Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
(Add your association name here) Beekeepers Association Officers
President:
Vice-President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Beekeeping Questions & Help - Call your Mentor, or one of the
following:
Websites: http:// *
E-Mail to
)/ and http://www.scstatebeekeepers.org/
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
SC Beekeepers Association Certified Course
Table of Contents
page #
COURSE OUTLINE
3
INTRODUCTION TO THE MASTER BEEKEEPER PROGRAM
4
RESOURCES FOR BEEKEEPERS
5
SELECTING THE APIARY SITE
6
STARTING A BEEHIVE
8
INTRODUCTION TO THE HONEYBEE
11
THE HONEYBEE FAMILY
13
PARTS OF A BEE
14
DISEASES AND PESTS
16
BUILDING EQUIPMENT - SMOKERS
24
INSTALLING A PACKAGE
26
WORKING WITH HONEYBEES
27
SEASONAL MANAGEMENT
31
SWARM CONTROL
34
THINGS BEES COLLECT
36
SOURCES OF NECTAR - FLOWERS
37
HONEY - USES AND PROPERTIES
40
MINOR PRODUCTS OF THE HIVE
42
HONEY PACKAGING AND LABELING
45
RAY CROCKER'S GREASE PATTY FORMULA
46
CAROLYN EHLE'S TIPS AND FORMULAS
47
QUEEN PROPAGATION
49
BEE HIVE AUTOPSY CHART
50
BLOOM CHART - NECTAR PLANTS
51
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
COURSE OUTLINE
Dates
Session
Topics
#1
Introduction
Beginning Beekeeping
Selecting an Apiary Site
#2
Into to Honeybees
History, Races, Biology
Honeybees and pesticides
#3
Getting Equipped
Enter the Bees
#4
Managing Honey Bee Colonies
Taking the Crop
Instructor
Manual/Text*
Pgs. 1-24
68-80
Pgs. 25-67
Pgs. 80-118
Pg. 119
Pg. 158
Disease and Pests of the Honey
Bee
Pgs. 188-229
#6
Swarms
Packaging /Labeling
Pg. 99
Pg. 158
#7
Things Bees Collect
Sources of Nectar & Pollen
Review & Certified Test
(Written)
#5
Field Day
TBD
Local apiary
*
Text – “First Lesson in Beekeeping” from Dadant
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
INTRODUCTION TO THE MASTER BEEKEEPER PROGRAM
Beekeepers or Beehavers?
COURSE DESCRIPTION\
This eight-week course will be offered every (
) night, beginning (
)
You are invited to attend (local association)’s Monthly Meeting which is held on the first ( day)
of each month.
Instructors are experienced members of the South Carolina Beekeepers Association.
The cost of this course is $_65__, and $_90__ for a married couple getting one set of materials. It
is open to anyone interested in learning about honey bees as a pollinator or becoming a
beekeeper. This cost includes: course textbook, one year membership in the local association,
one year membership in the SCBKA, reproductions/class notes, and the fee to take the certified
SCBA level test.
This course is designed so that you will get the most benefit from the course if you attend all of
the sessions. However, the topics taught each evening are self-contained and a person can miss
one class and still benefit from attending the other classes.
THE SC MASTER BEEKEEPERS PROGRAM
This course serves as the training session for the certified level of the SC Master Beekeepers
Program. The SC Master beekeeper Program is a multilevel program whereby a beekeeper can
test his/her beekeeping knowledge.
The four levels of the program are:
Certified,
Journeyman,
Master,
Master Craftsman
You may take the written examination for the certified level of the Beekeeper Course Program
during the last session of this course. Your participation in the program and the test is optional,
but you are encouraged to participate. To complete the certified level course you must also pass a
practical test after having successfully passed the written test. The practical test will be given
once you have attained experience keeping bees for one year. The criteria for each level of the
SC Master Beekeepers Program may be found on the SC Beekeepers web site at:
www.scstatebeekeepers.org, http://www.scmb.scstatebeekeepers.org/index_files/Page338.htm.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Resources for Beekeepers
Bee Suppliers for equipment and/or packages of bees:
Dwight Porter (SC)
www.porterfarmbees.com
864-593-1535
Bee Well Honey Farm (SC)
www.beewellhoneyfarm.com
864-898-5122
Rossman Apiaries (GA)
www.gabees.com
800-333-7677
The Walter T. Kelley Co (KY)
www.kelleybees.com
800-233-2899
Mann Lake Ltd.
www.mannlakeltd.com
800-880-7694
www.dadant.com
800-220-8325
Dadant and Sons, Inc. (VA, FL,KY)
Brushy Mountain Bee Farm (NC) www.brushymountainbeefarm.com 800-233-7929
Miller Bee Supply Inc.
www.millerbeesupply.com
888-848-5184
Carolina Bee Company (Travelers Rest) www.carolinabeecompany.com
Dixie Bee Supply (Lancaster)
www.shopdixiebee.com
Johnsons’ Farm & Garden
office: 803-641-0181
803-577-7871
cell: 803-645-1492
Additional Resources:
American Bee Journal (technical)
www.dadant.com
888-922-1293
Bee Culture Magazine
www.beeculture.com
800-289-7668
Clemson
http://bugs.clemson.edu/
South Carolina Beekeepers
www.scstatebeekeepers.org
Georgia Beekeepers
www.gabeekeeping.com
North Carolina Beekeepers
www.ncbeekeeping.org
Eastern Apicultural Society
www.easternapiculture.org
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Selecting an Apiary Site
One of the most frequently asked question is "Where can I keep bees?" The answer is
almost anywhere, from the rooftops of New York City to the desert areas of the
southwest US. Some locations require additional care, such as providing shade and a
constant water source in the desert areas, but a person can keep a few hives of bees
almost anywhere. There are always exceptions, such as some municipalities that ban
beekeeping.
County ordinance No. 11-019, city ordinance 03-010: bees may be kept if you have a
single-family detached dwelling, no more than 4 hives on properties smaller than ½ acre
and no more than 8 hives on properties > ½ acre. Hives shall be located no closer than 25
feet from a property line and a convenient source of water shall be provided on site. (If
your area has other ordinance please add)
Regardless of where a person plans to keep bees, there are certain criteria that should be
considered. These criteria will determine if beekeeping is possible in a location and also
how many hives can be kept in any one location.
Food: Nectar and pollen sources, bees will forage 2-3 miles from the hive.
Water: Requirements for rural, suburban and urban areas can be quite different (drainage
ditches, cow patties, bird baths). A good supply should be within 1/4 mile.
Special considerations: You may have human or animal neighbors near the bee yard. Bees
will use swimming pool or farm supply ponds, etc. The source of water for your beehive
should be closer than the neighbor’s pool, water feature, or birdbath; bees typically go to the
closest water source. They seem to prefer dirty mineral rich sources.
Sun/Shade exposure: Morning sun is recommended to get bees foraging early in the day. Full
day sun is best for Small Hive Beetle control.
Face the hive entrance south or east if possible. It is more important that the hive be on the
south or east side of the hill/forest/etc.
Wind and cold air layers:
Try not to put in low areas, cold settles in low spots. A hillside is ideal for air drainage.
Locate out of direct wind or install a windbreak (a hedgerow, fence or building).
Predators:
Bears
Skunks and other varmints
Man
Visibility of apiary to the public
Less visible makes it safer from vandalism, except in isolated areas. Within view of your
home is best.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Accessibility
Easy to drive to at all times of the year. Ideally want to be able to pull up directly behind your
hive so you do not have to carry hives/equipment very far. Moving hives in/out, removing
supers of honey, etc.
Pesticides: Avoid if at all possible. They must be applied per label directions only. Sevin dust is
extremely lethal to bees
How many hives in an apiary?
A minimum of two hives per location- Why? Want to be able to transfer frames of eggs,
honey, etc. between hives if one of your hives is weak.
How many hives per apiary? The usual recommendation is a maximum of 20-25 hives at
one location. This number can vary depending on the amount of bee forage.
What determines the optimum number of hives for you? The amount of work you want to do
(management, extracting, etc.) as well as available food sources.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
STARTING A BEEHIVE
Once the decision is reached to become a beekeeper, you must decide the best way of starting a
beehive. You need to decide if you are going produce comb honey (no extractor investment) or
liquid extracted honey before ordering equipment.
There are a number of ways to obtain bees: swarms, established hive, package, or a nucleus hive
(nuc).
Types
Pro
Con
Cost
Swarm
Queen with multi-aged
workers; ½ of normal colony;
free bees; ready to build comb
Must “catch” older queen
Time and effort
only
Established hive
Already working colony; will
make honey first year; less
labor
Possible disease or pests;
deteriorated wooden ware,
non-standard equipment
Depends on size of
hive; may cost
>$250
Nucleus Colony
(5 frames of
working colony)
Drawn comb; may make honey
1st year; less labor
May have old combs
$90 - $140
Package (3-4 lbs.
bees with mated
queen)
Lower cost than nuc
Possible absconding; no
drawn comb; bees and
queen not from same hive
$75 - $90
You must decide which of the above methods of obtaining bees will work for you. A future
lecture will cover the step-by-step process of installing a package of bees into a beehive.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Preliminary Steps
Contact your local beekeeping association, take a course, and find a mentor. Join a beekeeper
association and the SCBKA.
Secure commercial information, including periodicals, DVDs, internet.
Secure a location for a bee yard - well drained, near road, water, morning or full day sun.
Set goals: Commit to 8 hours (middle of the day) per hive per year.
Secure equipment to work with hive: 
Smoker

