I just finished making a simple KTB. I wanted to build a top bar hive
myself because that is supposedly part of the reason for using them,
they are relatively simple to construct. I followed plans I got from
Michael Bush's web site.  http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm

I posted a picture in our photos section. It is an easy project for
anyone with a table saw and basic carpentry skills, but takes more time
that I expected just because of how long it takes to do all the saw
work. I ripped all the bars from 1 X 8 and I also ripped 3/4" squares
lengths that I could cut in half diagonally to make the comb quides for
each to bar. I still have to paint the comb guides with beeswax but
that may have to wait until the Lady Lobos play in today's conference
final.  ;-) Go Lobos!

Hi Melanie,
    Thanks so much for the post re: out-of-state bees.  I could cancel
that order, and would purchase from you; I just didn't know how to
reach you easily, and as I said previously, wasn't sure if you had
nucs of bees for sale, or were mainly specializing in queen raising.
SO:

    1)  I would need 2 KTB nucs.  (How sure are we that they will be
available?  You mentioned "limited quantities" at your website.) FME,
(For My Edification), why do they come only in a 3-bar set vs a 5-bar
option for Langstroh hives?

    2)  Another issue with the Weaver/Texas bees was a delivery that
looked to be the last week of April, missing a lot of fruit-tree
blooming.  And since they are a pkg of bees and queen without comb
nor brood, I thought that the hive build-up could be somewhat
problematic that late in the season.  (But I am pretty much still a
beginner beek.)  Your nucs are "complete" with comb and brood, so do
you think that a "late spring" (from your website) start is not so
much a concern?

     3)  Is there a possibility of your delivering the nucs to Alb.,
on your travels through here?  Or will it be necessary to drive to
Dixon, or elsewhere, to pick them up?
          I would love to attend your Field Day (when? where?).  If
that is at your Dixon place, would that perhaps coincide with
nuc/colony being "ready" for travel? (Just an idea.)

    4)   I would definitely prefer marked queens, for several reasons,
but, FME, how helpful do you find the practice of wing-clipping to be?

    5)   Which type of queen do you recommend for the Alb valley?  May
seem to be an obvious answer (the Reinas), but will ask anyway!

        I do hope to hear from you soon, so that once these questions
are nicely settled, I will be able to cancel the Weaver bees in a
timely manner.  If to answer all would entail too much time and
writing, please feel free to call me, for a rapid discussion of
same.  Home 343-8238;  Cell 410-2790.
        Since this is going out to all A.Beeks as well, I would write
up and post a summary of any conversation.

        Thank You, Melanie,                     Peggy Gorresen

I fenced an area about 20 x 20 feet that surrounds my 6 hives.  I
constructed the fence because a bear had "flipped" one of the hives.
I also installed motion sensitive lights.  I'm going on 3 years now
with no bear problems...

Eric

Eric & Heidi--

I will be very interested to hear whether the "nite guards" work in
keeping bears away. I have heard so many stories about the difficulty
of managing bears. I have a good friend who belongs to the Sangre de
Cristo Beekeeper group who has spent hundreds of dollars constructing
a "bear-proof" enclosure for her hives in the mountains north of Las
Vegas, NM. Please keep us advised as the year progresses.

--Jerry

I had a similar problem a few years back and put up 3 strand electric
fence with a grounding cloth (chicken wire). This system seems to
have discouraged bears, as I haven't had any issues since...

Eric

I have on good authority that a product named Nite Guard really works to protect against predators.  See their web site niteguard.com.  I live in Cedar Crest and I plan to buy two of these little solar powered lights to ward off bears and other wild folk from my bees.  I do not have personal experience with Nite Guards yet but as compared to electric fencing, I’m going to Nite Guard first.

 

Kester L. Oman

Oman & Yntema P.A.

215 Gold Avenue, SW, Suite 201

Albuquerque, NM  87102

505-843-9565

505-242-2879 (Fax)

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of sitka0925
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:05 AM
To: ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] [ABQBeeks] Re: Predator protection

 

I had a similar problem a few years back and put up 3 strand electric
fence with a grounding cloth (chicken wire). This system seems to
have discouraged bears, as I haven't had any issues since...

Eric

I had a similar problem a few years back and put up 3 strand electric
fence with a grounding cloth (chicken wire).  This system seems to
have discouraged bears, as I haven't had any issues since...

