1248 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



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A COMB CURED OF BLACK BROOD. 



A specimen comb and brood from the Alexander yard 

 that was, early this season, rotten with black brood, but 

 at the time the snap-shot was taken was entirely cured. 



problem of cure comparatively simple. But 

 when either one gets the start, so there is 

 scarcely a healthy cell of brood, then the 

 situation is not so easily handled; and espe- 

 cially is this true of foul brood. At the 

 present time, however, we have a hope that 

 the Alexander cure will take care of black 

 brood either in the early or last stages; but 

 it is better, of course, n»t to take any risks. 



DRONES LATE IN THE YEAR. 



Why is it that one of my colonies is pro- 

 ducing drones so late in the season? While 

 looking at my bees yesterday I noticed one 

 colony flying drones as though it were June 

 or July. They were abundant. I have been 

 keeping a few colonies the past ten years, 

 but this is the latest I have ever seen drones 

 in any hive. John Klingler. 



Lyicens, Pa., Nov. 6. 



[The presence of drones late in the season 

 may be due to a drone-laying or a failing 

 queen. A queenless colony or one with a 

 laying worker would explain the same phe- 

 nomenon. In any case the condition is ab- 

 normal, and a good queen should replace 

 whatever is responsible for the excess of 

 drones. —Ed.] 



how temperature affects the sale of 



honey; CAUCASIAN BEES. 



In regard to the article on page 1124, I beg 

 to differ with Mr. Boyden where he says he 

 doubts the temperature having any thing to 

 do with the demand for honey. I think the 

 temperature has all to do with it. It is gen- 

 erally conceded that, as the cool weather be- 

 gins, our systems call for more heat-produe- 

 ing foods, and honey is one of them, the 

 same as the buckwheat cakes, corn bread, 

 and fat meats, on the same principle as the 

 consumption of honey by bees wintered out- 

 doors as compared with those wintered in 

 cellars. 



In regard to Caucasian bees, I will say 

 that I have one colony. I procured the 

 queen too late to form any opinion as to 

 their merits, further than that they seem to 

 have a very mild disposition, and, so far as 

 flying in cool weather is concerned, and the 

 taking of food, they seem to show as much 

 energy as the Italians or blacks, so far as I 

 can see now, and I am feeding them and 

 some others yet. They all had a gala day to- 

 day. Should I succeed in wintering these 

 Caucasians I may have more to say with ref- 

 erence to them. The worst I can say of 

 them now is, they resemble the blacks too 

 much. Elias Fox. 



Hillsboro, Wis., Nov. 12. 



CAUCASIANS TAKE FEED READILY. 



Just a word in connection with the editor's 

 remark on page 1124 about Caucasians. I 

 don't know what Mr. Pritchard calls a 

 "common feeder," but I have a Caucasian 

 colony which took 20 lbs. of syrup from a 

 Miller feeder in 12 hours. Again, yesterday 

 morning at sunrise the thermometer here 

 registered 40°. All my bees flew freely 

 throughout the day, and the Caucasians 

 seemed to come out just as soon and as nu- 

 merously as the others. I presume we can 

 charge this to the old standby— locality. 



I agree thoroughly with the rest of the 

 article, however. I can take the cover off 

 my hive, blow in among the bees, pound on 

 the tops of the frames, etc., with no smoke 

 about whatever, and they don't stir up a bit. 

 Our government people here tell me that 

 they have very good reports, from a honey- 

 gathering standpoint, from some of the 

 queens they sent out early last spring. 



J. A. Phillips. 



Washington, D. C, Nov. 13, 1905. 



[We are very glad to get this testimony, 

 for the truth is what we want. So far, re- 



