Intro to Beekeeping 2/7/18. Bees as Pollinators! Tanya Phillips, Bee Friendly Austin Apiary Certified Naturally Grown

Transcription

1 Intro to Beekeeping Tanya Phillips, Bee Friendly Austin Apiary Certified Naturally Grown Intro to Beekeeping The Amazing Bee Pollination Honey Bee Biology Preparing the bee yard & water Moving Bees Personal Protection Gear Beekeeping equipment Comparing types of hives Buying Bees Inside a Healthy Hive Stings AG Exemptions on 5-20 acres What s the next step? Questions? The AMAZING BEE There are approximately 25,000 species of Bee in the World There are almost 4000 species of Bee in North America There are approximately 1000 species of Bee in Texas There are only 7-9 species of Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Honey Bees function as a superorganism and live in a colony. Bees as Pollinators! Bees are an ideal Pollinator! Covered with pollen and their flight creates static electricity which helps to attract more pollen! And sacs in their legs allow them to store more to bring home to the hive and food! Bees pollinate approximately a third of the foods we eat Almonds are 100% pollinated by honey bees Bees are attracted to bright color flowers yellow, orange and blue; red looks like black to bees, but they also see UV light 1

2 How a flower is pollinated: A flowers job is to have an attractive color and odor. It should have a good quantity of sugars and proteins. (nectar and pollen) Flowers parts have different shapes and lengths for different sizes of bees or other pollinators. A bee is covered in tiny hairs that have static electricity. The pollen clings to the hairs of the bee. 2 Reasons Honey Bees are IDEAL Pollinators: 1. As a social insect, they must bring a lot of nectar and pollen back to their nests to feed their family. This means they will be hard workers. Solitary bees take care of themselves only. 2. Because they are very single minded in their gathering. They will tend to visit one plant only till that plant is exhausted of pollen, which makes for more efficient pollination. They aren t wasting the pollen of one plant on another plant. How many beekeepers are there in the US? 212,000 beekeepers in the United States. 200,000 of them are hobbyists (1-2 hives) 10,000 are sideliners or part-time beekeepers. 2,000 are Commercial producers (300+ colonies) and they account for about 60% of the honey extracted annually in the United States. 2

3 Honey Bees are beneficial insects ØHoney bees produce honey, wax, & royal jelly. ØThey collect propolis, pollen, nectar, and water. Ø Some individuals use them for bee sting therapy (Apitherapy). Genus: Apis (latin for Bee) Species: A. mellifera (honey bearing) Binomial name: Apis Mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758) The Western Honey Bee or European Honey Bee is a species of honey bee. The western honey bee is native to the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. As of the early 1600s, the insect was introduced to North America, with subsequent introductions of other European subspecies two centuries later. Since then, they have spread throughout the Americas. Western honey bees differentiated into geographic races as they spread from Africa into Eurasia. Currently, 28 subspecies based on these geographic variations are recognized. Based on morphological similarities and the separation of regions during and since the last ice age, there are five bee lineages [1] A (African) C ( carnica, subspecies east and south of the Alps including those along the northern Mediterranean) M ( mellifera, subspecies of western Europe), O (Oriental, subspecies from the eastern end of the range of the species) Y (Yemenitica from Ethiopia) Lineages of known hybrid origin, such as Africanized bees and Buckfast bees, also do not have formal names. Within the lineage 'M' there are three races Mellifera (brown bee) Lehzeni (heathland bee) Nigra (black bee) Honey bees live in a colony of many individuals whose joint effort is required for survival. Within this colony of bees are both females and males. Each colony will have a queen. She is the mother of all the bees in the colony. Her daughters are the worker bees and perform all the hive duties. Both the queen and workers have stingers but typically only the worker bee is associated with stinging to defend the hive. The queen uses her stinger to kill rival queens. The males are called drones and are necessary for mating with the queen. They gather no nectar or pollen for the hive. They also have no stinger. There may be 300 to 500 of these in a strong hive. The inhabitants of the hive Meet the Queen: The queen is the only mature female in the colony. She lays thousands of eggs during her life time. A good queen may lay over 2000 eggs in a single day. A queen has the longest life span in the colony, she may live 3-5 years. Although many beekeepers replace their queens every 1-2 years. She is larger than the other bees in the hive and has a slim torpedo shape. She does have a stinger, but uses it to kill other queens. She develops from a fertilized egg. She must mate with drones to produce fertilized eggs. She is the mother of all the bees in the hive. Her role in the hive is to produce eggs and to release pheromone signals within the hive. Under normal conditions a hive will have only one queen. 3

