The beginners guide to beekeeping daniel johnson

THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BEEKEEPING SAMANTHA JOHNSON AND DANIEL JOHNSON ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER Getting to Know Your Bees CHAPTER Starting Out as a Beekeeper CHAPTER Installing Bees and Routine Care CHAPTER Pests, Diseases, and Problems CHAPTER Sweet Rewards: Honey! CHAPTER Marketing Your Hive Products CHAPTER Having Fun with Your Bees CHAPTER Recipes APPENDIX: RESOURCES ABOUT THE AUTHORS As bees in early summer swarm apace Through flowery fields, when forth from dale and dell They lead the full-grown offspring of the race, Or with liquid honey store each cell And make the teeming hive with nectarous sweets to swell These ease the comers of their loads, those Drive the drones afar The busy work each plies And sweet with thyme and honey smells the hive —VIRGIL’S AENEID, BOOK Welcome to the world of beekeeping! We’re excited that you’ve decided to explore this enjoyable, fascinating, and potentially tasty hobby Our hope in writing this book is that bee-ginning beekeepers will find some helpful tips for getting started, that more advanced beekeepers will pick up some new ideas and further their knowledge, and that everyone will have some fun along the way We’ll our best to tell you everything you need to know in order to successfully raise a hive, harvest honey, and be a part of this rapidly growing community of beekeepers And we’ll our best not to overwhelm you with bee humor and puns (although restraining ourselves will bee hard to do!) So why keep bees? Beekeeping interests people for many different reasons, but here are a few of our favorites: Bees make honey! This one is pretty obvious There is nothing like the satisfaction of enjoying the sweet produce of your hives Bees make beeswax Bees make more than just honey, you know! Additional products from your hive include beeswax and pollen, which—along with your honey—can be used to make a wide variety of products from candles to soaps We’ll discuss all of this in greater detail later on Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby and the number of beekeepers in the United States is increasing It is becoming more and more popular in urban locations as well as remaining very important in our rural areas FASCINATING FACTS • The top honey-producing state is North Dakota • To produce a single pound of honey, bees must visit as many as two million flowers and travel an accumulated distance of 50,000 miles • A colony of bees can contain as many as 60,000 bees • In her lifetime, an average female honey bee can fly a distance equal to going 1/2 times around the earth • According to a USDA estimate, cited by the National Honey Board, bees are responsible for 80 percent of insect crop pollination in the United States • Bees fly approximately 15 miles per hour For many people, the best part of raising bees is the harvest of honey In addition to pollination and honey, beeswax is another wonderful benefit of raising bees—it’s an immensely useful product in a number of ways! Bees are fascinating Really, until you’ve spent some time observing the habits of these little creatures, you won’t appreciate how truly amazing they are, from their organization to their socialization You’ll witness the life cycle of the bees, from egg to adult, as well as their fantastic work ethic Bees aid farmers and gardeners While in the process of travelling from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, bees boost the productivity of fruits, vegetables, and crops If you have a garden, keeping bees may be an excellent parallel project Bees can be kept almost anywhere Even in locations where it is impossible for you to own any other kind of livestock, you may still be able to keep bees and find a compact outlet for your “inner farmer.” The most sought-after and bestselling item for most beekeepers is the honey their bees produce It’s very satisfying to care for your hives over the year and then be able to harvest the honey at summer’s end BEEKEEPING CONCERNS You may have some questions or concerns about this beekeeping idea of yours Let’s see if we can help clarify some issues and perhaps ease some of your concerns “I’m worried about getting stung—maybe