Storm Preparation for Beekeepers

When I see the daffodils blooming, I know winter is beginning to loose it's hold on the Texas Gulf Coast. As the weather warms beekeepers will be checking their hives regularly along with making plans for the coming spring nectar flows. This is a good time to consider the upcoming hurricane season, June 1 through November 30, while making plans.

For beekeepers, stormy weather poses annual challenges in protecting and preserving their hives. Rising water can inundate hives and destroy or temporarily render forage unavailable. High winds and debris can knock over hives or blow off hive tops exposing the bees and brood to the elements.

Depending on government mandated evacuation plans and/or the severity of the storm, beekeepers may be unable to check the condition of their hives for an extended period of time before and after the storm.

I vividly recall September 13, 2008, when Hurricane Ike came roaring ashore along the Texas Gulf Coast pushing storm surges as high as two story buildings and packing winds of 110 miles per hour. The devastation left behind was tremendous – loss of life for some residents that decided to ride out the storm in their homes and property damage in the billions, including massive livestock loss. The ecological damage as storm surges pushed salt water inland destroying lawns, gardens, orchards, and pasture lands was staggering. Beekeepers were not left untouched – many hives were lost or damaged by Hurricane Ike.

Pre-planning can improve your hives storm survival rate -  

1. Avoid locating hives in low-laying areas known to be susceptible to rising waters from storm surges, rivers, lakes, and streams. If your hives must be located in low-laying areas, be prepared to move them quickly in advance of any event that could inundate the hives with rising water, such as a strong tropical event. HAVE A PLAN - identify necessary equipment, re-location site, and time required to execute the move in conjunction with other storm preparations required for your home and family.
2. When choosing a location for your hives, consider avoiding areas overly susceptible to falling debris from downed trees, broken tree limbs, and power lines.
3. During hive setup place hives on stands or platforms 12 – 18 inches off the ground to curtail damage from rainwater runoff and leaching of ground moisture into the hive. Excessive moisture deteriorates hive equipment and creates an environment conducive to buildup of mold and mildew in the hive. Placing the hive on a platform also deters damage from critters such as skunks since stretching to reach the hive opening exposes their soft underbellies to bee stings. 
4. Always keep some weight on your hive covers to prevent wind gusts from blowing the covers off the hive. Garden border bricks work well for this application.
5. If under normal conditions you cock your hive covers up to promote ventilation, lower the cover in preparation of strong storms while being careful not to stifle air flow by blocking the upper hive entrance in the inner hive cover. Remember, the bees need air!
6. If extremely high winds are expected, consider placing tie downs on each hive.
7. If you use screened bottom boards, insert the tray in the bottom board to prevent excessive wind gusts through the hive.
8. Check food stores – it may be several days to weeks before you can get to your hives after a severe storm event. If food stores are low, consider feeding your bees to ensure they don’t suffer from the post-storm loss of forage. A division board feeder is a good choice in this instance as it replaces an empty frame inside the hive and thus, will not be affected by high winds during the storm.
9. Remove supers from the hives to reduce wind resistance and preserve your honey harvest.
10. Hives located on property other than your own, should have clear ownership identification marks.

This is certainly not a complete list of everything that may need to be done; it’s a good start. A little pre-planning can go a long way to ensuring your bees are alive and well after a strong storm event!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honey Bee Swarms

During the spring and summer months each year large clusters of honey bees are sometimes found hanging from limbs of trees, the eaves of homes, under lawn furniture, on car bumpers and other objects. The act that caused the honey bees to cluster outside of their hive is called “swarming”; it is a natural occurrence among honey bees.

 

There are many reasons for swarming – the hive has become overpopulated and congested; the colony has become diseased or is starving, or in some instances natural causes such as a forest fire may prompt the entire colony to swarm. The purpose of the act of swarming, no matter what the cause, is to ensure the survival of and to perpetuate the species.

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Honey Bee queen usually suspends egg laying in first week of November; this is to allow the population of the colony to contract to help preserve and prolong the food stores in the hive during the coming winter. She begins laying eggs again around January 9th in an effort to increase the number of bees in the colony in preparation for the coming spring nectar flows, thus swarming tends to happen during the months of April, May and June; the hive is becoming congested as the population increases and more area in the hive is taken up for the storage of pollen and honey. However, swarming can also happen in late summer and early fall.

