First Things First

If you mingle with the beekeeping community very long, you’ll quickly learn there are some strong feelings about how to care for colonies. Beekeepers don’t always agree on best practices, and they’re often quite passionate about their beliefs. I’m not here to judge anyone’s methods or beliefs, but to share information on the different approaches I’ve encountered on my own beekeeping journey. On the first day of my beekeeping class, our teacher, a university professor and official state beekeeper, asked me and my classmates to decide if we wanted to be “beekeepers” or “bee havers.” When explaining different philosophies among apiarists, these terms help to define the different philosophies and approaches.

Philosophies to Keeping Bees

Beekeepers: A Science-Based Approach:

This group of apiarists actively manages, monitors, supplements, and treat their hives using researched methods.  They are often researchers themselves or may rely on highly trained experts for guidance and consultation. They believe it is the beekeeper’s responsibility to safeguard the health and safety of their bees. Protecting the species is as important to them as keeping their own hives safe and healthy. They regularly track their bees’ behaviors and needs, monitor their environment, and address any problems they see. Most plan their care and maintenance based on seasonal tasks built around the bees’ lifecycles.

These folks conduct regular hive inspections to identify and treat diseases. They look for signs of parasites such as varroa mites or other insects and predators and provide necessary treatment to eliminate those. Any signs of disease are recorded and addressed.

Beekeepers regularly check to ensure the queen is in the hive. They observe for signs of health. Most importantly, they observe to determine if she is regularly producing eggs. They analyze the combs to ensure there are adequate worker bee larvae and that there is not an over-production of drones. If necessary, they may remove excessive drone combs. They may remove a queen who is not producing and replace her with a fertile one.

In bouts of bad weather, beekeepers supplement their hives’ food supply with a mixture of sugar and water in feeders inside the hives If local crops and flowers fail, beekeepers supplement food, water, pollen, additional flowering plants, or whatever else is needed to ensure the hive’s survival.

Within the beekeeper camp, there are three main groups:

Holistic Approach

First, some use only natural methods to address any of the bees needs. They use herbal remedies and natural pest and predator controls. There is one exception, however. When feeding, they do not use organic sugar.  Surprisingly, organic sugar can cause dysentery because of its high ash content. Natural beekeepers usually choose this method as part of a lifestyle philosophy that extends to their home and family.

Research-Based Approach

The second group prefers to use commercially available treatments containing manufactured chemicals. These products undergo rigorous and consistent testing and experimentation than most natural methods. These beekeepers use this data to choose treatments they believe will be most effective. They see these research-based methods are healthiest and give bees the best chance of survival.

Practical Approach

The third group is open to using either natural or manufactured methods to take care of their bees’ needs. Philosophically, they may lean more toward natural or chemically based treatments. When those methods fail, they’re willing to other options.

So, What Is a “Bee Haver”?

Bee havers raise bees without human intervention. They often capture wild local colonies because they may be more acclimated to their areas. This group believes in allowing nature to take its course with their bees. Human involvement, in their view, prevents colonies from adapting and evolving in a natural way. Intervention keeps the bees dependent on a human for survival. Bee havers see this as detrimental to their hives, and the species. It is important to note that some states require any commercial honey producers to conduct hive inspections and control bee diseases and communicable pests such as varroa. If you choose the bee haver philosophy, you must be aware of any limitations on honey sales in your county and state. Other business ventures such as renting out hives would likely be off limits, as states attempt to prevent spread of diseases.