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LEARN FROM ONE HUNDRED THIRTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

GUiDEBEE WEAVER’S HOW-TO

FOR BEEGINNERS

Beekeepers

Hive Types

re-que ening

STARTiNG A

HiveWORKiNG WiTH

Colonies

BeekeepingMETHODOLOGY

BEE FACTS

i i

i i i i i

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Find Your Inner BeeBEEWEAVER.COM

Visit our website for BeeHelp Blog, videos, and educational services. During Spring our queens, bees, and beekeeping merchandise can be picked up at our store in Navasota and several other locations across Texas. All year long we offer online shopping from our store, BeeGoods Mercantile.

Meet the Honey Bees & BeeGoods16481 CR 319, NAVASOTA, TX 77868

Taste local and exotic honeys, see live bees, learn beekeeping and more! The BeeGoods Mercantile offers all the gear you need to get started beekeeping and fun bee-themed merchandise you can only find at BeeWeaver’s Honey Farm. Open 7 days a week.

Bee & Honey EventsBUZZFEST – iNFUZZED – HOLiDAZZE

BeeWeaver offers annual festivals, weekly tours, and daily honey tasting. No matter what time of year it is BeeWeaver is Buzzing!

Tours & EducationHiVE TOURS

BeeWeaver offers annual festivals, weekly tours, and daily honey tasting. No matter what time of year it is BeeWeaver is Buzzing!

IN THIS GUIDE, YOU WILL LEARN: BEE WEAVER BEE FACTS page 2

HOW TO CHOOSE A HiVE page 3

HOW TO PURCHASE BEES page 7

BASiC BEEKEEPiNG METHODS page 9

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BEFORE WE BEGiN,

A Few Facts about BeeWeaver Bees

BEE WEAVER HONEYBEES ARE...

MiTE-TOLERANT For more than 20 years, we’ve been selecting BeeWeaver bees to survive and thrive in the presence of Varroa mite infestation.

ViRUS-RESiSTANT BeeWeaver bees mount a distinct immunological response to viruses. They resist infection by deadly viruses that Varroa mites carry.

TREATMENT-FREE For decades, BeeWeaver bees have been treatment free, therefore, you won’t need to apply expensive toxic chemicals for Varroa mites or the pathogens they carry.

PRODUCTiVE, BUT FRUGAL BeeWeaver bees respond quickly to pollen and nectar resource changes. Their quick response to environmental conditions leads to explosive growth in the spring and big honey crops when nectar is abundant. When nectar and pollen are less plentiful, BeeWeaver colonies reduce brood production and food consumption, minimizing the need for supplemental feeding. BeeWeaver bees hoard pollen and honey for winter, building strong populations in the fall and reducing the risk of winter mortality.

HARDY BeeWeaver bees thrive in a variety of environmental conditions and climates. They have little need for extensive management interventions that are often required by other bees. There is no need for Varroa mite controls, less need for medications or supplements and, therefore, less time and money spent by you to keep your bees alive.

Our bees make production of pure, natural honey and hive products easy.

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F i R S T T H i N G S F i R S T:

Choose a Hive Type

The best place to start is selecting a hive design. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each.

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PROS

CL ASSiC Invented by Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth, this hive design revolutionized beekeeping and made modern methods of beekeeping possible. Langstroth’s key insight was the notion of “bee space,” providing wooden frames and combs spaced precisely the correct distance apart so that honey bees will not build more comb between them. This makes the frames “movable.” The corollary is that frames and other equip-ment built to these dimensions are also interchangeable.

MODUL AR Langstroth hives also offer the advantage of simple vertical expansion or contraction by the addition or subtrac-tion of standard-sized boxes and frames.

VERSATiLE & CONVENTiONAL Langstroth hive equipment is ubiquitous, meaning you can easily find compatible equipment for honey extraction, pollen harvesting, hive moving and other colony manipulation. If you want to resell your equipment or colonies, they will likely have more value on the open market if con-tained in Langstroth equipment.

CONS

VERTiCAL MANAGEMENT Langstroth hives were designed to hold large colonies and lots of honey - con-sequently, they can be heavy and may require physical strength to manage and harvest honey supers. Supers are the boxes that hold the frames of honey, bees and brood in a hive. Each super can weigh from 20 - 75 pounds, depending on size, and whether or not it is full of honey. If you are concerned about having to move heavy boxes of honey off the top of your hive, then a Langstroth hive may not be for you. On the other hand, you have the option of harvesting one comb at a time, thus reducing the burden. Placing the hive on a stand facilitates accessibility if bending or stooping are difficult for you.

