Learning to be a
Beekeeper
If you would like to read about
the experiences of a first time beekeeper, visit
http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/.
The site has some wonderful articles about many of the
tasks related to beekeeping, like constructing hive boxes
and making hand lotion from beeswax.
For
information on an online college-level course in
beekeeping, click here.
I.
INTRODUCTION
A little creature called apis melifera has provoked an
interest unequaled by any other insect. The honey bee, as
she is more commonly known, has a heritage that may go back
twenty million years fulfilling a major role in the
pollination of plants. The transfer of pollen from the
anther (or male part) to the stigma (the female part) is
essential to the formation of the plant's seeds and the
propagation of the species. The plant, to entice the honey
bee, secretes nectar.
Enzymes in the honey bee's honey stomach start the
conversion from nectar to honey. Subsequent enzyme action
and evaporation of water converts ten pounds of nectar into
one pound of honey. Honey is the food of bees but it is
also an attraction to other animals: among them man.
Man's attraction to sweetness led him to forego the pain of
bee stings so that he might have honey. Records of man's
encounter with bees exist from as much as 20,000 years ago.
Early cave drawings show a man taking honey from a hive
while angry bees fly around him.
Folk lore and honey found in ancient Italian and Egyptian
tombs, attest to the role that honey has played in
mankind's history. Mead, an alcoholic brew, was made from
honey that was mixed with water and allowed to ferment.
Honey was used for medicinal purposes and as a major
sweetener. Beeswax made fine candles.
What once had been wild bee hives that existed in hollow
trees and rocks, now became somewhat domesticated beehives
in hollow logs, jars, or boxes that were attended by
beekeepers. They were moveable in many instances, such as
the hives on Egyptian rafts, to follow the flowers as the
seasons changed. One problem shared by almost all the early
hives was that they were difficult, if possible, to inspect
and remove honey from without greatly destroying bees and
hive. Gathering honey usually meant killing off some of the
hives, mashing the comb once it was removed, and draining
off the honey. Later hive designs utilized strips of wood
across the top allowing the bees to build free form combs
down from them which resulted in hives that were easier to
work with but it was not until Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth
invented the moveable frame hive that a good design for
inspecting bees became available.
With the Langstroth hive, not only could the brood chamber
be inspected for disease, but supers could be stacked
upward and, since the queen stayed in the lower part of the
hive, surplus honey was stored above in frames free from
any brood. Though not the first hive to allow expansion,
and thus allow for a storage of honey and less crowding of
the bees that would force swarming, it was the first design
to have comb that was enclosed on four sides by a wooden
frame that allowed for easy removal and reuse of the comb.
Since four to twelve pounds of honey, and the time, are
consumed by bees in the production of one pound of beeswax,
honey production could be increased from that alone. Being
able to remove surplus honey without having to kill off the
bees meant that many more bees were available come spring
to gather honey.
Swarming had been the means by which the beekeeper
resupplied the hives that had been killed off in the old
days. With a hive with removable frames and expandable
size, swarming was discouraged. Since swarming greatly
reduces the number of bees available to collect nectar and
make honey, minimizing swarms maximizes honey production.
In suburban areas minimizing swarms can also minimize
problems resulting from terrified neighbors as well as
controlling hive population and the resulting needs of more
time and money to manage them.
The advent of refined white sugar caused honey to be relied
upon less than it had been but the recent upsurge in the
return to natural foods, for flavor and nutrition, has
greatly increased the demand for honey. Food research has
also shown additional benefits of honey such as extended
freshness of baked goods made with honey.
Even without considering honey production, bees still
remain an essential part of nature's scheme.
Suburbanization and agricultural practices have greatly
reduced the number of wild bees (there are 20,000 species
of bees in the world) and as a result pollination has
fallen off drastically in some areas to the point that the
crops would be unprofitable unless bees were brought in to
pollinate them. Since only the honey bee and a few other
species lend themselves to easily being hived and moved,
farmers must now pay from thirty to eighty dollars per hive
to insure proper pollination to get a bountiful harvest of
fruit or seed. While it is true that the honey bee is not
native to the Americans, neither is the apple, peach,
cherry and many other plants that depend upon bees for
pollination. As well as all the other pleasures that the
honey bee has to offer, she is serving the nation through
pollination.
II.
