782 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTURE 



Dec. 15 



Bee-keeping in the South- 

 west 



By LOUIS ScHOLL, New Braunfels, Texas 



THE DISTANCE BETWEEN APIARIES. 



There is a great difference of opinion as to 

 how far apiaries should be placed from each 

 other, as well as to how many colonies should 

 be kept in a location. This, of course, de- 

 pends very much upon the character of the 

 respective localities and the honey-flows. 

 However, on the whole there is quite a dif- 

 ference of opinion among bee-keepers, even 

 if the same kind of location is taken into 

 consideration. 



We have found to our entire satisfaction 

 that it is better to place fewer colonies in a 

 place, and scatter the bees in a larger num- 

 ber of apiaries. It is true that, during good 

 years, the bees in certain locations may not 

 gather all the nectar; but there is an ad- 

 vantage in having some nectar for the bees 

 that are there during a poor season. For 

 thi^ reason we prefer to have our apiaries 

 ab >ut three miles apart, except in cases 

 where the locality is broken up or irregular, 

 so that the apiaries must be located wherev- 

 er a suitable spot is found. 



After trying various numbers of colonies 

 in a place and various distances between 

 places, we have arrived at the conclusion 

 that the above distance, with 50 colonies in 

 each apiary, is the most satisfactory arrang- 

 ment. We should prefer this, even if 100 

 colonies can be kept successfully in an api- 

 ary. Besides distributing the bees over the 

 territory which can be gleaned more profit- 

 ably, and to better advantage, we have found 

 it a great advantage to work smaller apiaries 

 of 50 colonies each over larger ones. This is 

 especially true with our method of manage- 

 ment, by which we are able to finish just so 

 nmch work with one visit as is required by 

 that number in a place. During times when 

 bees are inclined to rob, which here in our 

 localities is almost at all times when honey 

 is not pouring in, we can finish up the 

 "job "at one of these yards and work at 

 another three miles away before the bees 

 make trouble. If it becomes necessary to 

 work several days with 100 colonies the trou- 

 ble is often serious before the work can be 

 finished in an apiary of 100 colonies all in 

 one yard. 



We claim that our bees can gather to ad- 

 \ antage if they are not required to fly a 

 great distance. Some authorities differ with 

 us; and right in line with this is a letter 

 from L. B. Smith, of Rescue, Texas: 



We often see tlie question asked, " How far apart 

 should apiaries be established for the best results in 

 storing honey?" The answers ranjre from one to 

 five miles apart. If I were to answer that question 

 I would say from five to eight miles apart. Suppose 

 some of you who believe bees never go over one 

 mile and a half for stores try putting all the bees 

 you have scattered around a mile or two apart into 

 one apiary, and see how much decrease you would 



have in the amount of stores. I'll warrant some of 

 you will have less faith in this mile-and-a-half flight 

 of bees. 



A thing that we have tried in a reverse 

 way! Having nearly a hundred colonies in 

 a place showed that the average yield per 

 colony was not so great as other yards of a 

 lesser number in the same kind of location. 

 Moving away half the number to a new 

 place nearly three miles away proved to us 

 conclusively that it was an advantage — all 

 the apiaries in the same kind of locations 

 averaged nearly alike. See? 



MORE NORTHERN "CHUNK" HONEY. 



Aha! More and more the l^ulk-comb-hon- 

 ey idea is gaining ground in other parts of 

 the country than the great Lone Star State, 

 " the home of bulk comb honey." The edi- 

 tor, in the Nov. 1st issue, says, "Those 

 who do a business of putting up honey in 

 tumblers or large-mouthed bottles will find 

 it will pay them well to take all their broken 

 and unsalable comb honey, cut it up into 

 suitable-sized chunks, and put them in 

 tumblers of nice extracted honey. There 

 was a time when the public was a little sus- 

 picious of honey in this form; but since the 

 national pure-food laws have gone into ef- 

 fect the bottler will find ready sale for chunk 

 honey in tumblers." 



Yes, Mr. Editor, that's the idea all right; 

 and we wouldn't stop there. Put up more 

 of comb honey, produced so much easier in 

 good shallow frames instead of section boxes, 

 into nice bright tin friction-top pails and 

 cans of the 3-lb., 6-lb., and 12-lb. sizes, that 

 we have long ago adopted here in Texas, and 

 you will find ready sale for these also in a 

 short time if not now. It will enable you 

 to introduce honey into the homes of a great 

 mass of i)eop]e who would buy comb honey 

 — real nice comb honey — at a price which 

 they can afford, and people who do not care 

 to buy extracted honey in any kind of pack- 

 age. 



Bulk comb honey will help the markets 

 in more ways than one. More honey will 

 be consumed if bulk comb honey can be had 

 by those who do not care for extracted hon- 

 ey, and those who can not afford the price 

 of section honey. It will aid in a better dis- 

 tribution of honey, keeping a large quantity 

 away from the general markets, which Tnust 

 aid in keeping up the prices. 



We have taken the liberty of repeating 

 your entire editorial, because it covers two 

 very valuable points favoring the produc- 

 tion and sale of bulk comb honey — first, 

 that the suspicions of adulteration of such a 

 product are fast giving way on account of 

 the pure-food la^^s; and, second, because it 

 shows that a ready sale may be found for 

 such honey. Another reason for copying it 

 is that some of my correspondents who 

 have asked me for just such information 

 through this department may not have no- 

 ticed the editorial in the former issue. 



