Notes from Central Oregon Beekeeping Advanced Class April 12, 2014

Notes I took at the class as my own reminders, not fully inclusive of presentation materials.

April 12, 2014

Central Oregon Beekeeping Association

Advanced Beekeeping Class

People I met for the first time:

Greg, Camp Sherman: bubble wrapped 3 sides and top of hives for winter, leaving bottom and front side clear. Greg will be in Sisters on May 3 to get pkg.

Bill on Newcastle (close to castle) getting two hives ready—will be in Sisters on May 3 to get pkg.

Starr from Terrebonne, raising bees for medicinal honey.

And the others who come to monthly bee meetings….

Ramesh Sagili, Professor at OSU in Horticulture http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/ramesh-sagili began the day with stats on colony losses (22% in 2013) citing that he feels nutrition is the key in dealing with major problems such as Varroa mites; bees need good immune systems. Nectar is 25-40% carbs; pollen has vitamins, minerals, and protein, (10-40% protein). Therefore, one must include real pollen, not just protein patties, in addition to sugar water when feeding the bees. Amino acids are also needed; 10 essential for bees. Bees collect a variety of pollen and nectar to cover their needs. HoneyBHealthy stimulates bee appetite; no studies support its claimed benefits.

Ramesh suggests one plant for nectar/pollen dearth: borage, bachelor button, pysillium, poppies, etc.

Branded protein supplements recommended: MegaBee (18% CP); BeePro (12.5% CP); Global Patties (17%CP).  Must have 5-10% pollen added. Place protein patty between waxpaper pieces and slit top for bee access. No real substitute for bees’ own pollen; save pollen in freezer if extra when collecting honey.

Remember: bees will eat only if necessary; otherwise they are out collecting what they need or using stores. Protein feeding in Willamette Valley at OSU during Mar-April and Aug-Oct 15.

Then on to bee anatomy: body hairs are sensory as well as for heating. Bees warm up before leaving hive and hopefully return before cooling down. Bee eyes are compound: different focus with each segment and hairs between eye segments—only honey bees. Bees’ proboscis curls at end to form a scoop to pool nectar and then a tube above to form a straw. Mandibles (mouth parts) mold wax flakes from body gland for wax caps and cells and for carrying debris out of hive and to pack pollen into pollen baskets on legs. (Cells begin round and bees thin sides which are compressed and form into six sided cells.

Ramesh talked about 15,000 commercial hives brought to Madras area for hybrid carrot seed pollination in July. Unhealthy after 6 weeks because of limited nectar and pollen source and mite increase.

5-10% drop from powdered sugar treatment for Varroa mites. Varroa mites are the #1 killer of bees because they transmit viruses.  Track mites by use of sticky boards (spray cooking oil on white board and use a 3 day average) or use the alcohol wash method. See http://scientificbeekeeping.com/sick-bees-part-11-mite-monitoring-methods/ for details.

ET=economic threshold or “action” threshold—the time to act. ET percentages w/alcohol wash are 2% in spring and 10% in fall.  July-Aug is the time in Oregon to treat for mites. Different theories for mite control. One is that natural foundation is 4.9 compared to 5.2 commercial foundation; equals smaller bees which develop faster (19.5 days incubation compared to 21 days) so mites are unable to mature. However, drones take 24 days so longer time for mites. Also, shorter cycles means more cycles so mites might be equal overall…

Mite treatments recommended: Amitraz (Apivar), contact miticide, 2 strips per brood chamber; 87-95% control over 10 years in Canada.  Checkmite and another ?? don’t work—don’t buy. Apiguard and Mite Away Quick strips are temperature sensitive—don’t buy. HopGuard is a natural product to be used three weeks in a row. Exposing hives to sun seems to control mites (keep hives in sun, not shade).

Nosema—May treatment.

Dewey Caron, http://honeybeespeak.com/speakers/dr-dewey-caron/, was the afternoon presenter.

Started the presentation by suggesting we are creating “welfare” bees by feeding sugar; are we training bees to change their digestion?

Went on to talk about pesticides and insecticides and other negative factors:

-5 to 7 of the top pesticides found when wax/bees are tested are miticides, applied by beekeepers.

