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RESOURCE MANUAL
MAAREC
January 2001
Available from Penn State or Univ of Delaware in paperbound book form -$10. Contact Maryann Frazier, 501
Ag & Ind Bldg, PSU, Univ Park, PA 16802 or Dewey M . Caron Dept of Entomology, Univ of Delaware, 250
Townsend Bldg, Newark, De 19717
PRESENTATIONS/ASSIGNMENTS
A great number of things can be done with beekeeping history. Individual pieces of equipment,
hives, or topics such as beekeepers past (or present), time periods, etc. can be given to students to
research for written or oral presentations. The availability of library facilities and individual interest
should be considered before assignment or selection of topics.
Bring a skep, log gum and movable frame hive to class and discuss bee requirements, legal
requirements and modern vs. ancient beekeeping practices for each, using props for
illustration. If old hives can be borrowed, discuss the relative merits of each hive. Compare old
equipment with the modern Langstroth hive.
Make or purchase U.S. or world maps and have students diagram or determine the beekeeping
regions, statistics for regions or countries, flora, number of beekeepers or other features and color code
the map(s) with this information. A good discussion of U.S. regions is in BEEKEEPING IN THE
UNITED STATES (USDA Handbook 355), and for the world in BEES AND BEEKEEPING by Eva
Crane. There is at least one book on L. L. Langstroth (Naile 1976. AMERICA’S MASTER OF BEE
CULTURE: THE LIFE OF L. L. LANGSTROTH).
National Geographic has a video on “Honey Hunting in Nepal.” There is an older Univ. of
Guelph (Canada) film “Beekeeping in Tanzania” that shows management of feral and top bar
hive colonies in Africa. Portions of other videos (including the Ohio State Series) explain the virtues of
the Langstroth movable-frame hive.
1. What influence did L. L. Langstroth have on the development of beekeeping? How important
was his advocacy of Italian bees? Can we recognize other individuals who contributed as much to
beekeeping as Langstroth?
2. Discuss seasonal management of bees in a skep, log gum, or other nonmovable frame hive.
Describe how a feral bee colony might be “managed” or robbed of honey.
3. Distinguish between commercial and sideliner beekeepers. Between sideliner and hobbyist.
Can we tell how important factors like management, forage plants, location, etc., have on
productivity?
4. What are some of the factors an individual needs to consider before starting a beekeeping
hobby? What would your recommendations be for an individual who wishes to supplement his/her
income with bees? Or wishes to become a commercial beekeeper?
5. What is the future of beekeeping? What can we learn from the past?
Bee Biology
2nd Session
Outline
VII. Comparison of perennial honey bee colony with other perennial and seasonably
eusocial insects (if time permits).
References
Presentations/Assignments
There are some really excellent movies/videos on honey bee biology. See the listing available
from UDEL Extension on MAAREC web site. One or more should be shown to the class as an
introduction. A good movie on mating and one on dance language are available for rental from Penn
State Audiovisual and also listed in the MAAREC site.
Have students make a collection of bees and wasps and identify specimens. For some of the
wasps, nests could be collected. Be cautious since bees and wasps can sting.
Have students consult literature on worker activities/development and make charts and graphs
showing developmental stages depicting time spent doing various activities. Some
commercial charts are available, such as “The Life Cycle of the Honey Bee” by Maxant. Consult
2nd Session .... Page 4
references such as USDA Beekeeping in the UNITED STATES. Dadant & Sons sell 12 study prints –
large photos, with lots of explanatory information on the reverse, that are suitable for instruction,
demonstrations or to help make exhibits on honey bees.
Make a diagram or model of a bee, labeling external body features and internal organs.
Compare bees to humans in such functions as vision, hearing, breathing, nervous system, body
skeleton/support and circulatory system. A commercial model of the honey bee is available from
Carolina Biological Supply, 2700 York Road, Burlington, NC 27215, tel: 336-584-0381
With an observation bee hive you can show students the communication dances of honey bees.
It is possible to set up a series of demonstrations (or experiments) on dance language. See the book
OBSERVATION HIVES by Webster and Caron (1999) (available from A. I. Root Co.) for information
on establishing, maintaining and using observation hives as a teaching tool.
Locate and take apart a “wild” nest of honey bees in a tree hollow or in the side of a building.
