I should depart by admitting that an clause on beekeeping was not my idea . One of my fellowGarden Shedwriters suggested the topic , and candidly , I doubted that it would be of interest to most gardener — mostly because that wasmydubious reaction . Oh boy , was I ever wrong . I dutifully dress up an interview with the leader of the expanse beekeeping residential district — Ken and Karen Hall — and after a minute or so of chatting with them , I became utterly fascinated by the connections between gardening and beekeeping .
I recall I knew all about pollenation , but somehow I had n’t quite hold on what a miracle it is for life on ground . When bees issue forth into our railyard and W. C. Fields , they are attempt food for thought for their own survival ; by doing so , these tiny creatures move pollen from one flower to another , have possible new fruit and seeds when pollen from a virile electronic organ of one flower is dropped on the distaff organ of a nearby flower . This wonder of reciprocity between works and pollinator is more than a miracle ; it ’s crucial to life on earth . And it makes gardening possible ! I will never stare at bees bombinate around my plants in the same way ever again .
It was the interconnectedness of garden and beekeeping that led to the Halls ’ engagement with bees . It all set out when Karen , an avid vegetable nurseryman , learned that bee could improve her garden ’s yield . Eager for more cucumbers to pickle , Karen bring up this to Ken , and he , in turn , mentioned it to a workfellow who preserve bee . The next matter you know , Ken had brought home a hive , and the ease is history . The Halls have been keep bee for 28 eld now .
The Halls do much more than just keep bee ; they teach a yearly basic beekeeping social class through Albemarle Parks & Recreation , serve as wise man to new apiarist , and leave breeding to the public , include school children . I ’ve witnessed just how fascinating the Halls ’ presentations are to nestling , who can barely take their eye off the glassed - in “ observation hive ” of live bees that the Halls land along . Karen Hall also maintains the “ Swarm List ” — a Robert William Service to members of the public who notice dearest bee swarming on their property ( more about this later ) . Both of the Halls are officers of theCentral Virginia Beekeepers Association .
The western beloved bee ( Apis mellifera ) is a non - native species that is managed for its pollination services to agriculture ; thus , the love bee is considered to be “ domesticated ” — like Bos taurus and sheep . In fact , the so - called western or European dearest bee was brought to North America — to Jamestown — in 1622 . This species of bees is preferred for commercial farm pollenation because the universe of their hives is unusually large ; a single beehive may have tens of thousands of soul .
Honey bees are social animate being , with three social castes within a hive : female monarch , worker , ( female ) and drone ( male ) , each having particular roles to toy in the performance of the hive . As I learned from the Halls , a hive is one amazingly complex mathematical process which need communication among its members .
Ken Hall described a peculiarly electrifying type of honey bee communicatory behavior . If a actor bee find a hopeful site for pasturage , it is able to share this info with other proletarian back at the hive . How ? By perform the “ waggle dance ” — which point not only the instruction of the flush from the beehive , but also the aloofness from the hive!Having always suppose of bee and other insects as rather mindless , instinct - drive tool , I was more than a little surprised by Ken ’s description of this dance . Back home , I stick with up with some research on the topic , and find that the waggle terpsichore is only one of a number of form of communication engaged in by honey bees . To read more about their behaviors and their division of project , see the references at the end of this article , especially “ Honey Bees as Pollinators , Their Habitats and Products , ” University of Missouri Coop . Ext . ( 2018 ) and “ Pollinator Declines , ” Penn State Ext . ( talk over hygienic behaviors of honey bee as well as a comprehensive analysis of the spectacular population fall that get in 2006 ) .
dear bees engage in some other behaviour that was news to me : pour . pour is the process by which some appendage of the hive , including the “ old ” queen , pull up stakes and set up a new place elsewhere , thus becoming “ ferine ” bees . For an exhilarate verbal description of this procedure , read “ Frequently Asked Questions about Honey Bee Swarms,”Clemson Coop . Ext . As the Halls put it , the departing bee “ go from domesticate to ferine , ” and regrettably , “ unmanaged savage colonies have an average life expectancy of only about 14 months . ”
How does beekeeping relate to gardening and food for thought production ?