a lot!” While the possibility exists that you will receive a sting or two over the course of your beekeeping gig, this usually is not a particularly serious concern Unlike certain wasps or hornets, which can be aggressive depending on the circumstances, honey bees are generally passive creatures that will only sting as a “last resort” to protect the hive A worker honey bee that is out collecting pollen will almost never sting, because it is not worried about defending the hive Even those bees that are inside or nearby the hive will have to perceive a considerable threat before they will begin to sting As long as you your homework and are gentle and careful while working among your bees, frequent stings should not be an issue for you (In some circumstances, a bee sting can be serious; see the sidebar “Bee Careful” on page 9.) “I’m worried that this is going to be a lot of work—I didn’t get into beekeeping to something hard!” We’ll be honest: beekeeping is, to some extent, hard work, but the work is different than caring for, say, a dog or cat or horse Bees not require repetitive chores on a daily basis Bees don’t have to be fed twice a day, or walked on a leash—they don’t even need to be inspected every day While a schedule is a good idea so that you don’t fall too far behind or miss something important, your schedule can be loose and adaptable to your lifestyle The times of heavier work occur during the initial spring hive setup (which may only have to be done once), the honey harvest, and some general preparations in spring and fall Overall, if you’re looking for a rewarding project that doesn’t require you to conform to a rigid schedule, keeping bees may be just the thing you’re looking for “What will my neighbors think?” It’s possible that nearby neighbors may be (understandably) apprehensive about your new hobby—but that is only because they are probably just thinking of “bees” as some vicious group of stinging bugs, bent on seeking their next victim You’ll just need to reassure these concerned souls that a foraging honey bee is only concerned with collecting nectar and pollen (and, incidentally, you could point out, pollinating the neighbor’s plants!) and does not pose a significant threat You could even invite the neighbors to watch you work with the hives so they can gain firsthand experience with the naturally gentle behavior of your honey bees And, of course, a complementary bottle of honey or two can go a long way toward making your neighbors view beekeeping in a positive light! “What if I goof up?” While we certainly hope this doesn’t happen, mistakes in an uncertain world are always possible To that end, we’ll everything we can to keep the instructions in this book clear and concise However, if something does go wrong—if one of your colonies of bees does not survive the winter, for instance—try not to be discouraged You can always try again next spring— and you’ll be a wiser and more experienced beekeeper On the other hand, there really is no one right way to keep bees there are as many methods and options as there are individual We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following individuals for their help and assistance on this project: • Everyone at Voyageur Press for the opportunity to work on this book! We’re so pleased to be doing another book with you • Lorin, for sharing his beekeeping knowledge with us, and for proofreading the manuscript • Paulette, for endless hours of photo editing, research, and sticking with us through this entire project! • J Keeler, for keeping us on task with daily discussions • Anna and Emily, for always being helpful • Colin, Renee, and Terefech Snook for allowing us to come and photograph your bees • Anna Kettlewell, Alyssa Fine, and Danielle Dale for their input on the Honey Queen Program • The National Honey Board • Gracie, for being our cheerleader (“Rah, rah, rah!”) • Peaches, for being cute • Z P., just because • And all the worker bee girls at Fox Hill Farm and Pine Valley Farm for providing us with honey and beeswax and for pollinating our garden! Honey bees are nature’s busiest pollinators The benefits of honey bees are significant to food production, as up to 80 percent of crops are pollinated by honey bees Some