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For the American Bee Journal. 



My Honey Report for 1880. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



The season of 1SS0 opened a little 

 earlier than usual, bees getting pollen 

 quite freely as early as April 17, while 

 on May 12th the willows furnished a 

 little honey, sufficient to start brood- 

 rearing nicely; so the bees were in a 

 prosperous condition to take advantage 

 of apple blossoms. 



May 22d found our bees rushing out 

 of their hives bright and early to get 

 the nectar which was being secreted in 

 the apple blossoms quite plentifully. 

 The combs in our hives soon began to 

 show the result by the lengthened ap- 

 pearance of the cells at the tops of the 

 frames ; lengthened with new white 

 wax, which always does the eyes of an 

 apiarist good to behold. After about 4 

 days a rain set in, terminating with 

 cold, which put a stop to the operations 

 of the bees till the blossoms had fallen 

 off. Our bees, however, had collected 

 on an average about 10 lbs. to the colony, 

 so we were perfectly satisfied with the 

 result, although we should have been 

 more pleased if nothing had occurred 

 to hinder their gathering honey till 

 apple bloom had gone. When we had 

 our bees prepared for the season's opera- 

 tions we found we had 70 colonies to 

 begin the season with, all of which 

 were in fine condition June 10th, to take 

 advantage of a yield from clover, if 

 such a yield could have existed. But 

 alas, our open winter had made havoc 

 with the clover, the most of which was 

 found standing on their heads, with 

 their roots turned toward the sky, upon 

 the approach of spring. Still, along the 

 road-side and in old pastures of long 

 standing there was considerable left 

 that had withstood the constant de- 

 termination of Jack frost to heave 

 them out of the ground, and upon this 

 we placed our hopes of a living, at least, 

 for our hees, and perhaps a small sur- 

 plus. But we were destined to disap- 

 pointment, for June 18th found us feed- 

 ing our bees to keep them from starv- 

 ing. On June 22d the blossoms of the 

 whitewood secreted enough honey so we 

 ceased to feed, when some of our most 

 enterprising Italians began to swarm. 



Basswood opened 10 days earlier than 

 usual, and 7 days sooner than we ever 

 knew it before ; so that July 1st found 

 the bees going to the woods in countless 

 numbers. Yet the yield at no time was 



great. Our best colony for extracted 

 honey gave us a yield of only 10 lbs. per 

 day, against 22 lbs. per day in 1877. On 

 July loth came the close of basswood, 

 after which our bees hardly obtained a 

 living from the few scattering flowers, 

 such as catnip, motherwort, etc., which 

 blossomed in waste places and along the 

 fences. Buckwheat opened Aug. 12th, 

 and we hoped for a yield from that 

 source, as we had not secured a pound 

 of surplus from buckwheat since 1877, 

 and surely it ought to yield honey one 

 year in three at least. Disappointment 

 was again our lot, for although there 

 was 50 acres within the range of our 

 bees 1 flight, still they obtained scarcely 

 more than enough to supply the de- 

 mands of the brood. Thus our season 

 for honey closed with no surplus except 

 from basswood. As a result, we again 

 have to report a poor season, yet not a 

 discouraging one by any means. We 

 have taken, in comb honey, 3.532 lbs., 

 and 812 lbs. of extracted, or 4,344 lbs. in 

 all. This gives us an average of a little 

 over 62 lbs. for each colony in the spring. 

 Our bees have increased from 70 to 112 

 colonies, in fair condition for winter. 



Last year we gave as our average for 

 the past 7 years, 90 lbs. per colony, and 

 were in hopes, by having a good season 

 this year, we might bring it up to an 

 even 100 lbs. for an 8 years average ; 

 but we have gone the wrong way, and 

 so have to chronicle as an average yield 

 per colony, for the past 8 years, 86 3 ^ lbs , 

 nine-tenths of which has been box 

 honey. 



Now, there are three requisites to- 

 ward securing a large yield of honey in 

 a good season ; a fair yield in a medium 

 to poor season, and a little in a very poor 

 season. First and most important is 

 the man or apiarist. The man that 

 knows just when and how to do a thing 

 so that everything is done just at the 

 right time, and in the right place, and 

 also knowing how to use, and having 

 all the modern appliances for successful 

 honey raising, will rarely have cause to 

 complain of his poor success. 



Second. A race of industrious bees, 

 whose queens shall keep the combs in 

 the brood chamber well occupied with 

 brood, at all times, till the honey har- 

 vest doses for the season. To this end 

 each one should breed only from queens 

 that give the best results as producing 

 honey-gatherers in their progeny. 



Third. A hive that is adapted to the 

 natural instincts of the bee, and also 

 easy of operation for the bee keeper. 

 For box honey, the boxes should come 

 close to the brood, so no space of heavy 

 wood or sealed stores intervene between 

 the surplus arrangement and the brood ; 



