The ins and outs of beekeeping | Pet Peeves
Would you think of bees as pets? They are not really a cuddly, interactive pet, but many people are experimenting with backyard beekeeping these days. While most beekeepers have many hives and are commercially viable, making money off their honey, there are some beekeepers who just have one or two hives and like to have honey for their family.
Beekeeping in Florida is an economically sound investment for those who are serious about it. The economic impact analysis program put out a 2020 data statement indicating Florida beekeepers produced more than 15 million pounds of honey in 2020. Approximately 300,000 colonies were used for crop pollination, and beekeeping operations in 2020 were responsible for $93.36 million in sales revenues for Florida.
On a smaller scale, if you talk to local backyard beekeepers, it's not about the money. In fact, they will tell you that it is more likely to cost you money when you begin keeping bees. This is especially true for keepers with just one or two hives.
In addition to any cost of set up, beekeeping can be labor intensive for an animal that would seem to be self-sufficient. I mean, bees do this on their own in the wild, right? But, if one is planning on reaping the benefits of a hive, one must inspect the hive on a regular basis. The purpose of regular hive inspections is to keep tabs on the bees, monitoring for various illnesses, and to keep the frames neat for ease of processing.
Bees like to create a thick, sticky material called propolis that will seal all of the cracks and crannies of the hive, making it very difficult to get in and remove the honey. Bees also will, if left to their own devices, create wax comb in places where it should not be. When inspecting the hive, one can clean the excess comb away to keep the hive neat and prepared for honey extraction.
The health of the queen can be determined during hive inspection. When a beekeeper looks at the frames in the hive, he is watching to see if there are broods. Brood is the name given to the baby bees that are in the process of transitioning from egg to larva to pupa and finally to the adult bee. The number of broods in the hive tells the tale of how healthy the queen is.
Inspection of the hive also is done to look for illnesses that the bees are prone to. The easiest invader to see is the small hive beetle. They affect honey storage, and can be vectors for viruses and disease. Varroa mites endanger the life of the colony, but they are not as easily seen. Varroa destructor is the name they go by, and, if not treated, they can kill a colony. There is a treatment for varroa, but nothing is 100% successful. Beekeepers have to continue to stay vigilant.
In addition to looking for and treating illness, beekeepers know to supplement their bees with sugar water at times of year when flowers are few so that they will not starve.
Learning the ropes of beekeeping can seem daunting, but if one is truly interested, here in the Panhandle, the Okaloosa County Extension Office in Crestview hosts the Tri-County Beekeepers meeting on the last Tuesday of every month. For more information, contact the Extension office at 850-689-5850. It is a great group to associate with. Beekeepers are wonderful people who are more than willing to teach new members of the club.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: The ins and outs of beekeeping | Pet Peeves
