Show new how will nee bees go do for kansas farmer I 1 am situated about three miles from good alfalfa nelda fields and some alfalfa falfa Is 13 as near as aa two miles from my 7 place now can I 1 keep bees successfully that distance away or how far will bees go for or honey and secure a good crop how many colonies ot of bees would 1000 acres of alfalfa a BUP port or how bow many can I 1 safely keep that distance from the clover subscriber A H duff answers T ettya matter of 0 how bow tar far bees by in search of 0 honey has been thoroughly investigated and discussed by leading apiarists some ot of our best apiarists claim that bees fly in search ot of honey and gather it from three to six miles away from choice others that are more reserved my eay they prefer to gather and do gather the bulk 0 of the honey crop within three miles of 0 the apiary As for or myself I 1 like to be as close to good bee pasturage as I 1 can get and it if possible ret get right beside it or right in it but it frequently occurs that as in your case this cannot be done and the next best thing to do Is proper I 1 believe the locality and climate has so something methin to do with this matter I 1 believe that bees will not succeed as well in going long distances in a prairie country where winds are prevalent as they would otherwise it may be to some extent imagination with me as I 1 have not thoroughly experimented in that line where I 1 am now located but it seems to me that my bees heio heie in central kansas do not go as tar far in search ot of honey as they did in ohio where I 1 formerly kept them in this I 1 shall have to say in general for or I 1 know of 0 an exception during last spring my bees visited a peach orchard when the trees were in ila full b loom bloom eight miles from the apiary but of course this was a very fine calm day and I 1 do not hesitate to say that it if it were not for tor the the prevailing winds of this country bees would go farther and make a success ot of gathering honey much farther away than in hilly countries I 1 am firmly ot of the opinion that bees will secure a much greater crop of honey it if they can get it within a mile or two from the apiary at the same time they will get a good paying crop within three miles being situated three miles from alfalfa fields the advantages would depend somewhat upon the direction you are located from the same it if the frequent winds come from the direction of the alfalfa so that the loaded bees would come with the wind it would be much better than it if it were the other way it takes a pretty strong wind to check the flight of honey bees if not laden ladell with honey or pollen but on the other hand when they are heavily loaded with honey or pollen they cannot make much headway in the wind one thousand acres of alfalfa might support two or three hundred colonies ol of bees but it would depend upon the mariner manner in which the clover Is handled it if harvested before or just at the time it comes into bloom it would not be safe to risk any great number ot of colonies unless there be other forage tor for the bees to live on outside ot of alfalfa |