Before we get into the actual insect, let's talk about the current hive.

Beekeepers, for the most part, still use hives designed by Rev. L. L. Langstroth in the early 18 !s. "rior to this, beehives were kept in what looked like up#side#down baskets known as skeps. $ith skeps, the comb along with the total hive was destroyed when honey was harvested. Langstroth is credited with the removable frame hive and with specific bee space. %n other words, he invented the ability to remove the frames of comb and place them back in the hive without damage to the hive or comb. Langstroth also discovered what is known now as &bee space& and is generally thought to be between 1'(&# )'8&. *nything less, they will add their glue known as propolis. *nything greater than )'8& they will build comb. *lmost all hive bo+es today are modeled after Rev. L. L. Langstroth's design with slight modifications over the years. * typical hive consists of the following pieces, starting at the bottom and working up, The Hive Stand The Bottom Board The Hive Bodies The Medium or Small Honey Supers The Inner Cover The Top Cover -oday, let me e+plain the hive stand and the bottom board. -he hive stand makes up the very

bottom of the hive. .owever, many beekeepers do not find the hive stand necessary. % personally do not bother with hive stands. -hey appear impressive because they have a ramp leading up to the entrance. *nd, some people feel this helps the bees walk into the hive. .owever, % have watched the bees land, and they really don't land on the ramp nor walk up all that much. Bees prefer to fly, not climb. %n the natural, they don't have ramps. % would recommend not using a hive stand to reduce cost and it makes it easier should you need to move your hive. /o, in my opinion the first piece of e0uipment you need is the bottom board. But before we place our bottom board, we have to consider where to place the hive, the direction the hive faces and how much to elevate the hive off the moist ground. % like to use wood pallets that % can obtain free from local factories. 1sually one pallet is enough, but sometimes %'ll place two pallets on top of each other to elevate the hive around #2& off the ground. -hen, % place my bottom board on the pallet. "allets work well, but so do concrete blocks or any structure that will elevate the hive off the ground. 3ou want the hive elevated for two reasons, -o make it less stressful on your back and to raise the hive above the moisture in the ground. Bottom boards do draw moisture and so will be the first item to deteriorate over time. /o, keeping the bottom board dry will help then last longer. "lus, it also means less moisture in the hive. 4levating the hive makes it easier on your back. But, do remember that eventually you'll have lots of supers, and if you elevate the first hive body to a comfortable range, you may soon find you need a ladder when you place or 2 supers on. #2& is a good range of elevation.

$hich direction5 $hich direction should the hive face. %t really doesn't matter. $e typically try to avoid the 6orth so that cold winter wind will not blow into the front. *nd we typically try to face the hive 4asterly so that the early morning sunrise will get the bees out working faster. /hade or /un5 *78%9 /.*94:: ;et your hive in total sunlight. -his is e+tremely important. -hey can keep the hive cool. 9on't worry about the heat. /hade can attract pests such as /mall .ive Beetle, ants and wa+ moths. "lace the hive in direct sunlight. %f you cannot avoid the shade, try to place the hive where it will receive the most sunlight. Let's talk about bottom boards. -here are many different variation of bottom boards. %n the past there was only a standard solid bottom board. 6ow, with the introduction of mites, we have found that screen bottom boards help reduce mite populations and the screen also improves overall hive ventilation. * screen bottom board is part of what is known as %"<. %ntegrated "est <anagement. -here are many different types of screen bottom boards. /ome are simple and some have various slots and grooves to insert sticky boards or winter panels. ;et the simple screen bottom board: %f you want to slide in a white board or sticky board to count your mites, you can place it under the screen. *nd you can make your own sticky board using vasoline. %f you need to restrict the air flow when applying a medication, you can slide in a small piece of cardboard or metal. $e have put much time in designing our bottom board manufacturing to produce a simple, yet very effect screen bottom board. 8ur bottom boards come completely assembled with an entrance reducer cleat. 8ur bottom boards are designed for a )'(& opening in the front of the hive. .owever, with a slight modification, the bottom board can be flipped over and a smaller opening can be used. %t is not advised and if reversed, an additional piece must be added to the back of the bottom board.

/ometimes new beekeepers ask which way the bottom board goes. $hen the bottom board is in the correct position, the screen is up. 3ou can see the staples going into the screen. *lso, the top of the bottom board has three edges.

8ur bottom boards are made very strong, routed in such a way to lock sections together and are glued with e+terior glue. =inally, the bottom board's entrance is determined by the placement of what is called the entrance reducer cleat. %t is a )'(& + )'(& piece of wood with two different si>ed openings. -he cleat can be turned so that only one of the openings is used at a time. %n this picture, you can see the smallest setting of the entrance cleat. $hen would you use this

small setting5 1? $hen installing your package of bees. -hey can still come and go, but it keeps them from wanting to fly away until they nest. @? %n the winter, when you are trying to keep mice out of your hive. )? $hen the hive is being robbed by another hive. -here is less entrance to protect.

-he ne+t picture shows the larger opening on the entrance cleat. $hen would you use this setting5 *nytime you need a larger opening, but don't want to open it up all the way. -his could also be used for

all three reasons above. -hough the pictures shows the opening facing down, please remember to have the opening facing 1": $hen bees die during the winter, if the opening is down, then dead bees will fill up the opening. .owever, if the opening is facing up the bees can still fly out over the dead bees which you can clean out later on a warm day if the bees do not clean things up first. 8nce your hive is more than a few weeks old and is not being robbed and the weather is warm the entrance cleat should be removed and stored in a place where you can easily find it for future needs. -his ends lesson one. 3ou've learned about hive location, placement and the bottom board. %n our ne+t lesson we'll discuss the ne+t section of the hive, the deep hive body.

2.
%n our previous lesson, we learned about the bottom board. *s we work our way up from the bottom board, we are ready to e+amine the details of the ne+t item, what is referred to as the deep hive body. %t sometimes is called a deep super, hive body, a deep, and a hive chamber. 1nless you live in the deep south where winters are very mild, you will need two deep hive bodies on your hive. -his is where your bees will live and raise their young. -his is where the 0ueen will lay her eggs for new worker and drone bees. -his is where the hive will store their own reserves of honey and pollen, their food source and future winter stores. -he standard and common si>e for a deep hive body is, 1A B'8& in length, 12 1'(& wide and A '8& in height. * deep hive body is heavy when it is full of bees, honey and pollen. -herefore, some beekeepers choose to use the medium si>e super for hive bodies. -he demensions of the medium super is the same e+cept for the height. %t is )& shorter, with a height of 2 '8&. %f you choose to use medium supers for hive bodies, you will need to plan on using ) supers if your winters are cold, and 1#@ supers if your winters are mild. $e will assume your winters are cold and you plan to use two deep si>e hive bodies on your new hive. .ere's what a deep hive body looks like. -he hive bodies we manufacture have rabbet

Coint corners. -his reduces the &raw edge& e+posed to the weather. $e also use e+terior glue on all corners and 8, hand driven 8 penny nails per corner: $e also place nice si>e handle holds on all four sides of our have bodies. 8ur deep hive bodies have been specifically designed to provide e+act bee space needed in the deep hive chamber. $e also insert metal frame rests, so that the individual frames rest upon metal rather than wood. -his makes it easier to slide and remove the individual frames for inspection.

%t is a common practice to use 1! individual frames per hive body. 1sing only A frames in the brood nest area will have aid in ventilatin, but will decrease the amount of cells for eggs, pollen and honey storage, because instead of 1! frames there are only A. 8ur frames are strong, have no knots and have full )'8& side or end bars. .

$e have found the best frame and foundation combination is what is known as the top and bottom grooved frame. -his means the frame has a groove in the top and in the bottom so that a piece of plasticell foundation can snap and lock securely and easily into the frame.

$ood frames with plasticell foundation works very nicely. -he plasticell is a hard plastic about 1'8& thick and is coated with real beeswa+. Before we place the foundation and frame in a hive, we spray sugar water D1 part water, 1 part sugar? onto the foundation to speed up the time it takes for the bees to draw out the comb. -he foundation already has the comb cell pattern embossed on both sides, making the bees' Cob much easier.

/ome beekeepers use real beeswa+ foundation and use wire to hold it onto the frame. -his was the common practice for many years. .owever, today, plasticell is a much simplier foundation method and is as good in our opinion. Look at how nice this frame and plasticell foundation looks: 8ur bees love it. *lso the milimeter si>e of each cell in very important. -he larger the si>e of the cell in the foundation, the larger the cell will be drawn out and the larger the bee will be. /o, we use

foundation that is is an average, industry standard.

specifically around

milimeters. -his

%t is important to remember that where winters are cold, two deep hive bodies are needed so that plenty of honey, around 2! pounds, can be stored for the bees to enCoy throughout the winter months. -omorrow, we'll take a look at the ne+t item, the honey super.

). %n lesson one we took a look at the placement of a hive, the hive stand and the bottom board. -hen, in our last lesson, we e+amined the deep hive body. -hese lessons can be viewed at anytime by simply scrolling down or back. -oday, let's take a look at the honey super. /ome new beekeepers pronounce &super& incorrectly, calling it a &supper&, like what you eat at night. %t only has one &p&, so it is pronounced the same as when you say, &super si>e it please&. /ince we have already discussed the two deep hive bodies, sometimes also called deep supers, today we are looking at the supers that are placed above the hive chamber, on top of the deep hive bodies. -hese are the supers we place on hives with the intent to remove whatever honey the bees store in these supers. -he width D12 1'(&? and depth D1A B'8&? will be the same for all bo+es, including the honey super. -he difference with the super is the height. -here are three si>es used for honey supers. Beekeepers with strong backs sometimes use the deep si>e, A '8& in height. * very common si>e is 2 '8& in height. -his is also called the %llinois super or a medium super. -hen there is the small super. %t is '8& tall. .ere's a picture of all three si>es, side by side.

*s you can see, the only difference is the height, which is very critical, because the greater the height, the larger the frame in height, and the larger the frame, the more honey it can hold. -herefore, a deep super full of honey can weight close to A! pounds. * medium close to 2! pounds and a small )!# (! pounds. -here are some limitations when using the small super. -here is no plastic foundation made for that si>e super. *nd, during a heavy nectar flow, you will have to super your hives more fre0uently. *lso, it takes the same amount of time to uncap a small super as it does a deep or medium super. *nd, you get a lot less honey from a small super for the same amount of work. %n an upcoming lesson, we'll discuss when and how to add supers. But for now, we are merely getting familiar with the hive components. /ome beekeepers use only 8 or A frames in a honey super, while others use all 1!. %t does make a difference. 8bviously, if you use A frames, the comb on each frame will be drawn out wider by the bees, thus making much more space for the honey. %t is true that a A frame super will usually contain more honey than a 1! frame because all nine frames are larger and can hold a total that e+ceeds 1! smaller drawn frames. $ider combs are easier to uncap because the comb e+ceeds past the wooden frame, allowing the uncapping knife to ride along the wooden frame as a guide and uncapping all cells. /ometimes if the frames are not pulled out past the wooden frame edge, the uncapping knife cannot uncap the recessed cells. %n our hives some have a total of A and some have a total of 1! frames. -o help achieve the A frame spacing, a metal frame rest is often used. -his frame rest is different from the plain frame rest in that it actually has notches to hold each of the A frames, giving a perfect spacing between all A frames. Be prepared for a few challenges with A frame spacers. =irst, you cannot slide your frames hori>ontally. -hey are held

tightly in the notches. -here are times when you need to slide your frames. But if you use A frame spacers, you will have to lift them straight up and out to move them. /econdly, the various gaps around the metal notching gets pretty gunked up with propolis, giving nice hiding places for wa+ moth or small hive beetle to hide and lay eggs. %f you don't have problems with these pests, then it's not an issue. 6otice the build up of propolis in this picture on a A frame spacer rail below.

$e'll discuss supering a hive in a future lesson, but for now, you can place as many supers on your hive as your bees want to fill up. % typically have at least @#) supers on my hives during the /pring and /ummer. 8ur ne+t lesson will be the two final pieces to the hive, the inner cover and the outer cover. /ee you then:

(. %t might seem unusual to have two covers on a hive, the inner cover and the top cover. -his is the common configuration, to place an inner cover on the top super, then place the top cover on top of the inner cover. $hy5 ;ood 0uestion. .ere's the inner cover.

Before % answer that 0uestion, let me say it is not essential, at least not in my opinion to use an inner cover. % believe it is good, and can certainly aid the bees at times, to use an inner cover, but it is not always necessary. %t is suggested that an inner cover, with an oval shaped hole in the middle, provides a dead air space between the top of the hive and the outside world. <any claim this insulates the hive from the heat or cold. 8thers claim that the inner cover is to keep the top cover from sticking to the frames. $e make notches in the inner cover rim, allowing the bees to have a top entrance or e+it if they so choose and to increase ventilation. %nner covers with notches make it difficult to seal the top of the hive in the event it becomes necessary, like when you want to seal your hive to move them, or keep them in when farmers spray chemicals or when other hives may try to rob the hive. /o, to add ventilation, % simply find a small stick, and put it under the top cover, which provides a slight opening, a slight air vent at the top. % use this on hot days, and during strong nectar flows to help the bees dry the moisture from the nectar speeding up the time it takes the bees to cap the honey. 8ur inner covers also come with the oval shaped hole in the center. *bout half of our hives in our bee yards have inner covers. /ome of our hives Cust have what is called migratory lids, Cust a flat wooden lid that covers the top of the hive. $e recommend the use of the inner cover because it does become useful throughout the year. %f nothing more, it does make the top cover easier to remove. -he inner cover has a rim of wood, a wood strip on one side only. Eustomers often wonder which way this goes on the hive, with the rim down or up5 -ypically, the rim of wood faces up. %n other words, the top cover goes down and lands on the rim of the inner cover. -his provides the 1'(& spacing if the bees want to hang out between the inner cover and top cover, and a few do hang out there.

-here are times when it is necessary to reverse the inner cover position, and place the rim down. % do this when % place pollen patties on the top bars of the frame. -he e+tra spacing the rim provides is Cust right to accommodate the thickness of my patties and to place my top cover back on. -hroughout our years of keeping bees, we have been disappointed with inner covers that are made out of several pieces of wood. -hese seem to always fall apart. $e build our inner covers from one piece of wood.

$hat's the oval shaped hole in the inner cover for5 ;ood 0uestion. 8bviously the bees can go in and out, but there is a reason it is oval shaped. $e cut our holes perfectly to accommodate a bee escape. -his is a small, usually plastic device, that many beekeepers use to get the bees out of the honey supers Cust prior to removing the supers full of honey. .ere's how it works. =irst, when you see that your honey super is sealed or capped with wa+, you know it is ready to be harvested. But, there are still bees crawling over it. /o, simply take the inner cover off, insert the bee escape in the oval shaped hole, and place the inner cover Drim up? under the super you wish to remove. -he bee escape is designed so that the bees can walk out of the escape, but cannot get back in. 8ver the course of )# days, most of the bees will be gone out of the super. "retty cool huh: %t will not work if a drone gets stuck or if there is brood in the super.

<igratory lids are often used by pollinators because it allows hives to be easily stacked. % do use migratory lids on many of my hives simply because % find them easy to work. 6o inner cover, Cust one flat piece of wood covering the top. <y bees seem to do Cust as good with a migratory lid as without one. .owever, % don't like to winter my hives this way. % live in central %llinois and the winters are hard. <igratory lids don't keep out the elements the way an inner cover and top

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cover do. 6otice two of my hives side by side. -he white one on the left has an inner cover and a telescoping top cover. -he green hive on the right simply has no inner cover, but a migratory lid that % added a piece of metal to. =inally, the top cover. %t is often called a telescoping top cover because it hangs over the hive body. <ost telescoping top covers hang over between 1#@ inches. *L$*3/ "L*E4 /8<4-.%6; 86 -8" 8= -.4 .%74 -8 F44" -.4 L%9 98$6. %'ve lost several hives because of strong winds and % did not have a brick or rock on the top and the lid blew off and the storm drenched the hive.

-ops do not have to have metal, but it does protect the wood from the weather. %t is very important to allow for some ventilation at the top of the hive in the winter. $ithout some top ventilation, condensation can develop on the inside of the top of the hive, and drip cold water down onto the winter cluster of bees. -his can cause the bees to die, not from the cold, but from being cold and wet. * little ventilation at the top can help the condensation to evaporate.

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. *fter learning about the woodenware that the bees live in, now we are ready to learn about the actual bees themselves. .oneybee can be spelt as one word or two. Both are correct. %t never ceases to ama>e me at the number of beekeepers who actually know very little about honeybees. /o let's start simple.

-here are three caste to a honeybee hive, -he 0ueen, the drones and the workers. * honeybee hive has only one 0ueen per hive. -he hive must have a 0ueen in order to grow and survive. $ithout the 0ueen they will perish. -he 0ueen is the only bee in the hive that lays eggs producing the ne+t generation of bees. /he lays between 1,!!!#),!!! eggs per day...yes, per day:

-he 0ueen is noticeably different in si>e and shape. /he is longer than the worker bee and has longer legs, so she can back into a cell and lay an egg on the bottom. 8nce you become familiar with her appearance, she is more easily spotted when e+amining the hive. %t is good to e+amine your hives every two weeks to be sure the 0ueen is alive and healthy. .owever, it is very time consuming and sometimes impossible to see the 0ueen. /o one way you can be sure she is in good health is to look for newly laid eggs. -hese are tiny white specks at the bottom of the cells. -his tells you that she is alive and laying. -he 0ueen usually lives significantly longer than workers and drones, sometimes up to )#( years or longer. -he 0ueen does have a stinger, but it is not a barbed stinger. /he rarely uses her stinger, and usually only in fighting other 0ueens that may emerge in her hive as virgin 0ueens. %t is very rare for the beekeeper to be stung when handling a 0ueen. % am constantly picking up 0ueens and have never been stung.

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.ere is one of my 0ueens. -he white dot on her back is paint that % put there to help me easily identify her. -he other bees have been trying to clean it off. 6otice how the attendant bees circle the 0ueen. -his is called retinue. -his is another helpful hint in trying to locate the 0ueen. Rather than trying to spot her, try looking for the circle of bees around her, or observe the frame. -he 0ueen stays on the move and the other bees get our of her way.

6e+t, we have the drones which are the male bees. -heir only obCective is to mate with a virgin 0ueen. -hey differ in si>e and shape from the worker bee in that they are stockier, have larger eyes, usually appear slightly darker in color and do not have stingers. -he will not and E*668- sting you. -hey eat and wander around looking for a virgin 0ueen. -hey are the only bee allowed to travel from hive to hive. -hey are important to have so that virgin 0ueens can mate and begin laying eggs. 8nce the 0ueen has mated with several drones during her mating flight, she will be able to lay eggs the rest of her life and will never mate again. 9rones live around A! days. %n the fall, in colder climates, the worker bees will begin to kill the drones. -hey are no longer needed for winter, and they simply become a costly liability to the wintering hive. /o, they are not allowed to winter in the hive, and die outside. %n the fall, some beekeepers become concerned about the increased numbers of dead bees outside the hive entrance. * closer e+amination reveals these are the perishing drones who are no longer needed.

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=inally, the worker bee. $orker bees are all female and they do not lay eggs. %f a hive becomes 0ueenless for )#( weeks, a worker bee might begin laying unfertili>ed eggs as a result of the absence of the 0ueen's pheromone. .owever, this only produces more drones and will not help a dying hive. %t is believed that this is one of the last things a dying hive can do, produce drones to mate with other 0ueens. %t is easy to spot eggs laid by a worker. -here is usually more than one egg per cell, and they are seldom at the bottom of the cell since the worker bee is shorter than the 0ueen and cannot drop the egg on the bottom. -he worker bee will work in the hive until she is around @1 days old. -hen, she is rewarded her wings and begins foraging for nectar, water, pollen and propolis. %n the summer, she will work herself to death, usually only living ) #( days. *s a new beekeeper, become familiar with the difference between the 0ueen, the worker and the drone honeybee. 6e+t, we will e+amine how long it takes the drone, 0ueen and worker to hatch and what they do in the hive.

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2. Let's follow the growth cycle of the 0ueen, drone and worker bee. Let's begin with the worker bee. -he 0ueen lays an egg in the bottom of a cell within the brood chamber. $hen first laid, the egg appears like a piece of rice, only much, much smaller. -he egg stands up in the bottom of the cell immediately after it is laid, and will hatch, lie on the bottom of the cell after ) days as it molts into a larva. =rom day ( to day A it is known as a larvae and feeds upon royal Celly and worker Celly. *round day A the top of the cell is capped off and between day 1!# @!, the larvae spins a cocoon in the cell and begins to transform into a pupae, finally emerging from the cell on day @1. <any people believe that once a bee emerges from its cell, it flies out of the hive and begins to gather nectar. .owever, the new bee will not begin visiting flowers until @@ days after hatching as a new bee. .ere's what the worker bee will do first. *fter she is born she will clean her cell and other cells and keep the brood warm for the first @ days of her life. -hen, from day )# she is trusted with the task of feeding older larvae. =rom day 2#11 she is then assigned the task of feeding younger larvae. =rom day 1@#1B she then begins to produce wa+, build comb and transport food within the hive. =rom day 18#@1 she is commissioned to guard the hive entrance from unwanted intruders. =inally, from day @@ through day ) she flies out to gather pollen, nectar, propolis and water for the hive. -he 0ueen determines when she wants to lay an unfertili>ed egg which becomes a drone. -he cycle of the drone is the same as the worker bee e+cept that drones emerge from their cell on day @(, ) days later than worker bees. -he drone has no responsibility in the hive or in gathering nectar. %nstead, they simply wait to mate with a virgin 0ueen. =inally, the queen. -he cycle of a 0ueen is the same as the worker and drone bee e+cept she emerges on day 12. -he 0ueen is fed royal Celly or 0ueen Celly during the larva stage of her life. %t is note worthy that a 0ueen emerges the soonest, on day 12 because if a hive is 0ueenless, they will perish within one month without a 0ueen laying eggs. /o she must emerge 0uickly to save the hive. 4ach hive must have only one 0ueen. $ithout a 0ueen the hive will perish unless they replace her 0uickly. -he hive can raise their own 0ueen by making a 0ueen cell on the side or bottom of the comb. -he cell resembles a peanut. -o raise their own 0ueen, a hive must have eggs less than three days old. By feeding very large amounts of royal Celly to a young larva within the 0ueen cell, they are able to raise a new 0ueen. $hen the 0ueen emerges, she will pursue, fight and destroy any other virgin 0ueen in the hive and immediately begin giving orders to her new hive. $ithin a few days, she will take her mating flight, mate with several drones, return to her hive and begin laying eggs for the rest of her life.

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B. *fter you obtain your new hive e0uipment, you will want to order your bees. * common type and amount of bees to order is a ) pound package with an %talian 0ueen. =or a few dollars e+tra, you can have your 0ueen marked. %t is a good idea to have your 0ueen marked. -his makes it easier to find your 0ueen when you do hive inspections and allows you to keep track if your 0ueen has been replaced Dsuperseded? by the hive. -he superseding 0ueen will not have a mark. 3our bees will be sent to you by the 1nited /tates "ostal /ervice. -hat's right, they arrive in the mail, in a screened bo+. -his bo+ is e0uipped with a sugar water or hard candy dispenser and a cage to keep the 0ueen separate from the bees. =or faster service packages can be shipped via 1"/. 8nce you have ordered your package of bees, you will need to notify your local post office when you e+pect your bees to arrive. *sk them to call you as soon as they arrive. Leave several phone numbers with the postal service. -his is critical, because you don't want your bees sitting in a hot back room for several days. -o prepare for the arrival of your bees, you will want to purchase a new spray bottle and mi+ sugar water, one part water to one part sugar. 9o not use old spray bottles that have been used with other chemicals as this could make the bees sick or kill them. .ave your new spray bottle ready to take to the post office with you. *s soon as you receive the e+citing call that your bees have arrive, rush to the post office with great Coy and pick up your bees: Before leaving the post office, spray your bees with the sugar water. -he bo+ is made with a wood frame and screen. /pray an ample supply of sugar water through the screen. 1se the mist setting, not the stream. 3ou E*668- over spray your bees. -hey have been traveling for several days, and no doubt have been hot and not able to eat much, so the sugar water will really replenish their energy. -ry to keep the package in a shaded or dark place in the car or truck. %f you use a truck, try to avoid e+cessive wind damage that may occur if you place your bees in the bed of your truck. %f you have to travel a long distance at interstate speed, and the bees are in the bed of your truck, place something around them, protecting them from the wind, while also providing sufficient air flow. Bees must have air to breathe Cust like us: /ometimes, the weather might be too wet or cold to install your bees the same day they arrive. %n this case, simply keep them in a cool basement or dark room and spray them with sugar water )#( times a day. -hey will usually be fine for a few days if you have to wait. /ome dead bees on the bottom of their package is common. *n inch or two of dead bees might be a problem, indicating they did not withstand the trip well. Eall your supplier and report the findings. %f you see a few bees on the outside of your package, do not panic. %t does not usually mean there is a leak. %t usually means that a few bees have been clinging to the outside of the package for thousands of miles. But do check to make sure the bo+ is sealed well. $ill the bees in the package sting you5 .oneybees can always sting. .owever, you will find that by spraying them with sugar water, they are very calm. *nd, since they do not have any brood or honey to protect, they are not trying to defend their hive. -echnically they don't have a 0ueen either. -heir morale is low, so they are not nearly as aggressive. $hen % install packages, % do not wear cloves or hat and veil. % would not recommend it

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to you, because you don't want a bad e+perience on your first installation, but you will find the bees to be very gentle. $ork with confidence: 6ow, here's how you can effectively install your bees in your new hive. Ehoose a good time of the day, when it is sunny, warm and not too windy. <id to late afternoon works well. Be sure and take all your e0uipment to where you will install your package. 3ou will need the following items, 1) Spray bottle with sugar water (1:1 ratio) 2) Hive tool 3) A wood screw (for removing ueen cage cor!) ") A comfortable amount of protective clothing

Be sure your new hive e0uipment is where you want your hive to be. *t this point, you will only need your bottom board, 1 deep hive body, 1! frames and foundation, inner and top cover. Remove ( of the center frames from the new hive body. -his is where you will shake your bees into. /pray all 1! frames, both sides, with the 1,1 sugar water mi+ture. -his will attract the bees to the foundation and give them a warm welcome to their new home. Bees love sugar: *lso, before you install your package, you'll want to insert your entrance feeder and entrance reducer. Bees need fed when first installed because they are not an operational hive Cust yet. -hey have no incoming food. /o feed them for a couple of weeks the same mi+ture of 1,1 sugar water. %t is easier to place the entrance feeder in the front of the hive when there are no bees inside.

%f you purchased your hive e0uipment from us, then your hive came with an entrance reducer which you will want to insert before installing your bees. -his will keep the bees snug in their new home, and alleviate any tendency for the new bees to fly away. 3et, it does leave enough space for them to fly in and out as they become ac0uainted with their new home. "osition your entrance reducer cleat in the front of your hive as shown in the picture. 6otice part of it is hanging off the edge. -his configuration provides restriction, yet allows a sufficient opening. *fter )#( days, you can remove it entirely until fall. -his step is important because occasionally packages can fly away D*bscond? after you install them. -his restriction will help tremendously. $hile the chance of your new hive flying away is 74R3 R*R4, but the possibility does e+ists. -he reducer will help. -hey will stay put better than you would think. 9o not fear that they are flying away because you see lots

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of bees flying around. -his is normal. -hey need to stretch and go to the bathroom after traveling so far. Bees do not defecate inside their hive. -hey are very clean.

6ow, spray the package thoroughly on both sides of the screen, front and back. -his will calm the bees, keep them well nourished and keep them from flying about so much during the installation process. Remember, you cannot over spray. Be prepared for sticky hands and fingers. 6ow, you will want to begin opening your package. 9o not be afraid. <illions of bees are not going to rush out at you. $ork with confidence and enCoy the activity. -o open the package, first remove the top panel. %t is stapled on to the bo+. /taples are sharp, so don't cut yourself on the staples once the panel is removed.

1se your hive tool to pry open the panel. But, be careful with your hive tool. -he end is very sharp too, and if the tool should slip, it can poke or cut you. 8nce you remove the top panel, NO bees will come out yet. -his panel simply holds the feeding container in place as well as the white strap that has the 0ueen cage on the opposite end, inside the package.

-he bees may become noisy which is normal. /pray them again if you need to calm them. -hey are becoming loud not because you are making them mad, but simply because of the the sunlight and air. -hey are ready to do what bees do. <ake a hive and gather nectar. /tay calm and confident:

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6ow you see the top of the tin can of sugar as well as the white 0ueen cage strap. -he 0ueen cage strap is also stapled to the top of the bo+. =ree this strap, but do not let it fall into the package of bees.

;ently tip the package of bees over the new hive, positioning it over the center where the ( frames have been removed. /lide the sugar tin can out a little so you can get an easier grip on it. /ometimes the can comes out easily, and sometimes it is very tight and has to be wiggled out with considerable effort. %t will come out.

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8nce you are ready, pull the can all the way out. *t this point, the bees will have access to the great outdoors, specifically, their new hive. -hey will be attracted to the beeswa+ and sugar coated foundation awaiting them. /et the can of sugar water aside, holes facing up so it doesn't leak.

3ou will need to pull out the 0ueen cage now, prior to shaking the bees or else it will fall into the hive. %f it does, no problem.

-he 0ueen is okay, Cust remove the cage and place it on top of the hive off to the side from where you'll be pouring your bees. 6ow begin shaking your bees out of the package and into the new hive.

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/hake as hard as you want and you'll start seeing them pour into the new hive. 3ou may also want to firmly strike the side of the package with the palm of your hand to free bees that are hanging on to the screen. .owever, be sure not to strike a bee when striking the side of the bo+ or you might smash a bee Cust enough to get stung. 6otice in the picture, % take advantage of the remaining sugar water in the tin can by placing if over the entrance feeder. % usually poke a few more holes with a nail so the bees will consume it more 0uickly. *fter it is finished, % replace it with a mason Car with holes in the lid.

Now you must install your queen. /low release method is the best. -hese are not her bees, and she is not the 0ueen they are used to 34-: /o, you must let them get to know her before she can roam freely among her new hive. .ere's how. -he 0ueen cage has a screen on top and through the screen you can identify a white candy substance at one end. -his is the end that you will .*74 -8 remove the cork. 98 68- R4<874 -.4 E8RF *- -.4 8""8/%-4 469 8= -.4 E*693. 8nly remove the cork from the candy end of the cage. * hive tool doesn't work well, but screwing in a small screw then pulling it out works well. 8nce the cork is out, you will see that the hole is still plugged with the white candy. ;889: 9o not disturb that candy plug. *s the bees eat through the candy, they will become familiar with their new 0ueen. -hen, once the candy has bee eaten, she will emerge from her cage as 0ueen of the hive and be readily accepted by her new workers. *fter all, they are ready for a 0ueen themselves:

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8nce you've removed the cork, you will want to place the cage between the frames in the center of the hives from the top. 6otice how % use the pressure of the hive frames to hold the cage between the frames. % hang my 0ueen cage with the candy side down. /ome say to hang it with the candy up, in case her attendant bees within her cage die, they do not block her e+it. .owever, bees are good about moving dead bees out of the way, and % want her to e+it out onto the foundation. "L*3 EL8/4 *--46-%86. 381 <1/- R4"L*E4 *LL 1! =R*<4/:: %f you don't, the bees will 0uickly make comb in place where your frames should have gone. -his will be a mess. *nd they will attach their comb to your top cover and if you wait long enough, you will not be able to open your hive. /8 381 <1/- R4"L*E4 *LL 1! =R*<4/ before replacing the inner and top cover. 9o not place any other bo+es on the hive Cust yet. 3ou only need the one deep bo+. Let them draw out the comb, usually 2#8 frames, then you can place your second hive body on top. 8nce 2#8 frames of your second deep have been drawn out, you can start placing your supers on. ;reat Gob: 3ou 9id %t:: "lace the package bo+ near the front of the hive because it will still have some bees that you were unable to shake out of it. -hese will find their way into the hive in a day or two.

