Bees in Winter

Have you ever wondered, what happens to the bees in winter? They seem to be everywhere over the warmer month and then just disappear. As a beekeeper, we get this question a lot. Some of the most common types of bees in Texas are honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees and carpenter bees.

The role of a beekeeper isn’t over when the warmer months have passed us by. Winter is when we see the greatest amount of hive losses. This is an unfortunate part of beekeeping and dealing with nature.

Let’s look at what bees do in the winter.

Did you know that honey can be liquified or crystallized? Nearly all types of honey crystalize over time. Crystallized honey is a delectable treat in its solid form. Some forms crystallize immediately while other types (especially those made from tree flowers) take months or even years.

 

The nectar honeybees collect to make their honey contains different types of simple sugar, such as glucose and fructose. It is the ratio between these two that determine how fast it crystallizes. Honey with greater amounts of fructose stay liquid much longer.

Have you ever tried to liquify honey before? It can be a challenge. Traditional methods can take quite a while, and the results are often less than satisfactory. But there is an easier way. This blog post will discuss how to liquefy honey using a simple method that anyone can do in just minutes.

So read on and learn how to make your honey liquid.

 

How to liquify honey

Most people think the only way to liquify honey is to heat it. While this is true, a more accessible way does not require heating. Place your honey jar in a bowl of hot water. The hot water will melt the honey and make it liquid.

If you do not have access to hot water, you can place the honey jar in a sunny spot. The heat from the sun will also liquefy the honey.

Once the honey is liquified, you can store it in a jar or bottle. Be sure to tightly seal the container, so the honey does not crystallize again.

And there you have it, a simple and easy way to liquify honey. Give it a try the next time your honey starts to crystalize.

As mentioned, you can use heat to liquify honey; here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

How to melt honey using heat

 

Warm a pan of water on the stove to 105 – 115 degrees, and then turn off the heat.

1. Remove the lid from the honey jar so that it can expand.
2. Put the honey jar in the water and wait until it has liquified, which should only take a few minutes.
3. Once the honey is liquid, remove the jar from the water and screw the lid back on.

This process can take hours to complete depending on the amount of honey and water. While the microwave might seem like a quicker solution, there is a high chance that you overheat the honey.  

 

Why is temperature important when liquifying honey?

Although honey can last for many years, certain things destroy it quickly. The primary destroyers are heat, light, and oxygen. Honey is made from flower nectar which contains enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts to start or speed up chemical reactions.

The enzymes in honey are heat sensitive. When you subject honey to high temperatures, the enzymes are damaged. This means the honey will not have the same flavor or aroma as it did before it was heated. You may think that heating it just once won’t do much damage, and maybe it won’t. But liquified honey won’t stay that way for long.

So, if you are going to heat your honey, make sure to do it at a low temperature and for a short period. This will minimize the damage to the enzymes and preserve the flavor and aroma of your honey.

To minimize crystallizing, store your honey in a dark and cool place with a tightly secured lid. This will minimize the heat, light, and oxygen that can damage or crystallize your honey.

Don’t’ liquify honey. Eat it

Many like the nuances of flavor, aroma, and taste of different honey. The crystals aren’t important but here in North America, we are taught that crystallized honey is inferior to liquid honey. This just isn’t the truth.

Eating crystallized honey has some advantages over liquid honey. Crystallized honey is easier to spread and doesn’t drip as much as liquid honey. It also has a longer shelf life than liquid honey.

If you use crystallized honey with hot food, it’s going to be liquid by the first bite. Put it in tea and stir. Spread it on warm toast or anything else your heart desires.

There are many ways to enjoy honey. Whether you like it liquid or crystallized, there is a method for everyone. You can use crystalized honey in salad dressings, toast, or tea. Liquid honey can be used as a sweetener for coffee or oatmeal. You can use crystallized honey in places that you don’t want drip off, like cheese and crackers.

Don’t throw it out the next time your honey starts to crystalize. Try one of these methods to liquify it and enjoy the sweetness of honey once again.

Only liquify the amount of honey you need

Only heat up the amount you need, rather than heating the entire jar over and over. Remove the amount of honey you need from the jar and place it in a bowl. Heat water on the stove and place the bowl in the heated water. The heat from the water will liquify the honey without damaging it.

Once the honey is liquid, use it as needed and store the rest in the jar for later. This method ensures that your honey retains its flavor and aroma and has a longer shelf life.

