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Summer Management

Summer Management. Ellen Miller 2014. Summer Management…. When to start summer management What to look for in your hive Strengthening the colonies Monitoring the colonies – what you should see When to add supers Swarming.

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Summer Management

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  1. Summer Management Ellen Miller 2014

  2. Summer Management… • When to start summer management • What to look for in your hive • Strengthening the colonies • Monitoring the colonies – what you should see • When to add supers • Swarming

  3. Preparing for Summer Starts in the SpringWhat to Look for in Your Hive: • Workers bringing in pollen • To and from flying – busy bees • Pulling out foundation • Laying eggs • Enough feed • Mild mannered unless disturbed • Pattern of brood laying and stores • Queen cells • Clustering on outside of hive • Enough space • Robbing • Diseases

  4. What to Look for … • Bringing in pollen

  5. What to Look for… • Busy bees – to and from flying

  6. Inspecting your Hive (Inside) Smoker: A smoker is used to encourage the bees to stay in the hive, fill up on nectar, and focus more on what they might need to do to protect the colony from fire instead of what you are doing to them. • Used mostly in the summer when they are more apt to defend their honey supply • Only a few puffs of smoke are needed • Apply to entrance and lift top for a couple more puffs • Use only safe fuel such as organic material: burlap that hasn’t been treated with chemicals, pine cones/needles, etc.

  7. What to Look for in Your Hive… Pulling out foundation

  8. What to Look for in Your Hive… Mild mannered

  9. What to Look for in Your Hive… • Pattern of brood • Eggs laid • Correct position

  10. What to Look for in Your Hive… Enough food

  11. What to Look for in Your Hive Enough space

  12. What to Look for in Your Hive … Queen cells

  13. What to Look for… Clustering around the entrance

  14. What to Look for… • Robbing: Signs • A weak hive suddenly gets very active • Bees fighting on the landing board/entrance • Pieces of wax on the landing board • Sound more aggressive than normal hive • Restrict entrance

  15. What to Look for… • Robbing: Deterrents • Combine weak hives • Monitor honey flow conditions • Italian bees • Restrict entrance • Close hive (providing feed, water, pollen)

  16. What to Look for in Your Hive… • Diseases: Will be covered in later session

  17. Combining Hives • Weak Hives – 6 frames or less covered with bees at the end of June • Strong Hives – 10 frames or more

  18. Honey Flow What is blooming: Depends on the location of your hive and weather. Honey bees will fly up to 5 miles if necessary, but they prefer 2-3 miles. • The further they need to fly, the more energy they need to consume • Proximity to nectar producing plants throughout the growing season is important for the hobbyist beekeeper -- Access to nectar from April through September

  19. Honey Flow… The Honey Flow: The period when most nectar producing plants are in bloom. In our area that is usually the middle of June. • Attempt to have 50,000 bees. • This is when most of the nectar is produced. The rest of the blooming season will normally only provide feed to maintain the hive.

  20. Adding Supers: Guidelines • When your hive has two hive bodies • When the second hive body is approx. 3/4 full • When honey flow has started • Remove supplemental feed • Add additional super when other is 2/3 capped Hives in various stages of strength at Honey flow

  21. Swarming Swarms: A natural means of increasing the number of honey bee colonies. When the hive is healthy and strong, the workers will decide if the colony is strong enough to split. Occurs usually in late May or June. • Workers will make queen cells to raise a new queen for the hive. • The original queen will go with the swarm • She isn’t fed as much so she will be slim enough to fly with the swarm • Approximately half of the workers (especially the field bees) will go with the swarm • Most of the nurse bees will stay with the hive to care for the brood

  22. Swarming… • The swarm will land somewhere near their hive. • Scout bees will look for a new home which may take a few hours to over a day. • Once the location is determined, the swarm will go directly to their new home.

  23. Swarming… Do you want your bees to swarm? • Gives you another hive if you can catch the swarm • Indicates that you have a healthy hive and a good queen • Reduces the amount of honey you will get Reducing inclination for swarming: • Remove swarming queen cells • Monitor to ensure there is no overcrowding in the hive, making sure to add additional space as needed Regardless of what you do, it may happen anyway: • Watch for signs: production of queen cells, overcrowding, massing on outside of the hive • Be ready to catch the swarm; call “swarm catchers”

  24. Swarming… Catching a swarm: • Locating and accessing • Shaking into a hive body • Getting the last bit (ensure you have the queen) • Waiting to see if they go into the box • Watching them trooping in - success

  25. Swarming… Options: Catching swarms can be easy or not so easy. If you can’t catch the swarm, aren’t ready to catch the swarm, or are uncomfortable trying: • Bait hives – An empty temporary hive can be used • Placement: Easily monitored for activity • Volume: .49 cubic feet • Height: 15 ft. off the ground • Entrance: single 1” hole • Orientation: south • Swarm catchers – Local bee associations have members who are willing to catch swarms.

  26. Summer Management: Summary What to look for: • Weak/Strong • Build-up for honey flow • Swarms • Robbing

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