Decembep, 1917 



OT. EANTNGS IN BEE CULTURE 



929 



supers of leaves and contracted brood-cham- 

 bers; one-stcry hives and two-story hivev, 

 hives moved over into an abandoned scratch- 

 ing- slied, protected on the north and west; 

 hives packed in single boxes with plenty 

 of leaves around; and one quadruple ease 

 made at the mill. This case, delivered in 

 the flat, to be put up with bolts, cost $6.50, 

 while the roofing paper for the cover cost 

 83 cts., making $7.33. Probably the paint 

 will bring it to about $8.00, a packing price 

 of $2.00 per hive. Ten pounds of honey 

 from each icolony, over what it would have 

 stored without the protection, will pay for 

 the case. 



Mr. Editor, on page 831, November, you 

 mention (he advantage of reducing a ten- 

 frame colony to six or eight combs, and 

 packing both sides of the brood-cliamber. 

 Does this advantage apply only to double- 

 walled hives? Would not the same princi- 

 ple hold in single walls? I happen to have 

 done that once to a rather weak colony, put- 

 ting a cushion of leaves outside each divi- 

 sion-board, and adding a super of leaves on 

 top. The little colony came out booming — 

 with no moldy combs. But tliey tell me that 

 the thermometer tests at Wai^hington prove 

 it to have been just exactly as good as no 

 packing at all. 



A 



T this writ- 

 ing, Nov. 1, 



AMONG THE ROCKIES 



p r e p a ra- 

 tions are being 

 made by many beekeepers to pack their 

 colonies in Avinter cases. Some have al- 

 ready completed their packing, while others 

 have just begun. A late open fall has given 

 ample time for making the cases and put- 

 ting the bees into them. 



ALMOST ALL THE HONEY SOLD. 



The price of honey has held up better 

 than expected, and there has been a steady 

 advance. White extracted has been sold 

 at 141/2 cents in carlots, and little doubt is 

 felt that this will advance another cent be- 

 fore January 1. 



Comb honey has been about all cleaned 

 up, the last carlots going at $4.00 a ease 

 for tlie fancy, $3.85 for No. 1 and $3.70 for 

 No. 2, f. o. b. western Colorado. Comb 

 honey is selling in case lots at $4.25 to 

 $4.75; extracted honey in case lots at 15 to 

 18 cents a pound. 



There are not more than five or six rrr- 

 loads of extracted honey unsold in t'e pio- 

 ducers' hands, and the writer doe'=: not know 

 of any carlots of comb honev unsold. Peo- 

 ple will either pay more for honey after 

 January 1 or they will go without. 



The high price ot h.oney has already had 

 a stimulating effect upon the price of bees. 

 Apiaries well located are in good demand 

 at hieh prices. Extracted honey will be 

 wo'-r 'nveoly produced another year, and it 

 r.>'\ ;.i;peni'S as tho comb honey might al- 

 most become a thing of the past, even in 

 Colorado, where comb honej^ has had such 

 popularity. 



SAVING BEES OR BUYING TTIEM. 



The package business lias been a uniform 

 success wherever tried ; but the difficulty 

 has been in getting the bees delivered. So 

 far, half to two-thirds of the bees shipped 



Wesley Foster, Boulder, Colorado 



into Colorado in 

 packages have 

 arrived dead or 

 in a smothered 

 condition. 



My opinion is that winter packing will 

 largely take the nlaee of shipping bees in 

 packages. If we would only save what bees 

 we have in the fall and bring them thru 

 strong in the spring, we should not need 

 to ship in packages. The winter packing 

 is much the cheajDer way. 



THOSE WHO HAVE GONE TO THE FKONT. 



The beekeepers of Colorado, no less than 

 those of other states, are having their 

 younger members taken by the draft. This 

 is a matter that should have our careful at- 

 tention. Our young beekeepei's are having 

 to close out their business at a great loss, 

 and we as a fraternity of beekeepers should 

 devise a means of helping such soldier bee- 

 keepers. 



Why cannot the Colorado beekeepers' 

 '.ssociations raise a good big fund either to 

 purchase the apiaries of drafted members 

 or help in pi-oviding competent beekeepers 

 to care for the apiaries while the boys are 

 away? In some instances other members 

 of the family can protect the investment. 

 But in other cases, I know the beekeepers 

 could help wonderfully if they only would. 

 It is our duty to do as these boys have done 

 — sacrifice until we feel it. Why cannot 

 the beekeepers who have prospered by the 

 liigli price of lioney tax themselves, say five 

 per cent of their income for this work? 

 The writer is ready to do his part. 



The boys already drafted are: Clyde V. 

 Eisher, Montrose, Colo., secretaiy-treasurer 

 Montrose County Beekeepers' Association; 

 Wells Pollock, Allison, Colo., secretary San 

 Juan Beekeepers' Association; E. C. Pol- 

 liomus, Lamar, Colo. There are doubtless 

 others, of whom I have not learned. 



