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”

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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

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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