Hive tool

Bee veil, hat and suit

Gloves

Bee brush, turkey feather

Frame Grip
Secure hives, accessories, bees, etc.
Hives-New or Used?
New: Hive body, frames, wax or plastic foundation, feeder (entrance, hive top, baggie, soda
bottle, and bucket), Queen Excluder, two (2) shallow or medium supers with frames and
foundation. Optional: Frame spacers and frame rests, frame perch, etc.
Used: You may buy a disease-free colony in spring from another beekeeper instead of
purchasing all new equipment. Ads in SC Market Bulletin, Craig’s List, local bee association,
etc.
Miscellaneous:
miticides, etc.
sugar for syrup
pollen substitute
a new queen every two years - about $24.00 per hive.
Other equipment:
Frame rack and/or a workbench near the hive- small box or stool about the same height of the top
of the first brood box to place supers and hives boxes on while working a hive.
Swarm net or bucket to capture swarms with
Honey-related equipment:
Extractor
Uncapping tank
Hot knife and/or Capping Scratcher
Five-gallon pail with gate valve
Queen excluders-helpful in locating a queen.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
A good way to get bees to go through the excluder is to place a super on the hive and
wait about a week for them to start storing honey in the super then insert the excluder, or place a
frame of brood above the excluder until they have started storing honey in the super. Some
beekeepers suggest you place the excluder sideways to give workers more space to migrate the
hives.
Equipment needed for keeping 2 beehives
Equipment
#
Deep Hive Body
2
Medium supers
6
Screened bottom board
2
Inner cover
2
Telescoping top
2
Frames
(Wedge top, grooved bottom)
Deep 9 1/8
20
Medium 6 1/4
60
Foundation (wired)
Deep 9 1/8
20
Medium 6 1/4
60
Jacket with hood (hat/veil combo) 1 for each person working with the bees
Gloves
1 pair for each person working with the bees
Hive tool
1
Smoker
1
Brush(turkey feather)
1
Frame holder
1 optional
Frame grabber
1 optional
Wire
Nails
Cinder blocks
2/hive
Queen excluder
2 optional
Small Hive Beetle traps
2-4 optional
Entrance reducer
2
optional
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
INTRODUCTION TO THE HONEYBEE
HISTORY OF BEES AND BEEKEEPING
Apis mellifera mellifera - 20 million years old
early as 6000 BC men were robbing bees
before 1600BC – 1500 BC Egyptians using pots for hives
1609- Charles Butler- Queen is female
Dec, 5, 1621- Virginia Co in London sent honeybees to the New World; Indians called them
"White Man’s Flies"
1682 – Wheeler, trip to Greece, straw basket hives
1851- Lorenzo Langstroth from PA, used the 3/8” bee space to design hives with movable
frames. Most advances in beekeeping occurred from 1851 to 1900.
Charlie Moraz (deceased) in Vermont is father of American apitherapy, venom treatment
especially for arthritis.
Foundation and queen cages were developed by Benton.
CLASSIFICATION OF HONEYBEES
Phylum: Arthropoda- external skeleton, multi jointed legs
Class: Insecta- adults have 6 legs
Order: Hymenoptera-3 body regions: head, thorax & abdomen, 4 wings-bees, wasps, ants, etc.
Family: Apidae- honeybees, bumblebees, etc.
Genus: Apis
Species: mellifera-other Apis species are Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, and Apis florae
RACES (subspecies)
Apis mellifera mellifera (German)
black, mean, located especially near the coast, swarms, susceptible to brood diseases,
defensive, short tongue, brought in by settlers, for 200 yrs. only one in US
Apis mellifera carnica (Carniolan)
Yugoslavian, dark, gentle, resistant to trachea mite, early Spring buildup, decrease brood in
dearth, not good comb builders, can have excess swarming, Buckfast
Apis mellifera caucasica (Caucasian) early 1900s from Russia, gray, excess propolis at
entrance, longest tongue, gentle, slow Spring buildup, susceptible to EFB & Nosema
Apis mellifera ligustic (Italian- one of the most gentle races) yellow or leather color, late 1840’s,
less defensive, strong brood rearing, good housekeepers, good honey, lots of brood in winter,
consumes large amounts of honey, bad for robbing, Cordovan type very light in color
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Apis mellifera scutella (African- slightly smaller than the European bee), excess swarming, very
defensive, less honey, arrived in South TX in 1990s,
Varieties- some crosses: Buckfast, Midnight, Starline, Minnesota Hygienic, SMR (Suppression
of Mite Reproduction), “Smart” strains, etc.
Main criteria for choosing races of Honeybees: Gentleness, disease resistance, and honey
production. Other considerations: Spring buildup, over-wintering ability, swarming tendencies
Comparison of bees and their traits
Color
Disease resistance
Varroa
Tracheal
AFB*
EFB**
other
Gentleness
Spring buildup
Over-wintering
ability
Excess swarming
Honey processing
Propolis
Other traits
Italian
Light
German
Dark
Carniolan
Black
Buckfast
Medium
Caucasian
Dark
Russian
Gray
0
0
0
Mod
Good
Good
0
0
Low
Low
Very good
+
0
+
High
Very good
Good
+
0
0
+
Low-mod
Low
Good
0
0
0
High
Very low
Ok
+
+
0
0
0
Low-mod
Ok
Very good
Ok
Very
good
Low
Heavy
robbing
Ok
Ok
High
Good
Low
Good
Low
Low
Ok
ok
Ok
Short
tongue,
nice white
cappings
Low
Low
robbing,
good comb
builders
Low
High
Supersedure Long tongue
queens
produce
defensive
colonies
*AFB = American foulbrood **EFB = European foulbrood
ok
Brood
rearing
affected by
flow, queen
cells always
present
published by the NC Extension Service
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
HONEYBEE FAMILY
Workers: Most of the bees in a colony are females, originating from fertilized eggs but not
sexually developed. These bees (workers) do all the work of the hive. They have a
defense mechanism (stinger). When the barbed stinger is used on humans or animals, it
cannot be extracted and pulls part of her internal abdominal organs out. She dies. The
average lifespan of an adult worker bee in the summer is six weeks, maybe 6 months in
winter.
Drones are males, originate from unfertilized eggs (a drone has no father but does have a
grandfather) and are larger than the worker without a stinger, fed by the workers, and can
drift from colony to colony (may carry disease and pests). Only a small percentage of the
drones mate with a queen and then immediately die. The average lifespan of a drone bee
is about three months. They cannot survive over a week if caged alone with no workers
to feed them. Winter hives rarely contain any drones.
Queen: Only one to a hive (ordinarily). She is the mother of all bees in the hive. The queen has a
longer abdomen than the workers and drones. Within a week of emerging from her cell,
she mates in the air with 10-16 drones and stores the sperm in a special structure called a
“spermatothecia”. She has a short curved, smooth stinger (no barbs like a worker) that
she uses to sting other queens. The queen determines the sex of the egg as she lays it.
She can lay up to 1200 eggs per day. The average productive life of a queen is about two
years; however some have been known to live up to five years.
LIFE CYCLE DIET OF THE HONEYBEE
Stage
Queen
Worker
Drone
Egg
3 days
3 days
3 days
Larvae
Royal jelly: 5 days
Royal jelly: 2-3 days
Royal jelly: 2-3 days
Honey/pollen: 4-7 days
Honey/pollen: 6-9 days
Honey/pollen: 8-21 days
Honey/pollen: 10-24
days
21st day
24th day
Capped pupae
Royal jelly: 8-16 day
Adult emerges 16th or 17th day
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
DUTIES of a WORKER BEE
Chews wax cap open on her birth cell, dries out and learns to walk
Days 1-3: Cleans cells
Days 2-6: feeds 3 day and older bees and larvae
Days 3-12: can make royal jelly for 0-3 day old worker and queen larvae
Removes debris from the hive including corpses
Makes wax, builds comb, caps cells
House worker receives nectar from field worker and transfers it to hive cells
Removes moisture from and ripens cells; 80% water in nectar, reduced to 18.6% = honey.
Puts nectar in cells as a house worker while adding enzymes
Field worker deposits pollen in cell and house worker packs in the pollen
Fans wings to cool the hive and removes excess moisture
Guards hive from intruders
Days 21 until death: FIELD BEE
Collects nectar
Collects pollen
Collects water
Collects propolis (sweet gum, poplar, oak) - bee glue
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
PARTS OF A BEE
Head
5 eyes: 2 compound, 3 simple (ocelli)
Antennae (hears, smells, feels, tastes)
Salivary gland
Tongue (proboscis)
Mandibles (mouth parts)
Hypopharyngeal gland (makes royal jelly)
Brain
Thorax
Six legs, multi-jointed & specialized
Four wings (hooked together in pairs for flight)
Dorsal aorta (heart)
Salivary glands
Ganglia (nerve Cells)
Six spiracles & trachea (breathing apparatus), open respiratory system
Abdomen
Heart: top and length of abdomen
True stomach (separate for digestion)
Poison gland and sac
12 spiracles and tracheae
Scent gland
Honey stomach (storage)
Digestive system
Stinger
8 wax glands
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
DISEASES AND PESTS
Various diseases and pests affect honeybees. In the successful management of bees, these
diseases and pests must be controlled. The beekeeper must be able to correctly identify
the problem and apply the appropriate treatment.
Brood Diseases
-
Bacterial pathogens
o AFB (American Foulbrood), EFB (European Foulbrood)
Fungal pathogens
o Chalkbrood
Viral pathogens
o Sacbrood
Bee PMS (Paralytic Mite Syndrome)
American Foulbrood – Motivation behind State Bee Inspection programs of the early 20th
century; emits a foul, sulfurous odor, hence the name.
Diseases
American foulbrood (AFB)
Organism-Paenibacillus larvae larvae (spore forming bacteria)
Identification-Capped cells are concave.

