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| Birdsall beekeeper Tom Shultz |
ANGELICA — About 16 people showed up for the first meeting of the Belvidere BeeKeeping Club which was organized by Mary Warner and Susan Doran to help introduce beekeeping into the Allegany County community.
“Allegany County is a good place to raise bees. We have
great pollination and the agricultural resources needed for successful
beekeeping. Allegany County is a unique place to raise bees,” said Tom Shultz,
who has raised bees in Birdsall for the last five years and who harvests honey
to sell commercially, raises Queen Bees and builds nuc boxes for bee colonies.
Shultz went on to tell the established and beginning
beekeepers that the only resource in the county for beekeeping information is
through the Cornell Pollinator Institute and online, and that the formation of
the club will help established and beginning beekeepers through the sharing of
information, experience and education.
“Cold does not kill
bees,” he said, and explained “In cold climates, honeybees stop flying when the
temperature drops below about 50 degrees and crowd into the central area of the
hive to form a “winter cluster.” The worker bees huddle around the queen bee at
the center of the cluster, shivering to keep the center at about 91 degrees.
“The worker bees rotate through the cluster from the outside to the inside so
that no bee gets too cold. The colder the weather is outside, the more compact
the cluster becomes. During winter, they consume their stored honey to produce
body heat.”
Supplies for getting started beekeeping can be found on the internet
or through catalog services. The closest site locally to purchase equipment is
the Hungry Bear in Canandaigua.
Starter kits range between $250 and $400 depending on how
many “nucs” one wants to purchase. Nucs are the square hives that are usually
painted white. The average number to start with is five. Bees can be purchased
in three-pound packages (approximately 10,000 bees) at a cost of $200 including
shipping. Three varieties of bees, Italian, Carniolan and Saskatraz are the
most commonly raised bees in this area.
Meetings are scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 22, March
28, April 25, May 23, June 27, July 18, Aug. 29, Sept. 26, Oct. 24 and Nov. 21.
In cool months the meetings will be held at the Angelica Ink shop off Railroad
Ave. and during the summer months meetings will be held at the Belvidere
Cornerstone in Belvidere.
