Tips are a buzzing on what you can do to help honey bees.
Local Master Beekeeper, Diane Dunaway shares with us what simple steps you can take right in your own back yard.
“So for sure we want to be planting flowers that are going to provide the nectar which is the carbohydrate and pollen which is the protein so that they can raise their young and thrive. We’re also careful about discriminating against pesticides harming bees because that’s some what of a concern as.”
As for what you should do if you want to try being a beekeeper yourself, Dunaway says there comes responsibility.
“People say oh I want to help them and I want to be a beekeeper which is great but there comes responsibility for that where you just can’t say oh well I love my bees and I don’t need to treat them. Love the verb, you’ve got to make sure you’re looking after your bees.”
Dunaway says the varroa mite which attaches themselves and sucks what is the equivalent of blood in bees, and weakens their immune system are still considered the greatest health challenge to bees.
They were introduced to North America about 30 years ago.
Bee colonies in Williams Lake can be seen at the Potato House and Scout Island, in which Dunaway says there is a new queen bee at. She says the former queen was unfortunately expressing expressing traits that they attribute to Italian Queens who are well suited for the Mediterranean.
“So she kept laying eggs and she had this huge work force with nothing to do come December and they kind of ate themselves out of house and home unfortunately. So we’ve put another gal in there with a nuke that I made for my bees. So we’ll monitor them and sees how she does.”