By Emilio Pagan

Science Editor

Honeybees, in their wild state, never had beekeepers watching over them. These insects just live their own lives and can take care of themselves even better than some humans. So the question has to be asked: Why do bees have beekeepers? 

The quick answer would be for honey. Everybody loves honey, so why not keep those bees that make it? Well, it is actually much more complicated than that. Bees sometimes need help. Like any other animal out there, bees will use any little aid they can get.

It is early spring, the hive has just woken up from their winter hibernation and the bees are starting to look around for flowers. A young hive like this needs nectar and pollen so they can begin to grow their strength and population. This is when a beekeeper comes in. If there are not that many flowers in the area, he helps the hive by giving them sugar water. Just enough for the bees to start foraging on their own. 

The hive is still small by mid-spring, but they have already found plenty of flowers. The beekeeper stops feeding them sugar water since the bees prefer the real nectar. He still looks out for pests, such as beetles and moths, that the small hive might be vulnerable to. He makes sure to keep the entrance of the hive small so that the bees can easily protect it against invaders. 

It is summertime now and the hive has grown substantially. The beekeeper now makes the entrance of the hive much larger to compensate for the number of bees going in and out. He makes sure to add room to the hive to prevent any overcrowding or overheating. The hive is strong now so the bees are not too worried about pests. They are worried about the heat, though, so the beekeeper makes sure to provide the colony with water and ventilation. 

Autumn, at least Miami autumn, is right around the corner, so it is time for the beekeeper’s favorite part, the honey harvest. He enters the hive like he usually does every month, only this time, he is paying attention to the surplus of honey. He takes off the liquid gold, making sure not to starve the hive. After a good day’s work, he can bottle up to 100 pounds of fresh honey.

The air begins to get cooler, so the queen bee starts to slow down her egg-laying, and the population of the hive decreases. The beekeeper notices and condenses the size of the hive. He might decide to feed them some sugar water for the flowerless winter, but he tries not to bother them too much as the bees prepare for the harsh times ahead. Now the beekeeper just waits patiently for the bees to come out in spring and the season to start again.