Spring will soon be here and we can start working the bees again.

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1 A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of beekeeping The Wasatch Beekeepers association is dedicated to the continued education and promotion of beekeeping. Beekeepers offer a service to the community and nation in a time where bees are dying at a rapid place. We believe that through education, we can help other beekeepers stay current in the areas of medications, equipment, bee diseases, problems, etc. Beekeepers can find support and knowledge from each other and each other experiences. February 2013 Presidency Message We are starting to see signs of spring. I know that is hard to believe as it is snowing outside as I write this message. We should start seeing pollen soon on the trees which will start helping the bees. Right now is a crucial time for the bees. If they made it this far you do not want them to die off now due to lack of food. There are lots of different ways to feed your bees in the spring. We should hit some 50 degree weather this week to be able to pop open the top to add food or take a quick look at the bees. If you did lose some of your hives it was very common. I read that we had the coldest January since 1949 in Salt Lake. It was so cold that bees could not move around and even if they had honey to eat they could not get to it. Nationally beekeepers lost a lot of bees. I saw where one beekeeper lost 80% of his 10,000 hives. I knew we had a problem when I was getting calls from California looking for bees for the almonds. We had a combination of drought and a cold winter that was very bad for the bees. In my own backyard where I keep just 3 of my hives for testing and experimenting I lost all three. One due to the cold and one that absconded going into winter and the last I knew was having problems. I was testing a new bottom board design that worked great for mites but did not work great for stopping robbing or other animals getting into the hive. Overall my losses will be a little more than 30%. The good thing is that some hives will be ready to split and hopefully make up those numbers that were lost. Spring will soon be here and we can start working the bees again. bevan.weed@gmail.com 1. 1

2 What You Need To Keep Bees? How many hives can I have in one place? This is a difficult question to have a distinct answer to. Even in a given place it varies from year to year depending on the nectar flow which depends on the timing of the rain and the early and late frosts. In a place with really good forage (like the middle of 8,000 acres of sweet clover) it may be almost impossible to have too many hives there during a flow. But in general most rural locations in areas where there are the typical farm crops of corn, beans, alfalfa etc. about 20 hives in one place is usually the economic threshold where after that the competition will cost you honey. Try increasing the number of hives gradually until you see too much competition and honey crops decreasing. How many hives should a beginning beekeeper start with? The standard answer is two. I ll say two to four. Less than two and you don t have resources to resolve typical beekeeping issues like queenlessness, suspected queenlessness, laying workers etc. More than four is a bit much for a beginning beekeeper to keep up with. Odorless beekeeping You need to know that bees don t react well to bad body odor. So, please don t inspect your bees when you re all sweaty up after a morning jog. Take a shower first. Brush your teeth. On the other hand, don t try to smell too good, either! Avoid using colognes, perfumes, or scented hairspray. Sweet smells can attract more attention from the bees than you want. Be sure to remove your leather watchband before visiting your bees. They don t like the smell of leather or wool, and these materials retain body odor. Removing any rings from your fingers also is a good idea. It isn t that bees don t like pretty jewelry. But in the rare event that you take a sting on your hand, you don t want your fingers swelling up when you re wearing a decidedly non expandable ring.beeswax-based beauty products can be a great supplement to a homestead or farm income and can even form the basis of your farm s business. Many small farmers find bees to be a rewarding and productive means of income. For local information go to

3 Essential Beekeeping Tools Hive Tool Hive tools are can be used for: loosening hive bodies and frames. removing excess bur comb or propolis can be scraped from hive parts. removing a bee sting from the body Hive tools, when jointly used for beekeeping, should not be used for Mixing paint, varnish or chemicals Selecting a Design There exist multiple designs of hive tools, but in truth most any kind of pry bar with a blade will work. If you find that money is burning a hole in your pocket, feel free to invest in a high quality Teflon coated hive tool that would likely outlast any beekeeper. Hive tools generally come in 7 and 10-inch varieties. If possible, before purchasing, see how the tool fits in your hand, and buy the one you are most comfortable with. Although it may not seem like an issue, color, for a hive tool may be important. If possible Purchase a bright colored hive tool or paint it such. A bright colored hive tool will stand out a lot better when dropped. It is rather difficult to continue working if you loose your tool. Hive tools are sold by nearly every bee keeping supply house, but similar items can be found at most every hardware store. Simply look for a quality scraper/nail puller type of tool. Maintenance It is advisable to sharpen the blade of a hive tool when needed. It is difficult to predict the intervals when such would need to be done, but most beekeepers do so at least once a year. If a hive tool is used on a hive that may be infected by disease it is often advisable to clean the tool by flame. Spray Bottle It is a good idea to have one or two spray bottles. The main bottle is filled with a 1:1 mix of sugar and water. Any kind of sugar, just warm it up and dissolve the sugar in the water. Make sure you don t caramelize the sugar as it can make bees sick. Just spray it directly on the bees to calm them down and spray new frames when you add them to the hive to make the bees want to draw comb. The second bottle is filled with just plain water and is used for cleanup. Maintenance Rinse with warm water to keep the nozzle from becoming encrusted with crystallized sugar. 1. 3

