Beginner Beekeeping – Week 4Fall Management

What’s Your Mite Count?Economic Thresholds

◦Natural drop < 20-30 per day (3 day avg.)

◦Alcohol shake – 7 mites per 300◦Sugar shake – 4 mites per 300 (1/2

cup)

What if my mid-season count is too high or I’m seeing deformed wings?Consider treating during the

August “dearth” (we’ll get to how in a few minutes)

Site the hive, or prune to get maximum sunshine on the hive◦Sun helps reduce both varroa and

nosema

Fall ManagementCombining Hives

Why combine hives?To save the bees in a weak hive

To re-queen a queenless hive

To unite a late season swarm with a strong colony

Weak hives

In the fall, a hive may not have thrived due to many factors and has a low chance of surviving the winter

A hive may be queenless, and too small to justify re-queening (or it’s too late in the season)

A Captured Swarm

If you catch a late season swarm, it may be too small to survive the winter

Hive the swarmLet it settle, then combine (in a

week or two)

Assess hive strengthIs the population low (i.e. not

filling out the brood boxes)?◦Good rule: 6 frames with brood in

September Are honey stores low? Tilt or pick-

up the hive. Check frames. If you see many empty ones and it is light to lift, it may be a candidate

Is the queen weak? See week 3 but spotty brood pattern, many drones.

How to combineUnite weak to strong. Two weak

hives does not equal a strong hive, it equals a bigger weak hive.

If you have two weak hives, then it is better to create nucs. The smaller colony has a better chance of survival.

Pick a day when the temp is above 60 and then temps won’t fall below 50, otherwise the bees will cluster

How to combineYou will need to kill the weaker queen

firstReduce the size of both hives by

removing empty frames, moving fuller frames (honey, pollen, bee bread), into consolidated box

You may not be able to reduce the hive to 3 mediums or two deeps. You can over-winter with more boxes provided they have resources in each box.

How to combineYou can’t just put the hives

together because they will fightNeed to gradually combineNewspaper method

Newspaper combine

Combining3 boxes

Newspaper method

Newspaper combineRemove inner and outer covers

from receiving hive (stronger one)

Place a single sheet of newspaper over the top of this hive (on top of bars), making sure that the paper overlaps the edges.

Cut a few slits in the newspaper. This allows the bees to become accustomed to the other hives smells

Newspaper combineCover the top box as you would

any hive, but add a feeder. This hive may lose its field force due to the move so you will need to feed it. Cover as you would any other hive.

Leave it alone for a week.Check it. The newspaper should

be chewed through and the hives happy together

ConsolidateAfter another week, inspect the

hive and see if you can reduce it further.

The goal is one hive with normal number of boxes.

But, if all the boxes are full of bees, brood and food, over-winter it like that. You can split it in the spring, requeen the split and have a new hive!

Mite Treatments, Chemical

Apistan (fluvalinate)Checkmite (coumaphos)Amitraz/ApivarHivastanMites quickly develop resistance – all we’re doing is breeding stronger mites.Studies are showing sub-lethal negative effects on brood viability and queen health.Please, just don’t.

“Natural” or Soft Treatments

Follow label instructions and the following products are very safe and very effective.

Each has different limitations, so decide what works best for your life

Do it for the next generation of beekeepers

ApiLifeVar (Thymol and Menthol)(not to be confused with ApiVar)Tablet form – works with vapors3 treatments, 7-10 days apartPut wafers on top box top barsClose up holes and reduce the entrance

Put in your inspection board It can make the bees a bit testy

Treat with honey supers off (and don’t put them back on for a month.)

Use when daytime temps are between 54-95°

Menthol treats tracheal mites

Apiguard (Thymol)Gel form in a tray – bees clean it out and it

gets all over them2 treatments, 14 days apartPut above top box top bars with a shim so

bees can get into the trayPut in inspection board

Bees may cluster on the front of the hive

Treat with honey supers off (they can go back on when you’re done)

Use when daytime temps are between 60-105°Treat for tracheal mites with grease patties, or

keep Russian bees and don’t worry so much.

Mite Away Quick Strips (Formic Acid)Slow release of (stinky) vapors in a gel strip1 treatment, works for 7 daysPut 2 pads on top bars between brood boxesRecommended for hives 6 brood frames strongLeave ventilation openTreat with honey supers on if you want (formic

acid occurs naturally in honey)Use when daytime temps are between 50-92°Treat for tracheal mites with grease patties, or

keep Russian bees and don’t worry so much.

Oxalic AcidDire warnings about safety to the

beekeeper kept me awayThere is no approved on-label application

for the state of Maine

HopguardJust approved last summerResults look very positive, but it is

expensive and challenging for people with 2-3 hives.

Honey Harvest! Typical fall harvest happens between Labor Day

and September 20th

Now is the time to start getting your hive set for winter Repositioning frames – for winter we want

honey top and sides and brood centered below A top hive body of capped brood will most

likely emerge and those cells will be filled with honey

Getting the bees out:Shake or brush

◦Dramatic but quick and efficientEscape boards

◦Convenient if you have the extra day or two

Fume boards◦Works great if it’s sunny and warm

Wear gloves and a veil!

Extracting HoneyPlease don’t crush and strain – your

bees worked too hard for this.Borrow the Club Extractor

◦If you’re going to sell honey – apply for a Home Processor License, Dept. of Agriculture

Consider hiring a pro

Uncapping and spinning

• Use a hot knife, or a cold knife in a pan of simmering water

• If using a tangential extractor, spin the first side slowly, then the second side, then go back and re-do the first; get maximum honey without blowing out combs

BeeswaxDon’t waste it – put burr comb in

the freezer and add it to your cappings wax

Don’t use your good pots for wax – get cheap ones and dedicate them to wax

Cover sticky wax with water; heat till it’s all liquid; pour through an old t-shirt into a bucket; let it settle and cool

Dry and re-melt the disk in a double boiler and filter through paper towels.

Other hive products to considerPropolis – has amazing health

propertiesPollen – super food, and in huge

demand for allergy relief◦(We’ll buy your frozen pollen!)

Fall FeedingMedicate or not? (I don’t.)Why are we feeding?

◦Feed 2:1 syrup to hives low on stores It should be their fault, not yours At least 1 deep or 2 mediums of capped honey on

top at Thanksgiving (with at least 3 weeks to cure.)

Stop feeding by mid-October

Honey is healthier◦Feed back frames above inner cover

After nectar flow

◦Extract unfinished honey and feed it backConsider feeding pollen if a hive is behind or

unhealthy