[Skill] Beekeeping (Founder Review)

[Aladari Coolwater]

Article: (Skill) Beekeeping Author(s): Aladari Coolwater Approval here Peer Review: Here Note for FoundersIt was proposed to list diseases that may plague a hive in Peer Review, but I was uncertain as to if real world diseases would be used, or if they would be created. If you opt to use real world diseases and wish for me to put a few in the article, I can absolutely do so. Overview Definition: Beekeeping, also known as apiculture, is defined as the art and science of taking care of bees. This includes housing, breeding, and harvesting goods from the hive. Beekeeping can be done as a hobby in a backyard or garden, which usually includes a few small hives. This is not often profitable, although a small amount of money may be made. Beekeeping can also be done professionally or semi-professionally, on a farm or a similar open space. This is a more profitable line of work, which can range anywhere from dozens to thousands of hives, and may be a secondary or main source of income for the beekeeper. History: Beekeeping is a skill as old as farming, nearly untraceable in its origins. Before there was even a way to keep bees in captivity, people were out harvesting the valuable goods from wild hives. Beekeeping products have long been used for supplementing medicine, cooking, farming, and candlemaking. Caihya watches over the bees, and therefore those with Caiyha's gnosis may feel especially in-tune with the raising of bees (as they do with all of nature). The grassland, coniferous forest, and urban witches are most adept at communication with them. Related Skills Animal Husbandry Animal Husbandry is a more general skill, with beekeeping being a subset of that skill. While animal husbandry is not a prerequisite, it often goes hand-in-hand with beekeeping, as apiarists often also run farms or live with other animals. Cooking Honey, specifically, is used widely in cooking. It is mixed in drinks, such as teas for the flavor. It also has usage in foods such as a marinade for hams. Propolis can be chewed as a gum, either plain or with flavors added. There are those who consume large amounts of bee pollen or royal jelly, too, but these are much less common, and their uses are limited to obscure medicinal practices. Candlemaking Candlemaking is related to beekeeping by the use of beeswax. Beeswax is a popular choice of material, as it melts relatively slowly and burns without emitting any unwanted odors. Farming and Agriculture Farming and Agriculture both involve the raising of crops for profit. Keeping bees is an easy way to ensure the pollination, flowering, and fruit-growth of any kind of crop. This can also improve the quality of the harvest, increasing the profit generated. Floristry Like farming and agriculture, florists benefit from more numerous and healthier flowers when they keep bees to pollinate their crop. Medicine Honey has been used for ages as a cure-all, for coughs, colds, and multiple kinds of aches. Propolis, too, is said to have healing qualities, including the ability to seal wounds, soothe mouth sores, and even remove warts and bumps from the skin. Starting Beekeeping Learning How to Keep Bees Books Books about bees or beekeeping are a readily available and easy resource in the major cities. However, most are helpful only to beginner level apiarists. A book may be able to detail the tools needed, how to identify certain bees, and how to harvest from hives, but they fall short when it comes to the nuances of certain techniques. Books may show diagrams and give directions, but removing honey and wax from the combs will never be perfected by reading. Information must be combined with practice, and thus many (potentially costly) mistakes. A book will be of little use when trying to figure out why a hive is swarming, as it can only give possible reasons, and not diagnose individual situations. Similarly, it is of only basic help when trying to discover which disease is plaguing a colony, as it only gives a limited number of symptoms and diseases. Teachers Teachers and mentors, if available, are generally the best resource. An experienced beekeeper will know the techniques to use, when to use them, and why they work- not to mention the fact that they can walk their students through these steps intimately and show them what needs to be done. Anything a book can do for an aspiring keeper, a mentor can do better. The only downside is that those who can teach the skill of beekeeping are rare, moreso than beekeepers themselves. They are optimal if the choice is given, but only larger cities or farming-oriented communities are likely to have a resident beekeeper. Materials Needed The Hive Box A hive box can be obtained a number of ways, whether it is homemade, inherited, or purchased. Either way, these hive boxes