Beekeeper Doug Cleveland and I sit by the wood stove of his
Idaho wood shop and compare beekeeping in Idaho’s Treasure
Valley with that in the Arkansas Delta. Doug is the president of
the large and active Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club with
commercial operators, sideliners, and backyard beekeepers
gathering in Boise. Treasure Valley is protected by surrounding
mountains. Although considerably farther north, the valley’s
winter conditions are similar to those experienced in the
Arkansas Delta. Treasure Valley, a high desert, supports a
diverse agriculture through the use of an extensive system of
irrigation canals that carry water from melting snow in the
mountains. Throughout the valley, I see pallets of bee hives.
Honey bees pollinate large fields of peas, beans, and mint.
Treasure Valley spearmint is grown for its aromatic oil in 40
acre fields. Blue wooden boxes house alkali bees that pollinate
alfalfa fields cultivated for seed production. The assembly
points of commercial beekeeping operations today are