-insecticides with IGR (inhibiting growth regulator) tested to not affect ‘adult’ bees—what about incubation time?

-synergism: mite treatments now and next summer pesticides=death.

-climate change: many blooming times changing and bees are not ready to harvest nectar so beekeeper pushes bees by feeding earlier which equals environmental stress.

-survivorship selection: queen factories select colonies that produce queens, not what beekeepers want; worker bees wanted.   (See article of March 2014, Queens for Pennies)

-swarms settling into hives in trees have a 20% winter survival rate.

Best is NO TREATMENT for Varroa mites: hygienic stock; new colonies break brood cycle.

Other tips/tricks:

Bait box for swarms: 10’ high in tree; use essence of queen; include comb piece for bee smell

Ants over running hives: try a line of used oil around base of hive if all else has failed.

Reference materials:

Dewey Caron “Honey Bee Biology” textbook used at OSU—I purchased at class.

Oregon State Bee Group magazine newsletter

Book: Honey-Maker (form and function based) Gail Gibbons?

Cool key chain: taylorcustom.com   pewter anatomical bee key chain

Sumps for Warre Hives

After the bee class on Saturday, April 12, in Bend, OR I decided that sumps were a good thing and asked Ken, the hive builder, to consider them. Not only did he consider, he adapted boxes that I had for both hives to be sumps, which included constructing an entrance door for me and as an extra, he created sugar feeders to be placed inside. What an amazing friend I have in Ken! He's done research on sugar feeding and agrees that seems to be one of the best ways to care for bees' food needs during early spring and late fall. With a sump, one can insert/remove feeders easily; check mite population using sticky boards, take pictures of the hive interior...all very nice. See these pictures, which show it all--or most of it. Inside hive pictures when I open the door, later.

At some point I plan to summarize the notes I took at the bee class--the Central Oregon Bee Club is quite an active, helpful group and I was happy and fortunate to attend their annual spring class for advanced beekeepers.

Sump with feeder/front view

Sugar feeder inside sump

Side view of sump/door for entrance

Opening the side door

Hive helpers to add sump on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014

The finished look

March 5, 2014 Feeding info

Hello...welcome to wet Bend, Oregon--this is similar to Independence in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where mild temperatures, rain and clouds are the norm during winter--Bend is supposed to have snow on the ground, blue skies, and cold temps!!

Just ordered Carnolian bee package for the Warre hive here at castle in Bend for pick up on May 3. Checked with Richard, the hive builder over here, for feeding information on this side of the Cascades. He recommends BeePro dry powder, which is 60% protein. Look at this for details on how to serve: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?259659-HELP!!!-How-to-feed-Ultra-Bee-Dry-Feed-(pollen-substitute)

If liquid syrup is needed during late winter or spring: Use 1 Tbsp of ProHealth per quart of syrup. Make syrup using cane sugar mixed into room temp water with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar already mixed in. Winter syrup is 2:1 sugar/water; spring syrup is 1:1

Gave Warre hive in Independence sugar cubes last week; bees are not using it....but ants are getting a treat!!

Feb 17, 2014 Update on feeding...

I like what I found re feeding at http://www.honeybeesuite.com/ and plan to use sugar cakes (cubes) for now as I will be aways for several weeks. Will place them on the floor of the hive when this torrential rain lets up.

Winter feeding of honey bees

Ideally, honey bees should not have to be fed in the winter. But sometimes nature conspires against us, and our colonies are plunged into winter with insufficient stores of honey. How much honey they need depends on the local climate and weather conditions, the size of the winter cluster, and the variety of bee.

Even with plenty of honey in the hive, bees sometimes starve because they can’t get to it. I’ve seen clusters starve with full frames of honey on both sides of them. I have also seen them survive on nothing more than sugar cakes for many months—and flourish the following spring.

Many colonies make it through a long, hard winter only to die in the early spring. If a hive makes it past the coldest part of the winter, it is easy to relax and not worry about the early spring—after all they made it through the worse part. But the fact is, they often use up their stores during the coldest months and starve after the weather starts to warm but before the nectar starts to flow. It is important to be vigilant about feeding during that “in-between” season.

