Making & Managing Viable Bee
Colonies-a primer to sustainable beekeeping
Central Maryland Beekeepers Association
May 7, 2013
Pat & Jim Haskell
We’ll discuss
• What nucs are and are not
• Some real data on why nucs are important
in this area
• What some Northern VA Clubs are doing
• A month-to-month “guide” on integrating
nucs, honey, & queen production
• Managing nucs in certain dearth areas
• Some take-home lessons from the school
of hard knocks
Common Definitions
• A split is basically the process of
separating the two hive bodies of a colony
and providing a queen for the queenless
portion
• A nuc is, biologically, a fully balanced
colony in miniature.
– Can be anywhere between 2-10 frames
• An increase is simply adding to the
number of colonies that you have
– Via splits, swarms, nucs, packages, etc
Additional Definitions
• T-Bug
= The queen that works
well in our area
• Palmerization, or “to
Palmerize”
= The making of
multiple nuc’s from
unproductive colonies
• The M A G I C effect of
changing bloom dates
= Maybe Al Gore Isn’t
Crazy!
Nucs are not
• Defined by;
– # of frames
– # of boxes
– Size of frames
– Configuration
Nucs different than full-sized
colonies in
• Size
• Bee population
– Nuc has only 10-25% of the population of a full sized
colony
•
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•
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Ease of frame manipulation
Less difficult to locate queen
Colony difficulties are concentrated
intensive management
Great mentoring tool!
Nucs and their uses are often
defined by WHEN they are made
• Spring Nucs (specific?)
– Increases
– To sell
– Holding colonies
– Mating nucs
– Starter colonies
• Nucs for Overwintering (broad?)
– To be ready for early nectar flows (esp. in north &
east)
– To be ready for pollination needs (esp. in west)
Why make nucs?
•
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•
•
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To grow your beekeeping business
Cheaper than purchasing packages or nucs
To replace winter losses
Can use a queen of your choice
Keeping a backup queen
Foolproof requeening
To sell
Management tool in swarm prevention
As a mentor/teaching tool
As a food and/or brood resource for your other colonies
WHY we’re doing nucs
• Demand for bees & queens “adaptable”
(T-Bugs) to our area exceeds the supply
• Status quo is not “sustainable”
• Exit of two regional queen breeders
– Who bred resistant production queens
• Dissatisfaction with current sources
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–
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Timeliness (the MAGIC effect?)
No “seasonal sense”
High winter losses
High spring & summer losses
• Queen survival – Not just Nov thru
March!
Some Actual Data
(in 5th year)
Summary of BANV Survey Results
(3 years, weighted survival rates)
1. Locally produced nucs with resistant queens 87%
2. Locally produced resistant queens 70%
3. Bee raised queens (emergency, supercedure and
swarm) 65%
4. Beekeeper produced queens
5. Queens from GA
60%
35%
6. VA produced nucs with GA queens
7. Packages from GA
20%
25%
Origin of Out of State Queen and
Package Bees to Virginia
90
AHB States
AHB States + GA
69
80
Percentage Imported
82
70
60
50
40
30
20
9
3
10
0
Queen
Bees
What some Northern Virginia
Clubs are Doing
Northern Virginia Beekeeping Teaching
Consortium
LBA
BONS
BANV
NPBA
PWRBA
WOODSTOCK
D.C.
GBA
RABA
NNBC
PBA
Community-Based Nuc and/or Queen
Rearing Programs (2011)
BONS
BANV
PWRBA
GBA
D.C.
Community-Based Nuc and/or Queen
Rearing Programs (2012)
LBA
BONS
BANV
PWRBA
D.C.
