Making & Managing Viable Bee Colonies--

a primer to sustainable beekeeping

Central Maryland Beekeepers Association

May 7, 2013

Pat & Jim Haskell

We’ll discuss

• What nucs are and are not

• Some real data on why nucs are important in this area

• What some Northern VA Clubs are doing

• A month-to-month “guide” on integrating nucs, honey, & queen production

• Managing nucs in certain dearth areas

• Some take-home lessons from the school of hard knocks

Common Definitions

• A split is basically the process of separating the two hive bodies of a colony and providing a queen for the queenless portion

• A nuc is, biologically, a fully balanced colony in miniature.– Can be anywhere between 2-10 frames

• An increase is simply adding to the number of colonies that you have– Via splits, swarms, nucs, packages, etc

Additional Definitions

• T-Bug

• Palmerization, or “to Palmerize”

• The M A G I C effect of changing bloom dates

= The queen that works well in our area

= The making of multiple nuc’s from unproductive colonies

= Maybe Al Gore Isn’t Crazy!

Nucs are not• Defined by;

– # of frames– # of boxes– Size of frames– Configuration

Nucs different than full-sized colonies in

• Size• Bee population

– Nuc has only 10-25% of the population of a full sized colony

• Ease of frame manipulation• Less difficult to locate queen• Colony difficulties are concentrated• intensive management• Great mentoring tool!

Nucs and their uses are often defined by WHEN they are made

• Spring Nucs (specific?)

– Increases– To sell– Holding colonies– Mating nucs– Starter colonies

• Nucs for Overwintering (broad?)

– To be ready for early nectar flows (esp. in north & east)

– To be ready for pollination needs (esp. in west)

Why make nucs?

• To grow your beekeeping business• Cheaper than purchasing packages or nucs• To replace winter losses• Can use a queen of your choice• Keeping a backup queen• Foolproof requeening• To sell• Management tool in swarm prevention• As a mentor/teaching tool• As a food and/or brood resource for your other colonies

WHY we’re doing nucs

• Demand for bees & queens “adaptable” (T-Bugs) to our area exceeds the supply

• Status quo is not “sustainable”• Exit of two regional queen breeders

– Who bred resistant production queens

• Dissatisfaction with current sources– Timeliness (the MAGIC effect?)– No “seasonal sense”– High winter losses– High spring & summer losses

• Queen survival – Not just Nov thru March!

Some Actual Data(in 5th year)

Summary of BANV Survey Results(3 years, weighted survival rates)

1. Locally produced nucs with resistant queens 87%2. Locally produced resistant queens 70%3. Bee raised queens (emergency, supercedure and

swarm) 65%4. Beekeeper produced queens 60%5. Queens from GA 35%6. VA produced nucs with GA queens 25%

7. Packages from GA 20%

Origin of Out of State Queen and Package Bees to Virginia

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What some Northern Virginia Clubs are Doing

Northern Virginia Beekeeping Teaching Consortium

BONS

PWRBA

GBA

NNBC

LBA

RABA

WOODSTOCK

BANVNPBA

D.C.

PBA

Community-Based Nuc and/or Queen Rearing Programs (2011)

BONS

PWRBA

GBA

BANV

D.C.

Community-Based Nuc and/or Queen Rearing Programs (2012)

BONS

PWRBA

GBA

NNBC

LBA

BANV

D.C.

PBA

IntegratingNucs, Honey, & Queens

NUC’S Full Size

• Do nothing with your production colonies– Just stay out of the way

• Start producing some cells, virgins, or queens for yourself or for your Club

– If it has a queen program– If it doesn’t, help start one

• Most intense management month– Use of spring nucs made from

overwintered nucs• Sell to new students• Sell to other club members• Use to expand your own operation

– Closely monitor remaining nucs• Use brood & food as a resource for

– Full sized colonies

– Mating nucs

– Can even make more splits

May

NUC’S Full Size

• “Palmerize” your unproductive colonies– Make sure the unproductive

colonies are free of brood diseases

– May get from 2-6 nucs out of each colony

– Pinch that unproductive queen

•June 15 – July 15•Make your nucs for overwintering

– Use your own queens or those known to be resistant or hygienic

– Make “strong” nucs – 2.5+ frames of brood, (no eggs or young larvae) plus food frames & a frame of mostly open, drawn comb

June

NUC’SFull Size

• Extract honey from production colonies

– Wet supers back on if still in flow– Otherwise store when dry

• Use uncapped honey & nectar in nucs for overwintering

• Start feeding light syrup if in dearth• Artificial pollen also if few stores• Start “fall” requeening

– Your own May or June queens– Outside resistant queens

• June 15 – July 15• Make your nucs for

overwintering (cont)– Reduced entrance, robber screen

– Nematodes & in-hive SHB trap

– Start feeding sugar water & pollen right away, especially during expected dearth

– Mite count after old brood has emerged, new brood not yet capped

July

NUC’S

Full Size

• Important feeding month in our area!– Usually no rain – an almost sure

dearth• Light syrup also a much needed

water source

– Need to stimulate queen• The bees that will raise the 1st

winter bees• Need her to out-lay any varroa

• Complete fall re-queening this month

• SHB controls?

