Kick ’em when they’re down by The Apiarist

Tags

beekeeping, fall management, management, varroa, varroa destructor, varroa mites

Below is an excellent article by David the Apiarist on understanding the varroa mite population cycle as relates to management of Varroa mites. Understanding the pest is key to maximizing the impact of the treatement. I’ve chosen to crosspost it on this date to benefit my readers in the Midlands of South Carolina as we enter the period of time when the presence of brood is at it’s yearly low. References to the Eagles and Don Henley are entertaining as well.

Why bother treating colonies in midwinter to reduce Varroa infestation? After all, you probably treated them with Apiguard or Apivar (or possibly even Apistan) in late summer or early autumn.

Is there any need to treat again in midwinter?

Yes. To cut a long story short, there are basically two reasons why a midwinter mite treatment almost always makes sense:

1. Mites will be present. In addition, they’ll be present at a level higher than the minimum level achievable, particularly if you last treated your colonies in late summer, rather than early autumn.
2. The majority of mites will be phoretic, rather than hiding away in sealed brood. They’re therefore easy to target.

I’ll deal with these in reverse order …

Read the full article at: Kick ’em when they’re down — The Apiarist

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Today we celebrate

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping calendar

The other day I received an automated congratulations from WordPress.  It was the anniversary of this blog.  A little over a year ago this blog was created with the goal of capturing one complete year of beekeeping – trying to follow the seasons with corresponding articles, pictures, and posts – some original and many shared. My thanks to all of the contributors who allowed me to re-blog their articles along the way.

Where are we going from here? I’ll add more original blog posts and refine some of the current posts to be more informative to visitors. I’d like to add more very short snapshots of my daily interactions and beekeeping preparations. I’ll add more links within the posts for visitors to link to more information. I also hope to add more introductory comments to posts contributed by others. Posts from the past twelve months will be recycled into the current year to continue to provide an ongoing calendar-like diary of the beekeeping year with the improvements mentioned above.

Also in the plans I will be replacing Beekeeping Vocabulary on Sunday’s with Book of the Week. Our Saturday morning recipe post(s) will continue as it has become a favorite of many people and receives a good number of hits each week. Beekeeping Birthdays will also continue as I add more famous beekeepers. Those that wrote non-copyrighted books, pamphlets, and other written works will list links as I am able to find.

I hope you have enjoyed the ride this past year. I have, and in the process learned a great deal from you as well. Thanks!

Called Hive Inspection

Tags

beekeeping

Hive Assessment

Assessment: Called to look at a hive that had experienced a sudden (less than one week) drop in population and an increase in dead bees accompanied by “sawdust” like material.

Location: Swansea, SC Weather: Mid 60’s overcast. Light wind.

Hive is a 10 frame Langstroth, three hive bodies tall (two deeps, one medium).

By history, this is a new hive installed this season from a package (H&R). Hive has been doing well until a couple days ago. Owner inspected hive last week and reports “full boxes of bees”. Became concerned this weekend with increase in dead bees on ground in front of hive and “sawdust” like material in front.

On arrival I noticed an open feeder located a couple feet to the side of the hive. Noticing more bees coming and going at the feeder than the front entrance of the hive I watched and saw bees coming to the feeder and on departing going elsewhere . Owner reports neighbor has multiple bee hives.

The hive had little activity at the entrance reducer which was set on about a two bee width setting. No fighting.

Owner showed me “sawdust” like material. Appeared to be animal scat largely composed of bee parts.

Hive opened and no bees noted on opening. Top medium all frames filled with capped honey.

Middle box deep had a cluster of bees approximately 200. No queen observed. Three emergency queen cells observed but these were away from cluster but on same frames. Appeared queenless. Approximately 20 capped brood cells. No open brood noted.

Bottom deep partially filled with open nectar. Apparently cured as passed the “shake” test.

Screened bottom board had about 20-30 dead bees.

Sticky board was under the SBB. Had been in place for unknown period of time. Had notable number of mites, a few SHB, minimal wax particles.

While I generally discourage viewing individual bees as an assessment of Varroa load, I did observe the bees on the top of the small cluster. Approximately 25 bees were on the top bars of the middle box gathered together at top of cluster. I counted 4 or 5 mites on the top surface of the bees’ thoraxes and abdomens.

Removal of pupae from capped brood. No mites observed. Pupae had been dead several days and starting to dehydrate and decompose.