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8. *s you prepare to keep bees, several tools will make it much easier. 8f course, you could do without the tools and probably get by, but these tools have become the best friend to the beekeeper. Let me start by sharing what % feel is *B/8L1-4L3 essential, and then %'ll talk about e+tras that Cust make the Cob easier. 4//46-%*L -88L/ H 4I1%"<46-, ! Hive Tool "! Smoker #! Hat $ %eil #H$ H%&$ #''( $hen % first started keeping bees % really didn't understand what the big deal was regarding the hive tool. Beekeepers talked about it like a carpenter talks about a hammer or tape measure. 6ow, nearly a decade and a half later, my hive tool is my best friend in the apiary. By the way, &'I&() is a fancy word for where you keep your bees. It is pronounced like: a*pea*airy. Our actual business is called Long Lane Apiary, but since many people aren't familiar with what an apiary is, we go by Long Lane oney Bee !arms. Back to the hi"e tool. * hive tool is between A#1! inches long. % prefer the A& hive tool. -he 1!& tool Cust seems too long and clumsy for me. %t looks at first like a small carpenter's pry bar. But, it is a hive tool. 3ou will not find them at the local hardware store or at the local home supply center. 3ou may think you don't need one or that another shop tool will work, but take my advice, get a hive tool: 8ne of my workers preferred to use a screw driver until % reali>ed he was tearing up the hives. 3ou'd better get two or three hive tools if you are like me, and lose them so 0uickly. .ere's what the hive tool looks like,

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-he shinny end is mostly used for separating the hive bodies and supers. Bees gather propolis and use it as glue to keep their bo+es tightly together. $hen inspecting your hive, you will need to use this hive tool to separate stuck together pieces. -he hooked end of the hive tool is used mostly for scraping off the propolis. %t is important to scrap off as much e+cess propolis as you can to prevent build up and to keep a cleaner hive. 6otice the small hole in the hive tool. -his is for pulling out nails if needed. 8f course, you'll find many more helpful uses for your hive tool, but these are everyday uses. )e*t+ #H$ S,'-$.

% would not want to keep bees without a smoker. /ome brag that they don't smoke their bees, but, to me, this is not practical. 8kay, first, why blow smoke in a hive5 $e do it to calm the bees. -he idea is that smoke causes the bees to gorge themselves on honey, which makes them less likely and almost unable to sting. =or one, they are busy eating, and they become so full, they are unable to bend and sting. %t really does work: -rust me, this is not a tool you'll want to be without. $e'll cover how to enter a hive in a future lesson, but for now, let me give a brief e+planation on how to smoke your hive. 1se pine needles, burlap or corn cobs as fuel for your smoker. 8f course, you can use other items such as wood pellets, large saw dust, dried grass or mulch too. <ake sure that whatever you burn has not been treated with chemicals as this could kill your bees. $hen approaching your hive to open it, blow a couple of puffs of smoke into the front opening and wait at least ) minutes. -hen, remove the top cover and gently blow a few puffs of smoke into the entrance hole on the inner cover. *s you begin removing the inner cover, blow a few puffs of smoke under the inner cover and between the frames as you lift off the inner cover. %t is a good idea to wait a few minutes after blowing smoke into the hive as this gives the bees time to eat and rela+. /mokers are hot: -hey are metal, and lots of beekeepers have a perfect impression of a smoker bottom melted into their truck bed liners. % have one: % use an army ammo can now to put my smoker in when % am finished using it. %t prevents fires, and prevents me from burning up something like my truck.

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$hen lighting your smoker, do not pack it full, then try to light it. Load it lightly, and add fuel as it starts burning good. Be careful that the flame coming out of the opened smoker does not burn your hand or burn a nice si>e hole in your protective gear:##4+perience speaking here:: *lso, do not s0uee>e the smoker billow hard when smoking your hive. ;entle:: %f you s0uee>e too hard, you may send fire into your hive. -his is not good for the bees, and could set your entire hive on fire. /moke only please: /moke does not hurt the bees. *nd you'll get good enough to know how much to use after a few tries. -he smoker is good too, in case you get stung, you should blow smoke around the area of the sting. Bees are attracted to the scent of a stinger as a target, so by smoking the sting area, you neutrali>e this scent. 9on't waste your money on e+pensive smokers: 3ou're only blowing smoke:: * J)! smoker is all you need and works well. HA# / &$%( 8kay, % admit, % have worked my bees without a hat or veil. *nd % also admit % have been

stung on the face too. -hat's one place % don't like to get stung. *nd you could lose your sight if stung in the eye ball. *nd, if you get stung on the lip, you will look like 9onald 9uck for @ days: $ear a hat and veil at all times. .ats are usually plastic and are modeled after the popular pith hat. % like real pith hats from 7ietnam, so % use real ones. -hey are a few bucks more than a cheap plastic one, but it is Cust my preference. .ere at L86; L*64 .8643 B44 =*R</ we offer both plastic and real pith hats. .ere's a picture of what we sell in our start up kits.

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% wear my pith hat all day. $hen %'m not working bees, % remove the veil. -he pith hat is a great sun blocker. .ere % am after working my hives, cooling off in the front swing with my pith hat on. Both the plastic and real pith hats provide total protection from the bees, not to mention they keep ticks out of your hair if your hives are beneath some trees. D.ives should be placed in direct sunlight at all times:? *n occasional stray bee can sneak in beneath your veil. % wear my veil without tying it off, so % do find a bee inside with me maybe twice a year. $hat do you do then5 =irst, you do not panic. /he is not in there to kill you. /he wandered in by accident. % advise those who help me to never take off their veil in the field. -he first instinct is to rip off the hat and veil to get the bee out. .owever, that sudden movement with a now e+posed face and head in the middle of an apiary is not a good combination. .ere's what % do. % face the sun, tilt my head back. /he will move toward the sun on my inside veil, and % simply s0uee>e her between my fingers. -he veil is fle+ible enough that % usually s0uee>e from the outside, but you can always slip your hand under your veil inside and s0uee>e her. '#H$. )')$ $SS$)#%A( #''(S /pray bottle, frame puller, frame holders, gloves, boots, etc. % don't like to wear gloves. % get stung more with gloves than without, because a bee will innocently climb up into my glove and %'ll not know it and pinch her enough to get stung. $ithout gloves, % can better feel the bee and know where they are so as not to pinch one. %f % do wear gloves, % use a very thin leather glove. % prefer pig skin gloves. * stinger can get through, but it does provide a lot of protection. *gain, the plan is to work your bees in such a way as to never get stung. %'ll cover that in a future lesson too.

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A.

.aving your own beehive is a blast. 3ou'll find yourself being entertained as the bees fly in and out for nectar. But, what's even more ama>ing is to look inside and observe the bees in their own home. 3our hive should be inspected appro+imately every two weeks. -his allows proper timing to monitor the ongoing health of your 0ueen. %f she should die or become unproductive, then a two week interval inspection will give you enough time to order or raise a new 0ueen. D-he hives in the photo are in pollination field, and % had to place them in the shade to keep them out of the fields? Let's talk about making an inspection and what to look for once inside the hive.

=irst, let's pick the right day to do the inspection. $e are looking for a nice, sunny day between 1! a.m. and @ p.m. $e choose this time so that during our inspection, a large amount of the foragers will be out gathering water, pollen and nector, thus reducing the amount of bees in the hive. Level to rising barometric pressure seems to help the bees have a less agressive temperament. 6474R work bees on cloudy days, and especially if there is an approaching storm. *nd never work bees when it is cold outside. $ait for temperatures well into the 2!s before working your hives. Bees cannot hear, but they can sense vibrations e+tremely well. *nd they can smell e+tremely well too, so be sure you don't stink, but don't over perfume yourelf either. *lways wear bright colored clothing, preferably white. Bees become more aggressive toward dark clothing, but will rarely land on white. 6ever eat bananas prior to working your hives. /ome suggest the odor of a banana can mimic the smell of another 0ueen and cause the hive to become alarmed.

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3ou'll want to approach the hive with your appropriate gear which includes your hive tool, your lit smoker, your hat and veil and any other protective clothing which you feel necessary. *s you approach your hive, remember never to stand directly in front of the hive. -his is their flight >one. %'ve watched beekeepers work their hive from the front, never being taught otherwise and % am ama>ed that they do not see the thousands of bees that want to land, but are blocked and are gather behind the beekeeper's back wondering what to do. *lways work your hives from behind the hive. Eonsideration must be given when placing you hive so that you can have enough room to stand and work behind your hives. /-*3 81- 8= -.4%R =L%;.- "*-.: .ere's a video of the entrance during a heavy nectar flow... /<8F4 381R .%74 Blow two or three gentle puffs of smoke into the front of the hive. -his smoke will cover the guards at the door and allow the smoke to drift up into the hive thus calming the bees as they begin to eat honey. $ait @#) minutes so that the smoke can become effective within the hive.

6e+t, begin to remove the top cover. *s soon as you pry it up Cust a little, smoke inside the top cover and set it back down and wait a minute or so. -hen, remove the top cover and blow a couple of gentle puffs of smoke across the inner cover. /ometimes bees like to hang out between the inner cover and outercover in crowded hives.

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6e+t, gently pry up your inner cover using your hive tool and blow a few puffs of smoke inside the hive.

/et it back down for a minute then lift it off, gently puffing smoke once or twice as you remove the inner cover. 6ow, you are in the hive: *nd in our ne+t lesson, we'll begin to get familiar with identifying the inside of the hive. K/pecial .intK Be sure and secure all your beekeeping e0uipment during the winter, so that you'll have all you need in the /pring::

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10.
%n our last lesson, we approached the hive from the back, smoked it, and lifted off the outer cover and inner cover. 6ow, we are ready to inspect what is inside. /ince this is a beginning lesson, we will assume that you have installed your bees, and now you are ready to inspect you hive. .ow soon should you inspect your hive after installing your packaged bees5 %t is hard to wait, but you should wait days. -his will help the bees accept the 0ueen. *fter days, you'll want to open the hive and check to see if the 0ueen has been released from her cage. -o do this, the first thing you'll look for is the 0ueen cage you installed between the frames. %t is common for bees to be on the 0ueen cage, and it is very common for the bees to build comb on the bottom of the cage too. $hen pulling up the 0ueen cage be gentle as it is possible that your 0ueen may be on the comb attached to the cage. Look to see if you see the 0ueen, and if you do, brush her off onto a frame. 8nce there is no 0ueen present on the cage or comb, shake off the bees and discard the 0ueen cage and the comb. % save the comb that is attached to the 0ueen cage and use it in my school talks. Fids love to hold bee comb and look at it up close.

6ow, start by pulling out the frame that is closest to one of the sides. %t is usually less populated with bees and has less honey, pollen and brood. Gust set that frame temporarily on the ground, or you can purchase one of our frame holders that attaches to the side of your hive bo+ where you can place your frames as you work. 8nce you pull out this frame, you now have more space to slide each frame back into that space. -his helps you have the room you need to separate the frames that the bees have glued together with propolis. 1sing your hive tool, separate the frames and slide them apart. 8nce the frames are free, you can choose which one to lift out and e+amine. %t is best to start ne+t to the wall of the hive body. %f you start in the middle, you could risk inCuring the 0ueen or never finding her. Remember, ;46-L4 <874<46-/: 6o clanging and banging. Bees are alarmed by sudden vibration. *lso, work with confidence. %t is easy to lift out a frame with your hands, by loosening it first with your hive tool, then use your fingers to get a good grip on each end of the frame. 98 68- 9R8" * =R*<4 full of bees. ;et a good grip. -hen, slowly lift out the frame. %t might seem that you are smashing the bees or hurting them but they are used to being crowded together. 3ou may also see them &holding hands&, hanging on to each other and as you separate frames, it may appear that they will not let go of each other's legs.

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3ou might think you are going to hurt them, but they will finally let go. *s you pull up the frame slowly, the bees will have time to move out of the way.

%f you are uncomfortable using your hands to pull out a frame, you can also purchase frame pullers like the one in the picture. %t is a spring loaded hand grip frame puller and does work well. -he difference between a frame puller and using your bare hands is that with your bare hands you can feel the bees, so as not to smash any. $ith the frame puller, it is hard not to kill several. %f % am not rushed, % use my bare hands. %f % am in a hurry, % use frame pullers. -hese frame pullers that we sell are very durable and handy. 3ou probably want to have a pair handy when you inspect your hives. 6ow here you are, holding a frame full of comb and bees: ;ood for you. %f only your friends could see you now:

$hat do you do now. L88F: Rely on what you see. 3ou are actually looking to observe any abnormalities. *bnormalities are rare. 3et, most new beekeepers are alittle suspicious of any and everything: 9on't be. 3ou're going to observe everything that is suppose to happen in a hive. %t may look and appear unusual to you, but it will probably be a normal thing. Believe me, % answer beekeeper's 0uestions everyday, and most of their concerns are no big deal. But, when % first started, % thought everything % saw was a problem. 8n this frame, you are looking a sealed brood. -his is what beekeepers call a &good brood pattern&. %t's pretty complete. $e see a few dotted spots sprinkled throughout the frame, which could be caused from the 0ueen not laying an egg in that spot or the bees

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have a strong hygienic trait, which caused them to pull out a larvae that hat a mite inside the cell or maybe these bees recently hatched. /ome beekeepers ask how to tell the difference between brood and sealed honey comb. Eolor, te+ture and content. Eolor, /ealed brood is usually a tan brown color whereas sealed honey comb is light, sometimes very white or slightly yellow. -he te+ture of sealed brood is more velvety while honey comb is more smooth. =inally, if you still can't tell the difference you can open up a cell, and you immediately either see a developing bee and you'll know it is brood, or you will see honey, and you'll know it's honey comb. Look for the 0ueen. %f you do not see her, do not panic. <any beekeepers have trouble finding the 0ueen. /he is much easier to find in a small hive, say within a week of installing your package. But, in two months, when there are (!,!!! bees on @! drawn comb, it is hard. 3ou should have your 0ueens marked with a dot of paint. 6ot only does this help you find her, but it also confirms the 0ueen you are looking at is your original 0ueen. /ometimes they replace her by raising their own.

%f you cannot find your 0ueen, look for eggs: .ere's a picture of some larvae and a recently laid egg. $hen you find eggs, you know your 0ueen is okay and was at least in your hive a couple of days ago. %f you cannot find your 0ueen, and see no eggs, then you must begin to see what is wrong. 4ither the 0ueen is dead or she has stopped laying or is a defective 0ueen and cannot lay. $hen you are holding a frame for inspection, be sure to hold it over the hive. -his is so that in case the 0ueen should fall off, she would fall back into the hive rather than in your hard. %f she falls into the grass away from her hive, she may not find her way back in. *lso, when you have finished looking at a hive, place it back in the hive the same way you took it out. In summary+ here,s what you are lookin- .or when you inspe/t your hive0 0#he presence of the ueen+ either seeing her or seeing evidence of her by observing freshly laid eggs 0Sealed brood and honey 0%ncrease in bee population 0Ample supply of frames for the growing colony 0Any abnormalities

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%t is typical for a frame to have a rainbow shape of stored nectar, pollen and brood. 1sually the brood will be toward the lower part of the rainbow, and ne+t to the brood will be pollen, then the nectar will be stored on the outer or upper part of the rainbow shape. 3ou can see this, somewhat being started on this frame in the picture. "ollen in a cell is usually orange or yellow in color but can be many different colors depending on the flower source. %t can sometimes look like dry powder in a cell, but sometimes it sees moist. 6ow that you've seen all that you need to see, place the hive back together and remember to place the inner cover and outer cover securely on the hive. *lso, please place a heavy rock on top of the outer cover to help hold down the hive on windy and stormy days. 9on't let your hive be blown over.

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11.
% thought %'d take a break from the bee lessons today and tell you about how we removed a honeybee hive from a diesel engine yesterday. But, then % decided this would make a good lesson on swarms, although the hive in the engine was not a swarm, but an active hive with comb. % received a call on $ednesday night from a man who noticed bees coming and going out of a small hole in the oil pan of one of his Eummins 9iesel engines. $anting to sell the engine for scrap metal, he needed the bees removed first. =or most bee removals % am assisted by my father#in#law, Bill .enness of "aris, %llinois. Bill makes our bee#vac that we sell and works in our hive production as well. 8ur bee#vacs are wonderful. %t sucks the bees into a screen cage and the air suction can be adCusted so that it does not inCure the bee. -hen, the cage can be pulled out of the vac so that the bees can be transported safely to their new location. *t 8,!! a.m. Bill and % met the man and his father, the owner of the engine and the unwanted bees. .e used a sledge hammer to break open the aluminum oil pan, and sure enough, there the bees were, on a cold 6ovember morning, clustered together over their comb. $e take a lot of calls like this, almost one per day in the /pring and early summer when swarms are more common. 3ou will too, when people learn that you are a beekeeper. /ince it was around (! degrees the bees were very calm and on the comb. % started sucking them into the cage, peeling back the comb and revealing more bees along the way. =inally after about an hour, % had removed all the comb and captured all the bees. *nd as par for the course, we spend the ne+t half hour answering honeybee 0uestions. -his was the wrong time to remove a hive. -here was only about @ lbs of bees and they had very little hone in their comb. But, the engine had to go for scrap the ne+t day. %t is normally best to remove a hive in the /pring, so they can have time to build up their new home with comb and gather enough nectar throughout the year to carry them through winter. -his hive could never get ready for winter now. /o, % combined them with another hive. 8n site, back at the engine, % tested the hive for *merican =oul Brood, sacbrood and chalk brood and saw no signs. % inspected many bees for mites and found none. 6o deformed wings, so that's why % decided to add them to one of my other hives. $hen combining bees like this, it is best to place a piece of newspaper between the two different sets of bees. 8therwise, they will fight each other because the main hive will view the new bees as robbers. But, by placing a newspaper barrier between the bees with a few holes in it, the bees will eat through the paper and by time they meet, they will live happily ever after or at least for )! days, the normal lifespan of a worker bee.

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/warms are easier to capture than removing an e+isting hive. /warms usually have no comb, and are Cust a huge pile of bees hanging from a tree, car bumper, fence post, bird house or as in this picture, a porch on a beautiful house. * swarm is the natural way hives multiply. -his happens predominately in late *pril, <ay and throughout the month of Gune. %n our bee yards it's R49 *L4R- during the months of <ay and Gune. $e try to capture our own swarms. /warms are not aggressiveL they usually don't sting because they are full of honey for their Courney and they have no honey or brood in a comb to protect. -hey are simply out shopping for a new house. $hen % e+perimented with Russian 0ueens, % found that they have a greater propensity to swarm. %n fact, % had one hive swarm several times in two day. /ound impossible5 * swarm is when the old 0ueen leaves with half the hive. .owever, after the main swarm, there can be &afterswarms&. -his is when virgin 0ueens swarm with smaller amounts of bees from the hive.

3ou might be wondering why a swarm would hang from a tree, and Cust sit there doing nothing. -he main reason is that the scouts are out, looking for a nice place to make their final home. -hat's the beekeeper's tricky Cob, to capture the swarm before the scouts return and to make sure the scouts cannot fine the newly captured hive. %t is common for a beekeeper to capture a swarm by shaking the swarm into a hive, and then leave the hive below the tree until dark. -he problem is, the scouts can find their hive, enter it, convince the swarm there is a better place, and soon they will leave the

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hive. /o, capture and move it once they are all in.

%n this picture, notice the swarm hanging Cust above the deep hive body sitting on a bottom board5 6ow, all % do is give the branch a hard shake and all the bees and 0ueen drop in the bo+. %f they don't5 Gust do it again, only harder: Feeping a swarm in their new hive bo+ is tricky too. .ere's what % do. % save drawn comb Cust for the capture. 9rawn comb is another best friend of a beekeeper. /warms will stay better if there is drawn comb, and a lot better if you can add a frame of brood from another hive. % spray the foundation with sugar water too. $hat bee would leave a sugar coated comb5 % also restrict the opening down to only a small, small opening where only one or two bees can get through at a time. %t's hard to swarm again if everyone has to go single file through the door. Feep it this way for at least @( hours. <y son will keep his captured swarm hives completely closed the rest of the day, and through the night. Some tips on capturing a swarm: 1) 1hen you get a call+ as! good uestions2 *sk how large the swarm is, by having the caller compare it to a soft ball si>e, foot ball si>e, bowling ball si>e or beach ball si>e. -his will help you know what to take. *lso, ask how high the swarm is off the ground. 2) Have e uipment ready li!e a fireman. 3ou'll need a spare hive: "lease don't call us and ask us to send you a hive in @ hours: .ave an e+tra one on hand. %t's an e+tra e+pense, but you save by not having to buy bees: 3ou'll also need sugar water to spray the new frames. .ave the sugar water already mi+ed and in a spray bottle. 3ou'll also need ropes to possibly tie off limbs, a nice limb saw, gloves because some tree sap is sticky when you cut the limbs and a secure way to tie down the hive bo+ you are transporting home. 3ou don't want the hive bouncing apart in the back of your truck, only to find all the bees are gone when you get home with your captured swarm. % keep my swarm supplies in a big army ammo container so that % can grab it and run. % also keep my ladder in my truck from late *pril through <ay. %t takes too long to load it and strap it down. 3) 1arn 3ystanders2 -he home owner or bystanders will gather to watch. *lthough swarms are not aggressive and usually do not sting, they are bees with stingers. %

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always warn bystanders to back away or watch from their car or bedroom window. 3our work will most certainly draw a crowd. ") 3e 4areful2 9on't try to climb the highest tree or put yourself in danger. /ome swarms are way up in the tops of trees. -he most dangerous aspect of swarm capture is the climb: Be careful: 5) 1or! fast+ but not hurried2 -he bees are waiting for scouts to take them to a better home. 8r the 0ueen may have become too tired on their way to the better home and they may Cust be taking a break, a 0uick break: 6) .etrieval2 Sha!e+ cut or vac7 3ou'll have to make important decisions once you see how the swarm is positioned. 3ou'll have to decide whether to climb into the tree, or use a ladder or you may be fortunate enough to simply have the swarm at waist level. -hen, you'll have to decide if you can shake the branch or cut it. %f the swarm will fall directly into the bo+ without having to fall through other branches, then by all means shake: %f not, and they are on a small branch, cut the branch and carry it down to the bo+. -his is really dangerous and takes a lot of balance and strength. /ome swarms can be very heavy. -his is where your ropes come in handy. Before cutting someone else's tree, ask permission. 4+plain the si>e of the branch so they will not be surprised when their beautifully shaped tree now looks like the cookie monster took a bite out of it. $hen swarms are on buildings, cars and permanent structures, you have to use a bee# vac. 3ou will never scrape them all off or get the 0ueen. %'ve tried: %t's like pushing a chain uphill. But, with a bee#vac, you simply vacuum them safely into a cage. * bee#vac is the second most important tool to the beekeeper, second to the hive tool, in my opinion. 8) 9lace the captured swarm bo* in its new location ASA92 -hough you must allow ade0uate time for the swarm to work its way into the bo+, you must move it to its new location as soon as possible. -here is a good chance that the swarm has a plan, a planned place to go. 3ou've got your work cut out to disrupt that and convince them to go where you want them to go and to stay. :) #he white sheet approach2 1sing a white sheet works: %t seems to help the bees notice the dark entrance to the hive bo+ you are using. % rarely use a white sheet. 8nce % removed a swarm from garden. % placed a hive bo+ on the ground very close to the hive. -hey begin walking in. %t took around )! minutes for the swarm to finally walk into the hive, and at the end of the )! minutes, % observed the 0ueen walking in.

How to prevent swarms in your own hives

/warm prevention is vital for a good honey production year. /warming is a natural instinctive behavior and is how a mature hive multiplies into two hives. *ttempting to prevent a swarm is a challenge, and sometimes after doing everything to prevent a swarm, they still swarm. %f a hive swarms and !M of the hive leaves, then it will unlikely be able to produce a good honey crop that same year due to the reduction in bees. %f you are fortunate enough to capture the swarm, the good news is that you now have two hives, but the bad news is, neither will provide a honey crop that year. 3ou can usually

37

place the swarm back into the hive it came from, and the swarming instinct will have been satisfied. /o, the best honey crop comes from operating a hive slightly below the swarm congested level, while preventing a swarm. 4ongestion vs2 4rowded ;;you need open cells< <any beekeepers have been taught to provide more space in the hive to prevent swarms but this is only partially true. "lacing a super of undrawn foundation on the hive will not help if you've waited too long. .ives swarm because of congestion and overcrowding and more so from congestion. Eongestion means that there is incoming nectar and pollen in large 0uantities, and the 0ueen is laying well, thus there are not enough empty cells to accommodate the need. -his is why undrawn foundation Dmore space? does not always help. -hey need drawn comb with open cells, not Cust more space. /ometimes, you can pull out a frame or two of brood from the brood nest area and add two frames of either drawn or undrawn foundation, and this might be a temporary solution. But by this time, you may have waited too long. .emove swarm ueen cells2 -he obvious swarm sign is the presence of 0ueen swarm cells. -hese 0ueen cells are called swarm cells because the are usually located on the lower section of a frame in the brood chamber. 3ou can tilt back a deep hive body and look for these swarm 0ueen cells hanging from the bottom of the frames. *nother type of 0ueen cell is the superseding 0ueen cell, which is located higher up on the drawn comb. * superseding 0ueen cell means that the old 0ueen is being replaced because she is not productive or inCured or dead. Leave these superseding cells alone: -he bees know what they are doing, and why they need this replacement. But, if you want to try and prevent swarms, remove the swarm 0ueen cells from the bottom of the frames. $hat do 0ueen cells look like5 -hey are shaped like peanuts and hang out either from the foundation, as with superseding cells, or they hang from the bottom of a frame, as with swarm cells. -hey are about the si>e of the first Coint on your little finger. % usually save the cells in a mason Car with air holes in the lid, keeping them in a warm spot in the house, Cust in case % need a 0ueen. % also have several small hives Dnucs? that % store these 0ueens in. %t's cheaper than buying 0ueens. /ometimes, %'ll have two or three Cars full of 0ueen cells on the kitchen table. %'ll wake up and while eating breakfast, watch a 0ueen emerge, then take her to her nuc bo+ using a 0ueen cage, slow introduction method. %n closing, %'ve got to tell you about my swarm capture stocking cap: % got the idea from reading what Langstroth did in his bee yards. .e would hang dark woolly items from trees, so that a swarm would light where he had placed the item, instead of high up in the tree. % use a black stocking cap, fill it full of cloth, and hand them around my bee yards. %t may not work every time, but when it does, it sure makes the capture much easier. -o the bee, the dark, swarm shaped stocking cap looks like the place where other bees have landed. %n our ne+t lesson, %'ll e+plain how to split or divide a hive in the /pring to prevent swarming as well.

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12.
8nce your hives become strong and good honey producers, and you begin to sell your honey, wa+, pollen and propolis, you'll reason that if you had more hives, you could make more money. %t really does work this way: %f one hive makes J(!! a year, then 1! hives will make J(,!!! and 1!! hives J(!,!!!.!!...that's in a near perfect world of course ,? *nd, if you really want to make bees your business, there are other aspects of income from your hives such as raising and selling your own special line of 0ueen bees or package bees, wa+ and wa+ products such as lip balm, pure beeswa+ candles, hand cream etc. 3ou can also sell nucs from your hives. * nuc Dshort for nucleus? is when you pull out ( or frames from a strong hive and sell those frames for J1!!#J1 !. Iueens sell for around J1 #J@ and on up. -his sounds e+citing and fun and it is and to make bees your business, you'll have to learn how to successfully split your hives. -his is how you can multiply our hives without spending money on buying packages every year. 8r you can do both, split some of your hives and buy a few packages too. %t is the most cost effective way to add additional hives each year. 6ormally, a certain percentage of hives die each year. $e e+pect a @!M loss over winter. /ometimes there is no loss, and sometimes more than @!M. % have around (! hives going into winter, and % know that 1! are pretty small and light and will probably not make it. %t's not the cold. Bees can survive cold weather Cust fine. %t is because they never built up to be a full si>e hive before winter arrivedL they didn't store up enough food for winter. /ome of them were hives % removed from residential areas late in the year. % could replace these by purchasing new packages, and sometimes % do. .owever, at J ! a package, that gets e+pensive each year. /plitting a hive only cost time and maybe a new 0ueen, unless you raise your own. -here are several advantages and reasons why you will want to split your hives, -o increase the number of you hives. -o prevent swarming. -o produce nucs.

,A-%)= S9(%#S %) '&$.1%)#$.$> H%&$S

%t is important to reali>e that splits should only be made from overwintered hives, or what we refer to as second year hives. * first year hive usually will not e+pand enough to split. 8f course, how soon you start to split your hives will depend upon where you live. 3ou will have to wait until the evening temperature is warm enough so that the transferred brood will not become chilled. %t is a gamble for me, here in Eentral %llinois, to make splits prior to the month of <ay. * thoroughly populated hive can keep their brood warm on a cold night, but not a small split. *lthough there are many variations in making splits, let me give you the simplest e+planation, then % will e+pand upon the variations. %n its simplest form, a split is nothing more than several frames of brood, bees and food sources taken from a strong hive, and placed in an empty hive. 3ou might think of it as a controlled swarm, although a natural swarm only consist of bees and not brood or comb. But, when making a split, we also add brood, nectar and pollen to the split. -hus, making a split can discourage swarming. $hen % make splits, % simply pull our ( or frames of brood in various stages of development, along with the bees on those frames, and place them in an empty bo+. % also add a frame or two of nectar and pollen from the strong hive. *nd, % feed my new split 1,1 sugar water as well.

