I don't recall the temperature above 90° F in May, ever. Today it was 93° F here. When it gets that warm I appreciate air conditioning, and so do the bees. Honey bees developed the "swamp cooler" technique long before man walked the earth, and they need water to regulate the hive temperature. They unload it into cells and fan their wings to cause a cooling effect. Water is vital. I don't think about it much because there's about a 1/4 acre pond on the property, but I saw a honey bee gathering water from the outside cats water bowl this afternoon. It was walking down the inside and didn't fall in, but if she had she would most likely have drowned. I grabbed a handful of grass and leaves and tossed them in the bowl so she could get back out if she did fall in. She didn't. These temperatures are going to be around for awhile so make sure their is a water source nearby your hives. My neighbors used to have an above ground swimming pool and the bees liked to gather there. The neighbors didn't mind because they appreciate honey bees, but your neighbors might not. If there isn't a source of water near the hives, they will go where they have to to gather it. A shallow pan with stones or sticks for them to land on will work. I checked my colonies today to see how they're doing, with the original intent of treating all of them with FormicPro. Nope, too hot. I'm hoping by Wednesday we're within the 50 - 85° F daytime temperature so I can get on with it. But check them I did, and I was grateful for my vented jacket. It was still hot, but when I pause a moment and feel the air coming through the sleeves, it makes me feel a whole cooler. Good news! The walk-away split was successful and the home grown queen is laying. I had spotted her the past two weeks walking around, but no eggs or larvae. Today the colony is queenright. So 27 days from the split to a queenright colony. Not bad. The mother colony was still very strong so today I did a partial split to decrease the population a bit (I don't want them thinking about swarming again). I took two frames of honey/pollen and bee bread, and two frames of eggs, larvae and brood. and put them in a 5-frame nuc along with one frame of foundation. (I replaced those frames with two drawn combs and two foundation frames.) Hopefully, in 27 days, or so, there will be another colony on the way and ready for eight frame boxes. My package bees are doing well and all except one colony has the second deep in place. That one colony has a bad case of chalkbrood and they aren't getting over it. (I had another colony with chalkbrood but they did get over it.) So now it's time to requeen. I'm a little surprised that the colony hasn't superseded her, but maybe they can't. Some of the new bees are making it fine so I think they could, but then, I'm not a bee. I wish I knew when my Vermont survivor mutts will be coming. So, enough about me and on to us and our upcoming Events, with Walleye Weekend at the forefront. I was very impressed that one of our newest members was the first to contact me about signing up for a time slot. This member had been to two meetings and had just gotten her first bees a week before signing up. She had read about bees and beekeeping, she had taken a class, and she got her bees into two eight frame deeps. And she's ready to share with the world. Great stuff! I am attaching the Walleye Weekend signup sheet, and there are lots of possibilities for all of us. It would be great if everyone would contact Laurie or Patti to commit to a time, but everyone is welcome to show up at any time to share the world of bees and beekeeping with those who would like to know. There is a designated free parking area for members coming to the tent, so ask Laurie about that. This is the 40th anniversary of Walleye Weekend, so spend a little time in the booth and then go out and enjoy the party. Or vice versa. Laurie: [email protected] Patti: [email protected] Also attached is the Walleye Weekend Knowledge Quest Questions. "The two questions in red are the questions for the knowledge quest. Others are just history and bee related questions, just for fun." ~ Laurie I have attached the Minutes of the May 19 meeting, and Patti has a number of honey bee related Events and Important Dates recorded. We will be meeting next on June 23 at the Rushford Meadery and Winery at 9:30 a.m., and we can discuss if we want to celebrate any of the Honey Bee Events listed, like National Honey Bee Day on August 18. I will be sending a reminder about the meeting nearer to the date, with directions using Hwy 21 as the base. The bridge in Omro is not closing until July, so we shouldn't have difficulties with that. Water your bees. Sort of. Gerard
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Spring is finally arriving and there's a few dandelions open around my place. My neighbor's flowering crab is in full bloom, and I noticed the dogwoods are starting to bloom. The blossoms on my redbud and pear trees should be open in about 3 days. And the barn swallows that return every year arrived at 6:30 this morning. All is well when the swallows arrive. Most of my bees have been building slowly, probably due to lack of pollen, but I had to split one of my survivor colonies two weeks ago as it was getting ready to swarm. It was my first check of the season and there were 8 or 9 capped swarm cells, and half a dozen supercedure cells with larvae. I thought it was strange that they'd be thinking about swarming with such scarce resources, but what do I know? I didn't want to lose them so I did a walk-away split, and this weekend I'll check to see if both are queenright. If not, I'll give them a frame of brood to inhibit workers from laying, and they can make a queen. I want to remind everyone about Walleye Weekend, June 8 - 10. I have attached the sign-up sheet that shows the time blocks, and we need to fill this in by, or at, our April 19 meeting. I'm sure Laurie will be there with an official sign-up sheet, and we'll get this together. I encourage all members to sign up for a block (or two), and not to hold back because you feel that you don't know enough, or have enough experience. What can be a better learning time than hanging out with other beekeepers and sharing stories? Parking will be free. (If you can't make the meeting, please send an email to this address and we'll get you on the list.) I want to inform everyone that the upcoming Wisconsin Honey Producers Association Summer Meeting is July 14 at the Lions Hall, 145 Dearborn Street in Redgranite. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the Program begins at 9 a.m. Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp is the keynote speaker and he will be speaking on honeybee health. Google his name and you'll find that he is deeply involved in the things we want, and need, to know. You do not need to be a member of the WHPA to attend, but there is a $20.00 cover charge (member or not) and it includes a catered lunch. Just show up with a Jackson and you're in. No preregistration. I hope the 2018 season is kinder to us and our honeybees than the 2017 season was. It's starting out weird, but we can't control Mother Nature. Driving to work today I noticed that not one field has been plowed yet. We're not the only ones that are behind. Best wishes, and we'll talk about splits and hive reversals on May 19. Meeting is at the Caestecker Library (Big Room) in Green Lake, 9:30 a.m. Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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