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Cover Photo: Charlie obviously enjoyed helping his parents and Beekeeper Rich Beggs (photo credit) with a late season extraction!
October 2021
Feature Topics October Tips Feeding Dry Pollen Number of Boxes to Overwinter Preparing Honey for a Show Much MUCH More!!!
Edition 16
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6 October Tips 8 Pumpkins and Bees 14 Queenless in Late Fall 16 Combining Weak Colonies 17 Ask the Expert: When Do You Give Up on a Hive? 20 How Many Boxes Should I Have? (Includes Ask the Experts) 22 Feeding Dry Pollen 23 DIY - Dry Pollen Feeder 26 Preparing Honey for a Show 30 Everything You Need To Know About Pollen Patties 34 How Much Honey Do My Bees Need to Overwinter? (Ask the Expert) 36 Heating Honey: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 40 Monthly Q & A 44 Ask the Experts - What Mistakes Do Beekeepers Make Over and Over? 46 Recipe: Jalapeno Honey Cheese Sliders 49 Club Announcements 52 Drought Chart
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1. October provides one of the final months for major bee management. Final feeding should take place, and syrup consumption should begin to decline as your queen begins shutting down for the season. Feed to maintain a 30 lb surplus for hives which are 1 deep full of bees or more through October. 2. Continue feeding pollen substitute. 2 lbs per hive should be sufficient. A strong hive should be able to eat about 1 lb every 10 days. If a hive is weaker, give them a half pound per feeding. 3. Any hive that has less than 5 frames, covered front and back with bees, should be combined with another hive using the newspaper method. Remove the queen in the weak hive, and remove the lid of the hive you are going to join with. Place a sheet of newspaper over the hive, and place the box containing the bees from the weaker hive directly on top of the newspaper. Over a period of days, the bees will chew through the newspaper, and merge into one hive. This slow method of joining helps prevent fighting between the two hives. 4. Finish any final mite treatments, remove any queen excluders, and if you use them, place entrance reducers in hives at the very end of October. You can use a wider variety of mite treatments as the weather cools and there is less brood in your hive. 5. If your hive has been properly cared for, and everything has gone right, you should have 8-16 frames of bees going into winter. A well fed hive, with virtually no mites, should easily survive the winter.
Meet Blake
Exclusive Texas Bee Supply Super Suit
October tips
I designed this suit after years of struggling with other suits not fitting right, not performing well and overall poor quality. My wish list: Longer torso for better mobility Triple layered ventilation Rust-Free Zippers - Full leg length zippers - Zippered veil Extra support in the back of the veil for rigidity Heavy duty knee pads Elastic wrist bands, backed up with Velcro straps (no more floppy arm bands) Result: The best suit I've ever owned - So good, that I'm proud to put the company name on it! Blake Shook
SHOP
By: Blake Shook
Absolutely nothing... well, there is that pollination thing ...
We made it! Fall is officially here – Pumpkin flavored “everything” is the buzz word of the season! If you haven’t pulled out the snow boots and over-sized coats yet, you are behind the times (wink–wink)! Fortunately…VERY fortunately, we don’t normally need the cool weather gear until well after Thanksgiving in Texas. For you folks further north, kudos to you…you are tougher than me by far! To quote my husband (James) – “October, my favorite time of year!” You know why? We can finally work our bees without risk of heat stroke! This is the “Ahhh, let’s work bees,” time of year ~ Won’t you join me in the bee yard? Fom time to time James and I ramble in conversation (as the “older generations” tend to do), and often those discussions will travel down that familiar path of “Remember when we...?” and we’ll just laugh and laugh. Certainly well deserved, as we made our share of mistakes during the learning curve. Boy-o-boy did we ever…. Most common mistakes beekeepers make: Not feeding consistently when needed; not inspecting the colonies regularly; avoiding the bottom box during inspections…I could go on and on. One mistake that strikes us both as “under discussed” in the beekeeping world is “Space” aka: "Bee to Box" ratio going into winter. As new beekeepers we learn that space is a huge factor. “Don’t let your bees run out of space or they’ll swarm!” Space is crucial for proper development of colony growth! What we don’t hear much is, too much space is just as important! Often, (especially in the first few years of keeping bees), we fail to identify the need to “reduce” space. The 80% rule applies to adding boxes AND it applies to “taking boxes away”! Hypothetical Hive – I overwintered with 1 deep brood box but quickly expanded, requiring adding a second brood box in March. Spring and summer came and went and all was well. Along comes dearth around the end of July/first of August and things started going down hill. Even though I expected a reduction in my population due to the season, I actually suffered a >30% loss in bees. All of a sudden my bursting-at-the- seams double deep was a single deep with a few bees in the top box milling