212 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



April 6, 1899. 



queen given, if a g^ood force of bees is present ; the latter is 

 often preferable. 



Our bees are generally taken from the cellar the early 

 part of this month, the time depending- on the season or 

 weather. On removing bees from the cellar it is preferable 

 to give each colony its old stand. All dead bees and litter 

 not cleared from the hives the day put out, which should be 

 a mild one, with the temperature 50 deg^rees or more, should 

 be removed by their attendant at his earliest opportunity. 

 The hive-entrance should not be large, and depend upon the 

 strength of the colonies ; I find from one to three inches 

 about right. 



The hives should be as warm as they can well be made 

 to conserve the heat so essential to brood-rearing. No up- 

 ward ventilation should be allowed, as that would allow the 

 heat to pass off. All these little things should be lookt 

 after. 



With the advent of Maj' we usuallj' expect quite nice 

 weather for our bees. Fruit-bloom usually comes during 

 this month, and with good weather bees make great prog- 

 ress in brood-rearing ; the queen lays at a rapid rate : the 

 circle of brood is spread, and good colonies should have 

 brood in all, or nearly all, the combs in the hive. This 

 month's work in each colony lays the foundation for that 

 colony as a factor in securing the honey harvest from white 

 clover, whether it be good or poor. 



At the close of apple bloom we have a slack in the 

 honey-yield. As stores are rapidly used up during heavy 

 breeding, the stores are liable to run short, and the bee- 

 keeper should watch his bees closely at this time, or they 

 may slack up brood-rearing, or even starve, especially if 

 bad weather follows. Brood-rearing should not by an)' 

 means be allowed to slacken for want of stores. Each 

 colony getting short should be given frames of honey, if at 

 hand, or fed in some way. A very few days' neglect may 

 result in much loss. 



Of all times in the season, this is one that the queen 

 should be kept inost busy, and the rearing of brood encour- 

 aged to the fullest extent possible ; and it can only be done 

 when a full supply of food is at hand for the bees' use. 



Should any colonies, during this month, be found' 

 queenless, they should be duly cared for as stated herein. 

 If any colonies died during winter, the combs and hive 

 should be well cleaned of dead bees, and closed up, if not 

 done earlier. 



All these little matters need our attention, and our suc- 

 cess depends largely upon our diligence and watchfulness. 



Carroll Co., 111. 



Honey Candying: or Granulating — Reliquefying-. 



BY H. P. WHSON. 



THERE has been a good deal said in the American Bee 

 Journal and in bee-books about candied honey. It is 



claimed by some old experienced bee-keepers that it is a 

 sign of good, pure honey to candy readily. That may be 

 true, and no doubt it is so far as their experience goes, but 

 my experience doesn't exactly run in that channel. Dif- 

 ferent climates, and also the source from which the honey 

 is gathered, may make a material difference. 



With us the earh'-gathered honey has never candied in 

 the combs, while that gathered late in the season candies 

 readily. Two 3'ears ago I had quite a nice lot of hone)-, and 

 some of that gathered late in the season was quite solid in 

 the combs in three weeks after being taken from the hive, 

 while all that which was stored early enough to become 

 thoroly ripened before the cool fall weather commenced, did 

 not granulate at all, altho nearly one-half of it was kept 

 over and sold the next fall and winter. 



This past year's honey has not candied any yet, and I 

 account for it from the fact that the honey-flow stopt before 

 the warm weather did. That is, there was sufficient warm 

 weather after the honey was stored to ripen it well. This, 

 however, may not be the sole reason. There may have 

 been a difference in the weather, or in the nectar from 

 which the honey was gathered. The flora, however, was 

 the same each year. I am led to believe from experience 

 that good, well-ripened honey is slow to candj-. This maj- 

 to some extent depend upon the sources from which the 

 honey is gathered. 



As to adulterated honey candying, or not candying, I 

 have no experience — in fact, I don't know anything about 

 glucose. There are but two sources from which honey is 

 gathered here to amount to anything — basswood and golden- 

 rod — very little clover of any kind here, and no buckwheat. 



