Emergency Feeding

A beekeeper called me on Thursday with a hive dilemma. She knew one of her hives was seriously light on food. When she checked the hive it only had honey left on one side of a deep frame. Doing nothing means the bees will be dead.
 So desperate times call for desperate measures. I told her to try spraying syrup into two frames and put them where the cluster of bees are. Mix the sugar syrup more sugary than 1:1 syrup for extra calories.  Hopefully this will buy her enough time to get a feeder pail on the hive in a month or so. She also added a couple winter patties. She was generous to share in pictures what she did and how she did it. This is her email:
Hi Jim.
Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful sunny day right when I needed to go out and work with my hives, Mother Nature was kind.  Here are some pics  and thoughts from my day in the bee yard.


I mixed and used about 12 cups of 1.25:1 syrup to fill 2 frames on both sides.

Mixing up the sugar water Photo M. Nussbaum

It was a bit chilly outside so I put the frame into a plastic bin and contained the mess to my laundry room sink.

Spraying syrup into a frame. Fill the cells with syrup.  Photo M. Nussbaum

This hive has a Carniolan queen so I’m sure their genetics have helped them get through the winter but luck with mild winter weather was also on their side.  This hive was a new package last spring but struggled continually with mites and never built up into a strong colony.  In November I gave them a last ditch treatment of oxalic acid using the dribble method, added a few Hop Guard strips for insurance and crossed my fingers.  They didn’t produce any surplus honey last summer and even with heavy feeding in the fall the hive went into winter on the very light side, so I wasn’t holding out hope for successfully overwintering the hive. When I opened the hive this week and saw the cluster of bees I was very pleasantly surprised.  They did not have much honey left, just the outer side of one frame, and I opted for emergency winter feeding to get them through to spring. I’m hoping it works.

The syrup is glistening in the light Photo M. Nussbaum

Small cluster of bees. They look hungry. Photo M. Nussbaum

Frame with syrup ready to put in the hive. Photo M. Nussbaum

My other hive, which started last year as a divide with an Italian queen, built up early, produced a surplus of two supers of honey, and went into winter with a full deep laden with honey.  I did treat for mites in September using Mite Away Quick Strips and then following up with oxalic acid using the dribble method in November. In contrast, when I checked their hive I found a cluster covering 8 frames and they have three full frames of honey remaining in the top box.

Photo M. Nussbaum

What's happening now with the bees

Right now the bees have survived our January subzero temperatures without any problem, if they were on honey frames. If a cluster has food during below zero weather, survival is normally is not a problem.
 The January thaw that MN/WI is currently experiencing, has come at a perfect time. Right now most bee colonies have been transitioning from the lower box and moving into the top box of hive, Depending how much food was in the lower box(s). Some hives the bees have already moved up and hives that are very heavy with honey, may not have moved up yet.
Once bees have moved up, as the calendar moves to February, brood rearing begins. The queen will start laying eggs. She starts out laying slowly and will increase her egg production over the next few weeks.
 This is the danger time for the hive. Once there is brood in the hive, the bees can't move off the brood. If they deplete honey around the brood, the bees have to move out away from the brood to get honey, this feed is used for their food and to keep the brood warm.
 Usually getting this honey is not a problem. But if the weather gets in single digits or below for more than one night, starvation can occur. When it gets very cold, the cluster has to tighten up to keep the brood warm. This can pull the bees off a frame of honey that they were using as a food source. The bees will not leave the brood no matter what. The hive will die trying to keep the brood warm.
A beekeeper can help prevent this from happening by adding sugar, candy boards or winter patties. This gives bees some emergency food that can hopefully get the bees over this short cold blast.
 feeding sugar
feeding winter patties

North Metro Bee Class this Saturday

There is still some openings for this course.
The Art of Beekeeping (How to Keep Bees)
Discover everything you need to know to start your own apiary. Learn honeybee biology and behavior, hive management and swarm prevention, what equipment is needed and where to get it, and how to harvest honey and take care of your bees year-round.
North Branch Community Ed, location TBD (probably North Branch Senior High)
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, January 30th; 8:00am – 6:00pm, bring your lunch
https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/costoption/class_id/6251/public/1/

A good day to check the bees

Tomorrow, Sunday or late next week. Would be a good day to check and see if your bees are alive.
Look to see if the bees are doing cleansing flights. There will be dead bees in the snow outside the hive. This is normal.
No bees flying? Are they at the top hole entrance? Nothing yet? Rap on the side of the hive any buzzing? Nothing yet?
 Sometimes if the hive was very heavy with honey the bees could still be down deep in the hive. Put a veil on and open the top covers and look down deep between the frames. Do you see the bees moving down deep in the hive?
If the colony is dead close it up and order some packages. If it is alive, great news.
This is a video I did a couple years ago. Checking for hive, alive or dead and checking on food stores.
 

A Cold Morning In the Bee Yard

I made this video a few years ago. It is still accurate on what the outside of a hive looks on a cold winter day. Even on a cold day, the bees are at the entrance. The pictures were taken by J. Linser. 

