Hive Inspections. Beekeeping Management of of honey bees Honey bees lived just fine until man came along and began to capture them. This is called keeping

Hive Inspections

Hive Inspections

BeekeepingManagement of of honey beesHoney 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.

Hive Inspections

Get your smoker lit - Smoke is a great help in controlling honey bees. However, don’t use too much.

Good fuel to use in your smoker…..

Wood shavingsBurlapPulk wood (decaying wood easy

found in dead trees.Pine needles

Hive Inspections

• First, make sure all is ready. • You work the hive from the side or back if

possible. • Blow a little smoke toward the entrance.• Use your hive tool to remove the top cover. • Next remove the inner cover. • Once the inner cover is off the top bars of the

frames in the top box (super) are exposed. • A few bees may become air borne and fly

about you. Ignore them.

Hive Inspections• 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.

Hive Inspections

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.

Hive Inspections• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

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. Disease or poor brood patterns2. Varroa mite that might be on bees.3. Queen cells?4. Other things in the hive such as

Small Hive Beetle, wax moths, etc.+

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

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?

Hive Inspections

• 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.

Hive Inspections

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.

Hive Inspections

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.

Hive Inspections

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. They are most likely Supercedure or Emergency cells.

Hive Inspections

QUESTIONS?

Overview of Yearly Management

Overview of Yearly Management

Winter Management

The management year for established colonies can be said to start with winter

Getting bees ready for winter

Getting bees ready for winter This graph shows bee populations during late

summer into winter.This information is copied from Bulletin 450 issued by the Ohio State University in 1971.

Getting bees ready for winter

Winter weather can be harsh. Days are gray and

temperatures can reach down to freezing with wind chill

factors below that.What can the beekeeper do to

provide for winter survival?

Getting bees ready for winterWhat can the beekeeper do to


Starting in September when all surplus honey is removed…

•Check hive for a good laying queen and brood pattern. If she is not doing a good job, now is the time to replace her.•What is the bee population of the hive? If it is small, you may need to think about combining the hive with a stronger hive or replacing the queen.



Starting in September when all surplus honey is removed…

•Check hive for diseases. Especially any brood diseases and mites. Then treat for these diseases.



Before hard weather arrives….

•Provide for entrance reducers.•Level hives allowing for a slight slope from the back of the hive to the front to allow water to run out of the hive rather than into the hive.•Provide the bees with a wind break.•Provide for an upper entrance and good ventilation.

Winter Management

Feeding your bees during winter

Feeding your bees during a hard winter with a liquid syrup is most likely not going to help a whole lot.

This is a job that should have been done when the weather would have allowed the bees to move to the syrup and place it in the locations that would have helped them now.

What will help?

Feeding your bees during winterWhat will help Now?

Fondant or sugar candy placed on the top bars below the inner cover.

Winter Management

How to Make Fondant for

Winter Feeding

Feeding your bees during winterWhat will help Now?

Dry granulated sugar placed about the inner cover hole is a good emergency feed if the bees are in the upper hive body.

Winter Management

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUXWLUj9LiU/TxGlPhf2NSI/AAAAAAAABBg/i5kqn5X4AKg/s1600/008LR+Feeding+Sugar.jpg

Winter ManagementSummary

The bees will take care of themselves if you left them enough stores and provided ventilation and wind

protection.

Spring management really began last fall.• We put our entrance guards on our hives• We made sure our hive had enough honey surplus

for the bees to survive the winter.• We tilted the bottom board so water would not run

into the hive.• We provided upper ventilation• We provided a wind break for the hive.• And we treated for mites. And so why do we need to

worry about spring?

Getting Ready for Spring!


Hive Population GrowthIn the Spring/winter….In Ohio queens begin laying in late January and you will find small patches of

capped brood in February. This growth increases in March and April. This chart is based upon a chart released by OSU in 1976 of an ideal colony entering January with a population of 40,000 bees.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

Jan March

Day old larva

Adult Bee Pop.

Nectar pollen

Getting Ready for Spring!Spring Management• If your bees survived the

winter, there are things that need to be done.

• Things you will look for and do:

– You can take the top cover off to see if the bees are alive.

– Good sign: The bees are alive!


Spring Management• Open the hive, and check to see

how many frames the bees seem to be covering.

• You do not want to leave this hive open very long on a cool day like this.

• Also check the hives weight. If light, the hive will need to be fed.


Spring Management• Do they need feed?

• If so, it should be one of your higher priorities.

