Picked Up the Bees!

On March 31, 2013, Dan and I drove to Flagstaff, AZ to pick up our two 4 pound "packages" of bees.  It's had to believe it was almost one year ago. I purchased them from Craig Noorlander (Papa Bear's Honey from Englewood, NM).  Craig harvested the packages of Italian bees from a farm in northern California.

I transported the bees in the trunk of the car, with the truck slightly open to allow for some air flow to make sure it didn't get hot (I tied it down to make sure it didn't flap on the 4 hour drive back to Tucson).

My Little Beekeeper!

Today Ivy joined me in restructuring our hives! The big hive on the
left decided to swarm before I could proactively prevent them from
doing so, so we combined part of that hive into the middle hive. We
took one super from the hive that swarmed and put it on our strongest
hive, the one on the right, and put everything back together.

Right now, the hive on the left and the hive in the middle are
queenless. I have new queen's coming on Wednesday, and will put them
in. By then, I should see lots of queen cells where the hives are
trying to rewrite a new one. With the new Queens, the hives should
except them well!

Researching laws, regulations, statutes, etc

As I researched the "what"s and "hows" of starting up a hive, some of the most important advice I read was selecting the best location for the hives.  To determine what my options were, I began researching the state and local laws regarding beekeeping.  This wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

I figured if you wanted to find out what the applicable laws were, you just look them up.  So I searched on line for Tucson and Arizona bee laws.  Among the first items that result in such a search online was the "The Birds, the Bees and the Beasts: Fact Sheet on Backyard Farm Animal Rules in Tucson".  Since it was a bit dated (Feb. 2011), I decided to check the facts.  After consulting Part II, Chapter 11, Article I, Section 11-3 of the Tucson City Code, I found it was pretty accurate (with only one discrepancy I found, which I'll highlight later on).

In summary, laws / ordinances / rules on backyard beekeeping allow beekeeping in all residential areas, and only a few rules apply:

1. Number of bees permitted:  "One hive, stand, box or other structure, natural or otherwise, containing bees is permitted for each 2500 square ft of LOT area.  Exception:  Zones SR and IR (TCC 11.3(1)) where more than 1 hive is permitted."  This means that if I own 0.25 acres (aprox. 10,000 square feet), then I can have up to 4 hives.  I don't think I'd put that many in my yard, but I could per the law.

2. Structures and facilities:  "If bees are kept within 30 ft of any exterior lot boundary line, a barrier must be erected that will prevent bees from flying through it. The barrier must be at least 5 ft high and consist of plant, hedge or any constructed material.  The barrier must extend at least 30 ft beyond the APIARY in both directions.  (TCC 11.3(1))."

3. Provision of water:  "Fresh, clean watering facilities for bees shall be provided on the premises.  (TCC 11.3(1))."

4. Registration:  "Each beekeeper shall register the beekeeping operation with the Arizona Commission of Agriculture and Horticulture (TCC 11.3(2))."  This is the one rule that seemed challenging because  I attempted to contact the "Arizona Commission of Agriculture and Horticulture" and found a few scattered results; the foremost being the Arizona Department of Agriculture.  However, when I searched the AZ Dept. of Agriculture's website for anything relating to bees, the only results were a brief explanation that individual landowners are responsible for removing unwanted bees from property, a few forms for documenting agreements between beekeepers and landowners (where apiaries are located). 

Note: If you search around, you will likely find references to A.R.S 3-801 as an applicable law granting the Arizona Department of Agriculture authority to have an Apiary Program, but this statute was apparently repealed as the only item relating to beekeeping or apiaries in the A.R.S. 3-367.02 (Notification by beekeepers of bees located in a commercial agricultural area).  Also, after further research, A.R.S. § 3-801, was repealed by Laws 1994, Chapter 337 as referenced at https://statelibraryofarizona.wordpress.com/state-agency-administrative-histories/.

So the laws/ordinances impacting Tucson Arizona beekeepers are pretty light... unless I have missed something!

How Did I Start?

Research, Research, Research!

I'm not the kind that likes to jump into something with my eyes closed, so I started by asking my brother what literature was best to read about beekeeping; specifically what I needed to learn before I got started.  He recommended a few books:

1. "The Beekeepers Handbook, 4th Edition", by Diana Sammataro and Alphone Avitabile

2. "First Lessons in Beekeeping", by Keith S. Delaplane







I ordered them and started reading.  I also started perusing catalogs from as many suppliers as I could get my hands on (Dadant, Mann-Lake, Brushy Mountain, Better Bee, Kelley Beekeeping, etc).

My favorite of the two books was Sammataro & Avitabile's "The Beekeepers Handbook", so if you have to pick one, I'd chose that one.  It provided most of the information I felt I needed to know to get started.

I also read blogs (which eventually motivate me to start this one), watched YouTube videos, and read online articles.  But honestly, ""The Beekeepers Handbook" and talking to my brother were probably the best and most frequently used resources for information for me.

The Catalyst of Entry Into Beekeeping!

So in the summer of 2013, I went to visit my brother out of state, and among the fun things that came out of that trip was the fact that he and his wife had started keeping bees.

My dad kept bees when we were growing up until the neighbors got a pool, and Dad "had" to move the bees to a friend's property in St. David. I think the distance made hive visits and maintenance more difficult, or perhaps the "out of sight, out of mind" principle took effect. Whatever the reason, Dad didn't keep the bees too long. Back to my brother... so I was intrigued with his new hobby and mentioned that I might like to get into beekeeping.  My wife was probably thinking, "Oh great, here goes another expensive hobby!" After getting back to Tucson, I got busy with life and made no movement into beekeeping until We returned to visit my brother the following October.  At that point, I got infected!  Before getting back to Tucson, I searched the Tucson library for beekeeping books and was disappointed by the lack of available literature.  So I asked my brother which books and reference material was best, and then I ordered just about EVERY catalog that bee suppliers would send me.

My wife said that after returning from visiting my brother last time, my interest had faded quickly, so she told me, "You're not allowed to get bees until you've been away from your brother for at least a month, and you still think it's a good idea and something you're interested in."  Wise counsel indeed.

That was October 2013... it's now February of 2015 and I'm still infected!