If you are considering bees as a hobby or as a sideline business, there are things you will want to keep in mind before making that decision. Since there are many factors involved with making money with the honeybees produce, you might want to start doing it as a hobby. There is a significant amount of money in the start-up of beekeeping. Before investing any amount of money in your beekeeping project, you might want to contact beekeepers in your area. As a rule, they will more than happy to share their experience with you. Most beekeepers love keeping bees and to them, it is just a "hobby", but they can give you some insight into beekeeping. Take plenty of notes. More likely than not you will need them
Swarm is a collection of huge honey bees or other flying insects, which moves together at a single place.
To catch the honey bees, it is very important to take a help of honey bee removal professional. There are some very important points that you all need to keep in mind before removing or relocating the honey bee swarm.
The document provides a step-by-step guide to inspecting a bee hive, beginning with putting on protective gear and gathering equipment like a hive tool and smoker. It describes how to open the hive, remove frames to examine brood patterns and stages, check for eggs, larvae, the queen, honey, pollen, and signs of pests or disease. The inspection aims to assess hive health and determine if the bees need more space or if any issues require attention. When finished, the hive is closed up and notes are taken.
This document provides guidance on inspecting honey bee hives and what to look for. It lists steps for a hive inspection such as giving smoke at the entrance, removing boxes gently, and holding frames so the sun illuminates the comb. During inspection, beekeepers should look for a good bee population, eggs, larvae, capped brood, honey and pollen. Issues to check for include signs of pests like varroa mites, small hive beetles, wax moths, and diseases like American and European foulbrood, Nosema, chalkbrood, and sacbrood. The goal is a minimal disturbance inspection to assess the hive's status and queen presence.
Beekeeping equipment has evolved as bee species have become more aggressive. The list includes full bee suits, bee jackets, gloves, hive tools, brushes, and extractors to safely handle hives and protect against stings. Smokers are also essential as the smoke calms the bees and makes inspections easier. With the proper safety gear, beekeepers can continue to safely tend to their hives despite the increased risks posed by foreign bee species.
Equipment needed for honeybee removalsPaul McCarty
This document outlines the equipment needed for honeybee swarm and hive removals. It discusses personal protective equipment, basic beekeeping tools, and specialized equipment needed for different types of removals. Swarm retrievals require the least equipment while cut-outs require the most tools, such as saws, hammers, and bee vacuums. Trap-outs involve setting up bait hives near wired cones to redirect bees over multiple months. Proper safety gear, planning, and ethics are emphasized to safely and efficiently remove honeybee colonies from structures.
You have opened a hive and found queen cells. First of all, don’t panic and, whatever you do, on NO account adopt the Dalek strategy of ‘exterminate them, exterminate them’! It did not work for the Daleks - they lost out to Dr Who every time - and it will not work for you. Destroying queen cells to prevent swarming never has been and never will be a successful method of swarm control. If you destroy one lot of queen cells the bees will immediately make some more and will probably swarm earlier than normal in their development - often before the first cells are sealed. If you destroy queen cells twice you run the risk of the colony swarming and leaving behind no provision for a new queen.
Beekeeping 101 provides an overview of beekeeping for beginners. It discusses why people may be afraid of bee stings but how protective gear can help reduce risks. The document then explains that honey bees are beneficial as pollinators and for producing honey, wax, and other products. It also outlines some of the basic needs for proper hive placement including access, sunlight, shelter, and a nearby water source. Finally, the summary emphasizes the importance of being a good neighbor by locating hives away from property lines and keeping bee aggression minimized.
Bill Leitzinger's presentation focused on strong hive strategizing and beekeeping philosophy. Some key points included maintaining bee health by preventing swarming, using integrated pest management, and only overwintering strong hives. Common reasons hives die include starvation, poor queens, Varroa mites, and Colony Collapse Disorder. Tracheal mites were also discussed as a parasite that can weaken hives. The presentation provided methods for controlling pests like small hive beetles and Varroa mites through practices such as drone trapping and splitting hives.
Swarm is a collection of huge honey bees or other flying insects, which moves together at a single place.
To catch the honey bees, it is very important to take a help of honey bee removal professional. There are some very important points that you all need to keep in mind before removing or relocating the honey bee swarm.
The document provides a step-by-step guide to inspecting a bee hive, beginning with putting on protective gear and gathering equipment like a hive tool and smoker. It describes how to open the hive, remove frames to examine brood patterns and stages, check for eggs, larvae, the queen, honey, pollen, and signs of pests or disease. The inspection aims to assess hive health and determine if the bees need more space or if any issues require attention. When finished, the hive is closed up and notes are taken.
This document provides guidance on inspecting honey bee hives and what to look for. It lists steps for a hive inspection such as giving smoke at the entrance, removing boxes gently, and holding frames so the sun illuminates the comb. During inspection, beekeepers should look for a good bee population, eggs, larvae, capped brood, honey and pollen. Issues to check for include signs of pests like varroa mites, small hive beetles, wax moths, and diseases like American and European foulbrood, Nosema, chalkbrood, and sacbrood. The goal is a minimal disturbance inspection to assess the hive's status and queen presence.
Beekeeping equipment has evolved as bee species have become more aggressive. The list includes full bee suits, bee jackets, gloves, hive tools, brushes, and extractors to safely handle hives and protect against stings. Smokers are also essential as the smoke calms the bees and makes inspections easier. With the proper safety gear, beekeepers can continue to safely tend to their hives despite the increased risks posed by foreign bee species.
Equipment needed for honeybee removalsPaul McCarty
This document outlines the equipment needed for honeybee swarm and hive removals. It discusses personal protective equipment, basic beekeeping tools, and specialized equipment needed for different types of removals. Swarm retrievals require the least equipment while cut-outs require the most tools, such as saws, hammers, and bee vacuums. Trap-outs involve setting up bait hives near wired cones to redirect bees over multiple months. Proper safety gear, planning, and ethics are emphasized to safely and efficiently remove honeybee colonies from structures.
You have opened a hive and found queen cells. First of all, don’t panic and, whatever you do, on NO account adopt the Dalek strategy of ‘exterminate them, exterminate them’! It did not work for the Daleks - they lost out to Dr Who every time - and it will not work for you. Destroying queen cells to prevent swarming never has been and never will be a successful method of swarm control. If you destroy one lot of queen cells the bees will immediately make some more and will probably swarm earlier than normal in their development - often before the first cells are sealed. If you destroy queen cells twice you run the risk of the colony swarming and leaving behind no provision for a new queen.
Beekeeping 101 provides an overview of beekeeping for beginners. It discusses why people may be afraid of bee stings but how protective gear can help reduce risks. The document then explains that honey bees are beneficial as pollinators and for producing honey, wax, and other products. It also outlines some of the basic needs for proper hive placement including access, sunlight, shelter, and a nearby water source. Finally, the summary emphasizes the importance of being a good neighbor by locating hives away from property lines and keeping bee aggression minimized.
Bill Leitzinger's presentation focused on strong hive strategizing and beekeeping philosophy. Some key points included maintaining bee health by preventing swarming, using integrated pest management, and only overwintering strong hives. Common reasons hives die include starvation, poor queens, Varroa mites, and Colony Collapse Disorder. Tracheal mites were also discussed as a parasite that can weaken hives. The presentation provided methods for controlling pests like small hive beetles and Varroa mites through practices such as drone trapping and splitting hives.
Seasonal management of honey bee and pollinators deficit in onionHem Raj Pant
- The document discusses seasonal management of honey bees, focusing on different management practices needed during different seasons like spring, summer, monsoon, winter, etc. to meet the colony's changing needs over the year.
- It also discusses the importance of pollinators like honey bees for crop pollination and seed production. Studies have shown insect pollination, especially by honey bees, can increase onion seed yield, number of seeds per umbel, seed weight, and germination rate compared to no insect or self-pollination.
- The major honey bee species that pollinate onions in Nepal and India include Apis laboriosa, A. dorsata, A. mellifera, A.
Commercial beekeeping involves rearing honey bees to collect honey and other hive products like beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly. It is important for pollinating about 1/3 of global food crops. European honey bees are commonly used as they are easy to handle and produce large amounts of honey. Beekeeping includes maintaining hives, providing bees with sugar syrup when flowers are scarce, inspecting hives to monitor the queen and activity, and collecting hive products once honey is packed into frames. Protective beekeeping suits and regular maintenance are needed to safely practice apiculture.
learn about bee friendly practices, top bar hives and how to manage bees when the well being of the bees is more important than harvesting the honey. See how developing countries are using the top bar hive as a cheap alternative to the langstroth hive
Extensive bee keeping and beekeeping equipment..Deepali Dhiware
Extensive beekeeping involves allowing honeybee populations to increase naturally through swarming, without medical treatments or close management by beekeepers. This allows natural selection to make the population genetically fit. Extensive beekeepers rely on the bees' natural abilities and use low-cost traditional equipment like moveable frame hives, smokers, veils, and tools. Their honey yields are satisfactory and products are premium quality due to an absence of treatments and residues.
This document discusses various equipment used in beekeeping, including different types of beehives, protective clothing, tools, and other accessories. It describes Langstroth frame hives, ISI hives, bee veils, gloves, overalls, hive tools, smokers, bee brushes, uncapping knives, honey extractors, queen cages, queen cell protectors, dummy/division boards, comb foundation sheets, division board feeders, queen gates, drone traps, queen excluders, nucleus hives, and pollen traps. Details are provided on the purpose and construction of each item.
Bee Keeping for Business - Not Just Honey in That Hive - Presented by Michael...DiegoFooter
Bee keeping as a hobby is not only growing, but is big money. From the sale of honey to bees themselves, let me take you on the adventure of how to capitalize on bee keeping that is good for the bees and you.
Bee keeping is a growing hobby. With TV, Radio, Movies, books, and discussion on the loss of the honey bee population around the world, it is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. I am not here to tell you about CCD, (Colony Collapse Disorder) because I have never experienced it myself.
I want to tell you my first hand experiences with bees, from the loss of not knowing how to be a good keeper of the bees, to making an inner city home stead centered around the little girls super profitable. How to grow a small hobby Apiary, or back yard hive into a money making company. I want to show you how to take your starting products to the people, and how to develop new ideas in this art of bee keeping. That it is not being the millionaire, but being able to turn your hobbies, no matter what they are, into your job, and your job more into a hobby.
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com.
1) New bee colonies in the spring need to be fed 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building and brood rearing since they lack honey stores. The entrance should be restricted when feeding to prevent robbing.
2) To prevent swarming, the beekeeper should checkerboard frames, keep ahead of honey production with extra supers, and perform artificial swarm splits by moving the queen and some frames to a new hive while removing queen cells from the original hive.
3) Weak colonies in late spring/summer can be strengthened by exchanging frames of sealed brood from strong colonies and providing more space with additional supers as the existing supers fill with half to two-thirds of honey.
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere in the US with protective equipment in case of allergic reactions to stings. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also outlines three common bee strains - Italian, Caucasian, and Carniolan bees. The needs of honey bees for shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water are explained. Finally, it provides tips for getting started in beekeeping including timing, hive configurations, and considerations for purchasing an existing hive or package of bees.
This document discusses beekeeping and honey bees in India. It provides classifications of honey bee species found in India, including the rock bee, Indian hive bee, little bee, European bee, and Dammer bee. It describes the characteristics of each species. The document also discusses traditional and modern methods of beekeeping, including typical hive components. It covers honey production processes and the chemical composition and uses of honey. In conclusion, it notes that modern beekeeping involves production of additional bee products beyond honey.
This document provides information on how to be an urban beekeeper. It discusses choosing a site, necessary equipment, getting started with beekeeping, inspecting hives, extracting honey and other hive products, common diseases and pests, and the seasonal aspects of beekeeping. The overall message is that urban beekeeping is possible with the right preparation, equipment, knowledge of local laws and regulations, and ongoing hive management and inspection.
This document discusses the classification and types of honey bees. It begins by outlining the scientific classification system for honey bees, with Apis mellifera being the species and different races/stocks being subspecies. The most common types discussed are German Black, Italian, Caucasian, Carniolan, Russian, Africanized, and Buckfast bees. Each subspecies has different traits relating to productivity, gentleness, propolis production, overwintering ability, and disease/mite resistance. Choosing the appropriate race depends on the beekeeper's location and goals.
Summer and autumn management Of Honey Bee in Mountain to Sub Mountain and Pla...Muhammad Naveed Laskani
1. During summer and autumn, beekeepers should remove extra frames to prevent wax moth infestation, and unite weak colonies with stronger ones.
2. Bees may abscond due to lack of food, high temperatures, robbing by strong colonies, poor ventilation, or frequent handling; placing entrance guards, improving ventilation, feeding sugar syrup, and pest control can prevent absconding.
3. Beekeepers should feed colonies 50% sugar syrup in the evening and honey comb, and feeding royal jelly or crushed larvae juice to queens can boost egg-laying during summer.
Beekeeping involves the maintenance of honey bee colonies by humans in order to collect honey and other hive products, pollinate crops, or produce bees for sale. A beekeeper keeps bees in hives located in an apiary and manages the colony to collect honey and wax while providing for the bees' needs. Traditional fixed comb hives are still used in some areas but most modern beekeeping uses movable frame hives like the Langstroth hive, allowing inspection of frames to monitor bee health and harvest honey and wax.
Beekeeping
- Beekeeping Defination
- History Of beekeeping
- Beekeeping in india
- What is bee hives?
