by Christian Usera
“NO BEES, NO FOOD,” proclaimed the neon orange and white bumper sticker. (I knew then I was in the right place.) I tail the SUV to the parking lot, where an older gentleman with a beard hops out of his car. He walks over to a rusty, red Dodge Ram pick-up truck. A petite woman wearing plaid flannel and stained jeans exits her truck and goes to the back, which is filled with several boxes of humming bee colonies. I’ve found the meeting of the Ann Arbor Backyard BeeKeepers.
President of the Ann Arbor Backyard BeeKeepers, Meghan Milbrath, hands a box to the man who, in turn, gives her a check and drives off. Two other older women arrive who are eager to ask questions before the workshop begins.
“Should I feed the bees now?” a woman asks inquisitively.
“These boxes are ready to go. You need to feed them when it rains, because they won’t search for food when it’s raining. Feed them the sugar water/nectar,” Milbrath replies. After the questions have been answered I introduce myself to Meghan Milbrath. The Ann Arbor’s Backyard Beekeepers, according to the group’s website is “dedicated to beekeeping education, mentoring, networking, and advocacy within the Ann Arbor area.”
Milbrath has a PDH in Environmental Health Science from Michigan State University (MSU) and is the coordinator of the Michigan Pollinator Initiative. The Initiative is dedicated to, “…(addressing) concerns related to pollinators and pollination related issues in the state of Michigan.” (The program partners with state organizations, as well.)
We make our way up to the dimly-lit classroom. There’s an old school chalkboard, and several rectangular tables. The ages of the participants vary from 20 somethings, to people well into their 70s. Meghan begins the class by taking attendance, reminiscent of elementary school. (There are about 30 people in attendance.) The water cooler talk is all about bees, where to place hives in yards and how colonies are doing. Shortly after taking attendance Meghan begins her lesson.
“We’re going to be discussing Varroa Mites today. We’re going to be doing some hands- on mite checks when we go into the bee yard. This is something you should be confident in doing and understand that it’s very important to deal with these mites the first year. Varroa Mite detection is part of standard care.”
Milbrath goes on to ask the class what pollen sources are currently blooming. Both white and purple clover are currently blossoming. Milbrath gives the following precaution:
“If we get a drought, clover and other pollen sources will be in trouble. You’ll see bees on the clover only if there’s nectar in it. However, if it’s dry out the clover will try to go into ‘self preservation’ mode and not produce nectar. In addition, there’s little Dutch clover, honey suckle and Black Locus just bloomed with big clusters of white flowers. Just be aware also that if it rains that the nectar can get washed out and you’ll have to supplement their food source. Bees will not collect food in the rain.” She goes on:
“If you’re searching for plants to grow in your garden, look at heirloom flowers, because they tend to be more nutritious, due to the fact that many modern plants aren’t bred with pollinators in mind, thus heirlooms have more nectar.”
Milbrath went on to talk about how to create a healthy brood nest, which needs to be filled out before winter. She said that the colder states (Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota among others) produce much more honey than warmer states, due to the fact that the bees have to store enough food for winter. Their hives are much larger, as well, in order to fend off the cold.
A bit later we discuss the major topic of the day: Pests. The Varroa mite is a nasty little critter that caught a ride to North America on a foreign species of bee and latched themselves onto our North American honey bee. The infestation has had devastating effects on native bee populations since the 1990s. In addition to being annoying blood suckers that kill the colony, these mites can also spread viruses including one that causes bee wing deformity.
Varroa mites feast when they’re young, then chill out in royal jelly until they produce the next cycle of mites. Varroa mites breed in capped cells, which means that the larger hives are actually at higher risk than smaller hives. (Healthier hives are bigger targets.) In addition, it is imperative to take care of the problem early, namely the first year of hive production, due to the fact that these mites will survive winter. Varroa mites ride on the backs of bees, especially drones, therefore they can go from hive to hive. (So one irresponsible beekeeper can infect other hives.)
Milbrath advises her students that, “wishful thinking doesn’t kill Varroa mites.” On that note we head over to the beehive yard in order to do some hands- on Varroa mite identification and treatment. The whole class heads over to the field. I ride on Meghan’s truck and suit up in a borrowed beekeeper outfit. (I remain throughout the hands-on exercises un-stung.)
The field is awash in white clover, as well as other flowers. There’s the loud hum of thousands of bees flying through the air. That’s when the Varroa Mite inspection begins. Volunteers take a half a cup of bees and pour them into a small mason jar. There is sugar and water that is placed on the bees. The mixture along with the bees is rolled in the jar and then sieved through a small metal grate into a bucket. The Varroa mites are pretty easy to spot. They’re large specks that are red in color. Approximately 1-3 mites per every 300 bees is a normal number of mites, but anything over 5 is cause for concern and is to be treated immediately. There are several types of treatment one can use to effectively kill the mites including, Apistan (a commercial chemical), Formic acid, Hops beta acid, Oxalic acid and Thymol oil.
When Meghan finds a hive with over 10 mites, she immediately showcases how to treat it with Formic acid. She gears up with the proper gloves and then places two bags on the bottom box. The fumes from the acid rise, killing the mites. With the villainous foes vanquished and ominous rain clouds coming over the horizon, she decides to end the class. I thank her for her time, take off my borrowed beekeeper outfit, and then buzz over to a local restaurant. For more information on the Beekeeping group call 651-428-0543.