4 Meet the Worker Bee ØShe is created from a fertilized egg. ØA strong colony can have 40,000-60,000 worker bees. ØA worker bee spends its first 20 days working in the hive performing various tasks, and is called a house bee. And then spends the rest of her life as a forager bee. ØThe worker bee lives about 40 days or until her wings get too worn to fly. (500 miles) ØShe defends the hive and has a stinger. ØThe worker bee also has pollen baskets or corbicula (long hairs) on her rear legs to gather and collect pollen and propolis while she is foraging for nectar outside the hive. ØIf a colony becomes queenless, a female worker bee may begin to lay eggs. But because worker bees can not mate, the eggs are unfertilized and will only develop into drones. Ø Drones are the males in the colony. Note the general shape of the drone. 1) the head is large and the eyes predominate the head 2) the rear-end of the drone is rounded -- they have no stinger and cannot sting. Ø They contribute to the continuation of one generation to the next generation. Ø He develops from an unfertilized egg. Meaning he is passing on genetic material from his mother only. Ø He provides ½ of the genetic material in worker bees. Ø His life span depends on the health of the colony. During poor honey flows and honey shortages, drones may be driven from the hive. This happens at the onset of winter as well. Ø Drones can also be created by laying workers (unmated worker bees) when a colony is queenless. Meet the Drone Bee: All honey bees come from eggs A queen can lay 1500 to 3000 eggs in a single 24 hour period. Her goal is to lay MORE eggs each day than the number of bees that are dying off in a colony, which can be per day. Eggs are deposited into the bottom of beeswax brood comb cells and a bee is in the egg stage for 3 days. 4

5 All honey bees develop into larva Larva in cells look somewhat like little worms. The body is composed of a head plus 13 ring-like divisions or segments. It grows to fill the cell very quickly. Between the day it emerges from the egg until it reaches the fifth day of development, it will grow six times it s body weight during each 24 hour period of development. Healthy larva are white in color. All honey bees go thru something called metamorphism This means that the honey bee during its development into an adult will pass thru several distinct stages from egg to adult. When a cell is capped the larva transforms into a pupa. From a pupa it will develop into an imago. It then emerges as an adult. The development times for all honey bees differ by caste The cells of honey bees differ by caste Anatomy of a Honey Bee Egg Larva Pupa Emerge Queen 3 days 4-5 days 8 days 16 days Queen cells Worker 3 days 5-6 days days 21 days Worker cell Drone 3 days 6-7 days 14 days 24 days Drone cells 5

6 Bee Face and Tongue Hairy Eyes The sting and the eye Labellum Bee Tongue Close up 6

7 A Bee s Labellum (tongue) REALLY CLOSE UP! See the sponge at the tip? Hooks and Rings in the bees wings, used to connect them for more lift. Pollen Press (pollen comb & press in the bees knees) Articulation between the tibia and basitarsus showing the pollen press. The rakelike group of hairs (rastellum) projects downward from the lobe called the auricle. Wax Glands day old worker bees are the optimal age for wax production. 7