When conditions prompt the urge to swarm, the colony begins to prepare for the swarm and on a predetermined signal, thousands of honey bees (the swarm) will leave the hive with the resident queen. The swarm will usually settle on something nearby – a tree, a building, lawn furniture, etc., - awaiting communication of a new nest location from their “scout bees”. Once the new nest location has been discovered, the entire swarm will relocate – usually within 24 hours - and begin the arduous job of building a new colony. In general, Honey Bee swarms are very docile since there is no nest to defend. But it is prudent not to disturb the bees; if you happen upon one just remain calm and quietly leave the area.

 

The problem begins if the scouts cannot find an optimal location for the swarm to re-locate to permanently. In this case, the swarm will move into the nearest protected area for self preservation. This is not always conducive to good neighbor relations as oftentimes it’s someone’s attic, garage, mailbox, or even an AC unit.

The nests can easily get quite large and begin causing problems within the structure itself from dripping honey and weight. To cure the problem, both the bees and the honey comb must be removed! Otherwise, the honey comb if left behind will attract another swarm of bees, or other insects, including ants and roaches, and will cause mold and mildew to form in and around the nest, as well. So, prompt action on the part of the homeowner at the first sign of the bees can minimize the possibility of future structure damage.

For help with honey bee swarms contact your local beekeepers' association, your local Agricultural Extension Office, or a professional pest control company for assistance.

**Photo courtesy, George Rodriguez, Owner - Rose of Sharon Honey, Pearland, Texas.

 

 

 

 

Honey Bees - Beginning a New Year



As the cold season approaches each year Honey Bee colonies go through a process of change - the workers (sterile females) are busier than ever stockpiling pollen - and nectar (transformed into honey) - to sustain the colony through the cold winter months. By November the Honey Bee queen (only fertile female in the colony) ceases to lay eggs; since no more baby bees are needed for a while it’s “Swan Song” time for the drones (males of the colony); they are permanently ejected from the hive.

 

Many of the older worker bees in the colony will begin to die off either from age or due to accidents while foraging for pollen and nectar. This in addition to the removal of the drones and the queen’s egg laying cessation for the year will cause the number of colony inhabitants to shrink from as much as 80,000 honey bees at the height of the warm season nectar flows to around 20,000 for the winter season. This is Mother Nature’s way of helping the colony to maximize its winter food stores.

 

During cold weather, except for “cleansing flights” (Honey Bees frown upon pooping in the hive!), the Honey Bees spend the majority of their time huddling within the protection of the hive to stay warm. There are a number of things that can go awry during this time that will impact the colony’s ability to survive the winter – disease or colony pests, such as Varroa mites, and/or starvation may overcome and kill the entire colony.

 

Assuming the colony has sufficient winter stores and all else has gone well during November and December, the Honey Bee queen will commence to laying eggs again – both female workers and drones - around January 9^th (in North America) to re-build the colony’s population in preparation for the coming spring nectar flows. So January, February, and March, constitute a very critical time for the colony – as new bees hatch the colony’s food stores will be consumed at a much higher rate. In response the colony will begin to forage regularly again - when the weather permits - to supplement their stores; pollen availability is especially critical. Pollen provides protein, while nectar fulfills the carbohydrate needs of the colony. The newly hatching bees consume a lot of protein!

 

Since honey bees through their pollination services are responsible for about one in every three bites of food we humans take, it is in our best interest to incorporate plants that bloom early in the year into our landscape and garden plans. Here are just a few – the Eastern Redbud tree, Magnolias, Dogwoods, Camellias, Jasmine, and Honeysuckle. Many people consider Dandelions as being synonymous with “land mines” in their lawn, but Dandelions provide an important source of protein for honey bee colonies. I always leave a section of landscape for Dandelions; watching the bees work those bright, little yellow blooms after a cold winter makes for a blessed day!

 

Check with your local nursery to determine the trees and plants suitable for your area that will bloom during these early months each year, especially January and February.

 

And think about leaving a few Dandelions for the bees - just as humans need variety in their diets, so do the bees!

Ten Things to Consider When Selecting an Apiary Location

For the novice beekeeper, locating his/her hives in an area that is conducive to regular visits is very important for two reasons—watching the activity of the bees in and around each hive is part of the learning process; it helps to differentiate between what is normal bee hive activity and what is not. This is essential to successful beekeeping!

 

Additionally, new hives will require regular monitoring to ensure the queen bee has been released, (as is the case with “package bees”), the queen is present in the hive and laying eggs, and the overall population and health of the colony is progressing as expected.

 

Here are ten things to consider when selecting a location for your apiary:

 

Check out local laws and restrictions.  This is absolutely the first step in your plan for beekeeping! The location of your apiary may be limited by local ordinances and other restrictions, including homeowner association rules and regulations. Additionally, permits may be required. It is best to be aware of and deal with these issues early in the decision making process or you may find yourself on the nasty end of a lawsuit.