Eric

I want to get into beekeeping but I am worried about bears.  (I lost 13
chickens and 3 turkeys to a bear last summer, then I had to convince
him to quit staring in my living room window at me and my dogs!)  So
now that I am on the bear map does anyone have any suggestions?  We
need better fencing, obviously, any other suggestions about placement,
etc?
Heidi

Good suggestions.

I just went out and compared.  I have two basins of water in my yard.
The smaller one had a nice collection of bees on it.  The larger was
empty.

In my neighbor's yard was exactly the same container as my larger
one.  Instead of on the ground, it was on a table, and it was ringed
with bees on the sides, head down and drinking away.

I keep wood chips in my water.  They absorb moisture and stay wet and
the bees seem to like their irregular, damp surface.  So my set-up is
more inviting.  My big basin is on the west side of my yard (small
one on the east side) and is in the shade during the afternoon.  It's
also near trees, so leaves have been falling in it.  I've cleaned it
up and moved it closer to the other, more popular water source.
We'll see what happens.

Thanks for the suggestions!

neal

.


At 10:16 PM +0000 3/11/08, bfblack66 wrote:
>I have been told that bees do not like to get their feet wet. Can you
>put some stones in the water so the bees can land on them? Another
>thought is that your neighbor's water may be fresher than your.
>Ben
>--- In ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com, neal copperman - AMP Concerts
><neal@...> wrote:
>>
>>  I have a question about bees and water.
>>
>>  I've got a few large planter basins out in my yard for the bees, but
>>  they seem to mostly prefer my neighbors bird bath.  She's not that
>>  excited by the idea of it being ringed by happily drinking bees.
>>
>>  Is there anything I can do to convince them to come to make my water
>>  more appealing to them?  Or the other water less appealing?
>>
>>  Thanks!
>>
>>  neal
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

I have been told that bees do not like to get their feet wet. Can you
put some stones in the water so the bees can land on them? Another
thought is that your neighbor's water may be fresher than your.
Ben
--- In ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com, neal copperman - AMP Concerts
<neal@...> wrote:
>
> I have a question about bees and water.
>
> I've got a few large planter basins out in my yard for the bees, but
> they seem to mostly prefer my neighbors bird bath.  She's not that
> excited by the idea of it being ringed by happily drinking bees.
>
> Is there anything I can do to convince them to come to make my water
> more appealing to them?  Or the other water less appealing?
>
> Thanks!
>
> neal
>

Neal--

The best advice I can give you is to take a look and analyze the
environmental differences between your neighbor's bird bath and your
planter basins,such as shade versus direct sun, running water versus
static, etc.

A couple of general remark; bees will prefer clean water and a source
that is easy to get at. Daily water changes will be important in your
planter basins. Open flat surfaces are not easy for bees unless you
have added gravel or have some other "beach" material that makes it
easy for them to approach the water. Moving water is preferred if you
can provide it. A simple aquarium recirculating pump can work wonders
and is very inexpensive to operate.

Just like honeybees exhibit "flower loyalty", once bees have
identified a water source that is acceptable to them, they will tend
to return to that source as long as it exists. In other words, you
may need to convince your neighbor to allow her bird bath to be dry
for several days so your bees are forced to find another source,
hopefully your planter basins. Once the bees have converted to the
new source, generally they will stay on that source as long as it
stays acceptable.

Good luck. I know this is one of the more common problems for urban
beekeepers. Give your neighbor some honey from your bees and ask for
her help in re-orienting your bees to a more acceptable water source.
Some gentle education about bees and she may even be willing to
help "water" your bees daily if you have to be away on vacation.

--  Jerry


--- In ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com, neal copperman - AMP Concerts
<neal@...> wrote:
>
> I have a question about bees and water.
>
> I've got a few large planter basins out in my yard for the bees,
but
> they seem to mostly prefer my neighbors bird bath.  She's not that
> excited by the idea of it being ringed by happily drinking bees.
>
> Is there anything I can do to convince them to come to make my
water
> more appealing to them?  Or the other water less appealing?
>
> Thanks!
>
> neal
>

I have a question about bees and water.

