WELCOME TO APRIL

• APRIL IS THE MONTH OF GROWTH IN SOUTH LA.
• DEPENDING ON THE PREVIOUS MONTH’S WEATHER PATTERNS, MOST COLONIES WILL WANT TO SWARM SOMETIME DURING THIS MONTH.
• DO NOT BE AFRAID OF LARGE HIVES!
• LARGE HIVES RUN ON AUTO-PILOT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY’LL DO IT WITHOUT YOU.

METHODS THAT NEED CAUTION WHEN AVOIDING SWARMING.

• CHECKER BOARDING FRAMES- CHECKER BOARDING FOUNDATION AND EVEN DRAWN COMB CAN BE DONE SUCCESSFULLY. MANY BEEKEEPERS ARE IN THE MINDSET THAT THEY CAN MAKE BEES DRAW OUT FOUNDATION FASTER IF THE FOUNDATION FRAMES ARE INTERMIXED BETWEEN DRAWN COMB. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE. SMALLER HIVES IN THE SPRING THAT CAN’T FILL UP THEIR BOXES WITH BEES WILL NOT ALWAYS DRAW OUT FOUNDATION FRAMES AS SOON AS YOU PUT THEM IN THERE. IF A NECTAR FLOW IS NOT PRESENT AND THE TEMPS ARE STILL CONSISTENTLY GETTING BELOW 45°F, FOUNDATION CAN DIVIDE THE BROOD NEST AND STRESS THE COLONY. BEES WANT TO CLUSTER IN A TIGHT OVAL.
• ADDING A TOP SUPER OR DIVIDING THE BROOD BOXES WITH A WHOLE BOX OF FOUNDATION- ADDING TOP SUPERS ABOVE THE EXISTING COLONY CHANGES THE DYNAMIC OF THE BROOD CLUSTER. IT CREATES A HEAD SPACE ABOVE THE CLUSTER THAT HEAT CAN ESCAPE TO. KEEP IN MIND THE HEAT IS GENERATED FROM WITHIN THE CLUSTER, BUT COLONIES THAT ARE SMALLER IN SIZE THAT CAN’T FILL OUT THEIR BOXES WILL BECOME STRESSED. THE RESULT IS USUALLY A SLOWER GROWTH THAN DESIRED OR CASTING A SWARM. SOMETIMES, IT CAN LEAD TO PREMATURE ROBBING DURING A SPRING DEARTH. WHEN YOU DIVIDE A WEAKER COLONY WITH A BOX OF FOUNDATION, THIS CAN LEAD TO EMERGENCY CELLS DUE TO ONE HALF OF THE COLONY NOT SHARING QUEEN MANDIBULAR PHEROMONE. THE CONTINGENCY WITH THESE METHODS ARE THE SIZES OF THE CLUSTER. A STRONG COLONY WILL HANDLE ALMOST ANYTHING YOU THROW AT IT.
• SPLITTING A COLONY WITH ONLY FOUNDATION TO USE AS EXTRA EQUIPMENT- NEWER BEEKEEPERS WILL MAKE SPLITS WITH THE COMBS THAT THE COLONIES ARE CURRENTLY USING AND ADD FOUNDATION AS ADDITIONAL COMBS TO FILL THE BOXES BACK UP. THE ISSUE IS, THE BEES ARE NOW DIVIDED AND LIKELY ⅔ THE SIZE THEY ONCE WERE. IF A COLONY HAS SWARM CELLS IN IT AND THE BEEKEEPER LEAVES THE QUEEN WITH THE MOTHER COLONY LOCATION, THE QUEEN CAN STILL SWARM. THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE THE BEES SOMETIMES DON’T SHARE OUR VISION OF FOUNDATION BEING EXTRA LAYING ROOM. BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY IN SWARM MODE, THE FOUNDATION IS EXTRA WORK THEY’RE NOT WILLING TO PERFORM AND AN SWARM OCCURS. THE SIMPLE SOLUTION IS TO ISOLATE THE QUEEN IN THE SPLIT TO BE TAKEN AWAY AND TO MAKE SURE NO CELLS ARE PRESENT WITH THAT QUEEN. THEY MUST RAISE NEW CELLS IN ORDER FOR THAT SPLIT TO TRY AND SWARM AGAIN. USUALLY BY THAT TIME, BROOD HAS HATCHED AND THE QUEEN CAN CONTINUE TO LAY.

