Let's talk about bees. Honey bees are not indigenous to North America. If I were to start saying all the countries they came from, I would probably be amiss somewhere and then other beekeepers would make fun of me. There are two main types that people keep in the United States: Carniolan and Italians.

The Italians are known to build up fast, and create large brood nests with lots of bees in a short amount of time. They are also considered to “bee” a gentle bee. They are more of a golden color than their cousins. The drawback is they don't winter well, they're more of a southern climate type of bee. For many years, Alaskans would just buy new bees every spring, repackage their hives and create a honey crop in the summer, and dispose of their bees in the fall. 

There's been a lot of research done on wintering bees. The Canadians have developed some very good wintering houses and have perfected outside winter wraps and ventilation systems. If you don't intend to winter your bees, Italians might be a good fit. 

The most commonly kept northern honeybee is the Carniolan, a subspecies of the western honeybee. Its origins are from Slovenia, Bosnia, and Croatia. They take to the cold a little better, they're still considered a fairly gentle bee, and they build up well. They are not super swarmy and are good honey gatherers. Carniolans tend to “bee” a little darker than their cousins the Italians.

There are many other breeds of the honey bee. They can be purchased from bee suppliers. The bee suppliers in Alaska generally put their orders in around February and bees start coming in the first part of April. They are flown into Anchorage and Fairbanks 

 If you are considering beekeeping you would want to put your order in by March 1st. A four pound pack of bees with a queen will run roughly $210 to $230. The cost of a package of bees has almost doubled in the last 10 years. A lot of Alaskan beekeepers are attempting to winter their bees as the cost of new packages every spring is becoming prohibitive. 

There is going to be a two day beekeeping class in Kenny Lake at the Kenny Lake Community League March 6th and 7th. Dawn Cogan, a very knowledgeable beekeeper from Fairbanks, is the instructor. From all I've heard she teaches a very good class. The flyer for the workshop is posted below. The next article will be about equipment: what type of bee hives and the origins of them. 

Till then, Bee good. 

Article by Brad Kimberlin

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