Langstroth HiveA TRADITIONAL STACKED HIVE THAT GROWS VERTICALLY

BEEGOODS CYPRESS 10 FRAME L ANGSTROTH HIVE

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PROS

NATURAL COMB BUiLDiNG Top bar hives require bees to build their comb from scratch in whatever configuration they choose. Seeing newly fabricated comb hanging from the top bars can be fascinating!

NO MUSCLES REQUiRED There are no supers to lift with top bar hives, and you will work and harvest honey one top bar at a time.

EASY ON THE BACK Because top bar hives can be worked stand-ing up, at waist height and without bending over, they may be a better choice if your back prevents you from lifting or bending.

CONS

TiME-iNTENSiVE Because top bar hives require constant inter-vention to enforce comb building on only one top bar and eliminate comb attachments to sides, this option will demand more of your time.

DiFFiCULT TO MOVE AND iNSPECT Combs built on top bars have no rein-forcement or wooden frame to facilitate manipulation, movement and inspection. One can inadvertently cause the comb to become detached from the top bar (especially on a hot summer day), and it is very difficult to inspect for embryos, larvae, queen or disease. Moving a top bar hive can cause the combs to fall off the top bar.

AT YPiCAL Your bees will have to work harder to heat and cool a top bar hive because the space is difficult for them to thermoregulate themselves.

PESTS Small hive beetles have more hiding places in top bar hives.

Top Bar HiveA HORIZONTAL HIVE WITH BARS, NOT FRAMES

TOP BAR HIVE

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PROS

THE BEST FEATURES OF BOTH L ANGSTROTH AND TOP BAR If you want the features of a top bar hive, but the management advantages and honey production potential of a Langstroth hive, then the hybrid is for you.

BEE OPTiONS You can start a hybrid hive with a nuc or a package, or by installing an established colony.

HARVEST OPTiONS Add honey supers to the Langstroth portion and extract honey from frames using typical extraction equipment, or pull top bars from the top bar portion to enable easy comb or chunk honey harvesting.

BUiLT-iN HiVE STAND The hybrid hive is elevated on removable legs, to ease back strain and put both top bar and Langstroth brood chambers at waist height.

CONS

EXPENSiVE Bringing the two hives together increases the initial cost of buying a hive to begin beekeeping.

DiFFiCULT TRANSiTiON Sometimes the bees have a hard time transitioning between the two hives. Initially, special beekeeping practices may be needed

Hybrid HiveTHE COMBINATION HIVE

HYBRID HIVE

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O N C E YO U H AV E A H i V E

Purchase your Bees

You have the option of picking up a fully established hive, nucs or packaged bees.

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Colony Nuclei ALSO CALLED “NUCS”

PROS A nuc has drawn comb, a queen, bee brood, adult bees, honey and pollen. A nuc is an established colony in miniature.

CONS Nucs must eventually be installed in Langstroth equipment. You cannot easily start a top bar hive with a nuc, unless you have a hybrid hive.

Package BeesOR WILD SWARMS

A nuc is a miniature colony with 4-5 combs of brood, bees, honey, pollen and a queen. A nuc is easily moved from the packaging into your hive upon arrival.

A colony of honey bees may be started with a wild swarm, or with an artificial swarm produced by us or another beekeeper. An artificial swarm is also known as a “package” of bees and consists of three pounds of bees and a queen. A package of bees is used to start a Langstroth, top bar, hybrid and other types of hives. If cared for appropriately and environmental conditions are favorable, a package will grow into a full-strength colony in short order - usually about three brood cycles.

PROS Installing a package is easy and rewarding, and growing one replicates the natural way colonies propagate by swarm-ing. The most cost-effective option for start-ing a new hive, packages can be installed in Langstroth, top bar or hybrid hives.

CONS It takes more than three weeks from the time you install the package until baby bees emerge from brood and the colony begins to grow. A package is like an artificial swarm: the bees have to build a new comb before the queen has a place to lay eggs and the bees have to have a place to store pollen and nectar. Hives started with packages of bees need more start-up time and attention. Starvation is a risk if the bees run out of food soon after installation.

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B E E A P R O

Basic Beekeeping

MethodsTraditional methods and processes

that will get you buzzing

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1 Prepare your hive before the nucleus arrives.

