Greetings~ I’m sure we’re all aware of the unseasonably warm weather we’re experiencing, some days have been 20 degrees above average, and we need to stay aware of what our bees are doing. For one thing, they’re consuming more honey than if it was cold and they were in cluster. It seems early to be putting on sugar (candy boards, sugar bricks, Mountain Camp method), but I will be putting on sugar disks as well as pollen patties this weekend. We need to make sure our bees have enough food available to carry them through a Wisconsin winter. For another thing, bees are bringing in pollen which typically indicates the presence of brood. And with the presence of brood there’s the presence of the bees' nemesis….Varroa. If you’ve been keeping up with Fred’s posts on our blog there is a link to an article concerning this. http://ourbeeblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/warm-weather.html This is bad news (when is it ever good?) because the more Varroa that is produced now will be exponentially worse come January/February. So even if you treated your hives in August it’s a good idea to do it again, now. On the up side of this warm spell, besides getting lots of outdoor projects done, this weather is great for siting hives if you’re planning to expand your apiary(ies). I set a couple of empty single deep hives on cinder blocks at an out-apiary so I don’t have to deal with trying to level them on frozen ground come April. I’ve done that and don’t need to do it again. Now I just need winter to pass and packages and nucs to arrive. Speaking of packages and nucs, now is a good time to order them because several bee suppliers are having early order sales. ECWBA does not endorse any suppliers, but we do share information. Fred posted information concerning a supplier in Sullivan, WI, on our blog, http://ourbeeblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/2017-package-info.html and Honey Bee Ware in Greenville is taking orders. If you know for sure that you’ll be purchasing bees for next season now is a good time to secure them and save a few bucks. As far as any other beekeeping supplies are concerned, most supply houses have Black Friday sales, and that’s just 3 weeks away. Check your list twice. Our next meeting is December 3, 9:30 a.m., at the Ripon Public Library, Silver Creek Room. This meeting will be a good opportunity to discuss topics and demonstrations that we'd like to explore at future meetings. Bring your ideas. If you have a hive craft that you practice, please bring along what you can to share your knowledge with other members. Winter is usually long and a good time to practice crafts. (Baking with honey is one of the things that I practice and I fully intend to bring baklava, a wonderful Greek desert.) Patti, Mark, Paul and I will talk about what we learned at the Brown County Beekeepers Association’s fall seminar concerning the importance of nucs and the overwintering of nucs. We should also discuss winter covers and hive ventilation at this meeting. If anyone has a cover design that works well to keep warmth in and moisture out, please bring it along. Also, I received a request from a member for information on selling and marketing honey and hive products. I shared the DATCP website URL for the legal aspects, but a discussion of how we sell and market our products on an individual basis would be helpful to all. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting and in the meantime I'll be getting my colonies as winter-ready as I can. No matter how pleasant the weather is now, winter will undoubtedly happen. Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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