BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
No. 21. **FACTS ABOUT BEES**. Just what its name indicates. A very popular booklet of 60 pages containing a complete description of the Danzenbaker hive, and instructions for its management.
No. 29. **MOVING AND SHIPPING BEES**. Full of helpful suggestions on a subject in which many bee-keepers are interested.
No. 30. **THE BEE-KEEPER AND THE FRUIT-GROWER**. Why and how their interests are mutual.
_Honourable Price Ellison,_
_Minister of Agriculture,_
_Vietoria, B. C. :_
Sir,--I have the honour to transmit herewith Bulletin No. 30, entitled, "Guide to Bee-keeping."
This Bulletin has been issued in order to meet the large demand for practical information concerning this most important branch of farming. The introductions contained therein are concise and practical, and adapted to the conditions prevailing in British Columbia, and will, it is hoped, prove of benefit to those starting or at present engaged in this industry.
I have the honour to be,
WM. E. SCOTT,
_Deputy Minister of Agriculture._Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
honey-plant that in most regions can be depended upon for a good average yield in a series of years, and so even experienced bee-keepers are tempted to assume that the presence of clover in quantity should indicate a good honey region. This does not necessarily follow, for both summer and fall droughts or cool summer evenings may retard the secretion of nectar ; yet there may be a good honey-flow in such a region from a very different source. The sourthern end of Vancouver Island would appear to be a good example. Clover is l'Jentiful in many portions, but is sparingly visited by the bees. Some years the snowberry bush is generally covered with blossoms at the time clover is in bloom, and a good supply of very delicious honey is secured. Therefore, any one contemplating an extensive investment in bee-culture should not venture on a very large scale until he knows for a certainty the actual source of the honey-flow and how extensively it is to be found within a radius of a mile and a half of the apiary.
White Clover the Chief Source of Netar.
In every report that has reached the Department white clover is given the credit as the main source of surplus honey. One from the south end of Vancouver Island also includes snowberry. Fireweed or willow-herb (_Epilobium augustifolium_) is reported from New Westminster and Rossland ; at the latter place it is sid to always yield well. Tie fruit-booms of the Okanagan Valley, as will be seen later on, are credited with yielding good returns. Summerland reports sage and Vernon alfalfa as honey sources. Cranbrook is favoured with clover, alfalfa, fireweed, and sweet clover. In West Kootonay generally clover is the only source credited, but one region includes raspberry. In Yale District alfalfa and wild unstarald to the honey-crop.
Form in which the Crop is produced.
As the nights in British Columbia are cool even in summer, it is not a favourable region for the production of section honey--that is, honey in the comb--and all the reports confirm this. A comparison of the selling price of the two forms in the grocery stores shows also that extracted honey is the more profitable to produce.
Quantity of Honey got from each Hive.
It is not alone the character of the region that influences the size of the crop ; the skill of the bee-keeper plays no unimportant part. It is a truism in bee-keeping that is my one can get a good harvest in a good year, but it requires skill to get a fair crop in a poor season. Notwithstanding all this, there is surprising agreement when one groups the data from the different regions. On striking an average from all reports from each locality, the Okanagan Valley is first with an average maximum of 105 sections a hive, and an average minimum of 38. The highest return is 150, the lowest 24 sections. When run for extracted honey, the average maximum is 141 pounds ; the average minimum, 52 pounds. Greatest yield for a hive, 200 pounds ; smallest, 30 pounds, Vernon and Summerland show the best figures.
Around New Westminster the average yield in section honey is given as 42 ; the highest quoted is 60 ; the lowest is 20. In the extracted form the average maximum is 82 pounds; highest, 200 pounds; lowest, 12 pounds. The average minimum is 28 pounds. In several instances attention is drawn to the fact that the character of the ground in the immediate vicinity is very important, as bottom lands that are sometimes under water usually give the best yields. The region above the Delta would appear more favourable. Building up in the spring is slow, on account of cool weather. One member in Chillivarek who has kept bees for fourteen years says : " We keep bees now only to make certain the pollination of the fruit. Do not advise any one to try to make a living in this region from bees, as they rarely do more than get sufficient stores to winter on, and often not that much. Our nights are too cool for the secretion of nectar."In the Kootenays, bee-keeping would appear to be in its infancy. Only one report has been received from East Kootenay, the writer being a resident of Cranbrook. He has secured as high as 100 pounds of extracted honey a hive in a good season, and altogether seems satisfied with the returns.
