Photo Credit: Steve Brummet
Beekeepers of the Corn... Spooky
October 2023
www.TheBeeSupply.com
THE BEE SUPPLY
Monthly
Feature Topics What's Going On In Your Hive? Winter Ready Checklist Making the Most of What You Have Oxalic Acid
Edition 40
Contents
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Clicking on a Topic will take you right to it!
Table Of
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6 Monthly Tips 8 What's Going on in Your Hive Right Now? 14 Winter Ready Checklist 18 What Kind of Bees Should I Order? 20 Thinking Outside the Hive Box 21 Common Uses for Beeswax 22 How & When to Combine Hives 24 Story & 1/2 Hive Perfectly Ready for Winter 25 Making the Most of What You Have - Consolidating Resources 26 What are your bees saying to you?
October
28 Expert Interview - Kamon Reynolds 30 Preparing for a Honey Show 34 Storing Hive Equipment & Drawn Comb 38 What's the Buzz? Oxalic Acid 43 #BeekeeperLife 44 Beyond Bees - Wildlife Preparing for Winter 46 Recipe: Honey Apple Slice Cookies 48 Webinar Q & A 49 Club Finder 50 U.S. Drought Map
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We are thrilled to announce TBS is now offering Artisan Classes to our ever-growing line up at most of our store locations. Although some are seasonal, others will be offered throughout the year!
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By: Blake Shook
October Tips
1 October provides one of the last months for major bee management. Final feeding should take place, and syrup consumption should begin to decline as your queen begins shutting down for the season. In the south, feed to maintain a 30 lb. surplus of stored syrup through October. For northern states, 70-100 lbs. is recommended. Continue feeding pollen substitute. 2 lbs. per hive should be sufficient. A strong hive should be able to eat about 1 lb. every 10 days. If a hive is weaker, give them a half pound per feeding. Any hive that has less than 6 frames, covered front and back with bees, should be combined with another hive. Eliminate the queen in the weak hive and remove the lid of the hive you are going to join with. Place the box containing the bees from the weaker hive directly on top. In previous tips we've recommended the newspaper method when combining hives. But in my experience, there isn't any need to go to that extent - they will integrate together with little to no fighting. Finish any final mite treatments, remove any queen excluders, and if you use them, place entrance reducers in hives at the very end of October. If your hive has been properly cared for and everything has gone well, you should have 8-16 frames of bees going into winter. A well-fed hive, with virtually no mites, should easily survive the winter.
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We are also near completion on an all-day Beekeeping 201 class that covers the following in detail: Biology Diseases and Viruses Pest Management Hive Growth/Increasing Honey Production Requeening Laying Workers Checkerboarding Nutrition Problem Solving Bearding Robbing
By: Chari Elam
What's Going On In Your Hive This Month?
Scan to learn MUCH MORE on Hive Inspections
Whether using the large or small opening... turning it facing up will prevent dead bees from clogging the entrance.
As we go into October most experienced beekeepers have a good understanding of how their hives should look and what they need to do in the next few weeks to ensure successful overwintering. On the other hand, at least a portion of you are questioning some, if not all, of what your bees need and what you should be doing for them! The title of this article pretty much sums up how to get the answer! What “is” going on in your hive? Let’s face it – how do we know what to do if we don’t look?! To start, I’ll tell you what is supposed to be going on. Depending on your area these points could vary by 2, or even 3 + weeks. There's little to no egg laying, except in southern states. Drones have been, are in the process of, or are about to be kicked out. Fall nectar flows are still going in a lot of areas, even in northern climates, but as it gets cooler, foraging will dwindle. Bees may become a bit robby on warmer days if their stores aren’t filled. They are focused on winter coming by gathering as much nectar as possible, whether nature-made or beekeeper- supplied. Bees gather propolis and use it to seal cracks and seams for weather control. Area breakdown: In Temperate climates where temperatures stay at 50 degrees or below, bees experience much less outdoor activity. Hopefully they have at least 100 lbs. of stored honey and are ready to stay indoors for the next 6 months. For these hives, if you haven’t already done so, we suggest: Have a top and bottom entrance allowing for your bees to enter even in the event of deep snow. Install entrance reducers with the smallest opening pointing upward. This will ensure the natural die-off of winter bees won’t block the entrance. Screen bottom boards should be closed off. Tilt the hive forward about 1” to allow moisture to drain to the front of the hive instead of on the bees. Condensation freezes then melts on warmer days causing “rain” inside the hive. Start preparing to insulate IF you do that, following the guidance of local beekeepers. Local expertise is a real help with topics such as these. If you decide to insulate, strongly consider leaving a dead air space between the box and the insulation. This prevents moisture buildup on the inside of the hive. Pull any remaining mite treatments. Varroa mites are winding down and shouldn’t be an issue until spring. Currently, Moderate zones have several weeks left for winter preparation. In these areas temperature extremes become more of an issue. Hot one day, cool the next…cold next week, warm again. When this starts to happen, bees tend to get super focused on getting ready for the impending cold. Almost