Keeping bees an endeavor for all seasons
Gardeners find the winter months devoid of outdoor activities. Shoveling snow, removing fallen tree limbs and observing for signs of weather damage to trees and shrubs are the extent of gardening work.
Indoors, gardeners keep up with their continuing education, browse through seed and bulb catalogues and shop for new equipment and supplies. For gardeners interested in getting outdoors in the winter months to help the environment, perhaps learn to become a beekeeper!
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are about 212,000 beekeepers in the United States, with 200,000 of them as hobbyists, and another 10,000 as “sideliners,” or part-time beekeepers. Commercial producers, those owning 300 or more colonies, number about 2,000 and produce about 60 percent of the honey extracted annually in the United States.
Honeybees are crucial for pollination, and it is imperative that honeybee populations are supported through beekeeping and sustainable gardening practices. Even in the winter months, beekeepers remain engaged in outdoor and indoor activities to care for the honeybees cloistered in their hives.
When the weather permits, beekeepers may open their hives and check the availability of stored honey for the bee colony. The beekeeper may add a layer of fondant or sugar to the bee hive to provide sustenance for the bees. After winter storms, beekeepers clear hive entrances of snow to assure ventilation and allow bees to egress on warm, sunny days. Hives may need to be straightened or their covers replaced if disturbed by heavy rains, winds or animal intruders. Beekeepers may install wind protection for their hives by building wind breaks. Landscape burlap, pine branches and straw bales are materials used for constructing a wind break, which is situated near the hives for protection from the weather.
Indoors, beekeepers are busy preparing for the season.
Like gardeners, beekeepers scour catalogues for beekeeping supplies and equipment. Beekeepers repair their equipment, order and assemble new equipment, and purchase needed supplies for the busy spring months. There are many other activities involving hive management that go on during the winter months, too, keeping beekeepers busy and ‘buzzing’.
Winter months are an ideal time for beekeepers to obtain continuing education, similar to their gardener counterparts. Beekeepers learn from gardeners and other beekeepers about the nectar and pollen sources in their area, and based on this knowledge can determine when the nectar will be available to their bees. Many professional organizations offer education and support to beekeepers. The American Beekeeping Federation (https://www.abfnet.org) acts on behalf of the beekeeping industry on issues affecting the interests and the economic viability of the various sectors of the industry. The Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association (http://www.pastatebeekeepers.org) is a bronze sponsor of the American Beekeeping Federation.
Local beekeeping organizations include the Beaver Valley Area Beekeepers Association (https://www.beavervalleybees.net), Beekeepers of ABCI (Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, Clarion Counties) (https://beekeepers-of-abci-pa.com), and Burgh Bees (https://www.burghbees.org) All of these organizations have extensive websites with opportunities for online education and virtual meetings.
Penn State Extension works closely with the beekeeping community, educating novice and advanced beekeepers about best practices and research. Penn State Extension also provides education for individuals interested in becoming beekeepers. To get started in beekeeping, Penn State Extension offers Beekeeping 101. This online course about the science and practice of beekeeping is for beginning beekeepers and covers bee biology and behavior, hive management, equipment, bee products, and more. Beekeeping 101 and other courses offered by Penn State Extension on beekeeping practices are found at https://extension.psu.edu/catalogsearch/result/?q=Bee+keeping+101+online+course.
Gardeners and beekeepers harmoniously support bees and other pollinators through native landscaping choices and honeybee protection. The gardener/beekeeper collaborative is fully supported by Penn State Extension and other environmentally-conscious organizations.
For more information on gardening for pollinators, call the Master Gardener Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Lisa Marie Bernardo, Ph.D., RN, is a Penn State Master Gardener of Butler County.
