Spring is defined by warmer temperatures, fresh foliage and the overall rebound of nature. Many of the changes we see in the environment are thanks to the important pollinators, such as honey bees.
Jim Anglewicz has been a beekeeper in Alanson for more than 20 years. He said spring is an important time for honey bees.
“There’s different varieties of bees, so depending on the variety of bee, some may start building their population in February. My bees start doing that in April,” Anglewicz explains. For his bees, maple tree flowers are their trigger to build up the population.
During the build-up, bees are collecting as much pollen and nectar as they can in order to feed their baby bees. They build their populations up through June and spend most their resources growing their population and hive. In July, they begin the process of storing their excess. From July 1 to Aug. 15, bees will put about 5 pounds of weight in the hive every day.
“By Aug. 16, if you weigh your hives, you’ll start seeing that weight start to drop off right at that until it levels off in the fall when there might be something coming in,” Angelwicz said.
Since the spring is a significant time to reproduce, sometimes the hive becomes crowded.
“Around June, they want a swarm, that’s one of their impulses as they produce. What happens is they build so much population they get crowded, and they start building queen cells. Those queens hatch, or the original queen, the old queen in the hive, will leave the hive with a bunch - probably about half of the population of bees - and look for another place to live,” Angelwicz said.
The issue today for pollinators is a lack of variety of plants to feed them. The decline of biodiversity results in them not getting the nutrition they need, and they tend to get sick easier.
“We’re seeing a decline of lot of pollinator species. I live adjacent to state land and there’s nothing but a pine desert. So the state has planted red pine for hundreds of acres. My bees bring in mostly basswood honey, and all kinds of wildflower honey. They must fly 2, 3, or 4 miles away to get the resources they need, and they do bring it in,” Angelwicz said.
In order to help create the biodiversity needed for healthy bees, keepers suggest a few strategies for success that everyday people can follow.
- Wait as long as possible to cut your lawn. Let the dandelions grow!
- Plant wildflower seeds all around your house
- Plant flowering vegetables like broccoli
- Avoid chemical fertilizers and environmental contaminants
Every year, Angelwicz harvests nearly 75 pound of honey per hive, sometimes more, sometimes less.
“It’s important for me to leave enough honey bees so they have enough resources to get through the winter. So I leave at least 50 pounds depending on the size of the hive, then I harvest the remainder,” he said.
For more information on how to buy local honey, visit www.ltbbeekeepers.com/shop/.