- Commercial Methods of bee rearing
- What is an apiary?
- Beekeeping Equipments
- Seasonal Management Of Honey Bees
This document provides information on constructing bee hives. It discusses the materials needed like wood, frames, and tools. It then outlines the steps to build a basic bee box, including cutting and assembling the sides, bottom, lid, and adding strips for handles and frames. Proper hive measurements are emphasized along with painting the outside white and leaving the inside unpainted.
This presentation provides an overview of beekeeping (apiculture). It discusses the history and classification of honey bees, the main species of honey bees and the honey they produce. It describes traditional and modern methods of beekeeping, including hive components. The key products of beekeeping are honey, beeswax, royal jelly, bee venom, and propolis. Finally, it outlines some common pests and diseases that affect honeybees.
This document provides information on various pests and diseases that affect honey bees, including images. It discusses American foulbrood, European foulbrood, sac brood, chalkbrood, Nosema, tracheal mites, varroa mites, small hive beetle, wax moths, and bee lice. It also mentions other potential threats like pesticides, viruses, and CCD but notes CCD's cause has not been identified. The document is intended to educate beekeepers on identifying and managing common honey bee pests and diseases.
Apiculture : Beekeeping techniques and apiary management: Bee flora and plann...Eden D'souza
This document discusses beekeeping techniques and apiary management. It provides details on the characteristics of pollination for different crops such as buckwheat, sunflower, mustard, coriander, cotton, flax, various fruits and berries. For most crops, effective pollination requires placing honeybee hives in the fields or orchards at specific densities and time periods to coincide with flowering. Cross-pollination by bees generally increases crop yields compared to solely wind or self-pollination. Placement of hives aims to optimize pollination across large areas.
What a healthy hive looks like -- what sort of bees live in the hive, what healthy brood looks like, where to place your hives so that you can manage them
Detailed description of honeybees apiculture their rearing on commercial scale various honeybee species. economic benefits and even modern and indigenous method of honey processing. According to Savitribai Phule Pune University syllabus
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere with the right protective equipment, as bee stings can cause allergic reactions. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also discusses common bee strains in the US and the needs of honey bees, including shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water. Finally, it provides guidance on getting started with beekeeping in the spring and describes methods for obtaining bees, such as packages, nucs, or complete hives.
Seasonal management of honey bee and pollinators deficit in onionHem Raj Pant
- The document discusses seasonal management of honey bees, focusing on different management practices needed during different seasons like spring, summer, monsoon, winter, etc. to meet the colony's changing needs over the year.
- It also discusses the importance of pollinators like honey bees for crop pollination and seed production. Studies have shown insect pollination, especially by honey bees, can increase onion seed yield, number of seeds per umbel, seed weight, and germination rate compared to no insect or self-pollination.
- The major honey bee species that pollinate onions in Nepal and India include Apis laboriosa, A. dorsata, A. mellifera, A.
Commercial beekeeping involves rearing honey bees to collect honey and other hive products like beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly. It is important for pollinating about 1/3 of global food crops. European honey bees are commonly used as they are easy to handle and produce large amounts of honey. Beekeeping includes maintaining hives, providing bees with sugar syrup when flowers are scarce, inspecting hives to monitor the queen and activity, and collecting hive products once honey is packed into frames. Protective beekeeping suits and regular maintenance are needed to safely practice apiculture.
learn about bee friendly practices, top bar hives and how to manage bees when the well being of the bees is more important than harvesting the honey. See how developing countries are using the top bar hive as a cheap alternative to the langstroth hive
Extensive bee keeping and beekeeping equipment..Deepali Dhiware
Extensive beekeeping involves allowing honeybee populations to increase naturally through swarming, without medical treatments or close management by beekeepers. This allows natural selection to make the population genetically fit. Extensive beekeepers rely on the bees' natural abilities and use low-cost traditional equipment like moveable frame hives, smokers, veils, and tools. Their honey yields are satisfactory and products are premium quality due to an absence of treatments and residues.
This document discusses various equipment used in beekeeping, including different types of beehives, protective clothing, tools, and other accessories. It describes Langstroth frame hives, ISI hives, bee veils, gloves, overalls, hive tools, smokers, bee brushes, uncapping knives, honey extractors, queen cages, queen cell protectors, dummy/division boards, comb foundation sheets, division board feeders, queen gates, drone traps, queen excluders, nucleus hives, and pollen traps. Details are provided on the purpose and construction of each item.
Bee Keeping for Business - Not Just Honey in That Hive - Presented by Michael...DiegoFooter
Bee keeping as a hobby is not only growing, but is big money. From the sale of honey to bees themselves, let me take you on the adventure of how to capitalize on bee keeping that is good for the bees and you.
Bee keeping is a growing hobby. With TV, Radio, Movies, books, and discussion on the loss of the honey bee population around the world, it is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. I am not here to tell you about CCD, (Colony Collapse Disorder) because I have never experienced it myself.
I want to tell you my first hand experiences with bees, from the loss of not knowing how to be a good keeper of the bees, to making an inner city home stead centered around the little girls super profitable. How to grow a small hobby Apiary, or back yard hive into a money making company. I want to show you how to take your starting products to the people, and how to develop new ideas in this art of bee keeping. That it is not being the millionaire, but being able to turn your hobbies, no matter what they are, into your job, and your job more into a hobby.
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com.
1) New bee colonies in the spring need to be fed 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building and brood rearing since they lack honey stores. The entrance should be restricted when feeding to prevent robbing.
2) To prevent swarming, the beekeeper should checkerboard frames, keep ahead of honey production with extra supers, and perform artificial swarm splits by moving the queen and some frames to a new hive while removing queen cells from the original hive.
3) Weak colonies in late spring/summer can be strengthened by exchanging frames of sealed brood from strong colonies and providing more space with additional supers as the existing supers fill with half to two-thirds of honey.
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere in the US with protective equipment in case of allergic reactions to stings. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also outlines three common bee strains - Italian, Caucasian, and Carniolan bees. The needs of honey bees for shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water are explained. Finally, it provides tips for getting started in beekeeping including timing, hive configurations, and considerations for purchasing an existing hive or package of bees.
This document discusses beekeeping and honey bees in India. It provides classifications of honey bee species found in India, including the rock bee, Indian hive bee, little bee, European bee, and Dammer bee. It describes the characteristics of each species. The document also discusses traditional and modern methods of beekeeping, including typical hive components. It covers honey production processes and the chemical composition and uses of honey. In conclusion, it notes that modern beekeeping involves production of additional bee products beyond honey.
This document provides information on how to be an urban beekeeper. It discusses choosing a site, necessary equipment, getting started with beekeeping, inspecting hives, extracting honey and other hive products, common diseases and pests, and the seasonal aspects of beekeeping. The overall message is that urban beekeeping is possible with the right preparation, equipment, knowledge of local laws and regulations, and ongoing hive management and inspection.
This document discusses the classification and types of honey bees. It begins by outlining the scientific classification system for honey bees, with Apis mellifera being the species and different races/stocks being subspecies. The most common types discussed are German Black, Italian, Caucasian, Carniolan, Russian, Africanized, and Buckfast bees. Each subspecies has different traits relating to productivity, gentleness, propolis production, overwintering ability, and disease/mite resistance. Choosing the appropriate race depends on the beekeeper's location and goals.
Summer and autumn management Of Honey Bee in Mountain to Sub Mountain and Pla...Muhammad Naveed Laskani
1. During summer and autumn, beekeepers should remove extra frames to prevent wax moth infestation, and unite weak colonies with stronger ones.
2. Bees may abscond due to lack of food, high temperatures, robbing by strong colonies, poor ventilation, or frequent handling; placing entrance guards, improving ventilation, feeding sugar syrup, and pest control can prevent absconding.
3. Beekeepers should feed colonies 50% sugar syrup in the evening and honey comb, and feeding royal jelly or crushed larvae juice to queens can boost egg-laying during summer.
Beekeeping involves the maintenance of honey bee colonies by humans in order to collect honey and other hive products, pollinate crops, or produce bees for sale. A beekeeper keeps bees in hives located in an apiary and manages the colony to collect honey and wax while providing for the bees' needs. Traditional fixed comb hives are still used in some areas but most modern beekeeping uses movable frame hives like the Langstroth hive, allowing inspection of frames to monitor bee health and harvest honey and wax.
Beekeeping
- Beekeeping Defination
- History Of beekeeping
- Beekeeping in india
- What is bee hives?
- Commercial Methods of bee rearing
- What is an apiary?
- Beekeeping Equipments
- Seasonal Management Of Honey Bees
This document provides information on constructing bee hives. It discusses the materials needed like wood, frames, and tools. It then outlines the steps to build a basic bee box, including cutting and assembling the sides, bottom, lid, and adding strips for handles and frames. Proper hive measurements are emphasized along with painting the outside white and leaving the inside unpainted.
This presentation provides an overview of beekeeping (apiculture). It discusses the history and classification of honey bees, the main species of honey bees and the honey they produce. It describes traditional and modern methods of beekeeping, including hive components. The key products of beekeeping are honey, beeswax, royal jelly, bee venom, and propolis. Finally, it outlines some common pests and diseases that affect honeybees.
This document provides information on various pests and diseases that affect honey bees, including images. It discusses American foulbrood, European foulbrood, sac brood, chalkbrood, Nosema, tracheal mites, varroa mites, small hive beetle, wax moths, and bee lice. It also mentions other potential threats like pesticides, viruses, and CCD but notes CCD's cause has not been identified. The document is intended to educate beekeepers on identifying and managing common honey bee pests and diseases.
Apiculture : Beekeeping techniques and apiary management: Bee flora and plann...Eden D'souza
This document discusses beekeeping techniques and apiary management. It provides details on the characteristics of pollination for different crops such as buckwheat, sunflower, mustard, coriander, cotton, flax, various fruits and berries. For most crops, effective pollination requires placing honeybee hives in the fields or orchards at specific densities and time periods to coincide with flowering. Cross-pollination by bees generally increases crop yields compared to solely wind or self-pollination. Placement of hives aims to optimize pollination across large areas.
What a healthy hive looks like -- what sort of bees live in the hive, what healthy brood looks like, where to place your hives so that you can manage them
Detailed description of honeybees apiculture their rearing on commercial scale various honeybee species. economic benefits and even modern and indigenous method of honey processing. According to Savitribai Phule Pune University syllabus
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere with the right protective equipment, as bee stings can cause allergic reactions. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also discusses common bee strains in the US and the needs of honey bees, including shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water. Finally, it provides guidance on getting started with beekeeping in the spring and describes methods for obtaining bees, such as packages, nucs, or complete hives.
This document outlines several safety hazards for rabbits, both indoors and outdoors, and provides tips for rabbit owners to protect their pets. Outdoor rabbits may be threatened by predators like dogs, hawks, and weasels, so hutches need strong protection. Indoor rabbits may chew power cords or eat toxic houseplants. The document stresses making sure rabbits have a secure hutch or living space, adequate food, water, shelter from extreme heat or cold, and protection from diseases and parasites like ear mites or fleas. Rabbit owners are advised to closely supervise their pets to keep them safe from dangers.
The document discusses beekeeping and bee hives. It explains that the Langstroth hive is most commonly used in the US, as it features movable frames that allow easy harvesting of honey. Some hobby beekeepers use top-bar hives instead, which have bars across the top for combs that cannot be reused after extraction. When keeping bee hives, beekeepers must consider placement away from homes and recreation areas, near food sources for bees, and protection from predators, vandals, and weather. Beekeeping requires year-round maintenance of hives.
This document outlines several safety hazards for rabbits, both indoors and outdoors, and provides tips for rabbit owners to protect their pets. Outdoor rabbits may be at risk from predators, extreme heat or cold, diseases, and parasites. Owners should ensure hutches are secure and provide shelter, food, water, and enrichment. Indoor rabbits can chew power cords, eat toxic plants, or damage carpets, so supervision is important. The overall message is that rabbits require responsible ownership to keep them safe from environmental and self-inflicted dangers.
This document provides information for event planners on hosting a butterfly release, including:
- Butterflies are raised on farms and orders should be placed at least 2 months in advance to ensure availability.
- Butterflies are shipped overnight in insulated boxes packed with individual envelopes to protect them.
- Upon arrival, butterflies should be checked and placed in a cool dark place like a closet until the release date.
- Releases can be done individually by distributing envelopes to guests, or in mass by placing butterflies in a shared container. Proper handling and timing of the release is discussed.
This document provides tips for harvesting honey from beehives and treating common bee diseases and pests. Methods of removing honey boxes from hives include tipping the boxes to allow bees to fly out, using fume boards or scented cloths to drive bees from the boxes, or using leaf blowers or bee vacuums. Common bee diseases discussed include foulbrood, Nosema, tracheal mites, and Varroa mites. Treatment options provided for each. General tips are also given for catching swarms and handling hives.
The document provides an overview of beekeeping and the honey harvesting process. It discusses that beekeeping involves maintaining honey bee colonies in hives and producing honey. To harvest honey, beekeepers need: a hive tool, smoker, leaf blower, wheelbarrow/wagon/truck, honey house, decapping tank, decapping knife, pick, extractor, five gallon storage buckets, and a pantyhose filter. The process involves removing frames of honey from hives, cutting caps off frames, extracting honey from frames using an extractor, filtering and storing honey in buckets.
