Getting started with beekeeping in Michigan

Beekeepers participate in a workshop at the Michigan State University Pollinator Performance Center.

Many people are interested in getting started with beekeeping as a way to spend time outdoors, participate in agriculture, dive into a new hobby or connect with a local community. However, before you buy honey bees and hive equipment, take time to learn about beekeeping and connect with a local beekeeping community. While beekeeping can be fascinating and rewarding, it also has a steep learning curve. Unfortunately, it’s common for new beekeepers to struggle to keep colonies alive and healthy. It’s also common for new beekeepers to underestimate the time, physical demands, and financial costs of getting started in beekeeping.

Decide if beekeeping is right for you

Michigan State University Extension’s free online course Is Beekeeping Right for Me? will guide you through the many considerations of getting started with beekeeping. This online course introduces you to beekeeping and suggests ways you can help honey bees and all pollinators. It also covers the physical, time, and financial demands of beekeeping, so that you can make an informed decision before getting started. Testimonials from real beekeepers, past and current, are included in the course for you to learn from their experiences. The course is full of resources for you to support pollinator health, decide if beekeeping is a good fit for you, and identify steps to get started with beekeeping.

Learn about beekeeping before you buy bees and equipment

Join a local beekeeping community

Michigan has a statewide beekeeping organization, the Michigan Beekeepers Association, and is home to about 30 local beekeeping clubs. While each club is different, many offer monthly meetings with educational presentations and opportunities to network. The Michigan Beekeepers Association compiles a list of beekeeping clubs in Michigan.

Check out educational opportunities from Michigan State University Extension

Michigan State University (MSU) Pollinator Initiative compiles resources for beekeepers. Each year, MSU provides webinars, in-hive workshops and presentations to beekeeper audiences, which are listed on MSU Extension’s page of upcoming pollinator and pollination events. You can sign up for MSU Extension’s Pollinator & Pollination email digest to receive emails about upcoming events and recent articles. You can also visit MSU Beekeeping’s YouTube channel to see videos and recordings of past webinars.

Attend Michigan Beekeepers Association spring and fall conferences

Every year, MSU Extension collaborates with the Michigan Beekeepers Association (MBA) to plan and host beekeeping conferences in the spring and fall. These conferences are attended by hundreds of beekeepers statewide, and they include speakers on a variety of topics ranging from bee health to using hive products. MBA sends emails to its contact list with quarterly newsletters and other announcements from the association. MBA members are automatically added to the email list, and non-members who do not already receive emails from MBA can sign up for MBA’s email list.

Beekeepers listen to Paul Kelly from the University of Guelph present at the Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring 2022 Conference.

The first step: Buy a veil and learn from other beekeepers

MSU strongly encourages people who are interested in beekeeping to spend their first year learning. Purchase a beekeeping veil or suit, join your local club to meet area beekeepers and spend a year getting in-hive experience before purchasing your own bees. You can volunteer to help other beekeepers in their apiaries. You may also be able to get in-hive experience through a beekeeping class or in-hive workshops offered by local bee clubs and university extension.

Set realistic expectations regarding mentorship

Traditionally, many people learned beekeeping by apprenticing with a mentor. A mentor who has years of experience successfully keeping bees alive can be a wonderful resource. Due to the large number of beginning beekeepers, however, many new beekeepers find they are not able to find a mentor. Often a good approach to working a mentor is to offer to help the mentor in the bee yard by lifting, taking notes or whatever task needs to get done.

Read at least one beginning beekeeping book to understand basic honey bee biology

Honey bees are complex creatures that respond to environmental changes. In order to manage them well, you have to have a grasp of the basic biology and all of the beekeeping terms and jargon. While you will continue to read and learn about bees after you become a beekeeper, you should know the basics of their care before you start.

Learn about varroa mites

Unfortunately, our honey bees are currently experiencing an epidemic of varroa mites, which are deadly, parasitic mites. Many people who start beekeeping lose most or all of their colonies to this parasite every year. This parasite is present in all honey bee colonies in Michigan and spreads diseases between honey bees and colonies. One of the biggest challenges to keeping honey bees healthy is learning how to monitor and manage varroa mites, and right now, successful beekeeping requires a good pest management plan. The Michigan State University compiles resources on varroa mites, and the Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management guide offers a comprehensive overview of the parasitic pest and management options.

Become familiar with Michigan rules and regulations for beekeeping

MSU helps beekeepers by consolidating beekeeping related rules, regulations and guidelines in the state. Every year, MSU updates the Michigan Beekeeping Rules and Regulations document. In this document, you will find information related to beekeeping and the Michigan Right to Farm Act and Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs), organic beekeeping, transporting hives to and from Michigan, honey processing rules and regulations for selling honey in Michigan, and more!

