istrict Is the Best Bee Country in the World, But the Fruit Growers
Must
Raise
More Sweet, Alsike and White Clover and Other Bee Pasture
Salem D
v
JfL SKAlFE HAS KEPT BEES FDR
1 ; FORTY TEARS, AND STILL HAS THEM
In All That Time He Has Never Lost a Colony From
Foul.Brood or Moth, Indicating Proper Knowledge
And Good Care He Says Now is the Time to Look
After; Your Bees, and to Prepare for Spring Swarm
ing. 1j
Editor Statesman:
Now is the time to look after
your bes. I'se nothing but stan
dard hires; start with empty
hive, transfer bees from one hivo
to tie other, cleaning the hives
is you go. If your colonies are
BOt all o. k. Tou will soon find it
out. It they need stores, feed
tbern, and if some colonies have
itores to spare, give to the weak
er, ones. In that way you will
eqnalixe your colonies. and maybe
Uf e from from starving. ,
Now is a good time to prepare
for spring swarming. Use full
lotndation for brood chamber.
It pays.." Keep your colonies
strong and yoa will never be
bothered with moth. Keep your
bees at least 18 inches off the
ground and where they "will get
the morning sun, if possible. Keep
earn hive on independent stool, so
you can work with them from the
rear, and in that way you never
disturb other hives. It you have
any weak colonies, close the en
trance till just a few bees can
I ass out, and in that way they
can guard against robbers, and
as they get stronger, increase the
opening.
In my 40 years of handling
bees I have never lo6t a colony
from foul brood or moth.
J. N. SKAIFE.
Salem. Or., Feb. 23, 1921.
I lira VALLEY IS THE
'; BEST BEE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
- With the Possible Exception of Southern Oregon; But
f The .Fruit Growers and Farmers Must Provide More
: Late Bee Pasture in Order to Live up to Their Oppor
tunities in This Profitable and Essential Field.
eral care of the hive. During the
working season the workers are
said to live about six weeks, dur
ing the inactive season they live
from fall until the following
spring.
"The drones are developed
from the early spring until the
end of the swarming season, and
may be found present in the hives
during that period. The queen is
capable of laying both unferti
lized and fertilized eggs. The un
fertilized eggs always produce
drones, while the fertile egg's pro
duce workers or queens, depend
ing upon the food the larvae re
ceive. "Two kinds and three different
sizes of cells occur in every col
ony of bees. First, there are the
hexagonal cells for the drones and
workers. -Roth are the same
but those of the drones are larg
er. Then there are the larger
peanut-like cells of the queens,
which are built on the edges of
the main combs and hang down
ward. As the queen crawls about
over the combs laying eggs, she
apparently lays them in a row of
cells, filling a certain area before
going on. Eggs in worker cells
are fertilized, while those in
drone cells are unfertilized. r
"Brood rearing generally be
gins in February, increasing In
extept as the season advances,
and reaching its maximum during
the height of the honey flow. The
queen bee places a single egg in
each cell, laying, it. is said, from
2000 to 3000 eggs each day. Re
gardless of whether they are to
form drones or workers, or
queens, each egg requires three
days to hatch. The larvae of the
worker then spends five days in
the larval stage and 13 days in .
the resting or pupal stage (the'
period when the cell is capped
over.) The total number of days
required for the complete devel
opment is 21.
The queen requires three, five
and one-half, and seven days re
spectively, for the same periods.
and matures in 15 H days. The
drone requires three, six. and 15
days for the three stages, and a
total of 24 days for complete de
velopment. Honey As Food
Honey is a most delicious,
wholesome and nutritious food. It
should cease to be regarded as a
delicacy and become a staple ar
ticle of diet. It is more readily
A.FIB5T LESSON IN BEE
KEEK
IN
WT
LONG
EXPERIENCE
assimilated that sugar and can ever try u, l roean nanjllng
De suusiuuiea ior sugar in roo
ery and on the table. Excellent
recipes for Its use may be ob
tained by writing to the Oregon
Agricultural college, or sending
to the United States Department
of Agriculture for Farmers' Bul
letin 653."
