Treating for Mites this time of year

Apivar comes in a foil pack. 10 strips to a pack.

Some beekeepers are thinking mite treatment as we are coming into spring. Normally overwintered colonies should be treated for mites before spring divides happen in May.
 Right now it is too cold for using Formic Acid. Plus, when using Formic Acid in the spring, care is needed that the Formic Acid is not applied to a weak colony. Look at and follow the directions from the manufacturer whenever using any mite treatment.
 This time of year, Apivar mite treatment can be applied to any colony. Apivar can be used in cool spring temperatures and will not harm the colony. Apivar is a 42 day treatment. If you are planning spring divides, Apivar should be put on the hive sometime in the next week. This puts the mite treatment being finished by mid May. Perfect timing for doing a divide.
 The strips are put into the brood box where the bees are. Being it is cool, the strips have to be located in the main cluster of bees. If this cluster moves later during the treatment, the strips may have to be re-positioned. Once the foil package is opened, the strips are active and need to be used.
Apivar FAQ
Here is a YouTube video from the manufacturer:

Installing Package Bees

Here is a couple video's of installing package bees. The first one is with wooden package bee cages. The second one is using plastic package bee cages. Some beekeepers may be getting their bees in wooden cages. Nature's Nectar LLC will be getting their bees in plastic cages. The only difference between the two cages is how the bees are removed from the cage. Double click on video for full screen.
Because of the lack of bee meetings, if you have any questions about these video's please comment on their YouTube page and I will answer your questions.

Bee Delivery Update from Nature's Nectar LLC

With the breaking news of COVID-19 constantly developing, I wanted to reach out and provide an update about the bee pick up and how we are approaching the situation at Nature’s Nectar, LLC.  Together, we are facing a truly unprecedented situation. The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting our families, our businesses, our communities, and our way of life.

First and foremost, our hearts go out to anyone who's been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly. Our thoughts are especially with those who are sick, to whom we extend our heartfelt wishes for a full recovery. And we're truly inspired by the selfless healthcare workers around the world who are on the front lines working tirelessly to care for people in need.

In regard to the Bee pick up.  At this time, we do not have the pick-up dates.  We will communicate that information as soon as it’s available.  Some things to make note of when you come on site for bee pick up.

·      YOU DO NOT NEED TO GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE.  Give us your name, and we will place your bees in the vehicle for you. 

·      ADHERE TO THE PICK-UP SCHEDULE.  We create this schedule to keep traffic at a minimum and in doing so, there will be less people on site.  Again, do not get out of your vehicle.

·      BEE PICK UP LOCATION: 14185 Square Lake Trail, N. Stillwater, MN 55082

The following will be items available for purchase when you pick up your bees.  These are cash and check only.  If you use cash, please try to bring the exact amount so currency doesn’t need to be exchanged.  These prices include sales tax so you can prepare prior to pick up.

$7.00 - 1 Gallon Feeder Pail

$6.00 – Feeder pail insulation

$5.00 – Queen Cage Holder
$9.00 – 2 pack pollen patties

$30.00 – 10 pack pollen patties

$80.00 – 40lb pollen patties

$35.00 – 2.5 gal Pro-Sweet

$55.00 – 5 gal Pro-Sweet

We have an amazing group of volunteers that assist us with the bee pick up.  We want to reassure you that we are taking steps to protect the health and safety of our volunteers, you our customers and the community we serve.

Our store in Oakdale will continue to be open to serve our customers.  We will be wearing masks and gloves to protect our customers and ourselves.  Please consider taking precautions as well if you decide to come into the store. 

Thank you for your continued support.  We appreciate you very much!

