The BeeHolder, July 2009

This has been ‘foraged’ from Notts BKA and e-BEES. Good advice for all beekeepers, I think, old and new! Here is an all-important set of rules you need to follow when working in your apiary. These rules are primarily for your safety and following these rules

habitually will make your and the bees’ lives much happier. Understanding the rules makes forming the right habits easy and they will quickly become second nature to you. So don’t be intimidated by the number of rules. They’re all just natural common sense once you have understood them and why they are important.

1. Smoke the hives before opening them. Using the smoker is an absolute must if you are going to be opening the hive (where any frames are exposed. Lifting the top cover to inspect the feeder or refill syrup does not qualify as opening the hive.
2. Approach the hives from the back or the side Guard bees stand at the entrance of the hive, watching for intruders. Don’t give them an opportunity to put the colony on alert. Always approach the hive from the back or the side and do all your work there – never from the front, except for a brief entrance examination in lieu of opening the hive.
3. Don’t stand in the bees’ flight path Honeybees don’t appreciate running into unexpected objects in their flight path. If they run into you, they may get mad and be more prone to sting. (see Rule 2).
4. Move steadily and smoothly You should always avoid sudden, jerky movements when you are close to the hive. Bees are especially good at noticing movement. If you move around steadily and smoothly while you are in the apiary, you will not attract their attention.
5. Avoid any strong or unnatural odours Bees are especially sensitive to smell - their sense of smell is critical to the operation and social structure of the colony and to their ability to detect nectar sources. Since bees have been designed with an excellent sniffer, they will easily pick up strong, foreign odours near the hive.
6. Dress properly for the job Various jobs call for different dress. Opening the hive requires that you don your bee suit, bee hat and veil. If you have aggressive bees, you may also want to wear your gloves. But just performing a periodic inspection of the hive or refilling syrup should not require putting on all your garb.
7. Maintain a firm grip on everything Never drop any hive components and don’t drop anything on or into the hive. When you are working the hive, don’t wear gloves unless the bees are especially irritable that day. You can maintain a much better grip with your bare hands. If you have ill-tempered bees and must wear gloves, take extra care to ensure you are holding things securely, especially the frames.
8. Never bump the hive. Maintain a slight gap between your body and the hive. This practice, and keeping the apiary free from clutter means you don’t trip on things and ensures you will not bump the hive which will cause the bees to go on alert.
9. Keep the apiary clean. Whoever said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness” never mowed, trimmed and cleaned an apiary on a hot summers’ day while wearing a bee suit. Nevertheless, keeping your apiary clutter free, both at your feet and your head, pays dividends in convenience, safety and comfort each time you visit your bees.
10. Don’t open the hives unless you need to do so One of the most fundamental practices to ensure the best honey production and the most docile bees to the absolutely minimise the number of times you open up your hives.
    

    97% of American Foul Brood is diagnosed by Bee Inspectors Only 3% by the beekeeper. A terrifying statistic about this terrifying disease

11. Only open the hives early or in good weather. Never attempt to open a hive when a storm or cold-front is imminent and never open a hive in the evening when it is becoming dark, or at night. Bees are especially defensive at these times and the foragers are also coming back into the hive before bad weather or nightfall. It is very likely that you will be greeted with stinging bees. Just don’t do it.
12. Watch the bees’ behaviour and react accordingly. Your goal in the apiary is that you seem invisible to the bees and they act as if they don’t even notice you. Of course, they will notice you when you open the hive but if you properly apply smoke first and follow these rules of apiary etiquette, they will first be preoccupied with engorging on honey and then they will be too docile to care under most circumstances. Monitoring the bees’ behaviour will ensure your safety and the success of your apiary visit.

BEGINNERS ... note in particular, item 5 above.

I well remember an apiary visit years ago when a member arrived duly ‘spruced up’, having used a particularly pungent after shave. It was quite a sight - the previously docile bees took offence at this and proceeded to ‘bomb’ his bee-veil. There was nothing for it, he had to retreat in haste. Another smell they definitely don’t like - although the manufacturers say they are “unaware of any problem”, or they were some years ago - is that of ‘Head & Shoulders’ shampoo. Our neighbour - just the husband, no-one else in the family - used to be stung by our bees when he was in his garden. None of us could understand why and I had to mollify him with endless jars of honey, until the day he mentioned his problem to a bee-keeping colleague at work. This colleague immediately came up with the answer; neighbour stopped using that particular shampoo and the problem disappeared.

Thanks to Notts BKA and e-BEES.