Another Door Opens » Bees

What beekeepers do on their day off

Stephen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:13:40 +0000

: Dome of the Rock

We decided to take a day off and rather than visit our bees, we chose to visit Jerusalem. Maybe the beekeeping has emboldened us to not fear what some might think of as dangerous locations, we decided to ascend the temple mount and visit the site where the first and second temples were built. We arranged with an old friend of mine, Dani Barkai, to give us the tour. Dani and I went to Associated and CHAT together and lived on the same street. Dani is an excellent guide and is not only familiar with the regular tourist attractions, studied zoology at the University of Toronto and was a guide for Haganat Hateva (Israel Nature Authority).

The temple mount is currently the site of the Dome of the rock and the Al Aksa Mosque. It is where the first and second temples stood. It is the where Arik Sharon visited and was the excuse that was used to spark the second Intifada. In 1967, after Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem, the responsibility for the temple mount was given to the Waqf. Today, if Jews want to visit the temple mount, they must agree not to pray, tear their clothes (as a sign of mourning), sing, or anything that might be seen as a religious act. The temple mount is the holiest place in Judaism, and the third holiest place in Islam.

After going through security at the Kotel (Western Wall) we were guided through an additional x-ray and metal detector to get to the temple mount. We were six people and were assigned an Israeli soldier and plain clothed man carrying a bag and radio from the Waqf. It must have been a site for people to see because we were just six people walking around with our two chaperones. As you can see from the picture on the left, we do not have our arms around each other because we were warned that this is considered inappropriate behaviour. We walked east and saw the beautiful Dome of the Rock from the outside and and then made our way back to the western side of the plaza and then north to the Cotton Sellers’ Gate.

We posed for pictures and shmoozed a bit with the guy from the Waqf. At one point I turned to him and asked him exactly where the temple stood, and he responded that he and I have very different views of this location. He went on to explain that there is no evidence that there was ever any Jewish presence on the temple mount. I guess if you say the same thing enough times you start to believe it. Our police escort Danny, heard what he said and argued with him. Danny told the Waqf guy that he would show him the locations to point out the Jewish historical presence on the temple mount. When we left we thanked our escorts and Danny told us to come back often.

Dani Barkai guiding us at the City of David

Our tour continued and eventually lead us to the City of David. There is a lot to say about Ir David (City of David) but I am cooking meatballs now and have to stop. Ir David was interesting, a bit over-rated but important for anyone studying the history of Jerusalem and Israel.

After a few hours we headed back to the old city, a short visit to Dov Kempinsk,i and lunch.

DZK & Yael visit

Stephen — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:32:14 +0000

David Zvi and Yael arrived yesterday and the girls (especially Maayan) are bouncing off the walls from excitement. Every meal becomes a discussion of who gets to sit with Yael or David Zvi.

This evening we took a drive out to hive # 1 at Beit Gamliel to check on the super. We put it on with frames with just foundation and wanted to see the progress of the bees. Yael put on Alison’s bee suit and David Zvi chose to stand back and take some pix. Yael was great. She was apprehensive at first but handled the smoker and even lifted a frame of honey.

The bees are doing great. The middle frames are full drawn and there is fresh honey in them. They are still not capped but filling up nicely. I am sure we will have some honey by Rosh Hashana.

Growing bees

Stephen — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:13:02 +0000

Tonight is a holiday here in Israel (Shavuot – Pentecost) and we are off work today. We had a busy morning and thought of the expressions the Marines use “We do more before breakfast than most people do all day.” We dropped the car off for the annual fitness test (AKA excuse to fleece drivers), walked Kelly down the street for her rabies shot (rabies is a serious problem in Israel because the neighboring countries are not careful about the issue and animals cross the borders freely), picked up ice cream at the Feldman ice cream factory and bought some treats for Kelly.

We went on to Beit Gamliel and Zoe and I checked on hive #1. It was the one with the super on it and we wanted to make sure the bees found their way upstairs and started to draw comb. They did and we were very happy with what we saw. Several frames had 1/3 ready comb and the rest of the frame was being built up.

Zoe was not afraid at all. She handled the frame and was a great assistant. If we decide to add more hives in the spring, each of the girls will get their own hive to color and take care of. Zoe is so into the bee thing that when I ask her what the four most common problems of the honey bee are, she prattles off “American Foul Brood, European Foul Brood, Varroa, and Nosema”. I think she is serious about being a vet.

