- The following are some frequently asked questions and answers concerning all things beekeeping and honey bees. Click or touch anywhere in the question box or on the + (plus sign) to expand the box to see the answer. Click or touch the - (minus sign) to collapse back to the question box.
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Is Illinois a good place to keep bees?
Illinois has a long history of beekeeping. Many major names of beekeeping history are linked to Illinois. University of Illinois has a strong entomology (bugs, that is!) department and the University is home of the world renown Honey Bee Research Lab which mapped the genome of the honey bee.
One of the biggest manufacturers of bee equipment (Dadant & Sons) has their corporate headquarters in Western Central Illinois. The founder of Dadant and Sons was a charter member of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association (ISBA). The ISBA has been actively supporting beekeeping in the state since 1891.
Today Illinois has over 4500 registered beekeepers. Yes, Illinois is a good place to keep bees.
One of the biggest manufacturers of bee equipment (Dadant & Sons) has their corporate headquarters in Western Central Illinois. The founder of Dadant and Sons was a charter member of the Illinois State Beekeepers Association (ISBA). The ISBA has been actively supporting beekeeping in the state since 1891.
Today Illinois has over 4500 registered beekeepers. Yes, Illinois is a good place to keep bees.
How does a person start keeping bees in Illinois?
Caution – carefully choose your sources of information. It is often best to stick to “tried and true” and be weary of the “new and improved.” Longstanding and well established organizations are good choices as well as “.edu” websites.
Be especially cautious of accepting information found in YouTube videos. Experienced beekeeper sometimes cringe at what is promoted in homemade videos.
- You can best begin beekeeping by acquiring information and finding support from those who have experience. As beekeeping has become more popular in the last decade, the amount of information available has become daunting and unfortunately sometimes inconsistent.
- You should become an informed beekeeper by looking for a standard book on the keeping of bees. One good suggestion would be First Lessons in Beekeeping – available from Dadant and Sons, a long standing Illinois bee supply company (https://www.dadant.com/). First Lessons in Beekeeping was initially published a century ago and has been revised regularly. It has an exceptional track record. Reading one such well accepted text will give the aspiring beekeeper a basis from which to ask relevant questions.
- Locate and join an ISBA affiliated beekeeping association near you. It will provide you an ongoing opportunity to converse with and learn from more experienced beekeepers and possibly find one to mentor you as needed. A listing of ISBA affiliated beekeeping associations is at https://www.ilsba.com/affiliate-associations.html on this website.
- If you have not already done so, locate and take a classroom based Introduction to Beekeeping Class. Understanding the nature of bees and bee biology can help the newcomer find success. There are many offered around the State and the ones we are currently aware of are listed at https://www.ilsba.com/summary-of-events.html.
Caution – carefully choose your sources of information. It is often best to stick to “tried and true” and be weary of the “new and improved.” Longstanding and well established organizations are good choices as well as “.edu” websites.
Be especially cautious of accepting information found in YouTube videos. Experienced beekeeper sometimes cringe at what is promoted in homemade videos.
What is the best source of Beekeeping information?
In addition to the local ISBA affiliate associations, the latest information on keeping bees (and it continues to change) is found in the two major bee journals in the US. Consider subscribing to
- The American Bee Journal (https://americanbeejournal.com/) and/or
- Bee Culture (https://www.beeculture.com/)
- Until you gain some knowledge and experience, you should only rely on researched and vetted information found on internet domains with a .edu domain suffix with one exception. The http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ website by Randy Oliver is an exceptional fact based website.
Where to Purchase Honeybees?
Most beekeepers start with buying
Bees can be purchased by mail order, however with the growing availability of local sources, it is likely best to seek these out rather than having your bees “run the gauntlet” in a shipping container.
Check with your local beekeeping association or bee equipment supply store.
- a package of bees or
- a nucleus colony
Bees can be purchased by mail order, however with the growing availability of local sources, it is likely best to seek these out rather than having your bees “run the gauntlet” in a shipping container.
Check with your local beekeeping association or bee equipment supply store.
What are the different Sugar Syrup Mixtures
And when to use them?
And when to use them?
There are essentially two types of sugar syrup
Thin is used in Spring and Summer to stimulate brood rearing. Thick is normally used in Fall to help the colony increase food stores for the winter. For more information on honey bee nutrition click on this link to the Michigan State University website
- thin (1:1) which is equal amounts of sugar and water or thinner of up to 1 part of sugar to 2 parts of water (1:2). Just do not get it too thin. What would be too thin? Hummingbird syrup mixture which is 1:4 (1 part sugar to 4 parts water is too thin! Your honey bees will not thrive on such a thin solution.
- thick (2:1) which is 2 parts of sugar to 1 part of water.
Thin is used in Spring and Summer to stimulate brood rearing. Thick is normally used in Fall to help the colony increase food stores for the winter. For more information on honey bee nutrition click on this link to the Michigan State University website