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%f you know that your transferred brood has eggs that are less than three days old, you do not have to add a 0ueen as the split hive will reali>e they are 0ueenless and begin to raise their own from the fertili>ed eggs in the brood. -his is preferred when % wish to retain the 0ualities of the 0ueen from the strong hive. -his is convenient for me, because it doesn't matter to me where the 0ueen is, either in the old hive, or perhaps % moved her over to the new split. *s long as both hives have 1#) day old eggs, the 0ueenless hive will raise their own 0ueen. E.*LL46;4/ %6 <*F%6; /"L%-/, *99%6; 7*R%*-%86 -8 %6ER4*/4 /1EE4// /ince % have lots of hives in small areas, % have found that my stronger hives have a tendency to rob my small splits of their honey. -herefore, if you find this to be a challenge, simply move the split at least @ miles a way, keeping it there until it can become large enough to defend itself. -hen you can bring it back and place it where you want. *lso, sometimes % fail to supply enough bees, especially nurse bees, to care for the amount of brood % have transferred into the new split. -herefore, it is helpful to shake frames of young bees into your split hive. %t is best to shake them from the hive the split was made from to prevent fighting. *nother challenge may be that one of the hives may not raise their own 0ueen. %n this case, it is important to check within a few days to see if a 0ueen cell is being formed. %f not, you will need to call us up and order a 0ueen. *nother slight variation is to add the variation of a screen. %n this case, the split is on top of the established hive. -he split is placed on top of the hive they were removed from, with only a screen to separate the old hive from the split on top. -he heat from the old hive keeps the split warm above. -his is successful but the entrance of the split on top should face the opposite direction than that of the hive below. 4ventually, the split can be taken off the hive and moved to it's autonomous location. /ome beekeepers claim to make 12 splits from one hive each year. ;enerally you can always make one split but sometimes @, ) even (: <ake you splits as early as you can, as the split will need time to prepare for winter. -here are many who are practicing splits in the fall. -his is possible, however, if you live in a region with hard winters, you will have to place the split on top of an established hive, divided by a screen, and the split must be fed or have plenty of nectar and pollen. % have also made splits with Cust two frames of brood and bees. /o, you'll have to e+periment and see what number works for you. <aking splits is really pretty easy: *nd think of the savings of not having to buy a package or a new 0ueen. % have fun doing the math with splits, like this. /ay you have @ hives and in @!!8 you make a conservative single split from each hive. 6ow you have ( hives. %n @!!A you get brave and split your ( hives, but this time you make @ splits from each hive. 6ow you have 1@ hives. 1@ split twice N )2 hives by @!1! )2 split twice N 1!8 hives in @!11

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1!8 split twice N )@( hives in @!1@ )@( split twice N AB@ hives in @!1) %n years @ hives could increase to nearly 1!!!:

%n our ne+t lesson, %'ll be sharing how to get the most honey from you hives. -hen, %'ll share how to market your honey, such as bottling and labeling and were to go to sell your honey.

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1).

$hile visiting with ;ene, he showed me around his place where they processed comb honey and prepared their supers for the ne+t year. 6ot only that, but he gave me one of his famous 8 frame comb honey supers that he and his dad made and used. Lots of our customers re0uest comb honey. /ome customers are convinced that comb honey helps their arthritis, citing the Bible verse that says, &"leasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones& D"roverbs 12,@(?. /o this /pring, we are gearing up now to produce much more comb honey, which is almost a lost and dying art among beekeepers. %t's not easy to do, and some have concluded it is not worth the bother. Li0uid honey sells Cust fine, so many beekeepers no longer produce comb honey. $hen % talk to other beekeepers, they too tell me that more and more people are turning to pure, raw honey including honey comb. $e find it impossible to produce enough honey to keep up with the demand from our customers. 8ur comb honey sells out within a few weeks after we harvest it, and our honey sells out in the fall. /o, we are constantly considering how to produce more honey. %t is a great Coy to any beekeeper to place frames full of honey into the e+tractor and watch the honey start flowing out. -ake a look at the video below and you'll hear our e+citement: .oney bees produce honey and in a good year, they produce lots of it, more than they will need, so the beekeeper can remove the e+cess. -his is why most of us keep bees## for the honey. *lthough, truth be told, we Cust love keeping bees: Let me share with you, two things, =irst, how to manage a new hive to produce the most honey, and secondly, how to manage established hives to produce the most honey. *lso, let me say that sometimes, even after all the right management techni0ues are followed, bees are insects, and might disappoint you in doing something contrary to what you want them to do. .owever, bee management is effective for the most part.

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.8$ -8 "R891E4 -.4 <8/- .8643 =R8< * 64$ .%74 %f you are starting with a package of bees, then you should be happy if the bees only produce enough honey for themselves. -his is good and par for the course. .owever, % always work my packages to produce honey for me my first year, and most do. <y success comes from placing my packaged hives on drawn comb. %n my opinion drawn comb is the beekeeper's third best friend: -he hive tool is first, and a bee#vac is second. $e now have one of our bee#vacs listed in our 4bay auctions. 8bviously, a new package or nuc will have to build up their hive. -his means they will need to produce a huge amount of new comb on the frames. -hey need ample amounts of comb for the 0ueen to lay eggs and for the workers to store nectar and pollen. Eomb building re0uires a huge amount of consumed nectar. -he bees need a large amount of incoming nectar for their glands to produce wa+. %n fact, it takes 8 pounds of nectar for the bees to produce 1 pound of wa+. 6ot only must they produce a significant amount of wa+ to build their new hive, they also need to increase their population. -ypically a package contains ) pounds of bees, which is roughly estimated to be about 1!,!!! bees. *n established hive will usually have between (!,!!!#8!,!!! bees. -he difficulty with packages and nucs is that before they develop a large number of foraging bees, some key nectar flows may have come and gone. -his is why it can be difficult for a new hive to produce e+tra honey. -hey are using the incoming nectar to build comb and feed their growing population and they do not have enough bees of foraging age to get the Cob done. -o accelerate a package hive, drawn foundation is a huge push. Less wa+ production is needed and more nectar can be immediately stored. .owever, rarely does a beginning beekeeper have access to drawn comb. *nd special care must be taken to ensure that drawn comb is free of any disease, especially *merican =oul Brood. *=B spores can live in comb for more than ! years. /o, Cust because a retiring beekeeper gave you all of his e0uipment, including drawn comb, doesn't mean that you've got usable draw comb. %f you have access to clean drawn comb, this is one way to help your package produce honey their first year. *nother way to produce honey from a new hive is to capture swarms and add the bees to the hive. *gain, you must be sure that the bees you are adding are free of pests and disease. 3ou will need to lay down newspaper between the two groups so that they can become familiar with one another and not fight. <any beekeepers capture swarms for the single purpose of using them to draw comb. -hen, the drawn comb is placed into new hives. /warms are geared to build comb. %f drawn comb isn't an option, and no one calls you to remove a swarm, what else can be done on a first year hive to produce e+cess honey to be taken off5 Erowd: -his is the opposite of what most people will tell you, because crowded and congested hives are more likely to swarm. *nd, if you are not an e+perienced beekeeper, purposely crowding a hive can backfire. %n the /pring of @!!2 % took a brand new ) pound package of bees and installed them into a 1! frame deep hive body. *ccidentally, % failed to monitor the hive as often as % should have##about every two weeks. * month later, % noticed some unusual signs that the hive was crowded, so % inspected. $hen % did, % noticed that all 1! frames were completely pulled out and e+cess comb was being built on the top of the

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inner cover, which is always a sign that you've waited too long. .owever, in my case, this seemed to work to my advantage. % placed a second deep with foundation on at this time, and it too was drawn out in record time, as if the bees were desperate for the e+tra space. % waited until the second deep was as packed as the first, then % started placing on supers. -hey began filling up supers. -raditionally, and rightfully so, we are told to place the second deep on when about #B frames are drawn out on the first deep. -his does prevent overcrowding and swarming. 3et, % have found that if % can keep the hive 74R3 -%;.-, the bees seem to e+pand faster and work more productively. %'m not sure why. % suspect that since bees are social, that they are more efficient in tighter 0uarters. "erhaps the 0ueen's presence and pheromone is more saturable. -his was not Cust a one hive deal. *s % practiced it this /pring again, % had the same results. *lways better production by keeping the first deep hive packed before adding the second. %n doing this, % did have one package swarm on me, so again, there is a thin line between running at full capacity and for the congestion to produce a swarm. 9.'>?4%)= #H$ ,'S# H')$@ A.', '&$.1%)#$.$> H%&$S -%<%6;: .4*L-.3 B44/: * ;889 I1446: /1"4R/: %t takes (! days from when an egg is laid for that bee to emerge from her cell, serve in her housekeeping role and finally be old enough to fly out and forage for nectar. Gust because you have lots of bees does not mean you have lots of foragers. -o gather nectar you need to have a full s0uadron of foraging age bees "R%8R to the nectar flow. -herefore, beekeepers could produce more honey if they simply counted (! days backward from when the nectar flow starts, and begin to prepare ahead of time for that flow. <ost beekeepers do very little to prepare for the flow other than make sure their bees are alive. .ere in Eentral %llinois, weather permitting, % usually have a nectar flow as early as <ay 1!th. -his means that for me to take advantage of this early flow, % must have a huge number of foragers, 1A days or older, ready to fly out and bring in that flow. -herefore, % need lots of eggs to be laid before *pril 1st. -his means that % need my 0ueens to lay heavily in <arch. <y challenge is that <arch is still a cold month for me, and my bees are still mostly clustering over very little brood that is being laid. -he older workers decide how much the 0ueen should be fed to stimulate her to lay eggs. %f these older workers do not see enough nectar or pollen in the hive they hold the 0ueen back from laying. 9uring the month of =ebruary, % will do two things. =irst, % place pollen patties Cust above the cluster, usually on the inner cover since the cluster is up high coming out of winter. *nd % place sugar water Cust above the cluster as well, one part water, one part sugar. -hese two food sources are Cust enough to prove to the older workers that a steady flow of nectar and pollen are available, so that they will stimulate the 0ueen into laying more than she normally would at this time of the year. -his helps the hive overall as well, because most hives that starve do so in =ebruary and <arch. -he idea is to e+pand the population of nurse bees so that more eggs can be laid and cared for than what is

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normally found this time of the year, thus increasing the amount of foragers prior to <ay 1!th. -his is a &common sense& techni0ue. =armers know when their crops will need harvested, and they prepare in advance to have all of their e0uipment and workers ready. Beekeepers do this very poorly. Beekeepers must prepare their workers Dthe foragers? to bring in the harvest: * terrible mistake beekeepers make is that they do not monitor the various ages of their bees. -hey view all of their bees as foragers. But they are not. 8nly one fifth of the bees in an entire hive are at foraging age. 3ou must also make sure your bees are healthy. -hey need nutrition. -hey need fattened up so they can remain strong and fight off various diseases. <ite control is essential in keeping healthy bees. -he healthier the hive, the better the honey production. .aving a good 0ueen is important as well. %t is optimal to replace your 0ueen every couple of years. 3ou certainly don't have to, and often the hive will replace a faltering 0ueen. .owever, for ma+imum honey production, you should replace your 0ueen in /eptember. -hen, by the time you start stimulating the hive in =ebruary with sugar water and pollen patties, this new, young 0ueen can really begin laying. 3ou must see your honey production season as starting in /eptember: =inally, you need lots of supers: Research has shown that bees with plenty of supers on the hive at one time do better than supering a hive as needed. % always have at least ) medium supers on all my hives prior to the nectar flow. %f some of those supers have been saved from the previous year and have drawn comb, then you're that much closer to an e+cellent honey producing year. 8ne final note on honey production. <onitor the location of the 0ueen. Feep the 0ueen down. /he moves up as she lays. -herefore, you may have to reverse your brood bodies many times in the /pring. .owever, be careful while it is still cold in the /pring not to divide the brood nest when rotating the bottom two deeps. But, they will need rotated. ;et her down, so that she will see plenty of open cells to lay in. -his will help prevent swarming as well. %n our ne+t lesson, my wife /heri will be sharing about selling honey. % can't wait for her to share her ideas with you. %'ll see if % can have her share about the other products she makes from the hive too, such as soaps, candles, lip balm and more.

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14.
% work in the bee yard on occasion, when %'m needed. $hile the bees did bother me some in the beginning, % 0uickly got used to them and are not bothered by them at all now. % have never gotten stung by the bees while working with them, but have asked 9avid to sting me at times to help with some occasional Coint pain. *fter the first sting or two, you get used to it: % have learned not to fling my arms around them and never wear perfume or hairspray while working with them. ;entle, purposeful movements are key to working with the bees but no matter how careful you are, you may get stung. Gust part of the business: Regarding selling honey, you have to develop a clientele. -here are many ways to develop a clientele, such as posters in area stores, ads in your newspapers, etc. -ell the groups you participate in Dcommunity groups, school groups, committees, etc.? that you have honey to sell. 4mail all your friends about your honey and have them pass it on: $e, of course, always have a booth at area festivals and in addition to the honey we sell, we make sure we have magnets for people to put on their refrigerator so they can remember where they got that good honey: $e also have small displays we put in some area stores, and most work places allow you to do the same as well. 3ou can also try calling your local newspaper and seeing if they would like to do a newspaper article on your business or farming venture. -his will generate a lot of interest. *nother idea is to let scout troops or classes come out for an educational proCect and make sure you send home literature with them for their folks: %f you have teaching abilities, you may wish to consider putting on some &beekeeping& workshops and generate some business at the same time.

*nd of course don't forget to put out a big sign in your yard to advertise so people can stop in and buy: <ostly we sell our honey from our bee farm, but we do have some displays in area stores. 3ou can also have booths at local fairs. By reading your newspapers, generally you will find articles announcing area events with vendor information. *fter you are at a festival or fair the first year, the organi>ing group will typically automatically send you information the following year for vending at their activity again. %t is important to have good presentation by attractively bottling your honey. Bottles can be purchased from any maCor beekeeping supply house. .owever, you must take into consideration the price, as well as shipping costs. %n addition, many companies will not ship glassware to you but if they do, you will typically take that at your own risk Dso in other words, if it breaks the company will not replace it?. "lastic can be pricey, especially with the lids so a better idea may be to go with glass canning Cars you can buy at your

46

local hardware or Big Lots stores. 3ou can get pint and 0uart Cars which hold 1. lb and )lb respectively for sometimes half the cost of the Cars you buy in the catalogs and you don't have to pay any shipping: <ost customers seem to really like the canning Car look as well. Labels can be bought from the local beekeeping companies. <ake sure the labels will fit the Cars you have purchased. *nd they should say &*merican .oney& or &made in the 1/*&. 3ou can also tell the company what you want printed on the label, such as the name of your company, your family name, address, phone and website Dif applicable?. /ome companies now provide the ability to purchase a blank back label where you can add information on your business and some personable information about your operation. Labels usually run around ten cents each. 8ther products can be made from the hive, such as beeswa+ and propolis by products. -hese other products can help to sell your honey as well and are good for customers who may not like honey but would enCoy a different honey product. Research how to make soap ##it can be far too pricey to buy the materials to make decorative soap from the hobby store. But making the old fashioned lye soap can be pretty tricky, if not even dangerous thing to do if you don't know how to do it. Better yet, take a class on soap making. $atch your local newspaper or call your local museums and you can find someone teaching a class. /oap made with beeswa+ can help your honey sales too.

3ou should also read up and research candle making. -here are many good books easily available at the library. 3ou can make candles from either the wa+ foundation sheets Dcandles are then called &rolled&? or you can melt beeswa+ to pour into a mold or glass votive for solid &pillar& candles. -hese proCects can be easy and fun to do, but be careful: .ot beeswa+ can be tricky to handle. Being part of a family bee business is interesting. %t can be very rewarding having your own family business. $e homeschool our children, and so our family is home together all day. $e can enCoy the time together and also the ability to take off and do whatever else we want to do because we do own our own business. $atching the children learn

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new skills is a pleasure and % especially enCoy having my husband around during the

day:

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15.

Today, I want to offer another lesson in beekee in! fo"#sin! on how to re are o#r hi$es to %ake it thro#!h the winter. &efore I !et into today's lesson, let %e re%ind yo# that we do ha$e o#r beekee in! "lass "o%in! # ("tober 11th here at o#r a iary. If yo# are interested, we %i!ht be able to s)#ee*e in a "o# le %ore eo le, so !i$e #s a "all at the n#%ber at the botto% of this lesson. +lso, we are still rod#"in! )#eens, tho#!h it is !ettin! late in the year, now is still a !ood ti%e to re)#een.

&y the way, here at ,on! ,ane -oney &ee .ar%s, we are a fa%ily b#siness workin! hard to hel %ore eo le dis"o$er and en/oy kee in! honey bees. 0e %an#fa"t#re beehi$es and sell e$erythin! related to beekee in!. (#r b#siest season is fro% 1o$e%ber23#ly. 4o if yo# are lannin! on #r"hasin! hi$es fro% #s, and yo# don't %ind !ettin! the% early before ne5t year, then now wo#ld hel relie$e the s rin! de%and and we always raise o#r ri"es the first of 3an#ary. 0e ha$e a re #tation, a arti"#lar way of kee in! bees. -ere are a few f#nda%entals abo#t beekee in! that we ha$e settled on and ha$e be"o%e known for6 1. No harsh chemicals. (We do not use any chemicals in our hives) 2. Use locally produced queens. (We raise and sell from our own survival stock). 3. creen !ottom !oard. ". #ive inspection every 2 weeks$ especially for monitorin% the queen. &. 'early requeenin% is a must(

49

I was not $ery fond of re)#eenin! yearly #ntil this s#%%er. I did a little test. I re)#eened abo#t half of %y hi$es and the other half I allowed the 223 year old )#eens to "arry on. 7a"h half "onsisted of a ro5i%ately 25 hi$es. &y far, hands down the re)#eened hi$es way o#t erfor%ed the hi$es with the older )#eens. It was not e$en "lose. The hi$es with the older )#eens had lower o #lation of bees, weaker fora!in! ower, less honey, less e$erythin!. I i%%ediately be"a%e a fir% belie$er of re)#eenin! a hi$e e$ery year. 4e te%ber ro$es to be the %ost strate!i" %onth so that the )#een is layin! stron! !oin! into and "o%in! o#t of winter, and the new )#een "an lay well in the fall to rod#"e lots of yo#n! bees who sho#ld o$erwinter better than older bees. (kay, so those are a handf#l of o#r arti"#lar hiloso hy of beekee in!. 1ow, let's talk abo#t !ettin! yo#r hi$es ready for another winter. 0hat

sho#ld yo# do8 0inter is a ner$o#s ti%e for beekee ers. 0ith e$ery snow, and blast of "old, north wind, we wonder and worry how o#r bees are doin!. 9onths of "old, winds, snow, rain, fo! and "lo#ds "a#ses #s to fret o$er o#r bees well2
50

bein!. In :e"e%ber, %ost of #s la"e o#r ear a!ainst the o#tside of the hi$e and !i$e a !entle ta to see if they are still b#**in!, and #s#ally they are. It is rare for a hi$e to die in :e"e%ber or e$en in 3an#ary. The fa"t is, %ost hi$es that die do not e$en die in .ebr#ary. They die in 9ar"h, when they ha$e e5ha#sted their food s# ly and ha$e few to fora!e the early ne"tar on the o""asional war% days. 4o what "an we do to hel o#r bees %ake it thro#!h winter8 There is no lan that ens#re 100; s#r$i$al. &ees are li$esto"k. Thin!s "an /#st !o bad. &#t a few thin!s "an hel . Ty i"ally, %ost "onsider winter re arations "onsists of the followin!6 1< =#t on a %o#se !#ard at the entran"e. 2< ,ift the hi$e and see if it has eno#!h stored honey by how hea$y it is. 3< 0ra the hi$e with so%e sort of ins#lation or roofin! a er. 4< 0e b#ild a wind break. 5< 0e treat for %ites and nose%a. These %i!ht be !ood %eas#res to take. -owe$er, they are not fail roof. In fa"t, here are three "on"erns that robably "a#se o#r hi$es to die d#rin! the winter that %any o$erlook6 1< Queenlessness. >o#r hi$e is %ost "ertain to die if yo#r )#een is weak or !one !oin! into winter. 2< Winter Condensation. If yo# seal # yo#r hi$e too ti!ht, yo# %i!ht in"rease the o$erall "ondensation within the hi$e and "a#se this "old water to "onstantly dri onto the "l#ster and e$ent#ally kill yo#r hi$e. 3< Keeping stored honey next to the winter cluster. -ow %any ti%es do we hear that a hi$e died e$en tho#!h there was lenty of honey. 4o, here's %y "he"klist for what yo# sho#ld be doin! to yo#r hi$es now to re are for a !reat hi$e in the s rin!6 1< ?e%o$e )#een e5"l#ders. 2< ?e%o$e honey s# ers. 3< 75a%ine the a%o#nt of stored honey and be s#re yo#r bees ha$e lenty. 9ost beekee ers in the north lift the ba"k of the hi$e and ho e it
51

feels like there is 70 o#nds of stored honey. 70 o#nds is the a ro5i%ate e)#i$alent of 1 %edi#% s# er f#ll of honey. 4< If yo#r hi$e is short on stored honey, .77:@ .eed 261 s#!ar water. Ase an internal or to feeder if robbin! is a roble%. ?obbin! is %ore of a roble% d#rin! the fall dearth. 5< 9ake s#re that yo#r hi$e has so%e sort of # er $entilation. It does not ha$e to be %#"h b#t so%ethin!. 0e now %ake o#r inner "o$ers with $entilation slots. +nd we lea$e o#r s"reen botto% boards o en all winter. 6< Ase !ood %o#se !#ards, either %etal or wooden entran"e "leats to kee %i"e o#t. 7< Treat the hi$es 3 weeks in a row with owdered s#!ar for %ite "ontrol. This is best started in +#!#st. 8< If wra in! hi$es, be s#re to allow # er $entilation. 9< Bo%bine weak hi$es with stron! ones. 9ost of the s%all swar%s yo# "a#!ht are not !oin! to winter well #nless yo# "a#!ht the% in 9ay. :o not feel like a fail#re if yo#'$e worked hard to b#ild # yo#r n#%bers, b#t now yo# ha$e to sli"e yo#r hi$e "o#nt in half by "o%binin! hi$es. Bo%binin! ten hi$es into 5 whi"h s#r$i$e the winter is better than ha$in! 8 o#t of 10 die o#t. 9#"h "an be said abo#t re arin! a hi$e for winter, b#t the hi$e that has the best "han"e of s#r$i$in! the winter will be the hi$e that was $ery stron! all year and has a yo#n! )#een. ?e%e%ber, a stron! hi$e is %ore a t to be est and disease free, th#s o$erwinterin! %#"h better be"a#se it does not ha$e $ir#ses "a#sed by %ites. 1o %atter how %#"h yo# wra yo#r hi$e, %edi"ate yo#r bees and b#ild a wind break, nothin! will do %#"h to i% ro$e a weak hi$e o$erwinterin! well. (nly stron! hi$es o$erwinter well eno#!h to e5 lode in the s rin!. 0eak hi$es that do s#r$i$e the winter #s#ally are not i% ressi$e the followin! year, #nless re)#eened soon in the s rin!. This year, I will e5 and %y o$erwinterin! e5 eri%ents. I will be o$erwinterin! a $ariety of "onfi!#rations to see whi"h hi$e does best. I will be o$erwinterin! 5 fra%e n#"s, sin!le hi$e bodies and a hi$e that is %ade # of 1 dee hi$e body and 3 %edi#% s# er bo5es. 0e also ha$e one hi$e !oin! into winter that we are now feedin! ollen

52

and hea$y ne"tar to sti%#late the )#een to kee layin! dee into fall to see if this is better or worse of winter s#r$i$al. =lease #t it on yo#r "alendar to eak in yo#r hi$e in 3an#ary on a de"ent day when the te% erat#re rises to atleast 40 de!rees. Then, %ake a lan to )#i"kly o en yo#r hi$e on a "al% day and in 1 %in#te or less, #ll # a fra%e of honey, s"rat"h it o en and la"e it ne5t to the "l#ster. If they ha$e no honey left, then feed@

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16.
% haven't heard a peep out of my bees. %n fact, their hives are all covered with snow. -ake a look at the picture below of some of my hives. % took this picture /aturday. 3ou can click on the picture to see a larger version. %sn't that pretty5 % think you can right click on the picture and save it to your computer and make it your desktop background image:

3ou might be wondering about my entrances being glogged with snow. 6ormally, % would clear them after each snow. .owever, since % use screen bottom boards, % don't worry about ventilation through the entrance. But, % will need to clear it out before the ne+t warm day when the bees will want to take a potty break. % like it when it get's cold like this because it keeps my bees in a warm tight cluster, not eating much. %f we have warm winters, they can get more active and eat more. %'m often guilty of taking off more honey than % should have, cutting the bees pretty close on winter reserves. .ey: =or all you who are interested in taking a beginner's beekeeping class in Eentral %llinois, be sure and call Fathy /ponder for more informatoin about registration: -he class will start on =ebruary @1 and %'ll be there teaching a couple of sessons and would love to meet you: %t will be in 1rbana, %llinois and the cost is J2!. Fathy's number is, @1B# B))#!)!A. $e'll also help you purchase your hives and packaged bees for the /pring:

)ow for todayBs lesson< How many hives should you start with7

$hen getting started in beekeeping, a common 0uestion is, &.ow many hives should % start with5& <any people who are first starting out wonder if they can handle more than one hive. -hey rationali>e that if beekeeping doesn't work out, then it is easier to get out of it with

54

only one hive. Let me tell you what my opinion is on how many hives to begin beekeeping. Feep in mind that colonies of honeybees can and do sometimes die out even after we do everything right. % call it a natural death. =or e+ample, last year, in one bee yard, % had about )! hives. =rom that /pring until mid summer, % lost one hive. -hen from mid summer until fall % lost another one. $hy5 %t was not EE9: -he bees did not leave the hive all at once. -hey didn't abandon their young. -hey didn't have any pests or disease. -hey had honey. -hey Cust didn't do good. <ainly the 0ueen is to blame. /he wasn't a good layer in the beginning and % probably should have replaced her when % first noticed her weakness. *fter waiting too long, no matter how often % replaced her, it never worked out in these two hives. 1sually it does. But a worker started laying and % didn't have time to try to rid her of the hive. % tell you this because if you have only one hive, and it goes wrong, then you don't have any hives left: $ith a few hives, two or more, you're always able to compare hives and keep going even though you might lose one along the way. %'m not ashamed to admit it that %'ve lost a few hives due to my own neglect or mismanagement. %'m Cust thankful % had a bunch of other hives to do it right with after % learned from my mistakes. -his is why it is better to start with multiple hives than Cust one. $hen people ask me how many should they start with, % usually tell them, &*s many as you can afford&. <any people who start with one or two usually call back and order more the ne+t year. =or those who truly enCoy beekeeping, they are always seeking ways to add more hives to their apiary. % reali>e that available space and time has to be considered. .owever, there is always a way to gain more places to place bees without having to buy land. <any farmers and land owners will gladly let you place your bees on their property for nothing more than a few Cars of honey in return. -he average backyard hobbyist should always start with @ or more. $hy5 $ith two hives, you can compare the hives to each other. 1sually if both hives are acting the same way, it is a normal bee &thing&. %f one colony loses its 0ueen, then you can place a frame of brood with 1#) day old eggs from the other hive into your 0ueenless hive and they will raise their own. *nd if one colony becomes weak, you can e0uali>e the two hives by adding more bees to the weaker hive. $ith one hive these management practices are not possible. Let me answer several 0uestions that % am asked regarding the number of hives to begin with,

I. I -et more than one hive+ will it require a lot o. time1

.ow much time you dedicate to beekeeping is entirely up to you. -he e+temes are, you can do nothing more than install your package in the /pring and do nothing at all, to the other e+treme of inspecting your hives every two weeks. * good management practice is to inspect you hives every two weeks. -his should only take about 1 minutes per hive. /o for two hives, that's only a hour a month. But, here's how it really works for a lot of folks Cust getting started in beekeeping. -hey love it so much, they are always in the

55

hive, looking at it, pulling frames out and showing friends and realtives. % opened one hive times in one day show interested people the inside of a hive. %t does disrupt their activities, so it is best to limit your inspections to twice a month, but some new beekeepers can't stay out of the hive, because it is so much fun. *nd the distruption is worth the e+perience you get by opening up the hive. $ith the more hives you have, the more you can inspect different hives and enCoy your hobby more. % once had a real nice motorcycle the kind you have to polished after every ride. % spent less time keeping 1!! hives than keeping that motorcycle wa+ed: %t really is manageable.

2ith several hives+ will the bees .rom one hive be /on.used and not know whi/h is their hive12ill the hives .i-ht ea/h other1
Bees keep to themselves pretty well. 4ach hive has a uni0ue smell, to the bees, not to us. -hey will not bother other hives. *s you can see by the snow picture above, % try to keep about 2#8 inches between my hives so that on windy days, they don't drift into the wrong bo+. 4ven if a few do, it is not a big deal. $ill they fight each other5 6o. -hey keep to their own business. %n the fall, during a dearth of nectar, a very strong hive might try to rob a very weak hive. But through proper management this will not be an issue. "roper management means keeping hives e0ual and avoiding attracting bees to another hive by mishandling honey or honey supers in the weak hive. 9on't work a weak hive for very long in late summer or early fall.

How /lose to-ether /an I pla/e multiple hives1

%'ve had hives on pollination pallets which were only )'(& a part from each other, ( hives on a pallet. But % think 2 # 8 inches is a minimal. *nd if you have a bit more space, give them a foot or two. 9on't place them too far a part or else you'll be walking too much to work them. % keep them close so % can go right down the line when % am working my hives. %f you have more ( or more, try to make a &1& shape bee yard, like a horseshoe shape apiary yard. -his helps the bees identify their hive 0uickly and it provides a little wind break for landings and takeoffs.

Can too many hives in one area deplete the available ne/tar sour/e1
%'ve heard people argue that too many hives in one area can cause a depletion in nectar in that area so that only the strong hives do well. -hat might be possible if you live in the middle of a desert with only a hand full of flowers within 1@ miles.

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<ost of us live in areas where there is plenty of nectar sources. Bees are sharp when it comes to finding nectar. Gust like we are sharp in finding food when we are hungry. 3ou know where some good restraunts are and if you don't you know how to go out looking for that perfect steak house. Bees are even better than we are at finding food. %t is e+tremely important to remember that bees fly @#) miles out to gather nectar. % think some people think of bees as dogs, meaning that they think the bees will stay in their yard. 1nless you have a huge yard, it aint' going to happen. 6ow, let's say you live in town and you own a regular lot where beekeeping is permissible. 3our bees will fly @ to ) miles around searching for nectar. 8ne of my bee yards is located Cust on the edge of a city of 1!,!!! people. -he bees fly straight up and out and late this summer they brought in a lot of alfalfa honey. -hey weren't getting this in town: $ithin a @ mile radious there are over 8,!!! acres. * ) mile radius includes over 1@,!!! acres of nectar to choose from: $ow: 6ow, to better illustrate how much nectar is within a ) mile radius, %'ve taken a satelite image of my home where % have about )! hives. % have superimposed a circle that represents a ) mile radius. Look at how much land that emcompasses.

4ven though %'m about (# miles away from some towns near me, it's only about ) miles the way the bee flies. *nd if you notice near the top of the picture, there is a large river that runs through the ) mile radius which means lots of river bottom flowers even in dry weather.