Tips on storing and heating honey

The following tips will help you keep your honey fresh and delicious:

– Store honey in a cool, dark place.

– Heat honey only when necessary and do so at a low temperature (105 – 115 degrees) for a short period.

– Don’t store honey near strong-smelling foods, as the honey will absorb the odor.

– If you must heat honey, remove the lid from the jar so it can expand.

– Once heated, honey will crystalize over time. Store in an excellent place to prevent this.

Conclusion

Honey is delicious and versatile food. You can enjoy it in many forms, but sometimes you may need to liquify it.

The best way to liquify honey is by using low heat for a short period. This will preserve the flavor and aroma of your honey.

If you only need a small amount of liquid honey, don’t heat the entire jar. Remove the amount you need from the jar and place it in a bowl. Pour hot water over the bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. This will liquify the honey without damaging it.

Store honey in a cool, dark place to keep it fresh. Heat only when necessary and remove the lid from the jar so that it can expand. With these tips, you can enjoy honey for a long time. Thanks for reading.

As it hits the warmest time of the year, insects make their presence known as much as possible as they enjoy the warm weather and thrive in it. With this of course brings along flying insects as well such as bees and wasps.

The two insects are generally grouped together as they share many similar characteristics such as their ability to fly, their stinging abilities and the fact that they nest. While these insects to share a lot of similarities, they are very different in a number of aspects such as appearance and what they provide for the ecosystem.

Because of this, it is important to know how to identify the two apart from each other as well as the species within each grouping. This can help people who want to enjoy the warm weather identify what insect it is and how they should go about dealing with the insect if there is a possibility that it will cause problems.

What differentiates a bee and a wasp

When it comes to appearance, the two are fairly easy to tell apart. Physically, bees are rounder while wasp are much slimmer with larger stingers. Bees also tend to have some kind of hair on their body while wasp do not. This can be hard to see sometimes but is noticeable in bright lighting or simply being close to a bee to notice the hair.

A common factor of the two insects is that only the female can sting. However, bees can only sting once as their stinger will detach from their body once the action has occurred. The stinger is an important part of a bee’s structure and cannot survive once this has been done. On the other hand, wasp do not have this problem and can sting whatever they are targeting multiple times.

The behavior patterns of the two also play a large role in telling the two apart. Bees will work in colonies that can be as large as 75,000 while wasp only have colonies that end up around 10,000 or so. Not only this, but the queen bee does not work while queen wasp builds the colony for the rest of the members.

Wasp also tends to be much more aggressive as they are much more territorial than bees. Bees can attack if they are provoked, but if you keep your distance from them and not disturb their home or their business, they should not bother you.

One of the aspects of the two insects is that they both play a vital role in the ecosystem. When it comes bees, their role is ainly to spread pollen. Since they get their nutrients from the nectar that is produced by flowers, they will carry the pollen on the hair follicles they have on their body and spread it to other plants and flowers. When it comes to wasp, they do a very good job at controlling pest. Since they feed on other bugs such as aphids and flies, they help control the amounts that are in a yard and can actually help gardens be kept healthy because of this.

When it comes to their nest, they are also fairly easy to tell apart. Because a bee colony is so much larger in size, their hives tend to follow that trend in being bigger in size. Wasp nest only house around 20-40 individuals as they are drastically smaller. The colonies will build multiple nests in the same general area which all will be located in protected areas such as overhangs under gutters or other structures. Knowing this is important in case the insects need to be dealt with since both have to be dealt with differently.

Different kinds of bees and wasp

Identifying whether a flying insect is a wasp or bee is an important first step when dealing with these creatures. It is just as important to be able to identify what kind of species they are once identified as this helps when trying to know how to deal with them. Identifying different kinds of bees and wasp can be difficult at first but with a bit of research any of them can become determined.

Honeybees – This kind of bee is the stereotypical one that people think of when they think of bees. They are typically around half an inch in size and have the stripped black and brownish/orange pattern on their bodies.

Carpenter bees – These bees are larger in size as they are typically around an inch in length. The main difference from any of the other kinds of bees is that they do not live in nest. Instead, they will burrow themselves in wood. Specifically, they prefer decaying wood. They can also cause significant property damage so if they are noticed, it is best to contact a professional as soon as possible.

Bumblebees – This kind of bee has the largest range in size as they can be anywhere from a fourth of an inch to a full inch in size. These bees are yellow and black with a lot of fuzz over themselves which makes them very distinguishable.

