Beekeepeng's Handbook PDF

Preview

Summary

The Beekeeper’s handBook The Beekeeper’s handBook Fourth Edition Diana Sammataro Alphonse Avitabile Foreword by Dewey M. Caron ComstoCk Publishing AssoCiAtes a division of Cornell university Press Ithaca and London Copyright © 1978, 1986 by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile Copyright © 1998 by ...

Description

Accelerat ing t he world's research.

Beekeepeng's Handbook jg dgrd Beekeepeng's Handbook

Related papers

Download a PDF Pack of t he best relat ed papers 

Priyt elenko V.Ya., Fursov V.N., Ilienko E.V. From Apimondia t o Apislavia. - T he Beekeepers Quart … Vikt or Fursov St andard met hods for rearing and select ion of Apis mellifera queens Jerzy Wilde, Per Kryger, Nikola Kezić, Fani HATJINA, Kaspar Bienefeld, Fani HATJINA honey bee bhanderi bhavin

The Beekeeper’s handBook

The Beekeeper’s handBook Fourth Edition

Diana Sammataro Alphonse Avitabile Foreword by Dewey M. Caron

ComstoCk Publishing AssoCiAtes a division of

Cornell university Press Ithaca and London

Copyright © 1978, 1986 by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile Copyright © 1998 by Cornell University Copyright © 2011 by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile Illustrations created by Diana Sammataro unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First edition published 1978 by Peach Mountain Press Second edition published 1986 by Macmillan Publishing Company Third edition published 1998 by Cornell University Press Fourth edition published 2011 by Cornell University Press Third edition printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 1998 Fourth edition printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2011 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sammataro, Diana. The beekeeper’s handbook / Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile ; foreword by Dewey M. Caron. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8014-4981-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8014-7694-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bee culture—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Avitabile, Alphonse. II. Title. SF523.S35 2011 638'.1—dc22 2010050047 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetablebased, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress. cornell.edu. Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Paperback printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Contents

Foreword to the Fourth Edition by Dewey M. Caron vii Foreword to the Third Edition by Roger A. Morse viii Preface and Acknowledgments ix

introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

1

understanding bees 3 Colony Activities 20 beekeeping equipment 36 obtaining and Preparing for bees 49 Working bees 61 Package bees 74 Feeding bees 86 Winter/spring management 98 summer/Fall management 109 Queens and Queen Rearing 125 special management Problems 148 Products of the hive 168 Pathogens and Parasites of honey bees Pests of honey bees 210 Pollination 233

189

Appendixes A. Anatomy of honey bees 245 b. Pheromones 250 C. bee sting Reaction Physiology 253 D. Paraffin Dipping 256 e. Differences between european (ehb) and Africanized honey bees (Ahb) F. Rearing Wax moth (Galleria mellonela) 261 g. Pointers for extreme urban beekeeping (nYC), by Jim Fischer 263 h. Varroa mite infestations 266 Glossary 269 References 279 Index 307

258

Foreword to the Fourth edition by Dewey M. Caron

ing and profitable pastime. but in recent years the science and the art of beekeeping have changed drastically, and this new, thoroughly updated edition will enable beekeepers at all levels to keep up with those changes. This third edition brings beekeeping to the threshold of the twenty-first century, with all its challenges.” Challenges continue and present themselves anew, and beekeeping continues to change. With the expertise of Diana sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile, the handbook has again been updated. it remains among only a few as the very best book to use as a tool to learn and to keep up with what is current in beekeeping. The management of bees is clearly detailed and offered in uncluttered language, allowing beginners to readily follow colony management suggestions. Colony care options are detailed and little is assumed: the step-by-step process of colony manipulations can be followed with relative ease. The 4th edition has extensive information on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), Africanized honey bees, and bee mite control. new material has been incorporated throughout. beginners will find it a joy—more seasoned beekeepers will find rereading of benefit as they continue to master the art and the science of bee colony care. A strength of this handbook is the visual material. it is clear and used to illustrate major points of management and colony equipment. There is a good balance of text to graphics. like the management details, the illustrations point the way clearly and patiently. The chapters are organized in a progression, and information that should be included is present and can be found relatively easily.

