wpadmin 
Synopsis : The beekeeping season is beginning to get busy. Swarm management isn’t solely important to maintain your hives productive, but in addition provides straightforward alternatives to enhance the standard of your bees. Good information and a alternative of bees is all you want. This week I talk about inventory enchancment along with a number of semi-random ideas on honey labelling, colony behaviour and wax basis. One thing for everybody. Maybe.
Introduction
Might is often a beautiful month in Scotland. It’s usually dry and sunny sufficient to spend a lot of the time outdoor, the times are lengthy sufficient to get so much finished and it’s early sufficient within the yr to keep away from the dreaded midges .
Normally and usually.
Sadly, the climate to date this month has been unseasonably cool. It was in all probability higher for a lot of March than it’s been for the primary half of Might.
However that good climate in March gave the bees an actual enhance – significantly in my apiaries on the east coast of Scotland.
Consequently, there’s nonetheless a whole lot of beekeeping to do now – swarm management, preparations for queen rearing, catching up with all of the issues I didn’t do within the winter ( 🙁 ) – usually in between some slightly iffy climate .
The subsequent couple of months are often just about full on … therefore Eats, sleeps, bees .
Latitude …
The variations I mentioned in Latitude and longitude a month in the past are significantly marked now.
Beekeepers in Sussex or Kent have been complaining about working out of supers since mid-April. Different have been proudly displaying their first (or second) spherical of grafted queen cells.
In distinction, a number of of my west coast colonies are nonetheless solely on 6-7 frames of brood. It will likely be not less than one other fortnight till I even assume about whether or not they’ll want swarm management.
Which is likely to be a fortnight earlier than they’ll really want it.
These are completely wholesome west coast native bees, tailored to the local weather and forage accessible right here.
The great west coast of Scotland
They’re traditional late builders, evolution having timed colony enlargement to suit with the native forage and the provision of climate adequate for queen mating.
There’s inadequate forage to provide oodles of brood in late April and lots of colonies have but to provide any mature drones (although all of them now have drone brood). As a substitute, they construct up slightly slowly, and are in all probability on the peak in July when the heather begins to yield.
That is all fairly new to me and I really feel I’m nonetheless studying how the season develops right here on the west coast. I’m positive I’ll get the grasp of it.
Ultimately 😉
Going by the speed colonies are at present build up, and their efficiency final yr, I count on to be rearing queens from these colonies in June and early July .
… and longitude
In the meantime, in Fife issues are progressing a lot quicker.
My apiaries there are about 160 miles east and at an identical latitude, however a lot of the colonies are already overflowing their bins. Swarm prevention is a distant reminiscence and I’m now busy with swarm management.
The genetics are completely different. My east coast bees are all native mongrels, once more tailored to native circumstances.
Nevertheless, I think an excellent better distinction is the early season forage and – though it’ll be completed within the subsequent week or so – the oil seed rape (OSR).
Oil seed rape … and rain
The OSR offers colonies a large enhance. They gorge on it – each the nectar and pollen – shortly filling supers and a large number of hungry larval mouths. Fairly sturdy nucs made up for swarm management on the 1st of Might at the moment are in a full brood field and might be greater than prepared for the summer time nectar movement when it begins.
Queen rearing would have began already if the 2 bins I’d earmarked for cell elevating hadn’t turn out to be a bit of overcooked and produced queen cells firstly of the month 🙁 .
The most effective laid plans and many others. .
And, so as to add insult to harm, the (pretty high quality) colony I’d supposed to supply larvae from produced queen cells the next week.
D’oh!
High quality management
One of many (nominal) cell elevating colonies – we’ll name it colony #6 for comfort was borderline when it comes to temperament.
On a balmy afternoon, with an excellent nectar movement, the bees have been calm, unflustered and a pleasure to deal with.
Nevertheless in cool, damp or blustery climate they weren’t so nice.
This is among the causes that file maintaining is so essential. Though I’d not inspected them this season in very poor circumstances , my information from final yr additionally confirmed they have been, let’s say, ’suboptimal’. Not psychotic and even massively aggressive, however actually hotter than I’d favor and nothing like as steady on the comb as I like .
In fact, the straightforward reply is to not go burrowing by way of the field in ‘cool, damp or blustery climate’ 🙂
Nevertheless, I don’t all the time have a alternative as these bees are 160 miles away. Met Workplace forecasts are good for tomorrow, questionable for subsequent week and primarily guesswork for subsequent month (which is after I’m reserving the inns).
So, having realised that each swarm management and high quality management have been wanted, how have I attempted to enhance the standard of this colony?
Controlling high quality
I found open, charged queen cells in colony #6 on the 1st of Might. With out intervention the colony would have swarmed earlier than the tip of the primary week of the month . The queen was clipped however, as I hope I made clear final week, queen clipping doesn’t cease swarming.
