THE BEE SUPPLY
Monthly
MARCH 2024
Photo Credit: Kasia B. - kasia.and.bees
FEATURED TOPICS STAYING AHEAD OF GROWTH WHAT TO DO WITH EXCESS WINTER HONEY IDENTIFYING & PREVENTING SWARMS PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST HIVE
EDITION 45
Contents
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Clicking on a topic will take you right to it!
Table of
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6 Monthly Tips 10 Proactively Managing Hive Expansion 13 How Does This Spring Compare to "Normal"? 14 The Science Behind AFB-Inoculated Queens 16 What to Do with Excess Winter Honey in Your Hive 18 Buzzy Times Ahead: Splits Season on the Horizon! 22 Identifying and Preventing Swarms 26 Chat with Cory Stevens 28 Nine Easy Steps to Catching Swarms 32 A Varroa Mite Insurance Policy? 36 What's the Buzz? Advice for Newbees 39 Most Common Mistakes Beekeepers Make 40 First Hive-Venture: Getting Ready for Your Bees 46 Bee Wise, Stay Alive: Beekeeping Safety 50 Recipe: Buzz Board 52 Monthly Buzz Q&A 53 Club Directory 54 Drought Monitor
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March is the month the colony is at its lowest adult (forager) population as the bees work toward spring buildup. Although they are bringing in some pollen, it can be limited, plus the population is increasing so fast the hive has a hard time keeping up―running the risk of starvation for growing colonies. Continue monitoring food stores and practicing the February feeding tips, working to maintain a 20-pound surplus. Feed pollen substitute during cold weeks to maintain brood building. You should see the population of your hive beginning to explode. Your queen should be laying a tremendous number of eggs, and a new generation of bees should be hatching. If you do not see any signs of eggs, larvae, or brood, your hive is queenless and you should order a replacement queen or merge the hive with another hive. If your hive has fewer than two frames of bees, merging is your best option. If you have three frames of bees, you can add a frame of brood from a stronger hive and give the hive a new queen. If you can find queens to purchase, splitting can be done in late March or anytime in April. If you make a split in late March, four frames of solid brood, a mated queen, and proper care should guarantee a hive that is ready to make honey in early May. Prevent swarming by adding boxes when the existing box becomes 75% full of bees or by splitting your hive. If your hive has swarm cells (queen cells containing larvae or pupae) on the bottom or edges of a frame, then the only way to prevent swarming is by splitting the hive. Simply removing the cells is rarely sufficient, as we typically miss a cell or two. Make sure any stored supers are free of wax moths and are stored with wax moth crystals. Also, remove entrance reducers to ensure hives do not overheat on warm days.
#4 "Prevent swarming by adding boxes when the existing box becomes 75% full of bees... " Check out this helpful video on adding a second brood box!
Photo Credit: Rich Beggs
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By Blake Shook
MARCH TIPS
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HELPFUL ARTICLES
I think my hive is queenless. What should I do? Dealing with Weak Hives
BEGINNING BEEKEEPING CLASS You never know what our instructors will do when faced with a problem
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In Ostrofsky's version of pyramiding, he pulled half of the frames of brood from the bottom box with no mention of the stage of the brood. We have found that pulling a frame of open brood along with resource frames containing brood of all stages works well to draw the queen up to continue laying in the open brood frame.
By Chari Elam
Warning! Warning! Spring has sprung, whether the temperature and weather conditions seem like it or not! There is not a beekeeper around who hasn’t been nose to the window all winter waiting for the first bud to pop on a maple or elm tree. (I dare you to say I’m wrong.) Now that they have seen that first bud, we have work to do! Picture the inside of your hive right now. Thousands of worker bees old and new are milling around with one focus in mind—build population for the nectar flow to build a honey crop for next winter. It seems so simplistic that their minds are truly focused on only two seasons: spring and winter. But when you dissect those two seasons, there is so much activity required by both the bee and the beekeeper to pull it off successfully, it justifies stressing the importance! Staying ahead of growth is a real challenge. Whether you are building bees for honey production or preparing for splits, let’s face it—you’re building bees so that you can split, yet doing so meticulously to avoid swarming. Consider this: A queen lays eggs at a rate of 2,000 per day (give or take). There are 3,200 cells per side of a deep frame (6,400 per frame). It takes a queen only three days to fill a frame with developing brood. Within three weeks, you are gaining approximately 6,400 bees per frame of brood per colony. In all reality, most hives will see an increase of 35,000 or more bees over the course of the next month to six weeks! Wow! Can you keep up with that? The answer is yes, in case you didn’t feel the bold confidence needed to express it. Start now! For every hive that is more than 80% full of bees, you need to add a box. Here are some recommendations: Use drawn foundation in the added brood box Pyramid the frames Feed Equalize your beeyard 1) Drawn comb: I realize that not everyone has drawn comb stored in abundance. Foundation is fine, but know that you will have to feed. Although I suggest that you feed regardless, the importance of syrup is much greater when comb needs to be drawn. It takes the bees’ consuming “nectar” (thin syrup) nonstop for their wax glands to be stimulated and continue to produce wax. This is so important. Quote: Bees use about 6 lb. of honey to produce 1 lb. of wax. Bees can produce 8 wax flakes in around 12 hours, so that gives you an idea of how patient and arduous they are in building comb for their babies and food. 2) Pyramiding: Not all beekeepers adopt this mentality. We learned this method when we were researching the topic “maximizing honey production” years ago for an ABF conference. In our research, we found Morris Ostrofsky’s article on basing honey yield on the ability for bees to reach maximum population quickly by pyramiding the second (additional) brood box. Quote: Pyramiding is a technique that can be used to give the queen and workers instant access to two brood boxes thus increasing population while reducing crowding. Pyramiding is done at the time a second brood box is added to a hive that has one brood box. If at all possible, using drawn frames is always preferable to foundation frames. 3) Feed: The importance of feeding your bees cannot be overstated. As populations grow at an explosive rate, nature is falling short of producing the resources needed to keep up with the demand of food for all of the larval mouths to feed (figuratively speaking). Bees starve in March. That may sound like a harsh statement, but it makes sense when you absorb the explanation of population growth I described previously. Convert to 1:1 sugar syrup now. This emulates the viscosity of nectar and will be readily accepted and used accordingly. Don’t stop feeding until the nectar flow begins in your area. For two-thirds of the nation, that will be around mid-April to the beginning of May. 4) Equalizing your beeyard: I’ve written and rewritten articles on this topic several times. Equalizing your bees ranks among the top three beekeeping-management skills needed to be successful. Because one or two of you are wondering, the other two are controlling Varroa mites and providing good nutrition. Read the article “Bee Yard Shuffle,” then do it! Happy spring, y’all!
