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Colony ManagementBeginning Beekeeping
January 15, 2015
Instructor: Rick Bledsoe
Management of Newly Established Colonies in Spring
- New colonies from packages, nucs, splits or swarms
- Feed: 1:1 syrup
-they don't have stores-stimulates comb building and
brood rearing
When feeding:
- restrict entrance- good idea whenever feeding
- small colony less able to defend against robbers
- make sure they have space to expand--add hive bodies/supers
Swarming
- Natural impulse to propagate species
- triggered by "feeling" hive can go on with half the bees
- plenty of honey stores- queen runs out of space to lay- decreased laying-->decreased queen
pheromone--bees sense this, build “swarm cells”
x
Swarm Management
Swarming
- bees fill up on honey
- old queen and half of bees leave, settle nearby, send out scouts
- usually mid to late morning (can be early afternoon)
- may stay 30 minutes to 3 days
* Swarms are bad: drop in population, honey production, after-swarms
Bees make queen cups/cells:
Swarm Management
Important to differentiate between
swarm cells and supercedure cells
May see increase in drones/drone cells
Swarm Management
May see increase in drones/drone cells
Swarm Management
Swarm Prevention
Checkerboarding:Swarm Prevention
Keep ahead of honey production with supers:
In spring “over super” to Keep up with the nectar flow
Swarm Prevention
Artificial swarm-split :
1- Move queen, one frame each of sealed brood and honey to nuc.
Swarm Prevention
Artificial swarm-split :
1- Move queen, one frame 2- Move nuc each of sealed brood and (ideally over 2 miles) honey to nuc.
3- Remove all swarm cells from original hive and install new queen OR leave frame with swarm cell or eggs for bees to make new queen
Swarm Prevention
Artificial swarm-split :
-- Original hive thinks a swarm occured
-- You get a new hive without setting back original hive
-- Note: you must remove extra queen cells from original hive—destroy or use to make additional nucs/hives
Swarm Prevention
1) Exchanging their positions with strong colonies in the same yard:
Strengthen weak colonies by:
Strengthen weak colonies by:
2) adding sealed brood from strong disease-free colonies
Late Spring & Summer Management
- continue to check for queen cells
- check for failing queen
Late Spring and Summer Management
Give plenty of room by adding supers
- when super 1/2 - 2/3 full, add another
- nectar high % water, need more space to dry it
- open comb stimulates nectar gathering
x
Late Spring and Summer Management
Fall Management
Goal: prepare bees to get through winter (bees are always preparing for winter)
- "under super" -- consolidate hive, brood in bottom
- treat for mites if needed
- remove queen excluders
Fall Management
Why requeen?
-- first year queen is less likely to swarm
-- improve genetics for desired traits(VSH, improved honey production, better
wintering or just mean bees)
-- replace failing queen
-- break in brood cycle- brood disease- decrease varroa
Requeening
Spring vs fall
- Spring
- first year queen less likely to swarm
- easier to find queen due to lower population
- nectar flow leads to better acceptance of new queen
- may only be able to get "southern" queens
Requeening
- Fall
- better choice of queen sources - if you requeen late in year, may not get a second chance
- may be fewer drones available
- may not have good nectar flow, more problems with acceptance
- late queens less likely to swarm next spring
Requeening
How to requeen
- find old queen and remove (be sure you have replacement available)
- insert queen cage with candy plug--recheck in a week
Requeening
- more likely during dearth
- small and weak colonies more susceptible
Robbing
Prevention is important
- do not open hives during dearth
- entrance reducers when feeding (screen works better)
- do not open-feed close to hives
Robbing
Robber screens/entrance reducers
Robbing
- water
- pollen
- Proteins, vitamins,
minerals, and fats
- nectar/honey
Feeding
Supplemental feeding
- spring: 1:1 syrup
- fall: - 2:1 syrup
(must be above 50F)
- solid sugar
- fondant/sugar cakes
- mountain camp/or pour on inner cover
Feeding
“Mountain Camp” Method
Newspaper placed directly on top bars with sugar on top
Sugar Cakes
2 cups sugar
¼ cup water
1. Pour sugar in container
2. Add water—just enough to make it lumpy; too much and it won't set up
3. Microwave 1 minute—Caution: HOT
4. Allow to cool and pop out of mold
Supplemental feeding (continued)
- frames of honey (must be known, disease-free source)
Never feed store-bought honey !
Feeding
Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies
- check periodically over winter for hive weight
- most hives starve in February, March
- do not open hive below 40F
- be ready for emergency feeding
- consider feeding pollen patties
- clean up and seal any deadouts; try to determine why died
Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies
Temperature for checking hive
Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies
"Spring cleaning"
- bottom board
- damaged frames, old comb (4 years)
Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies
Reverse hive bodies
- wait until warm
- keep brood in cluster formation
Be mindful of pests & disease, particularly nosema and varroa
Early Spring Management of Overwintered Colonies
- even split (aka side-by-side split): take hive and divide up equally. In a week switch them.
Making Splits or Increases
Walk away split:
- take 1 frame of eggs- 2 frames of emerging brood- 2 frames of pollen and honey- put in a 5 frame nuc- shake in some extra nurse bees (be sure not to
get the queen)- put the cover on and walk away - check in 4 weeks to see if the queen is laying
Making Splits or Increases
Things to remember about splits:
- both hives must have a queen or resources to make one
- both need adequate supply of honey and pollen to feed the brood and themselves - make sure both hives have adequate number of bees
- keep brood frames together
- “you can raise bees or make honey, but not both”
Making Splits or Increases
Summary
- Bees always preparing for winter
- Bees will swarm—manage them to your gain
- Take your losses in the fall
- From time to time you will have to make splits and combine hives
- Drawn comb is valuable—protect it