We had a great open hive day last time. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a few more serious beekeepers in out area next season! The weather cooperated enough to have a good look in each of the hives, and we got a chance to see what a hive should, and should not look like going into the winter.
All three hives at TLC apiary have been surprisingly light on stores this fall, and I've been feeding them heavily to prepare for the winter. Just this month, each hive has received about 5 gallons of 2:1 syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water), and I think they're finally getting close to the weight I'd like them to be before winter. Since we're close to the end of the season for feeding, I may put some dry sugar under the cover of each hive as "emergency feed", in case they really need it before I can get to them in the early spring/late winter.
For those of you who came out last weekend, you may remember I had previously split a hive to deter what I thought may have been late season swarm preparations. After I recombined the two parts of the split, to make one strong hive again, we found new queen cells being constructed. That really threw me for a loop, because the chances of a swarm surviving at this time are nil, and I don't really think there would even be time for one of those new queens to emerge, mate, and begin laying.
My options seemed to be: #1- determine if there is even a laying queen in there and them cut all new queen cells (the worst), #2- purchase and install a mated queen from somewhere (after removing the existing queen and all queen cells), or #3- just wait and see. Fortunately "wait-and-see" worked out for me in this case. When I went back several days later, all of the queen cells had been torn down. Presumably the original queen did the deed, as there was brood of all ages (including eggs) in the hive; she hadn't missed a beat in her duties. It seems that sometimes when the beekeeper does a major manipulation (like combining hives), the colony might get the urge to supersede the queen, whether or not there is anything wrong with the queen. Not all supersedures are successful, though, and in this case I'm glad it wasn't.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Last Open Hive Day this year!- Saturday, October 15th
During our last open hive inspection of season, we'll be talking about how bees overwinter, and what we can do to help them prepare. Participants will have access to protective veils to get a close-up look at a hive during a routine inspection. Hive inspection begins at 11:00AM. Our apiary will be open from 10:30AM, and I'll be there to answer any questions before we get started. This is a great opportunity for non-beekeepers, prospective beekeepers, and new beekeepers interested in seeing another apiary. Space is limited, so reserve your spot!
Special note: participants who have additional veils available to bring, please let us know.
RSVP required: contact Maya Baruch at (610) 347-0347 or education@tlcforscc.org
Monday, October 3, 2011
Winter Prep
It feels like Fall has just begun, but it's time to get these hives in shape for the Winter (and has been for a while). I just did a quick inspection of the hives and found that they are woefully low on stores to make it through the Winter months. Around here, it is suggested that a colony has at least 50 lbs. of stored honey going into the Winter- the hives at TLC Apiary had almost none. I wouldn't say they were on the brink of starvation, but without help they would never see next spring.
I gave each hive a little over 2 gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water). To that I added some lemongrass and spearmint essential oils (to stimulate feeding and also inhibit mold), along with an antibiotic by the name of Fumagilin-B to treat for Nosema disease. I have mixed feelings about giving antibiotics that may or may not be necessary as a preventative measure, but in the end caution won out. Last Winter was especially tough for many beekeepers, with high losses, and Nosema certainly played a roll in many of those losses. It's said that nosema spores are present in all hives, to varying degrees, and a certain level is tolerable to the colony. There's no way for a small-scale beekeeper like me to effectively test for Nosema (as I would for mite levels), so I'm just going to play it safe. In the future, I hope to have more colonies to experiment with, withholding treatment from some and breeding from the best.
Mouse guards are also now on the hive entrances. When the weather turns cold, bees will form a tight cluster within the hive, leaving plenty of cozy corners for mice to move in and set up a nice winter nest. Putting a metal cover over the entrance with holes too small for a mouse but big enough for a bee is a pretty simple solution. One just has to make sure they go on early enough, so that a mouse isn't locked in!