PROACTIVELY MANAGING HIVE EXPANSION
Photo Credit: Chari Elam
February 19, 2024 After a slow start to spring in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, spring is spreading north more quickly now across the country. Portland, OR, is 5 days early; Roswell, NM, is on time; Nashville, TN, is 10 days early; and Virginia Beach, VA, is 13 days early compared to a long-term average of 1991‒2020. When will spring arrive this year at your location? Check back on this page in the coming months to see when we predict the first activity of plants will begin in your area.
Check out this video describing the various types of feeders and how to use them!
What Type of Feeder Should I Use? There are so many options in beekeeping, right? What type of feeder to use is one of the most commonly asked questions out there. Every feeder has its pros and cons; however, at the end of the day, the important factor is that you are feeding your bees when they should be fed. The bees don’t care much what kind of feeder you use— they just want the food!
HOW DOES THIS SPRING COMPARE TO "NORMAL"?
This box needs repair and painting
THE SCIENCE BEHIND AFB-INOCULATED QUEENS
AFB INOCULATED ITALIAN QUEENS
You've probably seen it on the news― queens that are 100% resistant to AFB! Blake sat down with Amy Floyd of Dalan to learn more about the incredible AFB- proof queens. Amy did an incredible job of diving into the practical science of how these innovative new discoveries are benefiting bees and queens. And it was pretty amazing to hear about some additional new innovations in this area being studied!
By: Blake Shook
WHAT TO DO WITH EXCESS WINTER HONEY IN YOUR HIVE
Here's a quick video on how to address a honey bound hive.
It is not uncommon to come out of the winter months with an extra box of honey on a hive. I see this most commonly if: 1. The hive had more than two boxes full or almost full of honey going into winter. 2. The hive dwindled significantly in strength (80% loss or more) over the course of the winter and couldn’t eat nearly what was stored. A common cause of significant dwindle is Varroa issues. Depending on how great the discrepancy between honey stored and the bee population is, you may or may not have to do anything about it. The bees will consume the honey as they grow in the spring. Excess honey isn’t going to hurt the hive coming out of winter. However, eventually, the bees will begin refilling the boxes once the new honey flow begins. I recommend taking action regarding excess honey at only two times: There are boxes of honey above the two brood boxes, and you are approaching the main honey flow. If you didn’t feed in the fall, the honey isn’t granulated, and you didn’t do a mite treatment with the honey supers on, you can just harvest this honey. If you can’t harvest it, you can simply place the super standing on end 30–40 feet away from your hives and let the bees rob the honey out. If the days are warm, it should take only a day or two. Once they have cleaned the honey out, you can store the super or put it back on your hive to allow them to begin storing fresh nectar. The brood boxes are so packed with honey that the queen has nowhere to lay as the hive expands. This will be evident by a few frames’ being full of brood but every other frame is packed with honey, leaving nowhere for the queen to continue laying. In brood boxes, about 70% of the frames should be available for brood rearing this time of year, and the remaining 30% can be full of honey. Check out this article “Fixing Honey Bound Hives'' to learn more about this issue.