8 Thermoregulation The honey bee needs an internal body temperature of F to fly which is also the temperature maintained within the cluster. The same temperature is required in the brood nest over a long period to develop the brood, and it is the optimal temperature for the creation of wax. Honey bees are able to forage over a 54 F range of air temperature, largely because they have behavioral and physiological mechanisms for regulating the temperature of their flight muscles. Below F, bees become immobile, and above 100 F, their activity slows. Honey bees can tolerate temperatures up to 122 F for short periods. So, you still want to be a Beekeeper Where do we begin? Time Commitment: Weekend setting up site and new hives Additional 1 2 hours installing bees Weekly visit: 2 3 hours (spring/summer of first year) Beekeeper s club meetings: 2-4 hours month Education: Lots of hours reading books, internet beekeeping sites, beekeeper s club Most time spent Spring installing bees, medicating, feeding, adding honey supers Summer mite checks, general health, feeding, adding honey supers Fall mite checks, treatments, checking general health, feeding, honey supers, extracting honey A look at some bee hive locations A good location Plenty of SUN Easily accessible Safe from predators Nearby water source Available nectar and pollen sources Away from potential crops/farms that use dangerous chemicals Moving Bees Bees can fly in a 3 mile radius when looking for nectar and pollen, but typically stay within 2 miles from their hive. Bees are generalists, but typically forage for 1 type of food at a time, a single source till it s gone. When moving bees it is best to move them LESS than 2 feet at a time or MORE than 2 miles at a time. Anything in between can cause orientation issues for the bees. If you absolutely MUST move them a short distance put a plant or branch near their hive entrance to force them to re-orient, AS IF it was a big move for them. 8

9 Supplying bees with a fresh water source Personal Protection ~ aka: Bee Suits What do I REALLY need? Only a veil? (group A) Everything? (group B) Veil Gloves Jacket Full Bee Suit Group A Group B Dead bees in pool, they can t swim. You only need to wear protection over areas you would prefer not to be stung. J Protection Gear for YOU leather gloves helmet & veil Full bee suit (optional) $ $ Can use light-colored work clothes if desired) 9

10 Beekeeping Supplies Lang hives, top bar hives, queen excluders, OH, MY!!!! TOOLS ØA smoker ØA hive tool ØA Bee Brush Where do I start? ØAn icing spatula For top bars ONLY Where do you get Tools and Equipment? Buy new don t inherit problems (mites, disease) Local supplier or mail order? Local supplier provides additional source of information, beekeeping classes We sell 8 frame hives or top bar cedar hives, wax, bee balms, veils, tools, nucs. (SW Austin) sells bees, equipment and 10 frame hives (Dripping Springs, TX) sells beekeeping equipment and supplies (Florence, TX) sells minimal beekeeping equipment, supplies, hives, & frames (Austin, TX) Callahans General Store sells some equipment, tools, and veils Online Suppliers You can also buy online: Mann Lake Ltd. Dadant & Sons Betterbee Brushy Mountain Kelley Bees Check with your local bee club for dealers in your area. 10

11 Langstroth Hive Components Top Bar Hive Components Telescoping Top Cover 4 foot hive body w/ solid or screened bottom Approximately 30 top bars with comb guides and shims Follower/Division Board Corks for entrance holes Optional: entrance reducer, integrated feeder, viewing window w/screened bottom The equipment for a Langstroth hive consists of: Top Cover Inner Cover Supers with frames -- What the bees put surplus honey for harvest into. Could be deep, medium, or shallow super. Some times a queen excluder Hive bodies and frames (Brood chamber) Bottom board with entrance reducer Can use 10 frame or 8 frame boxes Come in Deep, Medium or Shallow $500-$600 initial cost 1 hive with NUC colony and basic equipment Two hives are better than one Can compare hives for health Can swap frames between strong and weak hives Entrance reducer/queen excluder Internal feeder viewing window Warre Hive Components Less Maintenance Less Management Boxes added at bottom Natural Foundationless comb Benefits of a Top Bar Hive Natural comb building by the bees, they decide cell size and placement Bees decided whether to make worker, drone or honey cells. No heavy boxes to lift Less disturbing of bees when you open the hive for inspections. Easy to add a long viewing window for less stressful spot checks No old wax, as it is naturally recycled when you harvest honey Fewer parts to make/buy Fewer tools needed for management and honey extraction Can be less expensive to make yourself Lots of wax for beeswax projects Easy to install a package of bees Concerns Less standardized equipment from beekeeper to beekeeper Few bee mentors available to help you with top bars Cross combing Up to 30% less honey due to crush and strain method Its easier to leave a Lang hive for an extended period of time. When the colony gets too big, you need another hive More expensive to buy, maybe? 11