 

Analysis of Assessment:

Upon seeing bees other than the bees from the owner’s hive I initially suspected an abscond due to robbing pressure. However I ruled this out after seeing 1) no fighting or increased activity at the front entrance of the hive; 2) No torn cappings or wax on SBB; 3) hive stores intact.

The scat like droppings containing bee parts led me to suspect harassment from a raccoon or other small animal. However, it is my understanding that raccoons will scratch on the hive box or entrance at night to get bees to come out so they may eat them. However, I saw no scratches on the box or landing board. Additionally, I understand that raising the hive off the ground is a method of discouraging raccoons because it causes them to expose their undersides which the bees sting. This hive was raised further discounting the raccoon harassment leading to an abscond. The scat remains a mystery however, it is possible the scat was from another animal, perhaps a snake regularly eating dead or dying bees off the ground in front of the hive. I have lizards at my home yard that eat the dying bees on the ground and are a benefit to yard hygiene.

Owner reports increased yellow jacket activity. Not noted on inspection. We have had a couple recent freezes so that may account for lack of activity today. It is, however, noted as another pest pressure on this hive.

Varroa on bees. Counting 5 per 20 bees is a 25% Varroa load and well beyond economic threshold for treatment. It is generally considered that a functioning hive cannot withstand a mite population greater than 3000 total and is considered doomed. I suspect this hive had a mite load sufficient to cause death / absconding.

Plan:

Reconfigure hive

Remove capped honey

Safely store comb for next season

Provide educational tips

Implementation:

Box with small cluster placed on hive stand. Owner advised that they are hopelessly queenless and doomed. However, as the owner had no other hive to work with and she did not wish to shake them out on the ground. Owner advised to recover and save comb after the bees die.

The hive bodies containing capped honey were removed for processing.

Combs with extracted honey will be placed outside for neighbor’s bees to clean up for 24 hours prior to being stored. Owner instructed in proper comb storage options.

Restart hive(s) in spring with packages placed on drawn comb.

Tips:

Do not open feed in close proximity to hive. Feeding close introduces your hive to the neighbor’s hive and during times of dearth weaker hives are identified. I do not think this was an issue in this instance however it can lead to a “stressor” on the hive to defend its stores. Additionally, open feeding promotes viral disease transmission via contact with other, possibly infected, colonies.

Treat for Varroa earlier in the year. Given that we now know there are multiple hives located in close proximity to the owner’s bee yard, I recommend treatments at the close of the nectar flow, and again in early fall. An assessment of Varroa counts in the spring as well would be advised.

Perform the final “deep” inspection a bit earlier in the fall. Do final total inspection in early fall to ensure the queen is where you want her (lower boxes) and to assess stores prior to any fall feeding. After early fall inspection let them get their house in order. Remember, while we are trying to help the bees, we are not perceived by them as helping. To them, we are another pest in their hive.

A Beekeeper’s Book Review of More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World by casula mellita

Tags

apiculture, beekeeping, book review

Markus Imhoof outlines many of the problems facing beekeepers today in his book More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World, which Imhoof had originally produced as a documentary. His slant is strongly pro-bees and anti-pesticides and, in conjunction, anti-commercial agriculture. In particular, I found his interviews with a large almond farmer and with a migratory beekeeper fascinating both for their own awareness about the problems that their businesses engendered while still maintaining their capitalistic outlook.

Imhoof includes information that is of an introductory nature to a backyard beekeeper, e.g., the breakdown of the various responsibilities by which bees in the hive, before discussing in detail some of the research that is being conducted in laboratories on how bees behave. This chapter was filled with engaging experiments and tidbits. For example, I learned that a particular bee, dubbed Red-23, had observed another’s waggle dance for a food source but had decided to return to its own previous food source, which the researchers had removed. Rather than return to the hive or search for another nearby food source as had been expected, Red-23 flew off to the location described by the other bee in its waggle dance, which Red-23 had observed at the hive. Not only did the bee preserve the memory of the directions in the waggle dance, but Red-23 had sufficient locational memory to fly from its location to the described location without returning to the hive first. Wow!

