I didn't make it to the morning session of the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association summer convention on Saturday, but I did make the afternoon session with Dr. Dennis vonEnglesdorp. It seems every time I attend one of these sessions I have to unlearn something. This time it was comb, and that collected data shows that bees have a higher survival rate on 5 year old comb. Changing comb after 3 years is not a good practice anymore, according to the data.
He did say that the higher mortality rate associated with newer comb could be due to less experienced beekeepers having newer comb (new beekeepers), but there's thought now that older comb contains more propolis and perhaps fungi, and other things, that are beneficial. He, and his researchers, are starting to look at comb as a living thing with a beneficial relationship to bees. And his recommendation for dead-outs? Put the comb on a colony (a split, package, whatever) right away. If you don't have an immediate use for it, freeze it until you do. I missed his talk on Varroa, but he reiterated some of the major points from his morning session. He mentioned about how Varroa attach themselves to the underside of the bees (the left side, specifically) and feed on the bees' "fat bodies". The fat body is an organ, and plays an important role in fighting disease and sustaining the "Fat Bees" through winter. His recommendation: treat at least 3, better 4, times per year, and alternate treatments. He suggested Apivar in early spring before the honey flow, formic acid later in the summer to mid August, a thymol based product after the supers are off and the honey season is over, and an oxalic acid treatment in late fall/early winter. Pretty much what our State Apiary Inspector, Dan Ziehli, said when he spoke at our early spring meeting. I wrote a bit about Fat Bees last year, and once again, these are the bees that will make it through winter, or not. It's imperative that they're healthy and well fed from egg stage on in order to have a chance. The Fat Bees will develop in September in our region, and the bees that raise them need to be disease free so as to not pass viruses on to the developing Fat Bees through royal jelly. The Fat Bees will need tons of protein to develop the fat bodies that will nourish them in the winter cluster, and help them to fight disease. These fat bodies are also essential for the bees to have protein to feed developing larvae through the winter and in early spring. In order to help them out, we, the beekeepers, need to treat our colonies to bring down the mite load to reduce the risk of transmission of viruses by mid-August. This will help the bees, that will be nurse bees for the Fat Bees, to have fewer viruses. Then, when the flowers are dwindling as winter approaches, we can offer the Fat Bees pollen patties or other forms of protein. In September, after the honey supers are off, a thymol treatment will help to bring down the mite level again. And in late October/early November an oxalic treatment should knock down any mites that have gotten into our hives from other colonies absconding (CCD) and taking up residence in our hives. (Beekeepers that are not going to treat their colonies for mites can help prevent this by pouring soapy water over their bees when the supers are off. A dead bee can't relocate.) So even though the honey supers aren't off yet and the bees are still making honey, we must look ahead and prepare for the next step. Decide on a management strategy and get the supplies you'll be needing. If you have just a few colonies that will be going into winter, buddy up with another beekeeper to share the cost of supplies to buy in larger, usually cheaper, quantities. Helping bees to stay alive in their current environment takes time and money, but if they survive the winter, that's money in your pocket with a colony that will build up faster, and be more productive, than yet another package. At our August 21 meeting (this coming Saturday) we'll talk about harvesting honey and fall Varroa treatments. We will also be discussing our Green Lake County Fair booth and signing up for time slots to represent the ECWBA during the Fair's run August 2 - 5. And if there's any interest in holding an Event of some sort on National Honey Bee Day, August 18, bring your ideas up at the meeting. August 18 is our scheduled meeting day for August, but perhaps a presence at some venue in the area would be nice. July 21 meeting: Caestecker Library, Green Lake, 9:30 a.m. That's all I've got for now. See you Saturday. Gerard
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ECWBA NewsletterSince 2009 Archives
March 2019
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