like they are saying, “Get out of my way! I’ve got work to do!” Plus, they get a bit grumpy - kind of like us with the temperature swings! A few suggestions: Wait to place your entrance reducers on your hive, but have them handy. Close off the bottom boards, or wait for a cold snap. Continue to feed syrup if you are concerned about how much your bees have stored. Between 40-60 lbs. is optimal to overwinter. Watch for robbing. Bees in a pinch will get really pushy towards a hive not able to defend itself. Combine weak hives! I can’t stress this enough!! See: “How & When to Combine Hives” Install mouse guards by end of the month. Rumor has it 50% of hives can get these pests during winter, but this is a super easy and cheap preventative measure. Do one last Varroa check to verify thresholds aren’t beyond 1 mite per 100 bees. You still have time to treat with Oxalic Acid if needed. All other treatments should be completed by the end of this month. In Sub-Tropical, warmer climates, you still have through November, at least, for the bees to steady the course. Most of you should have a decent fall nectar flow, giving the bees anything needed to fill empty cells. Some things to think about: Being that the temperatures stay warm, the combination of feeding and the queen slowing down laying can cause backfilling of nectar. Don’t over feed, but feed if needed while monitoring. 30 – 40 lbs. stored honey is sufficient. Weather gets weird most years, just like in moderate zones but with less volatility. Wet and cool, then dry and hot…yet staying above 50/60 (if not 90) degrees until next month. Utilize Pollen patties for boosting the health of your winter bees. Feed through October. Stan’s Soft Sugar Bricks are a fantastic way to maintain good health through late fall and winter as well. Entrance reducers and closing bottom boards are optional. We’re located in this zone and have overwintered without either, but all the while being prepared to utilize both in the event weather dictates it. Combine weak hives! Statistics show overwintering a weak hive will only result in a dead hive by spring. Why take the chance? Remember due to our elongated summer and fall, varroa have longer to propagate. Although final treatments should be completed by the end of this month, using Oxalic Acid through November is completely ok if warranted.
Best rated beehives on Amazon and 1st place winner in Beehive Innovations Award in Apimondia International Apicultural Congress Easiest bee hive to work with for both beginners and professional beekeepers. Assembled with no painting necessary. Insulated to withstand extreme weather and designed to prevent moisture accumulation inside the beehive. Bees can survive colder winters consuming less honey, and spring build-up is much faster. Standard features include screened bottom board perfect for fighting Varroa mites and small hive beetles, split hive entrance with entrance reducers, division/uniting board, and 2 top feeders for left and right sides of a split hive.
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1st Thursday of Each Month Monthly Buzz Webinar October 5th, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
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Kamon Reynolds is a well known & respected expert beekeeper with over 600 videos and a huge following on YouTube!
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Live Virtual BEE Meeting
Upcoming Agenda
Live in the Bee Yard Tips October Tips Being Careful Not to Over Feed Culling/Combining Hives Queenless in October How Many Boxes to Leave for Winter Fixing Wax Moth & SHB Damage Fall Blooms Live Q &A
Italian/Carniolan
Checking honey stores doesn't have to involve opening the box - Here's how
How & When to Use an Entrance Reducer The everlasting debate: should I use an entrance reducer? Is it necessary? Should I use the big hole or small hole? The good news is, unlike many things in beekeeping, this one really doesn’t matter too much! Using an entrance reducer can help keep some cold wind from blowing in the entrance during the winter and can help keep robber bees out of a weak hive. So, it doesn’t hurt to use them. But, if you forget to install it going into winter, it’s not going to hurt your hive in most cases. I recommend always using the largest opening. Install when daytime temperatures are steadily below 60 and remove when they are above 60. In hot climates, a strong hive can overheat if you have a day in the 80's or 90's and you used the smallest opening. Should I Cover My Screened Bottom Board During the Winter? Covering your screened bottom board in southern climates with minimal snowfall is not necessary. In areas with significant snowfall and long winters, covering the screen with an insert, or switching to a solid bottom board may be a good idea. In either situation, preventing cold wind from blowing up under the screen and into the hive is the most important thing to prevent. This can be easily done by setting your hive on top of an empty deep box as a hive stand. This will seal out the cold wind and allow you to leave the screen exposed during the winter. While some varroa mites can still drop during the winter, it is typically minimal, so covering the screen should not hurt the hive in any way. At the end of the day, you are free to do whatever is convenient for you, and helps you rest easiest as the beekeeper during the winter. How Much Honey Does My Hive Need to Survive the Winter? There are 2 main factors that we need to take into consideration to answer this question. One is your climate, the other is the strength of your hive. Simply put, a stronger hive, 1 deep box full of bees or more, will need more food. And hives in areas with winters that last several months will also need more food. Hives in areas like Florida and Southern California will also need more food as they continue to forage