About Bees – Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association

rostichep @ Pixabay, dead bee on back on wood

Bee Kills – Reporting

How to Report Bee Kills The experience of finding your bees dead in piles is devastating. One tempting response is to withdraw from a hobby that causes such a painful experience. Another response is to recognize that – as stewards of our environment – much work remains to be done and that courageous individuals can make a difference.Before there can be any legislation to protect honey bees, there must be evidence that bee kills occur with enough regularity to enact legislation in the first place. That is why beekeepers should report all bee kills at state and federal levels.In the…

Jeff with Swarm

Give a Swarm a good home

If you see honey bee swarm - a ball of bees in a tree or bush - that means they are seeking a new home. Help us find a good home for these bees - you don't want them nesting in your house. We will send a local member out to retrieve the colony for a better chance at survival. Please call Dave Marshall at 812-369-0401 right away before the swarm flies off to its new home. Before you call, please have the following information: How long has the swarm been at this location? What is the exact address of the…

kie-ker @ Pixabay, silk bee (colletes) on small yellow flowers

Links & Resources

Beekeeping Michael Bush Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium UGA Honey Bee Program (includes Young Harris Beekeeper Institute and Master Beekeeper Program) BeeSource Forum BeeMaster Forum Backyard Beekeeping(PDF), Alabama Cooperative Extension, James E. Tew Books The following are books recommended by the Georgia Master Beekeeping Program.First Lessons in Beekeeping by Dr. Keith DelaplaneThe Buzz about Bees: The Biology of a Superorganism by Jürgen TautzHoneybee Democracy by Thomas D. SeeleyWisdom of the Hive by Thomas D. SeeleyThe Biology of the Honey Bee by Mark WinstonThe Bees in your Backyard by J.S. Wilson & O. Messinger Carril Native Pollinators & Planting Guides Pollinator Partnership eBook: Bee Basics: An Introduction…

From http://gabeeremoval.blogspot.com/

Honey Bee Removals from a Structure

Honey bees make nests in enclosed cavities. If you see bees coming and going from a hole in a wall or soffit, they could be honey bees. Many people try to spray a nest like this in walls in their house and it doesn’t end well. Besides killing bees and putting chemicals into the earth, when you kill a bee nest that’s established in the walls of a house you can end up with a mess. All the dead bees and brood will smell like any other dead animal stuck in your wall. On top of that, without the bees…

macayran @ Pixabay, carpenter bee on pink flower

Carpenter Bees

Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association is a club for honey bee keepers. There’s really no such thing as “keeping” or “moving” carpenter bees, but here is some basic information if you’re concerned about carpenter bees in your home. Freshly stained/painted wood doesn’t attract carpenter bees. There’s a brief page on them in this booklet published by the USDA that refers to this: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5306468.pdf —scroll down to page 10 People report diminished carpenter bee activity on freshly sealed or painted wood. A great natural solution is to nail up (in an unobtrusive place) a 2 x 4 section of untreated lumber- it can…

Myriams-Fotos @ Pixabay, bumble bee covered in pollen on pink dahlia flower

Help the Bees

You don't need to keep bees to help bees Seek Knowledge Get a field guide to local insects and use it on hikes. It is amazing how a little knowledge and familiarity can dispel a large amount of fear and repulsion. Share Knowledge Let your friends know that these vegetarian honey bees are not out to get them. Rather, we depend on them for our standard of living. Walk on the Wild Side Allow a little wildness to creep back into your yard and garden. Dandelions and clover may look like weeds to you but to bees they are dinner.…

GDJ @ Pixabay, FAQ word made of question marks

Frequently Asked Questions

Ask 10 beekeepers and get 11 opinions Why are bees dying? Annual losses of entire honey bee colonies from the winter of 2006-2011 averaged about 33 percent each year, with a third of these losses attributed to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) by beekeepers. The winter of 2011-2012 was an exception, when total losses dropped to 22 percent. Can you imagine the uproar if dairy farmers or cattle ranchers began losing 22-33 percent of their livestock each year? Bees have been on this planet for about a 100 million years. Before 1980, honey bees in the US pretty much took care of themselves.…

WilliamCho @ Pixabay, gold justice statue with blue sky background

Georgia Bee Laws

This information may change from time to time. Persons wanting to pursue the Georgia Bee Law more thoroughly can consult the following: Georgia Department of Agriculture honey bee web page Contact the Georgia Apiary Inspector, Mr. David Williams at David.Williams@agr.georgia.gov Check on your local county or city ordinances If you live in a neighborhood with a Home Owners Association, review your covenants, conditions, and restrictions Consult an attorney. The following has been downloaded from the Georgia Department of Agriculture web site. 2-14-40. License required for sale of bees; fee; revocation of license. (a) All persons, firms, or corporations desiring to carry on…

Waugsberg @ CreativeCommonLicense

Honey Bee Safety

Ouch! I got stung. What should I do? First figure out if it was a bee or a wasp. Wasps have smooth stingers and they can sting multiple times.Female honey bees or workers have barbed stingers. When they sting, they leave the stinger in your skin with a venom sack and a muscle that continues to pump venom from the sack into your body. The quicker you remove the stinger, the less your reaction will be. It may be a small consolation but a worker bee sacrifices herself when she leaves a stinger in your skin.As an aside, when your…

balouriarajesh @ Pixabay, bee swarm in tree

About Honey Bee Swarms

Honey bees are the only type of bee that swarms. It is a reproductive strategy of the bees, creating two or more new colonies from the original one. Swarming occurs mostly in the spring to enable the newly established colony sufficient time to gather sufficient food (nectar/honey) to survive the coming winter. The swarmed bees form a temporary cluster or bivouac prior to moving into more permanent housing. While the bees bivouac, scout bees are searching the area looking for an optimal new home. Thomas Seeley's book Honey Bee Democracy tells the fascinating story of how he determined what a honey bee's…