THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



319 



Tlie bees were irusUy in eight-frame 

 dovetailed hives, on newly built, wired, 

 Hoffman frames. About one-half the 

 hives were j^jiven a "s inch entrance, bal- 

 ance "s inch; all with double wire cloth 

 entrance-closers. Covers were tacked on 

 and no other ventilation given. About 

 -; were well supplied with stores, balance 

 being light, late swarms. Hives were 

 packed lengthwise of the car, in two tiers, 

 no straw or packing except boards to hold 

 the hives firmly in ])lace, the space above 

 the hives being packed to the roof with 

 supers, etc. The balance of the car, to 

 the center, filled solid with fixtures and 

 household goods, held firmly in place by 

 board partition, well braced. 



All came through alive and in good 

 condition except one, which was on L, 

 frames, unwired, which broke down and 

 smothered the bees. The weather was 

 mild for the season, being above the 

 freezing point except at night. Bees had 

 a chance to fly after arrival, and only one 

 has died since putting in the cellar, Dec. 

 1 6th. 



The consumption of stores during the 

 trip was large, but, unfortunately, I have 

 no figures as to how large. The loss in 

 bees was surprisingly heavy, most colo- 

 nies having from a pint to two quarts 

 dead on the bottom-board. I judge these 

 to be mostly the old bees, as the loss in 

 cellar up to date iMar. 10) is less than I 

 have ever known during 15 year's experi- 

 ence. 



Not one wired Hoffman frame was 

 broken 01 damaged during the trip. 



Grooms, N. V. Mar. 12, 1900. 



uba, its advantages 

 and disadvantages as 

 a location for bee- 

 keeim;rs. by mrs. g. e. 



MOE. 



The same rule holds good in this sun- 

 ny land as iu other parts of the world; 



that is, not so mnch depends on the loca- 

 tion as on the pluck of the bee-keeper; 

 and while some have met with good suc- 

 cess, others have met with complete fail- 

 ure. There are, however, other factors 

 which tend to failure or success, aside 

 from those inherent in the individual; 

 and of those it is my purpose to mention 

 a few. 



Do not understand me to say that those 

 who have failed here have done so for 

 want of decision or energv, or lack of 

 knowledge regarding the business; or 

 that those who succeed, do so solely 

 through possessing these faculties. Lo- 

 cation plays a great part in the matter; 

 and the very best honey producing locali- 

 ties are those where one finds it the least 

 desirable to live. The nectar is gathered 

 almost exclusively from wild flowers, and 

 during the winter months. Aquinaldo, 

 a beautiful white bell-flower, which 

 grows in swamps and other waste places, 

 is one of the principal producers. The 

 honey is very white, and of a fine flavor. 

 There are many other flowers of less im- 

 portance, but when one is selecting a 

 place for an apiarj^, it is considered the 

 first step to look for the Aquinaldo vines. 

 There are palm blossoms through the 

 year, and though they give honey of an 

 undesirable flavor, and in small quanti- 

 ties; yet they assist in maintaining the 

 bees during the summer, when flowers 

 are very scarce; and the bee keeper con- 

 siders it great luck if he strikes a locali- 

 ty where other summer houey-producing 

 plants are found. 



It is quite usual to be obliged to feed 

 honey and sugar during the trying part 

 of the year, and many have lost largely 

 from starvation and disease the past sea- 

 son. One apiary, containing about 800 

 colonies, sustained a loss of 300; another 

 of 400, lost 150; and still another of 113 

 was almost completely lost. Others have 

 met with no losses; on the contrary, have 

 made considerable increase. One yard 

 of 6 colonies now contains 50, and anoth- 

 er of 30, at the beginning of the season 

 now numbering 118. 



