94 



SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL EEPORT OF THE 



and the stores valued at 15c per pound, 

 it would have cost $150.00 for the yard, 

 or $1.50 per colony. This would leave a 

 credit balance of $147.00 or $1.47 per 

 colony, 98 per cent profit on the investment. 

 Time, 12 per cent debit — 

 Debit of crop in pounds, 1,980 at 15c= 

 $297.00. 



By "time" as referred to is meant, the 

 length of time available for the colonies to 

 build up to full strength before the be- 

 ginnint? of the honey flow. It is estimated 

 and presumed that if three pound packages 

 had been purchased instead of the two 

 pound, and the extra or additional 100 

 pounds of bees had cost a dollar a pound; 

 total for the yard $100.00; same from 

 $297.00 leaves $197.00, or $1.97 profit per 

 package or colony, or 197 per cent on the 

 invrestment of the additional 100 pounds 

 of bees, this would make up the 12 per 

 cent debit against them on time, for the 

 season of 1917. However, with all the 

 factors and fairly favorable weather, at or 

 nearly 100 per cent perfection in my 

 opinion and experience a two-pound pack- 

 age is sufficient to build up to full strength 

 — for my locality — if received in April. 



It is evident that the queens represent 

 the largest factor against this yard of 

 package bees. The weather conditions in 

 the South are blamed — at least in part — 

 for the poor queens. If this experience 

 with protection is worth anything to pro- 

 duce honey, it seems that in spite of the 

 cold weather much better early queens 

 could be reared by several hundred per 

 cent with protected nuclei. 



In figuring the comparative cost "cellar 

 or winter cases" and expense "amount of 

 stores consumed" it is estimated and pre- 

 sumed that it takes an average of 8 pounds 

 more stores to winter outdoors in cases 

 and it is also estimated and presumed that 

 it takes an average of 5 pounds more of 

 stores to "spring" a cellar wintered colony, 

 without any protection other than the 

 single walled hive body. Five from eight 

 leaves a balance of only three pounds to 

 be charged against the outdoor wintered 

 bees, and be accounted for. At three 

 pounds each 100 colonies equals 300 

 pounds at 15c per pound equals $45.00, 

 enough to purchase 45 pounds of bees, or 

 one half pound per colony. Year after 

 year my experience has been that the out- 

 door wintered bees always have had more 

 than one half pound of bees over and above 

 the cellar wintered colonies with no spring 

 protection. In other words considering 

 the above comparisons there is no argu-- 

 ment against the so called "expensive 

 winter cases." I sincerely hope that the 



reader of this article will always bear in 

 mind that the above comparisons in 

 figures are based on the high average 

 crop of this one particular 100 colonies, 

 with all the factors 100 per cent efficient, 

 and for this one particular season. The 

 value of each factor in each yard compared 

 separately with the crop of the same yard, 

 would show the value in profit or loss of 

 any or all the factors, not considering or 

 comparing same with the 100 per cent 

 perfect yard. To get a general average for 

 a period of years one third to one half of 

 the above crop figures may be taken as a 

 basis. As a whole it must still show that 

 it pays to have good queens — "the only 

 way I know of. to get them is to raise them 

 yourself" — protection, and a reserve fund 

 of stores in the hives at all times. 



Mr. MacNeill — I am sure we have all 

 enjoyed Mr. Hassinger's paper. He spoke 

 of the cellar wintered bees, and giving 

 spring protection. I would like to ask, 

 does that spring protection consist of the 

 same kind as the outside wintered bees? 

 What kind of protection would you give 

 them, also would vou give it to them in 

 the fall? 



Mr. Hassinger — The cellar wintered bees 

 had no protection at all. 



Mr. MacNeill — You spoke of the in- 

 vestment of a certain protection for these 

 bees. Is it your intention to give them 

 the same kind of protection as the other 

 bees and keep them in the cellar and protect 

 them, fall and spring? 



Mr. Hassinger — No, it is just a com- 

 parison. 



Mr. MacNeill — Would you attempt to 

 give protection to the cellar bees? 



Mr. Hassinger — I didn't winter in the 

 cellar. It only costs twenty-two and one- 

 fourth cents a year on a twenty-year basis; 

 dividing that by twenty years. If every 

 year was like this year, there would be a 

 net gain. 



The President— 1 would like to ask Mr. 

 Hassinger in regard to the state of the 

 cellar in which they were wintered. Has 

 that anything to do with it, was the cellar 

 in perfect condition? Were they kept very 

 warm, did they have sufficient air and 

 proper ventilation? 



Mr. Hassinger — The season was so late 

 that there couldn't possibly have been the 

 difference on the start. The cellar bees 

 were no stronger before the fruit bloom 

 than three weeks later, due to cold weather, 

 and also because of the shortage of stores, 

 and it seemed that those bees used stores 

 comparatively much faster than those bees 

 did that had protection. 



