Bee Together newsletter 2015 02

Bee Together
Newsletter February 2015
Our History
by Marc Thiel
History and Perspective of the SIAS’ Bee Project:
In spring and summer 2013, two local beekeepers, Marc Thiel and
Roger Wenkin, organised practical sessions where the general public could
learn about beekeeping. The objective was to offer people interested in
beekeeping a first experience with bees without having to invest in any
equipment or bees. These sessions were supported by SIAS, a syndicate
of communes (Betzdorf, Junglinster, Niederanven, Sandweiler,
Schuttrange, Contern, Weiler-la-Tour, and, as of 2014, Frisange) that share
the common objective of nature protection.
Hubert von Dewitz, a member of the local beekeepers’ club Luxembourg
City, was and is an important partner
of the project.
The sessions targeted people who
lived in the SIAS communes. A
number of English-speakers
attended as well. Of the 70 people on
the SIAS beekeeping demonstration
mailing list, approximately 30 people
regularly attended these sessions.
As the sessions were attended by Luxembourgers and foreigners, the
group was divided into a Luxembourgish-speaking and an English-
speaking group.
Following the sessions in spring and summer 2013, many participants
decided to start their own apiculture. Therefore, in 2014, we tried to find
mentors to help the new beekeepers to set up their own apiaries. Also in
2014, we offered a second season of practical sessions for people
interested in beekeeping. Our project now has 2 parts:
1. practical sessions for beginners (demonstration courses); and
Marc Thiel at beehive systems event

Bee Together - Newsletter February 2015
beetogetherlux@gmail.com photos © Bee Together 2
2. beekeeping with mentors for people with knowledge and their own bees.
The second part of the project is very
important as the success of beekeeping is
dependent on the experience you have. To
have a mentor with whom you can ask
questions and discuss opinions is very
important during the first years of
beekeeping. Unfortunately it is difficult to
find local, experienced beekeepers willing
to spend time in mentoring novice
beekeepers.
We are now expanding the project to
include a third component: sharing equipment that can be expensive to
purchase (such as a honey extractor and a wax melter). This shared
equipment will be made available to the new beekeepers.
History of the Bee Together Group:
After the practical sessions with SIAS Bee Project, some of us discussed
the idea that not only do we need to build awareness of the importance of
bees, but also that we need to help the interested participants become
beekeepers.
As is often the case, when you propose an idea, you need to volunteer to
take action to make the proposal a reality!
After a meeting in October 2013, we decided to continue offering the
beekeeping demonstration sessions in spring/summer in collaboration with
the SIAS Bee Project and to help people become beekeepers. In 2014, the
demo sessions were organised with the support of SIAS and
the natur&ëmwelt English-speaking Section in order to have insurance
coverage for the events.
As of summer 2014, we refer to our group of people interested in bees and
pollinators as the Bee Together group. We encourage people who are
interested in becoming beekeepers to join a local beekeeping club. Bee
Together coordinates its events and activities with Joe Molitor, member of
the board of the beekeepers’ federation, FUAL (Fédération des Unions des
Apiculteurs du Luxembourg).
We continue to collaborate closely with the SIAS Bee Project.
beekeeping demonstration session
with Roger Wenkin on right in blue

Our Objectives
by Annemie Debackere
The objective of Bee Together is in its name: share our learning,
discovering, caring, and fascination about bees! Apart from the honey bee,
there are about 300 other wild bee species in Luxembourg. Bees are an
important group of pollinators, along with butterflies, moths, and lots of
other insects. Our group would like to work not only with the domestic
honey bee, but also with pollinators in general.
We promote beekeeping by
organising events for people to
learn about the importance of
bees, the bee’s lifecycle, and
beekeeping.
We discuss informally the type of
beekeeping (e.g. beekeeper-
friendly, bee-friendly), races of
bees, beehive systems, what
equipment to buy and where,
where to set up and the
orientation of the hive, and
what is important to note in the environment surrounding the beehive.
We can help people to find land or be a contact point for people to make
their land available for a beehive.
Beginner beekeepers can accompany experienced beekeepers without
having to invest in protective clothing or equipment right away. We continue
mentoring them once they have their own or a shared hive. With the
support of FUAL, we intend to provide a theory course over four evenings
(February to April 2015) about bee health, bee biology, beekeeping
techniques, and bee products.
As you will see from our previous and upcoming events, Bee Together
collaborates with other associations and organisations that wish to raise
awareness about the importance of pollinators, the protection and
conservation of habitats, species, and biodiversity.
Get Fit by Nature event with natur&ëmwelt
in Trintange, November 2014