Every beekeeper should learn how to make successful splits! There are three excellent reasons to be able to make splits: Swarm control: A hive’s natural tendency is to grow as fast as possible in the spring, then swarm! It’s how they reproduce in nature. As beekeepers, we would prefer they don’t since we lose half of our bees. See “How to Prevent Swarms” for more info on swarm prevention. One of the best ways to prevent swarms is to split a hive before they prepare to swarm. Replace lost hives or expand your number of hives: We all lose bees every year. Sometimes it’s 20%; sometimes it’s 50% or far more. It’s common to lose many or all of your hives in your first year or two as you learn beekeeping. Assuming you made it through winter with a few good hives, there is no more cost-effective way to recoup losses or grow than making a split! Your only cost is essentially a queen for your new split. Increase your number of hives! Is My Hive Ready to Split? Your hive should meet the following conditions before you try to make a split: No brood diseases. At least six full frames of brood (eggs, larvae, and capped brood all count as brood) and more than six frames covered front and back with bees. A “full frame of brood” would be considered a deep frame that is at least two-thirds full on both sides with eggs, larvae, or capped brood or a combination of all stages. Generally you want to have a mixture of all stages in a split. At least four frames of honey, or you are feeding heavily. Varroa mites under control and no infestation starting to spiral out of control. Generally healthy and growing with no apparent issues. At least one cumulative frame worth of stored pollen. What Time of Year Should I Split? Most splits are made in the spring, typically once nights are generally above freezing, early spring flowers have begun to bloom, and daytime temperatures are generally in the 50s, 60s, or above. The earlier in the year you make your split, the faster the hive will grow and the more honey you should be able to make. However, you are limited by queen availability, temperatures, and hive strength. Let’s quickly discuss each one of those early spring limiting factors. Queen availability: Queens become available for purchase around the last week of March in most years. However, they can be very difficult to get that early since every beekeeper wants early queens. In general, queens become much more widely available by mid-April, assuming you booked early in the year. Temperatures: If you are in the Deep South, you can often begin making splits as early as you can get queens. If you are farther north, you often can’t make splits until mid-April or even early May depending on the temperatures. Nights should be generally above freezing. An occasional freeze is fine as long as there are sufficient bees in the splits to cover all the brood. The general rule of thumb is to make splits around the time of the average last freeze in your area or when at least routine freezes are over. Hive strength: As stated before, your hive should have a minimum of six frames of brood and more than six frames covered front and back with bees to make a split. You can also make splits in the summer or, really, anytime between the start of spring and a month or so before temperatures fall routinely below freezing. See “How to Make a Summer Split” for more detailed information on how to do a split in the summer. If you are new to beekeeping, start with spring splits. If you make a mistake, your hive has several months to recover. Summer or fall splits are much more tricky since bees are naturally shutting down or at least not growing much. Winter is approaching, leaving little room for mistakes. The advantage of making splits later in the year is that your bees are not doing anything else. It can be a great way to make a significant honey crop and then grow your hive count in the same year. If you do choose to make summer splits, I recommend doing it as soon as you finish harvesting honey—the earlier in the year, the better so that the bees will have as much time as possible to grow before winter.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Letting a hive raise their own queen versus requeening with a purchased mated queen—both have their place in beekeeping. Listen as I explain the pros and cons of both.
BUZZY TIMES AHEAD: SPLITS SEASON ON THE HORIZON!
FACT: Making splits creates a brood break, which is a natural method of Varroa control!
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If only I had taken the TBS splits class...
SPRING SPLITS CLASS
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Whether in person or virtually, we invite you to join our EXPERT TEAM of beekeepers to learn how to effectively and safely split your spring hives! This class covers all the basics in making splits, both inside the classroom and in an apiary. Topics covered for this popular class include: Ordering queens for your split How to prepare your hive to split Hive strength requirements for splitting Making the split Feeding and installing a queen To move or not to move Post-split care Queen acceptance and more Three in-person locations to choose from!
IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING SWARMS
When a hive swarms, the old queen and roughly half of the adult bees leave the hive and cluster on a nearby branch or surface until they find a new cavity to move into. As beekeepers, we don’t want our hives to swarm since it greatly weakens the hive. First, let’s tackle identifying a hive that is getting ready to swarm. Here are some of the telltale signs: The hive is overcrowded: Anytime the top box is more than 80% full of bees in the spring or summer, you are at risk of swarming. If I’m looking at a hive and all the boxes are full of bees, I assume it’s on the verge of swarming. My next step is to look for swarm cells. The bees are making swarm cells: When a hive is getting ready to swarm, the bees will begin building swarm cells, which are queen cells usually on the bottom or sides of a frame of brood. See “Swarm Cells vs. Supersedure Cells.” A beard of bees is hanging in the front of your hive: This doesn’t always mean your hive is going to swarm. It can mean they are just a little hot and are trying to cool the hive by reducing the number of bodies inside. However, it does prompt me to add another box and check for swarm cells if the boxes are full of bees. Fortunately, there are many ways we as beekeepers can help prevent swarms. Providing enough space: This is the most important swarm-prevention practice! Make sure that your hive has enough room for the bees to expand during the spring and early summer. As a general rule, when the top box (brood box or super) in the spring or early summer becomes 80% full of bees, it’s time to add another box. Following that rule will typically prevent a hive from swarming. Splitting: This is an incredibly common way to prevent swarms. Most beekeepers split in the spring to keep large hives from swarming. See “Splitting” for more information. Adding a medium or shallow box under your brood boxes: Bees are much less likely to swarm if they have empty space under their brood boxes. Unfortunately, wiping out swarm cells rarely works, just as things like trapping the queen inside the hive don’t. Prevention really is the best option. However, it’s easy to get behind, and some hives swarm no matter what you do! What if you do see swarm cells in your hive? Keep reading! What should I do when my hive is preparing to swarm? First, don’t panic! Everyone has a hive swarm from time to time. Though it does reduce the strength of your hive, a strong hive can bounce back quite quickly. Second, determine how close your hive is to swarming. The best way to tell this is by looking at the swarm cells in a hive and assessing the bee population. A hive normally swarms around the time swarm cells are being capped. This leaves a relatively short window to catch the hive before they swarm. If the swarm cells are capped, you don’t see your queen, they seem to have lost a lot of their adult bees, and you don’t see fresh eggs (newly laid eggs stand up straight in the cell and tilt over a bit more each day until day three, when they lay flat on the bottom of the cell and hatch into larvae), then the hive has already swarmed. If that’s the case, see “Post Swarm Hive Care.” Assuming you caught the hive before they swarmed, here are your options: Split the hive. This is the most effective way to stop a swarm. Once a hive decides to swarm, it’s really hard to change their minds! Splitting the hive into two or three new hives and giving each a frame with a swarm cell is not only a great way to create more hives but almost always shuts down their swarming impulses. Wipe out the swarm cells, and hope you didn’t miss one! This doesn’t usually work very well. We beekeepers often miss a cell or the hive swarms anyway, even if you did wipe out all the cells. Let them swarm. You can let nature take its course and try to catch the swarm and put it in a new hive. This can work pretty well, assuming they cluster where you can reach them. See “Catching Swarms.” Some have limited success with capturing the queen, putting her in a queen cage, wiping out the swarm cells, and adding a box to the hive. About a week later, they release the queen again. While this can work, if you miss a swarm cell, the hive will often swarm with the virgin queen. It’s also just as much work or more than making a split, with poorer success rates.
