Quite a bit of equipment is available for beekeepers some essential and some nice to have. Figuring out what you need can be confusing. Here we’ll go over the essentials.
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Here is what to expect in and around the hive in June.
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Native plants and pollinators have co-evolved for over millions of years; they rely on each other for survival. Remove one, and the other faces extinction. They are intricately intertwined and fragile.
Native plants offer crucial food and habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, birds and other insects and pollinators, whose populations are drastically declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.
By planting native species in your garden, you create vital habitat and food sources for pollinators that need native species for survival, helping to reverse their decline and restore balance. Additionally, native plants support our ENTIRE local food webs, providing sustenance for ALL wildlife.
BCBA encourages the planting of native plant species to support all pollinators.
BLUE THUMB – although based out of Minnesota, plants would be the same. This site allows you to add “ecoregion” – we suggest for the Green Bay area, use “Northern Lakes and Forest Region”. You also add type of plant, size, and condition (sun or shade) and even pick plant COLOR. The site then spits out a list of plants that fit your specific criteria. A great place to start while looking for plants that work for you and your garden.
LADY BIRD JOHNSON – PLANT FINDER Narrow your search by entering in the criteria you’re looking. This site gives lot of information on the plant as well as ecological value and value to specific insects/pollinators.
WISCONSIN DNR – If you’re just starting out, and want something simple and easy to read – check out WDNR: “NATIVE PLANTS FOR BEGINNERS GUIDE” and other great resources for supporting pollinators here.
Stone Silo Prairie Gardens – 2325 Oak Ridge Cir, DePere, WI 54115 – We’re very lucky to have a native plant resource right in our back yard:
Prairie Nursery – located in WI
Prairie Moon Nursery – Located in MN
By planting native trees, flowers, bushes and grasses, we make a difference right in our own backyard. It doesn’t matter how big or how small your garden -every little bit matters. By planting native, we create healthy, vibrant habitats and food webs that contributes to a healthier environment.
Here is what to expect in and around the hive in May.
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By now most people have heard of No Mow May as way to help pollinators. However, the idea has not gained widespread acceptance due to most folks obsession with keeping a manicured, cut short, grassy lawn. The Brown County Beekeepers would like to encourage everyone to think “Slow-Mow May” instead. What does this mean you ask? Well, if you normally mow every few days – take an additional 2 or 3 days between mowing and put your mower on a higher setting. This allows more dandelions to grow (early food for honey bees) and keeps more ground cover in place for the ground hibernating pollinators that have not yet emerged.
Pollinators like native bees, moths, butterflies, beetles and wasps are hibernating in our gardens and landscapes. There are also other critters and insects (i.e. fireflies and amphibians) using our landscape as habitat. Loss of habitat is one of the primary reasons for declining insect and pollinator populations.
And don’t just stop helping pollinators in May. Here are steps that can be taken year round.
Not too EARLY – to help hibernating pollinators and other insects and amphibians, wait
until there is a steady temperature of 50 degrees to begin spring mowing and clean up. They are still hibernating in your garden.
Leave the leaves! If you can’t bring yourself to turn your entire yard into pollinator friendly plantings – think about converting just a portion of your yard. Maybe that spot that is mainly out of sight? Every little bit helps! Remember leaves provide critical habitat to over wintering pollinators (bees, moths, butterflies, caterpillars) and other creatures. They are also a natural mulch, supplying vital nutrients back to the soil. If you feel you need to rake, be gentle and rake leaves into garden beds where they will help to hold the moisture and reduce weeds.
Don’t cut stems and stalks – Some native bees hibernate in the pithy stems and stalks. When tidying up your garden, consider leaving stems and stalks as is, OR if cutting back, leave about 15 inches standing. This will allow new plant growth to grow up and over old stems. Previous years stems serve as valuable nesting sites for native bees. By maintaining these stems, you’re providing essential habitat for these important pollinators. Lastly, don’t burn or toss those cut stems!! While some native bees may have emerged already, other species emerge later in the spring/summer. Instead, loosely pile or gently rake material and set aside so they can emerge at a later date.
“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”
— E. O. Wilson An American Biologist and Naturalist, considered one of the greatest natural scientists of our time.
