GOING NORTH: COLONY REARING FOR SURVIVAL
by Mel Disselkoen
Indiana Beekeepers AssociationAnnual Fall Conference
November 6-7, 2009
MY PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: SELF-SUFFICIENT SURVIVAL
Dr. C. C. Miller Fifty Years Among The Bees
G.M. Doolittle Scientific Queen Rearing and A Year’s Work In An Out-Apiary
Solid Bottom Boards
Winter Outdoors
No Miticides
My objectives have been met
43rd PARALLEL: WHERE IT ALL STARTED
G.M. Doolittle42°58’
Mel Disselkoen42°54’
Dr. C.C. Miller42°15’
Rev. L.L. Langstroth (1)
42°39’
(1) Rev. L.L. Langstroth began keeping bees in Andover, Massachusetts in 1836 (Source: Eastern Apicultural Society)
LET’S GO BACK: GREAT LAKES AND ONTARIO BEEKEEPERSHAVE IDEAL CLIMATE, LUSH FLORA, AND PROFITABLE MARKETS
Climate favors both May and July Starts
Intense, overlapping honey flows
Climate doesn’t favor Africanized bee nor Small Hive Beetle
Opportunity for local and distance markets
No need to import
Opportunity to export
Centralized location
INDIANA: LOCATION-LOCATION-LOCATIONLocal and Export Market Potential Is Enormous
Indiana could supply bees for any-purpose-any-where-any-time
BEE
BEEKEEPER
HOW TO GET THERE: MAKE A BEE-LINE
10,000
68,000
100 180 583 1,0503,400
11,020
64,268
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
8-Mar 29-Mar 19-Apr 10-May 31-May 21-Jun 12-Jul 2-Aug
MITE LOAD: HONEYBEE VERSUS MITE REPRODUCTION STARTING WITH 100 MITES AND 10,000 BEES ON MARCH 8 IN THE GRAND
RAPIDS, MI AREA (43RD PARALLEL)
21-day honeybee gestational cycle:
Population growth
1 The mite load of a honeybee colony in the USA is 3200 mites (Mites of the Honey Bee, Dadant & Sons Inc. 2001, page 234)
June 21: Peak of brood rearing reached
Collapse
Mites
Bees
13-day mite gestational cycle: 8-Mar 21-Mar 3-Apr 16-Apr 29-Apr 12-May 25-May 7-Jun 20-Jun 3-Jul 16-Jul 29-Jul- - - - - - - - - - -— — — — — — —
3241890
6122
35705
19,836
18,000
58,000
28,000
20,000
12,000
Mite load reached;Hive in decline1
10,000
Bees
Mites
LEGEND
Day 22:Stimulus and medium
created by day 8. 4+ mites enter each
cell killing the larvae and themselves
Day 18:First larvae from
new queen
Day 15:New queen
laying
Day 5-14:New queen mates
Day 21: Last brood fromprevious queen
emerged(with mites)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
A fertile mite must have a medium to lay her eggs and a stimulus to start reproducing. The medium and stimulus are always on the 5th day of the larvae, day 8, one day before capping the cell
Days 9-20:Brood from previous queen capped therefore,
No medium - No stimulus But mites are with brood under cappings
Old queen carry-over
New split
SPLIT
Day 4:New queen
emerges
MITE BREEDING CYCLE BROKEN
Day 2:New
queen cell inserted
Days
Day 8:Medium
andStimulus
Days 1-7:(3 days eggs and 4 days larvae)
No medium – No stimulus
Honeybee gestational cycle
Varroa mite gestational cycle
UNLOADING THE MITE: MAKING STARTS BREAKS THE NORMAL BREEDING CYCLE OF THE MITE BY INTERRUPTING BOTH THE MEDIUM
AND THE STIMULUS
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
July OTS2-brood-frame
start
Aug 21-Aug 3-Oct Nov Dec
Adult bees Brood
POPULATION DYNAMICS OF A JULY START ARE VERY DIFFERENTTHAN A TRADITIONAL HIVE
Reaches 63,000 Bees With Queen Laying Minimum Of 1,000 Eggs/Day
Overwinter:
• Very young bees• Very young queen
• 5-7 frames• 5-6 pounds bees• Candy board with
pollen patty
Peak brood rearing reached in63 days or 3 brood cycles
Population
Brood rearing stops
COLONY REARING FROM START TO FINISH:Modern Beekeeping Is Tailored Beekeeping—Your Target Defines Your Approach
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Start
Jul
• July starts• Almond starts
• Feed and checkmating success
• Install candy boards and wrap
• Brood rearing begins slowly • Full-strength
hives• Apple starts• Blueberry starts
• Harvest May honey starts
• Almond starts now mature for pollination
• Transport almond starts