around like they were antique shopping! Why the loss in bees? It could be a virus/disease problem caused by Varroa. We'll avoid going down that rabbit hole for the sake of this article, but Varroa mites are often the cause of what appears to be a sudden loss of population. Check out recent issues for more on that topic. What do I do? Count the bees! What? Yes, count the bees! No...not one at a time! In this diagram you will see a depiction of bees between the frames. If I ask you, “how many frames of bees in this picture?” Would you say 4, 5 or 6? The answer is 5 – Why? When looking down in the top of a box, the space in between the frames “full of bees” constitutes a full frame of bees. If you only see a few bees between the frames you would add the partial frames together to come up with a total sum. Example: ½ frame + ½ frame = 1 frame of bees. We see 4 full frames + 2 partial frames = 5 frames of bees! Keep in mind, I have 2 boxes so I need to “count the bees” for both boxes to have an accurate depiction of the number of bees in my colony. For this example let’s assume we have only 2 frames of bees in my top box. Note: We will address the resources and location of those resources in the box shortly. Solution to the hypothetical hive: I now know I have a double deep with 7 frames of bees – 5 in the bottom, 2 in the top = 7 and depending on the density, this is approx. 24,500 bees based on 3500 bees per frame average. A double deep colony can easily hold 45-60K bees in peak population. Considering the population will continue to decline as a natural progression of the season, you are most likely looking at a population of around 20,000 bees by winter in this colony. This is significantly less than what a double deep would normally house. Following the 80% rule (8 out of 10 frames full to expand or decrease) you should consider taking the top brood box off and reducing your colony down to just 1 deep box for winter. Why? Too much space can allow hive beetles or wax moths to take over. The population needs to be able to protect the space. If there aren’t enough bees for the space, it is inevitable they will not be able to stop a pest invasion. Climate control – Too much space requires the bees to work much harder at controlling humidity and temperature in the hive. This is the time of year you want “these bees” to be your spring bees, so overworking them will cause them to not survive the winter; in turn causing the loss of your workforce for the next year. Plus, bees are much happier when their hive is full, and the more space they have the less productive they will be. I know it is really hard to want to remove a box when it’s full of resources; but leaving it on could also make you susceptible to robbing. A robbing frenzy this time of year with an already declining population could easily kill the colony. Noteworthy: For those colonies that have converted the top box into a honey super; consider leaving it on to beef up their winter stores, especially if it's been filled during the fall nectar flow. This flow is primarily Goldenrod or Snow on the Prairie and not well suited for bottling. If you decide to remove it, freeze those frames and either feed them back to the colony as needed or extract them if it's good honey. What do you do with those resources from the no longer needed top deep box? A priority in preparing your colony for winter should be to equalize the brood nest and the resources. Taking those resources (honey, nectar and maybe even some brood) and using them to strengthen the bottom box and even “other hives” is a positive for you. Consider it groceries to share and a bonus to enhance a “not so well arranged” bottom box. Ideally you want at least 2 or 3 frames of honey as your outside frames, some nectar/pollen on frames 3 & 7 and brood/bees on the center frames. If you’re able to keep 2 deeps, the same configuration would be ideal in both boxes. Equalizing the box – Some of our bees like to shift left or right as the year goes on. Now would be a great time to give them a little nudge over to “center” prior to the first cold snap. You want that “insulation factor” the resources give the cluster as the weather cools. Commit to staying on top of hive checks throughout fall. We’re basically done with the full on “hive dives” until early spring – but by no means should we leave them to fend for themselves. Monitor your stores (30lbs) going into cooler weather and follow the “bee to box” ratio we just discussed. In doing so, you’ll come out of winter “smelling sweet as honey” and have strong colonies ready for spring! By: Chari Elam
By: Chari Elam
Fall Management
What do Pumpkins and Bees Have in Common?
Checking For Honey Stores Not hard to do and only takes a minute! Watch this short video on how to do it!
2022 Beginning Beekeeper Class Schedule Coming Soon!
Janet Rowe Blue Ridge, TX
1st Thursday of Each Month Next meeting October 7th - 6:30 pm!
One of the largest virtual meetings offered! Can't attend live? Register and get the recording sent to your inbox!
MORE INFO
SEPTEMBER WEBINAR
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Live Virtual Meeting
James & Chari Elam Dayton-Huffman, TX
Live In the Bee Yard Tips October Tips Final Winter Preparations How Much Honey to leave for Winter Combining Hives Fixing Honey Bound Hives Screened Bottom Boards Q&A & More!