Then artificial queen cell cups,
each containing a tender young
; larvae, are slipped Into the hive.
Transferring the larvae from the
natural to the artificial cell-cups
Is an extremely delicate operation.
To avoid fatal chilling, the work
must be done in the open on a
warm, humid summer day.
The bees at once accent the i
You Should Begin by Learning to Handle the Bees With- fffo; teSLIil
oui uioves ana wnnout veil, ana tou win boon rina ar ter m uywr or me eggi
The Handling of Bees an Easy Matter; In Fact, As I veloped they close the cells.
Easy as Writing About It. k ial lTSixVlS7
rooa. bix aays aiier mia me
newly hatched qneens cat the
sealing and crawl forth. In some
cases the sealed cells are artifi
cially Incubated as this insures
that the right temperature win
be maintained and permits the
examination of the cells without
disturbance to the hive.
The young queens are fed and
examined and - each one - found
suitable is introduced to a nu
cleus colony of three or ' four
frames of bees. Usually the
queen is Introduced in a wire
cage and kept there for 4 8 hours
because the bees unaccustomed to
Editor Statesman:
The editor fcays: "Will you
please write your experience with
o'e. Make it long or :hort. j'ut
i.-8 you plei.", n.il tOjywur oa
language," etc. Sounis esy.
doesn't it? Handling bees Is Just
as easy, and mora bo. Did you
KN1
0. 0. TETEB. IE WELL
FRUIT GROWER, IS 1 BEE KEEPER
Beekeeping 'for- ithe Oregon, tions to get the bees In condition
1 . . . . ...I 1 J
r.... i. iv tin nf FitpnMon w narveBt me maximum jie.ua " ' . ... . .
Farmer is the title or txlenslon from the numerous nectar flowers hives with honey and filled their
Editor Statesman:
I have bad some experience
with bees. I have 22 stands at
present. When I commenced to
work with bees and they would
sting me, it would swell terribly.
but the moo re I got stung the
less it bothered me, till now when
one o r a dozen sting me I scrape
off the sting and in a little while
I don't know where the stings
were. I generally have pretty
good luck with bees, last season
I had swarms that filled their
Bulletin 282 of the Oregon Agrl
cultural college extension service.
It is by A.j L.'Lo'vett. professor of
entomology, .and It Is dated No
vember, 1919. The bulletin was
published almost in full in the Sa
lem slogan pages ot last year; so
this time the slogan editor will
attempt to hit the high places.
With the following extracts:
will transform these questionable-! supers; 24 pounds of surplus
districts into profitable apiary t honey. Some do even Better than
sections. "
"The Site There are a number
of points to consider when select-
ine a aite lor tbe apiary. Limned
space makes It advisable to list
some of the more important iac
tors to consider, leaving . it to the
individual to make the adjust-
that, and some do not do that
well. That depends on the time
they swarm and the pasture they
have to gather honey from. I
have had the old colony to swarm
two times and then got 24 pounds
of extra honey from them. I like
the Italian bees best, as they are
not as cross as the black bees,
and they are lots prettier .bees.
and as good or better honey gath
erers. I enjoy working with my
bees: then they are fine pollen
izers for fruit of all kinds. Yours
for the honey bee.
R. D. Teter.
Salem, Or.. Rt. 4, Feb. 21, 1921
NO - FARMER SHOULD BE l.ments to his particular condi-
WITHOUT A FEW STANDS OF
BEES; . for with propereare
and maniuplatlon, enough honey
for home, consumption can be se
cured from one or .two colonies.
A fruit grower can "secure a dou
Us profit from bis bees, in the
- louey and wax obtained and in
the added value given his fruit
through cross-pollination. The
pollination- of fruit trees ia an Im
portant 'consideration in the
west; if has many times been
shown 'that - insects f nrnish the
fioat important means ot dtstrib
tinf pollen to self-sterile plants.
,' and that of these the honey bee is
arobaoly the most important.
