If you don’t have little kids, or it’s been a while, let’s break down for you why kids’ coughs can be a truly miserable problem that can drive you to madness.
Continue readingHoney for Coughs
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Category Archives: BCBA
Learning Opportunity – Wausau WI
The Marathon County Beekeepers Association is presenting a full day of speakers in Wausau WI on the campus of North Central Technical College. Registration is now open. Cost is $49 until February 29, 2020 and then it is $59. NOTE: If you are over 62 years of age the cost is only $21.90. The discount is given at checkout. For more information or to register.
Last year 6 BCBA club members carpooled to Wausau. There are already 3 folks from BCBA have signed up and are planning to carpool again. If you would like to carpool contact the club president, Dave Elsen.
Guide to WISCONSIN HONEY BEE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION QUEEN BREEDERS LIST
Here is a link to Wisconsin Honey Bee QUEEN BREEDERS for those who want to purchase QUEENS from specific and local Queen Breeders. 2020 will be a GREAT year for BCBA with focused EDUCATION to help keep our bees alive and well.
Honey Bee Jobs
Within a hive there are three types of bees. The queen, drones, and worker bees. There is only one queen in a hive, is female, and lays eggs to produce more bees. About 15% of the hive population are drone bees which are male and their only job is to mate with a different queen. Finally about 85% of the bees are female worker bees and they do all of the work around the hive. They take care of the brood, clean and defend the hive, and gather pollen and nectar.
Hive Location
There are numerous factors to consider when determining where to place your hive(s) which include they physical location, bee needs, and human needs. A good starting point is to do an internet search to determine if your local community has set guidelines for maintaining hives. Allouez Wisconsin, for one, has a number of rules to be followed.
Location
- South facing is optimal – early morning wake-up to start foraging
- Shade in the PM – so the hive doesn’t overheat in summer
- Access to water – needed to make honey
- Good air ventilation – so the hive doesn’t get damp
- Wind block – can be man-made or natural to help hive survive the winter
Bee Needs
- No obstruction in front of hive – bees like to exit and fly up
- Slight lean to the front – so rainwater can drain out
- Pollen and Nectar Sources – for honey production
- Level side to side – bees don’t care but could hurt honey production
Human Needs
- Accessible by vehicle or cart – honey and equipment are heavy
- Permission – check local ordinances and neighbors
- Accessible from the back of hive – best to work from the back of hive
- Weeds and Mowing – keep the hive weed free and trimmed
Basic Equipment
The following video discusses the most basic bee equipment that a first time beekeeper will need. You will learn about different personal protection gear, gloves, hive tools, bee brushes and smokers.
Vaccine for American foulbrood?
There is promising research coming out of Finland which, if successful, will be the first insect vaccine. American foulbrood is a devastating disease that requires killing all of the bees and burning of all equipment to prevent the spread to other colonies. The vaccine is edible and is passed from the queen to her offsprings. Read the full article here.
Urban Beekeeping Announcement
Brown County Beekeepers Association is happy to announce that we will helping support an Urban Beekeeping project in downtown Green Bay, WI.
Continue readingWhat your landscape offers your BEES
Ever wonder what your bees encounter in your apiary? This site will tell you how they’re doing in regards to floral sources, the amount of pesticides the may encounter and nesting sites for native/wild bees. You can also become a citizen scientist and help to gather information on bees in your area
Why Babies Can’t Have Honey
The short answer is that honey can contain a bacteria that babies digestive systems are not yet developed enough to handle. The learn more click here.