Payday

I realize that it has been quite a while since I have posted, but I have been a little busy lately. Over the Labor Day weekend I experienced the joy of my first honey harvest. By this time, I have gotten pretty used to visiting my hive. I ended pulling out four frames of fully capped honey on this visit (see picture of a fully capped frame below). Three weeks later I was able to pull out 8 more frames. The picture above is of me on my first harvest visit to the hive. As you can see form the picture, right behind me is a large tupperware bin. I decided to pull out each frame of fully capped honey, brush all the bees away, and place it in the bin. I replaced the frames of fully capped honey with fresh frames. Using the tupperware allowed me to avoid a robbing situation and at the same time give me the freedom to take as few frames as I pleased.

After getting the frames of capped honey away from the hive, I began cutting the comb out of the frames. As I decided to use the crush and strain method, I simply let the cut-out comb fall into a glass cake pan (see the picture below).

After cutting the comb into the glass cake pan, I simply used a potato masher to crush the comb up.

After crushing the comb up, I used a spatula to shovel it all into a five gallon food safe bucket. As a side note, it was not easy to find a food safe plastic bucket. I had to do quite a bit of shopping online. Luckily, Harmon's Grocery Store (a local grocery store) was doing a case lot sale on five gallon buckets for food storage purposes. I bought two buckets. I drilled about twenty 1/2 inch holes in the bottom of the first bucket. For the second bucket, I installed a honey gate (also not easy to find). Before pouring the crushed comb into the bucket straining system, I also placed a piece of cheese cloth in between both buckets (I know this sounds confusing so I will do a post on this straining system later).


This is what the crushed comb looks like in the first bucket. Below you can see the honey flowing through the holes I drilled in the bottom of this bucket.

I left the crushed honey comb in this strainer system for about a week. After a week, I discovered that about 8-10 lbs of honey had flowed through to the final bucket and I had quite a bit of beeswax.

Overall, the harvest was extremely enjoyable and rewarding. I am already looking forward to the spring when I can start all over again. Stay tuned for more posts.

Checking the Hive for the First Time

This was exactly two weeks after I first installed my bees. I read in a book, that it is best to visit the hive between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. Doing so ensures that not all the bees are in residence at one time. In this first picture, I am preparing my smoker. I crumpled up one page of newspaper and then stuffed some match-stick sized branches in on top. Once I got the flame going, I added some thicker pieces of kindling -- always making sure to pump the billows.

You can tell from the picture below that the smoker is almost ready to go. Also, if you look closely you will notice that I have a blue covered tupperware sitting beside the smoker. In the process of drawing out honeycomb the bees will also build some unruly comb, not in the proper place -- this comb is referred to as bur comb. This bur comb needs to be scraped off the frames or it will make handling the frames difficult in the future. When I scrape of the bur comb with my hive tool, I will store it in the tupperware (I want to collect as much beeswax as possible).

When opening the hive, it is recommended that you smoke the entrance. After doing so, I then removed the outer cover and smoked the hole in the inner cover. The picture below shows me opening the inner cover and giving a few more puffs to the bees. When I was smoking the bees, I could see them immediately scurry down into the hive.

Smoking the hive is effective for two reasons. First, it triggers an abandonment response in the bees. That is, the bees, believing the hive may be in danger prepare to abandon the hive by gorging themselves on honey. It is rumored, but not confirmed, that by eating honey, the bees' abdomen expands such that it makes it difficult for the bee to sting. Second, the smoke helps mask pheromones that alarm the rest of the hive that an intruder is present. The smoke also will mask the pheromones released by any squished bees.

This is a frame (below) in the earliest stages of comb building. You can see that the bees are hanging off of each other, getting ready to begin drawing out comb.


On this next frame, you can see the early stages of comb development. The comb is surprisingly white in color. Again, you will notice that I am using an organic beekeeping method that is completely wax-foundation free. This is pure natural comb produced all by my bees.


This frame has a little more comb drawn out. On this frame I could see into the individual cells of the comb. The bees store all sorts of things in the cells; everything from pollen and water, to baby bees (larval stage) and honey. I will get some better pictures up here in the future so you can see in to each cell.







Notice that this frame (below) is completely drawn out. Also, notice the bur comb popping up along the top bar. I used my hive tool to scrape this off and save it for later.


A better look at a fully drawn out frame. You can really see the bur comb and some capped honey.








This final picture (below) is of the frame that held the queen cage. As you can see, the bees started building comb all around the queen cage (made it a little difficult to remove it).

Click here to see a short video of my first hive inspection.

