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.
I.
INTRODUCTION
II.
GETTING STARTED WITH BEES
III.
CONSIDERATION FOR THE BEES
IV. CONCERNS IN THE
HANDLING OF BEES
V.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NOVICE BEE KEEPER TRAINING
COURSE
VI. Long Island Beekeepers
Club Good Neighbor Policy
VII. Additional
Suggested Readings for a Comprehensive Understanding of
Bees