and grow during winter months. In general, strong hives in the southern half of the USA need between 30- 40 total pounds of honey to overwinter successfully. Hives in the northern half will need about 80 total pounds. Keep in mind a deep box, completely full of honey is 60 lbs, while a medium, 6 5/8" box completely full is 40 lbs. Hives less than a deep box of bees will need about half of those amounts. In Florida or So. Cal. you will need to routinely monitor food stores, but you are also able to routinely feed your hives if they need more food. In the rest of the country, once daytime temperatures are in the 50's or below, hives cluster and do not readily drink syrup. That’s why it’s important to ensure your hive has plenty of honey or syrup stored several weeks before those temperatures arrive. How to Tell How Much Honey a Hive has Stored Checking your hive for honey can be a quick and easy task once you’ve practiced a few times! The easiest, and most common method is just to lift up on the hive and take your best guess. It’s often called the “tilt method”. Just tilt up on the back of the hive to feel the weight of how much honey is inside. Having multiple hives helps to compare one with another. If the weather is warm, you can do a visual inspection. A deep box completely full of honey is about 60 lbs, a 6 ⅝" medium is about 40 lbs, and a shallow box is about 30 lbs. A deep frame is about 5-6 lbs, a medium frame 3-4 lbs., and a shallow frame 2-3 lbs. How Many Boxes to Leave on a Hive for Winter The simple, and most common answer is 1 deep & 1 medium box, or 2 deep boxes. It is rare to have a hive so strong going into winter that it needs more than 2 deeps. Plus, swarming is not a concern going into winter, so it’s fine if the boxes are completely full of bees. You’ll just need to add boxes or split when the pollen flow begins next spring to prevent swarming. In general, I wouldn’t recommend more than 3 boxes. A common scenario is having multiple boxes with some honey and bees, but they aren’t all full. If they are all full, it’s fine to leave them. Since bees don’t keep the entire inside of a hive warm- only their cluster- a little extra space isn’t a huge problem. If the upper boxes aren’t completely full, you can consolidate frames of honey and bees into 2 boxes. Keep in mind, bees do need some partially empty frames to properly cluster in the winter, so having a few frames in the middle of each box that are 2⁄3 empty is a good thing. You can also move boxes of honey between hives. If you have one hive with a box that has no bees, but is full of honey, you can give it to a single-story hive that needs the honey or put it on top of a 2-box hive that is packed full of bees. If no one needs it, you can simply store the box of honey and use it next year when buying bees or making splits. It will give them a fantastic head start! See “Storing supers of honey.” Fall Feeding Feeding in the fall is tricky business. Some general rules are that you want to make sure your bees have all the honey/syrup they need to survive the winter stored by the time daytime temps are routinely in the 60's. For some areas, there is a very short window between the time you harvest honey, and the days in the 60's. It may even happen at the same time! In those cases, you will need to leave enough honey post-harvest to ensure the hive can survive the winter. But, in most areas, you have weeks, or even months between harvest and days consistently in the 60's. For southern regions that have extended periods of summer dearth, I recommend “trickle feeding” (See “When to Feed Syrup- Summer Trickle Feeding) over the summer, which means feeding your bees about ⅓ of a gallon of 1:1 syrup over the course of the summer until they reach the needed amount of stores, then only feeding as needed to maintain that amount. If you have a strong fall honey flow in your area, you may need to do very little to no fall feeding. My general rule of thumb is to maintain at least 30-40 lbs of stores, then about 3 weeks before days remain in the 60's, feed up to 1-2 gallons per week to achieve the needed stores. The concept here is to feed enough over the summer/fall to keep the hive well fed, and thus minimally stressed, then increase feeding as winter approaches as needed. Heavy feeding during the summer can cause a hive to become honey bound. Keep in mind that a weaker hive (less than 1 deep full of bees) will need about half as much stores as a stronger hive.
Winter-Ready Check List
Feeding in fall can be necessary, but not knowing when enough is enough can translate into a honey bound hive. Check out this video where I show you what this looks like and how to fix it!
BEES
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TX 5000 – Italian/Carniolan Genetics (Nucs, Full Hives, Packages, and Queens) Gentle and easy to work Parasite and disease resistant. Early spring buildup in population Tendency to limited swarming. Ability to ripen honey rapidly. Less propensity for robbing behavior Adept at handling dearth Rapidly adjust brood production according to food availability Among the best at overwintering Golden Cordovan (Nucs, Full Hives, and Queens) Originates from the Italian family so it carries some of the characteristics of that breed. Believed to be the gentlest breed in the world. Good honey producers Does well in warm weather Good wax producers Great choice for backyard beekeepers Still have questions? Which is better for backyard beekeepers? Either one! Both the TX 5000 and Golden Cordovan are sweet, gentle bees and suitable for being placed in suburban backyards. For farm situations the same is true, however, for an increased honey production, the TX 5000 is your best bet.
Listen as Expert Cameron Crane gives some advice on which is better to to purchase for new Beekeepers - Nucs, Full Hives, or Packages
What Kind of Bees Should I Order?
