Honey Production: How to produce a ton of honey. NEOBA presentation by Grant Gillard on February 10, 2020 in Tulsa, OK. Principles of beekeeping that lead to better production for increasing honey yields.
This document provides advice from a beekeeper in Missouri on winter preparations for honeybee hives. It discusses evaluating hive strength in mid-September and combining weak hives. Mite management through treatments like ApiVar in August and formic acid in September is recommended. Ensuring hives have ample honey stores through feeding is also advised. The beekeeper details their process for insulating hives in late fall that involves wrapping hives with insulation boards to help prevent condensation inside the hive over winter. Their observations found insulated lighter hives unexpectedly survived winter better than some stronger uninsulated hives.
Msba spring 2020 2nd year grant gillardGrant Gillard
www.mostatebeekeepers.org
www.gillardhoney.com
This presentation is on your second year beekeeping and how you approach keeping bees, which is different than your first year.
A Ton of Honey by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Monroeville 2 02 16-19 beekeeping with twentyfive hivesGrant Gillard
Beekeeping With Twenty-five Hives by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Great plains growers conference 4 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
This document provides tips for beekeepers to maximize honey production. It discusses the importance of overwintering strong colonies, rapid spring build up, preventing swarming through proper supering and frame management, harvesting honey early and often, and considering moving hives to locations with better foraging opportunities. Unconventional techniques like artificially boosting colony populations through combining or multi-queen hives are also presented as options to increase honey yields, though they require more labor. The overall focus is on priming colonies for success through prudent winter prep and spring management to encourage maximum honey storage and harvest.
This document provides guidance for beekeepers on managing overwintered bee colonies in late winter and early spring. It discusses four key targets for fall preparation: a strong population, young queen, ample stores, and healthy colony. Weak colonies should be combined or given resources from strong colonies. The document also outlines three scenarios beekeepers may face coming out of winter: all hives dying, some dying, or all surviving. It provides options for each, such as replacing hives, splitting survivors, and preventing or controlling swarming to expand operations. The goal is to have flexibility and resources to recover from losses and take advantage of successes.
This document discusses the opportunities and challenges of expanding a beekeeping operation from a hobby to a commercial business. It outlines typical stages a beekeeper goes through, from beginner to commercial operator. Key aspects of expansion include improving efficiency, understanding economics and honey bee biology, and determining the priority or purpose. The document also addresses acquiring equipment and bees, record keeping, apiary management, harvesting, extracting, marketing, and business structure considerations for expanded operations.
This document provides advice from a beekeeper in Missouri on winter preparations for honeybee hives. It discusses evaluating hive strength in mid-September and combining weak hives. Mite management through treatments like ApiVar in August and formic acid in September is recommended. Ensuring hives have ample honey stores through feeding is also advised. The beekeeper details their process for insulating hives in late fall that involves wrapping hives with insulation boards to help prevent condensation inside the hive over winter. Their observations found insulated lighter hives unexpectedly survived winter better than some stronger uninsulated hives.
Msba spring 2020 2nd year grant gillardGrant Gillard
www.mostatebeekeepers.org
www.gillardhoney.com
This presentation is on your second year beekeeping and how you approach keeping bees, which is different than your first year.
A Ton of Honey by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Monroeville 2 02 16-19 beekeeping with twentyfive hivesGrant Gillard
Beekeeping With Twenty-five Hives by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Great plains growers conference 4 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
This document provides tips for beekeepers to maximize honey production. It discusses the importance of overwintering strong colonies, rapid spring build up, preventing swarming through proper supering and frame management, harvesting honey early and often, and considering moving hives to locations with better foraging opportunities. Unconventional techniques like artificially boosting colony populations through combining or multi-queen hives are also presented as options to increase honey yields, though they require more labor. The overall focus is on priming colonies for success through prudent winter prep and spring management to encourage maximum honey storage and harvest.