-NOTE: IF WHITE WAX IS NOT PRESENT WITHIN THE HIVE, THE RESOURCES AND POPULATION OF BEES ARE NOT PRESENT TO DRAW THE FOUNDATION YOU WISH TO DRAW. HONEY FLOWS ARE BEST FOR THIS. ALL OF THESE METHODS CAN WORK BUT EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE POSSIBILITIES OF WHAT CAN GO WRONG. THE UNDERLYING THEME IS USING FOUNDATION TOO EARLY WITH SMALLER HIVES.

WHAT IS A STRONG HIVE?

• PEOPLE OFTEN THINK OF STRENGTH IN THE CONTEXT OF NUMBERS OF BEES I.E. 50,000 BEES, 60,000 BEES. WHILE THAT THOUGHT IS TRUE, I’M SPEAKING MORE IN THE TERMS OF CROWDING IN THE CAVITY OR BOX THEY ARE OCCUPYING.
• BEEKEEPERS CAN HAVE STRONG MINI MATING NUCS, 5 FRAME NUCS, QUEEN CASTLES, SINGLE DEEP HIVES, DOUBLE DEEP HIVES, ETC.
• IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FULL YEAR OF HIVE OPERATIONS FROM JANUARY - JANUARY, A STRONG HIVE IS ONE THAT CAN OVERWINTER WELL AND MAINTAIN BROOD PRODUCTION DESPITE WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE. I’M REFERRING TO CUBIC MASS. BEES WITH A LARGE CUBIC MASS CAN REAR MORE BROOD EARLIER IN THE YEAR, DRAW COMBS FASTER, SUPERCEDE SEAMLESSLY, SWARM AND RECOVER QUICKLY, PRODUCE EXCESS STORES FASTER, AND OVERWINTER WITH HEALTHIER BEES. ALL OF THIS CAN BE DONE WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE BEEKEEPER.
• THE HARDEST THING I HAVE HAD TO LEARN IN THE PAST 15 YEARS IS THAT SOME BEES WILL DIE IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU DO, BUT NOT ALL WILL. IN MY JOURNEY BACK TO TREATMENT FREE BEEKEEPING, MY NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO NOT BE DRIVEN BY NUMBERS OF HIVES. RATHER YET, I WANT TO BE DRIVEN BY QUALITY OF HIVES TO PROCURE BEES THAT WILL SURVIVE WHETHER I’M THERE OR NOT.
• SO HOW DO I KEEP A STRONG HIVE NOW? WHAT I’M STRIVING TO DO IS TO KEEP A SEMI-RESTRICTED BROOD NEST. I WILL ALLOW THE QUEEN TO MOVE AS SHE WISHES WITHIN A 3 DEEP BROOD CHAMBER. AS THE QUEEN FILLS HER CAVITY WITH BROOD THROUGHOUT THE SPRING, THE POPULATION THAT IS HATCHED OUT WILL EVENTUALLY REACH EQUILIBRIUM. THAT’S TO SAY, AS THEY COLONY GROWS, THE AMOUNT OF FRAMES OF HONEY WILL BEGIN TO EQUAL THE AMOUNT OF FRAMES OF BROOD. THIS WILL LEAD TO A COLONY IN GOOD YEARS WITH ADEQUATE NATURAL NUTRITION, A DESIRE TO SWARM AND RAISE SWARM CELLS. I WILL THEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT SWARMING INSTINCT AND TAKE A WALK-AWAY SPLIT WITH THE ORIGINAL QUEEN. THE ORIGINAL COLONY THAT IS STRONG WILL BE LEFT TO REPLACE THEIR QUEEN. EVEN IF THE COLONY FAILS TO PRODUCE A NEW QUEEN, THE POPULATION OF THE COLONY IS NOT COMPROMISED IN 14 DAYS WHEN I RETURN TO MAKE A QUEEN CHECK.