GBA
NNBC
PBA
Integrating
Nucs, Honey, & Queens
May
NUC’S
• Most intense management
month
– Use of spring nucs made from
overwintered nucs
• Sell to new students
• Sell to other club members
• Use to expand your own operation
– Closely monitor remaining nucs
• Use brood & food as a resource for
– Full sized colonies
– Mating nucs
– Can even make more splits
Full Size
• Do nothing with your
production colonies
– Just stay out of the way
• Start producing some
cells, virgins, or queens
for yourself or for your
Club
– If it has a queen program
– If it doesn’t, help start one
June
NUC’S
Full Size
• June 15 – July 15
• Make your nucs for overwintering • “Palmerize” your
unproductive colonies
– Use your own queens or those
known to be resistant or hygienic
– Make sure the unproductive
colonies are free of brood
– Make “strong” nucs – 2.5+
diseases
frames of brood, (no eggs or
young larvae) plus food frames
– May get from 2-6 nucs out of
& a frame of mostly open, drawn
each colony
comb
– Pinch that unproductive queen
July
NUC’S
• June 15 – July 15
• Make your nucs for
overwintering (cont)
– Reduced entrance, robber screen
– Nematodes & in-hive SHB trap
– Start feeding sugar water & pollen
right away, especially during
expected dearth
– Mite count after old brood has
emerged, new brood not yet
capped
Full Size
• Extract honey from
production colonies
– Wet supers back on if still in flow
– Otherwise store when dry
• Use uncapped honey & nectar in
nucs for overwintering
• Start feeding light syrup if in dearth
• Artificial pollen also if few stores
• Start “fall” requeening
– Your own May or June queens
– Outside resistant queens
August
NUC’S
• Add 2nd, 5-frame box, if
haven’t already done so!
– honey/nectar frames, left over
from honey harvest, are great
– Drawn comb OK
– Foundation as last resort
– Mite count
– Check adequacy of SHB
controls
Full Size
• Important feeding month in
our area!
– Usually no rain – an almost
sure dearth
• Light syrup also a much
needed water source
– Need to stimulate queen
• The bees that will raise the 1st
winter bees
• Need her to out-lay any varroa
• Complete fall re-queening
this month
• SHB controls?
September
NUC’S
• Continue feeding nucs if
needed
– Both carbs and protein
– Goal is to have top box full of
honey by mid-October
• May get lucky and have a
little goldenrod or aster flow
that will help ease the Costco
bill
• Last mite count
Full Size
• Continue feeding if needed
– Both carbs and protein
– Goal is 60-90? pounds of
honey going into winter
• May get lucky and have a
little goldenrod or aster flow
that will help ease the Costco
bill
• Last mite count
October
Full Size
• Continue feeding if needed
NUC’S
• Continue feeding nucs if
needed
– Both carbs and protein
• Good time to add excess
frames of honey from big
colonies to top boxes of nucs
• Want top box full of honey by
end of month
– Both carbs and protein
November
NUC’S
• Position & Ventilation
checks
Full Size
• Position & Ventilation
checks
– 180 from prevailing winter
winds
– Air movement top & bottom
– 180 from prevailing winter
winds
– Air movement top & bottom
• Continue feeding, if needed,
and if it doesn’t get too cold
• If still inadequate stores, get
fondant ready
• Continue feeding, if needed,
and if it doesn’t get too cold
• if still inadequate stores, get
fondant ready
December
NUC’S
• Continue feeding, if needed,
and if it doesn’t get too cold
• If still inadequate stores, put
on fondant
Full Size
• Continue feeding, if needed,
and if it doesn’t get too cold
• If still inadequate stores, put
on fondant
January
early Feb
NUC’S
• Continue to feed fondant (if
necessary)
Full Size
• Continue to feed fondant (if
necessary)
Mid February
NUC’S
• Start stimulation of
colonies (weather
dependent of course)
– Light (1:2) syrup to start
• Hold off on pollen (if stored
pollen appears adequate) till
first maple bloom
Full Size
• Start stimulation of
colonies (weather
dependent of course)
– Light (1:2) syrup to start
• Hold off on pollen (if stored
pollen appears adequate) till
first maple bloom
March
NUC’S
• Start reversals of
colonies
– For nuc mgt. & swarm
control reasons
– Nucs will start to
explode in mid to late
March
• Start other swarm
mgt. techniques if
warranted
Full Size
• Start reversals of
colonies
– For swarm control
• Start other swarm
mgt. techniques if
warranted
• Mite count
April
NUC’S
• Need intensive mgt. NOW!
