The Wrangell sentinel., 1928-06-07
PROSPECTS GOOD FOR HONEY
CROP N ANCHORAGE BELT
Anchorage Tfm@1

Prospects for a good honey crop
 at Anchorage and Matanuska are particularly good this year as the
 bee colonies at the ranch Of J. N. Mccain near this city and the U. s. experimental farm have come through the winter in excellent shape. according to pr. IT. ". AL berts. agronomist in charge of ex-
 perimental work in the territory The bees are already out gathering pollen for bee bread for the larvae. testing their wings for the honey flights which begin with the bloom Ing of the flowers. Before his de- parture for Fairbanks today. Dr. Alberts stated that he was so much impressed with the success thus far attending bee culture here that he would investigate the subject at Fairbanks with the possibility of es- tablishing colonies in the interior.
 Mccain wintered his bees out of doors again this year with fair sue cess. His colonies are now rearing broods so that they will be strong during the heavy honey flow which usually lasts from the middle of July to the middle of August. The honey bees at the Matanuska experi- ment station were wintered in a cool dry basement. They were set out of doors on April 14th and had flight of three hours that day. On April 30 they began to gather pol len from the pussy-willow blossoms for bee bread but in a short time the first flowers will be yielding the nee tar from which honey is made.
 Bee culture is comparatively new in Alaska, pr. Alberts said. Thomas Page at Haines has had several sue eessfuI seasons and his colonies are still thriving. These and the two in this vicinity are the only ones now existent in the territory. However, several of the Matanuska settlers are considering putting in colonies with the solving of the winter problem which really means housing them within buildings. An exceptionally long winter might mean artificial feeding, but this is not very serious drawback since the bees can be fed on sugar and water.
 "As a matter of history, it is in teresting to note that the Russians attempted bee culture at sitka near ty a century ago, but failed because of lack of sunshine. Even though the weather may be warm, bees will not venture forth in quest of honey unless the sun is shining" Dr. AL berts said 'and that is why bee cul- ture has succeeded here and should succeed at Fairbanks where there is even more sunshine than at Anchor age"
 The biggest problem is getting through the winter, feeding comes next and then the weather. Mccain banked his hives with sawdust leav- ing a small opening for air. Instead of lying dormant the bees are up and doing all winter, feeding and fam ming the air with their wings. gath ering in clusters and generating enough heat to keep themselves warm in very severe weather. Tn the spring the eggs hatch and the young bees are ready to join the force of workers when the honey flow begins.
 The pussy-willow pollen furnishes the first food in this vicinity as in the states, being mixed with the last reserves of honey for the young. With the appearance of the earliest wild flowers the gathering of nectar begins and with it the manufacture of the new honey store. In the vie einity of Anchorage, the wild and cultivated red raspberry is the chief nectar source. At Matanuska the fire weed which grows in great pro- fusion is a prolific source of nectar which produces a honey of very su- perior quality.