May 30

May 29 – Apiary Update

Good Morning fellow bee sustainers.  Hope you all had a good Memorial Day as you took some time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Thought I would bring you up o date on what I know is going on in our Apiary.

  1.  Just over two weeks ago we replaced Irene’s Queen.  A few days later we went back to make sure she was released (she was) and discovered her old queen still milling around.  We captured her and ended her life quickly.  We did catch a glimpse of the new queen as she is marked, but we need to get back in this hive ASAP and determine for sure she is well and laying.
  2. Checked on Keli’s hive as well as my new hive.  Both hives seem to be adjusting nicely.  I checked on all the hives in the apiary with an external observation only.  All hives appear healthy and busy as they should be.
  3. we also need to check Leigh’s new queen.  All looks well, but need to check and see that her laying is up to par.
  4. this appears to be the season of lost queens.  Went to my Alexis Apiary yesterday and discovered a queenless hive.  I decided to combine this hive with my new swarm of bees.  I used tissue paper to separate them and by the time they eat through, all should be well!
  5. Any visit we make to the apiary should not only include our own hives and the scheduled work we need to do…but also should include an observation of all hives in our apiary.  You are welcome to remove the observation panel on the top bar hive and not the progress our bees are making here with all natural cone.  If you see anything out of the ordinary, please report your me right away.  As a new beekeeper, Sandy has done a wonderful job of observing our bees and had noticed several unusual events that allowed us to save some bees both times.  It is important that we all support and help each other.
  6. Sean and Andy should be doing weekly Inspections to make sure they have their hives properly supered.  Not only do you lose Honey, you can also lose half your bees due to swarming caused by over crowding.
May 24

Do Honeybees Carry Their Eggs From Cell to Cell?

I love it when you ask me questions even I do not know the answer to!

Okay, someone in our group asked the question because they saw what appeared to be an egg being transported by one of her queens.  Here is what I found out from one of my reliable sources.  Just click on the link below to learn some things I did not know!

Do honey bees move eggs from cell to cell?

May 23

New Bees and New Queen And New Things Learned!

Just having some fun with my granddaughter and her love for bandaids.

This weekend I took Keli on a fabulous trip to West Jefferson to fetch some new bees and remaining equipment for our apiary.  It was a wonderful trip and Keli fell in love with West Jefferson, as most people do.  We came back to reinstall bees for Keli and my yellow hive at the Apiary.  We also picked up replacement bees for Erin Denison.  Shelly Felder, Master Beekeeper and owner of the Honey Hole absolutely stands behinds behind her bees and all products she sells us.  Some of you ask why I go to West Jefferson for bees and supplies…..her knowledge, customer service, and warranty is second to none….this is why!

The new bees have been installed successfully and we also picked up a new queen from Tommy Helms last Friday and installed it in Joe and Irene’s hive.  Sunday we came back to check their hive and make sure the new queen was released (she was) and discovered the old queen was still in the hive.  We continued to look for both queens for over an hour s we lost sight of the old queen and for the longest time could find neither.  The new queen should be easy to find as she has a nice yellow dot of paint on her head.  The more we looked, the more dismal I felt as I feared the old queen had already destroyed the new queen.  However, as we were about to give up, I spotted the new queen in all her glory up against the inside of the hive.  She quickly disappeared in a mass of bees.  With new determination we sought out and found the old queen.  Once we spotted her we took her out and ended her life quickly.  We were fortunate to find her and get rid of her as she would have easily killed the new younger, smaller, queen.  Remember…one queen per hive!

All this to remind us that we must be careful when we inspect hives and find swarm cells (queen cells).  Our first inclination must NOT be just to cut the cell out and discard it!  Rather, we now need to complete our hive inspection and determine if we have a working queen.  If there is no capped and uncapped brood….or the number is substantially down…leave the swarm cells alone.  The hive knows what it is doing.

Unfortunately I forgot to ask Irene how the rest of the hive was doing and they removed a very nice queen cell…causing us to have to find and buy a queen.  Unfortunately her queen, though not dead, had aged out and was no longer producing.  In her case, she should have left the cell alone and the hive would have produced the much needed new queen.

also, just cutting out a queen cell is not your only alternative.  You have the makings of a new hive and can use that queen cell as the nucleus of this hive.  I will place a new lesson on this next, so watch for it!

We all continue to learn at the Smith Educational Apiary resulting in better Beekeepers.  Oh yes, and black snakes have been sighted crawling up our hives.  Leave the alone…they are chasing and capturing mice who are an enemy of our hives.  Black snakes do not eat bees and will not harm our bees…in fact they are protecting them.

Would love to hear from all of you and how things are going with your hive….new things you have learned or observed, and any questions you may have.

To Bee or not you Bee….this is the question!

G

May 13

Swarm Mystery Solved!


Well,Queen Marilyn (Keli’s Bees) are the ones who decided to swarm.  Marilyn now lives with her subjects in the Top Bar Hive as I was able capture them in my swarm box.  Notice how I have added the approximately 1000 bees left behind to Irene’s hive which is the weaker hive in our Apiary.  Otherwise these late hatching left behind bees would all die.  We also discovered Irene’s problem.  She had plastic foundation rather than bees wax foundation that had not been painted with bees wax.  This is unacceptable for the bees and they have been tejecting it.  We have now taken both off these boxes off and added a box with wax foundation.  Hoping this will inspire her queen to start laying better.  The good news for Kelly is I am picking up a new Nuc of bees for her next Saturday and we will get her back in track!  This has been a very busy week that has really tested my knowledge of Beekeeping!  Glad I went to bee school!  Thank you Gaston County Bee Association!

May 13

When do I had another box to my hive?

When to Super my hive?