Other than that there's not much else to do to prep for winter here in Southern PA. The hives don't really need to be wrapped and insulated for our winters. There is already good ventilation in the hives to keep them dry inside (dampness, not cold, kills bees over the winter). Now I just need to stay on top of feeding until they make it up to weight. I've said before, making sugar syrup is my least favorite part of beekeeping, but hopefully when these are no longer first-year hives they'll have a better workforce to provide for themselves.
I gave each hive a little over 2 gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water). To that I added some lemongrass and spearmint essential oils (to stimulate feeding and also inhibit mold), along with an antibiotic by the name of Fumagilin-B to treat for Nosema disease. I have mixed feelings about giving antibiotics that may or may not be necessary as a preventative measure, but in the end caution won out. Last Winter was especially tough for many beekeepers, with high losses, and Nosema certainly played a roll in many of those losses. It's said that nosema spores are present in all hives, to varying degrees, and a certain level is tolerable to the colony. There's no way for a small-scale beekeeper like me to effectively test for Nosema (as I would for mite levels), so I'm just going to play it safe. In the future, I hope to have more colonies to experiment with, withholding treatment from some and breeding from the best.
Mouse guards are also now on the hive entrances. When the weather turns cold, bees will form a tight cluster within the hive, leaving plenty of cozy corners for mice to move in and set up a nice winter nest. Putting a metal cover over the entrance with holes too small for a mouse but big enough for a bee is a pretty simple solution. One just has to make sure they go on early enough, so that a mouse isn't locked in!
Other than that there's not much else to do to prep for winter here in Southern PA. The hives don't really need to be wrapped and insulated for our winters. There is already good ventilation in the hives to keep them dry inside (dampness, not cold, kills bees over the winter). Now I just need to stay on top of feeding until they make it up to weight. I've said before, making sugar syrup is my least favorite part of beekeeping, but hopefully when these are no longer first-year hives they'll have a better workforce to provide for themselves.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Open Hive Day coming up!- Saturday, September 17th
Join us for another inside look at the busy buzzy world of honeybees, and see our hives first-hand. Participants will have access to protective veils to get a close-up look at a hive during a routine inspection. Hive inspection begins at 11:00AM. Our apiary will be open from 10:30AM, and I'll be there to answer any questions before we get started. This is a great opportunity for non-beekeepers, prospective beekeepers, and new beekeepers interested in seeing another apiary. Space is limited, so reserve your spot!
Special note: participants who have additional veils available to bring, please let us know.
RSVP required: contact Maya Baruch at (610) 347-0347 or education@tlcforscc.org
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Pests
I just got in from the beeyard, and am happy to report all is well. We held our second Open Hive Day on Saturday the 20th and a good time was had by all. Everyone got a chance to don a bee veil to get an up-close look at the hives, and I did a quick but thorough inspection of all three colonies.
Hive #3, which had been the straggler, seems to have caught up nicely. I had been swapping a frame of brood from Hive #1 for an empty frame from #3 weekly, but those days are over. So are the days of feeding (for the time being). There is already a patch of Goldenrod blooming nearby, so I'm not so concerned about the summer dearth of nectar anymore. I'll reassess the stores in the hives before winter, but they all seem to be in very good shape.
One thing to be concerned about during this season (and all year, really), are pests in the hive. One such pest is the Small Hive Beetle (SHB). It's a small beetle (duh) that moves into the hive, where the female will lay eggs. The larvae feed on honey and pollen, leaving a slimy mess behind them, and then move into the soil below to pupate. The best defenses against SHB are to have strong colonies to chase the beetles away, and to place the hives in full sun. Check, and check. I've seen SHB do some real damage in some hives, but thankfully I haven't spotted one yet at the TLC beeyard. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Another pest, and the most serious one facing honeybees today, is the varroa mite. Varroa mites are small tick-like pest that feeds on the hemolymph of bees, and they are present to some degree in every hive. They lay eggs in the cell of a developing bee larvae, where the developing mites latch on, breed, and emerge with the bee. They can weaken bees significantly, and can lead to secondary infections. There are several approaches to treating for them: chemical, organic, not treating at all, or anything in between.