generally consist of: A hive stand, to keep the hive off the ground A bottom board, to rest the hive on Hive bodies, boxes stacked on top of each other to form the hive Supers, larger boxes which contain the frames where honey and larvae are stored An inner cover, or queen excluder, which keeps the queen bee separated from the sections where honey is to be stored so that she does not lay eggs in the food stores An outer cover, to keep predators and the elements from harming the bees within the hive The Jacket A jacket is considered a necessity for beginning apiarists. This may be a thick jacket, made of a very heavy leather which prevents stings, or it may be a thinner leather, which blocks only some stings, and lessens the pain of others. Slick materials, such as very fine wool, silk, or satin, can be more difficult for a bee to cling to, and thus some more experienced beekeepers wear only a slick jacket. Jackets are generally light in color, as this is less attractive to bees who are behaving aggressively. The Veil A bee veil is a key tool for beekeepers of all experience levels. Although rare when the bees are handled correctly, an angry bee that manages to sting the face or eyes of a beekeeper can be devastating. Some masters, under good conditions, will work without the use of a bee veil. The Gloves Gloves are recommended for novices. By habit, experienced beekeepers know to move slowly and gently enough that the bees are not alarmed by their presence.However, any slips may be painful, as there are many bees near the hands at once when caring for a hive. The Smoker A smoker is a tool that few beekeepers live without. Although not technically essential, like the veil, all but the most experienced use one. A smoker is a small metal can in which a tiny fire is started. A hand-held bellows is attached to the metal can, and when pumped, smoke is released. Smoking a hive before handling it causes the bees to remain calm by masking the alarm pheromones normally released when the hive is disrupted. This allows the beekeeper to handle the bees and supers without defensive bees attacking. The Hive Tool A hive tool is a handy tool which allows a keeper to work with the hive much more efficiently. It is split into two halves. It has a scraper on one end, to clean out frames, and on the other end is a crowbar-like tool which allows the beekeeper to pry apart supers or boxes when the bees stick them shut with their tree-sap-like glue, propolis. Starting a Colony Choosing a Location Bees are quite adaptable in terms of where they live. The humid Jungle Wilds of Falyndar have just as many flowering plants as the grasslands in Endrykas. Their only weakness is cold, as implied by their vulnerability to winter. Well taken care of, bees may survive anywhere, though it is certain that more work is required in colder regions. If a certain type of honey is desired, the bees may need to be placed within a certain crop. Bees tend to prefer blue or yellow flowers, because they are more sensitive to ultraviolet light, which the bees see with. However, bees will generally work with whatever is closest. To keep bees from tainting a type of honey, it would be required to keep the bees in the center of a large crop field, or make sure that the surrounding area is free from other tempting flowers. Building a Hive Box As mentioned above, it is not uncommon for a beekeeper to start a hive inside of mud hives, or hollow trees called bee gums. These are simple ways to start, however they are not optimal. Because they are closed off, they allow little to no access to the bees, and therefore cause the beekeeper to be unaware of disease or other upset within the hive. They have almost no control over the colony within. Using a slightly more advanced method, the vast majority of Mizahar has learned to create hives from clay/pottery, or grass and straw to form something like an upside-down basket called a skep. These may be turned upside down to see into the hive from the open bottom, which allows the keeper to care for the colony better. These hives generally have holes in the sides for bees to move in and out of as well, and so allows the beekeeper more access, but is still largely closed off. The larger cities in Mizahar have more advanced, specialized boxes formed for beekeeping, which feature removable sections (wooden frames known as supers) to inspect the hive and watch over its well-being. These removable sections, called frames, also allow the beekeeper to better access honey, wax, or other goods from the hive, and gives them an opportunity to split the hive more smoothly if they should desire to do so. For those with skill in carpentry, pottery, or weaving, building a hivebox is a possibility. This is generally cheaper than purchasing or commissioning a hivebox, but can be more time-consuming, depending