2021 FALL BEGINNING BEEKEEPING CLASSES
Topic Highlights Hive Equipment & Protective Gear Basic Functions of the Hive Overview of Workers, Queens and Drones What's What In a Hive Identification & Treating Bee Diseases & Pest Yearly Hive Management Nutrition Honey Production & Harvesting
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Queenless in Late Fall
It goes without saying, there’s never a good time to be queenless - but late fall or winter is the worst time! Suppliers are no longer offering queens and let’s face it – drones are all but gone and “queen season” is over! What do you do? First, verify the colony is actually queenless. Depending on what part of the country you are in, queens either completely stop laying in the fall or will at least dramatically reduce laying. If you are in an area that typically remains above freezing during the winter and has more days than not in the 60's and 70's, your queen may lay year around, although at a much-reduced rate during the late fall and early winter. In those warm areas, zero eggs or larva is a sure sign that your hive is in fact queenless. For the rest of the country, queens normally fully shut down. That being the case, if your hive has a healthy population and the queen was laying until the weather cooled, she just shut down for the winter. If you have more than one hive, and the other hives are rearing a lot of brood, but one hive is not, it is most likely queenless. When it comes to starting & stopping brood rearing, most strong hives follow roughly the same patterns. If after reading this information, you are convinced that your hive is indeed queenless, you have a few options: If the hive has at least 7-8 frames covered with bees or better, you can try to save it. If it has less than 7 frames of bees, combine it with another hive if possible. That late in the year they can't raise their own queen since there are virtually no drones left to mate with. So, you can do one of two things. 1) Look for queen breeders in CA, FL, or HI who may still have queens for sale, even late in the fall. If that doesn't work... 2) Just leave the hive be. If you have other hives - once they have a few frames of brood in the early spring, give the queenless hive a frame or two of brood and a new queen as early as you can find a new queen for sale. For southern states, you can often give them brood in late February or early March and they may be able to raise their own queen and have sufficient drones available before you can find a mated queen to purchase.
Combining weak hives is one of the greatest gifts you can give a failing colony. What is a weak hive? If you have a 10-frame box and only 5 frames of bees: that’s a weak colony. Maybe you have a full box of bees and no queen or a failing queen. Local queens are no longer available this time of year and no resources (drones) to make one. In order to save these struggling colonies, combining is the answer. Watch these short videos to learn how!
It's Easy!
When Do You Give Up on a Hive?
Combining Weak Colonies
Combining Colonies Part 1
Combining Colonies Part 2
Harrison Rogers Vice President Harris County Beekeepers Association Treasurer - Real Texas Honey Program Certified Texas Master Beekeeper
Dodie Stillman President Austin Area Beekeepers Association Master Beekeeper
Tara Chapman Featured on the Today Show, Vice Media and Eating Well Magazine Two Hives Honey - Austin, TX
Knowing when enough is enough can be one of the hardest choices in Beekeeping. Let's listen to when the experts decide.
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Ask the Experts!
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It's always confusing...how many boxes should I have on my hive going into winter? How many is too many? What do the bees actually need? These are common questions! The video below describes each configuration, along with the pros and cons of each. But, in a nutshell, here are a few key points to keep in mind in regards to the number of boxes on a hive during the late fall and winter months: 1. During the late fall & early winter, wax moths and SHB larva are largely dormant, posing no significant threat to comb or hives. So, some excess space isn't at risk from these pests. 2. If bees are filling at least 25% of a box with bees and is 25% or more full of honey, it's fine to leave on over the winter. 3. Bees don't keep the entire inside of their hive warm, only their cluster inside the hive. Having a bit of excess space won't significantly impact the temperature of the cluster. 4. All that being said, it is still a best management practice to have only the space on a hive it actually needs. In general, 1 deep and 1 medium, or 2 deeps is perfectly sufficient for a hive overwintering. If your hive has that and has a 3rd box at least 25% full of bees & honey, it's perfectly fine to leave it on over the winter. 5. Don't forget, remove queen excluders by the first of October!
How Many Boxes Should I have?
FEEDING DRY POLLEN
Materials List: 4” Thin Wall PVC Pipe (12-14” long) 4” PVC End Cap 3X4 PVC Sewer & Drain Downspout Adapter PVC glue if desired (not required) Hacksaw for cutting pipe Here are the directions and it’s going to sound a bit simplistic, because it is! Cut your pipe to your desired length (12-14”) Put the End Cap on one end and the sewer/drain downspout adapter on the other! Fill with Ultra Bee Pollen! That’s it! Well, I guess if you want to glue it you can… but it’s not necessary – your bees won’t try to take it apart , ha-ha! Placing your pollen feeder: As you see in the video, hanging works well. 2 eye bolts were placed in the pipe before the ends were installed, and it hangs at an angle (front down) to prevent rain from getting inside. Ideally 5-6 feet from the ground but any height will do. You can also suspend this feeder on a fence post, placed in the crook of a tree… just about anywhere! Limit the amount of pollen you place inside if where you live has high humidity or rain in the forecast so it doesn’t crust over. If it does, simply get a stick or hive tool and stir it around to freshen it! Then - sit back and enjoy watching your bees work!