This document provides guidance for beekeepers on managing overwintered bee colonies in late winter and early spring. It discusses four key targets for fall preparation: a strong population, young queen, ample stores, and healthy colony. Weak colonies should be combined or given resources from strong colonies. The document also outlines three scenarios beekeepers may face coming out of winter: all hives dying, some dying, or all surviving. It provides options for each, such as replacing hives, splitting survivors, and preventing or controlling swarming to expand operations. The goal is to have flexibility and resources to recover from losses and take advantage of successes.
This document discusses the opportunities and challenges of expanding a beekeeping operation from a hobby to a commercial business. It outlines typical stages a beekeeper goes through, from beginner to commercial operator. Key aspects of expansion include improving efficiency, understanding economics and honey bee biology, and determining the priority or purpose. The document also addresses acquiring equipment and bees, record keeping, apiary management, harvesting, extracting, marketing, and business structure considerations for expanded operations.
Honey bees live in colonies and follow seasonal rhythms. They overwinter in a cluster and begin foraging in spring. The colony divides via swarming in early summer to reproduce. Beekeepers must understand bee biology and seasonality to properly manage hives. Key factors include the castes (queen, workers, drones), parasites like varroa mites, and diseases that can be mitigated by strong colonies and integrated pest management.
given in Fairfield, IL on May 20th, 2016 by Grant Gillard, a beekeeper in Jackson, MO. Grant keeps around 200 hives and sells honey at the local farmers markets.
Great plains growers conference 6 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
#6 Expansion Options for more apiaries and bee yards. Taught by Grant Gillard at the Great Plains Growers Conference in St. Joseph, Missouri on 2020-01-09
Effingham 4 Frugal Beekeeper Grant GillardGrant Gillard
Beekeeping Lecture delivered by Grant Gillard at Effingham, IL on February 27th, 2016 on the frugal beekeeper. Beekeeping is expensive, especially for the beginner. But beekeepers are cheap, sometimes too cheap to really benefit from beekeeping.
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Beekeepers by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Msba spring 2020 expansion options grant gillardGrant Gillard
The document discusses expansion options for beekeepers looking to grow their operations. It outlines key factors to consider like available forage, access, distance from home, and neighbors. Record keeping is important when managing multiple locations to remember details of each hive. The document also covers acquiring equipment, legal structures, marketing honey, and challenges of expansion like weather, time constraints, and balancing work/family obligations. Overall it provides advice on efficiently managing growth while working smarter through planning and prioritizing goals.
Great plains growers conference 2 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
#2 Getting Started - Your First Year Seminar from the Great Plains Growers Conference by Grant Gillard, delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri on 2020-01-09
To keep bees alive, beekeepers should:
1) Always remain a student by continuing to learn about beekeeping through reading, taking classes, and learning from others.
2) Understand honey bee biology like seasonality and colony behavior.
3) Network by joining beekeeping clubs and mentoring with other beekeepers.
Prioritize strong, healthy hives by raising your own queens, practicing integrated pest management for mites, and focusing time and resources on hives that can survive. Keep thorough records to track colony health over time.
Has 07 11-2018 small scale queen rearingGrant Gillard
Small Scale Queen Rearing by Grant Gillard, given on 07-11-2018 in St. Louis, MO, at the HAS, Heartland Apiculture Society gathering. Beekeeping and raising your own queens in your backyard.
Grant Gillard shares seasonal management tips for beekeeping at the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association, EMBA, in St. Louis at the Monsanto center for education. Topics include pesticide exposure, swarm management, neighbor relationships, spring feeding and other topics of interest to beginning and experienced beekeepers.