GETTING STARTED WITH BEES
Buying bees is as important a task as buying a good animal
such as a dog or horse: a reliable breeder is one's best
bet. Advice from an experienced beekeeper in selecting a
hive of bees will aid the new beekeeper in avoiding getting
poor bees and/or equipment. A bargain isn't a bargain if
the bees are sickly or neglected and require that a lot of
time and money be spent to get them into proper condition.
One of the easiest ways to get started is to buy bees from
a reliable beekeeper in one's area. An equally good way is
to order bees and hive components from suppliers through
the mail. When ordering through the mail it must be
remembered that sufficient time must be allowed for the
hive to arrive, be assembled, and painted before the bees
arrive. Supplies for handling the bees, as well as extra
supers, must be ordered early enough so that the bees can
be inspected and swarming minimized.
Getting started with too little money can lead to the lack
of extra supers that need to be added in the late spring or
early summer when the honey flow is at its peak and
available space is used up. It is most disappointing to
discover that a hard working hive has stopped much of its
activity to create a new queen and that the old queen and
half the hive are sitting as a swarm in a tree or bush.
Trying to set up a new hive when not enough equipment was
available to handle the original hive is quite a dilemma.
The minimum supply to feel fairly safe is the full depth
brood chamber and three half depth supers. A basis of two
full depth brood chambers and three half depth supers is
far more desirable since the two full depth supers can
serve as the brood chambers and two half depth supers can
be used for surplus honey with the remaining half depth
super being used to replace a full super that is removed.
Not over reacting to the first few bee stings is an
important part of bee keeping. If one is found to be
sensitive to stings, then more caution must be given to
proper dress but one must not allow bee stings to cause him
to shy away from proper care of the bees. A new hive should
not be disturbed too much for the first two weeks, until
they feel at home in the hive, but after that, bees can no
more be left unattended than if one had bought a dog or a
cat and then decided not to feed it. The bees should be
inspected every two weeks to a month so that the new
beekeeper becomes fully familiar with the bees, their
condition, and behavior. Sometimes a mental block develops
in regard to being involved with his bees and as a result,
the beekeeper loses interest. Bee keeping is not for
everyone. While no one enjoys being stung, it can't be a
fear of such a magnitude as to cause the bees to be
neglected.
Early Spring is the best time to get started in beekeeping
because, as the year progresses, the flowers will come into
bloom and the bees will have a chance to collect nectar.
However, it can also be a bad time if it is a cold, wet
spring with few flowers. To insure the survival of a new
hive during the first month, when so much of the hive's
energy and consequently food supply is used in drawing out
new comb and raising brood, a solution of sugar water must
be feed to the new hive to supplement their needs. The
sooner the weather becomes consistently nice the sooner the
feeding can be eliminated. There are several ways that
sugar water can be fed. The use of an entrance feeder is
simplest but it is argued that in cold weather the bees may
have difficulty using it. Placing a can or jar of sugar
water over the opening in the inner cover, with an empty
hive box around it to keep the heat from the hive in, and
then placing the outer cover on top is a favored way of
many beekeepers. A third method is to remove a frame and
replace it with a special trough that can be filled with
sugar water and has a board floating on it so the bees
won't drown when they land to drink the sugar water.
Pouring granulated sugar in the space between the inner and
outer cover can be used in emergencies but is not one of
the more desired methods for extended feeding as the bees
need water to dissolve the sugar to use it.
Choosing the proper place in the yard to set up a beehive
is a factor that should be considered well in advance to
the arrival of the bees. Once the bees "mark the spot" they
will not tolerate having the hive moved after they are
established in it. Bees do not remember the hive but rather
the spot where the hive is relative to fixed landmarks. The
standing rule is to move the hive more than two miles or
less than six feet at any single move. If more than two
miles they will reorient themselves because of unfamiliar
surrounding. Less than six feet will appear to be within
their navigation accuracy.
A place most desirable for the bees should offer light
shade of deciduous trees to help keep the hive cool in the
summer time and still allow the sun to warm it in the
winter, early spring and late fall. Since the hive location
will probably be chosen in the winter or early spring, when
no leaves are on the trees and the path of the sun is more
southward in the sky, allowance must be made for the
effects of having leaves on the trees and a more northern
path of the sun. Heavy shade interferes with navigation
from the sun and doesn't allow the sun to warm the hive as
early in the morning or as late in the evening. If in
direct sunlight, the bees will spend too much time and
energy trying to keep the hive cool on hot summer days. It
should be noted that some experts feel that keeping bees in
direct sunlight tends to make the bees work harder. The
actual daytime temperature in the summer plays a major role
in that choice. In this area, whenever possible, the
entrance of the hive should face south to help in their
orientation of the sun, to warm the entrance, and to
minimize the effects of having wind, rain and snow blowing
in the entrance.
