AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



801 



brood-rearing ; then the warmth again ; 

 so that the wear and tear on the old bees 

 is so great that strong colonies on March 

 1, get weaker and weaker until some- 

 time in May, when the warmth helps 

 them to increase again. 



But unlike Iowa and Wisconsin the 

 old bees which go into winter quarters 

 in the fall are entirely gone by May, if 

 not in April, and the colony then con- 

 sists of few newly-reared bees not worn 

 by labor or age, and which may live to 

 rear brood and help gather honey. 

 When a colony consists of these young 

 bees it becomes very tenacious to life, 

 and in cases of weak colonies they may 

 become very weak and still keep up 

 their courage, and not dwindle away like 

 the colonies of old bees do in Iowa. But 

 the cold nights and cloudy days (which 

 are always cold) seem to continue so late 

 in the spring that the colonies do not 

 have time to build up before the alfalfa 

 is in bloom. 



This continual breeding takes large 

 amounts of stores — probably about 50 

 to 60 lbs. to last from one hon#y harvest 

 to the next ; and with all this consump- 

 tion of stores and labor by the old bees, 

 the colonies all through February, 

 March, and April continue to get a little 

 weaker, showing that it costs the life of 

 more than one old bee, besides the honey 

 consumed, to rear a young bee ; and 

 that if the old bees can be made to live 

 until warm weather without rearing 

 brood, it is by far the most economical 

 plan. 



In April the colonies are the smallest, 

 and build up like weak colonies, but the 

 vitality of the bees being of the very 

 best, they are able to do considerably 

 more than the same number of old bees 

 would do in Iowa or Wisconsin. 



When the colonies are put out in Iowa, 

 and the weather warm, the hive being 

 crowded with old bees, the queen will 

 have 4 to 6 combs nearly full of eggs 

 and brood in 10 to 20 days. When the 

 old bees die it is by thousands ; so when 

 the brood begins to hatch that goes by 

 thousands, and the places of the old 

 bees are more than supplied at once. 



Although Colorado is a very large 

 State, good locations for apiaries are 

 very scarce. Four-fifths of the country 

 would not support bees at all, because 

 alfalfa does not grow everywhere. It is 

 not raised nearly as much as it might 

 be, and never will, spread all over the 

 State like clover in Iowa and Wisconsin. 

 All crops depend upon irrigation with 

 the snow-water that comes from the 

 mountains, and which quantity can 



supply only a limited amount of land 

 situated near by ; and it is only along 

 these irrigation ditches in certain and 

 favored spots where bees thrive; just 

 about like the basswood ranges in Iowa ; 

 but it does not compare with the bass- 

 wood of Wisconsin, nor the white clover 

 of any of those States. The color and 

 flavor of alfalfa honey is about the same 

 as basswood, and Luzerne apiary took 

 nine tons of it as last year's crop, one- 

 half in the comb, with 30 or 40 per 

 cent, increase of colonies. 



Alfalfa is practically the only honey 

 producer here, and this apiary, so far as 

 I can learn, is the best equipped in the 

 State. Over 100 of the new Heddon 

 hives are in use, and its proprietor has 

 purchased the exclusive right of that 

 hive for Weld county. 



The average per colony is about the 

 same as in Iowa, as some who keep bees 

 get very little honey in any season. 



There is good prospects of sweet 

 clover becoming, in time, a help to the 

 bee-keeper, there being small patches of 

 it started here and there. 



One great drawback to the bee-busi- 

 ness is the lack of market for the honey, 

 and consequent heavy shipping expenses, 

 which amounts to about 20 pounds 

 per colony, and would bring the colony 

 average of 80 pounds here, to the 60 

 pounds which I obtained in Wisconsin 

 last year. 



Greeley, Colo., June 3, 1892. 



HalJlinani Bee-Keepers' Conyenllon. 



E. C. CAMPBELL. 



The meeting of the Haldimand Bee- 

 Keepers' Association was held at Nelles' 

 Corners, Ont., on Saturday, May 28, 

 1892, with President Israel Overholt in 

 the chair, and thirteen other members 

 present. 



Eighteen members reported 550 colo- 

 nies, fall count; and 498, spring count. 



On the question, " Does it pay to build 

 up weak colonies by taking from strong 

 ones ?" there was considerable discus- 

 sion. The members generally thought 

 that it did not pay? 



A general discussion then ensued on 

 various subjects of interest to bee-keep- 

 ers, and a profitable time was spent. It 

 was decided to hold the next meeting at 

 South Cayuga, Wismer's Corners, on 

 Saturday, Aug. 27, 1892. 



A committee was appointed to see 

 after the government grant, and to 

 arrange as to prize money to the shows 