This document provides guidance for keeping bees, including winter preparation, choosing a bee race, purchasing equipment and bees, installing packages of bees into hives, maintaining hives through the seasons, harvesting honey, and processing wax. Key steps are ordering bees in winter, acquiring equipment and reading books, installing packages in spring, feeding and monitoring hives, adding supers and reversing boxes in summer, and extracting honey in fall. Common challenges like swarming and bearding are also addressed.
This 3-day course document provides information on decorating ideas, conducting butterfly releases, transferring butterflies, release ideas, and myths and truths about butterflies. The document discusses keeping butterflies healthy until a release event and designating an attendant to distribute butterflies. It offers tips on mass and individual releases, including transferring butterflies an hour before and keeping the container in shade. Various release ideas are presented for funerals and memorials. Common butterfly myths are addressed, noting butterflies are carefully raised and can survive shipment and migration. The document concludes by thanking attendees and welcoming feedback.
Great plains growers conference 2 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
#2 Getting Started - Your First Year Seminar from the Great Plains Growers Conference by Grant Gillard, delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri on 2020-01-09
The document provides information about hummingbirds, including that there are over 300 species found in the Americas. It discusses hummingbird traits like their fast heartbeat and flight speed. It also provides tips for attracting hummingbirds with feeders, such as using a 1:4 sugar-water ratio and changing the nectar regularly. The document emphasizes clean feeders to avoid bacteria or mold that could harm hummingbirds.
2015 05-your first month as a beekeeperRick Bledsoe
- The document provides guidance for a beekeeper's first month with bees, including tools needed (smoker, hive tool), reasons bees may abscond, things to look for during inspections (queen, brood, pests), and tips for working hives (using smoke, checking for the queen).
- When inspecting hives, beekeepers should look for signs of a healthy colony like brood in all stages, pollen and nectar collection, and population growth, while checking for issues like pests, poor brood patterns, or a honey-bound hive.
- The goal is to do inspections quickly to minimize disturbance while looking for any problems and ensuring the colony's needs are met
This document provides information for professionals conducting butterfly release courses. It discusses where butterflies are farmed, placing orders as early as possible since it takes 4 weeks to raise butterflies, how butterflies are shipped overnight in insulated boxes, checking butterflies upon arrival and storing them in a cool dark place, the options for mass or individual butterfly releases, guidelines for handling and photographing butterflies, and an outline of topics to be covered on the next day of the course.
Tapinoma sessile ants, commonly known as sugar ants or grease ants, were invading the author's kitchen each year. These small black or brown ants are attracted to many household foods and smells strongly of coconut when crushed. To get rid of the ants, the author recommends cleaning all food surfaces, using baits like Terro liquid ant bait rather than sprays, and sealing entry points with a borax, sugar and water solution. The ants keep returning because of available food sources, so maintaining a clean kitchen is important.
Bees are important insects that pollinate many of the plants that produce food for humans. They have a three-part body and six legs, and live in colonies consisting of a queen, drones, and worker bees. Bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers to feed their young and make honey to store for winter. However, bee populations are declining, which threatens food production since bees pollinate over half of the world's crop plants. People can help bees by providing flowers, avoiding harming bee nests, and allowing bees to collect nectar without disturbing them.
Abnormal behavior in birds kept in captivity can manifest in various ways and may indicate underlying physical or psychological issues. Here are some examples of abnormal behavior commonly observed in captive birds:
Feather plucking or self-mutilation: Birds may engage in excessive preening, leading to the loss of feathers and even self-inflicted injuries. This behavior can be caused by stress, boredom, lack of mental stimulation, improper diet, or health problems.
Stereotypic behaviors: Birds may develop repetitive and seemingly purposeless actions, such as head bobbing, wing flipping, or pacing back and forth in their enclosure. These behaviors are often associated with frustration, confinement, or the absence of natural behaviors like flying or foraging.
Aggression: Captive birds may exhibit aggressive behaviors towards other birds, humans, or even objects in their environment. This can be a result of overcrowding, territorial disputes, or the absence of appropriate social interactions.
Abnormal vocalizations: Birds may display excessive or unusual vocalizations, such as screaming, screeching, or constant chirping. This can be a sign of distress, attention-seeking, or an attempt to communicate their needs.
Fearfulness or avoidance: Birds that are constantly fearful, overly skittish, or avoid human contact may have experienced traumatic events or inadequate socialization. They may be displaying signs of anxiety, stress, or a lack of trust.
Abnormal eating or drinking habits: Birds may exhibit changes in their eating or drinking behaviors, such as refusal to eat, overeating, or excessive water consumption. These changes can be indicative of physical health issues or underlying stress.
Nesting or breeding difficulties: Some captive birds may exhibit difficulties in nesting or breeding behaviors, such as repeated nest destruction, lack of interest in mating, or inadequate parental care. These issues can be related to improper environmental conditions or hormonal imbalances.
It's important to note that abnormal behavior in birds should not be taken lightly, as it can be an indication of their welfare being compromised. If you observe abnormal behaviors in captive birds, it is recommended to consult with avian experts, veterinarians, or animal behaviorists who can provide appropriate advice and interventions to address the underlying causes and improve the well-being of the birds.
Fleas are common parasite, found in almost allregions of the world. Dogs and cats mainly get infested with fleas during contact with other animals or contact with the fleas infested environment.
Die Macht der Kurzform-Inhalte im Social-Media- Marketing.pdfChiKoongChong
Das digitale Marketing hat sich dramatisch verändert, ähnlich einem atemberaubenden Zirkusakrobaten, der mit Millionen von Zuschauern mit immer kürzerer Aufmerksamkeitsspanne jongliert. Betreten Sie die Kurzform-Inhalte, die winzigen, aber mächtigen Stars der Show. Diese prägnante und fesselnde Inhaltsart verändert die Art und Weise, wie wir uns auf Social-Media-Plattformen austauschen und interagieren. Aber was genau ist dieses fesselnde Format, und warum ist es zum Zirkusdirektor des modernen Social-Media-Marketings geworden? Schnallen Sie sich an, denn wir sind dabei, die Magie hinter diesem digitalen Phänomen zu lüften!
Patriot Cards The Key to Uncovering American IdealsChiKoongChong
Embark on a unique journey through American ideals with Patriot Cards, transcending typical playing cards. These cards symbolize diverse facets of patriotism, unveiling deeply ingrained American values. Whether a history enthusiast, proud American, or curious explorer, these cards serve as keys to unlock the true essence of America. Join us in exploring the core values defining the nation through these distinctive cards.
Homage to the American Spirit
The TOPP 1977 Patriot Card collection goes beyond collectibles; it's a homage to the American spirit. Each card features icons, landmark events, and influential figures, testifying to America's rich tapestry. Diverse themes encapsulate distinctly American ideals, making history tangible and fostering emotional connections. These cards transcend cardboard, breathing life into America's narrative.
Themes Reflecting American Diversity
Dive into the Patriot Card collection—a captivating journey across American history. Themes encompass valor, freedom's pursuit, and unity's strength, resonating with core American ideals. From pivotal events like the Declaration of Independence to the moon landing and the Civil Rights Movement, each card serves as a time capsule, preserving America's identity. Celebrating individuals who shaped the nation, the collection portrays America's rich and dynamic journey.
Crafting Artistic Narratives
Patriot Cards aren't mere collectibles; they're canvases illustrating American history. Meticulously designed, each card reflects careful thematic selection and artistic precision. Special editions, bearing influential American signatures, elevate these cards to cherished relics. The crafting process harmonizes history, artistry, and storytelling, transforming trading cards into thought-provoking art pieces. Patriot Cards aren't just cardboard; they're exquisite keepsakes embodying America's spirit.
Connecting Generations through Patriot Cards
Patriot Cards bridge generational gaps, providing a shared platform for reflection. For the older generation, they evoke nostalgia, tangible reminders of monumental moments. Younger generations gain insights into historical events, fostering curiosity about America's past. Shared interest in Patriot Cards facilitates intergenerational dialogue, promoting understanding and respect. These cards transcend age barriers, emerging as powerful tools for unity and connection.
Patriot Cards as Educational Resources
Imagine history coming alive in a classroom—the potential Patriot Cards offer educators. Featuring distinct narratives, these cards engage students in America's fundamental ideals and historical milestones. Vibrant illustrations and compelling stories transform learning into an exciting journey. Patriot Cards inspire curiosity and a deeper connection with American history, evolving into interactive educational resources that combine learning with enjoyment.
Ever since the fitness craze in the 1980s, we have become a nation increasingly aware of our health and physique. Millions of dollars are spent every year in the quest for a perfect body. Gyms are big business, personal trainers are making a tidy living helping people stay fit, and bodybuilding supplements are at an all-time level of performance.
Do you want to live longer, happier, and healthier? Well if so then get up out of that chair after you finish reading this report and put those muscles to work. Now, you can take supplements or diet pills all day long, yet without a workout, you are only filling your digestive system with “hardball” runners that will take some time to digest. Sure, certain natural supplements can benefit you, yet it takes more than popping pills. Exercise is where it is happening, along with a low-fat, low-fiber diet and a will to live toward good health. Of course, you will also need to cut out those nasty habits, such as smoking, drinking excessively, or using drugs. The drugs include over usage of prescription drugs. Good health comes to those that take care of their temple. (Body) When you work to good health, in turn, good health will come to you in many ways. Before you know it you will find yourself doing things you never did before.
It should be a very simple thing to go to sleep. How complex should something be that is an innate ability? It shouldn’t take much effort at all. It’s an inborn ability, along with other certain bodily functions. When we’re newborns, we can eat, sleep and wet the bed. Our automatic functions continue throughout our lives. So you should just be able to close your eyes, relax and you are off to dreamland. But this is not an option for many, many people. Sleep doesn’t come as easy as that.
Have you been mindlessly shambling through your affiliate marketing campaigns like a zombie, reusing the same old brain-dead methods again and again? If so, you’ve likely been forced to watch declining sales, limp commissions and almost dead conversion rates. Well, it’s time to fight back against these zombified tactics and discover the NEW way to make money in the profitable world of affiliate marketing! You see, the old strategies of yesterday aren’t just outdated, they are actually incredibly dangerous. Not only do you risk losing a lot of time and money because your affiliate campaigns are designed on a broken down format (that savvy marketers have long since abandoned), but you also risk something even more valuable – your reputation!
You’ve watched the countless late-night infomercials promising you the instant cure to your acne troubles.
the before and after photos showcasing the shocking results of those who have taken a leap of faith and handed over their credit card number for yet another shot at successfully eliminating acne from their lives forever. The problem is, you’ve tried all of those remedies, instant “cures”, solutions, treatments and creams. You
have been through the ringer having spent a small fortune on acne medications only to find yourself confused and frustrated as to why you have been unable to experience the same results that everyone else claims to have.
Due to the damaging impacts of negative behaviors, countless articles and books have been written on how to identify them, their triggers, and how to overcome them. There is no doubt that these efforts are commendable, and many people have been able to improve the quality of their lives by leveraging the tips in these materials. However, the fact that many writers and readers fail to see is that bad behavior is essentially the absence of healthy ones. Therefore, if good habits can be promoted, they will automatically eliminate and replace destructive ones.
One generation ago, people would not dream of picking up whatever packet of junk food they could get at first in order to feed their faces. Today, we do that so very casually. “I am hungry” usually means “I want a hamburger or a frankfurter, probably with chips on the side and one cola.” “Let‟s go out and party” means “Let‟s go out and booze till we can‟t stand up on our own and intersperse the drinks with as much synthetic-laden wannabe Chinese food that we can get.” And, “I am on a diet” means “I am on a chemically driven pill which will kill my hunger and deprive my body of vitamins.”
This document provides 100 tips for weight loss, organized into chapters on drinks, eating well, cooking, exercise, and getting started. The tips focus on drinking water, limiting sugary drinks and alcohol, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, limiting fried foods, and engaging in regular exercise. Consistency is emphasized as key to weight loss through lifestyle changes like healthy eating and staying active.
The ketogenic diet or as some people prefer to call it; the Keto diet or low carb diet is about consuming a lot of protein
and fats but fewer carbs. This diet makes the body send the
fats that we consume to the liver, which the latter transform it
into energy to keep the body strong and active for a long time
without feeling tired quickly.
Explore the key differences between silicone sponge rubber and foam rubber in this comprehensive presentation. Learn about their unique properties, manufacturing processes, and applications across various industries. Discover how each material performs in terms of temperature resistance, chemical resistance, and cost-effectiveness. Gain insights from real-world case studies and make informed decisions for your projects.
1. 1 | P a g e
Beekeeping
Learn How to Keep Bees Successfully
Start Practical Beekeeping & Discover Honey Bee Secrets
2. 2 | P a g e
Table of Contents
Description Page
1. Getting Started in Beekeeping 3
2. Clothing and Equipment Needed 5
3. How to Handle Bees 6
4. Acquiring Bees 8
5. Queen Management Techniques 9
6. Raising Queen Bees 11
7. Using Nectar Substitutes 15
8. Using Pollen Substitutes 16
9. Keeping Bees in a Suburban Area 17
10. About Bacterial Diseases 19
11. About Viruses and Fungal Diseases 21
12. About Varroa Mites 23
13. About Tracheal Mites 24
14. The Small Hive Beetle 25
15. About Nosema 27
16. About the Disappearing Bees 28
17. Bee Stings 30
18. The Processing of Honey 31
19. Equipment used for Honey Processing 35
References 37
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1. Getting Started in Beekeeping
If you are considering bees as a hobby or as a sideline business, there are things
you will want to keep in mind before making that decision. Since there are
many factors involved with making money with the honeybees produce, you
might want to start doing it as a hobby. There is a significant amount of money
in the start-up of beekeeping. Before investing any amount of money in your
beekeeping project, you might want contact beekeepers in your area. As a rule,
they will more than happy to share their experience with you. Most beekeepers
love keeping bees and to them it is just a "hobby", but they can give you some
insight into beekeeping. Take plenty of notes. More likely than not you will
need them.