Make measurements of the cavity size, number and extent of beeswax comb, size of population,
amount of honey stores and brood. Compare your findings to bee colonies in hives.
1. How does the honey bee fit into the classification of animals? Why do we use a common and
scientific name for the honey bee?
2. What does “social” mean in insects? How is “eusocial” defined? What are common
characteristics shared by social insects?
3. Swarming is a natural event in a bee colony. What is swarming and what purpose does it
serve? Since bee colonies survive the winter, how does swarm behavior compare to wasp and
bumble bee colonies in their production of queens and males at the end of the season?
4. Can you explain the rule of 3 (from Caron HONEY BEE BIOLOGY AND BEEKEEPING,
Chap. 4, and USDA Handbook 335, Beekeeping in the UNITED STATES)? How many essential
features of bee biology fit the rule of 3?
5. How dissimilar is the bee hive from the basic nest constructed by bees in a tree hollow? Can
we learn more about hive design by studying “wild” nests. How does a bee hive differ from a
hornet or wasp nest?
6. What are some of the major differences between bee and human anatomy?
7. Each caste in the bee colony has a different development. Chart differences in development,
behavior and adult anatomy of female castes queen and worker. Do the same for drones. Why is the
drone not a caste example?
d) Installing foundation
(1) Handle carefully & install not too far in advance of use
(2) Wiring of crimp-wired and medium brood
REFERENCES
Presentations/Assignments
Have students, using bee supply catalogues, compute costs of starting a beekeeping hobby.
Compare prices of different manufacturers. Calculate additional equipment costs
in categories a) not necessary but useful, b) useful at times, and c) luxury. Have students make a
diagram or model of a standard hive, labeling each part and include the cost of each piece.
Assemble equipment in class or in special workshop. You might be able to get some donations
from local supply dealers, have students (who wish) purchase equipment or obtain funds to buy
equipment. Assemble both hives and frames. Demonstrate and have students practice assembly of
frames and putting foundation in frames. Wire foundation into frames.
Have students prepare a list of alternate materials that could be used as hive stands, covers,
ancillary equipment, etc and list some advantages and disadvantages of each.
Discuss the merits of homemade/used equipment and the pitfalls that may happen. Demonstrate
some homemade items if available.
Build or have a student or the class build a hive, to be shown without bees, suitable for a fair
demonstration. Such an exhibit should include boxes cut to expose frames, different hive parts labeled
and information about the standard bee hive/beekeeping.
Videos from Ohio State and Univ. of Georgia show hive equipment assembly.
1. What are the most important features of a frame? Why is the top bar thick? What is special
about end bars? What is the purpose of the various types of bottom bars? Can the Hoffman frame in
use today be improved? How?
2. Many additional pieces of equipment can be used. Why is it best, other than the expense, to
keep equipment simple?
3. What is the relationship of foundation to comb? How important are secure and sturdy combs?
What problems will appear if comb is not kept confined within the frame?
4. What is the best paint to use for bee hives? Why do we paint only the outside portions?
5. Why are there hive boxes of 3 depths? Can you list advantages and disadvantages of each size
(don’t forget expense, bee acceptance or bee biology)?
6. What are the relative merits of plastic vs. wood for hive bodies? For frames? What are the
limitations of laminated woods (such as plywood) in bee equipment?
7. Why is it so important to have standardized equipment? What are some of the best reasons to
use the standard dimensions of the commercial firms selling bee supplies? Can the standard hive
dimensions be improved?
8. What facilities are necessary for assembly of equipment? Can you think of gadgets for faster
or easier assembly? Can you see areas where gadgets may be of help?
Standard Langstroth Bee Hive (From Brushy Mountain Bee Supply Co Catalogue)
(2) Make bees fly up and over areas frequented by people such as sidewalks and other
right-of-ways.
(3) Provide water source.
(4) Give neighbors honey and explain the real facts about bees to alleviate their fears.
Be sure your family understands bees. Avoid problems before they appear. Capture
swarms and eliminate wasps to assist neighbors.
(5) Bees will do well anywhere. Select a convenient site for you.
e) Arrange colonies in the apiary to reduce drifting
order early, cost about $45.00, can have installation problems, dead queen, dead bees).
b) Buying new equipment and capturing a swarm
(1) Assemble equipment early and leave name and telephone number at agencies
likely to receive swarm calls (extension, police, fire department).
