1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



331 



Conducted by " BEE-MASTER." 



How to Manage Bees in Canada. 



It has been suggested that I write a series of articles on 

 the above topic, but to do so in such a way as to cover the 

 whole ground would be to write a treatiseon bee-keeping, with 

 a special adaptation to Canada. This is almost too big an 

 undertaking for one department of a journal which has sev- 

 eral departments, and to attempt it might seem like arrogat- 

 ing the ofBce of instructor-general. For the management of 

 bees in Canada is the same as in any other part of the world, 

 €xcept in so far as there are peculiarities of climate, forage 

 and season to be accounted for. A few words on these three 

 points will go far to answer the query at the head of this 

 article. At the same time it mast be borne in mind that after 

 the most specific directions have been given about bee-man- 

 agement in a particular country, there is much for the bee- 

 keeper to study in regard to his own special locality. What 

 may be best for me in my field may not be equally good for 

 somebody else whose apiary is 50 miles, less or more, distant 

 from mine. 



The first special features to be considered about Canadian 

 beedom are the length and severity of the winter. These de- 

 mand extra precaution, either in the way of outside cases 

 with some kind of packing between them and the hive, or re- 

 moval into a cellar or other repository on the approach of cold 

 weather. Bees may be wintered safely in both ways, and 

 each method has its advocates. In some parts of Canada the 

 winters are steadily cold, and the mercury often descends a 

 considerable distance below zero, and stays there for some 

 time. In other sections the weather is more variable. There 

 are days when the temperature is mild and even warm. Then, 

 again, "there is a cold dip, and perhaps, along with keen frost, 

 a cutting wind. But there are both successful cellar-win- 

 terers and successful out-door-winterers in all these diversities 

 of climatic condition. The cellar-winterers put their bees in 

 winter quarters early in November, and endeavor to maintain 

 an inside temperature of 40- to 45'^. The cellar or other re- 

 pository is regarded and treated as one big hive, and special 

 care is taken to have a supply of pure air and ample ventila- 

 tion. 



For out-door wintering the requisites are a packing-box or 

 case to set over the hive, large enough to admit of four to six 

 inches of packing with dry sawdust, chaff or forest leaves. 

 Ventilation is given at the bottom, and, as with in-door win- 

 tering, the provision must be ample. It is pretty clear that 

 cold does not kill bees. The two evils to be guarded against 

 are damp and insufficiency of stores. With plenty of air and 

 abundance of food there is seldom any difficulty unless the 

 colony is a weak one. With enough bees to keep one another 

 warm, ample ventilation and plenty to eat, the winter problem 

 is solved. 



The next peculiarity of bee-management in Canada is con- 

 nected with the forage. The honey harvest is in June and 

 July. In order to succeed there must be a strong force of 

 workers when the flow of nectar comes. There is a difference 

 of opinion among bee-keepers as to the wisdom of spring feed- 

 ing to build up an army of honey-gatherers. I do not favor it 

 myself. The feeding should be done, if at all, not later than 

 September. If the supply of food is abundant and the hive is 

 kept good and warm, the bees will rear all the workers they 

 can, without any puttering with spring feeding. They are 

 wiser than human beings in regard to rearing a big family, 

 which they will not do if they have not the means of support- 

 ing them. On the other hand, with an ample food supply, 

 they will rear brood for all that they are worth. They seem 

 to understand perfectly the importance of having all the 

 young brood they can support, in order that the most may be 

 made of the honey-harvest when it arrives. 



A third feature in Canadian bee-management grows out 

 of the fact that the season is short. In very few localities is 

 there any fall honey harvest. Buckwheat is only grown in 

 certain districts of the country. Where there is any quantity 

 of it, the hives are well stocked with honey for winter, and 

 sometimes a surplus is yielded. Beyond buckwheat, there is 

 only a small assortment of nectar-yielding flowers that bloom 

 in the fall of the year, enough to amuse the bees, and prolong 

 the memories of the summer, but not sufficient to add appreci- 

 ably to the winter supply of food. Consequently, particular 

 care must be taken, not later than September, to see that col- 

 onies not amply supplied with a store of food for winter are 



fed with sugar syrup. The remaining preparations for winter 

 should be made in good time — certainly before a very cold 

 snap occurs — for bees, once thoroughly chilled, do not appear 

 to do so well as when they glide into cold weather gradually 

 and comfortably. 



