GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



December, 1921 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Southern California.^ There has 



been only a 

 light shower since the rain of a month ago, 

 and the grass, that had grown three or four 

 inches high, is now drying up for want of 

 moisture. Just what effect this will have 

 on the honey plants, if we do not get more 

 rain soon, is hard to conjecture. Of course, 

 the ground does not dry out nearly so rap- 

 idly as during the spring and summer when 

 the days are long and hot, yet a good soak- 

 ing rain now would be a great assurance 

 toward a honey crop for 1922. 



Beekeepers' meetings will be in order 

 during the coming months. Perhaps the one 

 of most importance to southern California 

 will be a short course in beekeeping to be 

 given by the College of Agriculture of the 

 University of California. The meetings will 

 be held in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, 

 Dec. 5-10, under the auspices of the Farm 

 Bureau. Dr. E. F. Phillips, Geo. S. Demuth, 

 and Geo. A. Coleman are among those who 

 will take part on the program. It is to be 

 hoped that a large number of beekeepers 

 will be in attendance, for much useful in- 

 formation is always to be had at these meet- 

 ings. When the State and National authori- 

 ties are not only willing but anxious to help 

 the beekeepers, surely it is not asking too 

 much when we urge the beekeepers to at- 

 tend these lectures and demonstrations. Many 

 apiarists are always too busy to go to meet- 

 ings and very often they are the very ones 

 who do not make the greatest success of the 

 business for the reason that they do not 

 keep up with the times. This is to be an 

 advanced course of instruction for commer- 

 cial beekeepers, and almost every topic of 

 interest to this class of apiarists will be 

 touched upon. 



We are finding that we must produce our 

 honov at a lower cost in order to meet the 

 declining prices of our products. By ex- 

 changing ideas we are enabled to get in- 

 formation that may help us to do this. What 

 better place to discuss these matters than at 

 the splendid meetings to be held in Los An- 

 geles Dec. 5-10? 



There is some inquiry every few days for 

 bees. From eight to ten and twelve dollars 

 per colony -is being asked, according to 

 equipment, amount of stores, etc. More bee- 

 keepers now than in former years seem to 

 be satisfied to continue in the business 

 when short crops come. As one man put it a 

 few days ago, we had the high prices during 

 the war, and many of us acquired some -^'ery 

 extravagant habits at the sam.e time. This, 

 together Tyith the fact that we must accept 

 lower prices for our honey, 7nay work a 

 hardship on some. 



The Southern California Fair has come 

 and gone, and as usual the Beekeepers' 

 Clubs of Eiverside, San Bernardino, and Or- 



ange Counties furnished one of the main 

 attractions. Waffles and honey were served 

 free in the Eiverside booth and proved to be 

 very attractive. San Bernardino County 

 succeeded in carrying off the first prize this 

 year, Eiverside County getting second and 

 Orange County third prize. 



A meeting of beekeepers was held in Los 

 Angeles on Nov. 4 and 5. It was well at- 

 tended by apiarists from southern Califor- 

 nia counties. T. O. Andrews of Corona 

 called the meeting to order and presided un- 

 til the following officers were elected: Frank 

 Buchanan, president; Geo. Emerson, first 

 vice-president; J. W. George, second vice- 

 president; A. B. Shaffner, secretary. 



M. H. Mendleson gave a valuable talk on 

 "Comb Honey," and Frank Buchanan gave 

 a very good paper on "The Moving of 

 Bees." 



The forest ranger from the Los Angeles 

 National Forest signified his willingness to 

 co-operate with beekeepers and assist them 

 in getting locations on forest reserve lands. 

 All small tracts of any value as agricultural 

 lands are usually owned by private parties. 

 Yet there are some locations on the reserve 

 that would be quite valuable and they could 

 be reached by building roads. 



The various Los Angeles supply houses 

 had offered supplies to the value of $50 to 

 the person suggesting a name that would be 

 suitable for this new organization, but up 

 to a late hour the committee was still strug- 

 gling with the problem. L. L. Andrews. 



Corona, Calif. 



In Arizona. Th^ ^^^l honey crop in 

 the southern Arizona re- 

 gion is much below the average in quantity. 

 The preceding winter was one of unusual 

 drouth, and there was practically no spring 

 nectar flow for building up the colonies. 

 This condition was in marked contrast to 

 the spring of 1920, when a fine flow from a 

 variety of wild flowers brought the colonies 

 to maximum size in ample time for the May 

 mesquite-catsclaw flow. When the period of 

 this flow came in 1921 the majority of colo- 

 nies were not in the best of condition to 

 take advantage of it, altho the flow was 

 fair in quantity. Following the dry winter 

 and spring the July- August rainy season 

 was one of exceptional rainfall, the precipi- 

 tation at Tucson amounting to 6.24 inches 

 for July alone. August was also exceptional 

 over the State in general. I anticipated a 

 heavy second blooming of mesquite and cats- 

 claw as a result of the favorable rains, but 

 learned a lesson I shall not soon forget, viz., 

 that superabundant moisture induces heavy 

 vegetative growth with a minimum of re- 

 productive activity. Contrary, then, to my 

 expectations of a heavy flow, these trees 