Read full article here: A Beekeeper’s Book Review of More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World — casula mellita

Werewolves Not Vampires by The Prospect of Bees

Tags

entomology, varroa, varroa destructor, varroa mites

Oh, had we but seen this video a few days earlier, in time for Halloween! A three-minute thesis competition is a contest for PhD students in which they condense their thesis into a three minute presentation comprehensible to an intelligent audience lacking any background in the research area. Doctoral candidate Samuel Ramsey was the winner […]

Read the complete article at: Werewolves Not Vampires — The Prospect of Bees

Honey and ginger remedy by Honey Hunter

Tags

cough, flu, ginger, home remedy, honey, honey recipe, opinion, recipe

If you are feeling under the weather then look no further than honey and ginger. This combo is an autumnal flu fighter and life enhancer. Other ingredients that I take in abundance this time of the year are garlic and turmeric. However, my love of honey remains enduring. Honey is a favourite, winter, spring, summer or…

Read full article here: Honey and ginger remedy — Honey Hunter

Baked Honey Bacon Benedict, a Buzzworthy Delight during National Honey Month by From Behind the Pen

Tags

bacon, benedict, breakfast recipe, honey, honey recipe, recipe

September is National Honey Month and a perfect time to celebrate HONEY! What a fabulous time to promote honey as a natural and beneficial sweetener, bee culture, as well as the beekeeping industry.

Read full article and recipe here: Baked Honey Bacon Benedict, a Buzzworthy Delight during National Honey Month — From Behind the Pen

Comb Management Part 2: Comb size by Bee Informed Partnership

Tags

apiculture, beekeeping, drawn comb, management

Artificial foundation was developed shortly after the invention of the removable frames. The first foundation frame was invented by Johannes Mehring in Germany (Graham, 1992). But as more people began producing artificial foundation for Langstroth hives, beekeepers began experimenting with different sized cells.  Fast forward to today; we see both small cell and standard comb, but why is that? Well, that is the topic of part 2 of this 4-part blog series.

1. History of comb management- https://beeinformed.org/2017/09/14/comb-management-part-1/
2. Cell size: why so much variation between producers?
3. Management strategies of foundation
4. Benefits of replacing old comb

In part 1, I wrote about the history of comb management. In part 2, I decided to write about cell size. Cell size is a highly heated and debated topic that I, as a former commercial beekeeper, did not know of until recently. As a commercial beekeeper, we would buy foundation in bulk, which had a “standard” cell size (5.2mm to 5.4mm). I had zero concept of small versus standard cell size, and I became curious about why beekeepers would use small cell instead of standard cell. So I did what any eager millennial would do- I googled it. I found Michael Bush’s (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnaturalcell.htm)  and Randy Oliver’s post (http://scientificbeekeeping.com/trial-of-honeysupercell-small-cell-combs/) about small cell size (and I went down a few other rabbit holes), and I instantly became fascinated about small cell size. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In 1857, Johannes Mehring produced the first comb foundation (Graham, 1992). His goal was to provide bees with a template, which would encourage bees to build worker comb in the frames. From that day forward, artificial foundation became a part of beekeeping. However, beekeepers began to experiment with different cell sizes. In 1927, Baudoux hypothesized that larger cell sizes would produce larger bees, and based upon anecdotal evidence from his own colonies, he claimed larger bees produced higher yields of honey. Without scientific evidence, manufacturers in Belgium and France began to produce foundation with larger cells. These manufacturers asserted that bees raised in larger cells produced more honey and this concept took off (Grout, 1935). Those fallacies faded into history as cell size become standardized at 5.2mm-5.4mm.

Read full article with more detailed pictures here: Comb Management Part 2: Comb size — Bee Informed Partnership

Comb Management: Part 1 by Bee Informed Partnership

Tags

beekeeping, comb management, drawn comb, honeycomb, management

Comb management is an important aspect of beekeeping, but comb management has not always been a management strategy of beekeepers. Rather, comb management is a fairly new concept. Beekeepers started managing comb with the invention of the Langstroth hive in the 1850’s. Today, comb management is a common practice for beekeepers, and an aspect of beekeeping beekeepers must be cognizant of. Because of the importance of comb management, I am writing 4-part blog-series on the subject. The blog-series is split into 4 parts:

1. History of comb management
2. Management strategies of foundation
3. Cell size: why so much variation between producers?
4. Benefits of replacing old comb

(cont.)

Read full article with more detailed pictures here:  Comb Management: Part 1 — Bee Informed Partnership

Part Two will be posted tomorrow.

Honey and Keeping Bees in Slovenia by Tali Landsman

Tags

bee art, beekeeping, beekeeping history, painted bee hives, Slovenia

SassafrasBeeFarm: Beautiful pictures accompany this blog post titled: “Honey and Keeping Bees in Slovenia.” Take a few minutes out of your day to appreciate the painted beehives and craftsmanship found here by following the link below.

