Metarhizium fungus growing out of varroa mites collected from bottom board sticky cards. It s Not About Being Lucky

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1 NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION MARCH 2018 Our mission: to promote interest in honey bees and beekeeping through the Northwest District of Western Washington, and, in particular, Snohomish County. March 13 Meeting- Fungi Update Dr. Jennifer Han and Dr. Naeger are postdoctoral research associates at Washington State University conducting the research on fungi and honey bees. They are returning to update us on the progress of their research. Regularly scheduled meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at: Christ the King Lutheran Church 1305 Pine Avenue Snohomish, WA 6:00 Bee Talk A Buzz Session for NewBees and Experienced Beekeepers to interact and share questions and experiences. 7:00 Meeting Business meeting and speaker. guest Metarhizium fungus growing out of varroa mites collected from bottom board sticky cards. It s Not About Being Lucky How is that other beekeeper so lucky with their bees? Have you ever heard or thought that question? The truth is, it s not luck. To be successful at anything requires knowledge and hard work. Start slow and learn about the bees and their habits. Hang out with bees and begin to enjoy the buzzing sound. Taste the honey. Then take a class, read a book, watch a Youtube video, come to a meeting and make friends with other beekeepers. Soon you will not focus on the work, but will enjoy the beekeeping success!

2 PAGE 2 BEELINES NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION Northwest District Beekeepers Assn. March-April To-Do List for the Puget Sound Calendar vs Weather: It is important to keep in mind that decisions are more dependent on prevailing weather conditions than on specific calendar dates! 1. Clear Hive Entrances: (March) 2. Check Stores: (March-April) Poor weather can be a problem for foraging. A. If Hive is light, use 1. dry sugar, 2. sugar blocks or 3. candy boards. It is suggested that syrup is not used until the weather becomes consistently warmer. Once weather is consistently warmer, and if the colony requires feeding, use 1:1 Syrup. B. Decide whether you choose to add pollen patties 3. Dead-outs: Clean frames; store equipment in a dry place & protect against rodents. 4. Order new equipment now!! It takes time and planning to receive, build and paint new equipment (Bees prefer boxes that do not have tacky paint!!). Always consider having extra equipment (ie boxes, Nucs, bottom boards, lids, etc), because swarm management & hive expansion requires it!! 5. Order Bee Packages and replacement Queens now! Word has it that there may be a shortage of available packages and Nucs. Suppliers typically fill orders on a first come, first served basis. For those who are new to Beekeeping, it is advisable to begin with a minimum of 2 Colonies! 6. New Bee Yards / New Hive Locations: Whether you are intending to establish a new yard, or new Hives within an existing yard, now is a good time for making these arrangements (well BEFORE the new Bees arrive)!! Install new Bee Nucs or Packages. 7. First Hive Inspection: (March at the earliest) This should only be done if weather is over 60, sunny and little to no wind!!! A. Check for Eggs, Larvae & Queen. Begin checking for Supersedure and/or Swarm Queen Cells (late April). B. Check for location of the colony within the hive. If the colony is located in the upper brood box, Reverse the Hive Bodies. Avoid doing this if the colony is straddling the two hive bodies because it is inadvisable to split or dislocate the cluster. C. Clean the Bottom Board. D. Reverse Brood Chambers: Do this only if the entire brood has migrated to the upper chamber. This might be done twice, 3-4 weeks apart. 8. Pests, Disease & Management: (March-April) Whether you have Hives that have survived the winter, or receiving new Packages, it is important to be vigilant about possible pests and diseases. Are your Hives healthy? If there is a concern, what are the more common pests and diseases that Honey Bees face in the Puget Sound. Have you researched the most likely symptoms and tests available to Beekeepers to diagnose possible problems? Have you researched the pro s and con s of treating your Hives? Have you researched the various treatment options? NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO DO THIS RESEARCH!! Please!!! Routinely monitor your Colonies for Varroa Mites! 9. Hive Entrances: (March) As the weather improves, and your Hives are growing, there is a time where Mouse Guards can be removed. However, depending on Hive strength and health, you might consider whether to keep entrance reducers at the entrances. 10. Bait Hives (aka Swarm Traps): If you plan to use traps, it is prudent to place them by the end of April! 11. Register your 2014 Hives with the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture: Yellow Jackets: March is the time to set Yellow Jacket Traps. If you trap the Queen early in the Spring, you have eliminated a yellow jacket colony before it starts. Larry Brainard, Northwest District Beekeepers Assoc. March, 2014

