LESSON 7: Beekeeping Equipment & Hive

Assembly
Posted on June 17, 2011

To be successful in beekeeping, certain beekeeping equipment is necessary. All equipment must be

uniform and standard when assembling a hive.

There are several types of hives in use today. TheLangstroth, Top Bar, Warre, or a custom design.

 Modern Bee Hive

GloryBee sells the Langstroth style of hive. The Langstroth bee hive, patented on October
1852, is the standard beehive used in many parts of the world for beekeeping. It can hold a
total of 10 frames inside the hive body. A start up hive typically begins with only one hive
body that you will insert your packaged bees into. This hive body (also called a brood chamber)
will be for brood rearing, honey and pollen storage for food. As the bees multiply and begin to
fill the frames, then you can add another hive body on top for the bees to expand into and begin
to store honey. This second story is usually added when 7 out of 10 frames are full. We have
nicknamed these two deep boxes the brood and food chambers. The hive bodies added on top
of the brood chambers are usually called a honey super.
 Bee Space: Langstroth discovered that honeybees always allow a 3/8" space between
combs. Any greater space is filled with additional comb and any smaller space is filled with
propolis.
 Hive Stand - The entire hive sits on a hive stand. This can be built out of wood, cinder
blocks or even placed on a stump. GloryBee also sells a hive stand made out of plastic.
 Bottom Board - This is the bottom floor of the hive and creates the entrance to the hive.
Many beekeepers will use a screened bottom board. This helps with mite control and improves
ventilation.
 Slatted Rack - Use a slatted rack for better egg laying and less gnawing. Adds more cluster
space for less congestion.
 Entrance Reducer/Cleat - A reduces the entrance and can be used in the winter months to
close up the entrance so it is very small.  GloryBee sells both metal entrance
reducers and wooden entrance reducers.
 Hive Body/Super - Hive Body/Supers are the boxes that holds the frames in place.
They can be a brood chamber or honey super.
 Brood Chamber/Deep Super - This is where all of the eggs will be laid, bee pollen and
honey stored for maturing bees. A deep brood chamber is a 9 5/8" super. In the Pacific
Northwest we use two 9 5/8" supers, everything in these two supers are for the bees.
 Western Box/Honey Supers - This is where the bees will store the honey and this is where
you will extract your honey from. A typical honey super is a 6 5/8" super. The reduced size
allows easier handling when full. A full honey super can weigh up to 40 pounds!
 Ross Round Honey Super - This is used for making the round comb honey. A Ross Round
super is 4 5/8" and should only be used on a thriving, established hive.
  Inner Cover - An inner cover is used so that the outer cover is easier to remove. Also used
as an escape board for removing honey and as an entrance for top feeder.
 Top/Outer Cover - An outer cover will protect the bees from the harsh weather. A metal
telescoping top will better protect the bees from the elements and will last longer.
  Queen Excluder - Available in plastic or metal. Used to allow workers to pass through but
not the queen. Queen excluders can be placed in between the brood chamber body and honey
super body to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey you will extract.
 Frames and Foundations - A super can hold ten frames and foundations in each box. An
empty frame is made of wood (think of a window frame) the foundation is made of beeswax
(similar to the glass pane in the frame.) These two items create the finished frame that hangs in
the hive. Standard wood frames have to be assembled and then have the foundation wired to
the frame. This is where the bees will build honeycomb to store honey and pollen, and where
the queen will lay her eggs.
 Pre-Assembled Frames and Foundations Combination - The ultimate convenience; a
frame and foundation in one unit. GloryBee sells the popular pre-waxed plastic frame and
foundation called Pierco. No assembly required.
 Painting The Hive - Use a Latex waterbased paint. Use two coats and paint all the exterior
surfaces. Never paint the inside of the hive. Avoid dark colors because they will make the hive
too hot in the summer.
BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT
 Bee Smoker - A smoker is a near necessity in handling bees. This smoking causes bees to
rush to the cells of nectar and honey and gorge themselves. This results in them becoming less
apt to sting. Materials used for smoker fuel can be burlap, dry leaves, pine needles or cotton.
Make sure the smoke is cool, If it feels fine on your hand it is cool enough. (You don't want the
singe the bee's wings!) Puff smoke first at the entrance and secondly as you are lifting the hive
cover with a few puffs now and then. Always stand to the rear of the hive. Move quickly, but not
with jerky movements and never swat at bees.
 Bee Veil - Always wear a veil when visiting your bees. Bees love to explore and your ears,
mouth and nose are very tempting. Your head is very sensitive and a sting can cause more
intense swelling than when stung in a fleshier part of the body.
 Bee Gloves - Thick long gloves will protect your hands.
 Hive Tool - A hive tool is a necessity in handling bees. Used in removing the cover, cleaning
off burr comb, propolis etc. It is especially helpful in removing frames.
 Bee Brush - Use your bee brush to gently remove bees from undesired areas.
 Frame Grip - A frame grip allows you to get a better grip on the frame.
 Clothing - Wear light colored clothing so that the bees don't mistake you for a bear or other
predator. Avoid wool or other materials of animal origin. Shop our jackets and suits for items
with built in veils.
 Hours - Work bees when they are flying, as bees are easiest to handle when they are busy.
BEEHIVE FEEDERS
Feeders are necessary when the following conditions apply:

 Feeding medicine in liquid form

 Winter and Spring Feeding
 Starting with or bringing in Packaged Bees
 Bringing in a Swarm
 Divisions
 Nuc's
Types of Bee Feeders
 Hive Top Feeders
 Inside Feeders
 Boardman Feeder
*Never feed bees liquid in a dish because they can drown.
LESSON 8: Selecting The Apiary Site
Posted on June 17, 2011

There are several factors you should consider when selecting a site to place your hives. One of the
most important factors is: will there be a sufficient food source near the bees? Bees can forage
usually 1-1.5 miles away from the hive fairly easily, so make sure there are food sources within that
radius. Open fields with clover are excellent sources as well as near fruit trees and blackberry
bushes. Take the time to examine your area to see what kinds of plants are available. Spring
sources of nectar and pollen from willow, fruit trees & dandelions are very helpful for colony build-up
during the spring.

Next, you want to inspect the actual land where the hives will be placed. First, make sure there is

adequate wind protection for the hives. Trees or hedges at  ground
level in the direction of the prevailing winds are a must. Second, don't select an area that is in the
shade too much. Long dead grass around the hives can add warmth to a hive and allows for faster
colony development. When the weather gets really hot later in the summer it can be necessary to
move the hive into a partially shaded area so the bees don't overheat.

When actually placing your hive on the site you have chosen there are a couple of things you should
do. First, the entrance should be facing the morning sun. Second, the hive entrance should be
leaning forward just a bit like in the picture.

Other factors to consider when selecting a site are:

 Avoid Flood areas

 Can animals get to the hives (ie bears or cattle)
LESSON 9: Packaged Bees And How To
Care For Them
Posted on June 17, 2011

Packaged bees are produced in the southern states to be shipped into northern states in the spring.
The 3 lb. size is the most popular and it is said that 1 lb. of bees represents approximately 4,000
bees. Packages of bees are usually ordered in the winter to insure timely delivery around the middle
or the end of April.

GloryBee sells Packaged bees each year at it's Annual Bee Weekend.

Delivery
 Traditionally packaged bees were shipped parcel post.
 Today, they are trucked to your region by local beekeeping supply dealers. This is your best
guarantee of timely delivery and better handling.
Protection
 If temperatures are below 45 degrees, packages should be covered with burlap or paper.
 Bees should be kept cool with temperatures between 50-60 degrees.
 Never leave packages of bees or queens sitting in direct sunlight when it's very warm. If
bees are restless and they are too warm, sprinkle them with cool water.
Condition on Arrival
 Drones usually die in shipment and normally you will see a few hundred dead workers.
 Expect shipper to give overweight of 1,000 bees.
 If queen is not alive upon inspection, your local package bee dealer will replace the queen.
Have Your Equipment Ready
 Have your brood chamber super ready with only 4 frames in the middle and a frame feeder
on the right side with sugar water.
 If you can obtain 2 or 3 combs of drawn comb from your hives, your packaged bees will do
better.
How to Handle and Hive Packaged Bees
 Immediately upon receiving the package, check to see if there is enough syrup in the feeder
can.
 The best time to hive your package of bees is in the late afternoon, when the weather is
moderately cool and bees will not want to fly.
 It is best to mist bees with sugar water (50/50 sugar and water) before