THE HONEY BAND

• BEES IN NATURE WILL SET UP THEIR BROOD NEST AS AN OVAL OF SOME SORT THAT RESEMBLES THEIR CLUSTER.
• THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THAT OVAL WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE CAVITY THEY ARE OCCUPYING.
• AS BROOD HATCHES OUT AND PLENTY OF FOOD IS AVAILABLE, THE NURSE BEES WILL BEGIN TO EXPAND THE NEST TO FILL THE CAVITY THAT THEY OCCUPY.
• THE QUEEN WILL MOVE AROUND THAT BROOD NEST AND LAY IN CELLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AS LONG AS SHE IS FED BY THE NURSE BEES TO STIMULATE LAYING BEHAVIOR.
• WHEN THE COLONY HAS FILLED THEIR CAVITY WITH AS MANY COMBS OF BROOD AS THE POLLEN AND NECTAR STIMULUS WILL ALLOW, THE SWARMING IMPULSE IS ACTIVATED. THE COLONY DECIDES WHEN THAT WILL BE.
• WHAT MOST BEEKEEPERS EXPERIENCE IN APRIL, IS THE BEES WILL OUTGROW THEIR CAVITY SO QUICKLY, THAT BY THE TIME A HIVE INSPECTION IS MADE, SWARM CELLS ARE ALREADY THERE.
• WHAT TO DO?

Red Barn. Image 1 Honey Band. (2017). Beesource. https://www.beesource.com/threads/no-pollen-thoughts.339625/#post-1568486.

THE HONEY BAND CONTINUED

• BECAUSE THE BEEKEEPER IS FAMILIAR WITH THE FLOWS OF HIS LOCAL AREA, THEY KNOW THAT THE COLONY IS SWARMING BEFORE THE MAIN FLOW.
• BEEKEEPERS USUALLY ADD ANOTHER DRAWN OUT SUPER ABOVE THE COLONY (BECAUSE THEY WERE TOLD TO DO SO) AND THE COLONY FILLS IT WITH HONEY AND CONTINUES ON WITH THE SWARMING BEHAVIOR.
• A SIMPLE METHOD THAT MANY EMPLOY AT THIS TIME IS TO BREAK THE HONEY BAND WITH DRAWN COMBS FOR LAYING. IT CAN BE DONE BY MOVING TWO OR THREE COMBS, LIKE THE ONE SHOWN.
• MOVE THEM UP INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE EMPTY BOX AND REPLACE THEIR POSITION WITH EMPTY DRAWN COMBS INTO THE BOX BELOW.
• WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IS EXPANDED THE BROOD NEST WITH EMPTY COMBS FOR THE QUEEN TO LAY.
• REMEMBER, BEES SURROUND THEIR BROOD NESTS WITH HONEY FOR NOT ONLY FOOD BUT INSULATION. WHEN THE QUEEN HITS A BAND OF HONEY, THAT’S HER CUE SHE HAS REACHED THE EDGE. SHE WILL RETURN THE WAY SHE CAME LOOKING FOR CELLS TO LAY INTO.

Red Barn. Image 1 Honey Band. (2017). Beesource. https://www.beesource.com/threads/no-pollen-thoughts.339625/#post-1568486