Feeding dry pollen substitute can be beneficial during the winter months, however it is not as critical as feeding pollen patties. Check out pg. ____ for more on pollen patties as well as in last month’s issue . To feed dry pollen powder, you must place the powder outdoors, ideally at least 20 feet from your hive. You can purchase dry pollen feeders or make one. Essentially, you need a container that will keep the powder dry if it rains, keeps livestock out, and the bees have easy access to. A simple and cheap option is a 5-gallon bucket laying on its side with half of the lid cut off. Another DIY dry pollen feeder: using a Pro Nuc box, with the plastic entrance slide removed completely. Add about 5 lbs of powder and put the container in a tree to keep varmints and livestock out of it. The bees will forage during warm winter days that are sunny, calm, and above about 45 degrees. They bring the powder back to the hive to use much like natural pollen. Keep in mind, bees will only forage on dry pollen powder if there is no natural pollen flow. The advantage of open feeding is it more naturally simulates a natural pollen flow and may encourage some additional brood rearing. The disadvantage is you are feeding all the neighborhood bees in addition to yours… but they will appreciate it too!
Photo Credit Nanette Davis
DIY Pollen Feeder
Honey Contest Submissions
Photo Credit: Jimmie Oakley
Preparing Honey for a Show
By: Dodie Stillman
Dodie Stillman and Ann Harmon 2019 TBA Convention - San Antonio
Note from the Editor: After 2020 preventing an in-person convention, TBA is very excited to host the 2021 Texas Beekeepers Association “in person” Convention at Moody Gardens – Galveston, TX. November 5-7th! With that, comes the anticipation of entering one of the MANY honey and honey related products contests! Having won 1st place in Black Jar many years ago, I can attest to the fun and overwhelming joy when you can “take home a ribbon” for your hard work. Competition is not limited to just honey. Photography, Arts/Crafts, Box Painting, Wax, Mead, and (new this year) short videos are all waiting for you to enter. How can any beekeeper not want to play along? Full rules and categories can be found here on the Texas Beekeepers Association Website. With so many “experienced” beekeepers in the playing field, I thought, "What better for you than a tutorial article on 'Preparing your Honey for Show?” Enjoy the following article by one of the TBA Directors and Convention “do it all’"- Dodie Stillman. There’s a lot more to it than just bottling some honey! Chari Elam Bees make the honey. You are not winning on the honey, but your presentation of it. Judges look at how you present the honey and taste is a secondary (sometime deciding) factor. ~Jimmie Oakley~ Read and follow the rules!! Be sure to keep up with any rule changes! Present your honey in the container called for by the contest. It is essential to use the right container, and the correct lid!! Cleanliness is next to… Make sure your containers are clean. Wash in dishwasher by themselves. Never touch the jar with your hands after that; use lint free cloth or photo gloves. Pick the Perfect Jar. Look carefully for bubbles or flaws in the glass, even on the bottom. Put Good Honey in your Jars. Honey Quality Check - Choose only fully capped frames and taste it for flavor (no bitter weed, leafy spurge, or goldenrod). Purchase a Refractometer and use it. Check the moisture level of your honey. Test for density to get the maximum points. Filling your jars: Slowly, holding with a towel, tipped at an angle to prevent bubbles. Fill level of jar: Up to the top screw thread the first time. Reduce honey to the correct level before entering into the contest. This allows for removing bubbles and/or debris. Cover Jar with Plastic Wrap: Judges look under the lid and no honey should be there. Have a second lid available if you need to replace your original lid. Remove the plastic wrap before turning in for judging. Bottle honey early as opposed to late: Give your honey time to settle and provide opportunity to skim or remove bubbles and/or debris. Remove top layer with a spoon to above the inside fill line. You should not see empty space below the lid. Honey is judged in categories based on: Color - The TBA Honey Show will have links to the color chart, a color chart at the registration table, and the judges will move your honey to the most appropriate category with no points lost. Density of water – Check rules for best percentage for highest points Free of foreign matter - granulated crystals, bubbles, foam, wax, lint. The appearance of the bottle - cleanliness of the bottle inside and out; no honey under the lid. The uniform fill - up to fill line. Flavor and brightness - clear and transparent. New TBA Category this year - Honeycomb: The beekeeper must make every effort to remove comb honey as soon as capped to prevent the “travel stain” from pollen and propolis. These will be seen on the wooden frame of square sections, on the plastic rim of rounds, and on the surface of all comb. Unfortunately some parts of the country have dark propolis and brilliantly-colored pollen. The judge is looking for the absolute minimum of “travel stain.” Show Hints: You can heat honey slowly and allow bubbles to rise by leaving the jar in a closed, parked car all day (in Texas = 100+ degrees). To remove specks, wax, or lint try using a long wooden skewer to move the foreign matter to the top and dip it off with a spoon. Polish jars with silk cloth. Use individually cut moist square of lint free cloth (white men’s handkerchief) to wipe underside of lid before presentation. Store honey in room temperature above 57 degrees to avoid granulation. Additional sources of information Articles by Ann Harman Honey and Beeswax Competitions What is a Honey Show? Honey in the Comb - A true Delicacy Smooth and Creamy - Creamed Honey Beeswax candles and blocks with some very valuable tips.- Liquid honey: density, aroma and flavor, filling jars, crystals in honey Additional Articles Honey products including comb and creamed honey by Peter O'Reilly In-depth cleaning beeswax and creating wax blocks by Redmond Williams How-To videos from Virginia Webb Strained Honey Chunk Honey Beeswax Block