(2) Capture of the swarm – must get the queen into your capture apparatus. Old comb
or bee smell helps. Probably preferable to use hive if swarm at convenient location.
(3) Move the swarm to apiary site – after dark or when most of swarm inside. Feed
sugar syrup.
(4) Advantages (free bees, rapid colony buildup) vs. disadvantages (swarms not
always easy to capture, finding a swarm unreliable, usually has old queen, sometimes a
virgin queen).
c) Buying established colonies of bees
(1) Purchase from someone you know. Buy good equipment only in good shape. If not
standard size, be sure you can use with other equipment.
(2) Have the bees inspected for disease by apiary inspector.
(3) Be sure colony queenright and otherwise okay.
(4) Advantages (colony already established and can obtain honey crop first season,
often can get very good buy) vs. disadvantages (can buy disease, mean bees, odd-sized
equipment, no regular market so availability uncertain, colony may be or get too big for
a beginner, moving colonies to new owner’s apiary site, judging value of equipment
and bees).
d) Buying or starting nuclei (nucs)
(1) Best method if increasing colony numbers. Nucs can be started in small box or
standard hive body. Strong colonies can often be divided more than once.
(2) A good method of starting if nucs available at reasonable cost.
e) Buying used bee equipment
(1) Problems with non-standard sized equipment
(2) Problems with AFB disease (as well as Nosema and others). If no drawn comb, it
is not practically possible to determine if AFB spores present.
(3) Advantages of used equipment: drawn comb is a big help in capturing swarms or
early development of package bees, equipment already assembled, usually lower cost
(4) Disadvantages: disease a major factor, evaluating worth of equipment.
REFERENCES
PRESENTATIONS/ASSIGNMENTS
Have students draw a sketch of an actual or projected apiary location for hobbyist/sideliner.
Discuss how to select/prepare an apiary site and plan with the students how to start a small apiary.
Install one (or more) packages of honey bees. Have students practice installation with empty
packages and empty hives. To keep costs low you can make up your own packages.
Capture a swarm with the class. You can create a swarm by buying or making a package of
bees and then tying their queen (while in a queen cage) to a branch or other structure and shaking the
bees out so they cluster around her. If you release the queen a few minutes before swarm capture, make
sure the queen is clipped or you could lose the whole swarm in an escape! Discuss how to capture
swarms in less convenient locations.
Obtain one (or more) copies of the state laws regulating beekeeping for your state. Review in
class or have students review them outside of class.
Make or have the students do a listing of bee races, their characteristic and some advantages
and disadvantages of each. Much has been published on the Africanized bee and various projects on
this could be assigned.
1. What state and local regulations and liability laws relative to beekeeping would the beekeepers
be subject to? How can a beekeeper reduce his/her liability?
2. What are some of the things potential beekeepers must or should do before actually becoming a
beekeeper?
3. Is beekeeping really a rural pursuit? What are some of the problems and special considerations
necessary for the urban beekeeper?
4. How important is the flora when an apiary location is selected? How important is a water
source? How important is the beekeeper?
5. What are the best qualities to use when selecting a rural apiary site? A suburban site? A city or
town location? How many colonies should be kept at one apiary and how far should they be
separated?
6. How can one best choose the bee for one’s own apiary? How important are the differences in
the various races and hybrids?
7. How important is drawn comb (or equipment walked on by bees) toward successful starting?
What problems might a beginner encounter when drawn comb is not available?
8. What factors should be considered in ordering package bees? How important are the different
producers? Is there a big price range? When is the best delivery time? How big a package should
one order (2, 3 or 5 lb.)?
9. Why is it best to shake the bees from the package into the hive? Should you or the bees release
the queen? What are some alternative methods of installation and their disadvantages relative to
the shaking method?
10. Older people will tell you they had a relative who was a beekeeper, but few young people are
becoming beekeepers today. What does this mean for the future of beekeeping? Or for honey
sales? How can we improve our educational and public relations effort for the bee and her
products?
4th Session .... Page 6
Contrast of Ideal vs Poor Location (From Sammataro & Avitibile)
c) Using a swarm to produce section or cut-comb honey the first year. Combining
swarms to get larger colony.
