THE ONLY BEEKEEPER

You don't become a beekeeper every day. How did you get into it?

Willi: My father has been beekeeping all his life. We had a beehive with what are known as "back treaters". But beekeeping indoors was quite tedious, especially because you could only treat the hives from behind. As a result, I didn't have any bees for a few years, but I really wanted some again. So I decided to start beekeeping outdoors. I bought "polystyrene hives". These can be stacked on top of each other, so I can treat the hives from above and remove the combs individually without any problems.

They almost died on you outside.

Willi (laughs): Yes, my bees are outside all year round. Before last winter, I winterized the hives and weighted them all down with a long board. It was a very snowy winter and sometime in February I noticed that the snow load had shifted the board and the lids of all the hives were open by a few centimeters. The bees had to battle with temperatures as low as minus ten degrees and I thought they had all frozen to death. But luckily all sixteen colonies survived.

How many bees are buzzing around in your hives?

Willi: From two at the beginning, I have now increased to sixteen colonies. Depending on the time of year, a colony consists of seven to twenty thousand bees, which I look after. However, I've never been involved in queen breeding, as I've never had enough time for that alongside my job.

How did you acquire your knowledge of beekeeping?

Willi: I picked up a lot of knowledge from my father, but I also read up on it in books. I also simply tried things out and improvised. Today there are courses at the beekeepers' association, and my eldest daughter has already done a few modules of the beekeeping course. I myself have always carried out experiments, placing one hive without a queen next to another or working with different swarms for breeding. In general, however, the bees should not be disturbed too much. In addition to frequent checks of the apiary and flight operations, it is also necessary to open the hives regularly to keep an eye on the strength of the colony and the queen's breeding behavior.

So you can hardly plan ahead?

Willi: I can never say in advance how productive the harvest will be. In my best year, I was able to harvest 150 kilograms of honey. But that came from all sixteen colonies. But it can also happen that you come up empty-handed one year. With many bees, the chance of a high yield is better, but it is important to always leave some honey in the hives for the bees and not to harvest everything.

How does the process lead to the finished honey?

Willi: The bees collect the nectar, place it in the combs and process it there by transferring it several times within the hive. In general, the queen uses the lowest frame for the brood and the honey is stored in the upper levels of the hive. When the honey is ready, the bees cover the individual comb cells. As soon as a comb is two-thirds covered with wax, the honey is ripe. If the water content is too high, the honey can turn sour, so I use a measuring device to check whether the honey is thick enough to be harvested.

A natural process that is easier today with a little technology.

Willi: Exactly. When I was on vacation recently, I ordered a scale with sensors and installed it in my beehives. It is powered by solar energy and measures the weight and temperature in the hive every twenty minutes. It also has a sound level sensor, so I can now check how my bees are doing using an app on my cell phone.

Good idea! Would you say that your honey tastes different?

Willi (smiles): I can't judge that myself. But friends from Damüls say they don't want any other honey. The taste is different, more intense. You can't compare local bee honey with an imported product. The effort and cost of producing the honey cannot really be outweighed. For us beekeepers, honey costs a few euros more than in the store, but everyone is happy to pay that. I give most of my honey as gifts within the family. It's a nice gift, because mature honey lasts forever. I also keep some on the side so that I always have a reserve for bad years.

Have you never been afraid of bee stings?

Willi: A bee can only sting once and loses both its stinger and its life, so bees only sting in an emergency. It's important to stay calm and work carefully, then there's no danger. Nevertheless, I have of course been stung more than once, but fortunately I am not allergic, so it doesn't bother me if one stings me.
When my older brother and I were playing in the beehive when I was two years old, he stung me with a piece of wood and all the bees came out at once. My face was black with stings. I had almost 30 stings on my face, they rubbed me down with schnapps and put me to sleep. When I woke up again, my face was hardly swollen at all. Of course, this is not medical advice! But if you don't have an allergy, nothing can happen to you.

You have to deal with a rather annoying parasite when treating the hives.

Willi: Yes, the Varroa mite originally only existed in East Asia, but it was also introduced to Europe through the shipping of bee colonies. It is a millimeter-sized mite that bites into the neck of the bees and multiplies very quickly. I have to fight these parasites with formic acid in the fall, otherwise the bees will all die off.

What can we do to prevent bees from dying out?

Willi: Preserve many bee meadows and the diversity of flowers and plants. Bees need open flowers to collect nectar. Beekeeping allows me to experience the cycle of nature at first hand, and we humans should not interrupt it. The use of pesticides and sprays in particular is very harmful to bees. Up here in the mountains, however, my bee colonies and I are in the fortunate position of hardly having to deal with this issue.
For me, beekeeping is a passion and has always been a good balance to my work. It's the best hobby when the bees buzz in spring and fly in with their nectar. When I'm at my beehives and it smells of honey - that makes my heart beat faster!

Thank you very much for the interview!