beekeeping is different things to different people . . . for some a business, or a way to supplement income from the “daytime” job; for others, a pleasure, an intense learning experience, something to really delve into. some bee colony owners prefer to take bees and their management more casually, although you’ll discover in the pages of this impressive new edition of The Beekeeper’s Handbook that the days of leave-it-alone beekeeping have passed. That said, you’ll also find there is no one “right” way to steward bee colonies; there are many opportunities to develop and personalize your own approach. surprisingly, many beekeepers/consumers have no idea what honey is or how bees “make” it. even knowledgeable consumers want to include pollen as an integral part of honey—the bees, after all, do need pollen to grow their population large enough to store surplus, and that is what allows beekeepers to gain a share of their honey. but honey and pollen are two distinct and separate products. And pollen harvesting from a bee colony is different from honey harvesting. The “key” is understanding how to estimate how much honey and/or pollen the colony can afford to give up and still survive the winter (or dry/rainy) season. This book explains the why as it shows how you can see and be part of the process. my beekeeping mentor was Roger morse, longtime professor of apiculture at Cornell university where i learned the basics of bees and first taught beekeeping to others. in 1998, morse wrote in the foreword to the 3rd edition, “for two decades The Beekeeper’s Handbook has guided thousands of beginning and advanced beekeepers in the how-to’s of this entertain-

vii

viii

 The Beekeeper’s Handbook

i do not suggest that you casually take up this handbook—it should become a favored and required reading text for your beekeeping dreams and aspirations. if you are new, Welcome to the world of bee-

keeping! Whether you are a new beekeeper or an experienced veteran, may you learn and profit from this manual. Enjoy!!

Foreword to the Third edition by Roger A. Morse

For two decades The Beekeeper’s Handbook has guided thousands of beginning and advanced beekeepers in the how-to’s of this entertaining and profitable pastime. but in recent years the science and the art of beekeeping have changed drastically, and this new, thoroughly updated edition will enable beekeepers at all levels to keep up with those changes. This third edition brings beekeeping to the threshold of the twenty-first century, with all its challenges. no one could do this better than authors Diana sammataro, a noted honey bee researcher, and Alphonse Avitabile, a retired honey bee scientist and college instructor. Dr. sammataro is also a beekeeper. she produces honey, raises queens, uses bees to pollinate crops, assembles equipment, and engages in all the other activities of beekeeping. her intimate knowledge of honey bees is evident throughout this book. Alphonse Avitabile, also an experienced bee-

keeper, is a successful gardener, nurseryman, and greenhouse manager. The popularity of the first two editions resulted from a simple premise underlying both books: there are many ways to do things right. And this latest edition, too, unlike much of the genre, presents timetested methods and techniques, introduces the most current ideas and concepts, and lets readers choose those which best suit their individual skills, location, and requirements. Although originally designed for beginners, The Beekeeper’s Handbook will appeal to more advanced beekeepers as well. Rather than limit the seasoned beekeeper to traditional ways of doing things, it puts forward the newest and safest methods to deal with today’s problems. With this book, beekeeping has never been easier. simply put, it is the best of the best of beekeeping books.

