DECEMBER 15, 1916 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, 



Loquots and bluesum (eucalyp- 

 tus) are blooming (November 27.) 



No rain since the middle of 

 October. The unusually heavy 

 growth of filaree is fast becoming 

 a thing of the past, as there is no 



surface moisture to keep it alive. 



« * * 



Did you see those iiictures of tlie Kansas 

 exhibits in the November 15th issue? They 

 make me feel proud of my home state in 

 which I learned the most valuable lessons of 

 my life in beekeeping. 



* « « 



I have been walciiing my bees work on 

 the stem scars of the umbrella-trees, where 

 the leaves have dropped ot¥. A secretion 

 forms where the leaves are broken away, 

 and the bees are taking it up. Not all of 

 the trees seem to have this secretion; but 

 wherever it is. the bees are there. 



* * • 



I have just killed a queen that has com- 

 pletely puzzled me. I cannot see why she 

 should not have mated, with plenty of 

 di'ones in the air at the proper time — per- 

 fect wings, ideal weather, etc. I supplied 

 her with brood for two months as an ex- 

 periment, but to no avail. Slie laid nothing 



but drone eggs. 



* * * 



Mr. Editor, I siand corrected on that 

 diagnosing matter, page 1052, Nov. 15. 

 But still it seems to me like recommending 

 some new way of curing disease that would 

 be safe for the experienced but not for 

 the amateur. It would be better not to 

 advocate it so strongly as a protection to 

 amateurs, even tho they are warned. 



* * * 



Dui'ing the past nioith I ha\e been for- 

 tunate in meeting J. E. Wing, the well- 

 known queen-breeder of San Jose. Mr. 

 Wing is touring the southern part of the 

 state with his wife ami child, visiting bee- 

 keepers in various sections of the South, 

 and getting acquainted. He has a good 

 reputation as a queen-bree<lei". Last year 

 he put out over four thousand queens be- 

 sides many pound packages of bees. 



* • » 



There is a raoli-. • for every actitin of the 

 bee. To be able to solve llie meaning of 

 their actions is to be able lo add a contiibu- 

 tion to science. If queen-colls are torn 



Redlands, Cal. 



<lown, \irgirs killed, or if introduction 

 fails, there is a strong chance that one is 

 trying to force nature in an unnatural 

 channel. When bees are busy they will 

 accept more help than when they have 

 plenty of time to look after details. Then, 

 too, the old bees are largely engaged in 

 the field when there is a honey-flow ; but 

 when it stops, look out for trouble, for it 

 is impossible to " pull anything over them " 

 as easily as over the younger generation. 

 * * * 



A number of my hives are three supers 

 liigh. Last September I placed a full super 

 of honey on quite a number that were 

 empty, or comparatively so, in the middle 

 supex'. I recently made a visit to my apian' 

 on a cold day, having the task of giving 

 honey to some colonies that were short. I 

 was greatly surprised to find that the bees 

 wei'e clustered in two divisions in neai'ly 

 all of these hives. In the brood-chamber 

 there was a good sui^ply. The next super 

 where the combs were empty there were no 

 bees. Tn the upper super, where the honey 

 was, there were many bees, doubtless their 

 mission being to protect the honey above. 

 Where there were no excluders on, all three 

 sections were occupied, the main portion 

 being in the upper or middle sections. 



Dr. Bonney asks, jage 1086, Nov. 1: 

 " I wonder if it will surpi-ise Mr. Chadwick 

 when I tell him that my wife and I have 

 charge of the postoffiee in this little town, 

 and that we know certain packages must 

 have been AvillfuUy broken or else handled 

 in a vei-y violent manner." That packages 

 containing liquid are often broken in tlie 

 mails and arrive at their destination empty 

 is no sign that they have been tampered 

 with. When such a package is broken the 

 muss must be cleaned up and the rest of 

 the mail protected, and it would not be the 

 policy of wisdom to put a broken package 

 back in the mails with enough left in the 

 container to destroy other mail matter still 

 further. I cannot agree with you, doctor, 

 that mail matter is willfully destroyed or 

 appropriated, as you suggest, by postal em- 

 ployees. I have helped to clean up some of 

 these "musses" and know what it means. 

 If you have reason to believe that the 

 mails were being tampered with, it was your 

 )>lain duty to report the matter thru the 

 proper cliannel. 1 consider your criticism 

 an the postal employees as being based on 

 insufficient knowledge. 



