Getting Started in Beekeeping

Transcription

1 Getting Started in Beekeeping

2 Honey Bee basics? Course Outline Why do we need bees? Why should someone be a Beekeeper? Types of bees in a hive, what is in a hive/colony, how long do they live, etc. Basic bee biology. What about Africanized Killer bees? State & Local laws about bees Ag exemption on property taxes for keeping bees Bees inside the city limits Cost overview What do I need to get started?

3 Course Outline Where do you get bees? Packages vs Nucs vs Complete hives vs capture wild bees What kind of tools do you need as a beek? Types of hives (Langstroth vs Top Bar) & components of a hive Brushes, smokers, suits, etc Where to get this stuff? How much time / work is involved? Inspecting your hives (what are you looking for?) Feeding / nutrition of bees (especially new hives) Beekeeper year Pest & disease control

4 Course Outline Collecting honey from your hives Using an Extractor Doing crush & strain Processing wax from your hive Resources for beekeepers Recommended Books Club Memberships, such as Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association Facebook groups (BVBK and Central Texas Beekeeper Assoc) YouTube videos (especially those from The Fat Bee Man )

5 Why do we need bees? Bees pollinate between 40%-65% of the world s food supply The population of bees has dropped dramatically over the past few years often due to Colony Collapse Disorder An entire hive will just die all at one time Cause is not exactly known, but research indicates that there are multiple contributing factors including: Pesticide residue Use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in farming. Africanized bees (hybrids) seem to be resistant to CCD. The way to save bees is not to have 1 beekeeper have a million hives, but to have 1 million beekeepers with 1 hive each.

6 Why should YOU be a beekeeper? Honey (everyone thinks of this first) The only food that will never spoil Sweeter than sugar Raw honey is useful for reducing allergy symptoms. Wax is used in 100 s of products (candles, treatment for leather, lubricant, cosmetics, etc) To pollinate crops (at a minimum, your own garden) Sting Therapy in a treatment for arthritis & other joint aliments.

7 What is a Bee? Honey Bee Bumble Bee Yellow Jacket Carpenter Bee

8 The inhabitants of the hive

9 Honey Bee Factoids Honey bees are NOT native to the US A queen will live 3-5 years and can lay as many as 1,500 eggs / day A queen usually only flies a couple of times in her life right after she hatches - to mate when the hive outgrows it s space and splits into 2 hives (called a swarm )

10 Honey Bee Factoids Foraging worker bees Typically live only ~90 days in the spring/summer up to 120 days in the winter It takes 2 million flowers to gather enough nectar to make 1 pound of honey. Each foraging bee will make ~1/12 teaspoon of honey in it s lifetime. Will travel up to 2 miles to find pollen & nectar Can fly up to 15 mph (you can outrun them if you are FAST) Drone bees Only purpose is to mate w/ queen. They die soon after mating. If they don t mate, they will get kicked out of the colony in the fall. Do not have a stinger

11 Honey Bee Factoids Foraging bees gather both nectar & pollen. Nectar is their carbohydrates (honey), pollen is their protein. Bees produce 4 types of substances: Honey Wax (honey comb) Bee Bread (mixture of pollen & hormones from nursery bees) Bee glue called Propolis. Bees communicate with each other primarily by smell called pheromones.

12 What Killer Bees? Beekeepers don t use the term killer bees. That is a term made up by Hollywood and TV reporters who don t know any better. Africanized Bees ARE honey bees They are the same animal. You cannot tell them apart from an Italian honey bee (or German or Russian or ) without a genetic test. The fear & hype is MUCH higher than the reality. There are some good traits that AHB have over bees of European origins. Seem to be better at fighting off diseases and pests such as varroa mites Produce a LOT of honey

13 State & Local Laws You can keep bees inside the city limits both Bryan & College Station. There are no city ordnances against and no plans to implement them You DO need to be a good neighbor and be mindful of how the bees will fly in/out of the hive around your neighbor s property HOA s might still prohibit beehives Ag exemption on property taxes for keeping bees 5-20 acres of property (not counting 1 acre for your house) Same 5 year rule as any other Ag exemption Brazos County: 6 hives for first 5 acres, +1 hive for every additional 2.5 acres

