FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of frequently asked questions about the Jefferson County Beekeepers, honeybees, honey, and beekeeping in general. It is an ever changing and evolving list of questions. If you have a question about beekeeping, please feel free to contact the JCBA, or email us at the provided link at the end of this page.

1. Does the JCBA ever present to schools or other groups around the area? Yes, we will try to find a member of our association who can present to your club, school, or group. Just contact us, and we will try to arrange a presentation for your group.

2. I know nothing about bees, but I am interested in beekeeping. How do I get started? This is an often heard question whenever we have a booth or presentation somewhere in the area. First, contact your local beekeeping association. They can be a wealth of knowledge and help. Next, see if any of the clubs or associations are offering a beginning beekeeping class. JCBA in conjunction with Jefferson College hosts a twice yearly beginning beekeeping class through the college's Adult Education Department. Finally, try to pair up with a local beekeeper, and spend a day or two with them. Most beekeepers are willing to take on beginners to help them out.

3. Do bees sting, and does it hurt? Well folks, there is no easy way around this one. Bees do sting, and it does hurt! Even after keeping bees for years, it still hurts when they sting, but after a while, it becomes more of a bother than a real problem. For a normal person who is not allergic to bees, the pain will only last a few minutes. I have hit my finger with a hammer and it hurts far more and far longer than a bee sting.

4. I am deathly allergic to bees, and one sting will kill me! My response to such a statement is "Have you ever been stung by a honeybee?", and "Has an allergist tested you for hyper sensitivity to honeybee venom?". Many people have been stung by "Bees" before, but very seldom is it by a honeybee. Wasps, especially Yellow Jackets ( which look a lot like honeybees), are very territorial and will sting with little or no provocation. Honeybees on the other hand, when away from the hive, are quite docile and will not usually sting unless they are handled or stepped on. As for allergic reactions to honeybees, response to stings varies from person to person, and even varies from sting to sting in the same individual. In actuality, only one person in 10,000 is "deathly allergic" to honeybees. A few more people are "highly allergic", and should seek medical attention when stung. Most people are mildly allergic to honeybees, and have little if any major symptoms when stung. Finally, the venom of honeybees is different than the venom of wasps and other bees. Each stinging insect has a different type of venom. Just because you are allergic to "Mud Daubbers" doesn't mean you will react to Bald Faced Hornets, honeybees or any other bee or wasp.

5. How come I don't see as many honeybees now as I did when I was a kid? In the late 1980's and early 1990's, a parasitic mite was accidentally introduced that preyed upon honeybees, both those kept by beekeepers, and those living in the wild. The "wild" honeybees were wiped out by this mite, and many beekeepers lost large numbers of their colonies to this pest. Today, most bees that you see are kept by a beekeeper, and any colonies in the wild, are some that got away from a beekeeper. Beekeepers have medications today to help control the pest, but colonies that swarm away from a beekeeper are usually doomed to die because of the mite.

6. Why are honeybees important? That is a great question! Honeybees are one of our most important pollinators of the fruits and vegetables that we eat. There are many different pollinators in our world, but the honeybee is one of the most effective and efficient of them all. Honeybees are not native to the U.S., and were imported by the early settlers to pollinate the crops that they brought with them. Many of the fruits and vegetables that we enjoy were not native to the U.S., and the pollinators that were present here naturally did a poor job of pollinating these new species of plants the settlers brought with them. If not for honeybees, the produce department of the largest grocery store would be about 75% smaller! Apples, almonds, watermelon, cucumber, oranges, peaches, cherries, and cranberries are just a few of the many fruits and vegetables that rely on honeybees for proper pollination.

7. I have heard a lot about the "Killer Bees". What are they, and why are they so dangerous? First, there is no such thing as "Killer Bees". This was Hollywood's way of making a relatively harmless insect seem more threatening. Many years ago, a scientist in South America brought a species of honeybee from Africa that worked better in warmer climates than the European honeybee many beekeepers in the world currently keep. He thought that by breeding the European bee to the African bee, they would work better in the hotter climate of Central and South America. The biggest problem with the African bee was that it had a much meaner temper. The African bees escaped, and began to migrate north and south through South America, Central America, and finally through Mexico. Along the way, they began to interbreed with the European honeybee, and are often referred to as the "Africanized bee". The African bee is no more venomous than it's European cousin, but when disturbed, they attack in much larger numbers and follow the disturber a much longer distance than the European honeybee. Hence, more African bees sting the retreating disturber. More stings, more venom, more dangerous. On a positive note, the range of the African bee has slower tremendously the past few years. Scientists studying this bee are puzzled as to why it has not expanded it's range the past few years. Many even believe that the northern movement of the African bee may be at it's limit. Currently, African and Africanized honeybees can be found in Southwest Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of California and Nevada.

8. What products do honeybees produce? The main product produced by honeybees of course is honey. Bees collect nectar from flowers, mix it with some special enzymes, place it into cells, and dry it to produce honey. Another product from the hive is beeswax. Beeswax is produced by young worker bees to produce the comb that the bees use to store honey, or raise their brood in. Another product from the hive is Propolis, or commonly called "Bee Glue". Bees gather sap and other resins from plants to produce a sticky substance called propolis, which they use to coat the interior of the hive, fill cracks, and cover objects inside the hive. Propolis exhibits anti-biotic properties, and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria in the hive. Finally, Royal Jelly, a food produced by young worker bees, and fed to queen larvae, is another product from the hive. Royal jelly is used as a dietary supplement by some people. Most Royal Jelly is produced in Asian countries.

