Southside Beekeepers Association March 2017

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1 Southside Beekeepers Association March OFFICERS: President: Harvey Joyner Vice President: Jerry Taylor & Bucky Moore Treasurer: Donna Rogers Secretary: Sue Moore Program Coordinator: Karen Joyner Newsletter Editor: Tammy Malkin The President s Corner Despite the exuberance over last month s warm weather, I would urge you to be careful this month. March can be tough on bees as they are trying to raise brood with limited resources. In addition, the weather can be highly variable - 70's one day, subfreezing the next. These swings stress the colony as they try to maintain the environment of the brood nest. On those 70 degree days, for that matter anything over 50 degrees, open the hive to add provide some form of feed, whether it be fondant, pollen patty, or sugar syrup. The last thing you want is a colony that was healthy enough to survive winter die of starvation, and if it made it to March you did a good job of getting it healthy. Feeding is cheap insurance. We cannot control the weather, no matter how much we want to. This winter has proven to be unusual across the states. Some areas are experiencing heavy rain fall, while others are reading 70+ degrees on their thermometer. Warm weather running up the East Coast has hastened bud development for many plants and trees. Because of this unseasonable weather, trees and plants think that spring has begun and many have started to break dormancy and begin to bud and, sometimes even, bloom. However, a sudden cold snap in the forecast can make these buds vulnerable to being damaged. We need to be cognizant of the bigger picture and understand the blooming cycles of nectar/pollen producing plants in their region. Even though we may look out and see luscious green plants, we need to be aware that pollen producing plants bloom before nectar producing plants. Don't just assume your bees are able to obtain the resources they need, and, of course, bees will not be able to acquire the resources they need from damaged buds. In addition to noticing the bloom cycle of the plants in our area, we need to pay attention to the weather patterns. Rain plays an important role that can either benefit or discourage nectar gathering. Rain is beneficial in the correct dosage and at the opportune time. A week of rain will not only confine the bees to their hive, but can knock off or wash away the buds from the plants and trees, as well as dilute the nectar produced, which can also prevent the bees from bringing in new resources. With little natural resources available, the bees will quickly deplete their current reserves. Over wintered colonies that starve usually do so in early spring. Bees are dependent on the weather and nectar producing flowers to be in bloom. Early blooms that have been stimulated due to the warm temperatures may be lost after an overnight frost. Again, be mindful, observant, and make sure you provide the feed your bees need! I hope to see you at our meeting on March 23rd, when Sue Moore will make a presentation on Queen Rearing. Til then, bee well! Harvey

2 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEXT MEETING WHEN: Thursday, Feb 23rd, 6pm WHERE: Emporia/Greensville Extension Office 105 Oak Street Emporia, VA Meeting topic: Queen Rearing * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MARCH AND THE BEES: If the hive was low on honey going into winter, then March is the month they may starve out. They have probably moved all the way up in the hive and their overall population is very low due to normal die-outs throughout the winter. The bees are going to be flying more in March, and they will find pollen as the month passes. The queen will start laying at near full capacity in mid-march. The entire hive will begin to return to an almost normal operation now that winter is almost over. There will be cold snaps, but the bees will do fine as they begin to expand. Their need for food will rapidly increase, March is when many hives are lost due to starvation. MARCH AND THE BEEKEEPER: Continue emergency feeding if needed, and place frame or top feeders on the hive and feed 1:1 sugar water, one part sugar and one part water. Continue with the pollen patty feedings. Inspect your hive! March will provide you with a few days when the temperature will rise to 50 degrees or higher. At this temperature, you can look in the hive and pull out a few frames. Keep in mind that since there is not a heavy nectar flow, and since it is cooler, the bees might be a bit more aggressive. Beekeepers are stung more during these cold inspections than the rest of the year. So, wear protective gear. March is a great month to start feeding the pollen patties. Pollen patties truly do jump start the hive. It is highly recommended that you place pollen patties in your hives in March. The bottom board may contain dead, winter bees. They did their job, so play "Taps", salute them, and toss them in the yard for the mice and birds to enjoy. Remove entrance reducers and mouse guards as the traffic begins to build up at the entrance. Remember that a quick, early start in brood raising also means that your hive strength will increase to the point of swarming much earlier. Remain attentive and reverse your brood chambers as required! This is extremely important as it gives more space for the queen to lay. Simply move the empty bottom brood chamber to the top. As another element of swarm prevention, late-march is the time that you will need to provide supers on your strongest hives. There will be an increasing amount of nectar gathered at this time, and the volume will increase as April approaches.

