Where is Spring?

This may help you make plans for the season.  Tom Priddy, University of Kentucky meteorologist just issued a new statement on upcoming weather trends.  The new spring season officially started at 7:02 on the 20th, but more than anything, it felt like the middle of January. This past month has been extremely cool with a state average temperature of 4 degrees below normal through March 20th. Just this past 3 days (3/18 – 3/20), highs have been averaging a very cool, 9 degrees below normal statewide, with lows following suit at 4 degrees below normal. Average highs across the state for this time of the year are suppose to be in the upper 50s to low 60s with lows only dropping into the upper 30s. The rest of the month doesn't look any better. This upcoming week will feature highs staying mostly in the 40s across the state. The short term outlooks don't provide any hints at spring either. The 6 to 10 day outlook going out to March 30th, as shown to the right, has well below normal temperatures expected for the Commonwealth. So what is causing this cool pattern? Although we can look at local weather conditions for an answer, looking at a larger spatial scale is also required. Read More

Pretty weekend for a Bee dive

I have heard from many of you today after your weekend (or at least 1 day) of hive diving.  I think what we are discovering is that the winter may have been harder than we felt it was.  I have gotten lots of reports of more loses than expected.  I for one had an unsuspected loss with probably forty pounds of honey in place on the hive.  They just didn't have the resources to reach the food source.  It can be frustrating. 

On the other hand I have had at least six calls this winter and spring from people with bee trees on their property.  This indicates an increasing feral bee population that indicates strength within the bee community. All of that is a good thing for the future.  For the new folks, this hobby or business should be given the time any other livestock operation is given.  When you pay attention to the details the details pay.  

Check out the facebook page for more discussion on feeding and management. 

Package Bees

I know many of you are getting new packages of bees shortly so the following might come in handy as a refresher for installing. 

Package bees are produced in the southern states and California for shipping to northern beekeepers who wish to strengthen weak colonies or establish new colonies in the spring. Packages are available in 2-, 3- , or 5-pound sizes (Figure 12). The most popular packages are the 2- and 3-pound sizes. Each pound represents about 3,500 bees. A newly mated queen is included in those packages to be used for developing new colonies. Packages intended for strengthening weak colonies may be ordered with or without a queen.

You should order packages in January or February to ensure timely delivery in early spring (April). If you are installing packages on drawn combs containing honey and pollen, you can do so in early April; if you are installing them on comb foundation, then you should order them to arrive in late April or early May. Beekeepers in northern areas may wish to delay shipments for a couple of weeks. Package bees could die if installed on foundation in temperatures below 57°F (14°C) because too few bees will be able to break cluster and move to syrup feeders. Bees clustered on combs of honey, on the other hand, do not have to break cluster in order to eat. Read More

Whats a Nuc?

Our next meeting of the Nelson County Beekeepers will feature Greg Whitis, Ag agent in McCreary County KY, speaking on Nucs and Splits so I thought I would provide you with little information leading up to that event.  A nucleus colony, or nuc, is essentially a smaller hive, sometimes in a smaller box, consisting of bees in all stages of development, as well as food, a laying queen, and enough workers to cover from three to five combs. When placed into a full-sized hive body and given supplemental feeding, the nuc usually expands rapidly into a strong colony. When started in early spring, these hives may produce surplus honey in their first year under favorable weather and nectar flow conditions. The advantages of starting with a nuc rather than a package include: faster colony development due to the presence of brood and no break in the queen’s laying cycle; ease of establishing the unit in your own equipment; and a chance to inspect the nuc before purchasing. Sales of nucs have increased tremendously over the past few years and are making inroads into the well-established package bee businesses. Read More

Youth and Beekeeping



Learning To Keep



On Monday this week I had the good opportunity to speak about beekeeping to the Nelson County 4-H Natural resources club.  Twenty youth and adults learned about the process of keeping bees, pollination importance, and lots of other fun facts.  They got to have hands on time with the equipment which always brings learning home for me.  We finished the day with a honey taste test that was excitedly received.    As beekeepers anytime we can teach the next generation, kudos to us

 

Another Winter Feeding Idea

This is a post from Phil Craft check out his links below:

Posted at philcrafthivecraft.com/ on January 13, 2013

In response to several questions, I wrote a post on December 11th about the making and use of bee candy for emergency winter feeding. I wrote about the same topic last year. Last week, when I spoke at the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association’s January meeting in St. Louis, it came up again as a question after my presentation. Obviously, it is a subject of perennial interest.

