168 



May, 1916. 



American Tim Jonrn^j 



favorable to the bees in the orange belt, 

 as the flow will thus be prolonged. 

 Alfilaria and other minor early spring 

 nectar-producing plants have been in 

 bloom for some time. Black sage is 

 beginning to come in, in the mountains. 

 We have had a heavy winter rainfall; 

 the principal thing here in order to 

 produce a crop. 



Now with favorable spring weather 

 the outlook is good. Bees are in better 

 condition than last year, generally 

 speaking; there is less European foul- 

 brood. The disease mentioned in the 

 January issue of the American Bee 

 Journal, which affected the adult bees, 

 has not appeared in other apiaries, 

 though the one infected has made no 

 improvement, but the bees are dying off. 



The Orange County BeekeepTs' 

 Club, at its meeting April 8, considered 

 the best methods of buying cans and 

 cases. Mr. George J. Brown, the newly- 

 elected vice-president for California of 

 the United Honey Producers, made a 

 report of the lowest figures quoted him 

 by eastern firms with whom he has 

 been in correspondence, on carload 

 lots of cans and cases. 



This is one of the initial movements 

 here for cooperation in the handling of 

 a honey crop. If enough beekeepers 

 join together to make buying in large 

 lots practicable, there ought to be con- 

 siderable saved in getting the crop 

 cased ready for market. At this meet- 

 ing also Mr. Brown will begin his cam- 

 paign of boosting — commencing in his 

 home club. When the proper literature 

 is ready the subject is to be put before 

 the Domestic Science teachers of the 

 California Public Schools. 



Orange, Calif. 



Strong Colonies for the Harvest 



BY OSCAR RITLAND. 



THERE are several systems of man- 

 aging bees in the spring, but if we 

 are going to expect a good sur- 

 plus they must all come to the same 

 end, and that is, strong colonies for the 

 harvest. This is especially true in 

 producing comb honey, but it is also 

 very important in extracted honey pro- 

 duction. 



A medium colony will do well when 

 supplied with empty combs, whereas it 

 it will do very little at comb honey. 

 For this reason beekeepers who pro- 

 duce both comb and extracted honey 

 usually divide their colonies into two 

 classes at the eve of the harvest; one 

 of those strong enough for comb 

 honey and the other those not strong 

 enough. These latter are then used for 

 extracted honey. If you are a comb- 

 honey producer don't be satisfied with 

 having most colonies strong, thinking 

 the rest can be used for extracted 

 honey. For if the medium colonies 

 were strong they could still be used for 

 extracted honey.and the amount stored 

 would of course be much more. 



The noted beekeepers of today would 

 not have been what they are had they 

 not continually set the mark a little 

 higher. It is the weak colonies that 

 take down the average. Are you sure 

 that you have done everything that you 

 can to help all your colonies to be- 

 come strong ? Are they protected 

 from the prevailing winds ? Are there 



no cracks at the tops of the hives 

 where the heat can escape ? Is the 

 entrance contracted ? Are all supplied 

 with abundance of stores ? Are the 

 combs straight and of worker size 

 cells? Is the cover rain proof? If 

 you cannot say yes to all the above 

 questions, it is up to you to remedy the 



trouble. Then adopt whatever system 

 you think is best for you, but don't 

 divide your colonies before the harvest 

 unless you prefer increase to surplus 

 honey. Let every mistake be a lesson 

 so as not to let the same thing happen 

 again. 

 Elroy, Wis. 



APIARY OF OSCAR RITLAND AT ELROY, WIS. 



Bee-Keepinc <^ For Women 



Conducted bv Miss Emma M. Wilson. Mareneo. 111. 



Sections Unsealed in Center of Super 



I notice in your department in the 

 American Bee Journal for August, 

 1913, an article entitled, " Ventilation 

 of Sections." In the fourth paragraph 

 you speak of several sections in the 

 center of the super being only partly 

 sealed. Now, in the American Bee 

 Journal for Jan. 31, 1907, I asked Dr. 

 Miller a question regarding the same 

 trouble as you will see by the enclosed 

 clipping. 



The year previous to the one I asked 

 Dr. Miller that question, we opened 

 many supers to find all sections en- 

 tirely finished excepting the center 

 ones. I attributed the trouble to hot 

 weather, as all the colonies were very 

 populous. Can you throw any light on 

 the cause or have you found a remedy ? 

 A. C. Gilbert. 



To find unsealed sections in the cen- 

 ter of a super while the outside ones 

 are finished is not a thing of frequent 

 occurrence; or if so, it has not been 

 reported. Dr. Miller is inclined to 

 think that he never heard of a case of 

 the kind until he got from you the let- 

 ter to which he replied in January, 

 1907, page 95. In that reply he gives 

 three guesses as to what might be the 

 cause: 1, a difference in nectar; 2, ob- 

 jectionable sections ; 3, brood in cen- 

 tral sections. These were only guesses, 

 as he knew nothing about the matter 

 from experience. 



But a very few years later we were 

 surprised to have the same thing occur 

 in our own apiary, and this was men- 

 tioned in his department (as you say) 

 on page 2(!2, August, 1913. It was 

 there vaguely suggested that heat might 

 be the cause, and there is very little 

 doubt that you are correct when you 

 say, "I attributed the trouble to hot 

 weather." 



As to the remedy. If heat is the 

 cause, then the thing to do is to reduce 

 the heat. That can be done in part by 

 having the hives where there is a free 

 circulation of air, and by keeping them 

 shaded'. If the hive be well ventilated 

 at the bottom, there will be less heat at 

 top. More effective is ventilation of 

 the super itself. If shoved far enough 

 forward, a space will be made at the 

 back end so large that there is little 

 danger of too much heat in the super. 

 But, then, when a cool spell comes it 

 will be too cool at the end where the 

 opening is. Making the opening less 

 and more, according to the weather, is 

 a pretty big job. In any case, ventilat- 

 ing a super at the end doesn't seem to 

 be where it is most needed. After 

 studying long over the problem Dr. 

 Miller devised a way that may help out. 



In the latest edition of " Fifty Years 

 Among the Bees," page 121, occurs 

 this: 



" If we could only have ventilation at 

 the center, where sealing is first done, 

 instead of at the ends where the last 

 sealing is done ! Well, why not at the 



