154 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



given by A. J. MeCarty and A. C. Van 

 Galder differed somewhat, and a short de- 

 bate ensued, participated in by several oth- 

 ers. Mr. Van Galder figured liis time by 

 the day and Mr. McCarty by the year. Mr. 

 Van Galder has a farm that takes his time 

 when not working with the bees, so that he 

 does not need to figure a year's wages as 

 does Mr. McCarty, who lives in town and 

 is a beekeeping specialist. 



]\Ir. Van Galder did not figure a 50 per 

 cent depreciation upon his automobile the 

 first year, as Mr. MeCarty claimed he should. 

 It appeared from the run of the discussion 

 that Mr. McCarty endeavored to prove bee- 

 keeping unprofitable, while Mr. Van Galder 

 tried to prove the opposite. As they had 

 their own apiaries to judge by, and are both 

 quite extensive honey-producers, I do not 

 think a decision could be reached. Mr. Mc- 

 Carty claimed that, if a ten-year average 

 were taken, his bees owed him something. 

 Mr. Van Galder claimed a fair profit and 

 fair wages for his time on a nineteen-j-ear 

 average. The bees paid him as well as or 

 better than his fann. Here is an argument 

 for diversified farming against specialized 

 beekeeping. The farmer should include bees 

 in his operations, not from a honey-for-the- 

 table motive, but as a money crop. 



The list of successful beekeepers who own 

 and operate farms at a profit, or who are 

 farmers and keep bees at a profit, is not 

 small in the West. 



Mr. Porter's paper. " Efficiency in the 

 Apiaiy," brought out a number of points. 

 If one has an auto he doas not need a wheel- 

 barrow in the outyard. Too many beekeep- 



ers can think of only one thing at a time. 

 If they are clipping queens they must finish 

 that before they care for a foul colony or 

 a queenless one, or feed one short of stores. 

 The beekeeper should, soon after beginning 

 work in an apiary, say after examining five 

 hives, so size up the yard that all needful 

 work can be attended to that day. 



Tlie grading-rules were discussed, and 

 some changes were proposed. It was de- 

 cided, however, to leave the definite changes 

 till after the National convention in Denver, 

 as it was thought fruitful ideas might be 

 brought out at this meeting. It was recom- 

 mended that the names of the grades of 

 comb honey be changed from No. 1, Choice, 

 and No. 2 to Fancy, No. 1, and No. 2 re- 

 spectively, to coiTespond with the names of 

 the National gi'ades. 



The Colorado Teachers' Association held 

 its convention at the same time as the Colo- 

 rado Honey-producers' Association, and 

 Prof. Dunn of Fort Collins, Prof. Beards- 

 ley of Greeley, and Prof. Spangler of 

 Longmont were present at part or all of 

 the beekeepers' sessions. This goes to show 

 that the long summer vacation makes it 

 possible for schoolteachers to take up bee- 

 keeping for health, pleasure, and profit verj- 

 nicely. Prof. Spangler has over twenty-five 

 colonies, and I believe that Prof. Beardsley 

 and Prof. Dunn count their colonies in 

 hundreds. 



The convention was a well-attended one, 

 the day sessions having attendances of be- 

 tween sixty and eighty, and the evening 

 sessions about forty. 



Boulder, Colo. 



SOME VALUABLE POINTERS ON MOVING BEES 



BY J. L. BYER 



In view of the fact that we are being 

 treated to a fine series on moving bees it 

 may seem superfluous to say any thing more 

 at this time. But it is a subject that will 

 stand a good deal of discussion, as begin- 

 ners are constantly wanting to know about 

 moving bees. I know this from the fact that 

 I get a good many letters bearing on this 

 question. 



My experience in moving bees is not 

 extensive, but I have moved them under 

 almost all conditions. On my first attempt 

 by train I moved 100 colonies with fixtures 

 100 miles: and the second trip, some 250 

 colonies were moved nearly 300 miles along 

 with a full equipment of supers and other 

 fixtures. Although both trips were made 

 during the latter part of May, not a comb 



was broken nor was there a quart of dead 

 bees in both shipments together, so far as 

 we could estimate. 



For moWng in the early S]>ring in our 

 latitude, if work is done at night all the 

 ventilation I have found neeessai'y has been 

 provided by tacking wire cloth over the 

 entrance. After bees have become populous, 

 and brooding is going on rapidly, and 

 weather is warme)-, it is a good plan to 

 screen the tops of hives with wire cloth. 

 If the colonies are very strong, allow s]iafe 

 on top for bees to leave the combs by hav- 

 ing the wire cloth kept away from the top 

 by means of strips of wood at least an inch 

 thick — more is necessary in very warm 

 weather. If local moving of bees for short 

 distances is made at night, before clover 