Kelly watching as I fill the car up with gas

We drove over to Yashresh to check on hive # 2. We needed to get gas and stopped in Rehovot to fill up. It is a real pain taking off the veil on these suits so I just turned up the air conditioner and left the veil on. I know that in the many years I lived in Canada I never saw a man with a bee suit filling up his car with gas. The woman who too my cash didn’t blink when I approached her with the cash. She thought my English was more interesting and asked me about how to say hanacha (discount) in English. We drove off, me still dressed in white from head to toe. We stopped at a light and there was a young Ethiopian couple in the car next to us. They laughed politely and I rolled down my window and asked if tonight was the start of Purim.

I went across to the hive myself because Zoe and Maayan were more interested in playing with another dog who was trying to fend us off from the owner’s land. This hive was a concern to us because when Alison and I went to see it last Friday, it looked weak with very few bees. Doron thought it might be the weather, time of day or maybe they were sprayed. Our concerns were unfounded because there were lots of bees and they were drawing comb and it was looking good. I gave them 2 litres of sugar syrup and we were on our way. I don’t know if we will get any honey from this hive this summer but our first hive should produce at least enough for us for Rosh Hashanah.

Checking the 2nd hive

Stephen — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:09:13 +0000

Alison smoking the hive

We sent the girls off to school this morning and headed out to Yashresh to check on the new hive I installed last night. We got the smoker going, gave the bees a healthy dose of smoke and opened the roof and crown board. We pulled frames and started inspecting the bees. As we gain confidence and knowledge of what to look for, we spend more time observing how the bees behave and what they are up to. I brought my camera and took some close ups of the bees.

We pulled a frame and started looking for the queen. Alison spotted her, moving to the edge of the frame, moving quickly to the other side. There is a method of pulling a frame, then turning it 90 degrees while holding it in the same hands, then twisting the frame to the other side, holding the corners from the bottom corners instead of the top.

Queen among workers

When we got to the second frame, Alison spotted the queen. Alison has this unbelievable ability to spot living things wherever she is. We can be barreling down a highway (in Canada) at 100 km/h and Alison will say “hey, look at the deer”. Again today, she said “there she is” except since she was holding the frame with both hands and was unable to point to her. Some people mark the queen with Whiteout or some sort of marker. We left her alone but will look into the various methods of marking queens. The people who do mark queens, use colors to represent the year. She moves quickly and must know her importance because when we look for her she always tries to skirt around to the back of the frame.

Bees build their hives from the middle frame outwards. You can encourage them to fill out frames by taking empty frames and moving them 2nd from the outside. We did this and then placed the feeder box on top. The feeder box is filled with sugar water and gives them something extra so that they will have the extra energy these days, when they have to build their comb.

We also pulled some of the new frames with clean foundation. We were amazed at how fast they started building up the comb on the new frames. You could see the cells being formed and they were only exposed to these new frames for about 12 hours. These guys work fast.

Alison inspecting a new frame

Our second hive

Stephen — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:18:57 +0000

We received our second nuc this evening. Our empty hive has been sitting and waiting for a colony but the beekeeper who was going to sell us a nuc was too busy. We decided to use the bees from Doron, the first person who sold us bees. It is not that we weren’t happy with his nuc, we were, but we wanted to try bees from another bee breeder to see if there were any differences. Also, I find that many beekeepers are very busy here and the more contact we have with more beekeepers, the more we learn. Each time I speak with a beekeeper I ask the questions that I have been thinking about between visits. Learning from text books is great but sometimes you need to ask the experienced beekeeper.

When I got home Maayan said right away ” I want to go with you to get the bees”. She has completely overcome her fear and is actually enjoying it now. So, Maayan and I brought our hive to the beekeeper and he inserted the five frames into our hive. We put our five empty frames (with foundation) into our hive and were ready to roll. I spent a few minutes talking with Doron about beekeeping and when we should plan our next hive. He was pessimistic about beekeeping in Israel. He explained that there is a five hive limit per person without being required to have a license. Since licenses are not available you can only buy them from people who want to sell them. Selling a license means that you can no longer have as many hives. The only chance is to try and find someone who is getting out of the business and buy their licenses. They go for around 1,000 shekel, which is about $250.00 per hive.

We drove the bees in our car (with a special screen over the opening) and Maayan wearing her bee suit, complete with veil.

