420 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



CXEEPD^® DK] (BMD=D[F(n)^raD^ 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



TROUBLES FROM SUPERSEDURE. 



Out of 25 swarms at the Tremont ranch 

 this season, 24 were superseding ones. This 

 gives an idea of the trouble we have had 

 fi'om queens being superseded, for many su- 

 persedures occurred where there was no 

 swarming. 



COOL CLOUDY WEATHER THE RULE. 



Mrs. AckUn p. 324, June 1, speaks of the 

 cool cloudy weather during orange-bloom. 

 When she has been a resident a few more 

 seasons she will look upon this condition as 

 a rule rather than the exception, though we 

 who are 40 miles further inland do not suffer 

 as much as do those in her locality. Many 

 of the ocean fogs reaching there do not come 

 so far inland, though we get plenty. 



4!- 



A GOOD CROP CONSIDERING THE AVAILABLE 

 WORKING FORCE OF BEES. 



There has never been a season, to my 

 knowledge, when the stock of bees remained 

 so low during the entire honey-How; yet for 

 available working force the results have 

 been very satisfactory. Our failure to har- 

 vest a large crop was due alone to the short- 

 age of bees, the strongest colonies having 

 only five to six frames of brood when the 

 honey-tlow began in earnest. This, with 

 the constant wearing-out of the field force, 

 seemed to make it difficult to get a full hive 

 of bees. 



■^ 



SOME PECULIAR HABITATIONS OF SWARMS 

 IN CALIFORNIA. 



On page 561, Sept. 1, Mr. Calvin S. Hun- 

 ter gives as a most remarkable incident his 

 experience of swarms entering empty hives. 

 This to us C'alifornians sounds odd, for out 

 here they enter about every thing that is 

 empty — housesby the score, chimneys, rocks, 

 badger-holes, box culverts, etc. One swarm 

 was taken from an old coffin-box from which 

 the remains had been removed and the box 

 cast aside; one from an electric transformer- 

 box on the city lighting system. One entered 

 a five-gallon tin can that had been thrown 

 over a dump, and dirt from above had cov- 

 ered all but the screw-cap hole. 

 -*- 



PRICES ON WATER -WHITE HONEY THIS 

 YEAR. 



When I contracted my white and water- 

 white early in .June at 7 cts. I was elated at 

 the price obtained; but since that time oth- 

 ers have sold at 7>^ cts. Most of the white 

 brought 7 cts.; earlier some sold for 6 cts.; 

 but the bulk of the crop went at 7 cts. The 

 total crop of white and water-white for the 

 season will not be over half the average for 

 sage-yielding seasons, the orange having 

 contributed but a small amount of the total. 

 It would not be surjjrising to see a fair crop 

 of amber grades secured in our Southland, 



though I do not expect this immediate lo- 

 cality to figure largely in those grades, the 

 best late ranges being out of our reach. 



COAST VS. INLAND BEE-KEEPING. 



Mr. E. M. Gibson's letter, .June 15, speaks 

 of my location as the northern part of the 

 State. I am only about 100 miles, as the 

 crow flies, from him, and only 60 north. 

 California is a large State, 700 miles long. 

 San Bernardino Co. is larger than the State 

 of New York. On page 274, May 1, he says 

 he knows of no one who is not back from 

 the coast more than 15 miles who is making 

 a success of bees. This may be true in San 

 Diego Co., but it will not apply further vrp 

 the coast. 



In the same article Mr. Gibson admits he 

 meant to imply that it was the fault of the 

 bee-keepers that they got no more honey 

 last season than they did. That may have 

 been the case in Mr. Gibson's locality, but 

 not so here. 



4> 



NO SAGE, BUT ORANGE HONCY. 



Mr. ,J. K. Williamson, known generally 

 as the leading bee-keeper in this locality, 

 and a man of 40 years' experience, had one 

 apiary of 250 colonies on one of the finest 

 sage ranges I know of, that did not yield a 

 pound of suri)lus, while another one owned, 

 by himself and partner, in reach of the 

 orange, yielded several tons. I am glad Mr. 

 Gibson has come to the same conclusion 

 that I mentioned in my article, that it is 

 better, not more, bee-keepers that we need. 

 He also says, "White sage is the sheet an- 

 chor of the "bee industry here, although it is 

 a decided amber." With us it is considered 

 only an occasional yielder, and as producing 

 white honey. It has not yielded to any 

 great extent since 1905. That season it was 

 late, and the rains lasted into May. We got 

 two good extractings from it in July after 

 button sage and wild alfalfa were gone, the 

 honey grading water-white, though closer 

 grading was done then than now. This year 

 the bloom will be gone by July 1. We have 

 had to contend with wild alfalfa and wild 

 buckwheat during its blooming i)eriod, yet 

 25 cases I have just extracted from it will 

 grade white. It has yielded more this year 

 than any year since 1905, though only very 

 moderately this year. Mr. Gibson has doubt- 

 less not observed closely all the sources of 

 his supply while this plant was blooming. 



Honey crop conditions in the northern 

 part of the State are good from alfalfa and 

 clover; no sage; orange, one-half crop; gen- 

 eral crop, three-fourths. Market conditions 

 are good, dealers paying 534 for light am- 

 ber; 7 for water-white. Producers are hold- 

 ing for6X for light amber. S for water-white. 



B. B. HOGABOOM. 



Elk Grove, Cal., June 29. 