 

Locate the hives near a clean source of water. Bees use a lot of water, not only for satisfying their own thirst, but to help cool the hive during the heat of our long, hot Texas summers. Do not place the hive in a gulley—the air will be damp and still, thus creating an unhealthy environment. If there is not a nearby source of clean water, you will need to provide one for them.

 

Placing a bird bath or other shallow water source near your hives with some small rocks above water level for the bees to safely land on and drink will provide adequate water.  If you will not be able to check on your bee’s water source daily, a 5-gallon bucket will suffice. Drill some small drainage holes a few inches from the top of the bucket. Fill the bucket to just below the drainage holes and drop some Styrofoam packing kernels in the bucket. The rain will help to renew the water in the bucket, the packing kernels provide “landing pads” for the bees to perch on and avoid drowning while drinking, and the drain holes keep the bucket from filling up and dumping the packing kernels out of the bucket. In the best case scenario, the rain will keep it filled, but check on it regularly, and keep the bucket filled, clean, and sanitary. You can also buy commercially available watering devices for your bees.

 

The apiary must be accessible by vehicle. Bee hives, when filled with bees and honey, can be very heavy; ensure you can easily get a vehicle into and out of the apiary for hive setup and maintenance. Save your back, ensure you can park directly behind or beside your hives! Having your vehicle on hand is convenient for accessing tools and equipment parts as needed while inspecting your hives or pulling honey supers from the hive for honey extraction.

Keep in mind relocation of your hives may be required during emergency situations, such as forest fires or rising tides from an approaching tropical storm. Have a plan for emergency evacuation of your hives!

Provide some security and privacy for your bees. It is advisable to place your hives in a fenced, locked area so they are less apt to be seen by passersby. Beekeepers have had their hives destroyed by vandals and even stolen. Fencing will additionally keep small children, pets, and livestock away from the hives, as well as known “hive raiders”, such as skunks. There is some evidence that bees are sensitive to the presence of horses – give this serious consideration when selecting a location for your hives. Do not locate your hive adjacent to areas of high foot traffic or areas, such as patios where food will be served, especially sweets, or you will have uninvited guests - many, many of them!

Place your hive on firm ground with good drainage. If placed on ground that has poor drainage or very loose soil, you run the risk of the hive becoming unstable. As it sinks into the soil, it may collapse and kill your bees. Beekeepers placing their hives in areas with poor drainage risk vehicles becoming mired in mud as well, and the area may become totally inaccessible, even by foot, during certain times of the year.

Adequate sunlight and shade. The hives should have southern or eastern exposure to provide adequate sunlight. Place the hives facing southeast, so the sun pours into the hive entrance and serves as an alarm clock to wake up your bees. Avoid placing the hives in deep shade from trees or structures. Your hives will do well with non-evergreen trees located to the west and southwest of their position as they will receive afternoon shade during the summer’s peak temperatures, and benefit from the sun’s warming rays during the late fall and winter.

Provide windbreaks in the direction of the prevailing winds.  Placing your hives behind a windbreak - and additionally wrapping each hive if the winter is extremely cold and/or windy - will help the bees maintain required heat levels during severe weather and reduce consumption of winter food stores in the hive. DO NOT BLOCK THE HIVE ENTRANCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Avoid placing the hive on a hilltop where it can be buffeted by winter winds or in gullies where the air will be damp and still.

Setting the Hive in Place

Do not set the hive in contact with the ground. To minimize damp conditions and reduce deterioration of the hive’s woodenware, the bottom board of the hive should not be set directly on the ground. Any number of solutions to this issue is available from commercially offered hive stands to placing the hive on concrete blocks, or homemade tables, etc. As the colony grows and additional brood boxes/honey supers are added to the hive, the stand upon which the hive has been placed must be sturdy enough to support the added weigh and remain stable or the hive may collapse.  Some beekeepers in areas prone to raids by skunks place their hives on stands at least 18 inches off the ground – as the “raiders” stretch to reach the hive entrance, their underbelly is exposed to the bees’ sting. Do not make tables or stands so high you cannot safely lift the boxes off the hive for maintenance or honey harvest.

Further deterring of unwanted visitors can be achieved by placing a board with protruding tacks in front of the hive—it will be extremely uncomfortable footing. As an alternative, a small roll of barbed or other wire that will not block access by the bees, but keep predators from reaching the hive entrance, may be employed.

