Transcript Getting Started in Beekeeping Evan Davies Colonial Beekeepers Association First Questions • How many answers do you get if you ask three beekeepers a.

Getting Started in Beekeeping
Evan Davies
Colonial Beekeepers Association
First Questions
• How many answers do you get if you ask three
beekeepers a question? Four, because beekeeping is
a art and a craft as well as a science. There is always
more than one way to do things.
• How long have you thought about keeping bees, and
why do you want to do it now? Many answers to why
to do it, including pollination, honey, wax for
candlemaking, propolis, pollen, apitherapy, to help
the balance of nature, for relaxation or nature study.
What does it take to get started in
Beekeeping?
Don’t Worry About Starting Choices
• Actually, there are few choices that you
need to make up front in beekeeping;
choices that will influence everything else
that you do.
• You just need to decide between a few hive
shapes and sizes. We will talk about those
choices later.
Think More About Commitments
• To The Bees
• To The Craft
–
–
–
–
Temperament and Health
Learning
Risk
Patience
• Of Time
• Of Location
• Of Money
Commitment To The Bees
You are sponsoring living creatures in
return for their unique services…
Having bees in the backyard is no different
than being responsible for any other animal,
whether a pet cat or dog, or farm animals
like chickens or horses. They need basic
care ... food, water, shelter, preventative
health care, protection from the elements,
each other, pests and diseases, vandals
and any other unnecessary stress in their
lives.
-
Yes, they are ‘just bugs’. But you will be
surprised at how attached you can become to
them.
Commitment To Nature
Bees
Plants
Commitment To Nature
Most beekeepers have or gain an ecological sense of connection and commitment to the
natural world.
Because the reality is that you don’t have bees if you don’t also have flowering plants. The
plants are the source of everything the bees need to survive But the opposite is also true One of the most important reasons to keep honeybees is their ability to pollinate trees,
flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Many statistics are given about the level of our dependence
on honeybees for agricultural pollination. At the very least, all our stone fruit, curcubit and
nut crops depend on pollinators.
Most beekeepers and their surrounding neighbors notice an increase in the pollination of
garden plants and flowers in the area.
As a beekeeper you will start to see firsthand the effects of some of the choices we made in
the late 20th century on natural systems. You may have heard of colony collapse disorder
and the other problems with pollinators.
Bees are in trouble right now – from pesticides, industrial farming, pollution,
Loss of habitat, parasitic mites and viruses – and we need all the 'natural' beekeepers
we can get to build up their numbers and give them a chance to solve their own
problems.
Keeping bees is an excellent way to help them overcome the obstacles that face them, and
us.
Commitment to the Craft -
Temperament
• Are you scared of flying stingy things?
– Congratulations, you’re human!
But you do need to be able to develop an ability to get past being scared of them,
and know that…
Commitment to the Craft -
Temperament
You are going to get stung.
It is not a matter of if but when.
Commitment to the Craft -
Temperament
You can greatly reduce
your chances of getting
stung by working smart
and wearing protective
gear.
Commitment to the Craft -
Temperament
In time, you will learn the triggers
that set off YOUR bees; not all
triggers affect all bees in the same
way and those triggers may only
cause defensive behavior at
certain times of the year.
Keep note of when the bees seem
to be reacting defensively and
what you are doing, the state of
the hive, the weather, honey
flows currently happening, etc.
and learn from these clues.
But know that you will still get
stung.
The Facts about Stings
• *30-50 people a year die from single
hymenoptera (all bees and wasps) stings in the
U.S. because they are highly allergic to
bee/wasp venom. Most of them knew they were
highly allergic, and were outside, off the
pavement, and not carrying an anti-venom
treatment.
• If you have had a previous medical emergency
due to stings, and currently carry an antivenom kit, beekeeping isn’t for you.
*Dr. David Golden, associate professor of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at
Johns Hopkins University's Medical Institute, 2009
The Facts about Stings
• Except for cases of highly allergic reaction,
it takes about ten stings per pound of body
weight to administer a 50% lethal dose on
adult humans. A 150 pound individual
would need to receive about 1,500 stings to
be at 50% risk of dying.
If you are getting stung 1,500 times while beekeeping,
you are doing something wrong!
Beekeeping may not be for you.
You should remove the stinger from your skin as soon as
possible, which reduces the amount of venom injected into
your system.
There are many ways to help reduce the swelling and pain of a
sting. The best are antihistamines such as Benadryl, and ice.
Others are vinegar, meat tenderizer paste, and calamine lotions.
