emba 2017 05-10
TRANSCRIPT
Four Red Flags
“You should always…”
Four Red Flags
“The bees will never…”
Four Red Flags
“If I was you…”
Four Red Flags
“I was reading on the Internet…”
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סס☻
1. Neighbor Relations January 21, 2017
“Did you lose a swarm?”
“They’re all over my bird feeder.”
2. Swarm Prevention Excessive feeding may cause congestion
Lack of empty drawn comb
Competition between incoming nectar and brood
Imbalance of too many young bees to older bees
Inferior queens (perhaps due to age)
Easiest solution: Add more hive bodies and gently intersperse empty frames into brood nest.
If your colony has swarmed… Option 1: Cut out all but one, maybe two swarm cells
and leave hive intact.
Option 2: Divide up the frames with swarm cells into nuc boxes. Reduce the swarm cells to one, maybe two, cells per nuc box.
Key: do you know the difference between swarm cells and supersedure cells?
3. Swarm Retrieval
Retrieving SwarmsBee Vacuum highly recommended
Vacant hive body with drawn comb*
Solid bottom highly preferred by bees
A drop (only one) of swarm lure
Inner cover with extended lip
Queen catcher to hold queen
*means extra equipment on hand
3. Prudent Mite Management1. Do I need to treat for mites?
Assessment tools and timing (late July)
2. How do I want to manage my bees?Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
What kind of bees did I acquire? (genetics)
3. Timing of application and restrictionsRotating protocols
Late Summer – Mite Treatments
Oxalic Acid (organic, inexpensive, approved)
1. Vaporization (sublimation) Very effective on the mites
Tough on the bees
Application precautions (respirator mask)
2. Dribble Method – Dr. Marion Ellis, U of NE Not as effective on the mites
Easier on the bees
Very safe for beekeepers
Both methods: Quick and easy, broodless period
Glycerine – Oxalic Acid Used in Argentina
Very effective
Longer term exposure required, slow release
Bees must make contact with paper towel
Fall meeting – Randy Oliver’s work
www.scientificbeekeeping.com
Recipe Two bottles food quality glycerin (Wal-Mart, $3.88)
One tub of OA Wood Bleach (Ace Hardware, $8.95)
Recipe Empty 2 bottles of glycerin into a 6” saucepan
Refill 1 of these bottles with tap water
Heat until 140 to 160 degrees
Empty tub of OA, slowly, and stir
Keep heat on until 140 to 160 degrees
Heat until clear
Drop in ½ roll of paper towels
4. Feeding Bees Last fall – timely rains, good foraging, heavy hives
Warm winter – heavier consumption
Early spring – hungry hives
too cool to feed syrup (50 degrees)
Candy boards (cooked)
Sugar Bricks (5# sugar to ½ cup water)
Ted’s Mush (1 cup water, 4# sugar)
“Mountain Camp” method (dry sugar)
Candy Boards
Waxed Paper lined cake pans
Takes the place of inner cover
Late winter food stores
ResultsAdded extra protein (Dadant’s AP23)
10 cups to 40 lbs sugar
Candy readily consumed
Colonies survived
Hives did not brood up until I started 1:1 syrup
SHB not a problem until rain seeped in
3. Pesticide Exposure
Skunk, possum predation
What can I detectMarch 24th – too wet to spray (?)
No crop or pests to spray (?)
Anhydrous Ammonia for corn (?)
Hives sit within 40 yards of rail road line
Power line company had trees trimmed
Water drainage plentiful – runoff (?)
Plain vandalism?
Pesticide AnalysisVery expensive ($160 per sample)
Testing limited
Need freshly deceased bees (do not freeze)
Pesticides quickly break down
Drift watchhttp://mo.driftwatch.org
Voluntary registration
Needs better participation
No enforcement
End ResultThirteen hives affected– all queen right
Populations obviously diminished
Fed 1:1 syrup
Four weaker hives continued to decline
Stronger hives made a recovery
Nine hives seem to be making a comeback
Then it was time to move…
