Beekeepers Friend

You should have already gotten your wooden ware ready for the swarm season. When you did that, you got ready to split also. Your boxes are cleaned, painted, and have frames of wax, plastic, small lines of wax on the bottom of the top bars, or frames of drawn wax alternated with empty frames.

You can also look at Splits if you want some more information. You should have gone through your hives by now to see if they need feeding, expanding, or just plain splitting (which is another word for thinning). You should have the equipment ready and waiting for the day that you decide to do the deed.

Some of the equipment you need should include bottoms (screened), brood boxes, supers, queen excluders (if you use them), tops, feeders, feed (both sugar syrup and pollen patties), stands of some kind to keep the bottom board off the ground, and wash water, alcohol, and drinking water. Don’t forget your bee-suit, veil, smoker, hive tool, and anything else you normally use in your apiary.

Usually when I split into a nuc, I take the queen, two frames of eggs and sealed brood with the clinging bees, two frames of foundation, and one frame of honey. Then I shake three frames of bees into the nuc.

All of this goes into the truck to be transported about three miles or more to another location for at least 21 days. This will give the bees time to forget their old home location and learn the new one. If at that time I wish to bring them back to the original apiary, then I can and they will not try to go to the old hive.

The mother colony will stay at the same spot when the split occurred. I make sure that there are eggs and young larvae in the mother hive so the bees that are left will be able to make a new queen for itself.

Good luck! Have fun! And above all else, Bee Safe!

We have taken care of our honeybees to the point that they depend on us, the beekeepers, to keep them healthy and pest free. We are not doing such a good job at that. The bees have lost the ability to fight off parasites, viruses, pathogens, and the common cold like their forefathers did and that is because we beekeepers decided that we could do better then Mother Nature. We need to get back to nature.

One way to do this is to stop using chemicals in the hive. For some of us that is a very hard thing to do (or not to do). We have been taught at the beginning of our beekeeping that we MUST use pesticides to get rid of the bugs on bugs. We have to change our mind set and that ain’t gonna be easy either. We need to learn that the bees need to be exposed to the pests and parasites in order for them to start to develop an immunity to the parasites and learn again how to defend from the pests.

The survivors are the ones we need to keep and let the non-survivors parish. Sort of like a man retires from the work force and goes home and vegetates on the couch. Within 3 years he is dead! But if the man gets up and starts exercising and gets a hobby that requires him to move, then he has a long life still ahead of him.

If we keep our bees in a bubble for so long and then burst that bubble, the bees will parish because their immune system was compromised while in the protected environment. In order for babies (human) to grow to resist most of our bacterium, they (babies) need to eat the dirt. I cannot put it plainer than that.

I have a son who, in his youth period, was a very robust person. He never complained when he was sick. We really didn’t know he was sick until he played with his food, or went to bed instead of dropping off to sleep where ever he happened to be. Bees can be like that too! One minute they are robust and busy, buzy, buzzy and the next dead, dying, or gone. And that is because we have kept them doctored up to the gills with chemicals, and then we miss a treatment and they are demised.

I have not put chemicals in my hives for over 6 years. Most of the colonies died from starvation. One was because the wind blew the nuc stack over and the bees froze to death. Only 3 hives died because the mites got a good strong hold on them and made them weak so the hive beetles and wax moths moved in. For those of you who are very inquisitive, I now have only 3 hives left, but they are survivors. I will in the near future split and start to grow from my 3 nuclei and raise some very strong mite resistant, hygienic, and docile bees.

If this is what you want, then take pains to diminish your chemicals and baby them for three or four years and you can have some of the same.

Until next time, keep your veil handy, your hive tool sharp, and your smoker lit.