In West Kootenay, Revelstoke reports 40 to 56 sections per hive ; Proctor a little more ; while a Kaslo bee-keeper with ten years' experience gets 50 sections, adding that his source is entirely from the clover in the town, there being no nectar-bearing plants in the vicinity. One apiarist in Revelstoke believes there is sufficient pastrage for 200 colonies in the neighbourhood.
On Vancouver Island, bee-keeping has been carried on for about thirty years, and at present there is an almost continuous chain of hives from Vietoria to Comox. The general climatic conditions are rather similar throughout the entire line, but the advent of the spring blossoms is much later by a few weeks in Nanaimo than in the south end of the Island. There is, however, great unanimity in the statement of returns, which, briefly put, is 25 sections per hive, or 40 pounds of extracted honey. There is also general agreement that a few hives make an interesting side-line that yields a moderate profit, but there is no present possibility of bee-keeping on an extensive scale with any hope of financial success. The climatic conditions are very similar to those described as existing in the New Westminster region : cool weather in spring, and cool nights in June, this month being the season of the honey-flow.
From the Fraser River, in Yale District, two reports were received. At Lytto\({}^{
m n}\) the principal source is alfalfa, the yield being 50 pounds extracted a hive. At Agassiz the source is clover and fruit-blossoms, giving 25 pounds surplus in a good season.
Speaking broadly, the dry-belt region of the Province is far ahead of the coast districts for the purposes of bee-keeping.
Seasonal Developments.
In the southern part of Vancouver Island the bees have occasional flights in January and February, but it is not until about the 20th of the latter month that they fly freely, and by that time the willow is in bloom, so that pollen is often carried in during the last week. Nanaimo reports free flight early in March, but Comox is later by a few weeks. Willow is plentiful in all regions.
From the Delta up to Mission free flight is usual in the first week of March. At Revelstoke it is after the middle of the month. All along the Fraser River willow is reported as plentiful.
In the Okanagan and other dry-belt regions the date of free flight varies from the 1st to the 15th of March. At Vernon the first pollen is carried in about March 12th. However, from several districts of the arid region there comes a complaint of the lack of pollen in the spring, so that it will be probably advisable to provide a substitute in the form of pea-flour, according to the methods described in a later chapter on feeding. In contrast, Rossland reports a plentiful supply of pollen.
In most regions dandelions and fruit-bloons follow the willow : in fact, one rancher wants to know how to get rid of the first named, a rather unusual request from a bee-keeper. The writer would like to oblige with a remedy, but though he wrestled with the problem for several years and consulted many experts, the only conclusion he arrived at was this : the more thoroughly he moved the lawn, the quicker it developed into a dandelion paradise. Therefore, like a child, he learned to love the glorious display of yellow ; as a bee-keeper, he welcomed the blossoms.
Clover and snowberry bloom round about Victoria about June 1st, but it is not until about the 20th of the month that the bees begin to get surplus honey. As fruit-bloons are over about the last week in May, there is frequently quite a dearth of nectar for several weeks, but pollen is more than plentiful. It is at this time that many a honey-flow is lost unless sugar syrup is fed to keep up brood-raising in the hives, so that the colonies may be strong when the flow of nectar does start. Similar conditions would seem to obtain along the lower part of the Fraser River. In the irrigated fruit regions there is apparently no break in the flow of nectar, so that brood-raising is continuous after it once starts.
On Vancouver Island the honey-flow is over by the middle of July. Like conditions prevail in the New Westminster District.