I've got a few large planter basins out in my yard for the bees, but
they seem to mostly prefer my neighbors bird bath.  She's not that
excited by the idea of it being ringed by happily drinking bees.

Is there anything I can do to convince them to come to make my water
more appealing to them?  Or the other water less appealing?

Thanks!

neal

Happy weekend to all the ABQ Beeks.

Just a short note to bring to your attention that I added two new links
to our group page today. Look in the left hand menu bar for the menu
link to the "links page".

These are the two slide shows that Mark Spitzig and Melanie Kirby
provided to us when theye were unable to make the Feburary meeting do
to their business commitments. One of the slide shows is about the
Soutwest Survivor Queen Project that was the subject of an article in
this month's edition of American Bee Journal. The second slide show is
entitled "Top Bar Integrative Approach" which is a presentation about
management of top bar hives from Melanie.

Good morning, Peggy.

I ,too, lost 50% of my colonies this winter. I have already made a
post with a link to a fairly lengthy article I wrote about that so I
won't go into detail again here. I think we had an unusual situation
here in the central Rio Grande valley last summer, at least that is
what my mentor and I think may have happened. I am hearing of more
and more colonies that showed sings of "starving out" when they were
surrounded by copius honey stores in easy reach.

I noticed that Melanie addressed some of your other questions so I
won't comment on those.




>      Thanks for including me in your invite.  Sounds
> great!  Will want to throw out to the group:  Has
> anyone (else) lost any colonies this winter? And how
> about last winter?
>      I lost one of my two colonies last winter, didn't
> re-place it at the time, and now on Mar 1st at the
> first inspection--there were not many bees, and they
> were dead.  Had given them a quick check on a sunny
> day in late Nov (there still were some flying) and
> they looked healthy, numerous enough, and good honey
> stores.  So what the dickens?!

---

To: ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com
From: janderson240@...
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 08:40:49 -0700
Subject: [ABQBeeks] FW: Yahoo! Groups: You're invited! Join ABQBeeks today.

Hello Jerry--
Thanks for including me in your invite. Sounds
great! Will want to throw out to the group: Has
anyone (else) lost any colonies this winter? And how
about last winter?
I lost one of my two colonies last winter, didn't
re-place it at the time, and now on Mar 1st at the
first inspection--there were not many bees, and they
were dead. Had given them a quick check on a sunny
day in late Nov (there still were some flying) and
they looked healthy, numerous enough, and good honey
stores. So what the dickens?!
Am ordering 2 pkgs from B.Weaver/TX, on
recommendation from TJ Carr. Unfortunately, only
found out later that they probably won't arrive until
the 4th week of April! Those east Texan folks think
we're in the Rocky Mts! and will be delivering first
to hotter, low-elevation places like Miss, Ala,Kans,
etc. Granted they ARE no doubt earlier seasoned than
even us, but here in the valley, blooming will be
finished for apricots,cherries, plums(and any number
of landscape trees), and well into apple blossoming.
Should I be very concerned with this, only a
little, or just go with the flow, and plan on
supplemental feeding the kids for a good while? (Just
sort of squirm at the thought of giving kids sugar
syrup, which I wouldn't give to my own
children--though lots/most beekeepers do, correct?
I would like to get bees from Melanie, but don't
know if they're ready for the commercial side, and
perhaps only have queens; or Les Crowder, but don't
even know how to reach him anymore, but I believe he
also raises queens only. Right now, I need BEES.
Last point: if enough ABQ and NM beeks order
from Weaver, very possible that it would be easier to
ask them to bump up our delivery date. IF that is a
good thing...For valley beeks it would be, but how
about others scattered all over this 2,000 ft-variable
elevation city?
For those who may want to check out their
website, and descriptions of their various bee types,
(I've ordered the "Texas All-Stars" with clipped,
marked queens):
www.beeweaver.com

I'm writing to you, Jerry, about the above topics,
because 1) I'm not sure about how to get to the new
Yahoo group (WHAT'S the address?), and 2) figure I
could ask you to cut and paste this email into the new
format, if I can't manage to do it--which is likely.

Thanks for all you do!

