Month: February 2020

It really felt good to dig out my bee veil the other day and check our hives. The weather was warming up and the bees were flying, or at least I thought they were. I had almost tricked myself into thinking that spring was on the way.

Then I stepped closer to Hive #4. No sound. No bees.

I popped the top, took off the insulation board and lifted up the inner cover. The bee patty that I had put on the hive months before was still there. Untouched.

I tapped on the side of the hive box. Nothing.

I pried up a frame in the middle of the hive and peered into the dark depths of the hive. Nothing.

Another hive dead.

What started as a good day suddenly turned sad. I think we’ve lost another hive.

The same scenario repeated itself on Hive #3. Two hives down. In fact, our “boomer” hive, Hive #5, also died in December. I should have treated that hive twice for varroa mites. The more bees you have, the more mites you have and I think my girls succumbed to this dreadful pest.

Beekeeping has gotten to be tricky. Lack of flowers to forage, pests and diseases (the mites spread viruses and other nasties), and chemicals all contribute to declining health of bees. So this spring we’ll be getting new bees for three out of five hives, either package bees or from a split. I hope our other two hives make it through the rest of what we call winter here in Iowa.

Meanwhile, I’ve put out a “For Rent” sign. Hopefully, some interested bees will see it and come join our apiary.

 

 

MARCH 13 UPDATE: The bill passed the Senate and now heads to the House!

I heard the buzz at the Iowa Statehouse in February. It was all about bees.

First, the Iowa Honey Producers Association hosted a breakfast reception on February 13 for legislators and dozens of beekeepers from throughout the state. Eleven counties and 29 cities in Iowa also proclaimed February 13 as Iowa Honey Bee Day.

There’s also a move to name the honey bee as the official state insect. Senate Joint Resolution 2004 passed out of the Senate State Government Committee recently by a unanimous vote. It has been placed on the calendar and now ready for Senate Floor debate.

Let’s hope the resolution makes it. Iowa is only one of two states that doesn’t have an official insect.

What’s more, honey production is an important part of our state’s agricultural economy.

And if that’s not enough, pollination of crops by bees is even more important. In limited soybean field trials, honey bee pollination accounted for an 8 percent increase in yields.

It all adds up for me: Let’s honor the honey bee and proclaim it the official state insect. It’s about time!