Yellow jackets – These kinds of wasp are typically around half an inch in size and look somewhat similar to a bumblebee because of their color pattern. Their nest can be in the air on structure of on the ground near plants and can have varying sizes in their nest. If their nest is located near a structure, it is important to contact a professional to have them removed.

Mud daubers – These wasps are black in color and are long and lanky. It is best to try and avoid these was as they are very aggressive and is best to be removed if they are near heavy human traffic. They build their nest out of mud, hence the name, which are tube shaped and built all around various structures such as garages and patios.

Paper wasp – This kind of wasp is a very common one that is seen thanks to its distinguished brownish color with reddish markings. They also get their name from the material used for their nest. They are also not as aggressive as other kinds of wasp but will attack if their nest is touched or messed with.

As most everyone has heard at this point, bees are a very important parts of all ecosystems. They have numerous benefits and are not harmful creatures because they are not aggressive in their nature as they only ever act in self-defense. These buzzing creatures have been a pivotal part of the outdoors for a long time, but in recent years the population of bees has begun to decrease.

Thanks to harmful pesticides and other kinds of pollutants, the bee population has gone down slowly overtime which can be extremely harmful to the ecosystem. There are numerous reasons in why bees are important and should be kept safe.

Population decline

It is no secret that the bee population is going down. Checking any kind of social media will almost always have kind some of trending post or articles that shows this issue. In a study done by the University of Vermont, a 23% population decrease was seen across the entire globe between 2009 and 2013. That spans the over 20,000 different kinds of bees there are around the entire world..

There are a lot of factors that are coming into play which has led to his population decline. Deforestation and habitat loss has been a large contributor to this problem. Areas that have been known to house large number of bees in the wilderness have been destroyed which has led to a lot of relocation for these colonies. This causes the bees to build their hives in places that may cause problems such as houses and playground that have a lot of human traffic.

As mentioned before, toxins and pesticides have also been a big reason in why the population has continued to go down. Since they are such small insects, it does not take a lot of chemicals to cause problems. Once inhaled, the bees will begin to feel week and possible die because of the strong chemicals. It is important to keep this in mind when working in your garden or backyard to make sure that you are using safe substances.

Most important pollinators

While they are not the only animal that helps when it comes to pollination, bees are by far the most important. They are responsible for around 75% of all pollination around the world. This includes vegetation such as fruits and vegetables that people need in order to eat and survive. And with there being around 30,000 plants out there requiring pollination, that is a hefty task to take on.

This pollination not only helps people gain the food and nutrients that is necessary, but they also help with the economy and flow of money when it comes to crops involved. In a study done last year, it was shown that around $577 billion of global crops were thanks due in part to bees and their pollination responsibilities. This includes foods such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, berries and other kinds of crops..

And of course, they are important when it comes to simple gardening and yard work. On a much smaller scale, natural bees help when trying to have a successful garden. People can only do so much planting and watering to start the garden. The pollinators are need in order to spread the pollen in order to keep these areas healthy. Without bees, it would be almost impossible to have a successful garden year in and year out.

They help the economy

Bees are also important to the economy in other ways than just crops. Honey is the most well-known product that bees are known for and for good reason. This product is a natural substance that is very healthy while also not being man made, which avoids a lot of the chemicals done in processing and manufacturing. A lot of people work in the field of honey, whether that means being a beekeeper or working in a packaging factor for the honey, which houses thousands of jobs a year.

The honey produced can also be used as an ingredient in many other kinds of products such as hair care and other kinds of cosmetics. Bee wax is also another product that comes from honey which is another helper in the cosmetic world. Florist also benefit from the pollination of bees as many flowers such as dandelions require this pollination and are sold frequently.

What you can do

There are a lot of things that can be done by anyone that can help with the declining bee population problem. These are also not tough task that require a lot of time or energy but are rather just day-to-day things to consider which can help the cause.

For starters, avoid using any kind of strong or harmful chemicals. At this point, there are plenty of safer alternatives from trying to keep other bugs such as flies away from your yard or pool. Sound devices have become a popular choice in keeping certain kinds of unwanted bugs away and are not harmful to bees.

Planting natural flowers that are popular within the geography of where you live is also a very beneficial action. Bees are used to the flowers in whatever area they tend to be in and prefer whatever is natural for those areas. Finding out what flowers bees prefer the most depending on where they live can go a long way in helping them.

