Family Beekeeping

A lot of people are getting into beekeeping these days.  Part of the reason is that many want to get back-to-the-land, grow their own food, and be self sufficient.   Another element is the loss of bees nationwide.  They call it CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) and blame it on a number of different things, but in the minds of most of us, the primary blame is pesticides.  There are some huge companies that have millions of dollars to prove their pesticides are “safe,” but…. anyhow, not going to go into that argument here.  It will be more fun to share our experience.  We have bees—actually my son has bees, and I help him.

For a long time—probably twenty-five years—I wanted to have beehives to produce honey for the table.  This would fit nicely with our maple syrup project, and various other homestead ventures that have become part of our family’s history.  However…certain childhood memories stood in the way, and it was the fear of getting stung that always tipped the scales to the side of staying bee free.  But the desire was always there.  I envied the guys who had the courage to do it.  I lost my courage over fifty years ago after being a barefooted kid running through the white clover growing in the family lawn.  A few stings will teach you something.  Bees cause pain.  

Then came the day my oldest son said he was getting honey bees.  This was exciting news, and not surprising.  My son has always been a little hard on himself—to my way of thinking.  Must be the Neuenschwander genes in him.  I’ve always told him he loves pain, and he’s always responded by saying, “No, I don’t love pain, but I’m not afraid of it.”  This is a good way to live—conquering the fear that tends to limit some of us.   For him to begin the bee project though, was exciting to me.  I could participate and learn from a close distance without actually being close enough to get stung.  And I could help with the honey extraction, and enjoy the fresh sweet goodness from the bees on the Ross homestead.  

The bee project started with a couple hives about nine years ago, and I soon learned how much of a wimp I am.  Observing my seven-year-old Granddaughter slowly walk up behind a hive, without wearing a bee suit, and then sit down beside it on the hive platform, smiling happily, was a lesson I needed.  This alone helped tremendously with the fear factor.  At that point I knew it was time to become more involved.  I bought my own suit  and began to learn as much as I could.  It’s been a fun education.  The project has expanded over the years to a peak of eleven hives, and now about half of them are on my property, and I have the pleasure of sitting and watching the bees too.

Hives at our place.  The one on the right is a top-bar hive.

Honey collection has been around for a long, long time.  It’s mentioned quite a few times in the Old Testament, including some good advice.  Proverbs 25:16 warns about eating too much at one time.  Many other places honey is used as a symbol of “plenty”, often speaking of a land flowing with “milk and honey.”  It certainly is a substance of goodness, and not only for flavor.  It has nutritional and medicinal benefits, and also contains natural antibacterial elements.

We have this current nationwide problem with honey bees disappearing, and that’s a bit frightening since we’ve come to depend on them a lot to pollinate our crops and trees.  It is interesting to note, though, that honey bees are not native to the United States.  They were imported from Europe by the early settlers.  Will we still have food if all the honey bees disappear?  Yes, but not nearly as much.  The importing of honeybees has greatly enhanced our ability to raise large quantities of food, so losing the bees hurts.  One answer to this problem is the growing interest of many families to have their own hives.  Small apiaries seem to have a much better chance of survival, so it is heartening that so many folks are getting started in this fascinating pursuit.  In fact, a recent poll shows that seventy-six percent of beekeepers have been doing it for two years or less.  This is not limited to country settings either.  Many people have bees in urban settings—even putting hives on roofs of buildings to keep their flight paths above any nearby people.

Swarms are one of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of beekeeping.  Perhaps you’ve seen a football-sized cluster of bees hanging on a branch or post somewhere.  If this happens near your home, you may be terrified and tempted to get out the spray, or the torch.  Please don’t.  Instead, call a beekeeper.  He or she will be happy to help you.  Let me describe what is happening when you see a swarm.

This is a typical swarm.  Most often in trees, but also seen just about anywhere else--fence posts, bushes, mailboxes, etc.

An average beehive has around 60,000 bees in the middle of summer.  This number dwindles to about 20,000 during the winter.  In the late spring, when the hive is expanding rapidly in population, it will often split naturally as a way of propagating the species.  When this happens, the existing queen—only one in each hive—will first lay several new queen eggs, then take about half the population, and leave for new location.  The swarm that you see clustered on a branch is the preliminary location for the queen and her group  while the scouts are out looking for a new home.  You might think they should have that figured out ahead of time, but no.   In the meantime, this is something that excites a beekeeper.  Catching a swarm is fun and free way to start a new hive.   Sometimes the swarm will hang there for only a couple hours.  Other times it may be a couple days.  The idea is to not waste time when a swarm is discovered, and get there as soon as possible with an empty brood box to catch them.  

When swarming, the bees are not defending a hive, so they are very docile.  In the middle of the swarm is the queen, and the rest are intent on surrounding her while waiting for directions to a new home.  It is possible to put your bare hand slowly up against a swarm without getting stung.  I’ve done it.  This amazes me.  To go from fear, to knowledge and respect, to actually enjoy working with the bees.  However, when working the hives to inspect the bees and check the frames for mites, brood, and honey, it is advisable to at least wear headgear that protects your head and face.  That’s all my son wears, and he gets an occasional sting on his hands.  Me?  I still don’t like to get stung, so I wear a full suit that covers every part of my body.  

Working the bees goes better when a smoker is used.  This calms them, and some believe the bees think the hive is on fire, so they go inside to load up with honey.  Whatever the case, it works, and the bees are easier to work with.  When smoke is not used, they tend to get stirred up and begin dive-bombing the offending intruder—almost always going for the head and eyes.  That’s why you want protection at least in that area.

Beekeepers and Bee-havers.  There is a big difference.  A beekeeper will work with his bees, provide care and intervention when necessary to combat varroa mites, tracheal mites, wax moths, and hive beetles.  Occasionally a queen will need to be replaced as well, if it appears that there are not enough brood cells.  A bee “haver” has bees, but doesn’t want to spend the time necessary to keep a healthy hive.  

For family honey, one hive is enough.  Better to have one hive and manage it well, than a dozen that you don’t have time for.  My niece Jessica lives in Georgia, where her husband has only one hive.  He just harvested two gallons of honey.  This is great!  Plenty for them for the year, and some to give away as gifts or sell to friends.  Yes, the initial investment in the hive and protective gear will take a couple years worth of honey to pay for, but who can put a price on the education and value of doing this yourself.  The satisfaction is immense, and the enjoyment of the honey multiplied with each bite.

This has been a short introduction to our experience with bees.  Many books have been written, and are available to learn from.  It really is a lifetime learning experience, and one that rewards us with pollination, knowledge, and honey.  If you are considering keeping your own bees, or want to learn more about it, there are many excellent sources of information on the internet too.  I enjoy a blog written by David Burns, a certified master beekeeper.  His information is well organized and illustrated with pictures and videos.  Check it out at  www.basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com.

My collection of books.

It’s time to go for my therapy session with the bees now.  Watching them coming to the landing board with legs loaded down with pollen, while other workers are at the entrance fanning and guarding; listening to the steady hum and smelling the honey as it is being fanned and evaporated to just the right concentration of moisture—this is nature’s calming and relaxing music.   If you’re headed east out of Kidron on Jericho Road, keep an eye on the right side of the road—down over the bank under some trees—you’ll see the Ross family bees.  So long.