TBA Convention Info
Dodie Stillman is the President of the Austin Area Beekeepers Association - Area Director, Club Liaison and on the Nomination Committee for the Texas Beekeepers Association
Fun Fact
Color -What’s in a Name? By: Nanette Davis ~ Garden Variety Bees Honey comes in so many colors! Did you know, there is an official way to label honey color determined by the way light passes through the honey? Most people don’t have a fancy meter to determine the exact wavelength, but a color chart (see picture 2) can be found at bee supply stores around the world to help classify honey color. So, what’s the difference? The color in honey is created by the plants that provide the nectar that becomes honey. As a general guideline, lighter honey has a milder flavor (clover), and darker honey is more robust (buckwheat). Darker honey also has more antioxidants! Many people prefer specific types of honey based on flavor which they associate with the color. In competitions, honeys are judged in color categories. Here in the US, there are 7 official honey colors (see picture 1). Some competitions will automatically disqualify honeys that are entered into the wrong category. My honey (seen in picture 3) tends to be dark with rich, complex flavors. Tallow is abundant in my area and is likely a main component of my honey. I love my honey, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. What’s your favorite honey?
Ann Harmon and a judge steward
Ann Harmon and Nanette
Last month I talked about “Why Feed Pollen Patties” – This month I want to get a little more in-depth on how much and when to feed patties as well as address some questions you have raised pertaining to consumption and storage. How much & when to feed pollen patties depends on the time of year, and the strength of the hive. You want to feed only as much as the bees can fully consume in a 7–10-day period to ensure Small Hive Beetles don’t begin using it as a breeding ground. In essence, making sure the bees fully consume the patty between feedings, stopping any worry of propagating SHB. A hive which has about 1 deep box full of bees should eat a 1 lb patty in about 7 days. A hive with 2 boxes full of bees can eat 2 patties in 7-10 days. Alternatively, for a box that’s only half full of bees, tear the patty in half and give them a half pound. In areas where SHB’s are more prevalent, you may need to reduce the size even more; thus, cutting the patty in strips about the size of bacon and replenish as needed. A general rule of thumb is that if you don’t see at least a half of a deep frame worth of stored pollen in the hive, it’s ideal to feed pollen substitute until they begin bringing in and storing more pollen. My bees aren’t eating their patty There are a few key reasons your bees may not be eating their pollen patty or eating it very slowly. Common Causes: Dry patties - they should be pliable, and the consistency of peanut butter. If they are a bit too hard, you can quickly dip them in water, and put back on your hive. If they are hard, or very dry, it is best to discard the patty and give the hive a smaller amount next time. Weak bees - if your hive is weak (significantly less than 1 deep box full of bees) then they may not be able to eat as much pollen sub as you gave them. Try only giving them ⅓-½ a pound per feeding. Outdoor temperatures are too cold - once daytime temperatures are consistently in the 50's or below, bees will begin clustering and slowing down their consumption. Bees can’t access the patty - bees need ample access to patties to be able to consume it. See last months article on placement of patties. Homemade patties - depending on the recipe you used, bees simply may not want to eat the patty. Storing Pollen Patties If you end up with extra pollen patties, they can be frozen and reused next year. It will reduce the nutritional value a bit, but not enough to prevent re-use. Short term storage (a month or two): Wrap them in plastic wrap or seal them in a zip lock bag Store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. The key is to help them retain their moisture. It’s critical they stay as moist and pliable as possible to ensure the bees eat them quickly. A peanut butter consistency is the goal. If they become hard,as mentioned, you can quickly dip the patty in water and then feed it to your bees. Homemade vs Purchased Pollen Substitutes This answer can be short and sweet- don’t try to make your own pollen substitute. There is a huge difference in homemade recipes and purchased pollen sub. Typical homemade recipes call for things like soy flour, brewer’s yeast, etc. It has been shown those ingredients have very little to no nutritional value for bees. Purchased subs have come a very long way nutritionally in the past 10 years and are carefully created with ingredients not readily available.
