Bee Students
Keeping bees is easier than you think
Like many adults who never had to do actual agricultural labor, I fantasize about an easy, sanitized version of farm life, free of manure and coyotes and heavy on baskets full of fresh apricots; free-range eggs every morning; and bushel after bushel of insect-free corn that harvests itself. On one level, I know this is inaccurate to the point of being ridiculous; on another, I know that given two acres of land, I could within six months produce enough perfect, sweet blackberries to blot out the sun. I recently attended an introductory seminar on beekeeping at New Orleans’ Southbound Gardens, and since then, no fantasy about my implausible farm will be complete without a couple of hives contentedly buzzing away.
Beekeeping, formally “apiculture,” predates writing, and ancient people of Asia, the Mediterranean basin, and Central America all kept bees. For them as for us, the most obvious benefits of beekeeping are access to fresh, local honey to consume and beeswax for use in various crafts; modern beekeepers have the added fun of cackling “Fly, my pretties!” and threatening to sic the bees on whatever enemies they may have accumulated. Caryn Hassell, a beekeeper who manages the hives and runs bee programming at Southbound Gardens, is a better-adjusted personality and describes the hobby as relaxing and meditative. She enjoys observing the bees and recording what she sees in her Bee Journal (something she recommends to all aspiring Bee People), and says that these observations, along with the advice of her Bee Mentor, have taught her much of what she knows about bees.
Caryn Hassell, a beekeeper who manages the hives and runs bee programming at Southbound Gardens, is a better-adjusted personality and describes the hobby as relaxing and meditative.
While there are tens of thousands of species of bees, several of which produce honey to some degree, beekeepers generally keep one of a smaller number of species of honeybee, which produce comparatively large amounts of honey; the Western honeybee is the most common. You can buy bees on the internet (because you can buy everything on the internet), or you can source bees through local clubs. Hives can be bought or made yourself: they come in one of two standard sizes, filled with parallel frames for the bees to build comb in. These frames are separated by the ideal “bee space,” a 1/4- to 3/8-inch gap in which bees can move about their business freely. You won’t get a substantial honey harvest in the first year, as the hive establishes itself, but you will have plenty of chances to observe the bees as they build up their wax supply and generate enough new worker bees to effectively “staff” the colony. You’ll need to avoid spraying pesticides, but you don’t necessarily have to plant flowers for the bees to visit (although you certainly may), since they may fly three miles in search of nectar and pollen.
Hives don’t need a lot of tending, and the bees do their best when left undisturbed—day-to-day bee care for a healthy hive is limited to ensuring access to water (a birdbath works just fine, as will a Frisbee under a slow-dripping outdoor faucet) and potentially, on the hottest days, opening the top of the box to help airflow. Bees can bring in water and fan with their wings to cool the hive, but the breeze can help. New beekeepers can check on their hives monthly after setup; Cassell checks in on hers once every month or two, making sure the queen is healthy as evidenced by the presence of the eggs and larvae only she produces. When a queen grows old or dies, the colony can usually replace her by rearing a new queen, but you can also “re-queen” a colony if necessary—since the new queen will “smell foreign,” she’s transplanted into the colony in a box with a protective candy plug. By the time the existing worker bees in the colony have eaten through the plug, the new queen will have emitted enough pheromones to be recognized as… well, the queen bee.
... but you can also “re-queen” a colony if necessary—since the new queen will “smell foreign,” she’s transplanted into the colony in a box with a protective candy plug.
Occasionally, you’ll also need to check for the parasitic mite Varroa destructor (named after Varro, a contemporary of Julius Caesar who wrote about beekeeping). The bees enjoy being checked because it involves dusting the hive with confectioner’s sugar: the bees get a snack, and the mites slide off into a catch tray below. Only when handling the hive directly will you need Winnie-the-Pooh-style suit and veil; honeybees are reluctant to sting, since the structure of their stingers means that they die if they sting a thick-skinned mammal. (They can often survive sticking another insect.) If you leave the main flight path in front of the hive clear and approach from the side or rear, you’ll rarely bother a bee.
Different cities have different regulations around hives and how they must be built and spaced, so a little local research will be needed before you begin setup. It takes less space than you think it might, though; several feet of space from the property line and/or a fence is often enough. Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Northshore all have established clubs of hobbyist beekeepers, who, according to Hassell, are usually excited to help and advise new people interested in the hobby. Baton Rouge is home to a USDA Honey Bee Lab, which hosts an annual field day of presentations and activities in October.
Should you have bees you don’t want, don’t spray poison; instead, call a dedicated bee removal service, which can gather them safely and move them somewhere they can nest. If you’re a bee admirer without the space or setup, you can build a smaller nest for wild bees (think along the lines of a birdhouse); plant bee-friendly plants like sunflowers, bee balm, or goldenrod; or just make sure you’re letting clover and dandelions flourish where you can. It may not be you, but someone—or some possum, or some raccoon, or some bee—will have a sweet treat for your efforts. k
Capital Area Beekeepers Association
JP the Bee Man
Louisiana Beekeepers’ Association (find your local club!)
This article originally appeared in our March 2018 issue. Subscribe to our print magazine today.