1885 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



743 



Rev. W. F. Clarke.— It would be better if we would 

 state that granulation is a proof of purity. 



Mr. Hart mentioned that there were good au- 

 thorities who claimed that honey could be put up 

 so that it would not granulate, and he doubted the 

 advisability of putting in the motion that all pure 

 honey would granulate. Mr. Spenceand Mr. Pringle 

 also doubted that the association should be commit- 

 ted to that stacement. 



Rev. Mr. Langstroth said he never saw pure honey 

 that would not granulate, but he mentioned also 

 that he had seen honey from Mexico which granulat- 

 ed or thickened like lard or butter — perfectly 

 smooth. 



Mr. Muth said that in his storehouse every winter 

 they liquefied the honey. Sometimes it granulated 

 smooth like lard, sometimes with a very heavy grain 

 like small peas. 



Mr. Jones, from his experience, found that Canada- 

 thistle honey would granulate like lard, while bass- 

 wood and buckwheat honey thickened in heavy 

 crystals. 



Several suggestions were made by members as to 

 the resolution, but finally it was presented and pass- 

 ed in the following shape: " That we, as individuals 

 and as an association, do all in our power, by pre- 

 cept and practice, to convince the public that gran- 

 ulated honey is natural, wholesome, and desirable, 

 and that granulation is a fine test of its purity." 



Belmont, Ont., Can., Nov. 14, 1883. S. T. Pettit. 



I like your resolution, friends, but I think 

 it should be borne in mind that we have Cal- 

 ifornia honey, and honey from other sources 

 from other parts of the world, which does 

 not granulate at all, or not, at least, for a 

 great while. We had several samples of 

 honey that would stand outdoors during a 

 zero freeze, and show no signs of granula- 

 tion, and I have kept it that way all winter 

 long. It was not thin honey either ; because 

 when frozen stiff, a tumbler full could be in- 

 verted without scarcely moving, and yet it 

 was so clear that print could be read through 

 it. By all means, let us overcome the idea 

 that granulation indicates any thing unnat- 

 ral. 



STf'ARIttlNG, AND SECTION HONEY, 



"strikes" among the bees, etc. 



^^»i N page 579, Mrs. M. A. Shepherd writes: " Will 

 wj^ Mr. Doolittle tell us exactly how he manages 

 when his bees are working in sections, and 

 swarm? Neither the old stand nor the swarm will 

 be strong enough to work in sections, and perhaps 

 the best of the season may be over before they are 

 ready again." Here is a question of great importance 

 to the apiarist who is working for section honey. I 

 said on these pages some time ago, that the great 

 secret of producing honey was in getting the bees 

 strong in just the right time for the honey harvest, 

 neither too early nor too late, on the principle that, 

 if a man had a field of grain to harvest, he would 

 hire the labox'ers when the grain was ripe; not be- 

 fore, and not afterward, and employ as few at all 

 other times as would be consistent with preparing 

 for the harvest. Just so I say to-day; and he or she 

 who becomes a successful honey-producer will soon- 

 er or later view the matter in the same light. 



But, Mrs. S. now comes forward with the very 

 pertinent question, saying, after the man has hired 

 his help, and they have worked a few days in the 

 field of ripened grain, thus becoming efllcient labor- 

 ers, suppose they should strike for higher wages, 

 and neglect the field of grain, what is to be done 

 with them, or how shall such a strike be prevented? 

 We all know how damaging to any business is a 

 strike of the employees; and any person having 



had the care of bees for a year or so knows that a 

 colony of bees having the swarming fever in the 

 honey-harvest, is fully as damaging to the prospect 

 of the bee-keeper as is a strike of telegraph op- 

 erators, etc., to the interests of those who employ 

 them. To avoid such a condition of things, then, 

 should be the aim of those wishing to secure the 

 best results from their bees. Different bee-keepers 

 have different ways of trying to overcome the 

 swarming fever, such as cutting out queen-cells, 

 etc., many of which often prove ineflicient in secur- 

 ing the desired result. After trying nearly all the 

 plans I have read of, and many of my own devising, 

 I have adopted the following, which gives me the 

 best results of any thing so far tried. Our main 

 honey-harvest occurs, as a rule, during the last 20 

 days of July: hence, to secure the best results, all 

 swarming should be done as far as possible by the 

 2d or 3d of that month. No swarms should be hived 

 which issue before June 20; for if such are hived, 

 the probability is that they will want to swarm again 

 about July 20, which is at the very time we desire to 

 avoid swarming, or a disposition to swarm, as much 

 as possible. To keep the swarming fever down 

 previous to June 20, I take brood and bees from the 

 stronger, and give to the weaker, till all are equaliz- 

 ed, or brought so they are nearly ready to swarm at 

 about the same time; and if this comes sooner than 

 20 or 25 days before the honey-harvest, swarming Is 

 kept back by taking a frame of brood and bees from 

 each, and forming other colonies or nuclei with 

 them. By taking 9 such frames of brood and bees 

 (I use 9 frames in a hive), and placing them In a 

 hive together with a queen, a full coiony is made at 

 once, which in a few days will be as strong as any; 

 while by taking the 9 frames away we have kept 9 

 hives from swarming for a few days. When the 

 proper time arrives for the swarming to be done to 

 the best advantage, all swarms are hived separately 

 as they issue, for the first week or so, as these are 

 early enough to get their hives in proper shape for 

 the harvest, with no disposition to swarm again the 

 same year. After this week has elapsed, two 

 swarms are hived together in one hive, if they Issue 

 near the same time, so it can be done; and if not, 

 the new swarm is placed on the stand of another 

 colony which has not swarmed, moving such col- 

 ony a rod or two away, thus securing to the new 

 swarm all the field bees from the colony moved, and 

 giving them nearly the same working force they 

 would have had if two swarms had been hived to- 

 gether. The colony moved is prevented from a de- 

 sire to swarm, as it is so weakened by the loss of 

 bees that no lurther attempt is made to swarm, as a 

 general thing. If all have not swarmed up lo 6 days 

 before the general honey-harvest, they are made 

 artificially in the following manner: 



An empty hive is procured and set beside a col- 

 ony which has not swarmed, which I will call No. 1. 

 No. 1 is now opened, and all the frames taken out, 

 and frames of empty comb or fdn. is set in their 

 places; sections are put back on, and hive closed, 

 when all the bees are shaken in front of their old 

 hive, which they readily enter. The frames of 

 brood devoid of bees are placed in the empty hive, 

 except one, which is taken to a nucleus, and ex- 

 changed for a frame of brood, bees, and queen. 

 Set this frame having the queen in the hive having 

 the brood, and put on the sections. Having done 

 this, go to another hive that has not swarmed, which 

 we will call No. 2, and move it a rod or two away, 