Getting Started in Beekeeping, presented at the Missouri Livestock Symposium on December 3, 2016 by Grant Gillard, a beekeeper from Jackson, Missouri and Past President of the Missouri State Beekeeping Association. www.grantgillard.weebly.com
Presentation to the Midwestern Beekeepers Association on queen rearing, raising your own honey bee queens for your backyard hobby or small scale apiary. https://www.createspace.com/6663403
"Me and Mel" power point talk, Grant GillardGrant Gillard
Mel Disselkoen pioneered a wonderfully radical, revolutionary beekeeping practice he calls the "OTS Queen Rearing: A Survival Guide for Beekeepers Worldwide." OTS refers to his on-the-spot method of queen rearing. Grant Gillard, a beekeeper in Jackson, Missouri, since 1981, adapted Mel's system and found incredible results to his efficiency. He found he was working smarter, not necessarily harder. Grant's web site can be found at www.grantgillard.weebly.com and his e-mail is gillard5@charter.net, Grant speaks at beekeeping conferences all around the nation. You may contact him at gillard5@charter.net to arrange his visit to your next meeting,
Beekeeping lecture delivered at Effingham, IL, by Grant Gillard on February 27th, 2016. Mel Disselkoen and his OTS or On The Spot queen rearing system are highlighted.
Honey Production led by Grant Gillard of Jackson, MO, for the Will County Beekeepers on February 18th, 2017 at the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center.
1) New bee colonies in the spring need to be fed 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building and brood rearing since they lack honey stores. The entrance should be restricted when feeding to prevent robbing.
2) To prevent swarming, the beekeeper should checkerboard frames, keep ahead of honey production with extra supers, and perform artificial swarm splits by moving the queen and some frames to a new hive while removing queen cells from the original hive.
3) Weak colonies in late spring/summer can be strengthened by exchanging frames of sealed brood from strong colonies and providing more space with additional supers as the existing supers fill with half to two-thirds of honey.
Honey bees live in colonies and follow seasonal rhythms. They overwinter in a cluster and begin foraging in spring. The colony divides via swarming in early summer to reproduce. Beekeepers must understand bee biology and seasonality to properly manage hives. Key factors include the castes (queen, workers, drones), parasites like varroa mites, and diseases that can be mitigated by strong colonies and integrated pest management.
given in Fairfield, IL on May 20th, 2016 by Grant Gillard, a beekeeper in Jackson, MO. Grant keeps around 200 hives and sells honey at the local farmers markets.
Great plains growers conference 6 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
#6 Expansion Options for more apiaries and bee yards. Taught by Grant Gillard at the Great Plains Growers Conference in St. Joseph, Missouri on 2020-01-09
Effingham 4 Frugal Beekeeper Grant GillardGrant Gillard
Beekeeping Lecture delivered by Grant Gillard at Effingham, IL on February 27th, 2016 on the frugal beekeeper. Beekeeping is expensive, especially for the beginner. But beekeepers are cheap, sometimes too cheap to really benefit from beekeeping.
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Beekeepers by Grant Gillard, formerly of Jackson, MO, now living in Holden, MO. This talk was given at Monroeville, PA, for the Western PA Beekeepers Association on February 16, 2019. He can be reached at grantfcgillard@gmail.com
Msba spring 2020 expansion options grant gillardGrant Gillard
The document discusses expansion options for beekeepers looking to grow their operations. It outlines key factors to consider like available forage, access, distance from home, and neighbors. Record keeping is important when managing multiple locations to remember details of each hive. The document also covers acquiring equipment, legal structures, marketing honey, and challenges of expansion like weather, time constraints, and balancing work/family obligations. Overall it provides advice on efficiently managing growth while working smarter through planning and prioritizing goals.
Great plains growers conference 2 grant gillard 2020 01-09Grant Gillard
#2 Getting Started - Your First Year Seminar from the Great Plains Growers Conference by Grant Gillard, delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri on 2020-01-09
To keep bees alive, beekeepers should:
1) Always remain a student by continuing to learn about beekeeping through reading, taking classes, and learning from others.
2) Understand honey bee biology like seasonality and colony behavior.
3) Network by joining beekeeping clubs and mentoring with other beekeepers.
Prioritize strong, healthy hives by raising your own queens, practicing integrated pest management for mites, and focusing time and resources on hives that can survive. Keep thorough records to track colony health over time.
