INFORMATION ABOUT BEES
AND BEEKEEPING

The Fascinating and Wonderful World
of the Honey Bee

 

For more information about Bees and Beekeeping Visit the Beekeeping Section at

Stockwood Craft Museum & Gardens, just south of Luton, Bedfordshire, UK
Details on the STOCKWOOD PARK page

 

Mankind has taken honey from bees for centuries and it is increasingly used by health conscious people. Honey was the main sweetener before sugar-cane and beet were available. It is a natural product containing many trace elements - nothing is added or taken away from honey before it reaches you.

Did you know that : It takes 20,000 visits by bees to flowers to produce a pound of honey. A full sized colony in summer can contain more than 50,000 bees. At her peak laying rate, a queen can lay up to 3000 eggs per day, which is more than her body weight! Some people find that eating local honey throughout the year reduces hayfever problems. Bees are essential to the pollination of many of our crops - there are not sufficient numbers of other insects that carry out this important task.  

Honey talk

Honey has been found in the tombs of Pharaohs (but past its sell-by date). However, honey does keep for a long time if kept in an air tight container. Honey has anti-bacterial properties and in times past was used to treat burns and wounds. Supermarket honey is invariably heat treated and heavily filtered. This process kills off some of the natural enzymes, spoils the taste and removes valuable pollen. Frosting - the appearance of areas of white crystals - is a natural feature with set honey and has no effect on its quality. Honey is one of the easiest foods for the stomach to digest - it is absorbed almost directly into the bloodstream providing instant vitality.

 

Hive by-products

A by-product of beekeeping is beeswax that has been valued by communities down the ages. Candles made from beeswax (as opposed to paraffin wax) burn very slowly and without smoke. Beeswax has many uses, for example in furniture polish and skin care products such as hand and moisturising creams, shampoos, etc.

Propolis, which is often made into a tincture, is a resin gathered by bees from trees and flower buds, and is claimed to have medicinal properties.

 

Are you interested in starting beekeeping?

If you are an aspiring beekeeper there is no need to buy any specialist equipment from the outset as items such as veils, etc. can be borrowed. In fact, the initial outlay can be quite modest as a little ingenuity can go a long way. What is more, when you do decide to go ahead, many items can be obtained second hand or, if you have basic carpentry skills, hive parts can be readily made. But what you are strongly advised to do is: Contact and join the Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association. It is very good value and allows you to meet and discuss with beekeepers at talks and apiary meetings. It also enables you to handle the Association's bees and acquire skills at little cost. Contact your local beekeeping representative and ask as many questions as possible. Eventually some of the basic rules will become apparent and you will discover why beekeeping is such a challenge. Go along to apiary meetings where you will get the chance to see a hive opened up in the presence of experienced beekeepers. Better to find out if you are happy in this situation with other beekeepers around rather than confront it on your own.

Enrol on theoretical and practical courses run by the Association. Before you obtain a colony you would be wise to seek advice about siting your hive(s). If your garden is unsuitable, many farmers are happy to have bees on their land. With the co-operation of the farmer, look for a quiet corner where they will have no impact on passers by or animals. This is important to the beekeeper as nowadays vandalism can be problem if the hives are visible to the public.

 

Swarms

For many people their first experience of honeybee management comes with the arrival of a swarm in their or a neighbour's garden. Don't be alarmed - it is just the honeybees' style of moving house when the family expands in May, June or July. They congregate temporarily, often on a convenient post or bush, while they decide where to set up their new permanent home. This is the moment for an experienced beekeeper to collect them and provide the des. res. they are looking for in one of his own spare hives. Although a flying swarm may look and sound a little daunting, the bees are in no way aggressive and will take no notice of you. All you need do is cover your hair as a precaution, don't actively interfere with them and, seek the help of a local beekeeper, either directly or

through the Local Council.

 

Hives and basic equipment

There are several types of hives used in this country. The most common is the Modified National which takes the form of a square box, it can easily be made and is convenient to use. There is a ready second hand market in this popular hive which is used by most amateur beekeepers. All patterns of hive have the following features in common: Floor, Brood box where the queen is confined and the young bees are raised, Queen excluder, which is a wire mesh device that confines the queen to the brood box, Honey boxes which are known as 'supers' and are placed above the brood box and queen excluder. The number required is dependent upon the honey flow but, in a good year, can be 4 or 5, which can yield about 100 pounds of honey. Crown board, Roof .

 

You will need a bee suit with veil and gloves (which can be plastic or leather), and possibly wellingtons. Tools required are a smoker and hive tool. The smoker is used to subdue bees during manipulations and burns dry rotten wood or other suitable fuels. A hive tool is a lever which is used to prise apart boxes and frames which the bees have stuck together with propolis. Cost This can vary tremendously depending on whether new or second hand items are bought. Many parts can be made cheaply if you have some DIY skills. To buy new equipment is expensive. However, it is often possible to buy hives and equipment more cheaply from members of the Association. These items are frequently advertised in the Newsletter.

 

Stings

Stings do hurt - some people find them more painful than others. By taking reasonable precautions and sensible operating procedures, stinging incidents can be mostly avoided. Over time, most beekeepers develop an immunity to stings. It is claimed that stings alleviate rheumatism and arthritis!

 

Honey

Nearly all honeys crystallise. The rate of crystallisation depends on the proportion of glucose and fructose in the honey. This in turn depends on the blossoms from which the bees have gathered nectar. For example, the bright yellow fields of oil seed rape that you see in the spring produce a honey which has a high glucose content. This crystallises rapidly and can be creamed by a process of warming and stirring to produce a honey suitable for spreading. Later summer flowers have a higher fructose content giving a runny honey, bolder flavour and more suitable for adding to yoghurt and cereals. 
quick link:-  FAQ About Honey 

 

The Association

The Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association has existed for more than 70 years and has more than 200 members. It runs theoretical and practical courses for beginners and for those who wish to increase their beekeeping knowledge. It has regular meetings where guest speakers talk on a wide range of bee related subjects and runs training apiaries where members are welcome to learn all aspects of handling bees.

Beds BKA operates a very successful bulk purchase scheme. This allows members to buy many essential items at a lower cost, for example jars, frames, etc. It also issues an annual yearbook and regular newsletters, and lends extracting equipment for a small charge. It also lends from a comprehensive collection of books and videos and can point you to the ones that are most useful.