Everything You Need to Know About Pollen Patties!
BY: Blake Shook
Bee Prepared!
Texas Bee Supply Pollen Patties - Made with essential oils (Pro Health)! Made with products from the USA! Healthier, stronger bees! Ready to feed when you need it! Non-soy based! A complete amino acid profile! Beneficial vitamins, lipids and minerals! No animal products used! Increased brood production! Contains 5 - 1 lb Patties Per Package
Need Help? Texas Bee Supply Staff are Eager and Ready to answer your questions! 1-800-356-4229 or help@texasbeesupply.com
Michael Kelling President Central Texas Beekeepers Association Master Beekeeper
Fun Fact: A fully capped deep frame of honey weighs approximately 10 pounds – and a fully capped medium frame weighs approximately 7- 8 pounds.
Cameron Crane Liberty County Beekeepers Association Owner Crane Meadows
A challenge we all face as fall and winter start creeping in: How Much Honey Do My Bees Need to Overwinter? We showed you an easy way to test the weight of a hive in a previous short video, but how much is enough? Let’s ask the experts what they think!
Local Urban Farm Pearland, TX
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Honey is not only delicious but is packed full of wonderful things that are beneficial to our health and well being such as antioxidants, vitamins, probiotics, amino acids, minerals, and enzymes. It’s reported to contain over 200 beneficial substances in its composition and can vary depending on the flora the bees feed on. Honey is especially known for its antibacterial properties which make it an excellent medicinal product. Although research and studies vary on the benefits, its long history of use for healing dates to the ancient times of Egypt and has not lost momentum in our day. Honey is primarily made up of sugars: fructose and glucose.As a result, in time honey will naturally granulate, because the sugar glucose is unstable and will crystallize. Therefore, the more glucose the honey has the faster it will crystallize. Examples are clover, lavender, and dandelion honey. Honey from tupelo, acacia and sage have a higher fructose content and will crystallize at a slower rate. Honey that is granulated does not mean the honey has spoiled, quite the opposite. It’s a way of preserving itself and all its benefits. Honey that is sealed and granulated is by far the most shelf-stable food you can own. Many consumers of honey prefer their honey granulated. It can be easily spooned out of a jar, spread on toast, or even whipped into a smooth creamy spread. However, we shop and eat with our eyes and granulated honey is less visually attractive. Reversing this process requires the honey to be heated. So, therein lies a question: does heating honey to reverse or prevent crystallizing affect its ingredients or its benefits? Yes and no. Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of heating honey. The Good What is a good temperature to warm honey to that will reverse or prevent the crystallizing process and yet maintain its benefits? Let’s take a lesson from the hive. Bees strive to keep their colonies at an approximate temperature of 95° F. This temperature keeps most of their honey in a liquefied state. Honey that has crystallized can be slowly warmed to this temperature. This begins the de-crystallizing process and returns the honey to a flowing liquid, while not damaging it. The key here is to slowly warm it. Honey should never be heated rapidly or over direct heat. If it’s a small jar you’re trying to bring back to a liquid state, simply heat a pot of water to 95° F - 100° F, remove from the heat and set the jar inside the pot. Giving it time and an occasional stir, the honey will liquefy. Many beekeepers store their honey in tanks that are outfitted to maintain a regulated temperature. This helps to maintain its liquid state while waiting to be bottled. Smaller scale beekeepers are accustomed to storing honey in 5-gallon buckets, which makes the available use of a “Bee Blanket” handy. Bee Blankets are warmers that wrap around 5-gallon buckets to keep the honey from crystallizing, and some are equipped with thermostat controls to help keep a steady regulated temperature. The Bad It doesn’t take much of a rise in temperature for things to turn bad. Once honey begins to reach temperatures of 104°F the degrading process begins. At this temperature an important enzyme called invertase is destroyed. Honeybees produce their own invertase and add this to the nectar. This enzyme helps change sucrose into equal parts glucose and fructose. It’s what starts the process of turning nectar into honey. For us this enzyme is essential and helps our bodies digest complex sugars. Including the very honey we are eating. There are other important ingredients that begin to degrade at this temperature and the higher the temperature rises the faster the degrading. The Ugly The ugly begins at around 122°F. At this temperature nutritional degrading speeds up. If held at this temperature for more than 48 hours the honey turns into caramel. Basically, the higher the temperature, the more rapid the degradation, and your left with honey sugars that are now comparable to cane sugars. Honey that is pasteurized, is raised to a temperature of 145°F. Pasteurization is a process intended to