Bowness T'ej:   

My recipe for Ethiopian honey wine

    T'ej, pronounced "T'ej", is Ethiopian honey wine.    It's sweet, tart, effervescent, refreshing, and magical.     

T'ej making is an ancient East-African tradition at least as old as the western tradition of making mead.  It is customary to lump it into the familiar category of "mead", but it is not mead.   T'ej comes from a different cultural tradition, the process is different, and the flavour is different.     It is typically made with a specific occasion in mind, and meant to be consumed fresh.    

Traditionally, T'ej in Ethiopia is made by the women, using family recipes passed from mother to daughter.  The same tradition exists in neighboring Eritrea, where the drink is called "Mes" (Pronounced Mez).   While acknowledging the Eritrean equivalent, I'm going to be using the more common recognized Ethiopian name. 

My journey started with making mead in the 90s.   I was studying History at university, and making mead seemed like a historian-appropriate thing for an amateur brewer to do.    In 2004, I made mead for my wedding.   It was one of the best batches I've ever made, and 100 people enjoyed it at our reception.    (I eventually divorced anyhow, so please don't believe the hype about mead and marriage.)

By 2010, mead making had lost its charm and I was seeming something new.    Eventually I came across Harry Kloman's article, "How to make T'ej".   Harry's article contains many cultural notes, and is also worth reading.

Over the course of several years I made repeated attempts at trying Harry's recipe.   It never turned out as I expected.   I'd never actually tasted T'ej before, which made it challenging to gauge success.    In 2016 I managed to *finally* try Ethiopian-made T'ej,  and it was very different than what I'd been making at home.    The flavour of the drink helped me see what I was doing wrong:  I was unconsciously trying to make T'ej like I would make mead.    I was missing the nuances of Harry's recipe, and infecting my T'ej-making process with  Mead-making assumptions.

Once I let those assumptions go, I was able to start making decent T'ej.

Overview of materials and process:

    Making T'ej is as much as a process, as it is a recipe.     It's not simply a matter of throwing the right ingredients together, and waiting the right amount of time - It is best served by an understanding of what to do when, and why.    This recipe will include a lot of background notes on the process, as understanding the "Why" will lead to a better outcome.    

Having previous brewing experience will help.

The things you'll need to obtain:

- 2 KG Honey or wax cappings

- 1 Pack Lalvin 1118 Yeast

- a 5 Gallon strainer Bag

- a 1 Gallon decanter  (And optionally, an additional one)

- 1 Funnel

- About 1 lbs of the  Ethiopian herb, "Gesho".

An overview of the process:     T'ej is best made in one gallon decanters with a lid that is almost air-tight.     The ingredients are Honey, Yeast, and the Ethiopian herb "Gesho".  After starting the batch, more honey continues to be added on a weekly basis, continuing fermentation, and increasing the alcohol content.      It can be consumed any time after a couple of weeks, but the longer it is fermented, the stronger it will be.

Background notes and explanation:  Wax cappings are a waste-output of honey extraction, often used by beekeepers to make mead.    If you're not a beekeeper, any honey will do.     Traditional recipes use the natural yeast present on the Gesho, but Lalvin 1118 yeast will provide a more consistent outcome.  If you want to do it more authentic, you are welcome to forego the Lalvin Yeast, and just use the Gesho's natural yeast.      Strainer bags can be obtained at brew stores, paint stores, or big box construction stores.     Gesho can be obtained from most Ethiopian stores.     1 Gallon decanters can be found at thrift stores or at Wal-Mart.     Screw are preferred over plug caps, as they give a better seal.  For plug-type caps, a seal can be added to the plug-lid by wrapping elastic bands around the plug. 

Understanding the fermentation process, and how it relates to making T'ej:

Fermentation is a simple and straightforward process:    Yeast consumes a sugar, creating CO2, Alcohol, and more little yeasties.  The sugar can come from grain, fruit, honey, etc. - yeast isn't picky.    The process continues until it either the yeasties run out of sugar, or get poisoned when the alcohol level gets too high.    (Relentless consumption until drowning in one's own poisons is a great metaphor of humanity, but never mind that).

In the beginning, the presence of O2 helps the yeast make more yeasties.     We call this "Primary fermentation" in conventional brewing.    As fermentation progresses, O2 will react with Alcohol to create vinegar.   Typically this is prevented by moving from an open to a sealed container after a week or two.    Fermenting in the sealed container is called secondary fermentation.   These vessels use an airlock cap that allows the CO2 to escape, while preventing the O2 from getting in.     The escaping gas creates  "positive pressure", providing further protection against O2 coming in.

We've introduced the traditional brewing concepts of Primary vs Secondary fermentation, but here's where it gets interesting:    

*making T'ej involves a hybrid process that balances the techniques and benefits of both primary and secondary fermentation*. 

Please re-read the above statement, because it is the magical key to making magical T'ej.

Week 1:  Starting your T'ej

Ingredients and materials:

- 2 KG Honey or wax cappings

- 1 Pack Lalvin 1118 Yeast

- 5 Gallon strainer Bag

- 1 Gallon decanter

- Funnel

- One cup of the  Ethiopian herb, "Gesho".

- Wooden spoon.

Directions:

Fill decanter halfway with water, place strainer bag in decanter, using elastics to affix to the rim.

Using the funnel, pour your honey or cappings into the strainer bag.    

Pour the cup of gesho sticks into strainer bag.  Sprinkle yeast on top, but do not stir.

Fill with water, leaving 2" of headroom.

Loosly place cap on decanter.

