Beekeeping Reminder March 15 6:30PM |
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Topic: SnoKing Beekeepers 3/15 monthly meeting Time: Mar 15, 2023 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82199261562?pwd=Nk00b0tXZEhOcVFoeUI1V1ZTS1V4UT09 Meeting ID: 821 9926 1562 Passcode: 482990 One tap mobile +12532050468,,82199261562#,,,,*482990# US +12532158782,,82199261562#,,,,*482990# US (Tacoma) Dial by your location +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) |
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Featured in photo above: Tony Weller (left) and Michael A. Duncan (right) were officially presented their Journeyman awards some time ago but we did want to recognize them here. Their home clubs are East Jefferson and West Sound Beekeepers where they keep bees and earned their certificates, serving the beekeeping community, mentoring, teaching classes and reaching out to educate the public about bees. SnoKing helped them with the academic portion of Journeyman but they provided those many hours of service to their home clubs. We appreciate their commitment and service to beekeeping and look forward to more of it! Congratulations and good job, Michael and Tony! |
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Join us Wednesday 6:30PM to share what's going on in our hives and in our club. SHORT MEETING TOPICS: A quick review of last spring's challenges to beekeeping and our best ideas on facing this spring which is still colder than usual. Also, a brief overview of temperature dependency of splits. When can we safely split a hive that appears to be thriving. MEETING AGENDA: We will start with a quick business update and announcements for Snoking and for WASBA events.Then, deadouts, packages and nucs are on everyone’s mind, so we will start with any questions, comments or concerns about our hives until about 7:30PM. Remember we can share screen one member at a time, so get your pictures ready to show us your hives and ideas. And, of course, we can't resist discussing it afterwards. The meeting is always a chance to talk bees until sunrise! Well, maybe not that late. |
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CONTENTS: Also in this newsletter: CLASSES: Beginner, Apprentice, Journeyman LINKS, including 2023 NUC PACKAGE SUPPLIERS LIST NEW PAGES on www.snokingbka.org QUEEN RAISING WORKSH Article: NUC INSTALLATION PROTOCOL HIVESIDES TO-DO LIST & WEATHER NOTES |
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LAST CALL! BEGINNER BEEKEEPING CLASS STARTING 6:30PM next Monday March 20th to run 7 consecutive Mondays for WASBA certification. More information can be found at www.snokingbka.org/beginnerapplication . Note: If you have more than one year of beekeeping and wish to take Apprentice instead, contact Eli to ask about challenging the Beginner exam in order to qualify to take Apprentice. |
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APPRENTICE BEEKEEPING CLASS starts 6:30PM April 13th to run 7 consecutive Thursdays. More information at www.snokingbka.org/apprenticeapplication. SnoKing Beekeepers Association (SKBA) continues to offer online classes for WASBA certification at all 3 levels of certification (Beginner, Apprentice & Journeyman Beekeeper) year round. All classes for WASBA certification are still online for the foreseeable future, including online testing. Questions? Call or text 206-859-7392 or email eliochel@snokingbka.org. |
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Are you interested in continuing your beekeeping journey with WASBA Journeyman certification? If you are doing club and community service this summer, don't forget that Apprentice certificate is to be earned BEFORE service to be counted towards Journeyman certification. This APPRENTICE class starting 6:30PM Thursday April 13th is timed to finish May 25th before school is out and before the rush to get everything possible done during our all too brief summer weather. |
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The next JOURNEYMAN CLASS offered by SnoKing will start about the 2nd week of September and run for 10 consecutive days of the week, probably 10 Mondays or 10 Thursdays, timed to finish before the holidays. We hope this will be the best time to schedule this: after we are all back on academic year schedule so that we can finish before Thanksgiving and the holiday crush. We encourage any beekeeper approaching 3 years of beekeeping to pursue Journeyman certification. For many of you, mentoring, teaching, volunteering in your local bee club, presenting about bees and pollinators, staffing booths at fairs and community events and more! is what you do without expecting compensation. However, recognizing that service is part of Journeyman. For more information about the WASBA Journeyman program, please visit https://wasba.org/education/journeyman/ or contact Eli Ocheltree, master beekeeper, eliochel@snokingbka.org, 206-859-7392. |
