Hivetool.com Guide to Beekeeping

Beekeeping

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is a pleasing and profitable occupation. Whether as a professional with several hundred to several thousand hives, or the owner of a single colony of bees, the beekeeper will experience year-round satisfaction watching honey bees build...
The Queen Bee

The Queen Bee

The queen is the most important member of the hive. She is reared in a special cell shaped somewhat like a peanut that is usually suspended vertically from the lower part of the comb. Queen cells are larger than regular cells. The queen develops from...

The Drone Bee

The drones are the male bees in the colony. Their sole function is reproduction. Drones who succeed in mating with a queen during her nuptial flight perish in the act. Drones are larger and heavier than the workers, but not as long as the queen....

The Worker Bee

The worker bees, although females, lack the fully developed reproductive organs of the queen. Normally they do not lay eggs, although if the colony is without a queen, or queen cell, a few workers may begin to lay drone eggs. A colony in such a...

Races of Bees

Honey bees exhibit many geographical variations in color and behavior. Several of these have become well known and are the most "common" honey bees. Most races may be divided into two general groups, the black or gray bees and the yellow bees. ...

The Hive

Originally, the honey bee colony made its home in a hollow tree or log, fitting the wax comb to the shape of the cavity. The modern hive consists of a series of racked, movable frames. These frames are separated by a scant 5/16 inch of space, barely...

Beginning with Bees

Start small. Two colonies is an ideal number for an inexperienced person to keep for one or two years. Expand as your experience and confidence grow. Start right. Avoid discouraging mistakes at the very beginning by thorough preparation....

Colony Performance Standards

A strong colony has these characteristics: Disposition: Gentle bees that are easy to work with; very little tendency to sting under good flight conditions. Low-level Swarming Instinct: Very few or no swarm cells. Swarm prevention can be...

Major Honey Flows in Tennessee

Major Honey Flows Tennessee has two major honey flows during the spring and summer months. Spring Flow: The major spring flow occurs between April 25 and June 15 at lower elevations across the state. Colonies should be developed to maximum...

Sources of Nectar in Tennessee

Sources of Nectar Honey bees forage on many plants for nectar or pollen. All of these sources provide food for the colony. The number of plants that produce large quantities of surplus nectar for a honey crop are quite limited. Most of...

Seasonal Management

Good management practices are the key to your success as a beekeeper. Honey bee colonies should be opened, checked or manipulated one to four times each month from February through October. Timely management practices, applied when the colonies...

Working with a Honey Bee Colony

Dress in light colored, cotton or rip stop nylon clothing. Wear your helmet and veil with the netting of the veil snug around your shoulders. Light your smoker and fill the chamber with fuel. Use pine needles, grass, leaves, burlap fabric or cotton...

Honey Bee Stings

Honey bee stings are not a major medical problem for 99 percent of our population. The barbed stinger of the bee is embedded in the beekeeper's skin. The venom continues to be injected into the skin as the barbed stinger is forced deeper into...

Beekeeping Equipment

All equipment or colonies purchased from another beekeeper should be inspected by a qualified bee inspector. •All hive equipment should be of the modern Langstroth type with hanging, movable frames. •All hive equipment should be the standard siz...

Locating an Apiary

The location of the apiary should provide the essential elements for maximum performance by your colonies. An abundant source of nectar and pollen should be near the apiary. Nectar and pollen-producing plants that bloom in late summer,...

Opening a Honey Bee Colony

Approach a colony from one side or the rear. Lightly smoke the entrance by gently puffing smoke into the opening along the front. Pry the outer cover up two to three inches along one side. Lightly smoke under the outer cover and lower it over the...

Inspecting a Colony

Pry the outside frame of the brood chamber loose. Remove the frame from the body. Hold the frame in front of you with one hand on each end of the top bar. Observe the bees and the comb. Inspect the brood frames for: Pearly white larvae...

Bee Parasites and Diseases

Bees are susceptible to infectious diseases of both brood and adult bees. There are also two types of parasitic mites that infect colonies. They are responsible for large annual losses in bees, honey, equipment and increased production costs. Here...

