AVGUST, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



627 



at his store. Perhaps we shall be able to 

 boost this somewhat, but we have a job 

 ahead of us. 



Extracted honey is being sold at almost 

 all prices. The v/riter has sold quite a few 

 60-lb. cans at $9.00 per can f. o. b. Boulder. 

 Pint jars of honey are selling at $3.60 per 

 dozen, but sales are very limited. Sales will 

 doubtless pick up when dealere realize that 

 honey has advanced sharply in price. 



I think that Colorado alfalfa extracted 

 honey should bring 13 to 15 cents. A car 

 has been contracted at 11 cents, and an offer 

 of another one at 12 cents has not been 

 accepted by buyer at this date. 



The consumers will pay 30 cts. for a 1-lb. 

 jar of honey, and they will pay $9.00 for a 

 GO-lb. can, so there need be no fear at the 

 present time that the price will materially 

 decrease. The price will undoubtedly go 

 down while the producers are selling; then 

 when the buyers have their supplies the 

 price will again advance. 



ON THE BOTTLING QUESTION. 



Some bottlers maintain that they cannot 

 pay 15 cents for extracted and get out on 

 the proiDOsition with any profit. If this is 

 tiTie we may see the bulk of our crop go into 

 the consumer's hands direct from the pro- 

 ducer, for the producer can sell to the con- 

 sumer in 60-lb. cans almost as cheaply as 

 he can sell to the bottler. If the bottler 

 can put up a fifteen-ounce jar to retail at 

 35 <?ts. it ought to be possible to pay the 

 producer 15 cents a pound for the honey. 



This is the way I figure it out for the 

 bottlei', and I believe my figures will not be 

 far off for the bottlei"s of the country when 

 everything is averaged up. 



I figure a 15-oz. net jar will retail at 35 

 cts., and that the retail grocer will pay 

 $6.25 a case of 24 jars. The retailer will 

 make 9 per cent per jar profit. The whole- 

 saler will want his full 10 per cent commis- 

 sion. Here it is in figures : 



COST OF BOTTLING ONE 60-LB. CAN OF HONEY. 



One 60 lb. can of honey at 15 cts $ 9.00 



63 gla,ss jars (in cases) holding 15 oz. each. . 2.52 



Labels, labor, liquefj'ing, etc 30 



Shipping, billing, charging, and collecting, 



including discount .50 



Freight, delivering to wholesaler .40 



Commission or discount to wholesaler 1.64 



Bottler's cost of 60-lb. can bottled $14.36 

 The bottler sells this thru the wholsaler to the 



retailer for $16.38 



Bottler Bells the can and case (empty) .40 



$16.78 

 Bottler's cost 14.36 



Bottler's profit $ 2.42 



The consumer pays 35 cts. per jar, or 

 $22.05 for one 60-lb. can of honey jDut up 

 in 15-ounce jars. If he bought it direct 

 from the producer he could get it for not 

 exceedino- ,$10.00. 



SMELTER SMOKE OR DISEASE. 



Sacbrood has been very prevalent in 

 Colorado this spring, some colonies very 

 nearly dying from the malady. A few 

 producers have transferred their colonies 

 the same as tho foul brood were present. 

 Most cases of the disease, however, have 

 gradually disappeared. 



What we are pleased to call smeller- 

 smoke poisoning almost ruined one of the 

 writer's apiaries nearly thirty miles north 

 of Denver. Fortunately there were but .35 

 colonies in the apiary, but they were re- 

 duced from very strong colonies to small 

 handfuls of bees in a very few days. One 

 colony was completely destroyed. This 

 trouble appears during a rainy spell, and 

 does not affect queenless colonies. 



We have many theories as to its cause. 

 It may be smelter smoke and it may be 

 city smoke, and it may not be smoke at all. 

 But this trouble is most severe within thirty 

 miles of Denver. The most destructive area 

 is in the Platte River Valley twenty miles 

 down from Denver. A large smelter is 

 near the river in the valley at Denver, and 

 the theory is that the smoke floats down this 

 valley (as it does) and carries the poisonous 

 fumes, the rainy seasons driving the poison 

 from the air to the surface of the ground, 

 and thus poisoning the vegetbtio'n and 

 especially the pollen. Beekeepers about 

 Denver have learned pretty well where this 

 trouble strikes most frequently, but there 

 is not a year passes but that some one has 

 bees destroyed. This trorble may explain 

 some losses as far as fif!:y miles from Den- 

 ver. 



COMBLESS PACKAGES FAILED. 



The package-bee business is growing each 

 year; but the effort made this spring to 

 increase production thru means of packages 

 of bees was not very satisfaetorJ^ Too 

 many beekeepers attempted to filf orders 

 who had no experience in preparing the 

 packages for shipment. The writer had 

 very discouraging results in attempting to 

 secure 300 two-pound packages. But sixty 

 were delivered, and none were less than ten 

 days late. Two hundred packages were 

 shipped, the other hundred ordered having 

 to be cancelled on account of losses and 

 lateness in shipment. Both buyer and seller 

 lost several hundred dollars by the deal. 

 Production was not increased and much val- 

 uable time was lost. 



Packages should be ordered very early in 

 the spring so that the shipper can easily 

 have everything in readiness. Liquid feed 

 caused all of our troubles. If candy had 

 been given, the bees would doubtless have 

 gone thru satisfactorily. 



