bee school week one

Saturday morning was the first session of the beekeeping class that I signed up for last month. There were over a hundred people in the class, which is a very good sign of the current interest in beekeeping. At the end of the class (in eight weeks) there will be an opportunity to take a written and practical test to become a Certified Beekeeper.

According to the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association master beekeeper webpage, there are 3,500 individuals in the master beekeeper program of which seventy five are Master Beekeepers and twelve are Master Craftsman Beekeepers. The rest are Certified Beekeepers, the entry level.

The instructor outlined three basic rules for beekeeping –

1. Never go into the hive without a reason.
2. Never go into a hive without seeing either the queen or eggs. Seeing eggs means that you had a queen at least 72 hours prior to opening the hive.
3. There are a hundred ways to lose a queen.

The instructor also outlined some basic expectations for the beginning beekeeper. Based on what he said, I should have reasonable expectations about hive success and failure. I should expect to lose a hive at some point, but I should also expect to learn from it. I should not expect honey the first year, and I should not expect hands on help from an experienced beekeeper.

Some more highlights from the first class –

1. From 1984 to 2004, 50% of the genetic alleles (options) in the honeybee have been lost.
2. The state of North Carolina is considering passing a law preempting municipal banning of beekeeping within town limits. This law would help in promoting backyard hobby beekeeping.
3. Every human being is allergic to bee stings, and there is no rhyme or reason to the severity of the sting at any given time.
4. Bees cannot navigate very well when it is overcast.

If you want to follow along at home, our text book is Beekeeping for Dummies. Read chapters two and four.