GLEANINGS IN BEE Cu'LTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. C'HADWiCK, Redlands, Cal. 



Mr. A. B. Marchant, Jan. 15, p. 45, gives 

 some splendid thoughts on knowing one's 

 location. Beekeeirers could, to a very gTeat 

 extent, profit by studying their location and 

 its resources. 



Mr. Geo. L. Emerson reports bees winter- 

 ing poorly in the vicinity of Fullerton. In 

 this locality they are in better condition 

 than for the past two seasons; but what 

 later developments will bring, owing to the 



freeze, is hard to tell. 



* * * 



I miss the writings of E. M. Gibson, of 

 Jamul, Cal. Mr. Gibson writes me that he 

 has sold out and is living in San Diego. 

 There are others who might take his place, 

 and help keejj California in the rank it 

 deserves before the beekeeper's world. 



Referring to what you say, Dr. Miller, p. 

 40, Jan. 15, I am contending that bees lose 

 time guarding the entrance when there is a 

 good honey-fiow on. At such a time you 

 could take the lid off and leave it so for a 

 week without doing any harm. The original 

 discussion was over a colony that built up 

 very rapidly in the sirring with a very large 



entrance. 



* * * 



Almost immediately following the freeze 

 we were treated to a fine rain. In some lo- 

 calities the downpour was heavy, and more 

 than three inches fell — the heaviest being in 

 the vicinity of Santa Barbara and Ventura. 

 In this locality we received only one and 

 one-fourth inches. However, it is sufficient 

 to start the early spring flowers that give 

 us an abundance of early pollen, 



* # * 



The first of the year I started to keep a 

 record of the number of days during the 

 year when the bees were able to find some- 

 thing to work on. By the end of the first 

 week every thing was so badly frozen that 

 I gave it up. The twenty colonies in my 

 back yard have found pollen somewhere 

 eveiy day they could fly ; but where they 

 found it since the freeze I have not been 



able to learn. 



* * * 



Conditions are somewhat uncertain as to 

 the damage to our honey-plants; but devel- 

 opments have reached a point where I feel 

 safe in making some statements. The orange 

 trees ai'e frozen vei'y badly in places, while 

 \ in more favored localities the damage is 

 much less. Wliere the trees are the worst 

 frosted, the bloom will be materially de- 



creased; but in the more favored places 

 there seems to be no reason why there 

 should be any shortage in bloom. Jf, per- 

 chance, the bloom should be reduced one- 

 half, there would still be all our bees could 

 handle. Some believe the button sage is 

 killed. I did not share this opinion for a 

 time; but after carefully examining it in 

 several localities it seems almost certain that 

 much of it is entirely destroyed so far as 

 this year's bloom is concerned, though I 

 believe we may see some bloom if we are 

 favored with good rains from now on. The 

 white variety is not injured, it being of a 

 much more hardy type. It stands the cold 

 of an altitude of more than six thousand 

 feet. The eucalyptus, which is of so much 

 value as a winter stimulant, is very badly 

 frozen, and much of it will die. The pej^pers, 

 grevalias, and acacias — in fact, every thing, 

 is frozen ; but the oranges seem at this date 

 to have stood it better than most other trees. 



A COLLAPSIBLE VEIL MOST DESIRABLE. 



On page 810, Dec. 15, A. C. Miller dis- 

 cusses bee-veils at length, and finally de- 

 cides on- one that would not appeal to me 

 for a minute. I would rather have one I 

 can stick into my pocket, so I will not 

 look like an old maid with a bird-cage, 

 when going from j^lace to place. Silk bob- 

 inet veiling, with the lower skirt of cheese- 

 cloth, makes a dandy. Put a shirr-string in 

 the top to draw it around the hat crown; 

 bring the skirt down on the shoulders, the 

 slack around in front; then tuck it in your 

 shirt-front. I have worked many a day in 

 this way, and did not get stung. It would 

 be torture to work all day with a coat on, 

 such as is shown in the illustration. Mr. 

 Miller also says, " But you will have a more 

 pleasant time if you keep decent, good-na- 

 tured bees, and dispense with a veil alto- 

 gether, or almost." That was my idea when 

 I came to California. I laughed at my uncle 

 for wearing a veil so much; but he said, 

 " Never mind ; you will come to it." We 

 started extracting. I was uncapping and 

 throwing out, he taking off and wheeling in. 

 Near 3 p. m. the old gentleman was getting 

 tired, so I offered to change with him, which 

 I did. Wheelbarrow and smoker in hand, I 

 rushed out, and very promptly I rushed 

 back, perfectly in love with a veil, and 

 have been ever since. I do not care how 

 gentle bees are, when you get them stirred 

 up with good lively extracting operations 

 there is going to be a good demand for a 

 veil. 



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