In the Okanagan and similar regions it would appear that surplus honey is got from the fruit-blooms. The flow from clover ends with July.
No fall honey-flow is reported excepting from the Okanagan, the source being sage-brush in August and September.
Honey-dew.
Honey-dew, which is usually considered to be an excretion from aphis and certain scale insects, is in some years very plentiful on Vancouver Island, and is freely gathered by the bees in the absence of nectar. It is considered very poor winter stores unless the bees are fortunate enough to have an occasional flight in December and January. It is very dark in colour, and when mixed with the honey in the supers impairs both its colour and flavour. It occurs also some years along the lower part of the Fraser River, but in the dry belt it is practically unknown. It would appear to be most plentiful in the fir-tree regions.
Fall Feeding.
It is generally necessary to feed sugar syrup in autumn on the south part of Vancouver Island, but from Nanaimo to Comox feeding is generally unnecessary, and the same is true of all points on the Mainland.
Wintering.
The general custom appears to be to winter the hives on the summer stands all over the Province. On Vancouver Island and the lower part of the Fraser River eellar wintering is impossible, as there are occasional warm days throughout the winter when bees fly freely. Many bee-keepers in these regions make no difference between summer and winter coverings, but others endeavour to keep the hives dry by wrapping with tar-paper or by placing in an open-fronted shed. In the dry belt a few favour eellar wintering, but the majority consider the average eellar as too damp, and so pack the hives with shavings, leaves, or similar material held in position by a water-tight casing, such as a box. Those with double-walled hives make no special preparations at all.
Hive Preferred.
The Langstroth live is practically the only one in use. There is equal favour shown between the eight-frame and ten-frame hive ; in fact, where both sizes are tried, any comment is to the effect that there is practically no difference in the results.
Races of Bees.
A few have blacks, all others Italians. There is a little warmth occasionally shown on this rather interesting and controversial subject. The blacks have their defenders, but many of those who favour the others want to see the dark bees wiped out, one enthusiast going so far as to wish the Provincial Parliament to pass an Act ordering the decapitation of every black queen within its jurisdiction, in order to keep the Italian stock pure. Hybrids seemingly have no friends, on account of their vicious disposition.
Market Prices of Honey.
No attempt was made to get quotations of the market prices of honey, but one may safely presume that those ruling in Vietoria and Vancouver are at least indicative of the rest of the Province. Here, as elsewhere, the stores prefer a package of such bulk that the price charged will be represented by a coin such as 25c., $1, or even two coins in the higher values. Such priees as 20c., 65c., and $1.15 are not popular, either with the trade or the customers. On the other hand, one must of necessity pack the honey in some vessel that is a staple commodity on the market ; so it calls for quite a little consideration on the part of the producer to harmonize as far as possible the conditions. In Victoria we find the containers in common use are half-pint, quart, and two-quart fruit-jars, United States measures. When filled with water, the contents weigh respectively 1 lb., 1 lb., and 2 lbs. But honey is nearly one-half heavier than an equal quantity of water ; therefore, the jars will hold almost 4 lb., 1 lb., and 3 lbs. of the product of the hive. Larger quantities are sold in tins, the usual sizes being 5 lbs. and 10 lbs.
The retail prices for the three smaller sizes are 25c., 85c., and $1.50. The grocer usually pays for then 20c., 67c., and $1.22 ; that is to say, he gets a discount of 20 per cent, on the retail price. Probably two-thirds of the sales will be of the 25c, size.
The half-pint jars in gross lots cost 5.2e. each ; the quarts in dozen lots cost 12.5c.; the two-quart jars in dozen lots cost 17c. A little figuring will show that when the bee-keeper sells to the grocer he will get at the rate of 19.7c. a bound for the honey in the smallest jar, 18.5c. for that in the quart jar, and 17c. in the two-quart jar. When the apiarist is located near a city he will generally have no difficulty in selling all his product direct to the consumer at the full retail price, thus getting 5c. a pond more.
