The secrets of beekeeping

The secrets of beekeeping



Virginia and Stanley Jurkowski of the Wayne County Beekeepers Association (WCBA) gave a presentation to the Country Gardeners on July 10 about beekeeping. The WCBA is dedicated to promoting, educating and supporting all levels of beekeepers from beginners to experienced in the county.

The Jurkowskis have been keeping bees as a hobby in Waymart for around six years and shared their knowledge and experience with the group. Unfortunately, according to Stanley, within the last year, there have been reports of significant honey bee losses (1.6 million) across the United States. This alarming decline is due to a variety of factors, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods, extreme heat and cold, as well as mites.

According to Virginia, honey is available in a variety of colors and flavors, including spring, midsummer and late-fall honey. Spring honey is light in color and is produced by bees from flowers that bloom in the spring; it has a floral flavor. Midsummer honey is light-to-medium amber, and is harvested from the peak summer bloom. It has a smooth, moderately sweet flavor. Late-fall honey is a deep brown molasses color and has a bolder, stronger flavor; it is made from late-season nectar sources such as goldenrod.

While beekeeping can be done in a backyard or on a farm, there are several considerations for anyone interested in becoming a beekeeper. A starter package or box of honey bees costs around $150. In addition, there are the costs of beehive components and equipment. Also, it is challenging to overwinter honey bees, since they must be protected from cold temperatures and wind.

The Jurkowskis brought a representation of a hive (minus honey bees) to exhibit to the group. The hive, which was a multistoried structure, consisted of a cover, inner cover, brood box, honey super, honey frame, bottom board, cleanout tray and hive stand.

The brood box is the heart of the honey bee colony. It holds eight to 10 movable frames, which contain beeswax, honeycomb and the honey that the honey bees make. The box is also used as an area to raise brood (larva and pupa) and to store honey as food during winter when no nectar is available.

The super is additional boxes on top of the brood box, and provides space for the honey bees to store surplus honey, which the beekeeper will harvest.

Other beekeeping equipment, such as a smoker, hive tools, a beekeeper suit, veil and gloves, was displayed to the group.

Stanley said the honey bee colony is made up of female workers, a queen and the male drones. Each has sharply defined duties and functions. Female workers gather nectar and pollen among other tasks. The queen is central to the colony and her main function is to lay eggs, usually around 1,000-1,500 eggs a day. The drone’s primary function is to mate with the queen. As the queen continues to lay eggs, the population of a hive expands to 60,000 to 80,000 bees in late summer. The byproduct of honey bees is honey, made from nectar they collect from flowers starting in the spring. According to Stanley, during the summer honey flow (June through August), worker honey bees travel 55,000 miles to gather enough nectar to produce one pound of honey. Each worker will produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey, and an entire hive on a good year will produce 200 pounds of honey.

Virginia said honeybees rely on native plants such as coneflowers, daylilies, geraniums, rhododendrons and white dutch clover. They also like apple trees, pear trees, blueberry bushes, pumpkins and squashes.

Honey bees are crucial to pollinating orchards and crops—for example, almond orchards in California. Honey bees in New Zealand even produce a honey with therapeutic value, called Manuka honey, which is used to treat burns, wounds, bacterial infections and other ailments.

According to Stanley, there are different varieties of honey bees, such as the Carniolan bee from the Balkan regions; Saskatchewan bees from Canada; and Italian, Russian and South African bees.

Stanley warned against African bees, also known as African killer bees, due to their extremely aggressive nature. They can swarm and attack people. They live in the warmer climates of the southern United States, Central America and South America.

Stanley mentioned a free nine-month online beginning beekeeping course for Veterans called “Heroes to Hives,” offered through the Michigan State University extension program. For more information, go to www.info@miffs.org or call 231/680-0554.

The Wayne County Beekeepers Association holds monthly meetings on Tuesdays at 7 p.m., at the Honesdale Park Street Complex, 648 Park St.; the next meeting is August 19. The group can be contacted at www.WCBeekeepersAssoc@gmail.com or at www.wcbeekeeper.wordpress.com.

Meetings of the Country Gardeners are held—except in August—at 1 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at the Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center, 126 Lamberton Lane, Hawley.