14 The Bees Cost overview: what do I need to get started? Some place for the bees to live (aka a hive box ) Protective clothing Various tools (smoker, hive tool, honey extractor, etc) A location to put your hive Your time & labor

15 Getting Honey Bees There are four general ways to begin a colony of bees. Start with a package of bees. Start with a nuc hive. Start with an established hive. Start with a wild swarm Do an extraction not recommended

16 Getting Honey Bees Start with a package of bees. There are beekeepers who sell honey bees (R.Weaver & BeeWeaver in Navasota). Generally cost ~$100-$120 *** The package of bees includes a queen & ~3lbs of worker bees (~2500 bees per pound)

17 Getting Honey Bees Advantages of a Package of Bees Reliable source usually come with some sort of short term guarantee You know what kind of bees you re getting (not Africanized) You get them when you re ready for them Disadvantages of a Package of Bees They take longer to develop into a productive hive. You probably will NOT collect honey from them the first year

18 Getting Honey Bees Start with a nuc hive. (short for nucleous ) Cost is ~$200-$250 ~5-6 lbs of bees It will contain at least two or three frames of capped brood (means the queen is definitely already laying eggs) The nuc will have drawn comb rather than foundation.

19 Getting Honey Bees Advantages of a nucleus hive. 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. Bees have already drawn comb onto frames (this step can take bees a while to accomplish) This hive should produce at least some harvest-able honey the first year. Less likely to abscond (just up and leave). Disadvantages of a nucleus hive More expensive Not quite sure how old the queen is

20 Getting Honey Bees Starting with an established hive. This is a fully developed colony of up to 50,000 bees The hive will contain drawn comb, some honey reserves, and a several frames of brood & larvae. The hive will be most expensive if it is housed in like new Prices vary according to condition of equipment. Generally price will be $300 - $500

21 Getting Honey Bees Advantages of an established hive. This hive should produce a good crop of honey the first year. It could be split into two hives if it is strong enough (if you re experienced enough for that ). Disadvantages of an established hive Because this is an already mature hive, the beekeeper will not be able to learn as they grow. Management of this hive will differ from other hives started with smaller populations you will be on a quicker timeline. It may swarm early in the bee season. It will require honey supers quickly in the spring. Could come with hive beetles, wax moths, mites, or other problems of established colonies.

22 Getting Honey Bees Start with a swarm. What is a swarm? It is a collection of bees (queen & workers) that have left their previous colony and are searching for a new home. It is natural for a hive of bees to swarm. This occurs in the months of April, May, June and even later. Swarms a generally MUCH nicer than bees in a colony. After all, they don t have honey or eggs to defend.

23 Getting Honey Bees Advantages of starting with a swarm The bees are free! Can be relatively easy to collect (clip the branch and drop them into a hive box) Disadvantages of a swarm of bees Timing is very tricky. Swarms only stay in one spot for at most 2 days. You might wait an entire year and not catch one You have no control over genetics (type of bees) you are getting. They might be Africanized

24 Hive Boxes where the bees live Many different kinds of hive boxes we re only going to talk about 2 types: Top Bar Hives Langstroth Hives Come in 2 widths frame wide & 8 frame wide Come in 3 basic heights (the smallest one is rarely used) Important notes: the bees do not care. Pick the one that is easiest for you based on size, cost, & advice of YOUR beekeeper mentor. There is no right or wrong type.

25 Top Bar Hives A hive which is a single box, usually made in a trapezoid shape. Very popular in underdeveloped countries because they can be built cheaply. Key features Does not use frames there are bars on the top (hence the name) which the bees use to build their comb.

26 Top Bar Hives Advantages: Cheaper you can build yourself (often with spare lumber) Handle 1 piece of comb at a time (easier on your back) Some claim it is more natural for the bees (beekeeper religion warning)

27 Top Bar Hives Disadvantages: Can be harder to get bees to stay in hive long enough to establish themselves Harvesting the honey destroys the comb bees have to rebuild it. Size of the colony is limited to the size of the box. Bees will sometimes build creative comb (cross comb, tying several bars together). This makes it harder to manage & collect honey.

