Beekeeping has been in vogue for years and is finding more and more followers even in large cities. Hobby beekeeper Helene Barth from Langengeisling tells how it's done.
Erding / Langengeisling - beekeeping as a hobby has been a trend for years and is finding more and more followers even in large cities. Hobby beekeeper Helene Barth explains how to start her own honey production. At the Zehmerhof in Langengeisling, Helene Barth runs a biogas plant with her husband, alongside a knitting café.
Six years ago, when she was still working as a specialist in the biogas association in Freising, the 59-year-old had attended a beginner's course at the Freising beekeeping association with a colleague. "Although I was very interested in bees, I wasn't sure whether I should start beekeeping," she recalls. The family made the decision for her. She said: "Mom should beekeeping now." In addition, she was given the equipment for the new hobby.
Beginner's mistake: only one people
It started with a typical beginner's mistake, Barth admits: “At first I only had one people. But you should start with at least two peoples so that you can get at least one through the winter. ”Since the first people had not survived, Barth got two offshoots from a neighbor who breeds queens. The specialist describes a branch as a small people with a young queen.
A people is housed in a loot, a wooden house with several floors, the frames. In it, wooden frames covered with wire and wax panels are hung in which the bees build the honeycombs. If you don't want a spin-off, you can buy bee colonies or try to capture an escaped swarm. “The swarm then belongs to the successful catcher,” explains Barth.
For visits to her six bee colonies, the Langengeislinger puts on the beekeeper blouse with the characteristic hat. In the basket she has rubber gloves with her, the "beekeeper's most important tool", the stick chisel. "I can use it to lift out the honeycombs for inspection," she says. Don't forget the smoker. The bees withdraw into the prey through the smoke, so the beekeeper can work better.
The swarm control is scheduled weekly. The honeycombs are examined for unwanted queen cells. A new queen would be raised in it, but the beehive can only tolerate one queen, and this would swarm with part of the bees and a certain honey supply, explains Barth.
Your bee colonies stand in partial shade on the edge of a large flower meadow and therefore have the food on your doorstep. "Bees are thirsty," says the beekeeper and regularly fills up the large water bowl in front of the apiaries.
When the Biene Friends Erding Association was founded two years ago, Helene Barth was a founding member and took over the public relations work. The mother of three has now given up the time-consuming board position, but her commitment to the association is still important to her: "You learn a lot by exchanging experiences with other beekeepers and through the various lectures." A great advantage for beekeepers new to the association is the support by a sponsor who supports and advises beginners throughout the year.
Honey with rapeseed and linden flowers
An exciting time is now beginning for Barth when the boxes are gradually filling with honeycombs. The rather creamy spring honey contains a lot of rapeseed and is flung in June. In contrast, summer honey contains more linden flowers in July and is more fluid. The club's own honey extractor spins with some beekeepers.
"It's a real adrenaline rush when the honey flows," says Barth enthusiastically. She likes to eat her honey with muesli. Her husband Martin also values her own honey, but cannot help her with beekeeping. "He is allergic to bee stings," reveals his wife. She describes herself as a "cowardly beekeeper" who only goes to her people with protective clothing and gloves.
Although bees are peaceful animals that only sting for defense, Helene Barth has also been caught. “Once I was stabbed in the middle of the nose while skidding. I looked like a zombie, ”she laughs. You should also be careful when there is a thunderstorm, because the insects would get nervous, warns the 59-year-old.
After hurling in July, the bee colonies must be treated for the harmful Varroa mite. To do this, they are steamed with organic formic acid. Since the bees are deprived of the feed with the honeycombs, they also get liquid sugar solution. In the cold season, the bees hibernate. They stop brooding and cuddle together to form a winter cluster. The beekeeper then also has no bees.
A bee colony produces 40 to 60 kilos of honey a year
Helene Barth is still enthusiastic about her hobby: “I have become much closer to nature through the observation and care of the bees. I take a closer look at what is blooming. ”Since each bee colony produces 40 to 60 kilos of high-quality honey per year, the family cannot use the sweet blessing alone. She sells it in her own knitting café on the Zehmerhof.
Barth does not see the honey bee in danger, the wild bees are more at risk: “It is not only the farmers who are in demand here. Everyone can contribute to the preservation of wild bees with suitable retreats and natural areas in their garden. "
Sponsorships: The Beeingfreunde Erding (www.imker-erding.com) offer sponsorships: The sponsor can accompany his bee colony for one year, which is chosen close to where he lives. The godfather receives a certificate, a name tag at the apiary and a kilo of honey. (Gerda and Peter Gebel)