|
Post by James on Mar 17, 2015 0:43:18 GMT -5
"Most responsible beekeepers only medicate in the Spring and Fall when honey is not being made."
Yes indeed! No chemicals in the hive when the supers go on. You don't want that stuff in the honey.
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 17, 2015 9:26:01 GMT -5
Beekeeping 101 - for you posters who don't have bees:
Beehives look like stacks of wooden boxes but they are actually made up of living quarters and honey storage areas (supers).
At the end of the season we remove the honey supers and store them for the winter. They still contain the frames where the bees will build honeycomb but they are cleaned of honey. These are what we place in the freezer before storage to kill any wax moth eggs or larvae.
The bottom 2 or even 3 big square boxes are where the bees actually live and raise young. This is where the queen lives. There is also stored honey and pollen in here. This is the part of the hive that gets medicated and then at least 6 weeks later the honey supers are added for the bees to store excess honey. They will fill these supers all summer and we add more supers on top if necessary.
The honey supers are NEVER medicated.
At the end of about August the honey supers are removed from the hive and the honey is removed and bottled. I put the supers back outside and the bees will clean every drop of honey from them and take it back to their hives. After the supers are cleaned I put them in the freezer for a few days and then store them in my basement for the winter. One year bagged them and taped the bags shut and stored them in an unheated shed. Well somehow the wax moths got inside the bags (chewed holes I think) and in the spring my supers were loaded with moth larvae, dead moths and a big mess of webs. It was awful and I actually threw them away and bought new frames.
This is why big commercial operations use mothballs to protect their supers. I only have 4 hives so I can do the freezer treatment easily but hundreds of supers would take a pretty big freezer.
|
|
|
Post by kimmsr🕊 on Mar 18, 2015 5:43:31 GMT -5
I would think that transporting bees thousands of miles and feeding them sugar water and antibiotics would be contrary to organic growing practices. The only reason to move bees around like that would be to help support the monoculture that is anathema to organic growing practices.
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 18, 2015 7:58:12 GMT -5
I don't think that almonds are necessarily organically grown and if commercial beekeepers don't take beehives there - there will be no almonds.
One good thing is that beekeepers will not take their bees to areas where there are lots of pesticides used so possibly that is keeping farmers from using as many pesticides. I don't know that for a fact, it's just a guess.
|
|
|
Post by James on Mar 18, 2015 12:12:40 GMT -5
Kimmsr, Its a tough line. Pretty hard to keep bees without using some chemicals. The diseases and pests that get after them beat them if they don't have any help. Yes, the almonds need bees while in bloom. After the bloom then there is nothing for the bees. They either move or die. Strict "organic" beekeeping is likely a lot of wishful thinking? I never use that "organic" label on my honey. Too many legal and political implications for me. With all the brood diseases and mites around these days, if you want to have bees you about have to medicate them some. Its goes along with having your children vaccinated against smallpox, polio and measels, etc. You decide. One thing for sure, there is never any chems used while the honey supers are on the hives. Further I would never add any chems to a crop or field in bloom. brownrexx, I am sure that those farmers who need the imported bees respect the bees and the beekeepers, and do not use chems while the bees are there for pollination. These bees are just back from California and ready to pack some nice Utah clover honey. (Pic from a past year) These bees built up strong on the Almonds and are ready to go to work gathering clover honey. Bees kept here all season are just building up on this early flow and will not make a crop until August.
|
|
|
Post by tendingmygarden on Mar 18, 2015 14:48:33 GMT -5
Repeating just for clarification:
James said: "With all the brood diseases and mites around these days, if you want to have bees you about have to medicate them some."
I stated previous in my post:
"For those researching the way to organically keep bees - take heart - it can be done.
You might want to start your research by looking at the practices of Betty Taylor owner of Persimmon Ridge Honey Farm in Tennessee. She adds NO CHEMICALS to manage mites or other diseases."
