Transcript Managing Bees

Managing Bees
#5
Presented
By
The Ohio State Beekeeper’s Association
Managing Bees
Up to this point
We have discussed topics related
to honey bees including
starting a hive from a swarm or
package of bees.
Now we are going to look at
managing an established hive
of bees.
This is a nice bee yard with a
bench to watch the bees and
relax.
Beekeeping
Management of
of honey bees
Honey bees lived just
fine until man came
along and began to
capture them. This is
called keeping bees and
managing them. In the
wild they are just wild
feral bees.
Managing Bees
Where a hive/ hives should be
located.
Some general rules:
1.
Your honey bees should not become
a nuisances to your neighbors! If
they do, you will face problems with
their complaints.
2.
It is often recommended that a hive
of bees face toward the sun and
away from prevailing winds.
3.
It should be located within a short
flying distance to a water source.
4.
It should be protected from the heat
of the sun during summer months.
However, deep shade is not
necessary.
5.
Easy access to the hives.
Good Neighbor Guidelines
•
Being a good neighbor is not building fences as Robert Frost once put
it. As a beekeeper our bees don't get fenced in. I always recommend
common sense.
• 1. Place your colonies of bees away from lot lines and occupied
buildings. If near buildings, place colonies away from used
entrances and lines of traffic. Colonies should be in full sun if
possible.
• 2. If your colonies are near the line, erect a six foot barricade
between the bees and the line. Use anything bees will not pass
through: dense shrubs, fencing, etc. An alternate solution may be
to place the hives on a roof. Anytime bees are flying close to the
ground and across the property line of a neighbor, there are
potential problems.
• 3. Bees may be annoying at their water source. If you do not live
within 500 feet of a natural water source, or if you live near a
swimming pool, place a tub of water in your apiary with wood
floats in it. This is to allow the bees to drink without
drowning. Change the water weekly to prevent stagnation and
mosquito breeding.
Good Neighbor Guidelines
• 4. Minimize robbing by bees, since those which are being robbed
become very aggressive. To accomplish this, work your bees
only during a nectar flow, keep exposed honey to a minimum, and
use entrance reducers on weak colonies.
• 5. Try to prevent swarming. Though gentle, swarms are a
nuisance.
• 6. Do not keep more than three or four beehives on a lot less than
one-half acre. If more colonies are desired, find a nearby farmer
who will allow you to keep your hives on his land in exchange for
some honey.
• 7. Do not work your beehives when close neighbors are in their
yards.
• 8. If you have a mean colony that may bother neighbors when
you are working it, re-queen it.
• 9. A pound or two of free honey each year to neighbors bordering
on your property often makes bees much more acceptable to
them.
• 10. Please remember: the successful beekeepers' bees are not a
nuisance to his neighbors.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• First, make sure all is ready. Do you have your hive tool? Is
the smoker going? What about neighbors? Children?
• Approach the hive from the side if possible. Do not stand in
front of the entrance. If you do, you will notice a crowd of
bees in a holding pattern behind you.
• Use your hive tool to remove the top cover. I like to lay the
top cover on the ground next to the hive with the bottom side
up. Blow a little smoke toward the entrance. Notice that I
said a little smoke. You don't need a lot.
• Next remove the inner cover. Bee have a tendency to glue
this down to the inner side of the hive with propolis, so you
may have to pry the inner cover off. Keep your smoker
handy.
• Once the inner cover is off the top bars of the frames in the
top box (super) are exposed. Bees will start to migrate
toward the disturbance and you will notice them coming up
between the top bars. You can apply a little smoke to calm
them down. A few may become air borne and fly about
you. Ignore them.
Management of a colony of
honey bees
• What you will see…
• When the hive is opened
the bees will investigate
and begin coming to the
top of the frames.
• If the hive is very strong,
the entire top will be
covered with bees.
• This is the time to use a
gentle blast of smoke
directly to where the bees
are coming up.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
Smoke is a great help in
controlling honey bees.
However, don’t use too
much.
Good fuel to use in your
smoker…..
Wood shavings
Burlap
Pulk wood (decaying wood
easy found in dead trees.
Pine needles
Management of a colony of honey
bees
Work your hive from the
side and not the front
of the hive.
A few puffs at the entrance
and a little on the top bars
is enough.
Too much smoke will cause
the bees to begin to run
out of the hive.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• Move slowly when
working the bees. Fast
rapid movement causes
the bees to react to your
actions.
• Work bees during the mid
day in good weather.
• If the hive becomes
uncontrollable, close the
hive and wait for a better
time of day.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• Your hive tool is used
to pry off the top
cover, inner cover and
separate the hive
bodies. It is used
most often to get
frames out of hive
bodies.