• Many people feed sugar syrup. Use a heavier mixture 1:1 sugar and water early in spring and later go to 2 parts water and 1 part sugar.

Getting Ready for Spring!Spring Management• Do they need feed?

• There are many types of feeders. One not recommend in early spring is called the Boardman Feeder.

• Can you see why the boardman feeder in this picture is not doing the bees any good?


Spring Management

• There are many types of feeders.

• Division board feeders fit inside the hive.

• Bucket feeders go over the inner cover hole.

• Top feeder can go over the frames or the inner cover hole.


• A warm day finally arrives….

• The bees have been fed…..

• We are now ready for a real hive inspection!


Spring Management -- Spring inspection

Examination of your hives requires a careful check of each hive. This is called a spring inspection.

It is easier to examine the hive in the spring because the bee population is small.

Getting Ready for Spring!Spring Management -- inspections

What you want to accomplish…1. Check on the condition of the queen (brood

patterns, population size etc.)2. Check for diseases.3. Check for equipment needs.

Your goal is to get your hive to maximum hive strength for the nectar flow – for your surplus honey and their survival.


Spring Management -- Spring inspections

You could find your queen to mark her and clip her wings if desired.

Getting Ready for Spring!• Spring Management

• When the bees are flying and the temperatures have warmed up to 60 degrees or so:

• Open the hive……….• If there is no brood you have a

problem -- You will need to purchase a new queen immediately.

• If the queen is laying poorly, plan to replace her. Don't kill her until the new queen arrives.

• Don’t keep the hive open for very long if the temperatures are cool.

Getting Ready for Spring!Spring ManagementCleaning chores…..• Clean all debris from the bottom

board. • Loosen frames and clean them if

necessary.• Clean around the hives.• You may have to re-level your hive. • Check for hive maintenance. • Be proud of your hive/hives. If

you maintain your equipment, it will last for a long time.

Getting Ready for Spring!Spring Management -- Adding supers• You can expect your hive to develop swarming fever! It is

important to be one step ahead of the bees. This is about the same time apple trees begin to bloom. Bees will not usually gather a honey crop from apple and maple. They will however be using the pollen and nectar for brood rearing.

• As the population explodes, the bees will be crowded without the extra space. Bees swarm as early as mid March in Virginia. You will be faced with the decision to make splits or add honey supers to expand the room available for the bees.

Getting Ready for Spring!Pollen and Nectar sources….

The bees use this for brood production…

It takes approximately one frame of nectar and one frame of pollen to produce one frame of brood. March is a very important month for the growth of a hives bee population. They consume a lot of food.

Pollen and Nectar sources….

Late Spring -- Beginning of honey flow

DandelionHollyFruit Trees

Pollen and Nectar sources….Late Spring -- Honey

sources….

White CloverVarious mintsWild flowersTulip PoplarBlack Locust

Getting Ready for Summer!

Summer is most likely the most pleasant season of the year!

Hive inspections have been done.

Honey supers added.

It is now time for the bees to do their work!

Summer Management

What you want to accomplish…

Keep check on the condition of the queen (brood patterns, population size etc.)Check for diseases and pests.Keeping a watchful eye for problems like robbing.Check for equipment needs.

Your goal is to keep your hive to maximum hive strength till the nectar flow ends – for your surplus honey and the bees survival.

But what about those hives that just aren’t measuring up?

Summer Management Making splits

This is one hive with the top deep hive body next to

the bottom brood box.

We can certainly make two hives from this one.


What is needed?

A New queen or queen cell to be introduced to the queen-less hive

The equipment needed…Bottom board, top cover, inner cover.


A new location for the new hive is selected.

Move the queen with at least 4 or 5 frames of brood to the new location. Older bees will return to the original hive location.Fill the deep box with additional frames and one division board feeder filled with sugar syrup.Put an entrance reducer on this hive as well.


The hive in the original position is given a new queen and also fed. Both hives should be about equal strength at this time.

Keep them as single hives until the bees move into the outside frames and support brood raising in them. At that time add a second deep brood chamber. This is what your new hive should look like in 8 weeks.

Summer ManagementMany commercial beekeepers are

working hard to get their bees ready for pollination of pumpkins & squash

Summer ManagementRobbing:Honey bees are good at finding nectar/honey sources. If they find any weak hives, they will arrive in large numbers to steal the weak hives honey. A new beekeeper will sometimes assume that the large number of bees indicate that the hive is doing well. Just the opposite is true. And if you make the mistake of taking off your honey and putting it somewhere the bees can get at it, you will discover to your dismay the problem you created.

