Remember that every time you get into your hives you set them back at least 3 days, fewer hive inspections allow your bees to get on with their work. That being said don't abandon them. Balance getting your beekeeper (human-centric) tasks done: supering/ splitting/ and mite counts with giving the bees their time and space to do their bee-centric work: making bees and honey. Try to make it a goal to be in the hive only 1-2 times a month depending on the season. There is more to beekeeping than being in the hive - even though that's really fun! So is watching the bees fly, planning what they could be foraging on, figuring out what to do with that wax, or making a label for your honey. So find your workflow, prepare the best you can and then go with the flow. Swarms happen and that's ok too. We've heard a few reports of swarming and we caught one this week; it's definitely been a slower start than last year... but it's getting there. The flow will be here before you know it. Happy beekeeping and don’t hesitate with questions. Peace, love, and honey bees - Bryan and Karly Fae |
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What should you be doing now? - Equalize your hives. If one hive struggling, try adding a frame or two of capped brood from one of your other stronger hives, it could be just the field force boost they need. Or swap their locations for a huge boost of foragers.
- Supering hives for the nectar flow.
- Splitting your hives, making a nuc, or making an artificial swarm to prevent losing your bees to a swarm (bonuses are two-fold: keeping your apiary sustainable and a brood break for the colony will drop the varroa load)you can always combine them back together later if you don't want to keep as many hives going.
- Keep an eye out for swarming preparations in your hives (see below for signs of swarming).
- Got that swarm kit ready? Monitor your social media outlets for neighborhood swarms.
- Have your extra equipment assembled, painted, and ready to add!
- Enjoy your spring bees, they really are the nicest! Kick back and watch them fly. What are they foraging on, what colors of pollen are they bringing in, and what direction are they coming back from?
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Signs your hive is about to swarm - queen cups with egg, larvae, and or royal jelly (note that DRY cups without jelly or an egg it in is NOT a swarming signal, they generally have a few of these the hive for practice or an emergency)
- congestion - all seams between the frames are packed with bees
- brood nest has been backfilled with honey/nectar or "honey bound"
- the queen has slimmed down in size- this means they are getting her ready for leaving the hive
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Splitting your hive - helpful videos |
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Stack 'em up! Super up or under super (nadir)? While we traditionally think of "supering" as adding boxes to the top of a hive for honey production. You may want to consider adding a super between 2 boxes of brood if you have a box of foundation that needs to be drawn, or if you need to relieve congestion in the brood nest. You may want to consider adding a super between 2 boxes of honey especially if it needs to be drawn out. If you're placing a super of foundation on top of the hive, try bringing up a frame or two of brood to entice them to move upwards (only do this if the hive is strong enough to cover the brood on a chilly night). |
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What are we up to: - Teaching in the Central Maryland Beekeepers Association teaching apiary (aka "Nuc Yard") - meets will be live-streamed on Facebook or contact Bryan about attending
- Zoom attending bee clubs
- Grafting queens, getting nucs ready, and preparing to move bees to the outyards
- Waiting for swarm calls
- Having fun messing around with time-lapse videos - check out our Instagram stories!
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Highlighted items in the store: | | |
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Bee Lawns "While flowering lawn weeds such as dandelions and creeping charlie are often seen as a nuisance, they can actually have benefits to lawns in addition to bees. They may be better adapted than turfgrasses to difficult site conditions such as compacted soil, drought, flooding, shade, and low nutrient availability." - University of Minnesota BeeLab tool Kit PDF |
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Recommended Species by UMN BeeLab: - Dutch White Clover -Trifolium repens
- Self-Heal -Prunella vulgaris
- Creeping Thyme- Thymus serpyllum
- Ground Plum -Astragalus crassicarpus
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Species already in your lawn you should continue to cultivate: - Violets- Viola odorata
- Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
- Creeping Charlie "Ground ivy"- Glechoma hederacea
- Dead Nettle- Lamium
- Clovers- Trifolium
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Good Dog FarmGood Dog Farm is a 5-acre sustainable vegetable farm in Parkton, Maryland. In Fall 2017, we expanded to offer an online a la carte CSA. |
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Community Supported Agriculture | Moon Valley Farm | MarylandCommunity Supported Agriculture "I just love opening the boxes every week and seeing what is in there. Feels like such a treat, like gift boxes." -CSA member Alison Trinkoff Your weekly box of veggies with our customized newsletters will get your family fed the RIGHT way - made easy! |
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Upcoming bee club meetings: |
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