Dig and Let Dig...

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Bee short course

Dig and Let Dig recently visited a small beekeeper a few miles out of town, just to see how he kept his two hives. To be very clear, we are interested in helping bees by planting hospitably and not killing them with chemicals. But we didn't think we wanted to keep bees ourselves, and knew we didn't after a brief session looking in on busy bees.

First of all, how does anyone dress appropriately for the bees in the heat of a Texas summer? After a few minutes in a close, smoky environment, dressed in a beekeeper's veil, three shirts, long pants, socks and boots, with rubber bands around our wrists and ankles to make sure no bees crawled inside our clothes, we were ready to submit to bee stings just for ventilation. 

So you have to admire the people who have learned this trade and practice beekeeping commercially. You also have to admire the small beekeepers who like taking care of the colonies and passing their knowledge to others. 

Keith Crenwelge, who welcomed us to see one of his hives, is an entomologist who learned what to do from his beekeeping father. "We all did it," said Crenwelge of his brothers and sisters growing up. When a family member recently collected some bees, he brought them to Crenwelge, who then increased the population of the hive by collecting a few of his own from a friend's house. Now the bees are doing their own multiplication. A queen bee can lay 2,000 eggs in one day. 

Crenwelge is not a commercial beekeeper. But he likes watching the bees multiply and studying their habits. He keeps one hive in a shed on his property, and has another under a grove of trees that he plans to move nearby.  

E-mail us if you would like the issue of our Dig and Let Dig newsletter that discusses CCD and bee-attracting plants. And be sure to subscribe to the FREE newsletter so you won't miss any of our handy home and garden stories and ideas.

           10 facts for 'Wannabeekeepers'
1. Worker bees select the queen from the larvae and feed her royal jelly.
2. Humans ascribe all kinds of benefits to eating royal jelly.
3. A queen been can live several years. Worker bees live a month to six weeks in summer, four to six months in winter.
4. Bees collect about 66 pounds of pollen a year per hive.
5. If a hive has more than one queen, a fight will ensue. It will end in the death or departure of one queen.
6. Bees are natives of Europe. They have become an essential part of U.S. agriculture, pollinating more than 90 crops.
7. Honey bees are generally not aggressive. Only the female bee stings, and dies shortly thereafter.
8. Bee society is highly organized, with every bee playing a role.
9. Bees survive winter by clustering and maintaining a temperature of 93 F. in the cluster's center.
10. If you want to keep bees in the city, be sure to check ordinances first. Some cities regulate where beehives can be kept.



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