1887 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUliK. 



flOs 



I think mote mouey may be made by managing 

 out-apiaries. Much depends on the man. 



W [Z. Hutchinson. 



That depends on the location. In most localities, 

 yes; for that sufficient capital, energy, and ability, 

 means success in money-getting, in any business. 



Dr. a. B. Mason. 



Yes, we think so. We have five out-apiaries; but 

 if every year were like this, we should be better olT 

 without them. We have done well other years, and 

 I am in hopes to again; at any rate, if there is any 

 profit in running one at home, the out-apiaries 

 could be made profitable also. E. J'uance. 



I have not had much e.\perience in this line; but 

 1 believe that a man with the necessary qualiflca- 

 tions, and sufficient capital, with a wise selection of 

 assistants, could make a great deal of money with 

 out apiaries. The necessary qualifications— there's 

 the rub! J.A.Green. 



The answer to this question requires more"ifs" 

 than are pleasant. Beekeeping can be made a pay- 

 ing business either way, if capital, energy, and 

 ability are sufficient, if— the season is good; but 

 when crops are below the average, and prices low, 

 there is no profit in hired help for the bee-Keeper. 



Chas. F. Muth. 



I think, that perhaps nine out of ten will make 

 more money by keeping only as many as they can 

 handle themselves, or, at most, have a little help in 

 the height I of the season; yet occasionally a man 

 may have favorable locations, and have the pecul- 

 iar business talent of managing affairs, and getting 

 the most service from his emplojes that he will 

 make very much more by running a larger busi- 

 ness. K. Wilkin. 



Yes, I think so. All the?e questions about out- 

 apiaries (Nos. 10 to 24 inclusive) seem to have been 

 asked by some one who has an idea that it is moie 

 profitable to scatter bees into small outapiaries 

 than to keep them in one or two large ones; and as 

 I believe, and have always worked on the opposite 

 theory, I can not answer his question from practi- 

 cal experience. I have watched this matter with 

 much interest for years, and am satisfied that I ob- 

 tained fully as much honey per colony when I had 

 nearly 200 in one place as I did when I had less than 

 50, and fully as much as my neighbors did who had 

 small apiaries. The only good reason I can see for 

 scattering bees into small lots is to obtain different 

 kinds of forage, where different kinds of tlowers 

 are found in different situations within a radius of 

 a few miles. Of course, the less number of apiaries 

 any certain amount of bees can be kept in without 

 lessening the yield of honey, the better. 



O. O. POPPLETON. 



Question No. 20.— How many hee-yards, incltuling 

 the one at home, can an apiarist manage succi^sfuUu, 

 ivith two assistants/ As a rule, how many eolonics 

 shdulil be kept in each of the (iHt-apiaries in your local- 

 ity.' 



Ten, if not too far apart. About 100 colonies. 



Geo. Grim.m. 



That will depend upon the distance apart, and 

 whether run for comb or extracted honey. Fifty 

 to seventy-five. Mrs. L. Harrison. 



No experience; should expect them to run about 

 seven apiaries of .50 hives each. E. E. Hasty. 



It depends upon how they are managed. I should 

 say ;S apiaries in all, and not less than 100 colonies in 

 each., W. Z. Hutchinson. 



See answer to No. 21. So much depends upon the 

 man that it is difficult to answer, even if one has ex- 

 perience. A. J. Cook. 



An out-apiary ought to contain as many colonies 

 as the home one. See answer to previous question 

 on that point. O. O. Foppleton. 



1. That depends upon the ability of the apiarist, 

 his assistants, and the locality. 2. From fifty to 

 one hundred. Dr. A. B. Mason. 



1. With occasional assistance, one man can man- 

 age 400 colonies in 5 apiaries, run for extracted hon- 

 ey. We do not want to exceed 100 colonies in any 

 apiary. Dadant & Son. 



If the three spend their whole time at bee-work, 

 perhaps five, if not more than .50 to 75 colonies are 

 in each apiary. Not more than 100. 



C. C. Miller. 



It would be impossible to have an outapiary in 

 this locality, for there are already all the bees kept 

 that can be kept profitably, by A, B, C, and D, all 

 around me. G. M. Doolittle. 



I have never kept separate hee-yards; but I have 

 managed 450 colonies of bees in one yard with only 

 one assistant, but I had to work hard from daylight 

 to dark, and at night I had to prepare for the next 

 day's work. Paul L. Viallon. 



I will not try to answer this question, for the very 

 reason given in my answer to No. 19, further than 

 to say that I keep about 200 colonies, spring count, 

 in each of my apiaries. James Heddon. 



About 300 colonies of bees in one location, wheth- 

 er at home or abroad, seems to be the right number 

 to start in the season with, provided there are no 

 other bees within three miles of 30U ; and two men 

 can manage such an apiary, except it Le for two or 

 three weeks in the height of the season, when an- 

 other hand may be needed. I speak of Southern 

 California. R. Wilkin. 



I have never kept more than a few colonies at a 

 time, mostly for experimental purposes, in out- 

 apiaries, so I can not answer this from experience. 

 I think that, as a rule, I should not want over .50 to 

 75 colonies in each out-apiary. I should say that 

 five such bee-yards would be well managed with 

 the help mentioned. With every thing favorable, 

 more mignt be done. James A. Green. 



We run all of our out bee-yards for extracted 

 honey. There is only a month that we want any 

 help, and not all of that time a full force. We go 

 as far as eight miles and work a yard of 80 colonies, 

 spring count, in one day, and aim to work each yard 

 once a week. We hire one good hand early in the 

 spring, as we have other work besides the bees. 

 First visit to bees in the spring, two of us go and 

 examine the bees, then we increase our force as we 

 want, until when we are extracting there are ten of 

 us. Now, one man can handle just as many yards 

 with two assistants, but he must have only as many 

 bees in a yard as they can work in one day. We 

 think our location will work 80 colonies, spring 

 count, in each yard, profitably. E. France. 



