Nov. 15. 1911 



[KEEF^DKOO Dra ®^Q=DE(D^K!]D^ 



p. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



There are said to be 900 bee-keepers in Los 

 Angeles Co. 



-sfc- 



Smoke may not be necessary, according 

 to the new idea; but, just the same, some of 

 us in California seem to have a great amount 

 of confidence in a well-filled smoker, and 

 are not too particular which end of the bee 

 it strikes, if it keeps the business end at a 

 safe distance. 



Mr. Frank E. France, page 625, Oct. 15, 

 speaking of the black or button sage, says: 

 "Blossoms commence to come out on the 

 outer edge of the bunch of buds.'' This is 

 a common idea, even with some of our na- 

 tives, but is not correct, the inner circle 

 blooming first. See cut, page 527, Sept. 1. 



I am just in receipt of a bulletin issued 

 from the State Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion at Berkely, entitled "Honey-plants of 

 California." Every bee-keeper in the State 

 should have a copy of this work. It is a 

 credit to our experiment station, and places 

 bee-keeping on a footing with other indus- 

 tries of the State. Though somewhat tardy, 

 we are glad to see our industry recognized. 



I was once an enthusiastic believer in and 

 advocate of the two-queens-to-a-hive theory, 

 for early spring breeding, but am now be- 

 coming convinced that it is really a theory, 

 and not practical, inasmuch as a queen lays 

 during the early spring largely according to 

 the amount of bees available to cover and 

 care for brood. If the force were divided 

 and another queen supplied they would be 

 able to co^ er actually less brood space for a 

 time than with the one queen and all of the 

 bees in one chamber. 



In discussing size of hives, page 586, Mr. 

 Metcalfe advises a thorough trial before dis- 

 carding the eight-frame size. I have exper- 

 imented to some extent with the 8, 10. and 

 12 frame, and my conclusions were in favor 

 of a 12 over an 8. Considering all points, 

 the 10-frame si/e has more desirable features 

 than either the 8 or 12; meets the need of the 

 average colony, and should be made the 

 standard for both comb and extracted pro- 

 duction. A standard size would save many 

 a sacrifice sale where a bee-keeper desired to 

 dispose of his holdings if the hives conform- 

 ed to a size generally in use. Counting out 

 the two outside frames, which are largely 

 used for honey and pollen stores, the eight- 

 frame gives only a six-frame brood-space, 

 which is not sufficient, especially during 

 the honey-flow, when bees are wearing out 

 rapidly in the field. The ten-frame is more 

 adequate in this respect; and were I to be 

 confined to a single brood-chamber I would 

 choose the twelve-frame over either for this 



localitJ^ Mr. Metcalfe's suggestion, that 

 both upper and lower chambers be used for 

 early brood-rearing, is an excellent argument 

 for the eight-frame size, but equally so for 

 the ten. Many apiaries run for comb honey 

 do not carry extracting-combs, however, nor 

 do they have facilities for extracting, so we 

 must depend on a single brood-chamber. 

 For this I would choose a twelve over either 

 the eight or ten frame size, with the super 

 narrower than the brood-chamber, enabling 

 a strong force of bees to occupy a smaller 

 space, which is desirable for comb-building 

 and rapid filling. However, as the ten-frame 

 is fast becoming the standard I am satisfied 

 to let it remain so, without spending much 

 on experiments. 



■&^ 



My intention of visiting the vicinity of 

 Covina and Monrovia, where European foul 

 brood (black brood) was said to exist, was 

 mentioned in my last notes. In company 

 with Mr. Heber Wagoner and M. J. Meeker 

 I went by auto to Covina, on invitation of 

 Mr. J. D. Bixby, of that place. We reached 

 Mr. Bixby's home about 10 a.m., and were 

 soon on our way to an apiary of which he 

 had charge. After arriving we were equip- 

 ped with veil and smoker for business. It 

 took only a few minutes to dispel all previ- 

 ous doubts about the existence of the disease 

 in that locality. We opened a number of 

 hives, Mr. Blxby carefully explaining the 

 various stages of the disease, giving us as 

 fine a talk as one could ask for. We spent 

 a full hour taking in this illustrated lecture, 

 all feeling fortunate in having a person so 

 well informed on the subject to point out 

 the features of the disease. Those who live 

 in reach of Mr. Bixby could well afford to 

 visit him and pay for the time and trouble 

 it takes to acquaint them with the disease 

 and its characteristics; for in my opinion w-e 

 are confronting a condition that is now not 

 only in its incipiency but one that we shall 

 have to fight in earnest sooner or later. 

 Those who live in this infected area should 

 begin at once by Italianizing as rapidly as 

 possible, there being no question that it 

 spreads rapidly and depletes a colony faster 

 than the American form. 



Mr. Bixby having shown us colonies that 

 were marked "light case" four weeks be- 

 fore that were then very bad. Should the 

 suggested theories of Mr. Ralph Benton 

 {Bee-keepers' Review, November, 1910) 

 prove true, that the disease may travel with 

 the prevailing wind, we in San Bernardino 

 and Riverside counties may expect it to 

 reach us among the first. There are at least 

 three in this county who now know the dis- 

 ease, and do not propose to be caught nap- 

 ping, though ther* will doubtless be heavy 

 losses when it strikes, especially among the 

 " near " bee-keepers, some of whom have not 

 seen the interior of their brood-chambers for 

 two years. 



