360 



G L E A X r N G S IN 1! K K C T I, T U K K 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



.lixi;. 19J1 



me to give a fair report. Bees went into 

 the cellar under poor eoiulitions as they 

 had no flioht for three weeks or more be- 

 fore going in. They were placed inside on 

 the first week in December and taken out 

 the first week in April. The cellar roof is 

 of cement, (piite dry when bees were put in, 

 but reeking with moisture a week after. It 

 was in that condition all winter, notwith- 

 standing all that I could do in way of ven- 

 tilating, altho the main ventilator was open 

 most of the time. Water dripped from the 

 roof of the cellar all winter forming pools 

 on the floor. 



The temperature was never above 46 de- 

 grees F., and never below 43 degrees F., 

 even when the ventilator was wide open. 

 The bees were heavy with good stores, and 

 most of the colonies were clustered on the 

 fronts of the hives all winter. The clusters 

 had at least a pint of bees in each. This is 

 an unusual condition so far as I can learn 

 from others. We have had little experience 

 in cellar wintering. But notwithstanding 

 all the dampness, the bees wintered very 

 nicely indeed, and are at present in good 

 condition. Stores were not consumed very 

 fast, and all are heavy at this date (May 

 10). I would never build a cellar with a 

 cement roof again. I think that this same 

 cellar, with roof over all covered with three 

 feet of sawdust instead of six inches of ce- 

 ment and earth on top, would give better 

 results and eliminate the moisture. Quite 

 likely that will yet be done, that is, the 

 earth be all taken off, large holes punched 

 thru the cement top, then a roof built over 

 all, and some three feet or more of sawdust 

 piled over the cement| 



As this is being written, we are just fin- 

 ishing preparations to move over 200 colo- 

 nies of bees, with an immense amount of 

 supplies, some 170 miles. Not a pleasant 

 iob but one that must be done; so I will 

 "ring off" and get to work, with the prom- 

 ise of giving to the readers of Gleanings in 

 some future issue, if I am spared, any point- 

 ers out of the usual order that we may 

 come across in the trip. 



Markham, Out. J. L. Byer. 



s * * 



In Pacific Northwest.— ^^.^^^r^a c e 



once said, "Go west, young man." Appar- 

 ently nmny young beekeepers and some old 

 ones are foliowing his suggestion, since the 

 writer so frequently receives letters of in- 

 quiry about the possibilities of honey pro- 

 duction in the Northwest. It is with the 

 desire to set forth honestly a few of the 

 opportunities and problems of the prospect- 

 ive beekeepers that the writer here gives 

 some facts gleaned from his travels over 

 the State of Washington, as special field 

 agent for the Deiiartiuent of Agriculture. 

 Commercial honey i)roduction at present 



is confined largely to the irrigated sections 

 of Yakima Valley where the principal 

 sources of nectar are alfalfa and sweet clo- 

 ver. The most important hay-producing 

 section, which is south and east of the little 

 town of Parker and extending to about the 

 county line, is quite well occupied by large 

 honey i)roducers. Most of the commercial 

 holdings range from 100 to 500 colonies, 

 while some three or four i)roducers manage 

 from 600 to nearly 1000 colonies. Annual 

 averages range from 40 to 90 i)0unds. That 

 l)orti()n of the Yakima Valley and the Wen- 

 a tehee and Okanogan district are capable 

 of supporting a few more commercial yards 

 if ijroperly located. However, one must 

 avoid the fruit districts until there is some 

 practical solution to the spray-poison prob- 

 lem. The Walla Walla district, which is 

 under irrigation, is quite well occupied, but 

 not overcrowded. 



Second in present commercial production 

 but first in possibilities and problems are 

 the fireweed districts which include the 

 burned-over timber sections west of the Cas- 

 cade Mountains. Fireweed, or willow-herb 

 {EpHdhiiiin (iiinKstifoliiiin), is not very de- 

 pendable as a honey plant except where 

 there is considerable soil moisture. It is at 

 its best in the section just mentioned, but 

 is found growing in about every county of 

 the State. It is adapted to both high and 

 low altitudes. It is also at its best from 

 about two to four years after a fire or until 

 other vegetation begins to crowd it out. It 

 blooms during July and August, and the be- 

 ginning and ending of the flow vary with 

 the elevation. The honey is water white, of 

 mild flavor, and ideal for comb honey. It 

 sells better on the market than alfalfa lioney. 

 At present there are relatively few com- 

 mercial beeyards of over 100 colonies. On 

 the other hand, west of the Cascades, there 

 is an exceptionally large number of small 

 careless beekeepers with dark bees. 



In a few localities on the west side clover 

 is of importance. Beekeepers report that in 

 the northern counties it does not yield nec- 

 tar until July, while in the southern coun- 

 ties it yields in June. 



Third in present production and third in 

 promise is the northeastern section of the 

 State where the following plants are more 

 or less important: White clover, alsike clo- 

 ver, fireweed, and snowberry. There are al- 

 most no commercial apiaries. 



There are many wideawake and progres- 

 sive commercial beekeepers in the State, 

 and they are rapidly coming together in 

 State and local associations. 



More detailed information relative to s})e- 

 cific localities may be secured thru the Of- 

 fice of Bee Culture, Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Washington, D. C, where the writer 's 

 g('ograi)hical rei)orts are on file. 



Corvallis, Ore. H. A. Scullen. 