I'm going to follow some IPM (integrated pest management) strategies and only treat these hive when I deem necessary; and then only with what I consider a safe, non-chemical treatment. The hives at TLC apiary are equipped with screened bottoms, which allow a small percentage of the mites to fall through, at which point they have a hard time making it back into the hive. I can place a "sticky board" under that screen to capture the mites that fall in a given period to gauge the population within the hive, and make an informed decision about how I might proceed with managing them. I decided my threshold for treating would be a count of 50 or more mites falling in a 24-hour period, and put the sticky boards in place last weekend. Good News: when I went back to count the mites and come up with a 24-hour average, I got a count of 5, 9, and 0(!) on each hive! I consider those very good numbers. I'll do another count next month and see which way they are trending, but I'm pleased as punch for now.
Hive #3, which had been the straggler, seems to have caught up nicely. I had been swapping a frame of brood from Hive #1 for an empty frame from #3 weekly, but those days are over. So are the days of feeding (for the time being). There is already a patch of Goldenrod blooming nearby, so I'm not so concerned about the summer dearth of nectar anymore. I'll reassess the stores in the hives before winter, but they all seem to be in very good shape.
One thing to be concerned about during this season (and all year, really), are pests in the hive. One such pest is the Small Hive Beetle (SHB). It's a small beetle (duh) that moves into the hive, where the female will lay eggs. The larvae feed on honey and pollen, leaving a slimy mess behind them, and then move into the soil below to pupate. The best defenses against SHB are to have strong colonies to chase the beetles away, and to place the hives in full sun. Check, and check. I've seen SHB do some real damage in some hives, but thankfully I haven't spotted one yet at the TLC beeyard. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Another pest, and the most serious one facing honeybees today, is the varroa mite. Varroa mites are small tick-like pest that feeds on the hemolymph of bees, and they are present to some degree in every hive. They lay eggs in the cell of a developing bee larvae, where the developing mites latch on, breed, and emerge with the bee. They can weaken bees significantly, and can lead to secondary infections. There are several approaches to treating for them: chemical, organic, not treating at all, or anything in between.
I'm going to follow some IPM (integrated pest management) strategies and only treat these hive when I deem necessary; and then only with what I consider a safe, non-chemical treatment. The hives at TLC apiary are equipped with screened bottoms, which allow a small percentage of the mites to fall through, at which point they have a hard time making it back into the hive. I can place a "sticky board" under that screen to capture the mites that fall in a given period to gauge the population within the hive, and make an informed decision about how I might proceed with managing them. I decided my threshold for treating would be a count of 50 or more mites falling in a 24-hour period, and put the sticky boards in place last weekend. Good News: when I went back to count the mites and come up with a 24-hour average, I got a count of 5, 9, and 0(!) on each hive! I consider those very good numbers. I'll do another count next month and see which way they are trending, but I'm pleased as punch for now.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Smooth Sailing
It's been a while since the last update, and that's because... not much is going on in the hives right now. Starting sometime in July is the end of the early nectar flow in our area. The colonies at TLC Apiary have built up very nicely, but they are going to have to coast for a little while.
Hive #3 (the trouble maker) has a little catching up to do, since no eggs were laid in the brief period between when the original queen was pulled for the artificial swarm, and when the new queen was mating and began laying. Lately, each time I visit, I've been pulling a frame of capped brood from Hive #1 (the rockstar) and trading it with an empty frame from #3. Hive #1 can certainly spare it, and maybe even benefit from the extra space; and I think Hive #3 is just about caught up.
Also, since they have drawn comb in all of their frames now, I'm going to stop feeding (finally). Boiling water and mixing up sugar syrup is hands-down my least favorite part of beekeeping. If they continue to thrive, and we have a decent fall nectar flow, I won't be feeding again this year (maybe never).
