Steps on the way to bee-keeping II, guest post by ajlr

 

The theory of bee-keeping is fascinating but, of course, bees aren't that interested in theory. If one wants to be a bee-keeper one has (from time to time) to get up-close-and-personal with a hive full of 20,000 to 60,000 suspicious bees who are not immediately convinced that one's motives are benign…

Moving on from the theory we'd acquired, I and R, my husband, went along on a recent Saturday to have our practical day. This was held at the home of our bee-keeping tutor, where she has five hives and a starter colony set in her (and husband's) three acres of land – a setup we were immediately envious of! Sitting around outside her summerhouse on a fine day, with the other five novice bee-keepers who had done the theory days besides ourselves, we looked over the array of equipment that was on view. Yes, there were the 'Porter bee escapes' we'd learned about, one-way inserts that slot into the crownboard when one wants to clear a 'super' (a box with frames where excess honey has been stored by the bees) of bees in order to remove it and extract the honey. The bees can come down through the bee escape into the layer beneath but not get back up again, so after a period of about 24 hours one can remove the entire super while being fairly confident that one isn't picking up any bees with the honey frames. There also were the 'hive tools', of both shapes, essential for gently levering apart boxes and frames that over-conscientious (!) bees will have stuck together with propolis.

A key part of any bee-keeper's equipment is the smoker. This is a can with a small bellows attached and a (usually) bent-nosed top. Before opening a hive one always puffs a little smoke around the entrance and also into the top layer, and then each successive layer in turn as one works down through them. The theory is that when the bees smell smoke their instinct is to fill their stomachs with honey in case the hive is in danger from a fire and they need, along with the queen, to leave it and get to a safe place. The honey in their stomachs would then be used as temporary supplies to keep them all going. However, in the context of opening a hive, a honey-filled bee is apparently less likely to attack the nearest human. As I say, that's the theory behind using the smoker… To get a smoker going one puts some scrumpled newspaper or similar in the bottom of the can, sets light to it, and then quickly adds either a handful of cardboard shreds, or bits of dry and partly rotted wood, or dry hay, in on top. (All bee-keepers seem to have their own idea about what mixture of materials works best.) The lid is then closed and several puffs given on the attached bellows to get things to the right stage. The idea is to have a stream of cool (white) smoke* coming out of the nozzle. The art, not easy, is to judge things so that you have enough of the right sort of fuel in the smoker that it will stay smouldering, with a bit of judicious extra puffing on the bellows from time to time,  the entire time you're working with the bees in a session. And we were warned never to fasten face-veils or head-gear on until after we'd closed up our smoker, just in case a sudden stumble or other accident of enthusiasm allowed actual flames to emerge from the open can and reach up towards one's eagerly peering face. No-one wants to be enveloped in head-gear if it catches fire!

For working on a hive one needs to be kitted-out in protective garments – preferably an all-in-one bee-suit, with integral headgear and veil, or perhaps separate trousers and top (with the headgear). Most people will have seen pictures of these outfits, I'm sure, but you can see some examples here and here. They're not cheap, those garments, but anyone interested in working with bees does (if they have any instinct for self-preservation**) need one. All the bee-keepers I've met so far recommend the complete bee-suits*** rather than separate trousers and a top, given bees' propensity for finding their way into, and moving around in, small, dark, enclosed spaces… One also needs Wellington boots or similar on the feet and some sort of gloves on the hands. The type of rubber gloves one wears for washing-up are suitable – bees can still sting through them if provoked enough but they do give some protection and are easy to clean.

Wearing this collection of high fashion gear is not exactly cooling on warm days in spring and summer, particularly as one is recommended to wear trousers and a long-sleeved top under it all. As I hopped from one foot to the other and twisted myself into strange shapes, trying to insert myself into everything without leaving any bits of me outside, I was forcibly reminded of the need to remain supple as middle-age advances! With everything on we were then advised to pick a 'bee-buddy' and each check that the other was fully enclosed, with no little gaps around zips ends or at the wrists/ankles where a bee intent on mayhem might get in.

And then it was time for some action. When we were almost fully suited, and before fastening our head-gear, we had a practical lesson in how to light, and keep lit, the smoker. We then checked that all the tools (most bee-keepers seem to have a set of tools similar in weight and extent to that of an electrician or plumber) were in the holdall – no-one wants to find they've left something critical behind and so have to close up an opened hive and trek off to get something, come back and start all over with by-then disturbed bees – it was time to for us to walk the 100 yards to the hives. The adrenaline was starting to run…

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*  One definitely wants cool smoke – no-one wants crispy bees!

** Although in the BBKA's leaflet on the equipment needed by beginner bee-keepers, I noticed the following comforting words:

"Too much protection can isolate you from the mood of your bees and you may continue doing things when the bees are telling you to stop and go away! It is very important to remember that you may be well protected, but your neighbours are not and are likely to be attacked by very angry bees. If your bees always require you to wear battledress, then get rid of them and replace them with a more docile strain."

*** I have found the sizing on these garments to be less than helpful, however. They seem to come in small (36" chest), medium (40" chest), and large (44" chest). They don't say anything about height, or what the, er…configuration of the chest area is, or what to go for if you're short-ish (5' 4") and stout-ish like me. I don't want to have excess trouser length dragging on the ground round my boots but neither do I want to wear – nor could I work in – something that restricts my breathing or bending. I suspect I may be trying a variety of these things on, with a view to getting something like the one I was lent for our hands-on day. Glamorous they are not.