Check out this video showing what a hive preparing to swarm looks like. Could this have been prevented?
This hive is a great example of what a hive that needs our attention to prevent swarming will look like.
PURE BRED CARNIOLAN Super gentle and easy to work with - Exceptional workers - Good honey producers
with Chari Elam
RUSSIAN CARNIOLAN Gentleness of the Carniolan with the Russian Varroa resistance - Great honey producers
TBS GOLDEN CORDOVANTM Super gentle for backyard beekeepers! Good honey producers - Great comb builders
TBS NOW HAS 5 DIFFERENT QUEENS TO CHOOSE FROM!
TBS ITALIAN CARNIOLAN Gentle - Great honey producers - Excellent comb builders - Less disease prone - Tough bees!
DALAN AFB-INOCULATED QUEEN Italian queen - Great honey producer - Excellent foragers - Prolific honey producers
TBS Beekeeper Chat with Cory Stevens QUEEN BEE BREEDER AND EXPERT
Queen breeding expert Cory Stevens (www.stevensbeeco.com) has more than mastered instrumental queen insemination―he has turned it into a technical, perfected art! Focusing on VSH stock, Cory describes the process of “UBeeO,” a new tool used to accurately predict a colony’s ability to self-manage mites and disease through hygienic behavior (opterabees.com). Cory goes on to talk about the importance of nutrition and the responsibility we have as beekeepers to aid in nature’s shortfall. Listen as this fascinating corner of beekeeping comes alive in Cory’s enthusiasm!
Catching swarms can be lots of fun and even seems to be a great way to get some free bees! But any experienced beekeeper will tell you that there is no such thing as free bees. Swarms often don’t stay in the box you put them in. After you drive 30 minutes, catch them, install them, and then watch them fly away the next day, you’ll understand that free is never really free when it comes to bees. Plus, you don’t know the genetics of the swarm—if they are going to be aggressive, unable to resist disease, good honey producers, and so on. All that being said, there is nothing wrong with giving it a shot! I just wouldn’t recommend capturing a swarm as a strategy to obtain bees for the first time. If you do get that call from a friend or neighbor that they have a swarm, here is how to capture it and hopefully keep it: Step 1: Ask some questions. Where is the swarm located? On the side of a house? It’s probably already moving into the house, and it becomes a structural bee removal. Is it on a tree or bush? How high up? Is the ground level? If it’s not easily accessible, it’s wise not to risk falling off an extension ladder for a swarm that may not stay anyway. How large is it? The size of a baseball? It’s not worth your time. The size of a soccer ball or basketball? That’s a nice-sized average swarm. The size of two basketballs? Better bring some extra boxes! Step 2: Pack up your gear and head out quickly. Swarms may not stay in place for long! Remember, they are looking for a new home. Take a spray bottle of clean water, a ladder if needed, your protective gear (old swarms can be aggressive), a container to bring them back to your beeyard (a nuc box or two with some empty frames inside or any container that is large and well ventilated), and a bee brush. Step 3: When you arrive, encourage curious homeowners to stay far away in case the swarm is defensive. It typically won’t be if it’s only been there a day or so. But if it has been there for a number of days, all bets are off. Spray the swarm generously with water. It’s OK if they are dripping wet. The bees inside the cluster will still be completely dry and will fly when you shake or brush them into your container. Tip: If you can, cut the branch the bees are clustered on and proceed to step 4. Step 4: Quickly and firmly shake or brush the bees into your container, and close the lid. If you captured the vast majority of them in your container on the first try, then you are good to go as long as you also got the queen. If lots fell outside your container or hundreds flew into the air, you can let them reform, spray them again, jolt your container, open the lid, spray the bees inside your container to keep them from flying, and shake or brush the reformed cluster back into your container. You will inevitably leave a hundred or so bees. Tip: The "container" can be a hive box, saving you a step at the end. Step 5: Once you get your swarm home, get your hive ready. I use a deep box, ideally with some comb already in it. In a perfect world, pull a frame of eggs and larvae from an existing hive, shake the bees off, and put it in the center of your new hive. This will drastically increase the odds of the swarm’s staying. Frame of brood or not, pull the center three or four frames out of the hive to create plenty of space for the new bees as you dump them in. Step 6: Firmly jar the container your swarm is in to knock the bees to the floor of the container. Quickly open the lid and spray them with water again. Five to six sprays should be enough to keep them from flying but not drench them. Step 7: Dump the swarm into your new hive, jarring the container as needed to knock all the bees into the new hive. Bees are pretty tough, so you won’t hurt them by knocking the container against the new hive to knock all the bees out. Step 8: Gently replace the frames that you pulled out of the middle, and push all the frames tightly together. You may have to wait a few minutes for the bees to move to make this possible. There will typically be lots of bees in the air at this point, but they should drift back to the new hive if the queen is inside. Again, a frame of brood can really help draw them into the hive and keep them there. Step 9: Once you’ve replaced the frames and pushed them tightly together, feed the hive. A new swarm can draw out comb incredibly quickly, but they will need lots of food to make that happen. Feeding them as much 1:1 sugar water as they can drink for a few weeks will work wonders when it comes to drawing out comb. See “When to Add Another Box.” Giving the swarm a frame of uncapped brood from another hive can greatly increase the odds they will stay! Keep in mind that it’s not at all uncommon for a swarm to decide not to stay. However, feeding, giving them some drawn comb, and giving them a frame of brood can all help encourage them to stay.