on the number of boxes desired and the intricacy of them. On the other hand, purchasing or commissioning a hivebox will be less work overall, and faster, but will cost more. Collecting Bees Collecting bees can be done in a variety of ways, ranging from virtually effortless to challenging. The two most common ways are to either hive a swarm, or buy bees. Perhaps the easiest way to collect a colony of bees is to purchase bees from another keeper. This includes a queen (typically already marked) as well as anywhere from 10 to 12 thousand bees. This is enough to start a colony and, once grown, may be split into further colonies as desired. Some beekeepers may explicitly try to sell divisions of their hives, contained in portable, small hives called nucs. These are larger packages, but available only in certain areas. The standard nuc can contain up to 20 thousand bees, and includes whatever pollen, nectar, honey, etc. that the bees have already produced. A more difficult way to capture bees is to use a swarm trap. A swarm trap consists of a box containing frames, called supers, which are already filled with honey, as well as a lure of lemongrass oil in one corner of the box. This attracts bees which are already swarming, and captures them in a box, which can then be removed and the bees can be transported to a proper hive. Managing the Hive Caring for the Bees Feeding Feeding a colony of bees is not generally a large concern for beekeepers. In fact, bees do best when unfed in most seasons. Fairing for themselves allows the colony to prosper on its own, and feeding a healthy colony can result in drowning some of the bees, causing the bees to leave the hive in a swarm, or attract unwanted pests and even predators. The only time a colony really needs to receive food is during splitting, or if the season has been deemed a "failure". This means that the colony has either not collected enough pollen, has not stored enough honey to last the cold season, or their stores have been damaged by pests or problems with a queen. Some beekeepers, though, feed their bees every cold season, because they clear away all of the honey stores at the end of the harvest season. Some feed their bees all year and claim to see no negative side effects to feeding, but it is generally accepted that feeding is not the best option. If a beekeeper chooses to feed their colony, they will do so by giving the bees a water and sugar mixture. This may be a 1:2 ratio if only a small amount is needed, or as thick as a 2:1 ratio to survive a cold season. The syrup is generally placed into the hive in a new frame. Thinner mixtures will always run out of the frame and drown a few bees, and even thicker mixtures run the risk of drowning. Dividing Hives Hives may be divided for any number of reasons; a keeper may want more hives, more production, more queens, or just to prevent swarms when the old hive boxes get too crowded. Splitting can be done by removing supers from previous hives or by capturing bees in a nuc and then transporting them to a new location. During this process, several things must be assured for the successful start of a the new colony. The original colony must be strong enough to handle a drop in numbers The new colony must have a queen to put in it, or be able to produce its own queen Both colonies must retain adequate nectar, pollen, and honey to last the season Both colonies need extra protection, as they are most vulnerable right after a split Even when these things are taken care of, a split does not always succeed. Sometimes the only thing to do is to recombine the colony with another and try again later. Replacing Combs Combs are the small yellow pockets that most think of when they think of a honeycomb. These are where bees store their nectar, which eventually hardens into honey, but also where queens lay eggs in brood chambers. It is important to replace combs every couple of years, because they can become damaged, mold, or hold disease. Replacing combs is simple if you have used combs from old hives that have failed. These pre-made combs are the ones the bees settle into most easily. Otherwise, a transition may be made. A new box may be placed on top of the previous, and as the bees gradually form new combs, the queen may be moved from her previous brood chambers to the new ones. Once her old brood chambers are empty, the supers may be safely removed and either torched to clean, or tossed away completely. Queen Bees Importance A single queen bee is vital to the prosperity of a hive because of the queen bee's unique role in the hive. The queen bee lays eggs for the hive. In fact, she is the only bee in the hive who lays eggs, and she does so at a speed of thousands per day. These eggs are tended to by specially designated nurse bees, and once hatched, these eggs give the hive its