M.w, 191S GLEAKINGS IN BEE OUETUUE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



to avoid starvation, and I lia\(' to do tluit 

 very thing this spring. 



Sugar is scarce just now, but the whole- 

 saler sent me some ' * Jamaica crystals. ' ' 

 This sugar is put up in large sacks of over 

 200 pounds and is designated as a "raw" 

 sugar. Can any one tell me asi to whether 

 , this sugar would do for winter stores or not, 

 as it might be available this fall when gran- 

 ulated would be hard to secure? 



Clover is looking w^ell, and, altho we have 

 had freezing nights for the last 10 days, 

 danger from heaving should soou be over. I 

 had thought that owing to very high prices 

 of all kinds of grains clover growing 

 Avould decrease in favor of grain growing. 

 But clover seed is also very high, and 

 farmers recognize the need of rotation of 

 crops and are not to any great extent, at 

 least, cutting down on the clover crop. Care- 

 ful inquiry from seedsmen shows that the 

 clover seed sales this sirring are on an aver- 

 age with other years, and that is about the 

 best way of gauging a question of this kind. 



No change in the honey markets except 

 that honey is still scarcer than it was and 

 most of the dealers have none to offer. 



Eegarding the heavy losses among many 

 beekeepers, it is unfortunate that Southern 

 breeders are not able to supply the demand 

 for queens and packages. A few that lost 

 ;ill their bees have been unable to get 

 piomise of delivery from Southern breeders, 

 ;iud some are trying to buy a colony or two 

 for tlie purpose of making increase again 

 and caring for the combs they have on hand. 

 Winter losses are always bad enough, but un- 

 der present conditions are exceptionally re- 

 grettable. [But the Southern breeders are 

 to be highly commended for not promising 

 deliveries of which they themselves are un- 

 certain. — Editor.] 



Surprising what bees will stand in a very 

 severe climate providing they have lots of 

 good stores in a position available for the 

 bees' needs, no matter how cold it may be. 

 The strongest colony of bees that I have 

 seen this spring is in a basswood log stand- 

 ing in a neighbor 's apiary. The tree was 

 cut in February and when the bees were 

 discovered, the log was cut thru just above 

 the combs and a board nailed on to keep 

 out rain. The entrance was about five feet 

 further down the tree and consisted of a 

 liole about four inches in diameter. The log 

 was brought to my friend's plaee, ami, altho 

 he has a lot of strong colonies in regular 

 liives, this colony in the log will be flying 

 \\hen not a bee is stirring in his other colo- 

 nies. T have had other rejiorts this spring 

 of bees having wintered well in trees, so it 

 tan be safely said that cold does not neces- 

 sarily mean injury to bees, if stores are abun- 

 dant and of good quality and in the right 

 place. 



Markham, Out. J. I... Bycr. 



Jj^'J'gj^^g On Mareii 31, Frank C. Pellett 



left for liis home, having com- 

 ]deted a seven weeks' tour of the State. 

 This was perhaps the most comprehensive 

 trip ever uiulertaken by any specialist in 

 apiculture in any State. The trip included 

 almost every important beekeeping section 

 from the extreme southern to the northern 

 border of the State. Mr. Pellett came pri- 

 marily to observe Texas beekeeping condi- 

 tions and he found much of interest and 

 some features that were very unique. Tak- 

 ing the attitude of a visitor, Mr. Pellett 

 could readily see many problems in Texas 

 beekeeping that must be solved. In most 

 of the counties that Mr. Pellett visited, the 

 County Beekeepers' Association held a meet- 

 ing so that most of the beekeepers might 

 avail themselves of the opportunitv of meet- 

 ing vsnth Mr. Pellett. W. E. Jackson of the 

 State Entomologist 's office accompanied Mr. 

 Pellett on the entire trip. E. G. LeStour- 

 geon, manager of the Texas Honey Prodiic- 

 ers' Association, was present during a por- 

 tion of the trip. Much good will come to the 

 beekeepers of this State as a result of this 

 trip of study by Mr. Pellett. 



At the annual meeting of the County 

 Apiary Inspectors the need of an experi- 

 mental apiary was discussed. In order to get 

 one in operation at the earliest possible date, 

 each inspector agreed to donate one colony 

 of bees to form the nucleus of an apiary 

 for experimental pui-poses located at Col- 

 lege Station. This public-spirited move on 

 the part of the inspectors to advance the 

 beekeeping industry of thisi State is worthy 

 of much commendation. Texas needs much 

 investigational work in apiculture and it is 

 expected that the present gifts will prove 

 to be a start of much good effort for the in- 

 dustry. 



Over the eastern half of the State quite 

 general rains have occurred in the l^st two 

 weeks, but the western half is still very dry. 

 In some localities of the mesquite area, light 

 showers have occurred and these will help 

 greatly. Much more rain is badly needed 

 over the entire State to insure satisfactorv 

 honey yields. 



Several of the larger shippers of pound 

 packages of bees have received orders for 

 all they can supply. There are still a few 

 who are well 2)repared to handle late orders. 

 An effort is being made by the State Ento- 

 mologist's office to determine who can han- 

 dle more orders so as to direct purchasers 

 liroiierly. Thei'C is an increasing demand for 

 package bees from beekeepers in the North 

 and it is the desire to put buyers at once 

 in touch witli those who may have bees for 

 sale. 



More interest is being manifested in bees 

 ]y a greater number of ))eople this year 

 than ever before. It is a well-directed desire 

 to produce as much honey as possible so as to. 



