Bluff Park Bees

 By Heather , Bluffparkal.org  heather@bluffparkal.org  

Shannon Vann did not expect to have two bee hives buzzing in the front yard of her Bluff Park home a year ago. "This is my first year, and these are my first two hives and it's all because of pumpkins”, she says. Pumpkins? The family started a vegetable garden last year, also a first time project. Amidst the tomatoes and beans, Shannon decided to try pumpkins. "I had a lot of blooms and very healthy vines, but only one pumpkin. We did some research and discovered that female pumpkin flowers are only open for about a day and have to be pollinated to grow a pumpkin. I realized we did not have a lot of honey bees in our yard." The lack of bees was the issue with the empty vines. "The more I researched and learned about bees, the more interested I became in them," Shannon says.

Beekeeping involves maintaining the honey bee colonies in hives. A beekeeper not only keeps bees in order to collect honey but also to pollinate crops. Modern beekeepers use an extractor that removes the cells of the honeycomb without causing any damage to the hive.

"A childhood friend took me through her beekeeping journey and encouraged me to find a beekeeper’s association and take a class." Almost every county in Alabama has a beekeeper's association. The Jefferson County Beekeeper's Association meets at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (www.jeffcobees.org) and Shelby County Beekeeper's Association meets in Chelsea (www.shelbybees.org) Shannon joined the Shelby County group and started her own journey into beekeeping.

"What I didn't expect was for there to be science involved. I have an English degree but there I sat, in the Shelby County Senior Center, learning about the life cycle of the bee, how honey is made, what flowers were good for honeybees, what chemicals not to use, how to build a beehive, how to make sugar syrup for bees, what diseases and pests to look for, and all about the queen. She's rather a big deal," Shannon says.

So where does a new beekeeper get bees for the new hive? Pick up the phone. "I would like one box of bees, please." Yes, bee enthusiasts can mail order bees. "Anyone can order a box of bees. You can order them on the internet from a supplier and they'll ship them to your door through the postal service." Shannon says. Bees come in a three to five pound box of loose bees with a queen in a cage. The bees are not from the same original hive and are not yet loyal to this queen. This is the only way bees can be shipped across state lines.

Another option is to find a local supplier who sells nucleus hives, also known as Nucs. A Nuc is a small hive of bees, about five frames of brood, workers, and a queen bee. This option gives the keeper a hive of bees already working together as a unit.

To collect honey, beekeepers need a veiled helmet for protection, a tool for cutting the comb, and a smoker for tranquilizing the bees. Keepers are also responsible for maintaining the hive by protecting the colony against dangers like diseases, parasites, and predators.

"I get into the hives about every 10 days to check on everything, and I'm feeding them this year. I'll leave any honey on the hive to help them get through the winter. The whole goal this year is to build strong, healthy hives."

"This has absolutely been the most fun I've ever had with a hobby," Shannon says. Although her pumpkins did not come out as planned this year, the rest of her garden did very well and Shannon has found a new hobby and educational experience for her family. "Our hives are in our yard where our children play. My 6 year old loves wearing her dad's veil and helping me. She holds my hive tool and helps me identify larvae and honey on the frames.”

There are at least three other beekeepers in the Bluff Park area and many more in Hoover.

"We have decided to name our queens like the weather service names hurricanes.” Currently reigning over the Vann hives in Bluff Park are Agnes and Bellatrix. Oddly enough, Bellatrix's bees are slightly more aggressive than Agnes’ bees. “We'll keep that in mind when naming future queens!”, Shannon quips.

Photos courtesy of the Vann Family