2 Prepare a feeder with honey or sugar syrup (dissolve 6–8 lbs. of sugar in 1 gallon of water). The entrance of the hive should be reduced to a width of about 1–2 inches by stuffing grass or newspaper into the entrance slot.

3 Remove frames or combs from the hive body (you need to make room for 4 combs from the nuc).

4 Wear a hat and veil, and light your smoker. Take the lid off the nuc and gently smoke the top of the frames.

5 Carefully place the frames of brood and bees from the nuc into the hive. Be very careful not to mash the queen.

6 Initially, the 4 frames of brood and bees should be no more than one comb of foundation away from the feeder (if you are using a frame feeder in your hive). Close the hive.

7 In 4–10 days enlarge the entrance to 2–4 inches, add feed and check for eggs. The eggs look like miniature grains of rice positioned vertically in the bottom of the cells.

8 If you do not have any eggs, please contact us immediately. If a nuc fails to flourish or even dies, typically it is due to the nuc’s queen not surviving transit or the hiving process.

Hiving NucsNUCLEUS COLONIES

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1 Prepare your hive before the bees arrive.

2 Prepare a feeder with honey or sugar syrup (dissolve 6–8 lbs. sugar in 1 gallon water). Reduce the entrance to 1–2 inches with grass or newspaper. If you feel you need to contain the bees 100%, use a screen.

3 Gently remove the feed can and queen cage from the package, then replace the can. This procedure is made easier by tipping the package over, or by prying the can up with a hive tool.

4 Look in the queen cage to make sure the queen is alive. If the queen is dead, contact us immediately and hive the package with the dead queen.

5 Remove the cork from the candy end of the cage and hang it candy-end down between 2 of the center frames in your hive. The bees must have access to the screen on the queen cage.

6 Remove 4 of the outside frames and set the package of bees into the hive. Remember to remove the can so the

bees can crawl out. Alternatively, turn the shipping cage bottom up, over the hive, and shake the bees into the hive over the queen. Cover the hive and do not disturb it for at least a week.

7 After 1 week, enlarge the entrance to 2–4 in. The queen should be out of her cage and eggs present in 1–2 combs. If you have started the hive on foundation only, the bees should be drawing wax on 2–3 frames.

8 Starvation of the bees is the most significant hazard to success. Continue feeding the colony, taking care not to get robbing started, until you are sure the bees are producing enough honey to sustain themselves. Robbing is when bees from another hive ‘attack’ the colony, robbing it of all of its honey and pollen. Robbing can cause the death of a colony. In the beginning, too much feed is better than too little.

Installing Package BeesSCREENED SHIPPING BOXES WITH

UP TO 3 LBS OF WORKER BEES

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1 After unloading your colony, make sure that the bees are free to fly and that you have provided adequate ventilation. A colony with 7–9 combs of brood, bees and honey should have at least 6 inches of open entrance space at the bottom (though more may be advisable, especially in hot weather or full sun exposure).

2 Unless you have no time to inspect within the next 2–7 days, we recom-mend allowing at least 24 hours for the bees to recover from the move before opening the cover and inspecting the hive.

3 When inspecting, you may wish to wait at least 3 days after the move to do so as the presence of embryos or eggs more than 72 hours after the move will confirm that the queen survived the move.

4 Check the colony for the presence of eggs or embryos, or visually locate the queen to assure that your hive is queenright.

5 Check your hive for adequate space for the colony to put nectar and store honey. If there is no empty comb or foundation in the hive, add a super of foundation or comb to provide a place for honey storage.

6 There is usually no need to feed a full-strength colony immediately after moving it to your apiary site. Exceptions include acquisition of your colony in drought or extreme heat or cold, or other periods where prolonged periods where weather precludes or reduces bee foraging activity.

Colony PlacementALWAYS HAVE HELP SMOKING AND MOVING A FULL-STRENGTH COLONY

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WOOD OR PL ASTiC CAGE

THE MOST COMMON AND

SUCCESSFUL QUEEN

INTRODUCTION METHOD

WITH A 97% SUCCESS RATE

1 Make sure your hive does not have a queen. Remove the cork from the candy end of the queen cage. Use a small nail or like tool to gently open a small hole in the candy. Be careful not to poke through and stab the queen, or make the hole so big the bees can crawl through.

2 Wedge the queen cage between 2 of the center frames with the screen on the cage exposed downward toward the bottom of the hive so that the bees can access the queen through the screen. The bees must also have access to the hole in the candy end of the cage.