As a person’s interest in beekeeping matures, we encourage them to join
the beekeepers federation to take advantage of the benefits of membership
and become active in the community.
How We Are Organised
by Crista Filip
Bee Together is a voluntary, participative association. We come from
various countries and have different backgrounds but are united in our
interest in bees. John Park was the driving force behind Bee Together and
slowly a core group of volunteers emerged. We have a mailing list of about
150 people interested in bee-related events.
Volunteers left to right: Marc Thiel, Massimo Sabbatucci, John Park, Crista Filip
and Annemie Debackere (absent from photo Amanda Surbey)
How I Became a Mentor
by Hubert von Dewitz
For 30 years I have been a member of the Beekeepers’ Club of
Luxembourg City. We were informed by Marc Thiel from SIAS that practical
training for beekeepers was being planned
and asked if we could support this initiative.
A first meeting took place in December 2013
at the Waldhaff restaurant. There we
identified the need for mentors for new
beekeepers after the initial practice with bees
in Senningerberg. John Park asked me on
several occasions if I was willing to accept
more beginners. I agreed to help as a mentor
because I remembered my early struggles
with my bees: without a mentor I had to learn
the hard way. Once I lost my colonies
Hubert von Dewitz
at beehive systems event

because of my own mistake. We also do need more beekeepers in
Luxembourg.
After we had begun, others wanted to join us. In the end I had a group of
seven new beekeepers. In 2014 we met 16 times during lunchtime at
various intervals. Afterwards I sent a report on our activity for future use.
Everybody bought a complete hive and received a colony with 10 or even
20 Langstroth frames. Two artificial swarms were put into Zander hives.
Initially the new hives stayed at my apiary. Later, once a new location was
found, we moved the hives to their new home. You can imagine the joy of
our new beekeepers when they each received their first colony.
We had a lot of fun and established good relationships with each other.
Our grill party in July with the beekeeper club was a great success. Some
of the new beekeepers come to our monthly meetings at the club house in
Gasperich. I also learned things during this time as I had to prepare for the
meetings.
My concern is that my new beekeepers now each have only one hive.
Investment is again needed to be able to cope with the growing
requirements of the bees for more space as well as in order to be able to
harvest the honey in 2015. If you are a retired beekeeper, perhaps you
have a honey extractor to donate or sell. We might have to find new ways
for the beginners here in Luxembourg.
A Beginner’s Perspective
by Chavdar Aladzhov
I am 36 years old, and I come from Bulgaria. I have lived and worked in
Luxembourg since 2006. I always wanted to take care of bees and
produce honey. Unfortunately, as my grandfather, who was an
experienced beekeeper, passed away long before I was born, I never got
the opportunity to learn in practice more about the bees. By chance, in
2013 I heard about the Bee Together group in Luxembourg that was
oriented to English-speaking people, and I immediately registered for the
first welcome meeting.

