The following is from Mike Overstake, a beekeeper that sends out articles periodically via “Bee Yard.” Note this was sent out on Aug. 7 so the flow is not quite as strong as he mentions below. Things are starting to slow down…
Bee Keepers,
I hope this email finds you well!
Hive Tool talk:
What is a dearth?
· Definition: A scarcity, famine or an inadequate supply.
Ok, what does a dearth have to do with beekeeping? Maybe nothing this year or maybe something tomorrow. A dearth for bees pertain to many things like:
· Pollen
· Nectar
· Water
· Habitat
As a beekeeper, we need to be diligent all year long. Our dearth’s can show up any time and in many different ways. To wet, to dry, early winter, late spring, Etc. We might have to feed syrup during May because of a wet spring. Put out waters in the summer because of drought. Have a low honey yield in the fall because of poor habitat conditions. Never assume what is going on, verify it for yourself.
Stay the course, be virulent and have fun doing it!
The Bee Yard:
What should we be doing now?
· Strong flow is still on!
· Order bottles for extracting
· Ordering fall mite treatment
o Review product for number of days you treat and temperature required
· Determining the final day to extract (around labor Day-ish).
o Extract frames that are 90% or more capped
§ High moisture in honey will cause the honey to ferment.
· After final extraction:
· Configure hive for winter
o Remove queen excluders
o Remove extra supers
o Arrange frames
§ Remove empty frames and replace with uncapped honey frames from honey supers.
o Dry honey frames in supers
§ Leave outside and loosely stack
· Make the hard decisions with weak hives
o Dispatch the weakest queen.
o Combine two weak hive to make one strong hive
Beekeeper Feedback and Input:
Should I be feeding my bee’s pollen/protein patties or syrup during the summer?
Great question! Short answer is no. That being said, if you catch a swarm tomorrow. Start feeding it syrup right away so they have enough stories for winter. If syrup is ok, why not patties? Patties will attract wax moths. That is why the fall and spring are the best time for patties (no wax moth).
Pollen patty with wax moth:
Trying something new:
Follow-up: I cannot find my heated decapping knife. Have you seen it? J
Here is what my new decapper knife looks like.
Projects:
Nothing new in the project area.
A bee’s view:
Queen cell freshly uncapped:
Freshly hatched queen (minutes old):
A thought to Ponder:
· What is the proper winter hive weight? Will review in the next Bee Yard email.
If you have anything to share, please pass it on.
Until next time Keeper of Bees, stay safe!
Mike Overstake