workers and its drones. The queen's second job is to regulate the productivity of the rest of the hive by directing the worker bees in what to do. These workers in turn create sustenance for the hive and their queen, while the drones mate with the queen to create still more drones and workers. Identification The queen bee is easily the largest bee in any given colony. Established queens, who have already mated, are wider and longer than any other bee. Virgin queens, too, are larger than any worker or drone, but not larger than an established queen. All queens will also have a more pointed abdomen, are more likely to have splayed legs, and will cause a different reaction in workers than other bees might. Workers will step out of the queen bee's way as she moves, and deliver royal jelly (a protein-rich food) to the queen when she is resting. Lifecycle The average queen bee will emerge from its egg about 3 days from being hatched. Once hatched, the queen will move about and find rival queens which have not yet hatched. The bee will then sting through the egg sacks to eliminate all competition, and claim her place as queen bee. It will take the queen bee just over two weeks to finish her developmental stages, and in under 3 weeks from hatching, the queen bee is fertile and ready to lay eggs. Queen bees can stay fertile for up to 5 years under the right conditions. However, after 1 or 2 years, production of eggs starts to dwindle, as the bee begins to lose its fertility. Because of this, many keepers will replace the queen after just one year, to ensure that the hive stays heavily populated. Requeening Requeening is recommended once every year or every other year, so it is an important skill to learn. Thankfully, it is not a difficult task most of the time. The process starts by finding the current queen, which should be easy since you've already identified and separated her. Next, the queen bee is removed, and a new queen (either purchased or raised) is added in her place. Adding a queen is simplest, as it merely involves masking the bee's scent with peppermint or honey, placing the bee in the hive, and then monitoring for a few days to make sure the colony accepts her. Raising a queen is a rather simple task too. Raising a queen means letting the nurse bees hatch a queen from the fertilized eggs already present. Though this is the natural way, and cheapest, it will take up to a month for the queen to hatch and become of mating age. Until that time, the colony is missing its vital coordinator. Other Types of Bees Developing Bees spend the first 15 to 25 days of their life developing, transitioning from an egg which is still and non-living, to larvae, which may move around in the cell and feast on royal jelly while they develop. After 3 days of royal jelly, they are then fed nectar and pollen, unless they are to become a queen. Queens are fed royal jelly for up to 6 days, which helps them grow fully developed ovaries. Once the bees are large enough, these pupae spin cocoons within the cell, which caps off the top of the cell, giving the "cell capped" stage its name. Pupa emerge from the capped cells anywhere from one to two weeks after spinning the cocoon. They emerge as small white, worm-like animals, but soon develop into fully grown bees, as seen above. Workers are never fertile, but drones and queens are fully fertile and ready to serve the hive within 20 to 30 days after emergence. Worker Bees Worker bees make up the vast majority of the hive. As the name implies, they carry out the work in the hive by collecting pollen and nectar, creating honey, protecting the hive, and feeding the queen. If a bee is spotted outside of the hive, there is a very good chance that it is a worker bee. These bees are all females, but none are fertile. Worker bees are the smallest of the bee castes, but have the same build as the others, including a dual set of wings, three pairs of legs and a set of small breathing holes called spiracles. They are made up of three body segments- the head, thorax, and abdomen. In order to carry out its work, the worker bee first locates a flower using its ultraviolet sensitive compound eyes, then uses its proboscis to drink the nectar from the flower, storing it in a special, smaller stomach called the crop. It brings this nectar back to the hive, while also carrying large amounts of pollen that are stuck on the fine hairs of its legs. Back at the hive, the bee regurgitates the nectar in its crop to another bee, who then passes it on to another bee, and so on, until the nectar has been mixed with enough chemicals from the stomachs to remain preserved in a cell. The final bee deposits the honey in a cell and seals it with beeswax secreted from its abdomen to save the honey until it is needed. Drones Drones are the male bees in the hive. Drones are largely the