170 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



When I referred to the more leisurely work 

 thiit might be doue wlieu there was an aliun- 

 dauce of empty combs, I did not intend to 

 convey the idea that the extractintj miylit be 

 deferred until the season was over, a la 

 Dadant, Hlthouy;h I think that by the use of 

 bee escapes tlie work could then be doue with 

 little annoyance from robbers, but what I 

 had in mind was the tentjjorary respite that 

 might be gained by the usj of empty combs. 

 If all of the colouios of one apiary can be 

 given an abuudauceof empty combs, a little 

 time is gained in which to extract the honey 

 at some other ai)iary. 



I am well aware that when a man has de- 

 veloped some system of mauagement and 

 followed it for years, it m.iy not be profit- 

 able to add some new feature, like the use of 

 bee escape-. His system may not be adapt- 

 ed to the chiuge, and it may not be advis- 

 able to II ake the changes necessary to bring 

 in the new inveutiou, but each man should 

 look the situation over carefully, consider- 

 ing all things, and then follow the course 

 that appears the best. In some eases it may 

 be well to do some experimenting before 

 coming to a final decision. — Ed.] 



Winter Losses of Bees in California. 



" BAMBLEB." 



" And every prospect pleases 

 And only man is vile— 

 Enoush to let his ' bees es' 

 in winter die the while." 



njHERE is a 

 ±^ great dif- 

 ference in the 

 manage m e n t 

 of bees wliere 

 the hives sur- 

 round ,t h e 

 home, and are 

 arranged in a 

 tastefully kept 

 yard, and 

 where they are 

 kept in some remote mountain glen, and vis- 

 ited only when care is absolutely needed. The 

 Eastern bee-keeper, if he is a lover of the 

 business and something of an enthusiast, 

 will be found, even after the work of the 

 honey season is over, wending his way to 

 the apiary, and, with a friend, or even with- 

 out, looking at the qualities of his latest bred 

 Italians, or, if any unusual commotion is" 



heard in the apiary, his eyes and his ears 

 are open to catch its signification. If the 

 bees are put in the cellar durin_g the winter, 

 he is often found in their cosy (juarters listen- 

 ing to the quiet hum, and allowing his olfac- 

 tory organs to test the condition of the air, 

 and if any thing is going wrong it is instant- 

 ly remedied if possible. 



Bees are as much of a pet, collectively, to 

 the enthusiastic apiarist as the hand-raised 

 colt or sheep is to the family, but the colt or 

 the sheep turned out to pasture ten miles 

 away is a pet no longer, and while tlie for- 

 mer pet enjoys unrestrained freedom, the 

 owner in a measure forgets it. The balmy 

 climate of southern California allows the 

 bees to fly every month in the year and the 

 necessities of the occupation of the bee- 

 keeper, or the conditions of the pasturage in 

 a great majority of cases, results in turning 

 the bees into a distant pasture, with but lit- 

 tle pride as to arrangement or beauty of" 

 hives, if the outfit will only bring in the dol- 

 lars. The months of greatest rest to the bees 

 and the bee-keeper are October, November 

 and December. The conditions change with 

 different portions of the State, for nearly 

 all climates are enjoyed, and though we find 

 rigorous weather in the mountains, there is 

 no place where protection is deemed neces- 

 sary. In such a climate one would suppose 

 that the winter losses would be slight, but it 

 may surprise some to learn that the winter 

 losses are as great if not greater than in the 

 East. Let us see : I know of several apiaries 

 of about -200 colonies each, which, during the 

 past winter have lost on an average of .W 

 colonies each, and there is at least one in- 

 stance where about 1,200 colonies were re- 

 duced to less than 400. A loss of so many 

 would seem to be irretrievable, but the own- 

 er takes courage and says, "never mind, 

 with one good honey season I will fill every 

 hive again." The question will now natur- 

 ally arise, what is the cause of all these 

 losses ? As far as my observation goes, 

 which is only for two years, there is l>ut one 

 answer — criminal carelessness. Although 

 bees gather so much honey and pollen in this 

 climate, it it just as necessary to leave win- 

 ter stores, as it is in the East. In fact, the 

 same principle of having enough honey in 

 the hive at all times for a winter supply is 

 just as applicable here as in any other por- 

 tion of the country. If all of the honey is 

 taken away up to the last of .Tune, the possi- 

 bilities are that a later flow will give the bees 

 enough to winter uiion, but the getting of 



