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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



PROBABLY SAC BROOD INSTEAD OF BLACK 

 BROOD. 



I submit the following extract from a 

 letter just received from Mr. J. D. Bixby : 



Your Mr. Meeker, County Inspector, is laboring 

 under some misapprehension as to black brood. Sev- 

 eral parties have been down, and others have written 

 me, and I have also seen fresh samples from four 

 hives in two apiaries, which he had pronounced 

 black brood, which are distinctly not, but are un- 

 questionably a bad form of pickled brood or sac 

 brood as the Department calls it. The same also 

 prevails in parts of Riverside Co., and about Lords- 

 burg and Pomona. I had a man here from Pomona 

 yesterday with samples which seem to be worst 

 where the honey-fiow has been light. 



It is some relief to hear that there is even 

 a possibility of our not being so close to 

 the disease as has been reported. Mr. Bixby 

 is a man of wide experience with this dis- 

 ease, and it is very likely that he is correct, 

 as Mr. Meeker has not had to combat the 

 disease, and has not lived where it has pre- 

 vailed. * * * 



WHAT TO DO FROM NOW ON. 



The problem from now on that will ab- 

 sorb the mind of the California beekeeper 

 will be how to manage the bees with the 

 least possible, expense, and keep them in 

 the best possible condition. Some will have 

 the foul-brood question to give them addi- 

 tional concern. Near the coast some will 

 doubtless turn toward the bean-fields for 

 relief, while in the foot-hill region there 

 are those who can go higher in the moun- 

 tains for relief, the main object being to 

 keep the bees in good condition in anticipa- 

 tion of a honey-flow next season. Nine 

 years ago my uncle and I hauled five loads 

 of bees into the Julian Mountains (a dis- 

 tance of ninety miles) to summer them. 

 They were not returned until the following 

 April, but came back in fine condition, and 

 averaged 240 pounds per colony for the 

 season. There are many places nearer that 

 I believe would be just as good. But we 

 can not all go. In fact, the great major- 

 ity of us must stay where we are and work 

 out our own salvation. 



In the natural course of events eight 

 months must pass before we can expect 

 relief, four of which will be during the 

 hot summer. Then we may have a repeti- 

 tion of the season of 1905, with an open wet 

 Avinter allowing the weak colonies to build 

 up rapidly, to our great delight. 



Honey will doubtless be sold at a good 

 ]n'ice, and there will be great temptation 

 to take every thing found above the brood- 

 chamber. In fact, it is now bring-ing 10 

 cts. a pound for white. The feeding-back 

 of sugar is the plan of those Avho take all 



in sight. This I believe to he false econo- 

 my, for it will not be possible to secure the 

 same results from a pound of sugar that 

 one would get from a pound of sealed hon- 

 ey. Then, again, sugar may not be as cheap 

 later as at the present time, for it is sure 

 to advance during the fruit-canning season, 

 and may not return to its present level. 

 Even if it should, it is not the equal of 

 honey for breeding purposes. 



Many have already extracted all old hon- 

 ey from their supers to prevent it from 

 blending the new crop into a darker grade. 

 Tliis must be fed back or sugar used in its 

 stead. 



I have been so doubtful of the season 

 from the beginning that I removed the old 

 honey, but did not extract it, and have now 

 returned it to the hives, jDlacing two supers 

 over the strongest colonies with an excluder 

 below. It will be left there until the weak- 

 er colonies need it, then it will be given to 

 them in the comb. I prefer to carry the 

 combs over by storing them on the strong- 

 est colonies, for the reason that they are bet- 

 ter able to protect it from moth and robber 

 bees where it contains honey. I never make 

 a practice of suli^huring combs for the 

 purpose of keeping moths out if there are 

 bees sufficient in the yard to protect them 

 through the summer mouths. They may be 

 removed late in the fall and stored until 

 needed in the spring, and thus avoid the 

 disagreeable odor of sulphur. 



Usually breeding will not entirely cease 

 if there are plenty of stores on the liive, 

 and in consequence it is not best to let a 

 colony get too low in stores, but to take 

 combs from the stronger ones and give to 

 the weaker ones before they begin to be 

 poverty-stricken, and thus encourage nor- 

 mal breeding. The season may not be as 

 bad as I anticipate ; but it can not be very 

 good for breeding purposes after the hot 

 weather sets in, for what little green veg- 

 etation there is in the foot-hills will soon 

 be parched and dry from the hot summer 

 sun, and the chances are that in many sec- 

 tions of the foot-hill region we shall find 

 our colonies very much run down by au- 

 tumn, for many are none too strong now. 



Have courage. This is not the first peri- 

 od of the kind California has seen, and will 

 not be the last; but there will be good 

 periods between, and some day we shall 

 realize more for our honey crop than we 

 could sell the bees for at the present time, 

 with interest at 6 per cent added. It is no 

 time to get the selling fever; but in my 

 opinion it is the very best time to buy. 



