66 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUREt 



Mak. 



DEPOSITORY OF 



Or lietfers from Tltose IFIio Ha^e Made 

 Bee Culture a Failure. 



f|0 make a long story short my report for "Blasted 

 Hopes" is about as follows : August 1st I had 80 

 ~ ' stands of bees all doing well as I thought, and had 

 ii swarms after that, and yet I now have but G8 and T fear 

 they will be reduced more before spring as we are having 

 a \'ery hard winter. Now for my years work ; 46 stands 

 in the spring, 80 now, with pi-obably 50 L, frames from 

 half full to well filled with comb. Took 511 lbs. extracted 

 lioney, $10i.95. Box honey lOlj^ lbs., §28.87. Sold my 

 nicest box honey at 30c. and what was not well fiinished 



up, for 25c., making a total of 612>n lbs. $13.3.82. I sup- 

 pose I had some 200 lbs. more in boxes Aug. 1st, not 

 capped, which the bees used up. The clover crop 

 of honey was the best I ever saw and there was 

 about 12 acres of buckwheat about 2 miles off, sown in the 

 soring for manure and plowed under about Aug. lOtli. 

 This I think kept my bees swarming ; had 7 swarms in 

 July, (never knew of a swsrm in July here before) and 

 not one of those, nor the August swarms ?ot their hives 

 more than half full, and some did not build more than 2 

 frames of comb, cause I suppose very wet and cool weather. 

 C. T. Smitii, Trenton, 111. .Jan. 13th, 1877. 



. HOW SHALL WE CALCULATE IT ? 



F LEASE let me know how you calculate the yield of 

 an apiary ? Is the average to be taken from the 

 '^'^ amount of colonies you start with in the spring or 

 from the amount of stock at the end of the season ? 



Paul L. Viallon, Bayou Goula, La. 



We are glad you mentioned the matter, for 

 there seems some litrle difficulty and possibly 

 a little misunderstanding about it. If we 

 start at the first of May as the beginning of 

 the year, and this certainly will be the best 

 time in our Nortliern localities, for there is al- 

 ATays danger of losing bees before that time, 

 we can easily reckon how much honey vv'e get 

 irom them during the season. Now if we en- 

 tirely prevent swarming by the use of the ex- 

 tractor, we have only to divide the number of 

 lbs. of honey, by the number of stocks we 

 started with ; simply state that v/e started 

 with so many colonies, and obtained so many 

 lbs. of honey. If vre should start with 10 col- 

 onies and get 250 lbs. of honey, it would be a 

 very moderate yield, while 50 lbs. per colony, 

 for that number would do very well. If we 

 get 75, we might "brag" a little about it, and 

 an average of 100, would be quite an item. It 

 would also be very simple, to reckon increase 

 alone, for a statement that one commenced 

 with 100 and doubled the number — had 200 on 

 the first of May the next year — would be very 

 easily understood. Now how shall we com- 

 bine the two, or at least agree on some way of 

 stating the whole matter in a few words ? 

 The honey could be reported very easily, as 

 soon as the season was over, but the increase 

 — we hardly know how it can be definitely 

 stated until the first of May comes again, and 

 our YouKg Americas, will never have the pa- 

 tience to wait G months, before telling of their 

 great achievements. 



Agaiif, suppose we get two tons of honey 

 from our apiarie, and then have xo pay out 

 more money for sugar to winter them, than we 



received for the honey; what sort of a report 

 would that make ? 



We really know of no better way, than to 

 say : I started with — colonies the first of May ; 

 increased to — all ready for winter, and ob- 

 tained — lbs. of honey that has sold for $ — . 



We might assume that a colony of bees 

 ready for winter, is on an average, equivalent 

 to 50 lbs. of honey, and then we could make a 

 comparison of results that were either honey 

 or increase, or both. • 



-^ — o4^ Mi^* 



MW'W 'JTO SEI^ffj HONEY, WB1VTERIM« 

 MOCSE, HONEY fiA'B'ES, SEC STIOIVS, E'S^C. 



fi WROTE you in Sept. that I had sent out a ped- 

 dler. I found a good man for the business and the 



' man found the business good. In the course of a 

 month he sold 2,200 lbs. and didn't half develop the 

 market. He would take out about 1.^)0 lbs. and not go 

 so (ar as to stay away from home over night. Would 

 sometimes sell out entirely. Quantities were sold 

 from 1 lb. to 50, and in one instance 1.50. The people 

 began to get used to his appearance and would stop 

 him for honey and many would insist on his coming 

 again. We find that extracted honey sells the best; 

 but comparatively lew would purchase it in the comb. 

 We sold extracted for 20 cts. by the single pound, and 

 at 35 cts. if ten or more lbs. were taken. We received 

 some complaints from people who were uriac(]uaintecl 

 with the nature of honey, they thinking that the can- 

 dying was a sure indication of adulterati >n. We shall 

 send ont printed instructions another year and try to 

 educate as well as to sell. 



Our bees are wintering well thus far in our new 

 bee liousp. built nearly like the one described on page 

 133, Vol. II Gleanings, only we have an extra story 

 lor storing empty hives and boxes. Our house is 12x18 

 inside the bee room, and witli 90 ST^arms has re- 

 mained at about 40° and we have had some severe 

 weatlier and long continued. We have 5 swarms 

 yiacked in chaiV and they arc now entirely covered 

 with snow. We never had fears of bees dying during 

 the first half of winter, we claim that they will winter 

 thus far in any place either out-doors or in, in nerfoct 

 safety, at least that is our experience, but from Feb. 

 to the first of May we are anxioxis for our little pets. 



I want to scold you a little about yonr honey gates. 

 I ordered six of you last syiring and was disappointed 

 in their size. Nev/ honey wilfget out fast enough but 

 late in tlie season it riinsslow, and our iieddler found 

 them refusing to do duty on cold days. For this latter 

 purijose a .gate as large "again as the ones you sent me 

 arc needed. 



Do you know, friend Novice, you liave stolen our 

 idea in relation to our section Irames I-" We saw our 

 grooves in bundles on a steel track but we hold the 

 pieces together with a screw clamp. We purchased a 

 lot of candy boxes this summer that were put together 

 in a similar manner. 



We hope to send you a photograph of our apiary 

 next season. J. tl. Mautin. 



Hartford, N. Y., Jan. 22d, 1877. 



Your plan of selling honey, is the right one 

 without doubt ; it wants some life and energy 

 to sitcceed, of course, but so does bee-keeping 

 in all its departments. We agree also in re- 

 gard to wintering; with us, the "tug of war" 

 comes in IMarch and April. We are glad you 

 mentioned the gates ; we have increased the 

 size once, and shall have to do it again, if the.v 

 do not let the honey out. When it gets very 

 cool, we have to abandon the gates, and scoop 

 the honey out at the top of the cans. Glad to 

 hear you were first on the "steel track," but 

 although ours is "steel," it was not stolen. 

 Please send aloncr the photos, that we may be 

 able to make judicious seleclioas, for our first 

 page. Ijv the waj^ will our friend who has 

 200 box hives, scud us a photo, that we may 

 present both kinds of apiaries V 