In making the decision of becoming a beekeeper, you will want to consider the
safety of family, friends, and neighbors. You wouldn't want someone to get
stung that is allergic to bee stings. The best course of action on that account is
to ask your neighbors and friends, if any of them are allergic to bees. You will
also be able to find out if there might be someone who would not like beehives
so close to their proximity. You will also want to check with the county you
live in. You will want to know about any ordinances or laws prohibiting
beekeeping.
You will also want to consider whether or not you have a location that would
be conducive to maintaining bees. You will also want to consider where the
bees will have to fly to retrieve nectar and pollen. Keeping plants they like
close by is not a bad idea either. Since bees need water every day, you might
want to have water for them close at hand. You don't want them visiting the
neighbor's swimming pool. Here is a list of spots unacceptable to the health of
the bees.
How many months of the year will pollen and nectar will be readily available to
the bees?
Will you have to feed them in order for them to survive and how much of the
year?
Is there a water supply available all year round for the bees? They need water
every day.
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You will need to consider what will be underneath the bees as they fly to get
the nectar and pollen they require. The bees will defecate as they are flying and
their feces will leave spots on everything below them. The feces can even ruin
the surface of a vehicle. There are methods to use to force the bees to fly at a
higher altitude, such as a tall fence or thick tall plants near the hive.
You want the hives accessible all year round.
You will want to avoid low spots for your hives because they hold the cold,
damp air too long.
You will also want to avoid high spots for your hives because that would be too
windy.
These are just some of the things you will want to consider before taking on
this hobby.
During a nectar flow, many of the older workers will be in the field hunting for
food. This is the best time to examine the colony. During the summer more
bees will be in the hive and the situation can change, especially between the
nectar flows. There can be some robbing going on at this time, which will
make the bees even more defensive at any intrusion to their hive. Leaving the
colony open for more than a few minutes can accelerate a robbing as can
leaving cappings or honey exposed. It will become a necessity to reduce the
entrance of a weak colony to prevent stronger hives attempt to rob from it. A
honey flow will reduce the likelihood of robbing.
The mood of the bees can have a lot to do with the weather or the time of day.
On the days of rainy weather, cool temperatures, early in the morning or late in
the afternoon will be more likely to make them angry and they will attack.
Always inspect them on warm, sunny days in the middle of the day when most
of the bees are foraging.
Keep a constant warm water supply for the bees to cool the hive and dilute
honey to feed t heir young. They will collect water from the closest water
source. If you do not have a constant supply of shallow water for the bees, they
will look for it somewhere else, like the neighbor's pool, birdbath or wading
ponds. The bees are more likely to drown in those sources. If you have a water
supply for them when they first fly out in spring, they will not go anywhere else
for water. Once they find a water source, it is hard to keep them from going
back to it.
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A beekeeper must keep the bees in control every time the hive is open. A
typical hive can house thousands of workers all capable of stinging. There are
measures a beekeeper can take in the open that he can not take in the city
because of the closeness of other people.
Smoke is the most important tool for the beekeeper opening a hive. Smoke
should be used in moderation, but the smoker should be capable of producing
large volumes of smoke on short notice. The beekeeper must smoke the
entrance of the hive, under the cover, and periodically smoke the frames while
the hive is open. Try not to jar the hive or the frames as that may anger the
bees, which will make it hard for a beekeeper to do his work. The beekeeper
must work quickly and carefully. By going through the frames several times a
year, the beekeeper keeps the frames movable. Remove any excess combs.
Using gloves when working with bees make the beekeeper clumsier and he
may lose control of the hive. The stings that the gloves are protecting you from
are easily removed and the pain quickly passes.
2. Clothing and Equipment Needed
One of the most important pieces of clothing a beekeeper wears is the veil.
Bee stings on the face can be very painful and there is the possibility of damage
to the eyes and ears.
If by chance a bee gets inside the veil, walk away from the hives and remove
the bees. Never remove the veil when you are in with the hives.
Use protective clothing to avoid getting hive product on your regular clothes,
and to protect sensitive areas of your body. Avoid dark or rough textured
clothes. Bees are able to hold on to a rough texture material than smooth
material. Wear white or light-colored coveralls. If you are not using boots, do
not wear dark socks. Boots that fasten over the coveralls or in the coveralls
should be worn. A windbreaker jacket will help you to avoid being stung.
Pants, veil, sleeves should be fastened securely to prevent bees from getting
into your clothes. If a bee does get into your clothing, squeeze it in the clothing
or walk away from the hives and open up your clothing to allow the bee to
escape. Before handling bees, do not use any sweet-smelling cologne, hair
spray or any other products. The odor may irritate the bees or attract them.
Glove should be used sparingly. Gloves are useful during bad weather or when
moving colonies, but gloves can hinder the manipulating of the colonies.
6. 6 | P a g e
Without the interference of gloves, you will find that the bees respond better to
a lighter touch.
As a beginner you will want to contemplate the number of colonies you want to
start out with. Two or three is a good number to start off with because it will
give you a chance to compare the two colonies, such as the growth and the
production.
The equipment you will need to start off with for a complete hive is:
1 metal covered top
1 inner cover
1 bottom board
2 standard 10-framc hive bodies, each body contains 10-frames
1 queen excluder
2 shallow 10-frame supers with frames.
1 bee smoker
1 hive tool
1 pr. bee gloves
1 pr. coveralls
1 bee veil
You can buy this equipment new or used. If it is used you will want to make
sure it is in good condition. Also have it examined by the Apiary Inspection
Service for any possibility of disease. The equipment will run you $250 or
more. If you are really talented and ambitious you can build your own hives.
Just make sure you have the dimensions correct because bees will build combs
where you least want them.
3. How to Handle Bees
Intruders are going to get stung by the bees protecting the hive. As a beekeeper
you will have to be prepared to receive your share of stings. If you have any
fear of bees or of being stung, you will have to conquer those apprehensions.
As you gain confidence and more adept at the handling of the bees, the stings
will happen less frequently.
One of the tips you will want to learn is when to manipulate bees. You can
open and examine the bee colonies on days that are warm and sunny with no
wind. The older bees will be out searching for food on those days. The older
bees will stay in the hive on colder, windy and rainy days.
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When there is an abundance of nectar, bees are much easier to examine than
when there is a shortage of nectar. Plying them with sugar syrup may help, but
not always.
Spring is the best time to examine the bees because of smaller populations.
Bees will usually tolerate a moderate beekeeper manipulation for 10 to 15
minutes. It is best not to keep the hives open any longer than you have to.
Brood examinations should never be drawn out. When examining the hives, if
bees become noisy or very nervous, the hive needs to be closed. If there is
honey in the combs, they will attract robber bees unless there is an over
abundance of nectar. If robbing start, you will need to stop examinations for
the rest of the day and reduce the entrances to the hives. Once the robbing
starts it is difficult to stop.
If you need to manipulate a colony, have a lighted smoker that omits cool
smoke. Before you open the hives, you want to puff smoke into the entrance of
the hive. Move on to the other colonies allowing time for the bees to react to
the smoke. Keep your smoker handy because you will need it while you are
making your close inspections of each colony. If you have some of the bees
looking at you, make them scatter with a few puffs of smoke. When you are
around the bees, you should move smoothly and carefully so that you don't
alarm the bees. When prying off the cover to the hive be as gentle as possible,
bees are sensitive to vibrations. Avoid any jolting of the hives. After removing
the cover to the hive, work from the back or the side of the hive. Remove the
frame nearest the outside to be examined. If robbing is not a problem, lean the
frame against the outside of the hive to give you more room to work. If
robbing could be a problem make sure to cover the hives and never leave a
frame out in the open.
If you are going to examine all the boxes, start with the lowest one. Make sure
the boxes you are not examining stay covered. After examining the lowest box,
examine each box after it has been replaced on the lower one.
When you need to remove the frame, pry it loose with the hive tool. With a
firm grip on the loosened frame, gently lift it, trying not to scrape the bees on
the adjoining frame. Leave the frame outside of the hive or box, to give you a
larger working area. If you scrape the comb, do leave the bits and pieces in the
hive or box. Only scrape comb that it in the way, scraping is irritating to the
bees.
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4. Acquiring Bees
There are several ways to acquire bees. No matter the method you choose
spring is the best time to purchase bees. Listed below are methods by which to
acquiring bees.
Established colonies
Established colonies will cost you more, but they can be worth the extra
money. Before you purchase the bees have them and their equipment inspected
by a state bee inspector. Dilapidated equipment or weak colonies you will want
to stay away from
When purchasing established colonies, the equipment will not require any
assembly. Since the queen is already laying eggs, will be able to judge her
brood pattern. The chance of producing a honey crop the first year with an
established colony is very good. The previous owner should be able to give
you any history or background information of the bees.
If you are a beginner, a strong colony may be more than you are ready to
handle. The equipment may be old and need replacing, or it may not be
standard equipment.
Nucleus colonies (nucs)
The nucleus colony is a smaller colony of bees taken from an established
colony. The "nucs" hives have fewer frames than a standard hive. The nucleus
colony consists of only four or five frames instead of the standard 10-frames.
They can house extra queens and they can be used to raise new queens. The
nucleus colony comes with the four or five frames of brood, honey and pollen,
a laying queen, and every frame should be full of adult bees.
Nucleus colonies are less expensive than established colonies. The queens are
usually new, giving you the opportunity to judge her brood pattern. If the
nucleus colony has a strong nectar flow, there is a possibility of a honey crop
the first year. Usually, they can be purchased locally. Since the nucleus colony
is not as strong as an established colony, they may be easier for a beginner to
handle. You still need to have them inspected for disease.
Package bees
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Package bee producers produce package bees in southern United States. The
package bees consists of 2 or 3 pounds of bees, a queen in a separate cage, and
a canister of sugar syrup used to feed the bees during transport. They are
shipped in a special screen mailing cages through the U.S. Postal Service.
The package bees are cheaper than the established or the nucleus colonies.
Beginners should be able to handle them easily. The possibility of the broods
having a disease is slim.
The package bees may not produce a honey crop the first year. It will be more
difficult to judge the queen with no brood. Because of the strain of being
transported, a queen may be out-dated which can lead to an unproductive
queen. If the weather is bad, you will have a difficult time in introducing the
bees into the hives. The bees will have to be fed until the start of the nectar
flow.
Swarms
Swarms can be a fun way to get bees, and they are free. They can be easily
collected and placed in prepared equipment. It is usually a good idea to
introduce a new queen as soon as possible to the swarm. The swarms can be
rather large by they can be easily handled.
You will not get a brood so you will not be able to judge the new queen. The
swarms are unlikely to produce honey crop the first year, but that does depend
on the size of the swarm. The availability of swarms is very unpredictable.
5. Queen Management Techniques
When a colony is not performing well, it is common practice to introduce a
new queen into the colony. There are certain qualities that a beekeeper looks
for in a queen 's offspring, such as good collectors of honey or pollen,
resistance to disease and pests, reduced swarming, gentleness, effective
pollination, and minimal propolis use. Propolis is the wax-type resin derived
from a tree bees use as glue.
It is a common practice to mark the queen with a small spot of paint on her
back because the queen is the source of all the worker bees in the colony. They
are impossible to distinguish one from another without an identifying mark.
The beekeeping industry uses a color code that indicates the year the queen was
introduced into the colony. Model car paint is often used to place a very small
10. 10 | P a g e
dot on the back of the queen. The queen is usually marked prior to the
introduction into the colony, but she can be marked at any time. Sometime a
purchased queen will come already marked. The color code used is:
White (or gray) for years ending 1 or 6
Yellow for years ending 2 or 7
Red for years ending 3 or 8
Green for years ending 4 or 9
Blue for years ending 5 or 0
The residents of the colony may reject or even kill a newly introduced queen,
unless certain requirements are not met. There are several different methods
that have been published over the years, but a particular procedure has not been
accepted as the best procedure for all occasions. The most common practice of
all the procedures requires an introductory period of about three days. The
queen is placed in a cage and is fed by the colony bees though the wire gauze
covering the cage. The only way she can be released is by the worker bees
eating a candy entrance. The beekeeper can decide to release the queen into the
colony manually.
The older more established worker bees are not as receptive as the younger
bees to a new queen. You can turn the colony entrance to face the opposite
direction to separate the older from the younger bees. In an empty hive place at
least one frame of honey facing the original direction. The older bees will
leave the original hive and return to the new empty hive. The original hive will
only have the younger bees, while most of the new hive will have accumulated
the older bees. The queen can then be introduced into the hive of the younger
bees with out problems. The two colonies can be reunited after the new queen
is established.
Before introducing a new queen into a colony, make sure the colony does not
have a queen, and any of the developing queen cells are destroyed. Leave the
colony with out queen for a day or so. Let the queen be caged for about two
days. To release a queen, place the cage between the frames with the screen
side down and the candy plug exposed to the younger bees and the brood.
