Oct 12, 2009 6 min read

eekeepers are always swarmed with numerous threats to their bee colonies, but perhaps more so lately. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, the poorly understood and inexplicable disappearance of worker bees from their hives. Pennsylvania beekeepers also have been stung with three rough winters in a row.

And always, pesticides, mites, viruses, bacteria and fungi threaten hives and beekeepers suffer many bee stings.

While beekeeping might be considered a hobby to many enthusiasts, the honeybee is a vital part of the world’s agriculture. Pollination of more than 90 crops by bees accounts for $18 billion in crop value in the United States, especially for specialty crops such as almonds and other nuts, berries, fruits and vegetables.

Dennis vanEngelsdorp, acting state apiarist in Harrisburg, said there are about 2,000 beekeepers in the Pennsylvania, and of that number, the vast majority are considered hobbyists.

“Generally, 1 percent of the state’s beekeepers manage about 60 percent of the hives,” he said. “To put it another way, about 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s beekeepers manage less than 1 percent of the hives.”

While figures for summarizing the latest beekeeper counts for 2009 won’t be finalized until November, vanEngelsdorp said the last three winters were especially hard on Pennsylvania beekeepers, with a 40 percent loss rate last winter.

The loss of bees coupled with the growing awareness of their importance to agriculture did seem to spur a renewed interest in beekeeping in Pennsylvania. In 2008, the number of statewide beekeepers increased by 13 percent in 2008, although Pennsylvania is not high on the list of honey-producing states. According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania ranked 27th in honey production in 2007.

“We’re more a spot for migratory beekeepers who bring their hives in from elsewhere to pollinate our apples in the spring. The hives then move to pollinate blueberries in Maine in June, cranberries in Massachusetts and New Jersey in July and pumpkins again in Pennsylvania in August. The hives usually winter over in Georgia or Florida, then head for California in February to pollinate the almond crop.”

As acting state apiarist, VanEngelsdorp supervises colony registration and inspection. By regulation, each hive in the state must be registered with the state Department of Agriculture.

“Our inspection program just ended, and it will take us a while to summarize the data,” he said. “I can say there are a lot of challenges to the bee industry.”

With honey production now drawing to a close for the year, Lee Miller, president of the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, said there are varied reports about the health of bees across the state. In mid-August, Miller attended Ag Progress Days – the state’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition at State College, where he talked to beekeepers from all over Pennsylvania.

“Some, including myself, are doing better than last year, while others aren’t doing as well,” he said.

In LaBelle, Sonny Markish has been keeping bees for about 20 years, starting with a single hive and gradually working his way up to a dozen hives.

“Some years, I lose two or three hives; some years I gain two or three when the colony splits and the bees swarm,” he said.

Like any good beekeeper, Markish treats his bees for varroa and tracheal mites and European and American foul brood. To date, he said never has had a problem with CCD.

“All the bad stuff in my hives, the diseases and pests, has been very low,” he said. “All the good stuff, meaning hive health, has been very good.”

In a good year, Markish said a healthy hive can produce about 200 pounds of honey. Although he consumes his own product by making honey butter and as an ingredient in his jams and jellies, about 75 percent of his annual honey production is sold at area stores.

His mother, Helen Rollison, who will turn 91 on New Year’s Day, also is a faithful consumer of his product.

“She eats my honey every day on toast,” he said.

Despite the cool, wet weather this past summer, Markish said his bees have managed to get by pretty well.

“They’re pretty tough buggers,” he said.

With his colonies in good shape health-wise, Markish is planning to start making in late fall products such as lip balm and gloss and moisturizing lotion bars with 100 percent natural ingredients, including beeswax, under the label Sonny’s Honey.

“They should be ready in time for the Christmas holidays,” he said.

In Malden, George Marinchak considers himself a hobbyist beekeeper, but it’s something he has wanted to do for a long time.

What got him started four years ago was the small orchard of about 30 apple, peach, cherry, pear and plum trees he put in on a tract of land he owns 50 miles away in West Finley (Washington County).

“I got the bees to pollinate my trees,” he said. “I have only two hives and seem to lose one every year, replacing them by buying nuc (nucleus) boxes that hold bees and four or five frames for about $75. I lost one hive this year, but thought I’d lose both due to the cool, wet weather. However, one did manage to recover when the weather got better.”

To protect his bees from insect pests and disease, he uses about four or five medicinal powders he puts into the hives or adds to the sugar water he feeds his bees. In the few years he has been a beekeeper, he said he never once lost a hive to CCD, but blames diseases as the cause of his losses.

“Part of my problem is that I live 50 miles away from my hives and can’t spend enough time with them, especially in the spring when they swarm and make new colonies,” he said.

Marinchak learned his hobby largely by using information he got on the Internet. He also belongs to a regional beekeepers association, from which he gets a lot of good information, especially from fellow beekeepers. He also scours bee keeping magazines and the newsletters sent out by the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association for helpful hints and ideas.

Normally, Marinchak gets between 50 and 60 pounds of honey per hive, which he either gives away or lets his grandchildren sell for extra money. He also uses some at home to put in tea or on peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

Each year he said he gets stung three or four times, but he said it’s usually because of his own carelessness. When he works on his hives, he wears a simple white shirt and veil, but doesn’t bother to wear gloves.

“The trick is not to get stung is to go slow and easy,” he said.

According to Marinchak, beekeeping can become a fairly costly hobby, especially on start-up.

Each hive can run between $200 and $300 to set up, annual medications can cost another $100 or more and an extractor can add another $300 to the start-up costs.

“Hobbyists aren’t in it for the money,” said Marinchak. “I do it for myself and for my grandchildren who like to eat and sell it. Ultimately, my goal is to have three hives so I can make my own nucs to replenish my lost hives.”