Purchasing bees and equipment

Since beekeeping has a steep learning curve, it’s best to learn as much as you can before you purchase bees and equipment. MSU doesn’t endorse vendors, but local beekeeping clubs may provide recommendations. Beekeeping clubs may also make bulk purchases of bees and equipment, or bee club members may sell bees to each other. MSU has short videos that explain options for purchasing honey bees and how to get started with installing package colonies and installing nucleus (nuc) colonies.

MSU recommends beekeepers begin with two or three honey bee colonies. Keeping just one colony can be difficult for the beekeeper to troubleshoot and resolve issues as they arise. Beekeepers often move brood or food frames between hives to address queen issues and other colony needs, and colonies in the same yard can be used to support each other.

New beekeepers should be aware that healthy colonies grow in population in the spring and summer. Beekeepers should be prepared to manage large honey bee colonies unless they make splits or do other hive manipulations.

Reach out when you need help

By the time you begin keeping bees of your own, hopefully you will have a local beekeeping community that can provide local and seasonal information. MSU answers beekeeping questions through monthly webinars during the beekeeping season and questions sent through its Ask Extension form.

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

Non-contact exposure to dinotefuran disrupts honey bee homing by altering MagR and Cry2 gene expression

Non-contact exposure to dinotefuran disrupts honey bee homing by altering MagR and Cry2 gene expression Dinotefuran is known to negatively affect honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) behavior, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The magnetoreceptor ( MagR , which responds to magnetic fields) and cryptochrome ( Cry2 , which is sensitive to light) genes are considered to play important roles in honey bees’ homing and localization behaviors. Our study found that dinotefuran, even without direct contact, can act like a magnet, significantly altering MagR expression in honeybees. This non-contact exposure reduced the bees’ homing rate. In further experiments, we exposed foragers to light and magnetic fields, the MagR gene responded to magnetic fields only in the presence of light, with Cry 2 playing a key switching role in the magnetic field receptor mechanism ( MagR–Cry2 ). Yeast two-hybrid and BiFc assays confirmed an interactio...

“Global honey crisis”: Testing technology and local sourcing soars amid fraud and tampering concerns

“Global honey crisis”: Testing technology and local sourcing soars amid fraud and tampering concerns The World Beekeeping Awards will not grant a prize for honey next year due to the “inability” to thoroughly test honey for adulteration. The announcement comes amid the rise of honey fraud in the EU, where a 2023 investigation found that 46% of 147 honey samples tested were likely contaminated with low-cost plant syrups. Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, organizes the event at its Congress, whose 49th edition will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September 2025. The conference brings together beekeepers, scientists and other stakeholders. “We will celebrate honey in many ways at the Congress, but honey will no longer be a category, and thus, there will be no honey judging in the World Beekeeping Awards. The lessons learned from Canada 2019 and Chile 2023 were that adequate testing was impossible if we are to award winning honey at the Con...

Unveiling the Canopy's Secrets: New Bee Species Discovered in the Pacific

Unveiling the Canopy's Secrets: New Bee Species Discovered in the Pacific In an exciting development for environmentalists and beekeeping experts, researchers have discovered eight new species of masked bees in the Pacific Islands, shining a light on the rich biodiversity hidden within the forest canopy. This discovery underscores the critical role bees play in our ecosystems and the pressing need for conservation efforts to protect these vital pollinators. A New Frontier in Bee Research By exploring the forest canopy, scientists have opened a new frontier in bee research, revealing species that have adapted to life high above the ground. These discoveries are crucial for understanding the complex relationships between bees, flora, and the broader ecosystem. The new species of masked bees, characterized by their striking black bodies with yellow or white highlights, particularly on their faces, rely exclusively on the forest canopy for survival. The Importance of Bee Conservation...

New Report – Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis

New Report – Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis Earlier this year, midwives from 41 countries shared their experiences of working in communities affected by climate change through our survey, Midwives’ Experiences and Perspectives on Climate Change. Their voices shaped our new report, Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis , which highlights how midwives are already responding to the health impacts of climate disasters like floods, wildfires, and extreme heat—and why they must be included in climate action plans. What did we learn?Climate change is damaging community health: 75% of midwives reported that climate change is harming the communities they serve, with rising rates of preterm births, food insecurity, and restricted access to care during disasters like floods. Midwives are critical first responders: Midwives are often the first and only healthcare providers on the ground in crises, delivering care during wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. Midwives face signi...