BREAKING THE HONEY BAND CONTINUED

• GETTING MORE DRAWN COMBS TO BREAK THE HONEY BAND WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE ANY- YOU WILL FIND IN YOUR BEEKEEPING CAREER THAT YOU HAVE RUN OUT OF DRAWN COMBS TO USE IN YOUR COLONIES. ONE WAY I REMEDY THAT PROBLEM IS TO RECYCLE MERGING FRAMES OF CAPPED BROOD FROM LOWER BOXES. TAKE CAPPED FRAMES OF BROOD THAT ARE HATCHING FROM THE BOTTOM BOXES WITH NO BANDS OF HONEY AND MOVE THEM UP INTO THE CENTER TOP POSITION WHERE YOU ARE TRYING TO BREAK UP THE HONEY BAND. THE FRAMES REMOVED WITH THE HONEY BAND CAN BE PLACED INTO THE LOWER BOX TO THE PERIPHERY (BETWEEN THE FRAMES OF FOOD AND BROOD) OF THE BROOD NEST. THE HATCHING BROOD WILL COMPLETELY EMERGE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, THUS MOVING THE BROOD NEST UP AND GIVING POLISHED CELLS FOR THE QUEEN TO LAY IN.
• USING FOUNDATION TO BREAK THE HONEY BAND- THIS ONLY SEEMS TO WORK DURING A MODERATE TO GOOD HONEY FLOW WITH LOTS OF BEES IN THE HIVE. STRONG HIVES CAN HANDLE ALMOST ANYTHING YOU THROW AT IT (EMPHASIS ON THE ALMOST PART). BY NOW (APRIL 1) THE TEMPS HAVE NORMALIZED AND ARE CONSISTENTLY ABOVE FLIGHT WEATHER (≈50°F). BEES DON’T LIKE THEIR BROOD NESTS DIVIDED, SO WHAT I DO IS DIVIDE IT WITH 2-3 FRAMES OF FOUNDATION AND BRING UP THE BROOD INTO THE FOUNDATION BOX I’M ADDING. NOTE: LOOK FOR WHITE WAX BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS. IF WAX DRAWING HASN’T BEEN STIMULATED IN THE HIVE, YOU MAY BE ADDING STRESS INSTEAD OF EXTRA ROOM.
• EQUALIZING- EQUALIZING DURING A HONEY FLOW CAN HELP WITH THE SWARMING IMPULSE AS WELL. THIS HARD WORK THAT MOST PEOPLE AREN’T WILLING TO DO. THE RESULTS CAN BE ASTOUNDING HOWEVER. THE PICTURE ON SLIDE ONE WAS TAKEN ON MAY 2, 2019. WE ARE SHAKING DOWN SIX BOXES OF BEES INTO THE BOTTOM DEEP TO ISOLATE THE QUEEN AT THE BOTTOM AND CAPTURE THE REMAINING BROOD ABOVE AN EXCLUDER. ANY EXCESS BROOD IN THE TOP PORTION OF THE BROOD CHAMBER WOULD BE DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE APIARY TO BRING UP THE WEAKER COLONIES TO THE STATUS OF THE STRONGER COLONIES. THE STRONG HIVES ARE SLOWED DOWN TO KEEP FROM SWARMING, WHILE THE WEAKER HIVES ARE BOOSTED EXPONENTIALLY AND NOW HAVE SEVERAL FRAMES OF EXTRA BEES TO USE. 1 HATCHED FRAME OF BEES CAN COVER ALMOST 3 FRAMES INSIDE THE BROOD NEST.

DEALING WITH WEAK HIVES

• RECAP: APRIL IS THE MONTH OF GROWTH AND APIARY WIDE SWARMING DEPENDING ON COLONY STRENGTH. THE REASON I GRADE MY HIVES COMING OUT OF WINTER IS TO DETERMINE HOW LONG UNTIL THEY ARE PREPARING TO SWARM. IF I DON’T ESTABLISH A BASELINE OF WHERE THE COLONIES SHOULD BE BY APRIL, I KNOW THAT I HAVE A WEAK OR STRUGGLING COLONY (THIS IS VISUALLY OBVIOUS AS WELL). BECAUSE I’M WANTING TO BREAK HONEY BANDS ON MY STRONGER COLONIES, USING FRAMES FROM A WEAKER HIVE IS THE OBVIOUS SOLUTION FOR FINDING EMPTY COMBS.
• NORMAL CAUSES OF WEAK COLONIES: COLONY HAS SWARMED, COLONY HAS SUPERSEDED OLD QUEEN, DRONE LAYING QUEEN, LAYING WORKER, STILL GROWING OUT.
• COLONY HAS SWARMED: A COLONY THAT HAS SWARMED CAN LOOK TWO DIFFERENT WAYS, A) LARGER POPULATION WITH LOW COUNT FRAMES OF BROOD, OR B) SMALLER POPULATION OF BEES WITH JUST EGGS PRESENT OR NO EGGS PRESENT AT ALL… EXPLAIN! SWARM CELL WILL USUALLY STILL BE VISIBLE.
• COLONY HAS SUPERSEDED OLD QUEEN: CONDITIONS ARE USUALLY THE SAME AS THE SCENARIOS PRESENTED FOR A COLONY THAT HAS SWARMED. ONE EXCEPTION IS A STRONG HIVE WILL SUPERSEDE SEAMLESSLY AND THE ONLY SIGN THAT A SUPERSEDURE HAS TAKEN PLACE, IS THE OLD HATCHED CELL ON THE COMB.
• DRONE LAYING QUEEN: DRONE LAYING QUEENS SEEM HARD TO UNDERSTAND AT FIRST TO THE BEGINNING BEEKEEPERS, BUT ONCE OBSERVED, THEY ARE VERY OBVIOUS. DRONE LAYING QUEENS WILL REAR SPOTTY DRONE BROOD ALL OVER THE FACE OF THE COMBS. A HEALTHY-FERTILE BLOOM OF A QUEEN WILL ALWAYS BE UNIFORM. EXTREME CASES WILL HAVE A LARGE DISPROPORTION OF ADULT DRONES TO WORKER BEES WITH A LAYING QUEEN PRESENT.
• LAYING WORKER: THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LAYING WORKER AND A DRONE LAYING QUEEN IS THE PRESENCE OF CAPPED WORKER BROOD. WORKER BEES WITH ENLARGED OVARIES CAN LAY EGGS BUT THEY LACK THE PRESENCE OF A SPERMATHECA GLAND. THIS IS DUE TO THE DIETARY CHANGES DURING DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEMALE BEE. ADVANCED STAGES OF A LAYING WORKER WILL HAVE A MUCH LARGER PROPORTION OF DRONES TO FEMALES.