same as worker bees in structure, the difference being that they posses slightly larger eyes and lack stingers. Drones lack stingers because they almost never leave the hive, as they do not participate in nectar or pollen gathering. They serve only one purpose- to mate with the queen. There are typically only a couple hundred drones for a twenty thousand bee hive. Drones begin appearing in the hive starting in late spring, and either die off or are ejected from the hive in early fall, with mid-summer being their peak. Drones mate with the queen while in flight, meaning that during the mating season they tend to buzz about outside the hive. Because they lack stingers, this is not dangerous, and is best allowed to happen for the health of the hive. Mating in bees lasts only seconds, and once the Queen leaves the Drone, the process rips out his reproductive organs. This typically kills the Drone. Swarms Causes Swarms are defined by a mass evacuation of the hivebox by the colony, and can be caused by any number of things. The most common cause of a swarm is a simple overcrowding problem. In spring, when the colony expands, it is not uncommon for the queen to take off with a significant portion of the hive in search of a new place to land. At this same time, a new queen is usually in the making, so that the old hive may continue to expand as well. Other, more concerning causes include pests, disease, and rot. Bees who find their hive unfit for habitation may leave in order to save the queen and what they can of the hive. These swarms are often unanticipated, which means that the bees may find a not-so convenient place to create a nest if they are not handled immediately, such as a nearby house or tree where they cannot be properly taken care of and must be moved. Control and Prevention Should there be hiveboxes prepared for the new swarm, swarms may be okay, even welcome, and an easy way to naturally divide hives. However, for beekeepers who were not prepared, a swarm can be a problem. Simple ways to keep a hive from swarming include monitoring the population and space of a hive, cleaning the hiveboxes and replacing combs regularly, and ensuring that the hive is safe. Sometimes even these measure are not preventative enough, and colonies swarm for seemingly no reason. In order to slow or prevent these swarms, some beekeepers will clip one wing of the queen, forcing her to fly very poorly (if at all), and making it difficult for her to lead the swarm out of the hive. Collecting from the Hives Honey Collection and Purification Collecting honey from a hive is one of the first things a keeper learns, because it is important to the health of the hive that the excess honey be removed from year to year. Honey is stored in cells within the frames that are capped with beeswax. As such, beekeepers will generally use a warmed knife to uncap all the cells. Once the honey is exposed, it may be gently scraped off of the super and emptied into a bucket, jar, or some such container for preservation. Some beekeepers use a large bucket and place a filter on top of it, so that it is easier initially to keep beeswax from falling into the honey. However, this is not necessary as the honey is filtered multiple times before being emptied into containers. This ensures the purity of the product. Uses In cooking, honey is used as a sweetener whenever sugar is unavailable. It may be used in baking sweets, it may be mixed in drinks such as teas, or it may be drizzled on top of foods such as fruits or cheeses to make a sweet candy. There are many different kinds of honey, depending on the flower it was gathered from. They're all said to taste different, with fruits being sweeter, and grains or vegetable-based honeys tasting more earthy. Medicinally, honey can be used for many things. Honey has healing properties which make it good for sanitizing wounds, soothing burns, and coating sore throats or upset stomachs. It has also been used to spread on the skin as a moisturizer, or as a soap/shampoo scrub when mixed with a rough material such as sugar grains, sand, or very small pebbles. Wax Collection and Purification Beeswax is found capping off cells in which honey is stored. Because of this, when honey is collected, so is beeswax. When the wax is scraped off of the honey cells, it is often mixed with honey, and comes off in flakes and strips. If the wax is filtered out, as mentioned in the honey collection, it will be much simpler to gather and prepare for purification. The wax must be drained of honey first, usually using a combination of hanging the combs to let the honey drip, and rinsing the combs in warm water. Once the combs are separated, they may be placed on heat to melt. The liquid wax is drained through a fine filter repeatedly, until there are little to no impurities. Once the wax is clean, it