Occur any time of year

Pin holes in the cappings, sunken caps, dark larvae instead of white

Foul odor

Open cells scattered

Ropiness or toothpick test: Insert toothpick into the cell and pullout slowly 1” to see if the
dead pupae is stringy, ropy and elastic.

The dried brood leaves black scales and sometimes an extended tongue.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
AFB infects the brood in the larvae stage.
Spread:
 Robber bees can carry the disease into their own healthy hive.
 Honey and pollen from an infected hive is OK for human consumption, but cannot be
fed back to the bees because of bacterial spore contamination to other hives.
 Drifting bees.
Treatment
 Seal off a contaminated hive and remove from the yard; burn or bury. If you have fairly
new equipment, the boxes, bottom board, inner cover and top can be scorched with a
blowtorch or butane torch to kill the bacteria.
 Treat healthy hives with Terramycin for prevention, not a cure.
European foulbrood (EFB)
Organism - Melissococcus plutonius (non-spore forming bacterium)
Identification
 Usually occurs in spring, rarely kills colony
 Larvae are twisted and die in the larvae stage-Does not have the ropiness of dead brood
which is characteristic of AFB.
Spread
 Transmitted by nurse bees.
Treatment
 A good honey flow will cause EFB to disappear.
 Terramycin can be applied as a preventive measure.
 Introducing a potentially more prolific queen is advocated as a treatment, but more
importantly, the break in the brood cycle provides nurse bees with the opportunity to
remove affected larvae and polish the cells.
 Isolating the queen with a four-inch push-in cage for one week would also break the
brood cycle.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Chalk brood
Organism - Fungus Ascosphaera apis
Brood dies in larval stage. Caused by damp environment.
Identification: the mummified brood looks like white chalk, found in brood cells and at hive
entrance.
Treatment - No chemotherapeutic agent is available for the control of Chalkbrood. Should requeen and make sure hives are not in damp areas.
Sac brood
Organism – Virus, rare stress disease
Identification
•
Larvae die and develop hard exterior, can be removed in one piece.
•
Partially uncapped cells scattered among the capped brood.
•
Capped cells remaining after surrounding brood has emerged
•
Partially capped or uncapped cells with characteristic darkened heads.
Spread - not considered a serious threat
Treatment - The adult bees usually remove the infected brood. Also need to requeen.
Nosema
Organism - Nosema apis; protozoan and Nosema ceranae.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Identification
 Disjointed wings
 Distended abdomens and the absence of stinging reflex.
 Bees crawling around in the hive and in the grass in front of the hive (unable to fly)
have been found to be infected by Nosema in some cases and afflicted by other disorders in
other cases.
 A honey bee ventriculus (gut) is normally straw brown and the individual circular
constrictions are clearly seen. When the ventriculus is white, soft in consistency, and
swollen, obscuring the constrictions, Nosema can be definitely suspected and most likely are
heavily infected and beyond help.
Spread

Spores must be swallowed by a honeybee for the infection to be initiated.
-disease peaks in the early spring and adult populations dwindle
Treatment
 Treatment with Fumidil-B in the fall and spring is recommended to prevent Nosema.
Others
Hairless Black Syndrome: no hair on thorax because healthy bees try to remove sick bees and
pull their hair out. The sick bees have a virus. There is no cure for it, interbreeding promotes it.
Requeen.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Pests
Tracheal Mites
Organism - Acarapis woodi afflicts only the adult honeybees.
'The life cycle of a tracheal mite is almost entirely in the tracheal tubes of a honeybee. The mated
female enters the tracheae of a young adult bee, lays eggs, which produce young male and
female tracheal mites. These mate and the female mites leave the tracheal of the now older bee
and attaches itself to a young adult bee and the cycle repeats its self.
Effect on bee and colony
 Sucks blood from bee
 Decrease in the population of the hive
Detection
 Disjointed wings - "K" wings
 Distended abdomen
 Unable to fly, bees crawling on grass in front of hive falling down
Treatment
 Menthol Crystals (Mit-a-tholr) should be enclosed in a 7" x 7" porous plastic bag and
placed on the top bars of the brood frames for 20 to 25 days if the daytime temperature does
not exceed 80° F. During hot weather, the menthol should be placed on the bottom board.
 Grease patties are recommended to control Tracheal mites. Make patties about 3½” in
diameter and ½” thick by mixing two parts sugar to one part solid shortening and place on
the top of the brood frames over the brood nest. These grease patties can be left on the hive
year round except in the hottest part of the summer.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Varroa Mites
Organism - Varroa destructor external parasite
 Originated in Asia, prior to1970 transported to Europe, Africa and to South, Central and
North America. In 1987 discovered in Wisconsin. 1990 found in Saluda County, SC.
Life cycle
 The adult mated female mite leaves the adult honeybee and crawls into a brood cell
when the bee larvae is 5½ days old, preferably a drone cell, where she feeds on the larvae by
sucking (not chewing) the hemolymph (or blood). She lays eggs sixty hours after cell
capping and 7 to 8 days later, one to six additional adult Varroa mites continue to feed on
the pupae and mate in the cell. Adult females leave the cell with the emerging bee. They
transfer through close contact between bees and from colony to colony by drifting worker
bees and drones.
Effect on bee and colony
 One or two mites will cause a decrease in vitality of the emerging bee.
 Higher numbers of Varroa per cell result in malformations like deformed legs,
misshapen wings, and shortened abdomens or even in the death of the pupae.
Detection
1. Watch for bees crawling in the hive, on the landing board and in front of the hive with
some of the malformations listed above.
2. Ether Roll: Collect 300 bees from the brood nest in a quart jar with a lid (be sure you
don't have the queen in the jar); Add ether (starting fluid). Shaking the bees for about
one minute will dislodge about 90% of the mites. Count the mites.
3. Powdered Sugar roll: collect 200-400 bees as above, add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Shake/roll until bees are coated. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Release bees. Pour out sugar and
mites onto a white surface. Count mites
4. Sticky board: (use Vaseline rather than Pam) underneath a screen on the bottom of the
hive and count varroa the next day. The threshold is about 187 mites in August. (Dr.
Hood uses 115). If more than this, use treatment.
5. Open some of the drone brood cells, remove, and examine for Varroa mites.
6. Testing eliminates unnecessary treatments saving money and preventing resistance.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Treatment
Treatments should be used when the economic injury threshold is reached.
 Treatment: Apistan strips (10% fluvalinate), read directions on box. Basically 2 strips
per hive body placed at defined intervals when daytime high temperatures reach at least 50
degrees and leave in for 42-56 days (6-8 weeks) as needed. In upper SC, place by mid to
late Feb so they can be removed prior to a nectar flow. Also treat the 1st week in August
after honey supers have been removed. The August treatment is the most crucial.
 Or use CheckMite+ strips (10% coumaphos, organic phosphate), read directions on box
for similar placement and maybe fewer days treatment.
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system: Screened bottom boards. Drone cell
foundation to capture mites, then remove frame and freeze. Thymol products, ie, ApiLife
(76% thymol), Apiguard, Hopguard; oxalic acid, formic acid, and powdered sugar are other
varroa treatment alternatives.
 Suppression Mite Reproduction (SMR) queen or Russian queen: Re-queen for
resistance.
 If not treated, the varroa would eventually kill its host and only the varroa resistant
bees would be left. However, you may lose 90% of your bees before the problem
would be solved. Some beekeepers choose not to treat and let the bees develop their
own resistance.
Small Hive Beetle, Athenia tumida

Organism: beetles co-habit with bees and destroy comb. They came from South Africa.
They were first collected in Charleston, SC in 1996. They arrived in Oconee County
about 2000-2001.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program

Life Cycle: Eggs are laid in comb. Larvae consume pollen & comb and destroy wax,
then crawl into ground and pupate completing their life cycle in 30-35 days.