Installing My Bees

This first picture is a look at the package, after the bees have been installed. As you can see, a can of sugar water is used to feed the bees while they are in transport. This can of sugar water also acts as the lid to keep the bees from escaping. Notice that when I remove the sugar water, I am able to remove the queen cage. The queen cage is attached to a metal strip that allows you to suspend it between two frames within the bottom brood box (you can think of the brood box as the nursery of the beehive). You will also notice that when I remove the queen cage, there is a small cork blocking her exit. The cork is removed and replaced with a "candy tube." The purpose of the candy tube is to allow what is called a, "slow release." That is, the queen is not immediately released into the hive; rather, she and the other bees will slowly eat through the candy in the candy tube to free her from the cage. This slow release allows the queen to circulate her pheromones throughout the hive and for the rest of the colony to get used to her scent and eventually accept her.

Click here to see the video of me installing my bees.

After dumping the bees in the hive, there are a bunch of bees still hanging out in the package. Kirk is trying to pour the rest of them out on to the front porch of the hive. If you look closely, you can see there is a wooden "stick-like" piece of wood laying in front of the hive. That piece of wood is called and entrance reducer. The entrance reducer is placed in front of the entrance to the hive to prevent a robbing situation while the bees are in a weakened state. That is, during the first weeks of the newly installed hive, the colony is not sufficiently established to defend the large entrance to the hive. I have heard that the reducer may be removed anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks from the day of install.

David, Kirk, Me, and Tyson. Thanks for filming Tyson, you are a brave man. The bees are in their new home, and without a single sting too!

My Bees Arrive

Over the last few years, there have only been a couple nights that I have had trouble sleeping due to excitement and/or anticipation for the next day.

September 30, 2005: The night before my first marathon.

June 2?, 2007: The night before the LSAT.

April 25, 2008: The night before my wedding.

August 10, 2009: The night before my baby boy was born.

Now it is appropriate to add to this list the following date:

April 23, 2010: The night before my bees arrived.

This morning, my wife and I woke up early and went for a run. We came back then headed down to Lehi, Utah to pick up my bees. When we pulled of the freeway, about a mile west we saw this sign:

Admittedly, my heart jumped and I started feeling like a little boy approaching the Toys R' Us Store.

We pulled up to a parking lot in front of a huge industrial warehouse building. When we went inside, I couldn't believe how many bees. Check it out:

After standing in a big long line of people, I finally got my bees. Four pounds of Italian honeybees.

Building My Foundationless Frames

Like I said before, organic beekeeping involves using foundationless frames. That is, frames without the hexagonally imprinted wax (shown in the last post). Here is a short video of my cousin-in-law (or something like that) and I building my frames.

PS The reason the video is so short is because we were running out of memory space on the camera. Making foundationless frames is pretty easy. Though you will not need wax foundation, you will need to build what is called a starter strip. A starter strip is usually made out of a piece of cardboard or small strips of wood (I used paint stirring sticks). The cardboard or wood is wedged in the top bar and sealed in with melted beeswax. Here is what mine look like...

Notice the paint stirring stick at the top is covered in beeswax (and notice my amazing hive in the background). The bees will smell the wax on the strip and then start drawing comb straight down from there. Pretty cool right? It's organic beekeeping! I also have to give credit where credit is due. I found most of the information I am sharing with you from the backward beekeepers; Kirkobeeo, you are the man. Click here to see their blog.

To Bee or Not to Bee: CCD and Organic Beekeeping

If you are at all privy to the latest beekeeping buzz (a terrible pun I know...and it was intended), you may have heard about a curious phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disease or CCD. Beekeepers in Western countries have been reporting slow declines of stocks for many years, but in early 2007, abnormally high die-offs (30-70% of hives) of European honey bee colonies occurred in the U.S. and Quebec (This is a picture of a hive that experienced CCD). Such a decline has seemed unprecedented in recent history. Apparently when CCD occurs, the bees just mysteriously disappear without a trace; they are no where to be found. Some "experts" have hypothesized that CCD is a result of new agricultural practices and unpredictable weather conditions; however, seasoned beekeepers have posited a different explanation.

The problem begins with beekeepers futile efforts to perpetuate the longevity of their hives. All bees are susceptible to mites, this is a problem you can't avoid (In this picture you can see the two mites on the bee). And from what I have learned, almost every beekeeper who has kept a hive for ten years or more has experienced a lost colony. That is, you can't keep the same colony going forever. Despite this fact, ambitious beekeepers have attempted to defy the natural life cycle of the hive by treating their bees with nasty chemicals and pesticides. Though they may think they are winning the battle against varroa mites, they are only further contaminating the colony and the wonderful byproducts of the hive. In particular, those contaminants eventually find their way into the wax comb. This is where the problem really takes off...