When we got to the moshav near Rehovot we had to take the hive, which is pretty heavy, and the other gear across a field that is overgrown with weeds. At that point it was dark and I was barely able to find my way. Luckily, there was an old wreck of a car about halfway there that I was able to use as a resting place for the hive (and my back). We finally made made our way to the edge of the field and was able to put the hive down on the ground. Just before reaching the edge of the field I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I looked sown and realized that my hand was holding the hive with part of my palm resting against the screen. I was stung by an angry bee. As you know, bees usually lose their lives when they sting so she must have been pretty pissed off with me lugging their house across a bumpy field. I was able to continue, put the hive down and the do some polite cursing.

When we got to the place I decided to park the hive, I gave them a few puffs of smoke, unscrewed the special travel opening, and then we made our way back across the field. At one poin I felt something against my leg. It felt like Kelly, our dog, when she brushes up against me. The only problem is that I did not bring Kelly and I have no idea what went bump in the night.

Tomorrow, Alison and I will go and feed the bees in daylight.

Urban beekeeping at hotels & restaurants

Stephen — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:53:46 +0000

Last month, my friend Martin sent me an article about Fortnum & Mason using honey they gather from their own bee hives. Then a few weeks later, he sent another article about the Fairmount Royal York Hotel in Toronto installing bee hives on their roof. Today he sent another link to Paris-based Pullman Hotels & Resorts and their bee related activities.

It reminds me of the lines from Alice’s Restaurant:

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick and they won’t take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it’s a movement.

And that’s what it is , the Alice’s Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come’s around on the guitar.

I don’t know if urban beekeeping is a movement yet but it is certainly capturing the attention of a lot of city people. We live in an apartment and are unable to put a hive on our roof so took it one step further and installed a real hive on a farm.

I found a few articles about the beehives on the 13th floor roof of Toronto’s Fairmount Royal York hotel. The Toronto Star writes:

The Fairmont Royal York hotel is abuzz with excitement.

It has to do with the opening of the new Honey Moon Suite. But don’t go looking for Italian linens or extra-deep bathtubs. This suite is a very small box with holes in its walls, and it’s also prone to regular visits by insects.

Bees, that is. The Honey Moon Suite – a cute name for one of three new beehives in the hotel’s rooftop garden – is now home to more than 10,000 buzzing bugs.

The hives were installed this week and will provide honey for the hotel’s restaurants starting this summer.

“I’d noticed how many insects fly into this garden

Maayan & I visit the hive

Stephen — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:06:26 +0000

Maayan at the hive

After I took Maayan kicking and screaming (not really) to the hive, she really had a great time. We approached the hive, got the smoker going and started warning the bees that we had arrived. I find using the smoker easier now that I empty the contents every time I start and build a small fire in it before I add the leaves. I have a plastic bag with pine needles and eucalyptus leaves which I use for the fire/smoke. It has a nice smell and even when I get home I can smell the smoke on my hands and clothes and when it doesn’t remind me of Laphroig or Lagavulin single malt scotch (flashback to the Berman Scotch Club with Pinchas), it reminds me of the hive and honey.

The hive is doing great, lots of new brood and fair amount of honey. I did not go through the hive, frame by frame, but did manage to pull frames on either end, the second to last frames and a centre frame that came with the nuc and is very heavy.

New and old Langstroth frames

It was a real chore getting it out. I first use a “J” hive tool and pull the edge of the frame up. Then I take the other hive tool and use it block the edge of the frame from slipping back into the hive. Then I take the hive tool and pry at the other end of the frame. With two side loosened and a few inches over the top of the other frames, I use my fingers to pull the frame straight up. Sometimes I wonder if I should invest in a frame grip, a small device that allows you to pull the frame up from the centre of the frame.

Fresh comb

I found the frame on the far side to be built up with comb. The base foundation that I saw a week ago is almost all covered by comb at this point. When I replaced the frame I actually put in last slot, allowing the bees to start working on it before they get to the frame that already has a fair amount of comb. Take a look at the photo of the darkened frame. It weighs a lot more than the other frames because it came from the nuc and it is loaded with good stuff.

By this point Maayan joined me and quickly overcame her fear of bees. In a matter of minutes she started playing with one of the bees at the edge of a frame, using the hive tool I had given her to hold. I had visions of a squashed bee, sending out signals to her sister bees to attack us, so I suggested to Maayan that she be a little more gentle with the bee. I put the frames back in their hive, notices some small ants on the bottom board as well as some fine dark droppings. Is this the dreaded Varroa mites leaving their mark? Next time, when Alison comes with me, I will remove more frames and photograph the bottom of the hive. I put the feeder back on and gave them another gallon of sugar water, placed the crown board on and said goodbye to our noisy friends.