• Add 2nd, 5-frame box, if haven’t already done so!– honey/nectar frames, left over

from honey harvest, are great– Drawn comb OK– Foundation as last resort– Mite count– Check adequacy of SHB

controls

August

NUC’S Full Size

• Continue feeding if needed– Both carbs and protein– Goal is 60-90? pounds of

honey going into winter

• May get lucky and have a little goldenrod or aster flow that will help ease the Costco bill

• Last mite count

• Continue feeding nucs if needed– Both carbs and protein– Goal is to have top box full of

honey by mid-October

• May get lucky and have a little goldenrod or aster flow that will help ease the Costco bill

• Last mite count

September

NUC’S

Full Size

• Continue feeding if needed– Both carbs and protein

• Continue feeding nucs if needed– Both carbs and protein

• Good time to add excess frames of honey from big colonies to top boxes of nucs

• Want top box full of honey by end of month

October

NUC’S Full Size

• Position & Ventilation checks– 180 from prevailing winter

winds– Air movement top & bottom

• Continue feeding, if needed, and if it doesn’t get too cold

• if still inadequate stores, get fondant ready

• Position & Ventilation checks– 180 from prevailing winter

winds– Air movement top & bottom

• Continue feeding, if needed, and if it doesn’t get too cold

• If still inadequate stores, get fondant ready

November

NUC’S Full Size

• Continue feeding, if needed, and if it doesn’t get too cold

• If still inadequate stores, put on fondant

• Continue feeding, if needed, and if it doesn’t get too cold

• If still inadequate stores, put on fondant

December

NUC’S Full Size

• Continue to feed fondant (if necessary)

• Continue to feed fondant (if necessary)

Januaryearly Feb

NUC’S Full Size

• Start stimulation of colonies (weather dependent of course)– Light (1:2) syrup to start

• Hold off on pollen (if stored pollen appears adequate) till first maple bloom

• Start stimulation of colonies (weather dependent of course)– Light (1:2) syrup to start

• Hold off on pollen (if stored pollen appears adequate) till first maple bloom

Mid February

NUC’S

Full Size

• Start reversals of colonies– For swarm control

• Start other swarm mgt. techniques if warranted

• Mite count

• Start reversals of colonies– For nuc mgt. & swarm

control reasons– Nucs will start to

explode in mid to late March

• Start other swarm mgt. techniques if warranted

• Mite count

March

NUC’S

Full Size

• Start supering your honey producing colonies– Via George Imrie ‘s Pink Pages– Supering finishing colonies is

optional

• Start producing your own queens in late April/early May– As soon as you see purple

eyed drones– Or as soon as you see drones

outside the colony

• Nematodes for SHB

• Need intensive mgt. NOW!• 1. Put them in your full-sized

colonies– Will surpass packages installed

at the same time– Will be ready to collect the

April, May, June honey flow

• 2. Split them several times if necessary) to make Spring nucs– Make “weak” nucs – no more

than 2 frames of brood

• 3. Nematodes for SHB control

April

NUC’S Full Size

• If it looks like we’re starting over again, that’s right!

May

Over wintering nuc management

• We’ll look briefly at– Setting up the nuc– What you’re looking for going into winter– Feeding– Nuc placement options for the winter– Wind protection

Overwinteringinitial setup; 1st box (A)

In our area, June 15 thru July 30 is best time to establish nucs for overwintering

Start with one box

Add 2nd box as soon as population warrants

Honey (or honey/pollen mix)

(sealed brood)

Pollen (or honey/pollen mix)

Brood (no eggs or young larvae)

Brood (no eggs or young larvae)

Overwinteringinitial setup; 2nd box (B)

Ideally, all 5 frames in 2nd box would be drawn comb

A good population can draw out foundation in late summer/fall

Need to feed 1:1 early, 2:1 later

And pollen patties of course

Drawn comb

Drawn comb

Drawn comb

Drawn comb

Drawn comb

Going Into WinterBottom Box (A)

Ideal positioning! may vary a little depending on weather and/or beekeeper management

Cluster will normally locate on middle three frames

Cluster may move a frame toward the SE, (warm side) depending on nuc orientation

On warm days, bees should basically cover all 5 top bars on the lower box

Honey/pollen mix

Brood, pollen/honey mix

A few eggs, young brood, likely mama

Honey/pollen mixBrood, pollen/honey mix

Going Into WinterTop Box (B)

At this time, remove all undrawn foundation; replace with frames of honey

All frames should be capped honey

Some may be actual honey: others may be sugar honey from your 2:1 or 1:1 feedings

Watch winter stores!

feed bee candy/fondant as needed (use shim or extra hive body)

Honey

Honey

Honey

HoneyHoney

overwintering

Initial setup Ready for winterBox A Box B

Nuc’s for Overwintering Management Tips

• Use worker brood only when making the nucs

• Use the queens you made in May & June for nuc’s and to requeen production colonies

• Small Hive Beetle management

• Robbing

• Feeding – don’t forget the pollen– Fruitless foraging

• Ventilation

• Wind protection

Winter “protection”• Nuc entrances should face downwind in

the winter; fortunately, our winter winds are mostly from the N or NW

• Mite boards can be left in to cut off heavy drafts

• Note: overwintered nucs need a lot of and the right kind of ventilation in the winter!

• Protection from strong winter winds can come from several sources

Hillsides, hedges, & fencescan aid in wind protection

TAKE HOME LESSONS

• We haven’t paid enough attention to where and when we get our QUEENS, NUC’S & PACKAGES– Or about the genetics of the queen contained in those NUCS

& PACKAGES & QUEEN CAGES we purchase

• We need to understand the elementary economics of buying and replacing bees and queens (requires simple math)

• We DO have to learn how to overwinter nucs, and• We DO have to learn how to raise some T-bugs that

have “seasonal sense”

QUESTIONS?