Thanks to Fred for his talk about Varroa and Varroa control methods, and thanks to Jack for his talk on bait traps (aka: swarm lures) at our meeting on April 21st. That was good information for those that are new to beekeeping, and a refresher for those of us that don’t remember so well. Whether capturing swarms in a swarm lure box or capturing a swarm hanging from a branch, honey bees looking for a home have their stomachs full of honey and are ready to go to work building new comb. The swarms that issue forth in May and June are from survivor colonies and have what beekeepers want in their apiary. Survivor genetics. (Package honey bees and nucs rarely swarm in their first year unless the beekeeper hasn’t been paying attention and hasn’t increased the hive size to keep ahead of the population growth. A major trigger for swarming is that there’s nowhere for the queen to lay eggs and they’ve outgrown their home. The hive will also become outgrown if the hive is backfilled with honey. We’ll talk about that, and hive reversals, at our May meeting.) Capturing a swarm in a swarm lure or capturing a swarm that’s hanging within reach from the ground is always a thrill, and who doesn’t like free honey bees? But attempting to capture a swarm that requires a ladder is dangerous and should only be attempted with a partner to steady the ladder. A swarm isn’t worth risking injury. For those that haven’t heard it, here’s an old-time beekeeper’s saying: “A swarm in May is worth a load of hay, a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon, but a swarm in July ain’t worth a fly.” Swarms captured and hived in May and June have a very good chance to reach the colony strength required to survive a Wisconsin winter, given that floral conditions are good. Early to mid-July we experience a slow down in floral expression (called a dearth) so the colonies can’t grow as fast or as large as when there is a lot of blossoms. For those of us with survivor colonies we need to keep an eye on their growth during May and June or our (my) honey bees may end up in your swarm lure. When the colonies have built up enough strength to start another colony they will get ready to split and send forth a swarm. An indicator of this is queen cells along the bottom of frames. Now is choice time. Do we let them fulfill their natural cycle, or do we split the colony and start a new hive (called an artificial swarm)? There are arguments for letting them swarm and hoping to recapture them in a swarm lure, and arguments for splitting the colony before they swarm to lower the risk of losing them. Beekeeper’s choice. We will talk about splits at our May meeting as well. Varroa, Varroa, Varroa. Another year, same menace. In less than 30 years from their initial detection in Florida, they managed to occupy every hive in North America and caused catastrophic losses of feral honey bees. I'm pretty sure Varroa will always be with our honey bees from now on. The hope is that over time the honey bees will find a balance with Varroa as the Russian honey bees have in the Primorsky Region of Russia. The Russian honey bees had at least 150 years of adaptation before we in North America became aware of Varroa’s presence in the U.S. in 1987. Couple the damage Varroa inflicts along with the honey bees’ weakened immune systems due to pesticides which became very popular in the U.S. starting in the 1960’s, add in less and lower quality forage, and it’s a pretty bleak picture. So why bother? For me, it’s about keeping them alive, so they can adapt (and I can get honey and beeswax). A dead honey bee can’t produce offspring with traits that will increase survivability. A live honey bee might. So I’m searching for and trying different methods to keep them going. Treating for Varroa is one of those ways. Increasing colonies from survivor colonies is another. Fred has posted many articles on what other beekeepers are doing that appears to be increasing their overwintering ability. Maybe I’ll try shrinking colony size going into winter this year? But for those that would prefer to put a package in a hive and not really get much more involved, please follow Jack’s suggestion of pouring soapy water over them in August. To not treat for mites is pretty much ensuring the death of the colony, and two things can happen. The colony can dwindle until January or February and then freeze to death, or it can abscond due to a heavy Varroa load and throw Varroa bombs into every colony in their range. Neither is desirable from my perspective. We will also discuss some of the other, less lethal, pests and diseases that our honey bees may encounter throughout the summer at our May meeting. Sac brood, Chalk brood, Deformed Wing Virus, Wax moths. We will try to have a Power Point type presentation, so members can be familiar with the visual symptoms. Hive Reversals, Splits, common pests and diseases. Quite a lot already, and we haven’t even gotten to Events and Apparel. It will be a full meeting. But no matter what, there will be time for questions. Comments: 1) It was asked how to install a nuc into a hive body. Whether it’s a 4-frame or a 5-frame nuc, simply put the frames into the hive body in the same order and the same direction as they were in the nuc, in the center of the hive body. Make sure beforehand to know whether you’re getting a “deep” or a “medium” (aka: Illinois) nuc and put the frames in the same depth hive body. After your frames are centered in the box, fill in the sides with frames of foundation, drawn frames, or whatever you will use as starter frames. 2) There was a bit of discussion on the use of plastic frames. Some members have found that the honey bees don’t readily accept them and have discontinued using them. Mark and Patti said they melt beeswax and brush it on the frames with a paint brush and their honey bees do fine. (A good example of members sharing their experience.) 3) A member asked how to prepare a dead-out for a new package. The consensus of what most members offered was to brush the dead bees off the frames and they’re ready for reuse. The honey bees will take care of the rest of the cleanup. Some beekeepers scorch the insides of the boxes to kill bacteria, and Greg offered the technique of scratching the insides of the boxes with the heads of nails driven through a board. The rough surface encourages the honey bees to spread anti-bacterial propolis over the surface, much as they do in tree hollows. (Another good share.) Note that Walleye Weekend is one of our annual Events, and we need volunteers to be present in our booth throughout the Event. I have attached a schedule with time slots blocked out that members need to commit to being there, although you’re welcome to be present any time that you can be if you can’t commit to a slotted time. Laurie will talk more about this at our May meeting when we must get this together. I have attached Patti’s Minutes from our April 21 meeting. Our May 19 meeting will be held at the Caestecker Library in Green Lake at 9:30 a.m. Due to the growing membership and attendance at meetings, Linda DeNell, Library Director, has agreed that we can meet in the Big Room. Thank-you Linda! Note that our meeting in June is the fourth Saturday, June 23, and will be held at the Rushford Meadery and Winery west of Omro. This is an opportunity for everyone to see the extractor and club bees, meet Shane and Laurel, and sample locally produced mead and wine. The Hwy 21 bridge in Omro will be closed then, so I will send directions as we get closer to the date. Welcome to returning members: Buzz Vahradian and Gregory Peyer And welcome to our new mwmbers: Margie Roti Roti, Steve Gibson and Rhiannon Diederichs Until next time…… Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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