• 1. Put them in your full-sized
colonies
Full Size
• Start supering your honey
producing colonies
– Via George Imrie ‘s Pink Pages
– Will surpass packages installed
at the same time
– Supering finishing colonies is
optional
– Will be ready to collect the
April, May, June honey flow
• Start producing your own
• 2. Split them several times if
necessary) to make Spring
nucs
– Make “weak” nucs – no more
than 2 frames of brood
• 3. Nematodes for SHB
control
queens in late April/early
May
– As soon as you see purple
eyed drones
– Or as soon as you see drones
outside the colony
• Nematodes for SHB
May
NUC’S
• If it looks like we’re starting
over again, that’s right!
Full Size
Over wintering nuc management
• We’ll look briefly at
– Setting up the nuc
– What you’re looking for going into winter
– Feeding
– Nuc placement options for the winter
– Wind protection
Overwintering
initial setup; 1st box (A)
In our area, June 15 thru
July 30 is best time to
establish nucs for
overwintering
Start with one box
Honey (or honey/pollen mix)
(sealed brood)
Brood (no eggs or young larvae)
Add 2nd box as soon as
population warrants
Brood (no eggs or young larvae)
Pollen (or honey/pollen mix)
Overwintering
initial setup; 2nd box (B)
Ideally, all 5 frames in 2nd
box would be drawn
comb
A good population can
draw out foundation in
late summer/fall
Need to feed 1:1 early,
2:1 later
And pollen patties of
course
Drawn comb
Drawn comb
Drawn comb
Drawn comb
Drawn comb
Going Into
Winter
Bottom Box (A)
Ideal positioning! may
vary a little depending
on weather and/or
beekeeper
management
Cluster will normally
locate on middle three
frames
Cluster may move a
frame toward the SE,
(warm side) depending
on nuc orientation
On warm days, bees
should basically cover
all 5 top bars on the
lower box
Honey/pollen mix
Brood, pollen/honey mix
A few eggs, young brood, likely mama
Brood, pollen/honey mix
Honey/pollen mix
Going Into
Winter
Top Box (B)
At this time, remove all
undrawn foundation;
replace with frames of
honey
All frames should be
capped honey
Some may be actual
honey: others may be
sugar honey from your
2:1 or 1:1 feedings
Watch winter stores!
feed bee candy/fondant
as needed (use shim or
extra hive body)
Honey
Honey
Honey
Honey
Honey
overwintering
Box B
Box A
Initial setup
Ready for winter
Nuc’s for Overwintering
Management Tips
• Use worker brood only when making the nucs
• Use the queens you made in May & June for
nuc’s and to requeen production colonies
• Small Hive Beetle management
• Robbing
• Feeding – don’t forget the pollen
– Fruitless foraging
• Ventilation
• Wind protection
Winter “protection”
• Nuc entrances should face downwind in
the winter; fortunately, our winter winds
are mostly from the N or NW
• Mite boards can be left in to cut off heavy
drafts
• Note: overwintered nucs need a lot of and
the right kind of ventilation in the winter!
• Protection from strong winter winds can
come from several sources
Hillsides, hedges, & fences
can aid in wind protection
TAKE HOME LESSONS
• We haven’t paid enough attention to where and when
we get our QUEENS, NUC’S & PACKAGES
– Or about the genetics of the queen contained in those NUCS
& PACKAGES & QUEEN CAGES we purchase
• We need to understand the elementary economics of
buying and replacing bees and queens (requires
simple math)
• We DO have to learn how to overwinter nucs, and
• We DO have to learn how to raise some T-bugs that
have “seasonal sense”
QUESTIONS?