 

More Local Bee Classes by JoAnne Sabin

JoAnne has been teaching beekeeping classes around the metro for many years. She also is a Master Gardener.

Beekeeping Basics
(Backyard Agriculture program series) (3 session series)
Discover everything you need to know to start your own apiary with JoAnne Sabin of the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association. Learn honeybee biology and behavior, hive management and swarm prevention, what equipment is needed and where to get it, and how to harvest honey and take care of your bees year-round.
Lebanon Hills Visitor Center, 860 Cliff Rd. Eagan, MN 55123
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Thursdays, January 14, 21 and 28th, 2016; 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Fee $40 (scroll down to Backyard Agriculture on the link below)
Website

Beekeeping Basics (3 session series)
Whether you wish to create a sustainable future in bees or prefer being a hobby beekeeper, this three-session workshop will address everything you need to practice the art of beekeeping: getting started, managing honeybees throughout the year, extracting honey and preparing your hives for winter.
Harding High School, 1540 E. Sixth St. (enter on Third St.)
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Wednesdays, January 27 – February 3 and February 10, 2016, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Fee $49. Course #3197WEA
Call 651-744-3073 to register.

The Art of Beekeeping (How to Keep Bees)
Discover everything you need to know to start your own apiary. Learn honeybee biology and behavior, hive management and swarm prevention, what equipment is needed and where to get it, and how to harvest honey and take care of your bees year-round.
North Branch Community Ed, location TBD (probably North Branch Senior High)
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, January 30th; 8:00am – 6:00pm, bring your lunch
Registration is not yet available. Website link will be updated when available.
Website

The Art of Beekeeping (How to Keep Bees)
Discover everything you need to know to start your own apiary. Learn honeybee biology and behavior, hive management and swarm prevention, what equipment is needed and where to get it, and how to harvest honey and take care of your bees year-round.
River Market Coop, class held at the Loft, 218 North Main Street, second floor
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, February 6th; 8:00am – 6:00pm, bring your lunch
Register in store at River Market, by phone (651) 439-0366, or email Ola at education@rivermarket.coop
Website

Beekeeping Refresher
Whether you are a 2nd year or more beekeeper or you're getting back to beekeeping, this class will refresh your memory on the very basics of caring for your honeybees.  Topics include: installing a new package (two methods), inspections, swarm prevention, and making splits.
River Market Coop, class held at the Loft, 218 North Main Street, second floor
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, April 2nd; 9:00am – noon
Register in store at River Market, by phone (651) 439-0366, or email Ola at education@rivermarket.coop.
Website

Beekeeping: Beyond the Basics (2 session series)
If you already keep bees, this class is for you. Learn more about bee behavior, hive management, and equipment—beyond the basic woodenware and hive tool. Get the latest news about bee health, swarms and simple queen rearing, as well as answers to those pesky questions that came up after the basics class. Prerequisite: Beekeeping Basics class and/or kept bees at least since this April.
Harding High School, 1540 E. Sixth St. Saint Paul, MN (enter on Third St.)
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Wednesday, May 25 and Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Fee $39. Course #3198SEA
Call 651-744-3073 to register.

Beekeeping: Beyond the Basics (2 session series)
If you already keep bees, this class is for you. Learn more about bee behavior, hive management, and equipment—beyond the basic woodenware and hive tool. Get the latest news about bee health, swarms and simple queen rearing, as well as answers to those pesky questions that came up after the basics class. Prerequisite: Beekeeping Basics class and/or kept bees at least since this April.
Lebanon Hills Visitor Center 860 Cliff Rd, Eagan, MN 55123
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Thursdays, June 9 and June 16, 2016, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Registration available after March 1, 2016.

Beekeeping: Beyond the Basics (1 session)
If you already keep bees, this class is for you. Learn more about bee behavior, hive management, and equipment—beyond the basic woodenware and hive tool. Get the latest news about bee health, swarms and simple queen rearing, as well as answers to those pesky questions that came up after the basics class. Prerequisite: Beekeeping Basics class and/or kept bees at least since this April.
North Branch Community Ed, location TBD (probably North Branch Senior High)
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, June 11, 2016, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Registration is not yet available. Website link will be updated when available.
Website

Beekeeping: Beyond the Basics (1 session)
If you already keep bees, this class is for you. Learn more about bee behavior, hive management, and equipment—beyond the basic woodenware and hive tool. Get the latest news about bee health, swarms and simple queen rearing, as well as answers to those pesky questions that came up after the basics class. Prerequisite: Beekeeping Basics class and/or kept bees at least since this April.
River Market Coop, class held at the Loft, 218 North Main Street, second floor
Instructor: JoAnne Sabin
Saturday, June 18, 2016, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Register in store at River Market, by phone (651) 439-0366, or email Ola at education@rivermarket.coop.

Biting Bees - Pay Back To Varroa

 This is the behavior beekeepers need. It is like hygienic behavior on steroids.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/11/462391470/a-hardier-honeybee-that-fights-back-by-biting-back