Allow the bees two days to release the queen and then remove the cage as soon
as possible. If the queen is to be release manually, watch the surrounding bees
to determine if they are clinging tightly to the cage the queen is in. If they
behave in an aggressive behavior, do not release the queen until the bees act
passively toward the cage. Once you have released the queen, watch closely to
see if the other bees are reacting with hostility to the new queen as she explores
11. 11 | P a g e
the comb on which she was released. Don't open the hive again for a few days
allowing the queen time to start her brood nest.
A good technique and careful handling will ensure the success of introducing a
new queen into the colony. Other factors can also play a part, such as
environment conditions, changing seasons, the availability of food, and
beekeeper competence.
6. Raising Queen Bees
The success of the colony depends largely on the quality of the queen. As a
beekeeper you may notice a difference in the production of honey from one
colony to the next. The difference in production can depend on several factors,
one of which is the queen. Beekeepers call this trait as "queenlessness". When
the queen is in the state does less brood rearing, drone layers and shows
queenlessness, must be replaced. When beekeepers spot this condition going
on in one of his colonies he will, what is known as "requeen " the colony.
Requeening is basically introducing a new queen into the colony. Although
queen bees can be purchased from commercial beekeepers, but prefer to raise
the queen themselves in order to continue with a queen of the strain or stock of
previous queens that has produced so much success in his colonies. Purchasing
queen bees from a commercial beekeeper does not guarantee a queen of from a
good strain.
When rearing queens, it is best to use larvae that are under 24 hours old.
Larvae of this age have not been exposed to the worker's diet. It is important
that the future queen larvae be fed queen jelly. Queens are raised from the
same fertilized eggs as the worker bees. When the eggs are newly hatched, they
are neither a queen nor a worker bee. Once the hatched larvae is 3 days old
pollen is introduced into the diet of the larvae destined to become worker bees.
On the other hand, the hatched larvae destined to become queen bees are raised
in what is known as the queen cell which has been specially built.
There are requirements to raising a good queen. The needs to be an ample
supply of nectar and good quality pollen, as well as an abundance of sexually
mature, high-quality drones for mating with the newly emerge virgin queens.
There must be suitable weather for mating of the drones and the queens. There
needs to be a good queen mother to breed from, whose offspring worker bees
(and colonies) seem to have the qualities desired, such as gentle temperament,
disease resistance, low swarming tendency and excellent honey production.
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This is a summary of the steps to be taken for queen raising. A starter colony
must be established for the beginning of raising queen cells. A cell building
colony must be established. Then there is the grafting of the honey bee larvae.
Last but not lest the transferring the mature queen cells to honey bee nucleus
colonies for the mating stage.
As a starter colony, choose a strong two-story colony that is headed by a two-
year old queen. It will be necessary to locate and temporarily remove the
queen along with the comb she is sitting on with bees, to a spare empty 8-frame
box or nucleus hive. Then the 2-story hive needs to move about 2 meters to the
rear of its original site.
Now you can prepare the starter colony by placing an empty box with a bottom
board and the lid on the bottom of the hive. Four combs of unsealed brood
with the adult bees from the two-story hive must be moved to the empty hive.
Also place a comb of unsealed honey and pollen with bees on each side of the
brood. Fill in the rest of the empty box with empty combs.
Take another 2 or 3 other brood combs with extra young bees and shake them
into the 2-story hive. Add a feeder of sugar syrup to the starter colony. Since
the bees will be what is known as "queenless", the nurse bees in the starter
colony will be stimulated to feed and produce more brood food. Return the 2
years old queen and her comb to the bottom box of the 2-story hive.
The cell builder colony is another important step in raising queen bees. The aim
of this procedure is to create a situation under which bees will carefully nurture
the young, developing queens. You will want to select a cell builder colony
that is a strong colony that fully occupies a large hive. A 3-story hive will
work to your best advantage, by reducing the available space to two hives.
Confine the queen to the bottom box. This brood chamber should be equipped
with an equal amount of brood and empty drawn cells for the queen to lay eggs.
Two combs of very young larvae should be placed in the center of the super
(the hive body) and fill in the remaining space with combs of honey and pollen.
It is necessary to place the combs of unsealed honey and pollen along side of
the combs of unsealed larvae. This makes it look like a natural brood nest.
With the queen being confined, it will prevent her from entering into the super.
Recruited nurse bees will feed the unsealed larvae in the super. The bees will
soon become aware the queen is not occupying the nest. This begins the
impulse of the nurse bees taking the steps to rear a new queen. This is the type
of environment you will want to place newly grafted or started cells to be
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introduced for rearing. You will want to leave the cell building colony for 24
hours before inserting the newly grafted or started cells.
You will want to leave a space between the two brood combs in the super. The
space needs to be wide enough to fit a cell bar. A cell bar is a wooden strip that
holds queen cups for rearing queens.
If possible, it is best not to rear queen during a heavy honey flow. A light
nectar flow with ample pollen, preferably a mixture of pollens, is the best
condition for rearing queens. If supplementary feeding becomes necessary,
always use a mixture of 2 parts sugar to 1 part water for sugar syrup to simulate
nectar. Never use diluted honey.
Grafting is the process of removing worker larvae from its cell and placing it
into an artificial queen cup for rearing the larvae into a queen. You start the
grafting process by preparing the bars of cells by sticking 20 plastic cups onto a
wax covered board. The bar must be placed into a hive for at least 24 hours
before grafting. During this time the bees will clean and condition the cell
cups.
You will need a grafting tool to transfer larvae. Each larva is floating on a little
raft of royal jelly and must be placed undisturbed into the bottom of the
conditioned cups. The grafting tool must be able to follow the curve of the
bottom of the cup to allow it to be inserted under the back of the tiny floating
larva without touching it.
The best conditions to graft in is cool temperatures and well fed larvae, the
priming of the cell cups with diluted royal jelly should not be necessary. Do
not graft in very hot weather or in low humidity. The larvae could potential be
damaged by dehydration. Only graft larvae that are under 24 hours of age from
hatching and are floating on a good amount of royal jelly. Never expose the
larvae to direct sunlight and work as quickly as possible.
The grafted larvae should be placed into an abundance of nurse bees that are far
enough away from a queen that they will attempt rear all the cells. The age of
the nurse bees ranges from 9 days to 12 days after they have emerged from a
cell. It is always important to have a large number of replacement young bees
available to the colony in order to provide nurse bees. The production of royal
jelly depends on an ample supply of pollen or pollen substitutes. Lack of
pollens leads to smaller, less well-fed larvae and queens. Also, the nurse bees
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will lose their body reserves of stored nutrients and become susceptible to
disease.
It is very important to record the day the cells were grafted and the day the
queens are due to emerge. A queen will emerge 16 days after the egg was laid,
or 13 days after the egg hatches into a larva. Since the larva was grafted at 24
hours old, the queen will emerge 12 days later. If one of the queens emerge
early, she will kill all the remaining cells. It is best if the cells are left until the
day before they are due to emerge, it is then possible to move the cells from the
cell build colony to the nuclei.
When you are transporting the cells to the nuclei, the cells must be handled
gently to avoid damage to the immature queens. Make the transition to the
mating yard. Do not shake or jar the combs or bars with cells, and avoid
turning the cells from the natural position. Do not allow them to be exposed to
direct sunlight, and because the queen nymph is susceptible to cold do not
allow the cells out of the hive too long, or exposed to cold winds or a chilly
atmosphere.
Cells should be distributed to the mating yard as soon as possible after the
nucleus colony has set up. You do not want too much time to lapse or the bees
in the nucleus will start building cells. It will be necessary to destroy all of
these cells before inserting the raised cells into the nuclei. Only one cell is
given to a nucleus. A wet, sharp knife can be used to separate adjoining cells
on the cell bar. Each cell must be carefully removed from the bar and placed
into the nucleus hive. First a side comb is removed from the nucleus to allow
room for manipulation. A small depression is pressed into the face of the
center brood comb and t he plastic base of the cell gently pressed into it.
Mark every nucleus with a date the young queen is due to emerge and the
mother queen she was bred from should be noted. A virgin queen will mate
and start laying about 10 days after she has emerged from the cell. In the fall
this period can continue longer than the normal time. Do not open or move the
nucleus during the mating period. It is important that the virgin queen start
mating. The mating takes place while she is flying in the open and not in the
hive. The mating does not begin until the queen is sexually mature. This takes
place 5 to 6 days after emerging. The queen must mate within 20 days, if not
she will remain infertile. Most of the queen rears will destroy all the queens
that fail to lay on time, except in the fall when mating and expected laying time
can be extended because of cooler weather.
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7. Using Nectar Substitutes
Plants have a glandular secretion, called nectar, which usually collects at the
base of the flowers. Bees depend on this nectar for their source of energy.
Honeybees dehydrate nectar to produce honey because it contains a low to
moderate concentration of sugar. If a little pollen is incorporated into it, there
can be barely measurable amounts of proteins, vitamins and other nutrients in
the nectar.
There is two different ways bees use nectar. The nectar will work as a
substitute for water, used to dilute brood food and air condition the hive. The
bees can also ripen the nectar to become a stored resource for carbohydrate.
The nectar substitute can also be used in either one of those ways, but the
beekeeper use different sugar concentrations for different purposes.
Inspections of the colony should be conducted about every ten days during
early and late spring. A beekeeper must stay aware of the conditions of the
colony and the inspections will accomplish this. During the early spring the
beekeeper must be aware of the food supply and if it is enough. During the late
spring the beekeeper must be attentive to the possibility of swarming to keep it
under control. Every inspection should inform the beekeeper if the bees have
adequate food to get them through the times of bad weather. If they have
enough to get them through until the next inspection, the beekeeper will again
check their supply. If not, then the bees will have to be fed.
In the spring beekeepers will always feed the bees a pollen substitute and if the
bees need to be fed sugar syrup. The sugar syrups fed early in the season are
used for brood rearing. Feeding sugar usually stimulates egg laying and the
syrup is usually a "light" syrup mixed with 1 part sugar and 1 par water. A
heavy syrup, a mixture of 2 parts sugar and 1 part water, is fed late in the
season to ensure adequate winter food supplies. They are stored as ripened
syrup. If a medicated treatment is needed in the fall, feed for weight first, and
then top off the colony with medicated syrup. There are beekeepers who use
high fructose corn syrup to feed their bees, but they do not usually dilute the
syrup regardless of the season. There are some levels of hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF) that will increase over time, especially with heat. HMG is toxic to
honeybees at high enough concentrations.
It is best to feed the syrup to each colony individually. Every colony should
receive its full share regardless of the size of the colony. It is best to feed in the
evening, after the bees have settled down for the day. If there is a sudden
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abundance of syrup, bees will interpret this as an opportunity for robbing, by
feeding after flying has ceased; the potential robbers find a source at home.
Don't spill any on the hive, this will attract ants and robbing bees.
8. Using Pollen Substitutes
Pollen is a source of protein, vitamins, mineral and some carbohydrates for
honeybees. One pollen alone does not provide a bee with all the nutrients they
need to stay healthy, so a variety of pollens are needed to provide them will all
the nutrients they need. Without these nutrients, bees would not be able to
produce the royal jelly required to feed the queen and rear brood. If the
weather will not allow the bees to leave the hive for several days to collect
pollen, and there is very little stored in the combs, it will be necessary the
beekeeper to feed the bees a pollen substitute. At the same time the beekeeper
will feed them sugar syrup.
The main ingredient used in making a pollen substitute is brewer's yeast. The
yeast can be fed to the bees dry, but the bees can better utilize the yeast when it
is made into patties with the consistency of peanut butter. The yeast is often
mixed with 50% sucrose syrup to moisten the patties. The patties are wrapped
in wax paper or placed inside plastic bags to keep them moist. The beekeepers
that use the high fructose corn syrup will mix the patties using that syrup.
Other ingredients can be added to the patties that offer more nutrients than the
yeast and syrup mixture alone. Beekeepers will add casein, lactalbumin or soy
flour to their mixtures. If the beekeeper uses the casein and lacatalbumin it is
necessary for them to watch out for lactose and over two- percent sodium.
When the beekeepers use soy flour, they try to get the "debittered" soy flour
that has been processed and retains some lipids, and toasted to knock out
enzymes that interfere with the bees' digestion. Always make sure to check the
data on the soy flour. The beekeeper will want to determine if the soy is a
"high sucrose" variety or contains mostly stachyose. Stachyose is toxic to bees.
Beekeepers will sometimes add a "feed yeast" like Torula to the pollen mixture
to enhance the nutrients in the substitute. Most of them don't use it because of
the high cost.
Pollen substitutes do not increase brood production as well as pollen sources
brought in by the bees themselves. Because of the pollen substitute brood
rearing will not stop all together should the weather stay bad for a while. A
beekeeper will have a fatter bee when using a pollen substitute. There are some
areas where pollen is scarce in the late summer and fall. If the beekeeper feeds
17. 17 | P a g e
the bees pollen substitute for a fatter bee, a fatter bee will winter better and rear
more brood the next spring than their non-fed counterparts.
Bees are not fond of pollen substitutes. It must be place directly in contact with
the bees and as close to the brood as possible. As long as the bees are bringing
in a trickle of pollen the substitute will be eaten. If there is no pollen being
brought in, the substitute will be ignored and will spoil over time. There are
some commercially formulated pollen substitutes on the market that claim the
pollen substitute is so attractive to the bees that they will eat it anytime the
substitute is offered. No one has investigated those claims.