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WEBSITE Other links can be found on www.snokingbka.org: CALENDAR page shows classes online (Beginner, Apprentice, Journeyman) and - (Hivesides) already scheduled. PAST NEWSLETTERS link is on the Home page. We hope those will be of use when you are looking for a past article or link to a resource. 2023 NUC & PACKAGE SUPPLIERS LIST link can also be found on the Home page. This is the most complete list available of Western WA sources. Some will continue to provide bees and queens throughout the year. Resources Page – coming soon – Those helpful resources that are currently found on the “Files” section of our FB group page will become more accessible at www.snokingbka.org . |
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QUEEN PROJECT Pilot project overwintering reserve queens in double nucs is in progress now. 5 out of 7 at the Maltby apiary are doing well despite starting with less than 5 frames of bees on average. Overwintering them as smaller colonies in double nuclei stacks is working. Overwintering reserve queens would greatly increase success and sustainability of any apiary, given the negative effect of our unreliable Western Washington weather on mating success. Expect details on the planned queen rearing workshop and signup in April. |
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FEATURE ARTICLE Package and Nuc Pickup and Package Installation, by Eli Ocheltree, master beekeeper Note: this article can also be found under "Files" on the SnoKing Facebook Discussion Group Page. |
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Package or nuc pickup: Read “Questions to Ask Nuc and Package Suppliers.” It can be found under “Files” on SnoKing Facebook group discussion page. Check websites and other posted information of possible suppliers Ask all possible questions by phone or email before picking up the bees. Suppliers usually have more time to answer questions in advance than on the day of pickup. Review installation steps by reading this article, or by reading the instructions in the WASBA Beginner manual, or by rewatching your favorite installation video. |
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Plan pickup: Don’t expect a friend unfamiliar with bees to pick yours up by transporting them inside his/her car for you. Bees are usually hanging on the outside of a nuc or package at pickup. If the queen is caged, ask if you are not sure how to release her. Queen cages vary, so her pathway to freedom varies with the cage type. See the instructions for the most difficult queen release scenario below, the infamous “wooden cork must be replaced with mini-marshmallow” maneuver. |
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Assume that there will be a few stray bees on the outside of the package or nuc when you pick it up, even if you close any nuc vents through which bees can pass. If putting the bees inside a passenger car, plan for this. If the thought of stray bees would distract you while driving, put the package inside a hive net or wear your bee jacket and veil on the way home. Leaving windows open on the drive home and keeping air flowing through the dash vents is usually enough to keep the bees in the back of the vehicle or allow the strays to exit through the windows. Packages have plenty of ventilation and nuc packages have ventilation holes adequate for a short drive home without overheating. Do not place bees in the trunk of a car. You can use AC and wear a jacket for warmth if you are concerned about a nuc overheating during a long drive, which is not a problem with a package. |
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Nuc & Package Installation: KISS – Keep it simple! Some YouTubers complicate installation! Take advantage of the natural behavior of bees: clustering queen pheromones nasonoving Elaborate release methods are not necessary. You will hear that ideally, packages and nucs are installed at 60+ degrees F on a sunny, windless day. However, unless it is actually raining, do not wait more than a day or 2 to install a package because the bees are better off in their destination hive. While waiting to install, a package or nuc can be placed in a dark 50-55 degree F place, perhaps an unheated shed or garage. Do not expose it to extremes of temperature or wind or place it in direct sun. |
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If installing a nuc with a queen already released into the rest of the colony, you do need to inspect each frame enough to spot the queen. If she is not caged and you do not locate her, make sure every bee in the nuc is transferred to the destination hive. If the nuc box is cardboard, take it carefully apart to make sure the queen is not hiding in the folds. If weather permits, look closely at each frame. If you need to move more quickly, take pictures of your frames that you can look at later. Unless weather is unusually warm for April/May in Western Washington, do not take so long that the bees will find it difficult to quickly rewarm the brood after the installation. Remember, the workers must keep brood at the low 90s F. |