Yesterday, a friend from St. Louis emailed me concerning the conversation at the meeting there, and included a recipe for making and feeding Sugar Mush, a low moisture sugar/water mixture for use in winter. Another beekeeping friend mentioned a similar method in a phone conversation not long ago. As I said in the December post, the major drawback to winter feeding with sugar syrup is the moisture that it introduces into the hive. Offering bee candy, a solid form of sugar, minimizes this problem, but it takes some practice to master the technique of making it. Some beekeepers may find Sugar Mush a good compromise. It contains less moisture than syrup, but is easier to make than candy. It is almost like using pure granulated sugar, but the small amount of added water makes it easier for the bees to ingest.

The recipe for the sugar slush provided in the above link recommends feeding in a plastic bag using a rim extension. I see no reason why it could not be offered to a hive using a top feeder or even a division board feeder (which replaces a frame in the brood box). It should not be placed directly on the frames, unless in a bag, due to its slushiness. If you decide to try this method, let me know how it works out.

Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments and Honey Bee Health

"A gram of talc containing 1.0% clothianidin could theoretically kill a million bees if they ingested it and could threaten about half as many bees if the dust contacted them." Greg Hunt and Christian Krupke, Purdue University

working away

In the last 10-15 years, the EPA has gradually eliminated many uses of several “older” classes of pesticides. These include the widely used organophosphates, a staple of many agricultural systems. This left farmers and chemical companies looking for alternatives.  A new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, were initially developed in the 1970’s.  The chemical structure of these is derived from nicotine (also an insecticide, keeps tobacco plants safe from caterpillars) and they are relatively non-toxic to most vertebrates.  Most are water-soluble and break down slowly in the environment, so they can be taken up by the plant and provide protection from insects as the plant grows and develops. During the late 1990’s this class of pesticides became widely used (primarily as imidacloprid, trade names include Gaucho, Provado, Merit). Beginning in the early 2000’s, two other neonics began to see wide use to treat corn and other field crop seeds.  These compounds are clothianidin (trade name Poncho) and thiamethoxam (trade name Cruiser), the latter rapidly breaks down into clothianidin in living organisms.  Currently, virtually every corn seed that is planted in the Midwest is treated with one of these two compounds... Read More

Has research been done on honey bees comparing 5.4 mm comb cell size with 4.9 mm? I have heard that small cell (4.9 mm) beekeeping can control varroa mites.

Below is a listing of research into European honey bees on small cell combs. Three of the articles (1, 2, and 5) deal with small cell and varroa mites. All three conclude that small cell does not help the bees deal with varroa mites, or otherwise reduce varroa mite numbers. Read More

Weather Rollercoaster

I am sure that the ladies in the box have become quite perturbed by this weather rollercoaster.  On Friday afternoon lots of flight and activity was taking place.  Bees were everywhere.  Saturday pinned them back up and Sunday began the downhill decent to what we have today.  I can't help but be concerned that these several days of extremely high humidity will have an adverse affect on the colonies.  But what can we do?  I invite your comments on this humidity subject. 

For us it is a good time to begin updating wooden ware, fixing frames, and trying out new designs.

Supposedly Inert Agrochemicals Impair Learning in Honey Bees

Honey bees exposed to agrochemicals used on farms may develop learning impairments that prevent them from being able to forage or even find their way back to the hive, say researchers at Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences.

Courtesy Maryann Frazier, Penn State

Former entomology graduate student LTJG Tim Ciarlo, U.S. Navy, professors of entomology Chris Mullin and Jim Frazier, and graduate research assistant Dan Schmehl recently published their research in PLoS ONE, an online open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research.