preface and acknowledgments

For this fourth edition, and after many folks have expressed curiosity on how the book was created, we give a short history on the development of the book and the beekeepers who inspired and helped us along the way. Diana sammataro acknowledges her parents here, Joseph michael sammataro, an architect, and nelva margaret Weber, a landscape architect, who guided the many interests and curiosities of their daughter’s childhood with gentle kindness and encouragement. she also remembers her maternal grandfather, george Weber, who first introduced her to the world of bees at the tender age of twelve in Arrowsmith, illinois. his two brothers, Fred and harry, the Weber brothers, were commercial beekeepers in blackfoot, idaho, early in the 1900s. Diana is the only beekeeper left in the Weber family line (although perhaps a newer generation of Webers may take over). Diana moved back to her childhood home in Connecticut after graduating with a landscape degree from the university of michigan in 1970. it was providential that while working at the White memorial nature Center and museum in litchfield, she met Professor Alphonse Avitabile, a local teacher and beekeeper. With his guidance and charismatic inspiration, Diana was motivated and encouraged to begin her first colony using grandpa Weber’s bee hive furniture, which had been chauffeured from illinois to Connecticut after his death. A newspaper dating back to the 1930s (The Daily Pantograph) was found under the metal lid of the outer cover of his hive. This first colony, along with Professor Avitabile’s encouragement and patience, inspired Diana to make this fascinating insect part of her life.

After moving back to lansing, michigan, Diana took some classes at michigan state university with Dr. bert martin, whose gentle encouragement gave her the necessary direction and creative outlet to learn more about bees. transferring to Ann Arbor in 1973, she managed to talk the Ann Arbor Adult education staff into letting her “teach” a beekeeping course (teaching forced her to learn). This beekeeping handbook was first envisioned when Doug truax of Peach mt. Press, who was taking the class, suggested making the teaching notes into a book. it was only after Jan Propst (daughter-in-law of roommate Claudia) created the original layout, with its horizontal format design, that the idea of making the rough notes into a book became a reality. For that I will always be eternally grateful. however, being only a novice beekeeper, Diana needed wiser, more experienced heads to help. her first thought was to seek the guidance of Alphonse Avitabile, who had first shown her the wonders of beekeeping. only after Alphonse corrected and added sections was the first edition realized, consisting of only 700 hard-bound copies and 1300 soft-bound copies. The subsequent editions were produced not only to update procedures but also to address the new pests and diseases that have invaded north American shores. Throughout these changes, the expertise and dedication of Alphonse to maintain the high caliber of the book have helped make it popular and still unique in beekeeping literature. over the years since the first edition, many beekeepers and bee researchers have been kind enough to express their enthusiasm and honest appraisal of this book. to all of you who personally shared opinix

x

 The Beekeeper’s Handbook

ions, comments, photos, and observations, your kind words have helped more than you will ever know; thank you. Alphonse wishes to dedicate this book to mr. lenard insogna for persuading him to pursue a degree in biology; to his parents, who allowed him to spend most of his time in the woods and ponds near his home studying nature; and to his wife, Ruth, for her support throughout his studies of honey bees. aCknowledgmenTs

both authors wish to acknowledge henry “hank” hansen and his son Jonathan for allowing the authors to share their method of installing package bees with the readers. Diana wishes to thank the many people who were especially generous with their time, contributions, and support. Ann harman helped tremendously by pointing out places in the third edition that needed changing and proofing the fourth edition. Thank you, Ann. And Dr. Dewey Caron, for all your kindness over our many years as friends, your meticulous and

thorough review of the manuscript was most helpful; thank you, good friend. Also Dr. nancy ostiguy, a fellow quilter and one of the Penn state powerhouse team, had great comments that made this edition better; thank you, too! Thanks also to bruce (currently a university of Arizona graduate student working in the tucson bee lab) and linda eckholm for the gift of the computer hardware on which the fourth edition was created. others who helped along the way, if not physically, then spiritually, and deserve grateful thanks include Ruth Avitabile, Carol and Ron Conkey, eric h. erickson, Doug and grace truax, Carol henderson, Dr. malcolm sanford, bob and Dorothy kennedy, harry and nellie Weber, John and gwen nystuen, Dick and ginny Ryan, Zander Alexander laurie, Rob Currie, gerry and ginnie loper, gordon Waller, Judy Walker and sabu Advani, and maryann and Jim Frazier. The authors wish to thank heidi s. lovette and Candace Akins at Cornell university Press for their extraordinary help and guidance in creating the new fourth edition.