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Assemble materials: PPE, hive tool, piece of wood/cardboard, tweezers or pocketknife, mini-marshmallow Thin or no gloves Hive body on bottom board on hive stand, levelled with the middle 4 frames set to the side. Pollen substitute patty Robbing screen (at least entrance reduced) Feeder filled with 1:1 syrup. Whatever feeder you use should be enclosed, both to allow the heat generated by the bees to slightly heat the syrup, and to reduce robbing risk. |
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Spray bottle of 1:1 syrup (replacing a smoker for installation). Spraying syrup is a better choice to settle bees down than smoking. Note: bees in a nuc can benefit from a few hours or overnight to settle down after a car trip but package bees are best transferred asap into the destination hive. |
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When to install: If daytime temps are in the 40s or 50s, windy, rainy etc. and better weather is expected in a day or 2, you can store a package that long in cool dark place. If you believe the package may have been in transit longer than a couple days, you can spray sides of package with 1:1 syrup to make sure they have feed. If no better weather is expected, proceed with installation asap. |
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The Most Foolproof Package Installation Procedure, Step by Step: Spray bees through mesh. Firmly tap package box firmly on the ground to knock down bees. When the cluster of bees falls to the floor of the package box, remove the syrup can and queen cage, and cover the box hole with a piece of wood. Check to see that queen is alive inside the cage. If dead, proceed with installation and call supplier as soon as possible. |
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Examine the queen cage and determine how the queen is to be released via the consumption by the workers of a candy plug already part of the cage, or of a mini-marshmallow that you install while replacing the cork in the cage opening If the queen cage comes with candy in an opening, make sure that both queen and workers have access to it. Some plastic cages come with a cap over the candy that must be removed. For the screened wood cage requiring the “ infamous cork/marshmallow swap”: If you need to remove a cork on the queen cage and replace it with a mini-marshmallow, spray queen lightly with syrup to distract her from trying to escape, pry or tweeze out the cork and cover the hole immediately with your thumb. |
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Check that the queen is distracted and not right at the hole, then slide thumb off, with marshmallow right next to the hole and stuff it immediately in. Place queen cage in center of hive body and secure between frames with tape/pushpins/etc. so as to keep screened side open to the workers, allowing them to feed her and to spread her pheromones. Spray bees in package if they appear to need it. Tap box again, dropping cluster again to bottom of package box. Dump bees on top of frame in hive box. |
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Tap box against palm and shake to get the more bees out. After shaking all that you can out of the box, close the top of the hive and leave the box on the ground in front of the hive with its entrance facing the hive entrance. Or you can remove the screen on the box to get the rest of the bees into the hive box. Add pollen sub patty on top of frames, then feeder and inner cover, outer cover, and robbing screen or entrance reducer. Do not use a queen excluder. |
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Post-Installation: Check for release in 4 or 5 days. If the workers have not released her by this time, you can make a small hole in the candy/marshmallow with a nail to encourage her release and check in a couple days more. However, if she is still not released, then you must open the screen of the cage to release her directly onto the top of the frames. Make sure she is alive and watch to see if they accept her. |
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Check for eggs in 10 days or more. Unless supplier just treated for Varroa, treat a package after the queen has started laying and before the first brood is capped. A nuc can be treated about a week after installation. Monitor mite drop on slideout tray under screened bottom board. Inspect once per week at least quickly. You don’t need to check every frame every time, but you must monitor feed and growth. |
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Feeding: Plan to feed at least 20 lbs. white table sugar to start a new hive. Pollen sub is necessary if spring is rainy. Stop and start feeding stresses bees per Karl Crailsheim’s research. Good nutrition prevents disease. Feed (syrup & pollen sub patty) without stopping until bees have drawn out most of the 3 westerns’ or 2 deeps’ worth of comb they need for the year, or until they slow down taking the syrup and patty because they clearly have foragers bringing in enough nectar and pollen. |