According to their research, pesticide spray adjuvants could be contributing to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which continues to threaten honey populations since its emergence in 2006. “Previously, active ingredients has been the focus of pesticide-driven CCD research, but not much attention has been placed on the other agrochemicals that are used in addition to and in combination with them,” says Ciarlo, whose research work became the focus of his master’s thesis.

These other agrochemicals are classified as ‘inert ingredients” and include spray adjuvants that are either included in the pesticide formulations or tank-mixed and sprayed along with the pesticides. Adjuvants are designed to boost the efficacy of active ingredients and are largely assumed to be inert; therefore they are not usually included in risk assessment trials required to register a pesticide or its formulations. Additionally, the specific ingredients that make up spray adjuvants are considered trade secrets of the chemical companies that manufacture them and are not included on the label. “This is the first time the impact of spray adjuvants on honey bee behavior has been studied,” Ciarlo explains.  Read More...

Good opportunity ahead

With the expected temperatures in the upper 60's later this week take advantage.  This will be a good opportunity to feed if you feel the need to do so.  Either feed heavy syrup of supply some homemade fondit just to provide them a lift here in the middle of the duldrums.  Make sure the syrup is thick as you do not want to increase the moisture level inside the hive at this time of year with extra water.  If you have left over honey this is a good opportunity to use that up.   Greg and Debbie indicated that they witnessed flight yesterday from their hives.  The bees take this opportunity to deposit outside the hive for a change.  They may also get lucky and find something to forage upon.  The photo is of a Harry Lauder Walking Stick which will begin to flower in late January or early February. 

Other news the acquisition of speakers is going very well and I have hit all targets and dates that we discussed at our last meeting.  I will be sending a calender of events out shortly when all are finalized. 

Buckingham Palace Bees

Buckingham bees Is a nice article about roof top beekeeping that is in an unlikely place.

It is official and organized: Nelson County Beekeepers are formed

I thought we had a really good second meeting last night and accomplished a lot of organizational components. Gene Englert has agreed to lead the group through the first six months and further if the group desires.


I am working on clarification of the Food Modernization Act that we discussed last night. It is not an easy one to get a grip on. I have read parts of the bill and there is a $500,000 threshhold but then a next line will contradict the previous. I have made calls this morning and folks are getting back with me. The law is linked here and you may read it as well. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ353/pdf/PLAW-111publ353.pdf

Dance Language of the Honey Bee - eXtension

I believe that by learning the nuances of beekeeping can only help to gain a more full understanding of how to deal with bugs in a box. The following link is from the eXtension platform for beekeeping and talks in great detail about the dance language of the bee. Dance Language of the Honey Bee - eXtension

Nosema ceranae The Inside Story - eXtension

See the attached story about Nosema. I am seeing what is likely a form of Nosema occuring in my hives right now. The last couple of weeks have been ripe for this to take hold in your hives. The bees have not been able to take the poroper cleansing flights and the fungi spores have hit critical mass inside the hive. Nosema ceranae The Inside Story - eXtension

I am looking to do a couple of classes this spring. Likely they will be at the end of March and include Tammy Horn and Phil Craft. The details are not worked out yet but i am considering a Friday afternoon from 1 to 5 pm and topics such as becoming a better bee keeper and choosing species of bees to better fit your needs.

I would really like your input on this let me in the comments what you think or simply call me. thanks and happy bee-ing

Observations From Greg

The last two weeks have certainly been busy around here. We have been sending out and catching some early swarms. We are checking and adding supers as needed. We are getting ready to get package bees and even make some splits (if queens are available). The KSBA Spring Meeting at Camp Crescendo was well attended, but not at capacity, and the speaker presentations were excellent. I will not promise, or say, that I will use every idea I get from this type of meeting, but I get a lot of ideas I do use, and the others may come in handy someday foir me oir somebody else. The pre-registration is open now for the KSBA Summer meeting at the Walter T. Kelley Company campus in Clarkson on June 5, 2010. You can get the form and more info at the KSBA website. These meetings and bee school are definitely worth attending.

