First Steps
ACQUIRING BEES
You have read the books and are as keen as mustard to get bees. Beekeeping can be an expensive hobby but very rewarding. Before you get started there are a number of things to consider.
CAN YOU HANDLE STINGS?
All stings hurt but what sort of a reaction do you get? Initially you will swell up but this will gradually lessen. What you have to watch out for is an allergic reaction. The first indication of this is that you become itchy all over and develop nettle rash. If this happens get medical assistance quickly. (Most beekeepers need to be stung once a month to keep their immunity up). If possible, work along-side another beekeeper for a season to get the hang of it.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO KEEN BEES IN AN URBAN AREA?
Does the local council permit beekeeping in an urban area? Most have nuisance by-laws that allow beekeeping until they become a problem. Will your neighbours object? (Some people just don't like bees). Is your property suitable - morning sun, dry, sheltered, away from main activities. (High hedges are most suitable). Get a fellow beekeeper to check out your garden and advise you of the beat location. Determine the bee's flight path. Site the hives well away from cloth's lines as bee defecate on the wing. Dirty washing and bees drinking from swimming pools are the most common complains received about bee keeping in urban areas.
GEAR REQUIRED
Is there a sewer in the family - this can cut down costs considerably as some items can be made. An alternative is to purchase your requirements second hand from a beekeeper selling out.
You need a smoker. This is essential. Purchase a Stainless Steel one if possible as this will last a lifetime - steel ones rust out quickly. A hive tool can be purchased or made from an old file, car spring etc (a screwdriver can be used if lost). Hat (not felt), veil, boiler suit, gum boots or purchase a full suit, (all in one).
Gloves - purchase or make them. There are lots of alternatives -rubber gloves, leather driving gloves. Sew on parka nylon amplets to give protection right up to the elbow.
Hive woodware - do you make or purchase it? You can make everything but I recommend you purchase frames as these are the heart of modern beekeeping and must be accurate. Use untreated timber and protect it with a non-toxic wood preserver. Metalex or other. (Larger beekeepers paraffin wax dip hive parts).
With two hives you have a back up incase something goes wrong. If a queen is killed or the hive dies out, it can be quickly replaced but using a brood frame from the other hive.
Do you purchase a hive or a nuc? Depends upon a lot at things. Money, knowledge of working bees, how old are the boxes and frames (showing rot, dark frames). I recommend that a new beekeeper start with a nuc.
METHODS OF OBTAINING BEES
The most common is through another beekeeper. Some beekeepers sell hives or 4-frame nucs. Queen breeders sell queens and nucs. Some beekeepers give away bees to start a new person off. Look through the trade and exchange advertisements - bees for sale. Bee clubs advertise bees for sale. The National Beekeepers magazine also carry adds.
EVALUATING A HIVE - TAKE ALONG AN EXPERIENCE BEEKEEPER
Look at the condition of the woodware. Use a srewdriver to determine the timber is sound. Has the hive been opened recently - is it clean and tidy, are the frames easy to remove. Are the frames light in colour, minimum drone comb, adequate honey supplies, has the queen got a good laying pattern, and most important, are the bees flying well on a warm day. They must also be bringing in pollen.
PROBLEMS WITH PURCHASING HIVES
If a beekeeper is giving up, normally the hives are not in a very good condition and will require a bit of work, replacement frames and woodware. Don't pay too much for an old hive. Sometimes you are just buying the bees, as everything else needs to be replaced.
SALE PRICE
Approximately $150 for a 4 supers high hive. This can be higher or lower depending upon condition and supply and demand. ($10 - $25 boxes for a full depth super with drawn frames). The seller must have a permit from MAF (AgriQuality NZ LTD) BEFORE - not after the sale.
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
Get a bill of sale - it's the law and the only way of settling disputes. This states who owns the bees and the purchaser, when the money is due, provisions are made if disease found within so many months. (Hives purchased during the winter should be guaranteed until the first inspection or November. If AFB is found, will the hive be replaced or will the money be refunded? The chances are very low (0.5% of apiaries have disease) but it is worth covering yourself. Description of hives and any brands. (Brands and registration marks on hives are to be removed before the sale).
Money - best to pay half and rest later after 1-2 months or after a disease inspection. Depends upon the time of year. The agreement must be in writing, signed by both parties and dated.
If you already have hives, quarantine the bees and equipment for at least one season to make sure it doesn't have BL. A trick to find out if there is BL in stored equipment to spray the frames with sugar syrup and put them on the hives (in the evening) to clean out. Disease will normally show up within a month if it's there but can also take 18 months.
ALTERNATIVE IS TO CATCH A SWARM.
Put out a bait hive, a single super with one or two old frames (the rest foundation) inside and an entrance no wider than 2.5 cm on a shed roof. A swarm is attracted to the hive by the smell of the dark frames and bee's wax.
BEST TIME TO START BEEKEEPING - OCTOBER
It's the beginning of the season, hives are just starting to expand, early swarms could be issuing. You grow in confidence as the bees grow in strength. Bees have come through the winter and are easier to inspect.
Collecting Swarms Some bee clubs have a list of beekeepers wanting swarms. Usually the nearest beekeeper is sent. If there is not a club in your area or an organized swarm list, contact your local council, police, regional council, and the SPCA, CAB and pest destruction firms.
Leave your contact telephone number. Remember once you agree to collect swarms, you should continue to collect them that season even though you don't need them.
Best to put swarms in old gear, as there is a slight chance the swarm is from a BL infected hive.
Care of swarms. Requeen and feed for at least a week or until the flow starts.
LIST OF EQUIPMENT TO COLLECT SWARMS
Large bag (woolsack) or box (2 feet X 1 foot). A rope to tie bag or throw over high branch, (some beekeepers use a long pole with a hook at the end to shake the bees off the branch or to hold a bag under a high swarm). Tape to secure bees into box secateurs or loping sheers
All your protective gear, smoker and fuel. A nuc box or super with frames just incase you can't get swarm. 6 foot extendable step ladder etc.
Bees don't usually sting when swarming - BUT SOME DO, so don't take chances, cover up. This also presents a good public image. Don't take risks - don't work above your head - bees in a swarm are heavy. Tie ladders where possible if you are on your own. Hire lifting equipment for tall swarms or ask the fire brigade if they want a training exercise.
HEALTH TIPS
If you are not used to being stung - take some vitamin C tablets to boost your immune system. Have a first aid kit handy with some sort of anti-histamine in it.
Wash your gear after it has been used. Old stings on clothing attract stinging bees. Don't wash you bee suit in the same wash as household clothing. Some commercial beekeepers have installed separate washing machines for protective clothing.
Don't store gear in or near the living areas. Children take in air-born venom and can develop allergic reactions around puberty. Try not to carry bees in your passenger vehicle.
At some stage you can have a very bad reaction, even after keeping bees for many years - be prepared. Just when you think you know what to do with your hive and when to do it, the bees will fool you and do the opposite; (they haven't read the books). Hence there are many techniques and methods of working bees. Select a system that suits you individually and the area you live in and stick to it.
In all cases, you need to fill in the AsureQuality Registration form and register your apiary. The forms are available on the AFB NPMS site at: http://afb.org.nz/forms