Swarm management
I used my most popular swarm management methodology by making up a nuc with the outdated queen and a few frames of rising brood with the adhering bees. I put these, along with a body of shops and a few new frames right into a nuc field and moved them to an out apiary a number of miles away.
By transferring the nuc away I don’t have to fret about dropping bees again to the unique hive. I can due to this fact make the nuc up a bit of weaker than I’d in any other case have to. An out apiary (or two) isn’t important, but it surely makes some duties so much simpler.
I then went rigorously by way of colony #6, shaking all of the bees off every body and destroying each queen cell. There have been nonetheless eggs and younger larvae current, so they’d undoubtedly make extra queen cells earlier than my go to every week later. Nevertheless, by shaking each body and being rigorous about destroying each queen cell I ensured:
- there could be a bit much less work to do the next week
- I’d not missed a extra mature cell someplace that might have left a virgin queen working about at my subsequent go to. This was unlikely, based mostly upon the timing of brood improvement, but it surely’s higher to be secure than sorry.
Colony #6 is in a double brood field. Whereas ransacking the brood nest for queen cells I additionally hoiked out a body of drone brood and reduce out but extra drone brood from a foundationless body or two. For the reason that genetics of this colony was questionable it made sense to try to cease these undesirable genes being unfold far and broad.
On the identical time I rearranged the frames, transferring all of the unsealed brood into the highest field.
One week later
Early on the morning of the 8th of Might I checked the colony once more. As anticipated there have been extra queen cells reared from eggs and larvae I’d left the week earlier than.
The overwhelming majority of those queen cells have been within the high field, however – since I’m a belt and braces beekeeper – I checked the underside field as properly. Once more, it’s higher to be secure than sorry.
All the queen cells have been once more destroyed.
Powerful love … however if you wish to enhance the standard of your bees you must exclude these with undesirable traits.
Importantly, by now the youngest larvae within the colony could be not less than 4 days outdated. That is actually too outdated – not less than given the selection (and I was going to offer them a alternative) – to rear a brand new queen from.
Room for another …
I rearranged the frames, leaving a niche in the midst of the highest field, closed colony #6 up and accomplished my inspection of the opposite colonies within the apiary.
The final colony I checked was my chosen ‘donor’ colony with fascinating genetics.
Extra swarm management 🙂 and some days saved
The donor colony (#7) had began queen cells someday in the course of the first week of Might and so additionally wanted swarm management. Nevertheless, very conveniently it had produced two good trying cells on separate frames.
Each these queen cells have been 3-4 days outdated and so could be capped within the subsequent 24-48 hours.
A 3 and a bit day outdated queen cell
I may due to this fact use my normal nucleus swarm management (to ‘save’ the queen ‘simply in case’), leaving one queen cell in colony #7 and donating the opposite queen cell to colony #6.
Which is strictly what I did.
Having gently dismissed the adhering bees from the body (it’s best to by no means vigorously shake a body containing a queen cell you need ) I gently slotted it into the hole I’d left within the higher brood field of colony #6. I additionally marked the body to make my subsequent examine (on the 15th) simpler.
The body marked QC is the one one which must be checked subsequent week
By including a properly developed, however unsealed, queen cell to colony #6 I’ve saved the few days they’d have taken to rear a queen from an egg or a day outdated larva.
As a result of the cell was open I used to be sure it was ‘charged’ i.e. it contained a fats larva sitting contentedly in a deep mattress of Royal Jelly .
Higher to be secure than sorry (once more)
There have been additionally eggs and some larvae on the body containing the queen cell (which was in any other case largely crammed with sealed brood). It was possible that a few of these would even be chosen to rear new queens.
They usually have been after I checked on the 15th.
There was my chosen – and now properly sculpted and sealed – cell and some much less properly developed cells on the donated body.
I know the cell I chosen was charged and the larva properly nourished.
As well as, I additionally had whole confidence that the bees had chosen an acceptable larva to boost as a queen within the first place. In any case, the survival of the ensuing colony is determined by it.
Due to this fact, I didn’t want any backups.
Fairly than risking a number of queens rising and combating, or the sturdy colony throwing casts, I (once more) destroyed all however the cell I had initially chosen.
I’m penning this on the 17th and he or she ought to have emerged at the moment … so my information carry a notice to examine for a laying queen throughout my first inspection in June.
This reveals how easy and simple inventory enchancment might be.
No grafting, no Nicot cages, no mini-nucs and virtually no colony manipulations and many others. As a substitute, simply an appreciation of the timings and the provision of a body from an excellent colony (and this may very well be from a good friend who has pretty bees … ).
And in between all that
That was about 1400 phrases on requeening one colony 🙁 . That was not fairly what I supposed after I sat down to jot down a put up entitled Eats, sleeps, bees.
