12 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Here are the names of 23 bee-keepers 

 who have been remarkably successful. 

 They may be called lucky by some, but 

 few will doubt that they exercised great 

 skill in the management of th^ir business. 

 Now, if each one of these would write a 

 careful account of the points tried so suc- 

 cessfully, which enabled them to ac- 

 complish so handsome a result, I have no 

 doubt their statements would be studied 

 with greater care for some time to come 

 than any other writings on the subject of 

 bee culture. O. L. Abbott. 



Santa Barbara, Cal., Nov. 8, 1875. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Amateur. 



There is a question in the August num- 

 ber of the Journal, asked bj^ Mr. Ras- 

 mussen of this county which I think was 

 answered incorrectly. The question was 

 as to the cause of brood with blue eyes, 

 fully grown but left uncapped. My 

 opinion is, such brood is left uncapped 

 on account of a small moth worm, which 

 is near the bottom of the cells and where 

 the bees cannot reach them. The cells 

 are left open hoping that the worm may 

 come out. 



If any one will take a sheet of comb 

 thus affected, and rap on the cells, or in 

 some way so disturb it as to frighten the 

 worms, you will see them crawl out of 

 the cells, or from one cell to another. 

 The cells which are lengthened out and 

 capped only are not drones, but the brood 

 which has been troubled as above des- 

 cribed and the worms removed, the brood 

 being older, is not capped in the same 

 way as young larvae. 



The larva or crysalis, described with 

 blue eyes, is not dead, but it is frequently 

 the case that the worm has tied it in the 

 cell so tight that it cannot extricate itself 

 but has to be cut out by the bees. 



I have received many letters asking 

 additional questions about this locality 

 for bees, and will answer a few of them 

 through the columns of the Journal. 



Our mountain bee-ranches are the very 

 best localities for health. We are gener- 

 ally at an altitude of about 1500 ft. — above 

 the dampness of the sea coast, and almost 

 entirely free from frost. Most of the 

 ranches are from 12 to 25 miles from R. R. 

 or market of any kind. We generally 

 sell our hcmey to eastern dealers. Either 

 direct or to city men who sell to eastern 

 dealers. The home market is very small, 

 compared to the amount of honey pro- 

 duced. The average net price for extract- 

 ed or strained honey is about 8 cents per 

 lb., and for comb about 14 cents. A large 

 majority of the honey is strained or ex- 

 tracted. There are not many bees for sale 

 in Los Angeles Co. The average price 

 per hive, in box hives, is $4.0tj, and in 

 movable comb hives about $8.00. I don't 



think it would pay any man to bring bees 

 out here with him from the east, as the 

 cost in shipping would be too great. It 

 will not be more than two years until this 

 country will have all the bees that it needs. 

 There are some good localities not yet 

 taken up, but they are more inconvenient 

 to market, say 25 miles away and a pretty 

 rough road. There are not many locali- 

 ties in this county that are suitable for 

 bees, that are more than a mile or two 

 away from neighbors, and generally there 

 are several within three miles, some stock 

 ranches and others bees. There are no 

 poisonous reptiles here except the rattle- 

 snake, and but very feio of them. Some 

 Tarantulas, Centipedes and Scorpions, but 

 they are not to be dreaded, as they are 

 nocturnal in their habits and their bite is 

 not fatal. Just such clothing as would be 

 considered " spring clothing " in the East, 

 is needed the year round here. The best 

 bed is a woolen mattress, with feather 

 pillows, and a pair of good blankets, and 

 one quilt. The route is to San Francisco, 

 thence by steamer to San Pedro, thence 

 by rail to Los Angeles. The water here 

 in the mountains is very good. As to the 

 probability of overstocking the market 

 with honey from California, the idea is 

 preposterous. The honey district is a 

 very small one comparatively speaking, 

 and will never injure the market. 

 Orange, Cal. Amateur. 



For the American Bee Journal. 

 The Apiary House Question. 



I notice in November number of the 

 Bee Jourkal an article headed " House 

 Apiary," bearing the signature of M. J. 

 Stibbs, noticing a house apiary built by 

 A. I. Root, of Medina County, who is 

 also editor of " Gleanings," etc. The 

 article states " that although he has not 

 yet given the circumstances that led him 

 to build it, I am quite sure he intends to 

 do so, in justice to 31r. Coe, from whom 

 he procured all the necessary instruction 

 for building it." It is true that Mr. Root 

 visited the house apiary of Mr. Coe, and 

 became familiar with the plans upon 

 which Mr. Coe constructed it, yet Mr. 

 Root's house apiary is by no means 

 fashioned upon the precise plan of Mr. 

 Coe's. They are, in lact, quite different. 

 I have personally inspected both of the 

 houses, and find them to be constructed 

 upon quite ditferent plans. While that 

 of Mr. Coe's is a square building, Mr. 

 Root's is an octagon. Other differences 

 might be mentioned, did time and space 

 permit, but enough has been said to show 

 that Mr. Root has not fashioned his house 

 after the model of Mr. Coe. Mr. Root 

 will, no doubt, in time, give a correct 

 description of his house apiary. 



G. W. Dean. 



River Styx, 0., Nov. 9, 1875. 