Peggy Gorresen
343-8238

--- ABQBeeks moderator
<ABQBeeks-owner@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
> janderson240@comcast.net has invited you to join
> ABQBeeks
> [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABQBeeks/] on Yahoo!
> Groups,
> the best way to discover and share information and
> advice with others. All for free.
>
> A personal invitation from janderson240@comcast.net:
>
> I have created a Yahoo Group for the Albuquerque
> Beekeepers group as a way for us to easily share
> information like announcements of meetings, events
> of interest, pictures, files, and links to new
> research and/or articles. I have extended
> invitations to join the group to those persons who
> have previously expressed an interest in our local
> ABQ Beekeepers group.
>
> There is a members forum in the Yahoo Group where
> you can post messages of interest, ask questions or
> request advice or assistance from others with more
> experience. This will be a great way to set up
> mentoring opportunities.
>
> Joining the group will not obligate you to do
> anything. I have set up the group privileges so that
> only members may post messages, although group
> messages can be read by the public. Messages between
> members are private.
>
> I DO ask that any group postings you make be limited
> to information about, or pertinant to, beekeeping.
> As moderator I will warn about postings of seemingly
> questionable content once and then I will delete
> and/or block any future postings if abuse occurs. We
> want this group to be a friendly and helpful place
> for ABQ beekeepers and other interested persons and
> not an avenue for spamming the membership.
>
> Please note that when you join you can specify if
> you want summaries (digests) of group action on a
> daily, weekly or monthly basis.
>
> Feel free to post any comments, questions or
> pictures you might want to share. I have uploaded
> some files sent by Melanie Kirby, the co-owner of
> Zia Queen Bee, who had to cancel for our last
> meeting due to conflicts with her business schedule,
> so check out the file section. There are a few
> pictures of recent events to look at. Please review
> the recent message postings since there is some
> information about our next meeting to be found
> there.
>
>
>
> See for yourself why millions of people are members
> of Yahoo! Groups. But
> hurry. This invitation expires in 30 days.
>
>
> Join this group:
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/i?i=UY8AxLWLoxguAGIWAC--g7K2M6E&e=peggy36g%40yahoo%2
Ecom
>
>
>
>
----------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups is a free service that allows you to
> stay in touch with
> friends and family or meet new people who share your
> interests.
> Yahoo! Groups values your privacy. It is a violation
> of our service
> rules for Groups members to abuse this invitation
> feature. If you feel
> this has happened, please notify us:
> http://help.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/groups/cgi_abuse
>
> You may also change your email preferences to stop
> receiving group
> invitations in the future. To do so, please go here:
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/s?tag=VzFZc_T3DwvbzaTYGEXhyAtWGwiNCwNBXIDL0hvO5lNZlK
ONI44TT8xetulrg0X9SBzVNEp_cE9sIL7v-A
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

Hello Jerry--
      Thanks for including me in your invite.  Sounds
great!  Will want to throw out to the group:  Has
anyone (else) lost any colonies this winter? And how
about last winter?
      I lost one of my two colonies last winter, didn't
re-place it at the time, and now on Mar 1st at the
first inspection--there were not many bees, and they
were dead.  Had given them a quick check on a sunny
day in late Nov (there still were some flying) and
they looked healthy, numerous enough, and good honey
stores.  So what the dickens?!
      Am ordering 2 pkgs from B.Weaver/TX, on
recommendation from TJ Carr.  Unfortunately, only
found out later that they probably won't arrive until
the 4th week of April! Those east Texan folks think
we're in the Rocky Mts! and will be delivering first
to hotter, low-elevation places like Miss, Ala,Kans,
etc. Granted they ARE no doubt earlier seasoned than
even us, but here in the valley, blooming will be
finished for apricots,cherries, plums(and any number
of landscape trees), and well into apple blossoming.
     Should I be very concerned with this, only a
little, or just go with the flow, and plan on
supplemental feeding the kids for a good while? (Just
sort of squirm at the thought of giving kids sugar
syrup, which I wouldn't give to my own
children--though lots/most beekeepers do, correct?
      I would like to get bees from Melanie, but don't
know if they're ready for the commercial side, and
perhaps only have queens; or Les Crowder, but don't
even know how to reach him anymore, but I believe he
also raises queens only. Right now, I need BEES.
      Last point:  if enough ABQ and NM beeks order
from Weaver, very possible that it would be easier to
ask them to bump up our delivery date.  IF that is a
good thing...For valley beeks it would be, but how
about others scattered all over this 2,000 ft-variable
elevation city?
      For those who may want to check out their
website, and descriptions of their various bee types,
(I've ordered the "Texas All-Stars" with clipped,
marked queens):
      www.beeweaver.com

     I'm writing to you, Jerry, about the above topics,
because 1)  I'm not sure about how to get to the new
Yahoo group (WHAT'S the address?), and 2) figure I
could ask you to cut and paste this email into the new
format, if I can't manage to do it--which is likely.

