BEEGINNERS' BOX

Beekeeping Safety

The first time you take the lid off the hive, hear the buzzing, and find yourself surrounded by bees can be a little scary for some, for others it’s like “oh wow… cool”, but keeping yourself safe is relatively easy. Many tactics for beehive safety involve plain old common sense. Though we have been conditioned to think of them as attackers who live to sting us, bees are by nature defensive and reactive. Bees become defensive only when threatened in some way. They release an alarm pheromone (a smelly chemical that alerts the other bees of an attack), and then the odor gets the hive up in arms and the beekeeper is in for a bad day. One of the keys to beekeeping is doing your best to avoid putting the bees on the defensive.

What’s that smell? It is advisable not to come to any beekeeping activity wearing perfume, cologne, or scented hair products as bees are attracted to floral and sweet scents. Because scents and pheromones are so important to life in a bee colony, they also are an easy way to cause a defensive response. When you’re on the way to visit your bees, avoid fragrances (hair products, perfumes, aftershave or deodorant) and other odors or fumes. For example, you might want to avoid filling your car with gas on the way to your hives. See the light Most of bees natural enemies are dark colored. A beekeepers wearing dark colored clothing may be mistaken for a bear, skunk or raccoon. Especially new blue jeans seem to upset them, perhaps it’s the smell of the dye) – older jeans are ok. We recommend that you wear light colored clothing. There is a reason most beekeeper clothing is white. Make the move When working with or in close areas of bees, particularly bee-hives, move slowly. When handling bees on equipment, be gentle and careful. Dropping a top cover, box or frame of bees is a sure way to upset the bees and a likely way to get stung. Bees are sensitive to movement and light. Remove your jewelry when you work with them. The sunlight glittering off your rings or watch may agitate your bees. Tuck or tie back long hair, both to keep it out of the way and to keep it from moving in the wind.

Timing is everything When handling bees, it’s important to remember that a hive is moody. Knowing the natural rhythms of your bees is essential for staying safe. If you take the time to consider a few things before working the hive, your next bee encounter is bound to be more enjoyable. If possible, choose a day that is bright, sunny and warm. Rainy or hot, muggy days can make bees more defensive. Thunderclouds or storms are to be avoided, as environmental factors during these times are thought to cause bees to be more irritable.

Working the hive on a colder day can be dangerous for the bees. The way bees stay warm is to bunch together in a

cluster. Honey bees begin to cluster if the temperature drops below about 57 degrees. If you work the hive after the

cluster has formed, you may cause the bees to become disorganized, and they may not get their cluster rebuilt before

the temperature drops, causing the hive to be more susceptible to the cold. If you must manipulate them during colder

weather, do so in the morning to give them plenty of time to get their cluster organized again before temperatures

plummet. One of my cold weather rules is: If the bees are not flying in and out of the hive, then it’s too cold top open it.

You can’t always manipulate the hive at the best possible time, so getting to know your bees is essential. The mood of

the bees changes from day to day. If you open the hive and the bees seem agitated, you can always close the hive and

come back another day.

Beekeepers protect themselves by wearing a veil, gloves, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, or a one-piece coverall

and a smoker. Regularly checking a bee hive’s progress ensures the hive’s strength and health. During these checks,

beekeepers observe for new brood; storage of pollen and honey; and individual bee health indicators (pest and

diseases). They also monitor the space available for the laying queen. Protective equipment is recommended at least

until you are familiar with and comfortable with your bees and know your bee’s level of aggressiveness. The veil is the

most important piece of protective gear. Most beekeepers will not work bees without it. Being stung on the face or neck

is more dangerous than other places. A sting to your eye or inside your mouth or throat could be particularly harmful.

Be sure to wash your beekeeping gear regularly. Alarm scents stay in the fabric and can upset the next hive you approach even if garments look clean they should be washed regularly.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em One of the great tools of the beekeeping trade is the smoker. Smoke has been used for centuries to

help control bees. Remember the alarm pheromone that gets the bees excited and triggers their defensive responses? The smoker masks those scents. Also when the bees smell the smoke they think their home might be burnt up, so they gorge themselves on honey to have resources to build a new home. When the bees gorge themselves they are not inclined to sting you and die because they are holding resources to build a new hive.

A smoker is a relatively simple tool. It consists of a container for fuel (anything from pine needles to cow chips) and a bel lows of some type. Using a smoker is often referred to as an art form. It sometimes takes a little practice, but the key seems to be patience. You aren’t getting the most response if you puff a couple of times and then start working. Most resources agree that waiting at least two minutes after applying smoke to the bees is optimum. Giving the smoke time to take affect can save time in the long run. Don’t over smoke them, you want them to smell the smoke not choke on it.

Rev. Langstroth makes a strong point in his book about treating the bees with sugar water instead of stressing them out with smoke. I started this year “smokeless” – only using sugar water spray. My hive kit has both a smoker and sugar water sprayer. My preliminary findings are that on my calmer hives a few sprays with a sugar water mist is just fine with the bees and me. Spraying them with sugar water is much easier than firing up the smoker. On my more aggressive hives the sugar water is not enough to keep the bees calm. So I’m back to smoking, but only on my hives that are more defensive by nature.

Unavoidable stings In the end, however, you will get stung. Prepare yourself for that eventuality. No matter how much protective

gear you wear or how much research and planning you do, you will be in close proximity and you will get stung. You will get used to the occasional sting. The sting pain goes away quickly in most cases. Some swelling in normal. If you know that you are deathly allergic to bee stings, beekeeping isn’t the right vocation for you.

Attitude makes all the difference None of this preparation, protective gear, timing, smoke or lack of deodorant will do you any

good if you don’t approach the bees with the right attitude. Bees are like dogs, they can smell fear (quite literally). When working bees, it is imperative that you are calm, cool and collected.

Calm, sure movements are best. Stay relaxed. Don’t work too fast or with quick jerky movements. Bees are sensitive to vibrations, so bumping or banging on the hive can set off their defensive response.

In the beginning you may feel awkward and frightened. Don’t worry, this will pass with time and practice. Wear more protective gear until you get comfortable. Make sure your equipment is in top form and that your gloves fit you well to make manipulating the bees easier. Eventually you’ll be the old hand in the business.

Ensuring Neighbors’ Safety

There are two schools of thought about how to work with urban neighbors. Some choose not to tell anyone about their hive until or unless there is a complaint. Others are up front about their beekeeping, providing fresh honey and openly addressing misconceptions about honey bees.”

A smart beekeeper will take proactive approaches to reduce neighbors’ bee concerns. For example, if weather is dry, honey bees will use a neighbor’s swimming pool as a water source. Putting a bird bath or other water supply in the area will reduce the likelihood that bees will become a poolside nuisance.

Choosing the bee hive’s location carefully will reduce safety concerns as well. For example, bee hives shouldn’t be placed near sidewalks or play areas where bee air traffic may pose a threat. Instead, the urban hive should be tucked into the corner of a yard away from regular human activity. If needed, beekeepers can help direct the flight pattern of their honey bees by installing a section of 6- to 8-foot-tall privacy fence 6 feet in front of the hive entrance. Bees leaving the hive will fly up and over the fence achieving a height where they will not encounter children playing or a neighbor working in the yard.

