



the shop with no fire and can keep quite 

 comfortable. There has been scarcely any 

 frost. The grasses are in fine condition. Bees 

 went into winter quarters in good condition 

 with plenty of young bees. In putting 

 combs of honey into colonies that were a 

 little short, it seemed to me that the clus- 

 ters were exceptionally large. While our fall 

 flow was not up to standard, as we previ- 

 ously mentioned, the bees seemed to breed 

 up for winter normally. During the past 

 two years our fall flow has acted much dif- 

 ferently from the usual way, as has also 

 been mentioned by other beekeepers here. 

 Usually the heartsease commences to yield 

 about Sept. 1 and continues until frost kills 

 it. The past two years it began about the 

 middle of August and ceased to yield long 

 before frost. Last year a very unusual cii-- 

 cumstance happened. While I was at our 

 district fair with a honey exhibit, during 

 the first of the week I do not think I ever 

 saw the bees bringing in more nectar from 

 the fall flow; but on Wednesday it rained 

 hard and when I arrived home on Friday 

 the bees were trying to rob and the flow 

 was done. This was Sept 10, with no frost 

 for several weeks later. If any beekeeper 

 can explain why this change came so sud- 

 denly, I would like to hear it, and also if 

 other beekeepers are having like experi- 

 ences. 



Ye editor, on page 11 of January Glean- 

 ings, rather favors the production of comb 

 honey the coming season. I understand the 

 view he takes, and looking at it from one 

 angle it appears like good advice. I am in- 

 clined to believe comb honey will be in 

 good demand in 1921, but what price will 

 it bring? If it has to be sold at very much 

 less than it did the past season (and there 

 is every prospect that it will), no beekeeper 

 at the present prices of comb-honey sup- 

 plies can produce a first-class comb honey 

 and put it out the way the market demands 

 and play even. The demand for comb honey 

 with us this season has been better than for 

 the extracted, while last season it was the 

 reverse. And while we sold for $7.00 and 

 $7.50 per case, we did not consider it was 

 a paying investment, and supplies for comb 

 honey will be higher for the 1921 crop than 

 1920. If everything keeps going down as it 

 has in the past few months, honey will have 

 to come down along with the rest. There is 

 alwaj^s a limit to anything. Usually we pav 

 for things very much according to what we 

 are getting for our products. Farmers can- 

 not and will not pay fancy prices for honey 

 when everything they are selling has fallen 

 so greatly in price. Laboring men out of 

 employment (and there will be thousands 

 of them before another year) cannot buj^ 

 honey at .S5c and 50c per pound. 



W. S. Pangburn. 



Center Junction, Iowa'. 



