380 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



November 



workers, the queen must necessarily 

 be very prolific. 



From these causes flow the quali- 

 ties which make the native breed 

 distinguishable and render it a bet- 

 ter race. 



Early in May, often, the colony is 

 already overstocked. It sends forth 

 its swarms. These are hived in 

 skeps similar to those of the mother 

 colony. A good colony usually gives 

 2 to 4 swarms ; the swarms them- 

 selves occasionally cast others, if 

 the season is somewhat favorable. 



The swarms in general do not 

 weigh over a kilogram (2.2 pounds). 

 Even those of a half kilogram may 

 be accepted. Though certain of fail- 

 ure if they remained at the same lo- 

 cation, their transport to the heather 

 permits them to build up; often the 

 last swarms succeed in storing 

 enough for winter. The colonies 

 which, at the end of the season, have 

 not gained sufficient weight, are fed 

 with denatured sugar. (A wartime 

 provision. — translator). 



The old stocks and the first 

 swarms often reach the weight of 15 

 to 20 kilos (33 to 44 pounds). The 

 colonies nursed especially in expec- 

 tation of a crop may reach the 

 weight of 25 kilos (55 pounds), and 

 even more. 



This method of cultivation pre- 

 sents a great disadvantage, as re- 

 gards the quality of the honey pro- 

 duced; at the end of the season the 

 hive containing only heather honey; 

 harvesting, being altogether by the 

 use of a honey press; it gives a very 

 inferior product. 



For this reason, many Hollandese 

 apiarists have placed honey produc- 

 tion in the background and have es- 

 tablished themselves as "fabricants" . 

 of colonies. Very expert in the mat- 

 ter, acquainted usually with the 

 handling of bees and immovable 

 comb skeps, helped by the ownership 

 of a very rustic race, and early and 

 prolific queens, they succeed in ob- 

 taining a first-class product. The 

 proof of it is in the extensive export 

 commerce which takes place in the 

 Netherlands, sending thousands of 

 populated skeps every year to Eng- 

 land and Germany. The apiarists of 

 the neighboring countries have been 

 able to appreciate the superiority of 

 the Netherland bee; they introduce 



Small skep apia 



it regularly in their countries as an 

 agent of regeneration for weakened 

 apiaries, threatened or suffering with 

 contagious diseases, or degenerated 

 through years of consanguinity. 



Unluckily, bees thus produced re- 

 tain a great propensity for swarm- 

 ing, and for this reason are not fit 

 for use in large movable hives. How- 

 ever, the training of a few genera- 

 tions and careful selection eliminates 

 this fault in great part. It takes sev- 

 eral years of patience; but the re- 

 sults are encouraging, for the bee 

 thus managed gradually loses her 

 tendency to swarm, while retaining 

 her other qualities. 



The movable-frame apiarist, there- 

 fore, should protect himself, if he 

 wishes to buy such bees. If he can- 

 not secure large swarms produced 

 from movable-frame hives, he should 

 at least make sure that the skeps sold 

 to him are inhabited by carefully se- 

 lected colonies. 



On the whole, the Netherland bee 

 is a common bee slightly larger 

 than the average. Her main quali- 

 ties are rusticity and activity of the 

 workers and prolificness and pre- 

 cocity of the queens. They are little 

 aggressive. They usually build 

 straight, regular combs. The cells, 

 not being filled too full, the honey 

 does not touch the cappings, which 

 gives the sealed comb a whitish tint 

 and a very pleasing appearance, even 

 when it contains dark honey. 



Their introduction in an apiary 

 cannot fail to be advantageous. 

 Their value is the greater because no 

 contagious disease has prevailed in 

 Holland. Foulbrood, especially, is 

 unknown there, in the native api- 

 aries. When, at different times, Ger- 

 man beekeepers brought there colo- 

 nies suffering from the disease, the 

 General Government, which effectu- 

 ally protects beekeeping, took meas- 

 ures so strenuous (destruction by 

 fire of every contaminated apiary, 

 bees, tools, clothing and everything 

 that might be suspected of contam- 

 ination) that the disease never 

 spread. Since 1914, all trade with 

 Germany having ceased, not a single 

 case has been pointed out. 



Evsden, Netherlands. 



Apiary of School of Agr: 



More Short Courses 



THE Bureau of Entomology in co- 

 operation with the Extension 

 Service of the several States 

 will conduct extension short courses 

 for commercial beekeepers this fall 

 as follows : 



Boise, Idaho, November 3-8. 



North Yakima, Wash., November 

 10-15. 



Davis, Calif., November 17-22. 



Fresno, Calif., November 24-29. 



Riverside, Calif, December 1-6. 



San Diego, Calif., December 8-13. 



San Antonio, Tex., December 15-20. 



These courses will, in a general 

 way, be like those given last winter 

 in California, New York, Indiana, 

 Iowa and Minnesota, and like the 

 Chautauqua recently held at Madi- 

 son, Wis. Messrs. Phillips, Demuth 

 and Sturtevant, of the Bureau, will 

 assist in these meetings and the re- 

 maining time will be occupied by lo- 

 cal beekeepers and local extension 

 men. In Washington, Mr, H. A. 

 Scullen, Special Field Agent of the 

 Bureau, will assist. 



The general plan of the course is 



i..r Messrs. Phillips and Demuth to 



discuss the care of bees througho.il 



i ar, giving the behavior of the 



and the application of this to 



ping practice. On Wednesday 



afternoon, Mr. Sturtevant begins a 



of lectures on disease, ending 



Saturday morning with a discussion 



of treatment. Mr. Sturtevant will 



