By RJ Murphy
MIDLAND – Is beekeeping right for you?
Nearly 50 people swarmed to a seminar hosted at Dow Gardens Wednesday, January 8, eager to learn about possibly raising these arthropods.
Entomologist Elly Maxwell, an insect scientist, led the seminar accompanied by a panel of beekeeping enthusiasts including Barb Plezia, Chuck Neal, Chuck Martin and Debbie Anderson.
To become a beekeeper, one must be ready to commit their time, money and emotion to the bees. Maxwell has kept bees for more than 12 years.
“Beekeeping is a lot like making chili,” says Maxwell. “No two beekeepers do it the same.”
Bees need a place to live. The hives that beekeepers use have special screens called frames, where the bees hang out and turn nectar into honey. A multi-purpose hive tool is needed to work with the hive, and a smoker is also required.
Smoke keeps the bees from emitting “alarm” pheromones, distracting them and preventing an attack. Bees communicate with pheromones, so when a beekeeper introduces smoke into the environment, the bees cannot communicate distracting them.
The panel claimed to use a variety of material in the smoker. Wood chips, pine needles and twine were some of the materials mentioned.
An allergy may be a barrier to entry. It is ultimately up to the individual if they want to keep bees, but it may not be the best idea if they are deathly allergic to stings.
Protective gear is optional, however a veil is recommended. Beekeepers are typically not afraid of getting stung since it does happen. As long as a beekeeper is careful when working with their bees, stings are fairly uncommon. The majority of the panel reported receiving only a couple stings per season.
So what is so special about bees? Other than making delicious honey and useful wax, bees pollinate plants.
The University of California estimates that in North America, 30% of the food humans consume is produced from bee-pollinated plant life. The value of pollination by bees is estimated around $16 billion in the U.S. alone.
“I think beekeeping is important because it keeps people active,” says Maxwell, expanding on the importance of bees to a community. “It’s the same reason keeping a garden is important and learning where food comes from [is important].”
Dow Gardens publishes a “Bee Blog” at https://www.dowgardens.org/beeblog. The blog, run by Debbie Anderson, is a great resource for someone interested in keeping bees. For those interested, there are more upcoming events.
