Moving Honey Bee Colonies

      Serguei M. Voljski and Vlad M. Voljski practice migratory beekeeping with mobile hive platform modules which can be lowered onto the bed of a truck. Each hive on the ten-hive platforms consists of sixteen frames in two hive bodies. Seguei and Vlad have used this system for eight years in southern Pskov region of Russia and are very satisfied with the results. The two beekeepers said they adapted to this management style due to the widely scattered intense, but relatively short, honey flows which occur in the region.

      As can be seen from the photos, the enclosures are jacked up on legs off the bed of the truck and the process is simply reversed to move the colonies. In addition to discouraging bears, wild boars and thieves from disturbing the hives, the hive platforms have a roof which protects both the hives and the beekeeper during rainy weather. This method of colony movement also removes the need for forklifts to move colonies or hand lifting the hives onto the truck platform. Other less obvious advantages include not having to search for level ground or doing your own ground leveling before hive placement. This is especially important in a mountainous or hilly area. The legs of the platform can be adjusted easily to compensate for uneven ground. Not having the hives on the moist ground protects bottom boards and other hive parts from rot. The platform roof also helps protects hives from excess moisture.

      According to Serguei and Vlad, one beekeeper can easily handle 25 to 30 platform modules in the season (which includes moving them to various honey flows and finally to an overwintering yard protected by tree cover).

      ABJ, May 1994

A beekeeper and his bait hives in Russia

      In Russia beekeeper Serguei Voljski practices a system of beekeeping and swarm catching he calls his "BORT" System. The word "Bort" comes from the old Russian word for a dwelling of a bee colony in the hollow of a tree.

      Mr. Voljski and his family catch swarms every year by hanging the "Borts" in trees where they know swarms will pass. This is similar to systems of swarm catching practiced throughout the world, but it has proven particularly profitable for the Voljski family and they have been able to increase their colonies significantly.

      In addition to catching swarms, Mr. Voljski says "Borts" also produce extra honey and beeswax to augment the surplus products from established hives that he sells.

      It is interesting to note that Mr. Voljski that in earlier time Russian lords and kings, who owned the land and forests, protected their wild colonies or "Borts" quite fiercely and strong laws were made to enforce landowners' rights to honey and beeswax from the "Borts." All of this just goes to show how important honey and beeswax were, and not only in Russia, but around the world in previous times.

      ABJ, June 1994

Sergey Volzhskiy loves the hot summer months. But it's not really about the weather.

Every year, leading up to this season, the 58-year-old Buford resident meticulously tends his Russian honeybees and tracks their health. He listens and learns the melodies of what he calls a particular hive's "symphony."

Vino Wong/AJC Russian honeybees swarm around plastic cones where the queen bee lays her eggs. Vino Wong/AJC Sergey Volzhskiy is a third-generation beekeeper. He's also certified in apitherapy, the practice of using honeybee products to treat various medical conditions.

When summer arrives, the time has come. "It's harvesting season," he said. Volzhskiy is a third-generation beekeeper. In addition to overseeing 200 to 300 colonies, he employs a unique migratory beekeeping system that allows him to slide a platform stacked with hives onto a trailer bed to move from one location to another. He's also certified in apitherapy — the practice of using honeybee products to treat conditions like arthritis by using bee venom to alleviate joint pains. Volzhskiy said he's the only apitherapist he knows of in Georgia. Volzhskiy's family owned business runs on the backs of 15.6 million tiny workers from 14 locations in the Buford area and up to Helen. He touts the health benefits of bee products and has built his Russian beekeeping business, BORT, upon the philosophy that natural products such as honey can provide cures for the ailments of what he calls a generation of "McDonald's people." For Volzhskiy, a bottle of his honey represents more than just a local, naturally made product. He says it's nature's medicine that can prevent someone from filling a prescription at a drugstore — like the one next door to his shop, he points out. "One pill is designed to make you take another pill," he said. Despite getting stung almost on a daily basis, Volzhskiy said he plans to continue his family's tradition, which began in St. Petersburg, Russia. "This is my retirement plan," he said. BEE FACTS The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. A worker bee's lifespan during the summer is 55 days. A queen bee can lay up to 3,000 eggs in one day. There is one queen bee per colony and 60,000 to 80,000 worker bees. A honeybee's wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, making a buzzing noise. Apitherapy dates back 2,000 years, where it was mentioned in ancient Chinese texts. Sources: National Honey Board Web site; American Apitherapy Society Web site; Sergey Volzhskiy of BORT.