I'm so confused right now on how to manage my hives that I'd love to hear what others are thinking. I've had to toss my "typical" calendar out the window...
Usually I might start making splits in mid-March, then feed 1:1 for a month to get comb drawn before the flow, and then add supers in mid-April. However, there has obviously been some form of flow already for a few weeks (red maple?) and swarms are already being reported.
I have not seen many drones actually flying though, and the 30-day weather forecast shows high temps in the 50s and 60s - not these amazing 70+ days.
So... just wondering what you all are thinking and doing in response to this weird winter and early spring.
Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
I was hoping others would jump in with ideas. This late winter has definitely been a head scratcher. I haven't planned on splitting, so most colonies are getting open drawn comb. I have been trying to move the brood and queen down into the first box. I then add frames of open comb in the brood area and in really strong colonies, I have added a super of open drawn comb above the brood-bringing a few frames of feed into the added super and moving a few of the open frames into the top feed super. This is kind of a mix of Imirie's brood box reversal (giving the queen room to move up) and Wright's checkerboarding (opening the feed area above the bees with drawn comb). I hope to slow or stop the swarming impulse. I have my doubts. As needed in early-mid March, I'll add a honey super of open drawn comb on stronger colonies.
The 30 day forecast looks cooler than average with significant numbers of rain/cloudy days. It does not show any hard freezes, so I remain hopeful that our nectar producing plants will be ok. My thinking is that the early swarm season we are expecting may not be orderly, but may come in spasms on those days when temperature and sun conditions are better for the bees to come out and cluster.
I am hoping to get 1 large reproductive swarm this year and use it to get drawn comb for as long as I can keep them in the wax drawing mode. A couple of seasons ago, I was able to get a swarm to draw close to 80 medium frames by continuous feeding and removing and replacing comb with frames and foundation as they were drawn. I left the first 3 mediums for the bees and used a 4th to watch, shift , and remove frames as drawn. I would pull them out when at least 3/4 drawn.
That's my thinking FOR THIS WEEK. It may change based on weather or what the bees do in response to what I have done to them.
The 30 day forecast looks cooler than average with significant numbers of rain/cloudy days. It does not show any hard freezes, so I remain hopeful that our nectar producing plants will be ok. My thinking is that the early swarm season we are expecting may not be orderly, but may come in spasms on those days when temperature and sun conditions are better for the bees to come out and cluster.
I am hoping to get 1 large reproductive swarm this year and use it to get drawn comb for as long as I can keep them in the wax drawing mode. A couple of seasons ago, I was able to get a swarm to draw close to 80 medium frames by continuous feeding and removing and replacing comb with frames and foundation as they were drawn. I left the first 3 mediums for the bees and used a 4th to watch, shift , and remove frames as drawn. I would pull them out when at least 3/4 drawn.
That's my thinking FOR THIS WEEK. It may change based on weather or what the bees do in response to what I have done to them.
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
. My first year grafting, I need to setup for queen rearing. I was hoping to replace my 2022 queens and add a couple nucs. Just trying to keep swarm mode at bay till then. I will do Rob's suggestions to keep the girls occupied. My question is when should I replace old queens. Before or during nectar flow? Or after?
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
There are many options to consider. If you are taking around half the bees from a hive to raise queens or to make nucs, you are making an artificial swarm-especially if you remove the old queen to a new location (another hive or a nuc). This generally means that the original hive with reduced numbers will not have the foragers necessary at the right time to make a honey crop. If you wait until around early June, the main flow should be mostly done and there will still be a good number of drones and good weather for queen mating flights. This would give you new queens after the flow and later in the season so that you would be going into winter with relatively young queens. If you are more interested in getting young queens than in having hives ready for honey production, you could look to time grafting so that mating flights will be when forecasts are for a fairly large number of 70F days (maybe 65F+ if sunny).