Bee attack claims life of newspaper distributor

Bee attack claims life of newspaper distributor Newspaper distributor Pushparaja Shetty (45), who sustained severe injuries in a bee attack, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday at a hospital in Mangaluru. Pushparaja was attacked by a swarm of bees on Wednesday morning while walking at Kenjaru Taangadi under Bajpe town panchayat limits. He was immediately admitted to a hospital for treatment but could not survive the ordeal. Fondly known as ‘Boggu’ in the Porkodi area, Pushparaja was well-known for his dedication to delivering newspapers on foot to every household. He was admired for his generosity, as he often distributed sweets to schoolchildren on Independence Day using his own earnings and contributed part of his income to the betterment of society. Pushparaja was unmarried and is survived by three brothers and one sister.

Start the New Year Humming Like a Bee

Start the New Year Humming Like a Bee There are lots of opportunities to be as busy as a bee during these winter holidays. As we hustle toward the dawn of the New Year, it can be hard to notice that the natural world is actually suggesting something different for us right now. We’re past the solstice, but the winter still stretches ahead, the days are still short and the nights long. We’re being invited into a quieter, more inner-focused time. The ancient yogis were all about this inner focus. In India, for example, the Upanishads, the Sanskrit writings that accompanied the development of Hinduism — and alongside it, yoga — beginning around 800 B.C.E., went deeper than earlier texts had into philosophy and questions of being. With the goals of increased inner awareness and higher consciousness, yoga was at that time not yet as focused on the body or on asanas, as it now can tend to be. But the yogis did develop many practices to try to open the way to those goals. They discovered...

The largest “killer hornets” in the world were exterminated in the US

The largest “killer hornets” in the world were exterminated in the US The US informed that it had exterminated the worldʼs largest hornets, nicknamed "killer hornets" — they are capable of occupying a hive of honey bees in just 90 minutes, decapitating all its inhabitants and feeding their offspring to their own. This was reported by the Department of Agriculture in Washington. The hornets, which can reach five centimeters in length, were previously called Asian giant hornets, but in 2019 they were also spotted in Washington state near the Canadian border. In China, these insects killed 42 people and seriously injured 1,675. A dead northern giant hornet (below) next to a native bald hornet. According to experts, the hornets could have entered North America in plant pots or shipping containers. The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits because it produces nearly seven times more venom than a honeybee and stings multiple times. Thatʼs why the Washington Departme...

From Classroom to Hive: Jeff Tech students experience sweet journey of honey making

From Classroom to Hive: Jeff Tech students experience sweet journey of honey making The Courier Express has partnered with digital media arts students at Jeff Tech to highlight accomplishments and updates from the school. q q q REYNOLDSVILLE — The new “Intro to Agriculture” class, taught by advanced manufacturing instructor Perry Neal, has recently been buzzing throughout the halls of Jeff Tech. The course has been receiving positive feedback from both students and teachers. “It’s a great class. I love it,” said Jeff Tech student Jacob DeFoor. Student Kyle Lasher said, “I’m really considering getting bees of my own.” Intro to Agriculture is an 18-week course that starts with students learning anything and everything bees. They gather together to learn the process and safety procedures of making honey from scratch with locally-sourced honey bees. In class, students research pollination, foods that contain honey, where to purchase hive equipment, types of bees, etc., according to N...

The Unexpected Surge: America's Honeybees Buzz Back to Record Numbers

The Unexpected Surge: America's Honeybees Buzz Back to Record Numbers In an age where environmental narratives often lean towards loss and decline, the story of the American honeybee offers a glimmer of hope and a puzzle to solve. Recent data from the Census of Agriculture reveals an astonishing rebound in the honeybee population, now soaring to an all-time high of 3.8 million colonies. This revelation comes as a surprise against the backdrop of two decades marked by fears of colony collapse and the potential ramifications for ecosystems and agriculture. The surge in bee populations brings to light a series of questions and insights into the intertwined worlds of agriculture, conservation, and legislation. Central to this narrative is the state of Texas, where legislative changes have catalyzed a beekeeping boom by offering agricultural tax breaks to landowners cultivating honeybees. This policy shift, coupled with the entrepreneurial spirit of Texans and the essential role of bees...

Researchers use advanced robotics to study honeybee behaviour

Researchers use advanced robotics to study honeybee behaviour Researchers from our top-rated Computer Science department have made significant advances in understanding honeybee behaviour through the use of innovative robotic technology. The study, published in the cover page of prestigious journal - Science Robotics, offers unprecedented insights into the daily activities of honeybee colonies, particularly focusing on the queen bee and her interactions with worker bees. Robotic system provides continuous monitoring The research team, led by Professor Farshad Arvin, developed a sophisticated robotic system capable of continuous, long-term observation of bee hives. This system employs two high-resolution cameras that work autonomously, tracking the queen bee's movements and mapping the contents of the honeycomb. This technology allows the researchers to collect data on bee behaviour 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Researchers say this level of continuous monitoring was previous...

Small actions make a big difference engilsh dkbee.com

이 블로그 검색