Hive swarms are nearly impossible to predict or prevent. Some beekeepers will take a precaution of setting up a bait hive. A bait hive is an empty hive that can be easily accessed and claimed by a bee swarm, reducing the risk of swarming bees in a neighbor’s tree.

Some beekeepers keep an extra pair of gloves, veil and coverall in order to invite curious neighbors for a bee-hive inspection. Creating educational opportunities can go a long way to dispelling safety concerns about honey bees.

Bee Safe and Bee happy

Cameron Crane

BEEGINNERS' BOX

TBA does a wonderful job with The Journal. The Journal covers a wide variety of subjects that interest beekeepers of

all levels. TBA has also started a new program that offers a free year's membership to first year beekeepers who join

a local association. Membership includes a subscription to The Journal, so I thought it would be good to have a

regular article focused on information for the new beekeeper.

If you have been keeping bees for more than a year, you are familiar with the statement: Ask 10 beekeepers a

question, and you will get 14 answers. All those answers can be a little overwhelming to a beginner. Therefore, I will

endeavor to present some basics for new beekeepers.

TERMINOLOGIES

BEEKEEPER Someone who keeps honey bees. There are two categories: level of beekeeper and type of

beekeeper.

Level: TBA defines a small scale (sometimes referred to as hobbyist) beekeeper as someone with 25 or less hives. A

sideliner has 26-300 hives, and a commercial beekeeper has over 300 hives There is a lot we can learn from

commercial beekeepers and their years of experience. I have often heard, “He’s a commercial beekeeper, and he

does it this way.” One thing a beginner should keep in mind is that commercial beekeepers are running big operations

and their practices are geared towards productivity and the fastest way to accomplish tasks with that many hives.

Some ways they do things may not be the best practice for success for beginners but are the most practical on a large

scale calculated for minimal failure. Commercial beekeepers are not wrong, they are simply trying to run a profitable

business by the numbers.

Type: Bee-Haver, Chemical-Free, Organic or Traditional? Warning, I might be opening a can of worms.

A bee-haver is sometimes used in a derogatory sense. It refers to someone who keeps bees with very little or no

intervention. In other words, “Just let the bees be bees.” However, most beekeepers feel that keeping bees is a

responsibility. Caring for those bees is like having a dog or cat. You need to make sure they have food, water and a

flea collar.

Chemical-Free Beekeeping: I recently read that 90% of beekeepers treat their hives with chemicals. In recent years,

there has been a movement towards chemical free beekeeping. I see two levels to these beekeepers. Some take the

approach to not put ANY type of chemical in the hive while others have varying levels of what they will put in the hive.

For example, some beekeepers use poisons in a hive beetle trap and some use essential oils. I’ve heard beekeepers

say they are chemical-free beekeepers but use formic or oxalic acids because they are “organic acids.” Thus, there are

varying levels of being chemical-free. Being chemical-free, at whatever level you decide, requires more active

management and more learning. A best practice is to choose a type of honey bee that is more hygienic and can

tolerate chemical-free management.

Traditional refers to beekeepers that typically treat their hives with chemicals for pests and diseases. Many

treatments are done in the spring and fall before or after any honey supers are placed in order to not contaminate the

honey stores the beekeeper is going to harvest. Keeping bees in a standard Langstroth hive is also considered

traditional.

Organic: This is a matter of how one defines organic. It is my understanding that there is no place in the US that will

support a hive that the bees would be isolated from getting into pesticides from neighboring plants and field in their

foraging range. Thus it is my opinion that those bees or the honey are not truly “organic” as the general consumer

understands what organic farming is. Other definitions vary.

TYPES OF HIVES: There are many types of honey bee hives.. In the U. S., there are three types that are commonly

used. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Research which one will fit your needs best.

The Langstroth Hive is the most common and almost exclusively used by sideliners and commercial beekeepers for its

superior system of harvesting honey and transportability. Langstroth hives, often referred to as box hives, are the

traditional route.

Top Bar Hives have gained a lot of interest in recent years with newer beekeepers only wanting a few hives. They are

also popular with gardeners who are mostly interested in bees to pollenate their gardens. Top bar hives do not move

easily but offer a system of keeping bees that does not require any heavy lifting. There are a few sideliners in Texas

running top bar hives.

Warre Hives (pronounced WAR-ray) have some following in the U. S. Warre Hives are a French design and comprised

of a stack of identical boxes fitted with top-bars but no frames. They have their own system of management.

Langstroth Boxes: In my first year while talking with other beekeepers, I was confused about brood boxes,

supers, deeps, mediums, shallows, 8-frame, 10-frame and so on. Some of these terms are sizes of boxes and some

are the usage or purpose.

Sizes: Deeps, mediums and shallows are the common sizes; and there are a few others sizes just to confuse things.

All Langstroth boxes are 19 7/8” long. Frames are sized to the height of the box and are all the same length and

width.

Number of frames Width Length Deep 9 ½” tall

5 frame 9 ¼” 19 7/8” Medium 6-5/8” tall

8 frame 13 ¾” 19 7/8” Shallow 5-11/16” tall

10 frame 16 ¼” 19 7/8” Comb Honey 4-13/16” tall

Types of boxes: Brood and supers are the most commonly referred to boxes. The bees use the box for a specific

purpose. Bees will raise brood in the lower boxes (brood box) and store honey in the upper boxes (supers.) The size

of the box does not matter. The traditional method is to have deep boxes on the bottom for brood and to add

medium or shallow boxes for honey supers. You may hear of a beekeeper who “runs all mediums.” In this case, the

beekeeper will have all medium boxes, the lower ones being brood boxes and the upper ones being supers. On rare

occasion, I’ve heard of a beekeeper having all deeps. A deep filled with just honey is VERY heavy, close to 90 lbs. A

medium super full of honey is about 60 lbs. There are some advantages to having all the same sized boxes, but then

you need more boxes just for brood. Most commercial beekeepers use deeps for brood and mediums for honey

supers. I will go more into the size of a hive in the next Beeginners' Box. As you listen to and read articles by other

beekeepers, take terms like deeps, mediums, brood and supers in context. They may say “deep” when they are

referring to a brood box.

Buying Bees: There are three ways to purchase honey bees, packages, nucs and hives. A package of bees typically

comes in a screened box with three pounds of bees and a queen in a cage. The package is added to a hive and the

queen cage installed. In a package, the bees are generally not from that queen. Keeping the queen in her cage gives

the bees time to get used to her scent so she will be accepted as their queen. The queen cage is plugged with candy

that the bees will eat so that the queen is released. Nuc is short for nucleus. It is a colony that is already established

but not large enough to be productive. Nucs are often 5 frames of bees, comb with brood and an established queen

that is already laying eggs. Nucs come in a temporary cardboard box or a small wooden box and need to be put into a

full sized box along with enough frames to fill the box. Nucs give you a good jump-start on establishing a strong hive.

Bees from packages or nucs will need to be fed to help build the colony. Packaged bees need more feeding because

they have to build comb for the queen to start laying. In buying a hive you get the bees, queen and a full set of

equipment (bottom, box, frames and top.) Purchasing hives tends to be a bit more expensive.

