GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



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a 11 

 one 

 our 



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March, 1921 



HE season 

 just closed 

 has been 

 educational 



and bees in 



locality are 

 in better shape 

 than they have 

 been for years: 

 the assistance of 



our local Deputy Inspector of Apiaries, Mr. 

 Logan, and instructive articles in Gleanings 

 and American Bee Journal, as well as the 

 hearty co-operation of local beekeepers, 

 made it possible for our bees being in such 

 fine shape this fall. ' ' — Alten L. Logan, Mad- 

 ison County, Ills. 



"In a recent conversation with a bee- 

 supply dealer who covers Michigan territory 

 he said that his business in tin cans of an 

 average size of five pounds had increased to 

 40 times what it was ten years ago, and 

 that most of that increase has been very 

 recently. It shows that Michigan beekeepers 

 are making themselves independent of the 

 wholesale market by cultivating a private 

 trade. This is the most hopeful sign of 

 progress that we have seen for some time." 

 — -B. F. Kindij:, Ingham County, Mich. 



"In the February Gleanings, J. E. Crane 

 wants to know if any one has melted the 

 cappings from the wax press described by 

 Mr. Koltermann. I made a press with a two- 

 inch screw and use an iron bar for turning 

 down. I use a solar wax-extractor and get 

 equal pounds of wax and honey from a 20 

 to 25 pound cheese. It would not vary more 

 than a pound either way. ' ' — Fred P. Jan- 

 sen, Montgomery County, N. Y. 



"A man at Glen Summit Springs, Pa., 

 having occasion to remove a bottom-board 

 from one of his hives, noticed a mound of 

 wax, and upon breaking it open a little dis- 

 covered a dead mouse in it. The mouse in its 

 efforts to escape had probably stirred up the 

 bees, which stung it to death; and in order 

 to prevent the odor from the dead mouse 

 contaminating the hive and honey they had 

 hermetically sealed it in." — Albert Wil- 

 liams, Jr., Luzerne County, Pa. 



"Temperature has been just too cool for 

 the bees to have a good flight for several 

 weeks. Today (Feb. 14) they are bringing in 

 pollen from maple." — 0. Bromfield, Jeffer- 

 son County, Ky. 



"State Bee Specialist C. L. Sams says 

 there are good prospects for an exceptionally 

 large amount of transferrence of the bees 

 this spring from gum and box hives to the 

 Standard hives. He is finding a steady 

 growth in interest among the beekeepers of 

 the old-fashion sort. While many are 'sot in 

 their ways ' and are not turning readily to 

 the improved methods, tlieir eyes are being 

 opened by demonstrations all about them 

 and they are being forced to admit t^at the 

 'new-fangled' methods are the best." — W. 

 J. Martin, New Hanover County, N. C, 



bees;mfn and things^ 



(You may find it here) 



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169 



' ' The weather 

 in this portion 

 of the State, 

 IM i 1 1 s County, 

 ha^ been ex- 

 tremely mild so 

 far, and bees 

 are in. excellent 

 condition. I ex- 

 amined a por- 

 tion of my apiary and found brood-rearing 

 coming on nicely. I found plenty of sealed 

 brood and eggs and' young bees just emerg- 

 ing from the cells. They have plenty of 

 stores of sealed honey of fine quality. The 

 bees are far above the average of this time 

 last year in this section. The prospects for 

 a good honey flow are excellent for the 

 coming season." — John W. Hendrick, Mills 

 County, Texas. 



"About 10 years ago there were in the 

 whole island no more than 200 commercial 

 beehives and a few wild colonies. The pro- 

 duction per colony was much more than a 

 barrel (50 gallons), and the swarming was 

 something to worry about. The native blacks 

 were of two kinds, one big and rather tame, 

 and the other fierce and very small. There 

 were also a small variety that looked like 

 degenerated Italians and were intolerably 

 fierce and very small. The superiority of the 

 Italians was remarkably shown some years 

 afterwards by the complete disappearance 

 of all wild bees. Today, on account of the 

 high prices of honey and competition, every- 

 body tries to make the bees produce honey 

 to the limit by extracting as much as possi- 

 ble even in the brood-chamber, not worrying 

 about a possible death by starvation. This 

 close extracting, the introduction of pure 

 American-Italian stock and the superabun- 

 dance of bees everywhere, all combined, help 

 to produce almost non-swarming colonies. ' ' 

 — C. Vives-Bazan, Porto Eico. 



"Bill Mellvir. Dear Bill: I read with real 

 dismay what trials you had Convention Day. 

 And all because old Jimmy Jones became so 

 drunk on his own tones he would not stop 

 for sigh nor tear, and you — you turned the 

 other ear! I'm sorrj'. Bill, as I can be, you 

 couldn't come to Tennessee; for it would do 

 your sick soul good to see how speakers rose 

 and stood and said their say and sat down 

 quick — 'twas that time-limit turned the 

 trick, all printed out in minutes, five, fifteen 

 or ten — and Man Alive! — they poured out 

 wisdom, plan and text before 'twas time to 

 holler Next! And there was question and 

 debate, and still the program held its gait. 

 "Speak and let speak!" this rule de- 

 thrones convention tyrants like Jim Jones, 

 and gives a modest man like Jinks a chance 

 to tell folks what he thinks of getting honey 

 by the ton and maybe tell 'em how it's 

 done. But Bill, come down to Tennessee — 

 choose any subject, so it's bee; behavior, 

 packing, nectar-flowers- — and you shall talk 

 two solid hours! Grace Allen. 



Nashville, Tenn, 