     Thanks for all you do!

Peggy Gorresen
343-8238







--- ABQBeeks moderator
<ABQBeeks-owner@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
> janderson240@... has invited you to join
> ABQBeeks
> [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABQBeeks/] on Yahoo!
> Groups,
> the best way to discover and share information and
> advice with others.  All for free.
>
> A personal invitation from janderson240@...:
>
> I have created a Yahoo Group for the Albuquerque
> Beekeepers group as a way for us to easily share
> information like announcements of meetings, events
> of interest, pictures, files, and links to new
> research and/or articles. I have extended
> invitations to join the group to those persons who
> have previously expressed an interest in our local
> ABQ Beekeepers group.
>
> There is a members forum in the Yahoo Group where
> you can post messages of interest, ask questions or
> request advice or assistance from others with more
> experience. This will be a great way to set up
> mentoring opportunities.
>
> Joining the group will not obligate you to do
> anything. I have set up the group privileges so that
> only members may post messages, although group
> messages can be read by the public. Messages between
> members are private.
>
> I DO ask that any group postings you make be limited
> to information about, or pertinant to, beekeeping.
> As moderator I will warn about postings of seemingly
> questionable content once and then I will delete
> and/or block any future postings if abuse occurs. We
> want this group to be a friendly and helpful place
> for ABQ beekeepers and other interested persons and
> not an avenue for spamming the membership.
>
> Please note that when you join you can specify if
> you want summaries (digests) of group action on a
> daily, weekly or monthly basis.
>
> Feel free to post any comments, questions or
> pictures you might want to share. I have uploaded
> some files sent by Melanie Kirby, the co-owner of
> Zia Queen Bee, who had to cancel for our last
> meeting due to conflicts with her business schedule,
> so check out the file section. There are a few
> pictures of recent events to look at. Please review
> the recent message postings since there is some
> information about our next meeting to be found
> there.
>
>
>
> See for yourself why millions of people are members
> of Yahoo! Groups.  But
> hurry.  This invitation expires in 30 days.
>
>
> Join this group:
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/i?i=UY8AxLWLoxguAGIWAC--g7K2M6E&e=peggy36g%40yahoo%2
Ecom
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups is a free service that allows you to
> stay in touch with
> friends and family or meet new people who share your
> interests.
> Yahoo! Groups values your privacy. It is a violation
> of our service
> rules for Groups members to abuse this invitation
> feature. If you feel
> this has happened, please notify us:
> http://help.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/groups/cgi_abuse
>
> You may also change your email preferences to stop
> receiving group
> invitations in the future. To do so, please go here:
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/s?tag=VzFZc_T3DwvbzaTYGEXhyAtWGwiNCwNBXIDL0hvO5lNZlK
ONI44TT8xetulrg0X9SBzVNEp_cE9sIL7v-A
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

If you plan of feeding pollen patties to your bees this spring (or fall)
you might be interested in this. I purchased a bulk supply of MegaBee,
The Tucson bee diet, to get the best price per pound on what is
supposedly the best pollen supplement available now. I will sell it for
$2.60 per pound (2cups) which is a 20% discount from the Dadant 5 pound
bag price. Contact me if you are interested.

-- Jerry

Hola, Melanie!

Would you mind expanding on your comment about your field day and
volunteer days? I know a little about them having attended last year
and from reading your posts in the SDC group, but others in this group
may not know what you are talking about.

Have you set a date for your field day this summer?

Here's a link to my blog with some musing about two recent deadouts. I
would love to hear any responses, comments or suggestions. Some more
experienced beekeepers have told me that you just have to accept that
you'll lose some hives. I can't help but take it personally and think I
need to learn from it.