Slang terms: While talking to seasoned beekeepers, you may hear some confusing terms.

Nectar flow or flow: A time when several flowers or trees are in bloom that are producing nectar the bees like.

Dinks: a weak or very weak hive. Commercial beekeepers see these of little value.

Dead-outs: A hive that is dead, absconded or such. It was a hive but now just the basic equipment.

Honey-bound or plugged-up: During a heavy nectar flow, bees get super busy bringing in nectar and start filling every

available cell with honey to the point where the queen does not have empty cells in which to lay eggs.

Drop-in-a-Queen: They don’t mean literally. There is a process for introducing a new queen that needs to be

followed.

Split: Making additional hives from a strong hive. As in splitting one hive into two hives. One will need a queen.

Walk-away-split: A split where you make sure the queenless hive has eggs and let the bees raise a new queen on

their own.

Double-deep: A hive with two deep boxes of bees and brood, a strong hive. The goal for a good honey harvest.

IPM: Integrated Pest Management. A common sense approach to pest management. IPM is a broad based approach

that integrates practices for economic control of pests. IPM can also mean implementing something that combats

multiple pests or taking several actions to combat one particular pest.

Bee Informed. That clever comment, "It was on the internet, so it must be true." There is a lot of good information

and a lot of bunk that can be found on the internet. I recommend reading a published book or a few published books.

With a good foundation of the basics, you can be a better judge of what sounds like a good idea or plain garbage.

Don’t be afraid to ask seasoned beekeepers questions. This is where the real value is in your local beekeeping

association where local beekeepers can answer local questions. Yes, you’ll have to decide which of the 14 answers

you got, if you asked 10 people the same question, is the best choice for you.

Joyful beekeeping, Cameron Crane

BEEGINNERS' BOX

From Cameron Crane, Liberty County Beekeepers

It has been so wonderful seeing all the new people taking an interest in Beekeeping. We are seeing lots of new faces at meetings in the Houston area. I was attending a meeting where they were talking about where to get bees. Someone asked, "What kind of bees are they?"; and the reply from someone was, "I don’t know. They are honey bees." A little later in discussions, a newcomer asked, "What’s the difference in the different kinds of bees?" I found the answer that one of the members supplied a little disappointing. It was, "It's about how mean they are and how much honey they produce.” For anyone who has looked into the different races of honey bees, there is much more to it than just temperament and honey production. Although these are amongst the most important traits for the beekeeper, many other traits affect the handling, management and survivability of hives.

In Europe, the Americas and Australia, the term "honey bee" means a bee of the species A. mellifera. Within the species, there are sub-species and sub-sub-species also known as breeds, races or stocks. The old races of centuries ago were lineages that had adapted to different regions, climate, and available hive locations. If you would like a more thorough explanation, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee_race

Before the invention of removable frame hives, beekeepers typically kept bees in skeps and would kill the hive to harvest the honey and wax. The old time beekeeper would select which skeps they were going to keep for the next year and which ones to harvest. Selection for the following years' stock was based on the honey bee traits the beekeeper liked. Italian beekeepers had a high liking for gentleness; and thus, the Italian bees are known for their gentleness. Some of the original honey bee races included Italian, Carniolan, Cordovan, Caucasian, and Nigra- black bee. In the last 200 years as travel increased and transportation improved, beekeepers moved with their pure, imported honey bees into areas that may have had other imported stock and feral honey bees. These bees would breed with each other. In current times, some beekeepers work hard to maintain purer lineages through isolated mating yards.

Little was known about the life cycle and habits of honey bees before the studies by the Swiss naturalist Francois Huber (1750-1831.) Huber’s investigations laid the foundation for scientific knowledge of honey bees and started a significant movement in the 1800’s to better understand, control, and breed honey bees.

Selective breeding looks for many different desirable traits for which to breed. Typically, beekeepers breed for gentleness, spring build up, honey production, fall size reduction, lack of robbing behavior, wintering hardiness, drone production level, and excessive swarming. Before the 1900's, higher swarming tendencies was a sought after trait because catching swarms was the way to increase the number of hives. After the advent of the removable frame hives, honey bees that made less propolis and swarmed less became desirable traits. However, all of these traits have advantages to the bees and/or the beekeeper. No race or mixture of races has a perfect balance of desirable traits. The Italian is a very gentle bee but is much more prone to robbing honey out of weaker hives. Northern beekeepers are more concerned about winter hardiness where those of us in the South are not since we don’t have long, harsh winters. Selecting or breeding bees that produce less propolis makes it easier for the beekeeper to work their hives. But, the purpose and function of propolis is to help keep the hive healthy, so does breeding for honey bees that make less propolis hinder the healthiness of the hive?

To my knowledge, the first person to conduct in-depth studies into breeding bees for desired traits was Brother Adam (Karl Kehrle 1898-1996) at Buckfast Abbey located in Devon, England. At the time, tracheal mites were killing hives by the thousands in the British Isles. Few hives were surviving; and in 1916, only 16 hives were left at Buckfast Abbey. Brother Adam started breeding for pest resistance. His is an interesting story to read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_bee

Since Brother Adam's success, breeding honey bees has taken new directions which brought about a whole new set of traits that breeders target such as resistance to tracheal mites, nosema, American foul brood, chalk brood, and European foul brood. Another harmful pest first found in the United States in 1987 is the varroa mite. They have had a major impact on both feral and kept bees. Since 1997, The USDA Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics & Physiology Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA has conducted very promising studies in breeding bees to combat varroa mites. The lab imported Russian honey bees for their varroa resistance. They found that some bee colonies had mite populations that only grew slowly. The study also found that the bees in these hives had a hereditary trait that kept the mite population in check. This trait was found to be hygienic and was eventually named the Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) trait. VSH is an activity of adult bees to detect and remove pupae (capped brood) that are infected with mites. The VSH trait has been successfully bred into many different races maintaining a relatively good mite resistance while still developing other desired characteristics like honey production, brood build up, and reduced swarming.

Many new beekeepers want to know what is the best type of bee to get. There is no clear answer or best choice for everyone. Thus comes one of my common statements about beekeeping which is beekeeping is about choices. I’ve read that newer beekeepers should try a few different types of honey bees. I won’t disagree. It is my feeling that first time beekeepers should start with a gentle bee. I’ve seen several people get out of beekeeping because they did not enjoy dealing with temperamental or more aggressive bees. Having acquired a fair number of hives from swarms and from bee removals, I’ve dealt with more than enough mean bees (Africanized.)

There are a growing number of hobbyist beekeepers choosing to keep bees chemical free. This can be a more challenging a choice. I highly recommend that if you are going to practice chemical free beekeeping, get bees with more resistance to diseases and pests. Keep in mind you'll still need to stay on top of IPM (Integrated Pest Management). I also think you are going to have an easier time working with bees that are bred and accustomed to your own climate.

