GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



•EEKEEPING AmONG THE ROCKIE^ 



Wesley Foster, Boulder, Colorado. 



WEEDS AND BEEKEEPING. 



The United States Department 

 of Ai^rieulture, Farmers' Bulletin 

 No. (360, entitled "Weeds : How to 

 Control Them," by H. R. Cox, 

 names fifty of the worst weeds in 

 the United States. The dandelion 

 is one of the fifty, but sweet clover is not 

 included. 



Among the fifty worst weeds are found 

 the following plants that are of interest to 

 beekeepers: Dandelion, daisy, milkweed, 

 mustard, and thistle. There may be other 

 weeds among the fifty that furnish nectar 

 or pollen, but I am not familiar with them. 

 « » * 



HONEY CONDITIONS. 



A very unfavoi'able season so far is what 

 we have to record. Cold weather, freezes, 

 rain, and cloudy weather have kept the bees 

 from breeding. Most beekeepers are feed- 

 ing still (June 12), and a lack of pollen 

 has made feeding destitute of satisfactory 

 results. Bees will have to have a good sea- 

 son in July and August or we shall be short 

 in honey this year. 



The most disastrous freeze of the season 

 came late in May and ruined the early hon- 

 ey prospects from alfalfa. Sweet clover 

 was set back, and the flow from fruit-bloom 

 and dandelions was stopped. 



The cold weather has prevailed through- 

 out the Rocky Mountain region. Montana, 

 Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado all 

 are served about alike. The freezing of the 

 alfalfa was very severe in eastern Colorado, 

 and not so serious in the western part of 

 the state. 



We have now had our ten inches of rain 

 this season, and the precipitation of three 

 inches above normal. 



* * * 



The Montana Beekeepers' Association has 

 an energetic secretary in Mr. Percy F. Kolb, 

 of Billings, Montana. The beekeepers of 

 Montana have had such a varied lot of 

 supplies and equipment that it was thought 

 ad^^sable for the association to establish 

 standards; and in order to encourage the 

 use of uniform goods to authorize the sec- 

 retary to purchase supplies for the mem- 

 bers. The secretary has done this, sending 

 out several hundred price lists, and I am 

 informed that over one thousand dollars' 

 worth has been secured for the members on 

 a co-operative basis. The Montana Asso- 

 ciation will doubtless gain a large member- 

 ship in this way, and it is hoped that the 



secretary will receive some pay for his 

 time. The secretary of the average bee- 

 keepers' association has a lot of work to do 

 for which nothing but the honor of the 

 office is paid. Montana is a big and gener- 

 ous state. They do things that way. Mon- 

 tana is to be congratulated on having such 

 a secretary, and Mr, Kolb is to be congrat- 

 ulated in having such a loyal membership. 

 * « * 



Many of the alfalfa-fields in eastern Col- 

 orado have become infected with the black- 

 stem blight, and the county agi'iculturists 

 are advising prompt cutting to prevent 

 permanent damage to the plant. The in- 

 fection takes place where small breaks oc- 

 cur in the epidermis of the stem, due to the 

 freeze; and, unless cut immediately upon 

 detection, Avill follow the stem to the crown 

 of the plant, which will finally die, leaving 

 a poor stand in the field. 



The first indication of this blight is a 

 slight frost damage, all or part of the leaf 

 turning yellow or almost orange. Yellow- 

 ish, bruised-appearing places will be found 

 on the stem in a few days, these later turn- 

 ing to an olive green and later still to a 

 brownish color having a varnished appear- 

 ance. The growth of the affected stem stops, 

 and finally becomes black and brittle near 

 the base. 



This is, of course, of especial interest to 

 beekeepers who hope to see the advice of 

 the experts followed, as there are usually 

 no frosts after the first cutting, and a 

 health}' growth will be assured for the 

 second crop. The first crop having been so 

 badly frozen and blighted there would be 

 no nectar in the bloom should it appear 



in the first crop. 



* * * 



SPREADING BROOD. 



I do not wish it understood that I make 

 a general practice of spreading brood; but 

 at the same time it is done with satisfactory 

 results when carried on with other opera- 

 lions. 



A number of my outapiaries become hon- 

 ey-bound, and it seems almost impossible to 

 get the colonies to build up. In these cases 

 uncapping a comb of honey at the side of 

 the brood-nest, and putting it either close 

 to the center or close on one side of the 

 brood-nest, does relieve the situation. The 

 ])lace tliat such a comb is put in the hive 

 depends upon its strength. By uncapping 

 sealed stores, and spreading the brood by 

 inserting these uncapped combs in the 

 Continued on pa9e 597, 