removing  them from the package. Simply spray the bees

using a spray bottle.
 Remove the feeder can and the queen. Check the queen to see if she is still alive.
  Place her into the hive hanging between the two middle frames. The queen bee comes in
her own package with one hole in the end that has cork in it and a screen on the top. While in
the box, the bees feed the queen through the cage.
 When you take the queen and place her into the hive, be sure to replace the cork in the hole
with a gummy bear or marshmallow. When your bees get into the hive they will eat the candy
and the queen will be able to get out. This timed release is crucial for a stable introduction and
pheromone adjustment to the new colony.
 Shake the bees from the package over the queen. The reason we only have 4 frames
installed is so the bees can fall to the bottom of the hive very easily. Be sure to also mist the
inside of the hive with sugar water.
 Once the bees have been transferred, put in the remaining frames and immediately close up
hive and reduce entrance of hive. It is important that the bees get their orientation of the new
hive before they fly out so they know where exactly their hive is and will return safely.
 After three days, check to see if the queen has been released, if not, release her.
 Continually feed bees sugar or honey syrup until they draw out all foundation in deep super.
(25 lbs. of sugar will be needed.)
 Place second brood chamber super on the hive when 7-8 frames are drawn out.
 When adding another brood chamber with Carniolan bees, take a frame or two of drawn
comb from the first chamber or super and place in the center of the second super. This will
make it easier for the bees and the queen to begin laying eggs in the second brood chamber.

LESSON 10: How To Manage Bees

Posted on June 17, 2011

When it comes to managing bees, there are three times of the year that require different types of
hive management-- Winter, Early Spring and Summer. Each season is crucial to maintaining a
strong and healthy colony and requires different bee management skills.

SPRING MANAGEMENT
Spring is a critical time of the year for the bee colony to grow and strengthen. Special steps are
needed to insure that the colony will grow and get ready for the busy summer months.

 Sometime in early February, you will want to check on the bees. Make sure the colony is still
healthy and has enough food. If food is running out you may want to feed them some sugar
syrup.
 February and March are good times to check on
the queen bee and see if she will need replacing. You must order your queen around this time
to ensure delivery in April/May. As a rule of thumb- it is a good idea to replace the queen every
other year.
 As Spring-time progress, keep an eye on the colony to see how fast they are
growing. Check about every 10 days. If the hive is getting full and 7 to 8 of the frames are
covered with bees, you will want to add another brood chamber super.
 Finish up your bee disease treatments during the spring and make sure they end at least 30
days before the honey flow begins. For more info on diseases and treatment times, check
out Lesson 15.
 Watch out for swarming. Bees will swarm if they get too crowded. Bees will generally swarm
after it has been cold out and a warm day suddenly appears.
 If your colony is growing fast, you may want to also think about splitting the colony into two
separate colonies. This will require another queen to support the additional colony.The most
effective method is to use a nuc. A nuc is a small hive where you will transport two frames of
brood with bees on it from a very strong colony along with 2 frames of honey. Do this during the
middle of the day when the aggressive worker bees are out gathering nectar. Insert the four
frames into the nuc along with a packaged queen bee. Seal the entrance and move at least a
mile from the old hive location. Once the nuc is moved you can open the entrance. After about
10 days, check to see if the bees have accepted the new queen then you can move the nuc
back. This nuc will be used to replace a queen that has gone bad or can be used when you
split a colony to start another one. The nuc introduces the bees to the queen in a stable manner
and makes it less likely that when you insert her into the new colony that the existing bees will
want to kill her.
HONEY FLOW MANAGEMENT

Management just prior and during the honey flow is

crucial. This is the time when bees will need room to store honey and timing is critical. The timing of
the honey flow is completely dependent on where you live and the primary plant nectar sources. In
Oregon, one of the major sources is the blackberry bush, since there is a massive abundance of it
throughout Oregon. Once it starts blooming, you know the honey flow will begin.