Last but not least, we had a great Open Hive Day last month. About a dozen people made it out in the sweltering heat to get an up-close look at the hives. A wary few donned bee veils and even held a frame of bees for me during an inspection. I think a few people caught the bug, and we'll have some new beekeepers in the area next year! There are some great photos of the event; check them out here.
Hive #3 (the trouble maker) has a little catching up to do, since no eggs were laid in the brief period between when the original queen was pulled for the artificial swarm, and when the new queen was mating and began laying. Lately, each time I visit, I've been pulling a frame of capped brood from Hive #1 (the rockstar) and trading it with an empty frame from #3. Hive #1 can certainly spare it, and maybe even benefit from the extra space; and I think Hive #3 is just about caught up.
Also, since they have drawn comb in all of their frames now, I'm going to stop feeding (finally). Boiling water and mixing up sugar syrup is hands-down my least favorite part of beekeeping. If they continue to thrive, and we have a decent fall nectar flow, I won't be feeding again this year (maybe never).
Last but not least, we had a great Open Hive Day last month. About a dozen people made it out in the sweltering heat to get an up-close look at the hives. A wary few donned bee veils and even held a frame of bees for me during an inspection. I think a few people caught the bug, and we'll have some new beekeepers in the area next year! There are some great photos of the event; check them out here.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Open Hive Day coming up- Saturday, July 23rd
Join us for an inside look at the busy buzzy world of honeybees, and see our hives first-hand. Participants will have access to protective veils to get a close-up look at a hive during a routine inspection. Hive inspection begins at 11:00AM. Our apiary will be open from 10:30AM, and I'll be there to answer any questions before we get started. This is a great opportunity for non-beekeepers, prospective beekeepers, and new beekeepers interested in seeing another apiary. Space is limited, so reserve your spot!
Special note: participants who have additional veils available to bring, please let us know.
RSVP required: contact Maya Baruch at (610) 347-0347 or education@tlcforscc.org
Monday, July 11, 2011
Time to Combine
I recently checked on the 3 hives and the little "artificial swarm" nuc, and all seem to be doing well. Some more well than others ....
Hive #1 in particular seems to be booming, with lots of bees hanging out on the front of the hive whenever I check in. This phenomenon is called "bearding", and is just a normal behavior of a healthy hive. Bees will fan their wings and hang out on the "front porch" to increase ventilation and cool off the hive during these dog days of summer. Hive #3 has been the trouble-maker all along, and Hive #2 is the middle-child.
Hive #3 (the one that was itching to swarm) was about ready for it's 3rd box, so I took the opportunity to recombine it with the "artificial swarm nuc" I split off earlier. All that means is that I put a layer of newspaper on top of Hive #3, and placed a box on top of that containing the 10 frames from the nuc. The hive will really get a boost from the drawn comb, along with all the brood, honey stores, and bees that come with it. The newspaper is just there to provide a buffer between to two colonies, that the bees will slowly chew through as they get used to each other's scent and merge into one.
I'm still feeding the hives a 1:1 solution of sugar water to help them out as they're building new comb. As soon as they each have 3 medium hive bodies of drawn comb, along with a little stored nectar and honey, I'm going to cut them off. We are entering a summer dearth of nectar, and I don't really want to encourage brood-rearing at this time. Besides, they need to pull their own weight eventually.
By the way, I'm aware of how lame the names "Hives #1, #2, and #3" are. If anyone has some good name suggestions, let me know.
Hive #1 in particular seems to be booming, with lots of bees hanging out on the front of the hive whenever I check in. This phenomenon is called "bearding", and is just a normal behavior of a healthy hive. Bees will fan their wings and hang out on the "front porch" to increase ventilation and cool off the hive during these dog days of summer. Hive #3 has been the trouble-maker all along, and Hive #2 is the middle-child.
