E 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



3 



EDITORIAL 



IMPORTANT.— Be sure to write to your 

 Senators. See bottom of second column tliis 

 page. 



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AT tlie close of the honey tlow, the colonies 



are usually very strong, and, if there is no 



later honey flow. 



Making Increase 



at Close of 



Honey Flow. 



this great horde 

 of workers is now 

 of but little value 

 to the colon y. 

 Such a large population is needed only dur- 

 ing the honey flow. In some localities this 

 great force of bees will be practically idle 

 the remainder of tlieir lives; but, of course, 

 if there is any nectar available at any time 

 before these bees die off, they will quickly 

 pay for all it cost to rear and maintain them. 

 Many beekeepers have learned the trick 

 of utilizing this great force of workers at 

 the close of the honey flow, where the sea- 

 son closes in July, by making increase. An 

 easy way to do this is to divide the bees 

 and the brood of a colony into two parts, 

 making the divisions about equal, and then 

 hauling one of the divisions to an out- 

 apiary. This prevents the field bees from 

 returning to the old stand, thus avoiding 

 one of the difficulties encountered in mak- 

 ing increase in the same apiary. A young 

 queen is, of course, introduced to the now 

 queenless colony. 



If no out-apiaries are being operated, the 

 hive should be left two stories high when 

 the honey is taken off. The queen, together 

 with one frame of the youngest brood, 

 should then be placed below and the rest 

 of the brood in the upper story and a 

 queen-excluder placed between the two 

 stories. Ten days later the upper story can 

 be taken away to make increase, at which 

 time a young laying queen or a queen-cell 

 should be given. The field bees will, of 

 course, return to the old location, but the 

 rapidly emerging brood will soon repopulate 

 the newlv formed colonv. 



THE House of Representatives has passed 

 the bill mentioned in our last issue, pro- 

 hibiting further 

 The Isle ofWight importation of 

 Disease Bill. adult bees into 



the United States 

 except under regulations made by the Sec- 



tary of Agriculture and the Secretary of 

 the Treasury. 



While no direct opposition has come to 

 this journal, some has made itself manifest 

 to the American Bee Journal, to the effect 

 that it is not necessary to bar all countries 

 from sending bees or queens into this coun- 

 try at tliis time. The fact that Isle of Wight 

 has now got into Europe makes it necessary 

 to prohibit all countries from making such 

 shipments until an investigation can be 

 made. It is understood that Canada will be 

 exempted at once. The bill that has passed 

 tlie House, and which is now before the 

 Senate, makes it possible to send honeybees 

 for experimental or scientific purposes 

 "upon such conditions and under such regu- 

 lations as the Secretary of Agriculture and 

 the Secretary of the Treasury shall pre- 

 scribe." It further provides that these two 

 officials may "make regulations to admit 

 honeybees from countries where no danger- 

 ous disease of honeybees exists." 



In interpreting the foregoing conditions 

 tlie Secretary of Agriculture has made this 

 statement: "I can assure you that when it 

 is found desirable to import adult bees from 

 any region, this will doubtless be permitted 

 on evidence of the necessity and safety to 

 the general beekeeping interests of the 

 United States." 



The opposition has further stated that the 

 law is an attempt to help the breeders of 

 Italians. It seems hardly necessary to an- 

 swer this as the purpose is to protect an in- 

 dustry before it is too late. The law has 

 provided means by which other races may 

 be imported from countries where the Isle 

 of Wight disease does not exist. 



What more could we ask? Apparently 

 tlie opposition has lost sight of the fact 

 that honevbees or queens under the provi- 

 sions of the proposed law mav be sent for 

 scientific purposes through the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, or that the two 

 officials mentioned may at any time, on 

 proper evidence, lift the embargo against 

 any country from which the importation of 

 bees or queens is prohibited. 



With - this understanding we hope that 

 every one of our subscribers (if they have 

 not already done so) will address a letter 

 to Senator Xorris, chairman of the Agri- 

 cultural Conniiittee of the United States 

 Senate, Washington, T). C, indicating your 

 ajiproval of Senate bill No. S.'jOG, and urging 