Tnoagh it la probably, the excep
tional season wbeu honey bees are
at much service In pollinizlng red
; clover, minr other field crops are
benefited. As tha acreage of al
f tiki clover increases there will be
' a real field for the bees, both tor
pollination and for tbe collection
of a fair excess of excellent noney.
lloaey la a product which occurs
la aatura la the ahape.of nectar in
tha flowers of plan taand Is made
" available tor our use only through
the aid of bees. Wax. a secondary
, consideration. Is a product of the
. bees themselves and is produced
from; glands within tbe body of
. the worker bee.
"UaUI a few years ago commer
cial beekeeping was considered
teaerally unprofitable In the Wil
lamette valley and coast districts
. because of excessive spring rains.
,iA few men here and there were
ri ucceedlng, but many were hard-
ly holding their own.
Due principally to new noney
ALSIKE AND WHITE ID SWEET
CLOVER MUST BE SUPPLIED DEES
Beekeepers Will Provide Busy Little Workers to Pol
lenize the Fruit Blossoms and Make Sure the Fruit
Crop Every Year.
plants, but ! partly to
Improved
the btees.
sn Arltrvsl 'It ti I war
- wuvvuvusa su, uauutA
' Jili condition is rapidly changing
. and particularly In the Wlllam
' ette valley.t the average yields,
considered for a Deriod of years.
ill exceed those of ANY REGION
EXCEPT SOUTHERN OREGON.
' Improved methods of handling
ul Improve the conditions in tbe
eoast region aa well. Honey plants
ra plentiful, Including "maple.
. ck. flreweed. French pink, al
ik clover and white clover. The
stveiopment of special manlpula
tions.
"Good drainaze and fresh wa-1 i
ter to drink. .
"Protection from the prevailing J 4t. CriJx nrAiuor Will Prmirlo I atP Rp PflctllPA. thft
pniA winria Rap. e&t more stores ' "' vmwwivi v . .ww
and are lfraWe-tedyeotery where
cold wind strikes wet hives. Wind
breaks on north and west are es
pecially good. Do not have hive
face prevailing wind.
"Plenty of sunlight In early
morning and late afternoon.
(Avoid west side of building.) (The writter of the following Is
"If apiary is in hills, locate In a voluntary contributor to the Sa-
valley, since bees fly up hill for lem slogan pages, and what he
nectar and down when laden. says is along practical lines.
"Bees within one-half mile of worthy ot the atention or all our
a large river are often lost dur- fruit growers and ' farmers. Mr.
Ing heavy honey flow. Returning Beckley lives acrosi the river, on
laden with honey they become the Polk county aide, his address
tired and drop into water. being Salem, Route 2:)
The hives should not rest dl- -
rectly on the ground. , Pieces of " By J. W. BECKLEY.
2x4 lumber, bricks or special 1 .ku A
stand may be used for supporting and pointers wnlcn ftrp necessary
me niTes. A.ietw i.u in knnw In order to ancceed some-
inches high is Ideal. Twoj ra wbat ln the bee line
facing the same way may rest on
one stand. A sloping board , The beginner should study at
should be placed on the ground least one good book perUinlng to
. .ntr.n. This nermlts bee culture, since there is not a
laden bees to drop near the hive domestic animal from the guinea
and ascend by means of the board pi. - up to the elephant about
r" .i. ,Mo ti.. m .hnuld which so little la known in car-
be perfectly level, otherwise ing for. among the general public,
straight combs are not possible, as concerning bees.