Picking a location with a minimum of traffic in front of
the hive is very important. Bees can be rather intolerant
to people, cars or animals passing back and forth in front
of their entrance. It is especially annoying for a tired
bee, returning from the field, to have to try to maneuver
around moving objects. Also, on take off they need room to
gain altitude without having to avoid moving objects. A
fence or hedge five to ten feet in front of the hives will
encourage a more rapid ascent and make areas in front of
the hedge or fence more freely usable.
III.
CONSIDERATION FOR THE BEES
Every so often in talking to people it is possible to meet
someone who had bees but had to give them up because they
didn't have the time to properly care for them. Other times
you will meet a person that got bees and placed them on
some undeveloped property that he had and just left them
unattended. Bee keeping is much more involved than getting
bees and then letting them care for themselves. It is not
fair to the bees, or the surrounding neighbors, to merely
leave them on their own. It can't be assumed that since
they were wild it follows that they can care for
themselves. The effects of man on the landscape greatly
affect the habitat of the bees. Man has upset nature's
balance and the bee is affected by the changes.
Time must be spent to assure that the needs of the bee are
met since the beekeeper and not the bees chose the spot
where the hive is located. To survive and be productive the
bees must have the materials to make the honey as close as
possible. Flowers are the major concern since bees can
produce honey only from the nectar of flowers. The more
vegetation the better the chance of flowers. Heavy forests
are less desirable than fields and areas of shrubs since
many trees such as the pine and oak use the wind to
transfer their pollen. Maple and basswood produce flowers
in the spring but they can also shade out other plants than
might supply flowers at other times of the year. A good
variety of plants will do a lot to assure some blooms at
most times throughout the honey seasons. Fields supply an
opportunity for small flowering plants to grow many of
which bloom quite profusely. Frequent checking of the
hive's activity related to the number of bees flying in and
out of the entrance, can tell a lot about the condition of
the hive but the surest check is to actually open the hive
and check the amount of nectar being processed, honey being
made, and the size of the brood chamber.
Water is an essential item for bees since they use it to
dilute the honey to feed to the brood and in the hot
weather they bring the water back to the hive and evaporate
it to cool the hive. Good clean water, free of chemicals,
bacteria or parasites that may harm the bees, is essential
to maintaining a healthy, productive hive. Stagnant, dirty
water is an easy way to introduce disease into a hive and,
if more than one hive uses the same water, disease can be
spread quite rapidly. Running water such as obtained from a
slightly open faucet or garden hose will work well. Letting
a hose run slowly into a pan filled with rocks or floating
wood is ideal. It must be remembered that the bees will
drown if they land in the water. The rocks or wood provide
landing surfaces. Frequent checks must still be made to be
sure that the water stays free from contamination. Having
the water as close to the hives as possible is important
since they waste less time and energy in getting the water,
and are more likely to use it than another source, such as
the neighbor's yards, especially their pools, in search of
water. People stepping on bees around their pools can be a
major source of trouble.
IV.
MAJOR CONCERNS IN THE ACTUAL HANDLING OF
BEES
1. Smoothness of Handling
Opening the bee hive as smoothly as possible can be a major
consideration in controlling the temperament of the bees
and rendering them as gentle as possible. Though there is
some question among the experts as to whether or not bees
can hear, there is no question regarding their ability to
sense vibrations and respond to them as a possible threat.
Any jarring of the hive, any abrupt movement, can be
interpreted as an attack against their home: their sole
means of surviving. Prying supers apart as carefully as
possible and removing frames gently allows the bees to be
surprisingly indifferent to the beekeeper's activities.
2. Proper use of the Smoker
Moderation is the keyword in the use of the smoker. Smoke
should be used to drive back the guards but not to
overwhelm the hive. Too little smoke won't suppress the
guards enough but too much smoke will aggravate the hive.
