684 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



Sept. 28. 190S 



2?cports anb 

 (Experiences 



Early Honey-Flow Good 



About fi weeks ago I got an Italian queen, 

 introduced her according to directione, and 

 now I notice about one-lialf tiie colony is as 

 fine a colored lot of bees as I have ever seen. 



In June we had a couple weeks of good 

 boney-flow, but since that time there hasn't 

 been any honey coming in— not enough for 

 wintering. The light colonies will have to be 

 fed for winter. W. H. Ellis. 



Calhoun Co., Iowa, Sept. IS. 



Colony Killing Off Bees 



A year ago I lost S colonies out of 10, and 

 last winter I lost 4 colonies out of 6. I was 

 so discouraged I wanted to give up. I have 3 

 now, but something is wrong with one of 

 them. It is a strong colony, but the bees are 

 killing about a quart of bees a day. As soon 

 as they are dead they turn black. What can 

 be the cause of this? Are they robbers, or is 

 It some disease? I closed the entrance to 

 about 2 inches, and they are working now 



A swarm that issued .June IS has filled a 

 10xl4-inch frame hive and 63 sections. How 

 is that for a wet summer? A. A. Whitton 



Lycoming Co., Pa., Aug. 31. 



[It may be robbers, or it may be that a weak 

 swarm has entered and the bees of the colony 

 are killing the intruders. 



The work of that swarm of June 18 is not 

 bad for any summer. — Editor.] 



Season Hard on Bee-Keepers 



This has been the most injurious season to 

 bee-keeping that I can remember. Beginning 

 with a cold, rainy spring, and heavy rains 

 continuing in June, July and August, with 

 but few intervals, it was difficult for the bees 

 to gather much surplus honey. 



Last year at this time I had extracted 10,500 

 pounds, and now up to this date I have ex- 

 tracted only 3300 pounds. 



Often the bees were compelled to eat in- 

 stead of gathering hoaey, and in many in- 

 stances, especially with nuclei, I was com- 

 pelleo to feed with comb honey from extra- 

 strong colonies, and extracted honey in Doo- 

 little feeders. 



The last 10 days have been clear, with the 

 exception of one shower, and the bees are be- 

 ginning to store surplus honey. Two-pound 

 sections put on June 15 are just being filled. 

 Out none are capped over. A neighbor was 

 anxious in regard to his bees, as he found 

 some of the larvtf dying, and on examination 

 1 tound It the result of starvation. He im- 

 mediately resorted to feeding, and averted 

 any further loss. o. M Blanton. 



Washington Co., Miss., Sept. 5. 



Honey Crop In Southern California 



I saw the statement recently (in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal I think, made by those who 

 make it a business to know) that the honey 

 crop of Southern California this year would 

 be only about,',. In this section that esti- 

 mate will hold good, not becau.^^e we did not 

 have the honey, but because we did not have 

 the bees to gather it. 



Last year's drouth was the most disastrous 

 to bees of any season for i any years. Last 

 spring It was my business to see every resi- 

 dent in a territory that would average 20 

 miles square, in which there were many bee- 

 keepers. I found only 2 bte-keepers whose 

 losses were as low as ao percent. If I remem- 

 ber correctly the next lowest was about 40 

 percent. Most of the losses were around 

 .5 percent, and some 90 and 05 percent, 

 ihose bee-keepers having less than 10 or 12 

 colonies and who allowed their bees to provide 



for themselves, J did not count where all were 

 lost. 



Like a good many others, I did not begin to 

 feed soon enough, but another time under 

 like circumstances I think 1 could feed more 

 effectively, although I saved 19 out of about 

 70 colonies, all healthy, but not strong. 



Our season opened about 6 weeks late, and 

 while I tried to get a few days at home each 

 week to look after the bees, when I did all I 

 could to control swarming, I lost 15 or 16 of 

 the first swarms, which, at that stage, was a 

 serious loss. 



The bees did not get strong enough to do 

 effective storing until the black sage — from 

 which we get our nicest and best honey — was 

 well past its best. About June!, however, 

 they were over their swarming-fever. and I 

 began to have bushels of bees. The way they 

 scooped in the honey would make a man's 

 eyes stick out. I could not always keep ahead 

 of them in filling frames with ioundation. 

 This kept up until about the last of July on 

 white sage, wild buckwheat, sumac, and 

 towards the last tar- weed. This last does not 

 make very nice honey, but it feeds the bees. 



I have now 100 colonies, all in fine condi- 

 tion (except one through an accident). I 

 think they have plenty of honey to carry 

 them through until next year. Some of the 

 later colonies I may have to even up a little, 

 but there is plenty of honey elsewhere to do 

 it. Besides, I have put away over 200 good, 

 fat frames of honey to use wherever they will 

 do me the most good. If there is any honey 

 in the fields next year I hope to have the bees 

 to gather it. 