Types of Reactions to Stings
• Normal - localized pain, minor swelling, a weal (raised red area with a
white center), itching all of which should diminish and generally go away
within hours or at most a few days.
• Large Local - this starts similar to a normal reaction but after 24-48 hours
the swelling can spread over an extensive area, sometimes the entire
extremity (whole arm, leg, face etc.). This type of reaction can be quite
painful due to the swelling and the itching can become unbearable;
usually this type of reaction can take anywhere from 4-7 days to resolve
itself. Treat with antihistamines and ice packs.
• Systemic Allergic -- Hives, angioedema (massive facial swelling), a metallic
taste in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, and tremors. If you or someone you know
experiences these symptoms IMMEDIATELY call for an ambulance. Again,
truly severe reactions occur in less than 1/tenth of 1% of the population.
Treatments for Stings
• Reduce the swelling - antihistamines (such as
Benadryl) and ice. Others are vinegar, meat
tenderizer paste, and calamine lotions.
• Epi Pens - are prescription items that contain a dose
of adrenaline to overcome the allergic reaction to a
sting so that the "victim" can seek medical attention.
Some sources will recommend that as a beekeeper,
you carry an epi pen. However, they are expensive,
require a prescription (more expense) and expire
quickly (typically only good for a year) so that the
carrying of one "just in case" can be quite expensive
if you are not allergic.
Commitment to the Craft -
Health
The far more important
question is: can you lift a
box weighing 45-85
pounds?
You will need to be able
to lift honey supers and
hive boxes and carry
them around without
throwing your back out.
Also, can you stand being outside in the heat and humidity while wearing a bee-suit?
Commitment to the Craft –
Learning
• Do you like to learn about
the natural world? You will
become a scientist if you
commit yourself to learning
to keep bees successfully.
• You will continue in a long
line of amateur and
professional scientist
beekeepers.
Charles Dadant, founder
of the Amer. Bee Journal
Commitment to the Craft –
Learning
• You will learn about nectar
flow, plant life, honeybee
biology and lifecycles, colony
behavior, disease and
medicines, integrated pest
management, etc..
• The best beekeepers are
those who learn to think like
a honeybee by
understanding their social
nature and biological needs.
Brother Adam of Buckfast
Abbey, bee geneticist
Brother Adam spent 70 years at Buckfast Abbey, England, improving the genetic stocks of the
European honeybee, and breeding survivor bees to withstand tracheal mites.
Commitment to the Craft –
Learning
• This means keeping records,
too. You can’t experiment with
bees unless you remember what
you have done and what you
want to do.
• Many beekeepers don’t figure
this out for a few years, until
they realize they can’t
remember which hive was
better or which one they
previously manipulated, and for
what reasons.
Dr. Marla Spivak, U.Minn.
2010 MacArthur Fellow
Dr. Spivak is a pioneer entomologist who is developing the Minnesota Hygienic Line of bees,
which resists varroa mites. The MacArthur Foundation gives $500,000 ‘Genius Grants’ every year
to those who they believe have ‘advanced the world’s knowledge’.
Commitment to the Craft –
Risk Orientation
What is the
connection?
Are you a rancher/farmer by disposition?
That is to say, are you a Gambler?
Beekeeping differs from other agriculture because the
beekeeper simply lacks much of the control inherent in
other farming activities.
--Malcolm Sanford, UF bee extension agent
Because, folks, this is ranching with tiny flying livestock that you cannot
corral, vaccinate, or provide much guidance to. Beekeeping is inherently
a risky enterprise.
Commitment to the Craft –
Risk Orientation
•Weather
•Diseases
•Annual Climate Variation
•Nectar Flow
•Pests & Pesticides
•Accidents
•Bee Genetics
•Feed & Commercial Prices
Every bit of weather, microclimate, diseases, sugar prices, etc. all affect the outcome, and all
you can do is increase your knowledge, do your best, and hope.
Commitment to the Craft –
Patience
• Each hive of bees works at their own pace.
• The bees don’t read the same books you do.
• You may not get any surplus honey in the
first year or in any given year.
• Your bees may die.
• As a beekeeper, you will be asked questions
that border on the idiotic.
• You will have to be diplomatic to counteract
the misinformed and the uneducated.
Time Commitment
• It will take some time to keep bees. How
much? More time than a cat - not as much
time as a dog, an old saying goes.
• You cannot set a hive in your backyard and
never look at it again until honey harvest.