Honey and Keeping Bees in SloveniaWhen I first saw the traditional beehives that beekeepers in Slovenia use to house their bees, I was in awe.

In most places around the world, beehives are kept in wooden boxes, which open from the top.

In some places they paint the wooden boxes in bright colors, to attract the bees.

In Slovenia, a traditional beehive is built like a beautiful cabinet, with many drawers and with a roof, to keep it dry.

The bees create their colonies inside those cabinet drawers, and the fronts of the drawers are elaborately painted with either religious scenes, or scenes from daily life.

The beautiful naive paintings were usually done by professional or semi professional artists, but some also served as church painters, while others were entirely self-taught.

The paintings were done to identify the owners of the beehives, and to bless the production of honey.

View much more of this beautiful artwork here:  Honey and Keeping Bees in Slovenia — Tali Landsman

Beeswax Candles by the honeybeequeenblog

Tags

beekeeping, beeswax, candle making, products of the hive

This time of year beekeepers have a little more time available for things unrelated to tending the hives. One thing we do is render the excess wax obtained by scraping the various hive parts and the wax associated with extracting honey. Much of this has been saved over the past season, placed in buckets or otherwise stored until we have time to render it for our own use or for sale to others. The article below rings true to the efforts that are made to process this product of the hive and the work involved by both the bees and the beekeeper. Thanks to honeybeequeenblog for the pictures and article.

It’s been a long time since we’ve made any candles. I guess between the farm work, house work and school fun the fun stuff that I love has been pushed to the side. That plus the fact that we really needed a solar wax melter to render some more beeswax. He did get the […]

Read the entire article with lots of pictures here:  Beeswax Candles —

Getting Bees Ready for Winter by Chautauqua Apiary

Tags

apiculture, beekeeping, fall management, management

The bees are looking good going into winter, been feeding right along as I’m raising bees and growing my apiary. So I still have a lot of brood and the drones are just getting pushed out. So I still have a late oxalic acid vaporizing treatment for mite control to get done on a good day. I have my mice guards on(I like 4″openings), inner covers flipped(hole taped), rigid insulation over the inner covers(outer cover on top), and providing wind breaks at my windy yards. I don’t do any wrapping but I might try bubble insulation on some of my single deeps and nucs to see if it makes a difference.

Read full article here: Getting Bees Ready for Winter — Chautauqua Apiary

Beekeeping Vocabulary – “V” is for…

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping vocabulary, honey bee vocabulary, honey bees, varroa, varroa destructor, varroa mites

 

Image of Varroa Mite supplied by Kika De La Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center Weslaco, Texas, USA {{PD-USGov-USDA-ARS}

 

Today’s beekeeping vocabulary word is, “Varroa.”

From Wikipedia:

Varroa is a genus of parasitic mites associated with honey bees, placed in its own family, Varroidae.^[4] The genus was named for Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman scholar and beekeeper. The condition of a honeybee colony being infested with Varroa mites is called varroosis (also, incorrectly, varroatosis).

Varroa mites are recognised as the biggest pest to honeybees worldwide due to their ability to transmit diseases such as deformed wing virus to larval or pupating bees, resulting in death or severe deformity of the pupae.

Varroa mites feed off the bodily fluids of adult, pupal, and larval honey bees, and may carry viruses that are particularly damaging to the bees (e.g., deformed wings, and IAPV), and accordingly they have been implicated in colony collapse disorder. Research has indicated that alone, neither Varroa mites nor deformed wing virus are particularly deadly, yet together they can pose an incredible risk to colonies.^[5][6]

Varroa mites were first discovered in Java about 1904,^[7] but are now present in all honey bee populations except Australia, Isle of Man and northern parts of Norway. They were discovered in the United States in 1987, in New Zealand in 2000,^[8] and in the United Kingdom in 1992 (Devon).

Bee-breeding efforts to develop resistance against Varroa are ongoing. The USDA has developed a line of bees which uses Varroa-sensitive hygiene to remove reproductive mites. This line is now being distributed to beekeepers to be used as part of their integrated pest management programs.

Source and to read more: Wikipedia

Chicken with tomatoes and honey by My Mediterranean Recipes

Tags

almonds, ginger cinnamon, honey, honey recipe, recipe, tomatoes

Put all the ingredients except the honey, almonds and sesame seeds in a large pan. Cook gently, covered turning the chicken gently until the flesh is tender – actually I browned the chicken thighs first.

Remove the chicken and reduce the sauce until very thick but take care not to burn. Stir in the honey, return the chicken and heat through. Serve covered with sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds and almonds.