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17.
*s a beekeeper, you must understand several important factors regarding your 0ueen. -he 0ueen is the most important bee in the entire colony. /he lays the eggs. /he determines the overall health and productivity of the colony. /he even influences how hygienic her daughters are toward mites and disease. *nd though she may live four or five years, she will be at her best only for one to two years. *fter that, she needs replaced. 8ut of all the hives % have lost over the years, yearly re0ueening would have saved most of my hives. -he 0ueen: 3ou gotta love her. 3ou know that when you go to bed at night, your 0ueen is keeping order, giving directions and e+panding your hive. /he's in charge. 3ou keep bees, but really the 0ueen is the real bee keeper. -he hive's success is kept under her watchful eye. But here's another hard fact to face. 6ot all beekeepers replace their 0ueens every year or two. -hough re0ueening has so many positive benefits, it Cust takes time and it is e+pensive unless you raise your own 0ueens. -herefore, many beekeepers don't bother, and yet they complain about how they didn't take off as much honey or how the hive has mites. 3ou should seriously consider re0ueening your hive once a year. 3ou will have to determine where to buy your 0ueen, from stock that you prefer. % don't like buying 0ueens from others. 4ven though there are many impressive breeder 0ueen suppliers, you Cust really never know the 0uality of your 0ueen until she is released and goes to work in your hive. %'ll address 0ueen stock in a moment, but for now, let's consider re0ueening a hive. $ho5 $hen5 $hat5 $here5 and $hy5 -hese are 0uestions surrounding re0ueening a hive. Beginners seem to be reluctant to re0ueen, because most beginners do not have the confidence yet to open a hive, maticulously search every frame until the 0ueen is located, grab her in your hand, and put the hive back together 0uickly. But, it really isn't all that bad. Let me give you some tricks of the trade. /imply put, here's how to re0ueen a hive. =ind the old 0ueen if the hive still has a 0ueen, remove her and introduce the new 0ueen. -hat's it. /ounds simple, and sometimes it is Cust that simple. .owever, more often than not, it takes a bit more work. $e've talked about why to re0ueen, not let's talk about when. /eptember is often viewed as the best month to re0ueen because it allows your young 0ueen time to become well established with her hive prior to winter. %n fact, she may lay some good brood of winter bees. $inter bees live a month or two longer because they are not working much during their lifetime due to mainly riding out the winter in a cluster. *nd, when /pring arrives, a new 0ueen will be ready to lay as the weather warms up. .owever, re0ueening in /eptember is more difficult because during /eptember there is not a heavy nectar flow and bees more readily accept a new 0ueen during a heavy nectar flow. % prefer /eptember because it produces the most /pring benefits. .owever, it also carries with it the most liabilities. * liability might be that they bees will not accept her, and the weather may keep me from inspecting to insure she is accepted and laying well. -hus, there is a risk in removing an old laying 0ueen for a new one, because the new one could be a dud, worse than the older one. 6o 0ueen in /eptember means no winter bees...you get the picture. %t's worth the challenge, but it is a challenge.

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HO2 TO S'OT TH3 4533N

1se marked 0ueens. * marked 0ueen helps you spot her, and lets you know if she has been replaced. =or those of you living in the deep south and southwest, where there are reports of *fricani>ed bees a marked 0ueen ensures you that your 0ueen has not been replaced by an *fricani>ed 0ueen. 1se a frame holder. Back in my early days of beekeeping, % had trouble finding my 0ueens, because % could carefully search a frame, put it back in the hive, pull out another frame and never find her. $hy not5 Because % missed seeing her, or as soon as % started pulling a frame out, she would Cump onto a frame that % had Cust inspected and placed back into the hive. -he trick5 1se a frame holder. $e sell these simple frame holders that slip onto the top of the hive body so you can hang inspected frames outside the frame until your inspection is complete, preventing the 0ueen from Cumping back onto an inspected frame. Learn to spot the 0ueen by those around her.

Elick on the picture to the left and see if you can spot the 0ueen. -he bees have formed a partial circle near her. $hen looking at a frame full of bees, if you can't find the 0ueen try looking over the entire frame and observe how the bees are behaving. -wo things signal a 0ueen. =irst, she is often encircled by bees. 6ot always, but often enough that you should look for this circle of bees. /econdly, bees get out of her way. %n addition to these two signals, %'ve even tracked her down by her occasional sound she sometimes makes. %t's almost like a faint sound of a smoke detector only more rapid and with a slight bu>>. -his is called piping. %t is most common when a 0ueen is newly released and it not heard so much from mated, established 0ueens unless there is a new 0ueen being introduced in a hive that already has a 0ueen and the two are politicking for followers. Look for freshly laid eggs. *nother trick that % use is to carefully e+amine the unsealed brood cells. % look for freshly laid eggs. *h, then % know the 0ueen was at that cell not too long ago. %t's sort of a bread crumb trail. % rarely find 0ueens on full combs of honey or pollen, but mainly only on opened cell comb, that's Cust right for laying eggs.

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I 6ound Her &nd 2ant To (epla/e Her...Now 2hat 7o I 7o1

6ormally, a 0ueen will not sting. 1nlike the working bee, the 0ueen does not lose her stinger but it is rare for her to sting the beekeeper. %'ve never been stung by a 0ueen, even when holding them captive in my hand between bee yards. But it is possible. 1sually if you are removing a 0ueen to re0ueen a hive you probably do not want to use that 0ueen in a nuc or another hive. 3ou are re0ueening her usually because she is too aged or substandard. Let me put it nicely. /he's done. %Oll leave it to your creative thinking as to how you wish to end her life. -iming is important. 3ou need to have your replacement 0ueen on hand before you kill the substandard 0ueen. 8nce you remove the old 0ueen, wait at least @( hours before introducing the new 0ueen. 3ou may even wait up to @ days. .owever, remember that your bees will know that they are 0ueenless and will begin to resolve their problem by raising their own 0ueen from a fertili>ed egg. -his is one way to re0ueen a hive, Cust allow the bees to raise their own 0ueen. %n doing it this way, you have to wait three to four weeks before she will emerge, mate and begin laying. *nd remember that by raising your own 0ueen she will have most of the characteristics of her mother. -hat may or may not be what you want. /o, after waiting a couple of days, you can now introduce your new 0ueen. Before doing so, check the hive to be sure there are no 0ueen cells. 3ou can remove sealed 0ueen cells and use them in other hives such as splits, nucs or 0ueenless hives by gently pressing them into the comb of a 0ueenless hive.

How 7o I Introdu/e & New 4ueen1

-here are many ways to introduce a 0ueen. %t boils down to two basic methods. 9irect release and indirect release. 9irect release is rarely a good idea as the bees will usually &ball& the 0ueen and kill her. 8n rare occasions % have directly released 0ueens into 0ueenless hives successfully. 8nce % covered the 0ueen with honey, and set her near the entrance. Bees will come out, clean the honey off the 0ueen, and usually she will walk in once she is well groomed. /ometimes % have sprayed down the hive with sugar water with peppermint e+tract in the water. -he smell seems to neutrali>e the bees from attacking the 0ueen. 8n the other hand, the indirect release method allows the bees a chance to get used to the 0ueen before she is free to walk among them. .owever, prior to her release, she must be in the hive, but kept safely from the bees who may want to initially kill her.

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8ld time beekeepers used a method that is still very successful even today, though many people have either never heard of it, or don't use it. %t's a 0ueen cage made out of hardware cloth, shaped like a s0uare, about 1'@ # )'( inch tall with the bottom missing. %t is pressed down over sealed comb with the 0ueen inside, holding the 0ueen within the cage. Be sure that no other bees are in the cage, only the 0ueen. -his gives time for the 0ueen to be accepted by the other bees. $hat has almost replaced this method is that of indirectly releasing the 0ueen in cage she was shipped it, the mailing cage. -hese shipping cages are the same that are included with packaged bees. .owever, some 0ueen suppliers are using a combination of a mailing cage and a push it screen cage. $hen your 0ueen arrives in her mailing cage, the cage will have a candy plug on one end. 3ou will have to remove the cork to e+pose the candy plug. 6ow, take a very small nail or pin, and carefully poke a very small hole through the candy plug. Be careful not to make it too large. *nd when you poke it through, be careful not to inCure the 0ueen on the other side. -his hole will encourage the bees to begin to eat their way through the candy. -his usually takes a couple of days. "lace the cage between the frames. By placing the candy plug up, the 0ueen can always climb up and out and the opening will never be blocked by her dead attendants. By the time the candy plug has been eaten through, the 0ueen will have become accepted within the hive. %t is very important to wait one week before opening your hive after installing the new 0ueen. %n one week, inspect the hive to ensure the 0ueen is out of her cage, alive and if you have drawn comb you can inspect to see if she is laying. 6ow, let's go back to the old fashioned cage that is pressed into the comb over capped brood. % like it: %t works well. *ny emerging bees within the caged area immediately take to their new 0ueen. .er pheromone has a chance to spread over comb and on to other near by bees. -his is a good method to use in /eptember to help the 0ueen become accepted in the absence of a nectar flow. $e make and sell these cages. 8ur cages do come with a small opening where you can insert a mini marshmallow. -his serves as a candy plug, giving time for the bees to accept the 0ueen while they eat through the marshmallow.

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How 7o I Sele/t New 4ueens &nd 2here 7o I 6ind 8ood Suppliers

-rial and error will lead you to a good 0ueen provider, and the supplier may or may not be a well known and long established breeder. 3ou may find that the best 0ueens are raised by the beekeeper down the road who has )! or (! hives and is willing to sell you sealed 0ueen cells. % have pursued the various ads boasting of a great 0ueen only to find didn't live up to how she was advertised. .owever, there are some suppliers who go to great lengths to raise the best possible 0uality 0ueens. "ersonally, % am more successful in operating my hives with survivor stock 0ueens, 0ueens that % find in barns and trees, feral 0ueens who have already demonstrated that they can survive cold winters, mites, disease and swarm very little. % keep track of the hives in my yards that continue to survive year after year and produce an above average amount of honey and from these hives % raise my own 0ueens. % use a new 0ueen rearing system that allows me to never have to graft eggs with tools. -his system works great and can produce hundreds of 0ueens in several easy steps. $e also sell these systems. -hey are e+pensive, but can pay for themselves after producing Cust 1! 0ueens. %t is worth the investment.

2hi/h (a/e O. 4ueen Is Better1

-here are many races of 0ueens each claiming to have uni0ue characteristics. .ere's a few common ones, Italian+ Minnesota Hy-ieni/+ Cordovan+ Cau/asians+ Carniolans+ (ussian+ and Bu/k.ast . $eOll look at the different characteristic of these 0ueens in our ne+t lessons. "lease keep in mind that the /pring beekeeping season is fast upon us. % will begin brief inspections and placing pollen patties in my hives in less than 2! days: % will place all my supers on my hives in 1@! days. -hat means % must get everything ready and in order within the ne+t 1@! days. -hereOs lots for me and you to do to get all of our beekeeping e0uipment ready for /pring. LetOs not put that off.

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18.
$e all like to save a buck and many people want to get started keeping bees by luring a hive out of a wall of their home, barn, garage or from a tree. %t is a fre0uently asked 0uestion, &Ean % lure the bees out of the wall by placing an empty hive ne+t to the wall5& %t is a good 0uestion. *nd if it works, you save J2B, the price of a package of bees. But, does it work5 Last 6ovember % received a call from a couple who noticed bees flying around the bushes in front of their home. -hey thought they had a swarm. -his was 6ovember 1), when there are 68 /$*R</. % e+pected to find a handful of yellow Cackets that must have survived the killer frosts. 1pon inspection, sure enough, % noticed honey bees flying in and out of the north wall of their home, going in Cust below the siding. -he owners really wanted me to place an empty hive ne+t to the house to see if the bees would leave the wall and take up residence in the hive % placed ne+t to the wall. % tried to convince them, that it would never happen, but % obliged them. -hat was in 6ovember and so you'll have to stay tuned to these lessons because in the spring, %'ll go back and give you an update. .owever, % can pretty much guess now that the bees did not leave their nice warm hive inside the wall. .ere is a video of the empty hive % placed ne+t to their wall. 9oes this work5 $ell, %'ve learned to never say never, but % am really tempted here to say never, but as soon as % do, someone will do it: /o let me e+plain why it is nearly impossible and why it would rarely happen. *n established hive in a wall of a structure has a combination of brood in various stages, stored pollen, nectar and stored honey. -hey have worked very hard to build drawn comb. -he 0ueen's pheromone is prominent in the hive. $hy would they leave5 -here is too much to take care of. -hey are busy feeding young baby bees and storing honey. -hey would never abandon their hive short of some disease such as EE9, and then you would not want the bees anyway. Remember, that a colony of bees is actually scientifically considered a single organism. 2!,!!! bees acting as one single organism. -hey are dependent upon each other, working together to make their hive function. -his is why it is nearly impossible to lure it out of a safe home. 9on't be fooled. %f you place an empty hive ne+t to the wall where the bees live, you might see lots of bees going into your empty hive. But more than likely they are merely searching it for resources such as any beeswa+ on frames, or honey. -he only way, as far as % am concerned, to remove a hive from a structure is to remove every last bit of comb and remove the 0ueen as well. %f you leave the 0ueen, but take a considerable number of bees, the hive has not bee removed and will rebuild. /ome try to place a funnel made of screen over the entrance hole on the house with the large end of the screen funnel against the house and the smaller end toward the open sky. -he theory is that the bees can get out, but they will not try to enter back into the small opening on the screen funnel. -his is not effect as the 0ueen $%LL 6474R come out and the hive could die within the wall because the foragers cannot bring back food. 3ou, or people who call you to remove a hive, do not want a bee hive to die in a wall. %'ll tell you why in Cust a moment.

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*lso, for those who choose to spray poison in the hole in the house, let me warn you that this is not effective. =irst, it is very difficult to saturate the hive enough to kill it entirely due to the way the comb is large and layered. /econdly, if you were to kill it, then you will have a larger problem. 6ow you have unprotected honey which, without bees to tend to it, will run, oo>e, and drip attracting such other pests as roaches, mice and even black mold. -his can happen too, if you lure out the bees through a screen funnel but the 0ueen is left inside with the young bees. %t is critical to have a beekeeper remove the hive entirely from the home. -ake a look at this hive % removed. %t was huge and took a full day to remove. 3ou can click on the image to download the full si>e image.

3ou'll receive calls from friend and neighbors asking you to remove hives from various kinds of structures and if you notice in the image above, you see very few bees. -hat's because we manufacture a specially made bee#vac that vacuums the bees safely into a cage. 8therwise, there would be thousands upon thousands of bees flying around protecting and defending the brood and honey in the picture. -he brood is toward the center of the pictures, toward the lower left. %t is a bit lighter in color, a leather brown color. /ealed honey can be noticed at the top of the picture. %f you'd like to in0uire about one of our bee#vacs click here $hy would you leave your house and move into an empty garage5 Bees will not either:

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2H&T &BO5T S2&(M 95(3S

4war% l#res are different in that when #sin! a swar% l#re, yo# are not tryin! to l#re a hi$e o#t of a dwellin!, b#t yo# are tryin! to in$ite a swar% into yo# hi$e or tra . In other words, a swar% is a nat#ral s lit fro% a lar!er hi$e. They lea$e with a )#een and send s"o#ts o#t to find a ni"e new ho%e. This is how bee "olonies %#lti ly, kind of like ha$in! "hildren. The s"o#ts "an be attra"ted to yo#r hi$e or swar% l#re be"a#se of the s"ent. .or that %atter the whole hi$e "an be drawn to yo#r swar% l#re. The s"o#ts "an !o ba"k then, and infor% the swar% that they ha$e fo#nd a ho%e and lead the% to yo#r bo5. 1ow a "o# le of thin!s ha$e to ha en for this to be s#""essf#l. 1< +n e5istin! hi$e has to rod#"e a swar% $ery "lose to where yo# li$e and this #s#ally only o""#rs in 9ay23#ne. 2< 4"o#ts bees ha$e to ha en on to yo#r l#re s"ent or hi$e. ItCs a bi! world o#t there and s#"h a s%all bee to find yo#r bo5. ,ast s#%%er I had h#ndreds of bee bo5es with drawn "o%b stored in a friendCs barn. (ne day, I re"ei$ed a "all that tho#sands of bees were in his barn. Dreat@ I "on"l#ded that a swar% was %o$in! into so%e of those bo5es. &#t, he was ri!ht and I was wron!. There were tho#sands of bees, b#t it was not a swar%. They were /#st s%ellin! o#t so%e dried honey s%ells and lookin! aro#nd. &#t i%a!ine tho#sands of bees knowin! how !reat of a ho%e those bo5es with drawn "o%b wo#ld ha$e %ade. >o# wo#ld ha$e tho#!ht that if any hi$es in the area were to swar%, this is where they wo#ld !o. They ne$er did.
HO2 TO (3MO%3 & HI%3 6(OM & ST(5CT5(3

-ow do yo# re%o$e a hi$e fro% a str#"t#re8 4aws, ha%%ers, ry bars, ladders, li!hts, e5tension "ords, drills and all the other tools yo# need to b#ild a ho#se 6< It is retty intensi$e. I a"t#ally ha$e a lon! "he"k list of tools and s# lies I need to do the /ob, and I load the tr#"k the day before. >o# ha$e to de"ide where the hi$e is lo"ated by #sin! a stethos"o e. Then yo# ha$e to de"ide, alon! with the ho%e owner if yo# sho#ld enter the wall fro% the o#tside by re%o$in! sidin! or the inside by re%o$in! drywall. To %e, it is %#"h easier to re%o$e dry wall, and less work to re air. &#t it /#st de ends on the sidin! and ba"ker board. >o# sho#ld also si!n a "ontra"t with the ho%e owner s e"ifyin! that yo# are 1(T a bonded "ontra"tor and that yo# will not be res onsible for da%a!es. In a erfe"t world it is best for the ho%e owner to ha$e their fa$orite handy %an there to o en # the wall and "lose # too. &#t do ha$e it in writin!. &y the way, %ost ho%e owners ay between E200 2 E1000 to ha$e bees re%o$ed. I only o en eno#!h of the str#"t#re to be!in #sin! %y bee $a" to $a"##% the e5 osed bees. Then, I re%o$e %ore of the str#"t#re and $a"##% %ore bees. I "ontin#e this #ntil I ha$e all the bees re%o$ed. (n a lar!e hi$e this takes se$eral ho#rs. (n"e all the bees are re%o$ed, I be!in to tear o#t the "o%b.

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I then take the bee $a" f#ll of bees and d#% the% into an e% ty hi$e, )#een and all, then I ro"ess all the honey fro% the hi$e and ro"ess the !ood wa5. It "an be a rofitable $ent#re in that the ho%e owner %ay ay yo# E500, yo# "an then sell the honey and bees wa5 for another E300 if the hi$e is lar!e, and yo# obtained a free f#ll si*e hi$e, worth at least E150. :o the %ath, not bad for a dayCs work. &#t it is work@ I wear a f#ll s#it, d#"t ta e e$ery hole and wear boots and hea$y !lo$es. >o# %#st, be"a#se #nlike workin! yo#r hi$es at ho%e, yo# are tearin! # and atta"kin! a hi$e. 0eC$e s ent a lon! ti%e erfe"tin! o#r $ersion of the bee2$a", ad/#stin! the air s#"tion so it does not in/#re the bees and addin! addin! in the ri!ht la"es so the bees are not kno"ked a!ainst walls when drawn into the "a!e. These bee $a"s are !reat to #se on swar%s too, es e"ially swar%s that are too hi!h to shake o#t of a tree or han!in! on the side of a b#ildin!. -ereCs what o#r bee $a" looks like.
4very beekeeper who is interested in retrieving swarms or hives would benefit greatly in owning a bee#vac, and beekeeping associations could have one on hand to lend to its members:

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19.
-raditionally, beekeepers are told that as long as the hive has 8! pounds of honey, they'll make it through winters up north. *nd, that's about all beekeepers have done, left plenty of honey in the hive and maybe wrapped some roofing paper around the hive, and accept the fact that there is always a @!# !M e+pected loss. -o me, that's a bit la>y. -o do so little, and settle for such losses is unacceptable to me. <y bees are worth more than that to me, and % don't mean financially, but these are my bees that % have been entrusted to care for. /urely % can do better than this. -hat's why % put e+tra time in research and monitoring my hives this winter. Beekeepers often lose hives that have plenty of honey and they usually guess as to why they died with plenty of food. -hey will say that maybe the -racheal mites got 'em or maybe the 0ueen died in the fall or maybe it was Cust too cold or too wet or they had 6osema. Eertainly these are possibilities. .owever, many winter deadouts are caused from poor management...pilot error that could have easily been avoided. % believe we should work our colonies as soon as we can. "ollen patties should be placed in our hives no later than =ebruary 1st. "ollen patties will stimulate the 0ueen to start laying more, while providing the bees some nutrition. 4ven when it is cold outside, we can 0uickly open our hives on the warmest day in Ganuary with no wind and slide a pollen patty over the top of the winter cluster. /ee this photo of a winter cluster in one of my hives. -his is the top of the cluster in the second deep hive body. -hen, % simply slide in a pollen patty and let it sit on the top of the frames right above the cluster. % turn my inner cover up#side#down so that the wooden rail is down, allowing more of a gap between the frames and the inner cover to accommodate the spacing needed for the patty. % can do that in less than )! seconds. %n this photo % placed an empty deep hive body on top of the second deep, so that % can feed the bees more easily with sugar water in a Car. -hen % put my top cover on top of the third deep bo+. $hen placing the patty in the hive, L4*74 -.4 "*"4R 86:: %f you take it off, the patty will become too moist and can mold. -he bees will remove the paper themselves. % know you don't like eating your cheeseburgers with the wrapping on, but the bees do: EL1/-4R /%P4 is crucial for hive survivability and endurance into =ebruary and <arch. -he colder it is the larger the cluster needs to be. -hat's why hives die in <arch. 6aturally, the cluster is very small in <arch, and if there is a severe cold snap, a very small cluster cannot stay warm. -his cluster is probably not going to make it. -hey are too small because the 0ueen stopped laying early, probably in *ugust or /eptember and the bees simply died of old age reducing the number in the cluster. $e must work our hives in the fall so that the 0ueen continues to lay into 8ctober and 6ovember. *gain, the easiest way to do this is to feed the hives pollen patties and 1,1 sugar water. -hen, people will ask, &But a larger cluster means they will consume more food and possibly starve&. *gain, what good is it to have a small cluster and 8! pounds of honey and the small cluster dies and the honey is not consumed at all5 -ake a large cluster of younger bees into winter and if they consume their 8! pounds of honey be =ebruary 1, it

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doesn't matter because you can beginning feeding them pollen patties and sugar water. -hey'll stay warm with plenty of food. Remember, the cluster generates the heat. "R8-4E- -.4 BR889 8R <874 874R -8 * =R*<4 =1LL 8= .86435 .ere is a picture of a dead hive that was doing well in early =ebruary but died after a very cold snap in late =ebruary. -hey still had ! pounds of honey three frames over. -he 0ueen started laying in late Ganuary or early =ebruary, as you can see the winter brood in the lower left hand corner of the frame, but the cluster was too small. *s a result, the small cluster made one last ditch effort to keep the brood warm, yet were unable to move vertically over to the frames with honey. %f they had, they would have become paraly>ed by the cold and died away from the cluster and the brood would have died as well. -hey fro>e and starved with ! pounds of honey five inches away. /o typical. .ad % moved the honey over ne+t to the frame with brood on it, they would have made it fine. =or e+ample, this is what i did on on another hive. %n this picture you can see how % placed a super of honey on top of the top deep hive body containing the winter cluster. 3ou can click on the image for a larger image. /ince heat rises, the top of the cluster was able to move up a bit into the super with honey temporarily to eat. -his is why beekeepers must work their hives in =ebruary. =rames of honey must be slightly scratched open and moved over ne+t to the cluster. 98 68- disturb the cluster, but move the frames of honey either right beside the cluster or directly above it. % placed this pollen patty on =eb. 1 and in @) days they had consumed half of the patty. *nother effective way to help the bees along is to give them sugar water, 1,1 ratio. -his is a bit more tricky, because water will free>e during the winter. % found one method that works great for me. % place sugar water in a >iploc sandwich bag and poke three holes in the top of the bag with a needle or a pen. % don't want the water to drip out, but Cust make a very small pool on top of the bag. *s the bees move onto the bag, more sugar water comes out. *nd above the cluster area, it will not free>e. %n one month they emptied this bag. % know you'll ask what that strip is between the bag and pollen patty so %'ll tell you. %t was a larger piece of comb that had honey in it. % removed it from another super and Cust laid it on top. 8n the pollen patty you can see where they have eaten the pollen beneath the paper. =449%6; B44/ %6 -.4 /"R%6;... 8nce we begin feeding our bees pollen patties and sugar water, it is best to continue until natural pollen and nectar is available. %f we stop feeding, then the 0ueen would have laid lots of eggs, but there would be no sources of pollen and nectar to raise her young. 3ou've fooled her in the worst way. /he's a good momma. /he will not have kids unless she knows the colony can feed them. %f you tell her you'll do the providing until spring comes, then keep your commitment to her and her daughters. 8nce nature starts producing nectar and pollen you can discontinue feeding both sugar water and nectar on over wintered colonies. .owever, in newly installed packages you must continue feeding sugar water, 1,1 for as long as they still have comb to draw out. -hey turn sugar water into wa+ for the building of their comb. But on over wintered colonies, their comb is

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already built out from last year. -his is why second year hives produce more honey. %ncoming nectar can be stored, not converted to wa+.

20.
*ll beekeepers want their hives to survive and most beekeepers want to split their hives so they can add more hives to their operations. *nd all beekeepers will e+perience their hives swarming. /o if our hives are going to swarm any way, and since we also want to split our hives to make additional hives, then we should produce a split, which is basically a controlled swarm. % addressed making splits in lesson 1 . But %'ll elaborate a bit more here, now that it is almost time to make splits. But first, here are some spring management items you need to tend to.

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Elean house: 3our bees will do the work for you, but you can help them out by cleaning your bottom boards of dead moldy bees. Elean out any lingering mouse nests. Replace any damaged frames or comb. 6e+t, you've got to move the brood area down to the bottom of the hive. -his is easily done by rotating the two brood bo+es as shown below. -his is very important as the e+tra space above the brood area will allow the hive to build up faster in the spring.

9epending on the climate where you live a split should not be made until the nights will not drop below ! degrees. % usually am okay with (! degree nights, but remember a small split does not have the population needed to keep warm in case of a cold snap in *pril. 6e+t, choose a hive that is large in population. %f your hive is too small, splitting it will simply make two really small hives and may cause both to die. .ere's a check list for a hive that 0ualifies to be split, 1? <ake sure your hive has a 0ueen that has been laying good brood and that 1#@ day old eggs are present throughout the brood frames. @? <ake sure the hive you are wanting to split has almost become congested with bees. %n other words, chose a strong and healthy hive to split. 6ow, remove (# frames that contain bees, stored pollen, eggs, larvae, sealed brood and honey. "lace these frames in either a deep hive body or a nuc si>e hive body. *n entrance reducer cleat should be used on the new split. -his is to prevent robber bees from attacking the smaller hive and stealing honey. 6e+t, it will help if you can move your new split a considerable distance from their old hive. ) miles would be perfect, but usually is not an option. /o if you must keep it on a smaller piece of property, then move it as far as possible from the original hive, and place something in front of the hive so that as soon as the bees fly out, they will have to take a new reading of their location. * fallen branch works nicely or a lawn chair. But try to place it close enough so that the bees must fly through the obstruction. Leave it there

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for @ days. *fter two days you can remove the obstruction and the bees will have re#orientated to their new location. 4ither the old hive or the new split will have the original 0ueen. But, it doesn't matter as long as both have 1#@ day old eggs. -he split without a 0ueen will reali>e they need a 0ueen and should raise their own 0ueen from the fertili>ed eggs. -his is usually not a problem in the month of <ay. %n 1 week, check both hives to be sure the 0ueen is in one, and a 0ueen cell is being built in the other. %f you moved your hive ) miles away, after a week or two you can move it back anywhere on your property. -hey will take a new reading and find their hive Cust fine. =eed your split sugar water and pollen substitute for @ weeks. =inally, your ne+t task will be supering your hives. $*R6%6;:::: 9o not get caught off guard. 3ou will be shocked when you see how fast the bees can fill up one honey super. 9o not wait and try to get supers during your nectar flow. 3ou must have all honey supers on hand in *pril so that you can place them on the hive prior to the first maCor nectar flow. 3ou cannot err by putting on supers too early. *nd remember, all your supers should be on the hive by the (th of Guly.

3$$-$$9$.BS 4A($)>A. A'. A9.%(

A9.%( A)> #H$ 3$$S 4lic! on the image to enlarge2 6ow the bees are almost fully operational. -here will still be a few cold snaps, especially in early *pril, but by the last two weeks, the weather is good for bees to rapidly e+pand and to even start bringing in more and more nectar and pollen. -he 0ueen is laying well now. -he hive is e+panding. A9.%( A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9%)=: Feep feeding: =eeding helps the bees build up. 6o supers are on your hive yet, so their intake of sugar is not going into your honey product. 3ou are Cust feeding to help the hive off to a great start. Feep the pollen patties on top too. Remove entrance reducers. *pril can be cold and wet which means that your bees may have limited opportunities to fly out for food. /o you must continue to inspect the hive to be sure they have enough food stores. *lso, inspect your hive for any abnormalities. 3ou want to see a solid brood laying pattern from your 0ueen. %f not, consider replacing her now:

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Reverse your brood chambers: -his is e+tremely important as it gives more space for the 0ueen to lay. /imply take the top deep brood chamber and place it on the bottom board and place the one that was on the bottom on top. %f your bees are no longer taking the sugar feeding, discontinue, put supers on, as the bees will now begin to collect dandelion nectar and nectar from <aple trees, Locust trees and other early /pring flowering plants and trees. -his is a great time to e0uali>e your hives. 3ou may have to combine weak hives with strong ones.

21.

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$ithout the 0ueen the hive will perish, and perish fast: 6ew beekeepers fail to reali>e how crucial it is to have a healthy 0ueen, and how fast a hive will die when the 0ueen perishes. /ure, the colony will try to raise another 0ueen, but to do that several factors have to work perfectly. 6eedless to say, we do not live in a perfect world and the colony does not always get the Cob done in time and remain 0ueenless and perish##and fast: Because of this, 0ueens are in short supply and in e+treme high demand.-here are plenty of apiaries that sell 0ueens, but usually you have to wait two weeks or more before they can ship. .ere's the problem, Iueens that die now, say in <ay, are hard to find replacement for until Gune. * hive will be too far gone if a they have to wait more than two weeks for a 0ueen. 3ou must have a 0ueen supplier's number in your speed dial: 3ou must have a good source for 0ueens or else you could lose your hive fast. -hink about this for a moment. $e pay as much as J1!! for a package of bees, but if we lose the 0ueen, we can lose the entire colony and the entire cost of the package. Iueens sell for between J1! to J)! which is a small investment to keep the hive alive and growing. =or the most part, 0ueens stay out of trouble and avoid calamity. But, not always. *s she ages, she can be ousted by the bees due to her poor performance in laying eggs. 6ot to mention our inspections pose the greatest threat to her. <oving frames, smashing lids down, prying hive bodies apart and smashing them together can lead to the 0ueen being killed. % accidentally smashed and killed a 0ueen /unday. % know to watch carefully, but this time % never saw where she was and smashed her dead. %t happens. $e must be more careful not to kill the 0ueen when working our hives. %'ve never been too keen on marking 0ueens. =or one, it is costly and time consuming. *nd since there are no *fricani>ed hives in %llinois, %'m not worried about my 0ueens being superceded by *fricani>ed 0ueens. $ithout marked 0ueens, you can never tell if your original 0ueen has been replaced. But %'m changing my mind about marking 0ueens. * marked 0ueen is beneficial because it aids the beekeeper in identifying the 0ueen more 0uickly, thus knowing where the 0ueen is so as not to accidentally kill her. %t also allows us to keep detailed records on a specific 0ueen, particularly her age and performance. *lso, when making splits, the 0ueen can get moved around, so by having her marked and numbered you'll always know the history of that particular 0ueen no matter where you place her. %n the past % would occasionally mark certain 0ueens by picking them up and holding them by their legs and mark their thora+. 4ven whiteout works fine. -esters model paint works better but takes a few minutes longer to allow it to dry. But % decided that % needed a better way to track not only my 0ueens, but specific bees in my observation hive. %'m building this awesome and huge observation hive that holds 8 deep frames. %n it % hope to study various habits of these marked bees. /o, %'ve decided to number all my 0ueens and specific bees for my observation hive. 4veryone should

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have an observation hive. Really, it is a blast:: %'ve studied the whole observation matter for some time now, and at first shied away from it because it can be hard to operate. .owever, after attempting to overcome some common problems, it really is a great research and educational tool for the beekeeper. 6ot to mention it is a huge attention getter: %'ll do my ne+t lesson on the &how to& of an observation hive. *lso, %'ve number a great number of my bees, and % can actually watch their behavior and even find number 1 out on a flower. Let me show you how you too can number'color code your 0ueens yourself. %t is very easy and you'll feel like a professional entomologist when you're done. =irst, you must know that there is an %nternational Eolor Eode system for marking 0ueens. 9o not Cust mark your 0ueens any ole color. 3ou'll forget what year you started with them. .ere's how the color code works,

/o, this year, 0ueens should be marked in red. -he span between years is years. %t would be ne+t to impossible for the 0ueen to live that long, so you would not have to wonder if the red dot meant @!!8 or @!1). /o how in the world can you mark a 0ueen. $e sell the complete kit for marking your 0ueens or bees too, but let me walk you through step by step.

