You are here: Home

  • Hive Gallery

    The Hive Gallery features photos of beehives, honey bees, honey . . . whatever readers have sent me. Explore

  • Cookbook

    Not for you, for them. Find recipes for all those tantalizing treats like sugar cakes, pollen substitute, and grease patties. Explore

  • How-to

    Find links to the most popular posts on how to do everything from building a frame to moving a hive. Explore

  • Glossary

    The glossary is constantly updated with definitions, acronyms, initialisms, and links to Wordphile discussions. Explore

Notice Board . . .

New menu item: ZomBees. This page is a question and answer section about Zombie flies, Apocephalus borealis.

Don’t miss the Varroa train

This post, bound to be wildly unpopular, is a reminder about Varroa mites. At this time of year, when colonies are large without a mite in sight, it’s easy to underestimate them. But like a terrorist cell, they work in secret. They know their time will come.

During spring build-up of honey bee colonies, the bees out-produce the mites. But come late summer when drone production stops and worker production slows, the mites will out-produce your bees. If you are not ready for the reversal, your hive may not survive till spring.

It is hard to make winter preparations in the heat of the summer. But if you wait until October to think about overwintering, you will have already missed the Varroa train. In fact, there will be no seats left on the train after August—they will be claimed by hoards of mites doing their best to kill your colony.

If you want a reasonably good chance of seeing your bees in spring, you need to finish your winter preparations in just a little over three months from now—about 14 weeks.

“How can that be?” you wonder. Well, here’s the thing to remember about Varroa mite treatment: How you treat is up to you, but when you treat is not. Here’s why:

Summer honey bees live four to six weeks, but winter bees can live six months or more. The winter survival of your colony is directly dependent on the health and vigor of those winter bees. If they are weakened by mites or viruses, your colony has little chance of survival.

But it’s your summer colony that has to raise the winter bees. To produce a healthy winter population, they must raise winter bees in an environment free of both Varroa mites and the diseases they carry. The winter bees will be raised in September or October, which means that in most of North America, your colony needs to be virtually mite-free by the first of September.

Now is the time to decide on a treatment regimen. Many options are available from powdered sugar to organic acids to commercial pesticides, as well as various management strategies such as drone trapping and hive splitting. I urge you to read about the pros and cons of each and to avoid commercial pesticides whenever possible.

Regardless of the option you choose, you must make a plan. For example, using powdered sugar alone requires weekly applications from now till winter, so you need to get started. If you plan to use one of the organic acids, you may need to order the product and accumulate the necessary equipment and know-how. If you are going to trap drones or restrict egg laying, now is the time.

So yes, I know it’s only May, but if you want to derail the mites before they rule your winter hive, it’s not too soon to start.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

A water feature for the bees

What every bee needs is a good watering hole, and the bees at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture in Corvallis, Oregon have the fanciest one I’ve seen.

Water comes in through a drip irrigation-type system. The hose from the source runs up the side of the structure and through the middle of the piece of bamboo that stretches across the width. Holes are drilled through the top side of the bamboo pole and drip emitters are placed at regular intervals. I don’t remember how many there were, but it seems like it was about six.

The water seeps from the emitters and drips from the bamboo into a trough that is filled with mossy plants. You can see them looking rather yellow in the photo, but this was taken just coming out of winter when moss often looks like that.

Overflow from the moss drips down the sides of the rocks, which remain wet throughout the summer. A bed of rocks below the structure acts as a drain for the rest of the water.

Bees have many options. They can take water straight from the emitters, from the moss, from the rocks, or from the ground underneath. Honey bees, native bees, and a variety of other pollinators can meet here for refreshment and conversation.

If you already have a drip system in your garden or yard, it would be easy to add a water feature. It wouldn’t need to be nearly so big, of course. This one is huge, but I can imagine building something similar maybe two feet tall and three feet wide, depending on how many hives you have. If any of you try this, please let me know. I’d love to see what you build.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

A bee watering device at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture.
A bee watering device at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture.

Backfilling: the sign of the swarm

Here is a photo that perfectly illustrates the concept of backfilling. You can see that the frame once contained brood in the center with an arc of nectar above and to the sides. But now, most of the brood has emerged and the empty brood cells, which are slightly darker, are being filled with nectar instead of more brood.

When this happens in spring, it means the colony is getting ready to swarm. In fact, backfilling is the most useful indicator of swarming because it happens early enough that a knowledgeable beekeeper may be able to prevent the swarm.

Bees backfill the brood nest to shrink it. Without so many places to lay eggs, the queen slows her egg production and the brood nest contracts. This is important because after the swarm leaves, the brood nest will be small enough that the remaining bees will be able to care for it. Backfilling provides a way of scaling down the entire brood-rearing operation so a smaller workforce can still get the job done.

One of the most effective ways to counter backfilling is to open the brood nest. Opening the brood nest is accomplished by adding empty frames between frames of brood. So while the bees are busy contracting the nest, you go in and expand it. When a breach in the nest occurs, the bees go in and draw comb and the queen fills it with eggs—all of which delays swarming and may prevent it altogether.

To avoid chilling the brood, opening the brood nest should only be done when there are enough bees to cover the expanded nest. However, backfilling normally occurs when a colony is preparing to swarm, which means there are usually plenty of bees and moderate nighttime temperatures.

Thanks, Nan, for sending a great illustration.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

This colony is backfilling the brood nest in preparation for swarming. Photo courtesy Shady Grove Farm.
This colony is backfilling the brood nest in preparation for swarming. Photo courtesy Shady Grove Farm.