All of you must now monitor your hives and make sure that you add another box (medium super) when the time is right.  This means you will need to have another super on hand at all times so you can be in front of this and prevent swarming.   I invite you to watch the following videos for further understanding and and “how to’s”!

When to add the next box to my hive

My next Super for my hive

May 12

Latest Update on our Apiary and Hive Checks – May 11

Today Harper put on her bee suit for the first time and completed a hive inspection with the Blacks and her Big brother! What a wonderful experience.

May 11 – Smith Educational Bee Apiary Update

I am happy to report that the swarm we captured has taken thus far in our new Apiary Top Bar Hive. By next week I will allow you to remove the observation window and view the spectacular natural cone building by our wonderful bees. I believe this swarm may have come from one of our hives at the apiary…either Sean or Andy’s hive. Both appeared strong enough to sustain such an event. My observations today could not determine which hive may have swarmed as both are still plenty strong. If your hive swarmed, the bad news is you lost 50% of your bees. The good news is you have a brand new young queen. I suggest you both do a hive inspection and perhaps you can determine if this event was in fact one that affected your hive.

Sandy spotted unusual behavior in Keli’s hive. I immediately dropped what I was doing and rushed over. Sure enough, as I suspected, the screen on top of the feeder was not in the proper position and we had about 300+ drowned bees. We were quickly able to correct the situation, cleaning her feeder, refilling with fresh sugar water, and installing the screen properly. The drowned bees were not just hers, but were other bees robbing from the feeder as well. We must all be careful that when we are feeding bees that we install the top screen is placed in such away that there is no entry available to them. I am so proud that this year’s students are so enthusiastic about their learning. Spotting this situation by a newbie shows just how serious you are taking the art of becoming a bee sustainers.

At the Apiary, everyone is responsible for their hive and should not work or assist other hives without permission from the owner and/or me. There will be times you are away and will need assistance and this is fine. Now obviously there are emergency situations, like you find a hive pushed over, that requires immediate response. In order to save the hive it must be put back together immediately. The bottom line is we need to communicate with each other. For those of you who are keeping your hives at your home, the expectation is that you will visit and observe the hives at the Apiary from time to time.

Also, The idea has been brought forward that we have some evenings from time to time where we gather aa a group and share what we are learning as well as a chance to ask questions, etc. I think this is an excellent idea and plan to perhaps have some of these at my home or perhaps ask Irene if we can have the coffee shop on an evening from time to time. What are your thoughts on this matter.

Today I also met with Bobby and Melanie to do a complete hive inspection of their hive. While we never spotted Queen Estella, we KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt she is hard at work. With the exception of the two end frames, she has complete filled the deep box slap full of brood! The girls have also filled the top medium 40% full of nectar (soon to become capped honey). With this in mind we have taken the top feeder off their hive and also removed the hive entrance restrictor. We have also done this for Sandy’s hive as well for the same reasons.

 

May 11

Top Bar Hive Populated !

Good Morning Fellow Bee Sustainers!

Yesterday I received a call from Frances Smith informing me the Swarm Trap I had set in one of her Bradford Pears was full of bees.  I road over and took a look and sure enough we had captured a large swarm.

This morning Harper and I headed to the Apiary with my bee retrieval equipment and a ladder very early to retrieved the swarm box.  We have been hoping for a swarm to populate our new top bar hive at the Apiary .  After some shaking and brushing we closed up the hive and now we wait for the bees to settle in and discover their sugar water.  There is an observation window you may remove to see them at work as they build natural cone.  By next week at this time they will be settled in and you can observe their building activity.  Yes, by next week they will have already built out some new cone.  Want to learn more?  See links below!

Videos on Top Bar Hives:

Top Bar Hive Basic

What is a Top Bar Hive

Learning Top Bar Hive Keeping

 

 

 

May 10

Always use text when you need me!

Please do not hesitate to text me or email when you need me or to set up an appointment.  Use comment section on blog to let me know when you have read the blog, have general comments, observations, or questions. I was not very clear with my last comments in the blog.  Texting is always best or even a phone call for concerns, issues, and setting up times to be together!

 

Sorry for the confusion!

G

May 10

May 10 – Bee Team Update

 

Note how we have reduced the size of Keli’s hive as we allow the hive to grow stronger.  We also placed top feeder right on top of the brood box.

This is just an update on several items that have occurred in the past week.

1. Our new Bee Team is up and running and we now have a total of 10 working bee sustainers thanks to our Educational apiary program. All new bees were installed successfully. A big thank you to Josh Anders, Leigh Brinkley, and Andy Lathan who were present and helped with the new bee installs at our apiary.

2. Last Thursday Sandy and I made checks of all the hives in the apiary. Some of these were just a peak inside, and others more aggressive. Our findings are as follows

– Sean’s hive just got a peak inside of the top super. Bees were making a good deal of progress with this top super. Sean will need to monitor closely and should be prepared to add another super.

– Andy’s hive also got a peak. Also a very strong hive that must be monitored for its next super.

– Irene and Joe’s hive have finally gotten their house in order. We were able to reverse the hive and place the deep back on the bottom. Hive making good progress and must also be monitored for a new super.

– Keli’s new hive is a weaker hive for now with less bees than a super normally contains. We completed a thorough inspection of the hive, located a very big queen, plenty of new brood. Time should take care if this weaker hive. We placed an entrance reducer on front which will protect this weaker hive as it grows. We removed the top super completely and added the feeder directly on top of the brood box. We will add the medium box back later after the hive grows a bit. Giving bees too much space is not a god idea as it is more difficult to defend from pests.

– Sandy,s new hive has an incorrect medium frame in the deep box. Even though the bees have added and built it out, it was our intention to replace it….however, our inspection told us to leave it alone as it was full of capped brood. The bees in this hive have already begun work in the medium box above. This is a very strong set of bees.