REFERENCES
PRESENTATIONS/ASSIGNMENTS
Demonstrate, with an empty bee hive, the procedure on how best to open and examine a bee colony. If
bees are available, do the same with a live bee colony. Have students open a bee colony while you
watch and offer help and friendly criticism. Do not attempt to rush timid or scared students. Allow
them to work at their own pace as much as possible. Remember that students don’t necessarily learn by
seeing (or hearing) just once. Examine bee colonies as many times as feasible allowing the students to
do rather than just watch.
Have a bee sting you (or a volunteer) to demonstrate proper method of scraping sting out and
the normal reaction to a sting. Collect some of the normal sting remedies (baking soda, ice cube, meat
tenderizer, anti-histamine ointment, sting relief aerosols) to show to class. Have students make a list of
home remedies for sting relief.
Stings are a real problem and a real fear for beginners. You shouldn’t neglect to talk about
stings, supplying accurate information. Don’t dismiss concerns about stings as silly and unfounded. It
might be possible to get an M.D. to talk to the class on stings. Have students talk about fears, concerns,
and hesitations about starting a bee colony.
Demonstrate how to light a smoker and how different fuels burn. Compare both a large volume
and smaller volume smoker. Show personal protective equipment and discuss relative merits of the
various items.
Remember that students don’t necessarily learn by seeing (or hearing) just once. You can
examine bee colonies many times. Allow the students to do rather than just watch. Have them smoke,
open, look for brood, etc., with you standing by to offer advice and assistance. Do not rush them as
they will lack confidence and be very scared of being stung. If conditions permit do a demonstration
and then permit students to practice. The more sessions like this the better they will become.
1. What are some of the methods to teach beginners how to examine a colony and describe what
to look for? Is it possible to teach/assist them to gain confidence and to help them overcome their
fear of being stung? How important is it to smell, touch, taste and feel as well as hear about bees,
beekeeping, bee products or other aspects of apiculture?
th
5 Session ..... Page 4
2. To what extent has the bee’s sting influenced beekeeping? Limited beekeeping? Kept more
individuals from starting with bees? How do you differentiate between a normal and an allergic
reaction to stinging insects? What are the treatments for normal reactions? For an allergic
reaction?
3. How frequently should a bee colony be examined? What are some of the harmful aspects of
too frequent inspections? How long should a colony be open during each inspection?
4. How can the beekeeper avoid irritating the colony? What can be done with bees that are
excessively defensive?
5. What should be done if a colony is suspected of being queenless? If the beekeeper suspects a
disease condition? If too few honey stores seem to be the problem?
References
resentations/Assignments
Use a standard hive or a hive model to illustrate each hive manipulation discussed. It is much
more effective to both tell students to reduce hive entrances in the fall and to demonstrate insertion of
an entrance reducer or other mouse guard in a hive or hive model to make your point. Demonstrate all
fall manipulations with full-scale beekeeping equipment or a scale model hive.
Illustrate alternative methods of accomplishing the same fall management task. For example,
you can reduce a hive entrance with a commercial wooden entrance reducer or pieces of scrap lumber,
sheet metal reducers (commercial or homemade), wire screening and by other means. Similarly, there
are numerous means and devices for feeding bees sugar syrup. Bring several feeders to class to
illustrate how they work and point out advantages and disadvantages of each.
There is a short (<10 min.) video on Fall & Winter and a companion video Late Winter/Early Spring
produced by Univ. of Wisconsin in the late 1970s. It has no information on mites and is no longer
available although there are copies available to rent or loan (from Univ. of Delaware). A 28-minute
video from Univ. of Guelph features Outdoor Wintering in Ontario. Slides on fall and winter are
included in general series on bee management. Videos from Ohio State and Georgia feature
management in fall and winter.
Draw diagrams of what one should expect in a colony properly prepared for winter. Show the
honey stores needed and proper position of the brood nest. Use references to make overhead
transparencies from B&W illustration such as in Caron and Sammataro/Avitable books. Draw side and
front views of hives that are reduced to 1 standard box, 1 standard & a half-depth box, 2 standard, and
2-1/2 boxes.