There were other new beekeepers at this meeting, and some who had
already followed an introductory course. We were split by geographical
location, and I was fortunate to be in the group of Hubert von Dewitz,
assigned as our group’s mentor.
Starting in spring 2014, we had several practical sessions (almost once a
week) at Hubert’s bee stand. He helped us to
order our own material and to select the type of
hive we wanted to have, the necessary
equipment to repair and maintain the hives in
good condition, the clothes, etc. The idea was
to put our own hives at his place and then, at a
later stage, to split hives in order have our own
independent colonies. Step by step and
session after session I felt a little bit more
confident with the bees. It is amazing how
differently they react to all the surrounding
factors, including us, and how even our
mentor, with 30 years of experience, was
always very attentive to the bees’ behaviour.
I have learned a lot, and finally in September
2014 my mentor helped me to establish my
own hive in the area where I’m living
(Strassen).
For me, and I think for the other new beekeepers, one of the biggest
challenges is the time. In spring and summer there is a lot to do with the
bees, especially when you have little experience and you are wondering
whether you are doing each step correctly.
I am very happy with this initiative and really thankful to the volunteers of
the Bee Together group who allowed me to realise one of my dreams and
to meet wonderful people.
Our 2014 Achievements
by Annemie Debackere
In 2014, Bee Together organised more than 20 visits to volunteers’ hives to
introduce people to bees and beekeeping. Over 30 people came to one or
more visits. No prior experience was required, nor any equipment, only the
Chavdar Aladzhov

visitor’s calm and patience when working with the bees. Before the visit,
people received some advice about what to wear. At the visit, they
received protective clothing to wear, and explanations about what we would
do that day. Visitors could ask questions and get hands-on experience right
away by helping with small tasks.
We helped approximately 20 people set up their own beehives.
The theme of the annual Nature Festival, the family event organised by
natur&ëmwelt, was the protection and
conservation of bees. Bee Together
shared a stand with Greenpeace for
the ‘Save the Bees’ campaign, where
the public could sign up for a visit to
the hives, taste honey, and learn
about bees.
The annual Bee Day (“Beiendag”)
was organised by the Fédération
des Unions d'Apiculteurs du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (FUAL) on
October 5 in Luxembourg City. Several other organisations were invited by
FUAL to participate. Bee Together was present at the FUAL stand, where
visitors had the opportunity to taste honey from the Marque Nationale du
Miel Luxembourgeois.
In the invitation sent to Bee Together’s mailing list, we informed people of
the 12-stop educational walking trail through the capital and the two
exhibitions accompanying it.
At the stand, visitors received answers to all types of questions including
information about the types of bees, the floral composition of honey, finding
or offering land for a beehive, and how to become a beekeeper. Eighteen
new English-speaking and five new Luxembourgish-speaking people
registered for bee demonstration sessions in 2015.
On November 15, volunteers of Bee Together participated in the ‘Get Fit for
Pollinators’ event to help clear part of a site in Trintange owned by
natur&ëmwelt in order to encourage the growth of sun-loving plants, some
of which will provide food for pollinators. The site had been overrun by ash,
sloe, and hawthorn bushes. Experienced volunteers of natur&ëmwelt used
chainsaws, while others brought the branches to a bonfire. It was a great
Bee Together at natur&ëmwelt's
Nature Festival, June 2014

pleasure to work together and share the passion for nature. After, we were
invited to a lunch offered by natur&ëmwelt, which made for a welcoming
get-together.
In November there was an information
evening on beehive systems in the
Jardins de Luxembourg in Reuland.
Some 30 participants received
explanations about the various beehive
systems.
An information session on varroa
treatment in December was attended by about 15 people.
Bee Together published three articles in Delano, the English language
magazine for Luxembourg's international community. Each article raised
awareness about beekeeping and pollinators.
We encourage people to become members of the local beekeeping clubs
and the beekeeping federation (FUAL) to keep informed about beekeeping
in Luxembourg and in general. Membership also encourages contact with
local beekeepers and provides insurance coverage.
All activities were free. There was a possibility to make a donation that
would be used to purchase protective clothing for the beekeeping
demonstration sessions, or material to make bumblebee nest boxes. In
2015, participants in the theory courses are encouraged to pay a fee of €25
each which will provide funding for Bee Together’s activities and projects.
Our Upcoming Events
by Crista Filip
2015 will be a busy year for Bee Together with dates already set for events
in the first quarter. Our events related to wild bees, pollinators and
biodiversity are:
 Get Fit by Nature in the Orchard with the natur&ëmwelt English-
speaking Section. Saturday, 28 February from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
 Bee in Solidarity with Solitary Bees with the natur&ëmwelt Remich
Section on Sunday, 8 March from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Pierre Kusnierz -
Jardins de Luxembourg

