Helen Hunt members learn about honey bees

The Members of the Helen Hunt Circle met April 8, at the home of Mark and Stephanie Spees to learn more about backyard beekeeping.

Mark presented the program, assisted by his wife Stephanie. Four reasons to keep bees are: fascination, free honey, an affordable hobby and to help the planet.

Beekeepers use man-made hives of various sized wooded boxes. There is a solid bottom board to hold the weight of the hive with an entrance reducer to help protect from predators. The queen has an area for eggs, and a screen keeps her from other areas of the hive. Standard hives have eight or 10 frames to collect honey. A top protects the hive from weather. There is also a feeding board for a mixture of sugar and water. Bees do not like hives painted dark colors.

Protective clothing must be worn to work with bees. A bee smoker is used to calm the bees while inspecting the hive. Bees must be purchased and shipped to the keepers. Mark and Stephanie purchase bees from California.

Different species of bees have different characteristics. They once purchased bees from Africa that were much too aggressive.

The queen bee lives about three years and lays approximately 5,000 eggs a day. She only leaves the hive to mate. Worker bees live 30-60 days. Workers take care of the queen, clean the hive, forage for food and remove dead bees from the hive. Drone bees die after mating and do no work.

Bees cluster in winter to keep warm. Hives should face south and be protected from wind. Bees are susceptible to diseases from fungi and bacteria.

Helen Hunt members were given small samples of honey to take home.