Hive #3 (the one that was itching to swarm) was about ready for it's 3rd box, so I took the opportunity to recombine it with the "artificial swarm nuc" I split off earlier. All that means is that I put a layer of newspaper on top of Hive #3, and placed a box on top of that containing the 10 frames from the nuc. The hive will really get a boost from the drawn comb, along with all the brood, honey stores, and bees that come with it. The newspaper is just there to provide a buffer between to two colonies, that the bees will slowly chew through as they get used to each other's scent and merge into one.
I'm still feeding the hives a 1:1 solution of sugar water to help them out as they're building new comb. As soon as they each have 3 medium hive bodies of drawn comb, along with a little stored nectar and honey, I'm going to cut them off. We are entering a summer dearth of nectar, and I don't really want to encourage brood-rearing at this time. Besides, they need to pull their own weight eventually.
By the way, I'm aware of how lame the names "Hives #1, #2, and #3" are. If anyone has some good name suggestions, let me know.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Just in time?
When visiting the bees today, I saw something unexpected in Hive #3. I found swarm cells being constructed on the bottom of one frame! What to do..?
Swarming is a colony's natural means of reproduction. When a colony of bees starts to run out of space in it's current dwelling, and conditions outside the hive seem favorable (good nectar flow going on, not too late in the season, etc.), they will swarm. When a colony "decides" to swarm, they will start to make preparations by beginning to raise a replacement queen, often many (just to be safe). Just before a new queen is about to emerge from her cell, about half the population of the hive will take off as a swarm, along with the original queen. The swarm will usually land not too far away, on a tree branch, picnic bench, what have you, while scout bees scan the area for an appropriate spot to move into more permanently. Meanwhile back at the hive, a new queen emerges and murders any queens still in their cells, taking her rightful place as the new matriarch. That's how it usually goes, at least. Fun stuff, huh?
So, when I saw the tell-tale queen cells hanging on the bottom of a frame, I knew the process had begun. However, the cells had not even been capped yet and the original queen was still running around in the hive, so it had only just begun. Lucky me.
I decided to let the bees swarm, or at least think they did, by making an "artificial swarm". I set up a small hive, or nuc, and moved into it the old queen and a couple of frames of brood and honey, along with the clinging bees. I left behind the swarm cells and over half of the bees, mimicking what would happen if they had actually swarmed. And, I think I fooled them.
Now there is a slightly weakened colony, and a new mini-colony. I'm thinking I'll just recombine them at a later date, once all this swarminess is out of their systems, and hopefully have a strong viable colony again.
*Lesson learned: when using all medium-sized supers, bees can fill up a box fast and get crowded. I won't be slow to "super up" next time.
Swarming is a colony's natural means of reproduction. When a colony of bees starts to run out of space in it's current dwelling, and conditions outside the hive seem favorable (good nectar flow going on, not too late in the season, etc.), they will swarm. When a colony "decides" to swarm, they will start to make preparations by beginning to raise a replacement queen, often many (just to be safe). Just before a new queen is about to emerge from her cell, about half the population of the hive will take off as a swarm, along with the original queen. The swarm will usually land not too far away, on a tree branch, picnic bench, what have you, while scout bees scan the area for an appropriate spot to move into more permanently. Meanwhile back at the hive, a new queen emerges and murders any queens still in their cells, taking her rightful place as the new matriarch. That's how it usually goes, at least. Fun stuff, huh?
So, when I saw the tell-tale queen cells hanging on the bottom of a frame, I knew the process had begun. However, the cells had not even been capped yet and the original queen was still running around in the hive, so it had only just begun. Lucky me.
I decided to let the bees swarm, or at least think they did, by making an "artificial swarm". I set up a small hive, or nuc, and moved into it the old queen and a couple of frames of brood and honey, along with the clinging bees. I left behind the swarm cells and over half of the bees, mimicking what would happen if they had actually swarmed. And, I think I fooled them.