9. Keeping Bees in a Suburban Area
If you want to keep bees in a populated area, you will need to know the basics
of bee biology, property rights, and human psychology. It can be done with
very few problems. Even in a city it is possible for bees to find enough pollen
to feed them and produce a honey crop at harvest.
Beekeepers in the suburbs and cities need to manage their bees so they do not
create a problem for the neighbors. Measures can be takes to alter the keep the
bees from becoming a nuisance to other people. To do this we need to
understand the circumstances, which cause bees to bother other people.
The bees flight pattern is one of the ways bees can be a problem for other
people. When the bees leave their hives to gather food, they will fly 3-4 feet
off the ground. You can prevent them from crossing paths of people walking in
their flight path by planting a hedge or building a fence at least 6 feet tall. This
forces the bees to fly above the fence. The hives can also be placed on the
rooftop, which starts them out flying at a higher level than most people walk.
Fence, hedges, and rooftops also provide seclusion, which is very important.
By keeping bees out of sight, they will not be the target of vandalism or theft,
also keeping bees out of sight will alleviate worried neighbors.
To keep the bees happy, it is important for their hives have to be in a certain
condition. A good location is for the hive to be in full sun all day, shaded bees
will be more aggressive. The hives should be dry and the bottom boards angled
so that water runs out of the hives. The hives need to be elevated with hive
stands to keep the bees off the ground and to allow for airflow to keep the
bottom board dry. Also, with the hives 4 to 6 inches off the ground will make
it less likely for grass and weeds to obstruct the view.
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If you live in a congested area, a top entrance is probably not a good idea,
especially during the summer. When ever a hive with a top entrance is opened
and hive bodies moved, hundreds of confused bees will be fling around because
their entrance is gone. This will probably worry you and your neighbors. By
providing only a bottom entrance, and working from the side or from behind
the hive, the bees are not impeded from flying home even when all the upper
boxes are removed. Always keep the equipment in good repair. You don't want
the cracks or chips in the hives providing extra holes for flight.
A bee only stings as a defense against intruders that might want to cause harm
to the hive. Whenever a hive is open, the bees are in their most dangerous
state.
During a nectar flow, many of the older workers will be in the field hunting for
food. This is the best time to examine the colony. During the summer more
bees will be in the hive and the situation can change, especially between the
nectar flows. There can be some robbing going on at this time, which will
make the bees even more defensive at any intrusion to their hive. Leaving the
colony open for more than a few minutes can accelerate a robbing as can
leaving cappings or honey exposed. It will become a necessity to reduce the
entrance of a weak colony to prevent stronger hives attempt to rob from it. A
honey flow will reduce the likelihood of robbing.
The mood of the bees can have a lot to do with the weather or the time of day.
On the days of rainy weather, cool temperatures, early in the morning or late in
the afternoon will be more likely to make them angry and they will attack.
Always inspect them on warm, sunny days in the middle of the day when most
of the bees are foraging.
Keep a constant warm water supply for the bees to cool the hive and dilute
honey to feed t heir young. They will collect water from the closest water
source. If you do not have a constant supply of shallow water for the bees, they
will look for it somewhere else, like the neighbor's pool, birdbath or wading
ponds. The bees are more likely to drown in those sources. If you have a water
supply for them when they first fly out in spring, they will not go anywhere else
for water. Once they find a water source, it is hard to keep them from going
back to it.
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A beekeeper must keep the bees in control every time the hive is open. A
typical hive can house thousands of workers all capable of stinging. There are
measures a beekeeper can take in the open that he can not take in the city
because of the closeness of other people.
Smoke is the most important tool for the beekeeper opening a hive. Smoke
should be used in moderation, but the smoker should be capable of producing
large volumes of smoke on short notice. The beekeeper must smoke the
entrance of the hive, under the cover, and periodically smoke the frames while
the hive is open. Try not to jar the hive or the frames as that may anger the
bees, which will make it hard for a beekeeper to do his work. The beekeeper
must work quickly and carefully. By going through the frames several times a
year, the beekeeper keeps the frames movable. Remove any excess combs.
10. About Bacterial Diseases
There are two bacterial diseases that beekeepers must be on the lookout for
they are American Foulbrood and European Foulbrood.
The American Foulbrood, also known as AFB, is the most serious of the
bacterial diseases of honeybee brood and is caused by the bacterium
Paenibacillus larvae. This disease is started and can be transferred only in the
spore stage. The reason for the seriousness of the disease is the spores can
remain alive and last for an undetermined length of time on beekeeper's
equipment. It is highly contagious and spreads easily via contaminated
equipment, hive tools, and beekeeper's hands. The best way to handle the
American Foulbrood is to avoid it at all possibilities.
To detect the disease, examine the larvae. Normal healthy larvae are white, but
the infected broods turn chocolate-brown and melt into a gooey mass on the
floor of the cell. The colonies will display a "pepper box symptom" as the
disease progresses. The "pepper box symptom" is when the bees are capping
the cells, the brood capping are perforated and sunken into the cell. When the
larvae are brown and have not formed a hardened scale, the symptom of
ropiness can be demonstrated. To do this, poke at stick into this mass, moisten
it and withdraw it from the cell. The contents will draw out like melted cheese,
the ropiness, if AFB is present. As the dead larvae dries, it becomes a black
scale that sticks tightly to the cell floor. These scales are difficult to remove
and are site for re-infection. A single scale can contain one billion spores. It
only takes 35 spores to trigger the disease. These scales are difficult to see and
easily missed when purchasing used equipment. If you are around a colony
20. 20 | P a g e
that is extremely infected with American Foulbrood, it will emit a foul odor
like a chicken coop. The colony dwindles and eventually collapses as more and
more brood become infected and dies.
The beekeeper has an advantage if new equipment and tools can be purchased,
install packaged bees and maintain them in total isolation from other apiaries,
hive collections. Of course, this is not realistic or practical, but it always makes
good sense to practice sanitation, such as washing hands and hive tools
regularly. Avoid using hive equipment of unknown history, and avoid feeding
bees honey from an unknown source.
It is possible to breed bees that are genetically resistant to American Foulbrood
and other diseases. One of the most important characteristics is the disease
resistant bees is the ability to detect and remove from the colony abnormal cells
of brood. The resistant queens are available from nationally advertised queen
breeders. You will find the advertisements in the "American Bee Journal",
"Bee Culture", and "Speedy Bee".
European Foulbrood, also known as EFB, is another of the bacterial diseases
that effect the honeybee brood. There are some differences between the
European Foulbrood and the American Foulbrood. The colonies infected with
the American Foulbrood sometimes recover from the infection. The symptoms
can sometimes be mistaken for those of the American Foulbrood, but there are
some important differences. Instead of being a normal healthy white, the larvae
with European Foulbrood are off-white, progressing into a brown, and are
twisted in various positions in the cell. Larvae with European Foulbrood
usually die before they are capped whereas with American Foulbrood die after
they are capped.
The sanitation precautions recommended in the section on American Foulbrood
also apply to the European Foulbrood. Bee stocks that are bred for resistance
to diseases can be expected to minimize outbreaks of European Foulbrood.
There are times at the onset of a strong nectar flow that the disease will go
away on its own. The beekeeper may be able to control the disease by
stimulating a nectar flow and by requeening the colony.
There is a preventative measure that can be used on either the American
Foulbrood or the European Foulbrood, and is periodical treatments of the
veterinary antibiotic TerramycinJ. It is fed as a mixture in either powdered
sugar, sugar syrup, or in vegetable oil extender patties. It is very important to
21. 21 | P a g e
never feed the antibiotic within four weeks of a nectar flow to avoid
contamination honey for human consumption.
The use of TerramycinJ in European Foulbrood infected colonies may actually
be counter productive because the medication permits those infected larvae to
survive when they would have died. These survivors then are in the colony as a
source of recontamination. If the infected larvae die instead, the house bees
eject them from the hive and with them the source of the infection. The
bacterium does not form long-surviving spores that will stay on the hive
surfaces.
There has been recent evidence of the disease becoming resistant to the
antibiotic. One of the suspected causes is the use of the oil extender patties as a
method of medicating the bees. If the bees do not consume the patties rapidly,
it leads to the antibiotic staying in the hive for weeks or even months. Until the
use of the oil extender patties in the 1990's, resistance was not a problem.
Beekeepers are now being told to remove uneaten patties after a month.
Sacbrood is a virus infection that is like a cold in humans. There is no known
cure at this time. The best preventive measure is sanitation. Comb
replacement and requeening the colony is the best response to the infection.
Beekeepers do not consider sacbrood a serious threat, however one larva killed
by the sacbrood virus contains enough virus to kill over one million larvae.
More research needs to be done on the sacbrood virus. It is unknown how the
virus is transmitted to the larvae in nature, why severe outbreaks occur only
during build-up season, or how the virus seems to return year after year.
Symptoms of sacbrood are partially uncapped cells scattered about the frame or
capped cells that remain sealed after others have emerged. Diseased bees
inside the cells will have darkened heads, which curl upward. The dead
prepupa resembles a slipper inside the cell. Diseased prepupae fail to pupate
and turn from pearl white to pale yellow to light brown and finally, dark brown.
The skin is loose and flabby and the body watery. The dark brown bee
becomes a wrinkled, brittle scale that is easily removed from the cells.
11. About Viruses and Fungal Diseases
Chronic Bee Paralysis is another of the viral infections that can plague a bee
colony. Like all of the other bee viruses there is no cure or medication that can
be taken to eliminate the infection, the only preventative measure is sanitation.
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There are clearly defined symptoms with the Chronic Bee Paralysis. It only
effects the adult bees. The symptoms are an abnormal trembling in the wings
and body, the bee's inability to fly which forces them to crawl on the ground
and crawl up the blade of grass in front of the hive. The abdomens will be
bloated and the wings will be partially spread or seem dislocated. The infected
bees will appear shiny and greasy because of the lack of hair, which has been
confused with robbing bees. Also, the infected adult bees are chewed on by the
other bees and harassed by the guard bees at the entrance to the hive, which is
also confused with signs of robbing. Adult bees will die within a few days of
the onset of the disease. The virus is spread from bee to bee by prolonged
bodily contact or rubbing which causes many hairs to break exposing live
tissue. The virus can not be transmitted by food exchange of the bees. It takes
many millions of virus particles are required to cause paralysis when given to a
bee in food. Requeening is a good practice if symptoms appear.
Another virus that bees are susceptible to is the Black queen cell virus. It is
associated with Nosema disease and causes the death of queen larvae or
prepupae after their cells are sealed. Th larva will then turn black along with
the walls of the cell. Treating colonies with Fumidil-B to control Nosema
may help keep prevent this disease.
A fungal disease that plagues the bee colonies is called Chalkbrood. The
fungus that causes Chalkbrood is called Ascosphaera apis; it was discovered
here in the United States in 1968. The fungus spores must be ingested in order
for infection to occur. It only infects larvae 3 or 4 days old. There are no
chemical treatments for this disease. However, bee breeding and good
management can control it. The infected larvae are quickly covered with the
white cotton-like mycelium of the fungus, which eventually fills the entire cell.
The white/gray mass soon will harden into a hard, shrunken mummy, which is
easily removed from the cell. The larvae in the cell will look like a piece of
chalk.
The bee bred to be resistant to this disease can help minimize outbreaks of t his
disease. Another way to cut down on the number of outbreaks of the disease is
to maintain a warm, dry hive interior. If the hives are drafty, damp, lying in
low spots or in heavily overgrown area, they are more susceptible to
chalkbrood disease. Rain water need to run out of the hive instead of
accumulating, so stand the hive with it leaning forward slightly. If a hive gets
moist, prop the lid of the hive open to air out the interior. Old equipment
should be replaced or repaired if it has large holes that permit entry of moisture
and drafts.
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There is a possibility of genetic susceptibility or old combs that are harboring
spores of the disease if the colonies have recurring problem with the disease
that are not easily traced to season or management practices. Old combs should
be replaced periodically to improve brood production.
12. About Varroa Mites
Varroa mites were first discovered in the United States in 1987, and then the
mites were detected in North Carolina three years later. The mites have since
spread throughout the rest of the country. They are considered to be the most
serious pest of honeybees worldwide. Infested colonies will die within 1 to 2
years unless the beekeeper takes the necessary actions to rid the colony of the
mites.
The Varroa mites are external parasites of the drone and worker bees. They
prefer drones, but will infect the workers also. Varroa mites are visible with
the naked eye and look somewhat like a tick. The mated female moves into a
brood cell with older bee larvae. Mites will feed on the larvae food or puncture
the larval body and feed on the bee's blood. The mated female mite will lay an
egg every 36 hours on the side of the cell. The first egg will be unfertilized and
develop into a male. The other eggs are fertilized will hatch into females. The
young mites feed on the developing pupa. The young females will then mate
with the male and emerge from the cell when the bee emerges. The female
mites will then enter another cell or attach themselves to an adult bee to feed
on. The Varroa mites are transported from colony to colony by drifting or
robbing bees.
There are visible symptoms of the damage from the mites on the newly
emerged bees, which is due to the mites feeding on the immature bee in the
cell. The newly emerged bee will be smaller than normal, have crumpled or
disjointed wings, and shortened abdomens. The life span of the infected bee is
also shortened. Severe infestations from the mite within the cell, which is
several mated adult female mites in one cell, can cause death to the pupa.
