I think Juanse was looking for information about the potential carrying capacity of commercial apiaries of a given size and distance apart. I believe this can only be determined by trial and error, as no two locations are the same. There was a beekeeper in New York state by the name of E.W. Alexander who had the largest honey producing apiary I ever heard of. He wrote:
When our buckwheat harvest commenced the weather turned
cool, cloudy, and wet, so the bees could find honey only a day or two at a
time, although there were thousands of acres of buckwheat In full bloom
within two or three miles of them. Still, we have had about an average
season. The largest yield we have ever had was 149 lbs. per colony,
spring count. That was an exceptionally good year. This year, since
weighing up our honey, we find we have 141 lbs. per colony, spring
count, or a total yield of a little over 70,700 lbs. extracted honey from this
one yard, including 80 sections of comb honey. In addition we have had
3,600 sheets of foundation drawn out Into nice extracting-combs.
To me the success of this large apiary this ordinary season goes a
long way to show that I am not so much In the wrong In regard to over•
stocking as some people think, and I am sure I should have to have more
than 1,000 colonies before I would go to the trouble of putting any In
outyards away from home.
November, 1904. Delanson, Schenectady Co., N. Y.
I can not see how we can ever ascertain any thing
like a correct knowledge of what our harvest will be, or the number of
colonies that w111 overstock a location. My advice ls, don't make any
debts expecting to pay them from your future crop of clover, basswood,
or buckwheat honey; for If you do there are many chances that you
may be badly disappointed.
March, 1907
This last part underscores the idea that honey production was considered a form of gambling. Much later did beekeepers begin to demand price supports, subsidies, assurances, and so forth. Following WW II there was in the neighborhood of 5 million hives in the US. Beekeepers lobbied for subsidies and threatened the collapse of agriculture in the US if the number of hives was not maintained. As we know, the number fell by half and no collapse ensued. It did precipitate the free market solution which is pay for bees if you need them.
PLB
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|