GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1922 



HEADS OF GRAIN l [?P^U rT)rFFEREN^^^^^ 



happen to know that the most of the exten- 

 sive producers in Ontario entirely agree with 

 me on this question. In the October issue 

 of Gleanings, page 617, Mr. Demuth well 

 says, ' ' There is greater danger in having 



too many vacant cells than in having too 

 few;" and I have always maintained that 

 a big winter nest is the cause of more win- 

 ter losses than all other causes combined. 

 Markham, Ontario. J. L. Byer. 



Doing Our Best.— By Bill Mellvir 



(With apologies to Walt Mason.) 



If every one would do his best in watch- 

 ing for disease, existence would be trebly 

 blest for all the honeybees. If every bee 

 crank would inspect his brood-combs twice 

 a year and with his weather eye detect the 

 first germ to appear; then swat the thing 

 right in the neck and knock it galley west, 

 we 'd run them off the map, by heck, if each 

 would do his best. Bacillus larvae would 

 not eat the baby bees alive. We'd drive 

 them out, so help us Pete, from each and 

 every hive. No sunken cappings would we 

 find; no toothpick roping test; no gluepot 

 smell, the luscious kind, if each would do 

 his best. Bacillus: pliiton, yellow beast, we'd 

 banish from the land. No longer could it 



have a feast on larvae, young and bland. 

 No larvae with Mongolian hue, there 'd be, 

 because this pest had sucked their life blood 

 thru and thru if each would do his best. 

 The brood diseases that we know would 

 quickly fade away, and those who wished a 

 slice of woe would have to search all day. 

 No Gloomy Gus could then complain and 

 holler like the deuce about diseases raising 

 cain and microbes breaking loose. We'd 

 hear less talk from grumbling hicks about 

 the season's punk, for then they'd have to 

 can their kicks or scrap them with the junk. 

 The knockers would crawl in their shells 

 and give us all a rest, for all would be a 

 wearing bells if each would do his best. 