• The time needed changes by the season. The
beekeeper’s year follows the natural cycle of
the hive.
Time – The Beekeepers Year
• To begin, you need to set aside time early
in the year to assemble and paint your
hives and frames. You do planning and
fixing equipment during the early winter
months, when the bees aren’t active
outside.
• Typically, mid-February is good,
although you can order and assemble
equipment at any time of the year.
Rest assured that the bees are already planning and fixing in their own way. When is
beekeeper’s new year? Does anybody know? The winter solstice. Dec 22nd. As soon as the
bees sense that there is a minutes worth more light than the previous day, their year begins,
even if you cant see it.
Time – The Beekeepers Year
• Spring is your busiest season -- you
will be putting on hive boxes for the
bees to increase and swapping off
honey supers as needed.
• Next you are looking at an hour or
two a month for checking your hives
and performing basic maintenance
between May and September. In the
summer and early fall, you monitor
their health and manipulate their
environment to help them get ready
for winter.
Time – The Beekeepers Year
• Finally, you will need to
set aside a day or two to
harvest and bottle any
surplus honey the bees
may have produced;
typically this is done in
August or September, but
can be earlier or more
episodic.
• Once your hive is
established, you may have
the opportunity to harvest
several times a year.
Time – Bottom Line
• For a couple of hives, figure an hour a month in the
winter-off seasons, and bi-weekly attention during the
spring and summer seasons to do actual work with the
bees.
• The largest time investment is in becoming familiar
with beekeeping management challenges - the learning
and planning phase of beginning beekeeping.
• You should attend club meetings, seminars, and
classes to increase your knowledge, in addition to
joining forums on the internet and reading books,
magazines, and catalogs.
Location
• Just like real estate, beekeeping depends on
location, location, location.
• Bees need access to forage -- you need
blooming plants within a 2 mile radius around
your hives. Remember, pine forests are largely
nectar sterile. Pure agricultural areas can be
sterile too, as monocrops planted all the way to
the road in modern farming may not leave
room for wildflowers or weeds.
• Aim for a maximum of 4 hives on a ½ acre lot.
Location
• Check restrictive covenants if you are
considering keeping bees in a residential
neighborhood to make sure there are no
prohibitions.
• The city of Newport News has only two
requirements – a setback distance from
property lines, and provision of a water
source.
• There are no other requirements in other
peninsula localities, yet.
Location
• Leave yourself room to work around your
hives. Do not jam them together.
• Place hives on level ground so you don’t
stumble while lifting boxes.
• Erect a 6-foot barricade between hives and
your lot line or active foot-traffic areas in
your yard to keep bees flying high and
avoiding accidental collisions with you in
their takeoff and landings.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Sunlight - full sun or
dappled sun work best.
Remember, bees need
the sunlight to warm up
and get going in the
morning. If you keep a
hive in a shaded area,
they may not get started
working as early in the
morning and in the
winter, at all. Southern
exposure is helpful for
this reason.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Water - bees need to
drink and to cool the
hive. Bees will go to
the easiest source of
water - ensure that
you have a ready
source of water near
your hive that is clean
and available for the
warm months of the
year.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Water - this is where
you may run into
problems with
neighbors. Your bees
may go to their
swimming pool, air
conditioner, birdbaths,
dog water or leaky
faucet, if you don’t
provide water first.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Water – However,
make sure your water
source will not flood
your hive area.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Wind - you
want to protect
your hive from
exposure to
winds that will
blow INTO the
hive.
Therefore,
most hives face
south/SE.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Wind – Use
fences, hedges,
treelines,
brushlines, or
terrain to
provide a wind
break for your
hives,
especially in
winter.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Air – Make
sure your
location does
not have
humid stagnant
air which can
cause diseases,
molds, and
fungus.
Best Apiary Characteristics from The Beekeepers Handbook, Sammataro & Avitabile
Vehicle Access –
You want to get as
close as possible by
vehicle (if not in
your backyard) to
eliminate lugging
heavy honey supers
very far. You
especially don’t
want to lug them
uphill.
Location
Protection - you need to protect your
hive from several key items: high water,
predators, snowdrift, fire, and
vandalism.
• Most hives are raised off of the
ground at least 6" to prevent
exposure to water due to rain or
irrigation. Keeping your hive off of the
ground will also help keep some
predators such as mice and ants out
of your hive.
Location
Protection - Predators such as skunks
and raccoons should be considered and
there are steps that can be taken to
combat them if you live in an area
where they are present. Ants can be
kept at bay using ground cinnamon,
ashes, oil barriers, diatomaceous earth,
and other means.
