I started beekeeping last year. Some things I've learned:
- honey bees aren't native to the US, they are from Europe.
- swarming is how the honeybees multiply, the queen leaves with about 1/2 of the workers (all female) and finds a new place for a hive. The remaining workers raise a new queen and carry on.
- males do nothing but mate and then die afterwards. They don't gather pollen or nectar and do no work in the hive. As winter approaches the female workers kick them out of the hive and they die.
- worker bees fly up to 2-1/2 miles to find nectar and pollen.
- mites are the #1 pest of the honeybees (they aren't native to the US either, came from Asia). Almost every hive will get them sooner or later and they transmit viruses and weaken the bees. All of my hives have them.
- the flow hive is interesting but it doesn't mean you just set it up and get honey. You still have to be a beekeeper if you want them to survive. It doesn't lessen the chances for mites or other pests and diseases.
- the typical hive population rises to about 50,000 bees by mid-summer then falls to about 5,000 over the winter.
- during the winter they form a cluster to protect the queen and stay warm.
- the honey they make is for their consumption during bad weather and over the winter. If they don't have enough honey during the winter they die. If the cluster can't reach the honey reserves they die.
and...
- it is way more involved than I thought it would be but fascinating and rewarding nonetheless!