2. I am finding it is best to communicate more and more through our blog rather than email as it always sends you notification. I will only use email or text in an emergency. When you get notification, please take the time to read the new post or new lesson posted. Lots of information here.

3. Encourage others to join our blog. Share our link and remind them to sign up for the blog on the right side as they scroll down a bit.

4. Remember, you can post comments, questions, or even verify that you have read the latest postings (which is helpful to me). In fact, I should remind everyone that when you receive a new post, you should let me know you have read it. You may send an email, text, or post a comment on the blog that you have read this (preferred).

5.  Sometime this week all new beekeepers need to complete your first hive inspection.  I suggest you have me present to guide you through this process.  Also, I have posted some new videos in Lesson 10A for you to view.  Sandy is good to go and does not need to do this as we completed multiple inspections together last week.

I encourage all of you to start posting your observations and Hive Inspections on our blog so we may all share and learn together!

Bee Happy! 🐝🐝🐝
G

There is only one real reason to keep bees, and that is because they are fascinating. If you just want honey, make friends with a beekeeper.
-Australia beekeeper, Adrian the Bee Man

 

May 8

10 Mistakes New Beekeepers Make

Found this this very timely article Article in an online magazine I read, “Beekeeping Like A Girl”.  She is a wonderful beekeeper and I have included the link to the entire article and all comments in the title below.  Just click the title if you want to read all the comments and enjoy her online magazine!

 

10 MISTAKES NEW BEEKEEPERS MAKE
Many new beekeepers learn things the hard way. As a beekeeping instructor, it’s my job to keep my students from meeting this all too common fate! Read on to find out the mistakes I see most often and how to avoid them.

With so much to learn as a new beekeeper, missteps are as inevitable as beestings! Yet failures do provide an opportunity for learning. I often console my students after such events with the phrase, “It happens to us all” and this is absolutely true. I see the same set of errors over and over again. Many of them I made myself as a beginner! I hope this list will keep some of you from following in my footsteps.

1. Assessing colony health based solely on the level of ‘bee traffic’.
I encourage beekeepers to observe their hives from the outside on a weekly or even daily basis. There is useful information to gain by doing this. You may observe if your bees are bringing pollen or even catch a pesky ant invasion. It’s also a good idea to make yourself familiar with what is ‘normal’ for your bees in terms of traffic (the number of bees flying in and out of the hive), also in regards to the number of dead bees near your hive. That way you can recognize any changes if and when they happen. Despite these merits, observation from the outside is no substitute for hive inspections. Often if a problem is noticeable from the outside of the hive, it has progressed too far to be remedied. Inspections, when done properly, will catch problems early and give the beekeeper a chance to fix them before too much damage is done. Inspections also provide new beekeepers with the opportunity to learn. For that reason, I recommend that new beekeepers inspect their hives once every 2-4 weeks, but no more often than that. Inspections are stressful for bees and they disturb the carefully controlled atmospheric conditions within the hive. Many experienced beekeepers perform less frequent inspections on their older, more established colonies because of this. To a new newbee, this can sound like a catch-22, but I firmly believe new beekeepers should inspect their hives regularly for learning purposes and because it is likely that their colonies are also new and therefore less stable.
2. Not recognizing queelessness.

This was my first big mistake as a new beekeeper and I do my best to make sure others avoid it. Many new beekeepers have the misconception that colonies that lose their queen will alter their behavior in such a dramatic way that it will be obvious that something is wrong. They observe plentiful bee traffic at the entrance, they inspect and find lots of honey and bees inside! They make the mistake that everything is going well, because they are not looking carefully at their bees. So what happens when your colony loses it’s queen? At first everything will look normal to the untrained eye. The population will remain close to the same, bees will continue to forage, build comb and feed larvae. However, without a queen to lay eggs, your hive’s population will gradually decline. The first sign will be a lack of eggs, then a lack of young larvae, eventually your colony will have no brood at all. A beehive cannot survive without its queen. Every day worker bees will die of old age and they will not be replaced. The population will start to noticeably drop. You may see an increase in honey and pollen because without any larvae to care for the bees can focus entirely on foraging. If your colony is queenless for too long, they hit a point of no return. This is why I make all of my students learn to recognize eggs. Finding eggs in your hive tells you not only that you had a queen as of at least three days ago, but it tells you that she is laying! Her one, all-important function. I check for eggs every single time I inspect a hive and encourage all of my students to do the same. This one rule has saved so many of my students from losing their colonies.
3. Leaving out frames or placing empty supers.

If there is one practical thing you should know about the behavior of bees as a new beekeeper, it’s that they will build comb in any empty space you give them. Beehive hardware is designed with this in mind and everything fits just so to keep bees building only in the spaces you want them to build in. Langstroth hives are built in two styles meant to hold either 10 or 8 frames. If you put less frames in than the box is meant to hold, the bees will build rogue comb in the empty space. If you add a super to your hive and you do not put in the frames, you will end up with a whole box of cross comb attached to the roof of your hive. This can be a real mess to fix and there is no reason to do it! So, always make sure you have the proper number of frames in your hives. **Some exceptions I should mention are, beekeepers may prefer to use one less frame in their boxes (9 frames instead of 10) to give them more room to work hives during inspections. As long as you space your frames evenly this is acceptable. Also, one feeding technique involves adding an empty super and placing a feeder inside. If you do this, you should place an inner cover between the bees and this empty super with the feeder, you should also take care to remove the super once you are no longer feeding.
4. Harvesting honey too early or taking too much.

It can be difficult to know how much or when to take honey from your colony. As general rule of thumb, do not take honey from a colony in its first year. Often the bees aren’t strong enough yet to make an excess amount and they need every drop they have to make it through winter. If your colony is strong and has plentiful stores, how much you can harvest varies greatly by geographical location. In Southern California, I like to leave my colonies with at least 40lbs of honey (for reference, a single deep frame filled with honey can weigh 8-10lbs). In cold climates I have been told the bees need at least 100lbs. It is devastating to lose a hive to starvation after a honey harvest. Be conservative. Seek advice from local beeks on how much honey should be left with the bees.
5. Not feeding new colonies.

