838 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Beeeceeping Among the Kockie: 



CLOSING UP THE HONEY SEASON. 



It has been noticed that, every fall, the 

 beemen are prone to leave the packing of 

 their comb honey nntil an order is received, 

 and then there is such a rush to fill it that 

 less than satisfactory grading of the honey 

 is done. I have seen comb-honey packing 

 given up at the close of one shipment of 

 honey, and then the rush comes on again 

 when the nest sale of honey is made. This 

 is all wrong. The honey suffers in prepar- 

 ation; the beekeeper goes to needless ex- 

 pense in getting the honey out quickly, and 

 the buyer has to wait from one to three or 

 four days longer than desired. If a crew 

 of packers can be trained before the rush 

 is on, the honey may all be ready for ship- 

 ment when the buyers want it, or soon after 

 it is off the hives. The plan of cleaning and 

 packing comb honey at the outyards has its 

 advantages in that the honey generally gets 

 into the shipping-cases sooner than if it is 

 all hauled home aiid then cleaned and cased. 



EUROPEAN FOUL BROOD IN COLORADO. 



European foul brood has been found in 

 Delta Co., Col.; but, so far as known, it is 

 still confined to a small area southwest of 

 Paonia. The district affected is not over 

 three or four miles in diameter, and con- 

 tains probably 300 colonies, a good propor- 

 tion of which show the disease. The bees 

 are all a fairly well-marked strain of Ital- 

 ians, but this does not seem to bring about 

 any evidences of immunity. 



Requeening with young vigorous Italian 

 queens, and the shaking treatment, is rec- 

 ommended. In the purchase of queens it 

 cannot be too strongly emphasized to buy 

 queens only of breeders who are located in 

 districts known to be free of European 

 foul-brood infection. Destroy the cages and 

 candy with all attendant bees, and more 

 safety will be assured. It cannot be too 

 strongly emphasized that European foul 

 brood is serious, and that its destructive 

 abilities should not be discounted. Every 

 beekeeper who has any diseased brood 

 should send a sample to the Bureau of 

 Entomology, Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C., for examination. 

 * « * 



NATIONAL CONVENTION IN DENVER. 



The West is to have the National conven- 

 tion this coming February, and we hope to 

 welcome the convention in royal western 

 fashion. Colorado has a fine class of hon- 

 ey-producers, and a large delegation will be 



er, 



in Denver for the National. This conven- 

 tion, it is hoped, will draw attendance from 

 the whole Inter-mountain region as well as 

 the rest of the country. 



We can promise a large crew of hosts for 

 the visitors; and if the weather and the 

 roads are favorable we will see that the 

 visitors see some of our western apiaries in 

 automobiles. There are many large apiaries 

 within twenty miles of Denver. 



I would suggest that all beekeepers who 

 can and will help in the entertainment of 

 this convention write an offer of their as- 

 sistance to Pres. N. L. Henthorne, of the 

 Colorado State Beekeepers' Association, 

 Platteville, Colo., or write me. Suggestions 

 as to the way in which we can best entertain 

 and care for the convention will be welcome, 

 and are solicited. 



The West can promise all visitors the 

 presence of a score and more of specialists 

 who count their apiaries instead of colonies. 

 Every one of them has valuable money- 

 making ideas ; and the beekeeper who comes 

 to this convention and goes away not doubly 

 repaid will be at fault in his capacity for 

 absori^tion of valuable ideas. 

 * * * 



THE HONEY MARKET. 



Comb-honey shipments have been going 

 out very promptly, few producers having to 

 wait for satisfactory offers after the honey 

 is packed. By Nov. 1 there will be little 

 comb honey left for the outside market in 

 this State. Western-slope producers are 

 getting $2.75 for No. 1 comb, net weight not 

 less than 121/2 oz. ; $2.50 for choice, net 

 weight not less than 11 oz. ; $2.25 for No. 

 2, net weight not less than 10 oz. On the 

 eastern slope in Colorado, where carload 

 shipments take the Colorado common points 

 rate, the prices secured range around $3.00 

 for No. 1; $2.85 for choice, and $2.70 for 

 No. 2. 



Extracted honey has sold on the western 

 slope at 6 to 6^4 ^ ^s. a pound, although the 

 amount produced of extracted honey is 

 small compared with the comb-honey pro- 

 duction. Extracted honey sells locally m 

 eastern Colorado at 7 to 10 cents a pound. 

 Carload lots would not bring above 7 cents. 



Sugar has been selling for moi*e than 

 extracted honey in many parts of Colorado. 

 One beekeeper is selling extracted honey at 

 7 cts. a pound in small lots, and sugar is 

 selling in his town at 9 pounds for a dollar. 

 The demand for honey has markedly in- 

 creased; and if sugar remains high in price, 

 honey will surely reach sugar prices at least. 



