Keeping Cool!

It's been a hot week, but the bees aren't sweating the weather!

I went out to the hives today to check in on how the bees are doing.  With the heat index creeping upward of 100 degrees F, it's important to not just check on the health of the hive, but also how the hive is handling the heat.

Bees keep their hive at around 95 degrees F.  In order to help them do this, beekeepers should place a hive near a source of water.  At our DCCG bee location, we have a small stream.  If you don't have access to a local body of water, a birdfeeder makes a good substitute!

When it gets hot in the hive, you might notice something called "bearding":

(Pictured: bearding on the first hive, summer 2015)

Bearding is not a cause for concern and it doesn't mean the hive is going to swarm (split in half and leave to form a new hive).  It just means the bees need a little more space to keep cool.

If you are interested in learning more about bee bearding, there is a great hands on opportunity to connect with the bees:

(Just kidding.  This looks terrifying to me.)

Could your beard use some extra beeswax?  Would you run away from this as quickly or more quickly than me?  Do you have any other questions about how bees keep cool?  Maybe you've seen a worker gathering water from a puddle or kiddie pool in your yard.  Share your stories, questions, or comments below!

Introductions

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and 160,000 (or so) of my closest friends!

My name is Lynnea Erickson Laskowski and I've been keeping bees for just over a year.  I remember learning from my grandfather that he used to keep bees and when I had the opportunity to follow in his footsteps, I jumped right in!  I'm 100% a hobby beekeeper, but I love learning about apiary life and everything it entails.  As part of the DeKalb County Community Gardens (DCCG), I love to share my learning journey and offer an opportunity for anyone else who is interested to get up close and personal with our fuzzy fliers!

Pictured above are our DCCG beehives.  The colorful beehive on the left is the older hive.  It was installed in April of 2015.  The bees in this hive are Italian bees (Apis mellifera ligustica).  Italian bees were introduced in the US in 1859 and the hives are typically gentler in temperament.  The white hive on the right is the newest hive, installed as we expanded to include bees in the DCCG mission.  These bees were brought in from a local beekeeper (Charter Grove Honey in DeKalb County, IL--find them on Facebook!) and installed in June 2016.  These are an Italian-Carniolan hybrid.  The Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) is native to Eastern Europe and tends to also be a less-aggressive species of honey bee (which I love!).

I'll be sharing details about beekeeping basics, how bees help our community and our planet, what is happening in our personal hives, and ways to get involved!  If you have any questions or topics you'd like to learn more about, sound off in the comment section!