jiLv, lyji. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



435 



~^) FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



cents per pound to produce it. Another li<;- 

 ures that in operating 500 colonies and in 

 producing a crop of loss than 70 pounds per 

 colony and selling it at 15 cents per pound, 

 llio business would be operated at a loss. 

 While the writer does not agree with all of 

 these figures, many of them are getting close 

 to the actnal conditions as they have ex- 

 isted during the past few years. Surely 

 much good will come of these investigations, 

 and more and more the Ijeelu'ejx'r of today 

 will conduct his business on a real business 

 basis. 



The best field meet of the season of the 

 San Bernardino and Riverside beekeepers 

 was held on June 4 at Chaffee Junior Col- 

 lege, Ontario. Nearly 100 beekeepers from 

 the two counties were present. The meet- 

 ing was called to order by Mr. (,'han, presi- 

 dent of the San Bernardino County Club, 

 who ga\e a brief address and then intro- 

 duced Mr. Peterson, Farm Advisor, who 

 gave nuniy good reasons why the beekeep- 

 ers should join the Farm Bureau. Perhaps 

 the most important of these was the co-op- 

 erative interest created in securing county, 

 state and Jiational legislation along the line 

 of county ordinances, state laws and na- 

 tional tariff protection. The matter of co- 

 operating with the Farm Bureau was left to 

 ;i committee of three, who will investigate 

 tiie benefits to be derived. This committee 

 consists of Will Atchley of Uplands, L. O. 

 Ilattery of East Highlands, and B. H. Stan- 

 ley of Rialto. 



Prof. Kalph Benton was the next speaker. 

 He talked on bee diseases, reviewing the 

 subject from the time of Aristotle down to 

 The present. He referred to the slogan, "We 

 will stamp out all bee diseases by 1925," 

 and said that he wished that it might be 

 true. After describing the several diseases, 

 and noting the time since their discovery 

 he summed the matter up by saying that no 

 better methods have been found than the 

 McEvoy method of treatment for Ameri- 

 can foul brood and the Alexander method 

 for European. He recommended requeen- 

 ing for paralysis. He hopes to see better 

 state laws and stricter enforcement of the 

 same in the future. "Increasing and mar- 

 keting Bees," by Will Atchley, was very 

 well handled, and much good information 

 and advice were given. To make increase 

 (me should get the colonies strong for the 

 honey tlow. Then take one frame of brood 

 and the bees from two more frames and 

 place them direct!}^ back of the parent col- 

 ony. This division should be made when 

 the parent colony has swarm-cells, one be- 

 ing given to each nucleus. Add a frame 

 of foundation or combs as required, and 

 leave on the same location until ready to 

 ship or until the close of the honey flow. 



"Queen Rearing," by Henry Perkins, 



was one of llie treats of the meeting. In 

 answer to Die question, "How can you tell 

 a good queen before she has hatching bees?" 

 Mr. Perkins said, "I would rather judge 

 l\v the cell before she emerges." Xatural 

 cell-building is the best condition, as three 

 great factors are necessary for the best suc- 

 cess, namely, plenty of young bees, plenty 

 of food, and ])roper impulse. He recom- 

 mends raising cells under supersedure im- 

 pulse as one of the best methods. Even a 

 small colony will raise good cells if 1lie bal- 

 ance is right. 



T. O. Andrews gave a good talk on the 

 advantages of fire protection, and urged 

 cleaning in and around the apiary location 

 before the bees are placed thereon. 



The question of the poisoning of bees 

 from sprayed blossoms was discussed, and 

 the matter of spraying is to be taken up 

 with the fruit-growers to see if a satisfac- 

 tory agreement cannot be attained, so that 

 the spraying will not be done at a time 

 when it will injure the bees. A visit to the 

 exhibit made by the boys of the college was 

 much enjoyed. This consisted of bees and 

 honey, vegetables, live stock, and agricul- 

 tural products in general. A visit to the 

 college apiary, which is fitted up with all 

 modern appliances, was the last event on 

 this splendid program. It was agreed that 

 Chaffee College is an ideal place for hold- 

 ing a field meet. L. L. Andrews. 



Coi'ona, Calif. 



Tj-, Texas ''''"' weather conditions dur- 

 ing the month of May have 

 been quite adverse to beekeeping. There 

 were no violent changes in the weather; but 

 the month, as a whole, was cold and cloudy. 

 This was advantageous to the growth of the 

 lioisemint, but the cold, cloudy weather pro- 

 liibited the bees from gathering any sur- 

 plus that might have come. With the last 

 week of the month the weather has 

 changed for the better, and in many places 

 quite a horscmint flow is on. If present in- 

 dications hold out we may yet have a flow 

 from mesquite. 



The early spring honey crop was almost 

 a failure. I reported last mouth that there 

 was perhaps one-foiirth of a huajilla honey 

 dow, but further reports show that 'it is 

 doubtful if the crop is one-tenth its nor- 

 mal amount. A large number of small hon- 

 ey flows have occurred locally from hoar- 

 hound, gaillardia, and prickley-ash; and now 

 horsemint is giving quite a little surplus. 

 Owing to the financial situation, it is almost 

 impossible to make a report on the j>rice of 

 honey. Almost every beekeeper that has 

 produced any honey, good or bad, is throw- 

 ing it on to the market, and locally the 

 prices have been cut to such an extent that 

 it hardly paj'S for extracting. The larger 



