EDITORIAL 



WE liiul lio[K'(l 

 issue .1 fnrtht'i 



To Prevent 

 Crystallization 

 of . Sugar Syrup. 



\iv .-ihU' to publish in t his 

 port on the oxpei'iineuts 

 conducted by the 

 Bureau of Clieniis- 

 ti y on m a king 

 sugar syrup that 

 will not crystallize, 

 by controlling the degree of inversion, in 

 order that it could bo tried out this season. 

 A recent letter from H. S. Paine, chemist in 

 charge of the Carbohydrate Laboratory, Bu- 

 reau of Chemistry, explains tliat tlieir ex- 

 periments have been delayed on account of 

 pressure of other work; and our own ex- 

 periments here at Medina are not yet far 

 enough along to draw conclusions as to the 

 (legree of inversion best suited for winter 

 feeding. 



Some beekeepers report that they have no 

 trouble from sugar syrup crystallizing in 

 tlie combs when fed for winter. They sim- 

 ply heat tlie water to the boiling point and 

 then pour in twice its volume of sugar, stir- 

 ring, as the sugar is poured in, to prevent it 

 from piling up on the bottom of the vessel. 

 When the sugar crj-stals are all dissolved tlie 

 process of making the syrup is complete 

 without further application of heat and 

 without the addition of acid. Others using 

 the same formula report that the syrup be- 

 gins to crystallize often before the bees can 

 take it from the feeders. 



Those who are troubled with crystalliza- 

 tion can remedy the trouble by adding a 

 level teaspoonful of tartaric acid for about 

 every 15 pounds of sugar and boiling the 

 syrup for 10 or 15 minutes after adding the 

 acid. This should modify the syrup suf- 

 ficiently to prevent early crystallization. 



O . H 3 ^ C H - 03 



HOUSE BILL 11396, to regulate the impor- 

 tation of honeybees into the United States, 

 was passed bv 



The Isle of Wight 



Disease Bill. 



the Senate on 

 August 23, 1922, 

 and no doubt will 

 have been signed by the President by the 

 time this is in print if not before. This bill 

 had previously been passed by the House of 

 Representatives, as was noted in our July 

 issue. The House bill Avas passed by the 

 Senate without amendment; but tiie original 

 bill as published on page 367, June issue, 

 was amended by the House committee to 

 read as follows: 



Be it enacted by the Senate and IToiise of 

 Representatives of the United States of America 

 in Congress asscml)led, That, in ord^T to prevent 

 the introduction and spread of diseases dangerous 

 to the adult honey bee, the importation into the 

 United States of the honeybee (Apis m -llifit^a) in its 

 adult stage is hereby prohibited, and all adult 

 honeybees offered for import into the United States 

 shall be destroyed if not immediately exported: 

 Provided. Thit sucli adult honeybees may be im- 

 ported into the United States for evnerimp^tal or 

 scientific i)urposes by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture: And provided further. That 



sucli ailull, Ihjiii'.\ Ixcs liiiiy he imported into the 

 United States from countries in which the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture shall determine that no dis- 

 eases dangerous to adult lioneybees exist, under 

 rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary 

 of Agriculture. 



Sec. 2. That anj- person who shall violate any 

 of the i)rovisions of this act shall be deemed 

 guilty of a misdemeanor and sliall, upon convic- 

 tion thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding 

 $500 or by imprisonment not exceeding one year, 

 or both such fine and imprisonment, in the discre- 

 tion of the court. 



Tlie Secretary of Agriculture will no dou1)t 

 later make arrangements, according to the 

 provisions in this bill, for the inij)ortation 

 of queens from certain countries in wliich 

 he has determined that the Isle of Wight 

 disease does not exist. 



While the movement of honey on the market 

 has been distressingly slow thus far this sea- 

 son, there are now 

 Honey Market indications of an im- 

 Conditions. provement. With ini 



proved industrial 

 conditions and the fruit and vegetable sea- 

 son drawing to a close, honey should now 

 begin to move freely again. Beekeepers who 

 supply their local markets should see that 

 their markets are kept supplied and should 

 not reduce their selling effort as their sup- 

 ply of honey diminishes, but should purchase 

 honey from others to keep their customers 

 well supplied at all times. Beekeepers who 

 have a talent for selling make the best pos- 

 sible salesmen for honey. 



30 ^ etc 



CONFLICTING reports as to the wholesome 

 ness of fall-gathered honey as a winter 

 food for bees in the 

 Fall Honey for North is explained 

 Winter Stores, in part, by the 

 character of the 

 honey flow when the honey was stored. It 

 is well known that, during a rapid honey 

 flow, honey from the same plant is lighter 

 in color than during a slow honey flow. This 

 is true even in the case of white honey, 

 such as that from white clover, sweet clover 

 and alfalfa. While most fall flowers yield 

 amber or dark honey, it is surprising how 

 much lighter fall honey is when the honey 

 flow is rapid. 



As a rule, lighter-colored honey is better 

 for winter than darker-colored honey from 

 the same source, presumably because it eon- 

 tains less indigestilile matter. 



Another factor that intensifies this dif- 

 ference is that during a slow honey flow 

 there is a greater possibility of the honey 

 being from mixed sources, which often re- 

 results in inferior winter stores. 



Of course where the bees can have a 

 cleansing flight every week or two during 



