Getting Started in Beekeeping Lewis County Beekeepers Association
Today, We ll Cover: Benefits of Beekeeping Bee Biology 101 How the Hive Works Setting Up an Apiary Equipment Needed Seasonal Management A Year in the Life of a Beekeeper Costs LCBA Meetings, Classes, & Workshops
Why Keep Bees?
It Can Have Sweet Rewards Blackberry Honey ~ Onalaska
Fun with beeswax & soap
Get A Better Pollinated Garden
Bees Pollinate About 1/3 of Our Food Supply... Hambley, Pike s Place Market
What makes honey bees our most efficient pollinators?
Worker bee foraging in double narcissus
Observe Honey Bee Behavior
Bees on landing strip signal information to hive mates
One more reason to keep honey bees: they are in trouble. We can help. Dead Honeybees in front of beehive: South Holland
Colony Collapse Disorder U.S. Colony Loss Data: 2007: 32% 2008: 35% 2009: 29% 2010: 34% (Pettis & van Engelsdorp 2010) 2011: 30% 2012: 22% 2013: 31.1% 2014: 23.2% (Caron & Sagili 2013, 2014)
Honey Bees Face Many Problems Varroa destructor Mites Tracheal Mites Nosema Viruses Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus Deformed Wing Virus and more Monocrop Agriculture Habitat Loss Causes nutrition problems Pesticides
Bee Biology 101 Left: Queen Center: Worker Right: Drone
Queen Retinue Photograph courtesy of Jim Bach, former Washington State Apiarist
Queen Found During Hive Inspection (Photo, BeeInformed.org)
From Egg to Bee: Timing Matters in Colony Management Inspect for Signs of Laying Queen Days until queens, workers, & drones hatch: Brood Stage Queen Worker Drone Egg 3 days 3 days 3 days (fertilized) (fertilized) (unfertilized) Larva 5.5 days 6 days 6.5 days Pupa 7 days 12 days 14.5 days Total Time 16 days 21 days 24 days To Emergence (Caron, Dewey. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping. Wicwas Press, 2000, Table 4.1.) (Of course, your bees don t read this stuff )
Worker Bee Life Cycle / Jobs Nurse Bee Make Wax / Build Comb Process Nectar -> Honey Process Pollen -> Bee Bread Forager [final stage] Other jobs: Heating / cooling the hive Cleanup / disposal of dead bees & debris Above, bee secreting wax (Pinterest); below, forager approaches flower (infiniteunknown.org)
Where Do Bees Live? In the Wild (below: a colony of feral bees in Louisiana) Below, a top bar frame shows how bees naturally build comb
Where Many Bees Live (but you probably don t want them to) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc7thvqxtjm
Managed Hives and Bee Yards
How do you start?
The Langstroth Hive Bee Space : 3/8 inch gap between frames optimal: * for bees to raise brood, store food * for beekeepers to manage hives
Get Hive Boxes Ready
Set up your bee yard
Get Your Bees: Packages or Nucs
Hiving Package Bees
Inserting the Queen
Feeding Your Bees
Bees Need Water, Too
Inspecting your hives
Side frame holder aids inspection
Inspect with Care!
Honey, Pollen, & Brood Cells Honey Cells: Brood Cells: Pollen Cells [Bee Bread]:
Ideal Brood Pattern
Manage Hives to Avoid Swarms... Or Try To
The Learning Curve
Getting Stung Final Sting ~ Kathy Keatley Garvey Honey Bees: Defensive Not Aggressive Barbed Stinger Sticks in Target Bees guts pulled out Bee Dies What To Do If Stung Scrape off stinger (use fingernail, credit card) Don t pull or squeeze Stinger muscle pumps more venom Allergic Reactions 0.05% of human beings are allergic enough to risk anaphylactic shock You can get your allergy level tested See LCBA website, Resources, for info
Harvesting Honey Our first year, we didn t put on honey super boxes.... We started in year two. Super box is the yellow top box at left.
Uncapping Honey Cells
Spinning Frames in Honey Extractor
Straining Honey
Robbing: A Risk to Colonies at Honey Extraction Time
Preparing Bees to Over-Winter: Mite Inspections
Varroa destructor
Fall Feeding
Over-Wintering
Equipment List Assume $400-500 to start 5-Langstroth 10 Frame Medium Boxes-Commercial, Unassembled 50- Med frames +Wax Foundation-Unassembled 1- Screened bottom board with slider board 1 Nine Frame Spacer for Honey Super 1-Entrance reducer 1-10 Frame Inner cover 1-10 Frame Telescoping cover/sheet metal covered 1-Queen Excluder 1-Boardman Feeder 1-Hive tool Stainless Steel Frame Holder 1-Smoker OR sugar/water spray bottle 1-Bee brush 1-Bee Jacket 1-Pr gloves 1- Beekeeping for Dummies or comparable beginner s book And..Bees [3 lb. package or nuc]
Do you need a bee suit?
Join a Local Beekeeping Association! LCBA meets 2 nd Wednesdays @ month, 6-9 p.m., Centralia College, Washington Hall 103 For programs & other bee information, visit www.lewiscountybeekeepers.org
LCBA Monthly Meetings: Expert Speakers / Q&A Free & Open to the Public Professor Carl Roush speaking about yellow jackets at Jan. 8 2014 meeting LCBA members listening to talk ~ May 2013
Free Mentor Workshops Fall Management Workshop in Randle, September 2013 Hive Building Workshop in Chehalis, February 2014
Beginning Beekeeping Classes
Free Swarm & Colony Removals by LCBA s Bee Team
Questions? (FYI: you don t have to wear a bee beard to join LCBA )