What are my experiences with some of the different races? A few years ago, I got three hives of supposedly “Russian” bees. These first Russians were mostly calm enough, but they do love to propolis EVERYTHING up thick! By the end of the first major flow, I’d named the hives “the weak”, “the medium”, and “the strong.” The strong has been split every year, and each split built back up quickly and remained strong. The medium has remained medium and is still holding on as a double deep but yet to ever fill a super for me. The weak hive would never move up into a second deep and died this past winter. All three had their times when they were not happy about me opening the hive. Last year and again this year, I bought some more Russians as nucs but this time from a source that was breeding from Russian queens purchased from the Russian Honey Bee Breeder Association. This better, true source of Russians still propolised quite a bit but not near as bad. They also were not as temperamental as often and have all been good producers.

Mid-spring this year, I added to my main apiary five packages of Minnesota Hygienic bees bought in Texas. I’m amazed at how calm they are ALL THE TIME. When I go into those hives, I do not smoke them, I only give them a little squirt of sugar water. They built fast, and three of the five hives of the Minnesota Hygienics actually filled some supers this first year. We are already planning to add more of these. I know a few hobbyist beekeepers who keep some rather aggressive bees. They tell me it's because meaner bees produce better. My experiences has me doubting there is any truth to this; and if so, is it really worth the extra hassles? My short time of experience with these Minn. Hygienic bees has me convinced it’s bunk, but I’ll hold my final judgment until I see how they come out of this coming winter and into the spring. Remember: Beekeeping is about Choices – Your mileage may vary.

Honey Bee Races (BREEDS)

Italian: Apis mellifera ligustica -First brought to the U.S. in 1859. A favored bee stock in the US. There are light colored strains and darker/leathery colored strains. The light colored strain exhibit more of the weaknesses of the Italians and more susceptible to tracheal mites. The darker line is shown to be very resilient against tracheal mites. This likely explains way my research shows disease resistance as a strength in some places; and in others, it lists susceptibility to diseases as a weakness. So, I did not included either in the below list of strengths and weaknesses. Italians’ strong brood rearing is a great advantage at times but is also a drawback in nectar dearths and in the winter where they consume more honey stores. Strengths: Very calm, non-aggressive bee, excellent honey producers, light coloring has aesthetic appeal to many beekeepers despite the drawbacks of the light colored Italians, reluctance to swarm, zeal for building comb, white honey-cappings, a willingness to enter supers, cleanliness (good housekeepers), uses little propolis, and a strong disposition to breeding, and very prolific. Weaknesses: Prolonged brood rearing/inclined to excessive brood rearing, high consumption of stores thus may consume surplus honey if supers are not removed immediately after the honey flow stops, known for their tendency to rob honey from weaker hives which can also increase spread of disease, tendency to drift (bees joining other hives) which is caused by a poor sense of orientation, tends to forage over shorter distances (less effective in poorer nectar flows like our Texas summers.)

Cordovan - A genetic trait, usually found in the Italian race. Due to the wide variance in color, Cordovans are used mainly for tracking genetic makeup. Strengths: Usually found in strains of Italian honey bees, attractive coloration makes queen location easier, superb comb builders, very gentle, coloration trait is useful in breeding programs, Cordovan trait may be bred into any race of honey bee, Cordovans are available in the US. Weaknesses: Consume large amounts of food in winter, Italian Cordovans may perform poorly in cold, wet conditions, Cordovan trait is recessive.

Carniolan Apis mellifera carnica - Native to Slovenia, southern Austria, and parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Also known as the Grey bee. Strengths: Considered to be gentle, sense of orientation better than the Italians, less drifting of bees from one hive to a neighboring hive, not as prone to rob honey as Italians, overwinter in smaller numbers, quickly adapt to changes in the environment, increase/decrease brood rearing quickly based on nectar flows, low use of propolis, resistant to brood diseases, workers live up to 12% longer than other breeds, early morning foragers that will forage on cooler and wetter days than other breeds, creates less brace and burr comb. Weaknesses: More prone to swarming if overcrowded, low ability to thrive in hot summer weather, Unless marked the dark queen is difficult to find, brood rearing diminishes greatly when pollen is scarce.

European Dark Bee (AKA black bee or German bee) Apis mellifera mellifera - Originally distributed in some parts of central, western and northern Europe. These were the first bees brought to the Americas around 1600. This distinctly marked bee is brown and black in color and overwinters well. Recent genetic testing shows many feral bees populations that maintain a genetic marker of the black bee, but most of the purer stock has been eliminated by pests and disease in the last several decades. Strengths: Overwinters well, decent yield even in poor years, needs very moderate food supplies. Weaknesses: Slow Spring build up, more aggressive than other preferred breeds, not sold in the US.

Caucasian Apis mellifera caucasica - Originates from the high valleys of the Central Caucasus. Georgia is the “central homeland” for the species, although the bees also can be found in eastern Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Purebreds hard to find in the US. Strengths: Gentle and calm, ardent brood production - raising strong colonies, colonies reach full strength in mid-summer (good for areas where the highest nectar flow is in mid-summer), very heavy use of propolis, a longer proboscis can reach nectar other honey bees can’t, low swarming instinct, quick fall size reduction.

Weaknesses: Colonies do not reach full strength until mid-summer (not good for Texas where the highest nectar flow in the spring), the heavy use of propolis may be seen as undesirable as it makes hive management more difficult, frames and hive boxes are glued together more substantially, over wintering in northern climates not good due to susceptibility to nosema, inclined to drifting and robbing.

Buckfast: Developed by Brother Adam at Buckfast Abbey (see ref. in first page of this article.) Strengths: Highly tracheal mite tolerant, extremely gentle, low swarm instinct, over-winters exceptionally well, well suited to cool, wet climates, good honey producer, prolific queens (lay many eggs), frugal - low amount of brood during fall (uses less honey stores during winter), packs brood nest with honey for good wintering, curtails egg laying during dearths, low incidence of chalk brood and wax moths due to good house cleaning techniques, very hygienic, build-up rapidly once started, produces little propolis/brace comb, does well in cold/wet springs. Weaknesses: Not widely available, slow spring build-up, poor early spring pollinators, low amount of brood during fall, less honey or pollen due to erratic spring weather conditions.

Russian: Originated in the Primorsky Krai region of Russia. Controlled in the U. S. by the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association who work hard at maintaining purity and diversity of the stock. Strengths: Strong resistance to varroa and tracheal mites, higher use of propolis. Russian breeders are selecting breeder queen first for varroa resistance and then for honey production.

I found little information listing strengths and weaknesses of Russians. My personal experiences are they survive well without chemical treatment. I would not classify them as mean bees; but at times, they have been testy or moody. I handle them with extra gentleness and don’t go into the hives too early or late in the day or on poor weather days (good practices for all honey bees.)

Minnesota Hygienic, VSH and other modern breeds. I did not find much information about the newer breeds to be able to present a proper list of strengths and weaknesses. Many seem to maintain traits of the sub-species they were bred from. Most of the reputable bee suppliers will have information about the characteristics of their bees. I’ll close with some notes on some of the newer options:

The Minnesota Hygienic stock has been selected for its exceptional house cleaning ability, significantly reducing the negative effects of most brood diseases. The VSH stock is not an independently viable stock on its own (because of inbreeding), the VSH/SMR (suppressed mite reproduction) trait has been incorporated into other genetic stocks so that these stocks may also express this highly desired characteristic. The Cordovan bee is a type of Italian bee that has a very light yellow color, which is more attractive to many beekeepers.

