Guest Speaker Master Beekeeper David Smith

Master Beekeeper David Smith was our guest speaker at the October 14th meeting and spoke on getting started in beekeeping. He brought in some commonly used bee equipment and described its use. Beekeeping equipment comes in different sizes and it is important to pick a size that works for you as the beekeeper. He explained that the hive management practices one should use depend on the beekeeper's desired outcome, whether that be honey, pollination, or just keeping bees. Brood inspection is important to determine the health of a hive: concaved capped cells are an indication of diseases, Shot Brood (many empty cells) indicates poor queen quality. He presented to us this timeline: Jan.-Mar.: brood rearing, Apr.- May to middle of June: foraging, Jun-Jul.: Swarming, Aug.-Sept.: Winter prep.

Recommendations:

• Space hives at least 3ft apart and paint hives different colors with patterns to prevent drifting and the possible spread of varroa mites, and any diseases

• Books:

• Honey Bee Democracy by Thomas Seeley,

• Honey Bee Pests, Predators, Diseases by Rodger Morris,

• ABC & XYZ of Honey Bee Culture