Beekeeping Basics My Background • Master’s degree in entomology from Penn State – Bumble reproduction

• – Kept 40+ hives for research and production What is beekeeping?

The maintenance of colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps in order to collect their hive products (including honey, , , , and ), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other . Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to

• What Can You Do? Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to Pollinators

• What Can You Do? History of Beekeeping History of Beekeeping • 9000 years ago in Northern Africa-clay pots • Honey found in King Tut’s tomb • Brought to North America 400 years ago

History of Beekeeping • 1850s- moveable frame hive • Revolutionized modern beekeeping • Lorenzo Langstroth

History of Beekeeping • Backyard beekeeping in CO • Can keep bees in: – Adams County, Arvada, Aurora, Broomfield, Brighton, Denver, Douglas County, Fort Collins, Jefferson County, Lafayette, Lakewood, Littleton, Louisville, Parker, Thornton, Wellington, Westminster, Windsor

History of Beekeeping • Today: • 163,000,000 pounds of honey produced per year • 80% of global production • Honey bees increase yields from 40 lbs/acre to 2,400 lbs/acre History of Beekeeping • Bee Products

Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to Pollinators

• What Can You Do? Honey Bee Biology and Life History

• What is a ?

– Animals that move pollen from the male to the female parts of the flower

– Fertilizes the egg of flower and allows for seed production

– , birds and even mammals

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Pollinators receive a reward from plants – Nectar- carbohydrates – Pollen-proteins and fats – Nectar made into honey – Pollen used to feed young (larvae) Honey Bee Biology and Life History • How many plants need pollinators? – 300K plant species worldwide1 – Crop production- worth more than $215 billion worldwide2 – Vital for fruit, vegetable and nut production

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Why honey bees?

– Easy to manage and move, many individuals, long distances, generalist and efficient

– Food production in bolstered by honey bee

– Worth $20 billion annually to US and Canada2

– 2 million colonies (86% of the total colonies) in the US are moved for pollination alone3 Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Apis mellifera- honey bearing bee

• Native to Europe

• 60,000+ individuals

• S ocial species

• Feral -live in hollowed trees

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers – Build comb, feed brood, guard hive and forage • Queen – Lays eggs- up to 2000/day • Drones – Mate with virgin queens Alex Wild

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers – Make up the majority of individuals – All females, all sisters – Change tasks as they age

• Nursing to foraging

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Develop in 21 days

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers- Change task as they age

– Cleaner Removes debris and extra wax from the comb

– Nurse Uses hypopharygeal and mandibular glands in her head to feed developing workers and queens

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Undertaker, wax maker Drags dead bees from the hive, makes wax

– Guard Use colony odor to identify intruders or sisters

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Forager

• Collect nectar, pollen, propolis and water

• Return to hive and recruit other foragers using the waggle dance

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Waggle dance

– Communicates information on location of food in relation to sun

– Distance and direction

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Nasonov pheromone

– Fanning

– Helps other workers orient themselves

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Collect propolis

• Tree sap and other resins

• Used to seal up space less than 1/4in

• Inhibits bacterial and fungal growth

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Collect water

– Evaporative cooling, dilute honey

– Ensure you have a water source

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Honey

– Use an enzyme to break down nectar into glucose and fructose

– Nectar- 80% water

– Honey-20% water

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Workers

– Barbed sting

– Disembowel themselves

– Release alarm pheromone

– Remove the stinger from the bottom

– Smoke the area

– Walk away if it becomes too intense

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Queens

– One individual/ colony

– Mates with multiple males

– Lays eggs in cells on comb

– Fed by workers

Alex Wild, Maryann Frazier

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Queens

– Develop in 16 days

• Egg to adult

– Produced by royal jelly fed after day 3

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Queens

– Lay unfertilized egg-

– Lay fertilized egg- worker

– Stores sperm in spermatheca

– Communicates via pheromone emission

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Queen communication – Queen pheromone – Produced in head and mandibles – Communicates to workers that queen is healthy and present – Workers spread around colony – Inhibits workers from laying eggs

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Drones – Hundreds in colony – Largest bee in colony

• Distinguished by eyes – Mates 1 time and dies immediately

Alex Wild

Honey Bee Biology and Life History • External Anatomy Wings (4) Thorax Abdomen Head

Antennae (2) Pollen basket (corbicula) Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Development

Honey Bee Biology and Life History 1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

Maryann Frazier, Simon Colmer, max_westby Honey Bee Biology and Life History • Development

Pupa stage varies for queens (7.5 days), workers (12 days) and drones (14.5 days)

Worker cell Drone cell Queen cell Eberthoney,com, Simon Colmer,downhomedesserts,blogspot.com Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Pollination and Honey Bees • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to Pollinators

• What Can You Do? Beekeeping Gear

Beekeeping Gear • Hive types

1. Top bar hive

Advantages and disadvantages?

brixtonsbounty.blogspot.com, greenfret.com, goldstarhoneybees.com

Beekeeping Gear • Hive types

2.

Advantages and disadvantages?

