516 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Auff. 17, 1899. 



from that state of evenness it was secreted by the flower- 

 cup that would bring- about the facts as I have exprest them 

 in my former communications ? 



It is an admitted fact that honey in ripening- thickens ; 

 this admitted, it follows log-ically that the honey of the 

 same cell and at the same time, during its process of ripen- 

 ing-, is of different densities, and if such characterizes 

 honey in the cell, why is not nectar in the flower-cup sub- 

 jected to the same changes, admissive of the same charac- 

 teristics under like circumstances ? 



According to the theory that warm air contains more 

 moisture than cold air, honey kept in a warm, airy depart- 

 ment gives off moisture ; the cool air entering a warm room, 

 or better, a warm hive, where honey is stored, takes up 

 moisture ; coming in contact with warm honey it expands, 

 and takes on moisture. On the other hand, if it is stored 

 in a cold, damp cellar, the warm air from without, striking 

 the cold hone)' within, contracts and gives off moisture. 

 And since honey must become tangible to the air before its 

 moisture can be absorbed by it ; and since the atmosphere 

 cannot penetrate the wax of the cell to be tangible to all 

 parts at the same time, it follows that the watery or thinner 

 part of the honey must be drawn to the mouth of the cell, 

 constituting not only a difference in the density of the 

 honey of the cell, but leaving the richer of the saccharine 

 substance at the rear. So attraction as well as gravitation 

 testifies in behalf of my statement. 



And what is true of unripe honey is also true of nectar, 

 since it is rawer, more easily affected, and admissive of 

 changes. 



The earth's surface at night retains the heat received 

 from the sun longer than the atmosphere above it ; the cold 

 air coming in contact with the warm objects — flowers as 

 well as other things — contracts, giving off moisture, pour- 

 ing it into the flower-cup on top of the nectar, and it will 

 have to be proven that water is heavier than nectar, or else 

 we have nectar in that cup not^of a uniform thickness and 

 sweetness. 



Suppose the short-tongue bee can barely reach to the 

 nectar in the cup without any margin to go on ; when the 

 moisture of the atmosphere is poured in on this nectar till 

 the cup is filled to the reach of the short-tongue bee, and 

 surplus is stored, what is it ? Sweetened water. Is there 

 nothing better remaining in the flowers from which this 

 was stored for a longer-tongue strain ? 



I have observed distinctly on many occasions my Ital- 

 ian bees working early in the morning on red clover. If 

 they are not extracting the sweetened moisture resting on 

 its nectar, why not work on it as freely at other hours of 

 the day ? 



I cannot exactly understand Mr. Norton's meaning of 

 the word " far-fetcht," and in conclusion will say his lime 

 was too much saturated ; if he places together the proper 

 measure of parts, he will form a body we call " mortar," 

 that compares to fully ripened honey, equal in density and 

 sweetness. Franklin Co., Mo. 



The Bee-Business and Prospects in Utali. 



MR. J. S. SCOTT, of Utah Co., Utah, wrote us, July 23, 

 in reference to the present condition of the bee and 

 honey business in Utah : 



Editor York : — 



My object in sending you the enclosed letters is that 

 the facts may be known regarding the condition of the bee- 

 business and prospects for a honey crop in Utah. The let- 

 ters are from prominent bee-keepers in fourof the principal 

 honej' counties in the State, and can be relied upon as to 

 the true condition. 



The loss in bees here is about SO percent. Those left 

 are doing but little. Utah will not have half a crop of 

 honej'. 



I sent out the questions found in the enclosed letters, 

 and received the answers, which explain the situation cor- 

 rectly. A certain Salt L,ake City bee-keeper wrote a letter 

 to a bee-paper in which he stated that the loss of bees was 

 about 10 percent. Such reports are injurious. Had he 

 taken pains to ascertain the truth, he certainly would not 

 have made such a mistake. J. S. Scott. 



The questions which Mr. Scott sent out read as follows: 



1. What is the pro.spect for a honey crop in your vicin- 

 ity this ,sea.son ? 



2. What is the percent of loss in bees ? 



3. Did greater mortality occur during winter or spring ? 



4. Do your bee-keepers produce more extracted than 

 comb honey ? 



5. What, in your opinion, is the prospect for a honey 

 crop thruout the country ? 



The responses received are given here, using as a sig- 

 nature the county from which the replies came rather than 

 the name of the bee-keeper, as requested by Mr. Scott : 



1. Rather poor outlook. Half to two-thirds crop. 



2. About SO percent loss, from trustworthy reports. 



3. Winter killed and weakend so many that it was more 

 severe than spring. Geater mortality in winter. 



4. Salt Lake County produces more extracted hone)'. 



5. Much less than an average ; about two-thirds, for an 

 estimate. Sai.t Lake. 



1. The prospects are very poor. 



2. I should judge about 40 percent from all causes — win- 

 ter loss, spring dwindling and foul brood. 



3. During spring. 



4. Mostly extracted. 



5. The prospects for a honey crop are very poor. 



The bee-inspector reports a great deal of foul brood, 

 some apiaries with every colony diseased. The trouble has 

 been, dying in winter and letting them get robbed out. 



Utah. 



1. Good where the bees are in good condition. Crop 

 will not be large. 



2. From 10 to 100 percent. Mine is about 80 percent. A 

 good many that are left will only build up for winter. 



3. Spring. 



4. No. All comb honey. 



5. I think the honey crop will be small, for lack of bees 

 to gather it. I have 48 colonies left, from 170 taken out of 

 the house in what I thought was fair condition. It is too 

 early to be sure, yet where the bees are strong I think they 

 will do well. I have 35 colonies that will be all right. I 

 have not had any swarms yet. What is the matter that so 

 many bees have died the past winter and spring ? Mine 

 did not die ; they left. I think it was because they could 

 not get any pollen. I do not think it was cold weather 

 alone that killed the bees, but the frost killed the flowers 

 here and the bees left. Wasatch. 



1. Fair, tho rather early to speak. 



2. About 33 'i percent. 



3. Spring. 



4. Extracted. 



5. I am not posted on conditions about the county. 



As there was nothing to indicate from what county the 

 last replies came, we were compelled to leave them unsigned. 



The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. 

 By " COaiTATOR." 



A MICE-KILUNG BUG. 



" Bugs, such as mice," eh? Page 40S. Well, it's fair 

 strategy to make one kind of bug kill another kind ; and 

 they claim to have a bug now that will kill mice. 



QUEBN-CELLS BUILT BY RECENT S^VVARM. 



Thanks to Dr. Miller for his suggestion that queen-cells 

 built by a recent swarm are not rare but common. Guess 

 he's right. Page 406. 



WELCOME TO HAND-SHAKING GLOVES. 



Yes, Dr. Peiro, I'll be good now : so kind a reply to an 

 irreverent, if not irrelevant, racket compels it. Hurrah for 

 the hand-.shaking gloves ! A fellow must be kind-o' good 

 when he hurrahs for them, must he not ? Page 478. 



NEW-OLD BEE-LITERATURE — LARGE VS. SMALL HIVES. 



Mrs. Woodmansee very wisely thinks that many things 

 which we read carelessly the first time are new when we 