I have never extracted any honey. When it candies in 

 the combs I cut up the combs and put them in a pail and 

 set the pail in a pan or basin of water on the stove, drop- 

 ping in some small sticks from Js to '+ of an inch thick be- 

 tween the bottom of the pail and the basin. Then I heat 

 the water till it boils, and when the combs are all melted I 

 set the pail away to cool. The beeswax will form a cake on 

 top of the honey, and if there is any pollen it will adhere to 

 the wax, and when taken oft' the pure honey is left. Any 

 water that might be in the honey is driven ofi:' by the heat. 

 I also treat many of the unfinisht combs in the same way. 



Honey that has once granulated is apt to granulate soon 

 again. Candied honey is melted in the way above stated. 

 There is no danger of the honey being injured by heat. 

 You may boil the water around the pail containing the 

 honey as hard as you can, and the honey won't boil, because 

 it is heavier than water, and won't boil at the same tempera- 

 ture. 



I use from two to four quart pails for melting. Honej' 

 that has candied in glass-jars can be melted in the same 

 way, only be sure to set the jar in while the water is cool, 

 and let it heat gradualh'. Don't try to melt candied honej' 

 by setting the pail, or jar containing it, back of the stove 

 or near the stove, for if you do you may forget it and scorch 

 the honey on the side nest to the stove. 



Pembina Co., N. Dak. 



The United States Bee-Keepers' Association. 



BY "KNICKERBOCKER." 



THERE is an adage somewhat like this, " If it is a good 

 thing, push it along." Now this is just the thing that 

 bee-keepers in general are not doing. The United 

 States Bee-Keepers' Association should have more names of 

 good bee-keepers upon its roll of membership. " The butch- 

 ers, the bakers, and the candlestick makers," each has its 

 association, and holds its convention to discuss business 

 affairs for mutual benefit. 



The city of Sioux Falls could not accommodate all the 

 members of the butter-maker's convention which was re- 

 cently held at that place. If there are 300.000 bee-keepers 

 in the United States, we surely ought to have amongst so 

 many several thousand members in the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Association. If we had the large membership we 

 deserve, we of course would have a large treasury', and with 

 a good financial backing the Association could advertise, 

 and, as Dr. Mason suggested, put an expert salesman on 

 the road, representing- it, and help the pursuit in different 

 ways. 



I think the present members ought to have more " hus- 

 tle " about them in getting new members. There is, how- 

 ever, one class of bee-keepers for whom the United States 

 Bee-Keepers' Association has no time to spare. They are 

 those beginners who are always tantalizing the genial Dr. 

 Miller in his " Answers to Questions," by asking questions 

 the answers to which may be found in anj- book treating on 

 the subject. Every one who wants to keep bees must have 

 a book. The book comes first, the bees second, and the 

 paper third. If one follows this order, and if at the end of 

 a year he is still enthusiastic on the subject, then he is a 

 fit member for our United States Bee-Keepers' Association. 



There is another thing that we bee-keepers can do to 

 help each other and the business. Not so much for the bee- 

 papers, but for any periodicals. Good, plain articles show- 

 ing the healthfulness and cheapness of honey as a regular 

 diet. Good articles are sure to be copied, and in a year the 

 whole country could be wakened up to see the value of 

 honey as a regular food. There would be a tenfold increase 

 in the demand if this were done. 



The bee-papers should be the medium for obtaining 

 new members for the United States Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, and the family newspaper the medium for introducing 

 our product. Turner Co., S. Dak. 



[We wish to endorse most fully the suggestions con- 

 tained in the foregoing. All are excellent. If everj' one of 

 our readers should read them over about four times, and 

 then try to act on such as they can, we believe the beneficial 

 results all around would be wonderful during the year, just 

 as the writer has said. — Editor.] 



The Premium offered on page 222 is well worth work- 

 ing for. Look at it. 