During the rainy season raise the tn starting with bees If an
back of the hive one inch so it Italian colony or two with a yonng
may'drain freely. queen in a 10 frame modern hive
General Bee Xotes with sufficient honey to carry
"The life ot the queen Is from them into the spring honey flow
three to six years, and her sole can be procured, you wouldT be
mission In life is to lay eggs in starting about right,
the cells provided by the workers. one Tital point consists In hay-
As soon aa she begins to decline ing pienty 0f young bees and
the bees rear a new queen to su- gtoreg. tbi8 S equally true daring
persede her. and In such cases it the preTi0s September and Oc-
ls not uncommon to find a moth- tober i baTe noticed that Just
er and daughter queen in the hive along thl8 tImef nearly all the
at the aame time. As soon as tne amateurs fan by having weak
young queen matures and Is anie colonles In tne fan Cf tne year,
to supply a plentiful number or Con8equently they fall in easy
eggs, the old queen crawls away prey tQ tne wax motn whlcn naa
and dies, or Is disposed of ty tne ratsed go mUCi, havoc among our
workers. bee keeping friends. While dwell-
The workers are ndeTfP ing on losses among bees, will
females, and they attend to tne mentIon here one thlng relative to
gathering of pollen, nectar, pro- the faUl practlce of ,praying dur-
polis. water, etc.. and to the gen- the bloom,ng tiue of appies
bees.j Well, here is the begin
ner's recipe: First, procure a col
ony of bees. Then a good bee
smoker. Then, if possible, pro
cure the services of a practical
bee-keeper, one who uses neither
gloves nor veil to keep the beer
from stinging bira. Let him use
the smokerr in fact, let him do
all the work while you do the
watching. This is rbout the way
he will proceed: After tilling the
smoker with rotten wood or some
clean burlap, he will set fire to
it, and, when he gets the smoker
going good, will raise the cover ot
the hive. Just a little, blow three
or four puffs of smoke among
the bees, then lower the cover
After one or two moments, he
ill repeat the smoking, raising
the cover gently until it is entire
ly oft. keeping the smoke going
until tbe bees have quieted down
You. are now ready to take the
hive apart, to examine them as
to their general condition, to
transfer them from one hive to
another. They are quiet and it
you are careful you can handle
them' without any trouble. It
you have gotten this far without
being stung, you are a promising
candidate, as a future beekeeper
iNow, if you wish to transfer
the colony into a new hive, spread
a cloth on the ground, large en
ough to place two hives on, with
plenty of cloth extending out
from under the hives In all direc
tions. . Set tbe colony of bees on
one end of tbe cloth, with en
trance toward center; place new
hive on opposite end and front ot
hives facing each other, leave a
space of six to eight Inches be
tween hives; have a smooth board
or table to cut your comb to tit
frames; some good -twine, small
and stout and a fcood stiff, long-
bladed knife.
Now. take your smokar and
drive bees from tbe comb on one
side of hive. Cut the comb in as
large pieces as you can. Select
those that are well filled with
brood, also a little honey. Lay j
comb flat on board, place frame
flat on comb, top of frame near her. micht stinz her to death if
tj- .!
comD wrong nae pp. iuw ti i they could get to ner
comb on which frame Is laid Just
Inside of frame, then tie In
place with string near each end
of frame. Proceed in this way
until you have used all tbe desir
able comb, placing each frame as
It is filled in the new hive.
As a rule, you will not get en
ough rood straight comb to fill
more than one-third to one-halt
of your frames. The remaining
Iramea should be tilled with full
sheets of foundation. Any dealer
in bee supplies can furnish them
Finish filling your hive with
these frames, place a good stout
cloth on top. then your hive eov
er on this. Then with your smok
er drive the bees from the old
hive, when they will take to their
new home aa a duck takes to wa
ter. It Is best not to move the
new hve for a few hours. Then
place them where you want them
to remain. See that they are shel
tered from the rain aa well aa the
midday sun.
Dear reader, if you have-read
this far. and are a beginner in
bee-keeping, and would like to
know more about the handling of
bees, lust call me up and I w.ll
take vou out to the farm and
give you a practical demonstra
tlon.
G. A. MILLER,
260 Marion street
Salem. Or.. Feb. 22. 1921.
When the virgin queen is seven
days old she is ready for the mo
mentous nuptial flight which u
successful will leave her fertile
throughout the remainder ot her
lite. Several trial flights are
made. As she gains confidence
these become longer and longer
until at last she is prepared for
the nuptial day. Thla is beset
with numerous dangers which
worry tbe beekeeper not a little.
For instance If the weather Be
comes a little colder she may be
chilled so that ahe . cannot fly
back to the colony and will then
aoon die. There Is always a pos
sibility that some bird may gobble
her up. It she escapee the btras
a dragon fly may devorir her.
If the weather is unfavorable
on the nuptial day the queen may
remain in the hive or make only
short flirhts and return unmated.
