ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Centerfor Appropriate Technology, through a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S.Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies,or individuals. NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702),Butte, Montana, and Davis, California.

By Lance Gegner, NCAT Agriculture SpecialistApril 2003

OTHER LIVESTOCK TOPIC

Beekeeping/Apiculture

Abstract: This publication discusses various aspects of beekeeping or apiculture, including state inspectionprograms, beginning basics, income sources and budgets, insurance, Africanized bees, organic certification, andvarious bee pests and diseases. Information on educational and training opportunities and further resources arealso discussed.

IntroductionThis publication is intended as a guide for anyone inter-

ested in beginning or expanding a beekeeping enterprise.Whether the bees are kept as pollinators for crops or for theincome from their products, producers need to be aware oftheir states apiary laws concerning inspection, registration,and permits, as well as labeling and marketing standards.Producers also need to be aware of pesticide applicationlaws and pesticide notification laws relative to bees. Bothbeginning and experienced beekeepers need to consider li-ability insurance; the possibility of Africanized hybrid beestaking over the hives; and all the pests and diseases thatafflict bees and their colonies.

To maintain a healthy hive and guard against the newpests and diseases that have been introduced in recent years,beekeepers need to continually monitor new developmentsin apiculture. The Further Resources section of this publi-cation lists many websites, USDA Research Facilities, peri-odicals, associations, and books with information on all as-pects of beekeeping.

State Inspection ProgramsIt is important that beekeepers have their bees reg-

istered and inspected as required by law. The Ameri-can Society of Beekeepers free on-line class, Intermedi-ate Beekeeping 201, suggests some excellent steps tofollow when working with your states apiary inspec-tion programs. Lesson Five states:All states have laws regarding apiary inspection. Theregulatory body is usually the Department of Agriculture

Related ATTRA Publications

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees Phenology Web Links: (1) Sequence

of Bloom, Floral Calendars, Whats inBloom; (2) Birds, Bees, Insects andWeeds

Organic Farm Certification and theNational Organic Program

2003www.clipart.com

mailto:lanceg@ncat.org?subject=Beekeeping/Apiculturehttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/nativebee.pdfhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/phenology.htmlhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdfhttp://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/organcert.pdf

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................1State Inspection Programs .............................................................................1Beginning Beekeeping Basics ..........................................................................2Beekeeping Income Sources...........................................................................4Budgets ........................................................................................................4Beekeepers Insurance ...................................................................................5Organic Apiculture Standards ........................................................................5Africanized Hybrid Bees ................................................................................6Honey Bee Pests ...........................................................................................7Honey Bee Diseases ....................................................................................13Educational and Training Opportunities ........................................................14Summary ....................................................................................................15References .................................................................................................15Enclosures ..................................................................................................17Further Resources .......................................................................................18Appendix ...................................................................................................22

and some division within it. Some states havefull time staff to handle an apiary section andothers do not. When moving bees from onestate to another, inspection of bees is regu-lated by the receiving state. Many requireprevious inspection before arrival and will dofollow-up inspections once the bees are lo-cated within the new state. If you are plan-ning to make a business of selling queens,bees, or moving bees for pollination, then itis very important to understand the laws inthe states you are dealing with....

It is important therefore to know who has theresponsibility to inspect your bees and un-der what conditions the inspection is done.Inspecting bees is a nice job. One must dealwith all kinds of problems: First, angry bee-keepers (not their bees). Bee inspectors arepeople just like you and me. If treated withrespect, they will respect you as well. Theirjob is to find disease. If your bees have dis-ease and you dont know it, then they havedone you a good service by pointing the dis-ease out to you. On the other hand, theymay require treatment of the bees, which youdo not agree with. Make sure you under-stand the law before sounding off on the beeinspector it is not his/her fault that he/shefound disease in your bees. However, you

have a right to ask that samples be takenand sent to the Beltsville USDA lab for con-firmation of the disease. (American Societyof Beekeepers, No datea) [See instructionson how to ship bees to Beltsville in Appen-dix: Beltsville Free Bee Diagnostic Service].An all-state (and Canadian provincial) State

Apiarist Directory, which includes state bee in-spectors, other regulatory officials with apicul-tural responsibilities, and other professional api-cultural specialists, is available on-line at .

Beginning BeekeepingBasics

It is usually wise to start small, learn efficientmanagement techniques, and expand the bee-keeping operation as time, experience, and fi-nances permit. Initial outlay can reach $200 perhive, and other equipment, such as a smoker,veil, gloves, feeding equipment, honey extractor,etc., will add to the expense.

Anyone interested in becoming a beekeeperneeds to study published information (see Fur-ther Resources: Books, Websites, Periodicals), but

http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/apiary/directory.htm

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many beekeeping skills are best learned by work-ing with an experienced beekeeper. The AlbertaAgriculture, Food, and Rural Development pub-lication Commercial Honey Industry states: Onlythrough hands-on experience can new entrantsgain the basic skills required for opening hives,removing frames, identifying queens, recogniz-ing the difference between brood and honeycappings, and recognizing the difference betweenhoney and pollen in a cell (Dey, 2001).

The American Society of Beekeepers makethe following suggestions in the final lesson oftheir Beekeeping 101 class:

One way to find other beekeepers who canhelp you with problems you encounter is tojoin a local bee club or state organization.Bee Culture Magazine publishes a Whos whoin beekeeping each spring. You could checkthe listing for the state in which you live andcontact the individuals listed. Ask them forinformation about bee clubs and who youneed to contact. The person listed under theDepartment of Agriculture responsible for in-spection should have a good idea. They areoften called upon to speak at local meetings.The State Extension service should also bea good source. If you purchase either majorbee magazine each carries a calendar ofevents. You can get an idea of where thenearest bee meeting is to you. These aregenerally state or regional meetings. (Ameri-can Society of Beekeepers, no dateb)Beekeeping can be labor-intensive during cer-

tain times of the year. Working with bees re-quires a gentle touch and calm disposition. Italso requires a basic understanding of the honeybees behavior during the various seasons andduring handling and moving.

Beekeeping can be undertaken by anyone whohas enough ability and determination to lookafter the bees properly, enough courage towork with bees, and enough money to buybees and equipment. Please note: Beforeyou get into beekeeping, you should checkto make sure local zoning laws allow you tokeep honey bees and what your reaction isto bee stings. (American Society of Beekeep-ers, no datec)Beekeeping is not a seasonal enterprise, but

requires year-round management. The beginningbeekeeper needs to consider his or her availablelabor limitations, and keep the enterprise at aneasily managed size. The enclosed Mid-AtlanticApiculture Research and Extension Consortium(MAAREC) publication Summary of Management

Practices Around the Calendar provides manage-ment suggestions, and is also available at .

The Mississippi State University publicationGetting Started in Beekeeping provides an excel-lent summary of what is required to begin. Thepublication suggests:

If you decided