University of Baltimore staff member Stephanie Danesie is well known around the Merrick School of Business, where she serves as an administrative assistant in the Office of the Dean. But she also wears another hat—and protective gloves, pants and "veil" (more on that later): She's a beekeeper. In this case, both she and her husband could claim to be "UB Beekeepers," although they do their apiary work at their home in Fullerton. As part of the University's efforts to bring back the UBalt Bee as our official mascot, we interviewed Danesie to learn more about this fascinating and highly beneficial hobby.
How long have you been in the beekeeping business?
Danesie: About eight years.
It's a hobby, not a money-making thing, right?
Danesie: Yes, it's a hobby for my family.
How did you get into it?
Danesie: We saw a demonstration at the Harford County Farm Fair one year, given by a high school student. He told us about classes that are offered, so we took a class at the Marshy Point Nature Center in Baltimore County. For classes held this year, you may visit the Maryland State Beekeepers Association Web page. Classes begin in March and end in early April so participants may start a hive at the proper time of year.
What are the major things that you have to do in order to be an apiarist?
Danesie: My first suggestion is to take a class—you will learn an incredible amount in a very short time. Also, it helps to have a calm nature, but taking the class certainly helps to ease any fears you may have. To start, you need to obtain the basic hive parts, including a hive body, frames, supers [the variously sized racks that bees use to store honey], bees (Italians or Russians) and a queen. You'll also need protective clothing, such as a veil [the protective nylon or wire mesh hood that completely covers your neck and head] and gloves, and some basic tools such as a smoker, a hive tool and grips to grab the frame where the bees build their honeycomb. The class we took was taught by a fellow named Dennis Miller, who has a beekeeping business in Chase. You can check out his Web site.
Besides the gear you mentioned, what do you wear when you're tending bees?
Danesie: We wear long sleeves and long pants. My husband wears the veil and puts rubber bands on his pants legs to keep bees from getting under his clothes. I do not do all of that, but I am careful when holding the frames. The smoke from the smoker really does calm the bees and we are careful not to disrupt them too much.
Does it take a lot of time?
Danesie: Initially, you spend time building the hive and the frames. This can be done in a weekend. You can have the bees delivered by mail service or pick them up at a local beekeeping business. We have ordered a queen bee in the past and it was delived by the U.S. Postal Service. Once the hive is started, you just check on the frames every couple of weeks through September and add supers and frames accordingly. Each year, we register our hive with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, which is a free service. An inspector visits the hive to check for diseases, but the inspectors also teach or speak at events.
How do you know when your beekeeping skills are good?
Danesie: I think there is constant room to learn, and honey bees are quite independent and resilient to lesser beekeeping skills. The State Beekeepers Association, the Maryland State Department of Agriculture and local beekeepers are always available to answer questions. In the past couple of years, beekeepers new and old have had troubles with bees disappearing— colony collapse disorder, they call it. You just try to keep up. About four years ago, our colony disappeared and we let the hive go for a year and then rebuilt frames, bought new bees and started over.
Do the hives get crowded and you have to add more?
Danesie: Bees multiply like crazy over the summer and we just add more supers to the hive box. Since we restarted our colony three years ago, we still have one hive. We will have the option to start another colony or we could offer them to others to start a hive.
Is it possible to keep bees in the city?
Danesie: Yes, I have heard there are several beekeepers in Baltimore. Some are kept on balconies or small yards—there are plenty of gardens and parks to keep bees healthy and occupied.
What do your neighbors think about your apiary?
Danesie: Our current neighbors find them interesting and some will even get close to the hive. We used to live in a townhouse and we did have swarm behavior once in a while. Most of the neighbors were OK with it, as we collected the swarms and put them back in the hive. We did have one neighbor call the police as they were not happy with our bees; however, the bees prevailed. Honeybees do not go after people—they follow a determined flight pattern going out and coming back into the hive. If you do not bother them, they will not bother you.
Since you've been keeping bees, have you noticed anything interesting about their habits?
Danesie: They are very hard workers. Honeybees work about 12 hours a day, spring through fall. It's fascinating to watch them come back to the hive with the "baskets" on their legs full of pollen. Also, when we open the hive and check the frames, the amount of honey the hive produces is something to see. Since we have had so much snow, we have not been able to see if the bees have survived. When we had a couple of warmer days in January the bees started coming out of the hive, so we know they have been healthy up to that point. The inside of the hive is about 98 degrees in the winter, as the females work hard to keep the queen warm. I hope that all of the snow we've had this winter has not had a bad effect on the hive.
Can you tell when they're agitated or stressed out?
Danesie: The bees will get stressed out in summer if the hive gets too crowded, or the colony makes a second queen. If the conditions get too crowded, the bees will swarm and take off. Like I mentioned earlier, we had bees swarm, but they only went to the neighbors yard and clung to a tree. We were able to retrieve them and put them in the hive with an added super. It's all part of gaining experience and becoming a better beekeeper!
Can you recommend beekeeping as a hobby?
Danesie: I would certainly recommend beekeeping as a hobby. Vegetables and flowers all over the neighborhood benefit from the pollination, and we are looking forward to harvesting our own honey. The health benefits of local honey are many: I know using honey has helped with my allergies, and it tastes great.
What do you think of UBalt's use of a bee as its mascot?
I really do like using a bee as the mascot. It fits the UBalt acronym and it is our tradition. Bees work together to accomplish tasks to create a successful hive and to benefit the community around them, whether they are drones, workers or the queen. That's similar to the structure of a university. I can't wait to see a 21st century rendition of the UBalt Bee.