hive health and care
Got questions about bees? We've got answers! Check out some of the questions people have asked over the years. This is also an excellent resource for those interested in getting into beekeeping. Many of the answers are general to beekeeping but some are specific to beekeeping in Western Canada. Hopefully this resource will aid you in caring for your hives.
First things first, let's help you figure out what kind of bee you're dealing with:
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Is it better to move a hive in the fall or spring? Or does it matter?
It does not matter what time of year you move a hive. Do it at night or when it is raining. Make sure you move them at least two miles. If you want to move them across your yard and you only have one hive you can move it about 10 feet every night untill you get it to the new spot. It usually takes a hive one or two weeks to reorient and get going again, this means that moving a hive mid honey season will have a negative impact on its production. When is everyone doing their early spring checks? Don't open the hive till you are willing to go outside in a t-shirt. If the bees aren't flying around you shouldn't be disturbing them. Once they become active then you can think about going into the hive. When it gets to at least +12 degrees C outside you might want to give them some fondant or syrup but don't be poking around in the cluster and chilling them. Bees usually will take pollen or a similar supplement before they will take feed. How do I choose a treatment method for veroa mite? The Provincial Apiculturalist has information on which treatment method is currently working best. Currently it is Apivar. This is usually sold in packs of 10 so if you only need a few, and can partner up with others or visit a larger beekeeper to get some. Always remember to follow the package directions for proper treatment. Is setting up my hives near a train track going to cause any problems? It shouldn't. Bees do not like continuous loud noise from say a diesel engine or a whipper snipper, the occasional train should not be a big deal. The buzz from power lines and the magnetic field surrounding power wires affects the bees so power lines should be avoided. I'm watching some videos where someone uses the medium 6 5/8" boxes for everything. Any thoughts? Are there any advantage to going with mediums for brood boxes? Mediums are usually only used when someone finds a standard super too heavy to lift. I personally find them a pain to work with. When your using them as honey supers you have to handle more frames in order to get the same amount of honey that you would out of standard equipment. (An example would be about 27 medium frames to 18 standard) Another very important factor, especially when you're talking about the brood chamber is that each additional box creates an extra gap the bees have to cross. That gap slows the bees down. I'm a little confused about hive set up, I've seen many variations of supers. What is the best combination to start with? Two deeps and a medium? Nine frames or ten? Most standard hives are made up of two standard sized supers for the brood chamber with either 9 or 10 dark comb frames in each super. Every beekeeper has a different opinion on the number of frames to have. My opinion is that I would rather have an extra frame in the brood chamber for brood and food storage. Ten frames can be just as difficult as 9 frames to get out of the super depending on how clean the beekeeper keeps their hives. For honey super the standard tends to be 6 standard 9 frame light comb supers. Nine frames properly spaced will get drawn out further by the bees and will make uncapping easier. As your experience grows you can experiment with different super combinations. Do hives have to be registered in Saskatchewan? They are supposed to be. Its wise to register with the Provincial Apiculturalist. It doesn't cost any thing and gives the Apiculturalist your contact info should they need to contact you regarding any disease out breaks in your area. It also helps keep Statistics Canada up to date. I believe you also get a copy of "Hivelights" if you are registered. I have been reading on mite resistant bees. Are there any to be found locally? I'm not aware of any bees in Saskatchewan that are mite resistant. There are some producers who breed hygienic bees that are better at removing mites from the hive. It's best to talk to your bee provider regarding what specific traits they look for. I've been thinking about purchasing a foundation hand rolling mill to make my own foundation to offset the cost of purchasing plastic foundation. Thoughts? TIME. You may save on material but you will loose out on time, and anyone who says their time is free is welcome to come work for me. I love free labour. Besides the time factor during manufacture and installation, there is also the longevity issue. Over time wax foundation warps and bows and you end up with cells that are not uniform depth. Plastic foundation maintains a uniform depth to the cells and offers a lot of strength to the frame. My neighbors adjacent to my land spray their crops, will this kill my hives? It depends on the spray. As with all things education is important. Ask your neighbor what types of spray they use and when they are being applied. If they can be applied in the early evening the risk to the bees is dramatically reduced. Occasionally, there are spray-related bee deaths in Saskatchewan but they are rare. Registering your hives on beecheck.org/ also helps. |
Being a new-bee, I have been educating myself on bees as much as possible. What should my first purchase be?
Most people think about the bees and hive first. Perhaps consider the personal protective clothing and equipment first. I have had many new beekeepers show up to pick up their nucs and they don't have a smoker or hive tool or suit. A smoker and hive tool would be the most important bee items I would say. Those are the two things I have every single time I go to the bee yard. Ask you bee supplier or your local club on the best places to buy equipment. If you have a mentor get their suggestions. Attending local bee related events is also a great way to socialize and find out where the best place is to get equipment. I was just looking at the drawn comb program. I have a couple deeps of old comb and would like opinions on if I should use it or just expand from the nucs I am going to buy? If your not sure about old comb get it inspected or burn it. If you look at the cost of replacing your bees and new equipment after its been infected from some old equipment it a no brainer. Whenever you buying equipment from someone make sure its been inspected. Does anyone use screened bottom boards? The idea behind screened bottom boards is that when the mites drop down on the bottom board they fall through the screen and can't get back up into the hive. Draw backs are that they allow more drafts into the hive. Every bee keeper will have a different opinion regarding screened bottoms. Most have tried them and most don't use them. When should I wrap my bees for winter? I generally wrap my bees the 2nd week of October. Really its weather dependent. If the cold comes earlier the bees should be wrapped earlier. It is incredibly hot today, and there are bees all up the front of my hive. I'm assuming the hive is just trying to stay cool, but I want to make sure they are not thinking of swarming. As long as you have empty drawn comb for the queen to lay in they shouldn't swarm. Adding supers will usually help. I have on the rare occasion left a lid cracked off, or have left a crack between supers. If you lift your brood chambers on end you can check the bottom bars for swarm cells (queen cells). If there are cells the hive is gearing up to swarm, knock the cells off or transfer those frames with cells into a split (make sure to leave your queen in the original hive). What is the typical or accepted number for winter loss? Typically bee keepers loose around 20% of their colonies each winter. There are many factors such as mite and virus load, winter harshness, general fall strength of hives, and age of queens. When i was growing up the provincial average was usually around 12%. During the winter should I clear the snow away from the top entrance holes of the hives? The snow acts as an insulator and actually helps keep the bees warmer. We have had yards disappear completely because they are under so much snow. The bees melt out an igloo under the snow and can actually leave the hive to defecate and gather water. Since we've had snow we've seen a collection of bees (several dozen) 8-10 ft from the hives. Should we be worried that they are running out of food and trying to forage despite the cold? With such cold temperatures a cleansing flight seems absurd. Sounds like the hive is strong. I wouldn't worry. If bees are sick or old and about to die they will leave the hive no matter the weather. Over wintering is basically preparing the hive as best as possible and then waiting out the winter. Be patient and have faith. If you did your fall prep properly you have nothing to worry about, if you didn't then a dead hive is a well deserved lesson. Last week, on a warm day, I checked my hive and the entrance was completely filled with frozen dead bees. I used a stick to chip them out. A few hours later, the snow in front of the hive was spotted with bee poop. When I checked them today, the entrance was full of dead bodies again. I opened the side of my wrap and put my ear against the box. I can hear buzzing so I know they are still alive. How can I prevent them from getting trapped by dead bodies? Bees are professionals at temperature and humidity control. A few dead comrades at the front door isn't going to stop them from getting out. |
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