May 2023 Newsletter

23 May Management

It is April 23 as I write. It is just above freezing and the snow has not all melted. I think this year the season is somewhat behind. Of course, I have had that thought before and somehow everything caught up. Same thing I wrote last year. I hope this is not the new normal.

Remember to make your management decisions based on what's going on with your bees and the weather and not the calendar. Let me start with packages. I think it is a blessing the packages came later this year. Remember,  if it is too cold to take frames out (should be >50°F or 10°C) and check your hives you still need to check to make sure they have syrup and pollen patty available to them. You can do this even if it is freezing since you only have to lift the cover quickly to add the food.

You should have brood emerging four weeks after hiving your packages. Up until then, you may notice your colony dwindle. That is normal because some older bees are dying that were in the package and there are no replacements yet from their current queen.

A week after hiving you want to verify that your queen is OK. Even if it is not 50°F or 10°C but is at least 40°F or 4°C you may have to risk taking out a frame. You will not have to see eggs. There should be older larvae, you can lift the frame and look quickly and put it back. If you wait 10 days you may see sealed brood which can be seen without removing the frame by looking down the space between the frames.

Check to see if they need more pollen substitute and keep the feeder filled and they will have a good supply of food. Even if they are bringing in pollen you need to have a pollen patty on unless they have a lot of stored pollen.

When inspecting the feeder pail be sure to smell it to make sure it is fresh. The one advantage of the cool weather is the syrup does not go bad as fast, but if it smells bad or is moldy clean the pail and replace the syrup.

When the first box is at least 80% full of bees, meaning that you see bees on eight of the ten frames, then add the second box. To do this, move a frame with nectar only, from the bottom box up to the center of the new box. This helps to draw the bees up into the second box. Evenly space out the nine remaining frames in the first box so bees don't build comb between the frames.

For wintered colonies; as soon as the weather warms up, nights consistently above 40°F or 4°C, you can do reversals, clean the bottom boards and reverse the entrance reducer. At that time, you can do a partial or modified reversal. Be sure not to separate the brood at this time.

For your review, I did an extensive description of the reversals in my management article in the May newsletter mnbeekeepers.com. The most important thing is not to break up the brood nest.

The divide happens usually during the fruit tree bloom, typically May 15 in the twin city metro area. This year may be a little later but keep an eye on the environment. Dividing a colony happens when there are at least eight frames of brood. Find the queen or do the trick with a queen excluder so you know which box she is in. The trick is described in the Beekeeping in Northern Climates manual on page 57. (http://z.umn.edu/beemanual) The divide should have four to five frames of brood and all of the nurse bees on those frames, plus a frame or two of nectar and pollen. The parent colony should be left with at least four frames of brood and the old queen. If you have more than eight frames of brood, leave the extra in the parent colony. Let the divide set for 12-24 hours so the old bees fly back to the parent colony before you install the new queen. Put a feeder with light syrup on the divide to help them accept the new queen more readily. Introduce the queen using the slow-release method. The queen should have come in a cage with queen candy, (not a marshmallow).

The queen in the parent colony is laying eggs so be sure the top box contains at least a couple of empty frames for her to lay eggs into. Also, be sure you have two honey supers on the parent colony after the divide to provide extra room for the old bees that are coming back to their original hive. If you plan to winter the parent colony, add a third deep instead of supers.

A quick reminder about leaving frames out of the box during inspections. It is convenient and safer for the bees if you leave a frame out of the box while you manipulate the remaining frames. The frame that is out can be set on the end with the frame rest (not the bottom of the frame) leaning against the hive, set in a frame holder, or put in an empty box.

It is best to take a frame of honey out instead of a frame of brood, especially larvae. Several things can injure or kill them. Sunlight in hot weather can overheat them and even melt the wax. The wind can desiccate (dry out) the larvae and kill them. Dropping or accidentally kicking a frame can smash the larvae and pupae and kill them. If you must keep a brood frame out, then keep it in the shade and protected from wind and feet.

When you are inspecting your bees be sure to check the brood carefully and look for signs of disease. For new beekeepers, look at the brood frames every time you inspect a hive. You do not have to look at every single frame, look at a couple so you know what healthy brood looks like. If you see something unusual it may be a disease you are not familiar with so it's important to ask for help.

Test wintered colonies for varroa mites with the powder sugar test. Treat SOON if you have more than one mite per hundred bees. Look at the label for the treatment you are using to know how far in advance you must treat before adding supers and temperature restrictions. Test for varroa again after treatment to be sure your treatment worked. For a poster on the powder sugar test for varroa go to z.umn.edu/freebee. You should continue to test monthly. Be aware that a higher percentage of mites may be in the brood in early spring.

Finally, I encourage you to take part in the BIP winter loss survey. I wish they would change the name because you should enter your information even if you did not have any losses. If only those that lose colonies report the data will be biased. Visit beeinformed.org/take-survey to enter your success/loss in the survey! From there you can also see the results of the survey.

Gary

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