In the last few days, the locust bloom seems to have started. Of course, it comes with cool, rainy, windy weather! Sometimes I think locust trees are stimulated to bloom by a cool, damp weather system. On the other hand, we were getting a little short on rain and given the choice of cool, damp, wet locust bloom, or a no kidding drought situation, I will give up the locust honey. This year we should get a significant clover honey crop. I say should, but I really mean could. We have had very little clover the last 2 to 3 years due to several situations occuring at the same time. The first is drought stress on the plants. Another is graziers have been forced by dry weather to feed hay earlier in the fall and later in spring than usual. This high demand for hay coupled with slow growth due to drought meant that a lot of acres that normally could produce a significant clover bloom simply never got to the blooming stage. I have spoken to quite a few other beekeepers who did not get as much from goldenrod or ironweed blooms in the fall as they usually get. Hopefully, this year we will get the moisture, the flying weather, and the bloom we need to make a good crop of clover and summer/fall honey. Personally, I think that darker honey tastes better anyway.

Honey Hills findings

Worked bees all day last Friday and most of saturday. not in bad condition, but way behind normal. They have used at least twice what I have had to feed in past years. Decent brood patterns all things considered, but very little drone brood at this point. Mites were active in only one hive, so I feel good about that discounting fact of very little drone brood. Found 2 more starved in last 5 weeks with honey 2 frames away. Sudden March and February shifts created the perfect storm for border line hives.

Observations from the Mabrey Apiary

April 8, 2010 Earlier I said that the plants seemed to be about two weeks or so behind in their blooming schedule.
That's no longer apparently true.

In most years, trees and other plants usually seem to bloom in an orderly sequence. This year, they appeared to be starting on this sequence about two weeks later than in previous years. Now the situation has changed again. The plants, and most trees in particular, are blooming right now, all at pretty much the same time. For my bees, this has caused a pretty good nectar flow already.

Most of my colonies have at least one super on, and some are getting close to needing another. Now is not the time to crowd the bees, unless you want to watch swarms leaving. Remember the queen needs plenty of room for the brood nest (Her laying activity is going wide open throttle right now.), and the bees still need cells for nectar processing and honey/pollen storage.

Most colonies should be ready to draw comb on new foundation now. It never hurts to have extra frames of drawn comb around. A frame or two of capped honey in the freezer is also nice to have if you need it later.

If you are planning to make or sell nucs or splits, be sure you will have queens available for them. A lot of the package bee/queen producers in the south are sold out for this spring
already. If you have not ordered your queens or packages yet, you'd better do it today. If there are bees available, finding them is likely to be tough. Expect to do a lot of dialing and holding. Local Kentucky queens will not usually be available until the middle part of May. You might have some luck by watching the website posts on KSBA web page (Look in the "Links" section on the left side of the page.).

I hope you are all doing well and having fun with your beeyards.

What a difference a change in weather can make. Maples, Elms, Junipers, Dandelions and Henbit are all starting to bloom and provide nectar and pollen. It was good to see my bees coming in with full loads of pollen. It was also good to get into the hives while the weather was warm.

I have not lost any colonies, but I discovered three that are apparently queenless. Since they all were fairly strong (5 or more frames of bees) and had stores, I decided to give them two or three frames of open brood with eggs and nurse bees to let them raise their own queens by emergency supercedure. Of course, the queens they raise will be open mated to whatever drones are available if the weather permits, so this is not a "sure thing." It may keep them going until I can get replacement queens at the end of April or so. If they did not have any stores available, or if they were too weak or depopulated to have a reasonable chance with help, I would have used the newspaper method to merge them with a stronger colony, which could then be split out when queens are available. If they do not raise queens, I may wind up combining them anyway.

The whole key to the emergency supercedure method at this time of year is having one or more strong (big brood nest and lots of bees, like 10+ frames of bees) colonies to source open brood from. It really does not do much good to turn a building, but not yet strong, colony into a weak colony to save another weak colony.

Also, beware laying workers who will leave eggs that hatch, if they hatch, only into drones, and they can produce enough queen pheromones to make the other worker bees feel queen right when they are not. That could cause a new queen to be killed by balling.

Hopefully, no one needs to be reminded of these methods, but they're here if you need them.