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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The measurements for oxalic acid syrup are 35 grams per liter. For us non-scientists, the equivalent is 3 Tablespoons per quart. That's quite a lot of syrup, so I mix 4 1/2 teaspoons with a pint of syrup. Mix with 1:1 syrup that's less than 85 degrees F. Shake well to dissolve the crystals. The oxalic acid breaks down quickly so discard any left over. Use 99% pure, or better, OA crystals. Savogran brand 'wood bleach' is one, and is available at True Value.
The OA syrup can be used as a spray or dribble. Either way, do not soak the bees, and make sure they're in at least a 60F environment. I sprayed my package bees when clustered, then shook them down to spray inside the cluster. If you do this method, wait two hours after a syrup spray feeding to treat, so their stomachs are full with plain syrup. Gerard Springter. That’s what Joe Walsh called it when Eric Brown and I picked up the ECWBA package bees at his home on Saturday. Saturday was leaning toward spring, and then it turned back to winter. And it looks like it’s going to be like that for awhile.
When Joe called to say the bees were in, he mentioned that they were Buckfast bees and that there were extras. I immediately said, “Put me down for two”. I already had my plan in place for spring and had ordered (6) packages from two suppliers (3 each), and (3) queens from a mutt queen breeder in Vermont for mid-May delivery. Along with (hopefully) splitting my three survivor colonies and capturing a swarm or two, I was set. But Joe had said “Buckfast”. I had wanted Buckfast bees since reading about Brother Adam’s development of the strain at Buckfast Abbey, but none of the Buckfast sellers I found shipped bees, and Georgia and California were just a bit farther than I wanted to drive. And here they were. It was a no-brainer for me, and I could justify and rationalize yet another purchase very easily. Since we were going back into the winter part of Springter on Sunday, Pam took the two ECWBA packages, along with her package, into her basement until the weather warmed a bit. She knew the bees would need more syrup and refilled the feeder cans with a syringe (you’ll have to ask her about that). To do that the can must be removed from the package. And when the can is removed, bees fly out. I guess it wasn’t many, and Pam seems to like to have them around, but I prefer them in the cage or outside. Just one of my quirks. I opted for the spray method of feeding. I kept the packages in an unfinished room which is about 60 degrees. I sprayed the bees lightly and sprayed the screening at an angle until it ran down, three times a day. When you do this, you don’t want to soak the bees, but you do want to get them wet, so that they lick the syrup off each other. About an hour after they had their breakfast on Sunday morning, I sprayed them with syrup containing oxalic acid (16 grams to a pint of syrup). I shook the package down to bust up the cluster and sprayed them well. They have had their first mite treatment. Monday evening my packages went into nucs, and Wednesday Pam put the bees in the ECWBA hives at the Rushford Meadery and Winery. (I must find out where that sign is before the weather is warm enough for them to start flying.) Sunday three more of my packages are scheduled to arrive at Honey Bee Ware, and by the looks of the forecast, I’ll be repeating the procedure. From the way it looks so far, Tuesday will be the earliest I’ll hive them. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you on Sunday in Greenville. April 21 is our next meeting, and once again it’s to talk about a variety of beekeeping concerns, techniques, tools, and whatever. Fred has offered to talk a bit about bee diseases and pests, and what we can, and should, be doing about them. Jack has offered to bring a lure hive (aka: bait hive) and will talk about capturing swarms. I’ll bring tools along, and whatever else that I think might of interest. Everyone should feel at ease about asking any questions, and we as a group will share lots of opinions. Ask 3 beekeepers the same question, get 4 answers. Laurie will talk about Walleye Weekend and I believe she’s ready to sign up volunteers to be in our booth. Bee a part of it. Non-beekeepers are loaded with questions and misinformation. Part of our mission is to educate, and anyone that’s held a hive tool or lit a smoker has something to share. We also need to get with Paul and see what resources (cash, people, stuff that’s laying around) he could use for our backdrop. June will be here soon, and we will be involved in Events. Laurie has asked if anyone knows of a bee venom therapist that would be willing to give a talk about the art and science of bee venom therapy (BVT). I have read of Charles Mraz, a beekeeper who started the therapeutic treatment of arthritis with beestings in the 1930’s, after discovering that bee stings helped his arthritic knees quite by accident. This has developed into treating other diseases as well, including MS. Laurie has brochures on ECWBA apparel and is taking orders. New colors, new stuff. I’m very much looking forward to the meeting, especially after having missed the last one.. April 21 at the Caestecker Library in Green Lake at 9:30 a.m. It's a new season, and it has started.Gerard All,
Joe Walsh is helping Tim Wilbanks with bees this weekend, and he informed me that someone backed out of a large order and Tim has (100) 3 lb. packages of Buckfast bees available. $126.00/package. If you would like to purchase some packages you can call Joe at 262-894-1652. Tim has the bees in the Sullivan area and Joe will be taking bees to his home in Watertown. Pam and/or I will be meeting Joe this weekend to pick up the club bees (and some for ourselves now), so we can transport bees to the 8-miles-north-of-Berlin area. So basically there's three pickup points possible, but the decision has to be made today. If you want to hook-up with Joe, or Pam or I, let us know what we're to pick up for you. Work with Joe on financing. On the subject of club bees. Tim is giving the club one package, and we will be purchasing a second package. The club approved $115.00 for this purchase so the balance can be my donation. Pam and I will set up two ECWBA hives at the Rushford Meadery and Winery, and any honey realized will be sold at the Meadery with proceeds going into the ECWBA coffers. Additionally, I will be purchasing two screened bottom boards for the hives at $37.50 each which I'm willing to donate (it's all about the bees), and supplying 10 frames with foundation from my stock to get started. Pam has 10 frames ready to go from the college supplies. This is all happening fast, but that's the way it usually seems to go. Surprise! They're here! And it's cold. Another adventure begins. Gerard As stated in the last newsletter, our April 21 meeting will be dedicated to beginner beekeepers so that they may become familiar with tools, terms, devices, diseases, how-to’s, and whatever is on anyone’s mind.