8kay, first open up your hive and locate your 0ueen. .ere's mine. % found her fast because it was a newly install package, and not a full hive. 6e+t % gently chase her down and pick her up by her wings or thora+, the middle section Cust behind her head. %n the field, % have my marking system in hand, which is a plastic tube with a removable plunger in one end, and a screened opening in the other. % place her in there while holding everything over the hive, incase she falls off, she's back in her hive and not in the grass somewhere. 6e+t, % slowly push up the plunger being careful not to snag a leg or wing. % wait until the 0ueen stands on the plunger, then % slide her up to the screen. $hen she is close to the top, % slow down and carefully slide the plunger until the top of her thora+ pokes up through the screen. %t may seem like you are smashing her, but you don't want to push any harder than Cust to hold her thora+ in a screen s0uare as in this picture. 3ou can click on the picture for a larger view. 6e+t, % punch out one of the numbers from the numbering kit that comes with this complete marking kit. =or this 0ueen, %'ve chosen number ( and of course in keeping

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with the %nternational Eolor Eoding system, %'ve chosen the color red. -his kit also comes with non#to+ic glue. % put a little glue on the back side of the number, and carefully place it on her thora+. % press down gently to give it a good seat. % hold her in this position for a minute or two allowing the glue to dry. % have big hands so % wear a Ceweler's magnifying glass for better placement and control. $e sell these as well if you need one. *t (8, my close up eyesight is not what it used to be ,?

6ow, she is numbered and ready to be returned to her hive. % make sure she is over the hive, very close down to a frame before pulling out the plunger. /ome times she does not immediately drop out so % gently shake her out on to the frames. =or your sake, % pulled out the frame to show you how proud she is of her new number and notice how impressed all the other bees are as they stare and marvel over her new red number four. *lso, now % can keep a notebook and make any kind of notations on 0ueen number ( that % want. %f she is ever replaced, %'ll know it as well, because her replacement will not wear the number (. <arking worker bees is a bit harder because this system is made for a larger 0ueen and the smaller workers s0uee>e through the top screen. But, with a little patience % was able to pin them at Cust the right moment and number them. 3ou don't have to use numbers if you don't want to mess with the glue and numbering system. $e sell a paint pen, so that when you pin her thora+ up through the screen, you can put on a touch of paint. %n summary, a marked 0ueen is not essential. .owever, there are benefits that make it worth the while as you have discovered in this lesson. -he marking systems are affordable and easy to use.

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22.
%n today's lesson, % want to share about raising 0ueens. % used to think raising 0ueens was a monumental undertaking left to the more e+perienced beekeeper, commercial beekeepers or 0ueen breeders. .owever, it is good for every beekeeper to know how to raise a 0ueen, if in no other way, simply by placing a frame of eggs in a 0ueenless hive and having them raise their own 0ueen. -hat's 0ueen rearing in the simplest way. Beekeepers need 0ueens. -hey are in big demand and in short supply. -here is a mystery that surrounds the 0ueen, and most beekeepers are content never to handle her or monitor her performance. But the more we observe and know our 0ueens, the better we are in control of the overall survivability of our colonies. *lso, by raising our own 0ueens, we control much of the characteristics of our hives. <eaning, that we should choose to graft from the hive that has the overall most favorable characteristics such as, 1. ;entleness @. ;ood brood pattern ). Rapid spring build up (. Resistance toward pests and disease . <inimal swarming 2. ;ood honey production

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8nce a good hive is selected, there are several ways to raise a 0ueen. /ome use a kit which makes gathering the eggs or larvae easy and re0uires no grafting. .owever, these kits can be somewhat restrictive in timing, whereas actual grafting of the young larvae provides much more fle+ibility. 8ur operation has studied 0ueen rearing for several years. %n the last two years we have had more and more success understand 0ueen rearing. -o help us along, my wife and % have attended several workshops and conferences on 0ueen rearing. *t one of these conferences % had the pleasure to hear from 9r. Goe Latshaw of Latshaw *piaries. www.latshawapiaries.com <onths after the conference % emailed Goe and % found him very helpful in answering some of my 0uestions. -hen, after talking with Goe on the phone, he offered to personally mentor my daughter, Faree, and me in 0ueen rearing. /o a couple of weeks ago my 1( year old son, /eth and my 1B year old daughter made our way to 8hio to meet with Goe. $hat a great day of education it was: Goe's specialty is producing inseminated breeder 0ueens. Eommercial beekeepers purchase inseminated 0ueens from Latshaw *piaries and then raise their own 0ueens from this 0ueen because her genetics are more controlled through insemination. Goe is also the state coordinator for the 8hio /tate Beekeepers *ssociation 0ueen proCect which is called the 8hio Iueen "roCect D8I"?. %t is a program designed to promote 0ueen rearing through training and working with local beekeepers. %n addition, the 8I" is also a stock improvement program aimed at developing a regionally developed stock and then promote this stock through the production of locally produced open mated 0ueens. 8ne more thing about Goe. .e also invented and designed a very uni0ue, fle+ible and easy to use, award winning insemination instrument which he sells. % have a dream...of one day breeding a 0ueen from %llinois D<idwest? survival stock which is more accustomed to the climate, conditions and pests in the upper 1/. % hope that all of my work and research that % am doing now will lead to that end, if not for others, at least for my own operation. /o, Goe took us out into his bee yards and e+plain the whole process of 0ueen rearing. %'ve heard about the difficulties in grafting and so % started 0ueen rearing using a particular system that re0uires no grafting. But after talking to Goe, he e+plained the benefits of grafting and % was sold. ;rafting means that you e+amine a frame of brood from your selected hive. -hen you look for 1 or @ day old larvae. -his is an important step. .ere's, my daughter Faree gaining e+perience in grafting very young larvae from a frame of brood. -he younger the larvae, the better. % try to find the youngest larvae that has Cust barely started to curve on the bottom of the cell. -hey are harder to graft, but have a much more promising success rate. -his is known as grafting, taking eggs or young larvae from a frame of brood and transferring it into the 0ueen cell cups.

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% took a shot a learning too and it really was not as difficult as % thought. % need lots more practice, but %'m looking forward to becoming a good grafter. %t seems to be best to graft the youngest larvae possible. % make my own 0ueen cup bars and frames which is a slightly modified traditional deep frame.

*s you can see, the hori>ontal cell bars are removable so that you can easily place them ne+t to your frame when grafting and then place them back into the cell starter nuc. -hese dimensions are pretty standard. 3ou want the bar to fit tightly so that it stays in place but still can be removed. -he cell bars which old the cell cups have a small grooved cut into the middle to hold the cell cups. =inding the right si>e saw blade ensures a perfect fit. % use a skill saw bladeD1'8&? thickness. -he cups fit tight and have to be wedged into place the first couple of times. 8nce the larvae are grafted into the cell cups and placed on the cell bar in the frame, the frame of grafted larvae are ready to be placed into a starter hive. 8ften, if the trip back to the starter hive is far, the larvae need to be kept in a humid bo+, to keep them from drying out. * cooler with a wet towel in the bottom is usually plenty of moisture. %t is not e+tremely critical to keep the grafts real warm when they are at this young age. %n my case, the &cell starter& hive is a frame 0ueenless nuc. -hey have several frames of pollen and honey and a frame or two of young larvae which % retrieve from other hives. %t is very helpful if this starter hive is almost overcrowded. -here has to be a lot of bees, packed in, well fed and lots of young nurse bees. -hey will build out the comb and feed royal Celly to your newly grafted cells. -hey do this because they know they need a 0ueen, and you have given them the start of 0ueen cells loaded with fertili>ed larvae and plenty of royal Celly. $ithout a 0ueen in this starter nuc, it will die, so % have to monitor their own brood, pollen, honey and growth, using resources from another hive. /o in summary, we chose a hive to graft from, then we graft 1#@ day old larvae into our 0ueen cells and place them into a 0ueenless hive with plenty of bees, pollen and honey. 6ow, you can leave the cells in the starter hive until they emerge or move them over to what is known as a &finishing hive& where the cells are drawn out fully and sealed. 6ow, here's the challenge. 3ou cannot let these 0ueens hatch together. %f you do, the first one out will meticulously kill all the other 0ueens in their cells.

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23.
/o in today's lesson % want to share my second lesson on 0ueen rearing. Iueen rearing is easier than it sounds, yet it can fail easier than you think. -here are some very sensitive issues in raising 0ueens and grafting is one of these. .ow well you graft determines the success of the 0ueen's overall development.

-88L/: -here are many different grafting tools, some % have never tried. "robably the more common grafting tools are the ones that look something like a dentist's tool, but shaped differently on the end, like this one in the picture. <any folks make their own out of wooden tooth picks, plastic or metal. -here are some very e+pensive, fancy tools that eCect the graft from the spoon once placed in the cell. 8thers come e0uipped with a magnifying glass attached to the tool. ;rafting does take e+ceptional eyesight, which very few of us have over the age of (!. /o, some sort of reading glasses or magnifying glass along with a good light will be of much help.

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* tool that has worked well for me is the Ehinese grafting tool. %t has a tongue that slips under the larvae and draws it out. -hen there is a spring loaded plunger that helps push the graft off onto the bottom of the cell cup. %'m pretty fast with this tool now, and sometimes speed is important, otherwise the royal Celly in the cell can dry out if you take too long grafting. -hese are ine+pensive, around J . %t's hard to keep them clean, and the tool must be very clean when doing grafts. /o, some people throw these away after they start looking too dirty. /o you have a tool, now what. % mentioned in my first lesson on 0ueen rearing that you need to establish a starter hive. -his can be a smaller frame nuc bo+ with lots of nurse bees, very young bees which you can shake off of a frame of larvae and sealed brood. /ome suggest not putting any larvae or brood frames in the starter, Cust a frame of honey and pollen. 8vercrowding this starter nuc is important. ;et this starter hive prepared and ready so that when you do your grafting, you can 0uickly place it into your starter hive. 6ow, with close up eye wear on, a good flash light and the grafting tool of your choice go and pick out a good frame to graft from. Remember, get the frame from the hive that has the characteristics that you want to keep. 1sually it needs to have proved itself over a couple of years to be sure these are traits not Cust a fluke. Remove the frame from the hive and brush the bees off. -ry not to shake the frame in an attempt to remove the bees. Earry the frame into the area where your tools are ready, where you'll be doing your grafting. .ere we go:: % like to lay down a moist cloth beneath the frame %'m grafting from to increase the humidity, keeping the grafts moist. 3ou must be careful to select the youngest larvae possible. 6ot a egg standing upright, but a larvae that has Cust started to lay in the base of the cell with the slightest curve. * full curve is too old.

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6otice in the picture that you are looking for a slightly curved larvae. %t is best to scoop up the larvae from the opened end of the curve. *nd remember, you must place the larvae in the new cell on the same side it was on when you removed it so that the larvae will continue to breath from that side. 3ou can click on the images to enlarge them. % took this picture Cust for you, to help you know what you are trying to accomplish. Boy, the things % do for you,? *ctually, until someone shows you what you are looking for, it is impossible to really achieve good grafts. 8h, and for those of you that have never seen what an egg looks like, where here you go: 8nce you retrieve your graft, then place it into the cell cup. Repeat this until you have all your cell cups started. -hen, take the frame De+plain in the previous lesson? and place it into your starter hive, a 0ueenless frame nuc with nurse bees that a? would love to swarm if they had a 0ueen, and b? would love to have a 0ueen, and c? are young and can produce the needed start to your 0ueen cells. .owever, % have found that % must remove the cells out of this starter hive after @(#)2 hours. -hey Cust don't seem to have the royal Celly and proteins the 0ueen cells need to seal the cells all the way by the 8th day. /o, after @( hours in the starter hive, % moved them to my big hive. %t is a regular hive, consisting of two deeps, lots of good brood in various stages, honey and pollen. % place the 0ueen in the bottom deep and place a 0ueen e+cluder on top of that deep. -hen, % pull out a frame with bees all over it Dand put them in a starter hive if needed? and place my 0ueen cells in this hive in place of the frame % removed. -his hive is large enough to

care and finish off the )!Q 0ueen cells.

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6ow, on day 1!, after the cells are good and sealed, % moved them into my incubator. *s you can see this is about as good as % am right now grafting. -he empty cups are bad grafts that didn't take. -he e+tra bit of comb is...an e+tra bit of comb the bees Cust built on the frame near the cups. % don't know why and it doesn't mean anything. <aybe they were bored on a rainy day.

3ou don't have to have an incubator. 3ou can leave them in the hive. .owever, if one 0ueen hatches, she will go through and kill all the other 0ueen cells that have not hatched. /o if you want them to develop fully in one hive, you will have to find a way to seal off or cage the cells. %'ll e+plain of this in a future lesson. But for now, let me tell you how % do it. % place the 0ueen cells in my incubator that is 74R3 accurate. %t has a digital thermometer and %'ve set it to A).A degrees. Be careful to handle your 0ueen cells carefully, never tilt them from their vertical position. -hey must be kept at A) degrees or the 0ueen will die. Feeping track of days is essential. 3ou can be off a day or two because you may not know the e+act age of the larvae you grafted, so play it safe. Be watching on day 1 , because 0ueens hatch on day 12 after the egg is laid. $hen the 0ueen emerges, % collect her, put a plug of my candy in her cage and place her in a 0ueenless nuc, which some call a mating nuc. % use a frame nuc rather than the smaller ones simply because % like all my e0uipment to be interchangeable. /he will need some time to mate, usually a week, but sometimes longer if the weather is not right. 8nce she has been laying good for @#) weeks, then she is ready for sale. %'ve read that if she can lay for @1 days in her nuc, then she will be a better 0ueen. -his re0uires a lot more on our part, to have our yard flooded with frame nuc bo+es full of virgin 0ueens. -hey actually have been mating and starting to lay a lot faster than % thought they would. $hen % ship my 0ueens, % mark them, if re0uested, and then % must add a few young bees to attend to the 0ueen while being shipped. -he 0ueen does not like to feed herself, so the young bees will tend to her while being shipped. % choose the youngest workers % can find. % found a great way to do this, because checking the bees' flying license for their age is too time consuming. DGust kidding?. $hen % see a young bee with its head stuck in a cell, then % know it is young, cleaning cells. Bees do different Cobs as

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they age. *nd with their heads stuck in a cell their wings are straight up saying, &;rab me:&. % do, % grab their wings and put them head first into the opening of the 0ueen cage. % add (# then % add the sugar plug.

% make my own sugar plugs. -oo dry and it becomes hard and the 0ueens can't get out. -oo wet, and it will melt in warm weather and the 0ueen could die along with her helpers. % take a thick sugar syrup which is Cust dissolved sugar in water, and mi+ it with powered sugar and % usually knead it until it becomes like dough. -hen % keep it in the refrigerator and pinch off what % need. $hen using wooden cells % like to use the wa+ paper that comes with the wa+ sheets to cover the top of the sugar to keep it from drying out so fast. =inally, the mated 0ueen is ready to bless someone with a hive that needs a 0ueen: 3our work has been rewarding and you can rest at night knowing that somewhere, you 0ueen will be saving a hive, producing honey and bringing someone a lot of enCoyment:

24.
%n today's lesson, we want to give you a yearly calendar of what we think you should be doing as a beekeeper each month and a summary of what your bees are doing. -his may vary slightly due to the variation in climates, but you can make the adCustments accordingly.

Canuary
CA)?A.@ A)> #H$ 3$$S: -he bees are in a tight cluster staying warm and consuming very little food. 8n days when the wind is calm and the temperature rises above (!, you'll probably see a few bees flying out taking a cleansing flight. /ince bees do not go to the bathroom inside their hive, they fly out on warm days and this is called a cleansing flight. $inter bees live a little longer than summer bees, but remember, bees live short lives. <any of your bees will die during the winter, Cust from old age. $hen bees die during the winter, they fall to the bottom of the hive. %n the summer, die bees are immediately carried outside the hive by their sisters. But, in the winter, when the hive is clustered, the dead bees accumulate on the bottom board. 8n warm days, other bees might try and drag out their dead sisters. $hen snow covers the ground, you will noticed more dead bees around your hives. -his is normal. 9on't panic: %t is a sign of a strong

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hive when they drags out dead bees. But, if you don't see anything don't panic either. %t Cust means they will probably do this later on. CA)?A.@ A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: <onitor your hives to make sure winter winds have not disturbed the tops. *lso, make sure that after it snows, that the openings are cleared of snow so that the bees can continue to get enough air, and move freely in and out of the entrance on warm days. 5(83NT:: 8R94R 381R B44/ *69 4I1%"<46- %6 G*61*R3 <any bees suppliers will completely sell out of package bees by the end of Ganuary. 3ou must call and place your bee order as soon as you can during the first week of Ganuary. 8therwise, you may not be able to secure your bee purchases for the @!!8 year. -hose of you who will be ordering your bees from us, Long Lane .oney Bee =arms, we will be prepared to take your orders for package bees and nucs beginning on $ednesday Ganuary @nd and everyday thereafter until we run out. Eall early: <ake sure you Coin and attend your local beekeeping club, read up on beekeeping, and clean up your smoker and hive tool.

A$3.?A.@
A$3.?A.@ A)> #H$ 3$$S: /unlight is becoming slightly longer and a few more warm days triggers the 0ueen to start laying a few more eggs. -heir cluster has worked its way upward into the top deep brood chamber. -hey are basically behaving the same as it Ganuary. A$3.?A.@ A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: 8n a warm day, ! degrees or more, you can open the top briefly and look in on the hive. 9o not remove any frames, as this will chill the bees and the brood. 1pon inspection you can assess if the colony still has enough stored honey for food. %f not, you may want to consider emergency feeding options. 4mergency feeding is Cust that...an emergency. /o do whatever it takes to get some sugar in the hive. 9ry sugar will work but only if the bees have warm enough days to fly out for water. -here may not be many days warm enough in northern states for dry sugar feedings or hard candy feedings. /ometimes % have soaked sponges in heavy sugar water and Cammed the sponge between the frames near the cluster. 3ou can also place a plastic >ip#lock bag full of sugar water directly over the cluster and poke a few holes on the top of the bag or make a slit in the bag. 9o anything you can think of...after all it is better than letting the hive starve to death. 8f course, if you have frames of honey available, that's the best way to feed them, but most of us have sold all our honey by now. 3ou might also consider placing a pollen patty on top of the upper deep bo+. -his will really work well if the end of winter is e+tremely mild and there are many warm days. "ollen patties stimulate the laying of more eggs. .owever, if the weather turns cold again, then the bees may not be able to keep this early brood warm and fed. /o it is a gamble this early for northern states.

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=inally, if you did not order your package bees in Ganuary, you must do it now: *nd if you did not order your new e0uipment, hurry: 3ou want all of your hive e0uipment ready by <arch.

,A.4H
,A.4H A)> #H$ 3$$S: %f the hive was low on honey going into winter, then <arch is the month they may starve out. -hey have probably moved all the way up in the hive and their overall population is very low due to normal die#outs throughout the winter. -he bees are going to be flying more in <arch, and they will find pollen even in northern states. -he 0ueen will start laying much more in <arch. -he entire hive will begin to return to an almost normal operation now that winter is almost over. -here will be cold snaps, but the bees will do fine as they begin to e+pand. ,A.4H A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: Eontinue emergency feeding if needed, and place entrance or top feeders on the hive and feed 1,1 sugar water, one part sugar and one part water. Eontinue with the pollen patty feedings. %nspect your hive: <arch will provide you with a few days when the temperature will rise to ! degrees or higher. *t this temperature you can look in the hive and pull out a few frames. Feep in mind that since there is not a heavy nectar flow, and since it is cooler, the bees might be a bit more aggressive. % am stung more during these cold inspections than the rest of the year. /o wear protective gear. <arch is a great month to start feeding the pollen patties. %f you don't make your own patties, we sell the pre#made pollen patties which can be placed right in the hive. "ollen patties truly do Cump start the hive. % highly recommend that you place a pollen patties in your hives in <arch. -he bottom board will probably be filled with dead, winter bees. -hey did their Cob, so play &-aps&, salute them, and toss them in the yard for the mice and birds to enCoy. /erve your mice an eviction notice. 3ou'll be able to assess how many of your colonies have died out over the winter. Elean out these bo+es and free>e the comb if you can. -his will prevent the spread of wa+ moths. -his link provides information on how to free>e your combs and for how long. <arch is our busiest month in hive e0uipment and bee sales. 4veryone calls and wants their hive yesterday: "lease do us a big favor and order your hives in Ganuary.

A9.%(
A9.%( A)> #H$ 3$$S: 6ow the bees are almost fully operational. -here will still be a few cold snaps, especially in early *pril, but by the last two weeks, the weather is good

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for bees to rapidly e+pand and to even start bringing in more and more nectar and pollen. -he 0ueen is laying well now. -he hive is e+panding. A9.%( A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9%)=: Feep feeding: =eeding helps the bees build up. 6o supers are on your hive yet, so their intake of sugar is not going into your honey product. 3ou are Cust feeding to help the hive off to a great start. Feep the pollen patties on top too. Remove entrance reducers. *pril can be cold and wet which means that your bees may have limited opportunities to fly out for food. /o you must continue to inspect the hive to be sure they have enough food stores. *lso, inspect your hive for any abnormalities. 3ou want to see a solid brood laying pattern from your 0ueen. %f not, consider replacing her now: Reverse your brood chambers: -his is e+tremely important as it gives more space for the 0ueen to lay. /imply take the top deep brood chamber and place it on the bottom board and place the one that was on the bottom on top. %f your bees are no longer taking the sugar feeding, discontinue, put supers on, as the bees will now begin to collect dandelion nectar and nectar from <aple trees, Locust trees and other early /pring flowering plants and trees. -his is a great time to e0uali>e your hives. 3ou may have to combine weak hives with strong ones. 4ven though % know better, every year % seem to become too compassionate toward a struggling hive, and try to nurse them back to health. Last year, % successfully did Cust that with one hive, but another hive bit the dust in /eptember after % nursed them along all year. %t is usually not worth it. %t is costly to spend too much time on a struggling hive. %t takes money and time to re0ueen the hive and to continue to work it. %t would be far better to combine it to another hive if it is disease and pest free. *fter all, a weak hive is an invitation for pests and disease. /trong hives chase away pests and disease. /o, your weak hive could spread disease to all your other hives. 9on't take the chance. Feep your hives strong.

,A@
,A@ A)> #H$ 3$$S: Bees are in full operation now that it is <ay. 3ou can stop feeding strong hives now because they are bringing in lots of nectar and pollen. -he hive is e+panding rapidly. -he brood chambers are filling up fast and becoming crowded and congested. ,A@ A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: .$> A($.#<< 3$$S S1A., %) ,A@ 3ou will have to implement a swarm control strategy. Feep in mind that bees swarm as a way of multiplying. %t is not a sign of being a poor beekeeper. .owever, there are some important steps to implement to try to prevent swarming. Review the link above. Feep in mind that you must provide room for your hive to e+pand. *nd, you should put on honey supers in <ay. "ut on as many as you'd like. % think it is good practice to have a minimum of two honey supers on all hives during the nectar season. -hree or four supers are even better. 9on't wait to add your supers or you may miss particular nectar flows. ;et all supers on by <ay 1st:

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Eonsider having an e+tra, empty hive on hand so you'll be able to capture a swarm. 3ou will want to capture your own swarms or you will probably receive phone calls once your neighbors learn you are a beekeeper. $e receive several calls each week all /pring and /ummer.

C?)$
C?)$ A)> #H$ 3$$S: -he bees will be working hard filling supers. -hey can still swarm during Gune, so keep an eye out for swarms.

-here is no need to feed the bees. -hey are gathering plenty of nectar and pollen. 3ou may see the bees hanging out on the front of the hive at night. -his is normal. 8n hot and especially humid evenings, many bees will spend the night outside the hive, clinging to the front of the hive or they may form a beard on the ground in front of the hive. -his phenomenon is called &bearding&. -his would be like you enCoying your cool porch on a hot evening. Eontinue to monitor your hive. $e suggest inspecting your hive every two weeks to ensure the 0ueen is laying well. -he bees will need water, so be sure to keep a water source near your hives. $e fill bird baths with water so that our bees stay out of our dog's water bowl and our neighbor's pool. <ost beekeepers begin to consider the amount of mites within hives during Gune. /ome even begin to treat. .owever, no treatments can be administered in a hive while supers are on. -his could contaminate the honey with chemical residue. $e do not use chemicals in our hives but we do treat for mites with powder sugar. .owever, we wait until the last summer nectar flow is over before treating with powder sugar. =or Eentral %llinois, the summer nectar flow ends about the first week of *ugust. %f mites become a problem it will be during the summer and fall months. $e do not like to disturb our bees during /ummer nectar flows, nor do we want any traces of powder sugar to be added to the honey. /o we wait until *ugust or /eptember to begin our powder sugar treatment program.

C?(@
C?(@ A)> #H$ 3$$S: -he bees are behaving as they did in Gune.

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C?(@ A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: Eontinue to check your supers: 3ou'll now be removing and e+tracting your honey.

A?=?S#
A?=?S# A)> #H$ 3$$S : /ince the nectar flow will end this month, the bees will become much more flighty, searching for nectar which is now not as plentiful to find. -he bees are making a final effort to store up for winter, searching for final nectar sources. ;olden rod and *ster plants can provide an average nectar flow in the fall. A?=?S# A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: %f you have multiple hives, you must be careful not to let a strong hive rob a weak hive. %f nectar is still coming in, continue to place supers on the hive. Be careful not to open up the hive for e+tended periods as other hives may try and rob the hive while it is opened. % usually will place a gallon bucket in my bee yards and fill it with @,1 sugar water, @ parts sugar and 1 part water. -hen, % will fill it with clean sticks so the bees will not drown. *fter a few hours the bucket will be covered with thousands of bees. 9on't put this close to your house. -his is a great way to fed your bees and to prevent them from robbing other weaker hives. %f you have Cust one or two hives, this will not be necessary.

September
S$9#$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$S : -he bees will still be working fall flowers but in most states, the amount of honey produced in /eptember will be minimum. -he days are still warm enough to allow the bees time to gather more last minute nectar prior to the first maCor hard free>e or frost which will kill the flowers. S$9#$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: -his is the start of the beekeeper's year: $hat you do in /eptember will determine how well your bees do ne+t year, and how well they overwinter. .ere's your work list for /eptember, 1? Consider requeenin-. 3ou don't have to, if your 0ueen has done well. But it is advisable to re0ueen in /eptember. %f you can afford to re0ueen your hive each year, it would be best to do so in /eptember. * new 0ueen means a much younger 0ueen who has stronger pheromones and who will be more apt to lay eggs more efficiently in the /pring. %n a future lesson %'ll teach on how to re0ueen a hive. @? Take o.. all your supers. -here is no need for them now, and you will want to tighten up the hive by removing e+cess supers. )? 2ei-h your hives. -his is guess work unless you invest in a hive scale. =ind something around the house that weighs around B! pounds. Lift it up slightly with one hand. -his will give you an idea what B! pounds feels like. 6ow, go to your hives and with one hand, slightly lift the back. 8nly lift it an inch or two so that you can sense how heavy it feels. %t needs to feel around B! pounds. %f not, you will want to start feeding the hive @,1 sugar water.

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Because robbing is a problem this time of the year, here's what % suggest. But first let me discuss my e+perience with feeders. <y favorite feeder is the front feeder, the one that slips into the front of the hive opening at the bottom and a mason Car slips down into it. .owever, in the fall, bees from other hives can make their way to the front feeder, and eventually rob the hive. /o % do not use this entrance feeders during the fall. By the way, this is called a Boardman feeder. -op feeders are large resivors of sugar water above the hive, usually made of plastic and they have a small space where the bees can climb into a screened area and go down into the resivor to consume sugar water. .ere's what % don't like about that. %f the top cover does not cover it well, bees from other hives make their way into the top of the feeder and drown or rob the hive. %f you make the top cover fit tight enough to keep robbing bees out, then the sugar water cab mildew and mold. *nd, once % had a top feeder break and leak @ gallons of sugar water onto my hive, drowning and disrupting the hive for several days. -here are some nice top feeders available, but % don't like to use top feeders. =rame feeders are feeders that slip in between your frames, and actually take the place of a frame. 4ssentially it is a thin bucket that is about the si>e of a frame and the bees can eat from within their hive. -hese re0uire going deep into the hive to load and they aren't perfect either. /o, what you should do duirng /eptember is purchase our fall feeder system. 8r you can make your own. 8ur system resembles a brood chamber si>e super but with a bottom. * round hole with a mason lid is placed in the bottom of the feeder. 6ow, you place your mason Car in the lid and place your inner cover and top cover on this feeder. -hese work great and the feeder winds up being right over the cluster, so you can even feed the bees long into the winter if needed. *lso, stay out of your hive as soon as you finish your hive work. "ropolis is the glue that holds all the pieces of the hive together. 4very time you open your hive, you break the propolis seal. %f you do this late in the year, when warm days are over the propolis will never seal again, and your hives can be blown a part in the winter by bad winds. /o plan to get out of your hives early enough so the proplois can reseal on a warm day.