In general, I think beekeepers feed their bees sugar water too readily and often to the detriment of their bees, but there are a few exceptions and this is one of them. When you buy a package of bees, you MUST feed them. Package bees are confused, weak and they have no honey. It takes a least a month of consistent feeding to get them on their feet. If you fail to do this, you will likely lose the colony in the fall. Unless you are in a particularly nectar-rich area, you typically must feed nucleus colonies as well. For those who are hesitant to feed, I suggest you let your nuc sit for a week and then inspect to see if they are building any new comb. If they are not, you need to feed them. Feeding will stimulate starter colonies to build new comb and increase their population. It is critical that new colonies do this in the spring if they are to survive the winter. As far as feeding swarms goes, it’s not always necessary, but if you notice your swarm is not growing in size it is a good idea to step in and feed them. You can read my in depth opinion on feeding in my previous post: Should I Feed My Bees?
6. Placing your hive in a troublesome location.

When placing your hive, you want to find a level, clear space in ideally full sun. Make sure you have enough room to stand and work comfortably behind the hive and/or to the side of it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to help a new beekeeper and found that they had placed their hive on an unstable slope or in the middle of some thorny rose bushes. Consider also where you face the entrance to the hive. For about 5-10 feet, there will be a high amount of bee activity on that side of the hive. You do not want to face it at a neighbor’s pool or at your vegetable garden. Make sure to place your hive so that there is about a 10ft radius of unfrequented space.
7. Not properly suiting up.

New beekeepers tend to have a slightly idealized concept of what beekeeping will be like. They see videos of experienced beekeepers inspecting their hives with no bee suit on and they think they can do the same. The truth is even seasoned beekeepers get stung when they are not wearing their suit, but they know how to keep the bees calm and what to do if they aren’t calm. This is something you may learn with time, but for now it’s better to play it safe and suit up. Even if you do not have an allergy, too many stings can land you in the hospital. Just because your bees were calm during one inspection, does not mean they will always be calm. Bee temperament is influenced by many factors, so resist the urge to draw judgements based on only a few inspections. It takes time to get to know your bees. Be patient. I’ve heard several stories from students who made this mistake. Some deliberately did not wear their suit, others put their suit on only part of the way or wore improper footwear and were taken by surprise when the bees started stinging. Always suit up and double check your zippers and weak points before opening your hive. Ignoring this lesson could seriously jeopardize your health and may turn you off beekeeping prematurely. **This is especially true in Africanized bee zones.
8. Not using your smoker.

Natural beekeepers are sometimes reluctant to use their smoker. The smoke makes the bees think a wildfire is near and triggers them to gorge on honey. The bees do this so that if they need to evacuate, they do not lose all their honey. It keeps them distracted from what you are doing and the smell of the smoke also blocks chemical signals the bees send to one another. Signals that might organize a defense attack against you. To a new beekeeper, this can all sound pretty stressful. It might lead them to believe that they are better off not smoking their bees. Or maybe the beekeeper just did not know exactly what the smoke did and they are taken by surprise when the bees attacked them. Either way, I am going to make the case for why you should always have your smoker. When you do not use your smoker the bees will likely react defensively. They will sting your beesuit and they will die. You may end up killing a large number of bees in this way and you could also endanger your neighbors if the bees become especially agitated. Neighbors who get stung tend not to be very understanding. They may report you to the city or worse, they may try to vandalize your hive. At the very least they may result in bad PR for backyard beekeepers and in the end that doesn’t help any of us, including the bees! Now, there are some alternatives to smoke that some believe are less stressful. Essential oil and water mixtures that you can spray in a squirt bottle or some simply spray sugar water. I am not against experimenting with these methods, but you should still have a smoker on hand because it is the most effective. Personally, I think the concept of a wildfire is a whole lot more natural than spraying bees with sugar water or oils so, I prefer to use a smoker.
9. Starting with just one colony.

I recommend that you start with at least two colonies. Managing two hives instead of one will not take much more work and it has several advantages. First, when you have two colonies, you learn more. Simply being able to compare two hives side by side will provide opportunities for this, but you could also test for specific theories. Maybe you want to try two different hives styles or two different breeds of bees. You might compare the success of a nuc vs. a package. Second, having two hives will give you management advantages. Maybe one colony is weak, while the other is strong. You could take some brood from the strong colony to help boost your weak colony. Maybe you lose a queen in one colony and they fail to make a new one. You can take eggs from your other colony to try and make your queenless colony queenright. Lastly, new beekeepers often lose their hives. Having two gives you a better change of keeping one alive in your first year.
10. Being satisfied with a limited knowledge of beekeeping.

I have met many a backyard beekeeper who seemed content with the fact that they do not understand what they are looking at when they go into their hives to do an inspection. They are happy to leave the bees mostly alone and then go in every once in awhile to take honey or to make sure there are still bees inside. Personally, this always shocks me. Learning about the bees is the best part of beekeeping! They are such fascinating creatures, the more I learn, the more I want to know. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information on beekeeping and just sort of give up on understanding, but anything worth doing, is worth doing right. Make the effort. There are so many resources available. Classes, mentors, books, documentaries, forums, blogs, YouTube videos! Find what works for you and never stop learning. Uneducated hobbyists make us all look the fool!

