What actions should you take if your bees are clustered at the top of the upper most hive body during the winter?
List five basic requirements for successful wintering of a honey bee colony.
During the winter, colonies heat the entire hive, so it is important to limit the amount of space that is provided for wintering. (True or False)
Colonies found short of honey in the spring are normally fed sugar syrup made by dissolving cane or beet sugar (sucrose, brown sugar, molasses, or corn syrup in water. (True or False)
Name three components normally used in the making of sugar candy,, used for feeding colonies found short of food stores.
Colonies wrapped with building paper or insulated, begin brood rearing a few days earlier than unprotected colonies. (True or False)
Beekeepers should never allow colonies to get down to less than 10-15 lbs. of honey. (True or False)
Quiz Answers:
Bees clustered at the top of the upper-most hive body in the winter are a signal for the beekeeper that emergency feeding or rearrangement of food stores is needed. Adequate supplies of honey and pollen above and to the side of the cluster are essential, especially if brood rearing is occurring. Don't rearrange the frames breaking the cluster if outside temperature is below 50°F.
Adequate food stores (honey and pollen) located in the upper part of the hive.
Strong colonies.
Colonies free of diseases, with mites under control.
Young productive queens.
Hive protected from extreme climatic conditions.
Prevent mice from entering the hive.
Remove queen excluders and combs empty of foundation or comb.
False Honey bees survive the cold of winter by forming a tight cluster and generating heat from within the mass of bees. They make no attempt to heat the interior of the hive apart from themselves. Therefore, the number of hive bodies left for the winter is not critical as long as there is adequate space for food stores and cluster formation.
False Both cane or beet sugar (sucrose) are normally used I preparing sugar syrup for honey bee colonies found short of food in the spring. Brown sugar, molasses, and corn syrup are not recommended a food sources since they contain complex carbohydrates and other materials that honey bees are unable to digest and use.
White Sugar, Water, Glucose or White Corn Syrup, Honey (some recipes call for it but it is not recommended because of potential disease transmission), and Vinegar. Foul Brood spores can be transmitted in honey.
True Insulated colonies start brood rearing a few days earlier than unprotected colonies due to slightly higher temperatures in the area of the wintering cluster.
True Colonies should never be allowed to get below 10-15 lbs. of food at any time, otherwise the optimum conditions for brood rearing are not present. If reserves fall below this amount, colonies should be fed or they will face starvation.