,lvsh. 1918 



GLEANINGS IN B E E (' V L T V \i K 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Northern California—^^ *" ^,.^,!' « ^ 



con uitions 

 were not particularly favorable during 

 April. A little more rain and fewer strong 

 winds would have pleased the beekeepers 

 far more. In some of our districts bees are 

 short of stores and no increase has been 

 possible, but in others a 20 to 30 per cent 

 increase is materializing. Due to the lack 

 of a late April rain, the blooming period of 

 spring plants will be below normal, and no 

 ]Sray increase is anticipated before the first 

 alfalfa extraction the latter part' of June. 

 Tulare County beekeepers are securing a 

 good crop from orange. 



The disease situation has taken a turn for 

 the worse. Several localities thruout north- 

 ern California have had outbreaks of Ameri- 

 can foul brood. Not a few apiaries and lo- 

 calities that heretofore have had clear rec- 

 ords, are now being visited by Bacillus 

 larva*. Eurojiean foul brood is continuing 

 to enlarge its area of infection, the extreme 

 northern part of the State (and notably 

 Merced County) being as yet unaffected ter- 

 ritory. Merced County should begin at once 

 to introduce resistant Italian stock since it 

 is estimated that fully 75 per cent of the 

 bees in that county are blacks. The matter 

 of differentiating the brood diseases con- 

 tinues as baffling as ever, especially in their 

 earlier stages of development. Many ex- 

 perienced beemen, who have handled both 

 diseases for several years, are very much 

 puzzled at times as to which course to pur- 

 sue. Some beekeepers are no longer surpris- 

 ed, upon examining a comb infected with 

 European, to detect American on the next 

 comb examined. 



The progress of the California Honey 

 Producers' Co-operative Exhange is most 

 satisfactory. The promotion committee re- 

 ports that membership in the exchanges is 

 increasing rapidly. Exchange Organizer 

 Massey has placed six field organizers in 

 various districts and expects to place two 

 more very shortly. In five districts we have 

 already 50 per cent of the colonies signed 

 up, and in three of these the output totals 

 more than 75 per cent. The Central Valley 

 Honey Producers' Exchange is now in suc- 

 cessful operation, and before July 1, it is 

 expected that seven more locals will have 

 been organized. At that date the machinery 

 of the California Honey Producers' Co-oper- 

 ative Exchange will be put into motion. 

 This central body will market the honey of, 

 and purchase the supplies for, the various 

 local exchanges. The necessity for a cen- 

 tral body to market the bee products of the 

 locals is very apparent. It may be mention- 

 ed that honey buyers two weeks ago offered 

 producers in a certain district 16 cents per 

 pound, whereas in another district at the 

 same time a price of 15 cents was offered. 

 In still another district only a few days ago 



producers were offered a fraction over 17 

 cents i)er pound for this season 's crop. 

 The quality of the honey produced in the 

 three above mentioned districts is the same. 

 It might also be cited what is now (March) 

 taking place in New Zealand and Australia. 

 New Zealand has a powerful co-operative 

 honey producers ' association and it is se- 

 curing for its members prices ranging from 

 14 to 19 cents per pound. Australia, on the 

 other hand, without such an organization, is 

 at the mercy of the buyers, for her bee- 

 keepers cannot get more than 8 to 10 cents 

 per pound for their honey. California bee- 

 keepers are fast realizing the fact that they, 

 as individuals, are unable to inform them- 

 selves properly on the honey market, but 

 that collectively it is not only possible for 

 them to secure the market price at time of 

 sale, but also that they will know at what 

 time it will be advantageous to sell. They 

 ■\ill likewise know that each one of them 

 will receive the same price for any uniform 

 grade of honey. 



In the March issue of the Monthly Crop 

 Report we find some rather startling figures 

 pertaining to beekeeping. There are 496 

 apiarists in California, which number rep- 

 resents 2.3 per cent of all of the apiarists 

 in the United States, the total number in the 

 United States being 2,145. These figures 

 were coiupiled from the last U. S. Census, 

 and the Monthly Crop Report believes that 

 these figures since 1910 would be increased 

 by 10 per cent. The Bureau of Entomology 

 contends that there are now some 800,000 

 beekeepers in the United States, instead of 

 only about 2. .359 apiarists, as th" above men- 

 tioned publication would indicate. The 

 difference, however, lies probably in the use 

 of the terms "Apiarists" and "Beekeep- 

 ers." An apiarist, according to the U.^S. 

 Census, is probably one who gains his living 

 solely from beekeeping. However, a com- 

 parative study of these figures is interest- 

 ing. Next to California are New York and 

 Texas, with 231 and 180 apiarists respective- 

 ly, and their total still gives California a 

 surplus of 105 apiarists. Ohio, for instance, 

 has but 42. California has always had the 

 reputation. of having many large honey pro- 

 ducers, and the above figures as published 

 in the Monthlv Crop Report would bear out 

 this fact. ' M. C. Richter. 



Modesto, Calif. 



In Southern California — ^^ ^^/ ^^ ^ 



can learn 

 now. May 4, the orange honey crop will vary 

 from 20 pounds, on some apiaries that were 

 very weak and late in getting in condition 

 to gather honey, to 40, 50, and possibly some 

 as high as 75 pounds per colony from the 

 best apiaries. Most beekeepers and orange- 

 growers say they never saw so plentiful a 

 blooin as this year. And what is still better 