Avoid Using Pesticides – Bees are our most important pollinators, and they are insects. So are butterflies like the monarch. Using insecticides will kill these insects. Herbicides will kill important native plants such as milkweed that pollinators rely upon as a food source and a place to raise young. Make the commitment to avoid using chemicals and to maintain your garden in a natural, organic way. Although we encourage people to go herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides free, if there are any questions about what you are using in their yards and gardens, you can look it up here: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/bee-precaution-pesticide-ratings/
Plant for Pollinators – Plant in clusters to create a “target’ for pollinators to find and plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season from spring to fall. For assistance in planning your garden for Northeast Wisconsin visit the Wisconsin Conservation organization site. A useful guide to native Wisconsin plants are are helpful for pollinators can be found here.
Provide Water – Bees are thirsty. In fact, on hot days, bees cease all foraging except for water. If you notice bees visiting your garden often, put out a water source for them, like a decorative fountain, a bird feeder, or a birdbath. But make sure there’s a landing spot for them — they don’t like to get their feet wet, so they need pebbles, twigs, or trim to land on while they sip.
Go Organic – Beyond your garden, go organic in as many ways possible – such as buying organic products and food. Supporting sustainable, pollinator-friendly farms keeps them in business – and the bees and pollinators safe! Don’t forget to hit up your local Farmer’s Market too. Even if they are not “certified” organic, many small local farms are much more cautious about pesticide use. Furthermore, buying organic goods lessens the demand for conventional (toxic) products. This is better for everyone and everything, including your personal health.
The Brown County Beekeepers Association meets monthly on the third Wednesday at 6:30pm at the Green Bay Botanical Garden 2600 Larsen Rd, Green Bay, WI 54303. There are no meetings in July or December. In July the club generally has a picnic.
This event of open to members only and their invited guests.
Print form and send your payment as directed on the form.
The basic wooden pieces that comprise a honey bee hive. Typically called “wooden ware” we’ll discuss each piece with a goal of helping you to be a successful beekeeper.
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Swarms are the normal, natural and healthy reproduction of a honey bee colony.
They are colony-level reproduction vs individual honey bee. It’s an important part
of the colony life cycle and it’s how honey bees procreate.
It’s time to harvest and extract your honey. If you are a BCBA member you have the advantage of renting the club honey extraction equipment. The club has everything you need to get the job done: an extractor, a planer to uncap the honey, an uncapping tub, a straining set up, and 5-gallon food grade buckets. First things first, you will need to pull the honey which means getting the supers off the hives and the bees out of the supers = honey harvest. There are several ways to do this.
Once you have pulled all of your supers you are ready to set up for honey extraction. You will want to select a place that you are able to keep the bees out of. If you decide to extract outside in the open, you will have unwanted visitor bees, and lots of them.
Bees love to help clean up the honey covered frames with the majority of the honey extracted. Take your extracted supers back to the hive, set an empty super on top of the inner cover and place the extracted supers on top of the empty box (thus leaving a space between the inner cover and the extracted frames). This extra space “fools” the bees into thinking they are leaving the hive, finding honey, and they will bring is down into to hive proper. Remove the cleaned up frames after a couple of days. If you leave them on the hive too long, the bees will sometimes start back filling them again.
Leaving the boxes with extracted frames randomly outside the hive can instigate robbing behaviors which should be avoided. Placing them on the hives ensures your bees have “first dibs” of the leftovers and minimizes robbing behaviors.
You will end up with a mix of wax cappings and honey in the uncapping tub when the extracting is completed. You can leave them in the tub for the honey to drain overnight then open the gate on the tub the following day and strain the honey. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of additional honey you will be able to harvest.
Once you have strained the honey from the uncapping tub and removed your left over
cappings (save them to use later or give to your favorite beekeeper) you can place the tubs and strainers outside FAR from your hives to let the bees clean up. If you decide to try your hand at cleaning the strainer be sure to use COLD water.
Extracted honey should have a moisture content at or below 18%. The club has a refractometer which is used to test moisture content. If the honey has too much moisture – 19% or greater, it may ferment. Often times when there is a high moisture content it comes from extracting frames containing uncapped honey. Some people have success reducing the moisture from the honey using a dehumidifier.
Wash containers the honey will go into and let air dry. Fill containers with honey, label and share with friends.
