Tuckaleechee Apiaries

Tuckaleechee Apiaries

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Question: Honeybees are flying in and out a crack in the siding on my house. Why shouldn't I just spray them with insecticide and kill them?  Answer: If honeybees are flying in and out of your house, chances are they've already built a nest and have stored honey there. Killing the bees will leave dead bees and honey inside your home which will attract other insects, rodents, and more honeybees! Also, if the honey melts it can stain your interior walls, necessitating costly repairs. The best thing to do is to have the bees TRAPPED by a professional.  This method of bee removal also removes the honey they have stored, and you don't have to worry about expensive repairs to your home in the future.

Question: There is a basketball-sized wad of honeybees hanging from a tree in my front yard. What should I do? Answer: Call us, or your area beekeeper immediately! This is known as a SWARM of bees, and they have recently left an established hive somewhere in your area. This is the honeybee's natural way of increasing their colony numbers. They will stay there until scout bees find a suitable, permanent home for themselves, and then the bees will leave. The only problem with letting them stay there until they find a permanent home is that it may be in yours! The quicker you can get a beekeeper there, the better the chance that they won't take up residence in your home.

Question: Are swarms of honeybees dangerous? Answer: Not usually. Honeybees gorge themselves on honey before they swarm from their original hives in anticipation of building a new nest and sustaining themselves in the interim.  Honeybees cannot sting when they are gorged on honey.  There is what is known as a "dry swarm," or a swarm of bees that have been waiting for a home for an extended period of time and have exhausted the honey supply that they took with them when they left the original hive.  These bees are more likely to sting than bees that have just left the hive. This is another good reason to call a beekeeper immediately upon discovering a swarm of honeybees. 

 

 

 

Worker Bee Anatomy:

Question: I've heard that honeybees are somewhat "endangered." Is this true? Answer: Absolutely! In the past few years honeybees have been increasingly attacked by several types of mites that have virtually wiped-out the feral bee population, and have wreaked havoc on the established hives of beekeepers.  Medications must be applied to established colonies of honeybees to keep the mites at bay, and sometimes that's not enough.  This is another good reason to avoid killing honeybees when at all possible; honeybees pollinate at least 30% of our food supply. If the bees go, humans aren't far behind!

Question: Are there "killer bees" in Tennessee? Answer: "Killer bee" is a term that is commonly applied to what is actually an Africanized honeybee. These bees are more aggressive than the common European honeybee, are more easily agitated, attack in greater numbers, and are more protective of their nests a farther distance away from them than are European honeybees. Thankfully, they have not yet been found in Tennessee. There are some questions as to their ability to survive the cooler winter temperatures typical to Tennessee. They also do not store as much honey as the European honeybee, and would starve more quickly during a harsh winter.

Question: Is it true that honey turns to sugar because the bees have been fed sugar - water in order to produce more honey? Answer: Absolutely not! Beekeepers only feed their bees sugar-water when medicating them, to keep them from starving because of a short supply of honey stores in late fall through the winter  and early spring, and to stimulate brood rearing in early spring. Feeding bees is a lot of work, and sugar is not cheap! ALL honey turns to sugar in time, and that time depends on what the bees foraged on to produce the honey, and whether or not the beekeeper heated his/her honey during processing. Heating does delay the natural granulation process for a time.

Question: If my honey has turned to sugar, should I just throw it out? Answer: Absolutely not! If it's in a glass container: remove the lid and place it in a pan of water. Bring the water to a simmer while constantly stirring the honey. DO NOT overheat or bring it to a boil, as honey will scorch! Remove from heat as soon as the honey has liquefied to a sufficient point. If it's in a plastic container: remove the lid and place the  honey in the microwave. Turn on the microwave for just a few seconds at a time, and stir it often. Of course, plastic will melt and microwaves heat at different rates, so you have to use your own judgment as to when to stop heating it.

Question: Do you have a question that you would like answered? Then, by all means, e-mail us!   (Click on the envelope!)