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Nuc & Package Key Points Don’t wait more than 1 or 2 days for weather to clear Spray caged queen before removing cork if the cage has one. Never "direct release" the queen. Keep screen of queen cage open to workers. Check for queen release 3 or 4 days post-installation |
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No bulky gloves! Wear veil. Supersedure cells may appear and disappear because caging interrupted queen’s pheromone production and because the hive is stressed. Watch those cells to see what bees decide A package or nuc is a “weak” hive: feed, reduce entrance, don’t expose to extremes. |
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HIVESIDES: First Hivesides of the Year are coming up. Some dates as soon as April are already on the website calendar with times to be announced soon. Hivesides are limited in scope until weather permits opening hives for inspection. However, we can cover: oxalic acid vaporization methods (wand and gun), smoker, hive configurations, apiary location, accessories, hive tools, PPE, etc. The cold will keep these first hivesides short in length but long on information that can be shared. |
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Also, let us know if you are interested in hosting a nuc or package installation.Any member in Snohomish County or North King County ordering a nuc or package who would be willing to host a Saturday or Sunday nuc or package installation, please call Eli 206-859-7392 or email eliochel@snoking bka.org. It is a good way to meet several other beekeepers, often in your neighborhood. HiveSide Managers: Granite Falls - Ron - beebuddy.skba@gmail.com 206-719-3604 Maltby - Eli - eliochel@snokingbka.org 206-859-7392 |
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MONTHLY TO-DO LIST AND WEATHER NOTES Review the tips in last month's newsletter. MONITORING: 5-seconds can save a hive! We are still in “monitoring mode”: Checking entrances, Ground in front, Slideout boards, Hivetop dry feed. Cleansing flights and pollen foraging are fun to watch but a nectar flow sufficient to support the growing spring population is probably still weeks away, so keep checking those stores. Heft, weigh, or peek at frame tops in the topmost box. |
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Photo above: bigleaf maple flower in April RESIST DISRUPTING THE CLUSTER! Although the lowest extended temperatures of winter may be behind us, freezing weather is still in the forecasts ahead for many of us in Western Washington, so we caution against being too quick to open hives. An inspection on a 50+ degree F high when we see scouting and cleansing flights may be tempting, but temperature drops at night of 25+ before and after that temporary daytime "high" may prevent the hive from reclustering quickly enough to protect brood and/or queen. The bees need to be able to reform the cluster around the queen to keep her about 68-70 F, and now some colonies are already raising brood and must keep those young bees at 92-94 F. Be sure your bees can regroup and rewarm the brood you are chilling with an inspection, before the brood succumbs. |
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YELLOW JACKET TRAPS Robbing screens should be back on, and traps should be baited and set out. Facebook groups are already reporting sightings. Those mated, fertile queens are proving that they can fly at 10 degrees F lower than our sweet bees and are ready to rob unguarded hives. |
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ROBBING SCREENS Also, some of our hives need protection from each other! Time to get robbing screens on! Dearth leads to robbing by bees desperately searching for enough nectar to feed a growing population. Such a nectar flow may not occur for another month when the bigleaf maple blooms (photo above). So when autopsying late season deadouts, you may find evidence of robbing. Here's an example of the ragged, ripped up comb damaged by robbing. |
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Hope to see you all 6:30PM Wednesday March 15th. Just as our bees will do this winter, it is important for us beekeepers to winter together, cluster, network and pass items to each other! Looking forward to talking bees with you, SnoKing Beekeepers Association. Topic: SnoKing Beekeepers 3/15 monthly meeting Time: Mar 15, 2023 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82199261562?pwd=Nk00b0tXZEhOcVFoeUI1V1ZTS1V4UT09 Meeting ID: 821 9926 1562 Passcode: 482990 One tap mobile +12532050468,,82199261562#,,,,*482990# US +12532158782,,82199261562#,,,,*482990# US (Tacoma) Dial by your location +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) |
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HERE'S HOPING FOR WARMER WEATHER! |
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