GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



August, 192': 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Southern California ^he honey 



of southern 

 California is nearly enough gathered so that 

 one can judge jiretty well as to the size of 

 the crop. The orange was a short crop, as 

 only a feAv sections produced enough orange 

 lioney to pay to leave the bees near the 

 groves. The black sage was yielding at the 

 same time, so a number of beekeepers moved 

 their bees, either just before or during the 

 blooming period, from the orange to the 

 sage ranges. The sages have yielded very 

 well. The buckwheat is doing nicely and 

 will give a good surplus. All in all, it is a 

 far better crop than 1921, but will scarcely 

 come up to the record crop of 1920. 



We might cite an unusual case, showing 

 the great value of knowing the business and 

 having your bees up and ready for the honey 

 flow. Two apiaries were located on an or- 

 ange range, so near to each other that it 

 was almost possible to throw a stone from 

 the one to the other. One apiary produced 

 40 pounds per colony, while the other pro- 

 duced 160 pounds per colony. It seems to 

 be more necessary to have the bees in good 

 condition for an early and rapid flow such 

 as the orange produces, but may well be 

 heeded in any honey district. 



Many beekeepers have been adding mod- 

 ern appliances to their equipment the last 

 few years. One of these is a pressure tank, 

 to assist the feed of gasoline in the stoves 

 so much used in the heating of knives and 

 in the capping-melters used throughout 

 southern California and the West. Some use 

 the common plumber's pressure tank that he 

 uses in connection with his fire pot. Others 

 have one made that holds one or two gal- 

 lons of gasoline. Many have no means of 

 registering the amount of pressure put in 

 them. An ordinary way is to have a valve 

 stem from an automobile tire soldered in 

 and the pressure put in by an ordinary tire 

 pump. While using one of these appliances 

 in their extracting-house near Perris recent- 

 Iv, Messrs. Eough and Hardy had the mis 

 fortune to have their tank explode. The 

 explosion was evidently caused by the floAv 

 of gasoline being retarded by some obstruc- 

 tion, so that the stove was not burning sat- 

 isfactorily. Mr. Rough was pumping more 

 air in at the time of the explosion and must 

 have had too high a pressure. Gasoline was 

 thrown over both of the men, and the outfit 

 took fire. The extracting-wagon and a 

 latest model eight-frame extractor, together 

 with the balance of their equipment and a 

 number of colonies of bees, wore entirely de- 

 stroyed. Mr. Rough was so severely burned 

 that he died a few days later, and Mr. 

 Hardv is just out after two weeks spent in 

 the hospital. If beekeepers want to use 

 this appliance, it seems but reasonable that 

 they should have a way of ascertaining how 

 much pressure there is in the tank. Wo 

 have found that a very satisfactory way is 



to add one, two or more feet to the lieight 

 of tlie gasoline tank on the stove. 



''Beekeeping next to nature" might de- 

 scribe the equipment of a Palo Verde api- 

 arist, whom we met a few days ago. His 

 story reads like this: "I need a man with 

 some capital to help me develop a good 

 business, where we can run from 800 to 1000 

 colo2iies. Many of my hives are sitting on 

 the ground, with no bottom-board and a 

 gunny sack laid over for a cover. I have 

 no money to buy equipment and cannot de- 

 velop my business as it should be." When 

 a man can run bees without a bottom-board 

 or cover, he is certainly to be congratulated, 

 so far as economy is concerned at least. But 

 this is a great country and, if you tell a 

 man a thing cannot be done, some Yankee 

 will come along and do it. 



Prices do not seem to be established with 

 any degree of regularity. Most beekeepers 

 are hoping to get an average price of not 

 less than 10 cents per pound. In fact, the 

 cost of production is so great now that it 

 will be necessary to get a good price if any 

 profit is made. 



Weather conditions have been all that the 

 southern California beekeeper could ask for. 

 Mild days, with nights not too cool, have 

 prevailed up to the present time, with the 

 exception of about 10 very warm days. 

 However, these days were not hot enough 

 to injure the honey plants to any extent. 



Corona, Calif. L. L. Andrews. 



In New York ^ I' ^ ^ ^\« '^- * torrential 



rams with cool nights 

 and warm days have been the weather con- 

 ditions during June, with a verv intermit- 

 tent honey flow from clover. Where colo- 

 nies were strong and supplied with drawn 

 combs a very satisfactory crop has been 

 stored; but, where bees have been operated 

 for comb lioney, much swarming and very 

 little surplus honey has been the result, due 

 to the cold nights preventing the comb 

 builders from breaking into small clusters to 

 build comb in section boxes and the rainv 

 weather keeping the working force at homo 

 a great deal of time breeding discontent in 

 the brood-chamber. Todav (Julv 8) bass- 

 AV'Ood is in full bloom and is yielding freelv, 

 although there is but little loft in those 

 parts. 



Peas, oats, tomatoes, corn, etc., were dam 

 aged nearly 50% by the heavy .rains, ami 

 many fields are being worked up and sown 

 to buckwheat. Fall honey plants are in fine 

 condition; as is also new clover seeding, 

 whicli promises well for another season. 



Brood-rearing has been heaA'v throufrhonf 

 the spring and summer. Manv nuoens uro 

 now passing their height of prolificness. and 

 renueoning during August will be e^'on iiKUf 

 advisnblo this year than usual. 



Ransomville, N. Y. H. M. Myers. 



