Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-06-19
BEE-KEEPING.
An Important Bulletin on This In.
duSty Just Issued.
FOR THE API0NISTS TO READ.

AS a minor branch of agriculture. :
beekeeping may be mentioned as be-
ing one which could be made a source
OF both pleasure and profit when TAX
en- up in an intelligent manner. To
listen to the satisfied humming OF the
bees at the close Of the days labor
when they have been gathering nectar
from hundreds of blossoms. is a great
pleasure to one who loves to watch
and study these industrious little in
sects.
Here in New Mexico, II seems to me.
there are several conditions which
would tend 10 make ~beekeeping a
profitable pursuit when thorough
ly understands the business. The
mild winter with its bright sunshiny
days, makes It possible to carry the
bees through With a very small loss;
the use of extra protection from cold
and dampness, so necessary in the
north, is not needed here. The great
fields Of alfalfa and the numberless
wild flowers furnish abundant pasture
for the bees. Here they ear be at
work every day when there is any
nectar to be found. No bad weather,
except some windy days. occurs to
keep the bees idle inside their hives,
as often is the case in the north.
Doubtless many more colonies OF bees
than there are at present, might be
kept to advantage by the people OF
the Mesilla valley.
The apiarist must first decide wheth-
er he will use the extractor and get
his honey in the liquid form, or wheth-
er he will have the bees store it in
the natural way in small boxes or sec
lions as they are technically called,
The amount of time that he can spend
with his bees, the conditions of the
honey flow, and the market conditions
are usually the determining factors
as to which will be the better method
for each individual case. II the mar
ket is near by and II only a small mum
Der of colonies are kept it will prob
ably be more satisfactory to produce
comb honey. On the other hand, i
the market is distant and a large mum
Der of colonies are kept it will prob
ably be better to use the extractor
The expense of securing the honey Il
much less and then it can be shippe,
safely in tin cam to any distance
thereby avoiding the loss from break
age which occurs when comb hone
is shipped a long distance.
The modern beehive is the result o
long years of study and experiment
on the part of those who have been in
terested in this pursuit. There ar
several styles of hives. all Of the hes
OF them have the part for holding tn
surplus honey above the brood chan
her. This Is known as the tiering II
] plan. This permits the increasing c
= the size of the hive at will when tn
bees need more room TO store thel
surplus honey. The brood chamber
so arranged that the bees build thei
combs in frames. which hang or stan
: in the hive, so that the apiarist ma
easily remove them from the hive an
j examine them to note the condition
inside. The use of whole sheets
comb foundation will cause the bee
\, to build straighter and better cont
which can be handled much easie
: The experienced apiarist Is able I
Judge pretty closely of the condition
inside the hive, whether a colony
weak or ~queenless. or II the bees nee
more room for storing honey, etc
without looking in, but it is ofte
necessary to thoroughly examine
colony and this the modern beehiN
enables one TO do very readily.
To obtain a fancy article of CON
honey a great deal of care is nece
sary. One must secure straight conf
by using a strip OF foundation in II
sections and then watch closely al
:, remove the sections as soon as thu
= are filled out and capped, so that Il
bees will not get the combs stained
dirty. The removal Of the super fro