By now you may have try that one - third of our food supplying depends on honeybees for pollenation . In the U.S. there are few than 2,000 commercial beekeepers , a number that is concerningly pocket-size to those in - the - know like the Halls . These commercial bee functioning move about the nation , take away their hives to farm and grove from Florida to California . You ’ve no doubt heard about the needs of almond farms in California . From the Halls , I learned that there are about 700,000 Accho of almonds , and that at least two hives are needed to pollinate a single acre ; thus , this crop requires about 1.4 million hives .
The U.S. crop that are presently extremely drug-addicted on honey bee are :
The Halls explain that home garden also benefit from the presence of honey bees , which promote yields , producing more and larger fruit , peak , and vegetable . To learn more about the pollenation table service of both honey bees and violent bees , chequer out this Penn State clause : “ Who Are Our Pollinators?”Penn State Ext.(“With the recent diminution in honey bee universe , research worker are take care more nearly at wild bees and the work they do in agricultural crops . ” )
Is beekeeping difficult or time - consuming?Ken ’s initial resolution to this question was “ It ’s wanton to get started , but harder to keep going . ” On the other hand , both the Halls love the fact that , in beekeeping , “ you ’re always read . ” Part of the work involve monitoring for and deal disease and parasitic mites . Most of us are aware of the turgid exit endure by honeybees due to “ Colony Collapse Disorder ” beginning in 2006 , but for the Halls , keeping up on the inquiry on this issue is another chance to get word . Ken was also heedful to point out that he has a full - time line , with beekeeping fitting nicely into the “ side hustle ” category .
How do plant alternative affect beloved bees ?
apiarist must not only watch for and treat mites and disease , they must also keep an oculus on the nearby sources for ambrosia and pollen that are essential to bee victuals and health . Pollen is a honey bee ’s reference of protein ; carbohydrates and some other nutrients come from flora nectar . The pollen from some plants is more nutritious than that of other plants ; in summation , some varieties of plant provide more ambrosia and pollen than others . The nectar is also “ stored in the buttery ” — i.e. , the love bee utilize it to make honey to meet their nutritionary needs during the winter .
Thus , beekeepers are vitally concerned in the plants that feed their nettle rash , especially early and late in the season . No surprise then that Karen Hall is a big fan of early spring bloomers like snowdrop , crocus , and hellebores , as well as flowering trees and bush . It is trees and shrubs that chiefly play the early spring needs of honey bees , with plants like clover taking over later on in the time of year . If you ’re looking at add plants that put up pollinators , you ’ll want to refer one of these helpful plant leaning :
The University of Georgia is a leader in the field of bee enquiry — along with Penn State and the University of Florida — and comes highly recommended by the Halls .
I now understand why we should all be concerned in dear bees and the use they dally in fertilise us . And I ’m eager to learn more about how scientist are working to understand the health hazards confront by honey bees as well as what we can all do to prevent the on-going declines in bee populations .
source :
“ Honey Bees as Pollinators , Their Habitats and Products , ” University of Missouri Coop . Ext . ( 2018 ) .
Pollinator Declines , ” Penn State Ext .
Pollination Basics , University of Maryland Extension ( 2023 )
“ societal sign learning of the waggle dance in honey bees,”Science379,1015 - 1018.(Shihao Dong et al , 2023 )
The Honey Bee Dance Language,”NC State Ext.(2016 )
“ Dismantling Babel : creation of a universal calibration for honey bee waggle dance decoding,”ScienceDirect(Animal Behaviour , 2019 )
“ Honey bee waggle dancing calibration,”https://www.schurch.ento.vt.edu / project / waggle_calibration/
“ Blooms for bee : How to Provide Pollen and Nectar Sources,”Rutgers
Honey Bee Pollen Timing Chart/ Clemson Ext .
“ Characterizing the flowered resourcefulness of a North American metropolis using a honey bee forage assay,”Ecosphere(2020 )