3 PAGE 3 BEELINES NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION SWARMS! Some people run from them others run toward them. If you are a beekeeper you probably do the latter. You excitedly watch for swarms in your own yard, and jump at the chance to help collect the bees in someone else s yard, or a city tree, a tall fence, or even a tall lamp post... If you are serious about collecting swarms, and you want to be on the clubs swarm list 1. Be present at the February or March bee meeting. 2. There will be a participation form for the club to have on file. 3. Your name will rotate on our list for a swarm call. May your troubles BEE less And your blessings BEE more And nothing but happiness BUZZ through your HIVE-DOOR! Happy St. Patrick s Day

4 PAGE 4 BEELINES NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION BEEKEEPING TRIFECTA Dr. Tom Seeley Dr. Andony Melathopoulos Alison McAfee Sunday, May 20, :30-4:30 Best Western Plus Hood River Inn 1108 East Marina Way Hood River, OR REGISTRATION Early Bird $85.69 before March 31st Regular REGISTRATION $95.88 after April 1st

5 PAGE 5 BEELINES NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION Thoughts on Dead Bees By Dave Pehling MY BEES DIED!!!! If you are a beekeeper, you WILL suffer the agony of defeat (as they used to say during the Winter Olympics in the 60 s) and lose some colonies. If you just have one hive. well. That is a good reason to start with at least two colonies OR make a split from your package during your first summer. I will try to remember to describe a relatively easy way to do that later this season. Anyway when one loses a colony, it is essential that one try to figger out WHY! In MOST cases it is because of Varroa infestation (though starvation, excess moisture, poor quality stores, etc. could also be the cause). I ve heard several reports from experienced beeks with good Varroa management skills apparently lose colonies due to late-season invasion from nearby mite-bomb hives. When colonies are collapsing from heavy Varroa infestation, workers tend to abscond and go to other hives, carrying a nice load of mites with them. Then, when the infested colony finally dies, nearby bees smell all that lovely, unprotected honey and carry it home.along with a heavy load of mites. During this time, colonies are raising winter bees that should live the entire winter (summer bees live about 6 weeks). If winter-bee larvae are attacked by Varroa, the resulting stress and virus infections often cause the colony to collapse before Christmas. If you have a deadout, you can still check for Varroa by looking at the brood combs and inspecting them for Varroa poop. Randy Oliver has some excellent photos of how to look for that on his page, First Year Beekeeping (I highly recommend EVERYONE read that) at I m sure you are all totally sick of hearing about Varroa by now so I ll take this no further. However, I do encourage you to read the article at by Michigan State University s Meghan Milbrath for an excellent overview. Rusty Berlew, who has an excellent blog, also has a great article at called Absconding Bees or Death by Varroa. Hope your bees are well! Outreach Committee (We work toward educating the public about bees and beekeeping) We are looking for equipment, paraphernalia or pictures use in displays or presentations. And we are also looking for members who would like to go out and make presentations at educational events. Current Opportunities include: 1. Penny Creek Elementary, Everett-Thursday, May 31(Science Day) 2. Bastyr University, Kenmore-Saturday, June 2(Bees as Foragers) 3. Lake Forest Park Garden Tour and Market-Saturday, June 16 (all day)-jeff Thompson has volunteered If you can donate-help or have questions about outreach, please contact: Pauline Marshall outreach@nwdba.org or Eli Ocheltree eocheltree@nwdba.org

6 PAGE 6 BEELINES NORTHWEST DISTRICT BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION Upcoming Dates Tuesday, March 13 Bee Meeting Tuesday, April 10-Bee Club Meeting-Springtime in Beehives Tuesday, May 8 Bee Club Meeting-Swarm Management Sunday, May 20 -Beekeeper Trifecta Visit our website: NWDBA.ORG Please direct comments or additions to Debbie Ade: Beelines Editor at deblyn80ty@gmail.com 2018 NWDBA BOARD MEMBERS President: Mark Salser, president@nwdba.org V-President: Jim Black, ljbjeb@msn.com Secretary: Dave Pehling, djpehling@frontier.com Treasurer: Mary Oosterhof, treasurer@nwdba.org Board Member: Joe Canfield, tjnr@comcast.net Board Member: Theresa Jorgenson, violinmom07@aol.com Board Member: Eli Ocheltree, eliochel@yahoo.com