Has 07 11-2018 small scale queen rearingGrant Gillard
Small Scale Queen Rearing by Grant Gillard, given on 07-11-2018 in St. Louis, MO, at the HAS, Heartland Apiculture Society gathering. Beekeeping and raising your own queens in your backyard.
Grant Gillard shares seasonal management tips for beekeeping at the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association, EMBA, in St. Louis at the Monsanto center for education. Topics include pesticide exposure, swarm management, neighbor relationships, spring feeding and other topics of interest to beginning and experienced beekeepers.
Getting Started in Beekeeping, presented at the Missouri Livestock Symposium on December 3, 2016 by Grant Gillard, a beekeeper from Jackson, Missouri and Past President of the Missouri State Beekeeping Association. www.grantgillard.weebly.com
Presentation to the Midwestern Beekeepers Association on queen rearing, raising your own honey bee queens for your backyard hobby or small scale apiary. https://www.createspace.com/6663403
"Me and Mel" power point talk, Grant GillardGrant Gillard
Mel Disselkoen pioneered a wonderfully radical, revolutionary beekeeping practice he calls the "OTS Queen Rearing: A Survival Guide for Beekeepers Worldwide." OTS refers to his on-the-spot method of queen rearing. Grant Gillard, a beekeeper in Jackson, Missouri, since 1981, adapted Mel's system and found incredible results to his efficiency. He found he was working smarter, not necessarily harder. Grant's web site can be found at www.grantgillard.weebly.com and his e-mail is gillard5@charter.net, Grant speaks at beekeeping conferences all around the nation. You may contact him at gillard5@charter.net to arrange his visit to your next meeting,
Beekeeping lecture delivered at Effingham, IL, by Grant Gillard on February 27th, 2016. Mel Disselkoen and his OTS or On The Spot queen rearing system are highlighted.
Honey Production led by Grant Gillard of Jackson, MO, for the Will County Beekeepers on February 18th, 2017 at the Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center.
1) New bee colonies in the spring need to be fed 1:1 syrup to stimulate comb building and brood rearing since they lack honey stores. The entrance should be restricted when feeding to prevent robbing.
2) To prevent swarming, the beekeeper should checkerboard frames, keep ahead of honey production with extra supers, and perform artificial swarm splits by moving the queen and some frames to a new hive while removing queen cells from the original hive.
3) Weak colonies in late spring/summer can be strengthened by exchanging frames of sealed brood from strong colonies and providing more space with additional supers as the existing supers fill with half to two-thirds of honey.
The document describes Mel Disselkoen's "On-The-Spot" (OTS) queen rearing system for beekeeping. It is a three part process: 1) remove the existing queen and notch frames to encourage queen cells, 2) return a week later to squish excess queen cells and divide frames into nucs, 3) return after four weeks to ensure mated queens. The system streamlines workflow, simplifies management, prevents swarming, allows treatment-free varroa management, and enables large expansion potential without needing to purchase queens.
Emba march 9 2016 innovative beekeepingGrant Gillard
This document describes Mel Disselkoen's On The Spot (OTS) queen rearing system for beekeepers. The system allows beekeepers to make their own nucleus colonies (nucs) without purchasing mated queens, potentially quadrupling the number of colonies. It provides a simple, procrastination-proof plan for queen rearing that takes the stress out of management. The system also eliminates swarming and provides flexibility for beginners and experienced beekeepers alike.
What a healthy hive looks like -- what sort of bees live in the hive, what healthy brood looks like, where to place your hives so that you can manage them
This document provides guidance for keeping bees, including winter preparation, choosing a bee race, purchasing equipment and bees, installing packages of bees into hives, maintaining hives through the seasons, harvesting honey, and processing wax. Key steps are ordering bees in winter, acquiring equipment and reading books, installing packages in spring, feeding and monitoring hives, adding supers and reversing boxes in summer, and extracting honey in fall. Common challenges like swarming and bearding are also addressed.
These slides are from Robert "Bob" Borkowski's "Beekeeping 101" workshop, presented through the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland, College Park.