It’s that time of year again – time to order your 2024 Nucs, Full Hives, Packages, and Queens! But are you confused on which is best for you? Let's go over some fast facts about the 2 breeds that we carry.
Thinking Outside the Hive Box!
NOW YOU'RE
Photo/Idea/Facebook Post Credit: Ginger Mallard - Honolulu, Hawaii
READ MORE about making products with your wax!
COMMON USES FOR BEESWAX
If you do crush and strain and have some wax that you’d like the bees to clean up, but don’t want to open feed for whatever reason (small yard, and you don’t want to invite robbers; flow is still on, so bees will ignore it (but the ants will LOVE it!)), you can put the comb in these handy dandy little to-go containers that many of us have become so familiar with over the last few years, and set them in an empty box on top of the frames in your hive, and the bees will clean them right up! As you can see, you can fit two of the smaller, rectangular boxes in a 10-frame hive. A large square box fits perfectly in an 8-frame hive. You can even do smaller little half-batches if you don’t have an extra box but have a few frames you can pull out. Even after several days of draining on my counter, each full tray of comb had about 1.5-2 lb. of honey in it that the bees were able to reclaim. by: Ginger Mallard
Photo Credit: Bishop Decker
Have you ever thought about what all you can do with your collected beeswax? There are literally thousands of ways it is used. Here are just a few you can take advantage of around your home! Making natural wax candles Easy sliding wooden drawers Makes zippers zip Sealing envelopes with wax Make your own furniture polish Prevent bronze tarnishing Natural scented wax melts Make herbal wax sachets Use it in canning to seal jars Moisturize leather Make natural food wraps Makes shop hand saws work smoother Lubricate wood screws and nails Traditional water proofer Use it to make fire starters Make your own lip balm Face moisturizing cream Ease cracked heels Homemade dog paw balm Make a luxurious body butter Homemade lotion with beeswax Use in soap recipes Use to make homemade petroleum jelly Great for hair care or beard balms Honey burn salve Create your own herbal salves Use with essential oils to make natural vapor rub Make bug bite sticks Used to make natural non-toxic crayons Use for plant grafting
Have a "GREAT" idea? Submit it to: editor@thebeesupply.com
Check out these video's on How To Combine and what you can expect from doing it!
How and When to Combine Weak Hives
The objective in combining hives is to take a small, weak hive and combine it with a stronger hive to increase its strength or combine two weak hives to create 1 strong hive that is able to survive the winter. Combining is typically done in the late fall or a few weeks before temperatures are routinely in the 50’s during the day. Keep in mind that any hive you are considering combining should not have a Varroa infestation (more than 2 per 100 bees), see “How to Test for Mites”, should not have brood disease, see “European Foulbrood” “American Foulbrood” and “Chalkbrood”,and, it should not be weak from a previous high Varroa infestation. If that’s the cause of it being weak, even if you’ve treated and reduced the mites, those bees can still be carrying viruses that you don’t want to transfer to a healthy hive. If you have two hives that are both high in varroa, or were in the past, combining them together is fine. What you want to avoid is combining a sick hive with a healthy hive. Below are some parameters around when a hive should be combined vs. a hive not worth combining. In general, a hive that is 3-6 frames of bees (a frame of bees is 1 deep frame, ⅔ covered with bees on the front and back) going into the winter is a good candidate for combining. Check on your hive when the temperatures are around 60 degrees to give you the most accurate view of the bee population. At that strength, unless you are in an area with very warm winters where hives may grow a bit, there is a good chance they won’t survive. If a hive is less than 2 frames of bees, it’s typically not worth trying to save. You can shake the bees out of the hive and store the equipment for next year. If you’ve made the determination that you should combine your hives, here are the steps to take to do so: Step 1 - Locate the queen in the weakest hive and eliminate her. If you can’t find the queen, it’s OK to combine them together and let the 2 queens fight it out. Step 2 - Try to consolidate all the bees, brood, and honey in the weak hive into 1 box. You can do the same for the hive you are combining the weak hive with. You may need to let the hive settle for an hour or so after you’ve reduced them down to 1 box. Step 3 - Stack the two hives on top of each other. If you can’t get all the bees into 2 boxes, it’s OK to have 3 boxes for the time being. You can most likely remove the 3rd box a month or two later once it’s empty. Step 4 - Close up the hive. You are done! Many recommend adding a sheet of newspaper between the two hives to allow the bees time to adjust to the pheromones of the other hive as they chew through the newspaper over a 1–2-day period. In my experience however, just joining the two hives together without the newspaper results in almost no fighting or dead bees…usually only a few dozen or less. I think the newspaper makes us feel better as beekeepers, but in reality, it’s not really necessary. If you combine two weak hives together, the odds of them surviving the winter are often about 50/50. But that is typically better odds than if they hadn’t been combined!
It has become very common to keep story & ½ hives – That is, 1 deep brood box and a medium brood box on top. There is an advantage in doing this - primarily you aren’t dealing with the weight of a typical deep top brood box during hive inspections. This video does a very good job of describing what makes for a “perfect” story and a half hive going into winter!
