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There’s an Apiarist* in our midst
* Don’t worry ... that means beekeeper
By Bobbi Haycox
Splash!
John Briggs, known as “Dink” to his friends, has a hobby that not only brings him pleasure, but gives him a special name as well.
He is an apiarist, a keeper of bees, and as such, he has a special expertise that he is quick to deny. However, a short conversation with him will reveal that his experience as a beekeeper for the past 30+ years has given Dink a wealth of knowledge about the valuable insects. That same conversation will definitely lead to an increased appreciation of honeybees and perhaps provide the motivation to own a beehive, or two, or more.
“Dink totally inspired me,” said Rachel Detoro, owner of Mil Flores, Organic Landscaping and Gardening. She has several hives of her own. “My beekeeping is essential to getting good pollination for the crops I raise because pollen is transmitted by an insect and honeybees do it best.” So well in fact, that she says every third bite of food we eat has come from the pollination done by a domestic bee.
Dink elaborated by explaining, “When you drink milk, that milk came from a cow that fed on grass and grain that had to be pollinated in order to grow. When you eat a piece of bacon, it came from a pig that grew up on food that required pollination.”
Not only are honeybees fascinating to watch, but also beekeeping can be a moneymaking enterprise for those who go into it on a large scale. But those like Dink treat their beekeeping as a hobby and consume most of the honey made by their bees.
“Some beekeepers rent their hives to farmers for pollination,” he said, “but you need special equipment like a truck and forklift to get the hives on and off the truck. To me, it is too much of a hassle.”
Dink says there is a real concern for the future of the honeybee right now. At a seminar sponsored by the local Escarosa Beekeepers Association, recently held in Pensacola, he learned that California is experiencing a 400,000-honeybee shortage during its almond growing season and next year, the shortage is expected to double. This is going to seriously affect the almond production this year and in years to come.
“Everyone is having trouble with their bees now and even the professionals don’t know why,” he said. “They need someone to get a grant and find out why.”
His concern for the dwindling population of honeybees and the enjoyment he receives from his beekeeping is probably why Dink is so motivational in his conversations about the subject.
He is troubled by the fact that “Young people are not becoming beekeepers; they can’t seem to find time for it. Most of the beekeepers today are older men and women like me.”
He hopes that this trend will not continue because it is only through beekeepers like him that their extinction is less threatened.
Dink says to get started, the novice beekeeper must have a bee house that can be ordered from a bee supply business, or he can buy a box from another beekeeper.
Beekeepers like Dink often build their own hives. The bee house has several parts, mostly made of wood.
Bee supply distributors sell “Beginner Kits” like the one from the Walter T. Kelley Company in Kentucky that sells for $119 plus tax. For that you get the house, a smoker (used to calm the bees when you are working with the hive), gloves, a protective veil and the other basic equipment needed to get started as a beekeeper. The best time to purchase bees is in the Spring and you order them by the pound. Kelley’s three-pound package of bees, including one queen bee, is $53 plus a shipping charge of $13.25 to this area. You will receive about 11,000 bees, the ideal number for one hive.
The bees are shipped through the U.S. Mail in wooden boxes, vented by wire mesh on two sides. The queen is shipped in the box but in a separate wood container. A mounted metal can containing sugar syrup provides sustenance for the bees during their journey.
According to Florida Statute, when you keep bees you have to be a registered beekeeper with the Florida Department of Agriculture and your apiary (the place where bees are kept) must be inspected annually by the area’s state-certified bee inspector.
“All the Florida Statues related to beekeeping are unique in that they were recommended and drafted by beekeepers,” said Doug Corbin, a state bee inspector in Pensacola. “They are there for the beekeeper’s protection as well as for the public.”
The new beekeeper will do well to purchase some reference books on the subject. Not only will he find them interesting, but also a wonderful resource. There is even a “Beekeeping for Dummies,” published in 2002. The Internet offers many resources as well.
Locally there are all kinds of help available for the novice beekeeper. Joining the Escarosa Beekeepers’ Association will bring the beginner into contact with many local beekeepers, like Dink Briggs, who are happy to share their wealth of experience and knowledge with the novice. Bee Inspector Doug Corbin teaches classes and helps local beekeepers keep their bees healthy and productive.
Dink says that with experience, beginners soon lose their fear of being stung. He wore protective clothing when initially he worked with bee hives but today, he only wears a veil if the bees seem agitated and ornery when he is working with the hive.
There are times when he needs to open the hive to remove the frames for honey extraction, or to check for mites and beetles, a bee’s worst enemies. He may need to divide an over-populated hive or treat the bees for some sort of problem.
He says that honeybees are gentle for the most part, and don’t sting unless they are threatened. Perhaps they know that they die if they lose their stinger.
“They will fly around you but all they are doing is sensing a strange odor and checking you out. If you slap at them, it’s like slapping someone in the face, and your liable to get stung.”
“They aren’t hornets or wasps,” he repeatedly says when discussing honeybees and their sting. “In fact, bee stings can be beneficial for all kinds of things like arthritis, bursitis, even gout.”
Dink testifies to the fact that he has arthritis in his hands but he still enjoys great flexibility and is free of pain.
“Bee stings won’t cure it but it sure will stop the arthritis from getting worse,” he said. He recommends a book on the subject called, How Well Are You Willing to Be by Pat Waggoner, that talks about the benefit of bee stings to improved health.
One of the reasons Dink is a beekeeper is because he loves honey. “It can take the place of sugar in so many things, he said. “I use it on everything instead of maple syrup.”
How long will he continue to keep honeybees?
“As long as I love honey and can physically do it,” he answered.
For more information on bees, contact Bee Inspector Doug Corbin at 983-4579 or corbinc@doacs.state.fl.us. An informative website, especially relating to beekeeping in Florida is: www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/plantinsp/apiary/bees.html
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