Auciosr, 1<)22 



IN writing up- 

 on this subject 

 1 sliall confine 

 myself to that 

 zone which em- 

 braces the In- 

 ter- III o u n t a i u 

 states, ami shall 

 not advise any- 

 particular m e 



G L K A N I N (i S T N B !•; 1<; U 1. T U It E 



ALFALFA HONEY PRODUCTION 



Some 'Basic Piinctples in Beekeep- 

 ing in the Alfalfa Region of the 

 West 



By M. A. Gill 



515 



iiig will cease if 

 ample room is 

 given, for there 

 is no condition 

 that checks 

 swarming like a 

 heavy honey 

 flow. All colonies 

 whicii were at 

 their zenith 



ehanical mode for harvesting the crop, as wlieu tiie main honey flow starts will de- 



abnost every producer has his own way of 

 taking his crop, after he has produced it. 

 In almost all this region, we are confronted 

 with conditions, not theories, as to how to 

 produce the most honey. 

 Long Biiilding-Up Period and Long Honey 

 Flow. 

 As a rule, we have a longer period in 

 which to prepare for the honey flow than 

 the middle West or the eastern states, and 



tenorate somewhat during a long honey 

 flow; while those colonies that were on the 

 ascending scale will cast a few August 

 swarms, or at least try to do so. But this 

 is a condition that pleases the beekeeper, 

 for he knows that he is securing a good 

 crop of honey. 



Another condition different from those in 

 the lower altitudes of the East is that we 

 cannot pile up our surplus on the bees and 



also a longer honey flow, after it once leave it until the close of the harvest, for 



starts. Most of our honey comes after tlie 

 honey flow has ceased in the above-men- 

 tioned sections. 



As a rule, our bees build up very rapidly 

 in early spring, during which period a cer- 

 tain per cent of colonies will swarm and 

 brood-rearing is carried on to the limit; 

 then frequently we have a lean spell, that 

 checks sw^arming and brood-rearing, and is 

 a very anxious time for the beeman, for he 

 knows that bees produced in May and the 

 fore part of June will not be with him when 

 his August honey flow comes. He also real- 

 izes that, if his working force is not kept 

 up, much of the yield from the first alfalfa 

 bloom must be used in getting his brood re- 

 serves in condition for the August honey 

 flow. 



Usuall}'' the best colonies have stored a 

 surplus during fruit, dandelion and willow 

 bloom, that can be used by the less-favored 

 ones to keep them breeding, and which also 

 uses up this amber honey and keeps it from 

 boconiiiig mixed witli the first extracting 

 of white honey. 



Swarming Ceases When Main Honey Flow 

 Begins. 



When the main honey flow starts, swarm 



it is next to an impossibility to extract 

 honey that is left on the hives all through 

 July and August. 

 Management During Heavy Honey Flow. 

 I feel confident that, during wliat is known 

 as an unusual secretion of nectar, much 

 honey is lost, especially in out-apiaries by 

 the beekeeper not knowing just what his 

 bees are doing. This can be avoided by hav- 

 ing a colony on the scales at the home 

 yard; then if the scales indicate from ten to 

 twenty pounds per day, something must be 

 done quickly by the bee master, either by 

 extracting or giving more room. 



In a business of several hundred colonics 

 the bee master cannot afford to lose a men- 

 tal grasp of his situation by joining the 

 extracting crew, for this can be done by 

 less experienced men and nothing should be 

 left undone that will produce a pound of 

 honey, for now is the accepted time. We 

 can produce honey only when it is com- 

 ing from the field. At such times some 

 men spend considerable time trying to 

 get their weak colonies to producing. This 

 is commendable if there will be a later 

 honey flow, but sufficient unto the day is 

 the evil thereof, and it is only the colonies 



Class of vociitiiiiial uicii Uikin 



course in Ijeekeeping. M. A. Gi!l, instructor, at right. Photograph taken 

 at the Utah Agricultural College apiary. 