So what’s a beginner beekeeper? It should be all of us. There’s a Zen saying, “In the Beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the Master’s mind there are but a few”. Keeping an open mind, listening, sharing, that’s how we learn from each other how to become better beekeepers. Some of us will have our package bees before the meeting, and here’s a heads up. I personally know of only one package colony from last spring that’s alive today. It’s the only survivor out of 37 that I can readily call to mind. And it’s not mine. It’s member Deidre’s. We’re trying to figure out how that happened. (I know, Deidre, a clear mind and a loving spirit. I’ll work on that!) For those that haven’t done so yet, I highly recommend that you read Fred’s March 31st Report on our blog. http://ourbeeblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/march-31st-report-by-beekeeper-fred.html I believe Fred has historically had over 80% winter survival (with a lot of colonies), but not so this past winter. My winter losses are a woefully depressing 75%! Members have reported 100% losses. What’s going on? That’s what we’d all like to know, and how to turn this around, and that’s why we meet. There are those of us constantly reading and studying the plight of the honey bee and sharing what we find with the ECWBA membership. For one, Fred, is constantly posting current research on our blog, as well as working on genetics by bringing in mite resistant queen stock from a variety of races and sources. Fred freely shares his discoveries with us. May one day soon he have the perfect northern bred mutt queen! For those of you that don’t know, or are taking it lightly, Varroa Destructor is the #1 enemy of honeybees at this point in time. Not only do they weaken the bees by feeding on their proteins, they also transmit many viral and bacterial diseases. We talked a lot about mites last year, but apparently some of us didn’t do enough. For myself, that has to end. I would like to retire from my day job soon, but my addictive hobby is keeping me broke by replacing bees. Back to package bees. They will have mites. A recent sampling of (1200) 3 lb. packages showed mite levels varying from 0.4% to 2.0% (mites to bee ratio). NONE were zero. The best time to treat bees for mites is when there is no brood being raised, and this is one of those times. There are a number of treatments that come in strip form that work well (Apistan, Api Life Var, Hopguard), and there’s oxalic acid (dribble, drench, vapor). By knocking down the mite level now there will be fewer mites to breed once your queens start laying. If the packages arrive on April 7, as one supplier has said, it’s going to be chilly. You can keep the package bees indoors in a heated environment for a few days, spraying them with 1:1 syrup several times/day (one dose might contain oxalic acid), or you can put them in a hive and hope for the best. An alternative to hoping for the best is to put the package bees in a nuc so there’s less room that they have to keep warm, or put 4 or 5 frames in the center of a hive body and insulate from the outsides of the frames to the box wall with Styrofoam blocks, newspaper, towels, whatever you can get that will remove easily and cleanly. Remove any insulating materials when the temps get to the 50’s consistently and replace the frames. Might only be a few days. Feeding will be another challenge. Bees won’t take syrup that’s under 50 degrees F and they can’t warm syrup in a top feeder, or anything else. I might try a baggie feeder on the top bars with the winter cover over that, and if they don’t go for it, I’ll either give them a sugar disc or dry sugar on newspaper (Mountain Camp method). Make sure they’re getting something until it’s warm enough for syrup. Don't spray, dribble or drench when it's below 45 degrees out. In the past I have fed the bees 1:1 syrup with homemade Honey Bee Healthy and a protein patty. Every year there have been bees in the bird feeders and the chicken coop picking up grain dust for protein even though there was a pollen substitute patty on the top bars. So this year I decided to try a dry bee feed supplement to help them along. I decided on Ultra Bee, although there are others to choose from (MegaBee and Bee Pro are two). The Ultra Bee arrived in time to put some in a pan the last two warm days that we had, and the bees were in it. There were some in the bird feeders and coop as well, but not many. An open pan didn’t look like the best thing to use, although the chickens did stay out of it, so I browsed the 'net and found an alternative to the $140.00 feeder at Mann Lake. It’s Gatorade bottles that were in the recycling bag. Any plastic bottle will work. Cut out the bottom leaving a lip around it to hold the dry feed in. Drill a hole through the cap large enough to push a nail through (I used 8 penny common nails), nail the cap to a tree upwind of the apiary, screw in the bottle, and put in some dry feed on a day that the bees are flying (around mid-40’s and not raining). I'm sure there are other ways of providing dry food and supplements, if you choose to use them, but know this: A 10 lb container of Ultra Bee is A LOT of feed. Good thing it's got a long expiration time. Next meeting: April 21 at the Caestecker Library in Green Lake at 9:30 a.m. May we all have a rewarding 2018 bee season! Gerard |
ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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