282 



GI. EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1921 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



time may not necessarily cause this condi- 

 tion, but when it comes to half a dozen or 

 more, the manipulation becomes far-reach- 

 ing. 



Every beekeeper that discovers disease in 

 his yard should immediately hunt out a lo- 

 cation some three miles or more from all 

 other bees, and designate it as a hospital 

 yard. He should then carefully inspect 

 every colony for disease and mark those 

 that have any cells showing American foul 

 brood. That same evening, after all the 

 flying bees are in for the night, the en- 

 trances of all the diseased stock should be 

 screened and every hive hauled to the hos- 

 pital apiary. About a week later another 

 thoro inspection should be made of the en- 

 tire ajjiary or apiaries, and all stands show- 

 ing any infection should be treated in a 

 like manner. If there is a honey flow on, 

 it is then the appropriate time to go to the 

 hospital yard and apply the shaking treat- 

 ment to every colony within the yard. In 

 about 10 days these colonies can be taken 

 back to their respective locations, assuming 

 that they have been cured. The big idea 

 is always to get the infected colonies into 

 the hospital yard immediately upon dis- 

 covery of their diseased condition. Bees 

 drift more or less at all times during the 

 flying season in large yards with hives of 

 similar appearance and surroundings, and 

 it is this drifting that eventually spreads 

 the disease to a certain degree. 



It would be a great thing in localities 

 where there are many beekeepers, if they 

 would all co-operate along this line. Hospi- 

 tal yards could be designated in locations 

 easily accessible to the majority of the pro- 

 ducers. All diseased stock could be placed 

 in the community hospital, and a certain 

 day named for all the owners to assemble 

 and apply the treatment to their respective 

 colonies. 



Every bee inspector should endeavor to 

 bring about these conditions within the ter- 

 ritory directly under his jurisdiction, as it 

 would undoubtedly prove to be a real fac- 

 tor in the curtailment of American foul 

 brood. T. V. Damon. 



Yerington, Nev. 



[In the eastern States it would be diffi- 

 cult, if not impossible in many cases, to 

 find a location for a hospital yard that is 

 three miles or more from all other bees. In 

 spme parts of the West this should not be 

 so difficult; but, in finding a location where 

 there are no other bees, there is danger of 

 selecting one in which there is no honey 

 flow, thus increasing the difficulties in 

 treatment. A more serious objection to hos- 

 pital yards, so common in some parts of 

 the West, is that the beekeeper does not 

 feel the necessity for extreme care in han- 

 dling disease as he would if the colonies are 

 left in the main apiary, and, in the rush of 



other work, too often the colonies in the 

 hospital yard are left untreated thruout the 

 busy season. In sonic jjarts of the West 

 the remnant of hospital yards have been 

 apparently abandoned completely by bee- 

 keepers who were too busy or too careless 

 to treat tlie diseased colonies, the owner 

 probably thinking that they are so far away 

 from other bees and so well hidden from the 

 bee inspector that there is no reason for 

 haste in treatment. A sort of community 

 hospital yard, carefully located as Mr. 

 Damon suggests, could, no doubt, be 'made 

 to work out well in the western States 

 where locations can easily be found in the 

 desert far away from all other bees. — Edi- 

 tor.] 



RETAILING HONEY 



Folly of Selling Retail at Wholesale Prices 



There have been three or more trips made 

 down thru here by parties from Weld, Lari- 

 mer, or Boulder counties, selling honey as 

 low as $8.00 for a 60-pound can. These 

 parties make a run of 100 miles or more out 

 across the country along the principal auto 

 road. The people for 20 miles on each side 

 hear of it, and when we come around ask- 

 ing $13.00 for 60 pounds, they think we are 

 robbers. What is the result? There can 

 be but one, and that is, they will not buy 

 of us nor can they get it of the other fellow 

 because he is gone. The consequence is, 

 there is not nearly as much honey used as 

 there would have been if these parties had 

 kept near the regular price, or else sold it 

 to some beeman that lives here and let 

 him peddle it out. I have sold but one 60- 

 pound can for less than $13.00 to consum- 

 ers, and most of it brought $14.00 up to 

 Feb. 9. 



There is a beekeeper near me who sold 

 all his honey before the holidays at $15.00 

 for 60pound cans. This man went to a 

 party that was having a hard time getting 

 rid of his honey by cutting prices and asked 

 him what he would take for 1,000 pounds. 

 He replied, asking the same price as by 

 the single can. This beeman that wanted 

 to bu}^ the honey has a good truck and 

 nothing to do; so he thought he could help 

 his beekeeping friend dispose of the hon- 

 ey and also help himself in making wages 

 in peddling it out. 



I believe this covmty could and would 

 use every pound of honey produced in it if 

 properly worked. If I had trouble in dis- 

 posing of my honey in a retail way. at re- 

 tail prices, I surely would produce less of 

 it, or sell in a wholesale way at wholesale 

 prices. I have never yet had enough to 

 supply my trade, and I buy of others almost 

 every year. E. C. Clary. 



Ft. Morgan, Colo. 