If you do notice a beehive in an area that may be dangerous for both you and the colony, such as your home, it is best to call a professional to take care of the bees. Beekeepers will safely transport bees to a farm where they can still stay within their colony and produce honey will not being harmed in the process at all.

Once the calendar hits the month of March, it is officially bee season and with that comes the necessity of bee and beehive removals. There are a number of ways in which bees and other insects can be dealt with as the weather becomes warmer and these creatures become more prevalent.

On average, a standard bee treatment will cost $354 based on a study around the country with full removals costing north of $2,000 on the high end depending on the hive’s location or other extenuating factors. However, the typical range for a standard beehive removal will be between $315-$587 depending on the size of both the swarm and the hive.

There are a number of factors that can go into the pricing of each service from identifying what type of bee or insect it is, how long the hive has been there, and what construction, if any, will be necessary.

These estimated ranges give a general idea of how much each method of removal may cost, but it is still best to talk to a bee specialist about your specific situation.

With Home & Hive, prices will vary depending on the circumstances and the service needed, but a free bee removal estimate will always be offered prior to starting any work.

BEE REPELLENT

The most cost-efficient and quickest way to rid a hive of bees is by using Home & Hive’s proprietary bee repellent. With this method, the hive will not have to be exterminated nor will there have to be drastic construction done to the surrounding area.

The repellent will simply be applied at the entrance to the beehive and is guaranteed to force the bees to swarm away within 48-hours. This method is ideal for areas that either cannot be easily opened, or for homeowners who would prefer to not have any construction involved in the removal process.

This method of bee removal will on average cost between $300-600.

SWARM REMOVAL

Once the spring season comes around, the queen of a hive will decide it is time to relocate and take a portion of the current colony to find a new home. The bees will cluster in a new area to rest as they try to locate a permanent place for a new home.

The swarms can be found in places such as benches, light poles, sides of houses, fire hydrants, park swings, tree branches and any other outdoor solid structure they can find to rest.

It will be easy to spot these swarms as it will be a large mass of bees clustered around the queen. Swarms are often hanging in a ball shape from a tree or other structure. The key differentiator between a swarm and a hive is that there is no honeycomb involved with a swarm. It is simply thousands of bees clinging onto each other as they rest.

When the swarm is removed, the bees will never be exterminated. We always relocate them to one of our permanent hives on our bee farm.

When it comes to the average cost of swarm removal, it will usually cost between $150-300. Since the bees have not yet colonized, swarms are typically easier to remove than an already established hive, hence the lower price for removal.

FULL HIVE REMOVAL

When it comes to a full hive removal, the process is a bit more complicated than just repelling bees or collecting a swarm.

In order to remove the full hive, the structure in which the hive is located must be carefully disassembled. The entire beehive is then removed and relocated to a safer location at a bee farm. A primer is then used to mask the scent of the original hive so as to not attract any more bees who might try to repopulate the area. If possible the area is also filled with insulation so as to not leave a cavity that would potentially be a new home for another swarm.

Once the hive is removed and relocated properly, the structure will then be put back together to leave little to no visible changes from the initial structure. Any openings the bees were using as entrances must also be well sealed. If this is not done properly a new hive could move into the area shortly after the initial removal.

Honeybees, are not your typical pest to remove simply because of the type of hive they create, the honey they store, and the amount of bees that live in a typical hive. Some colonies can house up to 50,000 bees. Bees also make their hives in many different structures, but the most common is the soffit, wall, or joist space of a house. In most cases this type of removal will cost between $1,000-2,000.

OTHER STINGING INSECT REMOVAL

Not only does the turn of the weather introduce bee season, but also the resurgence of other stinging insects such as Yellow Jackets, Ground Hornets, Paper Wasp, Mud Dauber and other wasp-like insects.

There are also other kinds of bees that can require removal such as Carpenter Bees, Bumblebees and even Africanized “Killer” Honeybees.

Carpenter bees can create issues with buildings and especially houses because of their nature to burrow into wood. These bees are rarer than most but must be treated as soon as possible due their destructive tendencies to wood.

Just as Carpenter bees, the “Killer” bees can be extremely dangerous but in a different way. These bees are naturally aggressive and can be provoked very easily if disturbed. They have been known to chase people and animals for up to a quarter mile if provoked.