The workers- greatly annoyed.
may excuse her If the weather re
mains bad but If the aua Deama
forth occasionally and she refus
es to venture far they may kill
her or drive her from the hive to
die no race suicide for, the work.
era.
Some authorities are convinced
that if a virgin queen la not
mated In from 12 to IS days from
her birth ahe will never be
first class queen. Some insist
she will'never mate at all and In
consequence will never produce
anything but drones.
Fertilisation can take place on-
ly In flight in the open air. The
queen mates with "the swiftest .
winged drone of the hive of of
some neighboring hire. The male
Invariably dies as a result oft the
encounter. Obviously the qnes
tion of whether he waa of jib
tights pecies, free from disease
and resistant to fatal bee plagues
la one of greet Importance to, the
bee-keeper although It is alto
gether beyond his control. If the
queen has mismated ahe becomes
an outcast ln the apiary because
nene of her progeny can be t al-
lowed to become qneena. Cross)
breeds are hard workers and good
honey producers hut they are jlc
ious and savage. j
Producing purebred stock! Is
out of tbe question ln a district
where different races of bees are
kept. The apiarist who wishes to
rear queens of pure breed most
keep his stock pure and breed
vigorous drones, having then! la
the pink of condition when iths
virgin queens are ready tor their
nuptial flights. j .- -
Drones, lazy fellows that they
are. usually loll In the hive until
toward noon when the ann has
warmed the air thoroughly. Then
they tare forth to the accompani
ment of a long deep droning song
which has given them their name.
The queen daring her trial flights.
Is Is said. la silent, bat When tne
great moment arrives she issues
a sort of challenge to which all
the males within heartar respond.
The black Entllsh bee readily
succumbs to 'a peculiar bee dis
ease common In England. Dutch
bees are more resistant but they.
are far too much given to swarm
Ing. So abort Is the life of.
honeybee In the nays of its for
aging that It is possible la about
three months after a new queen
Is Introduced to change the type ot
the tens pt thousands of Inhabi
tants ot the hive. l '
Bee-keepers are now looking to
the Italian bees to repopnlata
their hives with a race that la
able to resist disease and that Is
a honey gathering, rather than a
swarming type. Italian - queens
are being imported bnt some
apiarists srs braving the numer
ous difficulties in the way of pro
ducing pure-bred queens ln order
to avoid dangers and and losses
inevitably attending the Ions
Journeys by maJL The Italian
bees are much gentler than the
common breeds. This ia becansa
they have been tamed by many
that after ahe la three weeks old generations of bee keepers.
lem district. Very many people
like, to eat honey, but they don't
know how to keep bees, and
some people are afraid ot It be
cause ot tbe sting. It is a very
simple matter to keep a few
standa of bees and without get
ting stung, and they will keep
your table ' full, ot nice aweet
honey the whole year around, and
a little profit besides, with a
very little expense; and In a noor
season if they don't bring any
surplus honey they always have
enough honey ln the brood cham
ber, ao far aa I know here around
Salem to live on it during the
next winter and they won't live
on your expense, ll tney snouia
some source from which to gather
nectar; fortunately we have
around Salem some maple, bear
trees, white clover, varieties of
milk weed etc. that produce pollen
and honey in a moderate flow un-lfjuj ,hort on food, a good bee-
DATES OF SLOGANS IN DAILY STATESMAN
. ' ' . V
' (In TwIce-a-WeeJc Statesman Fommnz y3)
Loranberirles, Oct 7.
Prunes, Oct. 14.
f Dairying, Oct 21.
Kit, Oct 28.
Alberts, Nov. 4.
Jalnuta,;Xov. 11.
Btrswberries, Nov. 18.
. Apples, Nov. 25.
RMpberrles, Dec. 2.
Mint, Dec.
weatcows, Dec. 16.
BiM-berrles. Dec. 23.
Cherries. Dec 30.
Jan. 6. 1921.
t ooberrtes and Currants, Jan.
. , ,f
Corn, Jin. 20.
7.Jin. 27.
"P'naca, Feb. 3.
