Spring Management How to Maximize Peak Population with the Nectar Flow

Checking Out the Hive Once the temperature reaches about 50 F it is time to look inside. (if you need a coat, so do the bees) - don’t need to wait until bees are flying, or buds and flowers are in bloom - beware of wind, cloudy days and rain - where is the football? (cluster location) Don’t open up frames until above 60 f

Clean Bottom Screen Board This is something that can be done now, regardless of temperature Recently, I saw the bees coming out the side of a hive-they couldn’t get out of the entrance Use coat hanger- you only need to create an opening I clean as far back as I can reach

Checking Out the Hive Is there food in the hive? Are there bees? You can check the hive now, without opening Listen for the cluster, scratch/tap the side and listen If bees are not present, clean up and consider ordering bees. Consider doing so early

Record Your Observations No time like the present to start a bee journal Number your hives, or color them Allows you to, in a systematic way, keep track of what you have done with each hive- i.e. replaced the queen, follow productivity and what treatment was required/given

Re Queen Must check to see if you have a queen – Is there brood? – Any eggs? – Laying pattern look healthy

Re-queen or Not Re-queen Professionals may suggest re-queening every two years There are some that allow the hive to determine when a new queen is needed, as well as allow them to replace the queen themselves If you have no queen it makes the question much easier to answer

Hive Strength Weak hive: less than 6 frames with bees – Queen may need replacing – Feeding will sometimes induce better laying and bring up strength of hive – Typical of hive coming out of winter

Hive Strength Strong hive: – Greater than 6 frames covered with bees – They need space to grow – Consider extra hive body – Look out for swarm cells – 50-60,000 bees

Hive Strength Crowded hive: – Bees on outside of hive (or under) – Consider splitting hive – Decide what to do with swarm cells

Feeding the Hive Types of feeders: -frame feeder - Boardman feeder - Patties - Candy Board - Reserve Honey

Feeding Start the feeding as soon as there is movement within the hive, ie bees are flying Continue feeding sugar syrup until they stop taking it, or until there is evidence of a nectar flow. The exception, a newly formed colony. -Feeding stimulates laying and growth of the hive

Feeding Feed the new hive until foundation drawn out into comb, or until bees stop feeding Some say that feeding fosters swarming, so beware. I started out with and only wanted 3 hives last summer… Consider a spare hive Be conscientious about your reducer

Setting Up Your Spare Hive Nothing worse than having a new swarm and having to call up Jim at 7:30, the night before you are leaving the country, for equipment. Capturing a swarm quite an experience – Use brood – Give food – Make sure the queen is present, if possible – Don’t worry about stinging

Starting a Hive or supporting a weak Hive Nuc vs. Bag O’ Bees

Brief Routine After Starting a New Hive Week 1: give them a break to get to know one another. They could reject/kill queen. At end of the week check to see that she was released Week 2&3: look for larvae, evaluate queen(1-2 sides of frames ¾ filled with eggs and larvae look for capped brood by week 3, start looking for supercedure cells more than 3 or 4 and you might consider a new queen, feed

Brief Routine Weeks 4-8: start thinking about adding second hive body (up to 2000 bees emerging every day) think swarm prevention, by 5 th week expect to see eggs,larvae,capped brood, pollen and honey Watch for swarm cells Consider ventilation increase Manipulate frames to have them draw out comb, but don’t disturb the brood. By week 8 consider supers

An Ode to Swarm A swarm in May is worth a load of hay A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon A swarm in July isn’t worth a fly

Swarm Prevention These peanut shell shaped cells appear in the lower 1/3 of the frame, or on the bottom. Early indication that the hive is preparing to swarm. Think crowding conditions BKFD states 8 or more cells make swarm likely You lose ½ of a population You might gain a new hive, but at a price

Swarm precautions Get more ventilation to the hive Add space for storage, egg laying Some advocate replacing the queen every other autumn to prevent swarming Decrease the heat to the hive Add a water source if one isn’t readily available

Reversing the Hive This will speed up growth of the hive Better distributes brood and food A good time to clean up the hive Flip the inner cover to minimize burr comb (natural, brace, wild comb) - deeper side of cover up in spring

Reverse the Hive The cluster will usually end up at the top of the hive to eat honey stores. Once stores are consumed, or during, the queen will most often begin laying in the top freed comb The bees usually don’t move down in the hive, thus, requiring the reversal Look for a good brood pattern in the upper hive prior to switching positions with the bottom

Reversing the Hive Clean foundation - 6 clean frames, or 20% of frames annually Clean and scrape the Bottom Board Some will take off one hive body in spring and wait to add the second Keep an eye on the drawn comb to determine when to add your second hive body. 7/10 rule used in BKFD’s. 7/10 frames of drawn comb on upper hive body add super, and so on

Treating the Hive (to treat or not to treat) Watch the bees. What are they doing? Less is more, so far as unnecessarily exposing your bees to toxins. (Idaho County Fair 2009) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to treatment

Treatment Nosema: fumidil, Fumagilian essential oils Foulbrood: Terrramycin (terriblemycin), burn the hive, hyperbaric chamber Varroa mite: Apistan, powdered sugar, grease patties(crisco,sugar,honey,mineral salt) and essential oils Tracheal mite: essential oils, Thymol, Menthol Crystals, Grease patties

Treatment Sacbrood- no known treatment Chalkbrood- no know treatment Wax Moth- pradichlorobenzene, don’t mix during nectar flow

Treatment with Essential Oils U. of West Virginia - Bob Noel - Dr. Amrine - Questions or comments please contact: James W. Amrine, Jr. Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, P. O. Box 6108, West Virginia University Morgantown, WV USA Telephone:

References Beekeeping for Dummies copyright 2002 Apprentice/Journeyman Beekeeping Courses Jim Miller et al The Hive and the Honeybee Roy A. Grout copyright 1946 Dadant and Sons Hive Management