Items of News. 



The following clippings are from the Canadian Bee Jour- 

 nal : 



Increased Grant. — Messrs. Holtermann and Pickett were 

 appointed a committee to secure an increased grant of $200 

 for the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association. No increase was 

 placed in the estimates, but the Hon. John Dryden, Minister 

 of Agriculture, placed $150 in the supplementary estimates, 

 which passed the House. The Association would have liked 

 the S200 asked for, but when so many demands are made we 

 should be thankful for the $150. The Association will make 

 good use of the mouey, and must exercise economy in every 

 department. 



A PuRCUASE. — Some of the readers of the Canadian Bee 

 Journal have been aware of the fact that C. A. Ouellett, Til- 

 bury, Ont., has been publishing the Practical Bee. Keeper. At 

 first it was a quarterly, but for some time it has been pub- 

 lished monthly. We have not expected Mr. Ouellette to work 

 in the interest of the Canadian Bee Journal, and Mr. Ouellette 

 has not expected us to work in the interest of the Practical 

 Bee-Keeper. Mr. Ouellette has also been a manufacturer of 

 bee-keepers' supplies and we believe has had a very fair share 

 of trade. Lately, Mr. Ouellette has seen an opening for a 

 box factory and has made Goold, Shapley & Muir Co. (Ltd.) 

 an offer, which has resulted in the purchase of the Practical 

 Bee-Keeper and the machinery, etc., for the manufacture of 

 bee-keepers' supplies. 



There is not room for more than one bee-journal in Can- 

 ada ; a substantial financial backing is required for even one 

 journal. When it comes to the supply business, Mr. Ouellette 

 is quite willing to admit there are too many in the business 

 now, and he would advise any one to go slow before engaging 

 in that line of manufacture. Mr. Ouellete is not the only 

 manufacturer of bee-keepers' supplies who has within the past 

 year offered to sell out. 



The Industrial Prize-List.— The Toronto Industrial 

 Exhibition apiarian prize-list has been increased about $100, 

 and other advantages have been secured. The prize-list has 

 been changed to encourage less extensive exhibits, and we 

 want a good many to make an extra effort to send extracted 

 and comb honey, beeswax, etc., of the best quality. 



Ten 'Weeks for Ten Cents.— This is a "trial 

 trip" offer to those who are not now subscribers to the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal. Undoubtedly there are thousands who 

 would take this journal regularly if they only had a " good 

 taste" of it, so as to know what a help it would be to them in 

 their work with bees. In order that such bee-keepers may be 

 able to get that "taste," the very low offer of " 10 weeks for 

 10 cents" is made. 



Now, dear reader, you cannot do a better service than to 

 show this offer to your neighbor bee-keeping friends, and urge 

 them to send on their 10 cents and get the next 10 numbers 

 of the old American Bee Journal. In fact, you could afford 

 to send the 10 cents for them, and then after the 10 weeks 

 expire, get them as new subscribers for a year. They will be 

 easy to secure then, for the 10 numbers will be a fair trial, 

 and they will want the Bee Journal regularly if they are at 

 all interested in bee-keeping. 



Remember, it's only 10 cents for 10 weeks, to all not now 

 subscribers to the Bee Journal. 



A B t; of Bee-Cultiirc— We have some of these books 

 left, and in order to close them out quickly, we renew the low 

 offers we made on them. This is the fine cyclopedia of bee-keeping 

 by A. I. Root, containing 400 pages and nearly 200 engravings. 

 The regular price is $1.25, but we will send the American Bee Jour- 

 nal one year and the "ABC" bound in cloth— both for only $1.80 ; 

 or the parchment cover (very heavy paper) "A B C" and the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both together only $1.50. 



