Strong Colonies

Between swarms and after-swarms a colony can lose 60% of its population, perhaps more. A strong, healthy, overwintered colony is diminished instantly when the swarm(s) takes off. After a colony swarms, we need to inspect the hive to determine the remaining population size in light of the available real estate. Bees constantly patrol the comb to guard against invasions by wax moths, small hive beetles (SHB), wasps, and other pests, and if the bees are spread too thin our hives are likely to become infested with these pests. We may need to condense the population by shaking and/or brushing the bees into one or two hive bodies, and removing any others, until they build back up so they can keep the pests in check.


Wax moths and SHBs are the pests of concern now, wasps won't be a major menace until fall when the goldenrod starts to pass its peak. There are no in-hive treatments for either pest, but strong colonies can keep them in check. Strong is a relative term, and in this case it has to do with the number of frames of bees per hive body. The same colony can be weak if it's in a 20-frame hive, or strong if it's in a 10-frame hive. The more bees per frame, and frames of bees per hive, the better their control of pests. We also want our colonies to have enough room to expand the broodnest and store honey, so it's a matter of staying ahead of the bees with real estate, just not too far ahead.


Wax moths and SHBs will make a mess in a hive, but they aren't a real threat to a colony unless it's weak and suffering from disease. Then they could be the last straw. If you find frames (typically brood frames) with larvae from either of these pests, freezing the frames for a day or two will kill the larvae and the frames can be reused, depending on the extent of the damage. If it's not too bad, the bees will clean them up.


We also need to check our colonies to make sure they're queenright. A colony that has swarmed will have left behind virgin queens about to emerge, and after emergence they need three or four days to mature before they go on their mating flight(s). Upon a successful return to the colony, it will be another several days before they start laying eggs.


Eggs should be present after two weeks following a swarming event (three - four weeks following a split). If not queenright at that time, add a frame with worker eggs, larvae, and capped cells from another colony in case the queen got picked off by a predator. The brood will keep the colony unified, workers will be inhibited from laying, and the bees will have the resources to produce a new queen. Add brood frames weekly until there's a laying queen, or purchase a queen from a local queen producer if you don't want to watch the season pass with no laying queen in the hive and the population dwindling.


These are things we need to watch for throughout the season. We need to maintain strong, queenright colonies, and if a colony isn't thriving it should be requeened, combined with another colony, or euthanized if it is overwhelmingly diseased. We beekeepers need to be as pragmatic as our bees are.


I haven't seen SHBs in my hives, but some years ago I had a small Wax Moth infestation. After I found two frames that looked like the photo above, I inspected the hive and found about a 1/8" gap between part of the upper deep and the lower deep. The wood hadn't been cut straight on the upper deep. That's all it would have taken for a wax moth to gain entry, although they usually come in the entrances at night, But since the damage was right inside of that gap, I figured that was the entryway. The colony was relatively strong and had sequestered the moths to those two frames, which I removed and froze (and replaced the upper deep). Honey bees will kill wax moths but they didn't that time for some reason, instead living side-by-side with them..


Wax moths are important in the natural world because they eat the comb of hives that have died out, eliminating the pathogens and pesticides that the comb contains. They prefer brood comb because of the bits of pollen and pupal casings that are in it, but we don't want them messing up our brood comb and making it unavailable to our bees. The best defense is strong colonies.


Since I don't have any experience with SHBs, I could only repeat what I've heard and read, and who knows of what practical value that would be? I have also seen a number of gadgets available to trap the beetles, but again, I have no experience with them. Hopefully it stays that way, but I know they're around and prefer sandy soil, which I have an abundance of. I expect it won't be long before I will be learning more about them. Any member that has had dealings with the Small Hive Beetle, please share your experiences with us at an upcoming meeting.


I'm hoping the weather will be good for checking hives this weekend as I have several splits that weren't queenright last weekend, and should be by this weekend. I also captured two swarms at my home apiary and I need to see if I can determine which colonies swarmed, and if they need to have some of their furniture put into storage for awhile. I did find a queen in one of my splits and she was humongous, and laying like a machine, with lots of eggs and larvae in a very tight pattern. That's one.


I hope everyone's splits are successful, and that everyone caught some swarms. For me the season is starting out well, and I'm interested in what will be in my apiaries on October 1. And just as interested in what will be in my honey buckets before then.


Happy Beekeeping,

Gerard

Guest Blog: Tips for first-time gardeners

There's nothing better than watching your own bees pollinate your flower and/or vegetable gardens. So if you're new to gardening, or just need a refresher, you'll enjoy our latest guest blog from Emma Croft. Happy gardening and beekeeping! And don't forget about the April 17 meeting at Rushford Meadery and Winery. Fun starts at 9:30 and be ready for club hive inspections!

Image via Unsplash

 Gardening for Beginners: How to Start and Maintain Your First Garden

According to Eartheasy, the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of gardening range from stress relief and immune regulation to a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke, and dementia. Since vegetable gardening encourages you to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, backyard gardening can also lead to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

While there are many wonderful benefits of starting your own backyard garden, you may not know where to start if you’re new to this type of activity. Here’s how to begin!

Interested in harvesting honey and helping declining bee populations? Join the East Central Wisconsin Beekeepers Association today!

Plan Your Garden

As you get ready to start your first garden, you’ll first need to determine whether you’d like to plant a vegetable or flower garden — or a combination of the two. Some of the best crops for beginner gardeners include lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, strawberries, onions, and radishes, while several of the easiest flowers to grow include sunflowers, marigolds, impatiens, and sweet peas.

You’ll need to choose a spot in your yard that offers enough sunlight for your garden to flourish. If you’re unsure of your property lines and your budget allows, it’s often worthwhile to hire a property surveyor to identify your property’s boundaries so you can avoid planting on your neighbor’s land.

