Bee Chronicles Dec 2012

December, another watching month. NOT!!

In accordance with my apiary, I am at 50% die off already. Getting and keeping food in the hive has been the big problem. Then throw in a little CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) and you don’t know what will happen next or what to do.

I have come to the conclusion that lots of hive beetles are a problem. See my hive beetle paper about the details. But if you have more than enough beetles to make you look at them and say “huh, I got some beetles there”, then you have too many. You need to trap them. Everyone likes the trap they use. Some are better than others. I like the beetle hotel with an attractant. The trap has to be where the beetles are. On the inner cover, on top of the top bars (or in between), or on the solid bottom board to work. To make them work well, they need an attractant. This will draw the beetles away from the brood area.

Yes you are using chemicals in the hive. This year out here in the field has been the worst for beetles and they need maximum knock down before spring.

My latest item of gained knowledge is that the beetles eat eggs and larvae faster than the queen can reproduce. So you have got to get the beetles out of the hive before spring egg laying.

Any damage done so far can not be reversed. If enough late fall brood was eaten, you may loose the hive. If it survives we want the queen to have the best chance we can give here.

Emergency feeding is your next concern. So be on top of you tilt test to make sure your hives have adequate stores. Feed syrup if it is warm enough that the bees will move it and convert it to honey before consuming it. Emergency dry food can be fondant, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, various feed patties, or small quantities of 50-50% honey diluted with water. Honey syrup needs to be fed in small enough quantities that it does not start to ferment before the bees eat it. Any paste type food will attract hive beetles which will lay eggs in it. So limit the amount of food to that which can be consumed rapidly.

These emergency feeding techniques might require you to go in your hives on less than the best days temperature wise. DO NOT break the cluster. Place the food on the top bars directly over the cluster. Try to get the hottest part of the day and be quick. You will not change the temperature outside the cluster appreciably if you use this technique.

Start evaluating you rate of hive collapse. Order your new bees now. The end of Dec or early January might be too late to get bees before spring build up. Any bees you don’t wind up using you neighbor will.