Beekeeping authorities share expertise
The Greater Grand Lake Beekeeper’s Association (GGLBA) came to the Auglaize County Family Fair on Tuesday to discuss the hobby of beekeeping to an interested audience.
The GGLBA is a local club situated in St. Marys that meets on the second Tuesday of each
month in order to talk about beekeeping and the intricacies of the trade. While it can be considered a strange hobby to some, especially to anyone with a fear of bugs, it does provide a lot of benefits involved with an enriching activity.
“The main reason to manage honey bees is for the honey productions, obviously,” said presenter and GGLBA member Doug Coon. “The second main reason we would have bees is to pollinate fields or pollinate crops.”
Many commercial beekeepers, or anyone that at least keeps a local farm, will usually keep
bees in their yards to pollinate certain crops in the area. It happens quite often among big farms where they’ll move hives across the country so certain crops that need it the most will have it on demand.
This is the main purpose of the bee who, unlike wasps, are not usually any trouble unless
provoked. While wasps can be aggressive at times, bee’s are more likely to stay out of your way unless you go on the offensive first. It
should be fairly easy to tell the difference between the two, with bees being harrier with duller coloring, while wasps are generally shiny and with brighter colors.
“Honeybees will normally go after flowers, wild flowers, nectar, pollen,” Coon explained as indicators between the two. “Wasps, on the other hand, will sting you just for walking by them.”
Since bees go through various life cycles, changing from nurse bees to adult bees, along with having various needs that need to be met,
beekeeping can be a difficult job. The GGBLA has to account for many different variables at all times, especially during different seasons.
“As far as springtime management goes for bees, there’s a lot going on,” said Mike Byrne, another member of the GGLBA. “You’ll kind of want to inspect your bees, your hive colonies.”
Most of spring is spent making sure that, if you had bees prior to the season, if they’re alive and whether you need to get more bees or adjust their living spaces for their comfort. Summer is much the same, but more specificly to make sure different stages of life are ongoing, along with honey production. Fall is where honey will be harvested, with extraction being
big part of the job, while winter is focused on making sure the bees will survive until spring again.
For people looking to get into beekeeping, it isn’t always going to be easy, especially if proper precautions aren’t taken. While experiences differ and even the exact science can sometimes conflict, it can be done with the proper tools.
The proper beekeeping outfit is a must, especially when you want to avoid being stung whenever you handle them. Gloves are also a must whenever you have to move any hives too, or handle them directly. The possibility of being
stung is still high, but it will be mitigated to a point.
Smokers are also a mandatory tool when dealing with bees, especially when getting into the hives.
“What the smoke does is it puts the bees into forest fire mode,” Coon said. “Anytime bees
smell smoke, they think that the woods are one fire. They’ll all start gorging on nectar for carrying to vacate the hive to find a new place to live.”
The distraction is critical since it gives some time to move the hives, as well as hiding pheromones from being sent to other bees. Other tools are needed for maintenance and cleaning of the hives, but the smoker is going to be the biggest tool in the arsenal.
Though it can be tough sometimes, it can be a valuable skill for kids to learn too. There are many different types of scholarships for teenagers who develop the skills for it. The Ohio State Beekeepers Association handed out ten scholarships this year alone.
For anyone interested in doing beekeeping as either a hobby or something more, feel free to visit the GGBLA’S website at Gglba.ohiostatebeekeeepers.org.