3 Make sure the candy end of the cage is slightly lower than the area of the cage occupied by the queen. Make certain the queen cage is securely embedded in wax or is secured to the top of the frames. If the cage falls to the bottom of the hive, the queen may not survive. The queen must be placed in the brood nest or the part of the hive where bees are clustered.

4 Close the hive and wait 1 week before opening it. When you make your 1-week inspection, the queen should be out of her cage, and she should have eggs laid in 1 or 2 of the combs. Some queens can take a little longer to begin laying. If you see she is released but there are no eggs, check again in 3–5 days. If she is not out of the cage, release her into the hive by removing the screen and allowing her to walk into the hive. Be careful not to let the wind or her wings carry her away from the hive.

Introducing the Queen

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PUSH-iN CAGE

BEST FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES,

PUSH-IN RELEASES THE QUEEN ONTO

THE COMB BEHIND A WIRED CAGE

A push-in cage allows the queen to start laying eggs immediately and will increase the chances of acceptance. This method requires handling the queen, which must be done with great care.

1 Make sure the hive has no queen or queen cells present.

2 To make a push-in cage, cut a flat 6”x6” inch screen wire. Cut slits 3/4” in from the top right and left, as well as the bottom right and left. Fold at the cuts to make a 3-dimensional box.

3 Select a comb with emerging brood. Brush the bees off the comb and place the push-in cage over an area of empty cells, a few emerging brood cells and open nectar.

4 Remove the queen from the candy cage and put her under the wire cage. Do not allow any other adult bees under the cage. Push the cage into the comb, leaving enough room for the queen to move freely underneath. Make sure bees can’t get under the cage.

5 The frame with the queen and cage should be placed in the middle of the brood nest (if no brood is present, place in the middle of the cluster).

6 Remove the push-in cage after 4 days or after the bees are no longer clinging to the cage. If the bees are clinging to the cage instead of calmly walking on it, they have not accepted the queen yet and more time is needed before the cage is removed.

7 The colony should be disturbed as little as possible for the next 2 weeks, while the queen establishes her brood nest.

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On December 23, 1888, Florence’s brother gifted her and her new husband, Zachariah, 10 hives of bees as a wedding present. Like most farmers in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s honey bees were an integral part of their homestead. Lynn Grove, their community, was a sweet spot for raising bees and their hives flourished and grew. Their son, Roy Weaver, Sr. grew the apiaries and expanded the Weaver Family’s beekeeping operation. He learned queen rearing in Colorado and began to commercially produce queens in the 1920s. Binford, Roy’s youngest son, managed the queen operation at age 16 during World War II and later became a leader in the beekeeping industry worldwide. In 1989 Dan, Binford’s eldest son, joined his father and shortly thereafter began selecting for varroa mite tolerant bees. BeeWeaver became the first commercial apiary in the United States to offer a mite tolerant and virus resistant bee breed. Today, Dan and his wife, Laura,con-tinue to improve the BeeWeaver breed, as bee breeding is always a work in progress. Honeybee’s popularity has risen in the last decade and BeeWeaver recently opened it’s first retail location in the remodeled honey packing plant from the 1930’s. BeeWeaver also holds bee centric events annually, tours weekly, and honey tastings daily. 130 years later, Lynn Grove is still a sweet spot, and BeeWeaver looks forward to sharing a little piece of it with you!

Family Beekeepingfor 130 years

ABOUT BEE WEAVER

18881905

1926

1944

1946

1965

1980

1989

1994

2001

2016

2017

1973

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FLORENCE & ZACH WEAVER GiFTED TEN HiVES AS A WEDDiNG PRESENT

HONEY TRAVELS TO HOUSTON ViA WAGON

QUEEN REARiNG COMMERiCiALLY

BiNFORD (AGE 16) RUNS QUEEN REARiNG CREW

PACKAGED BEES ViA TRAiN

BUCKFAST ABBY BREEDiNG PARTNERSHiP

MiGRATORY BEEKEEPiNG BECOMES A COMMERiCAL STANDARD

DAN WEAVER BRiNGS GENETiCS AND BREEDiNG SPECiALiT Y TO BEE WEAVER

L AURA “THE QUEEN” WEAVER GETS TO WORK

100% CHEMiCAL FREE

FiRST RETAiL LOCATiON FOR BEEGOODS MERCANTiLE

FiRST BUZZFEST!

