Evening star., 1911-08-20

no deterioratinG effect on the nnisheo
product.
over in the extreme other section OF
the city DR.. Munson has thriving pee
colony in which lie has been interested
for about three years. lie went into bee
keeping as the New EnGlandei calls Il,
OF ..raisin bees" through need of beng
III the open air. Now he continues %
cause he has found the study OF bees SO
absorbing.
A. l. Karrck, who lives at lU'' Maryland
avenue southeast. has several hlVes on
his roof wifi! which he has been mos. sue
cessful. The bees have 70 90 some az
lance for nectar. but as they are capable
OF flying four or tive miles at q stretcii.
this is no hardship. He makes enous ,
honey to have this delightful appetizer
for luncheon every day II ne Is 50 N
clined.
\ chemist at the navy Yard. who i en-
ployed In the laboratory there. mas 4
number OF hives in his back YARD at homa
and is among the Washing1onians who
have raised bees sufficiently long 10 be
classed as semi-professional.
William Getcnall, who spends hs DAYS
at the greenhouse Of the monument. de-
votes his mornings and evenings 10 the
raising of bees in the rear ward OF ms
house on ! street between I'd and AZ
streets southwest. He has eight hives.
some very desirable strains OF bees, am
IS an enthusiast
There Is also a member Of the police
c.A'-'
avenue southeast who finds tine 10 en-
courage enough bees to give him A gen
erous supply Of honey for home con
sumption.
Tire Agricultural Department was also
until recently extensively engaged in the
bee business II distributed Caucasian
bees to -wouid-be raisero, ard mad a
number Of hives located between the
ethnology building and l2th street. But
at present it does no, distribute or sell
queen bees. or colonies of bees OF any
race Its apiary was removed to College
Park for time and has just been locat-
ed permanently at place near Chevy
Chase on the Broo1yille road. a little
house has been erected for the keeper
and there are hives filled with bees, which
are kept solely for experimental use and
study. Just now the experts over there
who find in the bee a source of continual
information. are endeavoring 10 discover
cures for some of the bee diseases which
ravage whole colonies.
! =
DR. T. F. Phillips is in charge of the
departments bee culture. and he knows
interesting facts about bees which the
layman never heard Of.
According to him the aiiment most tc
he dreaded asainst by bee keepers is
called foul brood This affects the
oney III the making as well as tho
bees People can partaEe Of it without
any resultant harm. but il is fatal to the
hee When ar entire colony. after stor
ing up honey. dies of this disease. neigh
boring bees swarm in and eat the honey
to their own immediate dissolution.
remedy given to avoid this Is to re-
move a sick colony at once to new hives
go carefully that they will not realize the
change and Will in their more healthful
surroundings. have a chance to live. The
closest investigation has tailed, as yet. TO
show tho cause of the blight, save that
it is in the larvae.
This lis technically known as American
brood There is. also, the European foul
brood which is not quite so unfamiliar
in it's causes. Some have suggested that
possibly climatic conditions were respon-
sible in measure for the disease. but a
canvass of the various states showed sirii
lar conditions prevailing. DIR. Phillips de-
cIared that the bees health was not af-
fected hy climate. but that it affected
their work" Contrary 10 people, they, do
their best work in a. warm climate. The
amount of bloom naturally affects the
quantity of nectar they gather, and when
the honey supply is low the colony grows
weak.
Eees have been found in every tenn