Note:  In these photos the decanter has a strainer insert, which serves the same purpose as a strainer bag.

Background notes and explanation:     Sprinkling the yeast on top of the water exposes it to both moisture and oxygen, giving it the best head start.       The Gesho acts as a bittering and flavoring agent, similar to hops in beer.    It should not stay in more than a 7-10 days, or it will impart an "off" flavor.      This first week will be rapid "primary fermentation".    There will be a "Rush" of fermentation, and we want to leave the lid loose to allow the resulting CO2 to escape.    In rough terms, one can estimate 1KG of honey in 1 Gallon of water will result in 1% of Alcohol.     

Week 2:     

Ingredients and materials:

- Wooden Spoon

- 1 KG of honey.    

- Another decanter (Optional)

Directions: 

Give contents of strainer bag a gentle stir, and remove strainer bag containing gesho stick and cappings if you used cappings instead of liquid honey.

Ensure all of the Gesho is removed.    Transferring into a second decanter is an easy way to ensure the Gesho is removed.

Contents of strainer bag can be recycled or disposed as you like.     

Use funnel to pour in honey.  Stir.   Top up decanter with lukewarm water, leaving 1" of headroom.

Gently stir, and replace cap.   Seal mostly, but not completely.

Note:  Pictures below indicate transfer to another decanter.   Concept is the same if using one.  Key is to remove Gesho/cappings and add more honey. 

Background notes and explanation:     Your T'ej should be a cloudy orange color, similar to orange juice.   At this point, initial explosive fermentation will slow down to a crawl.    Ensure that all of the Gesho is removed, or will create an off taste.

Weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: Hybrid fermentation.

Ingredients and Materials:

A wooden spoon

A funnel

Half of a KG of honey

An empty honey jar.

Directions:

Create room to add honey by draining a cup or so into the honey jar.    Drink it.  You've earned it!

Add honey with funnel.

Remove funnel, stir gently, and top up with water leaving 1/2" headroom, and replace cap tightly.

*Repeat this step for all subsequent weeks*   4 weeks total is typical and gives the best result for me.

Background notes and explanation.   We're in the slow-burn phase of fermentation now.   In typical "Secondary fermentation", we would not be opening and adding more fermentable sugars.   In this case, we're adding a little honey, and exposing to a little oxygen.    By capping tightly, we reduce oxygen coming in, and by adding the honey, we're boosting fermentation, which generates CO2 to push the oxygen out.      A completely air-tight seal is not desirable, but restricting air flow will increase effervescence, and prevent the T'ej from getting too tart.   Ideally, at the end of each week, the T'ej should have reached a state of slightly-sweetness.   If it's very sweet, that means it's not fermenting fast enough, so consider adding a little less honey.    If it's tart, that means fermentation has slowed enough to let oxygen in, so consider adding a little more.       Any of these weeks, you can end this process and consume your T'ej.     The longer you keep this up, the higher the alcohol content, but also potentially the higher the tartness.       It's a balancing act, and you can feel it out according to your own taste.

Miscellaneous notes:

    On Storing:     T'ej is intended to be drank fresh, and not stored.     It is not shelf-stable, and will spoil.   Theoretically, it could be made shelf-stable with preservatives such as Campden tablets, but this would violate the spirit of the process, and I have not tried.     Cold-crashing may be a technique worth attempting if one really needs to preserve.

Credit where credit is due:    The random Ethiopians I've ambushed on the street and asked to drink my attempts at T'ej, and their encouraging words.   And thank you to Girmay the Eritrean beekeeper for being particularly encouraging.    And of course, Harry Kloman, whose writings got this whole ball rolling.    

And finally, gratitude to participants in my Aug 2023 T'ej Making workshop:

  

A mostly foolproof package installation method. 

(Note, this was a handout from a package installation workshop I hosted years ago. Published here for anyone who can use)

Preparations:

• In advance, obtain pollen patties and prepare 1:1 sugar feed.   You should also have ordered drawn comb.   If you don’t have drawn comb, obtain.    Hiving a package on bare, undrawn frames is a dice-roll.    Fill a spray bottle with the 1:1 feed.

• Plan to do installation as close to sundown as possible, to encourage the bees to stay-put and develop appreciation for their new home.   Do it at lunchtime, and they may consider taking advantage of the day ahead to search for something better.   

Pickup, Transport, storage:  

• Examine package when picking up.   Dead bees on the bottom of the package is normal.  More than 100 or so may indicate a problem with the package.      If concerned, raise issue with the pickup coordinator so they can review with you.

• Transport in a cool place, out of direct light.    Don’t place beside a heater vent.

• If you can’t hive immediately, store in a cool dark place.   You don’t want to store more than a day or two.  Spray every few hours with 1:1 (thin) sugar feed.   

Personal Safety:

• Packages bees will be more disoriented than aggressive.  They want a new home.    Stings are avoidable, but possible.  I never wear a bee suit myself when hiving, but my kids do.  Let your own comfort level determine, but do tuck in your pant legs to prevent stinging stowaways.    Do not use smoke as it will give them bad vibes about their new home.    

Actual Installation:

1. Preparation:   Have an entrance reducer in place, and remove 4 frames from middle positions.  Pull out remaining frames and spray faces with feed.   Use a hive tool to remove staple fastening queen cage, but don't remove feeder can yet.  Mentally prepare by reviewing and rehearsing the next steps, so you can execute with maximum flow, and minimum delay.

2. Pry jar out of package, set on side of hive, feeder holes up, so stragglers can escape.

3. Dunk queen cage in lukewarm water to prevent her flying away.   Soak her.   Next take the queen cage, and reach hands *into* hive, and direct release her onto or under a frame, near the bottom.

Note:    Direct queen release vs indirect:  Often folks will leave the queen cage in the hive, leaving it to the bees to release her themselves.   This is fine, but the bees already know the queen from transport.    Direct release, done right, lets her get started laying sooner.  Done wrong, and your queen will fly away. 

4. Invert package and bang to drop bees into hive, into the opening between frames.   After the first bang, they will hold on tight.   Don’t be gentle.  You want them all out of the package.     Once 95+% out, move package around 10 feet away.

5. Gently replace the four middle frames.   Place two pollen patties to either side of center.

6. Optional:   Pry the top off the feeder jar lid, and gently shake the bee/feed soup over the frames.    Ideally the rest of the bees will eat the feed and free the bees that remain trapped in the feed.  Otherwise, dispose feeder can with package.

7. Replace inner cover, as well as hive top or bucket feeder.  Feeders should be filled with syrup.   Replace outer cover.    

Disposal of package boxes:   

- The package boxes smell like home, and if left near the hives, bees may leave hives and return to package boxes.  Do everything you can to bang every last straggler out, either on top of or in front of hives.   Remove packages from the site.

Followup:

• Don’t disturb the hive for a week.  Let them get used to their new home in peace.    After a week, inspect hive to ensure it’s queenright.  If you have queen problems, there’s a limited window to replace.   If you can’t find the queen, get an experienced second set of eyes to verify before reaching out to package coordinator.

Remember:    Plans almost never go according to plan, but it’s nonetheless important to have one.    Use a plan to start with, and adapt along the way with experience.  If you don’t yet have experience, fall back to knowledge.  Make your best guess, and things will almost always be ok.    The more experience and knowledge you have, the better you will be able to adapt.

Misc notes:

    1) Ideally the bee club should appoint a package coordinator to serve as a point of contact for followup questions, so as to prevent the package supplier being barraged with matters that may not require their involvement.

    2) Occasionally, the caged queen will be DOA. Usually this is because there's another queen loose in the package. Continue with the package install, and after a week check for presence/absence of brood. It may work itself out. If it doesn't, contact your package coordinator for a replacement queen.

How to start beekeeping in Calgary

By Daniel Swan (aka "Metropropolis)

2021 Version. First released, 2010.

Are you starting out, or considering beekeeper, and overwhelmed by choice or not sure where to start?

This document provides a simple and accessible starting point that will leave you well positioned to grow later.

Keeping your equipment and style simple will give you space to develop a strong foundation without being overwhelmed.   Once you've got the basics down, you'll know where you want to go next, and how to get there.

Those pursuing "natural" practices will find theses recommendations compatible with all "natural" management practices.

For best results, start preparing mid-winter. Even better, start preparing a year in advance.

To start beekeeping, you'll need the following 6 things:

0) Determine if beekeeping is appropriate for you.
1) Equipment 
2) Bees
3) Education
4) Community
5) A permit
6) A sense of responsibility

0) Is beekeeping appropriate for you?

Beekeeping is challenging, demanding, frustrating, and wonderful.    90% of people who start quit after 2 years, finding there's a lot more to it than expected. 

Many take it up after hearing that bees are becoming extinct.   Fear not: Barring some significant losses 14-10 years ago, the bee-pocalypse is exaggerated, misrepresented and misunderstood.... and simply not happening. 

Honeybees are beloved by humanity as both livestock and pets alike, and humans ensure their interests are taken care of.    Please sleep easy knowing that the honeybees will be (mostly) ok with or without the assistance of another new beekeeper.

Some start with financial intent.   Be warned that beekeeping is not an easy way to make money.   It is often said that you can make a small fortune in beekeeping, provided you start with a big fortune.

But, if you're willing to sink a great deal of time, effort, and heart into an amazing hobby, for its own wonderful sake, then beekeeping is for you.

1) Equipment and costs:

There's a lot of stuff one can buy, but much of it isn't really necessary.

Here's a basic setup that will serve you well.   Note, best-practice is to start with 2 hives[1]:

$0 4 cinderblocks, scavenged.

$40 2 screened bottom boards

$40 2 Hive bodies, size "Deep"

$200 40 "Deep" frames of drawn comb. [2]

$40 4 Honey supers, size "Medium"

$120 40 Medium frames, plastic

$60 2 Hive top feeders

$30 2 inner hive covers

$40 2 outer hive covers

$10 1 hive tool

$50 1 Bee Jacket

$30 1 Smoker

----

$660 (Not including shipping, OR bees)

All of these items can be ordered from suppliers like Bee Maid, Apihex, or Worker and Hive.

2) Bees:

Bees can be purchased in two formats, known as "NUCs" and "Packages".

"NUCleus hives" are miniature beehives that come on their own comb, and "Packages" are thousands of loose bees in a screened shoebox.

Typically NUCs are created by local beekeepers, and packages are imported from New Zealand en masse in the spring.

Both have their pros and cons.

For the new beekeeper, I strongly recommend packages:

- The are available earlier than Nucs, allowing the newbeek to start their journey sooner.

- Less likelihood of disease transmission.

- Package installation requires slightly more effort. The thought and planning required builds experience right from the start.

Packages are available via bulk purchases from the beekeeper association. Nucs are available from local vendors such as worker and and hive or Apihex.

A package of bees will cost around $230 (2018-2020).     Nucs run from $225-300, depending on seller.

NUCS can be considered a "Plan B" for those who weren't able to reserve a package in Feb, or when Covid interrupts package imports, as it has the last two years (2020,2021).

3) Education:

Courses:

A COURSE IS ESSENTIAL.   For over 10 years I've watched various strong willed or frugal individuals attempt to skip their bee course, and invariably they have a frustrating experience.   99%+ of these people quit at the 2 year mark.   

In the meantime, they'll be beekeeping reactively, and highly reliant upon the assistance of others.   

Some skip a bee course, assuming they can youtube or google their way through. They can't.

Without foundational knowledge, the new beekeeper will remain in a reactive state, struggling to figure out what "Just happened", instead of anticipating what needs to be done next.

Courses are available via The Calgary Beekeepers Association, and various vendors.  There's also a great online courses out of Edmonton and B.C.  Shop around.

Books:

There are so many great beekeeping books, but no single one is enough. I recommend, in the

following order:

Beekeeping for Dummies - Covers the basics.

Beekeeping for Idiots - Covers basics, innovations, and "natural" practices.

The Practical Beekeeper by Michael Bush I,II,III - A comprehensive manual.

Beekeeper's handbook - An illustrated reference for specific techniques.

Beekeeping in Western Canada - Geared towards large-scale, and a bit dated, but a useful regional resource.

Internet:

Any question a beginning beekeeper would want to ask has already been asked and answered 1000 times on the internet and can be found by searching google or youtube.

Opinions vary greatly, but you'll soon get a feel for what will work for you. Those who use this as their primary resource do so at their peril. It's best used to clarify and round out learnings from other resources.

Some folks eschew other forms of learning, thinking they'll just "google" it.     All forms of learning are needed, and google will always be there for you.   

Also, take regional differences such as climate into account when reading online.     Remember:  "All Beekeeping is local".

Mentoring:

The relationships formed by showing up and participating at bee meetings will lead to opportunities to visit and assist others.   Those who have already taken initiative towards their own education will more likely find such doors opened to them.

Also, the Calgary and District beekeepers association organizes "Saturday at the hive" tours, in which a handful of beekeepers get to tour an established apiary and ask questions.

4) Community:

You'll want friends for advice and support. The more experience you can expose yourself to, the more will rub off on you. It can take time to build relationships, but is essential to long term success.

The Calgary Beekeepers Association has been around since the 1930s. Members vary from hobbyists to regional honey producers. Members primarily keep Langstroth, but some also keep Warre and Kenyan Top Bar. Styles range from Commercial to Urban.    They hold formal meetings every second month, and every month in between have a "Bees and beers" meetup.    

There is also a club mailing list to ask questions on.

See http://www.calgarybeekeepers.com for details.

5) A permit:

Once you purchase your equipment, you need to get a permit from the government of Alberta to keep bees. There is no cost to register, and information is used for the purposes of tracking and disease outbreak notifications.

See "Beekeeper registration form" at:

https://www.alberta.ca/beekeeping-registration


Also, a municipal permit is now required.   See the City of Calgary website for details.

6) A sense of responsibility:

In the confines of the city, beekeeping can easily affect our neighbors, and other beekeepers.  Consider your neighbors when placing your hives so the flight path doesn't point towards their yard. Keep hives out of direct sight if possible.   Learn about swarm prevention, and take proactive steps to ensure your bees don't take off in search of another home.

Also, swarms can attract unwanted attention and make others uncomfortable.  

The Calgary Beekeepers Association has drafted guidelines to help urban beekeepers make responsible choices. Google "Calgary Urban Beekeeping Guidelines".

Appendices:

Sources and resources:

https://www.calgarybeekeepers.com - Calgary Beekeeper's association

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calgary-and-District-Beekeepers-Association/303479772509 - Calgary Beekeepers Association Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1703298533260143/ - Calgary and area Beekeepers Facebook Discussion group

http://www.beemaidbeestore.com - Alberta supplier of equipment, Queens, and Packages.

https://apihex.ca/ - Apihex Calgary 

https://workerandhive.com/ - Worker and hive Bee Supply

http://www.bcbeekeepers.com/bcbba/bcbba_contacts.php - Regional sources of Nucs

http:www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm13239 - Alberta Apiculture

http:www.albertabeekeepers.org - Alberta Beekeeping Commission.

http:www.honeycouncil.ca - National industry association.

http:www.beesource.com - Online Forum

http:www.biobees.com - Online forum - Emphasis on Kenyan Top Bar Style.

Notes:

[1] 2 hives are recommended, as one can be used to "jumpstart" the other in case of queen loss.   If you have only one hive, and it loses its queen, you're dead in the water.


[2] Providing drawn comb to the bees will make a first year honey harvest possible. Without providing comb, the bees will spend most of short nectar flow period building honeycomb instead of storing honey.  Drawn comb must be obtained from a commercial apiary, as they are not sold by Bee Maid.  Installing a package on bare, undrawn comb is inadvisable.

--
Usual Disclaimers Apply.

This article was first released around 2010, and has undergone various revisions since then.
--

Making Meadshine: From hive to hooch.

I'd always wanted to try distilling, but just didn't have room in my life for another hobby.

That changed in March, with the shortage of hand-sanitizer.

Wanting to make my own, I ordered a still from Wal-Mart.

It arrived in June, by which time hand-sanitizer had become available again.     It was put aside for later.   Around the same time my neighbor Justin also expressed interest in distillation, so we made a commitment that we'd unbox and distill together.

Christmas break presented the opportunity to embrace our holiday spirits.

Materials:

A Basic Still from Wal-Mart.   Cost: Around $200.  

A Book on distillation.  The "Home distillation handbook", purchased at "Grapes to Glass" in Glendale.   A concise and practical book that told me exactly what I need to know without unnecessary  recipes or theory.   Recommended.

Hot Plate.   Preferable to gas burner, as open flame and concentrated alcohol play very well together.

Feedstock:  

    Any fermented liquid containing Alcohol can be distilled.  In my case I had a carboy of mead that had spoiled.  Neglect had allowed it to go slightly sour.  It is still good for distilling.

The theory:  

    Distillation works off of the theory that alcohol has a lower boiling point than water.   We heat our feedstock just-enough, and it turns the alcohol into vapor, which is cooled in a condenser coil that reliquifies it.  The condenser output is redirected into another vessel.    

The main event:

1)  Unboxing and assembling the still was done in minutes.      We hardly glanced at the instructions.   It was great to have Justin with me, as his skills as a trained chemist cut through a lot of fussing and uncertainty.   He knew exactly what we were doing and how we were going to do it.    The still was basic and looked almost home-made, but was well designed and of sufficient quality.    

2)   We filled the boiling vessel with the spoiled Mead, clamped on the condenser lid, and turned on the hot plate.    We filled the condenser with snow.      The design suggests it's meant to use flowing tap-water as a coolant, but the snow worked well enough.

3)   The temperature sensor indicates what vapor is coming out of the still.    At 57C, it was evaporating Acetone, which is considered an undrinkable waste product.   Same for Methanol at 64C.    Anything up to 70C was captured in a jar marked "Foreshots/Poison" and set aside.      "Foreshots" is the technical term for the undrinkable crap that comes out first.

4)  By 70C, Alcohol was already coming out, drip drip drip.     It was completely clear.    We let this run for a few hours, keeping the temperature around 85C.     This is higher than the boiling point of Ethanol, but lower than the boiling point of water.      Doing this means that the output will be mostly-alcohol, and lessly-water.

5)  Over the course of 3 hours, the alcohol drip-drip-dripped into a jug.      Periodically I'd top up the water in the condenser with snow to keep it cool.   

6)   When the output became more water than alcohol, we turned off the hot plate.    Tasting indicated there was no alcohol left over in the feedstock, which was simply discarded.

Conclusion:  

    

    Justin's assistance was essential to imparting a deeper understanding of the chemistry, but I still would have muddled through just fine on my own.   Justin really helped me understand the temperature-specific nature of the different outputs.    Distillation seems scary from a distance, but this isn't much harder than brewing a pot of coffee.

It's really all about knowing your boiling points and watching your thermometer.  Your main outputs will be acetone (56C), methanol (64C), ethanol, (78C), water (100C), and acetic acid (117C).     You separate your distillates by what comes out at what temperature.     It's not perfect and there will be some overlap, but it's foolproof enough.      The huge temperature spread between your key distillates provides forgiveness.

The volume of the distillate was about 1/5 of the original feedstock.      If we estimate that the feedstock was 8% Alcohol, and then times by 5, we can guestimate that the resulting alcohol will be 40% (8% * 5).        My palate tells me it's higher than 40%.   We're not exactly running a hospital here, so a margin of error of +/-50% is tolerable.

The resulting mead-shine is clear and potent.    It burns the tongue and mouth.    It doesn't taste like mead, nor is it flavorless like Vodka.     It has subtle floral notes similar to Soju.

I'm currently sitting on liters of mead-shine that I'm not likely to drink, but instead look forward to sharing it with my beekeeping colleagues in the summer.      

Perhaps I'll make another batch of mead and fortify it with this spirit to make mead Brandy.   

We can call it Bee-randy.

Boilerplate warning:   Can't you go blind from distilling, you ask?  Yes, you can if you drink the Methanol.   That's why we capture it up front and set it aside for other use.     Furthermore, I've learned that the amount of methanol is dependent upon the feedstock, and that distilling a liquid fermentable (as opposed to a mash of solids) will have less Methanol content to begin with.  

2020 Beekeeping year in review.

Beekeeping is always a roller coaster, and 2020 has been a ride like no other.

Let's recap the year.

The Calgary Beekeepers Association kicked off the year with a January potluck, during which Ron Miksha presented the preliminary findings of his study on honeybee competition with native pollinators.   I'll refrain from posting spoilers here.   Kudos to Ron for moving the discussion beyond ideology and speculation, to actual research.    

It was a good start, but 2020 had hardly gotten started.

On March 11, the WHO declared a pandemic, and the dominoes fell quickly after that.   

By March 20, New Zealand had announced a ban on outgoing flights, meaning no shipments of replacement bee packages to Canada.      That's a significant blow to the both the NZ beekeeping industries, as well as Prairie beekeepers who rely on NZ shipments for loss replacement.

It also means that dozens of new beekeepers eager to get their start were unable to get bees.

Instead, sales of local Nucleus hives exploded, as many rushed to make splits to meet demand.   One collective purchase imploded as their Nuc reservations were redirected to higher-paying buyers.

The Edmonton beekeepers association created a registry of Nuc sellers.   A good idea in principle, but I can't imagine any available NUCs stayed on the market long enough to make it to a registry.

Speaking of Edmonton, the city announced moratorium on Urban beekeeping registrations, citing somethingsomethingsomething about beekeepers spreading Covid.     Ironic, as beekeepers are Subject Matter Experts in social distancing.     As always with the city of Edmonton's beekeeping pilot, their reasons are unclear, and their decisions don't make sense.   

By March 24, Iotron had cancelled their hive-sterilization arrangement with Worker and Hive, needing  to free up capacity for medical equipment.      That means one less tool to remediate deadouts, and gives a leg-up to pathogens like Nosema Ceranae.

United Beekeepers of Alberta cancelled their March convention at the 11th hour, despite hoping to proceed. 

The month of March remained cold, with almost no days warm enough for bees to fly.

April also remained cold, with spring finally arriving in the second half of the month.  

Spring was slow to unfold, but when summer arrived it was everything a beekeeper could wish for.    The days were sunny and clear, and the nights provided necessary rain, ensuring nectar flow the following day.    It was no less than picture perfect.    This is a huge contrast to last  year when it rained every second day during nectar flow, cutting flight time in half.

This year, there was a bumper crop of honey.     Hopefully it will allow commercial beekeepers to recover from last year, and will offset the challenges replacing winter losses.

Both Aggie days and the Calgary Stampede were cancelled due to Covid restrictions.

The Calgary and District Beekeepers Association has ceased regular meetings, without explanation.     The bi-monthly social event "Bees and Beers" was not possible due to venue closures.     The CADBKA organized a few Zoom workshops in this time, under the repurposed banner of "Bees and Beers".    

The Covid doom and gloom was punctuated by news of  the "Murder Hornet", Vespa Mandarinia.   The two wasps found in the PNW translated into frenzy of online hysteria, as non-beekeepers fell over each other to share links.    There's a certain addiction to doom in the air.

Dr. Medhat Nasr has been warning us for a decade of about the impending arrival of the Murder Hornet's evil cousin, Vespa Velutina.    He was pretty well right, although mother nature has made a last minute substitution.

Mandarinia is certainly an emerging threat, but not one that will affect Albertans in this generation.    Personally, I think a PNW wasp invasion is slow-burn certainty:   Nature always finds a way.     But beekeepers are clever and will always find a way around.

UPDATE(Nov):  More "Murder Hornets" have been found in the Langly area.     Wow, multiple sightings, that far inland.    Sounds like they're established.     Also, looking at their native Habitats in Asia, they are cold hardy, and have a fighting chance of surviving even an Alberta winter.     

Meanwhile, I observe that beekeepers in Alberta are unknowingly losing hives to the other emerging threat, Nosema Ceranae.   It's an exercise in bikeshedding:   We fuss about the big scary bug, but ignore the silent microscopic killer.    And let's not forget the repeated findings of Small Hive Beetle in the Fraser Valley.....       It is these "smaller" threats that are the big threats.

Beekeeping vendor Worker and Hive has firmly established itself as the premier supplier for hobbyists in the Calgary region.    When they came on the scene I was initially skeptical that we needed yet *another* bee supplier in our area, but they've quickly moved right to the head of the pack.    They have great inventory, great service, great communications.       Does Robert ever sleep?

On LinkedIn I'm seeing a lot of posts by Shevelle Stevens of Edmonton's "Revival Queens".     Combined with her husband Glyn, she's a master at both beekeeping as well as online marketing.    Beekeepers tend to be good at one or the other, but rarely both.    Moreso, she communicates beekeeping in clear and concise terms while avoiding the beepocalypse or other environmental tropes that some leverage to capture interest. 

 

Swarm season in Calgary was textbook, starting June 1, and ending mid-August.   The CADBKA recovered about 20 errant colonies in this time.    It's a surprisingly low number given the heat and the huge number of beekeepers in the city.     My back-of-the-napkin estimates suggest we should have had 3 times that number of swarm calls, and I struggle to account for the discrepancy.      Possibly a lot of beekeepers are being engaged to recover swarms directly, and the calls aren't making it to official channels?    Weird.   We saw this in 2018 as well.     Yet another beekeeping puzzle!

Wasp season was off-the-charts this year.    It started at the end of nectar flow and lasted right up until the late first frost.    Hives were constantly under seige.      Despite setting out 6 traps and giving more to my neighbors, they didn't stop coming.    I must have killed over 1000 myself.    It was the talk of beekeepers, and even on the news.     Nonetheless, some parts of town were completely spared.     

The summer was abnormally long.   Usually nectar flow ends mid/late August, but I observed Melilot  in bloom even in early October.   Usually Melilot is done mid/late august.    Also, first frost, which usually arrives early September, didn't arrive until Mid October.     

This extended summer was enjoyable, but it can't mean anything good.

It was an eventful beekeeping year - But when is it not?

Suitless beekeeping, and the factors that influence honeybee defensiveness

Disclaimer:  Beekeeping without a suit can be dangerous and should not be attempted lightly.  This information is provided for educational purposes, and the suitability of un-suit-ability needs to be determined by the reader.


It's been years since I've worn a bee suit.    They're hot and cumbersome, and those veils are hard to see through.   Instead, I've learned how to manage myself and my bees so that wearing a bee suit is unnecessary.

I did have a bee suit at one time -  It was mostly used by vistors, until the zipper broke.    Now it rests on top of the piano, where it has awaited mending for four years.    It really hasn't been missed.

Here's my journey, and what I've learned.  Suitless beekeeping is not suitable for most beekeepers, but developing a deeper understanding of what affects honeybee defensiveness will make for a better experience for both beekeeper, and their bees.

Idealistic beginnings

In my first year of beekeeping I was like many other new beekeepers:  full of delusional purism.   Among other things, I decided I didn't want to wear a bee suit or smoke my hives.  Taking this road less traveled has paid golden dividends in terms of understanding.

By not wearing a bee suit, I was making myself *directly* available to feedback from the bees.  They would quickly register their disapproval with stings, and I adjusted my behavior accordingly.

I didn't get stung much that year - About 30 times over the season.   Each sting was tracked on an excel spreadsheet, and each sting taught me what I shouldn't do.

Over time, it became clear that my stings were falling into two categories:

1)  Hand placement stings:   I picked up a box or a tool with a bee on it, crushing it with my hands, and it stung in retaliation.

2)  Bees trapped in my pantlegs:  Bees in the grass crawl up my shoes, into my pantleg, and then panic when I move and they get pinned between pant and leg.  Panic=sting.

There was a clear pattern emerging:   They didn't want to be pinched or crushed, and watching where I put my hands was paramount.    Pantlegs were also tucked into socks before approaching the hives.

The most significant takeaway was understanding that they didn't really *want* to sting me.  Stinging was a preventable reaction to my own conduct.

Teaching them how to treat you

Another significant lesson was learned early in this first season:  A fellow newbeek called me up and told me his hive was stinging everyone in and around his yard.   It was so nasty he was even unable to open or manage the hive.    Moreso, his health was suddenly failing and he was unable to keep bees any more. 

He asked if I'd take his hive, but he needed it gone that night.   I didn't want his nasty bees, but he was in a bind.   We didn't even know many beekeepers back then that could help.   Thus, I showed up at dusk to pick up his angry hive. 

When I arrived, he was preparing the hive for transport by nailing wooden supports onto the sides with a hammer.    In between hammer strikes he told me about how nasty the hive had become.  It was surreal to watch.  But my friend wasn't well, so I didn't fuss, and just took the hive home to my yard.

The hive was given two weeks to settle in before I opened it.    In keeping with my "experiment", I did so without a bee suit.     It seemed fine. 

Moreso, I was able to place my face directly upon the top of the bee covered frames, with no ill effect.     The hive had calmed right down, and I learned my other significant lesson:

Beekeeper handling plays a significant role in determining hive temperament. 

Colony "Temperament", is a measure of where it sits on the spectrum of defensiveness vs forgiveness.     It's similar to people.    And similar to people, this temperament is determined by both what's happening now, and how it's been treated before.   We can think of it as the difference between learned disposition, and situational reaction.      The second also depends on the first.

The factors that contribute to temperament

When I was president of the Beekeepers Association the City would engage me to investigate stinging-complaints.   In the capacity of  a mediator I'd visit the beekeeper being complained about, and work with them to determine what was making their bees defensive.  I'd watch how they worked their bees, I'd learn about their setting, and I'd experience their bees for myself.     Patterns emerged, and I developed a hierarchy of troubleshooting, starting with the most common:

1)  How does the beekeeper work his hive?    Gentle or hamfisted?  Are they using smoke?
2)  Ask beekeeper if hive is being nuisanced by skunks or racoons.  Look for signs.
3)  Ask beekeeper if mice in or around hives is an issue.   Look for signs.
4)  How strong/populous is the hive?  A stronger hive has more to defend, and will.
5)  Inspect hive for health and vitality,   Determine if disease is an issue.
6)  If all else is ruled out, and only then, rule in Queen genetics as a possibility.

The first and the last items are the most significant, as folks tend to rank them oppositely.   Beekeeper handling is rarely considered as a cause, with queen genetics being the go-to explanation for defensiveness.     

Consider for a moment that defensive colonies have been getting culled since at least Roman times, while at the same time bees have been bred to minimize defensiveness.    It's been a consistent effort to make bees less defensive, and has lead to contemporary honeybees having a temperament close to that of a domesticated dog.

It is my conclusion, based on experience, that beekeeper handling is the most significant determiner of hive temperament.

Situations and behaviors that will influence colony defensiveness

Aside from temperament, bees will react to the situation at hand, including our own behavior.

The season is the reason

Be aware of how the "When" affects hive disposition.

In the spring, colonies are building strength, and are less reactive.    In the summer, the abundance of forage makes them honey-drunk and forgiving.    It is during this time we allow children outside of our family near our hives.   In late summer/fall, forage has dried up and the hive is full of 60,000 workers facing layoffs.   Fall "dearth" is a hard time for honeybees, and extra caution is required. 

Additionally, hives don't like being grounded due to bad weather.     The bees have their own barometers, and will quiesce before a storm arrives.    It's not a good time to disturb them.

The final "when" is time of day.    Bees are heat hungry, and a colony is least defensive on hot days in early afternoon.   It's also the time when the most workers are out and about, working.

When moving, flow like water.

Bees use both smell and movement as a cue.     Slow down the cadence of your movement, and make it consistent, steady.  Visualize yourself as a mime, or a ballerina.    Imagine you're moving through molasses.   Don't move quickly then slowly.   Move at the same pace.   Be slo mo, and you will become invisible to them. 

Furthermore, avoid jerky hand movements directly above the hive.    Beekeepers already know that quick hand movements invite multiple bees suddenly stinging the hand.   It can also put the hive on alert. 

Less glove = greater care

Wearing gloves protects you, but also reduces coordination, and prevents you from receiving feedback from the bees.    The beekeeper becomes both blunt, and "blind".     They may think they are being gentle, but with hands protected, how would they know?     Without gloves, a beekeeper can make much finer movements, with greater coordination, and appropriate force.   

Start by saying no to crack

When the inner cover is removed, there's a point at which the propolis seal is broken, and the hive gives an audible crack.   The same applies for to each box/super, but is loudest when removing the inner cover.  Challenge yourself to see how slowly you can remove the inner cover.     Rather than a burst of force to pop that lid, use a steady application of force.  The more you slow it down, the quieter the pop.     Work to the point where you can break that seal without any audible sound.      Expect that to take at least 10 seconds, and as many as 30.

Don't be a bear

Bees aren't overly concerned with us naked primates, as we are relative newcomers to their world.     Their eternal nemesis, for bajillions of years, has been THE BEAR.    A bee knows what a bear is by instinct.   The key is to not be mistaken for a bear.   You can decrease the chances of being mistaken for a bear as follows:

- Don't wear dark colors
- Cover dark or curly hair with a light colored hat.
- Don't breathe on bees or talk to them.    CO2 reminds them of bear breath.    When you work the hive, exhale way from it. 
- If being nuisanced by a bee, don't swat at it.   This bear-like reaction just confirms her worst suspicions.  Walk away.

Smok'em if you got'em.

In my first year I didn't smoke bees, thinking adjusting my movement was enough.   But as my understanding grew, I learned that smoke serves two purposes:

1)    Smoking disables the hive's pheromone-based alarm system.    Yes, we've all heard the story that smoke simulates a forest fire, causing them to gorge on honey prior to a bug-out, resulting in a food-coma.    My own observations lead me to favor the pheremonal theory.      By smoking the hive, we disable their communication system, preventing them from raising the alarm.    Hives that are continually put on alert will eventually develop defensiveness.     A few puffs of smoke is enough to encourage a chill vibe.     More than that will have an irritating and inverse effect.

2)  Use smoke to herd them, so you don't hurt them.     In my first year I was crushing bees between boxes when I reassembled the hive.   I wasn't even aware at the time.   Furthermore, the cleanup of those crushed bees spreads disease inside the hive.    Instead, I now smoke the top of each box, just enough to annoy the bees into taking cover in the box below.    I replace the box above when the coast is clear.   

Scent of an attack

The is elementary beekeeping, but will be mentioned for completeness.     The smell of Banana is similar to the smell of bees' alarm pheremone.   Having bananas on your breath makes you a walking  beehive alarm system - one that has been activated.   

Bees also don't react well to the smell of garlic and onions because bees don't like people breathing garlic and onions on them either.


Don't crush on your bees

Vertical Crush:   Many beekeepers, when separating boxes, will pry a corner up and drop it down, then the other corner up and down, then the other corner, until the seal is broken, before finally prying the box right off.   Each pry-up,drop-down motion has the potential to crush bees, as they flow into created openings, and then are squished as it comes back down on them.    Instead, start with one corner and keep prying the box in a consistently upward direction, until the point of separation.   As you pry, support box up with the other hand to prevent it falling.   If it's too much of a challenge to hand strength, using two hive tools can help.

Also, as mentioned previously, clear the tops of frames with smoke to avoid crushing between boxes.

Horizontal Crush:    When moving frames or top bars together, it's easy to squish bees that get caught in the way.   To avoid squishing the bees, move the hive component into place in an oscillating motion, which annoys the bees our of the way but gives them time to move.     

The diagonal twist:   When I started out, I met a Polish beekeeper called Pete Butkiewicz who taught me this trick.   Instead of placing woodenware directly on the box below, he placed it at a rotational offset.    He'd then rotate to align the boxes, which would brush the bees to the side, instead of crushing them along the edges.    I've never heard of any other beekeeper doing this other than Pete.    Since then, I've met a few beekeepers to who do this, but determined they learned it from someone who learned it from me.   Always seems to trace back to Pete.

Read the signs

A honeybee dies when she stings you.    She would prefer not to, but will.

Half the time, the decision to sting is an instantaneous reaction.   The other half of the time, there is a gradual escalation.   It will start with a bee nuisancing your head.      If you don't get that message, she will butt you in the head.   (No, that wasn't a navigational error, it was a warning).   If you're still not getting the memo, she will sting.    As soon as the nuisancing starts, walk away.    Walk as far as it takes to shake your harasser.     Give it a minute for the excitement to die down, and then return to the hive.   Reassess hive mood, and consider if it was something you did, or if the hive is defensive.   If the harassment starts before you even get near the hive, the hive is defensive, and it's time to troubleshoot why.

Also, a colony's mood can be read by sound.     An increase in volume and frequency of a hives buzz indicates an increase in its state of alarm.     Listen, and notice the change in sound when the hive is alarmed.      The difference is easy to hear when you pop the inner cover.


The current state

At this point, when approaching someone else's hive, I'm able to quickly intuit the temperament, and can determine at what point the hive is starting to feel threatened by me, and back off accordingly.  Like approaching a stranger's dog, I approach with caution and read the reaction.

In terms of my own hives, they are very gentle, and I attribute that largely to how I handle them.    I've had all sorts of genetics and strains over the years, whether purchased from different sources, whether open-mated splits, or whether they were from swarms of unknowable origin.    Regardless, the temperament has always been the same:  chill.   I can do a full inspection (tear down) of a hive without a single sting.   When I do get stung it's almost always the result of bad hand placement.

Working without a bee suit is not for everyone, and really probably not a great idea.   But by understanding the principles above, you will become a gentler beekeeper, which is good for you, good for the bees, and good for beekeeping.

Treat your bees well, and they will treat you well.

Update, July 2026:   I recently had one of my hives go completely berzerk.   It was located in someone else's yard in a residential neighborhood.    A week ago it started stinging homeowner in their own yard...  And I couldn't even work it without a veil.     As soon as I cracked the top, I'd have 50 bees trying to sting me through my hoodie.      This hive was too hot to requeen or troubleshoot.     After relocating, I found a significant amount of mouse droppings under the hive, which strongly suggests the reason for defensiveness was pest nuisancing.