WHAT TO DO WITH WEAKER HIVES?

IN TWO OF THE “WEAK HIVE SCENARIOS,” I PERSONALLY RECOMMEND TO ADD FRAMES OF BROOD BACK TO THE WEAK COLONY TO BUILD THEM UP TO A PRODUCTION SIZE. THIS DOES TWO THINGS: A) EXPONENTIALLY BUILDS THE WEAKER HIVE IN A FEW DAYS AND B) SLOWS DOWN THE SWARM MACHINE OF THE LARGER COLONY THAT IS BEING TAKEN FROM. THE TWO SCENARIOS I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ARE SWARMED COLONIES AND SUPERSEDURE COLONIES. BY USING THE SAME METHOD OF BREAKING THE HONEY BAND, AN APIARIST CAN TAKE THE COMBS THAT ARE EMPTY OR HAVE BEE BREAD ON THEM FROM THE WEAKER COLONIES AND SWAP THEM FOR FRAMES OF MERGING BROOD FROM THE STRONG COLONIES. PLACE THE FRAMES OF MERGING BROOD TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BROOD BOX. DO THE SAME LIKEWISE WITH THE STRONG COLONY. PLACE THE EMPTY COMBS RIGHT BETWEEN THE FRAMES OF BROOD OF THE STRONG COLONY. HIVES DON’T LIKE THEIR BROOD NEST BEING DIVIDED BECAUSE IT DIVIDES UP THE CLUSTER AT NIGHT WHEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN 95°F FOR BROOD REARING.

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BECAUSE NOTHING IN BEEKEEPING IS ABSOLUTE, LET’S DISCUSS THE SCENARIOS FURTHER. BY THIS MEETING NIGHT AT CABA, APRIL 11, WE ARE ONLY A FEW WEEKS FROM THE MAIN HONEY FLOW. IF I WERE TO MAKE SPLITS WITH 3 FRAMES OF BROOD AND A CELL, I WOULD NOT MAKE A CROP OF HONEY OFF OF THESE SPLITS. IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 60 DAYS TO GET TO A FULL SIZE DEEP BOX FROM A 5 FRAME NUC. WHEN I ENTER EVERY ONE OF MY COLONIES, I CHECK FOR EGGS. IF I DON’T FIND EGGS, THE NEXT QUESTION IS HOW BIG IS THE POPULATION? IF IT’S A FULL DEEP OF BEES, I WILL ADD FRAMES OF BROOD (≈5 FRAMES) AND LET THEM RAISE THEIR OWN QUEEN. IF I HAVE OTHER UNDERSIZED QUEENRIGHT COLONIES, I WILL GIVE THOSE FRAMES OF BROOD TO THEM INSTEAD OF THE QUEENLESS COLONY. I WOULD RATHER BOOST A QUEENRIGHT COLONY THAT CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE ME A SMALLER CROP THAN TO ALLOW A QUEENLESS COLONY THAT WILL NOT MAKE ME A CROP TO RAISE THEIR OWN QUEEN. I WILL JUST ADD THE QUEENLESS COLONY TO ONE OF MY WEAKER QUEENRIGHT COLONIES TO GIVE THEM A WORKER POPULATION BOOST. THE KEY FACTOR IS WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE QUEENRIGHT.