beekeepers travel the country with their bees and hives, offering pollination services to farmers and orchardists abdomen, 12 adults, 17 AFB (American foulbrood), 88 American Beekeeping Federation, 146 American foulbrood (AFB), 88 anatomy of bee, 12 Apiary Inspectors of America, 25 apiphobia (bee phobia), 26 artisanal honey, 119–121 bears, 90–91, 94 bee brush, 57, 59, 66 bee escapes, 108 bee phobia (apiphobia), 26 bee suits, 53–54, 59 beeswax, 125–127 beetles, small hive, 85–86 bottling, 103, 112–118 bottom board, 34 breeders, locating, 28, 30–31 breeds, 22 brood, 14, 20 burr comb, 17, 77, 79 candy boards, 82, 83 Carniolan honey bees (Apis mellifera carnica), 22 CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), 88–89 chalkbrood, 88 chilled brood, 88 chunk honey, 121 churned honey, 121 clothing, 53–54 clustering, 80 Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), 88–89 comb, 18, 38–39 See also burr comb; comb honey comb honey, 119, 121 communication, 20, 56 cosmetics, 127 craft shows, 130 creamed honey, 121 crush-and-strain method, 116 cut comb honey, 121 dancing, 21 demonstrations, 131 direction, 46 diseases, 88 displays, 131 drawing out, 38–39 drones, 12–14, 82 earwigs, 88 EFB (European foulbrood), 88 eggs, 12, 14, 78–79 entrance feeders, 71 entrance reducer, 34, 36 Etsy.com, 140 European foulbrood (EFB), 88 exhibiting honey, 143–146 extracting honey, 97, 99–103, 110–114 farmers’ markets, 130 feeding, 70–74, 80 festivals, 130 foundationless frames, 38–39 frame grips, 57 frames, 11, 13, 35, 38–39 fume board, 108 gardening with bees, 149–155 gloves, 54, 55 ground condition, 51 hand cart, 54 head, 12 hive beetles, small, 85–86 hive boxes, 34 hive designs, 11 hive stands, 51 hive tool, 56, 59 hives anatomy of, 33–39 building, 40–45 complete, 32 Langstroth, 11, 33–34 observation, 133 opening, 76–79 preventive measures and, 94–95 hive-top feeders, 70, 73 honey bottling, 103, 112–118 capped and uncapped, 98 color of, 120 exhibiting, 143–146 extracting, 97, 99–103, 110–114 harvest outline, 104–110 labels for, 132, 134 marketing and promoting, 129–141 pricing, 141 products from, 123–124, 168–169 recipes for, 157–167 regulations on production of, 28 types of, 119–121 honey extractor, 99, 101, 110, 112–114 Honey Queen Programs, 146–149 honey sticks, 126 honeycomb, 18, 38–39 See also burr comb; comb honey honey-stomachs, 17, 19 inner cover, 34, 35 inspections, routine, 74–80 Internet marketing, 134–135, 140 Italian honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica), 22 Langstroth, L L., 11, 33 larvae, 12, 14–15 life cycle, 14–15, 17 location, choosing, 46–49 marketing and promoting honey, 129–141 marshmallows, 59, 63, 64 mating flight, 12, 20 menthol pellets, 87 metamorphosis, 15 mice, 91 Nassanoff gland, 19, 20 National Honey Board (NHB), 134, 141 nosema, 87 nucs (nucleus), 32, 69 observation hives, 133 ordinances, 25–26 outer cover, 34 overwintering, 80, 82–83 packages installing, 58–69 picking up, 29–30 pail feeders, 72 parasites, 85–87 pests, 85–87, 89–91 pheronomes, 19–20, 56 photography, 136–139 pollen basket, 12, 17 pollen traps, 128–129 preventive measures, 94–95 propolis, 15, 17, 19, 56 pupae, 15 queen cells of, 23 communication and, 20 illustration of, 13 installing, 62–64 in packages, 31 requeening and, 81 role of, 12 queen cells, 92 queen excluders, 37, 79 raccoons, 90, 94 recipes Carrot Raisin Honey-Nut Salad, 166 Colorful Sweet Pepper Salad, 164 Honey Applesauce, 161 Honey Butter, 157 Honey Cornbread, 162 Honey Muffins, 158 Honey Waldorf Salad, 163 Honey-Candied Pecans, 160 Peanut Butter Honey ‘n Banana Sandwiches, 159 Sweet Radish Crackers, 167 Wildflower Honey Lemonade, 165 record keeping, 50 regulations, 25–26, 28 requeening, 81, 87 royal jelly, 12, 15 Russian honey bees, 22 scratcher tool, 102, 111 signs, 131, 133 skunks, 89–90 small hive beetles, 85–86 smell, 20 smoker, 54, 55, 56, 59 spotty brood, 88 spun honey, 121 stand and landing board, 34 stands, 51 stinger, 12 strainer, 103 sugar syrup, 59 sunlight, 46 supers, 34, 35, 79, 104–110 supersedure, 12 swarming, 79, 92–93 thorax, 12 tracheal (acarine) mites, 22, 86–87 uncapping fork, 102–103 uncapping knife, 102, 110–111 uncapping tank or tub, 102, 110–111 varietal honey, 119–121 Varroa mites, 22, 34, 86, 89 veils, 