I 



THE HONEY BEE — HAMBLETON 473 



production of honey cannot compare in importance with most branches 

 of agriculture. Beekeeping is widely scattered. Almost every county 

 numbers a few beekeepers. Because of the cost of transportation 

 over so wide a territory, it is difficult to concentrate large quantities 

 of honey for commercial distribution. The color, flavor, and con- 

 sistency of honey vary depending upon where and from what it is 

 produced. Buckwheat honey of our Eastern States has a strong flavor 

 and is almost black; that from fireweed in the Pacific Northwest is 

 water-white and mild in flavor. This great variation imposes a 

 problem to food packers who like to maintain uniform and standard 

 packs of whatever they merchandise. As a consequence, much honey — 

 30 to 40 percent of the crop — is sold by producers directly to local con- 

 sumers. Another reason why commercial processors of food may not 

 be interested in honey is that it requires little or no processing. Honey 

 can be made no better than it is when it comes from tlie beehive. For 

 these and other reasons, this very delicious food is not advertised 

 nationally. The price of honey is not stabilized or backed by large 

 financial corporations. The vagaries of the market seem always to 

 hound the beekeeper, and on top of it all his product has to compete 

 with highly advertised manufactured foods, such as jams, jellies, 

 and sirups. Whenever the price of honey falls, there is a lag in en- 

 thusiasm for beekeeping and the nimiber of colonies is reduced. While 

 this results in less honey per capita, perhaps not too serious a matter, 

 what is more important is that fewer honey bees are available for 

 pollination. Consequently, the production of many crops seemingly 

 far removed from beekeeping is adversely affected. 



Growers of orchard fruits have learned that bees are necessary for 

 a full set of fruits, and many of them rent colonies from beekeepers 

 to place in the orchard during blossoming. One would suppose that 

 such an arrangement was as beneficial to the beekeeper as to the fruit 

 grower, but this is not necessarily the case. Apple-blossom honey is 

 almost unheard of. Colonies of honey bees shortly out of winter quar- 

 ters are not populous enough early in the spring to make honey from 

 apple blossoms. Colonies have to be strong and populous before they 

 can make more honey than the bees require for their immediate needs. 

 Fruit blossom is good for the bees to build up on, but they seldom if 

 ever make honey from it. Also many bees are poisoned through 

 spraying operations and so more and more beekeepers are reluctant 

 to move bees to the orchards even when paid for it. 



Growers of seed crops such as onion, carrot, and the various legumes 

 are just beginning to realize that colonies of bees placed close to such 

 crops pay big dividends. The bee industry as a whole receives rela- 

 tively little rental for bees. For the most part, the services of the 

 honey bee as a pollinator is free to those who most benefit from it. 