One method I like for getting a few nucs and a few new queens does not involve grafting. If I have a really strong hive(s), I like to set up a nuc beside it and move the queen from that hive into the nuc. If I can, I will move a frame or two of open brood and nurse bees to the nuc. Since foragers will be going to the original hive, I need to make sure the nuc has frames with pollen and nectar or provide substitute and some sugar water, but not so much that the bees back fill open drawn comb I put in for the queen to lay in. I keep an eye on the original hive to make sure it is successful in replacing the queen. While this is going on, I have a strong foraging force during the flow. For awhile, I have brood interruption which helps with varroa, and fewer baby bees to feed, which may help with honey production. If the bees are not successful with re-queening, I can give them another frame of eggs from the mother queen/nuc. If they fail again, I can always re-combine the old queen and bees into the original hive. This does nothing for your grafting skills.
I have done almost no grafting, but you may want to make a nuc soon and do a practice round of grafting. I have seen that first time grafting gives highly variable results and that results get better with a little practice. If you do really well on the first "practice" graft, you can decide how to deal with the queen cells you have.
I really would like to hear from other beekeepers. There are so many options and considerations that I can't cover or even think of them all. Also, I can't promise good results from the efforts at swarm control described earlier in this line of posts. It represents my latest attempt to try and get/stay ahead of the bee build up.
One method I like for getting a few nucs and a few new queens does not involve grafting. If I have a really strong hive(s), I like to set up a nuc beside it and move the queen from that hive into the nuc. If I can, I will move a frame or two of open brood and nurse bees to the nuc. Since foragers will be going to the original hive, I need to make sure the nuc has frames with pollen and nectar or provide substitute and some sugar water, but not so much that the bees back fill open drawn comb I put in for the queen to lay in. I keep an eye on the original hive to make sure it is successful in replacing the queen. While this is going on, I have a strong foraging force during the flow. For awhile, I have brood interruption which helps with varroa, and fewer baby bees to feed, which may help with honey production. If the bees are not successful with re-queening, I can give them another frame of eggs from the mother queen/nuc. If they fail again, I can always re-combine the old queen and bees into the original hive. This does nothing for your grafting skills.
I have done almost no grafting, but you may want to make a nuc soon and do a practice round of grafting. I have seen that first time grafting gives highly variable results and that results get better with a little practice. If you do really well on the first "practice" graft, you can decide how to deal with the queen cells you have.
I really would like to hear from other beekeepers. There are so many options and considerations that I can't cover or even think of them all. Also, I can't promise good results from the efforts at swarm control described earlier in this line of posts. It represents my latest attempt to try and get/stay ahead of the bee build up.
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
If you know your honeyflow dates, I would requeen about 3 weeks before. If not, I would requeen in July or August.
Before is to be broodless during the first month of honeyflow.
After is to reduce hive numbers during the summer dearth.
Before is to be broodless during the first month of honeyflow.
After is to reduce hive numbers during the summer dearth.
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
As a first time bee keeper that just got a nuc about three weeks back, it seems to be an odd year to start bee keeping. How does one tell when the honey flow begins? I am seeing a lot of activity in my hive (10 frame) but would like to be sure that I am managing the hive correctly. They had about 7 of the frames built out with the queen laying in the the second to last frame already. I added a super so as to give them adequate space to move up and store resources. Any advice is welcome!
Re: Make splits, add supers, or get comb drawn?
My thinking is that even starting with nucs, you would want to get as much comb drawn as you can and wait until next year to try and make a honey crop. This means continuing to keep 1:1 sugar water in a top feeder and adding supers as 8 of 10 frames are drawn. Move the undrawn or least drawn frames to just beside the brood and add the next super of undrawn frames when this happens. The bees may slow down taking 1:1 during the nectar flow, but giving it to them allows them to continue drawing wax when they are not foraging or when weather prevents them from foraging. This year has been unusual to say the least. We have had a significant flow going since February. Normally the flow starts in late March to early April and slows/stops the beginning to middle of June.
Some folks are able to make a honey crop when starting with a nuc and this year MAY be one of them. You do not want to be feeding sugar water if you are planning on taking honey. Open drawn comb is your most valuable resource. I am able to feed sugar water to bees when they need it in late winter/very early spring and then put open drawn comb on hives just before/during the flow to get honey to extract.
Some folks are able to make a honey crop when starting with a nuc and this year MAY be one of them. You do not want to be feeding sugar water if you are planning on taking honey. Open drawn comb is your most valuable resource. I am able to feed sugar water to bees when they need it in late winter/very early spring and then put open drawn comb on hives just before/during the flow to get honey to extract.