Effects on Bee Colonies: fermenting honey may force bees to leave the colony when it
gets bad. Beetles over winter in the cluster to stay warm; only adult beetles over winter

Detection: can see with naked eye, esp. when first opening the top cover. Look for them
quickly before they run to a dark crevice; check the corners of bottom board and along
crevices next to top end bars. Bounce top super on overturned top and SHB adults
dislodge from frames and can be observed running for hiding place. Mash with hive tool.

Treatment: Use CheckMite+. Follow manufacturer’s instructions
o
Ground treatment with GuardStar (40% pyrethrum) in June or July to break the
life cycle by killing the pupae.
o Predatory nematodes
o In hive traps: Hood beetle traps, Freeman traps, Beetle jail, beetle blaster, etc
Wax Moths
1. Organism: Galleria mellonella; Moth larvae destroy comb and equipment
2. Life Cycle: Moth flies into equipment in evening and lay eggs. Larvae eat the comb,
pollen, & honey.
3. Effects on Bee Colonies: A strong hive of bees will clean out the moth eggs and larvae
and keep wax moths from multiplying. A weak hive may be overtaken by wax moths.
Their webbing, and cocoons that may be tunneled in the wax or wood structures. Wax
moths are especially a problem for stored equipment.
4. Detection: obvious upon inspection. Wax moth larvae are larger than honeybee larvae.
5. Treatment: Wax moths are a secondary problem for honey bee hives, as strong hives will
not tolerate their presence but remove them. Manage bees such that they remain strong.
Since wax moths like dark, non-ventilated areas, store empty supers in light, ventilated
areas. Fire ants can also be used near stored equipment to discourage the presence of
wax moths. Empty supers can be run through a freezer for 48 hours to kill eggs, and then
stored by stacking. Para-dichlorobenzene (PDB crystals or Para-moth) may be used in the
top super of stacked boxes. Be sure to air out for 24 hours before placing supers back on
the hive.
6. Traps: wax moth traps are made from 2 liter soda bottles by cutting a small hole near the
top and adding 1 cup 1:1 sugar syrup, 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 banana peel.
OTHER
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Missing Queen: Replace queen immediately before bee population dwindles and other
problems occur.
Drone layer: In the absence of a queen, worker honeybees may become a “laying worker”.
She will lay unfertilized eggs, often multiple ones per cell. The queen lays only 1 egg per
cell. Laying-worker eggs are unfertilized and become drones.
EQUIPMENT
Building BROOD BOXES AND SUPERS
Years ago, beekeepers used skeps, bee gums (hollow logs) and boxes with cross-sticks to support
the comb. With this arrangement, you could not inspect the brood as you can with the Langstroth
movable frames. Some people like to build their own equipment and some would rather buy their
equipment. Either way, there will be some assembly work involved. First, if you want to make
your own, look at the sketches of all the parts of a standard hive and remember that every part
must be exactly to the proper dimensions. All hive equipment should be of the modern
Langstroth type with hanging, movable frames.
1. Brood Box (for rearing brood) and Supers (for storing honey)
Apply wood cement (Elmer's wood glue does fine) to the edges and attach both ends and sides
together. Check to make sure the corners are square, then nail or screw together.
Next, paint the outside of the boxes and top and bottom edges. Do not paint the inside; the
bees will paint the inside with propolis.
Painting the hive prolongs the life of the equipment and if you use different colors, the bees
can identify their own hive. You can paint all of the hives white (or the same color) and use
symbols on the front of the hive for the bees to identify their hive.
2. Excluder
An assembly with parallel wires wide enough for worker bees to pass through, but not wide
enough for the queen to get through, thus excluding the queen from laying eggs in the supers.
3. Bottom Board
Paint the outside surfaces and edges of the bottom board and the landing board back past the
entrance of the hive.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
4. Inner Cover:
The inner cover needs no paint
5. Telescoping Top
The outside and inside surfaces and edges of the cover should be painted, but don't paint the
underside of the cover. Painting the metal covering of the telescope top is optional.
FRAMES
1. Frame Assembly
Apply wood glue to the end bar before attaching to the top bar.
After fitting the two end bars to the top bar, put two nails in each end bar down through the
top bar.
Put a third nail in each end bar into the solid side of the top bar; this will prevent the end bar
from coming loose in case the end bars and/or bottom bars get glued down with propolis.
Apply glue to the ends of the bottom bar where it fits into the bottom of the sidebars.
Place two nails in each end of the bottom bar into the end bars.
2. Installing Foundation Comb
Remove the wedge strip from the underside of the top bar (the wedge is precut, but still
attached to the top bar).
Trim the rough edges from the wedge and inside of the wedge seat in the top bar.
Drive two small finish nails (about 8 P) about ½" apart into a small board or the workbench to
use for spreading the slot in the bottom bar.
Place the bottom bar of the frame over the two nails and turn the frame 180º to open the
bottom bar enough to insert the foundation comb.
Place the foundation comb into the frame a) with the crimped wire up and the ends of the wire
pointing away from the frame and b) the bottom of the foundation comb inside the slot of the
bottom bar. Note; Disregard a) above if using foundation without wire.
While holding the foundation in place, insert the wedge and place three nails at a 45º angle
into the top bar, or use a staple gun to attach the wedge in place.
3. Installing Frames in Hive
When using foundation comb in a ten frame hive, install ten frames and when the comb is
drawn out remove one frame; leaving nine frames. Space evenly in super. This gives more
room to work the hive and prevent "rolling" bees when removing a frame.
Some beekeepers run ten frames in their brood box and 9 frames in the honey super.
SMOKER
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
The smoker is one of the beekeeper's most valuable and useful tools when working with bees.
The smoke has a soothing effect on the bees that helps keep them calm while working them.
Types of fuel are very important while working with bees. You want a fuel that will produce a
cool smoke and that is non-toxic. You also want a fuel that will stay burning and ready for use
when you need it.
Smoker Selection
a) Select a smoker that is suitable for your needs.
b) There is a small smoker called the "Hobbyist" for beekeepers with one or two hives which is
8¾" high and 3½" in diameter with a wire guard that prevents touching the hot chamber.
c) The one most suitable for beekeepers with three to ten hives is the medium size that is 9½”
high and 4" in diameter with a wire guard.
d) For beekeepers with ten hives or more, the larger smoker, which is 11" high and 4" in
diameter, may be better suited; this smoker also has the wire guard that prevents touching the
hot chamber.
Smoker Fuel
a. Smoker fuel that is noted for providing a cool smoke and staying lit longer
b. Pine needles give a good smoke and stay lit very well.
c. Burlap (from old feed sacks) makes a good smoke and stays lit very good.
Lighting the Smoker
After selecting the smoker and fuel you may want have something for a starter, like the paper
that comes off of foundation comb.
Light the starter (foundation comb paper or cotton yarn). If the wind is blowing, hold your
match and the starter down in the top of the smoker to get it lit.
Add a little cedar chips, burlap or pine needles and give the smoker several puffs to get the
fuel going real good, and then pack plenty of fuel in on top of this.
Now give your smoker several good puffs again and leave for five minutes: if your smoker is
still lit and giving a good smoke, you passed the test.
Installing a package of bees

Have the hive ready for the bees.

The best time to get them is in the early spring

The best time of the day to install the package is in the late afternoon.

Locate the hive in its permanent location.

Remove 3-4 center frames from the hive.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program

Spray the package of bees lightly with sugar water before opening to wet the bee’s wings
to prevent flying.

Remove the syrup can from the package.

Remove the queen (in the shipping cage) and place it in a safe place temporarily.

Turn the package upside down and gently shake the bees into the hive.

Remove the cork from the candy end of the shipping cage and place the queen into the
hive by pressing the cage into the side of a frame of comb with the screen wire outward
and the candy end upward to prevent dead attendants from stopping up the exit.

Check back in 3-5 days to see if the queen has been released, if not release her if it
appears the bees have accepted her.
Working with Honeybees
THINKING LIKE A BEE
Temperature regulation – Bees cluster at 57°F, brood must maintain 92-95°F, adult bees
tolerate fluctuations in temps

no lungs, breathe through tracheae/spiracles

Instinct to hoard food, social insects
Five Senses
Hearing

Bees are basically deaf but can hear limited frequencies

use sense organs on knees and antennae to a lesser extent to hear

“feel” sounds

piping
 multiple hatched queens fight
 one queen works wing muscle through body to feet to make piping noise
 high pitch which attracts another queen and two queens fight
 Quacking: one queen in cell makes sound to attract other queen; sounds like quacking

Sounds in the hive indicate conditions of the hive, such as queenlessness, preparing to
swarm, disease, etc.

Using the bee's sense of hearing to the beekeepers advantage.
-
Work gently, don't bump, slam or beat the hive.
Tapping on an empty hive to attract a swarm into the hive is called "drumming
them in".
Banging: in today’s context one bangs two pieces of metal together to get swarm
to land; belief derived from the Roman trespass laws. When someone was
following a swarm, the banging announced ownership of the swarm
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Sight/Vision
a. Bees have 5 eyes
- 3 ocelli in the top center of their head used as light receptors to tell them when to leave
hive in morning and return later
- 2 compound eyes one on each side of head. The drone’s eyes are larger and “touch”
b. Humans see form and shape; bees see brokenness and motion: Bees can’t see difference
between square and triangle but can see the difference between X /+ and square/diamond
Deck of playing cards is a good example for shapes
a. Bees can see Blue, Blue green, Yellow and Ultraviolet;

red looks like a shade of gray
 more yellow flowers in Europe; more red flowers in the Americas
d, Navigation: work off sun, use Ultraviolet light on cloudy days

bees in the middle hives of a row of same color hives make more mistakes unless
have color/shapes to help out, will drift

Queens on mating flights are prone to go into the wrong hive, especially if they are
positioned in a straight row.
Touch

use antennae: e.g. - when want to be groomed, bee touches another bee with antennae;
food passing

Drone’s tongue is shorter than worker’s & do not have honey stomach; ask/get food from
sister workers.
Taste

salt; bees don’t need salt; have a high threshold, do need minerals

sour: less sensitive than humans

bitter: less sensitive than humans - for humans a warning something is wrong.
Humans live longer and have a more chance of building up metals, etc.;
humans sense with side of tongue

Sweet: threshold of humans and bees similar; humans sense with tip of tongue; if taste
sugar syrup and it is sweet to you, it will be sweet to the bees.
5. Smell
-
most important bee sense; critical to interact with environment
smell with antennae
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
-
-
-
nectar/odor used by plant to attract pollinators
hive odor
pheromones (chemicals produced by animals having specific affects on same species)
queen has greater than 32 pheromones; called queen substance
pheromones produced by: laying workers, mating, young, workers
drone - no pheromones identified
attractant (aggregation) pheromone
o smells like lemon oil
o produced from gland on top and near end of abdomen
o use while swarming to make path to new home
alarm pheromone
o released by guard bees
 sting intruder and mark sting site with this pheromone
o smells like finger nail polish remover (not acetone)
o if get stung, use smoker to dilute/mask
reduce number of stings by:
o avoid looking like bear (dark clothes, fuzzy clothes, rough finish)
o hot spots (around elastic)
o motion(move slow without quick jerky motions)
o take off jewelry, especially leather watch bands
o blinking eyes without a veil on
o don’t bang things
o don’t stay in colony any longer than have to
o work bees from 09:00 to about 2 hours before sunset, generally 10-2 pm)
o clean hive tool and hands before going into hive.
WHAT DO THEY LIKE/DISLIKE?
We may never understand all about the honeybees but we can learn to respect many things about
them.
They like to work; in fact they work themselves to death.
They will try to protect their home when invaded, wouldn't you?
They don't like to be jarred, slammed and beat around, so when working with bees, be very
gentle with them; don’t get in a hurry.
Bees don’t like smells of paint thinner and bananas
WORKING THE HIVE.
The best time to work a colony is from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. This gives the foragers time to
leave the hive (less congestion in the hive). Before opening a hive for any reason, always give
them a little smoke in the entrance and also when you pry open the inner cover give a few gentle
puffs of smoke.
If you are looking for the queen, smoke the bees sparingly, because the smoke alarms her and
will cause her to run, she will sometimes run to the dark corners of the hive to hide.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Always remove the old queen before introducing a new queen then allow the workers to release
her after 3-4 days exposure to the colony.
When removing brood frames, always remove an outside frame first to avoid rolling the Queen
and injuring her. This is very important because you could roll the queen. After removing the
outside frame, move the frames over gently to give room to remove the other frames safely.
Learn to discern the condition of the hive by reading the brood comb.
Look for a well-rounded pattern of brood. Learn what “normal” is for that time of year.
Do they have any signs of disease, i.e. dead brood, chalk brood, scattered brood (empty cells),
wax worms, etc.
Are there fresh eggs? Are the eggs standing straight up in the bottom of the cell; the eggs stand
straight up in the cell and gradually lay down after the second day if laid by a queen, or do the
cells have three or four eggs in the cell, piled up like stove wood which would indicate a laying
worker.
Are there excessive drone cells?
Are the bees crowded (especially in the spring)? Congestion often leads to swarming.
Always replace the frames the same way you found them unless you have a specific purpose for
doing otherwise.
If the hive is honey bound (no room for the queen to lay), remove the outside frames that usually
have no brood and replace with empty comb in the center. They should never have less than 15
pounds of honey.
You may want to replace some of the old comb that the cells have reduced in size as a result of
many generations of cocoons in them. Rotate out old combs every 3-5 years. Dating frames
helpful.
Try to avoid windy and rainy weather to go into your hives, these conditions irritate them.
Be sure the temperature is above 55 degrees before going into the hive. Bees begin to cluster at
57 degrees. Some bees may fly outside the hive at 45 degrees if sunny and no wind.
MEDICATON (see Management Calendar for schedules of medication). For medication use
consult the manufacturer’s instructions.
FEEDERS. (Used to apply sugar syrup as food supplement or to medicate.)
Top feeder has one or two compartments (about 2 gallons each) with access from the brood
chamber up through the end or middle and is placed on top of the hive between the brood box
and the top cover.
Boardman feeder is a small assembly that holds a Mason jar of sugar syrup and is placed on the
landing board and protrudes inside the front of the hive. Usually not recommended since bees
cannot get to the Boardman feeder in cold weather and it also causes robbing. These feeders
may also be used for water.
Baggie feeder: plastic zip lock bag containing sugar syrup in placed directly on top of the frames
in the brood chamber or super. Only fill ¾ full. Cut several small slits 1 inch or more from edges
for bees to feed. Helps insulate cluster in winter.
Bucket / Pail feeder/quart/gallon glass jar/recycled plastic soda bottle is placed on top of the
inner cover over the brood chamber or in a specially cut outer cover.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
SEASONAL MANAGEMENT-BEEKEEPERS CALENDAR
January 1st to January 15th
 Build equipment to meet coming year’s plans. It’s too late when swarms are hanging in the
tree or your last super is full and the bees are hanging outside the hive.
 First warm day, i.e., 50 + degrees, check for adequate stores for each hive, quick lift from
back.
 If feeding required: use a gallon bag placed directly on the frames of the top super with a
feeding ring. Use three quarts of heavy syrup. Once started feeding will be required until the
spring nectar flow begins sometime in March. After two bags of heavy syrup (7-8 lbs. sugar: 1
gal hot water), reduce to light syrup (1 lb. sugar to 1 pint hot water).
 If needed install Apistan or Check Mite strips in each hive body for Varroa Mites and leave
for 45-56 days.
 Use Grease Patties for Tracheal mite treatment.
January 15th to February 1st
 Check honey and pollen stores. If low on pollen (usually new hives) feed pollen substitute as
population starts increasing. Existing hives are usually OK with pollen. If low on honey (less
than 35 #) feed syrup via pail feeder, hive top feeder, or baggie. See directions above.
February 1st
 If needed (Nosema is very rare in SC). Medicate with Fumidil-B for Nosema control.
Follow label directions
 Medicate with Terramycin to treat for American Foul brood and European Foul brood. Mix
one pound of ATM-10 with two pounds of pulverized cane sugar, or use Terra-Brood-readymixed product. Apply two teaspoons per hive three times at three to four day intervals to the end
bars of the frames next to the brood chamber. Stop treatment before the nectar flow is sufficient
to build up surplus honey.
 Check the honey supply on each hive and feed sugar syrup if the hive has less than half a
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
super of honey. Mix ten pounds of sugar to one gallon of water. Suggest top feeders, either
double chamber or pail feeder until sufficient nectar is available.
February 15th
 Verify that hives have enough honey. When building up population, this is the time that
most hives starve.
 Remove all medication.
 Install grease patties; (Two parts cane sugar to one part Crisco) to control Tracheal mites;
leave on year round.
 Place bait hives to catch new swarms. Each bait hive should have one vial of pheromone bee
attractant and should be positioned eight to nine feet above ground level.
 Ensure that your honey supers are ready to place on the hives.
March 1st to March 15th (Temperature above 60ºF)
 Check for queen cells and cut them out or share with another beekeeper; repeat every ten
days for four times. Supersedure cells (half way up the frames should be left).
 Exchange brood boxes if two exist, or add 2nd if only one exists and two brood boxes are
used. Place the new hive body above the existing brood box. Some beekeepers prefer one brood
box.
 Check the brood cells and replace frames with excessive drone cells and excessively small
(old) worker cells.
 Install supers on all hives; on strong hives, install four supers if the frames have drawn out
comb, or two supers if frames have foundation comb. Weak or medium hives should receive
fewer supers accordingly.
April 1 to June 1:
 This is the time for most of the State’s honey flows; little earlier on the coast and a little later
in the mountains. Make sure the hives have enough supers and honey storage space. Top
supering is usually recommended.
 Major nectar flow in most SC areas is the second week of April. Honey is made in our area
from April until the end of May.
 Time to make splits if desired. Remember splitting reduces honey production. Good splits
require a good nectar flow and the availability of Drones.
 Check for viability of queen and brood pattern. Requeening fixes lots of problems.
 Keep an eye on the activity of the hive. Sudden changes may indicate a problem. Large
amounts of dead or dying bees in front of hive points to a pesticide kill. This can occur in less
than a day. A gradual buildup of dead bees, over a week or more, would be more like a heavy
varroa load. You may also see deformed bees being dragged from the hive. Foul brood will
manifest itself as a gradual reduction of bees with the characteristic ropey cells material and a
strong unpleasant odor.
 Check for swarming
June 15th to July 1st Sourwood season starts in the mountains (June 15th)
 Harvest honey crop.
 Replace wet supers on the hives for the bees to clean up; Place one empty super (with no
frames) between wet supers and the hive.
 Remove dry supers for storage. Supers should be stacked tightly with paradiclorabenzene
crystals on a plate between each five supers. Remember that the fumes from the moth crystals
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
move downward as they evaporate. Duct tape can be used to seal the crack between the supers.
July 1st to July 15th
 In necessary, treat with Apistan / Check Mite/ApiLife/ApiVar/formic acid for Varroa Mites.
Follow product instructions.
August 15th through September 15th
 Requeen with good queens and remove all treatments after 45-56 days from installation.
September 15th
 Medicate with Terramycin to treat for American Foul brood European Foul brood. Mix one
pound of ATM-I0 with two pounds of pulverized cane sugar, or use Terra-Brood-ready-mixed
product. Apply two teaspoons per hive three times at three to four day intervals.
 Check Grease patties and replace if necessary to control Tracheal Mites. Mix two parts cane
sugar to one part Crisco to control Tracheal Mites; Place one patty per brood box and leave on
year round.
September and October
 Combine weak hives. Be sure to remove the weaker or least desirable of the two queens.
October 1st
 Reduce the hive entrance to 3/8" to prevent mice from entering the hive.
 Ventilate the hive with a 1/8" crack at the front of the inner cover.
October 15th (After the first frost)
 Medicate with Fumidil-B for Nosema control. Follow label directions
November and December
 Now is the time to make repairs on your equipment, assemble new equipment and make
some of those time saver gadgets.
December to February (Preferably just after Christmas when the temperature is above 50°
F.)
 Feed pollen substitute; one and a half pounds per hive. Mixture; Three parts soybean meal,
one part dried brewer's yeast and one part powdered milk. You might find it is less expensive to
buy the ready mix. Refer to Carolyn’s Glop recipe or use dry pollen substitute. MegaBee is
suggested as best pollen substitute fed dry (coffee can) or in patties.
Sugar syrup can be made in three different formulas, each has its own special purpose and
is used at a specific time of the year.
1:2 This formula is very light syrup, it is made using one part of sugar to two parts of
water. For example, 1 cup sugar to 2 cups of water. It is used in late winter and early
spring to stimulate the queen to lay eggs.
1:1 This formula is a medium weight syrup, it is made using one part of sugar to one part
of water. For example, 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water. It is used as an artificial nectar
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
to feed brood larvae in spring and summer or to get the bees to draw comb.
2:1 This formula is very heavy syrup, it is made using two parts of sugar to one part of
water. For example, 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. It is used in fall or early winter as
a honey substitute to feed your bees.
A 5 pound bag of granulated sugar contains 10 cups.
SWARM CONTROL
A. SWARMS from Buildings
Bees can also be removed from buildings by "funneling them out" ... First, seal off all
entrances and exits but one. Then make a funnel out of screen wire and attach over the
entrance with the funnel pointed upward, so a dead bee will not fall into the exit and block
it. Place an empty hive with one frame of brood with fresh eggs in the hive, or better still,
place a queen on a frame with emerging brood near the entrance with the screen. When the
bees come out to forage, they can't get back into their hive, so they turn aside and take
residence in the hive with the queen and frame of brood, which becomes their new home.
This takes about a month to six weeks to remove the bees. Seal up the entrance when you
remove the screen. The old queen and a few workers that are left in the building will die
out.
B. DETECTING SWARM PREPARATIONS BY THE BEE COLONY
1. The bees as a result of overcrowding, weak pheromones of the queen or failing queen
initiate Queen Cells.
a. Queen pheromones are restricted by congestion in the hive as a population grows and
the queen's inhibiting influence declines.
b. The queen's pheromones may become weak as she ages.
c. Queen pheromones may become weak as she depletes her store of sperm.
d. Spotty patterns of brood are an indication of a failing queen.
2. Destroying Queen Cells as a Method of Reducing Swarming
Start checking about the 1st of March if the weather is warm enough (60°) and continue
checking every 10 days for four times.
3. The attendants reduce the queen’s diet to slim her down in preparation for flying when
they swarm, which also reduces her egg laying ability. Careful inspection of the brood comb
should be evident of this "slow down" which results in a reduction of fresh eggs.
C. CLIPPING THE MATED QUEEN'S WINGS SO THAT SHE CANNOT FLY AS A
METHOD OF REDUCING SWARMING
Clipping the wings of the queen does not prevent swarming, but it may prevent the queen
from flying with the swarm. It only delays swarming. When this happens, look very
carefully in front of the hive they swarmed from. You may not find her the first time you
check, but keep checking until you find her (she may not have left the hive with the
swarm). If you don't find her, she will crawl off and eventually be eaten by ants.
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D. THE VALUE OF MARKING QUEEN BEES IN BEE MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING
SWARM CONTROL.
Marking the queen will have no influence on swarming, but it will let you know that your
marked queen has died or left with a swarm when you find the queen in your hive has no
mark.
E. CONFINING THE MATED QUEEN AS METHOD OF REDUCING SWARMING
Once the queen has laid eggs in the queen cells, some expert beekeepers maintain the colony
is determined to swarm. The best thing to do now, is to make them think they have swarmed.
Remove the queen and place her in a queen cage. Next, reverse the hive bodies and place a
queen excluder between the two brood chambers. Remove all queen cells from the bottom
brood box except one, and leave at least one frame of brood with no larva less than four days
old. Remove all the queen cells from the top brood box and one or two frames of honey from
each side of the top brood box and replace them with empty frames of comb in the center of
the box. Now release the queen into the top brood chamber. Wait about two weeks, then
check to see if the new queen is laying in the bottom brood box, and there are no queen cells
in the bottom box, if so, remove the old queen from the top brood box and dispose of her.
After about one more week, remove the queen excluder and add supers as needed.
F. TWO MANAGEMENT SCHEMES THAT WILL REDUCE SWARMING
1. Requeening on a two year cycle
2. Reversing the Hive Bodies in the Spring (Spring Reversal). Since bees have a tendency to
move up in the hive, reversing the hive bodies gives the queen more room to lay. Demaree
method.
G. OVER CROWDING
1. The Best Time to Prevent Swarming is before the bees start building queen cells. Make
sure there is plenty of empty space in the brood chamber for the queen to lay eggs. Start Adding
supers about the 1st of March to prevent them from storing too much honey in the brood
chamber. If needed, remove outside frames with honey & pollen and insert empty frames in the
center. (Equalizing).
2. Queen cells are initiated by overcrowding because the queen pheromones are restricted by
congestion as populations grow, therefore, the queen's inhibiting influence declines because the
crowded condition prevents the worker bees from passing the queen pheromones adequately
throughout the hive.
H. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PRECAUTIONS FAIL AND THE BEES STILL SWARM
1. Collecting the Swarm at its Interim Site
a. A Swarm net with a drawstring on a pole with adjustable length helps get to swarms in
trees.
b. Swarm box with a false bottom is helpful when the swarm is to be merged with another
hive.
c. Swarm box with vacuum attachments is used to get bees when you remove a swarm
from a building where the inside wall has to be removed.
d. It is best to move bees the Same Day or Night if the swarm is caught in the same apiary
that the colony will be permanently located
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
2. Collecting the Swarm at its New Permanent Site
The colony should be moved to its permanent location after dark when all the bees are in
the hive.
3. Deciding whether to combine the swarm with its parent colony or starting a new hive of
bees. It is best to combine a new swarm into a hive (preferably a weak hive) other than the
parent hive.
THINGS BEES COLLECT
Honeybees collect more materials than just nectar and pollen; however, the materials that they
collect can be generally divided into just four major categories; water, propolis, pollen
and nectar. With the exception of water, all of the categories are of plant origin and this is
one more example of the close relationship between honeybees and plants.
PROPOLIS AND POLLEN (see Minor Products of the Hive, page 42)
WATER
Honeybees like all living animals require water, but some uses of this material may be a little
surprising.
Uses of water in the hive:
Water is used for cooling the hive in hot weather and maintaining a constant relative humidity
(about 70%) in the hive.
Feeding the brood by diluting the honey.
Water is not stored.
NECTAR
Nectar is the sweet (sugary) from the nectarines of flowering plants that attracts bees and other
insects to the flowering plants and may result in the pollination of the plants.
Foraging bees collect nectar and transfer to house bees, who storage it in the hive.
The nectar is converted into honey via a physical process, drying, and a chemical process that
introduces enzymes and some minerals into the honey.
Nectar/honey serves as the primary source of food for the adult bee and the brood.
Collection of nectar "substitutes" by honeybees; High Fructose Corn Syrup, sugar syrup.
Bees communicate where the nectar source is by dancing. Circle or round dance indicates source
is 11 yards or less away. Figure-8, waggle dance or wag-tail (shivering) is 15 yards to 4 miles
away. Faster movement = closer food source, slower movement = farther away food source.
Direction of the dance tells other worker bees if the food source is between the hive and the sun,
opposite side of hive from the sun or at some angle from the sun and hive.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
SOURCES OF NECTAR – Flowers
Parts of a typical flower
Flowers typically are composed of four parts, or
whorls, arranged in concentric rings attached to the
tip of the stem.
From innermost to outermost, these whorls are the
(1) pistil, (2) stamens, (3) petals, and (4) sepals.
Pistil: The innermost whorl, located in the
center of the flower, is the female reproductive
structure, or pistil. Often vase-shaped, the pistil consists of three parts: the stigma, the style,
and the ovary. The stigma, a slightly flared and sticky structure at the top of the pistil,
functions by trapping pollen grains, the structures that give rise to the sperm cells necessary
for fertilization. The style is a narrow stalk that supports the stigma. The style rises from
the ovary, a slightly swollen structure seated at the base of the flower. Depending on the
species, the ovary contains one or more ovules, each of which holds one egg cell. After
fertilization, the ovules develop into seeds, while the ovary enlarges into the fruit. If a
flower has only one ovule, the fruit will contain one seed, as in a peach. The fruit of a
flower with many ovules, such as a tomato, will have many seeds. An ovary that contains
one or more ovules also is called a carpel, and a pistil may be composed of one to several
carpels.
Stamens: The next whorl consists of the male reproductive structures, several to many
stamens arranged around the pistil. A stamen consists of a slender stalk called the filament,
which supports the anther, a tiny compartment where pollen forms. When a flower is still
an immature, unopened bud, the filaments are short and serve to transport nutrients to the
developing pollen. As the flower opens, the filaments lengthen and hold the anthers higher
in the flower, where the pollen grains are more likely to be picked up by visiting animals,
wind, or in the case of some aquatic plants, by water. The animals, wind, or water might
then carry the pollen to the stigma of an appropriate flower. The placement of pollen on the
stigma is called pollination. Pollination initiates the process of fertilization.
Petals: Petals, the next whorl, surround the stamens and collectively are termed the corolla.
Many petals have bright colors, which attract animals that carry out pollination,
collectively termed pollinators. Three groups of pigments—alone or in combination—
produce a veritable rainbow of petal colors: anthocyanins yield shades of violet, blue, and
red; betalains create reds; and carotenoids produce yellows and orange. Petal color can be
modified in several ways. Texture, for example, can play a role in the overall effect—a
smooth petal is shiny, while a rough one appears velvety. If cells inside the petal are filled
with starch, they create a white layer that makes pigments appear brighter. Petals with flat
air spaces between cells shimmer iridescently. In some flowers, the pigments form distinct
patterns, invisible to humans but visible to bees, who can see ultraviolet light. Like the
landing strips of an airport, these patterns, called nectar guides, direct bees to the nectar
within the flower. Nectar is made in specialized glands located at or near the petal’s base.
Some flowers secrete copious amounts of nectar and attract big pollinators with large
appetites, such as bats. Other flowers, particularly those that depend on wind or water to
transport their pollen, may secrete little or no nectar. The petals of many species also are
the source of the fragrances that attract pollinators. In these species, the petals house tiny
glands that produce essential or volatile oils that vaporize easily, often releasing a
distinctive aroma. One flower can make dozens of different essential oils, which mingle to
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
yield the flower’s unique fragrance.
Sepals: The sepals, the outermost whorl, together are called the calyx. In the flower bud, the
sepals tightly enclose and protect the petals, stamens, and pistil from rain or insects. The
sepals unfurl as the flower opens and often resemble small green leaves at the flower’s
base. In some flowers, the sepals are colorful and work with the petals to attract pollinators.
Sexual reproduction-Sexual reproduction mixes the hereditary material from two parents,
creating a population of genetically diverse offspring. Such a population can better withstand
environmental changes. Unlike animals, flowers cannot move from place to place, yet sexual
reproduction requires the union of the egg from one parent with the sperm from another parent.
Flowers overcome their lack of mobility through the all-important process of pollination.
Pollination, transfer of pollen grains from the male structure of a plant to the female structure of
a plant. The pollen grains contain cells that will develop into male sex cells, or sperm. The
female structure of a plant contains the female sex cells, or eggs. Pollination prepares the plant
for fertilization, the union of the male and female sex cells. Virtually all grains, fruits,
vegetables, wildflowers, and trees must be pollinated and fertilized to produce seed or fruit, and
pollination is vital for the production of critically important agricultural crops, including corn,
wheat, rice, apples, oranges, tomatoes, and squash.1
Pollination occurs in several ways. In most flowers pollinated by insects and other
animals, the pollen escapes through pores in the anthers. As pollinators forage for food, the
pollen sticks to their body and then rubs off on the flower's stigma, or on the stigma of the
next flower they visit. In plants that rely on wind for pollination, the anthers burst open,
releasing a cloud of yellow, powdery pollen that drifts to other flowers. In a few aquatic
plants, pollen is released into the water, where it floats to other flowers.
1"Pollination."Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Pollen consists of thousands of microscopic pollen grains. A tough pollen wall
surrounds each grain. In most flowers, the pollen grains released from the anthers contain two
cells. If a pollen grain lands on the stigma of the same species, the pollen grain germinates—one
cell within the grain emerges through the pollen wall and contacts the surface of the stigma,
where it begins to elongate. The lengthening cell grows through the stigma and style, forming a
pollen tube that transports the other cell within the pollen down the style to the ovary. As the
tube grows, the cell within it divides to produce two sperm cells, the male sex cells. In some
species, the sperm are produced before the pollen is released from the anther.
Independently of the pollen germination and pollen tube growth, developmental changes
occur within the ovary. The ovule produces several specialized structures—among them, the
egg, or female sex cell. The pollen tube grows into the ovary, crosses the ovule wall, and
releases the two sperm cells into the ovule. One sperm unites with the egg, triggering hormonal
changes that transform the ovule into a seed. The outer wall of the ovule develops into the seed
coat, while the fertilized egg grows into an embryonic plant. The growing embryonic plant
relies on a starchy, nutrient-rich food in the seed called endosperm. Endosperm develops from
the union of the second sperm with the two polar nuclei, also known as the central cell nuclei,
structures also produced by the ovary. As the seed grows, hormones are released that stimulate
the walls of the ovary to expand. It then develops into the fruit. The mature fruit is often
hundreds or even thousands of times larger than the tiny ovary from which it grew, and the
seeds also are quite large compared to the miniscule ovules from which they originated. The
fruits, which are unique to flowering plants, play an extremely important role in dispersing
seeds. Animals eat fruits, such as berries and grains. The seeds pass through the digestive tract
of the animal unharmed and are deposited in a wide variety of locations, where they germinate
to produce the next generation of flowering plants, thus continuing the species. Other fruits are
dispersed far and wide by wind or water; the fruit of maple trees, for example, has a wing-like
structure that catches the wind
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Honey Uses and Properties
Nectar is a sweet viscous fluid that is collected from the nectaries (floral and extra-floral) and is
converted to honey by honey bees. In the modification process by bees the nectar
moisture content is reduced and a chemical change occurs in which sucrose is broken
down into glucose (blood sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar)
It takes about 50,000 flights to produce 1 quart of honey. Those total flights = 1 trip around the
world. It takes 8 pounds of honey for a worker bee to make 1 pound of wax.
EARLY HISTORICAL USES OF HONEY
Human use of honey has been documented for 8000 years. The various uses include wound
dressing, treatment for baldness, contraceptive, constipation, prevent scars, correct skin
discoloration & freckles, abscesses, hard swelling and callusing of skin, coughs & sore throats,
treat eye diseases, leg ulcers, gastric ulcers, burns, serious infections, sunburn, dysentery,
diarrhea.
CURRENT USES OF HONEY
1. at Home: on table or in recipes
2. Food Industry: Baking. Be careful, ingredients are listed in descending order of amount and
sometimes honey is below the salt.
3. Pharmaceuticals – over the counter
In the US, we consume about 1.2 lbs. per person, > 150,000,000 lbs. or >$225,000,000
OTHER:
Honey in foods can promote bacteria that are beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract.
Energy metabolism in sports products; it is good to eat it before & during sports for prolonged
exercise > 1 hour. It has a fructose/glucose combination which competes with sports drinks,
gels, etc.
Treatment for wounds colonized by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Deodorizes foul smelling
wounds.
Reduces pain.
Reduces keloids and scarring.
Recent research in 2002, also inhibits tumor re-growth in cancer surgery.
Honey is more effective in controlling infections in burn wounds than silver sulphadiazine,
which is the most widely used ointment in hospitals. For burns, it speeds healing, sterilizes
wounds, reduces pain, lessens inflammation & scarring, decreases edema & discharge, and easy
dressing changes.
Darker honeys have a higher antioxidant power.
COMPARISON: HONEY VS SUGAR
Both have no fat. Honey has 304 kcal/gram 64 cal/Tbsp., sugar has 400 kcal/gram 45 cal/Tbsp.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Nutritive Value:
Water
Sucrose (like cane or granulated)
Fructose (like fruit-body converts to glucose)
Glucose (like in blood – high energy)
Minor vitamins & minerals
NECTAR
30%-90 % (80%)
5%- 70%
5%-30%
5%-30%
HONEY
18.6%
2%
40%
30%
Honey pH = 3.9, acidic . Most all foods pH < 7 except corn.
Don’t sell honey based on nutritive value. It is better than sugar due to enzymes.
Because nectar has yeast, honey will ferment if moisture is above 18.6% .
There are tests to detect adulterated honey with sugar water. Also a refractometer can measure
the moisture content.
Effect on tooth decay
Because honey is acidic, it can erode the enamel if it is held in the mouth for prolonged
periods of time. However, honey has less sucrose which causes plaque. It may be used
to treat mouth ulcers and may reduce pain if placed in a socket. Honey’s organic
phosphate protects teeth for short time periods.
Bottom line: brush your teeth after eating honey.
Use by Diabetics
Consult your physician
SPECIAL PROPERTIES OF HONEY
 Antibacterial Properties - Good for superficial wounds, keeps the wound site moist and
promotes healing, prevents the bandage from adhering to and tearing the tissue. Topical
treatment for skin infections, acne, eczema, & bed sores.
 However, botulism can survive in honey. That is why you should not feed
honey to babies < 1 year old. Older digestive systems take care of it.
 Use in cooking -Honey attracts and holds moisture (hydroscopic).
 Due to flavor, viscosity, & color, it is used as a thickener or browner.
 It helps things dissolve.
 Has good spread ability.
 Helps binding of ingredients.
 Improves texture.
 In meats, it lengthens their shelf life.
Other
o Hydroscopic: absorbs water from the atmosphere.
o Antioxidant: promotes food preservation, and potential protection against cellular
damage from free radicals.
o Antimicrobial: low water activity, high osmotic pressure, hydrogen peroxide
production, high acidity (all helps management of infections & eye disorders, and
management of food spoilage).
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Lots of other information available at www.honey.com & www.nhb.org
TYPES OF HONEY
There are over 300 types of honey produced in the U.S., over 3000 types worldwide.