Onions,. Feb. 10.
' Potatoes. Feb. 17.
J.reb. B4.
. "ng. March 3.
Mrt,b 10.
ns. March 17.
paired highways, March 24.
Broccoli.; Marcr 31.
. -. April 7
LWWes, Aprjl 14.
" Pragus. April 21.
t Cranes, ApriJ 28,
Druz garden. May 5.
Sugar, beets. May 12.
Sorghnm, May a?.
Cabbage, May 26.
Poultry and Pet Stock. June 2.
Land, June 9.
Dehydration. June 16. ,
Hops, jJune 23.
Wholesale and Jobbing, June
30.
Cucumbers, July 7.
Hogs, July 14.
City Beautiful, flowers
bulbs, July 21.
Schools, July 28.
Sheep,, Aug. .
National Advertising, Aug
Seeds. Aug. 18.
Livestock. Aug. 25.
Antnmntive Industry, Sept. 1
r.rain and Grain Products,
Kant k.
xrannrartnrlne. Sept, 15
Woodworking and other things,
Sept. 22.
Paper Mill, Sept. 29.
v. - '
' n. oDles of Salem Slogan
.jtitmn. of The Dally Oregon
Statesman are on hand. They are
for sale-at 10caeb. -mailed to
an address.
and pears with arsenate of lead.
poisoning the rruitmans nest
friends galore.
However, after the fruit bloom
ing season Is over, bees must, nave
and
11.
til late in tbe fall
If tbe farmers would plant
more alsike clover on low, heavy
soil, It would prove to be a good
wrinkle for themselves and bee
dom. Also sweet clover Is coming
more and more into ita own, as a
soil builder, and as pasture for
bees and stock; though our soil
has to be limed and tbe seed In
oculated with bacteria in order to
produce a satisfactory crop of
sweet clover. Soil bacteria can be
had at the O. A. C. college. Cor-
valhs. Ore.
As to results under the pre-,
vailing present conditions, bees do
gather a moderate amount of nec
tar every year In our valley; the
yield mostly corresponds to the
way the owner handles his bees.
However, there exists in tbe
mind of the writer no doubt that
whenever more clover shall be
planted, the production of honey
will be vastly increased ln tbe
Willamette valley. (Am referring
to alsike, white and sweet clover.)
In short we can depend on a fair
to a bounteous yield of surplus
honey, with little swarming. Our
honey Is ot a light amber color
with an excellent flavor, to which
many a Salemite will testify, by
Intelligent care. 7
Will add one more ' word to
thousands' that could be said about
bee lore. We have an ideal climate
for wintering bees, compared to
eastern states. Hives may be
placed under a shed open on the
east side where they can be left
the year round, or else if well
covered and protected from severe
I winds, is all they need.
keeper will always have some
honey or sugar on hand to feed
back to the bees.
Now. the question for a begin
ner Is how to get the bees? There
are alwaya aome bees In, your
neighborhood: bees are awarmnig
every year. Get a new modern
standard hive, but don't forget to
nut the starters In so the bees
can build their comb straight
Take it to your neighbor and he
will hive the swarm for you. but
don't bive your swarm In an old
box or a keg. Bees ought to oe
In a hive with movable frames,
so you can take a look Into the
brood nest If necessary. A few
colonies of bees is enough for a
hp-inner to practice on. and get
a little experience in the bee bus
iness. Tbe bees are a great tning
for the orchard. Eyery fruit
r rower should be a bee keeper.
and have a few colonies ot bees
In his orchard to have them pol
lenize his fruit, and he will bar
vest two crops honey and fruit
The bee keeper and fruit grower
should keep a close relation to
gether.
rwlraria mnA hundreds Of
stands ot bees have been lost dur- 1
Ing the last few years around Sa
lem and all over Marlon county
through a bee disease (foul
brood.) This disease haa been
spread from hive to hive by the
bees and partly by aome careless
bee keepers who had a few doz
en colonies in halt rotten box
hives In the back yard and didn't
know anything about bees and
how to take care of beea. and
seme are breeding foul broods
yet. If bee keepers snd fruit
growers don't see the danger of j
tbe foul brood they will be with
out bees ln a short time.