Comb honey usually retains at 25c. a section ; price to the grocer, 20c. The average section contains 14 ounces of honey, so the bee-keeper is getting at the rate of almost 23c. a pond. This looks better returns than is got from extra-ted honey, but we must deduct cost of section and foundation starter, and then the two will come rather close together. Then when we consider that it is generally estimated that a colony of bees will produce in comb honey only two-thirds what it will yield in extracted, we see at once that in British Columbia extracted honey is the more profitable form of honey production. We have already learned that on account of the cool nights the bees make a rather poor showing when working for comb honey.
From Dominion statistics we learn that during the year 1909 there was imported through the ports of Vancouver and Victoria a grand total of 81,431 lbs. of honey. These figures indicate a demand in the Province it will take a long time for the bee-keepers to supply. When we remember that there is a protective tariff of 3c. a pond on honey from foreign countries, and that freight rates from most points of large production are almost 2c. a pond, we readily see that there is little likelihood of a sag in prices of this most delectable of ranch products.
Bees and Fruit-raising.
Not so very many years ago it was no uncommon thing for a farmer to believe that the honey-bee stole a valuable essence from the clover and fruit blossoms, but now he knows that without bees his crop of seed and fruit would probably be scant. Cross-pollination of most fruits is the work of insects, it being estimated that sixty-eight different kinds visit apple-blossoms alone. But the problem is to get a sufficient number when there are hundreds of thousands of blossoms all open at one time as in a bearing orchard or strawberry-field. The honey-bee is the only insect under human control, so by keeping a sufficient number of hives we can generally have enough bees on hand when they are most needed. Further, experience shows it is essential to scatter the hives throughout the territory to be worked. In 1910, in the Wenatchee Valley, Wash., a careful investigation showed that on apple-trees not over 100 yards from bee-hives only 7 per cent. of the fruit-spurs failed to set, while of those farther away 49 per cent. failed. The professor in charge of the investigation says: " Our conclusion is that, in order to prevent crop failure from lack of pollination in the future, we must get bees. The common honey-bees are the best insect pollinators on earth. They come out earlier in the spring, stay out later in the fall, begin earlier in the morning, and work later in the evening, and they will work under more unfavourable conditions than any other insect. From my work with bees I have calculated that a single honey-bee is capable of cross-pollinating over 16,000 apple-blossoms in a day (this may be a misprint, but the number visited is certainly large); but during the blossoming period there are so many blossums that the bees do not go far from the hives, so we need hives all over the orchard."
Another authority says he considers that in every orchard there should be at least one colony of bees for every twenty-five trees, in order to secure thorough pollination of the fruit-blossoms.
PARTIAL List of Honey and Pollen Plants in British Columbia.
When Dr. Watts, the eminent hymn-writer, said of bees that they
Gather honey all the day
From every opening flower.
His statement was not altogether in accordance with fact, for they patroise but a small proportion of flowering plants. For weeks at a time bees need very little attention; on the other hand, there are occasions when they need care at once, and these are usually dependent on the floral conditions; hence it is very important that every bee-keeper should be familiar with all the bee-plants of his locality. He should know the dates of blooming, and above all what time in the spring there is a likelihood of a dearth of nectar, so that, if necessary, he can tide over the period by feeding with sugar. The writer advises the keeping of a diary, which in his own case is a rather simple affair, consisting of a sheet of paper 8 x 10 inches in size, on which he records the first appearance of the blossum of each variety of plant, occasionally adding a little note for guidance in future years.
The list given below contains all plants in the reports; the dates show when they bloom in Victoria. The remarks arise out of the writer's experience in the same city. Doubtless the list can be considerably extended, and so every bee-keeper is invited to send additions to the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, so that they may be added in future editions:--
Feh. 21.--Willow. Pullen carried in.
Mar. 17.--Much willow. A few dandelions.
\({}^{n}\) 25.--Oregon grape.
\({}^{n}\) 25.--Broad in four frames.
Apr. 7.--Dandelions plentiful.
\({}^{n}\) 11.--Wild strawberry.
