1921 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



491 



ject of thorough research, therefore, 

 I hesitate to reopen the case. 



I believe there are varieties and 

 races in bees just as in chickens, cat- 

 tle, or pigs, each race fitted for a dif- 

 ferent purpose, different climate, and 

 different conditions, and to say that 

 there should be just one race of bees 

 for all the United States and that one 

 is the most perfect everywhere under 

 all conditions, is going against all 

 experience in every branch of animal 

 industry. 



I took up the study of Carniolan 

 bees two years ago. I imported my 

 stock and bred from it and raised 

 honey with it in a special apiary. I 

 am just beginning to find out their 

 characteristics and it may be several 

 years before I will be ready to make 

 &ny definite statements concerning 

 them. It is impossible to enter into 

 details at present. I mention only a 

 few points, which apparently are 

 coming to the front: 



1. They are larger than other bees, 

 and have longer tongues and can 

 work on red clover. 



2. They gather proportionately 

 more honey per colony than other 

 races. 



3. They are the gentlest of all bees 

 we have in the United States; abso- 

 lutely quiet on the comb, not flying 

 fiom the comb when handled, and we 

 need no smoke when working with 

 them. 



4. They are hardier than black or 

 yellow bees and can stand at least 

 two degrees more cold. 



5. On account of their quiet dis- 

 position they winter very well. 



6. They hardly ever rob. 



7. Their queens are so prolific that 

 they are superseded in the early sum- 

 mer. 



8. They cannot be kept in a ten- 

 frame Langstroth and nothing less 

 than Dadant size of hive will do. 



9. Their management will differ 

 radically from the management of 

 Italian bees. 



These are the lines along which I 

 am working now, and I will be too 

 glad to send you further information 

 when, after longer and closer inves- 

 tigations I arrive at definite conclu- 

 sions and can furnish proofs for the 

 same. Francis Jager, 



Minnesota. 



DECOY HIVES 



By Dr. Ransom A. Race 



Early in the spring I prepared some 

 boxes with an old brood comb and 

 placed them in trees in the woods. 

 One of these was placed about a mile 

 from my apiary on the 18th of May. 

 The following Sunday a friend and 

 myself strolled over to see if there 

 was any signs of a bee about the box. 

 The first glance showed six or eight 

 bees flying about and my companion 

 said, in a disgusted tone: "Blamed 

 few bees around here." After watch- 

 ing them for a few minutes I became 

 convinced they were "scouts" from 

 some swarm then clustering some- 

 where in the woods. Filling our pipes 

 we sat down under a nearby tree to 

 wait developments. In a very short 



time every bee flying about the box 

 left it; but in less than thi-ee minutes 

 a slight buzzing sound was heard 

 which kept increasing in volume and 

 in almost no time the bees were seen 

 coming down through the trees 

 straight for the box, no time being 

 wasted by them in taking possession. 



As soon as nearly all were in, the 

 box was closed and taken home and 

 they were hived in a Modified Dadant 

 hive, which they have filled with comb 

 and about 25 pounds of surplus 

 honey.and that, too, during a season 

 that has been almost an absolute fail- 

 ure. 



They are splendid Italian bees, as 

 well marked as any bees I have in my 

 apiary. 



While this was taking place it was 

 almost as interesting to watch the 

 friend who was with me. Until then 

 he had no interest in the bees, but, 

 since then, his interest has grown un- 

 til now he has bees of his own, and I 

 really believe he has become as big 

 a "bug" as I am. 



Massachusetts. 



My Central Plant Investment 



Small honey house, valued at_$100.00 

 Extractor and small tools 56.40 



Total investment $156.40 



I figure depreciation as allowed 

 by the Government. 



5 per cent on building 5.00 



10 per cent on other equip- 

 ment 5.64 



Annual depreciation charge-$10.64 

 This plant has been in use for 

 4 years, total depreciation 

 for time in use 42.56 



HONEY PRODUCTION COSTS IN A 

 SMALL APIARY 



By Elmer Beach 



Having just finished figuring cost 

 on my honey production for this year, 

 I thought you might be interested in 

 seeing the figures. 



My little apiary is composed of 

 eight colonies, five in old-style Dadant 

 hives, two in 10-frame Langstroth and 

 one in 8-frame, all located here in my 

 home garden within ten feet of each 

 other. 



The nature of stock investment, be- 

 ing of wood, and necessarily kept well 

 covered and pi'otected, and when that 

 wood is covered thick with wax it is 

 still less destructible, I finally decided 

 that 5 per cent depreciation, same as 

 on wood buildings, would be about 

 right, instead of the 10 per cent al- 

 lowed on most classes of equipment. 

 While these stacks may be termed 

 equipment, the charge is always based 

 on the "probable life of the asset in 

 use," and I presume unless something 

 unusual happens that most of the 

 stack equipment will be in use at the 

 end of 20 years. Therefore in this 

 cost work I depreciate the stack at 

 that I'ate, 5 per cent, instead of 10 per 

 cent. 



Some may not agree with me in 

 capitalizing the work of the bees in 

 combs. But I insist on that. If my 

 bees spend their time this season cre- 

 ating 100 new combs, this season 

 should have the credit. Because they 

 are going to remain right on in use 

 for twenty years more. They will 

 never need building again, and by 

 capitalizing them and then spreading 

 the amount over 20 years as a depre- 

 ciation charge on stack investment, 

 that makes each year stand its own 

 part of that investment. I may be a 

 little high, but I would hate to un- 

 dertake making one for 50 cents. I 

 feel that my charge is about right, 

 when compared with the cost of alum- 

 inum combs. 



Sound value of central plant 



investment $113.84 



On which I have figured inter- 

 est at 6 per cent. 



My Stack Investments 



8 hives complete $ 80.75 



4 extra bodies, complete 22.05 



20 supers, complete 79.90 



I have also capitalized the bees 



and their work in building 



combs as follows: 



8 colonies of bees at $5 40.00 



110 brood combs at 50c each 



for Dadant and 40c each 



for Langstroth 52.00 



210 extracting combs at 20 



and 25c 46.50 



Total stack investment _--$321.20 

 While the Government allows 

 10 per cent depreciation on 

 almost every kind of equip- 

 ment, hives are in the nature 

 of a building, and probably 

 about as durable, and I have 

 charged the same deprecia- 

 tion as on frame buildings, 

 which gives annual deprecia- 

 tion charge of 5 per cent on 



stack investment $ 15.77 



Some of this equipment is in 

 use four years, some three 

 and some less. 



Total depreciation for time 

 in use is 44.52 



Leaving net sound value of in- 

 vestment $276.68 



On which I am entitled to in- 

 terest of 16.82 



On the basis of the following figures 



I figure out my costs as follows: 



Debits 



270 pounds honey in the hives 



Nov. 1, 1920, at 10c $ 27.00 



Yard labor, estimated at $3.50 28.00 



Insurance and taxes, estimated 4.00 



Rent of apiary site, estimated _ 8.00 

 4 new queens raised and used 



in the yard, at $1 4.00 



1 new queen purchased and 



used in yard 1.25 



1 70 five-pound pails used 17.00 



Labor and expense extracting 



and labeling 8.23 



20 pounds sugar fed 1.20 



Depreciation on central plant_ 10.64 



Depreciation on stack 15.77 



Interest on central plant in- 

 vestment, sound value 6.88 



Interest on stack investment, 



sound value 16.82 



Total cost of production $148.79 



