898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



WHEN IS IT NECESSARY TO WARM BEE-FEED? 



I have a quantity of strained honey. Will it need 

 heating, or any thing done to it before feeding? 



W. Stickney. 



Rathboneville, N. Y., Oct. 22, 1889. 



[It is not necessary to heat honey for feeding 

 purposes, unless you suspect that it might contain 

 the germs of foul brood. If the honey is of your 

 own production, and you have never had foul 

 brood, feed without heating. In "feeding back" 

 to fill out sections, the honey, after being diluted 

 with water, is warmed if the weather is cool, to get 

 the bees to take the food more readily. In feeding 

 syrup late in the fall, we prefer to have it warm, or 

 to feed it shortly after leaving the stove.] 



FROM 31 TO 50, AND 7016 LBS. OF HONEY. 



I started in the spring with 24; bought 7 young 

 swarms; increased to 50, and got 7016 lbs of honey, 

 about half comb and half extracted. The white 

 clover promises good for next year. 



Raymore, Mo, Oct. 22. 1889. W. O. Heivly. 



CAPS THE CLIMAX. 



As you want reports, this is mine. It caps the 

 climax around here: 100 lbs. comb, 20 lbs. extracted, 

 per colony, spring count; 24 in spring, 50 now. 



Wagstaff, Kan., Sept. 28, 1889. C. S. Nevins. 



FROM 6 TO 14, AND 600 LBS. OF HONEY. 



My honey report is, that, with 6 swarms, spring 

 count, I increased to 14 (all in good condition for 

 winter), and took 600 lbs. of comb honey; 2 swarms 

 gave me 300 lbs. by tiering up on Dr. Miller's plan. 



Columbus, Wis., Oct. 7, 1889. R. B. Kidder. 



FROM 3 TO 10, AND 350 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



We have had a good year for honey here in Colo- 

 rado, and all bee-keepers seem well pleased with 

 their crop. I began last spring with three; since 

 have increased (after transferring from box hives to 

 frames) to ten, and have taken 350 lbs. of comb 

 honey in one-pound sections, and have all in a fair 

 shape to winter. E. D. Nichols. 



Montrose, Colo., Oct. 20, 1889. 



FROM 34 TO 56, AND 2850 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



We have had a fine honey season here, and honey 

 is very plentiful and cheap; in fact, the market is 

 overstocked. We can get only 10 cts. per pound for 

 nice comb honey, in cash, and that only for small 

 quantities. I have taken 2850 lbs. of comb and ex- 

 tracted, from 34 colonies, spring count, and in- 

 creased to 56 good colonies with a great abundance 

 of stores for winter. I finished packing 50 colonies 

 in chaff the 10th of October, and will put 6 colonies 

 in cellar. Green R. Shirer. 



Greene, la., Oct. 18, 1889. 



A GOOD REPORT FOR THREE SUCCESSIVE SEASONS ; 

 ALFALFA IN ARIZONA. 



I have been keeping bees here for three years. 

 In 18871 commenced with 34 colonies, and increased 

 them to 51. I took 6358 lbs. of extracted and 300 

 lbs. of comb honey. In 1888 I commenced with 51 

 colonies; increased to 84; took 8600 lbs. of extracted 

 and 600 lbs. of comb honey; lost three during the 

 winter. Last spring I doubled back from 81 to 70; 

 then I increased to 90. and took 12,948 lbs. of ex- 

 tracted honey. About 9000 lbs. was obtained from 

 alfalfa. J. A. Culbertson. 



Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 2, 1889. . 



GOOD FOR OREGON. 



B.F.Kendall started last spring with two colonies, 

 and now has seven. He took 600 lbs. of comb honey. 

 No record I have seen can beat it. J. L. Cole start- 

 ed with 4, and has 15 now. He took 1000 lbs. of comb 

 honey. This large yield is from sweet clover and 

 alfalfa. By a process of irrigation we have had a 

 continual flow up to the present, four crops of hay 

 being cut from the alfalfa fields. G. J. Gray. 



Dell, Ore., Oct. 12, 1889. 



We are very much obliged for still anoth- 

 er testimonial in favor of alfalfa grown by 

 irrigation. See friend Ball's report on an- 

 other page. 



HOW AN INVESTMENT IN BEES OF $145 BROUGHT 

 $218 IN MONEY, BESIDES ALL THE FIX- 

 TURES FOR A SMALL APIARY'. 



I had 3 swarms in the spring. I bought 40 frames 

 of brood and 20 queens, June 15. I put 2 frames of 

 brood and a queen in a hive, making 20 hives. I let 

 them build up, and made two swarms by natural 

 swarming, making 25 in all. I took 2130 lbs. of ex- 

 tracted honey, and 50 lbs. of comb honey, making in 

 all 2180 lbs., besides leaving from five to six sealed 

 frames in a hive to winter on. I have invested 

 $145.02 in bees and fixtures this year, and in return 

 I got $218 worth of honey, besides 25 good strong 

 swarms of bees, and all the fixtures; and at the 

 same time I never lost a day, as I have charge of a 

 mill and can not get away; and I never paid a dollar 

 for hired help. Thus you see it leaves me $73.00 for 

 interest on money invested, besides all my bees 

 and fixtures. Jas. McCue. 



Alabaster, Mich., Oct. 20, 1889. 



Friend M., your experience is wonderful, 

 and, I must think, quite unusual. It shows, 

 however, what may be done by one who is 

 full of enthusiasm during a favorable season. 



FROM 84 TO 200, AND 6500 LBS. OF COMB HONEY. 



We started off last spring with 84 colonies of bees 

 —some blacks, some Italians, but mostly hybrids. 

 The early spring was very favorable. This gave 

 the bees a good start in the way of brood, but cold 

 nights and cold rains kept them almost idle. When 

 white clover blossomed they were very numerous, 

 and the way they piled up honey and sent out 

 young swarms was a caution. We sent for sup- 

 plies, money with the order, and part of it was fill- 

 ed after the swarming and honey season was over, 

 and we were out at least 2000 lbs. of comb honey, 

 and 25 large colonies of bees. We were not pre- 

 pared to extract, as we have been running entirely 

 for comb honey. However, they continued to build 

 some at intervals up to the 18th of September, 

 when a severe frost ended their business in the 

 surplus boxes. On counting up at the close, we 

 find we have 6500 lbs. of comb honey, mostly in 1-lb. 

 sections, and increased from 84 to 200 swarms. 



Big Rock, la., Oct. 20, 1889. Geo. W. Randall. 



Friend R., I hope it was not our establish- 

 ment that made you wait until the honey 

 season was over. ' But may be it was. if you 

 were late in getting the order off. Here, 

 friends, is a good illustration of the losses 

 that come when you wait until the very last 

 thing before you order your supplies. Bet- 

 ter carry them over one season, or at least a 

 part of Ihem, than to be caught as friend R. 

 was. 