Sincerely,

Tom & Jessica Minser

651-242-2233

tom@naturesnectaronline.com

Insulated five frame nuc box

 I took a five frame nuc box and put follower boards on the sides of the hive box. I then insulated the gap in the follower boards with foam. The nuc box now has a better R-value.
 Springtime, the weather is cool. Package bees will be coming in a little over two weeks. I plan to put mine in these insulated nuc boxes. A three lb package of bees will fit perfectly in this hive. The bees will take up the majority of room in this smaller hive box.
 Knowing the life cycle of the honeybee, one can conclude that, the package of bees will not be increasing in size for about 28 - 30 days.
 By putting the bees in a smaller hive box, the bees should be able to keep the hive warmer, than if the package bees were in 10 frame equipment.
 After about 28 days, it should be around May 1st. The weather should be warmer by then and I will be able to move the bees into 10 frame equipment.

New Queen Cage Holder

This is a new way to put a queen cage into a hive. The cage holder safely holds the cage preventing the cage from falling to the bottom board. Nature's Nectar LLC has these in stock, $4.50 each,  5 - for $20.00.

Pussy Willows are starting to emerge

 

 

Pussy Willows starting to emerge

I was walking down the Browns Creek Trail in Stillwater on Sunday. I know where a stand of Pussy Willows are located. So I always give them an eyeball as I walk down the trail. A pollen source coming soon. Another sign spring is coming. 

Happy March - Time for some Beekeeping

This is an old picture, but feeding pollen is still the same. Putting the pollen patty right on the bees. I put this patty on and right away the bees are going after it. Leave the wax paper on both sides of the patty. The wax paper help keep the pollen patty fresh and moist. The bees will chew through the wax paper and the paper will end up on the bottom board.

March is coming in like a lamb. No Lion at the moment. Now is the time to do some chores. March average high goes from 34 degrees on March 1st to 49 degrees on March 31st. Sunset goes from around 6 pm to 7:38 pm.

• Check bees look for alive or dead. If you don't see them on top and you think they are dead, lift up the top brood box. The bees may not have moved up yet and can be down deep in the hive. There is still time to order package bees but that window is getting smaller everyday.
• Open up the hive, do not pull frames or breakdown the hive. Unless the hive is dead. If the hive is dead, clean up any dead bees that are loose or in a cluster. Try to establish a reason for the hive's demise. Learn from this and change your wintering habits to get better wintering success. Clean off the bottom board in the dead hive. Close up the dead hive. Make the dead hive bee tight so the honey does not get robbed out before new bees come.
• If the hive is alive, check for food stores. I usually like to feed the bees one pail of syrup no matter what. The bees will take down the syrup and put the syrup around their brood. If the weather goes south, the bees will have ample stores where they need it most. A pail of syrup, if the bees take it down, will give the bees 10 days to two weeks of food. A word of caution, do not feed pail after pail of syrup. The bees will take the syrup down a plug up the hive with syrup. The queen will have no place to lay eggs and the bees population will suffer.
• Time to add a pollen patty. The pollen patty has to placed right where the bees are. I put the patty right on top of the cluster. If the patty is placed away from the cluster, the bees may not touch the patty and the bees population will suffer. If the bees are occupying two brood boxes. I place pollen patties on the top bars on the top box and on the top bars of the box below. Check on the patties every 7-10 days, replace as needed. A strong overwintered colony may eat up four patties in the spring. I usually keep pollen on until May. Then put another patty on right after the fruit bloom , usually by May 20th. Pollen is cheap and is necessary for hive population expansion. Pollen is what helps turn a colony to a hive that can be split in May.
• Too early to pull off winter covers.
• Look at the hives population. If the overwintered colony has two frames of bees, it is probably too weak to make it. You could try to nurse it along, but consider moving the bees into a five frame nuc box. The bees can keep this smaller box warmer. Plus you can wrap the nuc with 2" Styrofoam for greater insulation. If you have a couple other hives alive, a frame of brood can be added to a weak hive in April to give the weak colony a boost.

One of my simple pleasures is the first time I open a colony of bees in early March. There is nothing more satisfying when you remove the inner cover and the bees are covering the top of the top brood box. The bees are buzzing, the noise of the hive, the odor of the hive. A welcome start to my new season of being a beekeeper.