If teaching in the fall, go to an apiary and perform a fall inspection. If teaching over the winter
remove a colony cover to demonstrate the cluster position. Point out how bees on the edges of the
cluster stand up on the hind legs and expose their sting when disturbed in cold weather (or after dark
when cool). Collect some hive bees, cut off their heads and pull out the digestive tract from the rear of
the abdomen with forceps to illustrate rectum size and check for swollen, distended ventriculus
(midgut) which is a symptom of Nosema disease.
Discuss changing beekeeping practices such as the older concept of packing colonies for
winter, moving colonies into cellars, etc., vs. current practice of not packing or, for commercial
beekeepers, migrating southward. The effects mites have on bee colonies should also be discussed (see
information in this resource manual on pests and diseases).
1. What is the relationship of bee biology to successful fall and winter management? Have
we learned everything about wintering biology?
6th Session ..... Page 4
2. There is no one correct way of maintaining and manipulating bee colonies. What are the most
important things that need to be done to bee colonies in the fall to insure successful overwintering?
3. If successful overwintering results in fewer than 10% of the colonies being lost can we say that
we have mastered this portion of the season? What are the reasons bee colonies die? In very
northern areas beekeepers may kill the entire colony and start from a package colony the next
season. Alternately they may kill some colonies and move the remainder to a more favorable
wintering location further south. What are some of the factors a beekeeper needs to consider before
dividing or killing, overwintering or moving south to overwinter?
4. What are the bee diseases/mites to consider for control in the fall? How have they changed
beekeeping in the 90s? What are the best management practices to control bee mites/diseases and
Bee PMS?
5. Give some of the means of venting excess moisture from a bee colony. Why is this one hive
manipulation so necessary for successful wintering?
6. Why is a mouse in a bee colony harmful to the bees and more likely to lead to less successful
overwintering? What are some simple, inexpensive and humane means of controlling mice?
7. Give some of the reasons, besides economic, for our change in overwintering practices as
regards packing colonies for winter. Are beekeepers who still pack colonies necessarily wrong in
so doing?
8. What manipulations can or should be performed on a colony during the winter? Can the same
information be ascertained without colony examination?
9. Why do colonies die overwinter or in early spring? How should the equipment of dead
colonies be handled? How can a beekeeper determine what killed the colony?
10. Why do we recommend requeening of colonies every other fall? What bee race is most
appropriate for successful overwintering and why do some bees potentially have an advantage over
others.
I. BIOLOGY OF SPRING
a) The rapid increase in brood and adult populations once pollen becomes available and
temperatures moderate
b) Preparations for swarming as expanding colonies crowds brood rearing area
c) Biology of swarming (colony reproduction)
d) Cleaning of comb cells, construction, new combs and other biologies of spring
expansion
e) Storage of nectar and ripening
V. ASSESSMENT OF SUCCESSES
a) Keeping swarm instances below 10% of total
b) Storage of nectar/honey by strong colonies
c) Size of colonies and relative strength for pollination/nectar storage or other objectives
References
Presentation/Assignments
Each of the various spring manipulations should be demonstrated with an empty hive or a
model hive in the classroom. If you can, you should demonstrate (and allow practice) with colonies.
Especially show normal colony examination, looking for swarm queen cells and adding supers.
Beginners have a difficult time recognizing normal brood patterns and seeing abnormalities.
Point out frames with mixtures of worker and drone cells. If you find them, bring in examples of drone
layer or laying worker. Disease examples should be carried to class except AFB. (AFB can be taken
but wrap it in special paper and caution the students in handling it.)
Draw diagrams of brood chambers in 1, 1-1/2, 2, and 2-1/2 boxes to show normal colony
expansion in the spring. Add supers and reduce brood to 1-1/2 or 2 in the diagrams to show what the
beekeeper should accomplish with spring manipulations. Show how reversal of brood boxes can
benefit colony expansion.
There are several videos available that illustrate Spring Management. These include 3 lengthy (1 hour)
videos from Beekeeping Education Service. Videos from Ohio State and Univ. of Georgia show
manipulations during spring. There is a slide series on bee management also
from Beekeeping Education Service. Overhead transparencies can be used from illustrations in
resources listed.
1. Bee colonies increase in population each spring despite manipulations the beekeeper
may or may not do. How is it possible to recognize colonies that might need to be stimulated
or others that have expanded too rapidly and may need swarm control or division? How can a
slowly increasing colony be moved along more rapidly? What are the problems likely to
happen with colonies that expand too rapidly?