Reply
Helen Hickey
December 17th, 2015
Amen, 10 times over! ALL of these points we have discussed at one time or another with almost every new beekeepr we mentor. This 10 point presentation needs to be presented to ALL new beeks taking the Beekeeping Class, and is WHY we are successful with those who DO understand these 10 points, as we have not used chemicals since 2003! New beekeepers need to understand the basics, and the FACT that everything you see on the internet may NOT apply to YOUR BEES, YOUR FORAGE AVAILABILITY, OR YOUR GPS LOCATION! I WOULD MAKE PROVIDING ENOUGH DIVERSE BEE FORAGE TO COVER THE WHOLE GROWING SEASON. #11.

Reply
Armin E. Schmidt
September 10th, 2016
Hilary, 10 mistakes is brilliant and spot on.

Reply
Kyra
December 8th, 2015
Love this, thank you. Headed into my first winter with a hive and relating to many of these missteps.

Reply
Steve Sweet
December 10th, 2015
Not a word about mites in any of the 10 potential mistakes. A new beek could diligently follow the advice associated with all 10 mistakes. However, without managing your mites, at the end of three years, all you’re going to have is empty boxes and neighbors overrun by the mite bombs created by your dead bees. The advice here is a nothing more than a one-way ticket for a quick trip into the Trough of Disillusionment.

Reply
Hilary
December 10th, 2015
Hi Steve,

Mite treatment is a controversial topic I did not care to tackle in this post. I happen to be a treatment free beekeeper so, I disagree with you completely. I wouldn’t consider not treating for mites a mistake. I’m really tired of the fear mongering mite-bomb theory people have been throwing around. Have you thought about how as a pro treatment beekeeper you are weakening the entire gene pool? Treatments = weaker bees and stronger mites. Aside from all that, this is also not a comprehensive catalogue of every possible mistake a new beekeeper can make so you’ll have to excuse me for not including the other 9,999 other mistakes new beeks make.

Reply
SIBA
December 10th, 2015
It’s a good article Hilary, but I agree with Steve about “doing something” for mites. You have to. The mite-bomb is not a theory. I have yards where I treat… and yards that I don’t just to be able to see and talk both sides. At minimum, you have to do some OTS/splitting/requeening (www.mdasplitter.com) or your mites will eventually outbreed the bees… if not in 3 years, then 4. There’s a list called BEE-L that has all the biggest minds in beekeeping, scientists, and hobbyists alike… all with different points of view, philosophies… and experience. One thing everyone agrees on is that there’s no question you have to actively manage mites. I agree it’s a huge topic for a new beekeeper. I do mite washes (I’ll assume we agree that this gives an incredibly accurate measurement of a mite infestation in a hive). If it’s October (I live in Indiana) and I come up with 6 mites per 100 bees, I would not expect that hive to last the winter. If they did, they would be sick in the spring. So the question is what do we do now? Let it turn in to a mite-bomb… that helps no one… or do something about it. A treatment-free beekeeper can do nothing about it… and in my treatment free yard… I would fold up that hive. I’ll leave it at that. I tell my mentees to use the first year to get to know the bees and do the 10 things you list above, again great article… and not to be discouraged if they lose some bees. It happens. Beekeeping is not like raising chickens. You do have to be watching, and learning. Only time and experience will allow newer beeks to retain what they see and learn and it’s hard to do it right in the first year. Kind regards. Jason

Reply
Hilary
December 11th, 2015
I usually requeen when I see a colony struggling with mites. Treatment free does not mean “do nothing”. If you really want to give treatment free a shot, I find that the reason most people fail is because they cannot find the genetics necessary. It takes time to weed out the strong bees and breed from them. If you aren’t breeding your own, you really have to find a treatment free breeder. You can’t expect to take bees that are dependent on treatment to survive. I intend to write an article about this soon. Thanks for your comment.

Reply
Susan T Rudnicki
December 15th, 2015
Jason and Steve—-the sucesses of venerable beeks like Sam Comfort, (Anarchy Apiaries) Kirk Webster (Vermont), Dee Lusby (Arizona) Michael Bush (Nebraska) and Don Schram (Michigan) —to name just a few—-who are all treatment free, small cell, survivor stock keeping is to put the lie to the “you have to treat” mythology. For all I respect the folks on BEE-L, anyone may participate—and lots of times the above beeks have posted. And the treatment free model is not a rare discussion point. You are not correct that “everyone agrees…you have to actively manage mites” —this is a exaggeration.

For one thing, how do you explain the ability of Apis cerana, of SE Asia, where it lives in harmony with the varroa mite, to continue to prosper if humans are not treating them with chemicals? EHB was not exposed to this pest till very recently, and, like the American Indians mowed down by smallpox and measles on the arrival of Europeans, the evolution of immune response will be the only real answer in the long run. It is Darwinian principles at work—well described by Phil Chandler of BioBees in the UK in the May ’15 article, Nat’l Geographic, pg 97–
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/building-bees/mann-text
The obstinancy of conventional chemical treatment adherents to this evolutionary principle is puzzling. I am using partially Africanized feral bees taken from the urban environment here in LA from situations of conflict with humans. These cutouts, trapouts and swarms are vigorous, resilient, small cell, and never get treatment. They are kept foundationless (bees have been drawing their own combs for 70 million years) so their wax is less contaminated with toxins from foundation, they make great honey crops and are a pleasure to work. I have 27 colonies in the city. I do not run a bee hospital, counting mites. But I have a lot of fun beekeeping and teaching newbees, giving talks, and selling honey.

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Steve Sweet
December 11th, 2015
Good luck in that treatment free regimen. Mark you calendar for a thousand days from now and send me an email on how it went, ok?

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Hilary
December 11th, 2015
I’ve been treatment free for 5 years. I have 50 colonies. Typically lose less than 10 in a year. Normally small colonies I rescued late in the season or nucs that never took off.

