Skptkmbkr, 1919 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Cos 



c 



ur 



J'\^ weighing 

 two pounds 

 on April 15 prof- 

 itable? Accord- 

 ing to G. C. 

 Greiner in the 

 August Anieri 

 can Bee Journal, 

 ^I r . D e m u t h 



thinks they are not, while Mr. Hershiser 

 claims in his locality very few colonies 

 would weigh heavier at that time. Mr. 

 Greiner believes the difference of opinion 

 due to locality and says his whole crop 

 comes from such colonies that either weigh 

 two pounds or less, or are made so by divi- 

 sion. If undivided he finds at the opening 

 of the honey flow a large percentage of his 

 l)ees are old worn-out fielders exerting their 

 last vitality in preparing to swarm. If the 

 colonies are divided, his bees tho fewer in 

 number are nearly all young energetic work- 

 ers doing their best at storing. 



* * * 



In answer to the question, ' ' What is the 

 quickest and best way to rid bees of foul 

 brood?" the editor of the California Honey 

 Bowl (July) replies, "Amend our present 

 laws so as to allow bee inspectors $5 a day 

 and expenses. Compel them to remain on 

 the job until diseased apiaries are cleaned 

 up, force all beekeepers to keep bees on 

 movable combs, retire all inspectors over 60 

 giving them a 'good service' button, and 

 put in young, well-posted, energetic bee in- 

 spectors, and the job is more than half ac- 

 complished. " 



* * * 



The advantages of the large hive may be 

 secured without heavy lifting, according to 

 Mrs. C. E. Fowler in the August issue of 

 the Domestic Beekeejier. She advocates a 

 sectional hive of 10-frame bodies 5 11/16 

 inches deep, using frames with % x % inch 

 top bars, % x i/4 inch bottom bars and % 

 inch bottom starters. She says with this ar- 

 langement one has practically continuous 

 frames extending from the bottom to the 

 top of the hive so that the queen readily 

 passes from one story to another. 



Whatever one may think of sectional 

 hives of shallow supers, it is true that the 

 value of frames with narrow top bars and 

 all-worker comb securely attached to top 

 and bottom bars so that bees pass more 

 readily from one story to another, has never 

 been strongly enough emphasized. 



The disposal of the honey crop is the sub- 

 ject of an address by C. P. Dadant, which 

 appears in the July issue of the Beekeep- 

 er's Item. In urging greater co-operation 

 and organization, Mr. Dadant says the bene- 

 fit of an association does not lie in securing 

 for its members greater benefit than is pos- 

 sible for those outside. A policy of exclu- 

 siveness, he believes, will always react on 

 the association, for it will result in beekeep- 



THE BEST FROM OTHERS 



1 



lona Fowls 



TU 



ers outside of the 

 association dis- 

 posing of their 

 crop at such 

 J) r i c e s and in 

 such condition 

 as to injure all 

 sales. Not only 

 does he consider 

 it an advantage 

 for an individual beekeeper himself to join, 

 but it is to his interest to have as many 

 others as possible also join. He continues: 

 "I have often heard it said that there are 

 already too many beekeepers and that we 

 should dissuade people from engaging in 

 that occupation. But the truth is that mil- 

 lions of human beings who know, from hear- 

 ing it repeated, that honey is the best, pur- 

 est and healthiest of sweets, do not get a 

 taste of honey from one year's end to the 

 other, because the unwieldy distribution of 

 the product makes the retail price very 

 often twice the amount that the producer 

 has obtained. When we get the distribution 

 arranged so that the cost to the consumer 

 will be only a trifle above the net price ob- 

 tained by the producer, there will be unlim- 

 ited sale for our product." 



With organization he believes every- 

 thing may be conducted in the most economi- 

 cal way, and the honey arrive at its destina- 

 tion in the best possible shape and with the 

 least waste and expense. Tho each state 

 and district must manage its own affairs, he 

 thinks it would be well to be united still 

 further, perhaps as an aflaiiation such as the 

 National Association of Beekeepers is now 

 planning, so that matters of interest to all 

 beekeepers and all beekeepers' associations 

 may have a channel thru which the necessary 

 information may be spread to those interest- 

 ed in it. 



In conclusion he says: "Let it not be 

 thought these matters might be objectiona- 

 ble to the large dealers and handlers of 

 beekeepers' produce. The sooner beekeep- 

 ing is carried on in a businesslike way, the 

 more successful will be all those who" have 

 anything to do with it.' ' 

 » * * 



The beekeepers seem to be working as a 

 unit towards prices almost as good as last 

 year's, and this they should have in order 

 to compensate them for the high prices of 

 all supplies, tin containers, etc. — M. G. Da- 

 dant, American Bee Journal. 



* * * 



While this season has been very disaj)- 

 pointing to many beekeepers, 1919 is not to 

 be the last year of beekeeping in Califor- 

 nia. Do not think of what you might have 

 sold your bees for last spring, but of what 

 a fine crop you will produce when all things 

 are favorable. — L. L. Andrews, August West- 

 ern Honey Bee. 



* » » 



Prophesying low prices is the most effec- 

 tive way of lowering prices. — Eugene S. 

 Miller, August Domestic Beekeeper. 



