NOVEMBKR, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



719 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Southern California ^he condi- 



tion of bees 

 throughout south eru California is above nor- 

 mal in amount of stores and freedom from 

 disease. It is always much easier to treat 

 disease in our prosperous seasons, and bees 

 that go into winter with the hives full of 

 honey are less likely to develop disease. 

 We find that the weak, half-starved colo- 

 nies, that barely get through the winter, 

 are the ones to look out for, so far as dis- 

 ease is concerned. 



With the higher class of beekeeping prac- 

 ticed today, the apiarist exercises more skill 

 and care in both the prevention and cure 

 of disease than the old-style beekeeper did. 

 He also has more of that "come-back" abil- 

 ity, as we express it here in the West — 

 that is, he can, in a short time, clean up any 

 disease tliat might appear, provided the sea- 

 son is at all favorable. He can also in- 

 crease his colonies rapidly enough to replace 

 any that might have been lost by disease or 

 otherwise. 



One of the most unfortunate situations 

 that still remains in too many cases here in 

 the West is the fact that the beekeeper — 

 just as soon as his honey crop is disposed of 

 - — ^turns his attention to other lines, thus 

 neglecting his bees. In some cases no at- 

 tention is given them until the following 

 spring. This not only leads to a great loss 

 of combs in the colonies that die out from 

 various causes but also gives every chance 

 for disease to be spread among many colo- 

 nies if any diseased combs are robbed. 



The summer weather continued longer 

 than usual in southern California this year, 

 and September proved to be one of the 

 warmest on record. Where there were bloom 

 and moisture, the bees filled their hives 

 well, and most apiaries are in fine condi- 

 tion for winter. Blue curl is very abundant 

 this year, and while it has perhaps yielded 

 more nectar in other years, still the bees 

 have done and are doing well on it. The 

 great profusion of plants makes up in a 

 great measure for any shortage of nectar 

 secretion that there might be. 



The market seems to be able to take honey 

 at a certain price, and buyers are shipping 

 right along. We shipped some 200 cases of 

 orange honey last week that the buyer told 

 us was going to Belgium. The market on 

 sage honey seems weaker, and buyers do 

 not seem nearly so anxious to buy it as 

 they do the orange or even the darker 

 grades. 



Six, seven, eight and nine cents seem to be 

 about the prices offered. A few of the lar- 

 ger producers are holding, but most of the 

 beekeepers are selling or are willing to sell. 

 To make the business gain us a living at 

 these prices, one must be conservative and 

 run his affairs just as economicallv as pos- 

 sible. Supplies of all kinds, as well as labor, 



are much higlier than when we sold honey 

 at the above-quoted prices before the war. 



Honey plants are going into the early 

 winter in excellent condition. A good growth 

 was made during the summer, and, with a 

 normal amount of rainfall this winter, all 

 should be in good condition for next sea- 

 son. L. L. Andrews. 



Corona, Calif. 



In Northern California.— T'l'i, ^ ^^^ 



1922 will 

 go on on record as a very poor one. Ex- 

 cepting in the very northern part of the 

 state, hardly any section gave a respectable 

 surplus. Alfalfa was especially disappoint- 

 ing, and in some of the very best alfalfa 

 locations of the San Joaquin Valley there 

 was actually no surplus this season. The 

 fall plants, jackass clover, alkali weed and 

 blue curls in the valleys, are secreting, and 

 during September in some localities there 

 was extracting. Owing to the scarcity of 

 alfalfa honey most colonies were not in a 

 fit condition to reap the benefits of the late 

 honey flow. Along the coast sections, the 

 fall bloom was exceedingly barren of nec- 

 tar. The wild buckwheat, just as L. L. 

 Andrews pointed out in September "Glean- 

 ings," bloomed with us also very profusely, 

 but was altogether lacking in nectar. The 

 same holds true for blue curls. 



Between six and seven cents has been 

 the ruling price for light-amber honeys. The 

 demand for honey was much more active a 

 year ago at this time. It is expected, how- 

 ever, among beekeepers and dealers alike, 

 that the market will become firmer and more 

 active within a month or two. 



Along the coast counties the vellow- jack- 

 ets have become an intolerable nuisance. 

 Many of the weaker colonies have been de- 

 stroyed outright. In some instances colo- 

 nies with entrances confined to a single 

 bee-space have been overcome, so persistent 

 has been the attack of these marauders. 

 They are so numerous in some sections that 

 it is possible to trap as many as 100 and 200 

 pounds of these insects about an apiary or 

 honey-house. 



Ever since Prof. W. B. Hermes has been 

 in charge of the entomological department 

 of the Universitv of California he has had 

 no easv task in fulfilling the demands made 

 upon him by our rank and file. Our state 

 institution has been hard pressed for funds, 

 which fact has been Prof. Hermes' greatest 

 handicap. As has been announced. Dr. 

 George R. Vansell, formerly of the Univer- 

 sities of Knnsns and Harvard, is noAv a mem- 

 ber of our Universitv staff and is in charge 

 of beekeeping at the University Farm .it 

 Davis. This is most gratifving news. All 

 of us have realized the need for beekeepinar 

 instruction at the Farm. Dr. Vansell has 



