Spring Management of Honeybees HONEY BEE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS NUTRITION MANAGEMENT MITE MANAGEMENT. Spring Issues for Overwintered Colonies

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1 Spring Management of oneybees Spring Issues for Overwintered Colonies Nutrition management Mite management Swarm management Increases Richard Schneider Capital ee Supply, LLC Columbus, WI NUTRITION MANAGEMENT ONEY EE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS MITE MANAGEMENT

2 The oneybee s Diet Nectar predominately water and plant sugars that is processed by bees into honey Is the carbohydrate source in their diet ollen composition varies by plant Is the protein source in their diet Responsible for vitellogenin development Winter fat reserves Critical for hemocyte cell development for immune response The oneybee s Diet - Nectar Sugar concentrations vary as from 9% sugars up to 55% (the dandelion flow). The low concentration plants tend to be ignored when other higher concentration plants are blooming which is what we all experience with bees at times The oneybee s Diet - ollen Composition varies by plant Is the protein source in their diet (along with amino acids, lipids and vitamins) ees mix it with regurgitated nectar and pack it into the cells Ferments into bee bread Fed to worker and drone larvae (after day 3), Consumed by adult bees also ow to tell when there is adequate pollen available ull a couple brood frames Are the colonies rearing open brood (larvae) in earnest? During protein shortage the nurses will cannibalize eggs and young larvae. Do the larvae have a high rate of survival to pupation, as indicated by solid patterns of even-aged larvae making it to pupation (capping). Incomplete nutrition will result in poor larval survival or disease.

3 ow to tell when there is adequate pollen available The most reliable indicator is to look closely at the very young larvae to see the amount of jelly that the bees are placing around them

4 What is Going on in the ive Factors influencing early spring colony growth The beginning adult population determines how much brood can be fed and kept warm. If the adult population is small in mid-winter, brood rearing will begin very slowly. A shortage of honey stores inside the hive can limit brood rearing. Throughout early spring, brood rearing will consume more stores than what is available for the bees to forage.

5 Factors influencing early spring colony growth The number of days of suitable foraging weather influences the intensity of brood rearing. Fresh pollen and a little nectar encourages brood rearing. When rain and cold temperatures keep the bees inside, stores must be available inside the hive. ow much nectar and pollen is available on the days the bees are able to forage also influences brood rearing. looming is sporadic in the early spring. What is Going on in the ive Varroa opulation MITE MANAGEMENT

6 January 17, 2015 January 17, 2015 Evaluating Deadouts Start at the top Remove telecover and inner cover Examine inner cover for moisture Move into honey super or brood chamber Look frame by frame; Keep track as you go Evaluating Deadouts Cluster size Small clusters experience more trouble Is there honey left? ow much? Lots of honey left means early death Are there dead bees on the bottom board? Starved bees that die fall, sick bees generally fly off

7 Evaluating Deadouts Are there patches of spotty brood? Are there white crystals in the brood cells? Varroa poop SWARM MANAGEMENT Reasons for Swarming Overcrowded swarm Reproductive swarm Timing of Swarms in Spring Watch for the production of drones Indicates that adequate resources are available for reproduction Need drones for virgin queen mating Drones are also the indicator of split-ability

8 Overcrowded Swarm No place to put nectar so the brood nest is clogged Solution - add space (additional hive bodies or honey supers) oney or pollen clogging the brood nest Solution - remove combs of honey and add empty frames to occupy bees by drawing wax (checkerboarding) No place to cluster Solution Use a slatted Rack, follower boards, or add more supers Not enough ventilation Screened bottom boards Top entrances Swarm Cells vs. Supercedure Cells

9 Reproductive Swarm This is the goal of a successful hive What honeybees are naturally inclined to do in the spring reparation started the fall before ut away excess stores (honey and pollen) to build up in late winter and have a high enough population to be able to swarm before the main flow Start rearing brood in late winter Intent is well set by early spring Reproductive Swarm Events Once there are enough bees and enough stores the brood nest is backfilled with nectar freeing the emerging bees who would have been nurse bees so they have little to do the queen is freed from laying so she can slim down to fly with the swarm Reproductive Swarm Events Queen cells are built Usually sometime right around or shortly after they are capped the hive swarms. If the weather is bad it can be up to the time of emergence The old queen and the nurse bees leave and cluster nearby Scout bees find a new location and the swarm flies off to their new home If the hive is still overcrowded one of the virgin queens will leave with more of the bees in an after-swarm

10 ivouac cluster of bees that has swarmed Delaying Swarms These can work if your ahead of the building of the queen cells (meaning before they build swarm cells) Open up the brood nest Checker boarding put empty frames in between existing brood frames create a split from the pulled frames Expand the brood nest area Move some brood nest frames up into a second brood box Reversals Checker boarding Used to break up the solid band of honey that rings the top of the brood nest. When the band is interrupted, more storage areas are exposed, and the bees defer swarming until the empty spaces are filled.