 Bee Informed - Bee Medicine on Tuesday, 5 May from 7:00 PM to
10:00 PM
 Bee Informed - Biodiversity with natur&ëmwelt / SIAS Sunday, 14 June
(date confirmed, time to be confirmed)
We will also organise beehive visits (we
call them "beekeeping demonstration
sessions") that run from April till the end
of June; they are not yet listed on our
events. They are a 2 hour event to
learn about the importance of bees, the
bee’s lifecycle, beekeeping and
biodiversity. At the event, you may get
hands-on practice working with bees.
Depending on demand and places
available, you can come to more than
one event to see what needs to be done with bees as the season
progresses.
Some of the above activities intend to raise awareness of the importance of
biodiversity, habitat and wild bees. Pollinators need flowers and are in their
turn food for birds, bats, and other animals--this all makes up for a lively
environment! To make this happen, Bee Together is planning to continue
the fruitful collaboration with the natur&ëmwelt.
With the support of an experienced beekeeper, Andreas Reichart, we are
organising beekeeping theory courses in English:
 Bee Informed - Bee Biology. Tuesday, 24 February from 7:00 PM to
10:00 PM. This course covers honeybee biology. The inner and
external morphology defines the potential of each bee and the colonies.
 Bee Informed - Beekeeping Techniques. Tuesday, 3 March from 7:00
PM to 10:00 PM. This course covers beekeeping techniques and the
equipment needed for beekeeping (this will be a practical course).
 Bee Informed - Bee Health. Wednesday, 18 March from 7:00 PM to
10:00 PM. This course deals with the bee diseases. Understanding bee
health is very important, because if you want to be a beekeeper you
have to know about bee diseases.
Bee Together at FUAL's Stand
at Bee Day, October 2014

 Bee Informed - Bee Products. Wednesday, 22 April from 7:00 PM to
10:00 PM. This course introduces bee products, how to harvest them,
and how to prepare them for sale.
To complement your learning from the theory courses, you may also wish
to join the annual bee conference in German and French on Sunday, 29
March from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with this year's theme on Varroa sensitive
hygiene.
For more information and to register for our events and courses click here.
Bee Together is also collaborating with Slow Food Grand-Duché Convivium
to raise awareness of the importance of bees with their members.
Meet the Theory Course Instructor: Andreas Reichart
My name is Andreas Reichart, I am 53
years old, and I live in Trier with my
family. I have been a beekeeper for 23
years.
I studied biology in Tübingen,
afterwards I worked in a dairy for 15
years.
In 2010 I was employed at the FBI in
Mayen. It is a beekeeping-institute,
and there I was responsible for the so-
called “DEBIMO project.” We visited
beekeepers three times a year, took samples of bees, and asked the
beekeepers how they treated their colonies against varroa.
What Are Our Challenges?
by Massimo Sabbatucci
Bee Together is a new group of people living and working in Luxembourg
who, besides sharing an interest in bees and pollinators, also share a
common language: English. This is an important element for the many
expatriates living in the country and interested in beekeeping.
During our sessions in 2014 we noticed that the people attending our
demonstrations came from many different countries. This diversity reflects
Luxembourg’s cultural humus.
Andreas Reichart

