Basics of
Starting
Beekeeping
Still You?
Bethany Swartz
Jenn Van Wagnen
Keys to Beekeeping
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Knowledge of bee science
Knowledge of bee botany
Familiarity with modern agriculture
Some elementary economics
Tools & ability to work with wood
Ability to keep vehicles running
Fortitude to take bee stings
Keys to Managing Bees
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knowledge of bee biology/art
commitment of time and interest
a bee hive [Langstroth]
bees
an apiary site
personal protective & ancillary equipment
basics of what – when - where - how & why
solving requeening/feeding management
What to wear/use?
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a veil (always)
coveralls
boots
sleeve/pant leg tie downs
gloves (sparingly)
avoid strong body odors
smoker
hive tool/frame lifter
tool box/stool
When to manage
♦ AVOID RAIN
♦ warm dry, windless
days are best
♦ 10 AM- 4 PM
♦ during nectar flow
(or feed colonies
sugar water)
♦ when smaller in
population size
or in supers--only
during the summer
Where & How long?
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At side of colony
5 – 20 minutes
avoid robbing
use manipulating
cloth to cover
exposed frames
♦ consider tools like
frame lifter
♦ ‘listen’ to bees
Why Inspect?
♦ For a reason - intensively or extensively
♦ spring & fall
♦ to control
swarming
♦ to super
♦ to harvest
♦ to overwinter
successfully
♦ to control pests
including mites
Do you need to see the queen?
YES!
No!
10 Inspection tips
*Refer to page 195 in the text
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Examine on warm sunny days between 10AM -4PM
Examine under good forage conditions
Concentrate on smaller colonies to learn
Always wear veil and bee-tight clothing
Keep lighted smoker handy
Manipulate as rapidly as possible w/out hurrying
Slow down and smooth-out hand/body movements
Start on outer frame – avoid jarring & crushing bees
Hold frames to permit easy, rapid viewing
Avoid robbing
ENJOY! The KEY is your enjoyment!
Handling difficult colonies
 Don’t!
 Use tools
 Wait for better
forage/bees
 Avoid robbing
 Requeen
– Have to 1st dequeen
 Feed bees
Requeening
Requeening
Dequeen and ....
 introduce a purchased gentle queen
 rear a new queen from gentle bees
 add a queen cell from gentle bees
 allow bees to rear own new queen
 do nothing – will eventually raise a
new
queen
Hardest part is dequeening!!
Feeding Bees
Sugar syrup
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To avoid colony starvation
To stimulate colony development
To modify foraging population
Provide newly hived bees w/ food
Make queen rearing/requeening easier
Sugar syrup or powdered sugar
 To feed medications
Sugar syrup or protein
 Stimulate drone production
Dry sugar with protein
 To feed supplemental protein into colony
Feeding sugar
 WHY?
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save colony (fall, winter or early spring)
stimulate colony (early spring)
get new colony (pkg, nuc, swarm) started
administer medications
assist w/ queen rearing/drone production
sample for mites (powdered sugar)
help make inspections easier
Feeding is never easy
Feeding sugar
♦ As sugar syrup
but also ...
 in dry form
 in candy form
 as powdered sugar
Feeding honey
 Never!
except
when needed!
and
you know source!
Feeding protein
Pollen supplement – Pollen substitute
Supplying water
Starting !!!
You
&
friends!!!