Colony Management For Maximum Honey ProductionClarence H. CollisonEmeritus Professor/Dept. HeadMississippi State University

Management Varies:Type of HoneyGeographical RegionLocal Weather PatternsFloral Sources

COLONYPOPULATION

NECTARFLOW

TIME

PERIOD

Apiary Location With Abundant Floral Sources

Young Productive Queens From Good Genetic Stock

Proper Hive Manipulations

Stimulatory Feeding

Pollen SupplementPollen Substitute

6 Weeks

There Is A Basic Relationship Between Brood And Adult Population That Determines The Rate Of Growth Or Development Of The Colony.

As The Colony Population Increases, The Efficiency Of The Colony Improves.

As The Colony Population Increases, A Smaller Proportion Of Bees Are Needed For Brood Rearing.

A Large Colony Produces More Brood Than A Small Colony Yet Has A Higher Proportion Of Its Bees Available For Gathering Nectar And Pollen.

10,000 Bees 2,000 Foragers20,000 Bees 5,000 Foragers30,000 Bees 10,000 Foragers40,000 Bees 20,000 Foragers50,000 Bees 30,000 Foragers60,000 Bees 39,000 Foragers

During A Two Week Honey Flow, A Full Strength Colony With 60,000 Bees Will Normally Produce 50% More Honey Than Four Colonies Each With 15,000 Bees.

Colony Nutrition

Worker Cannibalism

Reverse Brood Chambers

Double Screen- A Wooden Frame Holding Two Layers Of Wire Screen, Usually 8- Mesh, About Inch Apart.

Double ScreenOld Queen3-5 Frames Of Unsealed BroodEmpty Comb, Honey, Pollen5-6 Frames Of Brood, Mostly SealedEmpty Comb2 Frames Pollen, 2 Frames Honey

Cut Out All Queen Cells

Queen ExcluderQueen ExcluderHoney SupersOld Queen + Capped BroodUnsealed Brood

In 7-10 Days, Return To Inspect The Colony And Destroy Any New Queen Cells That May Have Developed In The Upper Hive Bodies

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1817.pdf

*2841*775 Basic management, however, is based on the same fundamental principle regardless of your location or situation.*2306 Maximum populations coincide with*2926 Giant Crossword puzzle*2809 In addition to colony strength and proper timing, other key components to productive colony management include:*2788*2843*774 Since brood rearing is the basis of colony development, management practices must be aimed toward fully utilizing the reproductive capacity of the colony.*Prevention of Swarming*2845*2846*2136 Colony development is tied directly to the: quality of the queen*720 Food Sources*359*1907*1859*1915*2588*2674*2587*2842*1497*2622*2955*337*108*367*2732*2191*1500*1938*1506*1939*1496*2511*2512*765