The fish and game people, cat
tle men. fruit growers and every
line of business hove commission
ers to protect their interests, but
the bee keeper so far hasn't got
BEES WERE Mi YESTERDAY .
OH THE PUSSY WILLOWS FOR P0LLQ1
This Was the First Day's Work For the Season For the
Industrious Little Golden Wonders of the HiYe--Mr;
Alley Accentuates His Advice of Last year, -That the
Fruit Growers Must Provide More Late Bee Pasture
The Statesman
any protection, and I wish that found P. M. Alley bpsy with his
every fruit grower and bee keep- bees, at 371 South Church street.
er would be interested in tne v. fn- int.PTuw
matter. So far as it is known to .rumn -rv.t . 1.
me. It will be put up to the voters where Mr Alley UrtM aod be kepi
of Marion county ln the next elec
tion, providing a bee commis
sioner. And it we get a bee com
mlssioner we' can force the care
less bee keeper to get rid of his
hia bees in his back yard; about
20 stands ot them now. He la one
ot the best posted beekeepers In
the Salem section, or In all Ore
gon. He Is employed as night man
rotten mess which endangers our in the Southern Pacific passenger
healthy colonies.
office at their depot on Twelfth
In aoeaking for myself. I have street, and he is able to employ
had as much,experienee with foul his spare time with his bees, along
broods as any body around 8a- with music teaching and other
lem and Marlon county. My loss things that take up all his waking
was very heavy. It took me sev- hours.
eral seasons to get rid of the Mr. Alley was too busy to write
foul brood and save the healthy an article on beekeeping tor this
colonies, and they returned me a Issue of The Statesman, aa he had
fine profit the last tew. years, been requested to do; so the slo-
Concerning foul brood. I sm wll- dtor hss to be content with
n, inform. tlon tn nv a revision of the Interview ot last
iwi t mr Hmi- how It looks rear, which ataada for thia year
..4 hnw tn rot rM nf it. Mr I and all time,
bees have wintered fine; every
Mr. Alley said it waa estimated
thing is ln good condition, and bees go an average of two
wish the bee keepers of Salem miles from their hives for nectar;
good luck for the coming season.
Yours truly,
Hans Rehb,
Route 6, box 139. Salem. Or
THE FRUIT GROWER WHO IS ALSO
I BEE KEEPER Will BET 10 CROPS
He Will Gather a Crop of Fruit and a Crop of Honey,
And His Bees Will Make Sure the First Crop It Is
A Very Simple Matter to Keep a Few Stands of Bees,
And They Will Pay For Good Care. f M t
THE SCIENCE. THE MYSTERY 10
THE FASCINATION OF BEE
KEEPING
The Wonder of the Nuptial Flight of the Virgin Queen-
No Race Suicide For the Tireless Workers of the
Hive The Man Who Studies the Habits of the Bees
Has a Task That is Interesting and at Which He May
Learn Lessons All His Life Long.
(Hans Rehb, who writes the
following, now has 40 stands ot
bees., and be expects to double
the number as fast as he can af
ford the expense and spare the
time from his regular employ
ment In tbe beater room of the
Salem paper mill:)
Editor Statesman:
In reply to. your request to
write down my experience with
bees, I have to say it ia hardly
possible for me to write down
the whole story during my time
of bee keeping. But I will give
you herewith some. Information
and will throw a little light on
the beginner, and it may be very
interesting for some of the read
ers of Tbe Statesman ln the Sa-
The queen of a colony of honey
beea often lays as many as 300
eggs in a single day In summer.
Each is deposited in a cell spec
ially prepared for the purpose by
the workers of the colony. There
Is one set of cells for eggs that
are to develop Into workers, a
second set for drones and a third
for queens. The latter are con
siderably larger than the others.
