Siting your apiary and the years work By Michael O Neill and Jacqui Glisson
Suitable location for apiary Sheltered South or south east facing, early sun Not in a frost pocket Not under trees or electric poles Source of water nearby Easy access for beekeeper Flight paths free of humans, animals (Shrubs/trees help) Other beekeepers in the area? Sufficient forage Bee strain has major consequences for neighbors and colleague beekeepers
Orientation Bees have a homing ability They can fly up to 10 km to forage and yet still manage to return home to their own hives
Learning to orientate Young foragers start with play flights Fly backwards, facing hive Gradually circle away Learning to recognise hive and its surroundings Picture is remembered and bee uses it to find its way back to hive Move under 3 feet or over 3 miles.
Apiary layout
Drifting When bees enter a different hive from the one that they left, we call this phenomena drifting.
A drifting bee entering the colony by mistake will be challenged because the smell of this bee is not the right one. After it has been roughed up a couple of times by the guard bees, it takes on the colony odour and is no longer challenged
Problems with drifting It can spread disease and parasites, whether American Foul Brood (AFB) spores or varroa. A newly mated virgin queen who drifts into the wrong hive will be killed. Due to the drifting bees return to some colonies more often than others. This can weaken some hives whilst making others stronger
Causes of drifting Prevailing wind Repetitive features in a landscape Hives too close, in a straight line, facing the same direction
Assisting hive identification The colours bees see are blue-green, blue, violet, and ultraviolet. Bees see red as black Favourite colour is purple followed by violet then blue.
Use colour to aid hive identification
Use shapes to aid hive identification
The year s work in the apiary
Tasks for March 1. Lift the hive once a week to make sure it is not getting too light If it is, feed with a contact feeder. 1 litre water to 1 kg sugar In cold weather bees will only feed from a contact feeder
Tasks for March 2. Check floor scrapings for Varroa mite -Solid floor removed and replaced with clean floor Scrape debris into container for analysis Blow torch old floor -Open mesh floor put in insert and count mite drop 3. Remove mouse guards.
Tasks from April onwards 1. Routine inspections are done every 10-14 days. With each inspection ask yourself 5 questions
Question 1. Has the colony sufficient room? If Answer :- Yes No further action required If Answer:- No Add super
Question 2. Is the queen present and laying the sufficient amount of eggs? If Answer:- Yes You don t need to see queen, presence of eggs means she was there three days ago Compare to other hives to assess she is laying adequately No further action needed. If Answer:-No If hive is queenless, it s a lost cause If poor laying ask is this is poor queen. If so re-queen If the queen appears adequate is there disease holding the colony back? E.g. Nosema. Send off samples
Question 3.a. Early in the season is the colony building up as fast as the other colonies in the apiary? If Answer:-Yes No further action required If Answer:-No Why is this is poor queen. If so re-queen If the queen appears adequate is there disease holding the colony back? E.g. Nosema. Send off samples
Question 3b. Mid season:- are there any queen cells present? If answer :-Yes Initiate your method of swarm control If answer:- No No further action required
Question 4. Are there any signs of disease or abnormality? If answer:-yes Treat appropriately If answer:-no No further action required
Question 5. Has the colony sufficient stores to last until the next inspection? If answer:-yes No further action required If answer:-no Feed a gallon of syrup in a rapid feeder (1kg:1litre)
5 questions you need to ask yourself on routine inspection 1. Has the colony sufficient room? 2. Is the queen present and laying the sufficient amount of eggs? 3. a. Early in the season is the colony building up as fast as the other colonies in the apiary? b. Mid season are there any queen cells present? 4. Are there any signs of disease or abnormality? 5. Has the colony sufficient stores to last until the next inspection?
Tasks from April onwards 2.Clip and mark queen
Marking the queen Helps you identify which is the old queen in a supersedure situation Colour gives you the age of the queen Mnemonic Be Warned You Require Gloves Years ending Blue 0/ 5 White 1/ 6 Yellow 2/ 7 Red 3/ 8 Green 4/ 9
1. Extract honey Tasks for August
Tasks for August 2. Feed with a gallon of syrup. (2kg sugar to 1 litre water) 3.After harvesting the honey and feeding treat for Varroa using Apiguard, MAQS or Bayverol
Tasks for August 4. Storage of old comb and supers
Brood comb storage 80% acetic acid fumes will kill wax moth and their larva. Also gets rid of nosema spores Certan containing bacillus thurengensis can be sprayed on both sides of brood comb
Chemical sterilisation with acetic acid. 1. Combs can be sterilised to destroy the spores of Chalkbrood, wax moth, and Nosema 2. Stack the on solid surface such as a board or hive floor. Note that acetic acid is corrosive and will attack metal and also concrete. 3. Block off hive entrances 4. Place a non-metallic dish (saucer or similar container) on the top of the frames of the top box. 5. Put 80% acetic acid into the dish allowing 120 ml acetic acid/box (e.g. 600 ml would therefore treat 5 boxes). 6. Then place an empty hive box on the top of the stack. 7. Close off the empty box on the top of the stack with a hive cover. 8. Seal any joints between the boxes with wide adhesive 9. Tape to stop fumes escaping. 10. Leave the stack for about one week to ensure sufficient fumigation. 11. When treatment is complete, dishes of acid must be removed. 12. Boxes should be thoroughly aired (at least two days) before use. NB When using this system you must wear suitable protective clothing, protect your eyes and use rubber gloves.
Treating with 80% acetic acid
Tasks for September 1. Feed your bees 40-60lbs of honey or 18-27 kg of honey Large feeder and get it in as quickly as possible 2kg to 1 litre 2. Reduce hive entrances to decrease robbing
Tasks for October Lift hives to check they have sufficient stores If not feed again
Tasks for November 1. Put on mouse guards
October to March The 'off-season. Planning next year, attending meetings and maintaining equipment
Test your knowledge 1. How would you verify that a hive was queenless? 2. During an inspection, how would the beekeeper know that the queen was present and OK? 3. Why should you pick up pieces of honey comb in the apiary? 4. Why is the entrance of the hive reduced in winter?
Test your knowledge 6. How would you monitor Varroa mite population during the active season? 7.What problem can be caused by feeding syrup to bees early in the day? 8. How do bees find their way back to the hive after they have been moved to a strange place? 9. In a normal season what is the main task of the beekeeper towards the end of August?
Test your knowledge 10. What would make you suspect that a hive was being robbed? 11. What is the first job that needs to be done in the apiary in spring? 12. Describe two actions that a beekeeper may take to reduce drifting between colonies. 13. On a warm sunny day in spring, what observation from outside the hive would suggest that the colony has wintered safely?
Test your knowledge 14. When the beekeeper opens a hive for inspection, what should he/she normally be looking for? 15. At what time of the day, should you move your hive to a new site? 16. Why should you mark your queen?