12 Getting Honey Bees There are four general ways to begin a colony of bees. ØStart with a swarm. ØStart with a package of bees. ØStart with a nuc hive. ØStart with an established hive. Package Bees Advantages of a Package of Bees Ø It is moderate in cost. (A Bee Weaver package is $145 3 lbs of bees + marked/clipped Queen) Ø The bees are inspected in the state of origin. However, they may contain bees with mites and small hive beetles. A good dealer in package bees will indicate to you that this is possible and be willing to do something to help you if the problem is serious. Ø The bees can be scheduled for arrival so you can be ready for them when they arrive, but most packages require an in person pick up. Ø Bee Weaver offers pick ups in Dripping Springs or Navasota. Disadvantages of a Package of Bees Ø They take longer to develop into a production hive. Ø The queen sold with the package is untested. That means you could face several queen problems such as: the queen not being accepted by the bees in the package; the queen may be a poor laying queen poorly mated; supercedure problems (the queen is replaced by the bees during the current season); or she may exhibit aggressiveness in the bees she produces. Much discussion is taking place in the U.S. among beekeepers concerning the threat of Africanized honey bee genetics showing up in southern raised queens. Ø If a queen fails, the beekeeper needs to quickly react before the new hive is lost. I recommend that the beekeeper should check to see if the new queen is laying eggs within the first week after the package is installed into a hive. No eggs means something is wrong. Ø Usually a package of bees is not guaranteed for success by the seller. Ø I buy my bees from Bee Weaver Apiaries in Navasota, TX. Nuc Hive with bees & Queen Start with a nucleus hive. This is called a nuc! Ø It will cost more than a package of bees. (A Bee Weaver Nuc is $210) Ø It will contain at least two or three frames of capped brood, a laying queen, and eggs & larva in various stages of development. Ø The nuc will have drawn comb rather than foundation. Ø Watch out for nuc s sold with just bees and new foundation. This is nothing more than a package put into a box. This kind of nuc will not develop much faster than a package of bees. Advantages of a nucleus hive. Ø It is already a miniature hive with a laying queen and brood. The bee population is growing because new bees are being added to the population every day. Ø This hive should produce a good crop of honey the first year. Ø Perfect for deep body brood boxes when transferred into regular hive Disadvantages of a nucleus hive Ø Because it s a deep frame, not transferable to a top bar hive Ø Because a nucleus hive has drawn comb, one must be aware that drawn comb may include AFB spores. This is a serious disease. Ø Some sellers try to sell a nuc by using very old comb (dark), or start a nuc on new foundation which is not drawn out when you buy the nuc. Avoid paying a high price for such nuc s. 4 deep frames of bees + queen + feeder Starting with an established hive. Ø This is usually one way to assure yourself of a honey crop. FULL HIVE with BEES & Queen Ø The hive will contain drawn comb, some honey reserves, and a good population of honey bees. Ø The hive will be most expensive if it is housed in like new equipment. Prices vary according to condition of equipment. (Bee Weaver full strength colonies are $325) Ø Note: We are not discussing a new hive stocked with new frames, un-drawn foundation, and a newly installed package of bees. Advantages of an established hive. Ø This hive should produce a good crop of honey the first year. Ø It could be split into two hives if it is strong enough. Disadvantages of an established hive Ø It is going to be the highest cost of getting into beekeeping. Ø It may swarm early in the bee season. It will require honey supers quickly in the spring. Management of this hive will differ from other hives started with smaller populations you will be on a quicker timeline. Ø Because an established hive has drawn comb, one must be aware that drawn comb may include AFB spores. This is a serious disease. It may also have large populations of mites which will need to be controlled. Ø It may have an old queen which needs to be replaced. 12

