The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-04-10
CARE DETERMINES THE SIZE
OF THE HONEY CROP
Essential is Colonies Overlooking with
Bees at Beginning of Season

average individual.
Not much of the crop goes to the
family table. It is consumed in bak-
cry products or used in drug COM
pounds.
| The demand for honey can be easily
and tremendously increased. The war
proved that.
The demand for honey is not con-
slant because the supply is not con-
slant. Few sirups are as satisfactory
or as palatable as honey. A little adj
vertising will sell it.
| Fer increased production Of honey it
is not necessary to have more bee
keepers. 1t is necessary only for those
beekeepers the country now has to i'm
prove their knowledge of honey pro-
duction and to devote themselves more
seriously to the care of their bees, say
experts of the United States depart
ment of agriculture. Statistics. show
that the annual average yield of sur
plus honey to the colony is exceedingly
low, and when compared with the av-
erages of the better beekeepers it is
inexcusably low and indicates unsatis-
factory management due to neglect or
to ignorance.
A casual survey of Bookkeeping prac-
tices makes it evident that the greatest
cause of this low production is lack of
care during the critical periods of the
year. Broadly, the beekeeping year
may be divided into two distinct Pc
riods-the period of preparation for the
honey flow and the period of the hon
ey flow. During each the problems
are different and may be clearly de-
fined. Usually there's only one period.
of preparation, which begins at the end
of the honey flow in the fall and lasts
until the main honey flow the succeed
ing year. However, where there is
more than one main honey flow, there
is a period of preparation of varying
length between each one. The bee
keeping problem is the same, however,
and it consists in securing la colony
Overlooking with bees ready for the
field when the honey flow starts.
Must be Ready for Work
In the north this problem is called
wintering, and to the average bee
keeper the chief concern is to care for
each colony of bees so that it will be
in condition to pass successfully thru
the winter period. This, however, is
but small and easy part of the prob
lem. Bringing bees thru the winter
will not in itself accomplish the main
object of the preparation period, that
of securing colony Overlooking with
bees at the time of the honey flow. In
large measure the strength of the
colony is a direct guage of the amount
of surplus secured and it is to'the bee
keepers advantage to do everything
which will in any way favor rapid
brood rearing during the two months
previous to the main flow. This means
not only that bees must be wintered,
but they must be in such condition
in the fall that spring will find them
ready and able to undertake this ire
mendous increase in population.
It will be seen, therefore, that the
preparation of bees for the harvest be-
gins not when winter threatens but
Immediately after the last main honey
flow and continues to the beginning of
the first main flow the succeeding year.
1t is imperative that during all this
period each colony have stores in adj
vance of its needs at all. times, room
for brood rearing and protection from
low temperatures and winds. These
things are discussed in the bee publ
cations of the United States depart
ment of agriculture.
Swarming Must be Stopped
Toward the beginning of the main
honey flow the problem changes. 1t
is now essential that each colony be
prevented from reducing its working
force by swarming and that it's instinct
to store and gather honey be kept
dominent. During the period of prep
aration, the instincts of the bees are
in harmony with the desires of the
beekeepr, but during the swarming
season the instincts of the bee are
directly opposed to his interests. Any
breaking up of the colony and reduc-
ton of the working force by swarm
ing brings a corresponding reduction
in the amount of surplus which may
be obtained from that colony. There
fore it is to the beekeeper's advantage
to prevent swarming in every possible
way, and if swarming still occurs, to
care for the swarms so that as much
as possible of the original large work
ing force may be kept together and
may be kept storing honey.