Alas, I am still the reporter for the NEBA workshop (unofficially). The speakers were:

Audrey Berry, Research Tech from the Mississippi State University Entomology Dept. speaking on the Small Hive Beetle and how to cope;

Mark Dykes, Research Tech from the University of Florida Entomology Dept. speaking on the African Honey Bee;

Robert (Rob) Housburgh, FL State Apiary Inspector and Lab Tech – Gainesville speaking on Using the Ozone to Sterilize Hive Bodies and Wax;

David Westervelt, Environmental Specialist I and Apiary Research – Gainesville. I think he talked on Pests and Diseases.   He also had a class on splitting hives;

Laurence Cutts, Retired Chief Apiary Inspector and Past Florida State Beekeepers Association President had a question and answer class. He is versed on all aspects of honey bees, honey, plants and Florida Honey bee and Food Safety laws;

And last but far from least, Doug Corbin, Florida State Apiary Inspector of NW Florida Panhandle showed how to assemble hive boxes, frames, and how to install foundation in the frames. He used how to and why reasoning for all of the assembly. He also had a class on splitting a hive.

Our own past president of NEBA , Wayne Miller, was on hand to help out where needed and he also had a class on splitting a hive. His hive was a hostile one and he showed how to calm the bees and continued to split. Good job Wayne.

I heard that we had over 100 people to attend which is up from 96 last year.

Again, as in the past, there were compliments on the program, honey judging, and even the signs were appreciated. We had no one get lost this year. I think it was because Wayne had some signs professionally made and they were able to be seen.

I was disappointed to see no one bring anything to sale or trade. We had several beekeepers come ready to purchase equipment. But not all was lost, as we had two vendors, Rossman Apiaries of www.gabees.com and Elmore Herman of Millie Bee –  [email protected] bring their wares to the workshop and take up the slack.

I really didn’t get to attend most of the classes as I was recruited to help my Darlin’ Princess receive the entrants for the honey judging section of the workshop. I will have to write a separate post on what the judges look for when they are judging.

We had entrants in seven classes out of a possible thirteen.

• Extracted honey: Amber
• Extracted honey: Dark
• Black jar (honey in a black jar)
• Creamed honey
• Candle (poured or dipped, straight or ornamental)
• Original bee related art
• Beekeeping gadgets

While the judging was going on, there were classes for the attendees so the judges could work without interruptions. Then while the noon meal was being consumed, the items were on display in the cafeteria.

We had refreshments and drinks throughout the day and door prizes were given out. All in all, I think it was a success and several people said that they are looking forward to next year. WELL DONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS. You did great!

I was contacted today to help get the information out to beekeepers who might be interested in getting all or part of a thriving bee business in the Tupelo country. Due to health, the beekeeper has to get out of the business. The following was sent to me to post. Thank you for your time.

Earnest, thanks for your time today.  I have attached the information we have listed publicly on our website that you may use to reach out to your associations.  I appreciate your help and will be glad to answer any questions for serious buyers, just have them call me at 850-532-9466.     Prior to releasing any additional information to someone we will require a confidentiality agreement.

Yours in confidential business marketing,

Destin Business Brokers – Lewis R Floyd – [email protected]

Payroll administration services for small businesses cater specifically to their resource-saving needs. All organizations need to save costs, and that’s especially true for small businesses.

I am a little remiss in getting this information out to all yawl. The North Escambia Bee Association (NEBA) is sponsoring their annual Beekeeping Workshop (Last year it was the CHAUTAUQUA) at the Northview High School in Bratt, FL. Saturday February 19, 2011. Registration starts at 0700-0800. Welcoming ceremonies will start at 0800.

If you are reading this post then you have missed the deadline for preregistration. Registration at the door will be $40 Couples, $30 Singles, $17.50 Students (12 years old and up) Children 11 and under will be free.

If you want to enter the honey judging, then read the rules found at the top of this page. There was to be an entrance fee but the powers that be have waived it.

There will be a yard sale, so bring your unwanted equipment and sell, trade, or give it away at the same time you may find something you want from another beekeeper.

Several speakers are scheduled to be here and will have interesting presentations to give.

See you there. Drive safe!

I was at the Escarosa Beekeepers Assn in Pensacola last night and we had a lively discussion about wintering bees and how to feed them. First of all you have to know that half to 3/5 of the members present are newbies and they did ask some interesting questions that most of the old-timers took for granted.

