102 



GT. EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1920 



ANSVVKRS By E. R. ROOT. 



Question. — I am desirous of obtaining information 

 as to the practicability of locating either in south- 

 ern California or on the eastern slope of the foot- 

 hills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Any in- 

 formation that you may be able to give me in re- 

 gard to the advantages and disadvantages, length 

 of seasons, etc., of these two localities will be grate- 

 fully accepted. Charles E. Stowe. 



Colorado. 



Answer. — The territory on the east sloj^e 

 of the foothills of the Rockj^ Mountains in 

 Colorado and the territory in southern Cali- 

 fornia are both excellent for beekeeping. If 

 you have any difficulty with your heart on 

 account of elevation, you will find Califor- 

 nia much preferable. Beekeeping in south- 

 ern California is one of the prosperous in- 

 dustries, altho it has its ups and downs. 

 It requires migratory beekeeping to get the 

 best results. The bees must be moved from 

 eucalyptus into the orange country; and, 

 just as the orange is about closing, the bees 

 should be moved into the sage, provided 

 there are sufficient rains so that they will 

 yield nectar. Otherwise the bees had better 

 stay where they are. They may then be 

 moved from the sage to the beanfields, and 

 from the beanfields back to their former lo- 

 cation for winter. One has to be in Califor- 

 nia for a year or two before he is able to 

 get next to the general situation. In the 

 Imperial Valley of California the conditions 

 are quite different. The crop there is main- 

 ly alfalfa and cotton. In Colorado the main 

 source is alfalfa; and if one can locate 

 where_ alfalfa is cut late, or, better yet, 

 where it goes to seed, the conditions will be 

 all the more favorable. We would advise 

 you, if you can, to buy out the bees and bee- 

 range of some one who is willing to sell. 

 While there is, of course, considerable un- 

 occupied territory in California, practically 

 all of the bee-ranges have been taken up 

 in Colorado and in the Imperial Valley, 

 Calif. 



Question. — Do bees do well in a citrus orchard? 



California. Mrs. Geo. A. West. 



Answer. — The citrus trees are excellent 

 honey -producers, and some of the best honey- 

 producing localities in the United States are 

 found among these groves in southern Cali- 

 fornia. 



ANSWERS BY MELL PRITCHARD. 



Question. — A friend of mine tells me that he knew 

 an old bee-hunter who used a pair of yellow glasses 

 with a small (half-inch in diameter) clear hole in 

 the middle of each lens, to help him see the bees and 

 trail them to their hive. So far as you know, is 

 there anything in this? and could such glasses be 

 of any help ? Henry W. Miller. 



Arizona. 



Answer. — The spectacles to which you re- 

 fer are made for target practice, and would 

 undoubtedly be of some assistance in fol- 

 lowing bees. Common field glasses are of 

 great help in the woods in looking for the 

 entrances to bee-trees. 



Question. — I am keeping in the cellar 90 colonies 

 of bees. I should like to know where I could buv 



a good hygrometer, and what the normal dampness 

 in the cellar should be. A. V. Praehar. 



Minnesota. 



Answer. — The amount of moisture which 

 the air contains is shown by a hygrometer. 

 This consists of two thermometers, one of 

 which has the bulb dry while the other bulb 

 is kept wet by means of a wick which draws 

 distilled water from a glass bulb. The dif- 

 ference in the reading of the two thermome- 

 ters should be about three degrees when the 

 temperature of the cellar is 48 degrees. This 

 indicates the relative humidity to be 80 per 

 cent. Hygrometers are for sale by nearly 

 all jobbers of hardware. 



Question. — On Nov. 26 I put 46 colonies in my 

 12 by 13-foot cdlar, which is dark and well venti- 

 lated. The temperature of the cellar never goes 

 below 42 degrees nor higher than 46. The covers 

 of the hives are raised a little, and the entrances 

 are wide open. The bees have plenty of honey for 

 stores, yet at times many fly out and finally die, be- 

 ing scattered about all over the cellar. No bees in 

 this section had a real full flight in November. 

 What would you advise me to do ? 



Answer. — From the description given of 

 your cellar, we should think it very well 

 arranged and should give good results; yet 

 we would suggest that you close the top of 

 the hives and raise the temperature of the 

 cellar to about 4» degrees. We find our 

 bees more quiet at this point than either 

 above or below it.. We have 535 colonies in 

 our cellar, which is 12 by 60 feet. They 

 were put in six days later than yours, and 

 up to this time we have swept up about 18 

 pounds of dead bees. This we consider 

 good wintering. If there are signs of dy- 

 sentery in the cellar, it would be advisable 

 to set them out on a warm day and give 

 them a cleansing flight. 



ANSWER BY FRANK COVERDALE. 



Question. — I am going to sow about 20 acres of 

 sweet clover in this way : The ground since break- 

 ing has had two crops of wheat, the last one being 

 disced in on stubble. Just before freezing in the 

 fall, I disced well to kill volunteer wheat as much 

 as possible, and, early in the spring, I intend to sow 

 sweet clover and harrow lightly. I will get a thin 

 stand of volunteer wheat and hope this plan will 

 not leave the ground too loose. What do you think 

 of my proposed way of seeding? C. S. McLeran. 



Iowa. 



Answer. — You might sow the sweet clover 

 on the last snow of spring, letting the snow 

 and rains cover it; and, as the sweet-clover 

 hulls or shells are very hard, the soaking 

 and freezing will be a great aid toward an 

 early and even coming-up. If the wheat has 

 been thinned to one-half of a usual stand, 

 it probably won't hurt to let both grow to- 

 gether; and the wheat, if it lives, can be 

 harvested and the clover cut for hay late in 

 the fall or pastured, not too heavy. It is an 

 uphill business to attempt to grow sweet 

 clover on a land that is acid; but there is 

 no clover easier to grow when the soil is 

 either inoculated or sweet, or sweetened by 

 ground limestone or air-slacked lime applied 

 lightly. 



