Spring is steadily arriving; here are considerations for a new install in a climate comparable to SW Michigan’s.
Reality check
Frames drawn out: There should be substantial progress on at least half the frames of the first box—a few of them perhaps almost all full of brood, honey and pollen, and bees loosely covering (working) the majority of the remaining frames. Yes, you might still have some empties or close to half of them still relatively untouched, depending upon when you got your bees.
Lots of bees-to-be: Most of us have had our packages installed for nearly a month now. You should be seeing capped brood. Remember to check that most of it is worker brood (smooth not bumpy) and that the queen’s laying pattern is decent (a cell missed here and there, but most all cells in an area containing a bee-in-progress). (Google ‘good brood pattern’.) If it has been longer than two weeks and you’re not seeing larva or capped worker brood, you probably have a queen issue (queen missing or not properly fertilized.)
Did I mention lots of bees about to be? This time of year the queen may lay 1,000-2,000 eggs a day. It varies by frame and cell size, but a deep frame might easily contain 3,000-5,000 bees-to-be, along with cells of honey and pollen. That means that within 2-3 weeks of seeing brood, your hive might double in population…and she’s laying away. Given that you want to stay ahead of the queen by ensuring she has room, it is time to talk about…
When to add the next box (long promised topic, but not a hot one due to the cool weather).
First, let’s assume that your bees are only in one box. About half the newbees I’ve talked with recently put all their boxes on their new hive. Nope—that’s too much room for them to patrol and heat. If you’ve got all your boxes on your hive, email me and we’ll talk about if/how to back that down.
My when-to-add advice is based on 10-frame deep Lang equipment; adjust accordingly for 8-frame, etc. Of our 27 new packages this year, installed April 23-30, only two are ready for their second boxes over Memorial Day. Each colony’s production rate is different; I suspect by the end of June most will be ready for their next box. The overhead shot is of a box that did get their second deep a day ago. I wonder if the other bees look at that twice-as-tall hive and wonder what’s going on in that colony…
If it is about time for the next box, when you open the hive you should find:
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A queen laying a good brood pattern
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Predominantly worker brood on 3-5 frames (both sides) in various stages of development (eggs, larva, capped with a light color (newer) through practically chocolate-colored caps). That much brood means the population is going to at least double within a few weeks.
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On a by-frame basis:
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At least 50% of the frames are nearly all drawn (and most of those are nearly full with brood or resources)
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Work on another 20-30% is well underway, complete with more bees than you can easily count on them, and bees loosely covering most of the surface area
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Any remaining frames, while perhaps nothing is apparent, have several dozen bees patrolling/working them.
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Sometimes bees are hesitant to begin working up in a new area, especially if it is new equipment. So:
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Ever-so-carefully pull a frame or two of brood from the bottom box.
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Carefully push the bottom’s remaining frames together and add more to the sides to the bottom box to get back to your 10 (or 8).
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Add the second box.
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Position the frames (from the bottom) in the top box over where the brood nest is in the bottom. This gets them “working up” and keeps the brood nest together for warmth and efficiency.
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Add the remaining frames to get to 10 (or 8).
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Put the inner cover on the top box, and then the top cover.
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Keep feeding? If they’re still taking it, sure. I like to get them off to as good a start as possible, but most of our hives aren’t consuming much anymore.
Got ants? Cinnamon is a natural deterrent. I don’t know that ants around the feeder bother bees, but I do think they annoy them a bit. With sugar syrup on the hive, some hives have attracted plenty of ants.
I sprinkle cinnamon on the inner cover; I’ve been known to put a cinnamon ring around the hive if the rain isn’t about to wash it away, and the location allows (like my hives that are on a truck bed).
DO THIS:
Learned at the school of hard lessons, I do these three things each time after I step away from the apiary and before I take off my veil:
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Check for my hive tool. (They have legs, they’ll walk away if you leave them.)
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Look over the apiary. Verify lids are on properly. Askew lids invite raiding or rain. Did I put the rock back on top of the hive? Did I leave the smoker sitting there smoking?
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Document: I write down what I saw, and what I need to do (ie, “added second box, check progress second week of June.”)
SMOKING: I don’t do it much this time of year. The bee population is smaller, and they’re very focused. I carry a misting bottle with 1:1 sugar syrup and mist if they seem to be getting agitated. Often, I can work them without them seeming to care (and without misting.) But, I’ve been doing this a while. Bees can sense your demeanor. If smoking makes you more comfortable, do it.
If your bees repeatedly come at you when you enter the bee yard or always seem agitated, track that bee-havior for a few visits. Perhaps there’s something generally bothering them (branch banging the hive, a raccoon, brewing storm, sprinkler hitting them every night, etc.) Ensure they are queenright. Bees that aren’t are often easily agitated and often quite buzzy.
There are things that can be done if you have an on-going “hot hive.” Drop me an e-mail if that bee-havior persists.