A Story & a Half Hive PERFECTLY Ready for Winter
As we go into late fall and winter, understanding the need to maximize the resources you have available is key to overwintering successfully. In doing so, unused, and unneeded frames taking up space should be culled – reducing the hive down to an appropriate space for the bees to thermoregulate as well as keeping the food resources close by. This process isn’t difficult – follow these easy steps in this video to make the most of your resources!
Making the most of what you have
What are Your Bees Saying to You?
Photo Credit: Janet Fletcher Castle
The sound of honey bees communicating with each other is becoming better and better understood as we speak. Bees communicating with the beekeeper can also be easily understood by those of us willing to listen. As we hear and learn the "buzz words", it all begins to make sense. Years ago, our personal mentor coined the phrase “Bees don’t talk, and bees don’t write books”. This statement was commonly fed back to us when we asked him a beekeeping question. We quickly accepted this response as a challenge to discover the answers on our own. As our experience grew, we developed an enhanced ability to instinctively listen, read, and to react to these sometimes-one-sided conversations by simply drawing on some basic management skills. Examples of management skills include planning, decision making, problem-solving, motivation and you guessed it, communication. How are your bees communicating with you? 1. Common buzz- A low, continuous humming sound. This low continuous buzz sound is one of relaxation, cooperation and even forgiveness. The common buzz may occur within the colony as well as in the air directly surrounding the colony. The presence of the common buzz is a sign of acceptance allowing peaceful entrance both into and around the colony area. 2. Informal buzz - A buzz with a general sense of interest or pending excitement. The informal buzz tends to be a by-product of careful and thoughtful frame examination and management. All is still well, but at least a few of the individuals are now paying attention. 3. Uncommon buzz - A medium pitched buzz of actual excitement and increased activity. The informal buzz is typified by many bees staring up at the intruder. The “shoulder tap" technique of communication soon begins. This physical display of advanced warning is offered as an opportunity for the intruder to consider retreat. The medium pitched sound of the uncommon buzz combined with bees tapping your hat / veil and shoulders will confirm this action as an advanced warning. 4. Threatened buzz - A buzz of a higher pitch and volume is indicative of heightened defensiveness. The threatened buzz is often displayed in Queenless colonies. 5. Banana buzz - A high-pitched, high-volume buzz of excitement, alarm pheromone release and full-on defensiveness. Hope you have your suit on! Are you convinced yet? Do you look at your bees in a way that is receptive to communication? What about these buzz words: Un-healthy buzz, stressed buzz, hungry buzz, thirsty buzz, hot buzz, cold buzz, and tired buzz. Hmm, it seems as though the [Buzz] vocabulary might be larger than originally thought! Or how about, “Things seem a little tight around here” buzz, house hunting buzz, moving on buzz, we’re lost buzz, we made a mistake buzz - which circles right back to the “please help me” buzz. These “buzz words” are much different than those previously discussed. Our ability to read this communication directly influences the health and well-being of our bees. Recognizing and responding to the “Helping Buzz Words” may be the MOST important skill of all! What are your bees saying to you? Buzzzzz….
Photo Credit:Theresa Guy
By: James Elam
Listen in as Kamon and I really cover some ground when it comes to getting ready for winter with your bees! Topics like: What a hive looks like when it needs to be combined, reduced down or eliminated. The low quality of fall pollen flows and why your mind shouldn't be set on substituting pollen, but rather supplementing it! Treating with Oxalic Acid - the controversial dosing amounts... and how much is too much?! And - SO much more! Join me in subscribing to Kamon Reynolds - Tennessee's Bees YouTube Channel!
with Chari Elam
TBS Beekeeper Chat with Kamon Reynolds YouTube Beekeeper Sensation
By: Dodie Stillman and Chari Elam
The late Ann Harmon doing what she did best - Judging Honey Competitions
Doing what it takes to be a contender!