Other symptoms of mite infestations are the rapid decline of the colony,
reduced adult bee population, evacuation of the hive by crawling bees, queen's
lack of performance, spotty brood, and abnormal brood.
Detection is the first step to control. There are methods used to detect the
presence of the Varroa mites as follows:
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Extract drone brood when present and visually examine larvae and cells for
mites. There are visible against a light-colored background.
Fill a quart jar about 1/4 full of live bees. Cover and insert a 2-second blast
from an aerosol ether-based engine starter fluid or aerosol oil cooking spray.
Shake the jar for 20 seconds. Turn the jar on its side and rotate slowly and look
for mites clinging to the sides of the jar. If you do not spot any mites, remove
the bees and rinse in alcohol. Shake and remove the bees so you can examine
the alcohol.
The best and most reliable method is to use Apistan@ (fluvalinate) strips or
US: Check Mite+ strips. Place a piece of waxed or white paper sprayed with
aerosol oil cooking spray and covered with 8-8 squares/inch of mesh wire on
the bottom board. Insert strips according to label directions. Check the paper
in one hour. If there are no mites, check again the next day.
You can request a free inspection from you local NCDA bee inspector.
Never treat during a nectar flow because the chemicals can contaminate the
honey and never leave strips in hives after the recommended time this can
cause sublethal doses of the chemical. However, if mites are detected, you may
need to treat to save your colony.
In recent years mite have become resistant to Apistan strips and has become a
problem throughout the world. Therefore, rotating chemical, delaying
treatment and using cultural control are recommended to manage mites in a
more bearable fashion.
Delaying treatment can be accomplished if you monitor the level of Varroa
mite infestation in your colonies. There are ways to check the colony for the
number of mites present. Knowing the level of infestation in your colonies will
help you determining whether treat is required immediately or if it can wait
until after the nectar flow season has passed.
13. About Tracheal Mites
First detected in the United States in 1984 the Tracheal mite has caused the loss
of tens of thousands of colonies and millions of dollars. The tracheal mite will
infest the tracheal system of the adult honey bee, they prefer adult bees less
than four days old. Levels seem to be at the highest during the winter and
spring. Once they are on the bee, the mites are attracted to the carbon dioxide
25. 25 | P a g e
exhaled and enter the spiracles located on the thorax, which lead to the tracheal
system. They will puncture the wall of the trachea and suck the blood of the
bee. Once in the tracheal system the mites live, breed and la eggs. The adult
and the eggs plug the tubes of the trachea, which impairs oxygen intact of the
bee. Since they puncture the trachea in order to feed, they will spread
secondary diseases and pathogens. The bee dies from the disruption to
respiration damage to the trachea, and from the loss of blood. Once over 30
percent of the population are infected with tracheal mites, honey production
may be reduced. The likelihood of winter survival decreases with increasing
infestation of the mite. Mites are transmitted from bee to bee within a colony
by robbing or drifting bees.
Infested bees will be seen leaving the colony and crawling on the grass just
outside the hive. They will crawl up the blades of grass or the hive, fall back
down and try again. The wings will be disjointed and the bees will be unable to
fly. If you are unsure about a tracheal mite infestation, send sample bees in
alcohol to your local county extension agent for verification.
One method of preventing tracheal mites is an oil extender patty. It consists of
two parts sugar to one part vegetable shortening. Make a small patty about four
inches in diameter. Sandwich it between was paper. Cut the wax paper around
the edges so the bees have access to the patty. Place the patty on top of the
frames in the center within the hive body. The bees will be attracted to the
sugar and get oil on their body. The oil makes it difficult for the mites to
identify suitable bee hosts. The oil patties will not contaminate the honey
supply so they can be used for prolonged periods.
There is one other method for controlling tracheal mite infestations. Menthol
can be used and is available in most bee supply stores. The temperature must
be above 60F in order for the menthol to work. The bees breathe the vapor,
which dehydrates the mites. Menthol must be removed during a nectar flow so
that the honey is not contaminated.
14. The Small Hive Beetle
You will find the adult and larvae of the small hive beetle are found in active
beehives and stored bee equipment where they feed on pollen and honey. The
small hive beetle is native to Africa where it requires 38-81 days to develop
from egg to adult. Beetle larvae on not spin webs or cocoons in the beehive but
rather pupate in the ground outside the hive. This first record of this beetle in
26. 26 | P a g e
the Western Hemisphere was determined from a commercial apiary in Florida
in May 1998.
The small hive beetle behaved as a scavenger of weakened colonies in Africa.
They were relegated to secondary pest status. Here in Florida, it has not been
the case. The apiaries suffered extensive damage and colony loss. Beetle
larvae tunneled through combs, killing bee brood and ruining combs. Bees in
Florid have abandoned combs and entire colonies once they are infested. The
beetles would defecate in the honey causing it to ferment, producing a frothy
mess in supers and honey houses. Honey contaminated can no longer be sold
and cannot be used as bee feed. In heavily infested apiaries in Florida, larvae
could be seen crawling out of the colony entrances or across honey house floors
by the thousands trying to reach soil to dig in and complete their development.
It has been causes for some concern regarding the beetles’ behavior in Florida
compared to its behavior in Africa.
The following precautions are suggested to help maintain control of the beetle.
1. Make sure the area around the honey house is clean. Extract honey from
filled supers as soon as possible rather than let them stand too long.
Leaving the cappings exposed for too long is another bad idea. Beetles can
multiple rapidly in stored honey, because the honey is away from the
protective bees.
2. Avoid stacking infested supers in strong colonies.
3. Notice when *supering colonies are making splits, exchanging combs or use
of *Porter bee escapes can spread the beetles or provide room for beetles to
become established away from the cluster of protective bees.
4. Watch colonies for sanitary behavior, such as bees showing the ability of
ridding themselves of the larvae and adult small hive beetle. Breed queen
lines found to be beetle resistant.
5. See if it is possible to trap the beetle larvae as they make the trek to reach
the soil. Moving colonies might be useful in keeping a beetle population
from growing. The beetle may be adverse to certain soils. In this case fire
ants may be a predator for the beetle larvae as they are pupating.
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6. Bees will not normally clean-up equipment or supers full of beetle-
fermented honey. Bees, however, will finish the job after the beekeeper fist
washes out as much honey as possible with a high-pressure hose.
7. By treating the soil in front of the affected hive with a soil insecticide the
larvae may not reach adult stage.
8. Treat colonies with Check Mite+ beehive pest control strip according to
label instructions.
*Supering - the filling of the supers with excess honey
*Porter bee escape - originally designed to clear bees from supers that were to
be extracted.
15. About Nosema
Nosema is the most widespread of the adult honey bee diseases. A single
celled animal named Nosema apis, a small, unicellular parasite specific to the
honeybee, causes it. Nosema cannot exist in a laboratory culture, as with most
bacteria and fungi. It will only thrive and multiply in the epithelial cells of the
honey bee ventriculus which causes dysentery. Queens, drones and workers
are all susceptible to Nosema. The spores of the Nosema must be ingested for
the bee to be infected. The spore takes root in the midgut, where they will
penetrate a midgut cell and grow by absorbing nutrients from that cell. The
parasite will increase in size until it is large enough to divide in half. Each new
parasite will continue to feed on the nutrients of the cell until they are depleted.
In a matter of time, about 6 to 10 days, 100 new spores are formed in the
infected cell. The infected cell when depleted of all the nutrients ruptures
releasing all the newly formed spores into the midgut to start the process again.
The damaged intestinal tissue is susceptible to secondary diseases. Dysentery
is a common symptom of this disease. You will be able to spot the dysentery
on the outside of the hive by the little brown spots, but the diseased bees will
also defecate inside the hive. contaminating combs with millions of infectious
spores. The disease is spread to other colony members through fecal matter.
Nosema having infected one bee will be spread to others in the colony. The
disease lowers the life span of the bees. If you have a colony of bees infected
with Nosema in late fall, come spring it is likely that most of the colony will
have died off.
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Nosema is a difficult disease to diganose without using laboratory equipment.
Decapitating a bee and pulling out the last abdominal segments usually will
remove the intestinal tract while still intact. An infected midgut will become
swollen, whitish and lose its visible constrictions. However, other causes of
dysentery, such as ingesting honeydew, fermented syrups, etc. can result in
similar intestinal changes.
Treatment for Nosema is based on the most appropriate times to prevent comb
contamination and to prevent the development of disease in bees that clean up
fecal deposits from combs while they are still trying to expand the brood nest.
A few bees are always infected, but the diseased late season bees are the only
one of any concern. If they develop high levels of infection, they defecate on
the combs in October, November, and December, and then they die. The use of
fumagillin has been field tested by some beekeepers with acceptable results.
When treating use the manufacturer's instructions.
16. About the Disappearing Bees
News agencies started reporting on a disturbing phenomenon in the bee
population, in the spring of 2007. It was reported beekeepers were visiting
their hives to discover that their bees had disappeared. The queen and a few
newly hatched bees were all that remained. The presence of predators feeding
on the bees did not leave any evidence of having been there. There was no
evidence of dead bees from bee diseases either. Based on the lack of evidence,
it seemed unlikely that the bees had gotten sick and died. However, many
beekeepers reported that moths, animals, and other bees steered clear of the
newly emptied nests. This is a normal reaction when bees die from disease or
chemical contamination.
The news reports were alarming. They described beekeepers losing more than
half of their bees and explained the importance of honeybees in the pollination
of food crops. Some of the articles implied with the disappearance of the bees
widespread starvation would follow. The disappearing of bees or otherwise
called "Colony Collapse Disorder: is a real phenomenon. It has the potential to
impact food and honey production, but it is more complex than it has been
reported. The colony collapse disorder has had an effect primarily on the
domestic, commercial honeybees. These bees are raised exclusively for
producing honey and pollinating crops. It also seems to effect bees from hives
that are moved from place to place to pollinate crops. Of the overall bee
population, the commercial honeybees make up only a small portion.
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Africanized honeybees, along with other types of bees, do not seem to be
affected.
Also, this is not the first time the honeybee population has suddenly and
unexpectedly declined. In the last 100 years beekeepers have reported sharp
decreases in their hive populations several time. In 1915, beekeepers in several
states reported substantial bee losses. The condition became known as the
"Disappearing Disease". It was not named for the bees disappearing, but
because the condition was limited and did not happen again.
Researchers never determined the cause for Disappearing Disease or the
declines in bee population, and the causes are still unclear today for the colony
collapse disorder. Several possibilities have been ruled out because they are
not present in all of the affected colonies. The bees in the affected colonies
were all feed using different methods, mites and other pests were controlled in
a different way. The bees did not even come from the same supplier. The work
group investigating the phenomenon does not suspect genetically altered crops
to be the problem.
There are some theories on the causes of colony collapse disorder.
The process of transporting bees over long distances in order to pollinate crops
may cause stress, which has depressed the bees' immune system, exposed them
to additional diseases or affected their navigational abilities.
Mites generally feeding on the bees may be exposing the bees to an unknown
virus. Mites have caused colony collapse in the past, but they have also left
evidence, which is not the case in colony collapse disorders.
One common theory regarding cell phones as the culprit, but it has been
discounted. This theory made the news in April, 2007, "The Independent" who
featured the article about a study being done on the cell phones and linking
them to the bee disappearance, they failed to dig deep enough for their story.
The study was not related to cell phones, but was on the electromagnetic energy
coming from the base units of cordless phones. A cordless phone uses a
different wavelength than the cell phone.
It is unknown exactly where the honeybee species is headed or exactly how the
drop in the population of the bee will affect the world's food supply. The drop
in population in all likelihood not lead to the sudden extinction of the human
race, it is going to have an l effect on what we eat if it continues.
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17. Bee Stings
As a beekeeper you will be subjected to bee stings. They will decrease in time,
as you become more adept at the handling of bees. If you should be stung, you
will need to know what to do. When a bee stings you, the stinger will remain
behind because of the barbs on the stinger. DO NOT pull the stinger out this
only release more of the bee venom into the sting site. Scrap the stinger out.
Use a fingernail or even the hive tool to remove the stinger.
The stinger contains glands that secrete chemicals that is an alarm odor.
Because of this, if you are still around the hives, other bees will either sting the
same area or buzz around it. Puff some smoke on the sting area and remove
yourself away from the hives. Wash the site with water to remove the chemical
causing the odor. Washing isn't usually necessary because by scraping the
stinger away and removing it the alarm chemicals go with it.
You may want to use a sting relief medication on the site, as it will hurt for a
while. Otherwise, a cool compress will provide some relief. There are some
home remedies you can use that will help alleviate the discomfort.
You can apply a solution of 1 part meat tenderizer to 4 parts water. Papain is
the enzyme in meat tenderizer that will break down the protein of the bee
venom, which causes the pain and the itching. Leave this on for no more than
30 minutes.
You can also try antiperspirant; the aluminum chlorohydrate reduces the effects
of the bee venom, but is not as effect.
Applying cold by using ice or cool water for 10 to 30 minutes after the sting
blunts the body's allergic response.
Placing a raw onion on the sting will draw the poison from the wound, helping
you get relief easily
Benadryl or any other antihistamine taken by mouth can give some added
relief, and help prevent the reaction from spreading.
Calamine lotion or hydrocortisone creams can have a similar effect. As will as
making a paste made of baking soda and water, leave on for 10 to 20 minutes.
Pain relievers such as Advil or Tylenol can be administered for pain relief.