This document provides an overview of beekeeping including why keep honey bees, the types of honey bees used, equipment needed, and honey production. It discusses that honey bees facilitate crop pollination and there are three categories of beekeepers from hobbyists to commercial operations. Local beekeeping clubs are mentioned as a resource for new beekeepers.
Week Three --- Managing and Working with Honey BeesDara Dimitrov
This gives you some tips on when to open your hive, what to look for and how to work with your bees -- how to get familiar with the calendar year when working with your bee hive so that you know what you are looking at
This document discusses various methods for checking for and preventing swarming in bee hives, including checkerboarding and splitting hives. It also provides information on treatments for varroa mites, including Mite Away Quick Strips, HopGuard, and oxalic acid vaporization. Finally, it discusses signs of robbing, how to prevent robbing, and advantages of fall requeening.
This document provides information on how to be an urban beekeeper. It discusses choosing a site, necessary equipment, getting started with beekeeping, inspecting hives, extracting honey and other hive products, common diseases and pests, and the seasonal aspects of beekeeping. The overall message is that urban beekeeping is possible with the right preparation, equipment, knowledge of local laws and regulations, and ongoing hive management and inspection.
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere with the right protective equipment, as bee stings can cause allergic reactions. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also discusses common bee strains in the US and the needs of honey bees, including shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water. Finally, it provides guidance on getting started with beekeeping in the spring and describes methods for obtaining bees, such as packages, nucs, or complete hives.
The document provides a step-by-step guide to inspecting a bee hive, beginning with putting on protective gear and gathering equipment like a hive tool and smoker. It describes how to open the hive, remove frames to examine brood patterns and stages, check for eggs, larvae, the queen, honey, pollen, and signs of pests or disease. The inspection aims to assess hive health and determine if the bees need more space or if any issues require attention. When finished, the hive is closed up and notes are taken.
A basic introductory overview of honey bees and beekeeping. Some slides specific to Northern California and the San Francisco bay Area. The deck has been used at corporate team-building events along with honey tasting and a live hive inspection.
This document provides information on apiary management and beekeeping. It discusses objectives like explaining basics of apiary management and managing bees in different seasons. It also covers topics like bee swarming and its management, uniting two colonies, managing beekeeping records, and managing bee colonies for pollination. Specific techniques covered include colony inspection, cleaning beehives, feeding bees, adding foundation sheets, controlling bee swarming, collecting swarms, uniting colonies, and extracting honey. It also discusses starting a new colony, selecting an apiary site, and establishing a beehive.
This document provides information on apiary management and beekeeping. It discusses objectives like explaining basics of apiary management and managing bees in different seasons. It also covers topics like bee swarming and its management, uniting two colonies, managing beekeeping records, and managing bee colonies for pollination. Specific techniques covered include colony inspection, cleaning beehives, feeding bees, adding foundation sheets, controlling bee swarming, collecting swarms, uniting colonies, and extracting honey. It also discusses starting a new colony, selecting an apiary site, and establishing a beehive.
This document provides an overview of basic beekeeping. It discusses keeping honey bees for honey production, pollination, or interest in nature. Beekeeping can be done almost anywhere in the US with protective equipment in case of allergic reactions to stings. The document then describes honey bee biology, including the roles of workers, drones, and the queen. It also outlines three common bee strains - Italian, Caucasian, and Carniolan bees. The needs of honey bees for shelter, nectar, pollen, propolis, and water are explained. Finally, it provides tips for getting started in beekeeping including timing, hive configurations, and considerations for purchasing an existing hive or package of bees.
This presentation includes basic of PCOS their pathology and treatment and also Ayurveda correlation of PCOS and Ayurvedic line of treatment mentioned in classics.
Main Java[All of the Base Concepts}.docxadhitya5119
This is part 1 of my Java Learning Journey. This Contains Custom methods, classes, constructors, packages, multithreading , try- catch block, finally block and more.