First of all, “How do you know when to feed the bees?” The answer was “when they need it”. Then the the question was “How do you know when they need it?”. That was when we started to buckle down and start giving some good answers and information.

To keep from opening the hive just to check the food supply, it is recommended that the beekeeper lift the back of the hive up to feel how heavy the boxes feel. Compare the weight with the other hives in the apiary.  if it feels light then you need to feed. If you only have one hive then comparison is out of the question. You need to start early in the fall picking up the hive to get the feel of it as it gets heavier with winter honey. Then in early February you can judge with fair accuracy.

If you are feeding because of low winter honey, then you need to feed 2:1 sugar water or corn syrup. Okay, before you ask here is the formula for making 2:1 sugar water. The first number is the active ingredient. The second number is the diluent (water). So two parts sugar and one part water = 2:1 solution. Rule of thumb is to fill your container up with sugar. Boil water and mix in with the sugar to fill the gallon container up and when it cools, feed the 1:1 mixture to the bees. This is called the sustaining feed.

At this time, you will want to check the pollen and feed accordingly. To keep on tract of feeding honey (nectar), I will write another post to explain the different ways to feed pollen.

If you want to stimulate the bees to get the queen to laying just before the spring honey flow, then you want to feed a mixture of 1:1 sugar water. It was explained by an old time beekeeper that 5# of sugar will fill up a little over 3/5 of a one gallon container. Mixing water to fill the gallon container will equal to 1:1 mixture. Again referring to the rule of thumb: put sugar up to the half way mark of you container then fill/mix water to the top of the container. This will make the 1:1 stimulating liquid.

Reasoning for this stimulating food is to make the bees think that the honey flow has started without them and that kicks them into high gear trying to get their numbers up to be able to harvest and process the nectar and pollen that will be collected.

You can guide the bees into doing what you want them to do if you will work with their instincts. You really cannot make them do what you want by forcing them. You have to learn the natural ways of the bees before you can guide/train them to perform for you. That means that you need to read, read, read. Study and think. For some of us, that is a near impossibility. You need to reason out these things that you read about and if you are still confused as I am a lot, then you need to ask around and get some experienced and newbie thoughts on the subject. The key is to ask,” how can this work?”, “not why this  can’t work!”.

I cannot stress this too much – You need to get a mentor to help you learn and practice what you have learned. That will get you to the point of thinking for yourself and eventually you can experiment on your own just to satisfy your own curiosity.

Remember, to check you hive weights and feed if light. My bees are still heavy and I watched them bring in full pollen baskets. My bees will definitely need to be split real soon or they will swarm. Check your bees. Bee Spring has Sprung.

This post is different than most of the other ones I have written. This one is about my observations and abstract thinking. Florida has had a lot of new beekeepers joining the ranks. There have been over 8 new beekeeping associations formed in the last 4 years in this state alone. Alabama and Georgia have some new associations formed in the southern part in the last year.

There is a great demand for instructors and mentors for all the newbies. The Alabama Baldwin County Beekeepers Association has started it’s second year’s beginner’s course. This could be the start of an annual affair. The class last January was filled to overflowing and they expanded the attendance for this January. This year had more students wanting in than they were prepared for. They had to start a waiting list. The curriculum includes, the history of the honeybee, bee biology, plant biology, pests and diseases, and Alabama bee laws. Then how to build and care for the wooden ware,  how to start a hive by using packages, nucs, and swarms. Lots of hands on experience and plenty of question and answer time.

These meetings and classes remind me of a bee colony. In order for a colony to survive, there must be young bees willing to learn the ropes, advanced bees to feed the young, mix pollen and honey, build wax, guard the hive, and then the older or experienced bees to gather the pollen and nectar and transport it back to the hive.

In order for an association to survive, the group must have newbies to learn the ropes, advanced beekeepers to help the newbies and the older beekeepers when collecting the honey and extracting. And there needs to be the experienced beekeepers to help train the new ones as well as to be a guide and to answer questions for all the younger crowd.

