Beekeepers ’ First Experience
(Continue tarn fog. 2} Ta j-„ t . ■ . . ■
to harvest actually fa* l#_:(»ioufcs of about four
merited. mistanbbcs* : .'
“We learned quicklythe classified as a part
importance of maintaining a time beekeeper,? said KeHy.
proper moisture content hi Pert-timers manage 25*299
honey,” Tim said. “Bee* will Wye * yet even with those
not cap honey with a thin mmife«l%Jtfahardtomake«
feyer of wix untilthey have ",
hroperly evaporated ; the m ™c beekeeping* fu&
moisture from the nemut. wy be*
filming their wings. Since Jeves hawmdd have to care
our bee* were killed by mites, fot^o#4ob hives,
they had left much of the A The development from egg
honey uncapped, which we *? wmko" bee Is 21
extracted dong with the days, when she begins a life of
rest.” labor for the colony.
tin said It was their first °*>« b», noted Kelly, pro
harvest ‘and we didn’t want duces about-1/12 of a tea*
tMraste anything.” spoon in its lifetime. In the
high moisture summertime, the life can be
content in honey allows for s^lort “* on ly about 6-8
fermentation, t‘‘we ended up weeks,
lodng it aU,” he said. In building the hives, gath-
Tim wrote kbis business ering nectar, and working for
entry for 1991 “Oh well, the queen, Kelly noted that a
some valuable lessens typical bee can “literally
learned and some beeswax work itself to death.”
for the effort*” Sente of the best nectar
Se io 15196 the Millers comes from woodlots near
“lifted over” by purchasing flowering trees, especially in
two more packages of 12,000 the early spring,
bees. Since then, the numbers One of the first pollen
have continued to grow by sources is the maple tree.
™iwt;n g swarms, making Some of the Millers’ hives
splits (dividing one hive into are on vegetable and fruit
two or more separate hives), production farms. One is a
and purchasinghives from “pollination yard,” Tim
fellow beekeepers. noted, on the nearby Nelson
Were
Breaking
New »
Disc Narrows
• 5'2", 6'4" orB' widths
• Adjustable gang angles
• 18“ Notched or smooth disc blades, 22“ on 8'
• Break up the ground with a heavy-duty frame and
heat-treated disc blades
• Ideal for landscapers and small acreage farmers
Batts Equipment
3139 WWy Both ROad,Rt. 232
New Hbpe, PS* 18938
215-598-7601
,nc -
MainSWet
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Main Street
McAlistervNle, PA 17049
717-463*2181
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
De|lan Equipment, Inc.
141 East Main St.
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas t-. Dunlap
RLJ22O, Mam St. Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
Eckroth Bros Farm Equip.
RdZ, 80x24A
New Rlngold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckrath Equipment Co.
4910K«msviHe Rd.
OrefieidiPA 18069
610-36^-2095
Hlnee Equipment
Rt. 220fBemood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R7Boxftos
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Frultville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
Lehigh Ag Equipment, Inc.
6670 RuppsvHle Rd.,
Allentown, PA 18106 ,
610-398-2553
800-7779-3616
Hdsey Orchard. Yards am
have anywhere from two to
15 hives.
„ The past year wasn’t a
good year for honey produc
tion, mostly because of the
cold, wet spring. “There were
too many birds and , not
enough bees,” Tim said,
which. resulted in a poor
cheirtfotop. O
Kepy noted that this year
the locust trees didn’t bloom
on their property, so nectar
was in reaHyshort supply. *
lii 1999, the average yield
per colony was 76 pounds.
With 11 colohles, last year
the Millers harvested about
806 pounds of honey. This
year die yield is down about
60 percent per Colony.
Spring weather “makes or
breaks” yields, said Tim.
Often, colonies of bees split
from the main branch and
“swarm.” The old queen
leaves and the new queen re
mains.
Sometimes “swarms” can
attach themselves to any
thing trees, telephone or
fence posts, even on the
ground. Up to 60 percent of
the hive can actually leave in
the swarms.
Tim and Kelly have photos
of swarms they collected
from all over the area.
One swarm was on the
M.S. Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikevilie Equipment Inc.
RO 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-027-6277
StoHzfiis Farm Service
Cochranvllte, RA
610-663-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-5424
!Vew .tersey
Rodio Tractor Sates
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N.J, 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County Service
Center
226 Route Sty, Blairtown, N J .
908*362-6916'
QftWir snd Msrfcstsr, lanttstw farming. Ssturday, Dscwribsr 9. 2000-Page 3
ground, in the grass. Tim
merely placed a hive next to
it and the bees simply
marched right in.
One photo shows a fence
post surrounded by a swarm.
There have been stories of
swarms literally attaching
themsdves to the spare tire in
the back of spOrt utility vehi
cles even construction
barrel markers.
Kelly and Tim market the
honey made from the hives
under the Back Run Apiaries
label, named after the Back
Run Stream that feeds into
the Little Chickies. Honey is
packed into one- and -five
pound bottles, including the
squeeze bear plastic contain
ers.
Colored waxes are made
into decorative candles, in
cluding forest green and bur
gundy vbtives.
Honey can last a long time,
noted Kelly. She read that
The Millers market honey In one- and five-pound
Jars, along with an assortment of beeswax products.
some was found in unedible,
granulated form in an Egyp
tian tomb. .
The Millers sell their honey
and wax products direct
market, mostly by word of
mouth. They managed a
booth at the Elizabethtown
Fair in August with help
from Pennsylvania Honey
Queen Reneepiatt.
Kelly also managed a
stand at the Landis Valley
Harvest Days.
Kelly, president of the
county beekeepers, said the
association numbers about 35
members. They meet about
six times per year.
Kelly and Tim are mem
bers of Landisville Mennonite
Church, which they attend
with children, Caleb, 7, in the
second grade at Elm Tree El
ementary; Elizabeth, in kin
dergarten at Elm Tree; Julia,
4; and Angela, 2.