Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-09
Speeding Up the Bees
Bg Frederic j. Haskin

Drummond, Md, May From the govern
ment apiary here a campaign is being directed py
Everett F. Phillips of the Bureau OF Entomology
which is expected to increase the production OF
honey in the United States by l00OO0,0OO pounds
this year. incidentally it will give great per-
manent stimulus to the industry OF keeping bees,
which offers one Of the greatest neglected oppor-
tunties in the United States.
The honey bee is sure and inexpensive means
OF gathering an immense food crop which can
not be reached in any other way. Almost every
plant blossom contains certain amount OF sugar.
This sugar is distributed in such small quantities
that no mechanical method OF obtaining it is prac-
tical; yet its total amount is enormous. For ex-
ample, on the government farm here are sixty
colonies OF bees, which easily be increased to
100 without putting strain on the food supply.
The apiary is located in suburb of Washington
and is surrounded by shade trees, vacant lots,
golf courses and few small farms and orchards.
The cruising radius" OF honey bee is about two
miles A hundred colonies OF bees will gather in
a year about twenty-seven tons OF honey. That is,
they will carry to their hives and store, drop by
drop over twenty tons of sugar which could not
be gathered by any other known process, and
they will make about FIVE tons OF this available for
human food
Last year the United States produced 100000
600 tons of honey and this year It is confidently
expected to produce third more. There are now
ing these men better methods and assuring them
OF markets are the most important processes to
be followed. Just now letters are being sent out
urging the bee keepers to increase the number OF
colonies under their control as much as possible
without using all Of their honey to feed the new
colonies. In July they will receive special in
structions on how to harvest honey, and in Sep
tember on how to care for bees during the winter,
which is the time of heaviest loss to all bee
keepers.
Bee keeping is neither an expensive business to
| start in nor difficult one in which to succeed.
Mr.. Phillips say that intelligent man who will
| put some time upon the matter may become a
successful bee keeper in one year. Colonies Of
| bees already in hives may be bought for S. or
| Sc each, and the expert bee keeper always ex-
poets to pay for his colony the first year, as it
| will yield him about thirty pounds of honey The
| amateur, Of course, and even the average small
bee keeper OF some experience, will not generally
| do as well.
Bees may be successfully kept not only in the
country and in the suburbs. but in large towns
| and cities. There is not city in the United
States that has not its bee colonies Bees are kept
| and produce fairly we'll within half mile of the
Battery in New York City. Washington, with its
numerous parks and spaces, is an ideal city bee
range,
More persons are restrained from going into
bee keeping by fear Of these insects than by any
other cause. AS matter of fact, the experienced
| bee handler Is seldom stung Patience and quiet
way Of going about things are the essentials. The
one thing the bee is sure to resent Is uncleanli-
ness He will relentlessy sting any person having
| an offensive odor.
The sting Of the bee is not only not as danger
Gus as it is generally considered, but it literally
makes bee keeping possible. A stingless bee is
| not to be desired, for its colonies would have to
be closely guarded, while the singing bee is his
own defense. Bee keepers are wont to place coll
onies several miles from their homes on bits OF
waste land which they can rent from farmers for
| a few pounds of honey. They visit them per-
haps once week. There are thieves who will
climb into second story window despite the
| fact that revolver may be waiting for them, and
others who specialize in placatng bulldogs, but
fthe successful bee hive burglar has yet to appear
The chief use Of honey as food is for spread
on bread and it has generally been considered a
luxury. With butter going steadily higher, how.
ever, 1t has new value as substitute. Of course
1t does not supply the same food materials as but
ter, but it makes bread palatable, is nourshine
and very digestible
Honey is practically prcdigested cane sugar
When cane sugar Is taken into the stomach the
process Of digestion breaks it up into two sugars
levullose and dextrose, which are then absorbed
In honey this breaking up process is already per
formed, partly by the flower and partly by thu
bee. Honey also contains little water, and som,
Of it contains few per cent Of undigested can,
sugar Its favor is due to the presence OF mnut,
quantities Of certain volatile oils.
Honey is also Of great commercial value t.
commercial bakers, who use many carloads of /
every year. Commercial cookies baked will
honey will remain moist for long time, wh
those made with sugar will quickly dry out ant
become hard.
The marketing of honey is also being studiet
by Mr.. Phillips. For many years 90 per cent of TIL
honey produced in this country has gone to loca
markets. That Is, the man who has few colonie
OF bees sells his honey to local grocer and littl
OF it gets fifty miles from the hive where 1t wa
made. The 10 per cent not thus consumed ha
never been large enough in amount to start con
J siderable shipping or wholesale business in honey
Now, however, this surplus is growing, with tn
result that some large producers have not know
how to market their honey, although there wa
plenty Of demand for it, The Bureau of Ento
moogy proposes to furnish the bee keepers wit
: accurate information of market conditions. Their
is every reason to believe that large expor
, trade can be built up. Russian government repre-
sentatives recently tried to buy 5000 barrels @
: honey in New York, but none was to be had.
! fact, nearly all of last years production of hone
has already been consumed.