28 Langstroth Hives The square box hive which is in wide use here in the U.S. The distinguishing characteristic is that it uses frames onto which the bees build honeycomb. The frames can be moved around and manipulated with ease. The boxes come in 2 widths one which holds 10 frames and another which holds 8 frames. The boxes also come in 3 primary heights: inch deep (most often used on the bottom for brood comb) inch medium (most often used as a honey super ) 5 ¾ inch super shallow (also used as a honey super) this size is rarely used anymore

29 Parts of a Langstroth Hive The equipment for a hive consist 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 Stand that everything sits on

30 Langstroth Hives Why 8 frame or 10 frame? 10 frame is more traditional some supply houses only carry 10 frame equipment. 8 frame boxes are 20% smaller which mean they are 20% lighter and easier to handle. Note that the frames used by each is identical. Ie. a deep frame will fit in a 10-frame deep the same way it will fit into an 8-frame deep.

31 Langstroth Hives Why different heights? Deeps vs mediums? It is more traditional for a beehive to have 2 deeps for brood, with mediums on top for honey. My gut tells me this is more a result of the commercial beekeepers who have 1000s of hives There isn t a beekeeping reason for it Note that a deep frame of honey will weigh ~7 lbs. A medium frame of honey will weigh ~4 lbs (which one do you want to carry a full box?) It is becoming more common for hobbyist beekeepers to use all mediums. Easier to manipulate, fewer types of equipment to buy, etc.

32 Protective Clothing A hat & veil sting resistant clothes including gloves good shoes are nice

33 Tools you should have: A hive tool bee brush (I like a big turkey feather or a soft paint brush) A feeder (for new hives or winter time) Smoker (to calm the bees)

34 Nice to have tools A frame grabber An epi-pen set (just in case someone has an allergic reaction) Tools you do NOT need Smoker fuel (pine needles work great)

35 Where do you get Tools? Producers Co-op Mail order place such as Mann Lake, Brushy Mountain, Dadant Make your own!

36 How much time / work is involved? Before you get your bees - it can take a bit of time to build & paint hive boxes, stands, frames, etc. There is some work required to get started. Maintaining your bees You need to check your bees called performing a hive inspection on a routine basis. How often depends on: Is this a new hive? Time of the year Avoid the temptation to check them TOO often

37 How much time / work is involved? Maintaining your bees performing a hive inspection What are you looking for? Is queen laying (ie. Do you see eggs & brood)? What does the brood pattern look like? Are there queen cells (ie. About to swarm)? Do they have enough food? Have they run out of room? Is there evidence of any diseases? Do I need to replace any equipment?

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44 How much time / work is involved? Maintaining your bees performing a hive inspection Supplemental Feeding Pros/Cons Time of year New hive vs established hive Pest & Disease control Small Hive Beatle Varroa Mites Other things (mice, foul brood, etc) Beekeeper year (things to do based on the time of the year)

45 How much time / work is involved? Beekeeper year (things to do based on the time of the year) When to collect honey? When to order bees or queens? When to winterize or summer-ize? When to treat for diseases? Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association website:

46 Collecting the rewards Getting the Honey Using an Extractor Using crush & strain

47 Collecting the rewards Processing Wax My solar wax melter Boiling it down

48 Other Resources Where do I go from here? Club Memberships, such as Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association Facebook groups Club groups such as BVBK and Central Texas Beekeeper Assoc Backyard Beekeepers Youtube videos (especially those from The Fat Bee Man )

49 Other Resources Top 5 Books 1. First Lessons in Beekeeping by Keith Delaplane 2. Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum 3. Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston 4. The Beekeeper s Handbook by Diana Sammataro & Alphonse Avitabile 5. Beekeeping Basics (formerly Fundamentals of Beekeeping) by Penn State University (free download)

50 Last Word: Advice from JPTheBeeMan

51 Brazos Valley Beekeepers Association Next Meeting is Tues, Feb 7:00m State 4H HQ building Hwy 6 off Barron Rd exit (just south of Living Hope Baptist Church) Central Texas Beekeeper School Sat, March 28 (all day) Brenham Wash. Co. Fairgrounds