Numerous hybrid stocks are also available commercially: The Midnight bee was developed by crossing the Caucasian and Carniolan stocks, hoping to maintain the extreme gentleness of both strains while removing the excessive propolis of the Caucasians and minimizing the swarming propensity of the Carniolans. The Starline was developed from numerous strains of the Italian stock by Gladstone Cale of the Dadant Bee Company. It was once favored by commercial beekeepers because of its tremendous honey yields, particularly in clover, but the popularity of this stock has declined in recent decades. The Double Hybrid is a cross of the Midnight and the Starline. The “Smart” strains are crosses between the SMR strain and other stocks, such as Italian, Russian, and Carniolan. The “All-American” from RWeaver is based on the darker Italian stocks. The “BeeWeaver” strain has been raised chemical free since 2001, selecting from stocks that showed strong resistance to varroa mites.

Conclusion: There is a lot of variation between races and the different strains bred from those races. These differences give each advantages and disadvantages. Beekeepers should choose which ones fit their needs best. Experience some of the available breeds and decide which is best for you. Remember: Beekeeping is about Making Choices. Joyful Beekeeping,

Cameron Crane

BEEGINNERS' BOX

From Cameron Crane, Liberty County Beekeepers

A new beekeeping season is well underway. I’m hoping by now you’ve been getting your equipment ready.

In this issue I want to talk about frames in your hives. Your frames are the foundation of the hive.

Frames come in two basic choices: wood and plastic. I very strongly recommend going with wood frames. I

think the all plastic frames may be fine for beekeepers living further north where they do not have the

problems and issues with the small hive beetles that we have here in Texas, especially the southern and

eastern parts of the state. The plastic frames have little slots in the plastic along the sides. As I help other

new beekeepers, the few times I have seen some that have purchased and installed the all plastic frame,

those hives appeared to be battling with hive beetles much more. Those few cases where I’ve seen all

plastic frames, every one of them had numerous hive beetles hiding along the side in those frames. The

slots in the edges of the frames are too small for the bees to chase the beetles out, but plenty big enough for

the beetles to hide in. I’ve come to view the all plastic frames as hive beetle condominiums and you don’t

want to provide such adequate housing for small hive beetles. Do yourself and the bees a favor, stick with

wooden frames.

Foundation: Wax or plastic? This becomes a tough choice to make. There are pros and cons on each side.

My first years in beekeeping, I was using wax. I got a good friend into beekeeping and he was using plastic.

As we were building our number of hives from removals and swarms, I saw in hive after hive just how much

the bees preferred wax foundation. As the bees worked at drawing out the comb on wax, they would starting

drawing out over a much larger area. On the plastic, the bees would only draw out the area where they were

working and not draw out comb any further away. This convinced me that wax was the way to go because it

was best for the bees. I always bought the wax with the vertical wires in the foundation but I did not add the

cross wires as that chore was very time consuming. I found that not adding cross wires wasn’t much of a

problem if those frames went into a hive very soon. If I had frames done ahead of time and stored them in

the garage after a few weeks of the summer heat the wax foundation would warp- sometimes badly. I quickly

got to where I didn’t put the foundation in until I had a hive ready for those frames. Other experienced

beekeepers tell me you will have trouble extracting frames with wax foundation if you don’t have the cross

wires. I’m fortunate to have a larger radial extractor and have not had a problem with frames “blowing out”. I

can see that it would be a problem in a smaller tangential extractor (one where you have to spin one side

then flip the frame and spin for the other side). Best practice would be to add the cross wires if you choice to

go with wax.

Plastic foundation’s advantages are for the beekeeper. They offer a considerable saving in time and are

much easier to install in a frame. Frames with plastic foundation don’t have to be handled as carefully as

wax foundation. Once drawn out with comb, care should be taken in handling frames, wax or plastic

foundation. Another advantage to plastic foundation is that the larva of hive beetles and wax moths cannot

chew through it. This greatly slows the spread if an area of the hive becomes infected with hive beetles or

wax moth larva. If caught really enough through inspections remove the infected frame(s) and replace them.

Did I mention that bee don’t like plastic foundation? I’ve read quite a few articles on overcoming the bees

dislike to draw comb on plastic foundation. The top recommendations include starting a new package of

bees on wax foundation, introduce new frames with plastic foundation only when the bees really need it.

Crowded hives (lots of bees) will draw out plastic foundation quicker, but then you are also creating the

same conditions that encourage the hive to swarm making this option a careful balancing act. Many people

report that adding additional wax to the plastic foundation eliminates the bees dislike of the plastic. Adding

additional wax to the plastic increases the time to prepare those frames. Most new beekeepers don’t have

the extra wax. I tried to add extra wax to the plastic with a small trim paint roller as the recommend method. I

found the very cheap and inexpensive trim roller I got at a box store was too flimsy and the roller part didn’t

hold much if any wax except in the center core that dripped everywhere- it was an in-effective disaster!

Having the wax melted, I grabbed a small cheap paint brush and was able to coat 20 frames with extra wax

in about an hour. Be careful working with melted wax. Wax can be messy and is hard to clean up. I have a

buffet warmer with double pans that barely gets hot enough to melt the wax- IF I wrap the sides and keep it

covered it will melt wax enough to use. What I like about the buffet warmer is that it will not get too hot to

burn the wax or ignite it. Wouldn’t it be nice if the manufacturers of plastic foundation were adding enough

wax for the bees to like it?

My recommendation is that if you have a few hives to stay with wax foundation. If you are growing into a

larger operation, then plastic foundation has some advantages to consider, but the bees aren’t going to like

it. As always, find what works best for you. Beekeeping is about making choices.

TBA Summer Clinic is shaping up to be a fantastic event! The planners and Montgomery County

Beekeepers have put together a line-up of classes sure to provide learning opportunities for every level of

beekeeper.

Joyful Beekeeping, Cameron Crane

The Beeginners Box By Cameron Crane, Liberty County Beekeepers

BEE SPACE

Rev. Langstroth is generally credited as having as having discovered bee space. A few other people

around the same time had noted the bees preference to having control of the open space in their home.

Anything less than1/4 inch will eventually get filled with propolis and anything more than 3/8 inch

will get filled in with comb. Langstroth designed his hives

around this space and behavior. Notice in Langstroth drawing

that there is bee space on top, bottom and both sides. This

crawl space is important to the bees. Less space in the brood

comb means less space to heat or cool and less space to patrol

for pests.