Laying Worker Honey Bees

Workers will develop into laying workers in the presence of a failing queen or in a queen less colony. The laying worker will lay two or more eggs in a cell attaching the eggs onto the walls near the top of the cell. (check colonies thoroughly for...

Beekeeping Calendar of Management Practices

This calendar will be helpful in applying the right management practice at the right time. Plan ahead with your beekeeping, time your colony inspections and manipulations to prevent problems from developing. Timing varies by climate. March Terramycin...

Calendar: March

Check brood chambers. If all of the brood is in the upper part of the brood chamber, reverse the upper and lower brood chamber units. Reversing the chambers will cause the queen to use both units for egg laying. In two weeks, the queen should...

Terramycin

Mix Terramycin powder with powdered confectioners sugar. Dust 1/3 cup (1 0z.) of the mixture over the top of the outside frames in the brood chamber. Apply this mixture three times at 4 to 5 day intervals in February/March. Mixing Terramycin...

Calendar: April

Strong colonies will consume large amounts of honey stores in April. If all reserves have been used, the colonies will starve just prior to the honey flow. Check stores and feed all colonies that have less than 15 pounds. Check brood chamber...

Swarm Control

Swarming by honey bee colonies is the natural method of propagating the species. The swarming instinct is usually strongest in April and May. Open and inspect a colony at least one time each seven days of the swarming season. Queen cells will be...

Dividing a Colony

A strong colony preparing to swarm can be divided or split into two, three or four colonies. You will need one capped queen cell or one caged queen for each of the colonies started by the divisions. Wait until you have capped queen cells or caged...

Installing a Package of Honey Bees

Order packages and equipment in the fall. Assemble and paint the hive equipment in March. Prepare a base for the hive and place the hive on the base when the package arrives. When the package arrives, place the bees in a cool, dark place until early...

Transferring a Colony to Modern Equipment

Honey bee colonies in box hives without movable frames cannot be inspected or managed efficiently. These colonies should be transferred into standard, legal, equipment with hanging; removable frames. Early April is a good time to transfer a colony...

Using a Queen Excluder to Confine the Queen During a Honey Flow

Place the frame the queen is laying in with the queen near the center of the bottom hive body. Place three good brood combs on one side of the frame on which the queen is laying (place four good, empty brood combs on the other side of the frame occupied...

Calendar: May

It is time to add another super when the super on a colony is one-half to two-thirds filled (six to seven frames). Raise the partially filled super and place the empty super on top of the brood chamber. Place the partially filled super on top...

Supering a Colony

Prepare supers with clean frames and walls and foundation in the frames. These supers will be needed in April, May and June when the colony produces surplus honey. The black locust trees, clover and yellow poplar trees will begin to bloom in late...

Hiving a Swarm

Prepare a swarm kit before the swarming season begins. A complete 1½ story hive will hold a large swarm. You will need a bottom board, a hive body complete with 10 frames of comb or foundation, a super with 10 frames of comb or foundation, an inner ...

Calendar: June

Combine all swarms issuing after June 1 with weak colonies. Continue to check for swarm cells every seven days. Continue to add supers of drawn comb as needed until the honey flow ends. Remove the capped honey after June 15. Uncapped...

Moving a Colony

A honey bee colony can be moved to a new location. You may need to change the hive location in your yard or move the colony to another distant bee yard. A colony can be moved a short distance to relocate it near the original location. When a...

Removing Surplus Honey

The bees will fill the combs and cap the honey when they have cured it to 20 percent or less water. Some of the frames of honey may not be capped until several days after the nectar flow has stopped. The frames and supers of honey that are capped...

Calendar: July

Have your bees on their new location by the first week of July. Extract the honey you removed in June to have the supers available for the fall  honey flow. Return extracted supers to the colonies just before dark to prevent robbing. Pack ...

Shade and Water for Honey Bee Colonies

Locate colonies in areas with morning sun and afternoon shade. The colonies will need a good source of clean water within one-fourth of a mile from the hive. In hot weather, bees in strong colonies may need a gallon of water a day. Water is used...

