Laserfiche WebLink
Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />INTRODUCTION <br />FOUR PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCTIVE BEEKEEPING <br />7KLVPDQXDOKHOSVEHHNHHSHUVPDLQWDLQKHDOWK\FRORQLHVE\GHVFULELQJEHHNHHSLQJSUDFWLFHVWKDWDUHEDVHGRQ <br />WKHELRORJ\RIWKHEHHVDQGIROORZWKHVHIRXUSULQFLSOHVRISURGXFWLYHEHHNHHSLQJ <br />Every colony must be protected in equipment with removable frames and located in a good apiary site. <br /> (YHU\FRORQ\PXVWKDYHD\RXQJSUROL¿FTXHHQ <br />Every colony must have adequate honey and pollen reserves at all times. <br />4. Every colony must be monitored and managed for diseases and mites, and treated only when necessary. <br />$KHDOWK\FRORQ\KDVDOOIRXURIWKHVHIDFWRUV.HHSLQJWKHVHSULQFLSOHVLQPLQGZKLOHOHDUQLQJDERXWEHHNHHSLQJ <br />can help form a basis for good management decisions. <br />A honey bee colony is an unusual combination of <br />a wild and managed animal. Although we manage <br />honey bees in boxes, they are able to mate and <br />survive in the wild on their own, unless parasitic mites <br />DQGYLUXVHVRYHUWDNHWKHP8QOLNHPRUHGRPHVWLFDWHG <br />pets and farm animals, bees collect their own food, <br />À\LQJPLOHVWR¿QGQHFWDUDQGSROOHQIURPÀRZHUV <br />7KHEHVWEHHNHHSHUVIROORZWKHEHHV¶OHDG7KH\OHDUQ <br />WRDQWLFLSDWHWKHORFDOÀRUDOQHFWDUDQGSROOHQEORRPV <br /> FDOOHG³ÀRZV´ DQGHQVXUHWKHLUFRORQLHVDUHVWURQJ <br />DQGKHDOWK\WRVXUYLYHZLQWHU,QDVHQVHEHHNHHSLQJ <br />LVOLNHVXU¿QJOHDUQLQJWRULGHWKHZDYHVRIÀRZHUV <br />throughout the season. Variations in management <br />VW\OHVDQGRSLQLRQVDERXQGLQWKHEHHNHHSLQJZRUOG <br />6WUDWHJLHVIRUWDNLQJFDUHRIGLVHDVHVDQGSHVWVRI <br />EHHVPD\FKDQJHEXWEDVLFEHHNHHSLQJSUDFWLFHVGR <br />not because they are based on the natural life cycle of <br />the bees. <br />While honey bees are able to survive on their own in <br />WKHZLOGZHDVEHHNHHSHUVDFTXLUHKRQH\EHHVDQG <br />manage them in an environment that the bees may <br />not be best suited to. By becoming a steward of a <br />KRQH\EHHFRORQ\DEHHNHHSHUKDVDUHVSRQVLELOLW\ <br />WRWKHLUEHHVDQGQHLJKERULQJEHHNHHSHUVWRZRUN <br />towards helping their colonies be healthy and <br />WKULYH%HHNHHSLQJLVDKXPDQLQVHFWSDUWQHUVKLS <br />EHHNHHSHUVSURYLGHWKHEHHVZLWKDKRPHDQGFDUH <br />DVQHHGHGDQGWKHEHHVFDQSURYLGHWKHEHHNHHSHU <br />with a rich experience, honey, and pollination of <br />QHDUE\ÀRZHUVIUXLWVDQGYHJHWDEOHV%HHNHHSLQJ <br />is a meditative occupation, requiring presence <br />DQGIRFXV%HHNHHSHUV¿QGWKHPVHOYHVOHDUQLQJ <br />something new each time they open their hives, <br />GHHSHQLQJWKHLUFRQQHFWLQJZLWKQDWXUHDQGWDNLQJ <br />a deep dive into the fascinating biology of the honey <br />bee superorganism. <br />BEEKEEPING AND BEE BIOLOGY <br />Biology Boxes and Words of Wisdom <br />,QWKLVPDQXDOZHLQWURGXFHEHHNHHSLQJPDQDJHPHQWSUDFWLFHVEDVHG <br />RQWKHELRORJ\DQGQDWXUDOOLIHF\FOHRIWKHEHHV:HKLJKOLJKWFHUWDLQ <br />practices in boxes labeled “Biology Boxes” to help you understand the <br />reasoning behind our management guidelines. There are also tidbits <br />of information that we have collected through the years that have been <br />especially useful, which we highlight using a box for “Words of Wisdom.”