Mulch or old carpet placed around the hive will keep down weeds and tall grasses, so the hive is easily accessible by bees in flight. If using a screened bottom board - clear, accessible space beneath the hive will enhance keeping the area clean of debris.

Tilt hive and face away from prevailing winds. The hive, when set in place, is best facing away from prevailing winds to aid the bees in keeping the hive warm during inclement weather. Tilt the hive very slightly forward. Inevitably rain will blow inside the hive, by tilting the hive slightly forward the water will automatically drain once the storm has passed. This will keep the hive’s bottom board and entrance dry and free from mildew and mold.

Place a small weight on outer hive cover.  High winds can easily blow the cover off your hive and expose the bees to rain, wind, and chilling temperatures thus killing your bees. Reduce the chance of this happening by placing some weight on the hive cover - a small rock or two will usually be sufficient. Small, flat concrete garden border blocks work well.

Bottom line, the time to make decisions about how and where to setup your hive is not the day you take possession of the bees. Some forethought will get your beekeeping venture off to the good start!

Beekeeping for Bee-ginners

One of the most interesting and beneficial things we have done on the ranch is practicing apiculture or as it is more commonly known - beekeeping. What is apiculture? It can be defined as the care and breeding of bees.  

If you are interested in biology, agriculture, entomology, or just plain spending time outdoors enjoying nature, beekeeping may be for you. Beekeeping is a fascinating and rewarding hobby or career; beekeepers along with their colonies of honey bees serve an important role in agriculture.

There are many, many plants on Earth that require pollination to reproduce or be fruitful. Although honey bees are certainly not the only pollinators, they are the best known and most widely managed pollinators. Washington State University entomologist, Walter S. Sheppard, has called honey bees, “the most economically important insect in the world”.  

Honey bees help produce one in every 3 bites of food we take by pollinating the plants that produce many our fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and livestock forages, as well as seed plants. Without the honey bees much of the food available to us currently would be greatly reduced in variety, numbers, and much more expensive to purchase in the supermarket.

 Additionally, the honey bee hive is a smorgasbord of health products; it is the world’s only source of honey and beeswax, and serves as a source of propolis, royal jelly, harvested pollen, and bee venom. Many of these products are being employed in the areas of wound care and a variety of other human ailments. For more information on this subject, check out - apitherapy.com.

Successful Beekeeping

Beekeeping can be approached in several different ways – as a hobby, a sideline, or on a commercial basis. Beekeeping attracts people from all walks of life from children to senior citizens. For the hobbyist, beekeeping can be a venture into natural science, which includes the reward of a hive or two of honey for the family table along with robustly producing gardens and fruit trees. Beekeeping can be an enjoyable experience for the entire family.

As a sideline, beekeeping can be an additional source of income from the sale of honey, other hive products, and pollination services. And a few of the more hard working individuals decide to make beekeeping a full-time career.

Like many hobbies or careers, individuals venturing into beekeeping have a “learning curve” to overcome. Beekeeping is a skill; it requires knowledge of honey bee biology, honey bee behavior, and hive management practices. How quickly you become proficient in beekeeping is directly related to the amount of time you are willing to dedicate to education. The successful beekeeper dedicates time to a combination of reading books, Internet resources, and magazines relating to beekeeping combined with ‘hands on” time working with the bees and extracting honey.

Getting Started

Understand the Fundamentals - Many people venture into beekeeping only to find it was not at all what they expected, so take some time to understand the fundamentals required of successful beekeeping and then decide if beekeeping is for you.

For bee-ginners reading is an essential part of learning. There are many excellent beekeeping books and industry magazines on the market; each offers a wealth of information about honey bee breeds, honey bee society, beekeeping equipment and tools, protective clothing, supplemental feeding, honey bee pests and diseases, basics of the honey extraction process, etc.

Basic Equipment

Start with two hives, not one. Once you have gained knowledge and proficiency in beekeeping expanding the number of hives in your apiary beyond initial startup, if desired, will be much more successful.

Why two? Although it is certainly possible to start with one hive, two hives allows comparison between the productivity of the hives and provides resources to supplement brood and honey between the hives, if one is more productive than the other. After all, it is not as if you can run to the local market and buy frames of bee brood.

It is advisable to use natural components for your hives – woodenware and beeswax foundation. While there are other choices available beekeepers have reported mixed success with non-natural components, so, it is prudent to employ proven standards initially. There are also different styles of hives, but for the bee-ginner the Langstroth-style hive is the “gold standard”.

