Urban Beekeeping29 & 30 October 2011

UWA Extension

A bit about me Started in

Nedlands backyard 16 years ago

Taste of honey was so superior

Hobby turned into obsession

Apprenticed myself out

150 hives and Elixir Honey

WarningBeekeeping can be dangerousBees are everywhere

In old days everyone had their own hives

3.How to be an Urban Beekeeper

Urban Beekeeping

How to be an urban beekeeper Why & who Laws & regulations Choosing a site & neighbours Protective clothing Beekeeping equipment Getting started Extracting honey etc What to do when Disease & pests

Why urban beekeeping?

Best tasting honey you will ever eat

antidote to hayfever Free apitherapy Help bees Get closer to nature Great for gardens Reduce feral hives

Beekeepers in my experience All sorts

Environmental leanings Source of food

important Independent Inventive Tinkers Tight fisted

Timewise = veggie patch

Find out the Laws & regulations in your area

“A person who owns, or has the charge, care or possession of, bees or any hive that contains, or

has contained, bees is a “beekeeper”, and is required, within 14 days after becoming a

“beekeeper”, to apply to be registered as such (Beekeepers Act 1963, sec.8).”

An excerpt from the Western Australian Beekeeper Act 1963 -

Choosing a site Urban gardens, rooftops,

commercial properties Out of site out of mind

Camouflage paint Screen/hedge

Water Entrance out of way Family needs to know Neighbours

Protective clothingMust have:Veil and hatSuit – light colours

No gapsGloves

Beekeeping equipmentSmokerHive toolBee brushHivesFramesLidBottom boardHive standClearer board

Getting started

Wear your protective clothing

Get bees: Italians Carniolans Russians London Black

Getting started – collecting swarms Beware

London Black

Be protected

Bees in box Bees into

hive

Getting started – the nuc Purchasing Transferring Settling in

Getting started – inspecting

Every 6 weeks Protective gear Smoker

Gently lid off Puff if bees fly up Find queen

Inspecting – look for brood

Eggs If eggs

you know there’s a queen

Inspecting – look for brood

Larva Felt-like brood

capping If no brood –

worry about queen – may need a new one

Inspecting – look for honey & pollen Uncapp

ed honey

Capped honey

Brood Pollen

On it goes – building up Adding supers Queen excluder Honey supers When is it ready to

extract? ¾ capped off <20% moisture Beware bad

weather

Extracting honey/honeycomb

Get bees off frames to extract Shake Bee brush

Extract in closed place near water (use no detergents)

When your top super is full it is time to extract

Bees don’t want to give you their honey. So bee-aware.

Protective clothes Clearing boards

Extracting honey – a bucket of honey Cut cappings – put in

bucket Extract

spin out honey both sides of frame

Put honey in bucket with honey gate

Settle Jar – treasure each jar

Apitherapy & Royal Jelly

Apitherapy - health benefits from bee stings Royal Jelly is what transforms bee into queen Both have ‘legendary’ health benefits - not

convinced myself

Trap Pollen

Best form of veg protein

Pollen trap Empty weekly Dry under net Salmonella Store in freezer

Extracting Beeswax Melt cappings Very FLAMMABLE! Beekeepers used to

earn more for beeswax than they did for honey (church candles)

Used for: Foundation & holding

in frames Lip balms Cosmetics Polish Candles

Extracting Propolis

Hive scum Gums up holes Inhibits bacterial

growth Propolis mat

The season & your hive Spring - exciting

Inspect Extract?

Summer – chugs along Extract Water Collecting outside hive okay

Autumn – bee aware of weather change Extract Requeen

Winter – ensure honey for bees Feed Reduce Maintenance

Diseases & Pests - AFB American Foul

Brood Endemic world

wide Ropey goo Need to burn or

wax dip. Barrier system

stops spread.

See: http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/ento/bee.htm

FIND OUT WHAT DISEASES AND PESTS ARE IN YOUR AREA – THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WILL HAVE THIS INFORMATION

Diseases & Pests – Chalk Brood

Air borne disease Brood mummifies Most well bred

queens can deal with it

If persists requeen

Diseases & Pests – Wax Moth

Destructive pest Comes into hive on

pollen Strong hives can cope Weak hives wax moth

larva eats drawn out comb

Diseases & Pests – Beware

Not yet here (in Western Australia) /only just: Hive beetle Colony Collapse Disorder EFB Varroa Mites

To bee or not to bee

Knowledge and commitment are key

WAAS/ local beekeeping group

Register Be safe Set up Be diligent & inspect And above all…