For full recipe with ingredients: Chicken with tomatoes and honey — My Mediterranean Recipes

How should we train the newbees? by Rusty

Tags

beekeepers, book review, equipment, varroa mites

Tis the season. My inbox is flush with “amazing” deals. Unfortunately, many of the hard-sell marketers are heading straight for the wallet of the soon-to-be new beekeeper. I’ve watched wannabees, still unable to tell a honey bee from a cockroach, buying specialty hives, extractors, and vaporizers so they will be ready when their bees arrive.

The marketers are slick, many offering “free” courses with anywhere from a dozen to 150 lessons to help get you started. Of course, this is nothing new. I first complained about the “lesson plan” back in 2010 when I saw poorly structured tutorials, each designed to sell you one more thing.

How much stuff do you really need?

Okay, I’m not a minimalist. I find that tinkering with hive design, equipment, gadgets, and technology is enormously fun and educational. On the other hand, you can be a first-rate beekeeper without breaking the bank. No one should be guilted into buying something he can’t afford or doesn’t need. Your need for equipment will evolve as your hobby expands, but purchasing should not be rushed or haphazard.

And all those lessons? How discouraging! A hundred lessons on any subject would make me run. Instead, I recommend that beginners read two good books: one that covers basic beekeeping practices and one dedicated to honey bee biology. My recommendation for the basics is either Simple, Smart Beekeeping by Kirsten and Michael Traynor or The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile. If you are a visual learner, the full-color photos in the Traynor book could not be better. For honey bee biology, nothing comes close to Honey-Maker by Rosanna Mattingly. I refer to it constantly.

Read full article here: How should we train the newbees? — Honey Bee Suite

A Potential New Tool in the Battle Against a Bee-Killing Bacteria by Meredith Swett Walker

Tags

AFB, American Foulbrood, Apis mellifera, beekeeping, diseases, honey bee diseases

American foulbrood is a bacterial disease afflicting honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. The Paenibacillus larvae bacterium germinates in the gut of a honey bee larva; dead larvae often decompose into a brown, gooey substance. New research suggests certain analogs to a molecule called indole may be useful in blocking the bacteria’s germination. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Tanarus, CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

It’s a beekeeper’s nightmare: She lifts the lid on her carefully tended hive and is greeted with a whiff of rotting flesh. Further inspection finds that the young bees of the colony, who should be plump, pearly-white larvae, have melted into a puddle of brownish goo at the bottom of their cells. This colony is infected with American foulbrood disease—most likely a death sentence.

Meredith Swett Walker

If she’s very lucky, she may be able to save the colony with a course of antibiotics, but the drugs don’t always work, and the disease is highly contagious. To save nearby colonies from infection, the beekeeper may be required burn the entire hive, bees and all.

American foulbrood disease, or AFB, is caused by the Paenibacillus larvae bacterium, a difficult-to-control and highly destructive pathogen found worldwide. In a study published last week in the open-access Journal of Insect Science, Israel Alvarado, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), explore whether blocking the germination of P. larvae spores is an effective way to treat this infection.

Read full article at: A Potential New Tool in the Battle Against a Bee-Killing Bacteria — Entomology Today

Winter for the beekeeper: It’s time to think about spring, summer by Blount County Beekeepers Association

Tags

beekeeping, management, seasons

From Blount County Beekeepers Association:

With winter approaching (in some places it’s already here), the beekeeper has two jobs:

• Make sure the bees in your hives have plenty of food.
• Think about about what’s going to happen in your apiary in the spring and summer.

Neither of these jobs involves a lot of work at this point, but they shouldn’t be neglected. The main characteristic of good beekeepers is that they think ahead — one or two seasons ahead.

Now is the time think about your bees, the equipment you have and the general environment that will confront the bees when they start flying in the spring.

Will you need to order packages of bees or nucs to rebuild your apiary in the spring? That, of course, depends on how many of your hives make it through the winter. We don’t know what will happen in that regard at the moment, unless you have already experienced losses.

What we do know is that in Tennessee the winter losses for beekeepers have been about 30 percent during the past few winters. The smart thing then is to plan for that kind of loss and hope it doesn’t happen. Now is the time to get in touch with the folks who supply you with bees and see what their availability will be. Most of those people are starting a list now, and your name should be on it.

We’ll have more to say later about equipment and environment.

Right now, you should plan for some losses and think about how you will replenish your apiary.

Source: Winter for the beekeeper: It’s time to think about spring, summer