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~ The more I studied beekeeping, the less I knew, until, finally, I knew nothing. But, even though I knew nothing, I still had plenty to unlearn. Charles Martin Simon

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Tag Archives: beekeeping chores

Why did my bees die?

31 Thursday Mar 2022

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping management, beekeeping pest management, management

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beekeeping chores, beekeeping diagnostics, fall management, spring management, varroa mites, what killed my bees?

2016-05-08 15.37.47.jpg

Why did my bees die?

This is a question often asked and sometimes difficult to answer. The beekeeper looking at a dead colony is left with clues that can sometimes indicate the cause of death. More often though the beekeeper looks at the “crime scene” and makes an incorrect assumption. We’ve all heard it, “Wax moths killed my bees.” or “They got robbed.” or Small hive beetles killed them.” Most often though these are the results of problems that were missed or not addressed earlier.

I like murder mysteries. And, like in murder mysteries, what kills the bees isn’t always the most obvious suspects. It’s not the one the mystery writer wants you to initially think it is. After all what fun would that be? Instead the beekeeper must use some logic in backtracking the history of the colony to solve the mystery. Many times the downward spiral started some time back and we missed it before it lead up to wax moths, robbing, small hive beetles, or other maladies.

This past winter I had a 9% overwinter loss coming into the spring buildup. All in all, in today’s world of beekeeping that’s pretty good. Early in this season’s buildup, in February, I rotated boxes as a swarm prevention technique. I noted that a particular row of hives were not building up as fast as my other hives. As I rotated the hive bodies I inspected and found that they were all queen-right though so I just chalked the slow buildup up to “one of those unexplained things.”

That row of thirteen colonies coming into spring lost six colonies AFTER that first box rotation of spring. All of my other colonies continued to grow and expand.  Granted the ones lost were not the strongest but they had queens (I saw them). How were these different than the ones that were thriving? Time to put on my detective hat. They were unique in that they are all on same row, were not taken down in size last fall (I just ran out of energy), and had older queens. So what killed them? I don’t know but I suspect the stress of the box rotation on an already stressed colony. How were they already stressed? Why did they not build up like the other areas in my bee yard? Thinking about the differences: this group  had older queens, larger hives usually have/maintain higher mite counts,  and were in  an isolated  row in the bee yard.  I don’t know exactly which stressor was the largest but I suspect some or all of the above come into play.

Now my overall losses were at 27% instead of the 9% prior to this event and most likely because I failed to reduce size, monitor this row for Varroa better, and not re-queen in the fall. Which exactly? Beekeepers always want to know which one is the culprit. I don’t know. Maybe it was multiple stressors and not just one. But I do have some excellent suspects! Regardless of which stressor killed these colonies I failed to do that which a good steward should have done for these bees. Ultimately it’s on me.

…

So, after writing the above I was further pondering the possibilities while making up some sugar syrup, and I was thinking about the stressors and it came to me what killed those colonies. Distilling it down to a single element – laziness. I should have taken those hives down to 2 boxes post nectar flow last summer. I should have monitored Varroa better in that row instead of assuming it would be the same as the newer hives in other areas. And I should have re-queened as would have happened easily if I had made splits last year when I should have taken them down in size. My laziness killed those colonies. So there, I came up with a single cause, identified the culprit, and solved the mystery!

It won’t happen again. Maybe something else but not this.

 

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Will your bees be Olympians this year?

13 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, spring buildup

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, spring buildup, spring management

olympians

It takes preparation to get to the Olympics. Are your bees going to the Olympics this year?

Time is short. Will you be ready? Have you coached them up and prepared them for the adventure of the spring nectar flow? Are they building strength in population? Are they healthy? Is their mite count 1% or less? Is your equipment ready?

It takes approximately 6 weeks to prepare a bee population of sufficient size to fully capitalize on the nectar flow. The time to stimulate that increase is now. It is time to do everything you possibly can to get your bees healthy and increase their populations. The saying is, “build your bees before the flow, not on the flow.”

One either prepares before the nectar flow begins or one stays behind the entire spring. Nature does not wait for the procrastinator.

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Waxing frame foundation – one of many winter tasks

23 Saturday Jan 2021

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping chores, chores

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, maintenance, waxing foundation, winter beekeeing

IMAG2453

Every year I hope to have extra wax for candles and such. However I end up using all of it adding extra wax to the foundation for the benefit of the bees. The extra wax entices the bees to build their comb as well as encourages them to build it uniformly within the confines of the frame.

On the right are 15 sheets of unwaxed plastic foundation. In the middle, 15 sheets factory waxed. On the left , 15 home waxed using a minimal amount of wax but covering all cells. But regardless of the amount of wax, the aroma difference of the home waxed far exceeds the factory wax. So fragrant the bees were landing on me to investigate while I coated the foundation today.