'ctober
'4#'3$. A)> #H$ 3$$S: -here are less reasons for the bees to leave the hive. =lying is cut way down. -he 0ueen is laying very few eggs. -hey are now shifting to winter mode. '4#'3$. A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: "repare your hives for winter. * wind break should be considered. 4ntrance cleats should be placed in the front opening to restrict mice from entering the hive. * word about bees and winter. * large hive will not die from cold weather. -hey stay warm by clustering in the hive. -hey keep each other warm. -he temperature in the hive is only warm within the cluster. -hey do not warm the entire inside of their hive, only the cluster. -hey can survive e+treme cold weather. But, moisture can develop within the hive as bees do give off moisture like we do. %f this moisture gathers above them, it can drip onto the cluster. -his is what can kill bees during the winter. -hey are much like us. $e can be cold and get by. But, we cannot

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stay alive long if we become wet and cold. Bees can get wet in the summer and it is not a problem. But you must prevent your hive from becoming cold and wet from condesation developing within the hive. .ere's how we do it. $e use screen bottom boards, fully opened. $e do not restrict or cover our bottom boards for winter. 6or do we place any gaps near the top cover. -he open screen bottom board allows enough ventilation within the hive to aleviate moisture build up. $e do not wrap for winter, although many do. %t has been shown to slightly help. Black roofing paper works great. $e have too many hives to wrap. Feep in mind that by wrapping your hive, you might be increasing the chance for condensation to collect within the hive. $inter winds can be strong, so place a heavy concrete blocks on your hives.

)ovember
)'&$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$S: -he bees continue to cluster for winter. -hey may not yet go into a full winter cluster, and may actually develop two clusters. -hey may break cluster fre0uently on warm days and recluster at night. But they will begin to cluster for the winter. )'&$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: =eed your light hives as long as the sugar water doesn't free>e. =inish up all winteri>ation of your hives. 8n a cold day when the bees are all inside, weed#eat around your hives. 4nCoy -hanksgiving: /tart purchasing ne+t year's e0uipment.

>ecember
>$4$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$S : -he bees are happily clustered in the hive keeping warm having fond memories of how well you took care of them during the season. -hey will only leave the hive to take cleansing flights on warm, sunny days. 6aturally dieing bees will pile up at the door of your hive or in front of the hive if it warms up enough for other living bees to carry them outside. >$4$,3$. A)> #H$ 3$$-$$9$.: Rela+ and review our bee lessons for /pring: 8rder your e0uipment so that you can have it ready. 4nCoy celebrating Ehristmas. /tay warm and keep the snow away from your hive entrance. Eonsider e+panding your apiary.

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25.

"oor $inter .ives

6ow that most of the 1/* is facing e+ceptionally cold temperatures beekeepers start to worry about bees and they should: <any beekeepers make the mistake of trying to winter weak and 0uestionable hives. $e all do it at times. *s a result, many hives fail during the winter months, primarily during the months of =ebruary and <arch. -hose that do survive are so weak, they are not very impressive during the following year. Right now, in most hives, there is e+cess and dangerous moisture. <oisture develops from the bees themselves and from the stark difference in temperature between the cluster's A! Df? to the very cold temperature outside the hive. Eondensation develops on the inside of the hive and collects on the top cover and drips back down on the bees. Bees can be cold and stay warm effectively, but not with cold water dripping on them.

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%'ve been conducting moisture tests on my hives this winter and already the findings are alarming. -he amount of accumulated top cover moisture dripping down was much worse than % thought. %'ve been opening my hives and observing how much moisture is on the underside of the top covers. -his photo was taken from my e+periments conducted on 9ecember 1Bth at 2,!! p.m. with an outside temperature of () degrees Df? 7entilation can help, but still the threat of cold water dripping on the bees re0uires more attention than Cust a few e+tra points of ventilation. <y brothers is the engineer of the family and we had a discussion the other day on the problem with moisture in the hive. .e recommended that % build a particular device to attract the moisture and cause it to drip outside the hive. % took his ideals, headed for my shop and came up with several devices that % am e+perimenting with.

-he first one is a bit more comple+ than the others. -wo pvc pipes 1 1'@ run through the top cover at an angle. -he pvc pipes are vented on the top. <etal pipes run through the middle of the pvc pipes and e+tend (# inches outside. -he idea is that the cold air turns the metal pipes cold and

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that cold is transferred on to the pipe as it runs through the pvc above the brood nest are where the heat is and draws the condensation onto the metal pipes and drips into the pvc pipes and runs out of the hive.

-he ne+t one that % am trying is a device that holds an angled piece of metal above the cluster. -he air is cold above the metal and the warmth of the cluster is under the metal, thus forming condensation on the bottom of the metal. /ince it is angled, the water run out side the hive. -he metal e+tends outward beyond the back of the hive so that water runs along the angled metal and drips outside the hive. *nother approach to reducing condensation in the hive is to insulate the inside of the top cover. * glass of ice tea condensates on a warm summer day because the water temperature is much colder than the air around the outside of the glass. By wrapping the glass in a thin layer of insulation, the stark contrasts of cold and warm is eliminated and no condensation will form.

By merely insulating the inside of the top cover, much condensation will be eliminated. .ere's how you can do it. ;o to your local sign shop and ask for scrap pieces of plastic corrugated sign material. % call it plastic cardboard. "olitician signs are made from this material. 3ou can also find this material at most office stores and sometimes at $al#mart.

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-hen, go to you local home improvement store and buy a role of floor padding that goes beneath laminated floors. /ome call it floor sound barrier material. %t is very thin, about 1'8 of an inch, slick on one side and te+tured on the other. 6ow, staple two layers of plastic cardboard on the inside of your top cover as shown in the photo. -hen, staple in a piece of the floor covering with the te+tured side facing the bees. -he two layers of corrugated plastic will help insulate the top of the hive where the heat rises. *nd the te+tured side of the floor covering will also serve as another layer of insulation but it will also help absorb moisture as well. .ere's what the final work looks like,

%t is fine to leave this material on the hive all year long. -hese are a few e+amples of what %'m e+perimenting with this winter in helping to remove moisture from the hive. Bees are the opposite of fish. =ish need water and cannot live long in the dry. Bees need a dry environment and cannot survive in a wet and moist environment. -he modern day beekeeper must place more emphasis on keeping colonies dry and thus keeping them healthier. 8-.4R $%6-4R /1R7%7*L -%"/ =8R .8643 B44 E8L86%4/

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%t seems that many beekeepers fail to reali>e they must keep their hives e+tremely strong during the bee season. -he hive must always have a good laying 0ueen producing many frames of solid sealed brood. * poorly laying 0ueen must be replaced immediately. 98 68- keep a poorly laying 0ueen. 3our hive might survive the summer, but it will not produce enough foragers to gather much honey, and it will probably not survive the winter. -his image shows how a good 0ueen will produce solid frames of sealed brood. Limited brood or spotty brood will make for a weak summer hive and a hive that is certain to die during the winter. -he larger the 0uantity of bees in the hive means the colony will be of better 0uality. <ost people are prone to care for the sick or inCured. /ome try to nurture an inCured bird back to health. $e really can't afford to do this will honey bees. * weak hive only means that certain diseases and pests are merely days away. $hat surprises most beekeepers is that two weeks ago the hive was strong, two weeks later the hive is weak. $hat happened5 -he loss of colony strength can be assessed by an e+perienced beekeeper. %s it mites5 %s it a brood disease5 %s it noseam or tracheal mites5 <ost of the time it is not. <ore often it has to do with the e+pansion of the hive being limited and the hive entering into swarm mode or 0ueen replacement mode. %f a colony is not satisfied with their 0ueen, they may decided to keep her or replace her. Both are risky. $hile we believe colonies can successfully replace a failing 0ueen, remember that they usually make more than one 0ueen cell, and when several 0ueens emerge they fight and sometimes they are both killed or inCured. 6ow the hive cannot produce a 0ueen because there are no one day old eggs left. * lack of hive e+pansion is another problem why hives fail to survive the winter. -hey may build a honey dome above them as bees do. -his dome can become a barrier. -herefore, the beekeeper must monitor the honey dome above the brood nest and continue to break up the honey dome by putting in frames of empty drawn comb, giving room for the brood nest e+pansion during the summer. "oor winter hives are nothing more than poor summer hives. $hen beekeepers say winter killed off their hives, they really should say that the hive never prepared properly during the summer for the approaching winter. %f water leaks through my roof during a rain storm, % can't blame the rain for penetrating my roof. %t's my fault for not preparing my roof for a rainy day.

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$inter is what it is, cold, snowy and long for those of us in northern states. =or those of us losing hives in the winter, we must re#think how we keep bees. $e must thing &strong hives&. $e must have heavily populated hives. $hen we remove our inner covers, we must have so many bees that we can barely see the tops of our frames because of the number of bees as in the photo below.

* beekeeper keeping ten weak hives would be much better off to combine the ten hives into five strong hives. $e are so fearful of our hives swarming that we keep them running far below strong numbers, through divides and splits. $e need to re#think this and allow our hives to be &boiling over& with bees like mine in the picture. /trong hives have a better chance at controlling /mall .ive Beetle, 7. <ites, *merican =oul Brood, Ehalk Brood, 4uropean =oul Brood, wa+ moths and other diseases and pests. $e must remember that a honey bee colony is a single organism. -he stronger the hive is in population, the better the organism functions. /o many times % watch beekeepers open up their hives and % am ashamed of how few bees % see in the hive: $e must keep strong hives: $e must learn to have more bees in a colony through better management practices of better laying 0ueens and breaking up the honey dome to allow brood e+pansion. /trong colonies know how to prepare for winter. -he stronger they are the better they are at winter preparation. -he weaker they are the less they will ade0uately prepare for winter. %nterview ten beekeepers and ask them how old their 0ueen is and how well she was doing in the month of 8ctober, and probably more than half will tell you they do not even know if they have a 0ueen for sure. 6ot only do colonies need to be heavily populated, but they need ample stores of both honey and pollen. <ost beekeepers only think of honey stores and not pollen stores. But, bees need both pollen and honey. .oney is the carbohydrate and pollen is the protein and bees need both even in the winter. <ake sure, during the summer, that your bees are storing plenty of pollen in the lower brood chamber. -his will help them have a Cump on early spring brood production.

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26.
.ow .ard %s $inter 8n .oney Bees 8ften %'ve said, &Bees can survive the cold...& and that is true, but % need to define that a bit more. * healthy full si>e colony, with an ade0uate supply of honey and a strong 0ueen can survive a hard winter. Last night, here in Eentral %llinois, our low was nearly @! degrees below >ero: -hat's right #@! =. *t that temperature, very small clusters can not stay warm, especially since today's high is only 1!. Bitterly cold and harsh conditions such as these will weed out your tiny little swarms you were hoping could make it through the winter. -hey Cust can't produce the heat they need to survive. * healthy, larger hive will have no trouble cranking up the heat because they have the numbers to do it. *s % taught in my last lesson, winter survival is all about summer healthy hives, strong in number and ample supplies of pollen and stored honey. 9oes wrapping help. Eertainly when the temperature gets way into the negative numbers, we all wish we would have wrapped our hives. 8bviously, the bees do not have to work as hard if they are well insulated. .owever, as %'ve said before, this can increase moisture within the hive. <oisture in the hive is healthy to an e+tent. %n other words, our 0ueens will start laying a small amount of brood now, and they need that area to be high in humidity to keep the developing brood moist. But what we do not want to see is e+cessive moisture

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developing on the inner cover or top cover and free>ing and becoming stalactites hanging down only to drip on the bees on the ne+t warm day.

$hile % do not believe wrapping is essential, % do believe we must make great efforts to remove the e+cessive moisture from within the hive, especially moisture that is the result of condensation at the top of the hive. $hile % do not tightly wrap my hives, % have started placing wind blocks around the hives. % make a slightly larger bo+ from scrap wood, panelling or black tar paper and slip this over a hive. -here is a few inches between the bo+ and the hive. * direct blast of frigid air cannot pound against the hive because it is blocked by the bo+.

*t the entrance, the bo+ fits onto the bottom board so that the bees can still come and go. % do believe that wrapping a hive increases a hive's chances of surviving the winter, but only if e+treme measures are taken to rid the hive of e+cessive moisture. %f these measures are not taken, it is my opinion then, it is better not to wrap. $rapping without providing a moisture escape means moisture will free>e above the cluster, then melt and drip down and kill the bees. %n fact, since it was so cold yesterday, % was able to briefly pop a few tops off some of our typical hives that do not have our special insulated top cover. 3ou can see in the picture how much moisture has collected and fro>e on the top cover in the picture.

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%t is hard to see in the picture, but what you are looking at is the inside of a top cover upside down. *ll of the white substance is tiny stalactites, like frost standing up about 1'( of an inch above the brood.

%n my last lesson, % presented how to make the top cover in order to avoid this kind of moisture build up. -o me, % am ama>ed that beekeepers are keeping bees without taking these measures with the top cover. -his is an absolute necessity for all northern beekeepers and the picture to the left shows what happens without an insulated top cover during the winter. $e will replace this top cover with one of our insulated top covers before the weather gets above free>ing. =inally, % landed on the perfect monitoring device to help me draw all of these conclusions. % purchased my monitoring device and software from "ractical 9esign ;roup, LLE http,''practicaldesigngroup.com -hey are the producer of the -.1< # -emperature .umidity 1/B <onitor. *t the recommendation of the manufacturer % had to protect the sensor with a strip of screen to

keep

the bees from placing honey on

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the sensor. .ere's a picture of my sensor with the modified screen protector. -his device comes complete with the a 1/B cable and software. $e have hives right outside our lab, so it was easy for the 1/B cable to reach between the hive and the laptop that monitors the hive. -he monitoring software can be set to reflect an on screen graph tracking the humidity, temperature in the hive and the dew point. -his device is probably not useful to the average beekeeper who is not conducting e+periments unless you Cust want to have some fun and can let go of J1)! bucks. %n the picture below, you can see a screen shot of my the monitoring software at work.

3ou can email the company for more information if you are interested, but be sure to tell them that % sent you their way. salesRpracticaldesigngroup.com <y wife and % have sat and wondered why beekeepers in the north are not more concerned about moisture'ice above the cluster. "erhaps they don't know and perhaps they believe the hive will not be weakened or killed by this dripping water. /ometimes the cluster can be to one side, and may dodge the dripping water. But there is a high probability that this dripping moisture will seriously weaken or kill a hive during he winter, especially those hives that are already weakened by other factors such as mites, a lack of pollen or honey etc. =inally, let me address how cold weather can kill a package of bees. /ince we advocate that a large, healthy hive can survive the winter, most people assume a small package can survive the cold snaps which are common in the early spring. But this is not true, especially if the package is installed on undrawn comb. -he smaller the colony the more difficult it is to stay warm during an e+treme cold snap that last for several days. -his is why we do not ship packages prior to mid to late *pril. * ) lb package of bees e0uals around 1!,!!! bees. * healthy hive going into winter runs around 2!,!!! bees, which is a lot more heat and insulation. %n summary, winter wrap is not essential, but a wind block can help. *n insulated top cover, or replacing your inner cover with some sort of insulation sheet will dramatically reduce the moisture build up within the hive. %n our last lesson, % gave details on how to

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make an insulated top cover. %f you do wrap, be sure and allow for the reduction of moisture build up.

27. EL4*6 1" 381R 874R$%6-4R49 .%74/

.ere my daughter Faree is setting up more hives to e+pand our numbers this year. .ere in Eentral %llinois it's time to head out to the hives and clean up. %t's not 0uite time to reverse the deep hive bodies because we still might have some cold snaps. *nd you 6474R want to reverse the hive bodies when the brood nest e+tends into both bo+es. % have hives that overwintered in various ways. /ome clusters have moved all the way to the top bo+, which on some of my hives are medium supers. 8thers are in the top of the deep second deep hive body, and others

101

have e+panded their brood nest into every s0uare inch in the hive. .ere's a picture of a hive that has a brood nest

all the way through all bo+es. 4ven the lower bo+ is full of bees and brood. /o, % do not reverse this hive. % simply keep it all the same. -hey are in good shape Cust to start up fast when the nectar flow starts. -hese hives will need to be split because they came out of winter already overcrowded. $e sometimes cause this to happen by fooling the colony with brood patties and sugar water. -hus, the bees think they can start building up since pollen and nectar are available.

.ere in the north, a typical colony would have moved up into the highest area in the hive leaving the lower sectionDs? unoccupied and the bottom board full of dead bees. %f the hive has three bo+es on, like the one in the picture, most of the bees will try to go in and out of the hive higher up so as not to go through the bottom bo+es and near the dead bees. /ee how these bees are moving in and out through a crack at the top. Let me walk you through how % clean up hives and &set& them for spring. =irst, % remove

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the bottom, unoccupied deep hive body by taking off the upper bo+es. %t was cool day to work, about (A degrees and windy. -he hive in the picture to the left was hard to do because the second deep bo+ had no handles so % had to hug it to move it. %t was a strain. -he reason the bo+ doesn't have handles is because % bought a bunch of used materials years ago and this one didn't have handles. $hen it is full of honey, you cannot pick it up.

8nce % have the upper bo+es off which contain

the cluster, the overwintered bees, 0ueen and brood, % then take off the lower empty hive body and set it aside, which e+poses the bottom board. -he bottom boards can be filled with dead bees, those who died of old age and cold snaps. Last year, this bottom board was accidentally put on upside down which makes the screen sit below the actual bottom surface. * family member was helping in a hurry and didn't notice what they hand done.

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/o when the dead bee fell in this pocket, the bees did not attempt to drag them up and

out, so % scraped them out with my hive tool. % carry a bucket of bleach water and thorough clean my hive tool and hands between each hive Cust in case nosema spores may be present in early spring. 6ow % added another small pallet to the one it was on, because pallets sink a bit every year into the ground and another one is due to bring up the hive about 2& above the ground.

6ow, % begin to muscle the handle#less hive back

onto the clean bottom board and once it is in place % will begin to inspect the hive. %t is not uncommon to find dead bees throughout the hive even though the cluster is fine. /mall pockets of fro>en bees and sometimes be found, usually caused by a winter warmup followed by a rapid temperature drop which did not allow enough time for the bees all to recluster in one cluster. -his is what % found in this hive. /o, % removed the frames of dead bees, scraping the

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bees and comb away. $hen the nectar flow starts, they will 0uickly repair all of these areas in the comb.

3ou can see the honey in the comb where they have been eating it, but then this group of bees were too small to stay warm. %n the picture they look alive, but believe me they were not. /ince % use plastic foundation, % can merely scrap out the comb on this side and it Cust leaves a small bald area that the bees will 0uickly repair. %t is very important that old, dead bees be cleaned out of the hive as soon as you can do that on a warm day. -he bees will do it themselves eventually, but we feel it cuts down on possible spread of disease or moisture. Believe me, all beekeepers who have ever lost a hive know the smell of rotting bees. Elean up your hives:

28.
I1446 R4*R%6; <*94 /%<"L4 % have noticed that most beekeepers feel that raising 0ueens is complicated and mysterious. % say that because % hear so many beekeepers say they are buying different types of &systems& for raising 0ueens. -hese systems do work, but in my opinion there is much more control over raising 0ueens through grafting than using systems. Besides % like hands on e+perience.

.ere % am standing in 9avid <iksa's apiary among his

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finishing colonies where he raises his famous 0ueens. % told you that % visited with 9avid <iksa. .e and his operation was featured in the <ay edition of the *merican Bee Gournal. %t was a great article: .aving seen his operation and now having read about it too, % am very pleased with his 0ueens. % am incorporating several of his techni0ues into my 0ueen rearing operation. *nd, of course, %'m using some of his stock in my yards for breeding as well. .e has some very nice and very productive 0ueens. % visited a hive two years ago that was headed up by a <iksa 0ueen and % was impressed: $e placed 9avid <iksa's 0ueens in @!!Q packages, the ones that were picked up from our farm. Raising your own 0ueens can be very rewarding as well as save you money and time. % think every beekeeper should have a frame nuc with an e+tra 0ueen in there as a backup emergency replacement. 8r if you want to make splits then you can raise your own 0ueens to increase your hive count. /o let me give you a brief rundown on how to raise your own 0ueens.

Ereate the perfect

frame 0ueenless starter nuc. -he

nuc should consist of, #8ne frame of honey #8ne frame of pollen #@ =rames of nurse Bees under 12 days old Leave it 0ueenless for at least @ hours, but not too long or they might start raising their own 0ueen if there are eggs present, which there should 68- be. -he starter nuc must not have any open brood so that the nurse bees can give all their resources to the cell cups. *nd this frame nuc must be severely overcrowded with nurse bees, completely blocked off and kept in a cool, dark place for the @(#)2 hours they start the cups. $hen % make up my starter nucs, % leave an opening to place my 0ueen cell frame into the nuc. % like to close off my nucs so that the bees stay in for the @(#)2 hour duration. -he nuc should not have any open larvae. % want my nurse bees to only care for the grafted 0ueen cups. -he goal is to make L*R;4 si>e 0ueens and to do this, % need copious amounts of royal Celly in each cup. /o the bees in the starter nuc feed the 0ueen cells. Because this hive only has nurse bees, primarily, % close it off. 6urse bees do not need to fly out, so % close it off and keep it in a cool place for the @(#)2 hour duration. Because % usually graft between )!#(! cell cups, % have to move this frame out to a larger hive that can continue doing what this starter hive started. *fter @(#)2 hours in the starter nuc, transfer cells into a 0ueenright finishing hive. -he finishing hive must be very strong with two deep hive bodies with the 0ueen in the bottom hive body below a 0ueen e+cluder. Leave the cells there until 8#1! days old. -hen, on day 8#1!, transfer the cells into a 0ueenless mating nuc. -he mating nuc can be anywhere from a complete large hive that is 0ueen less down to a mini#mating nuc with only @ or three mini#frames. %t works best to transfer the 1! day old 0ueen cell into a 0ueenless nuc on day 1!. Bees always accept a 0ueen cell, much better than an emerged virgin 0ueen in a cage.

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$hen % graft, % make my own 0ueen cups from my wa+ that % know is chemical free. -hen, % attach the cups with wa+ and then % place large amounts of wa+ on the bar so the bees can use my wa+ to continue to draw out the 0ueen cells. % also make my own frames and cell bars. % dip my wa+ after melting it in a large electric pan that % bought at $al#mart for J !

% place my graft into a 0ueen cell cup frame that %'ve Cust made up myself. -hey are easy to make by modifying a deep frame . -he one in the picture, of course, is upside down. 9on't worry, when you flip it over the larvae will not fall out. -hey are sticky and stay put. *lso, you really do not have to worry about temperature when they are this young, 1#@ days old. 6otice % graft with several layers of wet paper towels because the larvae do need to remain moist. -he grafting techni0ue must be hands on instructions. =or e+ample the larva must only breathe on one side when they are this young. -herefore, you must place them in the new 0ueen cell with that same side up. %f you flip it over, they will suffocate because they are not yet breathing on both sides.

-hen % go out to my bee yards and transfer the 1! day old cells into 0ueenless mating nucs. % mainly use frame nucs with deep si>e frames or ) frame nucs

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with deep si>e frames. *s you can see these nucs make nice chairs too when working down the line. 3ou can click on any of these images for a larger view. % work my bees with only a hat and veil because my bees are gentle and % hate wearing gloves. -hough % do not have to wear a hat and veil, % feel it is essential to protect the eyes from stings. % never want to take a chance, nor should you.

@A.

-he 9etails 8f Iueen Rearing

3our bees should all be doing well now that there is plenty of nectar sources for the bees to forage on. Feep an eye on your mite populations and if you see more than you should, then consider using the ;R446 9R864 E8<B. -hese combs are plastic and have the drone cell si>e embossed on them already. -he strategy behind the green comb is to have the 0ueen lay these full of drone eggs, because the mites like the longer brood cycle of the drones D@( days until they emerge?. 8nce the green drone comb is sealed, remove it, free>e it for @( hours, scrap out the dead mites Dand drones?, then put it back in. 1se 1 or @ green comb against the wall of a deep hive body. $e've been busy trying to get our 0ueen operation up to full speed. % want to try and wet your appetite about raising your own 0ueens. %t is very simple to do. -here are many methods and one that we use is a combination of the 9oolittle method and the /mith method. Gay /mith was a beekeeper in the late 18!!s and early 1A!!s in %ndiana. % like his method the most. .e grafted larva into 0ueen cells, and then placed them in a starter hive, then after a day or two he placed them into a finishing hive. $e have found this to be very effective. /ome people do not even use a starter hive, they Cust place the grafts into a large hive above a 0ueen e+cluder. L4//86, ), -.4 94-*%L/ 8= I1446 R4*R%6;

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%n our last lesson, % gave you an overview and some simple approaches to raising your own 0ueen. -oday, % want to go into a bit more depth on this subCect. Before % do, let me remind you that on <ay 12th, % will be offering a one day hands#on course here on our honey bee farm Cust on 0ueen rearing. -his is on /aturday from Aam # )pm with lunch provided. %'ll teach you the fundamentals on 0ueen rearing as well as take you out into the apiary to see first hand how to build a starter hive and what to look for in a finishing colony. /everal people have asked me to e+plain about making my own 0ueen cell cups from our own wa+. Because some wa+ has been found to be contaminated with chemicals used to treat mites, we prefer either to use plastic cell cups or to make our own cups from our wa+. <y father#n#law made me my cell cup maker. .e started with a 1'( inch dowel rod. -he harder the wood the better, but anything will work well. .e then used his grinder to shape the ends down to about )'8 of an inch that tapers down as seen in the picture, which you can click on for a larger image. .e then drilled holes slightly smaller than 1'( inch and inserted the rods into a piece of wood. -o dip these rod, you must first dip the tips into cold water. -he more wet the tips are the easier it is to remove the 0ueen cups.

6ow, heat up your wa+. $e use a skillet we bought for J ! at $al#mart. %t works great for us.%t has a thermostat so controlling the wa+ is very easy. 6ow, the trick is to not make your cups larger than they need to be. 8therwise, it makes grafting more difficult. 9ip them so that the wa+ goes up onto the rods between )'8# '12 of an inch. 6ow, % dip once, pull it out for about @! seconds and re#dip. *nd % do it again. % usually dip around ) or ( times. -hen, % have a large pan of icy water near by and % dip my cells down into the cold icy water for a minute or so. 6ow, % can gently twist off my cells. -he first time or two on new wood can make it hard to remove the cells. But always dip the wood tips in cold water prior to dipping into wa+. -he more you use it the easier it is to get the cups off because the tips are not as porous. 3ou can see my hot skillet in the picture, and % leave it Cust like this all the time. $hen %'m finished, % turn it off and put a lid on it. -hen, the ne+t time % want to use it, % crank it up and it's ready. 6ever anything to clean up and my wife has more pots and pans since % bought my own.

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6ow you need to prepare to graft. %t takes proper planning to graft successfully. % use a cutter's board for easy clean up and keeps my graft area clean and tidy. $hen grafting larvae, it is important to keep them moist. -emperature is not a factor but moisture is. 3ou do not want them to dry out. % use wet paper towels. *s you can see, % place several wet paper towels flat on the cutter's block so that when % set my frame of larvae on it, the underside will remain moist. By the way, larva is one and larvae is more than one. /o set up your area, whether it is the kitchen table or the dash of your pickup truck, make sure you have everything you need. ;rafting tool, flash light, magnifying glass or reader glasses, wet paper towels Da bo+ of wet wipes works fine too and can be stored easily?, cell cups on bar and cell cup frame.

.ere's one of my e+perimental cell bars. *s you can see, %'m trying to see if any of these cups make better 0ueens. -he first cup on the left is a plastic cup which % dipped into wa+. -he second and third cups are plastic and not dipped. -he forth cup is a homemade wa+ cup and the rest are plastic. <ost have found very little difference between the above cup configuration and therefore most grafters use the plastic cups. $e use a combination now, but we do enCoy making our own cell cups. 8ne reason is we do not reuse our plastic cups. /o we always feel bad Cust throwing away hundreds of these cups. -hey can be cleaned but the effort is too hard and not worth the time.

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6ow, go out to the hive of your choice, a gentle hive that produces great honey and is not prone to have pest and disease issues. 3ou now want to find a good frame to take back to graft from. 8bviously you do not want a frame of honey, sealed brood or pollen. /ome sealed brood is fine, like in the picture, because around the edge of this frame are some perfect aged larvae. *n egg stands up in the base of a cell. But it lays down around day ) or ( and becomes a larva. $e want to find the perfect age larva which by the naked eye will look like a comma on this page , and is about the same si>e only without the little dot at the top of the comma. /lightly curved laying flat on the bottom of the cell in royal Celly...that's what you are looking for. %f it is too old, it will be more shaped like the letter c. %n which case, they will not be able to feed it the &0ueen's food& as early as needed and the 0uality of the 0ueen will suffer. 8nce you find the perfect frame with the larvae you want to graft take it into your grafting room. /ome people transport their frames in a cooler with some moist towels or rags and this is needed if there is considerable distance between your hive and where you will graft. % have actually grafted out in the apiary if the weather is not too bad. -ry not to mishandle the frame. Gust don't toss it in the back of your pickup truck. 6ow, we are in the grafting room. .ope fills the air. 3ou feel like a scientist or a surgeon about to perform the unbelievable... the unimaginable. 8kay...stop thinking that way. %t's not a big deal. Ealm down. "lace your frame on the board with the top of the frame closest to you. -he cells are angled toward the top slightly so this will help you see down into the cells. =ind your comma shaped larva and use your grafting tool to scoop under it, taking the royal Celly and all. 6ow, place it into your new cell cup. 3ou <1/- keep the larva on the same side. %n other words, whatever side was facing up before you grafted, make sure she lands in the new cup with that same side facing up. Bees breathe through spiracles on

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each side, and if you flip the larva over they will suffocate.

% love the Ehinese grafting tool. %'m fast with it. %t has a nice feel for me, and even has a little click when % release the larva into the new cup. But you can e+periment to see which cup you like best. *s you can see in the image, the Ehinese grafting tool has a red button at the top and a small tip on the end. -he tip is fle+ible and made of some sort of animal horn. -he tip is fle+ible enough to go down into a cell, bend underneath the larva and royal Celly and then you Cust lift it out, being careful not to scrap the wall of the cell on the way back up.

6ow you press the tip down into the base of the cell, centering well and slowly push the red bottom which pushes a piece of wood forcing the larva and royal Celly off the tip and into the base of the new cell.

3ou can see the wood in this close up picture and the top of the fle+ible horn can be seen in this picture as well. -hese grafting tools are easy to clean and reuse again and again. .owever, many people make their own grafting tools out of used dentist tools,

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tooth picks and other items. -here are even e+pensive, more professional type grafting tools as well, so you'll have to test and see which one works best for you. 3our grafting techni0ue will improve with practice. %f you are unsuccessful at first, try grafting older, larger larvae Cust to test with. -hey are too old to work as 0ueens, but it might be a starting point for you to try and then keep grafting smaller and smaller until you are comfortable with a ( day old larva the si>e of a &,&.

$hen % first started % would watch my grafting, looking into each cell and watching the whole time. 6ow, once % see the right aged larva, % do not look but Cust scoop and drop. 3ou do need good lighting and you might need visual assistance if you can't see up close. % go to $al#mart and purchase reader glasses that are around @.B or )Q magnification. -hen % can graft with the eyesight of a 1! year old.

-he more you graft the more you'll set up your operation to your needs.