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Eve
December 17th, 2015
I have been reading your comments about natural beekeeping and am impressed. Here in Australia there are commercial beekeepers, and a bit of monoculture going on as well, but not as extensively as in the USA. So far we are Varoa-free , seemingly the only country in the world, next to new Zealand, which, I understand has had some signs of it recently. Australia is isolated from infected countries, but it is inevitable that it accidentally hitches rides on aircraft and other modes of transport. Fortunately the Australian quarantine has honed its skills to such a degree that airports have bee traps set up around the unloading areas etc, and more traps further afield. We also have sugar coating tests and other methods to check any future infestation, which is bound to occur sooner or later. There is advice about using chemical strips and other drastic methods, but we have a higher percentage of natural bee keepers who would not contaminate the hive and the resulting honey with chemicals. I have used natural methods with my show poultry and have never vaccinated against Marrecks and other contagious diseases, and have found that they build their own immunity, and over the years I have never had any of those diseases . .
Some people like to see the glass half empty and they are not prepared to see the other side of the coin, or learn from the experience of others. Sarcasm is a sign of frustration, not knowledge.
I live in the mountains and a valley with thick Australian bush, and am encouraging beekeepers here to plant bee-friendly plants. I have organized the propagation of Leatherwood and Geraldton Wax plants to plant in their gardens which are Australian native plants famous for their beautiful honey. The health of the bees and strength of the hive depends on the foraging abilities and hive care, and nothing can beat the natural environment and clean living for the production of pure, natural honey.
Keep on promoting Natural Beekeeping, and have a wonderful christmas and New Year.

Hilary
December 18th, 2015
Thanks for the support!

Susan McElroy
December 17th, 2015
Steve, I have a 7-year old top bar hive that has never had any treatments, and actually very little intervention. They are still thriving.

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Ruby
February 11th, 2016
I have 2 colonies that I’ve had since I started beekeeping 4 years ago. One of these colonies was a swarm and the other was a purchased nuc. I just started beekeeping for the fun of it and to hopefully help the bee population. For that reason, I’ve never added any more colonies. The only mite treatment I’ve ever done is powdered sugar dusting every August/September. Both these same colonies have made it through the winter each year (including this year which is season 5) and are thriving. I live in Georgia south of Atlanta. I believe mite treatment makes weak bees and strong mites. Many beekeepers in my area treat faithfully and they lose at least 10% of their hives every year. I’ve never lost a one. I can’t explain if that’s the reason but if something is working so well, i’m just going to keep doing it.

Eve
February 12th, 2016
Ruby,
the sugar dusting is not a treatment. . If you do it correctly, you put about 200 bees into a container with icing sugar and roll them gently in the sugar, whichi then dislodges any varroa mites attached to the back of the bees. This is a test to check whether there is varroa mite in the hive. When you release the bees they lick the remaining sugar off and get on with their lives. If you think it works as a treatment, you may have no need for treatment in the first place.

Hilary
February 13th, 2016
Although that is a technique for counting mites, there is another method for supposedly controlling varroa populations that also uses powdered sugar. As to whether or not it works, I’ll leave that to the scientists: http://scientificbeekeeping.com/powdered-sugar-dusting-sweet-and-safe-but-does-it-really-work-part-1/

Ruby
February 13th, 2016
Yes, this is the technique we use. I don’t use the already powdered sugar you buy, but make my own from granular as I’ve yet to find any without some kind of additive. However, we have measured mite loads before and after the powdered sugar and they have been significantly decreased. Again, as long as things are going well, we will keep doing what we’re doing.

cnbarnes
February 13th, 2016
Eve – what you are describing is a Sugar Roll TEST. But there IS a “Sugar TREATMENT” that some people (mostly commercial guys) use – those guys will take a sifter and sprinkle a generous helping of powdered sugar down into a hive (between the frames).

Eve
February 15th, 2016
I have been trying to understand how sugar dusting can be a ‘treatment’ for mites, but then if you dust the whole colony it would be the same as the sugar rolling except on a large scale. The mites fall off in the roll, and would do the same when used on the entire colony. But you would need to have a mite trap at the bottom of the hive to collect all the mites? Meaning you have to disassemble the hive to get to the base every time you need to clean it

Lucky we don’t have the Varroa in Australia yet, but we are prepared and this seems to be an alternative to chemical strips which bee keepers are talking about here. So far so good, but this sounds interesting, if it works.

Diana
February 12th, 2016
Ruby, out of curiosity, since you are doing it to help the bees, are you taking any honey from them? If so how much do you take? I’m starting two hives this spring and my goal is also to help the bees, I’m not doing it for the honey. That said every family member I have has asked me for honey when the time comes… But I feel like if I just leave the honey for the bees they will be better off… Can you tell me what your policy is for that with your bees?

Hilary
February 12th, 2016
Diana, as a general rule of thumb, you should not harvest any honey from a first year colony. They need all the honey to build up and get strong. When friends and relatives hassle me for honey, I tell them to plant a bee garden and then talk to me. 😉

Ruby
February 12th, 2016
Diana, in 4 years I have taken a total of 2 medium frames of honey. I feel the same about taking their honey as sugar water Is junk food and I can’t justify taking their natural source food and then feeding them junk. A medium frame of honey actually equals about 3 maybe 4 qts of honey to my amazement! So it’s plenty for us. I’ve heard other keepers say it’s a waste to leave more than a super of honey on their hive over winter because they can’t get to it anyway. Well, my bees usually go into winter with 3 supers of honey and they do fine and a small amount will be left in the spring. Again, it’s been working so far so I won’t change what I’ve been doing.

Bryan Chubb
December 18th, 2015
Thanks Hilary for promoting Natural Beekeeping. For me, mites rank very low in my list of apiary issues. Yet, it continues to be a hot topic. I violate #6 (located in full shade) and continue to deal with the elevated beetle level as best I can. But its only been an issue for nucs, queen rearing, cutouts with comb, and hives that have swarmed.