What not to feed:

• Never feed bees honey that comes from an unknown source. Honey can contain the spores of diseases such as American Foul Brood.

• Never feed bees sugar with additives. Brown sugar contains molasses. Powdered sugar often contains cornstarch. Commercial fondant may contain flavorings and/or colorings. Any of these “extras” could cause honey bee dysentery.

• Although many commercial beekeepers use high-fructose corn syrup, be aware that it may containhydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)—especially if it is old or has gotten warm. HMF is poisonous to bees.

The best feed:

• If you don’t have extra honey from your own apiary to feed the bees, the next best thing is sugar syrup made from white table sugar.[1] The syrup used in fall and winter should be in the proportion of two parts sugar to one part water by either weight or volume.

• If the temperatures in your area are going to be below 50°F (10°C), it is best to use fondant, sugar cakes (see candy boards), or granulated sugar rather than syrup.

• Because table sugar lacks the micronutrients found in honey, you can add a feeding stimulant withessential oils such as Honey-B-Healthy or Pro Health to give them some added nourishment.

How to feed:

• If your temperatures are warm (above 50°F) you can use liquid feed and one of the internal feedersso your bees don’t have to go outside to eat. Also, you may want to add a mold inhibitor.

• If your temperatures are going to be cold, you can use a candy board, a mountain camp rim, or an empty shallow super filled with sugar cakes.

When to feed:

• If a hive feels light in the fall, you should start feeding liquid sugar syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water) as soon as possible. When the temperature starts dipping below 50°F, switch to one of the cold-weather methods.

• It doesn’t hurt to feed sugar proactively. I sometimes give sugar cakes as soon as the weather gets cold. In this way, they eat both honey and sugar simultaneously throughout the winter, and the honey supply lasts longer. I think this is better than having them eat only honey, and then only sugar because honey contains essential nutrients.

• In any case, check the hives on the occasional dry and sunny day. Move frames of honey closer to the cluster, if possible, or add feed if necessary. Do not be lulled into thinking that they have “made it” just because the temperatures are warming in the spring.

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[1] Whether the sugar comes from cane or beets really doesn’t matter unless you are opposed to supporting genetically modified organisms. Sugar beets may be modified to be “Round-Up Ready.”

Feb 16, 2014 Dowsing done and hive relocated

Dowsing works!! Son Jon brought two welding rods to be used for the dowsing of the ley lines (magnetic lines of the earth). Worked amazingly well; the line was over about 2 feet from the hive. Not easy to see but wires are straight in top photo and crossed in next photo. So, space was prepared, base was set at level, and hive moved to the ley line on a north/south orientation with the entrance to the south. Although the entrance now faces the house wall, it is far enough way to allow for bees' egress and ingress.

The hive seems a bit light in weight and honey stores might be low, so will get the feeder setup going again. Although the bees were bringing in pollen a few days ago, meaning there is brood in the hive, I believe there is not sufficient nectar to bring home to keep the hive from starving. Also, son Jon has a camera with a probe for small spaces (see it on hive top); once we get the battery recharged, there will be pictures of the hive interior...tomorrow perhaps unless predicted heavy rains fall all day long.

February 15, 2014 Just another of those wonderful days...

At Independence home this week.  Bees were flying Wednesday during a lull in winter weather--50's and a bit of sunshine with no wind. They were returning with pollen! Many also making orientation flights so I opened the entrance by removing the block for the day; replaced it the next day when winter weather returned. Looked around to see where pollen was to be found: candytuft opening, snowdrops, forsythia, heather also. so, early spring is here and those bees know what they are supposed to do!

Time to arrange for a bee package for the Bend hive and to get the welding rods to make dowsing rods so I can resituate the Indep hive and get the Bend hive placed properly before the new inhabitants arrive in early May. See notes from Jan meeting of Central Oregon Bee group. Also, was able to visit Richard, the Prineville hive builder, and see the wonderful gardens he and his wife have created as well as see their bee hives and hear about their work and how he manages the hives.