4 Gloves New beekeepers like the idea of using gloves, but I urge you not to use them for installing your bees or for routine inspections. You don t really need them at those times, especially with a new colony or early in the season. Gloves only make you clumsier. They inhibit your sense of touch, which can result in your inadvertently injuring bees. That s counterproductive and only makes them more defensive when they see you coming. The only times that you need to use gloves are; Late in the season (when your colony is at its strongest) During honey harvest season (when your bees are protective of their honey) When moving hive bodies (when you have a great deal of heavy work to do in a short period of time) Beekeeping for Dummies-book Bee Brush The long, super-soft bristles of a bee brush enable you to remove bees from frames and clothing without hurting them. Some beekeepers use a goose feather for this purpose. Keep that in mind in the event you have an extra goose around the house. Beekeeping for Dummies-book Selecting a Design Beekeeper Suit There are many different brands of beekeeping suits on the market; you will find that the big difference lies in whether you buy one that is loose fitting and lightweight or the older style that is somewhat heavier and made of several layers designed to keep you from getting stung. Both of these designs work very well. The one most important thing you must remember is that no matter what type of suit you decide to buy, none of them come with a 100% guarantee that you are not going to get stung. The most commonly used beekeeping suit today is the lightweight lose fitting one piece jumpsuit style. Made from lightweight cotton or nylon, the idea of this suit is that is designed to fit loosely enough that the stinger will not be able to reach your skin. Because the material is much thinner, you do not have to worry about overheating. Since the neck, cuffs and pant legs are designed to be sealed to prevent bees from entering your suit, all of your body heat is going to remain inside the suit and lightweight materials make a much better choice. 1. 4

5 When you look at all the different beekeeping suits the one thing that you will notice is that they are all made in either white or very light colors. You might think that this is to allow you to see the bees that are on your suit or to make it easier to see any stingers that get stuck the fabric or even simply because you are handling a food product. None of these would be the correct answer, the light color and very smooth materials are chosen because bees associate darker colors and rough materials with their natural enemies such as skunks and bears. What does this have to do with you? Darker colors make bees far more aggressive and can put you at risk for being attacked by a swarm, which is the way in which bees will act in the wild to protect their hive and their queen. A lighter color is still no guarantee that you will not be attacked; it simply reduces the risk significantly. In order for you to be able to enjoy the hobby of beekeeping in relative safety, your suit must fit properly and be designed in such a way as to keep the bees from getting inside. This means that your best bet is a one piece jumpsuit style beekeeping suit that has elastic at the wrists, zippers or Velcro at the ankles and Velcro around the neck where your veil can be attached. The sole intent is to eliminate any possible chance that even a single bee can get inside your suit and sting you. Beyond the suit you are going to need to use a beekeeping hat and veil. Always wear your veil when you re inspecting your hive. Doing so keeps the bees away from your face and prevents them from getting tangled in your hair. If a bee ever gets under your veil, try not to panic. It isn t that big a deal. She s unlikely to sting you unless you squeeze her. Simply walk away from the hive and slip off your veil. Don t remove your veil at the hive, and don t thrash around screaming and yelling. Doing so only upsets the bees and the neighbors will think you ve gone wacky. New beekeepers need to wear a long-sleeved shirt. Light colors and smooth fabrics (like cotton) are best, because bees don t like dark colors or the smell of wool or leather (material made from animals). Using elastic, Velcro straps, or rubber bands around the cuff of each pant leg and sleeve keeps clothing bee-tight, unless, of course, you think you might actually like having curious bees traveling up inside your trousers. Are You Interested In Placing an Advertisement in the WBA Newsletter? We will be taking ads from local members of the Wasatch Beekeepers for the monthly newsletters. For information call Denise Hunsaker

6 George Denton explains about bait boxes. If you are interested in participating in the Bait Hive Challenge go to: com/groups/baithivechallengeutah/?ref=ts&fref=ts Kimball Clark of NativeBees.com discussed native bees and their growing role in pollination. Kimball has been experimenting with native bee nesting habitats since 2008 and was the recipient of two unique grants to further his work. He has been instrumental in pollinating commercial and backyard orchards with native bees throughout the country. He discussed how Osmia lignaria a local, solitary, tree-nesting mason bee is being used with honeybees and how crops AND honeybees benefit from bee diversification. Kimball presented his discoveries and ways in which beginners can get started (or begin their own populations with his products/bees). Kimball is the secretary of the Orchard Bee Association, an international group organized with the intent to supplement honeybees in commercial orchard pollination Kaysville, UT info@nativebees.com twitter.com/nativebees 1. 6