The bees are still gathering a little honey 

 from the very last of wild buckwheat, a spe- 

 cies of goldenrod and sugar-gum. I wish I 

 had thousands of these trees where I have one 

 now. I think they must equal your basswood, 

 not in quality, perhaps, but in quantity. The 

 bees keep up a perfect roar on them, and if 

 they are close to the house you would have to 

 be a most uncommonly sound sleeper if their 

 noise did not arouse you before it was fairly 

 light. Near the trees the air is filled with the 

 odor from the blossoms, and the white blos- 

 soms are fairly black with bees, and the 

 bloom keeping up for weeks. 



Three years ago this fall the greater part of 

 the pasture upon which I depend (several 

 square miles 75 percent black sage, 20 per- 

 cent white sage and sumac) was burned off 

 as bare as a street, since when we have had 

 only one really good growing year, so that the 

 black sage, a naturally slow grower, has been 

 more than usually slow. I have just discov- 

 ered, however, that if given favorable condi- 

 tions it grows quite rapidly. Black sage must 

 be several years old before it blooms much. 

 An abundance of rain next winter would give 

 me considerable pasture in this burned dis- 

 trict. A. J. Burns. 



San Diego Co., Calif,, Sept. 1. 



Poop Season for Honey 



This has been a very poor season for honey 

 in this locality. The prospects were good in 

 early spring, but the drouth during June 

 killed the white cloverandcut the crop short. 

 We have but very little basswood in this lo- 

 cality, consequently the crop does not amount 

 to much from that source. We have had so 

 much rain since the drouth was broken that 

 we will get very little, if any, fall honey. We 

 can only hope for a better crop next season. 

 H. M, Garner. 



Miller Co., Mo., Sept. 2. 



Two Good Seasons— Briar-Beppy 



We have had two very good honey-years. I 

 had .52 colonies last year and secured 2600 

 pounds of honey, and this year with the same 

 number of colonies I secured 1700 pounds. 



We have had some trouble here with the 

 bees sucking briar-berries. They come into 

 bloom just as the gall berry bloom gives out, 

 and the bees put the briar-berry juice around 

 the edges of the white honey, which makes 

 the sections look as though they were in 

 mourning — the black juice around the white 

 honey. 



Last year was the best honey season we 

 have ever had in this country. One trouble 



with us is that we have too much rain in the 

 honey season. S. B. Singletart. 



Thomas Co., Ga., Sept. 4. 



White Clovep a Failure 



The white clover honey was a complete 

 failure in this locality, and I think in Mis- 

 souri—lots- of bloom but no nectar. Buck- 

 wheat and Spanish-needle are in bloom, but 

 it rains almost daily, so we will get no fall 

 crop. My customers are after me for honey. 

 A. E. Patten. 



Lawrence Co., Mo., Sept. 15. 



i2l"e honey- jars 



The No. i5 Honey-Jar, Porcelain Cover, Met3l 

 Screw Cap, absolutely tip ot, holding One Pound 

 of Honey, Net, in shipping-cases of one gross 

 each: 



I gross lots $4 SO per gross 



S " " 4.(J0 



Also in strong RE-SHPPINQ CASES of two 

 dozen each, heavy corrngated partitions, sides, 

 top and bottom— a perfect prttection- 



1 case lots $1,00 per case 



5 " 95 " 



10 " -90 " 



Eight-ounce Tumblers, tin caps, 3 dozen in re- 

 shipping case: 



5 case lots, per case, 3 doz gSc 



10 " " " 80c 



20 " " " 7Sc 



F.O.B. New York. Prompt shipment on re- 

 ceipt of order. 



HILDRETH & SEQELKEN, 



265 A. 267 GREENWICH ST., NEW YORK, N. Y. 



llAtf Please mention the Bee Journal. 



Bees,Q,ueens and Nuclei 



Choice home-bred and im- 

 ported stock. All queens 

 reared in full colonies. 



One untested queen $.65 



One tested queen oo 



One select tested queen,. 1.10 



One breeding queen 1.65 



One comb nucleus (no 



queen) i.GO 



All grades ready to send 

 by return mail. 



Safe arri\al guaranteed. 

 For prices on quantities and 

 description of each grade of 

 Queens, send for free price-list, 100 or 200 lbs, 

 of Brood Foundation, Send for sample and 

 prices. J» l^* S'l'R^H^W. 



304 East Logan Street. CLARINOA, IOWA. 

 14Atf Please mention the Bee Joaraal. 



Wb Sell Root's Goods in Michiqan 



Let us quote you prices on Sections, Hives, 

 Foundation, etc, as we can save you time and 

 freight. Beeswax Wanted for Caab. 



M. H. HUNT A SON. 



Bbll Branch. Waynb Co., Mich 

 Mention Bee .Joiirual n-hen writing^. 



En§ra vin$s Fo r Sale 



We are accumulating quite a stock of engrav- 

 ings that have been used in the American Bee 

 Journal. No doubt many of them could be used 

 again by bee-keepers in their local newspapers, 

 on their stationery, or in other ways. Also, if 

 we can sell some of them it would help us to 

 pay for others that we are constantly having 

 made and using in our columns. If there is any 

 of our engravings that any one wonld like to 

 have, just let us know and we will quote a very 

 low price, postpaid. Address, 



GEORGE W. YORK & CO. 



334 Dearborn Street, 



CHICAGO, ILI» 



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 when writing advertisers. 