Just because a few bees are flying around is not grounds to
apply more and more smoke. As with most phases of bee
keeping, experience will show how much smoke is needed and
it will be noted that it varies from hive to hive. Keeping
the smoker going can be a unique problem in working with
bees. Unless the bellows is squeezed every so often it will
go out. If the bellows are squeezed too often or too hard
the flame will get too hot and emit a flame rather than
smoke.
Materials that supply fairly good smoke include dried
grass, leaves, pine cones, and ceiling tiles. Peat moss
works quite well, is readily available and not expensive.
Usually paper is used to get the fire started.
3.Introduction of a Queen
A hive of bees has its own unique scent and intruders are
detected as not having the same scent and are either
removed or killed. Introducing a queen from another hive
can result in her being killed, since she has an odor
different from the rest of the bees. Precautions should be
taken to protect her from the rest of the bees until she
acquires the scent of the hive. There are several ways that
can be done.
If the new queen is kept in a separate cage, within the
hive, she will acquire the scent of the hive and be more
willingly accepted. The normally used queen cage is a block
of wood about ¾ inch by 1 ½ inches by 2 ½ inches that has
been partially drilled out and then has had window
screening tacked over the opening to contain the queen in
an opening about 1 inch in diameter and a half an inch
deep. Entering along the axis of long dimension, from both
ends is a 3/8 inch hole that has been filled with candied
sugar at one end and corked at the other end.
Placing the cage on top of the frames with the screen side
down and straddling two frames allows the bees to become
familiar with the queen without harming her. Removing the
cork from the 3/8 inch hole that is blocked with candied
sugar allows the bees to eat through the sugar in a couple
of days and free the queen.
For introducing a queen with a large number of bees, such
as combining a swarm with an existing hive, the outer and
inner covers of the hive can be removed and a sheet or two
of newspaper can be used to cover the whole top of the
hive. A super, with frames, can then be placed on top of
the newspaper and the queen and bees poured into the super
and the inner and outer covers replaced. Use an inner cover
with openings so they will have ventilation and they will
be able to leave and enter through the top of the hive.
Within a day or two the bees will have chewed through the
paper and the two groups combined. Their odors will have
mixed and they won't attack each other. The two queens,
however, will seek each other out and fight. Usually the
younger, stronger queen will survive.
More than twenty different variations of queen
introductions exist. Prime concern in most cases is
allowing time for the odor of the new queen and attendants
to mix with the hive to which the introduction is made. It
must also be remembered that a hive without a queen is far
more willing to accept a new queen than a hive that has a
good producing queen.
4. Package Bees
A package of bees is a box about 10 by 14 by 5 inches, with
window screening on the 10 by 14 inch sides, containing
anywhere from two to five pounds of bees with or without a
queen. The most usual order is a 3-pound package (about
11-12,000 bees) with a queen. Whether or not a queen is
included, depends upon whether the package is to be used to
add to a weak hive that has a queen or whether a new hive
is to be started. For this climate it would be best to have
the bees arrive between April 15 and May 15.
It is most important in ordering package bees to have a bee
hive fully assembled and painted before the package arrives
since the queens should only be kept in the package a few
days at the most. It is important that the bees start
building combs and the queen laying eggs as soon as
possible since it will be three weeks before the new bees
start hatching out. To insure the survival of the hive they
should be fed sugar water since not enough nectar may be
available in the early spring.
If at all possible the hive should have some drawn
foundation so that the bees will have to expend less energy
in getting started. Four to twelve pounds of honey must be
consumed to produce one pound of wax. The less energy the
bees must use at such a critical time, the better their
chance of survival.
The bees should be installed in the hive late in the
evening, if possible, to prevent drifting. Usually only
half the frames are placed in the hive so that the bees may
be dumped in the opening left and then the frames are
replaced.
V.
Long Island Beekeepers Club Good Neighbor
Policy
1. No more than four hives of honey bees for each
one-quarter acre or less of lot size will be maintained on
any lot.
2. No hive of honey bees will be maintained within ten feet
of a boundary line of the lot on which said hive is
located.
3. A six-foot hedge or fence (partition) will be placed
between the hives and the neighbors if the hive is ten feet
from the neighbor's yard and the entrance faces the
neighbor's yard.
4. No hive of honeybees will be maintained unless an
adequate supply of water will be furnished within twenty
feet of said hive at all times between March 1 and October
31 of each year.
