Resources

Below are some links to web sites that you might find interesting and informative.  
(East Central Iowa Beekeepers are not responsible for the content on any of the sites.)

Local/State Organizations

Iowa Honey Producers

List of honey suppliers provided by the National Honey Board

Beekeeping Information from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Sensitive Crop Directory Login (To register or update your apiary registry in Iowa)

Files

Ed St. John's Powerpoint Presentation (Sept 2019) on Winter Preparation

Beekeeping Supplies

Below is a basic list of suppliers of beekeeping equipment and supplies.  This is by no means to be considered an exhaustive list.  Some supply bees/queens as well, but not all.

Lappe's Bee Supply Honey Farm Local Iowa supply company in Madison County

B & B Honey Farms     Houston Mn.  Minnesota Hygienic Queens, supplies

Betterbee Inc.  Greenwich, NY.  Supplies and package bees

Brushy Mt. Bee Farm  North Carolina.  Supplies and products.

Dadant & Sons, Inc.   Hamilton, Ill.  General supplies and products.

Mann Lake LTD      Hackensack, Mn.  General supplies and products.

Miller Bee Supply     North Carolina.  General supplies and products.

Walter T. Kelley Co.      Kentucky.  General supplies and products

Blogs, Forums and Newsletters

Podcasts:  Search for the on your favorite Podcast player

Beekeeping Today  The podcast for the latest beekeeping news, information and entertainment for today's beekeeper. Hosts Jeff Ott and Kim Flottum bring you interviews and commentary helping you become a more informed and knowledgeable beekeeper.

Honey Bee Obsurca--short, in-depth review of all things honey bees with hosts, Kim Flottum and Jim Tew

Beesource--This is a great resource, with very active forums, tons of information.  

Walter T. Kelley Newsletter--published monthly, always full of good tips and information.  PDF format.  Go to this link to set up an account and you can view all of their archived newsletters.  

Betterbee Newsletter  This link will let you subscribe to their newsletter

Betterbee also has a page listing many great resources and information.  Go to Betterbee Information  for information and supplies.

Bee/Wasp Identification

Are you curious about what bee or wasp you're seeing at your flowers or in a nest on or around your house?  We often get calls about honey bees nesting on someone's property but when we inspect we find sometimes these are yellow jackets, carpenter bees or bumble bees instead.  Here are some resources to help you make an identification of the insect you're seeing.

Insect Identification.org

Bees-hornets-wasps of the world  (This one provided by a youth gardening group.  Thanks, kids!)

https://www.halloweencostumes.com/all-about-bees.html  This one submitted by a boy scout seeking to earn his insect badge!  

Planting for Pollinators

General tips for planting for bees:

Abundance- Clump plants so the bees can find and visit many flowers in one location.

This provides a worthwhile food stop! Coneflowers in a large clump will

attract honey bees and all types of native bees and butterflies.

Sequence – Plant for bloom succession. You need a succession of overlapping blooming

from spring to fall. Learn when specific plants bloom so you get a good

overlap.

Diversity - Select plants that will provide pollen as well as nectar. Bees need diverse

pollen and nectar sources for balanced diet. Don’t forget trees and shrubs

that can provide pollen and nectar.

Pesticide use - If possible, do not use pesticides! Insecticides can kill beneficial insects as

well as the insect you are trying to kill. Herbicides may kill plants

(dandelions and Dutch white clover) that bees can get pollen and nectar

from. So, do not go for that perfect lawn with no weeds in it.

Plant traits that may attract bees:

Flower color- bright white, yellow, blue or UV

Flower shape- shallow, have a landing platform, tubular, single flower top

Nectar guides present- guides the bees into the plant

Nectar is present- usually fresh, mild and a pleasant smell

Pollen- often sticky and scented 

The following websites have information regarding plants and guides for attracting and feeding pollinators.  

-- Creating pollinator gardens (Recommended by a local student.  Thanks, Corrine.) https://www.bottlestore.com/beesandhoneycreatingpollinatorgardens

--Pollinator.org

----For a specific guide to our area in the midwest, use this guide: EBFContinental  It is a pdf guide.

--This is a very nice guide for Indiana, but should be mostly applicable here in Iowa.  It lists plants that are good for nectar and/or pollen and the dates the plants bloom. Gardening for Honey Bees

--Xerces Planting Guide for the Midwest

--ConsumerNotice.org is a consumer advocacy website dedicated to providing reliable health and safety information.  The following is a link to their alternatives to pesticides

    Miscellaneous

Video:  Walk Away Splits

For a good video on doing walk-away splits, see A Beginner's Guide to Walk Away Splits, produced by Dyce Lab for  Honeybee Studies. This lab is associated with Cornell University in upstate New York.  Visit their facebook page for more information and videos.

Hannah Miller of the UK has put together info with tips for homeowners on promoting bee health.

https://diygardening.co.uk/help-bee-population/ 

Iowa State University Extension has published a free guide for keeping your bees safe from pesticides.  

You can download the publication here:  Protecting Bees from Pesticides.
Another free ISU publication also gives advice for beekeepers and pesticide applicators to help keep our bees safe in our agricultural environment.  Download Protecting Bees in Iowa.
*********************************************
Keeping track of your bees

Hive Tracks  This is another tool for keeping track of your bees. This free website allows the user to set up an account and record your hive management data.
*********************************************
Cascadian Farms has a project in cooperation with the Xerces Society and the U of Minnesota Bee Lab to promote a better environment for bees.  Visit Bee Friendlier.

Watch Marla Spivak, from the University of Minnesota, talk about the disappearance of honey bees in this 15 minute talk on TED talks.

Ohio State University Bee Lab -- education and research related to honey bees and other bee pollinators.  Free webinars devoted to all aspects of beekeeping and honey production.

Ohio State Beekeepers Association--beekeeping videos  This is a good beginning series of videos.   Well worth watching.

University of Minnesota Northern Beekeeping Video Series  Beekeeping in a colder climate.  Several short videos on various topics.

Beekeeping Guide for All Ages--general resource guide with numerous links about bees and beekeeping, and resources for kids, who are the beekeepers of tomorrow.

Are Neonicotinoids killing our bees?  Read the report from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Single Deep Brood Method.  
An Ontario beekeeper, Devan Rawn, produces a Youtube video series  in which he discusses keeping a colony in a single deep brood chamber.  His videos are straight forward, informative and intelligent presentations.  Watch Devan Rawn videos.

*******************************************************************