9. What is the hierarchy of the honeybee colony? Honeybees are a "social insect" like ants and termites. It is a wondrous society that is controlled by pheromones or scents produced by the members of the colony. There is one queen bee in each colony. The queens role is to hold the colony together, and to produce eggs. At the peak of egg production, the queen can lay up to 1500 eggs per day (about 1 per minute). Most of these eggs that she lays are fertilized, and will develop into worker bees. The queen can live up to 4 years in the colony. At the peak of the season, the worker bees can number about 70,000. The worker bees clean the hive, build comb, protect the hive, and become foragers for the last 3 weeks of their life. A workers life is tough, and they only live about 6 weeks in the summer. The queen can also lay unfertilized eggs. These unfertilized eggs develop into male bees called Drones. At peak of the season, there may be a couple thousand drones in a hive. The drones are much larger than workers, have no stinger, so therefore cannot sting. They contribute nothing to the colony. They can even feed themselves and rely on workers to feed them. Their only job in the scheme of things is to leave the hive and mate with any virgin queens in the area. Once a drone mates, he dies. Those drones that make it all summer long will be kicked out of the hive with the arrival of fall, and die.

10. I noticed that honey prices have soared over the past year. What happened? Several factors have come into play concerning honey prices in the past year. The wholesale price of honey went from approximately $.70 a pound to a high of $1.90 a pound in a span of 7 months! One thing that happened was that the U.S. would not accept several shipments of honey from China until it could be tested for chemicals that are banned in the U.S. Another thing was that the countries we normally import honey from didn't produce enough honey for export last year. Finally, in many parts of the U.S. the honey crop was way down from previous years. All of these factors converged at one time to help push up honey prices.

11. How much does it cost to get started in beekeeping? There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when asking this question. It depends on what you want to buy when you first start out. There are many items and tools you wont need until after the first year. If you are just starting out, and on a tight budget, stick to just the basics the first year. You are often better off to put together what you need piece by piece than ordering a so called "starter set" from a catalogue. Often times the equipment in these is not what you really want or need. Sit down with an experienced beekeeper and discuss what you will need for the first few years. Read up on beekeeping. There are many excellent books out there (both old and new) on the subject of beekeeping. Buy or borrow a couple and read through them. One of the best books out there is "The Beekeepers Handbook". It is a wonderful source of information, and is extremely well written for anyone with bees. One purchase most new beekeepers shouldn't make in the first few years is an extractor. Many associations have extractors that they loan or rent to members, and often times, the new beekeeper can find a veteran who would extract their honey for them for a nominal fee. That fee could be something as simple as helping the veteran extract his honey. If a dollar amount were put on it, a very basic two hive setup with necessary equipment would cost about $300.00. One tip for the beginner. Start out with all NEW equipment. DON'T buy used woodenware unless you know what you are getting. You don't want to buy someone else's problems.

12. I live in a subdivision, and have no place to keep bees. This is not usually a valid excuse for not keeping bees if you are truly interested in beekeeping. Many towns and communities do not ban beekeeping, and backyard beekeeping is a growing hobby. Neighbors can be a concern however. As a responsible beekeeper, you need to be aware of your neighbors and their concerns about beekeeping. First, out of sight, out of mind is the best philosophy. Put your hives in a location so that the neighbors cant see them. Consider fencing them off behind a 6' tall privacy fence. This will force the bees to fly up and over the heads of anyone in the area. Explain to your neighbors the importance of honeybees and their role in the environment. Let them know that away from the hive, honeybees are not aggressive, and will not sting unless they are handled or pinched. Don't advertise that you have bees. If you wear a bee suit, veil, gloves, etc, that is fine, but don't let your neighbors see you parade across the yard dressed like that. They will them begin to wonder about these "gentle" bees you are always talking about. Have a place where you can get dressed and not have the neighbors notice you. Be sure to take all honeybee complaints serious, and check into them. If a neighbor is complaining about bees in a birdbath, or hummingbird feeder, or swimming pool, deal with it. Find a solution to the problem. It could be as simple as having the neighbor drain the birdbath a couple of days while you supply them with water closer to the hive. Also, explain to your neighbors that sweet things will draw not only bees but other stinging insects as well. Don't leave cans of soda out, or spilled sweets, or lids off garbage cans. Finally, give them a few jars of the honey that you produced from your hives. Maybe a gift basket with a jar of honey, a honey dipper and a pair of rolled beeswax candles. If you just don't want to risk dealing with the neighbors, then find a local farmer, or someone who owns a piece of land, and talk to them about keeping bees on their property. Many landowners welcome beekeepers and would love to have hives on their property!

13. What do honeybees do? At face value, this seems like a very simple question, but when we begin to think about it and answer the question, it becomes somewhat lengthy and complicated. First and foremost, honeybees are pollinators. They were brought to this country by the early settlers to pollinate the various crops and plants that they brought with them. Without the honeybee, the pollinators native to the U.S. didn't effectively pollinate these new crops, so the plants produced less than their full potential. The honeybee did a much better, and effective job of pollinating the crops. Next, honeybees produce honey. Honey is produced by mixing the nectar of plants with enzymes, and drying it in the hive. Honey is a combination of sugars, minerals and enzymes. Finally, honeybees produce other products in the hive as well. Beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly are all produced and collected from the hive.