Bonacbees.com, epicuricloud.com/

Beekeeping Gear

Sonoma Bees Beekeeping Gear • Hive stand

– Optional

– Increases height of hive

– Separates bees from the ground

– Protects bottom board

– Can use cinder blocks, logs, pallets or railroad ties

Paynes Bee Farm, honeybeesuite

Beekeeping Gear • Bottom board

– Screened

– Promotes ventilation

– Used to monitor mite population

– Entrance

RJs bee farm, Beverly Bees

Beekeeping Gear • Hive bodies

– Shallow (5 1/16 in)

– Medium (6 5/8 in)

– Deep (9 5/8 in)

• Can be 8 or 10 frames

Plantertomato.com

Beekeeping Gear • Deep bodies

– Brood boxes

– Directly on bottom board

– Middle 6-8 frames- brood

– Outside 2-4 frames honey and pollen Paynes Bee Farm

Beekeeping Gear • Medium bodies

– Can be used for brood or honey

– Placed above deep brood box- called “super”

Paynes Bee Farm, Hillside bees

Beekeeping Gear • Which bodies should you use?

Weight considerations:

– Deep with honey- 80lbs

– Medium with honey- 50bs

– Shallow with honey-35lbs

– Your choice!

Paynes Bee Farm, Hillside bees

Beekeeping Gear • I recommend: – Two deeps and one medium

• Extract one medium

OR – One deep and three mediums

• Extract two mediums

Paynes Bee Farm, Hillside bees

Beekeeping Gear • Frames – Top bar, bottom bar, two end bar – Used in all boxes

• Make sure you purchase the correct size! – Hang inside boxes

Brushy Mountain Bee Farms

Beekeeping Gear • Foundation – Plastic, wax, wire – Workers wax build comb on the foundation

• “Drawing comb” – Cells- eggs laid, food stores

Brushy Mountain Bee Farms, honeybeesuite

Beekeeping Gear •

– Only allows workers

– Prevents queen from laying in honey supers

– Place above brood boxes, below honey supers

– Workers tend to store food above brood

coronaapicultores

Beekeeping Gear • Inner cover

– Place on the top super

– Prevents workers from gluing down outer cover

– Protects bees from direct heat in summer

– Insulates in winter (air pocket

Honeybeesandme

Beekeeping Gear • Outer cover

– Place above inner cover

– Protects bees from weather: rain, snow

– Telescoping, garden, migratory

Beekeeping Gear • Painting

– Paint all outside surfaces

– Never paint inside, where bees will be

– Use light colors

• Prevents overheating, bees aggressive towards dark colors

– Latex or oil based paint

Pinterest

Beekeeping Gear •

– All purpose tool used to lift frames, pry lids and boxes apart

• Smoker

– Calms bees

– Causes feeding behavior

– Allows beekeeper to work bees safely

– Wood chips for fuel

Golden-bee, Alex Wild

Beekeeping Gear • Clothing

– Veil: necessary to prevent dangerous facial stings

Brushy Mountain Bee Farm

Beekeeping Gear • Clothing – Always wear long sleeves, pants and light colors – Boot bands • Tie bottom of pants shut – Gloves

Beekeeping Gear • Necessary equipment for your first hive:

1. Hive stand 6. Inner cover

2. Bottom board 7. Outer cover (lid)

3. Three to four hive 8. Hive tool bodies 9. Veil 4. Frames

5. Queen excluder 10. Smoker

Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Pollination and Honey Bees • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to Pollinators

• What Can You Do? Threats To Pollinators

• Pollinators in decline

– Beekeepers have reported ~30% loss of colonies every winter for 10 years4

– Native bee populations also declining

• 2008-2013 populations dropped 30%5

Threats To Pollinators

• CCD-

– Symptoms:

• Food stores (pollen and nectar/honey)

• Capped brood

• Queen is present

Threats To Pollinators

• Causes? • Parasites • Pathogens • Poor Nutrition • Pesticides • Synergistic

Threats To Pollinators

• Parasites: Varroa mites

– Affects larvae and adults

– Feed on hemolymph

– Spread viruses

Threats To Pollinators

• Pathogens: Viruses, bacteria and fungi

– Deformities, learning problems, dysentery, paralysis, brood kills

Threats To Pollinators

• Poor Nutrition: Lack of food, floral diversity

– Monocrops, heavy development

– Short lifespans, impacts learning and communication

Threats To Pollinators

• Pesticides – Impact learning, shorten lifespan, kill on contact – Accumulates in wax – Together create dire circumstances

Outline • History of Beekeeping

• Pollination and Honey Bees • Beekeeping Gear • Threats to Pollinators

• What Can You Do? What Can You Do?

• Plant a pollinator friendly garden

– Native plants, flower year round

– Leave the weeds

– Water source

– Leave fallen leaves and twigs

– Native bee boxes

http://pollinator.org /PDFs/Guides/SRocky MtStepperx3FINAL.pdf

What Can You Do?

• Responsible pesticide use – Lowest concentration – Do not spray on flowers – Spray in evening – Use only when there is a problem

Pollinators Are Friends!

• Responsible for 1/3 of every bite we eat • Support plants necessary for oxygen • Support plants that help prevent erosions and water purification • Economically and agriculturally valuable

Questions? Sources

1. Ollerton J, Winfree R, Tarrant S: How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals? Oikos 2011, 120(3):321-326. 2. Gallai N, Salles JM, Settele J, Vaissiere BE (2009) Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world confronted with pollinator decline .Ecological Economics 68(3):810–821 3. Sumner and Boriss, 2006 D.A. Sumner, H. Boriss Bee- economics and the leap in pollination fees. ARE update. Giannini Found. Agric. Econ., 9 (2006), pp. 9–12 4. Bee Informed Partnership https://beeinformed.org/results/colony-loss-2014-2015- preliminary-results/ 5. Koh, Insu, et al. "Modeling the status, trends, and impacts of wild bee abundance in the United States." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113.1 (2016): 140-145.