So, why is this spacing so important? In the old days of

beekeeping the main reason was that bee space made our

standard hives with removable frames workable. With this

space on the sides, top and bottom the bees don’t typically attach the frame to the sides of the box

allowing you to easily remove the frame. Frames are also designed to space the comb between them

leaving enough (bee space) so the bees don’t attach one frame to another. The frames also leave bee

space between the top bars for the bees to pass through and move into the next box. This is an

important point to why your frames should be pushed tightly together in the box- to maintain the

proper spacing between comb layers. Let’s look at what

happens if you leave a little bit of extra space between the

frames. Look at the bottom of the picture on the left- The

bees have put propolis between the side boards of the

frame. Now they will be a little more difficult to remove

either of those frames. Also with that propolis there, even

after your next hive inspection when you loosen those

frames from each other, you won’t be able to slide them back together tightly so the bees don’t “re-

glue” them back together. With that little bit of extra space, it will be harder for the bees to keep the

brood warm in the winter months. I’ve learned some of this the

hard way. I’ve learned when I finish putting the last frame back

in a box, I always put my hive tool at one end near a corner

between frame and box and give it a twist to be sure all the

frames are tightly together and repeat at each corner. See on the

right what happens when you leave a lot of space. Those two

frames are going to be hard to remove and will make a mess of

things for the bees to fix. Would you not rather your bees are

gathering nectar and pollen, taking care of the queen, or raising

more bees instead of spending time building bur comb or

propolis up extra small spaces? We make the bees redo this work

when we break that bur comb apart during inspections. As you

find these situations in your hive- clean them up and get those

frames pushed back together closely.

Those darn Small Hive Beetles: Here in Texas we are all dealing with small hive beetles. Our bees do

what they can to run them off. Any extra space in the hive makes it harder on the bees. Maintaining

good bee space helps. If you build any of your own equipment, keep those sizes in very close tolerance

to maintain proper bee space. Don’t create small gaps with saw cuts that give the beetles a place to

hive or lay eggs. I run a small bead of glue along the inside of my boxes corners to close off any small

gaps where the wood comes together.

Langstroth style hives have bee space between the top and bottom

of the frames. Box designs from different manufactures will place

this bee space either under the frames or on top with a deeper dado

cut for the frames to rest on. It is best to stay with the same

manufacture so that as you stack boxes on the hive the space

between top and bottom is correct. It seems more manufactures

place this bee space below the frames. In the cut-away picture on

the left, the top of the lower frame is almost in line with the seam

between the boxes. Thus the bee space is below the frames. I have

found this a problem with hive beetles on the top box. There is

then too little space over the frames in the top box. The bees

cannot get in there to chase off the beetles unless you are using an inner cover that creates a little more

space. The first year I was dealing with hive beetles I was using a solid inner cover or no inner cover. I

found that beetle traps in the top box to be totally ineffective- I thought they didn’t work. I discovered

this was because there was not enough space for the bees to chase the beetles into the trap. I added a

few spacers (like a popsicle stick) to hold the cover up a little more- Wow, a week later I had beetle

traps full of hive beetles! Make sure your set-up allows for bee space (1/8”-1/4”) above your frames in

the top box.

That should cover the basics of bee space…. But then there is an area of beekeeping that gets more in

depth. Using supers with 9 or even 8 frames for greater honey production. I’ve not seen any studies or

data, but when commercial beekeepers tell me that they get more honey out of a super with less

frames, I figure they know what they are talking about. Over and over again I read: when adding a

super with just foundation (no drawn out comb) put in all 10 frames. The bees will draw out the comb

more evenly on both sides. In following year, with less than 10 frames in the super, they are spaced

out and the bees will draw the comb out further making it deeper. The greatest advantage to having

fewer frames then 10 in the supers is that the comb extending out past the frames is easier to un-cap

and provides more wax. Even the bees believe in wider comb when storing honey. I’ve done many

removals where the outer combs are packed with honey often 2” thick- sometime more than that.

Brood comb in natural hives is also much thinner and closer together.

I heard a beekeeper say that he uses 9 frames in his brood when he is using 9 frames in his super. I was

a little shocked at the idea. The reasoning was that it keeps the frames lined up between lower boxes

and upper boxes thus making it easier for the bees to move from one box to another.

I went to researching the whole 9 or 10 frame brood configurations. Wow, what a can of worms.... it’s

a little more complicated than just the pros and cons of 9 or 10 frames. It seems that a number of

people run 9 frame brood boxes with frames all put together in the center, or to one side. Then you

have those that shave down their frames a little bit so that they are “more naturally” spaced and putting

11 frames in the brood boxes. Holy cow! Yet, another choice. Bottom line what is the best choice…

After my research of this subject, I am still dead set that 10 (or 11) frames in the brood is the proper

way to go because you are maintaining bee space. I’d decided this was a good subject for an article.

First let’s be clear, when talking about supers- there are a number of opinions about the number of

frames to put in a super- BUT, the “general” consensus is to start a new super with 10 frames: that is

one with just foundation, let the bees draw out foundation (build comb) while there are 10 frames. This

helps keep the bees making comb that is more even and straight across the frames. The next year when

you are adding supers with frames of drawn out comb, you pull one and have only 9 frames and space

then out.

As best as I can tell, the most common set-up if a beekeeper does not stay with the traditional 10/10 in

all boxes is to have 9 frames in the supers and 10 in the brood. Most beekeepers seem to prefer using

ten frames in the brood boxes—and for good reasons. Using 9 frames in a brood box also has it’s own

split: 9 frames spaced or 9 frames together. Those running 9 frames together do so simply for the

reason that it is easier to remove frames from the brood box and keep the frames pushed close together

for the reason those who run 10 frames in brood boxes- it’s better not to have brood frames spaced out.

I don’t see the issue or problem doing inspections with 10 frames in a brood box. I don’t want to lose a

frame of brood and I know the bees will eventually fill that extra space with bur comb if you only have

9 frames in the brood box.

I found the argument interesting, that it is harder for the bees to travel from a 10 frame box(brood) to

a spaced 9 frame super. So I went on another research binge. This issue has been going on for over

120 years! It seems the frames were made wider when the whole removable frame hives started in the

mid 1800’s. By the end of the century many beekeepers had experimented and found frames closer

together had advantages and made beekeeping easier to manage, quotes from the days of old - as

found on Michael Bush’s website: “Frame—As before mentioned, each stock hive has ten of these

frames.... The width both of the bar and frame is 7/8 of an inch; this is less by 1/4 of an inch than the bar recommended by the older apiarians. Mr.Woodbury—whose authority on the modern plans for keeping bees is of great weight—finds the 7/8” bar an improvement, because with them the combs are closer together, and require fewer bees to cover the brood. Then too, in the same space that eight old fashioned bars occupied the narrower frames admit of an additional bar, so that, by using these, increased accommodation is afforded for breeding…”—Alfred Neighbour, The Apiary, or, Bees, Bee Hives, and Bee Culture… “… with frames 7/8 of an inch wide, spaced just a bee-space apart, the bees will fill all the cells from top to bottom with brood, provided deeper cells or wider spacing is used in the storage chamber. This is not guess-work or theory. In experiments covering a term of years I have found the same results, without variation, in every instance. Such being the fact, what follows? In answer, I will say that the brood is invariably reared in the brood chamber—the surplus is stored, and at once, where it should be, and no brace-combs are built; and not only this, but the rearing of drones is kept well in hand, excess of swarming is easily prevented, and, in fact, the whole matter of beekeeping work is reduced to a minimum, all that is required being to start with sheets of comb just 7/8 of an inch thick, and so spaced that they cannot be built any deeper. I trust that I have made myself understood; I know that if the plan indicated is followed, beekeeping will not only be found

an easier pursuit, but speedy progress will be made from now on.”—“Which are Better, the Wide or Narrow Frames?” by J.E. Pond, American Bee Journal: Volume 26, Number 9 March 1, 1890 No. 9. Page 141. Note: 7/8” plus 3/8” (max bee space) makes 1 1/4”. 7/8” plus 1/4” (min bee space) makes 1 1/8”. Now days frames are made such that the side bars space the frames for you, so long as they are all pushed together. Thus, I was further convinced, keep all 10 frames in the brood box. The advantages for the brood box

to be full and together seemed to out way concerns about bees traveling between boxes. I still wanted to see

what effect 9 frames in a super would have over a 10 frame brood box. I went to the work shop and put together two boxes with 3 sides and added thin rails to hold up the frames on the short side. Below are the pictures of

how they line up with 9 frames spaced over 10 frames tightly together.