Rendering Your Beeswax

Beeswax is a valuable product of the beekeeping industry. A strong colony of honey bees will use about 13 pounds of honey per year for the production of beeswax. Cappings, bits of comb scraped from the frames, and old combs which are unfit for...

Calendar: August

Check brood nest for diseases. Check for swarm cells in mountain areas. Remove surplus honey leaving some space in supers for late summer and fall flow. Colonies will need 40-60 pounds of honey for overwintering. Extract supers of honey...

Requeening a Colony

Requeen a honey bee colony every year for better performance and production. The serviceable life of 99 percent of the queens is exhausted by the end of her second year in the colony. Requeening every other year is the least desirable practice. When...

Calendar: September

Requeen colonies that you did not requeen in August or that rejected the introduced queen in August. Consolidate frames in supers that may have some empty space for storage of fall nectar flow. Fill supers with capped frames. Partially filled...

Calendar: October

Place entrance reducers in the entrance. Check each colony for a laying queen. Treat with Terramycin every seven days until three treatments are completed to prevent diseases or use an extender patty. Leave one shallow super completely...

Overwintering a Honey Bee Colony

A colony of honey bees will over winter well when you prepare them for winter conditions. The colony must have enough bees to cover five or more brood frames. Smaller colonies usually will not survive the winter. A young prolific queen introduced...

Calendar: November

Rake all leaves and dead grass away from the colony to prevent fire. Cut tall grass. Fence apiary to protect the colonies from livestock. Feed one gallon of a two to one sugar syrup with 7/8 teaspoon Fumidil-B. Check all tops to be sure...

Feeding Bees with Hard Candy

The hard candy method is more work but reduces moisture problems associated with syrup feeding during the cold weather. Preparing the candy Ingredients: 12 pounds table sugar 1 ½ pounds honey 1 ¼ quart water ¼ teaspoon cream of...

Calendar: December

Repair and paint equipment. Clean supers, hive bodies, covers and frames of burr comb and propolis. Cull combs. Cut all combs with more than six square inches of drone cells from the frames. Render (if equipped) or pack all old comb...

Calendar: January

Clean, paint and repair equipment. Check the apiary for wind damage. Check the apiary for skunk damage.

Calendar: February

Open colonies on a warm day and check for laying queen, brood and diseases. Feed one gallon of a two to one sugar syrup containing one teaspoon of Fumidil-B . Repeat in two to three weeks if needed by infected colony. Feed pollen substitute...

Skunk Feeding and Prevention

Skunks visit the hives at night feeding on honey bees that come out to investigate their presence. The activity of the skunks is tipped off by the muddiness about the entrance. A hardware cloth mat placed under the front of the hive will stop skunk...

The Greater Wax Moth

The greater wax moth is also known as the bee moth, the bee miller, the wax miller and the webworm. In its larval stages, it damages combs and honey and is responsible for large losses to beekeepers in the United States. This insect is found almost...

Uniting Two Colonies

A small colony with a failing queen can be united with a strong colony in the spring or fall. Check the small colony for symptoms of disease. Do not combine a weak dwindling colony with a strong colony until the weak colony has been checked for Nosema...

Ant Control

Ants infest bee hives, frequently nesting in the hive. A granular insecticide applied carefully around and under the hive will not create a problem with the bees.

Protect Honey Bees from Insecticides

Pesticide Applicator Use spray applications instead of dusts. Apply sprays to plants when bees are not foraging on the plants. plants not in bloom after petal fall late in the day when blossoms are closed mow cover crops...

Beekeeping Terms

Beeswax: waxy material produced by worker bees and used to build combs Comb honey: honey produced by bees in small rectangular boxes and sold in this form Drones: male bees. Their main function in the colony is to fertilize the queen Extracted...

Our guide is based on “Beekeeping in Tennessee” which was compiled and edit by Harry Williams and John Skinner of the University of Tennessee College of Agriculture.  You’ll find several references that are specific to the climate and apiary laws of Tennessee.  We are continuously editing this document and welcome contributions.  Email us with your suggestions.