578 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beekeeping in California 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlaiids, Cal. 



On Aug-. 27 I leave, by motor cycle, for 

 a ten days' trip among the beekeepers of 

 Southern California. While m}' time will 

 be too limited to extend into the central 

 and northern valleys this j'ear, I hope to 

 be able to cover that territory another sea- 

 son and get acquainted with the beekeep- 

 ers and their methods. 

 » * * 



Bees in many localities are doing very 

 little, with little prospect of late nectar 

 to stimulate breeding. I would not be 

 surprised if the stock for wintering would 

 be rather low, causing a shortage of bees 

 for spring breeding.. Some localities, how- 

 ever, continue to yield from various sources 

 sufficient to keep a good amount of breed- 

 ing going on and colonies strong. 

 * * * 



The following dispatch is taken from 

 the Redlands Daily Beview, and dated at 

 Los Angeles, Aug. 24: 



That Geo. B. Larinan's bees ate 12 acres of 

 strawberries, thus depriving the market of that 

 amount of fruit, to his damage in the sum of 

 $1500, is the allegation in the complaint filed to-day 

 in the superior court by T. Katoaka. 



The suit is an action in trespass, Kafoaka in his 

 complaint alleging that the bees "in great numbers, 

 flew, roamed, foraged, and trespassed upon the 

 plaintiff's land without his consent, and ate up, 

 injured, and destroyed the berris, being the grow- 

 ing thereon." 



Ivatoaka's ranch is located in the A. B. 

 Chapman rancho and Larinan's apiary of 

 200 hives is on adjoining property. In ad- 

 dition to demanding damages for the al- 

 leged destruction of his berries, the plain- 

 tiff seeks an injunction to prevent Lari- 

 nan from maintaining his hives on con- 

 tiguous land. 



* * * 



Five big meetings for beekeepers were 

 scheduled for the summer as follows : Aug. 

 3, Dinuba; Aug. 12, Santa Paula; Aug. 

 14, Redlands; Aug. 19 and Sept. 6, Los 

 Angeles. These meetings were held under 

 the direction of Mr. J. B. Neff, represent- 

 ing the Agricultural Department of our 

 State University, speakers being furnished 

 by the State Association, from its member- 

 ship. The boys were wide awake to the 

 interests of beekeepers in general, and es- 

 pecially to the necessity of awakening a 

 general interest among those who are not 

 organized in counties or affiliated with the 

 State association. The officers of the State 

 Association have some fine plans laid, and 

 expect to make the Association member- 

 ship worth many times what it costs. The 

 meeting at Dinuba was a big success, also 

 at Santa Paula, while the one at Redlands 

 was so far ahead of expectations that every 



one was well pleased. Some old-timers 

 were here, including Mr. T. 0. Andrews, 

 of Corona, and Mr. A. T. Wagner, of Ir^- 

 perial Co. A variety of subjects were on 

 the iirogram and all were handled Avith 

 skill. Meetings outside of the big schedule 

 are also being i^lanned, one at Covina 

 having already taken place. California 

 beekeepers should be thankful that we have 

 energetic men at the head of our State. 

 Association who lose no opportunity to 

 advance oifr interests. 



* -;;.- * 



I am in receipt of a letter from ]\Ir. M. 

 E. Richter, editor of "Honey Plants of Cal- 

 fornia," who is now located at Santiago, 

 Chili. Mr. Richter writes me regarding the 

 sage-worm, on wliich I commented in the 

 Jan 15th issue. I quote from his letter : 

 "You say you observed their abundance in 

 off seasons when the sage is less thrifty, 

 and that you are of the opinion that the 

 weather has no influence thereon. My ob- 

 servations were made in Ventura and San- 

 ta Barbara counties, and, of course, during 

 the flowering months of the sage. With 

 many cloudy days during April and May 

 the sage-worms were numerous; but with 

 the first real warm weather in June there 

 was a marked diminution in the worms, 

 and they were invariably found on the 

 north side of the whorls. Such seasons 

 were, to be sure, off seasons, and the sages 

 were not thrifty, for they lacked the neces- 

 sary warm weather. With bright warm 

 sunshine, however, in April and May, the 

 worms were inconspicuous, and the season 

 was good." In justice to Mr. Richter I 

 have quoted the aljove, though my ideas are 

 somewhat different from his. Some fea- 

 tures of this season would seem to prove his 

 contention, while others do not. 



Tlie sage-worm, or weevil, as I have pre- 

 viously styled them, were the worst, to my 

 knowledge, this season, and the weather 

 through Ai)ril and part of May was surely 

 very bad. which would bear out Mr. Rich- 

 ter's contention. On the other hand, the 

 weather after May 12 was very warm and 

 clear for a number of days just at the time 

 this pest was doing its Avorst, and cutting 

 the life out of the buttons. The season of 

 190.3 was the coldest and most backward I 

 have ever seen, yet there was not a weevil, 

 but an enormous honey-yield, nearly all of 

 which came after May 15. The following 

 season, with bountiful rains and open 

 spring weather, the weevil was quite plen- 

 tiful, and sages yielded meagerly. I will 

 make further observations next season. 



