Howland Blackiston - Beekeeping For Dummies

8 Part 6: The Part of Tens Chapter 18: More than Ten Fun Things to Do with Bees Making Two Langstroth Hives from One Making One Langstroth Hive from Two Dividing a Top Bar Hive into Two Colonies Combining Two Top Bar Hive Colonies Building an Elevated Hive Stand Planting Flowers for Your Bees Brewing Mead: The Nectar of the Gods Create Cool Stuff with Propolis Making Gifts from Beeswax Beauty and the Bees Chapter 19: More than Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Bee Behavior Chapter 20: My Ten Favorite Honey Recipes

9 Part 7: Appendixes Appendix A: Helpful Resources Honey Bee Information Websites Bee Organizations and Conferences The Western Apiculture Society Bee Journals and Magazines Beekeeping Supplies and Equipment Western Bee Supplies State Bee Inspectors (United States) Appendix B: Beekeeper’s Checklist Appendix C: Glossary

10 Index

11 About the Author

12 Supplemental Images

13 Connect with Dummies

14 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 4 TABLE 4-1 Hive Checklist — Which Hive Meets Your Needs?

2 Chapter 6TABLE 6-1 Characteristics of Various Common Honey Bee Types

3 Chapter 9TABLE 9-1 Beekeeping Calendar

4 Chapter 11TABLE 11-1 Pollination Experiments

5 Chapter 12TABLE 12-1 Honey-Bee Health at a Glance

6 Chapter 13TABLE 13-1 Solutions to Common Pest Problems

7 Chapter 17TABLE 17-1 Estimating Honey Yields

8 Chapter 18TABLE 18-1 Building Materials for Elevated Hive StandTABLE 18-2 Hive Stand Cut-and-Assemble Instructions

1 Chapter 2FIGURE 2-1: This is how a honey bee looks if you shave off all the hairs. Sever...FIGURE 2-2: Comparing the heads of worker, drone, and queen bees. Note the work...FIGURE 2-3: In this close-up image of a worker bee’s leg, you can clearly see t...FIGURE 2-4: The round dance (top) and the waggle dance (bottom). FIGURE 2-5: These are the three types of bees in the hive: worker, drone, and q...FIGURE 2-6: A queen and her attentive attendants. FIGURE 2-7: This worker bee fans her wings while exposing her Nasonov gland to ...FIGURE 2-8: This bee’s pollen baskets are filled. She can visit ten flowers eve...FIGURE 2-9: Note the rice-like shape of the eggs and how the queen has position...FIGURE 2-10: A single egg. FIGURE 2-11: These magnifying goggles (used by watchmakers and model makers) ar...FIGURE 2-12: Beautiful, pearly white little larvae curled up in their cells. FIGURE 2-13: Opened cells reveal an egg and developing pupae. FIGURE 2-14: This chart shows the daily development cycle of the two female cas...FIGURE 2-15: The bumble bee is furry and plump. FIGURE 2-16: The carpenter bee looks similar to a bumblebee, but its abdomen ha...FIGURE 2-17: A commercially available mason-bee nest. FIGURE 2-18: The wasp is clearly identified by its smooth, hairless body and na...FIGURE 2-19: The ill-tempered yellow jacket is a meat eater but also has a tast...FIGURE 2-20: The bald-faced hornet makes impressive paper nests in trees. FIGURE 2-21: A large paper nest made by a colony of bald-faced hornets.

2 Chapter 3FIGURE 3-1: This gift basket of honey bee products will be given to each of my ...FIGURE 3-2: The picture-perfect bee yard. Not always possible, but an admirable...FIGURE 3-3: An ideal backyard location: hemlock windbreak; flat, easy access; d...FIGURE 3-4: A shallow bee watering pool that I constructed on a boulder near my...FIGURE 3-5: A chicken waterer is a great way to provide your bees with water. P...FIGURE 3-6: The clever bucket-and-packing-pellets solution is a great do-it-you...

3 Chapter 4FIGURE 4-1: This is a traditional ten-frame Langstroth hive, showing a bottom b...FIGURE 4-2: This is an eight-frame version of the traditional Langstroth hive, ...FIGURE 4-3: The Kenyan Top Bar hive is likely one of the oldest beehive designs...FIGURE 4-4: Here’s a top bar with beautiful, all-natural comb, heavy with honey...FIGURE 4-5: Apimaye hives come fully assembled and are available in two color c...FIGURE 4-6: The Flow hive introduces a new way to harvest honey, by simply turn...FIGURE 4-7: The Warré hive is a Top Bar hive without foundation that allows the...FIGURE 4-8: These are the top bars used in a Warré hive. Note there are no side...FIGURE 4-9: A nuc hive (sometimes called a nucleus hive) is a small hive with a...FIGURE 4-10: Here are two different styles of observation hives: The thicker on...