13 Beekeeping How long till I have a strong hive? Factors to consider The first egg the queen lays will take 21 days to emerge as an adult. The queen can lay as many as eggs a day but in a small population of bee, she will lay only enough that the bees can feed and keep warm. Thus, it will take about 45 days for the new population of bees to exceed the original package population. The population growth after that will increase dramatically. THE GOOD Some Facts About. This frame from the brood chamber is close to ideal. Honey is stored at the top of the frame Capped brood fills much of the rest of the frame. What you will observe within a hive of bees Looking in the hive to evaluate how many bees you have. 13

14 HOW MANY BEES DO I HAVE? THE BAD This is my husband Chuck after 4-5 bee stings in his top lip. He looks so FUNNY!!! What to do to avoid being stung... Wear proper clothing Use a smoker Best environmental conditions Scrape stinger out promptly Slow movements- no jerking or slapping Have extra care around hive/flowers Don t remove veil too soon Keep gentle bee stock 14

15 Small Hive Beetle THE UGLY Small Hive Beetle will SLIME the honey. BEE ENEMY #1 -The Varroa Mite 15

16 AG Exemptions using Bees as Livestock (5-20 acres) If you have at least 5 acres, you can now use keeping bees for an agricultural exemption on up to 20 acres of land. If you also have your homestead on this same land, you will need to set aside 1 acre for the homestead and you can apply for AG exemption on the remaining acreage. If you don t already have an AG exemption on your land, it will take 5 years to build a case for an AG exemption. You will apply each year and keep records. They will deny you each year, until you have completed 5 years. If you already have an AG exemption, you can switch to beekeeping and provide all the documentation to show you are in compliance. You will need to create a business plan showing how you are using bees as an AG business. You need to keep all receipts and show what plants for bee foraging you have. Beehives need to be onsite 10 months of the year AND you must file by April 30 th. What s the next step? Prepare your yard. Order your bees. Make or buy your hives. READ READ READ Take a Beekeeping 101 Class (learn how to light a smoker, work bees, etc. Take a HANDS ON Beekeeping Class in a working Apiary Join a Bee Club and/or an online beekeeping group. Find a mentor. Practice makes perfect. Ask 10 beekeepers how they do it and you will get 10 different answers, so see what works best for you! Beginner Books HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR BEEKEEPERS: - Randy Oliver - Michael Bush - The Practical Beekeeper Minnesota Bee Lab American Beekeeping Federation - Texas Beekeepers Association - Travis County Beekeepers Association - Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS) Trade Journals American Bee Journal: Bee Culture: All of these links are also listed on my website: 16

17 Beekeeping Groups around AUSTIN Meets at Zilker Botanical Gardens - First Monday of each month. - Meets at Driftwood Fire station on 3 rd Wednesday each month 7-9pm - Williamson County Beekeepers (Meets 4 th Thursday) - Austin meet up group (meets off Far West on 3 rd Mondays) - Hays County San Marcos Bee Wranglers Texas State Beekeepers Assn. - LaGrange, TX - San Antonio, TX Events and Classes at Bee Friendly Austin Saturday, February 10, 2018: 1pm-5pm Bee Friendly Austin OPEN HOUSE - FREE Apiary Tours; Beekeeper Q & A; New & Used Beekeeping Equipment for Sale; Book Signing; Honey & Mead tasting; Learn about your county s Beekeeping AG Exemptions; and more Saturday March 24th Class 2 1pm-5pm Hands on in the Apiary $150 per person Wear a beesuit, light a smoker, work in the beeyard with master beekeeper and inspect hives, both topbar and langs, learn how to treat for varroa mites, etc. *Class date is dependent on weather for bees, must be over 65 degrees and under 95 degrees. Taught by Tanya Phillips & Chuck Reburn (as needed to keep low ratio of students to instructors Have Fun and Good Luck! The END! Happy Beekeeping! Tanya Phillips cell tanya333@me.com