Preparing For a Honey Show
One of the greatest bi-products of beekeeping is being able to enter your honey and honey products in a state or local contest! These opportunities can even go national! Having both won awards with honey and related products, we can attest to the joy and, let’s face it, bragging rights that winning a ribbon gets you! Without going into detail of each and every honey contest, we’ve put together some helpful information regarding what contests typically look for and tips to get you in the top contender category! Bees make the honey. You are not winning on the honey, but your presentation of it. Judges look at how you present the honey and taste is a secondary (sometimes deciding) factor. ~Jimmie Oakley~ Tips for entering liquid honey competitions: Read (print) and follow every detail of the rules!! Be sure to keep up with any rule changes! Present your honey in the container called for by the contest. It is essential to use the right container, and the correct lid!! Make sure your containers are clean. Wash in a dishwasher by themselves or hand wash. Never touch the jar with your hands after that, use lint free cloth or photo gloves. Pick the Perfect Jar. Look carefully for bubbles or flaws in the glass, even on the bottom. Put only good honey in your jars. Choose only fully capped frames and taste it for flavor (no bitter weed, leafy spurge, or goldenrod). Purchase a Refractometer and use it. Check the moisture level of your honey. Test for density to get the maximum points. Fill your jars slowly, holding them with a towel, tipped at an angle to prevent bubbles.Fill level of jar is the top screw thread the first time. Reduce honey to the correct level before entering into the contest (read contest rules – most often this is the top of the bead molded on the jar just below screw thread). This allows for the removal of bubbles and/or debris. Cover Jar (under the lid) with Plastic Wrap. Judges look under the lid and no honey should be there. Have a second lid available if you need to replace your original lid. Remove the plastic wrap before turning in for judging. Bottle honey early as opposed to late. Give your honey time to settle and provide an opportunity to skim or remove bubbles and/or debris. Remove the top layer with a spoon to above the inside fill line (or contest requirements). You should not see empty space below the lid. Transport your honey in a sock to prevent fingerprinting, and in a box that will not allow your honey to tilt. Tilt lines will disqualify you faster than anything else… Honey is typically judged in categories based on: Color Density of water – Check rules for best percentage for highest points Free of foreign matter - granulated crystals, bubbles, foam, wax, lint. The appearance of the bottle - cleanliness of the container inside and out; no honey under the lid. The uniform fill - up to fill line indicated in contest rules. Flavor and brightness - clear and transparent. Honeycomb entries A bit different from liquid honey, here is a tip in presenting the best honeycomb possible: Make every effort to remove comb honey as soon as capped to prevent the “travel stain” from pollen and propolis. These will be seen on the wooden frame of square sections, on the plastic rim of rounds, and on the surface of all combs. Unfortunately, some parts of the country have dark propolis and brilliantly colored pollen. The judge is looking for the absolute minimum of “travel stain.” Display in a transparent-on-all- sides container Chunk of comb must be in one piece, with a straight mid rib and of uniform thickness. This year’s comb wax is preferred – much brighter and cleaner in appearance. Cuts should be straight, clean, and uniform – not jagged edges or leaking honey off the sides. Comb is judged in categories based on: Absence of uncapped cells Uniformity of appearance, color, and cut. Cleanliness of frame/container Absence of wet/watery cappings Absence of pollen and granulation. Show Hints: You can heat honey slowly and allow bubbles to rise by leaving the jar in a closed, parked car on a warm day or setting it on top of a warm oven. To remove specks, wax, or lint try using a long wooden skewer to move the foreign matter to the top and dip it off with a spoon or plastic wrap. Some contests will allow filtering your honey for the utmost pristine visual presentation possible. Not all will so verify this ahead of time. This typically doesn’t involve competition where taste is judged, merely appearance. Polish jars with a silk cloth. Use an individually cut moist square of lint free cloth (white men’s handkerchief) to wipe the underside of lid before presentation. Store honey in room temperature above 57 degrees to avoid granulation. Let comb honey submissions sit for a time before boxing them, allowing them to drain the cuts. Handle comb containers with gloves and travel with them in a towel right side up, not allowing them to shift (move) inside the container. We, of course, did not cover all aspects of every show in the country, but with these tips you should do exceptionally well! Another quick tip – for conferences that encourage Honey Swaps, consider using these 2 oz honey bears with a hang tag telling who you are and where your honey comes from. They will love it and it won’t cost you a lot of money in bottling or honey!
Crystallized Honey?
BUCKET HEATER
Check out this very good article written by Pamela Yeamans - Barton Creek Honey
Need a quick way to liquefy your honey? We have the solution!
Scan to check out Dan Wynn's (Bee Informed Partnership) "Dolly Project." A great way to store boxes and still be able to move them around!