My east coast beekeeping – together with 8-9 hours driving – takes a few days every week presently of the season. On the west coast I’ve fewer colonies and – as outlined above – they’re much less properly superior, so there’s a bit much less to do .
Nevertheless, there are all the time extra bee-related actions that seem to fill within the gaps between lively colony inspections.
I’ll finish this put up with a number of random and half thought out feedback or questions on stuff that’s been entertaining or infuriating me within the final week or so.
In between the writing, inspections, Groups conferences, modifying, reviewing and writing … 😉
Honey labelling
I exploit a easy black and white thermal printer – a Dymo LabelWriter 450 – to provide labels that don’t detract from (or obscure) the jar contents.
Dymo thermal label (and a jar of honey)
I’ve used these for over 6 years and been very proud of the:
- value of the labels (a number of pence per jar)
- flexibility of the system. I can change the most effective earlier than date, the batch quantity or different particulars for every print run; whether or not it’s 1 or 1000.
- capability to incorporate QR codes containing embedded data, like an internet site tackle or particulars of the actual batch of honey.
Nevertheless Dymo, of their by no means ending quest for extra earnings a ‘higher shopper expertise’ have not too long ago upgraded their printers and label printing software program .
The most recent incarnation of the printer I exploit – now the Dymo LabelWriter 550 – solely works with genuine Dymo labels.
A extra correct spelling of genuine is e x p e n s i v e , not less than when you solely purchase labels in small portions (100’s, not 1000’s).
When you fancied including a bit of sq. label on the cap of 100 jars claiming ”Scrumptious RAW honey” you’d not solely be falling foul of the Honey Labelling Regulation, you’d additionally must cough up £18 for a roll of labels.
Dymo labels are nice high quality. Smudge proof, straightforward to take away and sharp black on white. In bulk they’re fairly priced (~3p – the identical value as an anti-tamper label – when you purchase >3000 at a time).
Nevertheless, you may get comparable labels for a 3rd of the worth … however they gained’t be usable within the new printer.
The Dymo LabelWriter 450 has no such restrictions and continues to be accessible when you go searching.
I’m tempted to purchase a spare.
Colony to colony variation
I began this put up with a dialogue of variation resulting from latitude and longitude. Nevertheless, particular person colonies in a single location may present variation (along with temperament, working, following and many others.) that I don’t actually perceive.
I’ve three colonies in a row behind the home right here on the west coast. I can see whether or not they’re busy or not after I’m making espresso, doing the washing up or pottering within the work room (two of those actions are extra frequent than the opposite 😉 ).
All in a row (although not the colonies referred to within the textual content as they’re digicam shy)
And they’re persistently completely different, regardless of being fairly comparable when it comes to colony power and improvement.
One colony usually begins foraging earlier than the others and one other, in all probability the weakest of the three, forages later and in worse climate.
Early within the season these variations have been so marked I believed that one of many colonies had died.
I assume – as a result of a) I’ve not acquired the creativeness to think about different causes, b) it’s the justification I exploit for something I don’t correctly comprehend, and c) I’ve not finished any experiments to truly check what else it may very well be – that this is because of genetics.
It’s solely as a result of I’m lucky sufficient to look out on these colonies dozens of instances a day that I’ve observed these constant behavioural variations. I think my different colonies present it, however that I’ve by no means appeared rigorously or regularly sufficient.
Engaging basis
I’m busy making up nucs for swarm management and sale. Though lots of the frames I exploit are foundationless I additionally use so much with normal basis. The frames are constructed (or must be constructed!) within the winter, however I add the inspiration as soon as the climate improves and there’s much less danger of cracking the brittle sheets resulting from low temperatures.
I purchase basis as soon as each season or so and punctiliously retailer it someplace cool and flat. A few of these sheets are fairly outdated by the point I get spherical to utilizing them and so they usually develop a white powdery ‘bloom’ on their floor.
Earlier than (backside) and after (high) half-hour within the honey warming cupboard
I used to run a hairdryer over the frames containing these bloomed sheets. The nice and cozy air brings out the oils within the wax and makes they way more engaging to the bees. They scent nice!
Frames within the honey warming cupboard (W = employee basis, to differentiate them from D = drone)
Lately I simply stick a ‘field full’ of frames at a time into my honey warming cupboard set at about 40°C for half-hour. Not essentially faster, however an entire lot simpler … so liberating up time to do one thing else associated to bees 🙂
Observe
As we speak is World Bee Day. The 20th of Might was Anton Janša’s (1734-1773) birthday. He was a beekeeper – instructing beekeeping within the Hapsburg courtroom in Vienna – and painter from Carniola (now Slovenia). He promoted migratory beekeeping, painted his hives and invented a stackable hive.
Associated
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