1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1255 



"Just this: If a colony of bees with the 

 maximum number arrives in this condition 

 with the swarming fever on just as the hon- 

 ey-flow commences, they will, as a rule, give 

 less in results than will a colony with fewer 

 bees without the swarming fever; but with 

 the swarming instinct held in abeyance, or 

 under control, this mighty army of bees will 

 roll up a great record for themselves and 

 their keeper, especially if their energies are 

 concentrated on the securing of honey rath- 

 er than in a still further spreading of their 

 brood with a view of a still further increase 

 of bees." 



"But what harm does a still greater in- 

 crease of bees do? " 



"It would do no harm if you lived in a lo- 

 cality where there was a continuous flow of 

 nectar from the time white clover commenced 

 to give the bees a supply till the end of fall 

 flowers; but you are living in Central New 

 York, where we have a dearth of nectar aft- 

 er clover, or after basswood, where either of 

 these gives the white-honey crop; and if the 

 bees are allowed to spread themselves for 

 bees, or they do so spread themselves, rather 

 than for honey, much of the honey gathered 

 during the flow will be used in feeding an 

 extra amount of brood, which, in turn, will 

 become only consumers of the gathered and 

 stored honey which would otherwise go on 

 the ledger account of the keeper." 



"Well, surely this is a broad subject. I 

 had not even thought of some of these things 

 before I talked with Smith. But how can 

 these things be accomplished y " 



"Quite largely through the race of bees we 

 keep." 



" What race is best? " 



"The Italians are the most easily con- 

 trolled." 



"But that is only one factor." 



"I know. But after their control by the 

 apiarist till the flow of nectar is on, then it 

 is their disposition to concentrate toward 

 the honey part rather than toward the rear- 

 ing of more bees." 



"Are not the Carniolans equally good?" 



"I have not found them thus in this local- 

 ity, for the reason that, with the flow of nec- 

 tar, they will go to breeding more largely 

 instead of concentrating toward honey. In 

 fact, some of the colonies of these bees which 

 I have had consumed the larger part of the 

 honey they gathei'ed in brood, so that, when 

 fall came, I did not have a pound of surplus; 

 and, still worse, I had to take, from the Ital- 

 ian colonies, frames of stores to give to the 

 Carniolans so they might not starve before 

 spring." 



"But how do you manage the Italians so 

 as to have all colonies in tne condition you 

 desire at the time of the honey-flow? " 



"To tell you this would take more time 

 than is at my command just now, as I have 

 an appointment I must meet at two o'clock 

 this afternoon. Have you Gleanings for 

 1906?" 



"Yes." 



"Well, you will find what I consider the 

 best plan that I know of given in the serial 



running through many of the numbers for 

 that year." 



"But a part of these numbers are lent out, 

 so I do not have it all together." 



"If you can wait a little time, the serial 

 is to be published in book form this fall or 

 early winter, so I am informed, and then you 

 can procure it of The A. I. Root Co." 



"I am glad to hear this, for I have wanted 

 it in book form ever since the serial was 

 published." 



^ NOTL5 ^- 



FROM 



CAiNAD^ 



"~v 



WINTER STORES. 



In localities where there has been a light 

 flow of honey, and, in consequence, the bees 

 have gathered a great deal of pollen with the 

 honey stored in the combs for winter, it 

 would be well to feed the bees sugar stores, 

 say not less than 8 or 10 lbs. to carry them 

 through all or at least the early part of the 

 winter. Feed as soon as the brood-chamber 

 is free from much brood, and the date is 

 Sept. 20, or, at the latest, Oct. 1. 



TWO ENTRANCES TO THE BROOD-CHAMBEh. 



Not considering that every one else should 

 take the same interest in my views that I do, 

 I will forgive Prof. Cook for writing in 

 Gleanings that I advocate two entrances to 

 a hive. I may enter an action against him 

 for so slandering my character as a bee-keep- 

 er (unless he makes a full and public retrac- 

 tion). He probably thinks of the ventilation 

 in the super, which the bees do not use as an 

 entrance unless there is brood in the super. 



-^ 



NO QUEEN-EXCLUDERS. 



This summer, owing to having more colo- 

 nies than usual I have had to run some with- 

 out queen-excluders between the brood- 

 chamber and super. For years I have con- 

 sidered this objectionable. My views are un- 

 changed upon this matter, but some others 

 in the apiary who before thought otherwise 

 do not now want to run bees without the ex- 

 cluder. 



ONTARIO bee-keepers' CONVENTION. 



The next annual meeting of the Ontario 

 Bee-keepers' Association will be held in To- 

 ronto at the time of the fruit, flower, and 

 honey show, Nov. 14 to 18. The exact date 

 has not yet been flxed. We expect to have 

 with us Mr. L. A. Aspinwall, Jackson, Mich., 

 President of the National Bee-keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, and Mr. S. D. House, Camillus, N. 

 Y. We shall, of course, be very much pleased 

 to have as many of the United States frater- 



