Bee School for Beginners

Kritter Keeper attended a bee school last weekend.... and I absolutely loved it! It was held on a Saturday and thankfully a friend invited me otherwise I would not have known about it. I dreaded getting up that early but this was important as I barely saw a honey bee last year due to colony collapse syndrome and the travel time was worth it. I am a big believer in educating myself before I work with something so foreign....and should I decide to keep bees, then hopefully I will lessen the chance of loosing a hive. Kritter Keeper can barely kill a fly in case you didn't know... Rolling even a single bee or loosing a hive due to my ignorance would make me feel awful though I know it could happen!

There were four classes for beginners. Swarm class, Beginner info, Equipment and start up costs, and lastly a well known local bee man offered excellent advice as to how he achieves his success. I took pages of notes but will not bore you with all of the details. I loved the fact that they had vendors which is the perfect way to learn and expose yourself to all of the equipment, network with the some of the best in the area and find some goodies. My favorite vendors were Queen Bee and Reid Apiary. Queen Bee is very much like me, loves the vintage look, designs tasteful t-shirts and all sorts of cool things. Her website will be up in April so be sure to google her if you like bees. I purchased the most beautiful notecards! Reid Apiary builds hives with pretty copper roofs that arch allowing the hives to have a homey appearance.

The following day I called our county bee keeper's President and chatted with him for almost an hour. Thinking that I should get bees soon as this is the time of year to get them for honey in late July, he cautioned me to wait. I loved his advice and his sound ideas were smart. Attend the meetings, watch and learn as others do it throughout summer and by fall I should be ready. We were in agreement with several issues and that made me feel confident that I am on the right path. There is one thing all of the bee keepers say is that there are a lot of differing opinons on how to tend to your bees. It isn't math with only one answer, there are a variety of ways to do things, but I liked what he said because I wanted no package bees from Georgia or Florida ....I hope to get some good ole' local bees that are accustomed to our conditions, carry no larvae beetle, etc. Funny, nobody in the school mentioned larvae beetle as this destructive pest is becoming more prevalent from southern bees, but the topic of Varroa mites was very popular...See? It pays to talk to your local experts.

So if you are thinking of bees, do not buzz right in...some of the advice I heard from class was to purchase two hives as one might die throughout the winter, do not buy used bee hives but you can buy used bee suits and veils, etc. Keep your hives off the ground about 18-21 inches or the skunks will get them. Hives should receive morning sun but not hot afternoon sun. Feed your bees sugar water or special bee syrup (never store bought syrup) beginning in late fall throughout winter, network with the experts in your area, join your county association and the most imporant advice is to always wear light colored protection and duck tape areas where they can slip in...bees love hair! Oh, and most keepers wear rubber gloves. The bees do not like rubber and do not care what color the gloves are....pink for me! And finally.....eat raw honey mixed with cinnamon! It is very beneficial to human health even for those with diabetes as long as care is given to the amount consumed. I am linking with Farm Friend Friday even though today is Saturday. The blog hop is for the entire weekend and I look forward in reading like minded farm blogs.  Enhoy the rest of your weekend!