If employing Langstroth hives, each hive requires the following:

ü 1 hive stand or platform to keep the bottom board from coming in contact with the ground

ü A bottom board (screened bottom boards provide more versatility and are particularly desirable in areas with hot summers)

ü 2 deep hive bodies (10 frames each) with beeswax foundation (there are also 8 frame hives available, if weight is a problem for you consider the 8-frame hive body in lieu of the 10 frame hive)

ü 1 queen excluder

ü 1 inner cover

ü 1 outer cover (with metal top)

ü 1 entrance reducer

ü 1 feeder (top feeders are more versatile)

ü 2 shallow supers (10 frames each or 8 frames each) with beeswax foundation)

It is possible to purchase used hive components; however, UNLESS the equipment has been inspected and approved by the state Apiary Inspection Service to eliminate the possibility of disease transmission used equipment is not recommended for the bee-ginner.

As you become adept in beekeeping, and have a flair for carpentry, you may want to build your own beekeeping equipment from scratch.

Non-hive items required for the beekeeper:

ü 1 bee brush

ü 1 hive tool

ü 1 frame grip (optional, but helpful)

ü 1 bee smoker with smoker fuel

ü 1 pair bee gloves

ü 1 bee veil (or overalls with veil included)

 Note: This does not include equipment you will require for honey extraction or beeswax processing. It is possible to mitigate extraction costs, if you can share equipment through membership in a local beekeepers association or through another beekeeper. If not you will need to purchase harvesting equipment.

Deciding Where to Locate Your Hives

Do not forget to check on any local or state regulations regarding keeping bees in your selected location. Otherwise, you may find yourself on the nasty end of a legal battle.

 For bees to survive, much less make honey, they need pollen, nectar, and water. If there is not sufficient flora in variety, number, and different bloom periods in the area surrounding their hive (generally not more than a 2 mile radius), it will be difficult for your bees to survive much less make extra honey for the beekeeper.

Bees must have easy access to water. They use a lot of water for drinking, curing honey, and for cooling the hive during hot weather. The closer they are to a source of water, the less time they will spend transporting water rather than nectar and pollen.

Remember, no food, no water – no honey – NO bees!

For more information, read “Locating and Setting Your Hive in Place” in an upcoming blog.

Acquiring Your Bees

There are a number of methods to acquire bees for startup and I have listed them in order as to ease of startup for the bee-ginner:

ü Purchase an entire colony from a local beekeeper ( contains a queen, drones, workers, frames of honeycomb with brood, and some amount of honey stores for bees)

ü Purchase a “Nuc” also known as a hive nucleus (contains a queen, and several frames of foundation and accompanying worker bees – usually 3 to 5 frames)

ü Purchase a package of honey bees from a bee breeder (contains a queen and 3 lbs of worker bees only)

ü Catch your own swarm of honey bees or acquire one through a local beekeeper (contains a queen and some amount of worker bees)

While swarms are an option, keep in mind swarms are unknown entities – especially in areas known to be “Africanized”. Swarms may carry diseases and/or pests that the bee-ginner may have difficulty dealing with effectively. It is wiser to acquire your bees from a breeder; the breeder should guarantee the health and quality of the bees you purchase. Save catching and managing “feral bee swarms” for after you have gained some beekeeping experience. 

Startup Time

The best time of year to begin new colonies (hives) is in the spring – April or May. If you plan to order bees from a commercial breeder, plan to do so in the fall of the year for startup the following spring to ensure you can get the bees. Otherwise, you run the risk of not being able to find available packages, nucs or colonies for sale when you need them.

Purchasing bees later than June adds the risk of your hives not having time to build up sufficiently to survive the winter – a loss for both you and the bees!

Identify the Costs

With this basic understanding, proceed to the Internet and research the costs involved, so you can prepare a budget for your initial startup. Startup costs can range from $600.00 to $1,000.00 for one to two hives depending on the quality of equipment and bees purchased. This does not count harvesting equipment.

What to Expect

For the first year, do not expect a return on your investment. It takes time for a colony to build in size and strength. Unless, you purchase an entire colony, year one is for colony “buildup” – honeycomb and brood.

Not all beekeeping ventures are successful in year one – do not be hesitant to try again if things do not go well in the first year. Every day in beekeeping provides learning opportunities.

Join a Beekeeping Association

No matter how many books you read on a subject, there is no substitute for “hands-on” experience. Once you have done your research, the next step is to join a good beekeeping association, so you will have access to on-going education, mentoring and networking with experienced beekeepers – all worth their weight in honey!

Joining an association may also provide the opportunity for you to work with an experienced beekeeper on his/her hives before you make the final decision to become a beekeeper yourself.