Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-02-28
He KEEPS FOUR
I. MILLION BEES
Former Well Known Hamil-
ton County Farmer
Called the Bee King
in Nebraska.
HAS 800 COLONIES
C. A. Flicker, Formerly
From Near harrisburg,
MoLsrr Qoonrd
HAS 900 COLONIES


county will remember c. A. Eiker who
formerly lived near Blairsburg. He
was one of the hustlers Of the county
and enjoyed the respect and good will
of everybody who knew him. Some
thirty years ago he moved to Nebraska
locating in Keith county, and has be-
come one of the successful farmers OF
that state. A recent dispatch to one
of the Nebraska's papers from Ogalal.
LA speaks of Mr.. Eiker's operations
las follows:
c. A. Eiker of This city has the dis.
|tinction of being the bee king of Neb-
raska. He has 30 miles Of colonies
distributed up and down the South
Platte river, and estimates that they
are inhabited by approximately a.
100000 bees. He harvested more than
1900 pounds of honey last year. and
expects this years crop to exceed 90
600 pounds.
300 Colonies.
The bees owned by Mr.. Eiker are
quartered in approximately 300 colo
MES. Each colony, Mr.. Eiker esti
mates, is now inhabited by between
ten and fifteen thousand bees. This
working force will be increased to be-
tween thirty and sixty thousand bees
to the colony as soon as warm wealth
er begins. This will bring the total
population of Mr. Eiker's bee farm to
more than 10000, 600 bees, he estimates.
1t is Mr. Eiker's theory that by
distributing his colonies over wide
area he gets more honey. He has
his hives so arranged that each "bee
yard contains approximately 30 col
onies. The colonies are separated to
allow each several miles Of exclusive
territory to work. The colonies are
located as near the Platte river as
possible. 81 could keep my 300 colonies
on one fourth the territory" he says,
"but by having them scattered be
|lieve / get more honey
Does Work Himself.
Caring for so many bees, Mr.. Eiker
says. is not as big job as it would
seem. He does all the work himself
except at harvest time when he en-
ploys several assistants, usually two
girls and a man to extract the honey
He does all the outside work himself
He has handled bees so many years
THAT rarely is he Sung" and when
he is it does not bother him.
The bees have not become confused
by the unusual warm weather of this
winter. They know it is still winter.
"They seem to know he says, that it
lis not time for them to begin their
annual search for pollen or nectar
from blossoms About April ], the
bees will get busy locating pollen for
the rearing of their young" A little
later. the bees will gather their first
nectar from fruit blossoms. In west
Iern Nebraska, Mr.. Eiker says, the bees
lget the most of their honey from sweet
clover and alfalfa hay.
During the good season. colony OF
bees will store 100 pounds of surplus
honey. I'VE always have about 40
pounds for the bees to winter on and
quite often they will need help in
feeding their young, he says.
Are Profitable.
The bee king says bees can he profit
ably kept any place there is plenty OF
white clover. alfalfa or sweet Glove,
raised. There are hundreds of bee
keepers in Nebraska: and it is Mr.
Eiker's opinion that within a few
Years they will make the industry one
of big ones of the state. He estimates
of the big ones of the state. He esti
mates that last years crop of honey
netted Nebraska farmers more than
and brother. Sterling Alexander, in thi: