A Honey of a Deal; Become a Beekeeper!

State apiary inspector Ira Kettle shared his knowledge of beekeeping this week during the 101st Plant Science Day at Lockwood Farm in Hamden. 

Kettle, who works for the state Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, has kept bees since 1975. He travels 12,000 miles a season to inspect hives.

He said beekeepers should dress in white because it's a non-offensive color to bees. Dark clothing should be avoided, Kettle said. "Black or brown are the natural colors of their enemies."

Kettle said a smoker should burn a cold, white smoke before the hive is opened. The smoke slows the guard bees that send alert signals to the hive. 

A hive will contain as many as 80,000 female worker bees, Kettle said, and a few hundred drones that come from other hives as far as a mile away. "The queen lays 2,000 eggs a day. About 500 bees die each day," he added.

For more information about raising bees, click here.