8nce % find the right larva to graft then % allow my tool to go into the cell until the tip hits the bottom. -hen % let it curve under the larva. 6ow, % tilt it slightly backward so that the sticky larva is lifted from the base of the cell. -he smaller the larvae the better, but more difficult it is to see and transfer. 3ou do not want to move eggs. 4ggs are too attached to the bottom and can be easily

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damaged. 8nce you've placed the larvae into the cups, do not be afraid when you are finished to turn them over. -hey will not fall out as they are stuck:

% usually graft about 2! cells at a time. % have a second set of paper towels handy so that % can cover the cells that % graft to keep them moist. Remember temperature is not so much of an issue when larvae are this young, but they can dry out. /o when % finish each bar, % cover it with a wet paper towel and keep covering each one % complete until % am ready to place the frames of cells into my starter hive. Last week % mentioned how to prepare your starter hive, but let me mention it again. 3ou want young nurse bees packed into the starter nuc or hive. -hey need to be e+tremely over crowded: 3our grafts will be much more successfully the more over crowded your starter hive is. %t should be difficult to get the lid on: *nd, of course, it needs to be 0ueenless and have some honey and pollen. 6ow transfer your grafts into your starter hive for @(#)2 hours. -hen, move them over to a larger 0ueenright hive above a 0ueen e+cluder. Gust remember, the cups are going to be capped around day 8 so you can remove the 0ueen cells and place them in your nucs between day 8#1!. %n case you grafted older larva, you might have your timing of emergence off, so to avoid a 0ueen killing the rest by emerging early, % like to gather my sealed cells on day 1!, not day 11: -he reason we like the finishing hive is because of it's si>e, it can better tend to a larger number of grafts whereas the smaller nuc or starter hive may not raise all grafts due to limit resources. Remember when handling 0ueen cups after day 1! that you must be careful and they must stay around A@ degrees. .andle them gently and keep them in their vertical position. -he wings are the last to develop and rough treatment could cause the wings to be underdeveloped and then they may not be able to fly and mate.

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8nce your 0ueens emerge and you are ready to sell them, and you want to mark them. -his makes it easier for the customer to find them in the future. -he %nternational 0ueen color code is determined by the year. *ll years ending in their respective number determines the color as seen in this image. -he best way to mark your 0ueen is to purchase a 0ueen marking pen. -hese work really well. /ome claimed a marked 0ueen may not be as accepted, but we have never had hives act negatively toward a marked 0ueen. % feel that marking a 0ueen is a helpful way for you not only to find her, but to know if you still have the same 0ueen. %n lesson )( we demonstrated how to use a marking tube. But watch the video below as % show you how to mark a 0ueen by holding her. =irst you pick her off the comb by her wings. .old the tip of your inde+ finger near her legs and she will hold on with her legs. -hen, bring your thumb up and hold her by a couple of legs. $e e+clusively use this field approach to marking our 0ueens.

30.
=or the most part, swarms are not aggressive. % am occasionally stung by bees from a swarm but usually not. %f you keep your hives near bushy trees like pines or a blue spruce, they usually land in the tree low enough where you can capture them and put them in a hive.

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% learned something from an &old timer& beekeeper who said if beekeepers would stop chasing swarms and spend that time taking care of their own hives, they'd have better hives. % tend to agree with him. $e have turned down most of this year's swarm calls. %t Cust isn't worth it. %' ve found that swarms like to land in my old ceder tree. -his tree has been the resting place for many swarms over the last few years.

6ot all swarms land low. .ere's my oldest son, 9avid, after he climbed a )! foot tree with a Bee#7ac and captured a swarm that filled this entire holding cage. %t was on the trunk of the tree and would have been impossible to remove without a bee#vac. $e sell these, by the way. -he only reason % occasionally catch a swarm is to use it to draw comb. /warms are good comb builders: /ometimes that's the only thing % use swarms for is to draw out foundation.

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%t's usually the old 0ueen that leaves with the swarm, so when you catch a swarm it is usually a good idea to re#0ueen that swarm or it may not make it through the upcoming winter with the older 0ueen. %n *pril, % flew down to =lorida to shake packages and as you may remember from an earlier lesson, % mentioned that % was able to visit with commercial 0ueen producer, 9avid <iksa. %n the *pril and <ay issue of the *merican Bee Gournal, 9avid was featured in a large article about his life long pursuit of producing 0ueens. 4very year % continue to sharpen my 0ueen rearing skills and it is through knowing people like 9r. Goe Latshaw and 9avid <iksa and others that % am able to improve my line of 0ueens. % added about different &survival& genetic stocks that % purchased from other parts of the 1/. % believe genetic diversity is crucial to very productive 0ueens.

$hen % visited 9avid <iksa, % was impressed with his incubator. $hen you produce large numbers of 0ueens, you will need a place to hold sealed 0ueen cells, especially when there is a bottle neck, say your mating nucs are still full as you wait for those 0ueens to mate and to be used in hives or sold. $hat % like about 9avid's incubator is that it has a glass door. *nd as we talked about it, he told me that it was Cust a glass door refrigerator. .e added a heating element along with dual thermostats in case one goes bad.

Last year we used a &Little ;iant& A@!! chicken egg incubator. -hey are around J ! and you'll need to keep your cells at around A@ degrees.

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$hen % was at /am's Elub a few weeks ago, % noticed that they had a nice si>e, small, pop#can refrigerator Cust alittle over J1 ! with a glass door. $ith a glass door, you can more easily see your cells and monitor the temperature and humidity. %t fits nicely under my counter. % bought it and then removed the important parts from my A@!! chicken incubator and placed the heating elements and thermostat on a piece of plywood. -hen, % placed the electronics on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

% wired the heating element up by routing it through the drain hole in the lower back part of the inside fridge. /o, % didn't have to make any alterations to the fridge. /o when %'m not raising 0ueens, % can use it for an e+tra fridge. 3ou'll find as a beekeeper you can save lots of money by making your own incubator instead of buying one. <any 0ueen producers make it even more simple by taking an old fridge, even one that no longer works, and simply place a low wattage light inside. 3ou can wire the door switch so that the light is always on, and then put it on a thermostat to keep it around A@ degrees using a 74R3 low watt bulb. -hat's right, a light bulb will keep it warm enough. -his works well too. -here are lots of old refrigerators out there, and you may even fine one with a glass door. % hope that by sharing insightful information about 0ueen rearing, that more and more beekeepers may try their hand at it. %t is 0uite easy and very enCoyable and rewarding, not to mention it can save you money from not having to buy 0ueens when you need

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them. *nd by raising your own 0ueens, you can also raise 0ueens from the hives that you like best. *lso in this lesson, % want to $*R6 you to keep an eye on your 0ueen. %nspect your hive every 1( days to be sure she is alive and laying well. %f you lose your 0ueen, your entire hive will all perish within 2 weeks, so be sure to keep an eye on your 0ueen, and replace her with a new one at the first sign that she has perished.

.ere's a picture of one of our &"ioneer Iueens& this year. *lso, % must stress how important it is that you replace your 0ueen every year. $hen a virgin 0ueen mates, she stores the sperm from the drones in her spermatheca. /he usually mates with 1 #@!Q drones on a few mating flights. Because she stores the sperm, she will eventually run out. -hen, she can only lay unfertili>ed eggs, which only makes drones, male honey bees. /o by re0ueening your hive every year, you are insuring that she is able to lay strongly throughout that year and into the ne+t spring. "eople often ask me when is the best time to re0ueen a hive. -ypically, any time is better than not doing it at all. Bees re0ueen their own hives whenever there is a need, so we can too. But % believe timing of re0ueening each year can produce different results. %n other words, if your old 0ueen is starting to not lay well in <arch, then by all means replace her so that you can have the results you want in <arch which is a better brood pattern, which means more bees. But, if you are replacing your 0ueen simply because you want a younger 0ueen, then you <1/- do this after the turning of days DGune @1?.

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<elvin 9isselkoen became an 4*/ <aster Beekeeper in 1A82 and has worked bees for over ) years. .e wrote an article about outbreeding the mites. .is research and e+planation of outbreeding the mites makes real good sense, and it was while reading his work that % reali>ed it is best to re0ueen after Gune @1. .is complete article on this can be found on his website at, http,''www.mdasplitter.com'article.htm .is point is that if you re0ueen after Guly @1, a new 0ueen will outbreed the mites. -he brood cycle of a mite is 1) days, and a worker bees is 12 days. /ince a new 0ueen after Gune @1 lays like a spring 0ueen, she will out#lay the mites. Less mites means healthier overwintered colonies and better spring build up. -hat's a huge reason to wait until after Gune @1. 8ther reasons for re0ueening each year include, swarm reduction, stronger spring build up, better honey production due to increased spring foragers and more.

%'ve also been very busy preparing nucs. /ome days % spend 1@ hours a day working the hives to pull out ( frames to meet our nuc demands. %'ll be glad when the last of the nucs are gone: .ere's a picture of my youngest son, Ehristian, after we packed up some nucs. -hese were a special order as you can see they are nucs, but they are all on medium foundation. /ome beekeepers like using all medium si>e bo+es rather than the larger deep hive bodies. $e are happy to help out. Beekeeping is usually a skill based on knowledge, wisdom and e+perience. .owever, %'ve learned that making nucs is an art: %t is not for the faint at heart. % could go on and on, but % do want to address a very large problem within the beekeeping community. %t's not EE9, though there are more cases of it than EE9, %'m

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sure. -he problem %'d like to address is the disappearing hive tool. $here do they go5 .ow can they disappear5 *re aliens from other planets stealing our hive tools with some huge magnet from the mother ship5 % doubt it. But %'ve solved my personal problem of lost hive tools. % bought a nice one: ,?

6ot only do % lose hive tools, but % leave them in the back of pickup trucks or on top of a hive, and because they are metal, they will rust. Leave one on the ground all winter, and it will almost rust away by spring. 6ow, % only use stainless steel hive tools. -hey are beautiful, as shiny as a chrome plated hive tool. % like them too because they wash up easy so you don't share germs between different yards. $e are selling these now for J1 : Elick here to go to our online store for this item. 3ou'll love it. % told my wife that % believe it calms the bees too, because instead of a yellow or red tool coming at them, they see themselves in the reflection of the polished, mirror finish and seem to not notice the hive tool. % don't know if that is true, but it does have a mirror finish.

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31.
.8$ -8 -4LL $.46 381R .%74 %/ I1446L4// Iueenlessness is serious. %n fact, 0ueenlessness is the single most greatest threat to a hiveOs survivability than any other disease or pest. 3et, it is easier to correct and overcome than other pests and diseases. -hen why is 0ueenlessness such an issue5 %n this lesson % want to address several key factors about 0ueenlessness, 1? $hy do 0ueens die or disappear5 @? .ow to determine if your colony is 0ueenless )? .ow to make a 0ueenless colony 0ueen right )? $hat to look for when your hive is about to become 0ueenless (? .ow to determine how long your hive has been 0ueenless ? $hat causes a worker to start laying in a 0ueenless hive 2? .ow to deal with a laying worker B? /uggestions to help avoid your hive from becoming 0ueenless.

4very hive has only one 0ueen. .er primary role is to lay eggs, sometimes 1,!!! S ),!!! a day. $ithout a prolific 0ueen, the colony will never build up in population and will always lack ade0uate foragers, thus there will be a constant lack of incoming pollen, nectar and water. -he colony will eventually become so weak that it will succumb to pests or diseases. .owever, with a young and prolific 0ueen a colony will 0uickly increase in population and ample supplies of pollen, nectar and water will allow the hive to e+pand, be productive and resist most common pests and diseases. -herefore, a 0ueen right hive is essential at all times during the year. Iueen right is a term used to define a hive that has a prolific 0ueen. *s you can see in the picture below of a hive, it is full of bees. $e believe that by keeping a hive very crowded, but not congested, a hive remains strong enough to resist most pests and diseases.

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6otice how the many bees cover almost all of the frames on top. % removed one frame to inspect and to be sure the 0ueen is laying good. But even hives that are 0ueen right can suddenly become 0ueenless. .ow does this happen so 0uickly5 $hy do 0ueens die or disappear5 Remember, honey bees are livestock. <ore specifically, bees are bugs, insects that are at great risk not only from the normal threat of nature, but also from the hostile world beyond the sweet clover fields and tran0uil meadows. -raffic, pesticides, insecticides, and those who see all insects as a pest pose a great threat to the survival of the honey bee. Because a 0ueen is a small T inch bug, she too can perish for various reasons. /he can become ill or old and die. /he can accidentally be smashed by the beekeeper when frames are pushed back together or covers are placed on a hive. /he can be killed by the other bees if she shows signs of inferiority. *nd when another 0ueen is raised in the same hive, the 0ueens will fight and only one will survive, but certainly they both can perish in the fight. * virgin 0ueen must fly out of the hive several times to mate. -his mating flight can be very treacherous. /he can easily become a tasty meal for a bird or fall victim to nasty weather while sheOs out. *nd even if she does make it back, the 0uestion is, did she mate ade0uately. /o even though a hive can successfully raise their own 0ueen, there is no better proof that the colony has a prolific 0ueen until eggs are visible.

.ow do we determine that our colony is 0ueenless5 6o eggs. 3ou can click on the images to see a larger version. /tudy the picture and familiari>e yourself in identifying eggs and larvae. *n egg stands up in the bottom of a cell. By day three, the egg has laid down on the bottom of a cell and hatched into a larvae. 3ou can see the royal Celly surrounding the larvae in the picture. 4ven if a mated 0ueen is present but we see no eggs, we are essentially 0ueenless. 3ouOll develop a skill that will allow you to open up your hive and listen to the bees and observe their behavior. * 0ueenless hive usually has a louder roar, and usually appears more disorgani>ed. %f you do not see any eggs on

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any frames, then you are 0ueenless. .ow can we make a 0ueenless colony 0ueen right5 "urchase a new, mated 0ueen in a cage and introduce her to the new hive with a candy plug. 8r if the hive is raising their own 0ueen, allow them to do so. %f you allow the colony to raise their own 0ueen, you will have to wait longer until the virgin 0ueen emerges, matures, mates and starts laying. %f you purchase a mated 0ueen, she will start laying within a few days. %s there a way we can tell if our colony is about to become 0ueenless5 3es and no. 8bviously if the beekeeper smashes and kills the 0ueen, this cannot be known in advance. .owever, if the current 0ueen has space to lay but is laying poorly, then the colony may try to replace her soon or they may not. 8r if you see mostly drone brood, which sticks up above the smooth worker brood more like bullets, then you know your 0ueen will soon perish. *lso, if you see 0ueen cells, either swarm cells on the lower part of the frame or supersedure cells on the upper half of the frame, then watch your hive carefully. /omething may be wrong and it may become 0ueenless. =inally, if you know the age of your 0ueen, then you can determine how long she has left. -his is somewhat unknown because some 0ueens can do real well for several years, maybe three or four years. /ome are only good for one year. -herefore, it is best to re0ueen your colony each year.

$hen you find that your hive is 0ueenless, it is important to know how long it has been without a 0ueen. -his will tell you how long you have to obtain a new 0ueen. =or e+ample, if you see only sealed brood as in the picture to the left, you know that your 0ueen has been gone for more than a week. /ealed brood looks different than sealed honey. /ealed brood is usually darker and more te+tured looking. $hereas sealed honey is brighter and looks more wet. %f you need help learning the difference, Cust use a tooth pick and poke a cell to see what's inside. %f you see unsealed larvae, then you have some time before your hive e+periences the affects of 0ueenlessness. But you should work promptly to provide a new 0ueen. -he unsealed brood means that those bees will be hatching in about 1 days so you still have new bees

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on their way. Let me test you. %f your 0ueen is missing but you see what's in the photo to the left, how long has your 0ueen been gone5 3ou can click on the image to enlarge. /ome of the larvae is sealed or capped, but some are e+posed. /o we know the capped larvae are atleast 8 days old and the uncapped ones are large enough to be atleast 2#B days old. /o you've been without a 0ueen for about a week. 3ou have time to act, but you must act fast to purchase a new mated 0ueen so there will be a minimal gap of emerging workers to keep the hive strong. .owever, if there are no eggs and no sealed brood, it means that you will have nothing more than what you have. 4ach day, your hive will become smaller in number because without emerging brood the older bees will die. %f you have no brood at all, sealed or unsealed, then you have an emergency: 3ou must get a 0ueen within the ne+t few days. "ay e+tra and have her sent overnight. 4very day counts. 3our hive is a mere )! days away from total collapse. *ct fast. 8nce the 0ueen has perished, and the hive has attempted but failed to raise a replacement, you must act fast because without a 0ueen, workers could become what is known as a laying worker. $ith the strong pheromone of open brood, not the 0ueen pheromone, the other female workersO ability to lay is suppressed. But without open brood pheromones, several female workers may start laying eggs. But since a female worker is not fully develop as a layer nor has she ever mated, nor could she, then her eggs are all infertile thus they will only become drones, male bees. * laying worker in a hive usually means certain death of the colony. /ince a laying worker will only produce male drones, the absence of workers means certain collapse of your hive. * laying worker does not have the long abdomen of a 0ueen so when she lays, she cannot always place her eggs on the

bottom of a deep cell.

-he eggs are often found on the

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side of a cell. But the obvious sign that you have a laying worker is that each cell contains many eggs. /ometimes a newly mated 0ueen or a 0ueen without room to lay may lay more than one egg in a cell, but a laying worker will fill up a cell with eggs. /tudy my photo here to familiari>e yourself with what the eggs look like from having a laying worker. /ee the numerous eggs in the cells. Remember to click on the image to enlarge for a closer look. %t is suggested that even strong, 0ueen right colonies always have a few laying workers, but the bees keep them in check. =rom the photo, can you see which one is the laying worker5 6o, you cannot. -hey are impossible to spot. .ow do you get rid of a laying worker5 /ome say you can dump all the bees out in the yard, twenty feet or more away from the hive and the laying worker cannot find her way back in. 8thers say she can and will fly back. /ome claim to have made special 0ueen introduction cages which allow the newly mated 0ueen to lay eggs on comb under a cage and eventually the bees will kill the laying worker. But introducing a 0ueen into a hive with a laying worker often means the laying worker and her gang will attack and kill the newly introduced 0ueen. *nd youOll never find a laying worker. 9onOt even bother trying, they all look the same. %Ove had success by introducing new 0ueens in cages into a laying worker hive, but it does take several tries. 1nless you raise your own 0ueens, this can be costly. %t is easiest for me to remove a few frames from a 0ueen right hive with the 0ueen on it, and place them against the wall of a laying worker hive. -he good 0ueen along with her two frames of bees seem to seek and destroy the laying worker. -hen you can easily replace the 0ueen that you removed from the 0ueen right hive. -he traditional solution is to take all the frames out of a laying worker hive and give them to strong colonies. -he strong colony will usually kill the laying worker.

=inally, how can beekeepers protect their hives from becoming 0ueenless5 %nspect your hive every @ weeks. 3ou do not necessarily have to spot the 0ueen as long as you see that there is a good number of eggs and larvae. -he photo to the left is what you want to find. Brood in various stages including eggs. -his photo shows eggs near the edge of the frame. *lso be sure there is plenty of room for the 0ueen to lay. %f you see your hive is honey or pollen bound, you either have to shake out the pollen or e+tract the honey or put in empty drawn comb if you have some available. =ailure to provide room in your hive for e+pansion can cause the bees to become congested. Remember we advocated crowded hives, but not congested hives. * congested hive means there is no more open, drawn out cells for the 0ueen to lay in, or the forages to store pollen and nectar.

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-hus they will prepare to swarm.

3esterday one of our hives did Cust that. Because we crowd our hives, they can become congested faster than we can sometimes give them drawn comb. But we'd rather err on the side of being too crowded than having a small and weak colony. /warms are friendly. -his swarm was gracious enough to agree to have their picture taken with me. % later shock them into a new hive and they are content now. By the way, if you are a beekeeper, you absolutely must have an e+tra hive on hand to catch swarms, swarms that come from your hive or for when you are called upon to help save a swarm near you. 3esterday a gentleman called us because he caught a swarm and had nothing to put it in.

=ortunately, we rushed him out a hive. But we cannot always send a hive right out, so please plan ahead. Gune is a big swarm month. .ives seem to swarm more on the first nice day after a storm or rainy weather. 6ow the hive that produced this swarm may become 0ueenless. .opefully they did their Cob, and produced a new 0ueen. -he old 0ueen leaves with the swarm and the new emerging 0ueen takes over. But remember, she is virgin 0ueen, and must fly a mile or two away to mate with other drones, not from her hive. /he can be killed in her flight by birds or storms. $ill she make it back, and will she be mated well. <uch is at stake.

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Replace your 0ueen yearly to ensure you have a young, prolific 0ueen. 4ach day we send out 0ueens to beekeepers across the country. -hese are 0ueens that we raise from our honey bee farm that show the characteristics that we want in a honey bee. $e gather 0ueens from their mating nucs once they've proven to be good layers. -hen we add ( attendants to care for the 0ueen during shipment. -hen, we add the candy plug along with one drop of water for the 1#@ day trip. %t works out well.

$e have mating nucs scatter throughout. -he 0ueens do not mate in the nuc, but it merely provides a place for the 0ueen to live, be cared for and to show how well she can lay after she mates. -hese mating nucs are near a cedar tree and use it as a land mark to find their way back to their specific hive. %t is ama>ing that a 0ueen can fly out, travel for miles to mate, and return home. % was holding a virgin 0ueen in my hand a few weekends ago, showing her to several people. /he took flight, flew around a few times and was gone. -he people were sad that she flew away. *bout twenty minutes later, she came back and landed on my leg. % picked her up and put her back in her cage. /he did not mate on this flight. $hen 0ueens return home from mating, they have the last male's genitalia still attached. 4ven though she returned home without a mating sign, it was still impressive that she had such a great sense of orientation and returned to her original take off point.

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%n fact, in my main mating yard, % can't even find my way around, but the 0ueens do great picking out which hive is their home. /ome people use colors or markings on the hives or physical land marks, but we've found that for the most part the 0ueens do fine finding their way back home. $ell, this concludes today's lesson and % hope it has been helpful to you in being able to keep your hive 0ueenright:

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)1. "R4"*R4 =8R $%6-4R %6 *1;1/- H /4"-4<B4R .ere in %llinois, *ugust is one of the hottest months of the year, a month when gardens are in full production, crops are solid green and grass needs mowed every few days. .ere is one of /heri's big green peppers. /o it is very difficult to think &winter& while working bees. %'ve taught before that winter preparation begins when you first start working your bees in the spring. 4verything we do to manipulate the hive is in hopes that they will build up and make it through the winter. 6ow that we are in the middle of *ugust, you really need to be seriously thinking about making winter preparations. 6ot so much e+ternally but internally. %t's too early to wrap a hive or to put in an entrance cleat Dreducer?, but it is not too early to start looking at the internal condition of your hive. .8$ * .%74 <*F4/ %- -.R81;. -.4 E8L9 <86-./ 8= $%6-4R %n the perfect scenario, a hive will store pollen and honey above the brood nest area. %f you have two deeps on your colony, the lower should be filled with mostly brood in various stages and the upper deep should contain more honey and pollen, though there may be some brood as well. *s the colony heads into winter, they are able to slowly and gradually move upward, eating their way into the upper deep, using the consumption of honey to generate heat and honey and pollen to feed their winter brood. =inally when spring arrives, without missing a meal, they can begin foraging from the spring nectar flow. Remember, % did say this is the perfect scenario. %t seldom works that way. But it can and should and perhaps you, as a beekeeper, can help that happen now that it is only *ugust. /o to fully inform you on what to do about helping your bees survive winter, % need to give you some important pointers. =irst, let me give them to you as bullet points, then % will elaborate. *1;1/- H /4"-4<B4R $%6-4R "R4"*R*-%86 "R8E491R4 K ;et Rid of -racheal and 7arroa <ites K ;et Rid of 6osema K 4valuate "ollen H .oney /tores H /trategically Eonfigure =rames K =eed as 6ecessary both "ollen H /yrup K Eonfigure frames /trategically K "rotect .ive from .arsh $ind

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K "rovide *de0uate 7entilation K "rotect from <ice K Re0ueen between Gune @1 # /eptember @1 8bviously, most beekeepers do not do all of the above. % would say that most beekeepers only do one or two of the above. %t's a gamble to do nothing. %t might work. <any of us do have hives that we do absolutely nothing to and they do fine. % have two survival yards that get no attention and they do fine. But they are survival stock bees. /ome people even believe hives that cannot survive on their own need to perish to be removed from the gene pool. -here is some degree of truth to that too, unless that hive is your only hive. Listen, %'m healthy, but %'m not going to do well stuck outside in a brutal winter. 3ou can have all the right genetics you want, but if there is no honey available to keep the bees alive, they will perish. /o let me talk more about the bullet points above. ;4- R%9 8= -R*E.4*L H 7*RR8* <%-4/ -R*E.4*L <%-4/ D*carapis woodi? %t is easy for us to assume tracheal mites are no longer a problem because you can't see them with the naked eye. -hey reproduce in the tracheae Dbreathing tubes? of the thora+ in the bee. -he mites feed on bee blood and damage the tracheae making it difficult for bees to breathe. "rior to 1A8! there were no tracheal mites in the 1/*. Between 1A8!# 1A8( the tracheal mites moved in from <e+ico and devastated hives throughout *merica. * common sign that tracheal mites might be a problem is when a colony dies during the winter. Bees might be found crawling around instead of flying during early spring. $inter clusters may perish even with large supplies of honey. *nother symptom is &F#wing& which is when the two wings can no longer be hooked, due to damage to the flight muscle. Feep in mind that these symptoms can also be unrelated to tracheal mites, and may be caused from another problem. /o it is impossible to find one single symptom or sign short of putting the bee's trachea under a scope and seeing what's in there. <ost beekeepers can't do that and don't want to do that. $.*- -8 98 *B81- -R*E.4*L <%-4/ 1. 1se Resistant /tock. Beekeepers do have a better line of defense against tracheal mites, such as using 0ueens that have proven to be resistant toward tracheal mites. -hese lines include Buckfast, Russian and Earniolans. @. %f you are not oppose to medicating your colony, you can use many of the products on the market today such as *piguard and <iteaway. ;rease patties mi+ed with thymol proves effective as well.

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7*RR8* <%-4/ D7arroa destructor? -his mite was originally named 7arroa Cacobsoni but now more specifically it has been identified as 7arroa destructor. %t became a threat in the 1/* in the late 1A8!s. *s an e+ternal parasite they feed on the blood of all stages and caste of bees. -hey reproduce in the sealed brood cell. Because this mites reproduces in sealed brood, the emerging bee can be weakened or sick and have a shortened life. 9eformed wing virus D9$7? is a result of high varroa destructor infestation. %n the developing stage the mites feed upon the wing buds of the bees and the result is a deformed wing, appearing like it has been burned or shriveled up. .ives will not over winter well with high v. mite counts and may even perish during the winter. ;et mites out of your hives before winter. $hat -o 9o *bout 7arroa <ites 1. 1se a 0ueen that shows mite resistance, such as 7/. D7arroa /ensitive .ygienic?. Buckfast, Russian and Earniolans show greater mite resistance. @. Eontinue a %"< D%ntegrated "est <anagement? approach by using, a? 9rone Eomb. =ree>e it after it is sealed, killing all the mites that prefer the longer cycle of a sealed drone cell. 3ou can purchase &;reen 9rone Eomb.& b? "owdered /ugar -reatment. "ut 1#@ cups of powdered sugar between the frames of each brood bo+, once a week for )#2 weeks after supers are off. c? 1se /creen Bottom Boards. <ites fall through and cannot return easily. ). %f you use medication, <iteaway and formic acid pads work well. $hen using any medication, follow the directions especially getting honey off during treatment and sealing up hive as stated and following temperature re0uirements as well. 68/4<* 9%/4*/4 6osema is a big concern for beekeepers. %t is a disease that spreads in the midgut of the adult honey bee. %t has been identified as a proto>oan but now is being reclassified as a fungus. Beekeepers 0uickly became familiar with 6osema apis, usually watching for e+cessive bee feces on the outside of the hive, though bees can have 6osema apis without outward signs. 6osema spores are transmitted through bee feces when young bees clean contaminated comb. <ore noticeable symptoms are crawling bees with distended abdomens and dislocated wings. -he disease weakens a colony and is all but certain death as the hive goes through winter. =umagillin is an effective treatment especially as a fall treatment in sugar syrup. %t is best to send samples into the Beltsville lab to determine if your bees are infested with 6osema. %f not, no need to treat. EL%EF

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.4R4 86 %6=8 *B81- /469%6; %6 * /*<"L4 8= B44/ -8 -.4 B4L-/7%LL4 L*B. %-'/ =R44 6osema ceranae has recently been identified in the 1/*. -he two 6osema diseases are similar e+cept with 6. ceranae a colony can perish within a week. 1nlike with 6. apis, there may be no diarrhea on the outside of the hive and few to no symptoms other than foraging bees seem to die outside the hive and the population dwindles. 6. ceranae has, by some, been associated with EE9. *gain, fumagillin seems to be the suggested treatment. Eolonies with 6. ceranae can function entirely normal without any signs of concern, until additional stressors are placed on the hive. *gain, it is best to send samples into the Beltsville lab to determine if your bees are infested and if not, no need to treat. 47*L1*-4 381R .8643 *69 "8LL46 /-8R4/ -ime should be taken to review the content of the hive, not Cust honey stores, but pollen stores as well. <any beekeepers find their hives pollen bound in the spring, due to the enormous amount of pollen available. Beekeepers finding their hives &pollen bound& are forced to remove and disregard the pollen to make room for brood and honey. .owever, in the fall and winter, colonies suffer from not having enough pollen. E86=%;1R4 =R*<4/ /-R*-4;%E*LL3 6ow is a good time to begin reviewing your pollen and honey stores in the hive and positioning them for best winter survival. *ll food stores must be above the bees, not below them. %f pollen is low, feed them pollen patties or dry pollen outside the hive on dry days. %f honey stores are low, feed @ parts sugar and 1 part water to increase the honey stores. "R8-4E- .%74 =R8< .*R/. $%6-4R $%69/ Beekeepers in the north need to provide some protection around the hive to block harsh winter winds. Feep in mind that the bees do not heat the total inside of their hives like we heat our homes. %nstead, they only heat the cluster. -emperatures around the outside of the cluster can be very much the same as on the outside of the hive. 8bviously, the bees do have to keep their cluster warm and if harsh winter winds blast the hive, the bees will have to consume more honey to generate heat, which means they could starve out. $rapping the hive with roofing paper has been shown to help, or building a berm around the hive or some sort of fence to block the wind can help as well. "R87%94 *94I1*-4 746-%L*-%86 3ou need to also provide top ventilation. 98 68- wrap your hive air tight. <oisture will develop on the inside of the hive top and rain down on the bees. % usually wait until the coldest day of winter to put up my Ehristmas lights. -hen, % wonder why % didn't put them up a week ago when it was warm: /ame with wrapping

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your hive. 9on't do it in the summer, but don't wait until it is so cold that you decide not to do it at all. But if you wrap or not, you need to allow for some top ventilation. 8therwise, e+cess moisture will develop in the hive as condensation on the inside of the top cover and rain down on the bees. % place a 1'@& thick stick under the telescoping top cover to allow for ventilation in the summer. "R8-4E- =R8< <%E4 <ice like to use beehives as their winter home. <ice can destroy a healthy hive during the winter by eating through the comb and eating bees and honey. 3ou must block them out: 1sually the wooden entrance reducer is enough when set to the smallest opening. 3ou can also purchase various styles of mouse guards, some are made from metal. %f you have a left over 0ueen e+cluder, you can put it between your bottom board and your deep hive body. But you must keep the mice out. *gain, do not wait until the mice are in the hive and then seal them inside the hive. <y rule of thumb is to place mouse guards on the hive a couple of weeks before the fields are harvested. =inally, re0ueen your hive between Gune @1 and /eptember @1. -he new 0ueen will lay like it is spring, giving you lots of new &winter& bees, those that can live through the winter. * new 0ueen also has strong pheromones which can reduce swarming in the spring. *nd a new 0ueen will build the hive up faster in the spring as well. 9o not think that this year's 0ueen was so good, that she'll pull her hive through the winter and be great again ne+t year. /he can only lay so many eggs, then she will cause your hive to perish. Re0ueen: % hope today's lesson will help you get your hive through the winter.$ith the information % have given you, please do not become too overly concerned and worried about the health of your hive. But do be proactive, and make sure your hive is as healthy and as protected as they can be going into winter.