Photo Credit: Dan Wynn
With all the talk this month and last on overwintering our bees, have you thought about overwintering equipment and drawn comb frames? Whether it’s hive boxes, honey supers, or frames from a dead hive or surplus drawn comb from combining hives, storing them for future use effectively and efficiently can be a challenge depending on how many you have. Storing Equipment Odds are you are storing frames with their perspective hive boxes but what if you aren’t and you have multiple used boxes lying around empty? This is a fairly easy problem to resolve if you have the space. Both deep hive bodies and mediums will stack inside each other. Make a stack of 2 boxes, then place 1 deep or 2 mediums on their sides inside those boxes. Keep going up as high as you are comfortable making it. Here are some additional tips that can help preserve them for next spring: Store off the ground – Ground contact will rot boxes. If storing outside (which is fine), put timbers or concrete blocks on the ground and build your stack from there. Allow for moisture drainage – If storing outside, these boxes will be subject to the elements which can age them prematurely. Make sure your boxes are not stacked where water can accumulate in them, and certainly not on a surface that traps moisture. Try to keep them clean. Bees will no doubt live in a box that is somewhat dirty, but why subject them to it if it’s not necessary. Clean hive =Happy bees! Keeping stacked hive boxes under a covered area is best, but still stack them on top of a support object such as bricks or timbers to allow for airflow. There are several ways you can successfully store drawn comb to preserve it for next year. Certan B402 is a biological larvicide that will protect your drawn comb from wax moths. Certan has a bacterium that is lethal to moths and butterflies but has no effect on bees or humans. Using a hand sprayer to distribute the 19-to-1 dilution will protect your frames over the fall and winter. Because the bacteria will kill the wax moth larva, you do not need to wrap them, nor do you have to repeat the process before putting them back in service. Follow steps previously stated for storing hive boxes, but only do so under cover where frames can remain dry. Super Bag is a new product that protects boxes of frames in a seamless nylon zippered bag. When using these bags, you only need one application of Para-Moth wax crystals. Or freeze the frames for at least 24 hours to kill any wax moth eggs/larvae to avoid using moth crystals with the bags. The small Super Bag will fit two medium or one deep box, and the large Super Bag fits six medium or three deep boxes. Para-Moth can be used in a couple of different ways. Wrap your supers in a trash bag or tote box placing Para-Moth on the top box and close the bag or tote tightly. Or stack the supers on top of each other on a flat surface or inverted hive cover and place a small amount of Para Moth (in a sock, on a paper plate, piece of paper…etc.) between some boxes as well as on the top box under the cover. Reapply as needed to keep wax moths out. Air the frames out prior to use. (Do not use moth balls because they will penetrate the wax and leech into the stored honey the following season). Freezer – If you have plenty of freezer space for all of your frames of drawn-out comb, freezing is a great way to protect them from wax moth damage. Frames can stay frozen indefinitely. Take them out to thaw prior to putting them in a hive with bees.
Storing Hive Equipment & Drawn Comb Frames Over Winter
By: Paul Fagala and Chari Elam
NEW PRODUCT ALERT
Super Bag
Check out our NEW Kids Bee Suits and matching gloves! Not only will they be prepared to work bees alongside you... what a great Halloween costume this could be!
SHOP
By: Lynne Jones
Are you still scrambling to get your bees prepared for winter? Although October is a bit late to be treating for Varroa mites, the benefit of your procrastination is with less brood being produced, oxalic acid treatment will be more effective! Because oxalic acid (OA) does not penetrate capped cells; it can only kill varroa mites outside of cells (i.e., phoretic). In colder climates, the queen stops laying naturally. But in warmer climates where the queen continues to lay into late fall, a brood break can be accomplished artificially by caging the queen to prevent new brood or by using a frame isolation cage, restricting the queen to lay brood on a specific frame which can be removed from the hive after it is capped. However, waiting for capped brood to emerge takes time. The quickest way to have no capped brood in the hive in order to start OA treatment is to simply remove frames with capped brood, freeze them, and return them to the hive the following day. Once there is no capped brood in the hive, your choice application of oxalic acid can be very effective. If a brood break isn’t possible, multiple applications of OA are needed to treat varroa mites after they have emerged from capped cells. The only OA product that can legally be used in honey bee hives to treat varroa mites is Api-Bioxal which is officially registered by the USDA and approved by the EPA. Furthermore, the label which is attached to the product, provides directions for the three approved application methods and as always, “the label is the law”. The three approved OA treatment methods are: Sugar syrup drip with syringe or applicator Fumigation / Sublimation Mist application for caged (package) bees Kamon Reynolds, a Tennessee beekeeper whose goal is to offer quality information on beekeeping techniques to his 62.5K YouTube subscribers, recently hosted Dr. David Peck in a Live Chat to discuss the latest news on Oxalic Acid and other available Varroa mite treatments. Dr. Peck is the Director of Research and Education at Betterbee. According to Peck the process of getting the dose for OA vapor method increased is in the works, but what the dose will be and when it will be approved is still unknown (or was unknown at the time of the Live Chat). The updated instructions will also indicate the need to use a thermostatically controlled vaporization device. Dr. Peck mentioned there is some development in the works for an extended-release product that could be available to purchase in the next twelve to eighteen months. The availability of this product is something to look forward to, as it will give beekeepers an additional method of using OA; however, it is not considered the ‘silver bullet’ to the Varroa mite problem.
What's the Buzz about Oxalic Acid?
Author’s comment: Research reveals the legal dose of 1.0 g, and even a dose of 2.0 g per brood chamber to be ineffective in lowering mite counts. Resources backing that statement 1 | 2 | 3
Video demonstrating all 3 methods provided by Honey Bee Health Coalition
You can message me on Facebook or send an email to BrazosRiverHoney77474@gmail.com
QUEEN ISOLATION CAGE
This queen isolator cage gives you control over your queen's location, allowing complex queen manipulations without the hassle of other caging or confinement methods. The cage is made of bars spaced like a queen excluder. Our isolator holds one deep (9-1/8" tall) Langstroth frame and fits inside a deep hive body. If the queen is inside the cage, she will work to fill the single frame with brood but won't be able to leave. If the queen is outside the cage, you can prevent her from laying eggs on the isolated frame. In either case, workers will happily move through the bars to tend to the brood and the specific pheromones of a laying queen continue to keep the colony cohesive, which is not the case when caging her in a standard queen cage. Uses include: Short-term confinement of a queen from a recently caught swarm or package, so that she can begin laying without any risk of the bees absconding Limiting the queen to one frame, and then removing that frame of brood, to produce a completely broodless colony for certain mite treatments Imposing a brood slow-down to limit colony growth before a dearth Isolation of the queen for a day to produce eggs or brood of a very precise age Short term isolation of the queen on one frame so that you can quickly find her later.