Reimagining Your Library Space: How to Increase the Vibes in Your Library No ...Diana Rendina
Librarians are leading the way in creating future-ready citizens – now we need to update our spaces to match. In this session, attendees will get inspiration for transforming their library spaces. You’ll learn how to survey students and patrons, create a focus group, and use design thinking to brainstorm ideas for your space. We’ll discuss budget friendly ways to change your space as well as how to find funding. No matter where you’re at, you’ll find ideas for reimagining your space in this session.
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
How to Fix the Import Error in the Odoo 17Celine George
An import error occurs when a program fails to import a module or library, disrupting its execution. In languages like Python, this issue arises when the specified module cannot be found or accessed, hindering the program's functionality. Resolving import errors is crucial for maintaining smooth software operation and uninterrupted development processes.
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
Walmart Business+ and Spark Good for Nonprofits.pdfTechSoup
"Learn about all the ways Walmart supports nonprofit organizations.
You will hear from Liz Willett, the Head of Nonprofits, and hear about what Walmart is doing to help nonprofits, including Walmart Business and Spark Good. Walmart Business+ is a new offer for nonprofits that offers discounts and also streamlines nonprofits order and expense tracking, saving time and money.
The webinar may also give some examples on how nonprofits can best leverage Walmart Business+.
The event will cover the following::
Walmart Business + (https://business.walmart.com/plus) is a new shopping experience for nonprofits, schools, and local business customers that connects an exclusive online shopping experience to stores. Benefits include free delivery and shipping, a 'Spend Analytics” feature, special discounts, deals and tax-exempt shopping.
Special TechSoup offer for a free 180 days membership, and up to $150 in discounts on eligible orders.
Spark Good (walmart.com/sparkgood) is a charitable platform that enables nonprofits to receive donations directly from customers and associates.
Answers about how you can do more with Walmart!"
How to Make a Field Mandatory in Odoo 17Celine George
In Odoo, making a field required can be done through both Python code and XML views. When you set the required attribute to True in Python code, it makes the field required across all views where it's used. Conversely, when you set the required attribute in XML views, it makes the field required only in the context of that particular view.
How to Setup Warehouse & Location in Odoo 17 InventoryCeline George
In this slide, we'll explore how to set up warehouses and locations in Odoo 17 Inventory. This will help us manage our stock effectively, track inventory levels, and streamline warehouse operations.
13. Advice on Advice
“There’s plenty of free advice in
beekeeping…and most of it will conflict
and compete with other advice from
other beekeepers.”
Advice is just an opinion
based on experience.
14. Definition of an “Expert”
Someone who had made
enough mistakes to finally
figure things out.
(resiliency and perseverance)
from the Latin expertus, meaning “to try” or “experience.”
18. What’s at stake?
Why is Honey important?
Colony survival – bees need honey
Spouse/partner looking for return on the
investment in all that bee equipment
Family and relatives are looking for some
of that free honey you’ve been promising
them
Potential for financial opportunities
19. Quotes:
“Almost every beekeeper dreams
of producing the most honey from
their hives, then dreads how they are
going to get rid of it.”
--C. C. Miller
20. Quote:
“The person who seeks to maximize their
bees’ honey production gets the most in
terms of profit and enjoyment whatever
their reason for keeping bees.”
--Roger Morse
21. Honey Production is not hard
The Timing of Management
We set the stage, we prime the pump
We help the bees do what they do best.
Luck with Weather Conditions
Dry periods better than too much rain
Healthy Colony of Bees
Young productive queens
An aggressive army of foragers
Prudent mite management
22. But it’s not that easy…
1. Successfully bring a strong hive through
winter.
2. Induce a rapid spring build-up
3. Prevent the hive from swarming
4. Get the supers on before they need them
5. Harvest early and often
25. Know Your Foraging Opportunities
North Ave 60 lbs per hive
South Ave 100 – 120 lbs
26.