NINE EASY STEPS TO CATCHING SWARMS
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INTRODUCING
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It fends off yellow jackets, laughs in the face of cold snaps, shrugs off rain, and lets you sneak in feed and probiotics without cracking open the hive. Need to quickly stop your hive from swarming or move your hive? We've got you covered there too.
NEW PRODUCT ALERT
ProtectaBEETM
Orders placed now will secure your place in line for this highly sought after product. Expected shipment date late March. Subject to change
ProtectaBEE™ simplifies beekeeping with an adjustable entrance that keeps out wasps, hornets, mice, robbing bees, skunks, and other predators.
Although not a good method to rely on, check out this video on spotting some visual signs of a Varroa mite infestation.
A VARROA MITE INSURANCE POLICY?
You won’t likely find Varroa insurance, but one thing is certain—testing your hives coming out of winter is a great place to start! It may seem like we are talking about the Varroa topic early this year, but having attended a few conferences over the last few months, it has become abundantly clear that testing our hives more often than we have been in the past is the key to staying ahead of Varroa. Our goal is to maintain a Varroa mite load of less than 2%. We obtain this number by testing our hives, arguably one of the most intimidating aspects of beekeeping for new beekeepers. Therefore, most treat without testing. Don’t let your lack of confidence in testing result in just treating, as opposed to test and treat if needed. We have options to help accommodate your comfort level, listed in order of accuracy of testing: Alcohol wash (<2 mites per 100 bees) CO2 method (<2 mites per 100 bees) Powdered sugar shake (<6 mites per 300 bees) Sticky board (<9 mites over a 24-hour period) Three of these methods require you to take the center two or three frames of bees (less the queen) and shake the bees off into a container to test. See: “How to test for Varroa.” If this is the holdup in your testing your bees, then go with the sticky board. It isn’t the best method, but it’s better than nothing. Just don’t let it be your final testing method. Only use it until you get more comfortable with your bees. Three Seasonal Phases Population Increase (PI) Population Peak (PP) Population Decrease (PD) Dormant (D) Knowing the current population phase is key in determining how to treat for Varroa mites. All of the treatment methods consider the colony phase (brood cycles) and temperature. Ex: Where some treatments work well in PI, others do not—and can actually be harmful to your bees. It’s no secret that I am a huge proponent of the Honey Bee Health Coalition. This organization has continued to stay on top of current information regarding Varroa treatments as well as giving us tools to use free of charge. The next two pages are the result of my combining information found in the 27 pages of the Varroa Management Guide and their Varroa Management Decision Tool on their website. Feel free to print both pages for future reference.
Check out this very handy Varroa Management Decision Tool. Within just a few minutes you can get answers to which treatment best suits you.
