1918 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



119 



dition for sugar secretion is an alter- 

 nation of low and high temperatures. 

 The more favorable all conditions 

 for growth and the more vigorous 

 the plant, the greater is the amount 

 of sugar secreted." This is probably 

 why we have greater crops of white 

 clover honey when this plant sows 

 itself again in our pastures, after 

 several years of scarcity. 



The above three contributions 

 show Professor Kenoyer to be a 

 careful observer and a methodical 

 student. We may look for more of 

 this useful work from him in the 

 future. 



Dirty Water 

 Cause of Disease 



In our interesting contemporary 

 bee weekly, the British Bee Journal, 

 we find a suggestion by Dr. A. Z. 

 Abushady, worth quoting: 



"If Nosema Apis is the real of- 

 fender (in Isle of Wight disease), 

 and if it is true that it has very re- 

 sisting spores, which are often pres- 

 ent in stagnant pools, etc., two ques- 

 tions at once arise. The first is a 

 thorough testing of all the known 

 modern non-toxic antiseptics that 

 seem suitable to use in the apiary, 

 with the view of determining the 

 least noxious and the most effective 

 one in dealing with this offender. The 

 other is to consider the improvement 

 of the water supply to the bees. It is 

 useless to be content with giving ad- 

 vice regarding the cleanliness of the 

 apiary and the use of a clean water 

 fountain when every observant bee- 

 keeper will honestly testify to the 

 fact that the bees will reject the 

 fountain water, even if warm, in 

 preference to that from a heap of 

 manure. I have rarely seen any of 

 my bees calling at the water foun- 

 tain in my garden, though placed in 

 a conspicuous position ; yet I have 

 repeatedly noticed many of them go 

 to the roof of the gutter, presumably 

 to drink from the rain water. I can- 

 not believe that it is a difficult con- 

 trivance to give the bees their pure 

 water supply inside the hive itself. 

 When I make this suggestion, and 

 many others, I trust I may be par- 

 doned by those conservatives who 

 never believe in new methods ; for I 

 might be led astray by the progres- 

 sive spirit of my profession, which is 

 always in a revolutionary state." 



We know that bees do drink from 

 fountains of pure water, but we also 

 know that they often drink water 

 "from a heap of manure." Whether 

 this has anything to do with some of 



the diseases of the adult bee is a 

 matter that may require investiga- 

 tion. Constipation, paralysis, May 

 disease and Isle of Wight disease, 

 which do only occasional harm in 

 this country, are still in the domain 

 of the unknown, though some of our 

 friends are sure that they are due 

 solely to soured honey or pollen. And 

 why not give the bees water in the 

 hive? We might save ma-iy an adult 

 from being chilled in cool spring 

 days. 



Drone Comb 

 in the Hive 



Remember that if you do not wish 

 an excess of drones in your hives, 

 April and May are the months in 

 which the drone combs may best be 

 removed, throughout all the northern 

 part of our country. Remember that 

 if you cut out drone comb and do not 

 replace it with worker comb or comb 

 foundation, the bees are likely to 

 build drone comb again in the same 

 spot. 



Remember that it costs as much 

 to rear 3 drones as it costs to rear 5 

 workers. The workers produce honey 

 while the drones consume it. Rear 

 your drones only in colonies which 

 you consider as good breeders. You 

 cannot entirely prevent the rearing 

 of drones in undesirable colonies but 

 you can greatly curtail their produc- 

 tion. The difference in honey spent 

 in producing 2,000 drones instead of 

 200, per colony, would pay the cost of 

 supplying the bees with worker 

 combs, over and over, every year. If 

 you fail to attend to this, you are 

 neglecting a 100% investment. 



Beheading drone brood to destroy 

 it, is equal to killing the rats after 

 they have made holes all through 

 your sack of flour. It is better than 

 letting them live, but after the bees 

 have cleaned out this dead brood the 

 queen will fill the comb all over again 

 with brood, unless the workers can 

 get ahead of her and fill the combs 

 with honey. 



Treating Bee-Diseases 

 With Drugs 



It seems quite the natural thing for 

 the inexperienced beekeeper to think 

 there should be some drug that might 

 be advantageously used in the treat- 

 ment of diseases that affect bees and 

 their brood. Indeed success has been 

 from time to time claimed for many 

 different drugs, especially in England 

 and on the European continent. Al- 

 though one after another they may 

 sink into disuse, new candidates are 



constantly appearing. In the latest 

 British Bee Journal to hand is found 

 advertised "Naphthaforma Tablets, 

 the Germ-killing Remedy for Foul- 

 brood"; also "Bacterol, the Success- 

 ful Cure for 'Isle of Wight' Disease." 

 Another advertisement says, " Izal, 

 the Modern High-power Germicide, 

 is a reliable remedy against Foul- 

 brood and Isle of Wight Disease." 

 Flavine is the latest, which is men- 

 tioned as "gaining friends." Yet, when 

 one reads from time to time in the 

 same journal of the somewhat hope- 

 less struggle against disease, it 

 doesn't look as if the drugs men- 

 tioned had been very efficacious. 



For some reason, less faith has 

 been put in drug treatment on this 

 side of the water, and among Ameri- 

 can beekeepers of experience it seems 

 a general belief that no drug exists 

 powerful enough to affect the disease 

 and at the same time prove harmless 

 to bees and brood. It might be pre- 

 sumptuous to say such a drug never 

 will be found; yet in the light of the 

 past it is pretty safe to advise the in- 

 experienced to waste no time in try- 

 ing drugs, no matter what the claims 

 for them may be. 



Sugar Arrangements 

 for Illinois 



We wrote a letter a few days ago 

 to the Illinois Department of Food 

 Administration asking if it were not 

 possible to facilitate the getting of 

 sugar by the beekeepers of the State 

 when local grocers were slow in al- 

 lowing sales on the basis of the affi- 

 davit, copy of which we gave in our 

 March issue. Their letter follows : 



"Referring to your letter of March 

 11, we beg to advise that some two 

 weeks ago we sent out a general bul- 

 letin advising all of our local admin- 

 istrators, situated in 800 townships 

 throughout the State, to give pub- 

 licity to the fact that beekeepers 

 should be supplied with the neces- 

 sary amount of sugar required for 

 feeding their bees until the natural 

 feeding season commences. You may 

 therefore take this as your authority 

 to deliver sugar against the affidavits 

 which you have prepared, beginning 

 at once. 



"Very truly yours, 



"U. S. FOOD ADMINISTRATION. 



"Chicago, 111.. Branch." 



Beekeeping for Women 



We have in mind to present more 

 material of special interest to the 

 ladies. We have some good things 

 on hand, but want more. If women 

 who keep bees would only write and 

 tell us about their experiences in 

 starting, their successes and their 

 failures, we would be glad. Pictures 

 of their apiaries, equipment, espe- 

 cially to lighten their labor, and other 

 interesting subjects will be welcome. 



