The summer solstice has just occurred; providing us with the maximum amount of daylight. What does this mean in the world of beekeeping?
The long days provide the bees the maximum of time for
nectar gathering. Mother nature has made
this coincide with the blooming of alfalfa, clovers, and numerous other nectar
producing plants.
Hives populations are nearing their maximum as the bees were
using the pollen and nectar for raising brood.
For a short time, the population will remain at its maximum before
beginning a decline in mid-August. In response to the shortening days the queen
will soon begin reducing her egg laying.
Varroa populations are also increasing because of the
abundance of brood in the hive. At this
time the majority of mites are hidden inside brood cells parasitizing the
brood. With the honey supers on the hive the only
ways of controlling the mites is use of formic acid treatments or drone brood
removal, which require partial disassembly of the hive; not a task relished by
the beekeeper.
Some beekeepers indicate that the summer solstice is the cutoff
date for naturally starting new hives in northern climates. At this point there is insufficient time and
food resources for a new hive to build to a sufficient size to survive the
winter. There are techniques to work around this rule,
but are labor intensive on the part of the beekeeper.
Recently there has been interest in overwintering nucs. However, even here the varroa problem
intervenes. Without effective varroa
control these nucs will be doomed in winter.
Well, that’s my lead in for reminding you to watch the webinar on “Making
a plan for Varroa” at 7PM EST ( ^ PM CST) next Tuesday, June 26th. Log in to the webinar at https://msu.zoom.us/j/433681172. The webinar is hosted by Michigan State
University’s Meghan Milbrath.
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