3. Relatively few beekeepers feed pollen substitutes or supplements. What are the
advantages to feeding supplemental protein? What are the problems?
4. Many bee colonies die in early spring. Why? How can the beekeeper prevent such
loss? Are there dangers in feeding sugar or protein supplements too early in the spring?
5. Why is swarming a major management problem? What causes swarming? What are
the techniques to use to control swarming? Why is cutting of queen cells only not enough for
swarm control? What happens if a queen cell is missed in one of the 3 basic methods of swarm
control?
I. Biology of Summer
a) Population fluctuating in the summer colony
(1) Brood/adult cycles in large colonies
(2) Swarming/absconding of summer colonies
(3) Supersedure of old queens
(4) Queen loss, pesticide loss and other factors in summer colony demise
b) Honey production
(1) Nectar collection by foragers
(2) Ripening of nectar to honey
(3) Storage of ripening honey & capping of honey cells
(2) Best techniques to remove (bee escapes or blowers – must not injure cappings)
(3) Protection against wax moth by freezing comb sections
h) Packaging section-comb honey or cut-comb honey for market
i) Rebuilding colonies for winter and management of non-comb-producing colonies
References
Presentations/Assignments
Demonstrate the various methods of supering colonies using an empty hive and supers or a
model hive in the classroom. Do the same with colonies in the field if conditions permit. Discuss
relative merits of queen excluders. Do not hesitate to go over the same points more than once. While
out in the apiary verbally explain what you are doing and why. Let the students do – don’t have them
just watch.
If you have the equipment you should demonstrate use of a pollen trap, techniques to preserve
pollen, how to rear queens and how to transfer bees from a nonstandard box hive.
Show properly installed foundation and bring examples of good and bad drawn comb to class.
Demonstrate the importance of good, solid combs and how foundation installation, plus
proper comb drawing conditions, are so vital to obtaining such comb. Why should beekeepers have
extra drawn comb? How should it be stored? What is the value of good drawn comb.
8th Session .... Page 3
Demonstrate a section super or frames appropriate for cut-comb honey. Both require use of thin
surplus foundation which must stay in place after placement on the colony. Discuss difficulty of
producing comb honey, its relative merits and why fewer beekeepers are practicing this beekeeping art
today.
1. What are the relative merits of top supering? Bottom supering? Baiting supers? Why
must the beekeeper insure that bees work in supers he/she adds to the colony?
2. What are the steps a droplet of nectar goes through as it leaves the flower before it
becomes a droplet of extracted honey.
3. What supers are most appropriate for extracted honey? Cut-comb honey? Section
honey? Bulk comb honey? How does management change to produce these different honey
types?
4. Beekeepers can use a super box of 4 basic depths. What are advantages and
disadvantages of each size super relative to supering, honey production, and removal of supers.
5. What is “whiting?” What other signs or indications do bees provide to help the
beekeeper to know when to super? What problems can result from early supering without (or
with) the queen excluder?
6.
Why is production of honey in the comb so difficult? What happens if bees are not crowded or if honey-filled supers are left on
colonies for too long a time period?
References
Presentation/Assignments
You should be able to demonstrate one or more methods of removing honey supers. Store
frames or supers of honey in a freezer for demonstrations if you teach when honey is not normally
available on colonies. In class, show how bee escape is used with inner cover. Demonstrate bounce and
brush with frames (empty or with capped honey) – do without bees if you cannot do with live colonies.
It might be possible to visit a honey house (even a temporary extracting set-up of a hobbyist).
Alternately, you might bring extracting equipment to class to show the equipment and demonstrate
how it is used. Keep some frames of honey available for class. Uncap and extract such frames to allow
students to taste “fresh” honey.
Demonstrate an ideal honey house design and then discuss some alternatives. Have students
design/diagram a honey handling facility. Show important factors of uncapping, extracting, settling
tanks, handling wet supers, storage, and other aspects.
Bring honey to class and have students judge it for cleanliness, flavor, moisture content and
crystallization. You could set up some samples with dirt, foam, crystals forming, etc., to let students
see the best and some of things that can go wrong.
Visit one or more outlets selling honey. Have students survey supermarkets, roadside stands,
neighborhood/convenience stores to see honey sales and compare prices. Log-on to the
National Honey Board web site (linked on MAAREC site). Suggest students visit a honey show and
challenge them to prepare show entries.