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By Lynne Jones
*Facebook beekeeping groups Beekeeping Basics Central Texas Beekeepers Association and Friends
On the beekeeping calendar, I think March is the most enthusiastic month of the year. (In my part of Texas, at least. Adjust accordingly for your location.) For existing beekeepers, the queens are laying in force, colonies are expanding, and we’re hopeful the upcoming nectar flow will be a good one. For the newbees, bees are on order and the pickup dates are saved to their calendars with bells and whistles attached! Hives have been purchased and, if needed, assembled and painted. Their equipment and beekeeper suits are at the ready. Maybe they’ve even practiced lighting and using a smoker! With all that in mind, March is the perfect time for experienced beekeepers to pass along some words of wisdom to new beekeepers, so I posted in two Facebook beekeeping groups* to ask what advice they had for those just getting started in beekeeping. As you would expect, a lot of advice was offered. I categorized the advice into Knowledge, Bees, Equipment, Inspections, and Expectations. Here, I offer you the results! Where the same advice was given by a significant number of beekeepers, the number is noted in parentheses. Knowledge Read books to learn about honey bees and beekeeping. (25) Take a class and keep learning. (23) Learn how to keep bees healthy and how to manage Varroa mites. (19) Join a beekeeper club. (21) Find a mentor. (27) Ask questions. Facebook and YouTube are good for learning, but don’t rely on them solely. (7) Beekeeping is local. Advice might not be applicable for your area or for your goals. (8) Bees Have at least two colonies. (15) Get local bees. Start with a nuc from a reputable bee supplier. You don’t know the genetics of swarms. Keep a young queen in every hive. If you want to do natural beekeeping and not use pesticides, look for treatment-free bees or Russian bees. Be sure your bees have a dependable water source. Equipment Set up your apiary well in advance of your bees arriving. Take the time to set it up correctly the first time because it is a lot harder to redo things after you have established hives. Consider all the available hive options and choose the one that best suits your needs. Unless your goal is to be a commercial or sideline beekeeper, you don’t need to restrict yourself to the conventional wooden Langstroth 10-frame deep boxes. Stick with one hive equipment manufacturer. There are slight differences between manufacturers, preventing boxes from stacking as well when they are mixed. Additionally, some boxes/frames are designed with bee space to be at the top of the box, while others are designed for it to be at the bottom of the box. If you mix the two, the bees may decide there’s too much bee space or not enough bee space and either build unwanted comb or fill in gaps with propolis. Stick with the basics for the first couple of years. Don’t overspend. No need to buy every gadget you see advertised. Have more equipment on hand than you think you need—at least one complete hive set-up at all times. (7) Use internal feeders. Have at least two hive tools and one robbing screen (p. 40) per hive. If you use plastic foundation, add more wax. Buy a freezer for storing drawn frames while not in use. Inspections Wear your beekeeping suit/jacket every time. (13) Wear a ball cap to keep the veil from your face. Pay attention to the weather. Learn to use your smoker properly. Take notes on what you plan to do and the equipment you’ll need, what you find during inspections, and when different flowers bloom. Learn to read your bees from the activity at the entrance. Inspect often—things can go south fast! Don’t inspect too often and don’t be more intrusive than necessary. Stay calm; go slowly and methodically. (9) Have a reason for doing an inspection and plan your steps. Once you have accomplished your goal, close the hive back up. Make sure you see eggs/larvae. If doing anything with bees at night, use a red-light lens. Learn how to do Varroa mite checks and actually do them! Keep room for the queen to lay in the brood nest. Don’t add an additional box too soon. Leave plenty of honey and ensure they have food reserves; feed if needed. (12) Use swarm-prevention techniques and learn how to do splits. Expectations Have realistic expectations. You will get stung. You are going to unintentionally kill bees. Don’t expect you will get honey every year. Set/know your goals. Bees will be bees, and bees don't care what the book says. Once you think you've got beekeeping figured out, the bees will show you that you don't! And last, encouragement Enjoy beekeeping and have fun! Do what works for you. Losses happen, and sometimes the answer is a mystery. You can do everything right and still something goes wrong. Just learn from it! Don’t quit! (6)
WHAT'S THE BUZZ? BEEKEEPING ADVICE FOR NEWBEES FROM EXPERIENCED BEEKEEPERS
As beekeepers, we all make mistakes. What can set us apart from the rest is listening to solid advice from experienced beekeepers, making us aware of shortfalls that are common and what to avoid. Listen as James, Chari, and Blake share their observations.
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MOST COMMON MISTAKES BEEKEEPERS MAKE
I think that was a lot of good advice. If you have any advice you’d like to add, you can message me on Facebook or send an email to BrazosRiverHoney77474@gmail.com
Listen as Dr. Jamie Ellis talks about hive inspection frequency and what you should be looking for.
FIRST HIVE-VENTURE: GETTING READY FOR YOUR BEES!
Are you nervous? If you aren’t, hats off to you! I was beside myself in anticipation of our new hive coming home. All I could think about was how far away we could get it from our “life” to prevent us from getting stung while we were outside! In hindsight, I should have been more concerned about the bees and their well-being because, when it got down to it, they couldn’t have cared less about us! Taking the time to preplan a few key elements will go a long way toward easing your mind. Hive placement: A few things to keep in mind: Neighbors – If you are on acreage this isn’t necessarily a problem, but those who live on a city lot need a bit of ingenuity. Think “flight pattern.” Facing a colony’s entrance away from your neighbor instead of toward them is a good idea. If this isn’t possible (neighbors on all sides), then consider putting an obstruction within five feet of the entrance, such as a fence or hedge. This will force the bees to fly straight up instead of at a more gradual altitude, prompting them to avoid your neighbors’ yards as an incoming and outgoing flight zone. Yard maintenance – Avoid putting your bees where you want to keep a manicured yard. Bees' comfort zone tends to be about 20 feet. We find that our bees don’t mind the