Orange Blossom Beekeepers Association

Monthly Meeting: 2023-07-20

OBBA Announcements

What's the buzz?

OBBA Apiary Update

Current OBBA Leadership

President: Miranda Clementel
Vice President: Erica Leon
Treasurer: Mike Brennan
Secretary: Andrew Beard

2023 Elections

OBBA By Laws

Please volunteer to serve

Available Positions (must be members in good standing):

Board Positions (requires vote)
- President
- Secretary
Other Positions
- Apiary Manager
- Outreach Coordinator
- Newbee Welcome Coordinator

Please plan to vote (In-Person)

August 17

Eligibility to vote: Members in Good Standing

Paid Member
At least 14 years old
Have attended at least 3 association events (including virtual)

UF Bee Management

Current UF Management Recommendations

Feed colonies if light
Monitor for and control small hive beetles
Monitor colonies for varroa
Treat for AFB/EFB if needed

What is blooming in Central Florida

Goldenrod
Joint Weed
Mexican Clover
Partridge Pea
Primrose Willow
Red Bay
Sandhill Prarie Clover
Spanish Needle

Spiderwort/Dayflower
Spotted Mint
Sumac
Vine Aster
Red Mangrove
Black Mangrove
White Mangrove

Hive Types

Langstroth Beehive

History

The mid 19th century
Rev. Langstroth invented the Langstroth hive and revolutionized beekeeping
The most commonly used type of hive in the United States

Langstroth Components

The hive is made of 3 parts:

Bottom board, with the entrance for the bees
Supers (boxes) with frames for brood and honey
- A Queen excluder might be used
Inner cover and roof for weather protection

When to add supers

Put honey supers as the bees begin to fill the frames in the existing super.

Most beekeepers wait until 6-7 of the frames are full before adding a new super

Advantages

Easy hive inspections
Easy honey extraction
Extracted combs can be reused in hive
Easy to access treatments
Easy transportation
Interchangeable parts
Most beekeeping courses and other resources teach using management techniques for this hive type.

Disadvantages

Access only by taking the roof off.
Wiring and waxing frames with foundation is time-consuming
The queen can only move inside the bottom super
Full supers are heavy to lift or move

The Long/Horizontal Hive

Long/Horizontal Hive

Same building principles as the Langstroth hive but is horizontal
Less lifting!
Same frame size as a standard Langstroth hive

Bees will maintain the brood primarily near the entrance with honey stored further away

Advantages

No heavy lifting
Frames from Langstroth hives can be used interchangeably
Modified versions allow for the addition of supers

Disadvantages

More expensive
Only frames are standard sizes

Top Bar Beehive

Top Bar

The oldest hive
Simple design - easy to build and set up
Natural type of layout for bees

Advantages

Bees build natural comb
Less disturbance during inspections
Comb is crushed, no extracting tools are necessary.
Wax can be easily harvested
Possibility to build the hive at waist height, eliminating the need to bend.
A lid covers the bars – stops rain, and shades out the sun.
No heavy lifting needed.

Disadvantages

After a harvest, bees must rebuild
Not very common hives
More frequent inspections and harvests
Time consuming harvest
Feeding colonies can be more difficult
Not as much local support
Can be challenging for new beekeepers
Bees may abscond more frequently

Warre Beehive

Warre

A French beekeeper, Emile Warre, designed the "People’s Hive"

A solution to keeping bees with minimal interference to their day-to-day activities
Mimics a hollow tree

Design

Mimics a hollow tree trunk

The boxes are square
Contain 8 top bars
The bees build downward (their preference)
Additional boxes are added to the bottom
Also have a quilt box

Advantages

Very low maintenance
It's the naturalist's dream hive
Affordable
No need for a queen excluder

Very low maintenance. You only open the hive to remove honey or to add boxes which may be once or twice a year.
It’s the naturalist’s dream hive. The bees build comb from scratch, build downward like nature intended, and are accorded the opportunity to live in a clean comb. Every time you harvest, you take away the comb that previously contained brood. That way, the queen is continuously laying eggs in fresh wax, and contaminants that may have made their way into the wax are removed annually.
Because of the simple structure, they are quite affordable. If you’re handy with a saw, download the plans and make it yourself.
During the nectar season, you can add a super above the existing boxes and get some bonus honey. However, you need to have understood the nectar flows in your region first to be sure that the bees can fill it.
No need for a queen excluder. As they build downward, she lays her eggs downward and leaves the top boxes for honey storage.

Disadvantages

Although you only need to lift twice a year, it will make for some very heavy lifting
Inspecting can be extremely cumbersome
Illegal in some states (like FL)
Can't easily inspect due to non-removable bars
Less common system with limited local support

Flow hive

Advantages

Honey extraction by turning a tap
The queen is free to wander around the hive

Disadvantages

More expensive
Honeycombs are made of plastic
Lots of fidgety parts and bits to deal with pests have lots of places to hide
The oblong shape causes cold spots to develop over the colder months
The honey box is heavy to lift to inspect the brood
No wax harvest
Separation between the keeper and the bees

Golden Hive or One-Room Hive (Einraumbeute)

Similar to the horizontal hive
Frames are much larger

Your Choice …

No hive is perfect

Prioritize your needs
Trouble with heavy lifting?
Considering foundationless?
What do local beekeepers use?

No matter what type of beehive you choose, if you take care of your bees and keep them healthy, they will be happy with your choice!