27. What Does It Take?
#1
Overwinter
Strong Colonies
28. What’s at stake?
Strong colonies…
-survive winter better
-deal with health issues better
-begin laying eggs earlier in the spring
-expand exponentially in the spring,
start with more bees,
end up with more bees
29. Five cornerstones for winter survival
1. Young queen, marked
2. Lots of young bees, strong population
(combine weak colonies into strong)
3. Minimal pest problems, low mites
4. Abundant stores, preferably honey,
candy board, if necessary, winter patty
5. Sufficient ventilation (upper entrance)
6. Patience
And all of this has to be done prior to winter.
Timing is important.
31. What’s at stake?
Earlier egg laying means a bigger population
for the nectar flow
Productive, young queens lay more eggs
Brother Adam, Buckfast Abbey: Queens
raised in the summer (nectar and pollen
abundant), then overwintered will be the
most productive (annual requeening?)
32. What’s at stake?
Some queens (Italians) start laying in
January, and begin laying more each day.
Other queens (Russians and Carniolans)
prefer to wait until pollen and nectar come
in, then start brooding up in earnest.
When does your nectar flow?
33. Three Management Strategies
1. Feeding syrup early – simulates a nectar flow
1:1 sugar/water
1:2 sugar/water
Covers periods of rainy weather
Rule of thumb: minimum 50 degree night temp
Do you use a feeding stimulant?
Honey-B-Healthy – 1 tsp per quart
Anise flavoring – 1 tsp per quart
34. Three Management Strategies
2. Pollen substitutes – nutritional supplements
Feed the bees that feed the bees
Generally won’t consume after natural pollen
A. Open feeding – weather dependent
B. Feed a “consumption” patty early
(“winter” patty)
35. Winter Patty
In a five-gallon bucket
1 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 cup clear Karo Syrup
4 cups pollen/protein supplement - AP23
10# dry sugar, adding a little at a time
Mix until dry enough to scoop
36. Three Management Strategies
3. Frame manipulation – expanding brood nest
Moving empty frames into brood nest
More opportunities to lay eggs
37. Right Kind of Bees
Early flow
Begins in mid-April
Comes on strong Mother’s Day through
the 4th of July
Italians seem to work best
Carniolans and Russians – too slow for
maximum production
38. Do You Treat?
Did you treat in the fall?
Did you need to treat?
--perform an alcohol wash?
(Two clean washes)
Can you treat prior to nectar flow?
39. Do You Treat?
Api-Var : 42 to 56 day treatment,
Don’t super for two weeks following use.
Strips in: Feb 14
Strips out: March 27 (April 10 for 56 day)
Supers on: April 10 (April 24 for 56 day)
40. Do You Treat?
Apistan: 42 days
Questionable efficacy/resistance
No waiting to super following use
Strips in: Feb 14
Strips out: March 27
Supers on: March 27
41. Do You Treat?
Oxalic Acid
Works best with broodless colonies
Formic Pro
Okay to use when honey supers are on
Potential for brood and queen mortality
Use only in temp range of 50 – 85 F
43. What’s at stake?
When a colony swarms, the productive
“margin” of foragers leaves.
If the colony swarms…you’ve given away
your honey crop.
Swarming takes time to prepare, but the
“signs” of a pending swarm are not
necessarily self-evident
44.
45.
46.
47. Swarm Prevention
“Congestion” is the trigger that sets up swarming
Congestion is the competition for open cells
between:
a) a productive, young queen looking to lay
more eggs
b) abundant, incoming nectar needing
storage (or feeding syrup more than
necessary).
48. Swarm Prevention
Simple solution: provide empty frames with
drawn comb
Stay one step ahead of the need
Pull in frames from the sides
(usually empty)
Reverse brood boxes
Add a third brood box (?)
53. What’s at stake?
Key Point: Add a super before nectar flow
Downside: Incoming nectar might be stored
in brood nest
Threat: 1. Congestion – swarming
2. You have to harvest honey from
brood frames
54. Intelligent Supering
Start with one or two supers
Drawn comb preferred
Add more supers as needed – 50%
(before you think they’re needed)
Bottom super (sliding new supers under
existing supers)**
**U of GA study, set up harvest
55.