mower so much as we gradually get closer and closer, but weed trimmers are a completely different story. They do not like weed-eaters at their front door. Be prepared to wear protective gear or prevent weeds from growing around your hives altogether! Note: Lawn crews typically aren’t fond of bees. If you have a lawn service, you can wet a sheet and cover the hive(s) early (before daylight), then remove it after the crew is done. Shade versus sunny – Given the choice, bees prefer a sunny location to a shady one. That is not to say that, on a hot summer's day, they wouldn’t appreciate some shade, but overall, your bees will be more productive being located in a “more sun than shade” location. Also, facing your entrances to the southeast will ensure they have the north wind to their backs and catch the morning sun to get them up and going early. Accessibility – High and dry! This saying applies to your beeyard just as much as to your own home. We’ve heard some very sad stories over the years of beekeepers losing hives due to unexpected high water. Think about the topography of your chosen beeyard. Make certain that, come high water, they are in a high enough location to withstand flood. Another thought: when you need to do a hive inspection or pull honey supers, the ground surrounding your bees needs to be accessible. You don’t want it to be too steep, too deep, too far away, too wet―you get the idea! You have to manage your bees biweekly, so keep that in mind in choosing your hive location. Ground Prep: Is It Necessary? In most instances it can help minimize weed growth in front of the hives and help reduce small hive beetles that pupate in the ground around beehives. If you decide to prepare the ground, doing so prior to your bees’ arrival would be advantageous. After they arrive … not so much. Consider laying a weed fabric or a gravel bed on a nicely prepared plot under your hive stands. It’s my experience that mulch is not a good choice. Mulch holds moisture and will encourage small hive beetles if your area is prone to them. Layout and Stands Layout – We’ve been asked this question often: Do I put my bees in a straight line, side by side, back to back, spaced out … what? Consider this: bees do not like you to block their entrance, so standing beside or behind your hive to work is required. As to configurations, studies have shown that a straight line shouldn’t be your first choice because of drifting. However, this is common and with just a few hives isn’t a real problem. If space allows, placing your bees in an offset configuration and with entrances facing different directions will help with drifting. Spacing between your hives is also a common question. Our best placement is when we have at least a hive's width between any two hives. This allows us a workspace between, giving us a place to set boxes off as well as place our tools and such―and of course, to not stand in front of the neighboring hive. Hive stands or platforms – A common misconception among new beekeepers is that it’s good to build hive stands at counter height for ease of working. Actually, this is “counter” intuitive! Ha ha! Sorry, I couldn’t help it. As colonies grow, so do the numbers of boxes that are added to the stack. Counter height is fine for the first and maybe even the second deep box, but what happens when you start to add honey supers? All of the sudden, you’ll need a ladder to work your bees! And that’s not wise when having to lift heavy boxes. Consider the eventual tower you’ll be building as your bees thrive and grow. Therefore, a hive stand or platform is most efficient at 6”–18” off the ground. As for stand or platform, that’s more of a preference thing. We’ve always had platforms for the most part. It allows for less bottom support such as cinder blocks or legs. It also gives you workspace if you place hives apart. On the other hand, hive stands are great for keeping your bees oriented in different directions, preventing drifting as mentioned before. A lot of commercially offered hive stands come with frame holders and are adjustable for 8 or 10 frame boxes―all good features. Now you have your beeyard plan. What’s next? Have the beeyard done and ready before your bees arrive! Moving bees isn’t easy. They are heavy. Plus, there’s that orientation thing you have to deal with. Have your boxes assembled and painted well before your bees arrive! Paint or stain needs time to dry and cure. Note: Boxes need to be primed and painted or stained to preserve the wood. Raw wood won’t last. Have extra boxes and frames on hand. Before you know it, your bees will need additional space, and you need to have it ready (painted or stained). As with any adventure, a well-thought-out plan can prevent issues down the line. Spend time thinking through these points and make them fit you and your situation. Be adaptable and, most of all, enjoy the process!
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Photo Credit: Zen and the art of Beeing
Photo Credit: MarthaStewartblog.com
Keeping the ground free of grasses and weeds makes for a natural yet functional setting for your bees.
Creating a pad for your bees is helpful to contain gravel and can be aesthetically pleasing in manicured yard locations.
Perfect example of hives placed too close together. We couldn't help but cause mad bees while working these hives.
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TIP: When possible take a buddy beekeeper with you. This is an insurance policy in the event of an emergency.
Being a beekeeper can be very rewarding, but along with the rewards come some safety hazards. The most common of these are allergic reactions, fire hazard, lifting hazard, and exposure to some toxins. The two most important considerations to help in avoiding issues before they start are 1) prior planning of your excursion into the beeyard and 2) working with a partner if possible. Knowing what you plan to achieve while in the beeyard will give you direction and prevent haphazard activity. Discuss what you want to accomplish and what you will do if there is a problem or complication prior to your outing. Frequently, a simple hive check identifies issues that have to be addressed, including some that can cause unexpected extended time inside the hive and exertion. Working with a partner can help with that. Your partner can share in the lifting, handing you tools, and keeping you on track! Not to mention, they give the benefit of another pair of eyes to help diagnose colony problems and find the queen. Getting stung is part of keeping bees. Every beekeeper I know has a tale about an ill-placed stinger. See my cover photo—that was a recent sting to my lip. It didn’t hurt too badly, but I sure looked funny! And my fellow beekeepers still can’t stop laughing at me. Luckily, by the next day the swelling was fully resolved, as is frequently