Inspecting a new colony: what to look for

You have a new colony of bees. You’ve released the queen and now you’re eager to see what’s happening. But what are you looking for?

First of all, remember that honey bees are wild animals and they prefer to be left alone. When you inspect their hive you are invading their home and they won’t be happy about it. Still, there are times when you need to know what is going on inside, and to do that you make a colony inspection.

It’s generally a good idea to wait about a week after you release the queen to make your first inspection. You want to assure that the queen has been fully accepted and she is laying eggs. Here are some steps.

  • If you are using a smoker, gently puff some smoke into the entrance and wait a few moments. Then gently lift the outer cover and puff some smoke underneath. Wait a minute or two, and then gently remove the cover. Place it upside down on a flat surface.
  • Standing behind the hive, remove the inner cover if you have one. By standing behind the hive you are not blocking the entrance and the bees are less likely to get agitated.
  • You are now looking at the top of the brood box. Start by using your hive tool to loosen one of the frames near the wall of the box. Moving slowly, gently lift the frame straight out. Check both sides of the frame to assure the queen in not on this frame, then set it aside.
  • Now, one by one, slide the next frame toward the empty area and slowly lift it straight out. You want to avoid “rolling” the queen between two frames of comb, so work carefully.
  • Once you have the frame out, look at both sides. Wherever you see new comb, look inside for evidence of eggs or larvae. These are easiest to see if the sun is coming over your shoulder and illuminating the interior of the comb.
  • Always hold the frames over the brood box. That way, if the queen should happen to fall off the frame, she will fall back into the box. This is especially important if your queen has clipped wings—a queen with clipped wings can’t fly back to the hive.
  • If you don’t find anything in the entire brood box but there is a second brood box underneath, return all the frames to their original positions, then remove the entire brood box and set it atop the inverted outer cover. By turning it 90 degrees, you are less likely to squash bees.
  • Repeat the process with the second box. Once you find eggs or larvae, you can stop searching: the queen has been accepted and she is doing her job. Close the hive. Except for filling the feeder, you should leave the hive alone for about two weeks.
  • If you don’t find eggs or larvae, but find the queen, give her a few more days, and then check again.
  • If she hasn’t started laying in a few more days—or there is no queen in the hive—you need to order another queen as soon as possible.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

Post-package anxiety

Every time I install a new package of bees, I get post-package anxiety. It comes from thinking too much about the egregious price I just paid for a bunch of bees that, save for the queen, has a lifespan of four or five weeks.

Not only is the package doomed to fade away, but the bees have a lot to accomplish before they do all that fading. They have to accept the hive, establish it as their home, build a nest, tend to the brood, and start putting away stores. In short, they have to replace themselves inside of a month and, since there is no brood in the oven when they start, hive failure is only one mistake away.

The first thing I worry about is the queen. Is she alive? Will they accept her? Is she fertile? And will she be a decent layer? And then there’s the rest of the gang. Will they like their new home, or will they abscond the first chance they get? Will enough bees survive long enough to care for that critical first batch of brood?

Instead of becoming more relaxed with the passing years, I’ve gotten more anxious. Before I knew so many things could go wrong, I didn’t worry nearly so much. But now . . . well . . . I even invent things that might go awry.

Nineteen days ago I installed three packages, the first I’ve purchased in several years. I released the queens three days after installation and then left the colonies alone for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks I decided on an abbreviated inspection—just a quick look for brood with minimal disruption.

That brief look turned into one of those joyous moments in beekeeping. In each hive I saw brood all the way to the frame edges and solid as rocket fuel. What a sight! The hive populations are set to explode in the next two weeks and there are still many bees from the original packages. I have never seen so many frames of brood come together so fast.

Are they as anxious as I?
Are they as anxious as I?

So what did I do differently? The answer is honey. I had many, many frames of honey on hand, so I started each package on five frames of drawn comb sandwiched between five frames of honey. I was really excited about the prospect of not having to make syrup, which is why I did it, but I never imagined it would have such an impact on the bees.

Now that I’m thinking about it, of course their feed would affect their performance. Honey is designed to be the perfect bee diet and has much more to offer than syrup. It’s full of vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals and flavonoids. It has a flawless balance of sugar types. It has flavor and aroma. It has the ideal amount of stickiness and the perfect amount of water. No doubt I have made a great discovery . . . honey is good for bees!

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

Tips for planting a pollinator garden

When planting a pollinator garden, keep in mind that pollinators need food during the entire growing season. Although some species live only a few weeks, different species become active at different times of the year. In other words, something must be in flower at all times throughout the spring, summer, and fall if you want to have a varied and continuous supply of visitors. Here are some tips for a successful pollinator garden.

  • The wider the variety of flowers you plant, the wider the variety of pollinators you will attract. Different pollinators are attracted to different plant features, so give them plenty of options.
  • Choose flowers of different colors. Bees are particularly fond of blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, like the reds.
  • Flowers planted in clumps of like-kind tend to attract more pollinators than scattered mixtures.
  • Plant flowers of different shapes. Pollinators have an amazing variety of tongue lengths, mouths sizes, body sizes, and taste preferences. Flowers of various geometries attract a wider selection of pollinators.
  • Highly selected hybrids often have less nectar than heirloom varieties. Stick with heirlooms or native varieties, when possible.
  • Plants in the sun attract more pollinators than plants in the shade.
  • Sheltered plants are more favored than plants that thrash in the wind.
  • Have a source of mud readily available. Certain bees, such as mason bees, use it for sealing their nests.
  • Skip the pesticides—not good for them, not good for you.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite