Tag Archives: featured

recipe

What we do

We support each other wherever we happen to be on our beekeeping journey.

  • If you want general support, our monthly meetings are a great place to start. Put your shyness aside and ask away!
  • If you want to ask questions outside of our meetings, we have a Facebook Page.
  • If you want to see a bee vacuum, ask for a show and tell meeting next month and make sure you’re there to see it.
  • If you want to catch a swarm, use the Contact Form to get your name on the Swarm Page.

 

 

education

Upcoming events

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Our club

The Des Moines Backyard Beekeepers meet generally on the third Thursday of the month. Check the Events Page for more locations and other information.  

Other clubs

The Friendly Beekeepers of Iowa (FBI) meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from March through October at 6:30 pm. with a speaker or a roundtable discussion. Meetings are held at Calvary Baptist Church,  2708 N Jefferson Way, Indianola, IA 50125. Contact is Judy Spence.

Central Iowa Beekeepers Association (CIBA) meets on the third Saturday in January, March, May, July, October, and November. Contact through Facebook Messenger.

swarm

Bee Removal

If you think you need a honey bee removal, check out >this page< or >this page<  to confirm that you have honey bees.

easton 5 9 14 (8)
golden brown, not black and yellow, about 1/2″ long

MAKE SURE THEY ARE HONEY BEES AND LOOK LIKE THIS:

  • If the ‘bee’ has yellow legs and/or yellow face, it is not a honey bee.
  • If the ‘bee’ has no hair/fuzz, it is not a honey bee.
  • If the ‘bee’ has a thread-like waist, it is not a honey bee.
  • If it is black and bright yellow, it is not a honey bee.
  • If they are flying in and out of a hole in the ground or a railroad tie, they are probably not honey bees.

If you see a structure like either of these, you have wasps:

Lefthand photo by Downtowngal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. Righthand photo with permission of B. Buckley.
Lefthand photo by Downtowngal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. Righthand photo with permission of B. Buckley.
Once you know they are honey bees, if you have any of the following, use the contact form  (here) for a removal assessment or better yet, call or text a photo ASAP because swarms usually leave after a couple hours: Julia (515) 988-1828.

  • Honey bee swarm.  A random clump of bees hanging from an elevated surface, not feeding on flowers
  • Established colony in a structure or living tree
  • Downed tree with an established colony