January, 1921 GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 19. 



brood were found where full suiters of honey into hives with combs of honey. The cold 

 had previously been. The net result was that weather again interfered with the bees' get- 

 honey had been turned into bees, which must ting a start, and, as there were seven dead 

 be considered in this report. queens and 22 drone-layers in these first 



Twenty-three four-frame nuclei were two lots, the only thing we were able to do 



made from the 20 colonies, and these all built was to unite many of the packages and thus 



up into strong colonies by fall. The larger break up any comparisons which we might 



part of the honey secured has already been have made as to crop production. The third 



disposed of at 28 cents per. pound above the lot of 30 packages arrived May 1; 15 were 



cost of containers, so that the total value of placed on foundation, and the others on 



the crop may be figured at 28 cents per combs of honey, 



pound or $392.00. From the lot received on May 1, 10 pack- 



The cost for maintenance in 1920 follows: ^g^s placed on full sheets of foundation 



and given sugar sja-up in Alexander feeders 



Sugar for feeding bees $ 38.00 ^^^.^ disposed of to the voung lady in the 



Wire for frames 2.47 accompanying picture. A record of this 



30 hive-bodies with frames and foundation. . 65.00 „„„] ;„ ;„„i„j„j 



yard is included. 



Paint for hives 7.00 ^^ ^j^^^ ^.^^^ ^j^^ temperature was high 



One uncapping knife 5.00 ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^,^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^j^ ^^ ^^ ^^ 



Cheesecloth 80 ^^^.-^ ^^ ^^^^^ building comb, and they built 



1 galvanized can 1.40 .^^ ^^^ condition. By the first of July 



Labor 109 hours at 50 cents per hour 5^-50 they were SO strong that it was impossible 



rpQjjjj «j^74 g,^ to prevent swarming in all cases, and one 



Totarcost'oVapiary for' 1919 .'.'.'.'.".' .'.';.'.'.' 439.'l7 colony was greatly reduced by losinaj a 



Total cost of apiary for 1920 174.67 swarm. ^ . , -,. 



, The total cost for this apiary including 



Total cost $613.84 hives, supers, foundation, and 100 poundr 



Total receipts, 1919 $288.00 of sugar was $165.00. 



Total receipts (estimated for 1920) 392.00 More than than 500 pounds of surplus was 



received, which was sold in two, five, and 



Total receipts $680.00 ten pound pails at 35 cents per pound, net- 

 Less total cost 613.84 ting the producer an average of 32 to 33 



cents per pound, or $160.50. In addition, one 



Net return above total cost $66.16 gQ-pound can including the cappings was 



Estimated value of beeyard on Nov. 1, 1920. preserved for home use. This record shows 



43 colonies of bees at $15.00 per colony*. .$645.00 -^^ ^^^^. ^^^^^ ^-^^ j^^ve been secured 



Estimated value of supers, combs, and other ^^^^^ ^j^^ ^^j^^^. packages received on Apr. 



e^^^P^^'^i 200.00 20 and Apr. 26, if they had been delayed 



$845.00 ^^^^^.j j^jg^ j_ 



*Ten of the original colonies were sold for $15.00 j,^^^ £j^.g g^j.-^^ ^^ ^^g^g ^^ ^^^^^ arrived 



per colony, so the figure is set for the lot. ^^ ^^^ following conclusions: 



„„ .,.,,.„, 1- While package bees may be received in 



When Package Bees Should Arrive in the j^^^.^^ ^^th good success, the weather is like- 



^°^*^' ly to be too cold for the bees to build up, 



In 1920 further tests with 90 packages ^nd there is great danger that the queens 



were not entirely successful from the stand- -^all arrive dead or that the cold will affect 



point of crop production, but from our view- t^e queens so that they can only lay drone 



point they were quite productive of experi- eggs. In other words, exposure to cold seems 



mental data. to destroy the power of the queen to lay 



In order to get some information on the fertile eggs, 



value of having the bees arrive early, we The loss of queens and the damage to 



made arrangements to have the bees shipped others in our case are laid to the fact that 



in three lots; one lot to arrive Apr. 20, a the queen cages were hung too low, and 



second lot on Apr. 25, and a third lot that when the bees clustered the cages hung 



May 1. We also attempted an experiment below the cluster and were exposed. The at- 



with 20 two-pound packages in comparison tendant bees in the cages were unable to 



with three-pound packages, but this experi- keep the temperature high enough for the 



ment was unproductive of real experimen- proper transportation of the queen. 



tal data because of the cold weather which g. Package bees should be received in 



followed the arrival of this lot of bees. Thir- Wisconsin about May 1 and not later than 



ty packages arrived on Apr. 20, but cold. May 10 to be of value for the average sea- 



cloudy weather greatly interfered with their son 's honey flow. 



getting started. Some half-dozen queens ar- 3_ Nothing less than two-pound packages 



rived dead, and others turned out to be should be secured. 



drone-layers, so that it was impossible to ^ j^^n ^rawn combs with honey and pol- 



make comparisons. The second lot, made up ^^^ ^^.^ ^^tter than full sheets of founda- 



entirely of three-pound packages, arrived ^ion, but the bees should be fed sugar syrup 



on Apr. 26, while the weather was still cold f^j. ^ few days when combs of honey are 



and after holding one day they were put used. 