Chicken eggs in an incubator

We then headed over to Sue and Harry’s. Sue had emailed me to tell me that two chicks had hatched and the girls could come see them. Maayan insisted on removing her bee suit, having already proved to anyone watching that she was a big girl and not afraid of bees. She is a little fashion expert and I think that now that she was not doing the bee thing on the farm, she should switch back to her elegant city clothes, suitable for visiting newborn chicks.

There were a whole lot of eggs sitting in plastic incubator. Sue explained that two had already hatched they were in a box with a hanging light bulb to keep them warm. They were adorable and Sue allowed Maayan (fearless at this point) to hold the chicks.

Maayan holding a chick on a moshav near Rehovot, Israel

The girls in their new bee suits

Stephen — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:07:03 +0000

They love the idea of being junior beekeepers and rushed home from school to try their new suits on. Maayan, realizing that this white armor was meant to protect her from harm, quickly lost interest in visiting the bees. In fact, she complained that the wrist elastic was too tight and started to cry. We understood the theatrics, reasoned with her and told her that she did not have a choice, she was going to visit the bees but she did not have to stand very close. Zoe had a violin lesson so she wasn’t able to go. Maayan wimpered all the way to the car but when we arrived she was enthusiastic, came close and even started playing with a bee or two with the hive tool. I had to tell her to be a little more gentle. She lost all fear (not good) and is really looking forward to going back again.

Effect of Propolis on Fat Accumulation/Lipid Metabolism?

Stephen — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:27:52 +0000

Propolis in a Beehive

Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6.35 millimeters (0.3 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its botanical source, the most common being dark brown. Propolis is sticky at and above room temperature. At lower temperatures it becomes hard and very brittle.

For centuries, beekeepers assumed that bees sealed the beehive with propolis to protect the colony from the elements, such as rain and cold winter drafts. However, 20th century research has revealed that bees not only survive, but also thrive, with increased ventilation during the winter months throughout most temperate regions of the world.

Propolis is now believed to:

Reinforce the structural stability of the hive
Reduce vibration
Make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrances
Prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive
Prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However if a small lizard or mouse, for example, found its way into the hive and died there, bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless.

An interesting study has just been published in the Journal of Food Science on the beneficial effect of propolis on fat accummulation and lipid metabolism in rats.

You can read an abstract below and follow the link to the article.

The Beneficial Effect of Propolis on Fat Accumulation and Lipid Metabolism in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

I. Ichi ¹ , H. Hori ¹ , Y. Takashima ¹ , N. Adachi ¹ , R. Kataoka ¹ , K. Okihara ¹ , K. Hashimoto ¹ , and S. Kojo ¹

¹ Authors Ichi, Hori, Takashima, Adachi, Kataoka, and Kojo are with Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition, Nara Women’s Univ., Nara 630-8506, Japan. Authors Okihara and Hashimoto are with Yamada Apiculture Center, Inc., Okayama 708-0393, Japan. Direct inquiries to author Kojo (E-mail: kojo@cc.nara-wu.ac.jp).

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: This study examined whether propolis, which had many biological activities, affected body fat and lipid metabolism. Four-week-old Wistar rats were fed a control or propolis diet for 8 wk. The control group was fed a high-fat diet, the low and the high group were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.5% (w/w) and 0.05% (w/w) propolis, respectively. The weight of total white adipose tissue of the high group was lower than that of the control group. The level of PPARγ protein in the adipose tissues of the high group was significantly lower than that of the control group. In plasma and the liver, the high group showed a significantly reduced level of cholesterol and triglyceride compared to the control group. The liver PPARα protein level of the high group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The liver HMG-CoA reductase protein in the high group was also significantly lower than that in the control group. Results from rats on an olive oil loading test were used to investigate whether propolis inhibited triglyceride absorption. The serum triglyceride level of the group, which received propolis corresponding to the daily dose of the high group, was significantly lower than that of the control group. It is possible that the administration of propolis improves the accumulation of body fat and dyslipidemia via the change of the expression of proteins involved in adipose depot and lipid metabolism.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122368824/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Comments Requested

Stephen — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:12:32 +0000

This photo is one of the new frames from our colony. The five frames from the nuc were added to our empty hive five days earlier.

Can someone tell me if the bottom cells are brood or uncapped honey? I know the top whiteish cells are capped honey. The bees seem to be drawing out the comb at an excellent pace. I wonder how soon I should be adding a super and if I need to add it for the brood or honey and if I should use a queen excluder.

Any advice would be appreciated!

A new frame after five days