Winter has arrived and most of my colonies are clustered in the deeps. The winter covers are on and I take a look every other week to see if the sugar needs replenishing and if frost has accumulated on the inside of the cover. Those quick looks take no more than 2-3 seconds. If there is frost, I switch the cover with a dry one, and that takes another 5–7 seconds.
In and out quickly, on a relatively warm (at least 30 degrees F), windless day is my method for winter visual hive inspections. More often I do listening inspections where I press my right ear against the side of the hive and listen to the bees. If it’s silent, I rap sharply on the side and listen for a whirr. If it’s still silent, I’ll try again in several days and then open it up if the silence persists. Dead silence. I hate when that happens. So far this winter my (12) hives and the (2) club hives are still buzzing. It’s very early though. January, February and March are when most die-outs occur and there’s not much we can do to prevent that at this point. We can keep sugar available on the top bars, and add protein patties when the bees reach the top. I used to put protein patties on the top bars early on, but they just sat there until the warmth of the cluster melted them and they drooled down the frames. Now I wait for the bees to get there. Last weekend three of the above mentioned hives had bees on top, eating sugar. One in my ‘G’ apiary, one in my ‘M’ apiary, and the yellow club hive at the Meadery. (The sugar discs are untouched in my (8) home hives.) So far the yellow club hive has gone through four 1-lb sugar discs and I added two more and a protein patty (on Fred’s suggestion) this past Monday. It appears that they will be going as long as they can on sugar, and I hope they can go until the maples and willows bloom in April. As requested earlier, anyone that can contribute some sugar bricks, blocks, discs, or whatever for the yellow hive, please bring them to our December 15 meeting. (Fred has already offered (4) blocks to help out.) It is believed that the majority of winter die-outs occur due to Varroa. Last winter was remarkably brutal for colony die-outs, and most of us took a hard line on Varroa treatments last season in an effort to prevent such devastating loses this winter. Fred has been working with Randy Oliver’s (Scientific Beekeeping) Varroa model to analyze the effects of several area beekeepers’ treatment schedules (mine included) to predict the Varroa levels our colonies will experience this winter. He will be giving us a presentation on this model, and how to use it, at our December meeting. Fred is working with Linda DeNell (Caestecker Library Director) to project the model on to the overhead screen so we can all follow the presentation. Now is the time to be considering if you will be purchasing bees for the upcoming season. I know it’s hard to decide now if you already have as many colonies as you want and they’re all alive, but if you plan to expand your operation you may want to get in on the “early bird” deals. Some suppliers offer discounts if you order early, and some offer quantity discounts. I believe Fred has already begun to look into some possible quantity purchases, and perhaps he will have information to share with us on the 15th. Below is a “poster” on (7) of the more common honey bee breeds and their traits. I purchased a 2 liter (67.6 oz.) bottle of Hive Alive on Cyber Monday and am offering it to members at $2.85/ounce for use in spring and fall feedings; first come, first served, until gone. The bottle is currently on back order but should be here in plenty of time for “Opening Day” at our March 16 meeting. For those that are interested, this supplement, once opened, is good for 6 months so it will be usable through September. 1 ounce = 6 teaspoons, and 2 teaspoons treats 1 gallon of syrup. (1 ounce will treat 3 gallons of syrup.) I purchased this mainly to share with those who will be doing small quantities of syrup and want to use Hive Alive. (Note: a 100ml (3.38 oz.) bottle = $8.41/oz.; a 500ml (16.90 oz.) bottle = $5.61/oz. Current prices from Mann Lake.) Thus far two members, besides myself, are on the list. I also purchased enough FormicPro for my needs on Cyber Monday, but it may be a good idea for members to get together for a “group buy” to save money. It is far more economical to purchase the 25 dose buckets and split them up than to purchase the 2 or 10 dose packs. But on another note, member Jack Rademacher has been looking into purchasing Formic Acid in bulk and home-making Varroa treatments. This is an interesting idea, originally developed in Canada, and some quick math showed that there’s savings to be had by using this method. Here’s a link sent by Jack with information on the technique: https://www.ontariobee.com/sites/ontariobee.com/files/document/250ml-pamphlet-op.pdf Our December 15 meeting will be a potluck, and everyone can bring something edible of their choice. Remember that alcohol is not allowed on the library premises, and it’s our duty to clean up afterwards. We need to discuss and/or plan if we are going to follow through on holding beekeeping classes or supporting others that are. Hopefully Jack R. will be present to bring us up-to-date on his findings. 2019 membership dues ($10/00) are now payable to Patti, either at a meeting or through PayPal or snail mail. ● Mail to Patti Ingram, 724 Congress St., Ripon, WI 54971 ● PayPal to Patti Ingram, 920-229-8959, include name and email in Note section One membership = 1 vote, and on January 19 we will be voting for the Offices of Vice-President (currently Mike Koeck) and Treasurer (currently George Weigel). Attached is a pdf from the Walworth County Beekeepers about a seminar that they will be hosting in East Troy on January 26th and 27th. This is open to anyone that’s interested, and there are 'early bird' savings. Reminder: Tim Wilbanks of Heritage Honeybees will be our January speaker, talking to us about the commercial side of raising queens, and making up packages and nucs. Stay warm....................Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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