Some Discussion Questions
1. Are there any real alternatives to extracting honey? How can one extract honey if an
extractor is not owned?
2. Most beekeepers extract just one time each season. Why is this most practical? For
what reasons would a beekeeper extract more than once in a season? If a beekeeper extracts a
honey crop early, how can he/she be sure the colony will have sufficient food stores for winter?
3. What are the elements in design of an efficient honey house? What regulations relate
to design, sanitation and cleaning of honey extracting/bottling facilities? Describe the honey
handling of the backyard beekeeper as compared to the commercial beekeeper.
4. What are some of the ways honey and wax can be sold? Why do some people claim
medicinal properties and greatly exaggerate the nutritional qualities of honey? What is its food
value? Why must we not advertise honey as a medicine? How can processing (just extracting,
or extracting, heating and filtering plus other processing) alter the value of honey in our diet?
5. What is robbing? Why should robbing behavior be controlled? What can be done to
control robbing once it starts?
I. POLLINATION
a) Define pollination – transfer of pollen from anther to stigma, fertilization and
fruiting/seed set.
b) Agents of pollination – wind, insects, rain, other animals
c) Types of pollination – cross pollination, self-pollination (must be self-fertile)
d) “Rewards” flowers offer pollinators – nectar, pollen, oils, odors
e) Insects as pollinators
(1) Insects other than honey bees
(2) Managed honey bees – can be moved, managed
(3) Honey bees constant to one flower type
(4) Body hairs of honey bees ideal for trapping pollen
(5) Moving bees and rental contracts
f) Crops pollinated by honey bees; forage/legume crops, fruit crops, nut crops, oilseed
crops, vegetable seed & production
g) Pollination of endangered/native plants
References
Presentations/Assignments
There are several excellent VHS tapes on pollination listed below. Slide sets on bee flora and
pollination are available from Beekeeping Educ. Service, PO Box 817, Cheshire, CT 06410.
Pollination is a natural topic to use to make fair displays or other visuals. Much information is
available on pollination. You can have students pick specific crops or just pollination itself and do or
submit designs for poster display, essays or other projects. Bee botany/pollination is a great topic to
invite a beekeeper to the classroom to share his/her experiences in producing honey and/or pollination
of crops.
1. What role does the honey bee play in commercial pollination? In the home garden? In
pollination of wild flowers around us?
2. What plants can beekeepers urge homeowners or public officials to plant that would
help his/her bee colonies?
3. How can a beginner determine what plants will supply pollen for his/her bee colonies.
Supply nectar? How can he/she tell what plants will be a surplus nectar source and the dates
they will bloom?
4. The value of honey bees as pollinating agents exceeds the value of their
honey/beeswax product by 10 or more times. Explain this statement. What crops are pollinated
by honey bees in your area and what is their value?
5. Describe the major nectar and pollen sources in spring buildup? In surplus nectar
flow? In fall storage flow? How important are “minor” pollen and nectar sources?
10th Session .... Page 4
d) Spread
e) Control and proper use of fumagillin (Fumidil-B)
References
Presentations/Assignments
You can spray a colony of bees with resmethrin insecticide to show one method of how bees
die and the pile up of dead bees at a colony entrance. This is expensive and some in class may object.
Use extreme caution.
You should illustrate in some way the differences between the diseases. Use videos, slides
(available from Penn State University) or overhead transparencies of pictures (from books
or handout). Provide chart or have students make chart of different characteristics of various diseases.
You can bring diseased comb samples into class. Use extreme caution and contact
state apiary inspector for best method to use to handle disease samples.
Put sticky boards in a colony to obtain Varroa mites. Demonstrate dissection for tracheal mites
if you have a microscope adequate to see them. Discuss how bee mites have changed beekeeping.
Collect as many samples as possible and visit an apiary to see symptoms and illustrate control
methods.
Radio Shack sells an inexpensive 30X pocket microscope which can be used to view tracheal
mites in the tracheae.
Collect examples of predator activity. A bottom board eaten by termites (or ants), the chewed
remains of bees spit out by skunks, bottom boards scraped by skunk, a hive body hit by a shotgun, etc.