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These are just some of the home remedies.
Pain and swelling are common reactions to a bee sting. You are not having an
allergic reaction. After a day or so the sting will itch. Don't scratch because it
will become worse and could get infected. The swelling and itching may
persist for a day or two following the bee sting. You should be over the effect
of the sting in about 4 to 5 days.
If you are having an allergic reaction, you will experience difficulty in
breathing and swallowing, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat, nausea, cramps and
vomiting, shock and headaches. Seek medical attention immediately.
If you receive multiple stings, it may be a sign of aggressive bees. Use your
smoke and close the hive as quickly as possible without causing the bees any
more alarm. If there is a specific reason for the aggressive behavior of the
bees, it may be eliminated. Allow the bees the opportunity to calm down and
they may become more manageable. Multiple stings only create more
discomfort. They are not more severe to anyone even an allergic person, with
the allergic person several stings is just as bad as one sting.
18. The Processing of Honey
If the world were perfect, supers would be removed and taken to the honey
house, to start the processing. Here is this real world the honey can be left in
the super too long. Then you have several dangers to consider. Honey
remaining in the super can be subject to robbing, by insects or mice, damage by
wax moth, and fermentation.
Supers can be stacked in a garage, an outdoor workshop or a room indoors,
provided it is clean, dry and protected from excessive heat. Stored honey can
be tainted by the odors from paint, chemicals and even cooking.
The stored supers with honey are still at risk of dangers from ants, earwigs,
bees and wasps. Plus, physical and chemical changes can take place in honey
that has been in storage for a prolonged length of time.
The main factor in honey is the water content. Honey with more than 21%
water content with the exception of heather or clover honey is not fit for sale,
except for industrial use. Honey when exposed to the air will attract moisture
from the atmosphere and in very dry, warm atmosphere, the honey will lose
water, and the quality will improve. Sign to watch for are watery honey
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running from open cells, bubbly honey, and honey weeping through cappings.
One or more cells in this condition in a super will not ruin the lot. You have
not wasted your time extracting it for human consumption. However, the bees
will readily take it back as a feed, with no ill effects.
A honey room for the purpose of processing honey has some requirements.
First thing is hygiene; Floors and surfaces need to be washable. A toilet facility
needs to be available along with washing facilities. Hot and cold water may
not be imperative, but are strongly recommended. When family and friends
extract honey only for consumption and not sold on the market, the odd bee
wing or lump of wax is not a disaster. However, when it comes to honey for
sale, if unsatisfactory in any way, can bring a visit from a Trading Standards
officer to scrutinize every part of the operation. If keeping bees and wasps out
is a difficult task, to may be worth doing this process at night when the foragers
are not flying. After working during the night, all the honey can be packed
away, supers sealed and equipment washed before enough bees discover the
feast.
The thickness of liquid honey changes with temperature- the higher the
temperature, the runnier the honey. The lower the temperature the thicker the
honey making it difficult or even impossible to remove from the extractor. As
a rule of thumb, the temperature should range between 70F and 95F. The
frames will empty quickly and setting or "ripening" is more, thorough. Air
escapes easily with less froth, and heavier particles drop quickly. The honey
room layout should be planned so that there is an easy flow from one task to the
next. Lifting and moving of supers and frames should be minimized.
Honey and wax will inevitably reach every corner of the room, floor, door
handles, taps-anything touched by foot or hand will be sticky. Throughout the
processing, keep handy one bucket of warm soapy water for washing surfaces.
This will help keep the mess under control, and another container for washing
hands and utensils. Wax is removable with a sharp stick when the room is
cooler.
As a beekeeper just starting out it can be extremely confusing with all the
hives, frames and even bees, and that doesn't even include the honey extracting
equipment. For a beekeeper with only one hive, it may not cost effective to lay
out the money for elaborate equipment. It is perfectly practical to enjoy the
honey crop using basic kitchen tools. Before a super is put on the hive in the
spring, the decision has to be made how to harvest the honey. The options are:
33. 33 | P a g e
a. Cut comb honey.
b. Section honey.
c. Extracted honey.
Cut comb honey is cut out of the frame and packed in 8 oz. and 12 oz. pieces.
It is eaten with the wax comb, and is one of the best ways to present honey as
aromas and flavors are unimpaired by extracting and heating. Granulated
honey in comb is not very attractive to most customers.
To the beginner who does not have access to an extractor, this method is
attractive, because a very small amount of equipment is required. To cut comb
honey the super frames should be fitted with "thin super " or "extra thin"
foundation. A whole sheet is usually used for each frame. A 25 to 50 mm
deep full-width starter strip may be used instead. Cut comb containers
commonly used can comfortably hold a comb about 40 mm
thick.
Examine the frame before cutting to decide which side of the comb has the
better appearance. Lay the frame on a clean tray, and the whole comb cut out
of the frame with a sharp knife. Only the best parts of the comb can be used.
The hollow parts at the edge should not be used and uncapped cells kept to a
minimum. A sharp kitchen knife, a cheese wire, or a stainless steel comb cutter
can be used to cut the combs. All portions of cut comb should stand on a grid
to let the honey drain from the outside cut cells. A piece of comb honey
swimming in its container in liquid honey is poor presentation. Because
heather honey is a gel it can be packaged straight away. The best storage for
comb honey is in a deep freeze, in special plastic boxes, where comb will keep
indefinitely. Freezing packaged comb honey will also kill any wax moth eggs
and larvae. Comb honey stored in any other fashion must be examined
regularly for signs of deterioration. Another development of comb honey is
chunk honey. Chunk honey is a piece of cut comb is put in a jar and
surrounded with a clear runny honey, producing what is am attractive
presentation.
Wax cappings are a valuable by product of extracting. After cappings have
dripped dry, wash them in water to remove all honey. Melt the cappings, strain
the wax through nylon and pour it into bread pans or a similar mold. Supply
companies can render you beeswax bricks into new foundation at considerable
savings.
34. 34 | P a g e
An experience bee craftsman accomplishes section honey. Section honey is the
finest and traditional way of presenting honey. There are tricks and quirks to
this method that demand great attention. If you are interested in learning the
craftsmanship of this type of honey presentation, you will have to get
specialized books or literature on the subject. It is so detailed it can not be
covered and given the justice it deserves in a small publication.
It is possible to extract honey without the assistance of a centrifugal extractor,
by just using basic kitchen implements to cope with one or more supers. It will
be time consuming, sticky and inefficient, but if it means that the beekeeper's
family can obtain some benefit from his or her obsession, it will be worth
while.
This method of extraction requires that the comb, cappings, cells, and honey to
be scraped from the frame. A large table spoon or serving spoon handled
carefully will allow the foundation to be left intact, while both sides are scraped
reasonable dry. A few holes here and there will not matter to the bees who will
patch it up later. The honey and wax should be mashed up in a clean basin or
bucket, then tipped into a sieve or similar strainer and left to drain for at least
overnight, but possible even for days. The wax left in the strainer will still
contain a lot of honey, which is best fed back to the bees, by diluting with
warm water, and putting the mix, wax and liquid, into any kind of feeder.
The warmer the honey the easier it runs. So, prior to the extracting it is best to
warm the honey. A pile of supers with a large amount of honey will not warm
up enough by simply bringing them into a warm room for an hour or so. It
might take as many as two days to do the job. The moisture content of the
honey will be reduced during a warming process. To accomplish the warming
of the honey, it is possible to pile the supers in staggered stacks with a fan
heater directed towards them. There are some drawbacks to keep in mind.
They are:
a. Heating will remove some of the compounds that give the honey its unique
flavor and aroma. Prolonged heat can darken and damage the honey. There
are tests to be used to distinguish overheated honey.
b. The wax will soften making uncapping more difficult, with cell walls
dragged along by the knife. This will happen at 400C, at 450C combs
will soften and collapse, and at 630C wax will melt.
35. 35 | P a g e
Each frame is lifted from the super with one lug located on a bar over a bucket
or tray or tank. The capping is then removed by using a cold knife, cappings
scratcher, cranked uncapping fork, or electric knife. The amount of honey
mixed with the wax cappings will vary, depending on the method used for the
uncappings.
a. The simplest way, is by uncapping into a bucket, basin or uncapping tray
and then by gravity straining with a strainer or sieve. A filter bag, tailored
to a 70 lb. plastic tank is typically used. The honey left in the wax cappings
can be washed out and used for making mead (a honey wine) or fed back to
the bees.
b. Using a heated tray while uncapping, the wax and honey can be separated
and processed at the same time will cut out a lot of the sticky work. The
stainless steel tray has an electrically heated water jacket. Honey will run
down the surface, while the wax is held back and gradually melts. The
honey and the wax will end up in the same bucket. The wax solidifying and
floating on top of the honey will separate the wax from the honey.
There are other processes for separating honey and wax that require elaborate
equipment
19. Equipment used for Honey Processing
Centrifugal extractor is based on the same principal of a centrifuge. The frame
is rotated in order to throw out the honey of the super. As a beginner you may
be able to borrow one or rent one from the local association. If you are
planning on making a purchase of one, you will have some choices to make.
You can choice a tangential or radial, plastic or stainless steel, and manual or
electric.
Let's look at tangential first. In a tangential machine the frames lie almost
against the barrel of the drum. The outer side of the frame is part that empties
when spinning. The machine is evenly loaded. Then it spins until about half
the outer side has been extracted. You will be able to see tiny dots of honey
flying from the frame and hitting the barrel. Turn the frames around so that the
other side of the frame is facing outward. The spin the machine again until all
the honey has spun out. The frame is turned one last time and spun for the final
removal of the honey. This method prevents the combs breaking from the
middle being full and the outer side empty. Each frame does have to be
handled four times and the machine stopped and started 3 times.
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The handling time using this machine is a disadvantage; however, the
extraction of the honey is more thorough than other machines. It is the most
compact extractor available, so therefore cheaper than some other machine. If
you are extracting heather honey, this is the only type of machine to cope with
it.
The frames sit between rings, arranged like the spokes of a wheel in a radial
machine. The extraction takes place on both sides at the same time, so there is
not need to move the frames once they have been loaded. The radial machine
is larger than the tangential machine. This is to ensure that the frames are far
enough from the center to extract evenly. Because of the size of the machine, it
is capable of handling a lot more frames than a tangential. In both machines
there is not major difference in rotation direction, but the electric radial
machines have a reverse position to remove a little more honey from the cells
and dry out the combs.
The traditional material used in the construction of the machines is usually tin-
plated steel. A good quality tin-plated steel will last for many years unless it
starts rusting. Once the machine starts rusting there is very little to be done
about the rust. The barrel can no longer be used for the processing of a food
product. The tin-plated extractors have been replaced with plastic and stainless
steel barrels. If you get a choice, stainless steel is more durable than plastic.
If you are only extracting honey from two or three hives, a manual extractor
will do the job. If you have a considerable amount of hives, the manual
machine can become extremely tiring to use. When it comes to making a
choice, it may depend on the money available, the stamina and the outlook of
the beekeeper. The electric extractor will not only save you labor, but also
reduces the time taken. The beekeeper could be uncapping while the extractor
is running with the previous load.
Start Practical Beekeeping & Discover Honey Bee Secrets
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References
The hive and the honey bee (1992). Edited by J. Graham. Published by Dadant
and Sons, Hamilton, Illinois, USA
Queen rearing (1962). By H. Laidlaw and J. Eckert. University Press, Berkly,
California, USA
Queen rearing (1981). By L. Snelgrove. Published by Snelgrove and Smith,
Avon, UK.
Some of the best sources for equipment is listed as follows:
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Inc., Rt.1, Box 135, Moravian Falls, North
Carolina 28654.
Dadant & Sons, Inc., PO Box 888, High Springs, Florida 32643
Telephone: (877) 832-3268
Rossman Apiaries, Inc., PO Box 905, Moultrie, Georgia 31776
Telephone: (800) 333-7677
The Walter T. Kelley Co., Clarkson, Kentucky 42726
Telephone: (270) 242-2012
These businesses are highly regarded in the beekeeping community from what I
can tell. I know that some of them have web site addresses.
Caron, D.M. 1997. Other insects. In Honey bee pests, predators and diseases 3d
ed. (R.A. Morse & K. Flottum eds.). A.I. Root Co., Medima, Ohio
Ellis, J.D., Jr., K.S. Delaplane, & W.M. Hood. A scientific note on small hive
beetle (Aethina tumida Murray) weight, gross biometry and sex proportion at
three locations in the southeastern United States. Unpublished Data.
Elzen, P.J., J.R. Baxter, D. Westervelt, C. Randall, K.S. Delaplane, F.A.
Eischen, L. Cuffs, & W.T. Wilson. 1999. Field control and biology studies of a
new pest species, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), attacking
European honeybees in the Western Hemisphere. Apidologie 30: 361-366.
38. 38 | P a g e
Lundie, A.E. 1940. The small hive beetle Aethina Tumida. South Africa
Department of Agriculture & Forestry Entomological Series 3, Science Bulletin
220
British Beekeeper Association, Advisory Leaflet No. 33 "Summary of the Laws
Applying to the Sale and Supply of Honey "
Allan Calder "Oilseed Rape and Bees" (Northern Bee Books)
Eugene E. Killion "Honey in the Comb" (Dadant & Sons,Inc.)
Harry Riches "Honey Marketing" Bee Books New and Old
Jeff Rounce "Honey from Source to Sale & Showbench" (Northern Bee Books)