THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



265 



ance of honey, though the breeding was 

 going on well. Tlie depopulation noticed 

 was marked, many of the Dees dying. He 

 believed that where sumac abounded liber- 

 ally, the bees might live, but in other, and 

 most places, the probability was that they 

 will have to be fed or leave them to their 

 fate. He thought tlie weak and storeless 

 hives would have to be destroyed, and 

 recommended sulphur if necessary to be 

 used to kill them. He recommended the 

 saving of only a limited number of bees, 

 and that care be taken of the comb. At his 

 Valle de los Viejos apiary, his highest 

 apiary, bees were not doing as well as else- 

 where. He did not think he would get a 

 good case of honey; and suggested that his 

 course be adopted. His letters from Los 

 Angeles stated a large loss on bees, and that 

 little or no honey would be made there. 



Mr. McAlmond said he had a few hives in 

 the Campo district; had examined several 

 hives and found only a little honey in the 

 main frames. 



Mr. Frazier said Mr. Harbison's statement 

 agreed with what he had observed on his 

 apiary, at that many deaths among the bees 

 had been noticed. In one or two hives was 

 a very little honey. Before the late east 

 wind, bees were doing a little better; that 

 wind seemed fatal to them. 



Mr. Blaidell, of Poway, said a few of his 

 bees had made a little honey up to two 

 weeks, and were doing something better 

 now. He thought that a half to two-thirds 

 of his bees would be able to live. 



Mr. Harbison stated that, so far as he had 

 observed, the little honey making was of 

 the lowest grade. 



Mr. Mitchell, of I'oAvay, said he found a 

 little honey in his hives. 



Mr. Harbison said, in reference to swarm- 

 ing, that there had not been on his apiaries 

 over from 6 to 10. The same was true of 

 Mr. Clark's apiaries, and he thought his 

 report a fair one for all sections. 



Mr. Morse said he had heard that the 

 apiaries about Julian were doing well. 



Mr. Bowman, of Bear Valley, said the 

 bees there were not doing much. He 

 thought many of them must die, and that 

 they had had very few swarms though they 

 breed well. His best hives were not half 

 filled, and many had no honey in them at 

 all. The season would last about 10 days 

 more. 



Mr. Fox said had conversed with gentle- 

 men from San Dieguito. One gentleman 

 thought he would be likely to save 100 out 

 of 300 hives. Another, reported his aj^iary 

 doing better, but he had a field of alfalfa. 

 Around Wentwortli's, the feed had been 

 eaten up by the sheep, and the apiary had 

 to be removed. At his own apiary, in a few 

 hives, the young bees were doing pretty 

 well. Mr. Lawson's apiary reported some 

 work in the section boxes. Mr. Bergman 

 reported his bees doing pretty well, and 

 thought some honey would be made. 



Mr. Terry spoke of L. M. Ritchie's apiary, 

 and said it was doing very well. His apiary 

 is in San Bernardino. 



Mr. Harbison attributed much of the lack 

 of success to the late east wind. 



Mr. Mitchell, of Poway, said that he 

 thought his bees would make a living— the 

 strong making enough to feed the weaker 

 ones, but no surplus. 



Mr. Harbison thought the sumac might 

 last 3 weeks, but the wind of to-day seemed 



to be detrimental. He thought if the aver- 

 age of the season could be run up to S 

 weeks, most of the bees might be saved. 



The secretary said he was questioned 

 daily as to the manner of feeding the bees, 

 and wanted information. 



Mr. Harbison tiionght there was little 

 danger of contagious disease. The county 

 was free from foul brood. He advised the 

 use of sugar for feeding, if feeding be 

 necessary. He did not fear any other 

 diseases, as they had at no time to be closed 

 up for a long while. He thought the comb 

 honey of the county a safe feed, and 

 thought a pound of sealed honey better than 

 raw honey. Let the bees accumulate and 

 depopulate, and then feed rapidly. He 

 mentioned sugar candy as a feed (reduced)^ 

 and said it was reconnnended in other quar- 

 ters, but he had had no experience. Pure 

 honey to be fed to bees should be diluted 

 according to the season. The more it is 

 diluted, the more young bees will be 

 brought on. Candid honey was not objec- 

 tionable. 



Mr. Mitchell said his practice was to set 

 the candid honey into his hives, and it 

 worked well. He said it served to encour- 

 age the working of the hive, and he thought 

 his bees would be able to live. 



Mr. Harbison said the quantity of honey 

 necessary to feed the bees was hard to 

 determine. The honey seasons had usually 

 closed about Sept. 15th, except in 1S75. The 

 bees ate from a half to two-thirds in the 

 hive, representing 40 to 45 lbs. He thought 

 25 to 30 fi)S. of honey would be necessary, 

 say from 1st Sept. to Feb. Five frames of 

 honey, he thouglit necessary to carry them, 

 through, and then a little feed might be 

 required, if the flowers were late. It was. 

 better to reduce stock than to go to the ex- 

 pense of feeding. A hive that would not 

 support itself was worthless, and should be 

 destroyed. He believed there were too 

 many bees on the range. 



One gentleman said he had knowledge of 

 75 wild bees, and he intended to take the 

 honey for his bees. 



Mr. Harbison did not believe that the 

 fumigation of comb would have an injurious 

 effect for further work. He did not know, 

 but thought sulphur would not kill the eggs 

 of moths. 



The tax question was then discussed, and 

 a committee appointed to get the assess- 

 ment reduced. They waited on the super- 

 visors to get it reduced from $2.50 to $2 per- 

 hive. 



A. Lovett was elected a member. 



Fi-om the above and other information, 

 the Executive Committee draw the follow- 

 ing conclusions: 



1st— That a considerable proportion of the 

 bees in this county are now almost destitute 

 of feed, and will not be able to provide 

 stores enough to winter on. 



2d— That at the close of the honey season, 

 which may occur earlier than usual, all 

 stands not containing at least 5 frames full 

 of honey will require to winter them, 

 enough honey to make up that amount, or 

 say 25 lbs. in all. 



3d— If any stand, at the close of the sea- 

 son, contains no lioney it will not pay to at- 

 tempt to save it,. by buying feed; but each 

 bee-Keeper must use his own discretion in 

 regard to how much he can afford to feed. 



