The herald., 1897-11-04

So : ~
edited by Prof. "A. ]. Coolk.)
Bees q Nuisance
There IL now pending suit in Orange
sounty in which a complaint Ii made
against a beekeeper. 1t is contended
that the bees are a nuisance. The case
has been tried in the justice court, and
decided adversely to the beekeeper. 1t
- now to be carried to the higher courts.
This is not the first case of the kind. In
deed, similar suits have been tried in
this state, and one, the most celebrated
OF all, occurred in Arkansas. and was
carried to the supreme court, when the
verdict that was granted was favorable
to the beekeeper, as has always been the
case when carried to the higher courts.
The complaint is that bees are tres
passers upon the fruit. It Is thought
that they attack sound fruit and devour
It. They are seen on the marred fruit
IN great numbers. and the conclusion is
natural that they are the original and
chief. II not the only, marauders. 1t Is
true, however, that bees do not attack
do SO. But let the sharper, stronger
5awed wasps once bite into the soft,
juicy peach or pear, or let any luscious,
especially any over-ripe, fruit, be torn
or pierced by bird, and at once, as by
magic, the bees swarm to the spot, and
soon suck the fruit almost, or quite. to
nothingness. think that observation
and experiment alike sustain the above
position that bees never attack sound
fruit, but only swarm upon 1t when the
Juice is oozing, and then they are very
quick to appropriate the wasting juice.
OF course, this does not make the pres
ence of the bees entirely agreeable. On
the trees and vines the bees may be a
serious disturbance to pickers. About
the cannery they are a standing menace
to the laborers, and often do much dam
age to the drying fruit on the trays.
This has led to sulphuring. which tends
TO keep the bees away. 1t follows from
this that either the bees must be exter-
minated or else the fruit growers must
euffer some vexation and Inconvenience.
Let US now consider the proposition OF
determination. It would be a very diff
dcult thing to accomplish. The bees are
In houses and rocks and hollow trees
that cannot be cut. 1t Is said, by good
authorities. that there are over 1000 COL
ontes of bees not in hives or aparies in
Los Angeles city. Ihave learned of sew
eral colonies in houses about Claremont.
The other day drove from Claremont
TO Whittier and passed a school house,
where saw bees coming in force from
the corner Of the roof, showing that
there was a large colony Of bees domi-
ctled In that temple, dedicated to learn
ing. We thus see that even were it de-
eirable and wise, 1t would be next to i'm
possible to drive out the bees. If every
apiarist in California was forced to give
up his bees there would still be bees. and
not few.
Again, bees fly often five or six miles
from their hives, and not infrequently
one-third or half that distance. The
1rutt man will, of necessity, then, not
only have to drive the apiarists from
his Immediate neighborhood, but from
adjacent neighborhoods. This would be
. colossal task; would engender much
III will, and would turn the tables. and
the fruit man would be voted the nuis-
ance. Here at Claremont we have a
large apiary within half mile, another
within three miles, small one two
miles, owned by fruit grower. A lady
told me this week that she had COM
menced in the spring with seventeen COL
pnies of bees, increased to 100, and se-
cured seven and one-half tons of honey.
Even at three and one-half cents a
pound this gives an income of about
$500, aside from increase of bees. 1t
would not be easy to drive bee keeping
from our midst with such figures to fight.
But is 1t wise. on the part Of the fruit
growers, to desire to push Bookkeeping,
IN their immediate neighborhoods, to the
wall. Assuredly not. There is no fact
IN science and practice more perfectly
demonstrated than that bees are abso-
1utely requisite to full fruitage. I will
soon give the proofs Of this proposition
IN The Herald. Hardly any of our fruits, |
II we except the navel orange, and the (
orange grower has no quarrel with the
bees or their owners, but what will often
and IN many cases generally fail to
produce a full crop without cross polli- |
nation. Many fruits, like the Bartlett.
and several other varieties of pears, will |
generally blossom, only to drop the bios
som, and remain barren, unless this
cross pollinatiOn Is effected. That Is the
pollen from some other variety of pear
must be brought to the Bartlett bloom
when the flowers open. 1t is the de-
ciduous fruit men that complain. They
are the ones pre-eminently needy. The |
bees must be called in to do this work
With our large orchards, often insects
are entirely unable to perform it, To
drive out the bees then, is to repeat the
blunder of the goose and the golden
egg. Some of our large and intelligent |
orchardists are securing beekeepers to |
locate close at hand. Others would do |
% We're not the bees already at hand |
Often the bees are housed in buildings
right on the farm. We say then, un-
hesitatingly, that the fruit men need the
bees, and were wiser If they tried to
attract rather than repel the beekeeper.
Olive men have failed in many cases to
receive crops because of solid blocks of
trees Of one variety, usually the Mis-
sion. They are now mixing varieties.
put this will be wholly in vain unless the
Dees are close at hand to serve as
marriage priests" The department of
agriculture of the United States govern
ment, the writer of this article and many
others have carefully experimental in
tnis matter and have abundantly proved
the above fact of the necessity of bees
70 successful fruit culture.
once more, the bees and the beekeeper