Nov .16, 1899. 



:an bee journal 



727 



and isolated districts where any considerable number of 

 apiaries are now found." 



The following statistics I have from the San Diego 

 Chamber of Commerce, which is a record of the number of 

 carloads of honey shipt from that point, and does not in- 

 clude small shipments and honey shipt from other points in 

 the county in carload lots : 



1895, 75 carloads ; 1896, 15 ; 1897, 85 ; and in 1898, 10 

 carloads. 



Thus you will see, notwithstanding the obstacles 

 thrown in the way of the honey-producers of San Diego 

 County, our output is no small factor in the commercial 

 world. It must be borne in mind that the seasons of 1896 

 and 1898 were extremely dry seasons, and " but little honey 

 produced." 



The first foul brood (according to Mr. Harbison) was in- 

 troduced by a man by the name of Wheaton, in a large 

 shipment of bees purchast from M. Ouinby in the fall of 

 1858. They were located in the vicinty of Sacramento (this 

 State). The disease was prevalent in the Mohawk Valley 

 State of New York, and elsewhere in the Eastern States, 

 but was wholly unknown at that date west of the Allegheny 

 Mountains. Mr. Harbison says : 



" Wheaton opened up his diseased bees within one-half 

 mile of one of my apiaries near Sacramento. The conse- 

 quence was, that over one-half of my apiary contracted the 

 disease by robbing honej' from the diseased colonies. I used 

 heroic treatment, burning up bees, hives, honey and all. 

 Colonies may have the disease for one, two or more years 

 befor dying out entirely, a condition that should not be tol- 

 erated. I know that when the disease once gets establisht 

 it will be almost impossible to wholly eradicate it, but by 

 constant care and heroic treatment it can be kept down so 

 as not to cause serious loss, otherwise it will spread all over 

 the country wherever bees maj- be kept, and also to those 

 in rocks, trees, etc." 



That the disease is still prevalent in California there is 

 no question, and in the county adjoining that of our own ; 

 as to whether or not it has as yet shown its cloven foot in 

 San Diego County I am not sure, but yesterday I was in- 

 formed of 300 colonies that had recently been cremated, 

 with the exception of 30. and that it was still prevalent, 

 tho heroic measures were being taken to eradicate it from 

 the region. 



As foul brood inspector of San Diego Count3' I would 

 say to all bee-keepers : Be ever on the alert, and should 

 the hydra-headed monster show up, give him no quarters. 

 California statutes know of no remedy but annihilation by 

 fire, and it behooves every bee-keeper in the land to /;>i07U 

 that it is not tolerated in the community ; and he who is so 

 care-for-nothing as to let his bees remain uncared for, with 

 the disease lurking among them, is nursing an adder with 

 which to sting his neighbors. Let this be your warning. 

 San Diego Co., Calif., Oct. 13. 



CONDUCTED BY 



r>R. C. C. MILLER, Alarengo, 111. 



CThe Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal office, or to Dr. Miller 



direct, when he will answer them here. Please do not ask the 



Doctor to send answers by mail. — Editor.] 



What Caused the Difference in Results Between 

 Two Colonies? 



Can you give me any information regarding a colony 

 of bees that have failed to store honey the past summer ? 

 Another colony by its side — say about 20 feet away— stored 

 some, not as much as usual, still enough for their own win- 

 ter consumption, and a little for my use. The month of 

 June vras very dry here. New Jersey. 



Answek. — Without knowing more about the case it 

 would be impossible to say why one colony should give no 

 surplus while another only a few feet distant should store 

 more than enough for its own use. Even with full knowl- 



edge of the case it might easily be that no satisfactory an- 

 swer could be given. One of the puzzling things in bee- 

 keeping, especially to the beginner, is the fact that it often 

 happens that two colonies sitting side by side, having the 

 same field in which to operate, to all appearance equal in 

 every respect, should be so unlike in the results shown in 

 the surplus apartment. 



Even altho no positive answer may be given to the 

 question, it may be profitable to give some of the conditions 

 that might exist to account for a difference in the amount 

 stored by two colonies. 



There may have been a decided difference in the 

 strength of the two colonies. Other things being equal, 

 the strong colony would outstrip the other in storing. If a 

 colony of 50,000 bees stores a given amount, it by no rtieans 

 follows that a colony half as strong will lay up half the 

 number of pounds of surplus. The smaller colony will store 

 much less in proportion to its numbers, and in a j'ear when 

 the stronger colony stores only a small amount the weaker 

 cannot be counted on to store anything. 



There is a diiference in the character of bees. Some 

 seem to be more vigorous than others, and more industrious. 

 So there may be two colonies side by side, equal in num- 

 bers, but so different in industry that one stores much less 

 than the other. And in this connection it must be noted 

 that when a colony has stored only a pound of surplus in 

 its super while another has stored 20, it by no means fol- 

 lows that the latter has done 20 times as much gathering as 

 the former. It has not even gathered twice as much, but 

 only about a third more. For it is estimated that it takes 

 about 60 pounds a year for each colony for its own con- 

 sumption. Very likely that is putting it too low, for it is 

 hard to tell just'how niuch is consumed each day by the col- 

 ony during the summer season, but it is very likely much 

 greater during the summer activity than during the semi- 

 torpor of winter. And as a colony often consumes 30 pounds 

 of honey from October to May, it may consume much more 

 from May to October. But putting it at 60 pounds for the 

 year's supplies, the colony which has stored a pound of sur- 

 plus has gathered 61 pounds, while the one which has stored 

 20 pounds has gathered 80 pounds. So there need not to be 

 such a great deal of difference in the diligence of two colo- 

 nies to allow the one to store 10 or 20 pounds while the other 

 stores nothing. 



There may be a difference in the laying of two queens, 

 one laying more than the other, or beginning to lay earlier 

 than the other, thus making a difference in the strength of 

 the two colonies. 



Swarming may make a difference. Other things being 

 equal, a colony of bees in the North that never thinks of 

 swarming is likely to outstrip one that divides its forces 

 by swarming. 



Altho two colonies may stand side by side, one may not 

 forage on the same ground as the other. It may happen 

 that in an apiarv where nearly all are gathering dark honey, 

 one or more of the colonies may be storing light honey. In 

 such case it is not hard to believe that the amounts stored 

 mav be unequal. 



The brood-combs may account for the difference. Sup- 

 pose one hive has nothing but worker-comb, while the other 

 has the equivalent of two combs having drone-cells. A lot 

 of drones is reared by the one colony, which not only 

 gather nothing but consume a lot, while the same space is 

 used by the other in rearing workers that add to the stores. 



These are some of the things that may operate singly 

 or together to account for the difference in the amount of 

 honey found in the supers of two colonies standing side by 

 side, and the list is by no means exhausted. 



York's Honey Almanac is a neat little 32-page pamph- 

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 honey among should-be consumers. Aside from the Alma- 

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 We furnish them, postpaid, at these prices : A sample for 

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