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Late Winter �and �Early Spring Hive Management

Claude Nutt

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Introduction

Claude has been a beekeeper for thirty-five years. During that time he has definitely learned what not to do, but what follows is what works for him. His apiary is in the Brownsboro Road area. Claude says that like all beekeepers, he’s still learning! Please post your questions in the Chat feature and we can discuss at the end of the presentation.

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LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT

Presenter: Claude Nutt, cnutt@bellsouth.net

Acknowledgements

  1. The Beekeeper’s Handbook, 5th addition, by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile
  2. Hive Management, A Seasonal Guide for Beekeepers, by Richard E. Bonney
  3. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, by Dewey M. Caron and Lawrence J. Connor
  4. “Why Did My Bees Die?” by Megan Milbrath, Bee Culture, March 2020
  5. Kevin Hale, haleshoney
  6. “Winter Management” by William Hesbach, Bee Culture, Nov 2016, pg. 63
  7. “100% Overwintering Success in Ohio”, by Tom and Fran Davidson, ABJ, Oct 2016, pg. 1125
  8. Many other sources; written, oral, and visual too numerous to mention!

A Few Reliable Sources of Information

  1. The Kentucky Beekeeper’s Calendar by Thomas C. Webster
  2. Bob Binnie – youtube.com
  3. Univ. of Guelph Honey Bee Research Centre (Canada) 

Great Book for Winter Reading

The Lives of Bees, by Thomas D. Seeley (available at Lou. Free Public Library)

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Goal of this presentation - To help you make beekeeping successful!

 

This presentation is NOT THE ONLY WAY TO MANAGE, but it works for me.

  • Over the last 5 years, I have had an average winter loss of 10%. Sometimes 0%, but nothing over 19%.

 

 

Quick review of Pre-winter Chores: Bees begin in August and you should too!

 

  1. I like to have my honey supers off July 15 or better still July 1st. There is generally a summer dearth and I feed my bees sugar syrup. (up to you 1:1 or 2:1 )
  2. In a dearth, robbing will be rampant, with or without feed. Play it safe and install robbing screens.
  3. Aug. 1st monitor for mites and treat if necessary. (Bees begin to raise “fat bees”)
  4. Unite weak hive with strong hive.
  5. Take out queen excluder.
  6. Add mouse guards, and/or entrance reducers before 1st frost.
  7. To close or not to close screened bottom. (Up to you - I close)

 

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Pre-winter Chores, continued

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8. Provide wind break. (Natural vegetation, political signs, fencing)

9. Add sugar shim

10. Insulation on top of inner cover (Wrap is an option - I don’t)

11. Ventilation, quilt boxes

12. Tilt hive from back to allow water to flow out the front.

13. In September, feed 2:1 sugar syrup to get up to target weight. (I like 45-50 pounds of stores, a deep full of stores weighs approx. 7 pounds )

14. About Nov 15th, if still need to feed, switch to solids such as sugar bricks or fondant. (Bees can’t reduce moisture in cold weather)

15. Upper entrance. (Up to you)

16. Strap down hive. (I have had deer knock over hives in search of food, also strong winds.) At least put brick or rock on top.

  1. When there is no brood in the hives, November, December or January, do an oxalic vapor treatment for varroa mites. (Up to you.)

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LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT

What to do and when to do it!

 

More hives starve in February and March than at any other time.

Bees eat more in mild weather and go through stores faster.

 

  1. Heft test every hive. If lite, feed 2:1 syrup if fairly warm, or sugar bricks, etc. Can pry up inner cover to slip in sugar cakes, etc. directly on top of the frames where cluster is. Can use baggies to feed syrup in same way.
  2. On a warm day, (50 plus degrees)
  3. Observe entrance for activity.
  4. O.K. to open top cover for a quick (No more than 1 min.) look to assess size of cluster and location. Do Not Remove Frames!

3. Knock on side of hive and listen for buzz.

4. Close up and remove any dead outs. If no American Foul Brood, can reuse equipment.

5. February 15th start feeding 1:1 sugar syrup and protein patties (See recipes at end)

6. March 1st begin looking at Red Maple trees for bloom.

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LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT, continued

 

7. Last year (2021) bloom record:

  1. 3-15 Red Maple
  2. 3-20 Forsythia
  3. 3-25 Dandelion
  4. O.K. to open top cover for a quick (No more than 1 min.) look to assess size of cluster and location. Do Not Remove Frames!

8. When the entire cluster has moved to top hive body, reverse placing cluster in bottom position and empty on top. Don’t separate brood.

9. Weather permitting, above 70 degrees, can remove and look at frames for queen’s condition and brood pattern. Keep examination brief (1 or 2 min) otherwise brood can become chilled.

  1. Early March: Score colonies by number of frames covered with bees, i.e. 10-7 strong, 6-4 medium, and 1-3 weak. Mark score on top of hive cover.

11. Consider options for weak hive depending on management goals (Honey or bee production)

    • Combine weak with medium for honey production.
    • Take brood from strong and give to weak.
    • Replace queen in weak hives, feed, feed, feed, and hope for the best. (Not my choice.) Queen availability?

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LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT, continued

 

12. Depending on weather, honey flow begins Apr. 15th.

  1. Count backwards. (Do the math). 21 days plus 10-15 to become forager. So say February 15th, emerge March 8th, plus 15 is March 23rd.

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WINTER CHORES

 

  1. Build, repair, replace equipment.
  2. Order equipment for spring. Remember suppliers run out due to heavy demands.
  3. Get ready for spring. Have 3 honey supers for each hive.
  4. Spend some time planning:
  5. Review what went well, what didn’t last season
  6. Make goals and plans. Remember a goal without a plan is just a wish.
  7. Watch some videos, read some beekeeping books.
  8. Try something new, learn, plan.

5. Learn how to:

  1. Use swarm cells to make splits,
  2. Control swarming,
  3. Use a double screen board. 
  4. Consider a Tower Hive

 

 

 

 

 

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RECIPES

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Kent Williams’ Sugar Cake

10 lbs. sugar

1 ½ cup apple cider

1 ¼ tbs of lemon grass oil

1 ¼ tbs of powdered citric acid

Mix put into alum. pie plate and smooth out.

Score or divide into sections.

Let dry until harden (usually 3-4 days)

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MORE RECIPES

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My Lazy Sugar Cakes

Mix by weight

4 lbs. of sugar

6 oz of water or 1:1 sugar syrup

Mix as above

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Pollen/Sugar Patties

9 cups Ultra Bee Dry Feed

3 cups sugar

Mix and add enough 2:1 sugar syrup to make consistency of peanut butter. Place onto wax paper about large hamburger portions ½ inch thick.

  

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Thank you

Claude Nutt

cnutt@bellsouth.net

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