Notice this bee has pollen on its legs, it is not a robbing bee.

Summer ManagementPainting hives

Many beekeepers like nice white hives, but they are easy to see.

Hives painted green or gray are harder to see as some people can not resist the temptation to tip over hives or even shoot at them.

If your hives are located where they can easily be seen, you may be facing two and four legged problems.

How would you like to work a rocking hive!

Summer ManagementFinally … Strong hives get honey

DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV

Summer ManagementHoney Plants

during summer Yellow & White Sweet Clover Basswood Tulip Poplar SourwoodField crops: Pumpkins Pickles Blueberries Soybeans

Fall Management

Fall management can be said to begin with the honey harvest which usually this takes place in late summer.

Consists of:

Taking the honey supers off the hive

Getting your bees ready for winter

Fall ManagementTaking off honey supers and processing honey

One of the joys of keeping honey bees is the reward of having some of your own honey. It is not "store bought.”

A beekeeper must determine just how much honey he/she can remove from the hive and still leave enough for the bees to over winter.

You can estimate this amount by checking the honey stores in the brood chamber. A deep frame full of honey will weigh approximately 6 pounds. The bees will need 10 of these. Two shallow frames will equal one deep frame.

How to take the honey supers off the hive

What is a honey super?

It is a hive box filled with honey (hopefully)!

Capped honeyIn a frame


Methods to remove honey

supers from the hive.

Honey supers will have bees in

them.


Various methods are used to drive bees from a honey

super/frames.

•Brushing/knocking them off the frames•Using bee escapes of various kinds.•Using a bee blower•Using Fume pads



super/frames.

•Brushing/knocking them off the frames. This is time consuming but does little damage to the bees.

•Picture from the Dadant 2007 catalog. A bee brush is useful for a number of things around the bee yard.



super/frames.

•Using bee escapes of various kinds. Inner cover with bee escape placed in vent hole.

Triangle & Conical bee escapes

•These work by placing the escape under the honey super to be removed. It takes time for all the bees to leave the honey super.



super/frames.

•Using a bee blower

•An effective way to get bees out of a super. A lot of equipment to drag around however. Bees are surprisingly gentle when blown out of a honey super. Do not blow them out where you intend to walk.

How to take the honey supers off the hiveVarious methods are used to drive bees

from a honey super/frames.

Using Fume pads or boards as they are sometimes called.

• This fits the top of the super to be removed. A chemical repellent is sprinkled or sprayed on the cloth pad in the frame. This is placed over the hive. It drives the bees down into lower sections of the hive. If left on too long, it will drive bees out the front entrance of the hive. Several can be used on different hives at the same time to speed up honey removal.

•These are Dadant catalog photos.


These are things to do before removing the honey super and frames from the bee yard.

• Check for any brood on the frames of honey.• Check for frames of uncapped nectar.

After the honey is removed from the hive and bee yard…….

• Secure the honey supers in a secure area where bees or other critters can not get to them to rob or damage


Check for brood on honey super frames

•Check for any brood on the frames of honey. •This is brood placed in a honey super frame. •You will have this if you do not use queen excluders and care must be taken that you have not also removed the queen from the hive. •The brood frames should not be removed from the hive. •If you use queen excluders, it means the queen got thru it some how and is located in the honey super area of your hive.

After the honey supers are off the hives.

•Honey supers with honey in them will attract many bees. They arrive to take honey from the supers back to their own hive… •A serious situation can develop in the area where bees can get at honey supers.

•This is a secure honey room of a commercial beekeeper. This room is kept dark and warm until the supers are moved for extracting. The honey in this room will be in 50 gal. barrels in two days.

After the honey supers are off the hives.

Do not sit them away until you have time to do something with them.

Honey is hydroscopic meaning that it collects moisture from the air. This causes honey Fermentation. Honey

will become sour-- Look for bubbles in your honey.

•And honey may granulate in the comb making it very difficult to remove the honey by extracting.•And Small Hive Beetles will attack the combs•And wax moths will attack the comb if the weather is warm.•And ants and mice will visit your supers if they can get to them.

Your honey crop has been harvested

Time to get your bees ready for WinterCycle begins again!

QUESTIONS?

Documents

Hive Inspections. Beekeeping Management of of honey bees Honey bees lived just fine until man came along and began to capture them. This is called keeping