Let’s talk Bees http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=honey+bee+videos&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=E6F1E803BD31BDC39BD8E6F1E803BD31BDC39BD8

Really lets talk bees http://www.arkive.org/honey-bee/apis-mellifera/video-12a.html

Colony Dynamics Basic bee biology

Honeybees are like other Insects They Have: 6 legs Head, thorax, abdomen Winged Have hard external skeleton, called an exoskeleton. Have jointed arms and legs. Do not have a spine or spinal cord. Do not have lungs Open Circulatory System

Honeybees are unique Social Insects that live cooperatively Gather and Store excess quantities of food Overwinter (they don’t hibernate) Only insects that are managed as livestock

Where are they from? Old world Apis mellifera mellifera= European Apis mellifera scutellata= Africa Apis cerena = Southern Asia Apis dorsata = Southeast Asia Apis mellifera in Latin means 'honey-bearing bee'.

Apis mellifera spp.

Basic Anatomy

Bee Eyes

What color can bees see?

Vision and Navigation

Internal Anatomy

Honeybee Lifecycle

Social Order Queen Worker Drone

Major Glands

Wax Glands

Jobs - Never unemployment or a layoff (Well, except for those drones) Workers do the work in the bee society. Employment is based on the age of the bee and the needs of the colony. During their life they pass through many job promotions: Nurse Bee 1 – 12 days Clean own cell and others Feeding brood (larvae) House Bee 10 – 20 days old Comb building House keeping Undertaker Ripening honey Climate control Secreting/molding wax into cells Accept and store pollen and nectar from foragers House Security Guard hive and its entrance (some say only about 5% of bees perform this job) Orientation flights to learn surroundings Field Agent After about three weeks the girls are ready to spend the rest of their lives as foragers gathering pollen, nectar, tree resin (that they turn into propolis) and water for the hive. During this time they work themselves to death – literally Worker bees in the summer only live about six weeks. In the winter they live a leisurely life for several months 2

Worker Female (generally non-reproductive) Life span 45 days to 4 months Egg to Maturity: 21 days About 20,000 to 60,000 in a colony Duties: Cell cleaning (Day 1-2) Nurse bee (Day 3-11) Advanced Nurse Bees (Day 6-11) Wax production (Day 12-17) Guard Bees (Days 18 - 21) Foraging bees (Days 22 - 42)

Guard Bees Workers have a Nasanoff gland at the end of their abdomen. This Nasanoff gland is used by the guard bees at the hive entrance to disseminate a scent that guides young bees back to the entrance during early flights.

Drones Male Life span up to 4 months Don’t overwinter Egg to Maturity: 24 days Sexually mature at 2 weeks Duties: Mate with Queens Mates once in drone congregation areas at about 300 feet above ground, then dies

Queens Female Life span 3-5 years Peak Productive life 1-2 years Egg to Maturity: 16 days Duties: Lay eggs Can lay 1500 eggs a day at height of season Pheromones Produces air-borne pheromones (“queen substance”) that keep the colony functioning orderly, loyal and protective to that queen

9-oxodecenoic acid (9-ODA) 9-hydroxy-(E)-2-decenoic acid (9-HDA)

Brood pheromones

Brood Frame

Reproduction Bee (colony) Population Species Reproduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q3dABl8HXA&feature=player_detailpage

Queen Swarm Cell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89rtOi1FcoQ&feature=player_detailpage

Communication Physical Communications Pheromones Waggle Dance Piping Nasonav Poison Alarm

So the Waggle Dance

Waggle Dance –for Real http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=waggle+dance&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=9746D41177D396DA43B59746D41177D396DA43B5

Break

Hives Naturally

History of Bee Hives Lorenzo Langstroth in 1851

Langstroth Hive and the bee space

The Bees Space is: A space between 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch is in a range of acceptable bee space, with 5/16 inch an average

Top Bar Hive

The Perfect Spot

Locating Hives Some other points Cold Air Drainage Consideration of your neighbors A suitable flight path Property Lines Neighborhood rules Special use permit County Code (varies from county to county)

Getting Bees How When Packages 3 or 4 lbs with Queen Nucs Swarms Established Hives When Packages late March/April/May Nucs late spring May/June Swarms April/May Established Hive – Spring - Fall

Getting Bees Where Packages from Georgia, Carolinas, Tennessee, local? Nucs Local beekeepers Swarms , bee club network, word of mouth, Established local beekeeper How Most clubs have a package run – Ashland and Richmond Nucs – make sure they are inspected, take an experienced beekeeper Swarm more detail to follow Established hive – inspection and take experienced beekeeper to look at them

Getting Bees Package Bees 10,000 to 12,000 bees Queen bee with attendants Can sugar syrup

Package Bees Demonstration – Prep Hive Step 1. – Sugar Spray bees Step 2. – Shake down remove queen and sugar Step 3. – Place queen in hive Step 4. – Shake Bees into hive Step 5. – Place feeder Step 6. – Close Step 7. - Wait

Honey Bee Nucs 5 frames Laying Queen 2 frames of honey/pollen 3 frames of brood/pollen/honey Free of obvious disease Free of small hive beetles Should have state inspection Number one advantage – established, rapid build up

Swarms Advantage is they often build comb quickly and get established Disadvantage typically older bees and old queen

Capture a Swarm Technique is simple but Set up hive on sheet Bees don’t always make it easy Set up hive on sheet Cut branch and shake most of bees into open hive Shake rest on to sheet If you can’t cut branch shake or brush in Bucket

Getting Bees Buying a established hive Cost expect to pay anywhere from 200-300 Price depends on season and size of hive Make sure inspected by State for disease Transportation a challenge for most Age of queen is important Expect hive beetles and varroa mites

Questions