GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal 



The sage growth is wonderfully 

 fine, aitho the sage weevil gives 

 promise of much injury to the but- 

 tons. I am of the opinion, how- 

 ever, that we shall get a good flow 

 from it. 



The orange will be practically gone this 

 season before the sage gets to yielding. 

 This is the first time I have seen this condi- 

 tion in my twelve years in California. 



« * * 



Mr. T. 0. Andrews, inspector of River- 

 side County, called to see me last week. He 

 informs me that European foul brood is on 

 the decline, while the American type of the 

 disease is increasing rapidly in some local- 

 ities. 



All correspondents should enclose stamps 

 for reply to any letters asking for informa- 

 tion other than mutual business. It costs 

 only two cents to mail a letter; but when 

 100 is the figure it runs into dollars, to say 

 nothing of the time and stationery used. 



* * * 



Mr. E. E. Lawrence expects to return to 

 Doniphan, Mo., within a few days. I am 

 sorry business interests have called him 

 away, for I found him to be a man of high 

 ideals, and a noble gentleman. He will 

 probably take up the queen-rearing business 

 again in time. 



* * * 



Black brood (European foul brood) in 

 this section of the San Bernardino Valley 

 is more prevalent than it has ever been. At 

 least one apiary of which I know is prac- 

 tically out of commission for this season, 

 while there are many cases in other apia- 

 ries. Young Italian queens are, without 

 doubt, the strongest battle-line that can be 

 made for the fight. I am sorry this feature 

 has been greatly neglected by most of the 

 beekeepeers around Redlands. 



*■ ^ m 



I wish to notify my correspondents that I 

 have many letters remaining unanswered, 

 and can make no promises as to the dates I 

 can get at them. As with all beekeepers, 

 this is a busy time of the year with me. I 

 walk a distance of twelve miles daily, and 

 at night I can be found in my shop busy 

 getting sujiplies ready to go out to the 

 apiaries. All together, my time is well 

 filled, and I give no promise of immediate 

 answers. 



In the March issue I gave my methods of 

 swarm control, which as a rule liave worked 

 well for me. This season, however, I was 

 not able to remove my excluders as usual, 

 due to the fact that an exceptionally heavy 

 flow from the orange began before the 

 brood-chambers Avcre filled with brood. At 

 this date (March 20) I am taking full combs 

 of nectar from the brood-chambers and sup- 

 lilying foundation as a means of getting the 

 brood-chambers filled with brood. The 

 queens will lay in the foundation combs as 

 fast as it is draAvn out sufficient, while emp- 

 ty combs would be filled with honey within 

 a few da3'S. Out of the orange district, the 

 plan I gave would doubtless wcrk well this 

 season. 



Spring inspection of my Tremont apiary 

 revealed four cases of foul brood — two of 

 American and two of European. One note- 

 worthy feature of the American is that it 

 adjoins the stand where one colony was de- 

 stroyed last spring, but this time there are 

 two standing in (;he same row, on stands 

 adjoining where the one was destroyed. 

 One is an immense heavy colony, but has a 

 very bad case. It will be shaken a little 

 later. The others have already gone by the 

 sulphur route. 



The two cases of the European are the 

 first of the kind I have ever had, and they 

 were quite a surprise to me. Both colonies 

 are very dark in color, one not being re- 

 queened last summer. A very peculiar cir- 

 cumstance in connection with the other colo- 

 ny is that there are two colonies being car- 

 ried over winter in a two-story hive with 

 screen wire as the only division between 

 them, the upper one having a separate en- 

 trance. Both were given 3'oung queens last 

 summer that were reared from a golden 

 mother. The bees of the lower portion 

 thought they could raise a queen that would 

 suit them better than the one I gave them, 

 so they did. It is this portion that has the 

 disease, while those above the screen are as 

 healthy and strong as one could want a 

 colony at this time of year. Fortunately I 

 have anticipated just such trouble, and have 

 very few colonies that are of low-grade 

 stock. It seems to me that if anything is 

 proven by the double colony it is that good 

 stock is a factor in fighting European foul 

 brood, regardless of the contention of some 

 of our expert authorities tliat it is not. It 

 appears to me that only one good stock has 

 the vigor necessary. 



