, 1926-06-09
BEES PRODUCING
WYOMING WEALTH
Honey Production During
1924 Worth Approx
imately $500, 900


Wyoming Bookkeeping did not escape
the hazards of a war period any more
than any other agricultural pursuit.
During the time of the cry for substi-
tutes for sugar, the price of honey
struck the greatest peak of its history.
Eighteen and nineteen cents per
pound in carload lots was a common
sales figure. From that lofty height,
1t skidded to six and seven cents per
pound, with an unsteady and uncertain
market averaging about eight and one
fourth cents during the past season.
During the high prices. expansion
not commensurate with the future well
fare of the industry, naturally took
place. Persons new at the ~beekeeping
game took 1t up. Lack OF knowledge
and skill upon the part of these and
laxity upon the part of the old timers.
because of the flush season. brought
on an added catastrophe when the
market broke. This was the scourge
Of bee disease. always following in the
wake of poor Bookkeeping practices.
Over eleven per cent OF the colonies in
the state were found diseased during
1924, which meant u direct loss of ap-
proximately that percentage of the
honey crop, as well as a loss of the
bees and equipment in many cases.
A conservative estimate OF the loss of
the industry to disease during that
year could be placed at 100000.
The story is told concisely and en-
p~hatically by the export sales value
during the peak as contrasted with the
1925 season. The maximum yearly val
ue Of honey shipped out Of Wyoming
to foreign markets hit the top at a mil
lion dollars. Last year It was approx
imately $4,000
This looks like a pessimistic tale,
but the sunshine can be seen in the
fact that through all this adversely all
but two of Wyoming's commercial bee
keepers have weathered the storm.
If an industry can stand such hard
knocks as these and still hold its own
with only a normal mortality, there
must be reason to believe that wyo-
ming is well adapted to commercial
honey production.
Honey Yields Are Good
The real facts in the case are that
Wyoming stands right at the top. for
production of honey per colony. We
have never faced a serious crop fail
ure and in the irrigated sections likely
never will. Our chief honey plant is
sweet clover which grows lu1uriantly
under irrigated conditions, and at this
altitude with such an abundance OF
sunshine and long days. 1t will prob
ably never completely fail. The things
that make nectar RI abundance of
water. warm days combined with cool
nights, long days and lots OF sunshine.
Wyoming has all of these in abund-
anoe and they account for our present
upward trend in the bee business.
With the splendid support given by
the last session OF the Legislature for
the control of bee diseases, the infec-
ton has beer reduced, through the eff
forts OF the State Department Of Agri-
culture workers, 81 per cent in one
year. An outstanding example OF the
good OF this work can be seen in Big
Horn county. where 1873 per cent Of
the colonies We're infected in 1924, and
only 2 per cent were found diseased
upon the second inspection Of 1925.
1t will probably take Wyoming ten
years to get back to the export sales
value of the closing years of the war
high price level Part Of the Increase
will com from a slow. substantial in
crease of apiary holdings. Most OF II
will come through the control OF bee
diseases and better Bookkeeping meth.
DDS coupled with better marketing IA.
%cllitles. Our feet are OF the ground.
we know our problems and we are
willing to spend the effort In solving
them. Wyoming Bookkeeping has wea.
thered the storm. is getting on 4 solid
foundation and can look to the future
for substantial, though not phenom.
email. Development