Frames at the end were very lined up and moving towards the middle the frames were progressively

more off-set. Last year I had running a couple video

cameras for several months in the bottom of a hive

testing a Beetle Baffle (another story). Watching

many hours of video, I knew the bees seem to move up into the hive on the back wall or side walls of the

box. The bees also move around in the hive very

quickly, around corners and over baffles and other objects with ease.

As a side note: The bees had a lot of interest in the

cameras at the bottom of the box and the one that

had IR LEDs got comb built over the LEDs, where the one without night vision was not combed over.

Seems from their behavior, the bees coming in the hive with nectar to store are not traveling up through the

center. So I don’t see the off set in the middle much of an issue so I don’t buy the argument that it is harder for

the bees when the frames are not all lined up from brood box to first super.

I’m hoping you understand the importance of bee space and remember when you are in your hive to push all the

frames together tightly. Don’t leave extra space or leave frames out unless you are putting on a super with

frames of drawn comb. The bees will stay busy so let them be working on their regular tasks and not having to waste time and energy filling in spaces they don’t like.

Bee happy and bee safe, Cameron Crane

BEEGINNERS' BOX

From Cameron Crane, Liberty County Beekeepers

Greetings to those pursuing learning more about beekeeping. As I’m writing, we are still in the heat of

summer. Our first cool front is scheduled to be here soon. By the time you read this, we should be well into

the fall honey flow as the asters and goldenrod are in bloom. In this installment of the Beeginners’ Box, I’m

going to cover the three I’s: Inventories, Information and Involvement.

INVENTORIES

Are about recordkeeping. Beekeeping has been described as a skill, and it has also been called an art or

craft. Whichever approach you take to beekeeping puts you on a path. Are you mapping out that path?

Keeping good records helps you understand where you have been and where you and your bees are now.

The hive grows, flows and adapts to the seasons. Every area has its own details of which plants are going

to bloom at what time. Knowing when the major and minor nectar flows of your area occur helps you

anticipate the needs of your bees. Since you know when the flows are about to happen, you should also

know when you need to have supers ready to add to the hive.

If you have more than one or two hives, you should be keeping records on how fast did each colony build,

when supers were added, how many boxes were harvested, and how full the frames where on a certain

date. This is some of the information you will need to manage your hives effectively. At each inspection,

you should note how many hive beetles you saw, the activity in front of the hive, were the bees bringing in

pollen, did you see nectar being stored, how aggressive were the bees, and what did the brood patterns look

like. Being in the Houston area and having to deal with aggressive bees from removals and swarms, I keep

up with the "meanness" of my hives so I know which ones I want to re-queen. All this information helps

anticipate the current needs of the hive and will help with your choices in the following year.

Find a system that works for you. I’ve heard some people place a brick on the top cover, and the placement

has a coded meaning. Last year, I used the Hive Tracks System found at www.hivetracks.com Hive Tracks

is a great tool for keeping inventory. However, I’m not keen on texting on my phone, so using the phone app

to take notes in the field wasn’t for me. I then made notes on printed Hive Tracks inspection sheets and

updated my notes when I got home. I found that as my number of hives increased that I wasn’t making the

time to sit at the computer to do updates on my hives. So, if you have less than 10 hives, I’d recommend

taking a look at Hive Tracks.

I've also tried a note pad and a clip

board when visiting my hives and

found I didn’t like fooling with paper

and pen in the bee yard. This year, I

changed out most of my traditional top

covers for garden top covers and kept

a Sharpie in my smoker/hive tool kit. I

made notes about the hive on the top

cover. Each visit, I also took photos of

the hives before I started and after I

finished. When I saw bees working

flowers, I took a picture. I saved the

pictures on my computer in a beekeeping folder by dates. I’ve referred back to my photo inventory often,

and that's what works for me.

As you start the next year of beekeeping, you will have decisions to make. Your records should give you

direction and help you plan.

INFORMATION

Is about learning. There are many places to find information and ways to build your knowledge about bees

and beekeeping. Books, bee schools, seminars, clinics, pod-casts, the Internet, beekeeping clubs, mentors

and conventions are just a few avenues. When I first got interested in beekeeping, I thought all I’d need

were a couple of good books; and then, I'd know all about beekeeping. Now, I know I’ll always be learning.

I’ve read quite a few books, and I can’t say any of them were bad books. I’ve learned something from each

one. The two books that stand out most in my mind are Beekeeping for Dummies and Reverend

Langstroth’s book, Langstroth's Hive and the Honeybee. I’d never read a “for dummies” book and dislike the

whole title idea, but I got it for next to nothing included in a purchase of several other books. I won’t say it

was the best; but it surprised me. For a beginner, it had a lot of good information and was fairly well

organized. I’d also gotten a hard copy of Langstroth’s Hive and the Honeybee , 4th edition published in

1878. I read into it some but found it a hard read. Then last winter, I found the audio book of the

Langstroth's Hive and the Honeybee, burned it onto a CD and put it in the car. After a while, I got used to

the reader being VERY dry and have listened to it twice. Langstroth's book is not a good book for beginners

in that we now know so much about the bees that was unknown in Langstroth’s time, the mid to late 1800's.

For example, Langstroth thought some bees were born to be nurses and others were born to be foragers.

However, I did appreciate his perspective on using sugar water to calm the bees instead of smoking them as

well as his advice on keeping hives dry and well ventilated.

Mentoring is a great way to learn more. I’ve been mentoring a few new beekeepers; and even though I’m

mostly teaching them, I’m also learning a lot from them. The questions they ask make me stop and think. I

also learn from the mistakes they make. If you’ve been beekeeping more than a year or two, you can help

someone just starting; and new Texas beekeepers do need mentors.

Beekeeping schools, seminars and conventions are a great place to learn about beekeeping. The Texas

Beekeepers Association Annual Convention brings in speakers from across the country and is a wonderful

opportunity to learn. This year, make the time and plan on attending. There is a lot of information on the

TBA Annual Convention 2014 in this and the last TBA Journal. You can even register on line this year!