Most backyard and commercial beekeepers begin their hive by installing a package of bees into a standard 8 or 10 frame hive. To help the bees get started drawing out comb, the frames in the hive are equipped with a wax foundation imprinted with a hexagonal pattern (As pictured here). In most cases, the bees see the familiar pattern and immediately begin drawing out comb. However, two huge problems. First, this wax foundation is CONTAMINATED. This contamination results in sterile drones which results in failing queens. Second, the hexagonal shape of the foundation is larger than what the bees would create in nature. This leads to unnaturally larger bees, and this leads to bees that are more susceptible to mites. So what can we do to break this vicious cycle? The answer is simple: DON'T spray your bees with chemicals, and DON'T use foundation in your frames. I never thought I would say this, but, LET'S GO ORGANIC! Sweet right? Stay tuned to see how I prepare my foundationless frames.

The Arrival Of My Hive

It took about two weeks from the time I ordered my hive, but it eventually came. I have heard that the best material for a hive is cedar, but mine is made of white pine. I plan on painting it with a latex base paint to help prolong the life of the hive. If you decide to paint your hive you can use paint or a good wood stain. When you paint, you should paint the exterior surfaces only.

I ordered my hive from www.betterbee.com. I liked their pricing, especially since it provided for the option of an unassembled kit. My starter kit came with the following:

-2 Deep Hive Bodies

-2 Medium Honey Supers

-40 frames with wax crimp-wired foundation

-Bottom Board

-Varroa Screen

-Inner cover

-Telescoping Outer Cover

-Top Feeder

-Hard Plastic Helmet

-Tie-Down Veil

-Smoker

-Hive Tool

-Entrance Reducer

-Beekeeping Book

-Leather Gloves

How Does One Acquire A Colony of Bees?

Most beginning backyard beekeepers will order their bees from a local or regional package bee supplier. As crazy as it sounds, bees are ordered by the pound, haha. 3 pounds of bees (roughly 10,00 bees) will usually run you about $75-90. After doing a lot of research, I settled on ordering my bees from Knight Family Honey (click here to visit their site). I found Knight Family Honey at the Farmer's Market at Pioneer Park. I was able to get 4 pounds of bees (roughly 13,000 bees) for $85 -- by far the best deal around. If you are living in the greater Salt Lake Area, the only other place to order bees -- that I could find -- was Jones Bees (click here to visit their site). Here are some other sites you might visit to order your bees:

Dadant and Sons Inc.: www.dadant.com

Brushy Mtn. Bee Farm: www.brushymountainbeefarm.com

Draper's Super Bee Apiaries Inc. www.draperbee.com

Beesource Beekeeping: www.beesource.com

If you order your package bees online, they will usually arrive at your local post office and you will have to go pick them up. In my case, I will be traveling to Knight Family Honey in Lehi to pick them up. They come in a wooden box with screening on both sides. I will post an entry with a video showing my package bees and how I install them in the future...stay tuned.

If You're Going To Do It, Do It Right

In 8th grade, I wanted to quit my superleague basketball team mid-season; my dad told me that I shouldn't because I should never do anything half-assed. I took that advice to heart.

In Utah, backyard beekeepers -- and commercial beekeepers -- are required to apply for a beekeepers license with State Department of Agriculture. My license came in the mail a week ago; I was giddy like a schoolboy.


If you are thinking of getting a license, the Department has a graduated fee structure. $10 for 0 to 20 hives, $25 for 21 to 100 hives, and $50 for 101 to 500 hives. Plus you have to renew your license each year. If you want to apply just click here.

Beekeeping?

Interested Person: Beekeeping?
Me: Yeah, beekeeping.
Interested Person: I don't get it, what do you mean?
Me: I keep a colony of bees in my backyard.

Interested Person: Really? Don't you get stung a lot?

Me: Not at all. Contrary to popular belief, honeybees are quite docile and rarely ever sting.

Interested Person: I didn't know that. So, why did you decide to do this?

Me: Well, I'm always on the lookout for a new and interesting hobby, and bees are incredible little creatures. Besides getting the delicious honey, I get to enjoy all the other great rewards of beekeeping.

Interested Person: Like what?

Me: The bees do amazing things for our garden, plus the beeswax they produce can be used to make all sorts of things, from candles and creams, to lip balm and furniture varnish.

Interested Person: Wow, thats crazy. So, how does one get started in beekeeping?

Me: Well, I just ordered beekeeping for dummies online, but if you want, you can just follow my beekeeping adventures on my blog at www.firsttimebeekeeper.com.