548 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JUN 



er, so you can put 8 men at work. Now 

 suppose a second wall to be 64 feet long- by 

 10 feet high. That wall contains as many 

 bricks as the other, yet it can be built in 

 half the time. "Why? Because you can put 

 16 men at work instead of only 8. Do you 

 see? 



Now suppose you g^ive some of your col- 

 onies full sheets of foundation to some other 

 fair-sized starters, and to the rest only small 

 starters. Two or three days later you go 

 and look. Those having- the smallest start- 

 ers have only them perhaps to only one- 

 third of the section. Those having the 

 larger starters have extended them to two- 

 thirds and perhaps a few drops of honey 

 are deposited already in the deepest part. 



But the full sheets have been drawn over 

 nearly their whole surface; the cells are 

 partly built up, and quite an amount of 

 honey is already in. Why the difference? 

 Simpl}^ because there is room for a larger 

 number of bees to work at the same time on 

 a full sheet than there is on a starter. The 

 bees might be there, and the wax scales 

 also, but onl}' a limited number of bees 

 could work on the smaller starter, just like 

 the masons on the wall above referred to. 

 I think this is the most important point 

 gained by using full sheets of foundation. 



CONTRACTION. 



' Contraction, or small brood- nests, came 

 also under consideration with a number of 

 writers. Their argument is something like 

 this: If, when the honey-flow opens, there 

 is room in the brood-nest, the bees will store 

 the honey there, and go into the sections 

 only after the brood-nest is full. If, on the 

 other hand, the brood-nest is full, the hon- 

 ey brought in by the bees will necessarily 

 go into the sections because there is no other 

 place to put it. Don't you see? 



Yes, I see — that is, providing it is so. 

 May be it is a question of locality. In my 

 locality the thing does not quite work that 

 way. At the opening of the flow I have 

 only sheets of foundation, sometimes only 

 starters in the sections. In this locality it 

 is impossible for the bees to store honey in 

 empty sections. How it is in Illinois or 

 ilichigan, I don't know. It takes about 

 three days to establish the wax secretion in 

 full, and that many more da3^s, or about, 

 until sufficient headway is made in the 

 sections to admit a rapid storage of what 

 can be brought from the field. 



Now suppose the brood-nest full. What 

 will be the result during that first week? 

 Having no place to deposit the nectar, the 

 field bees will necessarily be idle; and the 

 result is, the first week of flow will be 

 practically lost. Lucky will be the apia- 

 rist if the bees thus forced to remain idle do 

 not take a notion to swarm. 



If we use large brood-nests there maj' be, 

 at the opening of the flow, perhaps two, 

 three, or more combs empty, or practically 

 so. They will be filled rapidly with honej*. 



The movement of the bees, the constant 

 handling of the nectar, the fullness of the 



bees, will provoke the secretion of the 

 regardless of the room in the brood 

 and of the strength of the colonies, ai 

 temperature, are right, the comb-bu 

 will begin in the sections, not qiiite but 

 ly as soon as in the other case. So, ir 

 the honej' stored in the brood-combs 

 most a clear gain. Furthermore, th 

 pensity to swarm is considerably ret 

 At any rate, that is the way the be 

 in this locality. 

 Knoxville, Tenn. 



DOES THE NEW GROWTH OF WHITE C 

 EVER PRODUCE HONEY? 



On page 931, 1902, both you and Dr 

 ler want to know if the new growth of 

 clover ever produces honey. If j'ou 

 the bloom that comes after harvest, 

 away on in the season, just before c 

 frosts, I answer in the affirmative. In 

 fields here and on the roadsides the 

 bloom gave a decided whiteness to the 

 scape. Last fall at times the road.' 

 tempting to those who love the whee 

 for observation and pleasure I took r 

 the south, north, and northeast of A' 

 and I found bees working everywh 

 white clover. The honey was thin ai 

 flavored, and the bees did not ha' 

 power to fix it up. Some sections th^ 

 finished with it show clearly the late 

 ered clover honey. The bees did no 

 to care to cap it, neither in the brood 

 ber nor in the sections. But if you 

 that which was sown in the spring 

 "I don't know," for we scarcely ev 

 white clover here. It just comes itse 



SELLING CANDIED HONEV. 



During the past winter, Morley si 

 a grocer in this town with some c 

 honey in 601b. tins. The grocer, 

 ing to instructions, stripped the tin 

 one lot and placed it in a conspicuou 

 in a window in his grocery, with 

 scription "Pure Clover Honey," ii 

 letters. Well, in a short time th 

 gone, then another, for a brisk sale 

 up immediately. In a short time th. 

 of honey failed to appear in the w 

 A clerk said to me, " That candied 

 interferes with the sale of our comt 

 so much that I guess we won't S' 

 more that way until we work oft" son: 

 comb." 



They cut it into square and rath 

 pieces so smoothly and neatly ^that 

 very difl"erent article from honiy du 

 a pail. Then the customer wisely 



