August, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE C U L T U H E 



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HEEE is 

 more than 

 the ordinary 

 interest taken in 

 tlic amount and 

 quality of t h e 

 present season 's 

 honey crop be- 

 cause of effect 

 on prices. Know- 

 ing of this interest, we have endeavored to 

 secure disinterested reports from all parts 

 of the country. We have made special in- 

 quiry of our correspondents as to the follow- 

 ing points: What is the amount of crop 

 already harvested? what are the prospects 

 of a crop yet to be harvested? what offers 

 are producers receiving for comb and ex- 

 tracted honey? what were the sources of the 

 honey crop already harvested? Below we 

 print a condensed summary of the answers 

 received from different parts of the country: 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. — Season a great dis- 

 appointment, especially in the sage district where 

 many apiaries did not produce a pound of surplus- 

 in the orange belt, crops are much less than hoped 

 for in mid-season. May had just five perfect honey- 

 gathering days. In the orange region beekeepers 

 were getting a flow of two to three pounds a day 

 when the heat wave came as a blast from a furnace, 

 the most burning heat of any experienced even by 

 the oldest settlers. For a week the temperature 

 ranged between 100 and 120; hundreds of colonies 

 melted down with the heat, and few apiaries escaped 

 the torrid wave. The loss will doubtless equal or 

 exceed the winter loss. The navel-orange crop prac- 

 tically a total loss, and lemons very badly damaged. 

 At this date (July 10) in the orange region bees are 

 gathering just about what they use ; no further 

 honey flow in sight; prices, comb white, $4.00 to 

 $4.50; light amber, $3.50 to $4.00; extra white, 

 13 to 15 cts. Two tons sold this week at 15 cts. 

 to local trade in Los Angeles. 



CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. — Conditions favorable 

 in alfalfa localities ; very little comb being produced 

 compared with extracted; many have sold extracted 

 at 10 cts., some holding for more; 10 cts. is the 

 average price for fair alfalfa extracted — not water- 

 white. 



IDAHO. — Honey-flow now (July 15) on; pros- 

 pects good, but heavy winter losses will limit the 

 crop; possibly 30 days of honey flow in sight from 

 alfalfa, sweet clover, and alsike clover; expected 

 that extracted honey will bring from 9 to 15 cts. per 

 pound; comb from 12 to 15 cts. per section. One 

 very excellent authority from Idaho says that pres- 

 ent indications are that about Caldwell the produc- 

 tion per colony will be the best ever known, and 

 that the honey is of better quality than for a number 

 of seasons, adding that strong colonies will store 

 almost double the surplus of that of an average 

 season. 



MICHIGAN. — No crop of honey yet harvested; if 

 now (July 14) there comes a week or ten days of 

 good weather there will be a fair crop ; prospects 

 uncertain, altho a good basswood honeyrflow may 

 be secured, and present estimate is half a crop. 

 There are 10 days or two weeks of white clover in 

 prospect providing there is favorable weather. 



CONNECTICUT. — Clover appears to be a failure, 

 no nectar in it; supers only half filled; possible fall 

 crop from flowers and weed bloom. 



ONTARIO. — No clover honey harvested at this 

 date (July 14), and but little on the hives; 10 days 

 ago* prospects for a crop were never better ; but on 



JUST NEWS 



Editors 



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635 



July 7 it started to 

 rain, and for seven 

 days in succession 

 has kept it up. 

 Clover is rank and 

 will bloom until 

 August 1, so weath- 

 er conditions will 

 determine future 

 crop ; prospects are 

 good for basswood 

 crop ; no quotations on comb honey ; large stores 

 have offered 12 cts. in 51b. pails, gross weight, for 

 extracted; some extracted has sold for 13 cts. 



NEW YORK.- — No crop yet harvested at this date, 

 July 16; prospects now good providing the weather 

 proves favorable; possibly two weeks of white 

 clover in sight; no offers for the new honey crop yet 

 reported. 



LOLTISIANA. — Extremely dry weather in many 

 parts of the State has resulted in total failure of 

 honey crop in June, the principal honey-flow month. 

 IOWA. — Honey-flow did not begin until early July, 

 and no harvest yet (July 14) ; prospects of a" honey 

 crop excellent in western Iowa; about 50 days sweet- 

 clover honey-flow in sight; producers not receiving 

 any offers for either comb or extracted honey as yet. 

 WESTERN COLORABO.— No crop yet except 

 two or three pounds of apple-blossom honey per 

 colony; honey crop still in prospect only fair; no 

 offers above QV2 cts. for extracted, and comb not 

 likely to be over $3.50 per case; sweet clover and 

 alfalfa bloom until frost, yielding slow but long, 

 mostly during August. 



WESTERN OREGON.— Supers filling rapidly at 

 this date (July 13). Prospects were good; but 

 owing to extremely dry weather clover is fast dry- 

 ing up; small prospects of future crop in sight ex- 

 cept in Coast Range mountains fireweed; buyers 

 offering $4.00 per case for comb honey; no offers, 

 and no price made for extracted. 



GEORGIA. — Gallberry flow proved to be the best 

 in years, and tyty gave a substantial yield; probable 

 yield per colony substantially larger than at any 

 time in the last three seasons. Prices thus far in a 

 wholesale way have been for extracted, in barrels, 

 61/^ cts. a pound; for comb honey, 10 i^ cts; pros- 

 pects from goldenrod still in sight. 



TENNESSEE.— No crop yet harvested (July 14) ; 

 in favored places the crop may average 50 pounds 

 per colony, while in other places the estimate is not 

 above 25 pounds. A good rain July 14 broke the 

 long dry spell, but probably too late to save the 

 clover, which is now practically gone ; extracted will 

 doubtless retail at 20 cts. in 5-lb. buckets. 



ILLINOIS. — No surplus honey to date (July 14) ; 

 prospect good for a fall crop of heartsease and other 

 weeds; little comb honey produced in Illinois, and 

 no offers for honey r^orted. For light-colored ex- 

 tracted, producers are getting 10 to 11 cts. whole- 

 sale in barrels. 



MINNESOTA.— Owing to very cool and wet 

 weather fully 30 days of clover bloom has been lost 

 and practically no surplus gathered at this date 

 (Julyl4) ; without more rain clover should last 

 about 10 days longer; basswood prospects generally 

 not good; large buyers are active, but no prices vet 

 set. 



NORTH CAROLINA.— Average yield per colony 

 in central portions of State perhaps 35 pounds; no 

 more surplus now in sight. Honey in this section 

 IS produced in a small way by many people, hence 

 big buyers not present, but sales are reported at 

 from 15 to 20 cts., according to quality, mostly bulk 

 comb, to the consumer. 



OHIO. — Almost no crop harvested at this date 

 (July 20) ; however, weather conditions are im- 

 proved and white clover is in excellent condition 