destroy organism and enzymes that can cause spoilage or risk of disease. When honey is pasteurized, the result is a sweet sugar syrup with little nutritional value. If you’re cooking with honey, due to the prolong exposure to high heats either the method is stove top, oven or microwave the honey will surely degrade and no longer have its nutritional value. Not only that, but it also loses its original flora flavor. For beekeepers maintaining honey at 95°F to prevent crystallization may optimize your market appeal, while not sacrificing the valuable nutrition and long-standing reputation of honey containing medicinal properties. Still others may find ways to market crystallized honey. Either way, there are serious advantages to avoiding pasteurizing or overheating your honey. Educating consumers may take time and effort but will result in benefits for them and the beekeeping community. Remember honey is delicious and nutritious, if we avoid the bad and the ugly of overheating our valuable resource. By: Kellie Jensen
By: Kellie Lynn Jensen
Heating Honey
Bee Pun Submitted by: William Ware
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1 or 2 Hives Q. I’m a new beekeeper and everyone keeps telling me I need to start with at least 2 colonies. I really only want 1 to start, mostly so I can make sure I can do it. Is there any reason I can’t start with just 1? A. To answer your question – No, there’s no reason you can’t start with just 1 colony. The reason you’ve been told to start with 2 is that you dramatically increase your odds of being successful. It gives you the ability to compare and share between the colonies, when only having 1 doesn’t. It’s a consideration for you to start with 2 but, in no way is it a requirement. Queen laying on one side Q. I have 5 colonies and one of them has a queen that always lays on one side of the box and not in the center. Is that ok? What can I do if it’s not ok? A. Apparently “she” didn’t read the books we did, right? As far as being ok… it’s ok – But, as the weather cools and gets cold, bees need the insulation that honey stores provide for the cluster. If all of the bees gather to one side because that’s the “brood nest” (active or dormant), that could cause them to have to work harder to stay warm. I would (on a warm day) take the brood nest (all those frames) and move it to the center. It’s simply a realignment of the resources. They won’t mind, but of course smoke and be suited up. Brood nest in the center, resources to the outside. There’s nothing to say that come spring when this queen ramps up in laying, that she won’t start laying off to the side again. For some reason, some queens just prefer laying left/right of center. One of the many mysteries of the honey bee! Not enough Propolis Q. I read and hear other beekeepers say that their bees propolize their boxes heavy around the seams. Mine don’t do that! Is there something wrong with my bees? A. Not at all… Some genetics are more inclined to bring in and use/store more propolis than others. It could also be your area (scarce resources for propolis). Propolis is gathered from sap from trees and other botanicals. It’s unknown why some colonies gather more than others. It has been written that the heavier propolis gatherers they are, the healthier the bees. Does that mean your bees aren’t healthy – absolutely not. Probably the only thing you should watch is the ability for them to seal the seams against moisture and invaders. If they aren’t able to do that, you could intervene with duct tape. Just keep an eye out on them ensuring they are getting proper nutrition, Varroa mites kept under control, and they should be fine. Entrance Reducers In or Out? Q. During the summer it was said on the webinar that we were supposed to take out our entrance reducers so I did. Now it’s cooling back off, am I supposed to put it back in? If yes, which opening – the big one or small one? A. Yes, it is time to reinstall entrance reducers “if” you use them. Not to confuse you, but some beekeepers elect to not use them at all. Having said that – most hobby beekeepers do. If you choose to use them, install them with the larger opening operational. This allows the bees to still maintain good traffic on the warmer Texas fall/winter days, but helps them keep the temperatures appropriate in the hive. Hives facing north Q. I’m just now realizing I put my hives entrance facing north. Now it’s getting colder and I’m worried about them getting too cold. Am I supposed to move them or not worry about it? A. If you are able to, “gradually” turn the hive box around facing south-east. You can move it a few inches a day and they won’t have any issues with it. If you can’t turn it around, be prepared to place a wind block several feet in front of the hive in the event we get a cold snap come through. Meaning: temperatures below freezing for an extended amount of time.
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Don't ya just larva looking at a frame of baby bees?? The cells you see covered in brown, papery wax are bees in their pupal stage of development, and many of the cells that appear empty actually have little baby larvae inside!
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What Mistakes Do Beekeepers Make Over and Over... and Over again?