Allow wax moth to become established in some comb and bring to class to show damage and the
actual moth larva and adult.
1. What is the causative agent (pathogen) of AFB? EFB? Chalkbrood? Nosema? What
are distinguishing characteristics of each?
2. How are diseases transmitted from one colony to another? Is the beekeeper the usual
method of transfer?
3. Good management practices are the best control for brood diseases. Under what
circumstances should a beekeeper use antibiotic drugs to help control brood disorders? Since
AFB forms a spore that a drug cannot penetrate, should such drugs be permitted to be used
around AFB?
4. What is Nosema? How can Nosema be controlled? Can you demonstrate the
economics of feeding Fumidil-B vs. not feeding?
5. Bee mites have completely changed beekeeping. Pesticides have been readily accepted
and used (over-utilized) directly inside a colony. Why do hive mites have such a profound
effect? What are the alternatives to miticide/chemical control inside a bee colony?
6. Describe how hive stands and entrance screen (or reducer) can reduce or eliminate
predation by small rodents such as mice, larger animals like skunks and occasional insect pests
like ants and praying mantids.
7. How can we reduce human vandalism? What is the value of branding equipment?
How important is location in terms of vandalism?
8. What role have brood diseases played in beekeeping management in the past? Today?
How are pesticides affecting the bee industry today? Do pests and predators have much impact
on beekeeping?
9. What rights do beekeepers have when their bees are killed by pesticides? Since some
courts have interpreted bees as trespassers can beekeepers sue others for damage? Will the
pesticide problem become worse or gradually become less severe?
10. Explain the statement “The beekeeper is the honey bees’ worst enemy.”
11. The best part of this course was _______________________________. The least
desirable was _______________________________________. As a student I can or cannot
manage a bee colony with confidence.
You should obtain one or more free catalogues from a national bee supply dealer for use by
your students. There may be a local supply dealer who might be willing to come to discuss equipment
and/or bring bee supplies for sale. It may be appropriate to also order package bees for installation by
your students. Advertisements for these, videos and lots of other useful items related to bees and
beekeeping can be found in one of the three bee journals listed on the next pages.
Brushy Mtn. Bee Farm 610 Bethany Church Rd. Moravian Falls, NC 28654
Tel: 336•921•3640 800-233-7929 FAX: 336•921-2681
www.beeequipment.com
Woodenware, supplies
Walter T. Kelley Co., Inc. 3107 Elizabethtown Rd. PO Box 240 Clarkson, KY 42726•0240 Tel:
207•242•2012 800-233-2899 FAX:207•242•4801
Manufactures supplies; queens, packages, woodenware
The references include the appropriate chapters in THE HIVE AND THE HONEY BEE, (1992) from
Dadant & Sons, HONEY BEE BIOLOGY & BEEKEEPING by Dewey Caron and the material in the
BEEKEEPERS HANDBOOK, 3rd ed. by Sammataro and Avitable. I have a manual of 12 practical,
hands-on laboratory exercises (APIDOLOGY LABORATORY MANUAL) that might be used directly
by students or as a supplement to one of the recommended textbooks. Each topic also includes
references to some appropriate extension publications available on the MAAREC web site
(http://maarec.cas.psu.edu). We recommend students get a major extension publication like Penn
State’s Fundamentals of Beekeeping, Maryland’s Beekeeping in Maryland or USDA Agricultural
Handbook 335 Beekeeping in the United States. (The last two are out-of-print but copies may still be
found. BEEKEEPING IN THE UNITED STATES is scheduled for revision.)
A list of equipment suppliers and their addresses plus a number of other sources of information will be
found in the appendix at the end of the Resource Manual.
Some additional useful general references are A Year in the Bee Yard (1983), BEES AND
BEEKEEPING (1978) and THE NEW COMPLETE GUIDE TO BEEKEEPING (1994) all by Roger
Morse, and HIVE MANAGEMENT (1990) by Dick Bonney. The BEEKEEPER’S HANDBOOK, 3rd
ed. (1998) has an extensive list of references arranged by topics. Older books may also be useful, but if
written before 1990 will lack adequate information on bee mites.
I thank the MAAREC Task Force for comments and suggestions and especially appreciate the effort of
Ann Harman in preparation of this BEEPEEPING RESOURCE MANUAL.
Dewey M. Caron - January 2001