may be poured into a mold, to be formed into shapes, or it may be kept in a simple glass container until use. Uses Wax is harvested in much smaller quantities than honey, and as such, is more expensive. Being expensive, wax is not a hugely popular item. It is used mainly in forming candles. Wax can also be used to patch holes when it is warm and pliable, but will melt in heat, so it is not optimal for outdoor usage in the summer. Similarly, wax caps can be made for aching teeth, but the wax must be replaced frequently. Propolis Collection and Purification Propolis is the sticky, sap-like material used within the hive to glue frames together and to capture foreign material such as moths or other bugs that have gotten into the hive. Collecting propolis is difficult, as it is not found in any one specific place. However, should chunks be found isolating foreign materials, it is possible to collect a significant amount. In order to clean the propolis, it must be heated and filtered just like the wax. Uses Propolis may be used as a chewing gum, due to its sticky properties. Sometimes it is mixed with berries or other fruits as well, to create a more appetizing flavor. Propolis may be used in construction as a sort of glue when heated and re-solidified. Propolis has also been said to have cleansing properties and, like honey, can be used to soothe open wounds. Unlike honey, propolis may also stick, giving it a bandaging function as well. Royal Jelly Collection and Purification Royal Jelly is found within the cells that will produce a queen. It can be scooped out of these cells when the queens are not wanted or needed. Note, however, that removing royal jelly from a cell will cause the larvae to starve, and collecting too much from one hive may cause a population shortage. Because royal jelly is mostly water mixed with key nutrients, filtering royal jelly is not necessary. Uses Royal Jelly's uses have been debated over and over again. Because it causes the longevity and fertility in a queen bee, some say that it will incite the same qualities in people. Others use royal jelly as a supplement on foods, or to rub into their skin as a cream. Pollination Any profession which requires pollination, including farming and floristry, or hobbies such as gardening, will benefit from having a colony of bees nearby. Though this may be the primary reason for some keepers, they will likely sell some of the goods from the hive to help turn a larger profit. Raising Bees for Sale Keeping bees for sale is most often a secondary purpose, but may be the primary purpose for a keeper. These keepers raise their bees not for collection of goods, but to sell bees to other beekeepers. They may specialize in selling queens, or they may sell entire pre-formed colonies. Skill Progression Novice (1-25) At Novice level, a beekeeper can handle up to five hives at a time. They know how to use a smoker and a hive tool, but must wear equipment at all times in order to avoid stings. A Novice beekeeper can harvest only honey and beeswax from the hive, with varying success. It is not uncommon for a Novice to lose many bees to cold, if not a whole colony. At this stage, they are likely still learning from somewhere, be it a book, class, or personal mentor. Competent (26-50) At Competent level, a beekeeper can handle up to fifty hives at a time. They must wear most of their protective gear and smokers are still needed, but they may not need gloves as they have learned how not to aggravate bees while handling the hive box. The Competent beekeeper can harvest honey and beeswax with high levels of success, and one other material with varying success. Most bees will survive the cold for a Competent keeper, though it will require work. At this stage, the beekeeper can function on their own. Expert (51-75) At Expert level, a beekeeper can keep up to five hundred hives. They do not need their gear most of the time, but may still use the veil and smokers. An Expert beekeeper can harvest honey, beeswax, and their one previously chosen material at high rates of success, with all other materials having varying rates of success. Cold will not pose a threat for Expert level keepers. At this stage, the beekeeper may begin exploring their own techniques for working with the hive. Master (76-100) At Master level, a beekeeper can handle any number of hives, given that they put in the required maintenance time. They are well-versed in all tools, and almost never need to wear all of their protective gear and may not use a smoker, as they have learned how to handle the bees without aggravating them to stinging. They can harvest all kinds of materials from the hive, at a very high rate of success. At this stage, they likely have their own techniques for certain duties within the hive, as they have discovered what does and doesn't work.