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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1882)
1HE WEST SHORE. 125 allowed to starve will generally come through all right wintered on their 'summer stands. Second, in the pro- Ruction of surplus honey I am of the opinion that we cannot compete with I California, New York, Ohio and some other states favored with a greater va riety of honey-producing plants and trees. Our main reliance in this vicinity is the white clover, which comes into bloom the last of May, and continues until the middle of July, and sometimes later. Now, should the weather be favorable during this period, that is, dry and warm the most of the time, we are certain of a fair crop of very choice honey, a good average during a favor able season being about. 50 pounds per hive, some swarms collecting as much as 100 pounds. The present season promises to be one of unusual abun dance. I have swarms in my own apiary, hived but two weeks, that have filled their hives and stored 15 pounds surplus in section boxes above. I doubt if this can be excelled in any country. A great injury was done the state of Oregon when bees were first introduced here. Those brought were in box hives and they had the germs of that fell disease, foul brood. People wondered that their bees "did well for a few seasons and then all died off," and they generally came to the conclusion that it must be the climate and that Oregon was no place for bees. The late introduction of healthy bees has proven that it was not the climate, and that bees can and do thrive here, and with proper care and attention will re. turn a fair income on the investment, . A great many articles have been writ' ten on the honey bee, and we have been told how they swarm, how to divide a swarm, how to transfer from box hives, etc., but upon the more important topic, how to secure the best results in surplus honey, little has been said. For the benefit of those who keep bees and ob tain plenty of swarms but little or no honey, I will give the methods I have adopted and those I think best adapted to this country. I am very well satis fied that the plans used to obtain honey in southern California will not work well here. A difference in cli mate demands a difference in treatment. Those 'who have' obtained the Italian bees are no doubt very much perplexed by the pertinacity with which they swarm, when they should be engaged in storing honey. I remedy this in two ways: if early in the season, I hive the new swarm and then from the old stand I take about half the brood combs, care fully cutting out the queen cells, and re move them to the new hive. Thi. will build up the new swarm so strone ll . - o uiai a iair supply ot surplus honey can be expected from them during the season. L,ater in the season I cut out all queen cells and remove all the brood combs to the new hive which I place on the old stand. The honey boxes are then placed in the new hive. I use the Harbison section honev box. Care should be taken that comb-starters are placed in each frame of these boxes if even work is desired. And now a word in regard to hives. Many persons suppose that a large hive will prevent Dees irom swarming by giving them plenty of room. This is a mistake; bees will swarm from a hive when it is not more than half full. My own experience is that a large hive and brood chamber is required if you wish to raise bees. but a small brood chamber if you desire honey, the object beintf to force the bees to occupy all their combs below with brood and to come into the boxes to store honey. This is the plan adopted by our most successful bee keepers in the east. The time I place ft on the honey boxes is when white clover is in bloom and the bees are bringing in honey freely. This occurs usually about the hrst or lune. though some times as early as the middle of May 0 No boxes should be placed on a hive that is not full of bees. Having de cided that the swarm is strone enough give them one box on trial, it they fill v - .1 a. :.l 1 tu. ... .I.... mat Willi ucca, JJ'vs mem aiiumci , in fact give them all they will fill with bees and no mere. Watch your bees carefully; as soon as the honey in a box is sealed up, it should be taken off and replaced with an empty one. . By removing the honey as soon as sealed we prevent the bees from soil ing the same, and the comb being nice and clean is much more salable if for market and more palatable when on the table. One matter I had nearly forgotten; while on the hive the boxes should be well protected by means of mats, pieces of old carpet, etc. This is very esen- tial in our variable climate, and it will make quite a difference in the quantity of honeyj obtained. One noted bee 1 1 a . a. a a -.. Keeper declares this to be one great secret of his success. Many persons have hastily decided that bees will not pay when the fault was in a lack of attention on their own part. No indus try will pay that is not carefully looked after; this is particularly true of bee keeping. Even in those states where this industry is followed for a living, there can be found those who cannot make it pay. What the future of bee-keepimr in Oregon is to be, is an unsolved ques- . tion; I will, however, predict that with the development of the country and the introduction of a greater variety of honey-producing plants, we shall yet see practical bee-keepers who will be . able to demonstrate that bee-keeping will pay even in Orecon. In rrar1 tn locality I consider the southern portion of the state as much the best, and it is from there we may reasonably expect to hear of the first great success. East ern Oregon is an untried field, and it would seem that from its unlimited fields of sage great quantities of honey could be gathered. Among the foot. hills of the Cascade mountains are to be found places where bees have gathered immense Quantities of verv - , . - j fine flavored honey. The Hon. . A. T. " w Dufur speaks of a honey belt, cut from Oregon City.where the bees stored honey in the open air on rails not having room in their hives. He attrib utes the source of this honey to a honey aew said to fall copiously in that Sec tion. T am InMinosI Iiaiuu. . .l. opinion that the greater portion is gathered from the tire-weed which ia also found in that locality and which is known to yield honey in great abun. dance. Branches from trees and bushes have been shown coated with a sweet substance resembling honey, the source of which is unknown unless it be veritable honey dew falling like manna from heaven With advantages like these there would seem to be enough inducement to tempt the practical bee keeper to Oregon and with his advent, and a fair trial, the production of honey may yet become one of the important a . ...... inenans county is attracting a good deal of attention. Parties from abroad seeking land there are numerous, and it seems likely that that fertile district of Western Washington will soon be well peopled,