54 water, 48, 51 wax moths, 87 whipped honey, 121 windbreaks, 51 wings, 12 workers communication and, 20 drones compared to, 14 illustration of, 13 queen excluders and, 37 role of, 12, 15, 17, 19 Daniel Johnson, writer and photographer, likes to spend his time lugging around heavy camera equipment in all kinds of weather to take pictures of things like dogs pulling sleds at -20 below or people hauling hay at 90 above He loves to photograph horses as well, and he is the co-author (with Samantha) and photographer of Horse Breeds: 65 Horse, Draft, and Pony Breeds; How to Raise Horses: Everything You Need to Know; and the Horse-a-Day box calendar, all from Voyageur Press He’s also the author and photographer of The 4-H Guide to Digital Photography During the making of The Beginner’s Guide to Beekeeping, Dan discovered that it’s possible—though not easy—to take bee pictures from behind a beekeeping veil In his spare time, he also photographs frogs, one of which has been his pet for the last twenty years Samantha Johnson is an award-winning writer, as well as a proofreader and pony wrangler On any given day, you might find Samantha pursuing a variety of occupations: crafting words into articles, advertisements, or books; planting heirloom vegetables in the garden; or harvesting honey from the hives On another day, she might be hauling hay, feeding livestock, or assisting with the delivery of a newborn foal She is also a horse show judge, certified with the Wisconsin State Horse Council and the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America, and has judged horse shows across the United States from Maryland to California and locations in between Samantha is the author of several books, including The Rabbit Book, The Field Guide to Rabbits, and the co-author (with Dan) of The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening Samantha enjoys making to-do lists, watching old episodes of Little House on the Prairie, and daydreaming about buying a couple of Cheviot sheep and a Miniature Jersey cow As brother and sister collaborators, Dan and Samantha pursue their writing, photography, and agricultural interests at the family-owned Fox Hill and Pine Valley Farms in northern Wisconsin Since 1999, they have been involved with raising and showing registered Welsh Mountain Ponies, and they also keep an assortment of purebred rabbits, including Mini Rexes and Holland Lops Several hundred thousand honey bees also make their home at Fox Hill and Pine Valley, which keeps life sweet DEDICATION To Dad, our favorite beekeeper First published in 2013 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA © 2013 Voyageur Press Text and photography © 2013 Daniel Johnson and Samantha Johnson All photographs are from the authors’ collection unless noted otherwise All rights reserved With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are the property of the trademark holder We use them for identification purposes only This is not an official publication Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or salespromotional use For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.voyageurpress.com Digital Edition: 978 -1-61058-798-3 Softcover Edition: 978-0-7603-4447-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, Daniel, 1984The beginner’s guide to beekeeping / by Daniel Johnson and Samantha Johnson pages cm ISBN 978-0-7603-4447-7 (pbk.) Bee culture Amateurs’ manuals I Johnson, Samantha II Title SF523.J58 2013 638’.1 dc23 2012050636 Editor: Jordan Wiklund Design Manager: James Kegley Series Design: Carol Holtz Layout by: Kazuko Collins Cover credit: Cultura/Floresco Productions/Getty Images ... Outside the Hive Outside the hive, foraging workers visit flowers to collect nectar, which they store in their special “honey-stomachs.” While on the flowers, the bees also collect pollen on their... developed in the 19th century, revolutionized beekeeping and is still the most popular hive design among beekeepers Two other types include the top bar hive and the Warré hive, with the top bar hive... nutrient-rich substance used to feed larvae (baby bees!) The queen is usually the only egg-laying female in the hive For this reason, the queen is given special treatment from the rest of the workers