Yahoo doesn't want to play nicely when I put the link in here so just
cut and paste the WHOLE address into your browser. Yahoo keeps wanting
to cut off the part that flows into the next line.

http://www.dukecityfix.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1233957%3ABlogPost%
3A58929

Hola Apicultores y Apicultoras! Thank you for inviting us to join the
ABQ Beeks group. We enjoy sharing info on keeping bees and are
constantly learning and inspired by all you enthusiasts out there. It
is quite crucial and imperative for all those keeping bees and
expressing new interest in keeping bees to remember that having bees
is quite different from keeping them. It is a very challenging time
right now for experienced and novice beekeepers. Glad to be a part of
such a diverse network of true Bee Stewards- Keep up the good work!

Zia Queenbee Co. and the honeybees appreciate and salute you!
We offer starter nucs and regional survivor queenbees- chosen by
beekeepers for beekeepers. Thanks for your support and see you at our
volunteer and field days this season.

Here's to a grand 2008 season!

Sincere Blessings-
M & M (ZQB)
P.O. Box 490
Dixon, NM 87527
Tel: 505/579-4552
www.ziaqueenbees.com
ziaqueenbees@...

Thanks for posting the article, Eric; and thanks to Autumn for writing
it and reminding folks about the importance of bees.

I think I will defer any celebrity status to Chantal. She is much more
photogenic than I. :-)

I'm taking advantage of the lovely weather today to work my bees. I
have two Langstroth hives to inspect and I will also be reversing the
deeps.

I'll wait until mid-day to do this so I have high sun and warm temps.
The two hives are located on property close to my home in the north
valley. If you would like to play, be at my place by 11:30AM so I can
lead you to where we are going. Bring bee gear if you would like but
you can watch without it if you stand back 15 feet or so.

Most of you know where I live. If you need directions call 977-4347 by
11:00 this morning.

---Jerry

Congrats Jerry...you're famous!

http://www.abqjournal.com/biz/288711business02-28-08.htm

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Local Keepers Not the Only Ones Buzzing About Bees

By Autumn Gray
Of the Journal
     Alert: Ice cream as we know it may be in danger. To keep it
around, along with just about any other food or product that
contains fruit, nuts or honey, there's only one thing to do.
     Save the honeybee.
     The insect's numbers are dropping at an astonishing rate because
of a recent condition called Colony Collapse Disorder, which causes
bees to abandon their hives and die. Whether a virus, a reaction to
mites or something else is behind this, no one knows. But 30 percent
of the approximately 2.5 million managed colonies have vanished in
the last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
     It's disturbing not only for the naturalist but also for anyone
who eats, considering that bee pollination is ultimately behind
about a third of what we consume.
     While states like California and Texas have been hit hard, New
Mexico has not. Experts speculate that our bees are shielded simply
because there aren't many here to begin with; it's too hot and too
dry.
     "The very fact that we're not in a wonderful environment to keep
bees has probably helped us," says hobbyist beekeeper Jerry Anderson
of the North Valley.
     Indeed, the local "beek" movement is buzzing. Private interest
in keeping honeybees in backyards and on rooftops has grown so much
that a grass-roots group of 37 so far has formed to share
information and provide mentorship to current keepers and
to "newbees" like Chantal Foster.
     After attending the most recent meeting Feb. 20, the 34-year-old
Web strategist decided to buy a "nucleus colony," a kind of starter
kit of bees. For $145, she'll get a queen, numerous worker bees and
a guarantee of live delivery to begin her first hive.
     "If there is indeed a bee crisis, I'd like to offer my backyard
as sanctuary, though I'll confess to being less than a pure altruist
about it. More bees equals more chile in my garden, and that's a
perfectly fair trade," she said in an e-mail to the Journal.
     People keep bees for a variety of reasons. Some, like Foster,
want garden help. A few might start the hobby to make money, though
veterans will tell you there's no profit in it. Many simply see the
effort as an enjoyable way to give back to nature at a time when it
needs a boost.
     Even some big-name national companies are doing their part.
     Premium ice-cream maker Haagen-Dazs, which uses nuts and fruit
in many of its flavors, has just launched a campaign to raise
$250,000 to research Colony Collapse Disorder. The campaign will
disseminate information on ice cream cartons, as well as in print
and television ads, about honeybees' contribution to agriculture.
Money raised through the sales of honeybee-dependent flavors— see
www.helpthehoneybees.com for a complete list— will be donated to
researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Pennsylvania
State University, according to a story by the Associated Press.
     The company is not planning to increase prices or discontinue
flavors but may have to reconsider if the bee population continues
to decline.
     "The human race is not going to die off as we know it," Anderson
says, "but there are potential dire consequences if the honeybees go
away."
     Isn't the threat to white chocolate raspberry truffle and
chocolate peanut butter dire enough?

