Colony Management For Maximum Honey Production Clarence H. Collison Emeritus Professor/Dept. Head Mississippi State University

Management Varies: Type of Honey Geographical Region Local Weather Patterns Floral Sources 2841

775 Basic management, however, is based on the same fundamental principle regardless of your location or situation.

2306 Maximum populations coincide with

2926 Giant Crossword puzzle

Apiary Location With Abundant Floral Sources 2809 In addition to colony strength and proper timing, other key components to productive colony management include:

Young Productive Queens From Good Genetic Stock 2788

Proper Hive Manipulations 2843

774 Since brood rearing is the basis of colony development, management practices must be aimed toward fully utilizing the reproductive capacity of the colony.

Prevention of Swarming

2845

2846

2136 Colony development is tied directly to the: quality of the queen

720 Food Sources

359

Stimulatory Feeding

Pollen Supplement Pollen Substitute

1907

1859 6 Weeks

1915

There Is A Basic Relationship Between Brood And Adult Population That Determines The Rate Of Growth Or Development Of The Colony.

As The Colony Population Increases, The Efficiency Of The Colony Improves.

As The Colony Population Increases, A Smaller Proportion Of Bees Are Needed For Brood Rearing.

2588

A Large Colony Produces More Brood Than A Small Colony Yet Has A Higher Proportion Of Its Bees Available For Gathering Nectar And Pollen.

10,000 Bees 2,000 Foragers 20,000 Bees 5,000 Foragers 30,000 Bees 10,000 Foragers 40,000 Bees 20,000 Foragers 50,000 Bees 30,000 Foragers 60,000 Bees 39,000 Foragers

During A Two Week Honey Flow, A Full Strength Colony With 60,000 Bees Will Normally Produce 50% More Honey Than Four Colonies Each With 15,000 Bees.

Colony Nutrition 2674

Worker Cannibalism 2587

2842

1497

2622

2955

337

108

367

2732

2191

1500

Reverse Brood Chambers

1938

1506

1939

1496

2511

2512

765

Double Screen- A Wooden Frame Holding Two Layers Of Wire Screen, Usually 8- Mesh, About ½ Inch Apart.

Empty Comb 2 Frames Pollen, 2 Frames Honey 5-6 Frames Of Brood, Mostly Sealed Double Screen Empty Comb, Honey, Pollen 3-5 Frames Of Unsealed Brood Old Queen

Cut Out All Queen Cells

Old Queen + Capped Brood Unsealed Brood Queen Excluder Honey Supers Queen Excluder Old Queen + Capped Brood

In 7-10 Days, Return To Inspect The Colony And Destroy Any New Queen Cells That May Have Developed In The Upper Hive Bodies

http://msucares.com/pubs/ publications/p1817.pdf