32.
.8$ -8 B1%L9 * /-R86; E8L863

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-he success of your colony will depend mostly upon their overall strength. -he stronger your hive is the less likely they will be to develop a disease or be overtaken by pests. * new colony, whether it is a nuc or a package, can benefit from these 1? =eed the colony 1,1 sugar water H pollen patties. @? 8nly give them more bo+es of frames as they need. )? Feep all frames tight together and keep the hive level. (? 1se beetle traps if you live in an area that has small hive beetles. ? 4very 1( days, inspect your hive and make sure there is a good brood pattern and that you can see eggs. %f not, you must replace your 0ueen immediately or the hive will not become strong and may even perish within (! days. Let me give more details. =irst, feed you hive. $hen they are new, they do not have any food inside the hive. -hey need pollen and honey. *nd most new colonies are placed on undrawn foundation, meaning they do not have any drawn out comb in which to place incoming nectar or for the 0ueen to lay in. =eeding them 1,1 sugar water can assist the younger bees in producing wa+ and thus they will be able to draw out their combs faster. -his is not essential because spring usually provides more than enough incoming nectar that feeding is not necessary. But, spring can also provide several days in a row of cool, rainy weather. -hen, the bees can run out of food and fail to build comb. -his is why many beekeepers e+perience a slow build up of their hives. 4ntrance feeders are what we recommend. .ow long to feed5 *nywhere from not at all to several weeks. <ost people will feed their bees until they have down out comb in both deep hive bodies. 9ivision board or frame feeders are the second best feeders, pail and top feeders last. -op feeders have always been very problematic for beekeepers. -hey can crack, leak, mold and generally allow bees in the reservoir and die. $e sell them though they are not our preferred type of feeder. 3ou Cust can beat the long tested and used entrance feeder. /o feed your bees. =eed your bees pollen patties. -hey need pollen. -here is always plenty of pollen in the spring. Last year some of our hives were pollen bound, meaning there was so much pollen in the comb that the 0ueen ran out of room to lay. *gain, if the weather is cool and rainy then they will lack pollen and not be able to build up their population as fast. /o feed your bees pollen patties for about 1 month after installation. Remember, you usually do not have to, but if you really want to ensure they become strong, feed. /econdly, keep your new colony tight. 9o not give them too much space. =or e+ample, only give them 1 deep hive body to start with. %f you give them two, it can discourage them from building comb. *nd, the e+tra space gives room for pests to hide and grow, pests like mice, small hive beetle and wa+ moths. But, if you keep the bees tight then they can better grow their hive and defend it against intruders. $ait until your deep hive growth tips,

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body has B frames that are drawn out and full of bees then you can add the second hive body. 9o the same before you place on the super above the second hive body too. % actually have a techni0ue that works well for me. % install packages in a frame nuc bo+, allow it to become completely filled, then transfer the frames over to a deep hive body. Bees work better when they are crowded. $ill being crowded make them want to swarm5 6o, not a new set of bees. Bees are social insects which work better crowded. %t is only when they become congested that they can swarm. Eongested means they do not have any drawn comb for the 0ueen to lay eggs in, or for the forages to bring in nectar or pollen. Eongestion is not the same as being crowded. Erowd your new package but make sure they do not become congested. )? Feep your frames tight together and your hive level. Bees are sensitive in how they draw comb on frames. %f you leave too much space between frames, they will draw out odd shaped columns on the frame or they will build out a comb without attaching it to the foundation. /o keep all frames tight against each other. Feep the hive level. Bees build comb straight down so if it is tilting slightly to the right or left, straight down will mean the comb will be slightly off the frame. (? 1se some sort of beetle trap to prevent the spread of small hive beetle. =inally, you must inspect your hives every 1( days to ensure your 0ueen is healthy and laying well. -he 0ueen lays about @!!! eggs a day. -his allows the colony the ability to grow fast and have enough foragers to bring in lots of nectar. $hen you inspect, make sure you can see a good brood pattern and eggs. %f the pattern of brood is spotty or looks to be drone brood only, replace the 0ueen immediately.

)). -he more we know about bees the better we are at keeping bees. Let me give you an e+ample. /ome may think they have a poor 0ueen because she is not laying well. 9id you know that how well she lays is determined by how well she is fed5 "rior to a hive swarming, the hive reduces feeding the 0ueen and her laying slows down or stops.

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"erhaps during a dearth or a rainy spell if nectar and honey stores in the hive are low, the 0ueen may not be fed well, and though she is a good 0ueen, the weather is influencing her ability to lay.

-here are some things to worry about, like a laying worker. % always hate to see a hive with a laying worker. Rarely is there Cust one laying worker. usually there are many. $orkers do not have fully developed reproduction rights and they do not mate with drones which means if and when they do lay eggs, they are not fertile eggs and will become drones. Laying workers lay between 1!#)! eggs a day compared to a 0ueen who lays between 1,!!!#),!!! per day. /ince workers lay eggs that become drones, the hive will 0uickly crash because drones do not forage and cannot help the hive survive. /ince there is no longer a 0ueen, there are no workers coming down the line to e+pand and care for the hive. %tOs very serious and difficult to revive. <any say the only thing to do is divide the comb up into other strong hives. *n ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. .8$ -8 "R4746- L*3%6; $8RF4R/ =R8< R1%6%6; 381R .%74 =irst, you must reali>e why workers start laying. -he 0ueenOs pheromones and the pheromones of the open brood suppresses the underdeveloped reproduction of the workers from laying. /o as long as you have a good laying 0ueen, the laying workers will never be a problem. <ost agree that all hives have some laying workers, even in a 0ueenright hive, but that they can never get a foothold to cause any real issues. /o how do you prevent this from happening5 *lways make sure you have a strong, and young 0ueen heading up the hive. -he younger or newer she is, the stronger her pheromones and her brood pheromones are to suppress laying workers. 8nce a 0ueen is lost, laying workers will become a problem within @#( weeks. /o by checking your hive every two weeks and carefully e+amine the frames for a good brood pattern and lots of eggs, you will avoid laying workers. %f you see that you are 0ueenless,

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order a new 0ueen immediately. %Ove always suggested that beekeepers should have a few frame nucs with a good 0ueen in it Cust in case you need her in a hurry. 1sually it takes time to order a 0ueen and have it shipped. .8$ -8 R4<493 * .%74 $%-. * L*3%6; $8RF4R /ome say to dump the bees some @! or so yards away and make them all fly back to the hive, assuming that the laying worker has never flown and therefore cannot find her way back to the hive. % would not trust this method. -here is more than one laying worker, and %Om not convinced that she cannot fly back to the hive. % have found a few useful techni0ues, 1? E*;4 * I1446 %6 * "1/. %6 E8<B E*;4 @? <874 * =R*<4 874R $%-. 8"46 BR889 *69 * I1446. * colony with a laying worker will rarely accept a 0ueen the traditional way. -hey will almost always kill the new 0ueen. -he laying worker is a fake 0ueen, but she is good at deception. /he emits pheromones which makes her followers follow her.

%f you place a 0ueen in a push in cage, a cage made of hardware cloth that pushes into the comb, then the new 0ueen can lay and spread her pheromones in the hive without being accessible to the other bees trying to kill her. *fter her pheromones and the pheromones of her new open larva spreads, she can be released from her cage. -his works well the larger the cage and place it over open cells and emerging brood. * second method is to move over a frame of open larva with the 0ueen on it. <ake sure the frame is from a strong hive with plenty of bees on the frame. $hen you place this frame into a hive with a laying worker, be sure to place the new frame against the wall of the hive and with the 0ueen on the side closest to the wall to give her protection from the laying worker and her followers. -he hive that you removed the 0ueen from is now 0ueenless, but you can introduce a 0ueen the traditional way. /ince drone cells are larger in diameter, when a laying worker lays none fertile eggs in a worker cell the emerging drones are smaller but se+ually viable.

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$hy canOt we Cust find the laying worker and kill her5 %tOs a needle in a haystack. Besides, if you happen to find one in the act of laying, chances are high that there are several more. .aving a laying worker is always the result of a lack of timely inspections by the beekeeper.

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-he /uccess of 3our .ive is Riding on 3our Iueen

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3ou must keep an eye on your 0ueen and make sure she has a great laying pattern. *s we hit middle summer and slide down into fall beekeepers are more likely to kill their 0ueen during super removal, or 0ueens can fail toward fall. 9onOt go into winter with an old 0ueen or a missing 0ueen. -here are three caste of bees in a hive, 1? -he female worker bee, underdeveloped reproductive ability, @? -he male drones who only mate high in the air with virgin 0ueens, then die and )? -he 0ueen. $hen a hive makes a new 0ueen, they do so from a fertile egg laid by a 0ueen. -hey feed this young, three day old larva or younger, a special 0ueen royal Celly and build out the 0ueen cell perpendicular to the comb. %t looks like a peanut shell. =rom the time the egg is laid until the 0ueen emerges re0uires 12 days. $orkers take @1 days to emerge and drones @( days. $hen the 0ueen emerges she, of course, is a virgin 0ueen or what some call an unmated 0ueen. -he 0ueen only mates one time outside the hive. * few days after emerging, she will take her mating flight and fly away from her hive several miles to a drone congregation area D9E*?. -he 9E*s are (! feet or higher and have been an established meeting place for years. -he 9E* is a place where hundreds of drones hang out in the afternoon seeking a virgin 0ueen. 7irgin 0ueens somehow know where the 9E*s are and will mate with 1@#@!Q drones. /he may take several mating flights over the course of a week, but once mated she will never leave her hive again unless the hive decides to swarm. =or reproductive swarms, the original, old 0ueen will leave with 2!M of the bees and the (!M left behind will be headed up by a new 0ueen. -he 0ueen mates with many drones in order to increase the genetic mi+ in the hive for survival. 9uring mating, the droneOs genitalia Dshown in picture? breaks off and is left in the 0ueen and can be seen upon the 0ueenOs return to the hive. -his is called the mating sign. .owever, since she mates with many drones, each drones removes the previous droneOs mating sign and then mates with the 0ueen. -he sperm from each drone is stored in the 0ueenOs spermatheca so that she is able to lay fertile eggs for years to come from her initial mating flight. /he will never mate again. * poorly mated 0ueen may have stored only a limited amount of sperm and may only lay a very short time and turn into what we call a drone layer, laying only unfertili>ed eggs which produces drones. %t is very important that beekeepers see the value in replacing their 0ueens on a regular basis. Replacing 0ueens especially after Gune @1 can dramatically increase your hiveOs winter survivability.

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986O- 98 -.*-

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1? 9onOt put off beekeeping, thinking youOll do it later. <ake a determined effort to start keeping bees ne+t /pring. @? 9o not leave a frame out of a hive. *lways put the frames back: %f you donOt, you are guilty of violating bee space. -he bees will nicely fill the vacant frame space with comb that youOll never be able to work with.

)? 9o not use a bee vac in the afternoon when the foragers are returning from their flights. -he suction will pull out the honey from their honey stomachs and drown all the other bees in the vac. (? 9onOt drip honey or throw comb near a hive. /ometimes we need to remove burr comb from a hive. Earry it away from the hive. %f you throw it on the ground ne+t to the hive, robbers will smell the honey and comb and may be enticed to go into the hive and start robbing it. ? 9onOt use old e0uipment. *merican =oul Brood spores can live dormant in abandon hives and stored e0uipment for nearly 8! years and activate once you start using the frames or bo+es. 2? 9onOt dump out your smoker in dry grass. 9onOt set your hot smoker down on your truckOs plastic bed liner or store it in the garage before itOs cooled down. *nd donOt blow sparks or a flame into the hive when smoking. B? 9onOt be caught without something to put a swarm in. Feep a spare hive on hand. *s more people learn that youOre a beekeeper, you will receive calls to retrieve swarms. Be prepared. 8? 9onOt assume your hive is doing well based on what you see at the entrance. Gust because they are bringing in pollen does not guarantee they have a laying 0ueen. Eheck your hive every @ weeks and verify you have a laying 0ueen by inspecting her brood pattern and checking for newly laid eggs. A? 9onOt forget your hat and veil. 6o matter how calm your bees may bee, anything may set them off. *lways protect your head and face. D4specially if you have somewhere special to go that night:? 1!? 9onOt be an isolated beekeeper. 3ou will benefit from Coining your local association, attending conferences and classes and networking with other more e+perienced beekeepers. 11? 9onOt place a 0ueen e+cluder below a honey super with undrawn comb. $ait until the comb is starting to be drawn out, then check to be sure the 0ueen is not in the super. -hen you can place the 0ueen e+cluder below the honey super.

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1@? 9onOt allow your hive to become congested. $hile a crowded hive is a healthy hive, they may run out of empty cells for the 0ueen to lay. Eontinue to monitor your hive to make sure the colony has room to e+pand. 1)? 9onOt cheat and harvest honey before it is completely sealed. %f you harvest frames that are not sealed completely, your honeyOs moisture level may be too high, causing the honey to eventually ferment, foam and taste like yeast. 1(? 9onOt be oblivious to pests and diseases in the hive. Fnow the most common pests and diseases and learn how to identify and treat your colonies if these show up. 1 ? 9onOt force your bees to your neighborOs swimming pool for water. Feep water around your property in the sun for bees to find. Bees can more easily detect polari>ed light so keep your water source in direction sun light because light is polari>ed once it reflects from the surface of water. 12? 9onOt pull a frame out if it is really close to the frames beside it. 3ou may UrollV your bees, even kill the 0ueen. Remove a frame near the wall that is less tight, then slide the frames to allow room to freely lift each frame. 1B? 9onOt mi+ up your frames. $hen you pull out a frame, place it back in the same place and orientation. 18? 9onOt work hives in poor weather. Bees are calmer on sunny days with higher barometric pressure. 1A? 9onOt take your chances with an old 0ueen. Re0ueen every year or two. * younger 0ueenOs pheromones will reduce swarming and she will lay more prolific.

@!? 9onOt give up: Beekeeping, for most, is an enCoyable hobby. .obbyist become attached to their animals. $hen a hive dies, a beekeeper can become discourage and want to 0uit. -his is understandable. But do not despair: %f your hive dies, consider the good news, 1. 3ou have drawn comb for ne+t yearOs package to build up faster. @. 3ou gained a wealth of skill and information for ne+t year. ). 3ou have time to evaluate why your hive died and what you can do better ne+t year.

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Beekeeping /kills . ;now 2hat To 9ook 6or In )our Hive <any beekeepers call us to ask simple 0uestions. $e even find e+perienced beekeepers not knowing the basics. /o hereOs a few basic tips in knowing what to look for in your hive,

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%n this picture Dclick on the image to enlarge it? weOve outlined e+actly what you are seeing. <any cannot distinguish between sealed brood and sealed honey. 6otice the difference here5 %f in doubt, poke a tooth pick in both and youOll either see a pupa or honey. *lso, take a close look at bee bread, a combination of nectar and pollen. Ean you see the Duncaged? 0ueen cell in the upper left5 -he 0ueen has emerged and now it is Cust an empty, partially torn down 0ueen cell. =inally, look at the two push#in 0ueen cages. % placed those there as this hive has made their own 0ueens. -he current reigning 0ueen in this hive is a virgin. /ince these two caged 0ueens have not emerged, nor has the virgin found them, % caged them in so that once they emerge they will be safe from the reigning 0ueen and % can place them into another hive. 8ften the 0ueen cells are destroyed when you try to cut them out of comb. "art of knowing what to look for in a hive is knowing how to detect pests and disease early, before they get the upper hand. %Om going to leave that for our ne+t lesson. ". ;now How To Spot 3--s $ The 4ueen % know this isnOt easy when the hive is full, so work your hive when most foragers are out. 9rones and foragers are out of the hive on a nice day between 11am S (,)!pm. -he 0ueen is almost always on a frame that has eggs. Rarely will you find her on a frame of nectar or sealed honey. 9onOt confuse a drone for the 0ueen. /heOll be offended and so will he. ,? .ereOs a picture we use in our 0ueen rearing class. $e show students the proper age larvae to graft. -he words in the image teach the students not to graft one that is too old or too large, but Cust right. %n this image you can see how to train your eye to spot eggs and larvae in various stages. #. How To Help )our Bees 7raw Out Strai-ht Comb

6otice how well the bees have drawn out the comb that % am using to graft larvae from. -here are several things we do to accomplish nicely drawn comb, 1. Feep the hive perfectly level, from front to back, left to right. /ince we use screen bottom boards, we do not have to tilt our hives. @. /pray 1,1 sugar water on undrawn foundation. ). Feep all frames tightly together. -he smallest of space will cause the bees to do weird things with the comb.

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<. Inspe/t )our Hive 3very " 2eeks $ 8ive Them (oom To 3=pand 3ou must inspect your hives every 1( days to be sure you have a good laying 0ueen. *lso, monitor the frames to be sure they have all the room they need to e+pand. 9o not give them too much room or pests such as wa+ moths and small hive beetles can take up residence in your hive rent free. 3our bees need drawn comb to e+pand. "L4*/4 R4<4<B4R, giving your bees undrawn comb will not immediately help them. -hey need drawn out cells, not sheets of foundation. $hen you inspect your hive, you will want to look for eggs and a good brood pattern. <ake sure you have a solid brood patter. *nd be sure the maCority of the brood is smooth Dworker? sealed brood and not Draised? drone brood. -ime and time again beekeepers tell me they still cannot tell the difference between sealed honey and sealed brood. % tell them to take a tooth pick and poke into the capping. 3ouOll either see a pupa or honey. -his will help you become familiar with knowing the difference. -he picture above shows a good brood pattern. -he empty cells on this frame are of such a low number that it does not concern us. >. ;now How To Identi.y 'ests $ 7iseases Eoming up in Lesson BA ?. How To Introdu/e & New 4ueen % donOt know for the life of me why there is so much debate on introducing a 0ueen. /ome say remove the attendants from the 0ueen cage first. 8thers say poke a hole in the candy plug with a nail. 8thers say open the screen and directly release the 0ueen. /o how do you really introduce a 0ueen5 =irst, made double sure the hive is 0ueenless and has no 0ueen cells and does not have laying worker eggs. %f any of these scenarios e+ist, you will lose your new 0ueen within a few days or weeks or immediately. Gust because you cannot find any eggs or larva does not mean you do not have a 0ueen. %t could mean that you have a virgin 0ueen or your newly mated 0ueen simply hasnOt begun laying actively yet. 3ou must search all frames to ensure you are indeed 0ueenless. -hen, place the 0ueen cage Dwith the 0ueen in it? in between two frames of brood with the candy plug'cork up. Feep the cork in the candy for @(#(8 hours. *fter @(#(8 hours remove the cork but not the candy. Leave the candy in tact and let the bees remove the candy. 6474R directly release the 0ueen. Let me rate how well the following are accepted by a hive, * new 0ueen cell S *lways accepted AAM * mated 0ueen S ;enerally accepted M8! * virgin 0ueen S /ometimes accepted M !

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-he percentage is my opinion, not scientific. @. How To Combine Hives *s we prepare our hives for winter sometimes we have to combine a weak hive with a strong one. -o do this, simply remove the 0ueen from the weak hive, then lay newspaper on the top deep hive body of the strong colony. "oke several holes D1! or 1 ? with a pencil in the newspaper. %n the weak hive, try to smoke all the bees into one hive body and then place it on the newspaper, above the hive body of the strong hive. $ithin a short time, the bees will eat through and consume the paper, and will not fight. A. How To 6eed )our Bees -3"4/ 8= =4494R/, 4ntrance =eeders, -op =eeders, =rame =eeders D9ivision Board =eeders?, and "ail =eeders are the most common. * common use of these feeders are determined by the season. 4ntrance feeds work well in the spring. =rame feeders work well in cold weather as do pail feeders. -he sugar water in pail feeders generally wonOt free>e because of the warmth of the cluster Cust below it. -op feeders can be used in warm weather only but they hold more sugar water than entrance feeders. %n the upcoming Lesson 8!, %Oll spend time teaching how to use each feeder and when to use the different ratio of sugar and water.

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=449%6; B44/ %t is difficult to fully understand the comple+ity of the nutritional re0uirements of the honey bee. $hile we know bees re0uire nectar and pollen as their main food source, it is important to understand that a variety of pollen and nectar sources is essential. Bees lacking a variety of pollen and nectar may have insufficient amounts of important minerals needed for hives to reach their full potential. Bees live on the combination of carbohydrates Dnectar'honey? and protein Dpollen?. $hile bees are 0uite capable of meeting the day to day demands of the colony as well as

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providing stored resources for periods of dearths and overwintering, sometimes bees can benefit greatly by having additional food. .ere are some of the reasons for feeding bees, 1? %nstalling packages in the spring. 6ew packages have no comb and conse0uently no stored resources. %f it rains for ) days the bees will be unable to fly out to gather food. @? -o assist colonies in drawing out comb. *s young bees consume nectar their wa+ glands are more able to produce wa+ for drawing out the frames. )? -o add to the total of stored food going into the winter. (? -o add medication to a hive. /ome medications are added to sugar water such as =umagilin#b. ? -o build up smaller colonies such as swarms or nucs. 2? =or 0ueen rearing starter and finishing colonies. -here are several types of feeders used to feed bees. -he entrance feeder has been used throughout the decades as a good spring feeding system. * small tip of the feeder slides into the entrance of the hive and a mason Car screws down into the cap with holes in it. 7acuum prevents the contents from leaking out, allowing the bee to use its proboscis to draw out the sugar water. 6ormally, spring sugar mi+ture is 1,1, which is one part water and one part sugar by weight. %f you use a ( lb bag of sugar, then youOll add ( pounds of water. 1sually refilling these entrance feeders is not a problem, but occasionally guard bees will show their disapproval. 4ntrance feeders used during a dearth or in the fall can cause bees from other nearby colonies to rob.

-op =eeders are also used. /ometimes referred to as <iller feeders because it was invented by 9r. E.E. <iller. %t is placed on top of the hive and is a large reservoir that holds 1#@ gallons of li0uid. -he bees can access the feed by staying on the underside of the white panels in the photo, or some use screen. -his keeps the bees out of the li0uid to prevent drowning. -he benefit is that it holds more. 9isadvantage is that it can leak or mold. 9ivision Board =eeder, sometimes called a frame feeder, is similar in si>e to a large frame but made of wood, metal or plastic. *s in the photo, the center is a reservoir which holds the li0uid. %t is placed in the brood nest in place of a frame. 1sually it is important to add material that can float on top of the li0uid to prevent drowning. -he frame feeder will not promote robbing and can be used in colder climates as the cluster temperature can keep the li0uid from free>ing.

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* pail =eeder is when you place a feeder over your inner cover hole or directly on the frames. -he feeder can be a large plastic pail or a smaller mason canning Car as shown in the picture. %t is important to e+periment outside the hive and poke holes in the pail so that when it is upside#down the syrup does not run out. %t is best to mi+ a heavy syrup such as @ parts sugar and 1 part water and wait until the syrup has cooled. $arm syrup can flow too 0uickly. -he ideal pail feeder does not allow the syrup to drip out, but the bees use their proboscis to draw out the syrup. $hen you place a pail feeder in your hive you then surround it with an empty deep hive body and place your top cover on top. -he empty deep hive body simply gives the spacing you need for the pail feeder. %t is best to feed through the inner cover hole so that the inner cover can help hold the heat down. E*1-%86, 3our empty deep spacer can easily be blown or knocked off. 1se heavy rocks to keep it down. 8pen =eeding. Eommercial beekeepers often feed bees in large gallon barrels with sticks placed in the barrel to reduce drowning. /ome fear that open feeding bees can prompt robbing. .owever, % have discovered that open feeding is very good in the fall and actually prevents robbing, provided that the feeding station is placed well away from hives. $hen beekeepers are entertaining guests out of doors, they can worry about their bees bothering their guests, and sometimes during a fall dearth the bees will be scouting around for food. By open feeding, the bees find the location and are 0uickly drawn to it and stop searching and robbing. % use entrance feeders or chicken waterers with screens in the mouth of the Car to prevent the bees from crawling up into the feed. -hese work great for me during the fall. -here is no need to open feed when there are flowers.

Eandy Boards Last year we discovered candy boards. -hey have been around for a long time, but have lost popularity with beekeepers over the last ! years, probably due to the fact that it is time consuming to make. .owever, % believe they are one of the most effective feed sources for overwintering colonies. 3ou can also add pollen patties into the candy boards as seen in the picture above. -he board is placed on top of whichever hive body bo+ the cluster is located in. "ollen $eOve discussed several li0uid feeding methods, but what about protein5 .oney bees desperately need pollen. %t is from pollen that bees obtain minerals, vitamins and other important nutrients. -here are several ways we can feed bees pollen.

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1? "ollen trapping. -his is a piece of beekeeping e0uipment that we sell which captures a percentage of pollen from the beeOs pollen basket as they fly into the hive. 8nce the pollen trap is filled, simply free>e and store it to feed later. 8ne disadvantage is that you donOt really know whatOs in the pollen. %t could be laced with insecticides from sprayed crops. *lso, when you are capturing it, you are reducing your hiveOs ability to store what you are trapping. "ollen trapping is usually used to trap pollen that is used for human consumption. @? "ollen /ubstitute. -his is the most preferred method and is accomplished by either making your own pollen patties or purchasing prepared patties. <ost pollen patties no longer contain pollen but a soy based substitute. -hey have proven to be very beneficial to bees, especially for overwintering colonies or for colonies in early spring prior to when natural pollen occurs. 3ou can see in this photo how the bees have consumed over one half of the pollen patty. I1%EF -%" /1<<*R3,

4ntrance Dboardman? feeders are most effective in the spring or in open feeding locations away from the hives in the fall. Eannot be used when the temperature drops below ! because the bees will not break cluster to go to the feeder. -op =eeders can be used any time until the temperature drops below ! because the hive begins to cluster and cannot go up to feed. =rame Ddivision? =eeders can be used all year, but keep in mind that you will have to open the hive to re#fill it. -his can be a problem during the winter. 8pen feeding can work well during a dearth to help reduce robbing and to prevent bees from bothering crowds. 1se feeders that will not allow bees to drown. Ean only be used when temperatures are warm enough for bees to forage. Eandy boards are a huge benefit to overwintering colonies. "ollen patties are beneficial to add protein and other important nutrients when pollen sources are low.

<ost beekeepers are seeking better overwintering results. <ore and more beekeepers are having success overwintering bees in frame nuc bo+es. /ince we had success with overwintering more nucs last year, weOre trying more this year. %f youOd like to order a nuc, I1%EF -%" =889 /1<<*R3, =eed bees 1,1 sugar water in the spring. -his stimulates laying and causes foragers to bring in more pollen. =eed bees @,1 sugar water in the fall. -his makes it easier for the bees to increase their winter honey stores.

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)8.

#hy $o Bees Become $efensi"e%

%t is not unusual for us to hear from beekeepers about their hives becoming more defensive than when they were first installed. -here are many factors to consider about why this may happen, and today % want to share common reasons and what you might do to be prepared or prevent it when possible. $hen a beekeeper installs a package, a ) pound package usually contains around 1!,!!! bees, a small number. *nd that small number is very enCoyable to work with and is easily managed. *s a hive grows in population, the bees can seem or appear to be more defensive. LetOs say that .!)M of the hive is defensive. 8ut of 1!,!!! bees that would mean ) bees are defensive. But later in the year, that same .!)M would mean that @( bees are defensive. /o the same percentage of bees may be guarding the hive, but it is simply a larger hive now. *lso, the alarm pheromone known as isopentyl acetate is a chemical the bees produce

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to e+cite other bees to the intrusion. -he more bees, the more pheromone response. 8bviously this does not mean that all large hives are defensive. %t simply means that they may respond differently than a very small hive. -here are times however, when a hive does change and is more defensive. I1446 R4"L*E4<46%f a colony replaces its 0ueen and she mates with drones that have a more defensive nature, then the entire hive can become more defensive. /o the gentle nature of your bees can change every time a new 0ueen is introduced to the hive. 1nless you mark your 0ueens, you may not know if the original 0ueen has been replaced. -.R4*-/ -8 -.4 .%74 %f a hive is continually annoyed it can cause the colony to become defensive. =or e+ample, if a skunk is bothering the bees at night, they may become very defensive in the day.

* skunk approaches the hive at night and grabs a handful of bees and chews them, drawing out all the nutrients, and then spits out all the bees. %t looks like a wad of chewing tobacco made up of bee parts. * skunk may stay at the entrance of a hive for over an hour eating bees. /kunks are insectivorous and love to eat bees straight from the hive. *s a result, the bees become very annoyed and defensive even during the day. -o stop skunks, raise the hive higher so skunks will have to stand to reach in and the bees will sting her tender underside. /igns of a skunk, ;rass in front of hive the is smashed down or scratched up. -he entrance of the hive can show signs of being scratched as well. $ads of compacted chewed up bee parts lying around the front of the hive. 8ther threats to a hive can be vandalism. Rocks thrown at a hive or hives hit with sticks can become defensive. <8R4 -8 "R8-4E*s a colony increases in si>e they will have more stored honey and more brood to

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protect. -his usually will result in the bees being more protective of their valued resources. 3ou want larger colonies with more resources: %t Cust means youOll have to use more smoke and be sure to suit up if your bees are more protective. 16"L4*/*6- $4*-.4R %Om cranky in unpleasant weather, and bees are too. 9uring rainy days bees are generally more defensive, as well as in the evening and at night. Bees can also sting more during a dearth or a long period of e+tremely hot and humid weather. *=R%E*6%P49 B44/ -he final e+ample % want to share is *fricani>ed bees. %f you live in an area that has a high occurrence of *fricani>ed bees, and your hive decides to replace its own 0ueen, she could mate with *fricani>ed drones. -he disposition of the colony would be noticeably different than that of regular defensive 4uropean bees. *fricani>ed bees D*.B? are e+tremely touchy, sting in higher number, and pursue the beekeeper longer. $.*- -8 98 $.46 * .%74 B4E8<4/ <8R4 94=46/%74 $hen a colony becomes too defensive and too hot to handle, it is best to re0ueen the hive. "urchase a new 0ueen from us. *fter ( days all of the bees in the hive will be daughters and sons, of the new, gentle 0ueen. /ometimes the male drone bee is recruited to chase off intruders. -hough a drone does not have a stinger, he is louder when flying and can intimidate the intruded by bumping into the intruder and bu>>ing loudly. %f youOve solved all possible problems and your bees are not *fricani>ed but they are still a bit defensive, you will simply have to conclude that bees are bees and take the follow steps, 1. $ork bees during a nectar flow. -here are less bees in the hive. @. $ork bees on a bright sunny day. ). $ork bees during foraging hours D1!am S )pm?. (. $ear white, not dark clothing. . *lways use a smoker: 2. Be very gentle but determined in your movements in the hive. $ork as in slow motion.

)A.

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