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Show Big Shortage In Honey Crop. Bees Have Not Done Well In Utah This Spring. Indications are that the honey crop this year will be several weeks late. Like the fruit and agricultural agricultur-al crops, bees have been affected in Utah by the lateness of the season. Reports received by J. C. Henager, vice-president of the Utah Beekeepers' Beekeep-ers' association, from various counties coun-ties indicate that the honey crop will not be ready for shipment until late in July. It is probable also that the honey prices will be high this year owing to the scarce supply which is expected. Bees have been greatly depleted in Utah this year as a result of conditions. The late cold spring has kept them from multiplying and there are at present fewer swarms than there have been at this date in several years. Another source of injury to the bee industry is the poisonous smoke from the smelters. Though this has resulted in damage chiefly to the industry in Salt Lake county, it has destroyed many thousands of s w arms While the lateness of the season has retarded the propagation of bees generally throughout the state the arsenic in the smoke from the various vari-ous smelters has caused widespread death to the honeymakers. There is but little of last year's honey crop left on the market, so there is every indication that the demand next fall and winter exceed the supply and buyers may expect high prices. Usually Us-ually there is an early honey crop, late in June or early in July, but with the exception of shipments from a few scattered districts there will be no early stock on the Utah markets. Beekeepers who sent their bees to California last November have not only escaped injury from the cold season, but they have multiplied their swarms on an average of five to one, That is, the man who sent one swarm of bees to California to winter will bring back to Utah five swarms and in some cases six and seven. This big increase is due directly di-rectly to the warm climate in California Cali-fornia during winter. It is a popular popu-lar but nevertheless erroneous opinion opin-ion that bees are sent to California to escape the colder winters' of Utah. Tne reason ior sending tn- bees ic winter in a warmer climate is merely mere-ly that they may increase. The winters win-ters never become so cold in Utah that a depletion in the bee population popula-tion results. Bees that were shipped to California Cali-fornia early last winter will be back in carloads within two or three weeks. The regular time for returning re-turning them is about June 1st, but this year beekeepers will hold their honeymakers in California two or three weeks longer because of the cool weather Utah is now experiencing. experi-encing. Those in tiie industry who have shipment coming from the coast will enjoy a prosperous season, sea-son, as they will have many moie hives than they sent there and will not be affected by the backward season. Henager has not yet received the annual spring reports on the honey crop from the county bee inspectors, but it is probable that he will be informed in-formed as to the exact prospect in each county in the near future. Henager himself was a heavy loser this year, thousands of his swarms having been killed by the smelter smoke. |