Now there is a slightly weakened colony, and a new mini-colony. I'm thinking I'll just recombine them at a later date, once all this swarminess is out of their systems, and hopefully have a strong viable colony again.
*Lesson learned: when using all medium-sized supers, bees can fill up a box fast and get crowded. I won't be slow to "super up" next time.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Newbees
When you start a new hive from scratch, you only have a couple of options:
I drove up to Lewisberry in the morning with my 3 empty hives, where Mike and I went out to his bee yard and inspected the nucs he had on hand. When we found a nuc that was ready, we basically moved 5 frames (or more) from his nuc box to my 10-frame hive, and filled it the rest of the way with frames of foundation. We made sure there was a healthy looking queen in each hive, as well as a good mix of honey and brood. I must say, I left happy. Mike is a good guy, his hives and queens looked great, and he made sure that I left with lots of bees. Then all I had to do was drive back with the hives (screened shut so there were no escapees), and plop them in place.
p.s.- The looks you get with buzzing boxes of bees in your truck at the gas station is a real bonus.
- You can purchase a package of bees. These are usually sold as a "3-pound package", which means 3 lbs. of bees in a box, along with a queen (to whom they are not related), and some sugar syrup for the road. These are usually shipped from the south, often Georgia, because the season starts so much earlier there and producers can build up large numbers of bees long before we can in chilly PA.
- You can purchase a nucleus hive, or "nuc". A nuc is just a very small colony of bees in a mini version of a regular hive. It comes with frames (usually about 5) just like you'd find in a standard hive, with pollen, honey, and brood (baby bees) in various stages of development. Also, you get all the bees from that colony along with the queen they've been living with their whole lives.
- If you're lucky, you could catch a swarm. Installing a swarm is similar to installing a package of bees, with the exception that they're actually all related. Catching a swarm is another matter...
I drove up to Lewisberry in the morning with my 3 empty hives, where Mike and I went out to his bee yard and inspected the nucs he had on hand. When we found a nuc that was ready, we basically moved 5 frames (or more) from his nuc box to my 10-frame hive, and filled it the rest of the way with frames of foundation. We made sure there was a healthy looking queen in each hive, as well as a good mix of honey and brood. I must say, I left happy. Mike is a good guy, his hives and queens looked great, and he made sure that I left with lots of bees. Then all I had to do was drive back with the hives (screened shut so there were no escapees), and plop them in place.
p.s.- The looks you get with buzzing boxes of bees in your truck at the gas station is a real bonus.
TLC Apiary
It finally happened. With the help of The Kennett Friends Meeting and The Chester County Beekeepers Association... we've got some hives! The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County has set up 3 beautiful new beehives at the Vincenti Preserve, on the corner of Hillendale and Rosedale roads in Kennett Square. These hives will be available for the public to admire and be inspired by. I'll post updates of what's new at the site and on this blog, and in the future we hope to host events at the preserve.
In planning this new apriary, my goal is to manage it using no chemical treatments ("organic" is a tricky word, but I'll save that for another post), and to design the hives to be easy for anyone to handle. I'll also let you know about what steps I take throughout the year to manage the hive, and all the mistakes I'm sure to make. We need more advocates for honey bees, they're up against an awful lot. So, we hope you learn a little more about Apis mellifera, or maybe even become a beekeeper yourself. Come on down to the preserve and check them out (from a safe distance of course- bees can sting, you know).
In planning this new apriary, my goal is to manage it using no chemical treatments ("organic" is a tricky word, but I'll save that for another post), and to design the hives to be easy for anyone to handle. I'll also let you know about what steps I take throughout the year to manage the hive, and all the mistakes I'm sure to make. We need more advocates for honey bees, they're up against an awful lot. So, we hope you learn a little more about Apis mellifera, or maybe even become a beekeeper yourself. Come on down to the preserve and check them out (from a safe distance of course- bees can sting, you know).
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