BEE CHRONICLES JUNE 2010
The Oracle speaks,”…and all should listen!” The best honey collection year in decades and you are reading the advice from the world’s worst beekeeper. The irony in all this is that we can learn from others mistakes. Or, possibly, it isn’t mistakes we are looking for but observations. For those who track my diatribes you will remember, the most important words I keep saying are to be observant. See what is happening in the life and world of your bees and try to understand it. Will this prevent all the hive problems? Probably not, but it will lessen the affects. Nineteen of my 20 hives succumbed this winter/spring. It isn’t terribly important, why. I kept by bees the best I could, in a manner similar to how I always have. Yet this past winter it didn’t work. I’ll blame last years gray days, rain, and then cold spells this spring. I don’t think my bees were robust. What can you do about that? Try again.
So this year I ordered 5 nucs. These were supposed to round out my apiary. Instead they were the basis to start over. Well, hey! Hey!! The cold spring gave the bee producers a late start. I did not get my bees until 2rd week of May. As the colonies started to grow all I could do was watch the flowers bloom and wither. No Honey. I normally am a double hive body sort of fellow, but this year to expedite honey collection I am going with single hive bodies. The reasoning is that the bees will get the one hive body filled with honey and then start on surplus honey in the super. As the queen fills out the hive body with brood there will be no stored honey or pollen for dearth seasons. I will have to manage these low nectar flow periods more intensely. Ultimately the hive must be ready for winter.
Most of my bee populations are up. Not great yet, no excess bees hanging out on the front porch. My target date is sourwood flow. I expect that to come early to middle July. After the cold spells this spring I get the feeling that the blooms are coming fast and heavy. Everything seems to be in the correct order but quicker once the bloom starts. It is now 18 May; mountain laurel (ivy) is opening nicely. Don’t worry about the bees collecting this potentially poisonous nectar. There are more lucrative alternate sources (tulip poplar and blackberry). What about observant timing? Remember 2 years ago, the 19th of April, the killer frost hit. All the tulip poplar and blackberries were in full bloom. The blossoms and the leaves were killed and the mountain laurel bloomed most spectacularly. We are a month later this year with the bloom about (a little more mature) the same. Let’s hope for cool days, not much breeze, and gentle rains. This will prolong the nectar flow.
To date I think the bloom season has been spectacular. I have never seen such full blossoms on the locust trees and wild cherry trees. Currently the tulip poplars are in full bloom and blackberry is about 75%. I was in Cleveland, GA today and the privet hedge is just opening with its heavy scent. Ours should be 2 weeks later. Do you wonder how much honey you should be collecting? Jennifer Berry in Athens, GA reports she is ½ way through privet and is putting her 7th super on most of her hives. There must be an award there somewhere. Since I will be way behind on honey collection, this year I plan on moving all my hives to higher and higher elevation as the sourwood opens up the mountains.
As soon as sourwood ends I will be adding my second hive bodies to the hives. I will start feeding syrup and Florida paddies. I want to keep the queen as revved up as possible. I want lots of fat bees for winter which will be mid December. Along with lots of bees I want 2 hive bodies full of food. I have adequate pulled comb so I don’t have to loose food storage to wax making. Lately I feel like the coach who is always building a team for next year. Really though, isn’t that what bee keeping is. Whether you start from scratch or have good hives you must build and manage for next year.