May, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



T 



C 



II E condi- 

 tion of boos 

 seems lo he 



satisfactory at 



this date, March 



5.* 



* ■* ■* 



V e rstocking 

 is becoming' an 

 increasingly serious problem in tliis part 



of the state. 



* *■ * 



More and more we learn of the value of 

 (he bee as a pollen-distributing agent, and 

 nioi'e and more its value is becoming known. 



* * * 



Is there a large overi^roduetion of comb 

 honey, or is the use of extracted honey be- 

 coming greater, to the detriment of the de- 

 mand for comb? 



* * * 



It is not the amount of larvte or un- 

 developed brood that counts when the honey 

 season is on, but the amount of young bees 

 ready for business. 



* * * 



It is said that the honey of Inyo County 

 alfalfa district is so thick that it is not 

 ]jractical to produce extracted honey, it be- 

 ing impossible to extract it in a satisfactory 



manner. 



* « « 



Certain buyers are now trying to con- 

 tract for the ungathered crop of honey. 

 Producers should not be too anxious to 

 sign up for future delivery, especially at a 

 figure that will cause regrets later on. 



* * * 



Moving pictures were used for the first 

 time in our state convention in February of 

 this year. Prof. Coleman, of the State 

 University, introduced the innovation and 

 exi^ects to enlarge on their use at our next 



convention. 



* * * 



Direct information to tlie beekeeper as 

 to the price of honey would be of vast im- 

 ]iortance at selling time. Weekly quota- 

 tions would tend to inform all beekeepers 

 on the market and save many of tliem sub- 

 stantial amounts of cash. 



1 am pleased to state that the slate as- 

 sociation lived up to the gentlemen's agree- 

 ment to let the officers of the association be 

 elected from the North for the ensuing term. 

 A better feeling will prevail all around, and 

 the confidence of the Noi'tli will lie secured 

 for the future. 



IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick 



1 



* These items were written for tlie April number. 

 liut were received too late for insertion in that issue. 

 — Ed. 



361 



There is rea- 

 son to believe 

 that we are fac- 

 i n g a heavy 

 swarming sea- 

 son. If the bees 

 continue to de- 

 velop as far in 

 advance of the 

 honey-flow as now seems probable, heavy 

 swarming is almost sure to be the result. 



* * * 



Brood-combs containing much small larvae 

 should not be handled in a temperature 

 much below 70 degrees. Sealed brood will 

 stand a much cooler air, especially that 

 which is nearly matured. Bees will con- 

 tinue to hatch when matured under a sur- 

 prisingly low temperature. 



* * * 



The County Farm Adviser movement is 

 being adopted in many counties, and bids 

 fair to be far-reaching in its benefits to rural 

 pursuits. Every branch of rural industry is 

 covered, including beekeeping, poultry, etc. 

 The State will send a man to special gather- 

 ings to lecture on the subject called for, and 

 all problems are considered even to market- 

 ing. Germany has had a system something 

 on that line for some years. We are just 

 waking up to the need of it. 



* * # 



The election of Mi-. M. C. Richter, of 

 Modesto, as secretary of the state associa- 

 tion, is an advanced step that cannot be 

 commended too highly. Mr. Richter is a 

 scholar of fine temperament, studious, and 

 of a scientific turn of mind. Success of the 

 office is assured for the next year. Of Mr. 

 B. B. Hogaboom, our new president, I can- 

 not speak from acquaintance j but from 

 reputation- he is a man well capable of car- 

 ing for the olfice — a practical beekeeper, a 

 gentleman, and a man conscientious to a 

 fault. 



* * * 



It seems that I have placed my good 

 friend M. H. Mendleson in an unfavorable 

 light with Mr. Crane, judging from his thii'd 

 paragraph, page 196, March. Perhaps I 

 did not make myself clear on what I wished 

 to say. Mr. Crane has taken the wrong 

 view of my note, for I did not wish to say 

 that the method given would prevent the 

 development of wax-moth on the comb, but 

 rather that no comb honey was allowed to 

 be handled after the time the moth begins to 

 fly, the honey being placed is safety against 

 any chance of a moth-miller reaching it dur- 

 ing the night. This eliminates the" danger 

 of its coming in contact with the egg-laying 

 miller. 