KONA QUEEN COMPANY iS BORN

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In 1966 Roosevelt needed a job. Weaver Apiaries needed a beekeeper. Roy Weaver, Sr (Dan Weaver’s grandfather) hired Roosevelt after confirming that he would be willing to stick his hand in a beehive. When asked, Roosevelt said, “Well, if other men are doing that then I bet I can, and I’m willing to try.” Before long Roosevelt was one of Weaver’s queen bee productions experts.

For many years, Roosevelt worked as Binford Weaver’s right hand man, managing honey bee colonies in the Brazos Valley, along the Gulf Coast, in Southwest Texas, the Panhandle, and North Dakota. He was the first beekeeper anywhere to develop the technique of one man running two shaker boxes simultaneously. This revolutionized package bee productions, essentially doubling productivity once the intricacies were mastered. Assuming, of course, the beekeeper was up to the athletic challenge that this technique demanded. Roosevelt knocked it out of the park! By the time Dan was a young beekeeper he knew that if his Dad (Binford) was not around to ask a question of, he should turn to Roosevelt.

Roosevelt has over 50 years of commercial beekeeping experience. A lifetime of work-ing beehives has given him memories and skills few in the world can rival. Combine his charismatic personality, sense of humor, and story telling and you have the King Bee.

BeeWeaver is proud of our employees and the work they do. Each member of the BeeWeaver Hive helps keep the Buzz going. King Bee Roosevelt is a key player in BeeWeaver’s past, present, and future!

Roosevelt takes BeeWeaver’s guests on weekly hive tours when weather allows. He hosts school children, senior groups, families, birthday friends, and more in the bee yard. At our Bee Expert Socials Roosevelt assists beekeepers, ‘wannabee’ beekeepers, and the bee curious with questions and ideas. His comfortable demeanor and easy going smile will make anyone feel at ease with the bees.

Roosevelt Roberson

MEET THE BEEKEEPER

T E X A S C Y P R E S S H i V E S

H A N D-S E L E C T E D

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H O N E Y TA S T i N G S

A L L T H i N G S B E E

T E X A S C Y P R E S S H i V E S

H A N D-S E L E C T E D

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Stop by for an education or an adventure. All ages welcome.

CLASSES WORKSHOPS

EVENTS

Buzz

FEST

zzBB

19 Have a question, idea or concern? We’re here and available.

ADViCE, MENTORSHiP AND HAND HOLDiNG

21PB

512-535-2219

BEEWEAVER.COM queen@beeweaver.com

BEES & BEEKEEPiNG SUPPLiESMiTE-TOLERANT AND CHEMiCAL FREECYPRESS HiVES AND QUALiT Y GEAR

SERViCESBEEKEEPiNG LESSONSHiVE MANAGEMENTSPEAKiNG ENGAGEMENTSCONSULTiNG & AG EXEMPTiON ASSiSTANCEBEESCAPiNG

EVENTSBUZZFEST Last Saturday in MayHOLiDAZZE First Saturday in DecemberiNFUZZED Last Saturday in September

HAPPENiNGSHiVE TOURS – PRiVATE & PUBLiCBEE EXPERT SOCiALSQUEEN CATCH DEMOSSPECiALT Y CL ASSESHONEY TASTiNG BAROBSERVATiON HiVESBEEGOODS MERCANTiLE

FRESH LOCAL HONEY BEE-THEMED GiFTS JEWELRY, POTTERY, & PAiNTiNGSBEESWAX, BALMS, & CANDLESCOMB, WHiPPED, iNFUSED, AND CREAMED HONEYS

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STORE HOURS Monday - Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 11am - 4pm

LOCATiON 16481 CR 319 Navasota, TX 77868

DiRECTiONSFrom the North (Navasota):South on Highway 6 to CR 318. Left (East) on CR 318 and travel about a mile. Right (South) on CR 319 and travel about a mile. BeeGoods Mercantile is on the left just past the Methodist church.

From the South (Hempstead):North on Highway 6 to FM 2. Turn Right (East) on FM 2 and travel about 3/10 of a mile. Left (North) on CR 319 and travel about a mile. BeeGoods Mercantile is on the right just after the sharp curve to the right.

Look for the sign !

OUR HiVEA special thank you to the Team at BeeWeaver. Our beekeeping crew, queen yard crew, and store staff have helped make the BeeWeaver queens & bees, hive tours, honey tastings, and our many other offerings possible. Most importantly, you are each a blessing to BeeWeaver! We are grateful to you each and every day.

Photo credit for the BEST pictures in our brochure and on our website go to Mitzy Foster Camp. Say ‘Honey Bees!’ not ‘Cheese!’.