Tag: host a hive

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Does a beekeeper’s smoker hurt the bees?

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Releasing smoke around a Bee Hive has been documented for centuries as people discovered ways to harvest honey from a hive, and until recently, we didn’t know why.

While all of the details are not entirely clear about how a Beekeeper’s smoker calms bees, we do know some things about the reaction, and it’s clear that exposing bees to smoke doesn’t harm them.

What we do know is that the smoke masks the bee’s pheromones – the danger signals released when a bee is scared. A scared bee will release this danger signal to alert the rest of the hive that they need to move from honey production to protection mode.

By using a smoker, the beekeeper blocks this signal from being sent, so that the whole hive doesn’t go into alert mode.

A secondary response when a bee detects smoke is to go into a feeding frenzy. This is a protection mechanism in case the hive is on fire, and the bee doesn’t know when it will get to eat again. This eating distracts the bees from attacking or swarming into the air by keeping them close to the hive.

 

When we host a hive, can we see how the smoker works?

Yes! We love taking our hosts on tours of the hive. We bring all of the equipment you need to suit up and be protected during the visit.

We know getting that close to the hive isn’t for everyone, but it makes a great experience for a class presentation for a student in your house, or a curious neighbour who would like to see what all the buzz is about.

You’ll get to see the inside of the hive and hold a frame of honeycomb. We can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best to show you the queen bee, and we’re always happy to answer any questions you have along the way.

While we are as careful as possible, we are still disturbing the home of the bees while collecting honey, so some bees still go into protective mode, but our suits keep the bees away from our skin so they don’t find the opportunity to sting.

Learn more about hosting a hive at your home or business.

Would you like to learn more about a bee smoker? Here’s a helpful page on Wikipedia with more information.

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Why Does Every Bee Hive Look Unique?

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When you host a hive, you’ll notice that each one looks unique. Some are different colours, others are stacked different heights and each group of hives has a different arrangement of heights and colors.

While bees seem rather simplistic, they have the intelligence to recognize their hive, but not enough to distinguish identical hives in a row.

Imagine it like this. Some people live in neighbourhoods or apartment buildings where all of the houses look very similar if not identical. If you grew up in this neighbourhood, you would simply remember that your house is the 3rd from the end, or that you live in apartment 202. A bee can’t count the number of hives in a row; but that doesn’t make him unintelligent.

A bee can recognize an arrangement of hives. A bee can recognize that She lives in the middle hive in a group of low hive, medium hive, tall hive. She can also tell that he lives in the green hive if it’s next to an identical sized yellow hive.

Why does it matter that a bee gets to the right hive?

Bees have families and allegiances to a queen (that’s why hives only have one queen) in the same way a neighbour randomly walking into your house is going to realize he’s out of place.

A bee flying into the wrong hive can be seen as an intruder and the bees that live there will do whatever it takes to protect their queen and their hive, including attacking and killing the intruding bee.

As territorial as bees can be of their own hive, bees can happily live in separate hives right next to each other.

 

Can I customize my host hives?

Yes! Because each hive needs to be customized visually, we can add a decal to your hive that says “Welcome to our garden” or a picture or design. When you’re ready to host a hive, we are happy to discuss design details to customize your hive perfectly to fit your garden and your personality!

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5 Health Benefits of Honey

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Honey is not just a delicious product from bees that goes perfectly on toast with peanut butter, or drizzled on your morning cereal; it also has health benefits that make it sweet to the tongue, while benefitting the rest of your body.

 

1. Antioxidants

Antioxidants remove potentially damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism. In plain words, they stop your body from absorbing too much oxygen, reducing oxidization (the same process that causes rust on metal). According to WebMD, the antioxidants found in honey have been associated with lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer

Antioxidants have also been linked to lowering high blood pressure, and we consider the taste of honey to be naturally relaxing.

2. Sugar Alternative

Even people who jokingly argue that sugar is a vegetable because it grows as a plant realize that reducing white sugar intake is beneficial to your health. If you have a sweet tooth, try substituting honey in your tea, baking and in your cereal to satisfy your sweet tooth, and reduce your white sugar intake.

 

3. Natual Throat Coat

Next time you feel that tickle in your throat, before reaching for your cough syrup with a list unpronounceable ingredients, enjoy a teaspoon of honey. The honey tastes delicious while moisturizing and coating that sore or irritated throat.

If you’re experiencing vocal fatigue from speaking or singing, a teaspoon of honey in warm water is the perfect way to comfort your throat, loosen your vocal chords and reduce irritation from dry spots.

 

4. Burn Treatment

After rinsing a burn in water, apply a small amount of honey to cover the surface area of the burn. It’s not entirely clear how honey specifically aids in burn treatment, but the US Natural Library of Medicine shows a reduced healing time.

Their findings when applying honey to the wounds of burn victims:

Honey dressings make the wounds sterile in less time, enhance healing, and have a better outcome in terms of hypertrophic scars and postburn contractures, as compared to other dressings.

The full article is available here

 

5. Local Honey May Counter Allergic Reactions to Pollen

The theory is this: Honey naturally contains pollen, and local honey specifically contains many of the pollens that you may be reacting to. Like a booster shot or anti-venom dose, allowing your body to consume the pollen causing a reaction (in small doses through honey) creates a resistance to the reaction.

Healthline points out both a study that showed no difference in small amounts of honey intake and a study that showed a reduced reaction over an 8-week period.

While we can’t say for sure and the results have been varied, whether you experience relief or not, you’ll enjoy the flavour during the process.

 

Every one business of residence that hosts a hive receives honey from their own backyard each season. If you don’t have the space to host a hive, you can order honey from The Great Canadian Honey Company!

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