234 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



extractiug'-super I would have aj^reed with 

 him in toto. It takes lots of bees to produce 

 lots of honey; and except in peculiar locali- 

 ties it pa3's to keep the queen laying- to her 

 greatest capacity all through the honey peri- 

 od. Particularly is this true of the tropics 

 and warm countries generally, where the 

 season extends through several months. 



Clogging of the brood-chamber with hon- 

 ey and pollen is the s'umbling-block of the 

 tropical apiarist, and brush swarming is 

 one method of overcoming this. As soon as 

 it appears that the hive has become congest- 

 ed, brush swarming is in order, as it gives 

 the colony a fresh start in life, and also 

 g-ives the apiarist a chance to deal with the 

 combs that are left behind. The latter are 

 better if placed over another colony where 

 the pollen is removed, the brood hatched, 

 and honey stored in their place. It is no 

 use at all to brush-swarm small colonies. 

 The honey is extracted in due season, when 

 the apiarist again has fresh clean combs 

 fit for anj' purpose. 



There is no doubt at all that brush swarm- 

 ing is an effective way of controlling- in- 

 crease; but it seems to me the person who 

 brush-swarms a colony only to give it 

 "starters" has committed a very grave er- 

 ror, to say the least. He has lost all or 

 nearlj' all the advantages of our modern 

 hives, for the bees will certainly build one- 

 fourth to one- fifth of their comb with drone- 

 cells, and no apiarist can stand such a 

 steady loss. If the bees must be compelled 

 to enter the section, some other way must 

 be found rather than use these '" starters." 

 Better use plenty of " baits " if the frame 

 used is the Langstroth. Drawn combs are 

 great drawers. This ma}' appear to be a 

 sort of advertisement for the makers of comb 

 foundation. So it is, in a sense; but from 

 my own experience I feel so strongly about 

 it that no stone should be left unturned to 

 help dissipate the fallacy of using starters 

 in a brood-chamber. 



It is natural that persons should desire to 

 save expense in equipping their hives; but 

 so far I have noticed the most successful 

 bee-keepers use full sheets of foundation 

 right through their apiaries, and they are 

 wise. 



[The practice of using starters or full 

 sheets is one that depends somewhat on 

 locality, though Mr. Morrison seems to 

 give good proof showing that it is bad pol- 

 ic3' to use starters anywhere. I should be 

 g-lad to see this phase of the question dis- 

 cussed a little more. — Ed.] 



BEE-KEEPING IN CUBA. 



BY E. M. DAVIDSON, M. D. 



Mr. Root: — It might be of interest to the 

 readers of Gleanings to hear from co- 

 workers in the honey industry down here 

 in "the Pearl of the Antilles." Others of 

 American blood and American bee-knowl- 

 edge have invaded the western part of Cu- 



ba with their busy bees; but we wish it 

 known that in this, the first American col- 

 ony in Cuba, La Gloria, the industry' in 

 nectar-gathering has made rapid progress, 

 and we claim for this spot on the northern 

 coast of Cuba, not an ideal bee paradise, 

 but nevertheless a paradise as compared 

 with man}' a place in the States where the 

 problem of successful wintering is such a 

 great one. Ordinarily one of our greatest 

 honey- flows comes in December; but the 

 rainy season coming on late, instead of in 

 Jul}', has interfered considerably with hon- 

 ey storage in supers. 



We have organized a fairly strong bee- 

 keepers' association here, and with many 

 members who are real students, and some 

 up-to-date bee-keepers of some standing-. 

 Officers of said association are: President, 

 J. Hammond; Vice-president, James Rob- 

 inson; Dr. E. M. Davidson, Secretary. We 

 shall represent thousands of colonies in 

 time, for possibly we can get the Cuban 

 bee-keepers here interested in the American 

 way, and transfer from their log- hives to 

 American ones; and we may bring- them 

 under the control of our association. 



All along the north slope of the De Cubi- 

 tas Mountains can be found the Cuban log 

 hives, running now mainly for wax. The 

 Cuban bees are the black German; but our 

 association members are rapidly obtaining 

 the Italian from United States queens. 



Our aim in organization will be to obtain 

 membership in the United States National 

 Bee-keepers" Association; and we hope to 

 gain admission to the United States Nation- 

 al Honey-producers' Exchange if one is 

 formed. We are praying for this as fer- 

 vently as we pray for our island to be an- 

 nexed to the glorious Union of the States. 

 You may hear from us and Cuban condi- 

 tions from time to time. 



Root's goods predominate in this section; 

 but we should be glad to have a depot of 

 goods on hand to draw from at will for cash. 



We all deplore the sad death of Rambler. 

 His slate is indeed broken beyond repair. 



Mr. A. I. Root is on the island, and he 

 would be welcome to La Gloria if he would 

 only come this way. 



La Gloria, Cuba. 



[Many thanks, friend D., for your kind 

 invitation. I only regret that it did not get 

 into my hinds before I left Cuba. To tell 

 the truth, I did not carry with me a list of 

 our Cuban subscribers; but when I go again 

 next fall, as I expect to do, I shall most as- 

 suredly hunt you all up. I have already 

 stirred up the bee-keepers west of Havana 

 to the importance of a bee-keepers' conven- 

 tion to be held once or twice a year or often- 

 er. I know many of them plead lack of 

 time and the expense of travel in Cuba; 

 but I judge, from my own observation, that 

 if bee-keepers would get together and talk 

 things over, there is hardly one of them that 

 would not be benefited, say to the extent of 

 S25 a year, by such a conference. I am ex- 

 ceedingly glad to know you have made a 

 start.— A. I. R.] 