INVOLVEMENT

Being involved with other beekeepers builds your knowledge and establishes a network with seasoned

beekeepers who can help you with problems. The connections you make being involved can really pay off

when you get in a bind or need some help. We had a new member come into Liberty County Beekeepers

who jumped-in to help at one of our demos, and she was a big help getting displays set-up and providing

refreshments. A week or so later when she had problems with her hives, she called me. I was more

motivated to help because I knew who she was and remembered what a big help she had been at our

Honey Harvest Day Demo.

Set aside time to attend a local, monthly beekeepers' meeting, but get involved. Don’t be afraid to ask

questions. The people I see getting the most out of meetings are those that get there early and listen in on

what other beekeepers, just standing around, are talking about. I see many new beekeepers come to a

meeting, sit down, get a little out of the program, and leave. Many of those stop coming after a couple

months because they don’t feel like they are learning enough for the time they invest in attending. Local

beekeepers are your best source for information on what is happening in your area. Network with people so

you have someone who can answer your questions and help you.

Keep in mind local beekeeping associations and clubs are non-profit groups, and they need help keeping the

organization running. You don’t have to be an expert in beekeeping to hold an office. You just need to be

committed for the term of the office and committed to do the work of the position. Serving your local

association is one of the best ways to connect with other beekeepers. Also, you do not need to hold an

office to serve. Most beekeeping associations and clubs need volunteers throughout the year to help at

events like, the Texas State Fair, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Boy Scout Fairs, and so on.

Outreach volunteers are also needed to give programs at local schools, garden clubs, and civic groups like a

local rotary club. Attend or help with any beekeeping schools or classes in your area. Last spring, a group

about 50 miles away from my hometown was having a Beekeeping 101 class and needed people to set-up.

I volunteered and got to stay for the class. Even though I thought I was past Beekeeping 101, I was still

surprised by several little things I learned from the teacher.

Don't forget! The TBA Annual Conference 2014 will be held in Houston, November 7th through the 9th, and

Remember: Beekeeping is about Making Choices.

Joyful Beekeeping, Cameron Crane

BEEGINNERS' BOX

From Cameron Crane, Liberty County Beekeepers

Wow another beekeeping season in wrapping up very soon but the next year will be upon us soon. I hope by

the time you are reading this that you have prepared your hives for winter. I know most of the local

beekeeping associations and clubs have covered winterizing in the last month or two. I’ve removed all my

screen inner covers and replaced them with solid board inner covers. As autumn sets in the bees don’t need

too much cool or cold air flowing up through the hive. Remember warm air rises and the bees are trying to

keep warm. If the top of the hive has too much ventilation all the warm air will rise on out of the hive making

the bees work harder to stay warm. I’ve heard several people in Texas say they winter their hives on

screened bottom boards and they do just fine. I do worry about cold air blowing up into the hive on windy

days. I’ve collected a good stack of corrugated plastic (political signs) and will be cutting those down to slide

in over the screened bottoms on my hives. Also be sure to put entrance reducers on your hives. The smaller

opening helps the bees protect their stores, keeps cold air from blowing in and should be small enough to

keep mice out that are looking for a warm place to winter. Don’t open your hives if it is too cool outside. The

bees are trying to keep it 92-93 degrees- if you remove the top all the warm air rushed out and cold air

replaces it. When it is below 60 degrees that 30+ degree difference in temperature is quite a shock to them.

Remember the hives are also sizing down for the winter. You will see very little or no brood being raised, this

is normal for this time of year. Most all the hives I’ve looked in the last several weeks have no drones in them

either. I was surprised to see quite a few in a hive I saw last Sunday. There are always exceptions.

Be sure your hives have enough stores of honey for the bees to live through the winter. This can vary

between how far north or south you live in Texas. Ask some of your local beekeepers how many frames the

bees should have full of honey. Here is the middle of the state I like to see at least 6 full frames. I you are not

seeing the better part of the upper box full of honey you should continue to feed them and watch them close

in the early spring. As the hive builds up its numbers in the early spring it will need a good amount of honey

to feed the larva. Those young bees will be the main workforce as the strong spring flow come on.

The past year of being involved and seeing other people’s hives, rescuing hives that have been neglected

and mentoring new beekeepers has taught me a number of valuable lessons. I’ll go over a few that stick in

my mind.

First: I’ve seen a few situations where someone had several hives and was not tending to them. What I

found was that the bees had become very defensive and aggressive because they were having such a hard

time fighting off pests- primarily Hive Beetles and Wax Moths. In the worst of them, there were two dead

hives that had been taken over by hive beetles and then became a big breeding ground for wax moths.

These two double deeps produced thousands of pest that were then invading the other two live hives. Both

dead-out were totally filled with wax moth cocoons. The owner was getting out of beekeeping because even

after re-queening twice his bees were still so mean that he didn’t want them. Once I moved them to my

property and destroyed the dead hives they calmed down tremendously! Lessons learned: 1- remove the

equipment and clean up any hive that dies, don’t just leave it out to breed more pests. 2- When bees are

struggling with a hard life they become much more aggressive. If your bees seem to be getting more

aggressive see if you can figure out what is stressing them out.

Second: Get your boxes stacked on straight. I saw this twice the past year- one box one another that left a

gap on one end and an over-lap on the other. Again the bees were rather aggressive. The bees had so

much more area to protect from pest or other bees wanting to rob their precious honey. The other big issue

is that when it rains the water is running inside the hive. The bees like a dry home. In a good storm it could

be a lot of water flowing through the hive.

Third: Maintain bee space. I’ve seen this issue the most often. Frames are designed to have 3/8” (bee

space) between the combs when they are drawn out with comb and the end boards are together. If the

frames are not pushed up against each other then it creates too much of a gap between the comb. The bees

don’t like that and will try to fill in the extra space- with comb or with propolis. I’ve developed a habit when I’m

done inspecting a hive or adding a new box to use my hive tool to push all the frames tightly together. Some

beekeepers push them all to one side, I push then together and center them- either seems to be just fine.

When there is a gap between the end boards of the frames the bees propolis that small space making it

harder to pull frames apart on the next inspection. The bees are also wasting energy either filling in small

spaces with propolis or building comb in larger spaces. It is easier on the bees and on you to keep those

frames pushed together.

The Annual Convention was awesome. I picked up a lot from most every speaker I got to attend. Dr. Larry

Connor hit on a lot of things I’ve learning about queens and breeding. One of the best break-out sessions I

attended was Greg Hammond’s class on truth about chemical free beekeeping. Not at all what I expected

but he a very informative presentation that centered on chemical free beekeeping as a goal. It went right

along with what I’ve learned in the last two years: Chemical free beekeeping is not the easy choice and

requires a lot more monitoring and combined efforts.

Now is the time to start planning your next year of beekeeping. Grab every opportunity to learn as much

about beekeeping as you can. Attend your local beekeeping meetings, talk to other beekeepers in the area,

go to beekeeping classes and school where you can. I’ll be in Austin for the Austin Area Beekeepers

Seminar on Jan 17th, in Brenham for the Central Texas Beekeepers School on March 28 th and the TBA

Summer Clinic in May or June. TBA Summer Clinic will be a one day full of classes and programs.

I hope to meet you at one of the event in 2015.

Joyful Beekeeping, Cameron Crane