The queen mother never makes
a mistake but gets the eggs in all
their proper cells. The eggs de
posited in the queen cells appar
ently do not differ from the oth
ers; queens are produced by
feeding a special food to the lar-
Beesbave Ion 3 been regarded
as the most intelligent of insects
but thev thrive best, produce the
most honey and reproduce their
kind most successfully under the
Kuidlnr hand of an intelligent
bee-keeper. Left to themselves
a colony ordinarily will produce
nnlv nne oueen at a time, as
needed. Obviously this would re
tard the establishment of new
colonles and limit the develop
ment of the honey-producing in
dustry.
The apiarist who essays to pro
duce queen bees ot pure breed In
numbers hss no easy task, par
ticularly If there are other spe
cies of bees In tbe neighborhood.
The first step, saya a writer ln a
British Journal, is to remove the
and that there are statements ot
flights of seven miles. But he said
thy will not go 700 yards If they
don't have to.
When the maples sre ln bloom
tn Salem they go to the first tree:
aad in the height ot the maple
bloom every maple tree Is ao full
of beea that they sound like a
swarm.
The bees are working on the
willows now; but they are work
ing more for pollen than for hon
ey. About the first ot March, or a
little later (somewhat later this
year, from present appearances),
they will be working on the maples.
The beekeeper harvests only
the surplus: nine-tenths ot what
they gather is turned Into brood
and bees.
After the maples will come the
fruit blossoms, and blooms of
shrubs and bushes of various
kinds, and berry blossoms.
Maple blossoms last only about
three weeks though some hard
maples in Salem come later if
there were enough of the latter,
the maple bloom would last six
weeks.
Then come locusts and white
clover and various kinds of berries
and flowers, weeds, shrubs, etc.
But by early aummer time there
is little bee pasture left here.
During tbe time when the day
light is longest and conditions are
tbe most ideal for the work ot the
bees, there is little for them to
gather.
The spring flow Is wonderful
here: but the spring weather con
ditlona are seldom right to get the
whole benefit of the early Cow.
Mr. Alley aaya the orchardlsts
moat sow sweet clover, and lot pt
slogan editor It He says It Is a great soil renca
vator ana snakes good pastnrtrt
and hay. . He knowa of a man. .
Iowa who raises nothing bst sweet
clover." snd he is sn extensive
stock breeder - as well - as bee
keeper, -jt
Mr. Alley says the Scotch
broom, which is getting a great
start here. Is flse Tor beea. I It
should be scattered everywhere, la
forest places aad along road aide a.
The fire weeo. sometimes called
elk weed, or Indian pink, or rose
bay, or willow herb, makes a
great bee pasture. It springs np
oa all burned over lands la west
ern Oregon and Washington.
He does not think a great deal
or buckwheat, for thla part of the
country; though It la a great bea
pasture ln some sections; Jsst as
alfalfa east ot the Missoarl river
yields no honey while it fs tha
greatest bee pasture ot all la the
west, and more especially ln the
Irrigated districts, where several
crops of it sre grown. j
Mr. Alley thinks the Italian
bees are the best; the golden Hal
tans, i
They throw off the American
and European foul brood aad oth
er diseases. i
Get Italian bees, and keep pa
the Job. , j ,
That la the recommendation of
Mr. Alley. -I
The time ia past whea a man
can be a auccesstul beekeeper and
not keep posted.
Fruit growers have got to have
bees, for pollination purposes?
and they have got te provide bee
pasturage.
Then they will have a double
profit. j
Well nourished bees will thrive.
They will be strong enough to
combat all enemies; diseases as
well as others. t
And there ought to be bee In
spection. . J -
We have got to come to it. I
The legislature of 1919 enacted
law under which county eoarts
MAY. on tbe petition of seven bee
keepers, appoint county inspec
tors, j 1
In tbe eastern Oregon counties
here beekeeping is carried oa
extensively, in the irrigated alfal
fa districts. Inspectors are being
appointed as a matter of course.;
But beekeeping is more impor
tant here In thla great trait dis
trict than elsewhere la the wneia
state, and there must be Inspec
tion, and enforcement ot proper
bee regulations. - !
We protect other industrups.
says Mr. Alley; but we are leaviac
the potentially biggest Industry; ot
them all anprotected- i
And. when Inspectors are fcjM
pointed for Marion county- and
(.Continued oa past 4)