Theresa
|
|
|
Post by ncgarden on Mar 18, 2015 16:53:48 GMT -5
Having gardened for a few years organically, I can understand why commercial growers use pesticides and herbicides. It is REALLY hard to grow in volume AND make money at it without them. I suspect the same is true for raising bees. It can be done, just not sure you could make enough money to live on. I am lucky to only be raising bees for me and mine (like my gardens). I can afford to NOT use any medications or treatments and still get enough to support our needs.
What makes me nuts are people who never even try (like my neighbors) and just accept that the medications are required without at least knowing there are options. And yeah, my kids got some vaccinations and not others. I rarely do ANYTHING just because someone else tells me to (as my many posts to the gardening forum will prove - honestly, you can't tell me a thing!)
|
|
|
Post by kimmsr🕊 on Mar 19, 2015 5:40:01 GMT -5
We have, around here, some Apiarists that are organic, but they do not transport their bees thousands of miles and do pay to have the honey produced tested for pesticides which cuts into their profits but for them is a cost of doing the business they want to be in. People can, and do, justify what they do even when there is none.
|
|
|
Post by James on Mar 20, 2015 17:05:55 GMT -5
The Grape Hyacinths are in bloom and the bees are all over it. Nice weather here for this time of year. No fruit tree bloom yet. We have not had much snow this year. Kind of a strange season so far. Hope the trees don't bloom then get frozen and kill all the fruit. That is what often happens when it warms up too early and things bloom too early.
|
|
|
Post by OregonRed on Mar 20, 2015 17:25:18 GMT -5
I let my - over wintered - kale bloom for the bees, someone for here mentioned having food avail for the early bees
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 20, 2015 17:48:29 GMT -5
The bees will thank you Red.
|
|
|
Post by OregonRed on Mar 20, 2015 21:31:00 GMT -5
|
|
canadiyank
Blooming
Central WA, Zone 6B
Posts: 125
|
Post by canadiyank on Mar 21, 2015 0:17:07 GMT -5
Saw bees all over the yard today. That was nice. Just wish they were mine. Hopefully I'll catch a swarm soon!
|
|
|
Post by James on Mar 23, 2015 1:59:46 GMT -5
canadiyank, if you really want to have a colony or two of your own bees, you would do well to just buy the gear and order some bees. At a minimum you should get the veil, shirt, or coveralls, gloves for your own protection, and one or two complete hives. Top and bottom boards, boxes, frames foundation etc. Plus bees. I think you are looking at around $300 for this much stuff. Yes, it is quite an investment, however the gear lasts a long time. Bees come and go. The Walter T Kelley Company has some online ads. www.dadant.com/ Know any local beekeepers? They may be happy to advise you and help you get set up?
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 23, 2015 7:33:43 GMT -5
I am watching CNN as I read the Forum this morning and I just saw the most sickening new story.
In Phoenix AZ a neighbor saw that honeybees built a "hive" on a neighbors windowsill. Honeybees do not do that so it was a swarm of bees looking for a new home and they would have gone away on their own in several hours anyway but they called 911 and an exterminator came with a pump up sprayer and killed the bees.
They showed a close up a of a bee dying on the ground and said "thankfully no one was hurt". It made me sick. That was probably 10,000 honeybees. What a bunch of idiots!
I Googled and got the article. Here it is.
www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/03/22/Large-swarm-of-bees-forces-Pheonix-neighborhood-indoors/2171427069817/
I Googled the fire department and found their Facebook page so I sent them this private message.
"I am a beekeeper in Southeastern PA and I just saw the news report about how your fire department killed a big swarm of honeybees this week. I am shocked. Don't your guys know that honeybees are swarming this time of year and seeking new homes?They are NOT a danger to the public if they leave them alone. The swarm would have moved on in a few hours if left alone or your department could have called a beekeeper. You should have some on file for incidents of this type. Farmers have to actually RENT hives of bees for their farms because the local honeybees are too scarce to provide adequate pollination. Your department probably killed 10,000 of them. NOT something to be proud of."
|
|