5. No hive of honey bees will be maintained unless such
hive is inspected not less than four times between March 1
and October 31 of each year by the owner of the lot on
which said hive is located or his delegate. A written
record including the date of each such inspection will be
maintained by said owner and will be available by
authorized individuals.
6. No hive of honey bees will be maintained in a
residential area in such a manner as will constitute a
substantial nuisance.
VI.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NOVICE BEE KEEPER TRAINING
COURSE
A. Two Spring Meetings, One Summer Meeting, and One Fall
Meeting.
1. March Meeting -The Novice is introduced to the basic
beekeeper's equipment: the smoker, veil, hive tool and
other equipment. The parts of the hive are explained and
demonstration of the proper method of assembling hives is
given. Bee supply catalogs are handed out and what and how
to order is explained.
2. April Meeting - The purpose of this class will be to
hive a package of bees and to open up and inspect
over-wintered hives. The handling and use of package bees
will be discussed and demonstrated if possible. The proper
techniques for opening and inspecting the hives will be
given. It will constitute the earliest opportunity to check
the bees after the winter to insure their well being after
the winter. Queen introduction will be covered. Detection,
identification, and treatments for various honey bee pests
and diseases will be discussed and demonstrated as
appropriate.
3. Late Spring Meeting - The beekeeper must be aware of the
condition of his bees at all times. The Novice needs to
begin to feel comfortable opening and checking bees.
Opportunity will exist during the class to actually open
hives and inspect frames to learn if the bees are healthy
and productive. Detection, identification, and treatments
for various honey bee pests and diseases will be discussed
and demonstrated as appropriate.
4. Early Summer/Fall Meeting - Long Island's honey flow is
often over by early July. Considerations for extracting
honey as well as preparing the hive for the winter will be
covered. Various techniques for the removal of the surplus
honey will be covered. The amount and location of the
winter stores for the bees will be discussed. Detection,
identification, and treatments for various honey bee pests
and diseases will be discussed and demonstrated as
appropriate. The need to protect removed frames from the
wax moth is a major fall topic.
B. Student Notebook
The Novice will be expected to keep a student notebook to
keep a record of when, where and under whose supervision he
inspected hives. Class attendance will be recorded as
evidence of having seen hives opened. It will also be a
record of the hives that the Novice opened.
C. Hives Inspection Requirements
The Novice is expected to have observed at least 2 ½ hours
inspection of bee hives by experienced beekeepers in and
out of class. Should a class be missed for any reason it
will be possible to make up the time. Under the supervision
of experienced beekeepers, the Novice will have had to have
opened twenty beehives between the start of the classes in
spring and the end of classes in the fall.
D. Town Ordinances
The Novice should be familiar with the requirements of
the Long Island Beekeepers Club
Good Neighbor Policy and any local ordinances
E. Reference Material
Combining practical experience with reading material
available on the subject will greatly enhance one's
understanding of the subject. It is recommended that the
Novice obtain a copy of at least one authoritative book on
bee keeping such as
- The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture by A. I. Root and E. R. Root
- The New Complete Guide to Beekeeping by Roger A. Morse
- The Hive And The Honeybee: A New Book On Beekeeping To Succeed The Book Langstroth On The Hive And The Honeybee by Roy A. Grout
- The Beekeeper's Handbook by Alphonse Avitabile, Diana Sammataro, and Roger A. Morse
F. Final Requirements
The final requirement will be for each Novice to write down five questions that they have in regard to beekeeping at the end of the course. The questions will be collected and then during a final period an opportunity will exist for all the Novices to attempt to answer each others questions with the help of qualified beekeepers.
VII. Additional Suggested Readings for a Comprehensive Understanding of Bees
- Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston
- The Biology of the Honey Bee by Mark L. Winston
- A Book of Bees: And How to Keep Them by Sue Hubbell
- Honey: From Hive to Honeypot: A Celebration of Bees and Their Bounty by Sue Style and Graham Evernden
- Beekeeping: A Practical Guide by Richard E. Bonney
- Hive Management: A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers by Richard E. Bonney
- First Lessons In Beekeeping by C.P. Dadant
- The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden by Kim Flottum and Weeks Ringle
- Guide to Bees and Honey by Ted Hooper
- NOVA: Bees - Tales From the Hive (DVD)