 10 days to two weeks before the honey flow, (or when the major nectar producing plants
begin to bloom) add a honey super on top of the brood chamber.
 To keep the queen out of the honey super so she won't lay eggs, you have a couple of
options. One is a queen excluder, which is a wire mesh that makes it impossible for the larger
queen to pass through. Another option is to use three frames of plain foundation in the middle
of the honey super with drawn comb frames on the outside. A queen will always come up to the
middle of the super when moving up, and if she sees the plain foundation she won't lay eggs
there.
 Keep an eye on how full the honey super gets, and add another super if it begins to get full.
The best method is to add the honey supers even before the flow begins. It is better to have too
much space for the bees to store honey than have them run out of room and cause them to
swarm. You can add 1 to 3 honey supers on top to give them adequate room. It all depends on
how strong your colony is and how much honey you think they can produce. Always err on
giving them too much room.
 After the honey flow, which is usually sometime around the end of July in areas like western
Oregon, you can take off the honey supers to harvest the honey. Honey flow times can vary
tremendously depending on location, and can even happen as late as August/September,
depending on the types of plants in the area and when they bloom.
WINTER MANAGEMENT
If your bees are going to make it through the winter, they need to be well fed and protected against
disease. The winter months are when bee diseases are most prevalent. The bees aren't able to
leave the hive often, so they are susceptible to more diseases. Below are some steps to help your
bees survive the winter months.

 Check to make sure your colony is strong enough to winter. There should be a good amount
of bees covering at least 7-8 of the frames in the hive. If the colony is not strong, you may want
to join two weaker colonies together. First, you will need to kill the queen in one of the colonies.
Next, place a newspaper between the suppers of each colony and insert a super on top of the
other with the newspaper in between. The bees will gradually bite through the newspapers and
 introduce each other slowly. This makes it easier on the bees and will most likely not invoke
problems with the two hives merging.

 Make sure they have sufficient sugar or honey

stores. 35-50 pounds of honey is a good rule of thumb for a stable, healthy colony. The weather
can also affect their food consumption. The colder the weather, the more the bees will eat.
 If you are not leaving the bees honey stores to eat over the winter, use a pollen patty or hard
candy called a candy board. You can even use dry sugar in some cases. Do not feed bees
sugar water during the winter, because it will cause them to create waste in the hive since they
can't fly outside due to bad weather. This could prove fatal to the colony. A pollen patty, which
is a mixture of sugar syrup, white granulated sugar, soy flour, yeast and bee pollen, is a good
food to feed them during winter. You combine these ingredients and shape them into a patty
and insert into the hive. The bees will nibble on it all winter and get the nutrition and protein
they need to survive the winter.
 Early winter (around October) is when you want to do another round of disease control.
 Put on entrance reducers. The entrance reducers will keep out yellow jackets that want to
rob the hive of food and will also help keep the cold out of the hive.
 Tilt hives a bit so that water falls off.
 Create an upper entrance in the hive by drilling a small hole. The hole will allow
condensation and moisture to escape and keep the hive dry.
 From the beginning of October to February, don't bother the bees.

LESSON 11: Swarming, Causes And Control

Posted on June 17, 2011

Swarming is a very real concern for any beekeeper. When bees swarm, they usually divide the
colony into a large group and leave to look for a new hive. They do this for several reasons. Luckily,
with good hive management and an attentive beekeeper, swarming can be prevented.

When the colony swarms, sometimes it splits in two. The colony that leaves the hive will leave with
the old queen, and the colony that stays in the old hive will have to create a new queen to run the
show. Sometimes, however, all the bees will leave and you will be left with an empty hive. Below are
some common reasons why bees will swarm.
 CAUSES OF SWARMING
 The population has grown too large and the hive is too small to accommodate all the bees.
 There's not enough room to build more honey stores.
 The temperature is too hot. With higher temperatures, more space is needed for each bee to
maintain a cooler temperature.
 The hive does not have proper ventilation and drainage. If the bees cannot ventilate the
hive properly, temperatures rise, and they will likely move out of the hive.
 High humidity and poor ventilation make the hive unbearable for the bees.
 Problems with the queen. Sometimes older queens have a tendency to fail to produce
enough eggs in times of high honey production of the colony.
PREVENT & CONTROL SWARMING
 Always give your bees plenty of room. Bees need room to rear brood, store honey, nectar,
and pollen, and produce beeswax. If in doubt, add more room! Too much room is better than
not enough, but if you notice bees aren’t moving into their new space, it may be too much. Start
by adding one Western Honey Super at a time.
 When bees are in the process of building up the colony and growing, they should get a good
amount of sunlight and warmth. Later on, during the honey flow periods, it may be necessary to
shade the hives if you live in a very warm climate.
 Give your colonies plenty of good ventilation in warmer weather. Take out entrance reducers
during hot periods and try staggering the supers so they are not flush on top of each other—this
allows more air flow. A screened bottom board can also help airflow through the hive.
 Maintain good air flow and drainage to the hive at all times. Keep grass trimmed around the
hive and place the hive in an area that gets good air flow. Placing your hive on a hive stand can
also help the hive stay ventilated.
 Use young queens if possible. Older queens have a tendency to fail during times of high
growth and egg laying.
LESSON 12: How To Hive A Swarm
Posted on June 17, 2011