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Current Beekeeping Activities by sassafrasbefarm

21 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping chores, Winter, woodenware

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, chores, equipment, fall management, winter management

IMG_20171023_191707_204

Feeding the bees pollen substitute

Some things don’t change much year to year in beekeeping. At least not the chores. There is some comfort in the routine. This year is much like last. Building boxes, cleaning frames, painting and maintenance. And building bees for the spring. ~sassafrasbeefarm

This time of year can be as busy for the beekeeper as the spring nectar flow period. But now it’s all about preparation. My experience, since beginning this beekeeping journey, is that there is never enough time during the nectar flow. In fact, time becomes precious even before the nectar flow with the need to rotate hive bodies or employ other swarm reducing measures, placement of swarm traps, movement of hives to out yards, making splits, and lots of last minute surprises.

So, here are few pictures of what I occupy myself with during this so called off season:

IMAG2386

Order queen pen and my favorite markers to write on the hives.

IMAG2384

Making sugar cakes for the tops of the hives.

IMAG2383

Adding extra wax to plastic frames.

IMAG2377

Collecting and bagging pine straw for my smoker.

 

IMAG2359-20171122-103007169

Building boxes, bottom boards, and tops.

IMAG2364

Adding some color to the entrance reducers.

IMAG2356

Painting entrances to the queen mating nucs

IMAG2354

This is Advantech – a new material that resists weathering.

IMAG2353

Painting everything. Three coats!

IMAG2340

Joy! I found three 50 pound sacks of sugar I had forgotten!

 

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Current Beekeeping Activities by sassafrasbefarm

01 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping chores

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, chores, equipment, fall management

IMG_20171023_191707_204

Feeding the bees pollen substitute

This time of year can be as busy for the beekeeper as the spring nectar flow period. But now it’s all about preparation. My experience, since beginning this beekeeping journey, is that there is never enough time during the nectar flow. In fact, time becomes precious even before the nectar flow with the need to rotate hive bodies or employ other swarm reducing measures, placement of swarm traps, movement of hives to out yards, making splits, and lots of last minute surprises.

So, here are few pictures of what I occupy myself with during this so called off season:

IMAG2386

Order queen pen and my favorite markers to write on the hives.

IMAG2384

Making sugar cakes for the tops of the hives.

IMAG2383

Adding extra wax to plastic frames.

IMAG2377

Collecting and bagging pine straw for my smoker.

 

IMAG2359-20171122-103007169

Building boxes, bottom boards, and tops.

IMAG2364

Adding some color to the entrance reducers.

IMAG2356

Painting entrances to the queen mating nucs

IMAG2354

This is Advantech – a new material that resists weathering.

IMAG2353

Painting everything. Three coats!

IMAG2340

Joy! I found three 50 pound sacks of sugar I had forgotten!

 

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Hive Stands

18 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, equipment, woodenware

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Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, DIY, equipment, hive stands, woodenware

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This time of year beekeepers perform maintenance and build more toys. Here’s a link detailing how to build a nice, portable, sturdy hive stand for under ten dollars: Bee Hive Stand for Cheap!

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Moving Bees by Jennifer Berry

05 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping chores, beekeeping management

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

beekeeping chores, moving bee hives

There are many reasons we find ourselves “having to” or “wanting to” move bees. The “have to’s” might occur when a neighbor complains they are bothering the children or the hive is not in the right location. The “want to’s” might be moving bees to fulfill pollination contracts or to take advantage of different nectar flows. Whatever the reason, moving bees, whether a few feet  in the backyard or across several thousand miles, is no easy task. Not only is it hard work (hives are heavy), it’s also a bit intimidating to think about picking up a box with hundreds, no thousands of insects that when disturbed or agitated, will become stinging agents of pain. Since this can be a tricky job, let’s talk about how we can move hives without harming the bees or more importantly, ourselves. But Wait!! Stop the Presses!!!! Placing hives in the right spot, the first time, will save a lot of headaches, backaches and work down the road. So, before we ever move in the first hive of bees, let’s consider the following things.

Read full article here: Moving Bees — BEEKeeping: Your First Three Years

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“Bee… or bee not, there is no try.” by Bees with eeb

11 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by sassafrasbeefarm in beekeeping, beekeeping chores

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beekeeping, beekeeping chores, goals, success

My WordPress friend Erik recently posted the blog post below, which I believe fully explains and illustrates much of what beekeeping entails. Set goals, make plans, assess your progress, and above all, “Bee… or bee not, there is no try.”

If one is to take up the avocation of beekeeping one should devote the effort required to succeed, and by doing so, expect success. There are a few shortcuts which may make you more efficient but many which will cause failure. Above all, do all of what needs doing and in a manner which leads you to expect success.

It has been bitterly cold the last two weeks (at least by Virginia standards), often below 10 F (-12 C) overnight, and that is without the wind. As a young beekeeper, I worry that my hives will not handle the cold well. One or two may already have died out, for all I know. Unfortunately it is still January so we must wait. Nothing to do but publish my beekeeping goals for 2018.

Setting goals can be tricky, especially short term ones. You want something achievable, yet interesting. New, but building on past success. Perhaps a stretch goal as well to challenge yourself.

Read the full article by visiting Bees with eeb here:  Bee… or bee not, there is no try — Bees with eeb

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Recent Posts

  • Midlands Beekeeping Calendar for June by Sassafras Bee Farm
  • Midlands Beekeeping Calendar for May
  • Why did my bees die?
  • Happy Birthday Dr. Wladyslaw Zbikowski
  • Swarm Catcher Checklist and Tips

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