ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



53 



success. What I mean is this: That 

 when the bee-business looks at its 

 worst, that is the time when we must 

 learn to take good care of our bees, 

 because the worse off they are the bet- 

 ter chance there is for us to succeed. 

 Circumstances will be more favorable. 

 We must avoid being discouraged 

 simply because the bees are dis- 

 couraged. We had a good instance of 

 that this year. In March we had an 

 early spring, and the bees were in good 

 condition. Then came the frosts, and 

 we lost several colonies. I advised 

 keeping on and taking better care of the 

 bees. We did, and were rewarded. 



Mr. Wilcox: If other seasons are 

 like this, we have learned to avoid 

 putting honey-money ^n the banks! 



Dr. Miller: I had pretty nearly giv- 

 en up having any hoffey at all. The 

 time for clover had paseed, and then 

 came a flow of honey, and I got an 

 average of 66 sections to the colony, 

 of the very finest white honey. It was 

 an average of about 60 pounds to the 

 colony. 



Mr. Whitney: What sort of honey 

 was it ? 



Dr. Miller: I don't know. I think 

 it v>fas heartsease. 



Dr Bohrer: There is a heartsease in 

 Kansas that always produces dark 

 honey. You have a different species 

 here that produces light honey. 



Use of Propolis and Pollen. 



"Of what use are propolis and pollen 

 to the bee-keeper?" 



Mr. Taylor: No use except through 

 the bees. Bees must have pollen. Prop- 

 olis fills up cracks, and smooths the 

 surface. 



Dr. Miller: In Europe propolis is 

 used as a matter of commerce, as 

 a sort of salve. Also in varnish. Pol- 

 len is of no value whatever except as 

 a food to bees. It thus has more value 

 than the average bee-keeper thinks. 

 A pound of pollen in some circum- 

 stances would be worth 10 pounds of 

 honey. 



Dr. Bohrer: Propolis as to medicinal 

 property is very unreliable. It is not 

 used at all extensively. I don't think 

 it is of any use, but a great pest. Prop- 

 olis partakes of the nature of the 

 flower from which it is gathered. 



Mr. Lyman: It has seemed to me 

 that both propolis and pollen have a 

 bearing on the flavor of honey, pro- 

 vided it is left on the hive long enough. 



Mr. Burnett: Would a few cells of 



pollen in a comb of honey hurt the 

 sale? I never have been able to an- 

 swer the question as to the effect it 

 would have. Does it affect the taste 

 of the honey in the comb, or just in 

 the cell? 



Dr. Miller: The pollen has no effect 

 on the honey in the comb except that 

 one cell. If you cut out that cell the 

 rest of that piece of honey will be just 

 as good as if there had been no pollen. 



Mr. McCain: Is it true that, if a 

 section has one cell on' a comb full 

 of pollen, that the rest of the cells 

 would have pollen distributed through 

 them? 



Dr. Miller: I think not. 



Mr. Dadant: I think the statement 

 was that when pollen is mixed with 

 the honey in any large quantity. A 

 bee can sift out the pollen from honey 

 in the honey sack. The worst feature 

 is when the pollen is in the bottom 

 of the cell. I believe that in most 

 cases it will be found to be so, al- 

 though there are instances when the 

 honey contains a great deal of pollen. 

 White clover contains no pollen, or so 

 little that it is imperceptible. It makes 

 a dark spot, but is not objectionable. 



Mr. Burnett^: It has more importance 

 commercially than we perhaps think. 

 Many people think that it is some form 

 of so-called dead matter. The venders 

 will not buy anything that is likely to 

 be objected to. Is there any possi- 

 bility of any bad effect on the stomach? 



Dr. Miller: No. How many like 

 occasionally to taste the pollen? (1.) 



Mr. Moore: The greatest objection 



to comb honey with pollen is that it 



• is a breeding-place for the moth. I 



have had several cases. Keep pollen 



out of comb honey. 



Dr. Miller: Mr. Burnett, do you find 

 honey and pollen also in the cell? 



Mr. Burnett: No, no honey; just 

 pollen. 



Dr. Miller: The chief objection to 

 pollen is because moths will start in 

 the pollen and work over the comb. 

 The section that has unsealed pollen 

 in it is likely to be a wormy section. 



Mr. Taylor: The fact that moths 

 seek the pollen and flourish there in 

 preference to honey shows the com- 

 parative value of pollen as food. A 

 colony without pollen cannot rear 

 brood. The same is true with the 

 moth. It could not live on honey. It 

 must have pollen. 



Mr. Lyman: What causes the so- 

 called honey-flavor in honey? 