4 Chapter 5FIGURE 5-1: The basic components of a modern Langstroth hive. FIGURE 5-2: This entrance reducer is being installed with its smallest opening ...FIGURE 5-3: A queen excluder. FIGURE 5-4: The parts of a standard frame design. FIGURE 5-5: Inserting the prewired foundation sheet into the grooved or slotted...FIGURE 5-6: Turn the frame upside down to sandwich the foundation’s bent wires ...FIGURE 5-7: With the frame still upside down, use a brad driver to nail the wed...FIGURE 5-8: Insert support pins in predrilled holes of the side bars to hold th...FIGURE 5-9: A wooden and a plastic inner cover. FIGURE 5-10: The correct placement of an inner cover. Note tray side faces up. FIGURE 5-11: The basic Top Bar hive box. Note the end is trapezoidal. FIGURE 5-12: The different types of center guides that help the bees get starte...FIGURE 5-13: A hive-top feeder. FIGURE 5-14: An entrance feeder. FIGURE 5-15: Here’s a pail feeder placed over the oval hole of the inner cover....FIGURE 5-16: A baggie feeder is a cost-effective feeding option. FIGURE 5-17: Frame feeders are placed within the hive, replacing a frame of com...FIGURE 5-18: Feeders for Top Bar hives come in different shapes and sizes. FIGURE 5-19: Various smokers. FIGURE 5-20: A frame lifter (top) and a hive tool (bottom). FIGURE 5-21: Protective clothing comes in various styles, from minimal to full ...FIGURE 5-22: Although not needed for routine inspections, it’s a good idea to h...FIGURE 5-23: You can elevate your hive on cinderblocks. FIGURE 5-24: You can use a level stump to get your hive up off the ground. FIGURE 5-25: This commercially available hive stand is completely weatherproof ...FIGURE 5-26: This hive stand made from cinder blocks elevates a Top Bar hive to...FIGURE 5-27: A frame rest is a handy device for holding frames during inspectio...FIGURE 5-28: Use a soft and washable bee brush to gently remove bees from frame...FIGURE 5-29: Slatted racks help improve ventilation and can improve brood patte...FIGURE 5-30: Screen bottom boards are available for Top Bar hives. FIGURE 5-31: This simple toolbox (formerly a fishing tackle box) is a convenien...

5 Chapter 6FIGURE 6-1: Package bees are contained in either wooden or plastic boxes. Note ...FIGURE 6-2: A standard nuc box. FIGURE 6-3: The yard of a commercial bee supplier. FIGURE 6-4: A commercial bee breeder shakes bees into packages for shipping to ...

6 Chapter 7FIGURE 7-1: A smoker with all the “ingredients” is ready to load with paper, ki...FIGURE 7-2: A smoking smoker — the beekeeper’s best friend. FIGURE 7-3: Approach the hive from the side and blow a few puffs of smoke into ...FIGURE 7-4: A little smoke under the hive cover distracts any of the colony’s g...FIGURE 7-5: If you’re using a hive-top feeder, apply some smoke through the scr...FIGURE 7-6: Use your hive tool as a lever to ease apart hive parts. FIGURE 7-7: Direct some smoke through the hole in the inner cover — wait half a...FIGURE 7-8: These are the three positions you must maintain when handling Top B...

7 Chapter 8FIGURE 8-1: Use your hive tool to pry the wall frame loose before removing it. FIGURE 8-2: Carefully lift out the first frame and set it aside. Now you have r...FIGURE 8-3: Hold frames firmly with the light source coming over your shoulder ...FIGURE 8-4: The correct way to inspect both sides of a frame. FIGURE 8-5: Bridging. Notice the wax between the top of the comb and the sloped...FIGURE 8-6: Notice how this comb is hooked in the first figure and straightened...FIGURE 8-7: Larvae go through various stages of development. Also, note two egg...FIGURE 8-8: Supersedure cells are located in the upper two-thirds of the comb; ...FIGURE 8-9: This young adult bee is just emerging from her cell. FIGURE 8-10: Use the outer cover (placed on the ground bottom-side-up) as a sur...