Swarming is an instinctive part of the annual lifecycle of the honey bee. The tendency is usually the
greatest in the spring, when the bees increase their population rapidly before the major honey flow.
Between April 15th - June 15, swarming is undesirable from the beekeeper’s standpoint and every
effort should be made to understand the conditions in the colony which lead to swarming. The
necessary steps should be taken to avoid and stop it from happening.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SWARM CELL AND SUPERSEDURE

Before a colony begins to swarm, they will begin to create queen cells to raise a new queen for when
the old queen leaves with the swarm. The bees create swarms cells and supersedure cells to raise
the queen. In their haste to create a queen quickly, sometimes the bees will raise a queen that will
not be adequate to support the new colony which is why you will want to destroy the cells and add
your own queen.

 Swarm Cell - On the bottom of the frame, should be destroyed

 Supersedure Cell - On face of combs near or next to regular cells. Should be destroyed only
if you are going to replace the queen.
TIME OF DAY FOR SWARMING
A swarm usually leaves during the middle of the day from 10am to about 2pm. If weather is sultry,
they will leave earlier or later in the day.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS

The swarm of bees which leave the hive take off with the old queen. Before the swarm occurs,
though, the hive will begin breeding new queens. The prime swarm can be as many as half of the
bees from the hive. Usually the swarming bees are older and they all fill their stomachs with honey
before leaving so they are prepared for a new start.
WHERE DOES THE SWARM LAND?

The swarm will usually land on a nearby limb or branch. Sometimes

they will land on a post, or on trunks of trees or in a shrub. After they land, scout bees are sent out to
find a permanent home. When they return, they will do a dance that indicates the direction of the
new home.

HIVING A SWARM
 As a rule, a swarm is easy to hive.
 The Bees are in a good mood.
 If you need to transport the swarm from a location to your hive, use a burlap sack that has
good ventilation to move them.
 Place the hive in front of the swarm, and if necessary, use a smoker to drive them in. The
best method is to move your hive as close to the swarm as possible, and use a bee brush to
brush the bees into the hive. Once bees start going into the hive, the rest will follow like ants
marching to the ant hill.
Problems can arise when trying to hive a swarm. The swarm could be in a difficult place to access or
they may have already entered a tree or building. Other problems include not being able to capture
the queen or the queen doesn’t accept the new hive. Overall though, catching a swarm can be very
beneficial to the beekeeper and is worth the effort.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OLD HIVE
Remember we said that before the swarm happens, the hive had already built up queen cells and
begun breeding a new queen? When the swarm leaves with the old queen, the new virgin queen will
emerge from her cell. She will then mate with a drone in flight and return to the hive. At this point, the
worker bees will destroy all the remaining queen cells and inhabitants, so there will only be one
queen and no more swarming. In some cases, the new queen that has just emerged will mate and
then form a second swarm and leave the hive also. In this case, the workers do not destroy the
queen cells and will let another queen emerge and mate.

DECOY HIVES
If you are worried about your bees swarming, you can purchase decoy hives and place them around
your apiary site. The decoys will draw the bees to them when they swarm and will make it easy to
hive them later.
LESSON 13: Extracting The Honey Crop
Posted on June 17, 2011

Now that you have spent all this time raising and managing the bees, it is finally time to claim your
reward! Here we will show you all the necessary steps to get the honey from the super to the jar.

THE HONEY HOUSE

This is simply a place where you will store your honey supers and extract your honey. Make sure it is
in an area where the floors can by cleaned with water, is bee tight, and hot water is available.