Jan 9, 2014 Central Oregon Beekeepers Meeting notes

I’m back!  Attended the Central Oregon Beekeeping Association meeting last night and am still amazed at how much new information I learned…wow!! More jazzed than I have been in a long time about bee guardianship and ready to add another type of hive to the apiary—well, that would be my one Warré hive in Independence and empty Warré hive here in Bend, which will be filled later this spring. People/members were so congenial and offers of help readily offered…nice.

Notes from Central Oregon Beekeeping Association (http://www.cobeekeeping.org/)

Jan 9, 2014 meeting

Upcoming dates:

March 1  Beginning Bee School $25/family

April 12 Advanced Bee Class (free for members)

March 15 4-H Living on a Few Acres, Deschutes Co

Presentation by Naomi on Long Hives.

“Read not to contradict nor to believe, but to weigh and consider.”  Francis Bacon

(Naomi’s philosophy—read below with that in mind for mine as well)

Naomi, with help of Larry, husband, and Richard, friend, has developed a hive that incorporates the best of the topbar, Warré, and Langstroth hives, in my opinion. She demonstrated the hive and how one uses it from a sitting position, shared many insights from her research, and responded to questions from the audience. Below are points garnered from Naomi and others at the meeting, in no particular order or importance.

Naomi uses Langstroth deeps, with no foundation, which allows bees to draw comb to their specifications and still allows one to rest the frame on the edge of the hive, particularly important when comb is filled and heavier. Allows for easily sharing, installing nucs, etc. The screened packages can be laid inside the hive and bees move at their own pace into the frame space…nice.

Naomi has a symbol by the entrance to prevent bees ‘drifting’ which can easily happen if hives are close together. Color is nice for beekeeper but doesn’t mean much to bees. The best spacing between hives is 95’, breaking front to back rather than side to side.

Bees have a ‘dance floor’ usually on the first frame—do NOT move the first frame ever! Otherwise bees have to search through combs to find it. Sometimes second comb outside also serves as dance floor space. (LB note: first comb in my top bar hives held pollen and honey, no brood.)

Long hive has 24 frames with 12 frames of brood, from frame 2 through 15, the front frames; honey stores are at the back.

Place queen cage between frames 2 and 3 not at front of hive on frame 1.  Third day, as bees building brood comb move last frame out and add empty frames before it. Brood comb is always straight and this will help keep additional combs straight. If comb starts to bulge, use dental floss to disconnect and push comb back in place; bees will reattach it. Always have 2 empty frames at end/back. Drone comb is always at the outer edge of brood area; queen goes as far as first honey frame. (LB note: I’ve heard she might cruise the whole hive occasionally.)

Consider adding a board midway in the frame for bees to use as a ladder rather than having to climb the edges—this would be Langstroth frames with no foundation.

One bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey during its lifetime!! I felt much gratitude as I spread honey on my morning toast today.

Regarding feeding of whatever, sugar heated above 180° is toxic to bees and to humans as well.

Entrances: Scientists research shows bees prefer 2.5 square inches for an entrance. Naomi has hers 3/8” high and about 4” wide, a little less than the 2.5; however, it works and can easily be blocked during yellow jacket season or robbing. No lightening (landing) board is needed; bees land at 60° horizontal so if you have landing board, make it this angle.

3/8” width is ideal for bees for almost every spacing. Less than 3/8” frames—more propolyzing; more than 3/8” more burr comb.

Line length of bars/frames exactly magnetic north and south; bees prefer it. Also, place hives on earth grid lines; identify them by dowsing. Several people spoke of this and shared interesting anecdotes: noisy hive calmed when moved to grid line; swarming hive stayed put when moved. Bees work at 250 hertz according to Richard. (and, an aside by another member—dogs point nose north when defecating…something to notice…)

Place opening on south side perpendicular to N/S frame placement.

Find magnetic grid through dowsing; welding rods 15” top, 12” sides; hold side without thumbs so no pressure and a little offset to allow for crossing.

Strong magnetic lines between large trees; look around at Junipers, see line of larger trees.

Richard XXX builds the Long Hive using exterior plywood, metal covered roof, exterior grade screws, for $375 plus $1.20 for each frame. No plans available and I’ll plan to purchase one to use and show Ken in Independence, my hive builder!