the case. Most stings give a localized reaction, including pain and swelling. There are several over-the-counter bee sting medications, including Benadryl (an antihistamine) that reduces the body’s reaction to the bee venom. We use a product of the hive that works very well, called tincture of propolis. Mix propolis with Everclear to make a tincture, and then put it on the sting as soon as possible. It dramatically reduces the effect of the bee venom. If you tend to have reactions, you may want to take an over-the-counter slow-release antihistamine (Allegra, Claritin, etc.) before you go into the beeyard to minimize the effects of any bee stings. Some beekeepers’ reactions may go beyond pain and swelling—for them, stings create a systemic reaction, a true allergic reaction that causes systemic swelling, especially of the airways. This is an emergency, and you should get to an ER or call 9-1-1 immediately. In the event you have a bee allergy that can cause an anaphylactic reaction, becoming or remaining a beekeeper should be carefully considered. If you decide to continue with beekeeping, you should consult your family practice doctor to discuss the need for an EpiPen (epinephrine) to stop the allergic reaction that would occur if (or when) you were stung. I know a couple of beekeepers who are severely allergic to bee venom, and they carry EpiPens and are very careful when working in the beeyard so they can continue to enjoy the beekeeping hobby. Another option your doctor may suggest is allergy shots taken over a long period of time to significantly reduce the effects of the venom. When you go into the beeyard "just to feed the friendly ones,” always wear some type of protective gear such as a veil or even a full suit. I’ve tried doing this a couple of times without protection and either got stung or had bees chasing me back to my garage. Not too bad if you are trying to get in a few wind sprints! When lighting a smoker, there is always a danger of burns to you or the surrounding beeyard. To prevent burns to your hands, it is best to light the smoker with gloves on. Having a hose or bucket of water nearby is a great safety precaution. After you finish with the smoker, let it cool down for a little while before you handle it. This will prevent burns or melting equipment (back seats of golf carts, for example). The inhaled smoke can also be a problem for some people who have respiratory issues. Try keeping the smoker downwind to avoid breathing too much of the smoke particulate. A lit smoker that sits smoldering and blowing smoke back in your face is just as bad as one in use. When I was a new beekeeper and the bees got all over my veil, I asked my beekeeping partner to smoke the bees off my head area. I would hold my breath as he smoked me like a brisket. I thought he would never stop! I think he enjoyed it! The bees did leave; however, his aggressive use of the smoker left my veil with several small holes as embers from the smoker landed on the screen and melted holes in it. Time for a new bee suit! Bee hives and the equipment are heavy, and even more so when full of honey, making lifting them a problem. For beekeepers with back problems or without a helping partner, using eight-frame hive equipment as compared to ten-frame can help. Hive carriers can make it easier to carry a full hive, but keep in mind they do require two people. Always lift with your legs. If you have to carry equipment or honey a far distance, some sort of carrying device helps. Some use golf carts or gas-powered carts with a loading area on the back to hold the hive and equipment. Others use wagons. I have even used a wheelbarrow, but needless to say, that works best with empty boxes and frames—not so well with honey and syrup. Avoid exposure to airborne toxins. When doing an OA (oxalic acid) treatment, always wear protective breathing equipment. Although OA is found in some common foods we eat and is harmless, when vaporized it forms crystals that can damage your airways. A ventilator mask rated for “particulate matter” is strongly recommended. Other Varroa mite treatments require touching treatment strips or containers. Avoid any skin contact by wearing rubber gloves, and discard the used and unused products appropriately. We have several signs posted around entrances to our beeyards informing anyone approaching that an apiary is nearby and bees are present. Most of the signs also include a picture for individuals who don’t know how to read (such as children) or choose not to do so. When inviting guests into your beeyard, it’s a good idea to first identify anyone who may have an allergy or fear of bees. They shouldn’t be allowed to go near the bees but rather observe from a distance. Any nonbeekeeper wanting to see the bees should always wear protective gear that includes a minimum of a veil, long-sleeved shirt, pants, and gloves. In summary, beekeeping can be a very rewarding experience when done safely. Planning ahead and being prepared can and will ensure it. Helping honey bees that otherwise might have a tough time on their own, harvesting honey, and helping friends and neighbors enjoy good, wholesome honey make it all worth it!
WARNING: What happens if you use an EpiPen® when you don't need it? Your blood vessels at the injection site will constrict, leading to decreased blood flow. You may experience a “pins and needles” sensation and pain and bruising at the injection site.
BEE WISE, STAY ALIVE: BEEKEEPING SAFETY
By Michael Ruttle PA (Retired) Peach Creek Apiary
HAVE QUESTIONS? EMAIL US AT HELP@THEBEESUPPLY.COM
Note the precautions this beekeeper uses while administering OA. It is imperative you take these precautions to avoid long term lung damage.
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YIELD: Makes 6 servings INGREDIENTS 1 each - cheesy grits and soft egg with buzzed gravy 6 each - honey bourbon bacon burnt ends 1 each - honeycomb ham 5 each - honey cheese fritters 1/4 cup - burnt honey strawberry jam 1/4 cup - bee pollen fig mustard 1/4 cup - honeycomb slab, cut into 1/2" cubes DIRECTIONS Arrange 1 ramekin of cheesy grits and soft egg with buzzed gravy, 6 each honey bourbon bacon burnt ends, 1 each honeycomb ham, 5 each honey cheese fritters, 1/4 cup burnt honey strawberry jam, 1/4 cup bee pollen fig mustard, and 1/4 cup bee pollen mostarda (or substitute for ground mustard) on a serving board or platter. Garnish the honeycomb ham with 1/4 cup honeycomb slab cubes. Serve immediately.
BUZZ BOARD
ENJOY THIS UNIQUE DISH THAT ENCOMPASSES SIX RECIPES ALL IN ONE PLACE!
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Photo: Nanette Davis Garden Variety Bees: They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I’m pretty sure the same thing applies to swarms.#SwarmSeason#GottaCatchThemAll Photo credit @luisaugustovp
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