HANDLING OF HONEY SUPER

 Use a handling board or place on newspaper.
 Place in a warm room if possible, especially in cool weather. This assists in the ease of
extracting, but make sure the temperature is no warmer than 90 degrees.
 Store for longer period - wax moth prevention.
UNCAPPING THE COMBS

Bees store the honey in the combs and use wax to cap it
to preserve it. In order to extract the honey, you must remove the wax cap to get at the honey. You
can use several types of knifes to uncap the honey including heated knives (electrically or by hot
water), electronic uncapping planes, vibrating knives, or even a cold knife if the cappings are warm.

 You will need a tank or receptacle which holds the cappings and allows the honey to drain
into after you cut the cappings.
 You can drain by gravity, use centrifugal force, or can melt the cappings so the liquid will
separate from the honey and rise from the surface.
 Allow the cappings to drain in a warm room for 24 hours.
EXTRACTING THE HONEY
Most hobbyist beekeepers use either a basket-type extractor in which the combs are reversed by
hand, or the reversible type in which the basket swings to reverse the combs. Both of these types of
extractors will typically hold 2 to 4 frames, but larger extractors that hold 9 or 12 frames are available
for Beekeepers who have more than one hive.
Depending upon the temperature and the density of the honey, the time required for extracting
honey is about 4 minutes a frame. New combs will break if it is warm, so care should be taken in
starting the extractor and reverse the combs shortly.
HEATING, STRAINING AND CLARIFYING HONEY

To facilitate straining and clarification, it is advisable to

heat the honey. For most, it is not necessary to heat honey beyond 90 to 100 degrees.

Before honey enters settling or storage tanks, usually it will run through some type of strainer to
clean it. The strainer can consist of a cloth through which the honey must flow through. Several
thicknesses of cheesecloth are often used.

CARE AND STORAGE OF EMPTY SUPERS

You can permanently store a honey super or it can be returned back the hive to be refilled. If you are
going to store it, be sure to fumigate for wax moths and store in a dry place at a temperature around
70 degrees

LESSON 14: Wintering The Hive

Posted on June 17, 2011

The honey bee colony has a remarkable capacity to adapt itself to great extremes in climate
conditions when allowed to develop freely with ample stores of honey and pollen.

As a beekeeper, there are some steps you can take to help ensure that your bees will survive the
winter. Before the winter hits, your colony must be strong in numbers and have enough honey stores
to last the winter. The hive will also need upward ventilation, easy communication from comb to
comb, access to water, and all the hive entrances must be sheltered from piercing winds.
FALL CONDITIONS AT CLOSE OF BROOD REARING

Brood rearing tapers off in the fall after October, and

begins again in late winter, normally in February.  It can vary depending on the type of bee and
conditions. Here is a list of things that should happen at the end of the brood rearing in fall before
winter hits:

 The queen bee will stop laying eggs but should still be productive.
 Bees are covering 15 to 20 combs.
 35-50 lbs. of honey, 15 lbs. or more in lower chamber.
 Adequate pollen stores.
 Reduce lower entrances, and put a one inch sugar hole in top chamber.
 Protection from the wind.
 Maximum exposure to the sun.
 Good air drainage.
SMALLER COLONIES
Small colonies require a larger proportion of their bees to care for the brood. Weaker colonies
require less honey to survive than strong colonies, but use more honey for the number of bees
present. A small cluster is unable to maintain brood rearing temperatures over a sufficient area to
rear young bees that are necessary for replacing worn out bees, or those lost to cold temperatures
or disease. Winter any small colonies over larger ones and separate them with a screen-- and auger
holes in it for an entrance

WHY BEES DIE IN THE WINTER

 Starvation
 Weak Colonies
 Inadequate supplies of Pollen
 Nosema Disease
 Queenless
Nosema disease and winter dysentery can claim substantial losses among the colony during the
winter, especially in very cold climates where bees are confined to the hive for months at a time.
When a bee cannot leave the hive because outside conditions are too harsh, the bees are forced to
discharge feces within the hive (Normally bees will discharge feces when out on a flight). Causes of
dysentery include bad food and feces in the hive. Certain honey varieties are not good wintering
food for the bees including mint honey, unripe honey or fermented honey, and honey with excess
moisture.