Beekeeper’s
(Continued from Page 123)
visitor for a close-up in
spection.
Tales of terror that have
risen from supposed attacks
of African “killer” bees have
not alarmed the Red Lion
beekeeper.
“They’re a more high
strung strain of bees and are
just aggressive about
defending their homes,” he
insists. Minnich is convinced
that, by the tune the new
strain of bees may work
their way into upper areas of
the country, they will have
crossbred with the more
THE SENTINEL
gentle domestic breeds and
become less aggressive. He
adds that the “killer” strain
does readily accept a Golden
Italian queen, a bee fancier’s
solution to injecting more
acceptable personalities into
a mean-tempered variety.
Always interested in
helping a novice beekeeper
get started, Minnich
frequently aids others in
ordering packages of bees. A
package weighs about three
pounds, with approximately
5000 bees per pound, and
costs $22.50. Each package
includes a queen; she is
placed first into the waiting
hive and the worker bees
automatically follow her mto
the structure. Bee larvae
mature to adulthood in only
21 days, so a colony can
multiply quite rapidly.
There is only one major
disease threat to a thriving
colony of bees. American
Foul Brood is an affliction of
bees in the larvae stage that
causes them to become weak
and easily preyed upon by
outside colonies. The disease
then spreads to the
conquerers and eventually
out into other hives.
Eight other states now
provide fumigating equip
ment to their beekeepers to
control American Foul
Brood. Minnich would like to
see the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture
take steps to provide this
service to the state’s
apiaries. Broods containing
the disease must be
destroyed, but with the
proper fumigating equip
ment, hives and sections of
the internal honey-storage
areas can be treated and
reused.
Bees play an important
role in the economic well
being of the nation’s
agriculture. Over 100 crops
See your dealer about the Sentinel —or drop us a line
RO. Box 433
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
are dependent on the cross
pollemzation wrought by
visits of honey bees.
“Did you know that germs
can’t live m honey?” queries
Minnich. “That’s a proven
fact. Back in the times
before antiseptics were in
common usage, bad cuts
were wrapped m cloths that
had been dipped m honey
and the injuries healed
remarkably well.”
Such knowledge has been
gleaned over the years by
Minnich from endless
reading and study of
honeybee lore and active
participation in related
organizations. A member of
both the county and state
beekeepers associations, he
has won a long list of awards
and trophies for hive and
honey exhibits.
Traveling in search for
additional information on his
favorite subject, Minnich
attended the 22nd annual
International Agricultural
Congress at Munich, Ger
many, during 1969. At the
worldwide conference, only
top-notch authorities with
documented research are
allowed to make presen
tations to the delegates. One
breakthrough m bee science
that particularly interested
Round-the-clock
guardian of
stored milk
temperature
If you depend upon your milk check for a living,
protect that income by insuring milk quality.
The least expensive, single-payment insurance
obtainable is the Sentinel the heavy-duty,
10-inch recorder which charts round-the-clock
temperature of your milk-cooling or holding tank.
Assure yourself and your processor that
proper milk temperature is always maintained.
Keep a permanent log of compressor operation
and tank cooling or pre-cooling efficiency, from
first filling to pickup.
Cleaning temperatures increasingly ques
tioned by sanitarians—are recorded on the same
chart
At little added cost the Sentinel is available with
provision for actuating an alarm or warning light if
milk holding temperature rises above pre-set level.
Remember—if it prevents the loss of only one
tank of milk, the Sentinel has paid its own way.
CD PARTLOW
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 6,1978
Minnich was a study by a
German researcher, Dr. Von
Frisch. The scientist was the
first to document the theory
that a bee returning to the
hive will perform a “dance,”
and through this means of
communication with the
colony, the returning bee
will inform the workers
where pollen can be found, in
what direction and how far
away the source lies.
According to Minnich,
another such international
researcher has documented
the value of bee venom m the
successful treatment of
arthritis. The healing
qualities of bee stings has
long been recognized in
some countries, but is
Refrigeration
course offered
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Most mechanical
refrigerators are of the
“compression system” type.
All compression refrigera
tion systems depend on the
evaporation or boiling of li
quids to remove heat from a
room or box.
questioned in the United
States. Some physicians
once used live bees which
would sting joints of the body
afflicted with painful ar
thritis, and the venom in the
sting would ease the pain of
the disease. Today, the
healing venom is extracted
from the stingers of the bee
and injected with modem
syringes.
The winner of numerous
recognitions throughout his
beekeeping years, Minnich
is active in church and
community work, helps to
guide the activities of the 4-H
youth beekeeping projects
and has taken part in
exhibiting at the York Fair
for 43 years.
Paul M. Anderson,
associate professor of
agricultural engineering at
Penn State, and author of the
correspondence course on
Farm Refrigeration, points
out that the most efficient
operation of this compres
sion system results when the
discharge pressure is as low
as possible and the suction
pressure as high as possible.
The high pressure must be
such that the boiling point of
the refrigerant is 20 to 30
degrees higher than the
temperature of the air or
water used to cool the con
denser. The suction pressure
must be low enough that the
refrigerant is 10 to 20
degrees below the
temperature desired in the
storage area.
Anderson notes that it is
not uncommon to find these
pressures higher than
necessary, thus resulting in
poor performance. These
and other tips are given in a
10 lesson study-at-home
course. The course is intend
ed to help farmers unders
tand refrigeration and their
application to milk coolers,
egg coolers, air conditioners,
35-degree rooiris, and frozen
food cabinets.
Additional lessons aid in
selection, application, opera
tion, and maintenance of
farm refrigeration equip
ment. To order a copy of the
course, one can write
Refrigeration, Box 5000,
University Park, Pa. 16802.
Make your check for $5.50
payable to Penn State.
FISHER
WOOD BUUIIIK STOVES
123