Door County Beekeepers Club

Happy New Year, everyone!  This time of year is the doldrums of beekeeping, a great time to learn something new about the hobby.  There isn’t a lot to do, but there are very important things to periodically check. We’ve seen temperatures with extreme cold and some warming into the 30s and low 40s.  It is important to observe the hive entrance, look for bees taking cleansing flights on the warmer days, and keep the entrance to the hive clear from expiring bees.  Use a bit of caution because the bees can and will fly at you.  You should also be checking colony food stores by doing the tilt and lift to gauge the weight of the hive.  When it’s above 32 degrees, it’s safe to do a quick 30-second peek and add supplemental feeding if needed; food includes sugar brinks, fondant, and some use sugar on a paper plate.

If you did experience a colony loss or a “dead out”, it’s important to take care of it as soon as possible.  You can learn a lot if you have a colony loss by doing a “bee-cropsy” to see if the colony had adequate food stores, and other contributors to colony loss.  The important part is to clean the dead bees out and protect all that drawn-out comb to use in the spring if you decide to repopulate the colony.  Once you have it cleaned out, you can freeze the frames for 24 hours or more to try to remove any other unwanted problems.  Try not to freeze them too long; the comb can get more brittle.  Once removed, you can store them back in their hive box but be sure to continue to protect that hive against things like wax moths.

Check back soon for more tips from Max’s Minute!

Congratulations if you’re a new beekeeper and are enjoying your first hive(s), of if you’re celebrating because your bees overwintered and are back in active mode. There are plenty of pollen sources around now so you can stop any supplemental feeding. For those with new bees, pollen patties should still be in use until Memorial Day. If you have new foundation (undeveloped comb) light syrup feeding should be continued. You will know when to stop when the bees stop feeding – but no later than June 1^st.

Bee activity in your apiary should be significantly increasing by now if your bees have over-wintered. Spring is a critical time for the bees and it is important you check food supplies and supplements if needed. Most spring colony failures occur due to depleted food stores. Supplemental food includes sugar brinks, fondant, and/or pollen patties. Depending on the temperatures, late April is when you should begin providing light syrup feeding in addition to pollen patties.

If you did experience a colony loss, Max Martin is once again selling bees from “Heritage Honeybees”. By now you should have received his email outlining packages, nucs and queens that will be available. Orders were requested by the end of February but understanding that you may not know your total losses yet, he is willing to work with you. Please text or email Max your orders asap. Delivery will be late April or early May.

UPDATE: (April 2) The bees will probably arrive the first weekend in May. Max is able to still take orders if you find your bees have departed from this world.

Happy Spring everyone! By now, you are seeing hive activity and early indications that your colony survived. March is a critical time for the bees and it is important you check food supplies and supplement if needed. Most colony failures occur either in early fall or March/April. Supplemental food includes sugar bricks, fondant, and/or pollen patties.

If you did experience a colony loss, Max Martin is once again taking orders for bees from “Heritage Honeybees”. By now you should have received his email outlining packages, nucs and queens that will be available. Orders were requested by the end of February, but understanding that you may not know your total losses yet, he is willing to work with you. Please text or email Max your orders asap. Delivery will be late April or early May.

NOVEMBER
The Bees. The bees continue to cluster for winter. They may not yet go into a full winter cluster. They may break cluster frequently on warm days and recluster at night. But they will begin to cluster for the winter.

DECEMBER
The Bees. The bees are in a tight cluster. No peeking.
The Beekeeper. There’s nothing you can do with the bees, except clear out the entrance of dead bees. Read a good book on beekeeping, and enjoy the holidays!

Now that the LAST winter storm is behind us, it’s time to focus on our bees, hives, and spring apiary work. Temperatures are warming and the sun is hotter, but don’t make the mistake of thinking your bees can solo just yet. Keep checking food stores and add sugar hard candy and/or pollen substitute patties as needed. By mid-April you can start feeding colonies light syrup. Remember that light syrup is a 1:1 water-sugar mixture. We will talk more about feeding and other spring tasks at the upcoming meeting in April. This meeting is one of our core programs for both new and experienced beekeepers. There will be lots of opportunities to ask questions and talk to your fellow beekeepers.

For those of you that need bees and have ordered them through Max, start watching your email inbox towards the end of April. Max will let everyone know the anticipated delivery dates and then specific times to pick up your NUC’s and packages when they arrive.

These strange temperatures and weather patterns are certainly confusing for both the bees and the beekeepers. If you are seeing flight activity around your hive(s), don’t assume the hive is back in warm weather mode. Most of the bees you see emerging are likely doing cleansing flights. It will be a while before they start foraging and gathering flights. For now, it’s very important that you monitor the hive and make sure there are adequate food sources and open entrances. March is a critical transition month and hive starvation is common if you aren’t checking. On these mild days, peek into the hive and make sure your hard candy (sugar bricks) and spring pollen patties are still sufficient. Checking the hives every 7-10 days will ensure that the colony doesn’t starve and successfully transitions into spring activities. You should also check your entrance to make sure it’s not blocked by dead bees. Temporarily remove your mouse guard and using a stick or long screwdriver, scrape out the dead bees. When you are done, be sure and put the mouse guard back on. At the meeting next month, we will talk about equipment, how to care for your bees in the spring, and how to install new bee packages and nucs. If you are planning to order bee packages or nucs from Max Martin, please email or text your order to him right away.