1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



495 



was a failure because the spores are in the 

 honey, which is time. I gave the Alexander 

 method a thorough trial, and it is a perfect 

 failure. Clean hives and foundation will ef- 

 fect a cure. S. J. Snyder. 

 Aurora, N. Y., Sept. 28. 



[We are very glad to get this as, the truth 

 is what we want, let it cut where it may. 

 We should be pleased to hear from any 

 others who may have given the plan a trial. 

 One or two reported that they were success- 

 ful with it. Now let us hear both the unfa- 

 vorable as well as the favorable reports. — 

 Ed.] 



do not birds catch drones principally? 



On page 40 is an article entitled "How 

 to Combat Bee-birds." It has been my lot 

 to presume, thi'ough information from vari- 

 ous sources, that bee Ijirds catch only drone 

 bees and do not molest those from which a 

 sting would likely result. I have not as yet 

 had either occasion or opportunity to put the 

 matter to a test. Will Gleanings either sus- 

 tain the presumption or correct the mistaken 

 view, if error it be? M. L. R. Edmunds. 



Brandon, Oregon, Jan. 31, 1907 



[While large numbers of drones are caught 

 by the birds, yet there is plenty of evidence 

 to show that both bees, and, in a few instances, 

 queens are taken. An examination of their 

 crops after the birds were shot have shown 

 the crushed forms of drones and worker bees. 

 In some instances stings have been found in 

 the inner walls of the crop. In some cases 

 the birds, especially the king-birds, catch 

 their victim by the waist or thorax, crush it 

 to death, and then swallow. We have seen 

 this act repeatedly, and the deftness with 

 which a king-bird will catch a bee on the wing 

 is enough to command wonder and admira- 

 tion; but the admiration at least changes to re- 

 venge until the shot-gun puts an end to the 

 "sport." — Ed.] 



THE STRENGTH OF AN ALFALFA FLOW; THE 

 EFFECT OF CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. 



I wish to respond to your request in re- 

 gard to honey in alfalfa. Nine years ago I 

 placed a strong colony on my scales, and 

 the result was from 1 to 7 lbs. per day, or 

 an average of about 1| lbs. per day. Two 

 different days during the summer it was 

 cloudy and sultry, the first day only 96 in 

 the shade; that night the scale hive registered 

 6i lbs. A few days later, another sultry day, 

 and the scale hive registered 7 lbs., convinc- 

 ing the writer that climatic conditions reg- 

 ulate the flow of nectar to a great extent. 

 Living, as you know, where there are miles 

 of alfalfa, it is very seldom that I got even 

 enough alfalfa to whiten the combs from the 

 first cutting, which is usually very heavy. 

 We usually get our best yield from the third 

 cutting. Much depends on the amount of 

 water. If plenty of water for irrigating, 

 the apiarist is sure to be disappointed — that 

 is, if he thinks he is to get a large crop. 



The short stunted alfalfa is the kind that 

 produces most nectar. When the climatic 

 conditions with a moderate use of water are 

 right it would be very hard to overstock an 

 alfalfa-range. Wm. Lossing. 



Pha?nix, Arizona. 



[Mr. Lossing is one of the most extensive 

 bee-keepers in Arizona. The editor remem- 

 bers well the very pleasant visit he spent in 

 his place some years ago. His whole family 

 at the time of our visit, including his two 

 daughters, were helping him in the garden. 

 These girls he said were equal to any two 

 men. — Ed.] 



CARNIOLAN AND CAUCASIAN BEES — DIFFER- 

 ENCES BETWEEN. 



There is more or less confusion between 

 the Carniolans and Caucasians. Will you 

 give me, as definitely as possible, a descrip- 

 tion of each breed? C. G. Chevalier. 



Baltimore, Md., Dec. 31, 1906. 



[Nothing has been published as yet that 

 goes into an exact differentiation between 

 Carniolans and Caucasians, so far as we 

 know. As a matter of fact, the two races 

 are very similar in characteristics and gene- 

 ral markings. The Carniolans, probably, 

 are slightly less gentle, a trifle larger, and 

 in general color of a bluish cast rather than 

 of a brownish black as are the Caucasians. 

 This latter race is quite inclined to chink 

 large wads of propolis in the hive and be- 

 tween the frames at certain seasons of the 

 year, while the Carniolans are almost entire- 

 ly free from it. Caucasians, again, are not 

 much better than black bees in repelling 

 moth-worms, while the Carniolans, on the 

 other hand, seem to be the equal of Italians 

 in warding off the pest. In other points the 

 two races are very much alike, and the av- 

 erage person, probably, would not see much 

 difference between them. — Ed.] 



ANOTHER USE FOR THE BAILEY HIVE LIFTER. 



In your issue of Sept. 1, 1906, appears an 

 article from me regarding the hive-lifting 

 device I use to svich good advantage in my 

 apiary; but I did not mention how handy it 

 was in placing bees in their winter clamps 

 on summer stands. 



I simply place the lifter over the hive and 

 raise it sufficiently high to admit a clamp. 

 Then I gently lower the hive into place. 

 One man performs the operation easily, and 

 bees are not disturbed in the least. I then 

 place a block on each side of the hive- 

 entrance and lay a piece of board on blocks 

 sufficiently wide to fill the space between the 

 hive and the clamp, thus forming a passage 

 for bees to go out and in if required. Pack 

 the space between the hive and clamp tight- 

 ly with dry forest- leaves, and cover up for 

 winter, the space between the hive and 

 clamp being about 4 inches. I have found 

 this plan very satisfactory, and, when done 

 properly, bees will winter better than being 

 inside, John Bailey. 



Bracebridge, Ont., Dec. 31, 1906. 