Ben Moore - Ben's Bees Victory Australia
Co2 Injector
In the world of beekeeping, we don't just cultivate honey, we become a part of a rhythm much larger than ourselves. As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, casting golden hues across the sky, we pause and take in the serene beauty. Surrounded by our buzzing bee families, we're reminded daily of the simple wonders of nature. Watching sunsets like this, with the hum of bees as the background score, is a moment of pure magic. It's moments like these that make all the hard work worthwhile. Here's to nature's symphony and the endless beauty it brings. #BeekeeperLife #SunsetSerenades
In Varroa testing using the Co2 method, bees and mites are rendered unconscious by exposure to carbon dioxide gas. The sample of anesthetized bees is then gently shaken in the EasyCheck, causing the mites to fall from the bees and pass through the white basket’s holes. Simply lift the basket and count the mites! Within seconds, the anesthetized bees regain consciousness to continue on with the daily work!
Tips for preparing for Winter
Beyond Bees By: Paul Fagala
Photo Credit: Nanette Davis
Wildlife Preparing For Winter
Photo Credit: Backyard Ecology - The Carolina Chickadee
After the long, hot summer we just endured, it seems weird to talk about winter preparations. But to wildlife, preparing early for winter can mean the difference between life and death. We all know what bees do to prepare for winter – collect enough resources to have all the honey and pollen they need, propolize all the cracks to weatherproof the hive, and form a cluster that will keep the bees and the brood warm over the winter months. But what about other wildlife? How do they prepare for winter? Probably the most well-known are bears. Bears engorge themselves on fall fruits, putting on pounds of fat they live off of as they hibernate in dens until spring. Several species of birds’ cache seeds in the autumn months for use later when food is scarce. Did you know? The brain of a Carolina Chickadee grows as they add cells in the hippocampus to remember where they stored the seeds. In the spring when food is abundant, those same brain cells die, making the birds forget where the stored seeds are! Blue Jays also cache seeds in large quantities (acorns), crediting them with the northward expansion of several species of oak trees. Some mammals such as squirrels and mice gather seeds and nuts storing them in a dry, protected place to access later. Mammals such as foxes and coyotes eat a varied diet in the autumn months and change their muscles, skin, and fur for the upcoming winter. They shed their summer coat and replace it with a much thicker winter coat for added protection. And, like other animals, their autumn diet builds fat reserves that will get them through the lean months ahead. In late August and September, you may have noticed birds in your backyard with missing feathers on their heads or missing tail feathers. Birds molt and replace all their feathers in the warm late summer months to have fresh feathers for winter protection. They can lock those fresh, healthy feathers together to make a windproof and waterproof barrier to keep them warm on the cold rainy days of winter. Many species of hummingbirds overwinter in the Gulf Coast states. On cold nights, hummingbirds enter a state called torpor where their heart rate, body temperature and metabolism drop dramatically, as they fall into a deep sleep. The following day when the temperatures warm up, all their bodily functions return to normal, and they wake up to forage for food. Monarch butterflies and many species of birds migrate from their northern summer homes to warmer places in the south where food can be more easily found. Case in point, the Arctic Tern is the champion of migration. It breeds within the Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere and as winter approaches migrates to the Antarctic Circle – approximately 18,641 miles away. As winter approaches in the Southern Hemisphere, it makes the same trip to return to the Arctic Circle. As you watch your bees prepare for winter, look at the wildlife around you as well – See if you can spot the changes in their behavior as they prepare for the upcoming winter!
YIELD: Makes 8 servings INGREDIENTS 2 - large apples 1/4 cup - orange juice 1/2 cup - peanut butter 1/4 cup - pretzels, broken into small pieces 2 T - almonds, sliced DIRECTIONS Core each apple and cut away the top and bottom of each apple; cut the rest of each apple into 4 slices for a total of 8 slices, toss with the orange juice to prevent browning. Lay each slice of apple on a tray and pat dry with a paper towel. Spread the peanut butter evenly on each apple slice and sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the apple slices. Top with a drizzle of honey. Enjoy! TIP: You can substitute Sunbutter for the peanut butter if you are concerned about peanut allergies.
HONEY APPLE SLICE COOKIES
2 T - pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup - granola 2 T - toasted coconut 1/4 cup - dried apricots, chopped 2 T - dried cranberries honey, for drizzling
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