Bee Chronicles

3 September, 2019

Weird, Weird, Weird!

The hot weather has broken! 26 August. Okay, I am late getting this written.

1 August I started to see the golden rod start to bloom. That is a little early, but, everything has been a month early this year. The corollary is that everything ended a month early also. I know it is not global warming. Maybe the earth is tilting off it's traditional axis.

There are about 35 different types of goldenrod. For sure we have 4 here. "Early, Late, regular and short". Don't confuse it with ragweed that blooms at the same time. Today we have most all the goldenrod blooming. Great source of pollen. The queens should be perked back up laying eggs

Make sure you are treating, treating, and treating for varroa mites. Healthy babies will result in survivor hives waking up earlier and starting to work harder.

If you have hive beetles in greater numbers than last year you have weak hives that will probably die. Same with wax moths. The healthy colonies can keep these critters at bay. Oxalic fumigation will kill both hive beetles and moths at the same time it kills adult varroa mites. DO IT!

You might have a few adult hive beetles all summer long. If you don't see beetle larvae in you hives then the increased population in the fall is not from your hives. The skulking creatures can smell honey for 5 miles. As your neighbor's hives are over run his beetles come visit your hives. Thanks a Lot. If you don't kill them they will over winter in your hives and cause problems early next spring.

If you do have hive beetle larvae you need to sprinkle the ground around and under you hive with agricultural salt. The larvae worms dive out the front door of the hive and dig into the ground to pupate. Exiting the ground next year as adult beetles. You can also spray with "Star Guard" insecticide or buy beneficial nematodes which eat beetle grubs.

Blooming out there is also one of the best aster years I have seen. Late summer varieties and fall varieties overlapping. Usually they do not. There are Georgia Asters, New England Asters, late asters, and of course the Astorias of hotel fame.

Joe Pye weed is blooming, Iron weed is doing well. There are numerous thistles, Russian, bull, and milk.

The point here is that the availability of food is first class this fall thanks to the decreased period of rain fall that did not really dry out. Not a drought. Now the rain has come back for the late hurricane season. I have not been deluged with too much rain. But, we all know it depends on your neighborhood. Andrews NC. And the Nantahala Gorge got over 4" real fast Saturday night. 4 mud slides blocking the highway. Twenty people in different cars trapped between the mud and the fallen trees. No one hurt. Roads cleared enough by morning to get the folks out. Now it is Tuesday and the roads are clear.

You should be extracting any honey that you will. It is best to do it while the temps are in the high 80's. This allows the warm thinner honey to come out of the comb easier. Next you want to get it bottled and sealed. First because it will pour faster, second because the air and particles will float to the top faster, and thirdly and most importantly, get the honey bottled before it takes on too much ambient moisture from the air.

Also, if you leave your honey laying around with hive beetle larvae in it, the poop from the worms will cause it to ferment. As you bottle make sure the honey goes through a screen small enough to catch the larvae and get rid of them.

WHOOOO! Now you can set back and wait for Thanksgiving. OH, but wait, you still have to do you fall hive maintenance.

That is feeding, varroa control, and wood work maintenance as necessary.