Februaey, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



grove is kept will prove conducive to greater 

 nectar-secr(?tion. In other words, if an or- 

 ange tree be supplied with the best condi- 

 tions for its growth and reproduction, such 

 as most suitable soil, proper retention of 

 moisture in the soil, sheltered location pro- 

 tected from climatic extremes, and the like, 

 the orange tree then will be found to be 

 thriving under its most favorable conditions 

 and will give forth a greater abundance of 

 nectar. It should also be added that the 

 recent research work of Dr. E. F. Phillips 

 shows that the orange as well as all other 

 plant life secretes better at higher altitudes 

 and higher latitudes. Consequently, River- 

 side, San Bernardino and northern Califor- 

 nia territory are very favorable locations. 

 Blooming in April at a time when there is 

 much inclement weather, the orange flow is 

 necessarily irregular. Its duration may be 

 but 10 days or it may extend over a period 

 of about a month. At times it may be ex- 

 ceedingly rapid, and the intake of nectar 

 may reach 15 to 20 or more pounds daily for 

 several days at a time. When such is the 

 case the nights are comparatively cool and 

 are followed by fine warm days with tem- 

 peratures reaching as high as 85° to 95°F. 

 Significance of an Orange Location. 



Aside from affording a fairly constant 

 amount of a fine quality of easily market- 

 able honey, the orange flow, as has been 

 pointed out, comes early and is of compara- 

 tively short duration. It is evident from 

 this fact that but few yards are kept per- 

 manently on a purely orange location. The 

 flow is over during the fore part of May, 

 the colonies are strong, and there are sev- 

 eral other sources of nectar available in 

 other parts. The orange flow is a flow util- 

 ized principally by the migratory beekeep- 

 er, and the successful migratory beekeeper 

 is well grounded in the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of his profession. 



It is a well-known fact that a colony that 

 has been made fit for a honey flow has con- 

 sumed from 50 to 75 pounds of honey or its 

 equivalent in a sugar-syrup feed or in in- 

 coming nectar, and that the colony, if prop- 

 erly handled during the short orange flow, 

 may be utilized again with its strength un- 

 impaired for another flow. The great sav- 

 ing in the cost of preparing a colony for a 

 honey flow is at once apparent. The im- 

 portant consideration to bear in mind, when 

 moving from one source of nectar to an- 

 other, is to move before the first flow of 

 nectar has entirely ceased. In other words, 

 move at the first signs of a waning flow or 

 when the daily intake of nectar per colony 

 has decreased to only 2 or .3 pounds. Very 

 often at this stage there is a slight inclina- 

 tion to rob, which at once is a sign that the 

 bees should be on the move. It is better to 

 move at such a time, even tho the next honey 

 flow has not yet commenced. A decreasing 

 honey flow, especially if it be abrupt, is a 

 sign for the queen to stop laying and for 



the bees to fill up the brood-nest with honey. 

 Preparation of Colonies for Flow. 



Orthodox beekeeping tells us that, in or- 

 der to prepare a colony for the orange or 

 any other early honey flow, it should have 

 produced the fall before at least 15,000 

 young workers or, to put it more specifically, 

 there should be three full Langstroth combs 

 or the equivalent thereof filled with brood 

 during the fall, so that the young bees re- 

 sulting therefrom may go into the quiescent 

 stage during winter. It is these 15,000 work- 

 ers or three pounds of bees reared usually 

 during September that, so to speak, vitalize 

 the colony and make it possible to increase 

 its working force up to from 50,000 to 75,000 

 by the beginning of April. Orthodox teach- 

 ing likewise says that there should be in the 

 colony a queen of the current year's raising. 

 If there be a fall honej^ flow, no dilEculty is 

 experienced in procuring the 15,000 young 

 bees. If, however, the honey flow is over in 

 earlj' summer and migratory beekeeping is 

 not practiced, then it is advised to requeen 

 during the fall. This should be done early 



Every year colonies of bees are brought into the 

 California orange groves. 



enough so as to have the queen laying at 

 least six weeks before the quiescent period. 

 Stores to the amount of 50 pounds more or 

 less are necessary, dependent largely upon 

 what nectar the bees might find during Feb- 

 ruary and March, and to a less extent to 

 what protection the colony has received dur- 

 ing winter and the building-up period. Some 

 sort of winter and early spring protection, 

 either by means of packing paper (see Octo- 

 ber issue of this journal for last year) or 

 windbreaks, is a factor that absolutely 

 should not be disregarded. 



The all-worker-comb-excluderless-two-story 

 hive is the proper home for a colony during 

 the late fall, winter and early spring months. 

 In this state the quality and the distribu- 

 tion of stores in the two hive-bodies and 

 their bearing on cleansing flights and en'pty 

 cells for clustering space are of but little 

 importance. But owing to the greater ac- 

 tivity of bees during the above periods, Cali- 

 fornia must lay more stress on abundant 

 stores. Inferior stores, such as honeydew 

 hone}', are consumed in greater quantities, 

 owing to the larger amount of indigestible 

 matter contained therein. Colonies, pre- 

 pared as outlined above, need practically 

 no attention until the flow begins. 