11 What is needed for checker boarding Empty drawn combs or frames with foundation Additional hive body Checker boarding Alternate frames of honey are removed from one box and replaced with frames of drawn empty comb. For example, in your first box you may remove frames 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 (which have honey or a honey rim) and replace them with frames of empty drawn comb. When you re done, the evennumbered slots remain, and the oddnumbered slots are empty comb Checker boarding Take the frames of honey you just took out of the first box and put them in the second box in the same position they had before, that is, in position 1, 3, 5, 7, And 9. This time, the even-numbered spots have frames of empty drawn comb, and the odd-numbered slots are full of honey. Ten Frame oxes = honey = pollen = brood

12 Reversals Used to relieve congestion in the hive Through winter the cluster moves into the upward and by spring the cluster is in the upper boxes Generally do not move down until weather is much warmer Result is underutilized space in lower box Reversals two deeps Reversals three mediums INCREASES TROUG SLITS You might consider a modification of this approach to Keep the brood together 3, 2, 1 to 1, 3, 2

13 What is a split? One or more additional colonies started from a mother colony Mother colony is physically divided Creating daughter colony(ies) Reasons for doing a split To prevent swarms. To get more hives. Mite control by breaking the brood cycle To requeen or raise queens To get more honey production. Cautions with Splits Temporary weakening of the mother hive Dividing the population roughly in half Disruptive Takes a while for the bees to regroup Queen issues Mother hive is left with the old queen, daughter hive needs a queen Timing for doing a split Depends on if you want to buy or raise queens As soon as commercial queens are available or As soon as drones are flying When you purchase a mated queen your buying time (about 21 days)

14 What each colony should end up with A queen or the resources to make one Adequate supply of honey and pollen Adequate supply of bees Account for drifting back to the original hive Natural structure in the brood nest. rood combs should be together. Drone brood goes on the outside edge of brood nest ollen and honey go to outside of brood nest Types of splits Even split Walk away split Demaree Cut down split Many of these are used for increasing colony numbers and as a method of swarm control. EVEN SLIT What is needed to make the split Enough equipment to start 2 additional hives 2 hive stands or enough blocks to set hives on 2 bottom boards 2 hive bodies 1 inner cover and 1 telescoping cover The rest of the equipment can be recovered from the mother hive

15 Even split You take half of everything and divide it up. Remember to respect the brood nest structure. Face both of the daughter hives at the sides of the mother hive (as if they are sitting down for dinner) The mother hive will ultimately be removed. The returning bees aren't sure which one to come back to. In a week or so, swap places to equalize the drift to the one with the queen.

16 Even split important issues One of the hives will be queenless You can let this hive raise its own queen or install a new mated queen into it Don t worry about trying to find a queen in the daughter hives. Instead look for evidence of egg laying 3-4 days after making the split. The one with eggs has the queen, the one without is queenless Even split important issues If you choose to let the queenless daughter hive raise a queen Try no to disrupt the hive too often. owever, you do want to determine if the bees are pulling queen cells and trying to raise a queen You may need to support this hive with frames of eggs and brood if they are having trouble Caste Development Caste atch Cap Emerge Queen 3 days 8 days days +-1 Laying 28 days +-5 Worker 3 days 9 days days +-1 Foraging 42 days +-7 WALK AWAY SLIT TWO AROACES TO GETTING IT DONE Drone 3 days 10 days days +-1 Flying to DCA 38 days +-5

17 WALK AWAY SLIT METOD 1 What is needed to make the split Enough equipment to start 1 additional hive hive stand or enough blocks to set hive on bottom board hive body (or a 5 frame nuc box) 1 inner cover and 1 telescoping cover The ability to see/recognize a queen on a frame The ability to see/recognize eggs Walk away split Method 1 Step 1 - Take a frame of eggs, two frames of emerging brood and two frames of pollen and honey and put them in a 5 frame nuc or a hive body (and infill around it with comb or foundation) Step 2 - Shake in some extra nurse bees (making sure you don't shake in the old queen) by shaking or snapping the frame Step 3 - ackfill the empty space in the mother hive with drawn comb Walk away split Method 1 oney, ollen Capped rood Frame with eggs and young larvae Capped rood oney, ollen

18 Walk away split Method 1 important issues The daughter hive will be queenless Use the same strategies as the even split method with regard to checking/making queen right WALK AWAY SLIT METOD 2 What is needed to make the split Enough equipment to start 1 additional hive hive stand or enough blocks to set hive on bottom boards 1 inner cover and 1 telescoping cover The ability to see/recognize eggs on a frame Walk away split Method 2 Step 1 Insert a queen excluder between brood boxes on the mother hive urpose is to isolate the queen Doesn t matter if she is above or below the excluder lace between boxes with brood in them Leave the excluder in place for at least 3 days. Return day 4, check for the location of eggs (above or below the excluder)

19 Example of placement Ten Frame oxes 3 Mediums for rood Excluder Example of placement Ten Frame oxes 2 Deep rood Chambers Excluder = honey = pollen = brood = honey = pollen = brood Walk away split Method 2 Step 2 - Take the hive body(ies) that have the queen (those that had eggs) and place on a bottom board in a new location The foraging bees will return to the original location (which is where the queenless daughter hive is) Step 3 Take a frame with eggs and young larvae from the queen right hive and place into the daughter hive This will provide a resource for the bees in the daughter hive to raise a queen Walk away split Method 2 important issues The daughter hive will be queenless Use the same strategies as the even split and walk away split method with regard to checking/making queen right.

20 Summary Lots of variations to splitting hives Many more ways than what has been identified here Manufacturers and urveyors of Fine eekeeping Equipment