Class Structure

Here is a queen excluder. The queen is twice the size of worker bees and is not able to fit thru. The excluder sits on top of the hive body and prevents her from moving up any higher and laying eggs in the areas used just for honey storage that the bee keeper will rob. Nobody wants honey with bee larva in it.

In early spring, a hive will begin increasing it's population in anticipation of the 'honey flow', which starts around here when the tulip poplars begin to bloom. A hive only has one queen, but during this peak season, a healthy hive may maintain about 30,000 to 40,000 worker bees (females) and 500 to 1000 drones (males). In winter, with less food sources available, the population will be reduced to about 500 to 12,000 workers.

A strong, healthy and well cared for queen may live for 2-4 years, and can lay 1200 or so eggs a day. When a current queen is on the decline and begins producing less eggs, leaves the hive with a swarm (more on that later), or is in general no longer healthy enough to maintain her superiority, worker bees prepare a new queen ahead of time. Royal jelly is fed to several larvae, this is the only way they can potentially become the queen. Normally, the first bee to emerge from her queen cell will sting the other bees to death before they have a chance to emerge. If more than one potential queen breaks free of her cell at a time, they will literally fight to the death as a hive can only have one queen.

The sole purpose of a drone is to mate with the queen. It is believed that only a few drones will mate with the queen. After mating, the 'lucky' fella dies, he has served his purpose. At the end of summer, as the honey flow comes to an end, most of the drones are chased away from the hive. There will be a limited amount of food to get the hive through the winter and they can't waste it on bees that don't contribute. Since drones are unable to forage for themselves, they quickly die.

The worker is the backbone of the hive. Every bee has a specific duty and performs it without fail. After bees are born, certain workers must clean out the cell to make ready for the new eggs to be laid. Larvae must be feed and tended to. Others attend the queen as she doesn't leave the hive. These will feed and groom her and even carry her waste outside. Some even pull guard duty at the entrance of the hive to make sure bees from other hives won't sneak in and try to steal honey.

A worker literally works herself to death and her life span is only about 30 days. She may fly up to 3 miles a day away from the hive foraging for nectar and pollen. Once she's loaded up, she will take the straightest and quickest route back to the hive, virtually 'making a beeline for' it.

Athletic Performance

Did you know.......
* Honey bees never sleep.
* They are the only insect that produces food for human consumption.
* Honey can absorb moisture, if you leave a jar of it open for several days, it may absorb enough to cause it to ferment.
* Honey bees can regulate the temperature of their hive. They will keep it between 90 and 95 degrees.
* Pollination just from honey bees in the US is valued at $15 billion.

It is well known that carbohydrate consumption prior to, during and after exercise improves performance and speeds the recovery of muscles. Honey is a natural source of readily available carbohydrates, providing 17 grams of carbs per tablespoon. Preliminary data from the University of Memphis Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory suggest that honey is as effective as glucose for carbohydrate replacement during endurance exercise.

Honey Hydrator

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp lite salt

2 cups orange juice

5 1/2 cups water

Combine ingredients. Using lukewarm water will aid in disolving honey. Then cool.

Makes 8 servings, 8 oz each. Calories 75, carbs 21, potassium 85, sodium

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Danny and I spent last weekend in Anniston, Alabama attenting a class for work. We enjoyed getting to see you folks that we don't get to see regularly. A number of people purchased honey while we where there, and I'd like to say thanks to all our new customers and hope you enjoy the honey. We were also able to answer a lot of questions about honey and raising bees, something we are always glad to do.

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Long ago, it was customary for newlyweds to drink mead (honey wine) for the first month after marriage. Hence the term 'honeymoon.'

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When you get a bee sting and the site itches, that's normal. If you itch all over, you are likely having an allergic reaction.

Beekeeping 101

This is me and my cousin Jason. He and my Aunt Maxine came for a visit and for his first lesson on beekeeping. We're suited up, just need to put our veils on and we'll be ready to go.

This picture was taken shortly before harvest time. I've just pulled out a frame that is completely capped (the cells full of honey have a thin layer of wax covering them).

Notice the flat piece of metal Jason is holding, this is a 'hive tool'. Bees produce a thick tacky substance called propolis that they use to glue everything together. It's good for plugging holes in the hive, insulating any cracks and is an excellent water proofer. The hive tool is just a mini pry bar used to separate things.

Now I'm looking for the queen to show Jason and I know she's in the bottom.
The queen can only move around in the bottom box known as the hive body. A queen excluder prevents her from getting any higher in the other boxes. She should never get up in the areas that the honey will be harvested from because you don't want to harvest honey with eggs or larvae in it. A queen excluder looks alot like a cake cooling rack and sits directly on top of the hive body, between it and the next box up. The worker bees have no problem getting through this to do their work, but the queen is so much larger and the cross pieces are so close together that she wont fit.

Jason is holding a frame with probably a few hundred bees on it. They continue to be so focused on their chores that they don't pay us much attention.

Afterwards, Jason wanted to try out the John Deere. Bush hog to your heart's content. Danny and I are glad you and Maxine were able to come visit. Come on back anytime.

Cucumber Honey Eye Nourisher

1/2 tsp chamomile tea
2 tsp cucumber, peeled with seeds removed
1 tbs aloe vera gel
1/2 tsp honey

Steep chamomile tea in boiling water. Set aside to cool. In food processor or blender, combine cucumber, aloe vera and honey. Blend on low setting. Add tea. Blend until smooth.

Apply gently under eyes using finger. Store in glass dish covered with plastic wrap in refrigerator for up to one week. Best applied chilled. Makes 4 treatments.

Benefits: Reduces puffiness, cools and refreshes contours under eyes.

Published by the National Honey Board

Feeding

It's time to start feeding the bees. We harvested the honey two weeks ago. When we 'pull' the honey, we try to leave enough for them to make it thru the winter as it's their major food source. With no flowers blooming during the winter, they can't forage for food.

If it doesn't look like they have enough honey, we feed them sugar water to help them out. Sometimes pollen patties, since they have protein in them.

There are different types of feeders, today we tried the ziplock bag method we'd heard about from another beekeeper. After mixing two parts sugar to one part water in a 5 gallon bucket, we filled a dozen gallon sized ziplocks. We laid them inside the hives and cut a small slit in the side so the bees can gradually suck the sugar water out.

We'll check them in a week to see who needs more.

This is hive #16. It's a swarm from last year and has been the most successful one we've caught. The population is high and the queen appears to be healthy, producing the appropriate amount of brood.