3 weak hive is an invitation for pests and disease. Strong hives chase away pests and disease. So, your weak hive could spread disease to all your other hives. Don't take the chance. Keep your hives strong. APRIL AND THE BEES: Now the bees are in full swing. There will still be a few cold snaps, especially in early April, but by the last two weeks, the weather is good for bees to rapidly expand and to even start bringing in more and more nectar and pollen. The heaviest nectar flows begin in the third week of April and will normally last for about two months. The queen is laying well now. The hive is expanding rapidly. APRIL AND THE BEEKEEPING: April begins the busiest season for the beekeeper. Inspect all hives and take appropriate actions based upon the condition of the individual hive. Keep feeding your weaker hives until the heavy nectar flow is in progress; feeding helps the bees build up. No supers should be on your weaker hives yet, so their intake of sugar is not going into your honey product. You are just feeding to help the hive off to a great start. Keep the pollen patties on top, too. Some parts of April can be cold and wet which means that your bees may have limited opportunities to fly out for food. So you must continue to inspect the hive to be sure they have enough food stores. Also, inspect your hive for any abnormalities. You want to see a solid brood laying pattern from your queen. If not, consider replacing her now! A majority of packages will be installed during the month of April. Make sure that you are familiar with the requirements for starting packages and provide sufficient care to ensure their success. Once your bees are no longer taking the sugar feeding, discontinue, put supers on, as the bees are now collecting nectar from a growing number of sources; maple trees, locust trees and other early spring flowering plants and trees. This is a great time to equalize your hives. You may have to combine weak hives with strong ones. Even though they know better, every year some beekeepers seem to become too compassionate toward a struggling hive, and try to nurse them back to health. Although some success may be experienced, it is usually not worth it. It is costly to spend too much time on a struggling hive. It takes money and time to requeen the hive and to continue to work it. It would be far better to combine it to another hive if it is disease and pest free, and the newly combined single hive has a much better chance of thriving. Take the chance that the new hive may be strong enough to split during the summer. After all, a BEES SWARM IN APRIL (sometimes late March!) You will have to implement a swarm management strategy. Keep in mind that bees swarm as a way of multiplying. It is not a sign of being a poor beekeeper. However, there are some important steps to implement to try to prevent swarming. Keep in mind that you must provide room for your hive to expand. And, you should put on honey supers no later than early April. Put on as many supers of drawn comb as you'd like. Some experts think it is good practice to have a minimum of two drawn honey supers on all hives during the nectar season. Three or four supers are even better. Don't wait to add your supers or you may miss particular nectar flows. Get all supers on by April 1st! Consider having extra, empty hives on hand so you'll be able to capture a swarm. You will want to capture your own swarms or you will probably receive phone calls once your neighbors learn you are a beekeeper. Some beekeepers receive several calls each week all spring and summer. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Click on the link below to read an interesting article on pollen. At the end of the article, if you select the season, it tells you the type and color of the pollen.

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5 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Andy Westrich of Hampton Apiary, and the Colonial Beekeepers Association President is also our LOCAL DADANT Beekeeping Supply REPRESENTATIVE!!! Andy has agreed be the Guest Speaker for our April 27th SBA meeting! He will talk about beekeeping equipment and wooden ware. If you don't have a Dadant catalog, you can look it up online too. He as agreed to take orders from the club and will bring any orders sent to him by Sunday 23 April with him to the meeting on the 27th. A copy of his current price list is attached. Members can pay him when they pick up their orders at the meeting. If you place an order and can not make it to the meeting on the 27th, please make arrangements to have someone else pay for and pick up your order for you. (otherwise you will have to drive to Hampton to pick it up) Cash or check will be fine. You can place your order by ing him BEFORE 23 APRIL! Andy personally makes the trip to pick up your order and you can avoid shipping and handling charges!!! Andy's is andy@hamptonapiary.com. I have attached Andy price list as both the excel spreadsheet that Andy provided and converted it to a word document for those of you who do not do excel. They are the same. You only need one. Don't miss the order deadline of 23 April!!! Sue Moore Secretary, SBA

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8 RECIPE CORNER 2 bananas Directions: 2 tablespoons honey, to taste granola cereal (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Slice bananas into two small bowls. 2. Drizzle honey over top; sprinkle with granola if desired

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