\({}^{n}\) 12.--Early pears.
\({}^{n}\) 15.--Pollen becomes pentiful.
\({}^{n}\) 18.--Early plans, apples.
May 1,--Broom: a very fine pollen-plant,
\({}^{n}\) 12.--Cultivated strawberry.
Will sunflowers. Bloom May 15th at Cranbrook,
\({}^{n}\) 20.--Hees often need feeling a'sut this date,
\({}^{n}\) 34.--Chestnut.
**May 24.--Vetch.** **Bees work on stems.**
\(\sigma\) **28.--White clover and hawthorn.**
June 7.--Snowberry, chokeberry, mustard, stonecrop.
\(\sigma\) **22.--Bees rushing on snowberry.** **Goldenrod, buckwheat, fireweed, sage, sweet clover, and alfalfa are reported from various parts of the Province, but dates of blooming are not given.**
## Chapter 21.
### Starting Bee-keeping.
To learn the art of bee-keeping, one must keep bees. It is not enough to buy a colony and trust to luck for the outcome ; the owner must learn to _keep_ bees, that is to say, have them at the end of some definite period, say twelve months or five years, or longer. The beginner in bee-keeping must realise that bees are just a variety of stock, like cattle, hogs, or chickens, and, like them, must be taken care of ; therefore, he must learn about bee needs and bee habits, so that in times of necessity he can give the little aid that is required to ti:le them over the period of trouble. Too many beginners assume that bees need no care, that they will work for nothing and board themselves, yielding profit in the form of honey, and multiplying their kind several times in the course of a single season, so that by the investment of a few dollars in one hive there will in a very few years result a good-sized apiary that has easily paid its way out of surplus honey.
The actual facts do not correspond with so rosy a picture. Without doubt, bees will pay better returns for the capital, time, and labour invested than any form of farm enterprise ; but the big returns are got, one year with another, as the result of knowledge and skill judiciously applied. It is undoubtedly true that in most years bees reproduce themselves prolificly by means of swarms ; but this is Nature's way of compensating for a high death-rate in normal conditions, so that there will generally be in an average of years just about the same number of colonies in a certain locality. Any permanent increase must be brought about by the skill of the bee-keeper.
Again, the production of surplus honey is not the reason for the existence of the colony ; this result is due to the manipulations of the apiarist. In a state of nature, what would be surplus honey is transformed into more bees, until the hive is overflowing when it divides, often several times, into duplicates of itself. Bees, we thus see, make honey, and then out of the honey make more bees. So the colony that sends off swarms is not always a honey-producer that season ; hence the bee-keeper who is working for surplus honey is generally endeavouring to find a sure method for the prevention of swarming
The purpose of this book is to set the beginner in bee-keeping in British Columbia on the right track, but he is advised to see, if possible, an experienced apiarist open and examine a hive, if for no other reason than to gain confidence in himself, so that he may do slowly and methodically what he is tempted to rush rather hastily.
How to start Bee-keeping.
In most regions the best time to begin bee-keeping is in the end of April or the beginning of May. Not only is it near the commencement of the honey-flow, which in this Province is mostly from white clover in June, but the risk of loss through the death of the colony is at the minimum. Of course, the novice is ignorant of what constitutes a good colony ; but if he buys a hive in which the bees are clustering in sixspaces between frames on May 1st, he will get one in first-clas* condition. He should buy only one hive, for he will learn as much in the first year from one colony as from twenty, while if he lets them run themselves his financial loss will be at a minimum. The man who cannot take care of one colony and its increase in one season is lucky to learn his inability at small cost. After the first season, only such money as the bees have actually earned should be invested in increase. A little experience will soon show that every colony on the stand at the beginning of winter will represent an actual cash outlay from $8 to $10.
The novice should not be tempted to buy a colony housed in a soap-box or similar makeshift; in fact, such a combination means endless annoyance to any one not an expert; but he should see that he gets a modern hive in good physical condition, free from cracks and loose joints.
The Hive to choose.