56.
57. Queen Excluders (honey excluders?)
Bottom Entrance Bottom Entrance Closed Bottom Entrance
Control Queen Excluder Queen Excluder
Additional Upper Entrance
Less Brood (½) Slightly more brood
Less Honey (1/3) Slightly more honey
Skunk Predation Less Bearding in heat
59. Harvesting – two methods
“Early and Often”
--Remove frames as soon as frame is capped
--Works if you have a room dedicated to extracting
“Wait and Do it Once”
--Weekend with family
--Limited window of good weather
--Rented or borrowed extractor
--Want to get it over with
60.
61. Ray Nabors (ABJ Feb 2017, page 178)
“Putting supers on as needed and taking full ones
off will not only increase honey production but
keep colonies stronger.”
“A strong producing colony will be less active when
honey stores are adequate for winter.”
“Once they have produced a large amount of honey,
they seem to slow down.”
“They will put more effort into honey production if
some honey is removed during the flow.”
62. Bee Removal from supers
1. Pull frames and shake individually, no bee
brush
2. Install a bee escape, then return after 24
hours (better: put on late in the day, return
early the next)
64. Bee Removal from supers
Fume boards – quick and easy
**work better on warmer days
Pushes bees down, but reluctant to leave brood*
“Bee-go” – the most effective, the worst smell
“Honey Robber” – Bee-go with cherry flavoring
“Honey Bandit” – Really good, nice smell (Mann Lake)
“Fischer’s Bee Quick” – good
Fume boards on stack of supers on the truck –
prevents robbing
65. Honey House Management
Think: Product In – Product Out
Supers come in
Honey is removed - extracted
Honey is stored (in bulk)
Supers go out
Stored honey is bottled
66. Drying Room (“hot closet”)
Heat source –
electric heater 93 – 98 degrees
Fans
Dehumidifier
24 – 48 hours
No longer than three days
SHB hatch and “gummy” comb
67. Drying Room
Lowers moisture content –
reduces granulation
reduces chance of fermentation
Warm honey extracts faster, filters faster
Don’t have to do the entire batch of
supers that you brought in
89. Consider Moving Your Bees
Inconvenient…must be done at night
Bees crawl, not fly…need their beauty sleep, screen
entrance? Tape all the cracks?
Unless you have forklifts, you need hives secured,
strapped down, hand carts, young fellas with strong
backs….
I move some hives from Cape Girardeau County to
Scott County (different flow, later flow, second
harvest).
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95. What Does it Take?
#7
Wildcard:
Artificially Boost
Foraging Population
96. How?
1. Combine marginal colonies
2. Add a swarm to an existing colony
3. Create a two-queen colony – separated by a
double excluder
4. Simply transfer frames of bees and brood
97. Combine Marginal Colonies
At beginning of flow…
1. Remove queens (make nucs – reverse split)
Combine queenless portion with queen-right
2. Stack brood chambers, separated by excluders
Top with supers
French version: The Skyscraper Hive
Separate after the flow
98. Wildcard Rationale
Basis: One colony of 60,000 bees will produce more
honey than two colonies of 30,000 each.
Why? A certain number of bees must stay home to
take care of the brood. The rest are free to forage.
That number of “brood-caretakers” does not change
significantly with increased colony populations.
99. Why does this work?
Walter Gojmerac
15,000 79% 21% .0016
30,000 50% 50% .0022
60,000 30% 70% .0025
101. Two Queen Management
Not new
U of Wyoming 1940
U of Wisconsin, Dr. Farrar, 1946 into 1950s
Requires extra manipulations, tall hives
Is the additional labor worth the extra honey?
Most advantageous on mid-summer flows
2nd queen needs 5 to 7 weeks to make an optimal
impact
102. Question: if six weeks remain in nectar flow, will this make
a difference on early flows? Where can I get queens?