8 BULLETIN 489, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



VALUE OF HONEY AND WAX. 



The prices received by the beekeeper for honey and wax in North 

 Carolina have a wide range. In some localities and for some honej T s 

 the prices are good, as compared with prices in other parts of the 

 United States; in other places they are entirely too low. The type of 

 honey and care used in production are important factors in regulat- 

 ing the price, but in some cases no good reason for the low prices can 

 be given, except lack of organization and distribution. Failure to 

 learn the market value is probably the cause of the low prices ob- 

 tained for beeswax in the western part of the State and for comb 

 honey in the eastern part. 



Bulk comb honey and chunk honey, which are the common types 

 in the western and central parts of the State, have been sold in 

 recent years by the beekeepers at 12£, 15, and 20 cents a pound, de- 

 pending on the quality ; 20 cents has been the common price for sour- 

 wood or other light-colored and mild-flavored honeys, such as bass- 

 wood. Section comb honey in the western and central parts has 

 brought the producer 15 to 20 cents a section, while in the eastern 

 part only 10 cents a section is secured, although the product is good 

 in color and finish. Extracted honey in 50-gallon barrels frequently 

 sold for 1\ to 8 cents a pound, while strained or squeezed honey, the 

 production of which is principally in the east, commanded the low- 

 est price — around 40 cents wholesale and about $1 a gallon retail. 



The price of beeswax also has a wide range, and, singularly 

 enough, it is just the reverse of honey prices; the lowest, 20 cents a 

 pound, is paid the producer in the western part of the State and 28 

 to 32 cents in the eastern part. 



MARKETING HIVE PRODUCTS. 



No more encouraging features can be mentioned than the eager- 

 ness of the market for honey, particularly through the central and 

 western parts of the State, and that bulk comb honey has a ready 

 sale at good prices. The markets in these localities prefer honey in 

 this form. While producers in the eastern part received last fall 

 only 10 cents a section for their product, comb honey by the car- 

 load came into the central part of the State from the west, and 

 also some from Tennessee and Georgia. With proper distribution, 

 the eastern producer could secure at least 15 cents a section for his 

 product, which is the price received for the honey from outside 

 sources. 



Little honey is shipped from North Carolina. From the east some 

 comb honey goes to Norfolk and some extracted and strained honey is 

 shipped to New York, but the consumption of honey in the State 

 is far above the local production, and the demand is therefore not 

 supplied. 





