Bees: They're All the Buzz in Wayland

Have you heard the latest buzz? No, not that tidbit of Hollywood gossip or who wore what on the red carpet – literally, the buzz.

If you haven’t heard it yet, you probably will soon as Wayland’s own BEElieve Group of beekeeping enthusiasts held its first meeting in mid-February.

Wayland resident Kaat Vander Straeten spearheaded the effort to start the beekeeping support group less than two years since taking her own early steps into beekeeping. When she reopens her hive after the winter, she expects about 4,000 bees to “greet” her.

And the “greeting” of a honeybee isn’t unpleasant, in spite of the common perception.

Vander Straeten said it’s all about how you interact with them – a bee doesn’t mind being brushed from the side, for instance, since it is used to having other bees bump against its sides in the hive. As for the stinging, only female bees have the capability to sting, but the stinger is an extension of the bee’s ovary, Vander Straeten explained, so inflicting a sting will kill the bee and is a last defensive resort.

While she sounds knowledgeable now, Vander Straeten admits that getting started in beekeeping can be intimidating. Her journey began with beekeeping classes in spring 2010 at Codman Farm in Lincoln. For Vander Straeten, getting involved in beekeeping was all about sustainability and “knowing the bees are in trouble.”

“Also, I think the old hobbies are getting old,” she said. “It’s sort of a natural progression for gardeners.”

Vander Straeten’s hive is populated by Italian apis meliflora, or honeybees, which is a common breed for new beekeepers. No, she didn’t collect thousands of bees with traps set in her backyard; she got them the only reasonable way a modern beekeeper gets bees: through the mail.

Due to the climate, many bee breeders live in Georgia, Vander Straeten explained, and beekeepers order bees by the pound. Three pounds of bees equals about 30,000 insects, a typical starting amount.

The bees arrive at a post office equipped to handle such a package – Vander Straeten picked up her box of bees in Tyngsboro. A full hive of bees will come with only one queen bee, and she is arrives in a small box contained within the larger box of bees.

The queen must be introduced to the other bees gradually so they have a chance to grow accustomed and accepting of her pheromones; a new queen introduced too quickly to a hive will be considered an intruder and will be killed, Vander Straeten explained.

Once home, that mail-order box of bees needs to move into its new home, and that home looks a bit different than the traditional hollowed out tree where “wild” bees live.

Beekeepers provide boxes that house individual frames for their bees. Those honeycomb-resembling frames become the location for the hive's activity.

Vander Straeten said putting the bees into their box is the “best first act of a beginning beekeeper.”

“It’s a dance that you do,” Vander Straeten said. “You feel empowered.”

Empowering as it may be, the new BEElieve Group is designed to provide a bit of support.

“Many of those interested in starting, or even continuing, are intimidated by the prospect of going it alone,” Vander Straeten wrote in a recent press release about the group. “This group addresses just that. It will offer support to beginners by helping them pick out bees and equipment and talking them through the first steps.”

Vander Straeten’s article also encourages anyone wanting to start keeping bees this year to make a decision soon as “starter bee” packs sell out quickly and should probably be ordered no later than mid-March.

As for keeping bees at a home with kids around, Vander Straeten said her elementary school daughter finds it fascinating.

“My daughter told me, ‘I’m glad you’re a beekeeper because no one else’s mom is a beekeeper,” Vander Straeten related, laughing.

The BEElieve Group is free and open to everyone. Check out the group’s page on the Transition Wayland website for more information about local bee schools, suppliers of bees and equipment, bee clubs and online support. For more information, email Vander Straeten at kaat@transitionwayland.org.