Wiry and tall, wearing a green short-sleeved button-up shirt, khaki shorts and tennis shoes that were once white, he stepped up to the front of the room.
"I'm Glen Andresen, and I keep bees," he said.
Andresen, one half of Portland's Bridgetown Bees duo, spoke at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at Hillsboro Main Library, to interested and prospective backyard beekeepers. His lesson took more than 90 minutes, which is still much shorter than the quarterly classes he teaches at Portland Community College. Here are the top five pieces of advice Andresen thinks people should know before starting to keep bees:
- Maintain ample water sources that are not too close to the hive, but close enough to deter bees from seeking water in neighbor's yards or other places that might cause trouble. Honey bees need to collect water as part of their process.
- Be mindful of any allergies you and other people who will be interacting with the bees may have. Know how you react to bee stings.
- Read up on regulations for beekeeping in your city, and follow them. In Hillsboro, aspiring beekeepers need to fill out a beekeeping notification packet, obtain a City Animal Permit, and follow Oregon Bee Law. In residential areas in Hillsboro, people may only keep bees on single-family property and may not keep more than three hives or colonies. If a person who has a medically certified allergy to bee stings lives within 300 feet of the hives or colonies and submits to the city medical documentation and a written request, the beekeeper must remove bees from that location. The Oregon State Beekeepers Association has a good list of resources and regulations for beekeepers in the state, including regulations for honey production, labeling and selling.
- Understand and uphold the commitment beekeeping takes. It's not so much time consuming as time-sensitive, Andresen said. When something needs to be done, such as re-queening a colony or collecting honey, it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.
- Know how you are going to protect yourself. So many options exist for protective beekeeping attire, it's important to be prepared and have a plan, Andresen said. He uses a full suit and hat with veil when he's working close with a hive or capturing a swarm. Even at times when bees are usually more docile, it's possible to get stung.