We are so pleased to bring you a new, fresh, and modern approach to all things Texas Beekeeping. Countless hours go into keeping and managing honey bees in Texas. The same is true of this website. It represents the product of choosing to be modern, relevant, and of service to the members it represents. Texas Beekeeping has a rich history that we all cherish. Not many of you may remember the publication called The Southland Queen, but it reported in 1901 that 150,000 bee colonies existed in Texas, producing honey worth $787,000, valued at 7 cents per pound. The numbers today are a little different indeed. Texas Beekeeping has changed a lot in some areas since the 1900 days.
Annual dues to the Texas Beekeepers’ Association were $1.00, Root’s ABC of Bee Culture book was priced at $1.20, postpaid. The swarming of bees was also encouraged as a way to increase the number of one’s colonies. We all look back on those days and wonder what happened. Everything has changed. Usher in advances in technology, the Internet, E-Commerce, YouTube, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram and you have a cornucopia of opportunity for everyone. What we could only learn standing next to somebody at their farm,
we can now learn in the comfort of our favorite chair, on a computer, mesmerized by the eye-candy of movies and pictures over the web. With those opportunities come challenges though. In days past, there was a trust between a mentor and an apprentice beekeeper, a relationship that lasted for years versus advice and counsel given by a stranger in two to seven minute clips “in time” on the Internet. We now help you cut through the proverbial electronic chaff and provide real, trusted, Texas Beekeeping information from trusted mentors.
Texas Beekeeping has given us many faces, ideas, and some challenges over the years. Article 2 “Objects” of the Texas Beekeepers Organization Constitution in 1901 reads:
Its objects shall be to promote the interests of the bee-keepers; exchange of thoughts; experiments etc., in apiculture, through the meetings of this association, and maintain a closer relation of its members.
Today Article II “Purpose” reads:
The purpose of this Association shall be to engage in any lawful activity which will promote the common interests and the general welfare of the beekeeping industry
Although there is a fine line between “Object” and “Purpose”, one seems more individual based while the other seems have an all-inclusive industry focus. I am not sure when the heading or content of Article II changed, but I trust that we have not lost the overall personal aspects of exchanging ideas with our membership but perhaps made it a little more timely, relevant, and convenient for all those involved in small scale, side-liner, or commercial beekeeping. We look forward to bringing you “trusted” Texas Beekeeping methodologies, information, and content in this medium that will enhance your journey.