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LAYING WORKERS CAN BE PLACED DIRECTLY ABOVE A STRONG QUEENRIGHT COLONY, WITHOUT ANY SHAKING OF BEES, AND THE LAYING WORKERS WILL REVERT BACK TO REGULAR WORKERS AGAIN. DON’T BE FANCY, JUST SAVE YOUR EQUIPMENT.

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WITH DRONE LAYING QUEENS, I WILL PERFORM A QUICK SCAN FOR THE QUEEN AND KILL HER. IF SHE CAN’T BE FOUND, I WILL BANG OUT ALL OF THE BEES IN THE GRASS BY REMOVING A FEW FRAMES FOR SPACE FOR BEES TO FALL BETWEEN AND PLACE THEM RIGHT ON TOP OF A STRONG QUEENRIGHT COLONY. IT’S NOT ABOUT SAVING THE SMALL AMOUNT OF BEES STILL LEFT ON THE COMBS, EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL JOIN UP WITH A NEIGHBOR COLONY, IT’S ABOUT NOT KILLING A YOUNGER VIABLE QUEEN WITH ONE THE SHOOTS BLANKS.

SWARMING: THE HOUSEL POSITIONING METHOD

IN NATURE, FERAL COLONIES WILL DRAW OUT THEIR COMBS WITH A “Y” SHAPE AT THE BASE OF THE CELLS. THE FIRST COMB THE SWARM DRAWS OUT AFTER MOVING WILL USUALLY BE WITH THE UPSIDE DOWN “Y” OR TAIL OF THE “Y” FACING UP. THIS UNIQUE FIRST COMB IS TO MARK THE CENTER OF THE BROOD NEST. FROM THAT COMB, ALL OTHER COMBS MOVING FROM THE INSIDE CENTER FRAME OUTWARDS WILL BE WITH THE UPSIDE DOWN “Y” FACING INWARDS AND THE RIGHT SIDE UP “Y” FACING OUTWARDS.

UPSIDE DOWN “Y”

RIGHT SIDE UP “Y”

SWARMING: HOUSEL POSITIONING METHOD

WHY DO I THINK THIS CAN BE IMPORTANT?