--- In ABQBeeks@yahoogroups.com, "Max Maestas" <elefante44@...> wrote:
>
> I live in Rio Rancho.  Any idea the restrictions on bkeeping in the
> city?
>

Hi, Max.

There are no legal restrictions on beekeeping in the city, either in
Rio Rancho or Albuquerque. However, to help ensure it stays that way,
it's always a good idea to be a good neighbor. Try to locate your hive
(s) so that they don't intimidate folks. Bees will always locate the
leaky faucets in the neighborhood so make sure that your bees have a
reliable constant source of clean water or they will make themselves
a pest raiding leaky faucets or kids wading pools.

I always make it a point to take some honey from the harvest to all
my close neighbors. :-) I've never heard a peep of complaints, other
than they have run out of honey. Let them know to call you if they
see or experience a swarm. You may get some calls on yellow jackets
but gear up and take care of them cheerfully while explaining that
bees aren't agressive like this.

Education is the trick to overcoming people's normal fear of stinging
insects so do some gentle neighborhood education. I've geared up a
couple of my neighbors so they were completely sting proof and then
worked my hives bare-handed and without a veil in front of them just
to make a point. (Obviously, perform that particular trick in the
early spring or with a hive you know to be gentle.) They were so
pumped by that experience that they wanted to get in there and play
too.

New Mexico has so far not passed any restrictive legislation
regarding beekeeping at either the local or state level. Let's all
help make sure it stays that way.

I live in Rio Rancho.  Any idea the restrictions on bkeeping in the
city?

This group is fabulous!

The latest issue of the American Bee Journal features a great article
by two New Mexico beekeepers, Mark Spitzig and Melanie Kirby, co-owners
of Zia Queen Bee. Their article is titled, "A Practical Sustainable
Approach -- The Southwestern Survivor Queenbee Project". Steve Wall, of
Santa Fe's Buckin' Bee Honey is also pictured in the article and other
New Mexico beekeepers that are participating in the project are listed
in the article as well.

The Southwest Survivor Project is an important research project for
those of us with bees in the Southwest. Their is a summary description
of the project in our "files section" and Mark and Melanie will be
visitng with us about this project and others at some future ABQ Beek
meeting.

High fives to Mark and Melanie and our other local beekeepers for their
well-deserved celebrity!

We will be piggy-backing on the annual training session being held at
Ken Hays home in Bosque Farms on Saturday, April 26th. We have not
yet set any specific agenda for the ABQ Beeks. If you have
suggestions, post them.

This annual event is co-sponsored by the New Mexico Beekeepers
Association and the Valencia County Master Gardeners. Membership in
the association is not required, and attendance is free, so please
bring along friends and those who may be interested in beekeeping.
This is a day long event with seminars about beekeeping topics in the
morning, a break for a potluck lunch, followed by an afternoon of
hands-on training especially helpful for new beeks and wannabees as
to what you're looking for, and at, when you open a hive. Small
groups are set up to work with experienced beekeepers in the
afternoon.

Several things to remember if you will be attending this meeting:
1. RSVPs at least one week ahead of the date. Please call Sherri Hays
at 505-869-2369 to RSVP. Expect to be assigned a category of covered
dish for the potluck.
2. If you have bee gear, veil, helmet, hive tool,armour etc...  take
it with you so that you and possibly others can use it for the
afternoon sessions.

This is always a fun time and a great way to network with other
beekeepers in the area.

Welcome to new members of the ABQ Beeks Yahoo Group.

I hope you will find this to be a useful group for you. It will
certainly ease some communication chores for me and others that have a
need to communicate with the ABQ Beeks at large.

How useful this group becomes is very much up to you as a member. If
you have questions, ask them here. If you have recommendations or
suggestions for ABQ Beek meetings, speakers or events, bring them up
here.

In other words, making it happen is up to US.