The Beekeeper’s handBook

introduction

beekeeping is an interesting and rewarding activity if you love nature, have a fascination with the unique social organization of insects, and are consumed with an active curiosity about how things work. And, oh, you should also enjoy honey. This handbook is designed to help you become a good beekeeper, whether you intend to start keeping bees or already have them and need a ready guide to help you accomplish the various and often complicated tasks that you need to perform in the beeyard. It is designed to assist both new and experienced beekeepers in setting up or reorganizing an apiary and in improving the style of working with and understanding bees. The book outlines the many colony management operations you will encounter. The text presents the key elements in keeping bees, describing all the major options available to you. It also lists the advantages and disadvantages of each important technique to help you decide which one is best for you. Also, most sections are cross-referenced to point you to more detailed information. But remember . . . there is no one correct way to keep bees. Feel free to alter any of the directions to suit your needs or situation or to try something entirely new. Numerous diagrams and illustrations accompany the text to reinforce or illuminate the descriptions. Space is also provided at the end of each chapter so you can keep notes on your own successes and failures. Learning from your mistakes is an essential part of beekeeping. The reference section has been updated to include as many important books, organizations, and Inter-

net resources as possible, but in this age of instant communication and with information just a keystroke away, it is easer than ever to find what you need. Just remember, be careful what you read on the Internet; separate opinion from scientific, proven results. Experiment at your own risk with cures and treatment options. There is also an updated glossary to help beginners understand the terminology of bees. Although considered a “gentle art,” beekeeping can be physically demanding and strenuous. The typical picture of a veiled beekeeper standing beside the beehive with smoker in hand does not reveal the aching back, sweating brow, smoked-filled eyes, or painful stings. This handbook is intended to enable you to maximize the more interesting and enjoyable aspects of the art. Have fun, learn a lot, ask fellow beekeepers a lot of questions, and share your knowledge with others. Just remember, as much as you read and learn, bees do not read the books and do mostly what they want and what they have successfully been doing for millions of years. That’s what makes it fun. So enjoy. And welcome to the wonderful world of beekeeping. legal reQUiremenTs

All states have laws that pertain to keeping honey bees and registering hives (the wooden boxes in which a colony of bees live) containing bees. Certain city and state laws limit the number of hives in urban areas. Because bees can be declared a nuisance in some cities, local laws must be studied before an apiary (place where beehives are located) is established. 1

2 

The Beekeeper’s Handbook

many states have an apiary inspection law developed to aid beekeepers by providing means for controlling and eradicating bee diseases and pests. general requirements usually include some of the following: 







 

beekeepers may have to register hives and apiaries with their state department of agriculture apiary inspection service. The director of agriculture and appointed deputies may be authorized to inspect, treat, quarantine, disinfect, and/or destroy any diseased hives. Transportation of bees and equipment may need to be certified by the bee inspector or other designated state official. Beekeepers may have to ascertain and comply with town or county zoning ordinances that pertain to bees and bee hives. All beekeepers shall have bee colonies in hives containing movable frames. Penalties may exist for violations of applicable apiary inspections laws.

Now, because of the introduction of parasitic bee mites, the small hive beetle, and the Africanized honey bee, some states have special laws regarding keeping bees. For specific legal requirements, check your state department of agriculture’s apiary inspection law. Bee-sTing reaCTions

An important question that you must consider as a beekeeper is your individual response to bee stings. Although most beekeepers never exhibit serious reactions to bee stings, after a few years some individuals do develop an allergy to bee venom, bee hairs, or other hive components. When you are stung, the bee’s stinging apparatus pierces flesh, and venom enters the surrounding tissues and is transported by the blood throughout the body. Fortunately for most people, a localized reaction results; that is, pain, reddening, itching, and

swelling occur at the sting site. Sometimes the swelling can be quite alarming, but it usually subsides over a few days. Your unique body chemistry will react in its characteristic way. On the other hand, you may experience a more serious reaction to bee stings. This is called a systemic reaction, a positive sign that you are allergic to bee venom. A systemic or general reaction means that the entire body is reacting to the venom proteins. Signs of a systemic reaction may include those of a localized reaction as well as other symptoms, such as itching of the ex...