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Diana
February 12th, 2016
Hi Hillary, yes, I was not planning on taking any honey the first year. I had read that and have had several people tell me not to expect any honey the first year. I love your idea about telling them to plant a bee garden then we’ll talk! LOL!

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Diana
February 16th, 2016
Eve, The hives here, or at least the one’s that I’ve seen have a screen bottom and a removable shelf under that that you can take out. The theroy is that if you spray something like olive oil on the shelf then the mites fall through the screen and get stuck on the olive oil on the shelf. This is going to be my first season with bees so I’ve not done this myself but I’m reading as much as I can so this is how I’ve been told it works.

http://www.virginiabeesupply.com/images/45e4cb75f3c663fded925e5c34551133.jpg

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Skye
December 10th, 2015
Excellent article and thought provoking. I would have never thought of keeping two hives, however it makes complete sense.
If people would do their research about beekeeping months to a year prior to keeping bees, it will make a better keeper.

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Debra DiGennaro
December 10th, 2015
Thanks for the information! I’m taking my first class in Jan. There is so much to learn and I’m a person who doesn’t like to make mistakes. It can be very intimidating. I live in PA. I have bears in my backyard daily… Other than in winter. I am concerned about keeping the hive safe from them. Any ideas? Thanks again!

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Hilary
December 10th, 2015
Do you have a flat roof you can put them on? I hear bears are a big problem!

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Jack Seamon
July 14th, 2016
To keep bees safe from bears, use electric fence. There are many ideas how to use it, all work good under certain circumstances. Mine is to use a high joule output charger – delivers 6 joules of strength. That is the sizzle in the snap. Here in Massachusetts, our black bears are well populated, and sometimes mobile, meaning we have locals, and some passers through. Our bee yard utilizes 5′ t-posts, driven 1′ into the ground, with 7 strands of aluminum wire. Bottom strand is 4″ off the ground, with all other (4) electrified wires at 12″ intervals above that. We run 2 grounded wires – lowest at 8″ high and top one is 40″ high, to ensure grounding during both dry spells and frozen ground times – both typically poor to non-existent surface grounding capability. Should a bear try to reach or climb, they will feel the error of their ways, if they dig down to go under, they will hit damp ground even during dry spells, and the 6 joules will send them packing. Overbuilding for security is worth it. If you are not near a standard power source, you can use a smaller output charger and bait the predators in with bacon strips or else peanut butter smeared on aluminum foil wrapped around the hot wires. Both are effective.

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beekeeping.isgood.ca
December 10th, 2015
I feel the biggest problem is not adequately preparing themselves for managing bees. This is somewhat related to number 10 on your list, but I feel it starts way before an individual even first acquires bees. For example I usually recommend the bee-curious spend a few years helping out other beekeepers so they know what they are getting themselves into.

When speaking to urban beekeepers I feel this is doubly important as the potential cost of mistakes is higher. My full list of considerations for aspiring urban beeks is here: http://www.beekeeping.isgood.ca/resources/top-ten-questions-to-think-about-before-getting-started-in-urban-beekeeping-part-1

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Hilary
December 10th, 2015
Hi, yes, I agree. I wrote a whole article on this subject – the post HOW TO SUCCEED IN BEEKEEPING. 🙂

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Dave Martin
December 10th, 2015
Corporate trolls are a big part of the bee keeping experience. Their agenda is to focus on mites and ignore Monsanto, Bayer, etc. created problems (monoculture, top soil loss, over use of herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, over dependence on irrigation, etc.) which threatens everything, not only bees. I am new to bee keeping and treat for mites but that does not make me unaware of the real problems facing the world. Bees are the canary threating a mine closure. Monsanto, Bayer, etc want you to know that the canary died from other causes.

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Hilary
December 10th, 2015
There are some beekeeper who are employed by these chemical giants and try to spread misinformation to distract from the fact that neonicotinoid pesticides are killing the bees. However, there are a lot of other beekeepers who truly believe treating mites is best for bees. In the end most beekeepers want the same thing. To keep their bees alive and healthy. It’s a pity we have to bicker so much over how it should be done.

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TheExpatresse
December 17th, 2015
We joke that a word for a group of Beekeepers is “an argument of beekeepers.” Yes, everyone wants their bees to flourish. I try to take an organic (by EU standards) approach and manage the varroa with minimal pharmaceutical treatment. Bees and varroa can and will coexist as long as the varroa doesn’t overwhelm the bees. The long term answer will lie in natural selection, I believe.

In the meantime, I find it interesting that I watch beekeepers on all ends of the spectrum doing well — it’s reassuring to me as a novice.

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Dave Martin
December 10th, 2015
I own a bee friendly farm. Neonicotinoids are small part of what is killing this planet. I treat because I can’t keep my bees on the farm (and my hives do not look like Tim Ives’s hives yet). I have observed that beehives located away of agriculture have mites but not a mite problem. Thus my feel that farming is killing bees more then mites. Current farming practices can not be sustained. Farmers are just starting to get it. Mostly because they are forced into getting it (loss of irrigation rights, soil being tits up, etc).

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Hilary
December 11th, 2015
I think the correlation between mite load and farms is likely because of neonics. They weaken the bees’ immune system and that makes them more vulnerable to mites and the disease they spread.

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AndreaV
December 11th, 2015
Great article – actual REAL advice for new keepers!

