Flying, stinging insects: Got two swarm calls last week. The first guy told me the “honeybees” were flying out of a gray-brown conical shape attached to his eves. I told him that sounded like wasps, but he claimed he knew honeybees and they definitely were honeybees. As it was only two miles away, I checked it out, and wished him well dealing with his paper wasps. And, I left him with a jar of honey for trying to do the right thing for honeybees.
Anyway, too often folks calling about a swarm this time of year don’t have honeybees. Before you drop everything to help (and perhaps get free bees), see if they can send you a picture of the insect or their home (the insect’s, not the caller’s.)
The second swarm was honeybees! (This person, J, called us last year as well with a swarm. Easy capture, which is always a blessing. That’s J in the photo. He’s not a fan of stinging insects, but he did get close enough for this picture.
I love swarms (except when they’re mine). They’re a reminder to all of us to make sure the colonies have room to make more babies and honey.
Honey bound: That’s also happening, along with swarming. There’s such a huge nectar flow on right now that the queen may have no place to lay; the workers are filling every open cell with honey. It’s a wonderful problem, but it is still a problem. The colony will need lots of bees headed into winter. Give her room to lay AND room for all that nectar her workforce is bringing in.
Been working with a newbee on this issue. His first-year hive is in their fourth medium box, and it is nearly full. He reasonably doesn’t want to buy a fifth box, or manage a five-box hive. I suggested pulling at least a frame or two or more of honey to enjoy, and replacing it with new frames, yet to be drawn. That gives the bees more room, and hopefully we won’t have a winter like last. Three to four boxes should be enough, and the goldenrod (which typically provides lots of honey) is just coming on.
Colony progress: If you’re like me, you’re disheartened to read about a first year colony having filled up nearly four boxes. That’s a power hive; they’d be wonderful to have. About 25% of our first-year colonies are still working their first box.
It is time to start thinking seriously about winter folks. (It pains me to write that!) A colony in SW Michigan with only a single box of resources (medium or deep) going into winter probably won’t make it. We’d like to see three boxes at least, four would be glorious. (You can always extract the honey next spring if they survive, why not leave it for them to help them survive?)
It isn’t just a matter of honey. In other words, you can’t put a second box of honey atop a single box come November and improve their chances for survival by much. They also need a lot of bees to keep the queen warm. (Or a mild winter.)
IF your colony is still just working that first box and there aren’t amber swaths of brood about to hatch (perhaps doubling the colony shortly), you probably need to do something. Try to figure out why they’re lagging (did they recently requeen so that’s why there’s a smaller population? Mite issue? Beetle issue?) and address that. Some other helpful options include:
- Feed
- Pray
- Add a frame of brood (and nurse bees) from a booming colony if you have one to supplement the work force. The queen won’t outlay the work force so maybe a low workforce has kept her production down.)
- Consider replacing the queen; hopefully the new one will lay enough workers to get things going in time for winter. (You can purchase a queen, suppliers are listed on the Kalamazoo Bee Club website.)
It may be too late to turn them around. It depends upon when winter is coming, if we’re going to get more rain, how long my cat naps, and other unpredictable considerations.
In another month, if you have the option of combining them with a strong hive, you’ll probably want to do that to any one-box colonies…but let’s cross that bridge if we get there, and try and build up until then as we can.
Mites: See last blog on that. I’m powdered-sugaring every hive every time we’re in there. Yes, it bugs them. (Salute to Nick for finally getting stung! Hopefully you were amused enough by the ghost bees to take part of the, er, sting away from the experience.)
Apologies again to you non-Langstroth configuration beekeepers because I keep talking in frames and boxes. That’s still the most common beekeeping configuration in the USA, so I’m sticking to those terms. And remember:
- I love your calls and emails.
- This is all my opinion. Beekeeping has very few black and whites.
- Melvin the Cat’s napping habits probably aren’t impacting your colony’s progress … much.