I attended their regular February monthly meeting and counted around 40-45 people there and half or more of them were new beekeepers. I personally have 3 new beekeepers that I am mentoring and I have had as many as 7 at one time. For one reason or another some have dropped out, moved, or decided they knew enough to go out on their own. The point is, we need more old beekeepers helping the new beekeepers. That is how we propagate ourselves. Sorta like bees swarming. hehe.

We have enough experienced beekeepers that we don’t need to have the big name – big guns come to every meeting. We need to start inviting some of the local talents to teach a training session at each of our monthly meetings. It doesn’t need to be our own members all the time even. Some of the neighboring associations have good teachers that could be invited once in awhile. That would change up the atmosphere a little so we don’t get stale.

The Orange Blossom Beekeepers Association has started a state wide roster of people willing to teach or present a program to their neighboring associations. If any of you wish to be included, then you need to contact Beth Fox at [email protected] . She can give you the name of the contact person.

Enough for now. Spring will be here before you know it, so get ready.

Let me tell you, there are some people that just refuse to change. Two years ago, we changed our Workshop to Chautauqua just to bee different from all the rest of the workshops nationwide. Chautauqua means gathering for the purpose of exchanging information, ideas, and to trade goods.

That is what a workshop is.. basically. However, there are some in our local association that just cannot seem to be able to make the connection. It has been a workshop for as long as they can remember and besides, “It was good enough for my dad and granddaddy, it is good enough for me and I’ll be danged if I change.”

So at the time this year when we were discussing the workshop, the non-changer was in the powerseat and had it changed then stepped down from his position of authority. By that time the other members decided to keep the Workshop over the Chautauqua.

So my friends, it is that time of the year again that the North Escambia Bee Association is gearing up for the annual workshop. It will be held on Saturday February 19, 2011 at the Northview High School in Bratt, FL. So far the Entomology Dept. of the University of Florida will be represented by Technician Mark Dykes. There will be a representative from the USDA Bee Lab – Baton Rouge, La, but I don’t know just who yet. I’ll have more information no later than Feb 10th.

I do know that there will be honey judging along with bee related photos and art. There will be a section for homemade gadgets that was made to aid the beekeeper, along with liquid honey, creamed honey, comb honey, beeswax candles, beeswax art, and black jar honey.

We will have a Welsh Honey Judge, Roy Smith and his steward, who will conduct the judging event. Also, Fred Rossman of  Rossman Apiaries & Bee Supplies, said a representative will be there and if you want to order something that he can bring shipping charge free, then please contact him by Feb 10th.

There will be class time as well as general assembly. Also we have set aside an area outside the building proper to put all your unwanted equipment for trade, sale, or give away. Bring as much or as little as you wish and have a great time in the mix. Lunch will be supplied by the Northview FFA Alumni and will be served by the FFA students.

In the meantime, have you gotten your bee boxes and supers cleaned, repaired, and resupplied in anticipation of the spring honey flow? It will be here before you know it along with lots of honey beeing stored and swarms galore! Is your nucs ready for swarms?

Until the next time………

To break even or maybe make a little profit, you should make some financial plans. First you need to know how much money you can spend at the beginning of the venture. If you have enough money on hand that you do not need to borrow from the household, then you are well on your way. If you have to borrow from your household finances, then you need to take a loan from your spouse (household) and make plans to pay it back as soon as possible, just like a bank.

Now, when you buy your equipment, bees, and all the other stuff you think you need, be sure to keep records of all transactions. Record keeping is a must if you want to know how much you spend, for what, when, and from whom. If you decide to use chemicals, you need to purchase them and that is part of your finances. If you decide to use you vehicle to go to bee meeting or to go pick up you’re supplies, that takes gasoline and that is more finances. You get the picture.

Now another consideration is the money you receive either from loans or sales. You need to keep it separate from your household  money. This is a good time to start thinking about a cashbox and/or a separate bank account. I have a separate bank account just for my business, with my wife as co-signer, just in case I am incapacitated for some reason or other, or she goes to the suppliers for me.