Gather Your Gardening Supplies

After planning your garden and deciding which types of flowers and vegetables you’re going to plant, it’s time to purchase your plants and gardening supplies. As a beginner gardener, you’ll need a few basic tools and supplies:

 ●     Hand trowel

●     Spade

●     Leaf rake

●     Watering can and hose

●     Hand pruner

●     Garden gloves

●     Kneeling cushion

●     Home soil test kit (to test your soil before planting)

Start Planting

Once you’ve purchased your gardening supplies and gathered your fruits, vegetables, flowers, and seeds, it’s time to start planting! Your flowers, seeds, and transplants should come with basic planting instructions, but you’ll typically need to dig your garden bed, make holes in the soil for your plants, and space each item at least two to three feet apart. And if you’d like to help ailing bee populations in your area, try to plant flowers that bloom at times when bees need the most help.

When you’re done, water your plants and seeds to help them settle into the soil — and cover the garden bed with a layer of mulch shortly after you finish planting. Mulching your garden helps it to retain moisture and suppress weeds, but it’s important to note that not all mulches are created equal. Straw mulch is an excellent option for vegetable gardens, while composted mulch or manure can be used just about anywhere.

Watch Your Garden Flourish

For your plants to grow and flourish, you’ll need to maintain your garden by watering it regularly, weeding it each week, and removing any dried or dead flowers as needed. As a rule, most plants require about an inch or two of water each week during the growing season.

Moreover, it’s usually best to water your garden in the morning if possible, as this will give your plants time to dry before evening. If you’ve been getting a lot of rain in your area or you’re unsure about whether to water your garden, however, simply use your hands to check the soil for moisture. If the soil feels dry and cannot be rolled into a ball, it likely needs to be watered.

A Final Word

Whether you plant vegetables, flowers, or a combination of the two, a backyard garden enhances the look of your yard and improves your overall health and well-being — especially if you take some time out of your week to tend to your garden and give it the care it needs to flourish. However, try not to be discouraged if your first garden isn’t a success. Even if it fails, you can keep on trying until you finally get it right!

Who's worried about honey supers already?

With the tease of warm weather lately I'm sure many of us have been itching to get the cold behind us for the season. We're not completely out of the woods yet, but it's been hard to complain lately. We're reminded that in addition to everything else to worry about, swarm season is right around the corner. I have noticed an uptick in non-beekeepers talking about and asking about swarms in social media land, so hopefully some of our attempts to educate the public are working.

Speaking of attempts to educate, I was able to speak to the Noon Rotary club recently about beekeeping. In the shuffle of life lately I had forgotten about this commitment until almost the last minute, but thankfully I have a few presentations up my sleeve and I was able to dust one off for this. I talked about the state of honeybees and why they are beneficial as pollinators, some of the things affecting their jobs as pollinators for us and also touched on some of the amazing opportunities to get rich while keeping bees. I always believe in starting presentations with a joke, and that was what I went with.  Of course we all know the truth...  One of the highlights of this particular presentation was that both of our elected State Representatives (State Senator Dan Feyen and Assemblyman Jeremy Thiesfeldt) were in attendance.  Any time you can get a captive audience with your elected officials, it's a win. I hope it was educational for them. 

If you're one of the lucky beekeepers with bees that made it through winter you are probably starting to see some pollen coming into the hives.  Here's an interesting article on the benefits of pollen. I've personally never tried to harvest pollen from my bees, but may be something to try in the future.  If you've ever done it, leave us a comment about your experience.

And finally what blog post would be complete without mention of mites and treatments?  Hard to imagine. There has been a lot of discussion in the beekeeping world lately around the recent guidance for using oxalic acid as a mite treatment with honey supers on.  Regardless of your thoughts on the safety of oxalic acid, Dr. Meghan Milbrath from Michigan University reminds us that the treatment label is still the law of the land and you should follow the manufacturer recommendations when dealing with mite treatments.  That's probably good advice in most cases.  Read, understand and follow the labels on the products you use, and you should be in good shape.

Hopefully you got to check in on your bees recently and hopefully the news is good! Until next time.

Nick

Nothing in beekeeping is free

Not too often do free beekeeping classes come along, so take advantage while you can!

Click here for more info, while supplies last.

What happened to February? Let's try to catch up.

They say you're always busiest after committing to something. And so it goes, with a job schedule change and winter chores, before I knew it February was gone. We'll try to slip into a more consistent posting schedule going forward, because there's so much to discuss! 

Some think of beekeeping as an agricultural endeavor, some consider it just a hobby. Wherever you fall, here in Wisconsin the cold winter months are for planning. And if you are planning to keep bees this year, make sure to register your hives with FieldWatch.  Their BeeCheck program helps pesticide applicators and beekeepers communicate so we can all minimize the harmful effects pesticides have on our bees. It's a really easy process, I have my hives registered and I hope you will as well. It's important that we share information, and not just with other beekeepers.

We received a tip from a new member about a beekeeping museum, not too far for some of us, in Neosho WI called Honey Acres Thanks for the info! We always appreciate when beekeepers seek to educate the public about this fun craft. I wasn't aware of this before, but now I'm as intrigued as you are.

No matter what time of the year, if you can find good local classes on beekeeping, take advantage! Capital Bee Supply offers quite a wide range of options if you're just getting into bees, or even if you've had bees and still like to learn.  

And finally for today, some interesting research being done that seeks to identify hygienic traits in honey bees. What makes them clean cells to rid the hive of Varroa mites?  Click here to find out.  It's hard to not be excited about good research in this area.  More effective mite treatments would certainly make our lives as beekeepers much easier.

I assume by now you've renewed your club dues, so final reminder. Happy beekeeping!

Nick