The importance of the humble bee has become headline news in recent years with reports of their declining populations and fear that some species may even become extinct. As such, more people are getting on board with trying to conserve this species. Many are taking up beekeeping as a way to do their bit while some organizations, such as Project Honey Bees, have a mission to do all they can to help with bee conservation by selling a range of bee-inspired jewelry to support bee adoption.
If you are thinking of getting involved and want to help save bees and the planet, you may be considering beekeeping as a hobby. This is great news, but before you begin you should know a bit more about the threats that honey bees inside the hive face and what you can do about them.
Threats to Honeybees
Parasites and Disease
The varroa mite is a major threat to honeybees, leaving them weak and susceptible to disease. The varroa mite attaches itself to adult bees and feeds off their fat. They also infect the brood and feed while reproducing on the larvae and pupae. This causes developing bees to become malformed. Varroa mites can weaken an entire colony, leaving it unable to forage for food or produce honey that is required to survive.
It is important to monitor beehives for mites regularly. It is normal to have a small number of these mites in a hive but without treatments, you could find the entire colony being overwhelmed. Varroa treatments are available and should be used annually.
Predators
Honeybees are also prone to attack from predators such as bears, skunks, and wasps (depending on where you live, of course). Bears attack hives to get to the honey inside, while skunks like to feed on the adult bees. Wasps will target beehives to get to the honey but will also steal larvae and nectar to feed to their own young.
Honeybees also need to be protected from robber bees (honeybees from another hive). These robber bees will try to get past the guard bees to get to the honey, which they will steal to take back to their own hive.
It is important to protect beehives from predators. To keep bears away, an electric fence is recommended. This will prevent the bear from ever getting near to your hive because once it gets the honey, it will keep coming back for more. If skunks are a problem, any type of fence will deter it as they do not like to climb.
To protect a hive from robber bees and wasps, you should make sure that you keep the area around the hive clean and free from honey spills or beeswax scraps, as this can attract these predators. Do not feed the bees outside the hive and try an entrance reducer to reduce the area that the guard bees have to patrol.
Inclement Weather
Extreme weather can also be a problem for beehives. Fluctuating temperatures and extreme weather can be a massive problem, with strong winds being particularly harmful for colonies. It is best to make sure that a hive is placed out of such winds to prevent the hive from being blown over. Windchill also causes it to feel much colder than it is, which can be devastating to the bees inside a hive. If the temperature drops below 41 degrees, the bees will die.
To protect beehives from inclement weather, they should be placed in an area where they are sheltered from the wind. A cover will help the bees to keep warm during the winter.
