1178 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



we shall expect some interesting develop- 

 ments. Just where he will locate in Florida 

 he has not yet definitely decided. 



CHANGE OF DATE FOR THE NATIONAL. 



Those who expect to attend the next Na- 

 tional convention in Chicago will note the 

 change of date, this time made necessary by 

 the change in the time of the fat-stock 

 show. The National has to be set at the 

 same time in order to secure low railroad 

 rates. The convention will be held Dec. 19, 

 20, 21, in Brunt Hall, Bush Temple of Music, 

 instead of the Revere House. Several mem- 

 bers of the Root Co. will be present. We 

 shall be glad to see all of our old friends and 

 as many of the new ones as possible. 



FEEDING BEES IN THE CELLAR. 



It will probably happen that some colonies 

 have been neglected or overlooked, and, as 

 a consequence, are short of stor-s. If it is 

 cool or cold weather it will be no use to feed 

 syrup in feeders in the hives outdoors; for 

 bees will not take liquid food cool nights or 

 during cold weather. Better wait till put- 

 ting the bees in the cellar, then put a pep- 

 per-boxful of thick syrup right over the 

 center of the cluster. Bees will take syrup 

 in the cellar; but as they will not be able to 

 ripen it, it is far better to feed in warm 

 weather earlier in the fall. 



If you have no cellar, and are compelled to 

 winter outdoors some colonies that are 

 short, lay a chunk of queen-cage candy right 

 over the cluster on the frames. This is 

 made by mixing powdered sugar and honey 

 into a stiff dough; cover this up with a good 

 warm cushion and slip a telescoping cover 

 or tight box over the whole. 



the HONEY CROP LAST SEASON THE SHORT- 

 EST IN MANY YEARS. 



There are many things that go to show 

 that the honey crop for this season, when we 

 consider the whole United States, and Cuba 

 as well, is the shortest in many years. A 

 month or so ago, from the best evidence in 

 hand, it appeared that the amount of honey 

 actually secured was about the same as last 

 year, which was a short season. When the 

 supply of Michigan honey is gone there will 

 not be very much fine table honey left, in 

 our opinion. There ought to be from now 

 on a rapid stiffening in prices, unless, for- 

 sooth, a lot of bee-keepers are holding back, 

 preparing to dump their crop on the market 

 at their convenience, or as soon as they ' ' get 

 around to it, ' ' which will be after the holi- 

 days. 



WHAT KIND OF PACKING TO USE FOR OUT- 

 DOOR WINTERING. 



This will depend a good deal on what 

 material is readily available. Ground cork 

 probably stands at the head; but as it is ex- 

 pensive in most places we must consider it 



out of the quest'on. Next in order I would 

 place wheat chaff, next oat chaff, planer- 

 shavings, and forest leaves. The coarser 

 the packing material, the more of it 

 should be used. For instance, a cushion 

 of forest leaves should be about twice as 

 thick as one made of good wheat chaff. 

 Sawdust and clover chaff are a little too 

 dense; and if they once get moist they are 

 not inclined to dry out. We have tested all 

 the different packing materials except 

 ground cork, and their excellence is in the 

 order named above. 



BLACK QUEENS HARD TO FIND. 



A FEW days ago a prominent queen-breed- 

 er sent us some letters from one of his cus- 

 tomers, complaining bitterly that some Car- 

 niolan queens that he had sent them were 

 "no good; " that he had introduced them, 

 but when he went back to the hive he could 

 not find them. He acknowledged that the 

 golden Italians received at the same time 

 were all right, and nicely introduced; but 

 every one of the Carniolans was missing 

 because, being worthless, the bees killed 

 them. I was called on to arbitrate the mat- 

 ter. The queen- breeder averred that Car- 

 niolan queens were black, and often hard to 

 find, and might easily escape scrutiny. I 

 wrote to the complainant, suggesting that 

 probably the queens were in the hives, and 

 asked him to make another and more care- 

 ful search. This he did, and was frank 

 enough to acknowledge he had found every 

 one of them, and begged Mr. Queenbreeder's 

 pardon. 



Right here score a point in favor of extra- 

 yellow queens or extra-yellow stock, and a 

 point against black stock. It is a well-known 

 fact that black queens are always hard to 

 find, partly because the bees are nervous, 

 and run, and partly because the queen, not 

 looking different from the other bees, easily 

 escapes observation. 



WHEN TO WINTER INDOORS AND WHEN TO 



WINTER OUTDOORS; THE VALUE OF 



DOUBLE-WALLED HIVES. 



Although I have answered this question 

 several times before, yet a number of in- 

 quiries would seem to require its repetition. 

 Generally speaking, the indoor method 

 should be followed in localities where the 

 winters are more or less open — that is to 

 say, when there are warm flying days in al- 

 most every month throughout the winter, 

 two or three days in a month. In such a lo- 

 cality the occasional warm days would cause 

 a good deal of trouble in the bee- cellar, 

 which would necessarily be affected by the 

 outside temperature to a great extent. . If 

 the cellar be too warm, running up to 60 

 some of the time, there will be a good many 

 bees flying out and dying on the cellar bot- 

 tom. On the other hand, in localities where 

 the winter remains cold, below a freezing 

 temperature for practically three months or 

 more, then the indoor plan should be follow- 