Location
Protection - Raising your hive will also
help minimize the build up of snow in
the winter; the bees need to be able to
exit the hive on warm days in the winter
for cleansing flights.
You can’t fully protect your hives from
fire, but you can minimize the chances
by not putting your hive around stacks
of old wood or in dry grass fields where
a fire could spread quickly.
Location
Protection from paranoid, ignorant,
and irrational people.
• Out of sight is out of mind.
• Vandalism must be considered; don’t
place a hive where the general public
has access to it. Try to put your hive
somewhere out of the way or out of
sight to reduce or remove the risk.
Make sure your hive is on private
property that you either own or have
permission to use.
Equipment and Costs
• There are just a few fundamental choices
that will affect the beekeeping equipment
you buy when starting.
First, you cannot use a
skep - they are illegal in
all 50 states because you
cannot remove the
individual combs.
Equipment and Costs
• Although there are other kinds of hives (topbar, Warre,
English garden, etc) the only hive I would recommend to
beginners is the Langstroth hive, named after the father
of American beekeeping, Rev. Lorenzo Lorraine
Langstroth, who standardized it in the 1840s.
There are two American sizes for
Langstroth hives, one 8 frames
wide and one 10 frames wide.
The 10 frame is the standard of
the commercial beekeeping
industry, while the 8 frame has
recently become popular for
hobbyists, due to less weight.
Equipment and Costs
• In addition, 8 or 10 frame Langstroth hives
can have deep or medium-sized frames.
Traditionally, deep frames are used for the
bee’s space, while medium or even shallower
frames are used to collect honey.
Recently, many
beekeepers have started
standardizing on all
medium equipment to
cut down on multiple
sizes, and for weight
considerations.
Equipment and Costs
• You should plan to spend $300-400 to set up
everything to receive one colony of bees, and
probably $175 to set up a second hive for bees.
• You should plan to pay $80-120 for a colony of
bees.
• You should start beekeeping with two hives.
Having two will allow you to compare them to
each other and allow you to figure out much faster
if one of them is not doing well.
• You should not expect to make any excess honey in
your first year, so you should not expect any
immediate return on your investment.
Equipment and Costs
• There are some household tools and materials that you
should have before getting into beekeeping, such as a
hammer, wood glue, wood square, ratcheting straps,
paint (outdoor) and painting tools , spray bottles,
notebook, pen and markers, and a means for moving
hives, bees and supplies, like a car or truck.
• Don’t buy a pre-packaged kit unless you know you
will use everything in it. That means you should hang
around other beekeepers long enough to see what
others are using.
• Two cases in point - boardman feeders and solid
bottom boards are not widely used around here, and
yet they are routinely sold as parts of prepackaged
kits.
Equipment and Costs
Hive is built in this order -screen bottom board, two
hive bodies with frames,
honey super(s) with
frames, inner cover,
telescoping cover.
Equipment and Costs
• The tools are: bee suit or veil,
gloves, hive tool, smoker and
lighter, sugar feeders, and a pailo-specialized gadgets.
• The hive tool is pretty much the
basic badge of the modern
beekeeper.
Bees
• We strongly encourage you to purchase bees
through a local club ‘nuc’ program.
• Beekeepers in this area are committed to keeping
out Africanized bees and are raising nucleus colonies
to sell. The best defense against Africanized bees are
strong colonies of European honeybees already
established in the area.
• Nucleus-raised bees are acclimated to this area and
are further along in development than package bees.
Package bees are thrown together from many
different hives with a queen that they have never
seen before. Nuc colonies have already accepted and
worked with their laying queen when you purchase
them.
Learn from the bees.
Don’t go it alone.
• We strongly encourage
you to get involved with
a local beekeeping
organization prior to
getting bees. Just
ordering a package of
bees from an unknown
supplier and buying
some equipment from a
catalog can bring quick
disappointment and hive
loss.
For Further Information:
The Colonial Beekeepers
Association meets the third
Tuesday of most months at
St. Lukes United Methodist
Church, 300 Ella Taylor Road,
Yorktown (Grafton), Virginia
at 7 PM.
Go to WWW.COLONIALBEEKEEPERS.COM
Beginning Beekeepers Course
WWW.COLONIALBEEKEEPERS.COM
Colonial Beekeepers conducts
a Beginning Beekeeping
Course in the Spring of each
year.
Other classes are held
throughout the year.
Check the website for classes
and events, times and
locations.