Guidelines for Helping Mentors work with New Beekeepers

1. New beekeeper takes the East Jefferson Beekeepers Association’s (EJBees) Beginning Beekeeping Class, after which a mentor is assigned to help the new beekeeper.

2. The first mentor meeting occurs at the mentor’s apiary BEFORE the new beekeeper obtains bees but after acquiring hive woodenware.

2A — What to demonstrate and discuss

• Site selection (wind, sun, rain exposure)
• Equipment (see Beginning Beekeeping Class materials for detailed list)
• Boxes
  • Type
  • Dimensions
  • 6-5/8” Westerns
  • 9-5/8” Deeps
  • Buy ready-made boxes or purchase kits (how to assemble)
  • Screen bottom boards
  • Entrance hole, yes or no
• Smoker and how to use it
• Beekeeper’s tool kit (see Beginning Beekeeping Class materials for detailed list)
• Record-keeping

2B — At mentor’s hives — discuss, demonstrate, hands-on

• Discuss gloves
• Discuss using your senses to evaluate hive conditions
• Demonstrate and/or hands-on
  • Handling bees
  • Using tools in the hive
  • Adopting a good body position for inspecting hive (save your back!)
  • Lifting a hive box
  • Opening and “cracking” a hive and removing frames safely
  • Returning frames in order
  • Recognizing queen cell versus drone cell
  • Recognizing mites (if an opportunity arises)
  • Distinguishing a wasp from a bee
  • Recognizing the queen (if the opportunity arises)

2C — What to do when the bee package or “nuc” arrives

• Inspect the queen (what to notice)
• Avoid damaging the queen (how to accomplish this confidently)
• For a package, keep the queen in her cage for at least 3 days (5 days is better)
• Release her safely, then leave the hive strictly alone for 7 days after the release
• After the 7 day period, immediately do the first inspection

3. The second mentor meeting takes place at the new beekeeper’s apiary at least 2 weeks AFTER the bees (package or nuc) are received

3A — Maintenance and inspection

• Feed bees appropriately
• Crack the hive
• Observe whether the queen is laying properly. Drone-laying queen?
• Tear out cross-comb and sculpt irregular comb using a serrated knife
• Inspect hive on a regular schedule – every 7 days (every 6 in June/July swarm season)
• Look at brood, honey, pollen in the frames

3B — When to call mentor

• Queen cells (supersedure cells, swarm cells)
• LOTS of drone cells
• A BIG problem with ants or wasps

4. Third mentor meeting and/or urgent and emergency calls during the first year

4A — A mentor can be called later in the season in case of emergency and urgency

4B — Advanced topics

• Queen cells and other swarm cells, and how to check the queen cell for a larva inside
• Distinguish empty versus “charged” (with royal jelly) queen cell, with or without larva
• Entrance reducer
• Mite management
  • suppression and control
  • screen board
  • mite boards

4C — Review using smell, hearing, observation for information on hive condition