Lauren Ward Entomologist A Bar Beekeeping
Beekeepers of ALL levels have challenges. Often, these challenges can turn into mistakes. Key – learn from those mistakes and strive to do better “next time”! Let’s ask the experts what they see as the “most common” mistakes in Beekeeping.
James & Chari Elam Texas Bee Supply Instructors Owners Blue Ribbon Honey Company
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Jalapeno Honey Cheese Sliders
YIELD: Makes 6 servings INGREDIENTS 2 T-orange blossom honey (or any mild honey) 1/2 cup-cream cheese,softened 1/2 cup-Colby Jack cheese,grated 1/4 cup-scallions,sliced 12-mini sweet-style slider rolls 24-pickled jalapeno, sliced rounds DIRECTIONS For Creamy Honey Cheese Mixture: Place the orange blossom honey, cream cheese, Colby Jack cheese and scallions in a mixing bowl, and stir with a spoon (or spatula) to evenly combine. Place in the refrigerator to keep chilled. Build the Sliders:Slice each roll in half horizontally. Evenly spread the bottom half of each slider roll with approximately 1 T of the chilled creamy honey cheese mixture. Top each with 2 pickled jalapeno sliced rounds. Place the slider roll tops on each. Cook the sliders. Heat a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Lightly spray the pan with vegetable spray. Place the sliders into the pan and cook the sliders for approximately 2 minutes per side or until the honey cheese filling is gooey and the sliders are evenly crispy on both sides. Gently press sliders to flatten as they cook (like making a grilled cheese). Serve 2 sliders per person and enjoy! Recipe courtesy of Chef Rob Corliss, made for the National Honey Board TIP You can also use an electric griddle to cook the sliders, pressing down the sliders with a spatula to achieve a pressed style sandwich. Or, a panini-style press or a waffle iron to press and cook the sliders. Add deli sliced turkey or ham to the sliders, to appeal to meat-lovers. Substitute goat cheese for cream cheese. Substitute fresh jalapeno, canned green chilies or pickled banana peppers for pickled jalapenos or use a splash of your favorite hot sauce to create flavorful heat. Add thin slices of fresh peaches or pears to the sliders for additional flavor and fresh appeal.
Walker County Beekeepers Association 1402 19th Street Huntsville, TX 77340 Last Thursday of each month Q & A on the front porch at 6:30, meeting at 7:00 PM
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Denton County Beekeepers Association Meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month both in-person and on zoom! Dates, location and link may be found at www.dentonbees.com and on Facebook
Austin Area Beekeepers Association Third Thursday each month at 7:00 pm Frickett Scout Center For meeting details CLICK HERE!
Hays County Beekeepers Association In - Person meetings every 3rd Wednesday of the month 6:30 -9pm at Suds Monkey Brewing Company - 12024 US-290, Austin, TX Meetings are also broadcast via Zoom and recorded link (CLICK HERE)
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Central Texas Beekeepers Association Washington County Fairgrounds VIP room 4th Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm For more information go to CentralTexasBeekeepers.org
Club Announcements
Elm Fork Beekeepers 3rd Thursday each month in person or Zoom at the VFW Hall in Gainsville, TX. For Zoom access to our meetings for 2021 Go to: elmforkbeekeepers.org for link.
Always FREE! Zoom (Anywhere) or In- Person (Area restrictions apply) Enjoy a 1 hour LIVE Presentation from one of our presenters! You choose the topic!
Lamar County Beekeepers Association Meets 1st Thursday each month at 6:30 Red River Valley Fairground - Building B Paris, Texas
Montgomery County Beekeepers Association 3rd Monday of each month 9020 Airport Rd. Conroe, TX 77303 Non-members welcome! www.mocobees.com
Kaufman Area Beekeepers Association Second Tuesday each month at 6:30 pm United Methodist Church, 208 S. Houston St. Kaufman, TX New Beekeepers Q & A 5:45-6:15
Comal County BeeKeepers Association First Thursday each month at 6:30 - 7:00 dinner - 7:00 - 8:30 meeting Beefy's on the Green - Spring Branch, TX
Pineywoods Beekeepers Association 2nd Thursday each month Lufkin Angelina County Chamber of Commerce 1615 S. Chestnut (just off Loop 287 across from Lowe's) Lufkin, TX
Wood County Beekeepers Association 1st Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm! The current meeting location is the Winnsboro Civic Center
Houston Beekeepers Association 3rd Tuesday each month in person at The Jung Center, 5200 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006. HoustonBeekeepers.org
Liberty County Beekeepers Association First Tuesday each month at 6:30 Texas Bee Supply in Dayton/Huffman For more information go to LibertyCountyBeekeepers.org
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