To date, it has not been possible to attend a beekeeping theory course
here in any language other than Luxembourgish. Thanks to FUAL’s
support, 2015 will be the first year that a theory course will be offered in
English. It will follow the content and topics of FUAL’s course taught in
Luxembourgish. The course will be complimented by modules introducing
the beekeepers, both experienced and not, to the products of bees.
Our vision is broader than breeding bees, increasing the number of hives,
and selling honey; we also wish to raise awareness of the importance of
pollinators. Although many of them do not supply a product interesting to
humans, they contribute immensely to our food production.
Every other day you may read an
article about the importance of bees to
our lives. A quote, probably incorrectly
attributed to Albert Einstein says, “If
the bee disappeared off the surface of
the globe then man would only have
four years of life left. No more bees, no
more pollination, no more plants, no
more animals, no more man.” Like other beekeepers in Luxembourg, we
recognise the importance of pollination to provide us with a variety of food.
Bees and pollinators are our interests and by understanding, protecting,
and supporting their environment we simply protect ourselves as well. It is
not only a win-win situation; it is a fun and enjoyable hobby too.
We Need YOU
In order for Bee Together to continue its activities, we need YOU!
We are looking for volunteers to help us to:
 Organise and/or run events, and
 Market and promote our events using online tools.
We are also looking for beekeepers who would like to:
 Talk to people about the importance of bees and beekeeping; and
 Share their experience in setting up their own hive with or without a
mentor.
Contact us to discuss how you can help.
photo © John Park

Join a Local Beekeeping Club
by Amanda Surbey
Novice beekeepers can obtain support by joining a local beekeeping club.
Luxembourg is organised into 12 cantons, each with a beekeeping club.
The clubs cooperate through the "Fédération des Union d'Apiculteurs du
Grand-Duché de Luxembourg" (FUAL) or “Luxemburger Landesverband für
Bienenzucht”. When you become a member of a local club, they will also
register you as a member of FUAL.
We encourage Bee Together members to
join the club near their work, their home, or
their hives. Each canton organises regular
meetings, though discussions might not be
in English. Bee Together will continue to
organise English-based meetings and
events.
Benefits of joining a club include the
following:
 The monthly Luxembourg beekeeper magazine “Lëtzebuerger Beien-
Zeitung” (in German).
 Forms for registering your bee colonies, ordering low-cost/good quality
sugar syrup, and applying for the “Marque Nationale” are available
through “Beien-Zeitung.”
 The Administration for Technical Agriculture Services (ASTA) makes
an annual announcement in “Beien-Zeitung” for beekeepers to order
seeds, trees, and shrubs via their club.
 Assistance and low-cost products for use in the treatment of varroa
mites.
 Some clubs provide beginners with starter hives/bees.
 Advice on different beekeeping challenges.
 Annual training courses for beginners and for experienced members.
 Large or more expensive equipment may be available for sharing.
 FUAL offers civil liability insurance for members.
More information on the benefits of membership can be found here. For a
list of Luxembourg’s beekeeping clubs, please refer to left-hand side of
www.apis.lu/kontakt/vereine (in German). If you are interested in joining the
Marque Nationale Honey

Luxembourg City Beekeepers' Club, please contact Hubert von
Dewitz vdewitz@pt.lu.
An Elegant Solution to Save the Bees
by Amanda Surbey
Mycologist Paul Stamets recently revealed a breakthrough discovery that
has the potential to change -and heal- our ecosystem. He proposes that
there is a missing link that can dramatically influence bee health, and it is
right under our feet. Yes, it’s mycelium, or, simply put, fungi. He presents
his discovery in this short talk, or visit his website, FantasticFungi.com.
Take Action for European Bees
by Amanda Surbey
Everyone knows bees are in trouble. But what can we do?
Pollinis, an independent non-profit European citizen movement, is
campaigning politicians and the European institutions to accelerate - in
Europe and in the world - the transition to a sustainable agriculture, which
is respectful towards the environment and the pollinators it depends on.
Watch their video (in English, French, or German) that explains how bees
disappear, who is to blame, and how we can take action to stop the
slaughter.
Sign their petition and please share the link: no one should ignore what is
happening right now with agriculture and nature. The stakes are too high!

References
What are your favourite books, web sites and online videos related to bees,
beekeeping, wild bees, biodiversity …? Please share them with us.
Here are some of our favourites:
http://www.slideshare.net/BeeTogetherLux/beekeeping-references-books-
and-videos

Bee Together newsletter 2015 02

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Bee Together newsletter 2015 02