For each of these removals, some of the starting prices can start as low as $200 depending on the location and size of the hives but can have costs go up into the thousands as each hive and species of bee has to be handled differently from situation to situation.

For example, Yellowjacket removal will cost more because they tend to nest in harder to reach places than an average hornet. Yellowjacket removal will on average cost around $500-$750 depending on the location and size of the nest.

However, an average hornet removal will only cost $300-$400 because of their location being easier to reach as well as their less aggressive nature.

Paper Wasp as well will be less expensive around $100-300 since they are generally not as aggressive. The can, for all intents and purposes, usually be left alone unless they are in a highly trafficked area or very numerous.

It can happen any day of the week. You step outside and hear the innocent buzzing of a bee and the next thing you know there is a swarm creating a hive in the backyard. While bees are extremely essential to the ecosystem with their pollen spreading abilities, they can also cause disruption in homes and potential safety issues.

The best thing to do if you are not comfortable in dealing with this problem is to of course contact an expert that is trained in this field to safely remove the bees and relocate them to a farm where they will be taken care of.

Understandably, sometimes this may not an option so here are some steps to take if you do decide to take on this task yourself.

STEP 1: PLAY THE WAITING GAME

If you notice a swarm, it is best to wait a day or two. Bee’s generally will take up to three days to decide if an environment is good enough for them to stay in. They will swarm and stay on any solid surface from cars to benches to walls to really anything they can house themselves on. After the third day if the swarm has not dissipated, then it is time to take action.

STEP 2: TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

If you notice a swarm, it is best to wait a day or two. Bee’s generally will take up to three days to decide if an environment is good enough for them to stay in. They will swarm and stay on any solid surface from cars to benches to walls to really anything they can house themselves on. After the third day if the swarm has not dissipated, then it is time to take action.

Once those precautions have been taken, the proper attire is needed. Generally, bees do not like dark colors or rough clothing so brighter, smooth-textured clothing is best for this job. A bee-keeper mask and gloves are necessary for the full protection of whoever decides to deal with the bees.

Not only this, make sure not to wear any kind of strong scent like deodorant or perfume as the scent may come across as

STEP 3: LOCATE THE BEES

Now that the precautions and attire has been provided in this task, it is time to locate the actual hive. Do not try and take the hive down all at once. This could cause the bees to either become aggressive as mentioned before or even relocate to another place in the same proximity.

The last thing someone taking on this job wants is to have to start the process all over again in a different part of the house or backyard.

Just like the swarms, beehives can be located anywhere from walls and chimneys to trash cans and or even outdoor pots. Any solid surface with space for the bees to create their honeycombs could be a place that they will make their new home.

STEP 4: CALM THE HIVE

There are numerous resources that can be used when calming the hive or removing the bees from their home with scents.

Do not use traps or insecticides when trying to calm the bees or trying to rid them from the hive. If a trap is unsuccessful, the bees could relocate as mentioned before or become aggravated which then becomes a bigger issue. When it comes to the insecticides, many of them are banned by the EPA when dealing with bees because of their important ecosystem benefits.

Bee smokers are one of the most common and easiest ways to calm bees is with the use of smoke. The smoke does not harm the bees at all and will just interfere with their sense of smell. In doing so, the bees are unable to smell their “attack” pheromones which are activated if the insects are in danger. It will hinder their ability to react and cause the bees to not attack.

STEP 5: RELOCATING THE ACTUAL HIVE

This step is one of the easiest yet most crucial parts of the whole process. After the bees and comb are completely removed it is best to contact a beekeeper or bee removal expert to relocate the hive that you have just removed.

 

Bees will automatically want to come back to their previous home and will often travel several miles to get there. For this reason it is best to relocate them several miles from their original nesting spot so that the bees don’t return and create the same problem all over again.

Generally, this part of the process is not expensive at all as the majority of the work has already been done, depending on the location of the hive of course.

STEP 6: FINAL REPAIRS

Whatever structure the bees had chosen to make their hive in, it is best to repair anything done back to normal. As said before, the last thing that anyone wants once the bees are removed is for them to come back or for a new swarm to move in.

Make sure all walls or entities have been put together properly and back to normal, and that any openings ¼ inch or larger are sealed to prevent future bees from entering.

Bees are an extremely important part of our ecosystem, but of course can be scary to deal with depending on the circumstances. Be sure to stay informed about the current trend of bees in your area and keep in mind that it is usually best to contact a professional to help with this problem to ensure that it is done both safely and correctly.