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Bill Reynolds
December 11th, 2015
Nice article with some good information, but I also disagree with some of what you said. I am only going to address 8. Not using your Smoker. I’ve been keeping bees more years than I have fingers. I know which hives that I need to smoker and which I don’t. As I approach any hive I take notice of active and their behavior towards me. I knock on the hive, to be polite, prior to popping the cover off. And then proceed into the hive for inspection or harvest. The bees are totally aware I’m moving things around, but other than investigating my hands, fingers and arms, they go about the business. I rarely get stung. I do have colonies that are more aggressive and these I will dawn my veil and use a bit of smoke, but not much. During season, I am constantly around these hives (inside and out) and I am sure they know who I am. Come harvest time, not blowers or chemicals are used to remove the bees for the frames selected. Instead, a Goose feather is all I need. No chemicals are added to the hives for any reason and smoke is used ONLY if I have to, but very little is used. Knowing your colonies and knowing how to work a colony without using aggressive techniques are far superior to scaring the shiite out of your bees with smoke. Now, for new keepers, I would recommend suiting up and have the smoker at ready. But, again, I don’t believe smoke is a must use item.

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Hilary
December 11th, 2015
I agree with you and I actually do the same thing, but this post is written for new beeks. They aren’t skilled enough to physically work a hive without riling the bees and also, they don’t understand bee behavior well enough to judge. Also, keep in mind I am in an Africanized zone. I have seen some pretty frightening behavior from unsmoked bees.

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TheExpatresse
December 17th, 2015
Timing is everything — the season, the weather, even the time of day affect my bees. Yes, the more I work with them, the better I understand them. I aspire to avoid the smoker (I often light it, but don’t use it), but it and my veil are useful tools. I wear a white jacket, but mostly for the pockets and to protect my clothes. (One thing I hate about the smoker is arriving home smelling like a campfire!)

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Chris Barnes
December 11th, 2015
And I’m going to disagree with you. Many years ago, before I even had my first hive of bees, I went to a commercial beekeeper – a man who was the 4th generation in his family to have beehives – and the words he said still ring in my ears to this day. He said:
“the FIRST thing you do is light your smoker. You do it before you put on your veil. Before you ever approach the hives.”

If you think for just a moment what smoke does w/ the bees in the hive – it makes perfect sense. It uses their natural instincts to make them go in and eat a bit of honey – and a fat bee is a happier bee. It also will cover the alarm pheromone that the guard bees of ALL hives will produce. In a nutshell, it WILL reduce the likelihood of a person getting stung.

Now counter that with the downsides to using smoke – of which there are NONE.

It makes the decision on whether or not to use smoker or not a very easy one. And if we’re talking about giving advice to newbies, it is foolish to suggest not to use it.

… ps: I am the director of my club’s youth beekeeping program. I know a little something about teaching newbees…

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Susan T Rudnicki
December 17th, 2015
Hey, Bill—you do not say where you live—urban or rural or in between—or what kind of bees you are keeping. These things matter in regards to using the smoker. For urban Los Angeles, I would always urge beeks to use a smoker to cover the alarm pheromone and divert the guard bees’ attention. Too often, newbees in this environment do not use their smoker with good technique and the fallout can be bees passing over the fence to the next patio, stings to the neighbors and a resulting call to the authorities. This happened to one of my students and the Fire department came out and foamed his 2 hives—yep, killed both of ’em with fire suppressant foam—even though one hive was not even opened. Not all of us may have the distance from neighbors to opt out on smoker use.
Bees that are fractious can be much easier to work—as our partially Africanized ferals can be—with judicious smoking. The package bees I have seen and worked are so complacent, they hardly seem alive at times.
Finally, I do not use the smoker only at the beginning of a inspection. I use it constantly, in tiny puffs, as a tool to “herd” the bees from being squashed at the end bars, to move bees from the last frame against the wall so I can push the frame over, to see down between frames and decide if I even need to pull a frame, and when replacing boxes and covers to, again, avoid squashing bees. The bees do not respond well to having their sisters ground up in the woodware. I break propolis bonds slowly and allow the bees the time to adapt to my movements.

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Paul Tabor
December 11th, 2015
Great artical, I shared it. I am passionate about getting new people into bees. I have different types of hives. This past year I put two styles of hives on a school roof so students could watch them. I had 5 queens emerge from cells placed in an incubator in the classroom. 4 students held , marked and named the queens😉

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Hilary
December 11th, 2015
That’s super cool!

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Chris Barnes
December 11th, 2015
You left out the one big mistake I see many newbies make – giving the bees too much room. Many pest problems are best treated with “a strong healthy hive” – which is measured in terms of “how high is the bee population based on the volume of space they have”. Too much space makes it too hard for the bees to guard / protect the whole hive.

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Hilary
December 11th, 2015
Oh, yes, good one. 🙂

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Dan Lunt
December 16th, 2015
I tried beekeeping for 4 seasons relying on advice from the local beekeeper’s supply store. My first two years seemed to be my most productive in terms of honey production but the colony died during the second winter (I live in Utah and was using Langstroth style hives. I also stacked bails of straw around the hives during the winter to help provide wind protection.). I bought new packages at the beginning of the 3rd season and started a second hive. They both appeared to be doing well for the first 8 weeks and then one of the hives vacated. I don’t know where or why they went. The other hive appeared to be ok but died during the winter. The 4th season, I again bought packages but had queen problems and neither colony did very well. At that point, one nasty sting was all it took to convince me that I don’t have what it takes so I sold my gear and gave it up. That was 3 years ago. The problem is that I’m still very interested in beekeeping. I read what I can but often see contradictory information in the available literature. I follow your Instagram posts and now your blog and feel that I’ve gotten more good information from that than from anything else. Anyway, I think I’m beginning to understand some of the areas where I was doing the wrong things (or at least not doing the right things), and I’m thinking of giving it another try. My wife and I would love to go to one of your classes. Perhaps a California vacation is coming up. As a bonus, I would love eating honey from my own hives again. Thanks for the helpful and encouraging information.

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Hilary
December 17th, 2015
Hi Dan,

Thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad I am helping you to be inspired again. Losing hives can be very frustrating. If you start again, maybe you can try catching a feral hive. They tend to do better than bought bees in my experience.