After you have gotten big enough to have surplus honey for sale and you have bottled enough to go to fairs, flea markets, or festivals, then you can sell your wares, bank you money, and start paying your loans off (Mama included). The excess money can be utilized for trips to State, Regional, or National meetings. You can even drag your spouse along with you and pay for his or her meals and room. But remember, you need to keep receipts and records because eventually you will need to declare the income on your federal taxes.

Also records are good for proof of lost equipment or bees in case of devastating weather, fire, or even theft. I hope not the latter. Records are good to be able to see how you have improved (or not) so you can do something different if need be. Oh! One other reason. If you decide to go commercial, the bank would like to see good books and by those, the loan officer can decide how much money he could loan you for expansion.

I went to the American Bee Federation (ABF) in Orlando, FL. last January, and I met some people there from all over the world. I asked some of the different beekeepers that I got to know quite well and felt comfortable enough with to ask a personal question, “Are you rich or how did you finance your flight from your country to this meeting?” (You can tell I am shy, hehe.) The answer was the same in all cases. “My bees paid for my trip.”

It is true that most of these beekeeper has thousands of colonies, but did you know that over half of the attendees from the US alone and some from Mexico and Canada, have between 25 to 100 hives of bees? They all say the same. If you keep strong colonies and have plenty of supers to put on the hives, one strong colony will outproduce 3-5 medium strength colonies every time. I say that you can make more than enough honey from a few colonies to sell to you customers and make enough money to support your hobby and give you spouse a payday too.

I sell all my honey retail to my customers. There have been times that I had more honey than I could sell retail. That was when I bought some barrels and put my excess honey in them and sold wholesale to the packer. I didn’t get as much for the honey per pound as I was getting retail, but I did free up some needed space so I could get ready for the next year. Commercial beekeepers ship lots of barrels of honey, because they get most of their money from pollination contracts and from sales of bees. That doesn’t leave much time to go to fairs and festivals.

If you have any questions, then leave a comment and I will contact you and probably write another post. Now would be a good time to prepare for the coming spring. Read your bee books and magazines, then think about what you want to accomplish this next year, write it down and place on your cork-board or refrigerator so you can review it during the year. Clean your smoker. There will be a buildup of creasote in the barrel. Replace the bellows if needed as you will have to take a timeout if you discover a hole in the bellows after you have opened up the hive and thousands of angry bees are trying to find a chink in your armor.  Check you veil and repair or replace it. Nothing is worse than bees in your bonnet because of that hole you didn’t sew up. And don’t forget to sharpen your hive tool. A dull hive tool will slow down your cleaning process.

Stay warm and get ready!! Spring will be here before you know it and it will be too late to clean boxes then. Until next time—

Last year I was at the Santa Rosa County Fair selling honey and talking about bees and showing my Honeybee Observation Hive. While I was there, I was fortunate enough to be able to walk around the exhibit building. There were many exhibits that could have been classified as hobbies and businesses. Example, there was a model train layout with houses, cars, small people strolling along flower and tree lined streets and sidewalks that were lit up with little street light posts.

There was an industrial park in the center of the layout with trucks and forklifts. Right in the middle of this area, there was a train yard with work engines having the capabilities of moving cars to each of the 10 main line tracks. There were 10 trains moving at the same time, with 2 going right through the town and several going around the display on three different levels.

I asked the man if he made money with his trains and he said no, he just showed them at the different fairs and festivals. This was clearly a hobby and I estimated that the whole layout cost over $10,000.

Later, I went to a model airplane park and talked to several of the participants. They just come together to fly their models and socialize. Again, I asked if they ever made money with their planes and they said no even when they were invited to exhibitions. Again just a hobby.

Raising honey bees can be a hobby also. Just spend you money for woodenware, essential equipment, and bees. Then you have to get buckets to collect your honey in after you extract it. You can only eat so much honey and cook with so much honey, what are you going to do with the rest of it? Buy bottles and jars and give it away to family, friends, and neighbors. This is called a hobby.

What do you do if you want to at least break even with your hobby? That is the main question that should be on your mind if you want your hobby to pay for itself. Even if you don’t want to declare the income from your hobby, you need to treat it as a business.

Think about this for a while and then read the following post.