The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-20
defense AFTER SPALMR HARD YEAR FOR THE BE NaRFGAED PUPILS Pr
DROUGHT AFFECTED ALGAROBA
FLOWERS.
Shortened the Source of Supply on
Which the Bees Depend for Their
Honey-The Bee Industry.

This has been a hard year for the
humble honey bee. He has made little
more than his board and his black and
yellow clothes.
The principal reason is that the
drought has cut down the crop of al
garoba blossoms which is the principal
source of mis- raw material Another
reason is that the apiarists in some
sections of the honey making regions
have been 100 grasping and have had
more colonies of bees than the flowers
of the region will support. As re-
suit the bees work as hard as busy bees
can have only been able to gather
enough to supply them with food dur
ing the period when there are no honey
yielding flowers, and so were not able
to lay up any supplies for sale or eX-
port.
Bees and honey have for several
| years been one of the most thriving
| and profitable of the minor industries
| of the islands 1t has been especially
| thriving on the Island of Oahu The
principal source of the honey is the
flowers or blossoms of the algaroba
| tree Wherever there are plenty OF
these trees bees can be kept with pro-
fit In The region around Diamond
Head and beyond as far as Koko
Head and Makapuu pass there are
| thousands of colonies of bees. The
white hives show through the green
of the algaroba trees in every grove.
Another important bee keeping district
| is in the region of Eva. There are
thousands OF acres out there grown up
| to algarooa, and here the bee colonies
| flourish in prolific industry.
But this year there was shortage
! in the crop of the algaroba bloom The
! algaroba flowers twice a year. Inc
! first and principal crop is in the early
J - NJ n
crop as usual this year, owing prob
| ably to the drought At least that is
what the bee-keepers attribute 1t to.
| The second crop comes in August ana
this is said to have been almost a to-
tai failure.
Though the Hawaiian bee lives in a
land of perpetual summer he does not
live in a land of perpetual honey
flowers. If he did he would probably
be OF little use to man as money
maker. His honey flowers come in sea-
sons so that he has to follow the thrifty
instincts which have embalmed him In
proverb, and lay up supply of honey
for the Ceasons when there are no
flowers.
II liz aid that in the Diamond Head
honey fegiun there will be very small
crop of honey this year because the
Japanese, who are the prlncipai pee
keepers there, have been so grasplng
| they have put in more cOlOuleS tldi
the flowers of the region could support
and the entire gatherings of the oees
are required for their own food until
the algarobl blooms again, leaving
none to be taken out of the hives and
sold.
In the Eva district this overcrowd-
ing has not been carried on to as great
: an extent, though it is apparent even
there.
; Heretofore England has been the
| market for all the Island honey, be-
cause honey was not included III the
Reciprocity treaty with the other ISL
and products that could go into the
| United States free of duty, and the
American Cuty kept it out. But since
June IA there is no duty on honey go
ing to the mainland. and with the duty
off The American price for honey VII
be better than the English price
The bee men are just now looking
for a market in the States for theil
honey. So far, little If any, has beer
! sold there because the bee men wan,
to establish good name and gooC
price. For at whatever price the mrs
shipment is sold is likely to remain tn'
l standard and ruling price for the whol'
crop and for years.
Last year the total value of the non
ey exported, according to the custom
house figures, was $9.94S.6S. This wal
large Increase over the year before
But the crop of this year, notwith
' standing the shortage in the algaropt
$ blossom viii be considerably largeI
I, than last year.