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• QUEENS NOT LAYING IN INSERTED DRAWN COMBS PLACED INTO THE BROOD NEST- AS A PART OF BROOD NEST MANAGEMENT, THE BEEKEEPER WILL PLACE FRAMES OF DRY OR RECENTLY EXTRACTED COMBS INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE BROOD NEST FOR THE QUEEN TO LAY IN. AFTER SUBSEQUENT HIVE CHECKS, THE BEES HAVE USED THE COMBS ON EITHER SIDE OF THAT COMB BUT HAVE NOT UTILIZED THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE. COULD IT BE FACING THE WRONG WAY?
• EXCESSIVELY BULGED/ DRAWN-OUT HONEY COMBS WITH THE NEXT FRAME EITHER BURRED OR HARDLY DRAWN- IT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO FIND BULGED/DRAWN-OUT COMBS 2-3 INCHES THICK IN SUPERS WITH NEW FOUNDATIONS, WHILE THE ADJOINING NEW FRAME OF FOUNDATION NEXT TO IT IS HARDLY TOUCHED OR IS BURRED IN PATTERN. WHEN YOU SEE THAT, CHECK TO SEE IF THE COMBS ARE FACING THE WRONG WAY.
• OFF CENTER FRAME USAGE IN HONEY SUPERS OR BROOD BOXES- MANY TIMES THE BEEKEEPER WILL ENTER A HIVE IN THE GROWTH PHASE OF THE HIVE AND FIND THAT THE HIVE HAS CHOSEN TO UTILIZE THE 3-6 FRAMES ON ONE SIDE OF THE BOX AND IGNORE THE OTHER SIDE COMPLETELY OR BEGIN TO FILL IT WITH NECTAR. THROUGH OBSERVATION, I HAVE REALIZED THAT 100% OF THE TIME I OBSERVED IT, THE COMBS WERE FACING BACKWARDS.
• BURRED FOUNDATION/ OVERLAID FOUNDATION- THIS ONE I HAVE OBSERVED ESPECIALLY TO BE TRUE. WHEN DRAWING NEW COMBS, THE BEES WILL MAKE BURR COMB BETWEEN THE TWO FRAMES THAT ARE FACING THE WRONG WAY. THIS MAKES A MESS TRYING TO CORRECT BECAUSE IT IS USUALLY FILLED WITH NECTAR OR DRONE BROOD. OTHER TIMES, THE BEES, IRRESPECTIVE OF BEE SPACE BEING PROPER, WILL MAKE A WHOLE NEW SHEET OF DRAWN COMB OFF OF THE EXISTING FRAME THAT IS PRESENT IN THE BOX. IF YOU OBSERVE THE POSITION OF THE “Y” IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CELL OF THE FRAME AND THEN THE POSITION OF THE “Y” IN THE BOTTOM OF THE COMB THE BEES BUILT, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THEY ARE OPPOSING EACH OTHER.
• TRANSITIONAL COMBS WITH VARIOUS CELLS SIZES ARE BUILT- TRANSITIONAL COMBS ARE COMBS THAT ARE USED TO TRANSITION THE BROOD NEST FROM WORKER BROOD PRODUCTION TO DRONE BROOD PRODUCTION AND FOOD STORAGE. THESE COMBS ARE SIMILAR TO OVERLAID COMBS BUT ARE OVERLAID AND CONNECTED TO THE SHEET OF FOUNDATION WITH NO SPACE BETWEEN. ON THESE COMBS, NUMEROUS CELL SIZES ARE BUILT AND CAUSES CONFUSION IN THE BROOD NEST DUE TO BACKWARDS FACING COMBS.
• EXCESSIVE REQUEENING AND UNTIMELY REQUEENING- BEEKEEPERS ADD SPACE FOR THE COLONY AND COME BACK TO FIND A REQUEENING IN PROGRESS WITH A FEW CELLS BEING RAISED IN THE WORKER LARVA. THIS CAN BE ESPECIALLY FRUSTRATING WHEN IT OCCURS JUST PRIOR TO A HONEY FLOW COMING ON. BEEKEEPERS CAN CHANGE NOTHING FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR IN THE BROOD NEST AND KNOW THEY HAVE A YOUNG QUEEN PRESENT; SUDDENLY A REQUEENING EVENT OCCURS. WHY WOULD COLONIES WANT TO REQUEEN MORE THAN ONCE THROUGHOUT THE ACTIVE BEEKEEPING YEAR?

SWARMING: HOUSEL POSITIONING METHOD CONTINUED

“FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN OUR COLONIES, IT IS A COMB POSITIONING PROBLEM WITH THE FRAMES IN BACKWARDS. WITH THE COMB POSITIONED BACKWARDS AND THUS OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH OTHER COMBS IN PROPER SEQUENCE, BEEKEEPERS CAN TRIGGER SPONTANEOUS REQUEENING IN COLONIES BY FAILING TO NOTE WHICH WAY THE “Y” FORMATION IS FACING. BEEKEEPERS MUST TAKE NOTE AND REMEMBER ONE WAY THE FORMATION OF THE “Y” FACES IS INVERTED AND DOWN, CREATING A LEDGE FOR LARVA TO LAY UPON THAT HONEYBEES USE FOR FAST BUILD-UP FOLLOWING SWARMING, ETC. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMB AND/OR FOUNDATION, THE “Y” FORMATION FACES UP AND HELPS TO FORM A SLANTED ROOF, TO PROTECT LARVA AND STORES GATHERED FROM SUN, RAIN, ETC. BUT, THE SLANTED ROOF OF THE “Y” FORMATION FACING UP HAS ANOTHER PURPOSE IN A COLONY! FOR IT IS ONLY ON THE SIDE WHERE THE “Y” FORMATION FACES UP, AND HELPS TO FORM THIS SLANTED ROOF, THAT HONEYBEES RAISE “QUEEN CELLS” THAT FACE DOWNWARD FOR REQUEENING” (LUSBY & LUSBY, 1991, pp. 343-344).

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SOURCES:

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• LUSBY, D., & LUSBY, E. (1991). BIOLOGICAL BEEKEEPING-THE WAY BACK (pp. 1-634). X-STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY.

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• THE SCHOOL OF HEARTACHE AND HARD KNOCKS (1997-2023)