• The hive tool is held
in the hand ready for
use.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• What should we be
looking for when we
begin to work the
hive?
• First, a beekeeper’s
job is to do the least
amount of damage to
the bees.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• It is not necessary to
find the queen each
time we open the
hive!
• We can tell that she is
present if you can see
eggs in cells.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• A hive should not be open
any longer than necessary
to do an inspection.
• An inspection consist of
looking for things that are
not normal within a hive of
bees. As you gain
experience, this will
become easier. Hold the
frame so that the sun is
reaching the frame from
over your shoulder.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
You should see:
1.
A good population of honey
bees.
2.
Eggs, larva, and capped brood.
3.
Honey and pollen.
Hopefully you will not see:
1.
Varroa mite that might be on
bees.
2.
Queen cells?
3.
Other things in the hive such as
mice, yellow jackets, wax moths,
etc.+
We are going to look at each of these.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• What is a good
population of bees?
• If the bees are
covering the brood
areas of the hive in
spring, this is a good
sign. At this time of
year, there may be
only four or five
frames of bees.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• Later in the season,
you will expect to find
bees in all parts of the
hive.
• At times they may
even cluster on the
front of the hive.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
If you see a large population
of bees in your hive, you
should be looking for
queen cells which
indicate your hive may be
about to swarm.
A large swarm like this will
reduce the number of
bees in your hive. Would
you rather have bees
hanging in a tree or
gathering honey?
Management of a colony of honey
bees
What to do if the
population is large?
Add honey supers and
check for swarm
queen cells!
Can you see the
difference between
these two hives?
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• Honey and Pollen?
• Cells with pollen
• A hive needs food to
survive during all
times during the year.
It is critical during
times of brood
rearing.
Beekeeping
• Honey on the hive:
• If you have managed
your hive well and
they gathered some
honey for you fine.
But leave enough for
the bees to survive
the winter season!
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• What you should
not be seeing…….
• What happens if you
see no eggs, larva,
and some capped
brood! You do see
what looks like queen
cells that have
hatched.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
You most likely have a hive
with a virgin queen.
What do you do?
• Nothing, just wait until
almost all the brood has
emerged. About that time
the virgin queen will be
mated and start laying
eggs. Look for eggs and
signs the hive has a new
queen.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
All brood emerges and you
find no evidence of any
egg laying in the hive.
What do you do?
• Order a new queen. Install her
in the hive. This hive should
have a strong population of
bees but with no brood, it may
develop a laying worker and
eventually die out.
• If you see a frame like this,
then you can say, I have a new
queen or my new queen was
accepted.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
What you should not
be seeing…….
• Honey bees are subject
to various diseases. The
worst is American
Foulbrood.
• Note the frame shown.
The brood pattern is what
is called shotgun pattern.
• Also note that some cells
have holes in them.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• American Foulbrood
•
•
•
This is a disease that is spread by
the beekeeper and by robbing
bees. Therefore, you should
always work your bees with a very
clean hive tool and avoid moving
frames from a hive with AFB into
other hives.
How to detect…
The larva dies just as it is to
pupate. The larva melts into a
brownish glue like substance. It
will “rope”-- that is stick to and
rope from ½ to 1 inch from the cell
when a stick is placed into the cell
and pulled out.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
American Foulbrood
•
•
1.
2.
Every beekeeper should
recognize this disease.
In Ohio, the beekeeper is faced
with two choices…
Treat the hive with approved
chemicals. Tylan or Terramycin
are available.
Burn the frames, and bees. The
wooden ware such as hive
bodies, bottom board, inner
cover, & top cover can be
scorched to kill the spores.
Other treatments can be used
as well.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
Queen Cells in a hive…
If you see this then you
have some management
issues to deal with.
• The bees are raising queens.
These cells are located near
the bottom bar of frames.
They are most likely swarm
cells.
• The cells are located on the
face of the comb higher up.
Brood on the comb is spotty.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
• What you should not be
seeing…….
• Grass, leaves, or other
such things in the hive.
Or
A patch of bare ground in
front of the entrance to
the hive.
Management of a colony of honey
bees
What you should not
be seeing…….
1. Yellow jackets
2. Wax Moths
3. Varroa mites
Management for Beginning
Beekeepers
This has been a quick survey of some of the things
you may deal with in your first year of
beekeeping……….
• The next set of slides will cover:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Spring management – feeding, requeening, splits, adding honey
supers, etc.
Summer management – Nectar sources, Disease control and
identification, honey harvest, etc.
Fall management -- Treating for diseases, getting hives ready for
winter, etc.
Each subject will be treated individually…..
Management for Beginning
Beekeepers
Finis