Floral Sources
tulip poplar*
Tupelo gum
Sparkleberry
Gallberry
Sourwood
clover
Goldenrod – fall
Blackberry**
American Holly
Vetch
Black Gum
Privet
Aster – fall
buckwheat
*#1 source in the Piedmont,**#2 source in Piedmont
MINOR PRODUCTS OF THE HIVE
PROPOLIS
Propolis is a sticky gummy plant material that is collected and used by bees for various purposes
in the hive. The word Greek word ‘propolis’ means before (Pro) the city (Polis). Honey bees use
propolis:
-to stop up holes in the hive
-to protect from cold air & moisture
-glue to stick hive components together, frames, top.
-a varnish on inside of box, hygienic & antibiotic
-to cover up foreign object, like a mouse, will mummify it.
A. Composition: resins produced by trees & plants upon injury to ward off infections.
(such as poplar bud resins, pine resins, sweet gum resins). Bees mix the resins with
beeswax. It is transported on cubicula (pollen baskets).
B. Value to Humans: Humans use it as an antibiotic material; propolis oral & nasal
sprays; propolis ointments for dermatological problems; propolis toothpaste,
shampoo, & soap.
C. How to collect propolis: a trap is placed on the top of the hive in place of an inner
cover. The hive top is propped open. Bees will fill in the trap openings with propolis;
beekeeper removes trap and places it in the freezer. After chilling it becomes brittle
and can be popped off the trap.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
POLLEN - Pollination of flowers, vegetable and fruit crops = estimated value $14.6 Billion as
of 2000
A. Pollen is the dust-like material produced by plants that form the protein, vitamin and
mineral part of the bee’s diet. Colony will use 35-70 lbs./year .
B. Value to Humans: used as a nutritious material in tablet or powder form, helps with
immunities to allergens
C. How to collect pollen: in pollen traps during minor nectar flow; remove pollen
every day for 4-5 days, then remove trap for 3-4 days.
ROYAL JELLY
Royal Jelly is the larval diet of a queen bee all during her life.
Royal Jelly is manufactured in the Hypopharyngeal glands of the worker bees from age five
to fifteen days and fed to all bee larvae up to three days of age.
Value to humans
Used by people as very expensive health food and tonic.
How to collect royal Jelly: collected from queens cells when the larvae is three days old; the
queen larvae is discarded and the royal jelly is collected from the bottom of the cells. It takes
between 60 to 65 queen cells to produce one ounce of royal jelly.
BEE VENOM
Bee venom is a blend of proteins produced in the honeybee’s venom gland and stored in a
venom sac. Only workers and queens have stingers (drones do not). Queens only sting other
rival queens.
Value to Humans: Pharmaceutical companies sell venom to medical doctors who administer
small doses to someone allergic to bee stings. Over time the person normally develops immunity
to the venom.
Charlie Moraz from Vermont is the Father of American Apitherapy. Studies have found that Tcell suppression attacks myelin around nerves that cause multiple sclerosis (MS). Bee venom
neutralizes the T-cell suppression and excites the immune system.
Bee venom stings help scars, moles, corns, & cardiovascular problems. If you keep bees for
stings, they cannot survive by themselves outside of a hive for more than a week.
How to collect bee venom
 An electric grid attracts worker bees. When they the grid the stinger is left behind from
which the venom is collected. This must be in a sterile environment.
BEESWAX
Beeswax is produced by four pairs of glands on the underside of the worker bee's abdomen
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
when they are about two weeks old and older. Beeswax production is usually at a maximum
during a heavy nectar flow.
Used by bees to make cells for honey, pollen and raising brood; also used to cap honey and
brood.
Used by people for:
Cosmetics & soaps
Comb foundation by beekeepers
Candles
To wax thread
As a protective coating
As an ingredient in cosmetics and soap
Wax figures in wax museums
QUEEN BEES
1.
2.
3.
Bees raise queens by feeding female larvae lots of royal jelly only and turning the cell
in a vertical position.
A colony will raise queens for three reasons since a hive must have a queen
(ordinarily only one) to survive.
-To prepare colony for swarming
-To supersede a failing queen
-If they have no queen
Some beekeepers encourage colonies to raise queens to sell or use to replace old
queens in their own hives.
BEES
Bees raise bees to do the work of the hive
Beekeepers use them to populate hives
They may be bought in two or three pound packages.
BEE BROOD
This is bee larvae or baby bees
Bears are very fond of bee brood, which they relish along with honey and pollen in the comb.
Removed from the comb in the latter stages of development and fried, they are very tasty as
well as nutritious.
WAX MOTHS
Wax moths are a pest to bees and beekeepers. It is the larvae of the wax moth. The female
moth gets in the hive and lays her eggs. If the colony is strong, the bees will sting, kill and
drag the moth larvae out and keep them under control, but if the colony becomes weak, the
wax moths will destroy the hive.
Some beekeepers use them for fish bait.
Wax moth traps: old 2 liter soda bottle with 1 inch hole near top, add one cup Apple Cider
Vinegar, 1 cup 1:1 sugar syrup, a banana peel.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
HONEY PACKAGING AND LABELING
A strong hive can average producing 30-50 lb. of honey per year. 90 lb. in a deep super is
too heavy for the average beekeeper to lift.
1. liquid: Most honey sold in the US is marketed in liquid or extracted form.
Liquefy honey by placing in hot non-boiling water (140-150 degrees) for 30 minutes
OR Place in sunlight for 2 days. Each time you reheat honey above 100 degrees, you
lose some taste. Heating the honey will kill the enzymes.
2. Cut comb
3. Chunk – liquid honey + comb
4. Spun or Creamed
LABELS
Honey is heavier than other liquids. 1-qt jar is not 32 oz., but 44 oz. or 1.247 kg.
1 pt. jar is not 16 oz., but 22 oz. or 623 g.
Honey Labels must have the word HONEY in the top 1/3 of the label; your name, address,
phone #, farm name if listed in phone book, whatever makes you findable, and the weight. For
jars < 1 lb. show oz. and grams, For jars < 4 lb show pounds & oz. and kg, For jars greater than 4
lb. show pounds and kg.
Moisture content must be < 18.6% .
May use other marketing words on the labels: Pure Honey, RAW (if not heated above 100
degrees F), Blue Ribbon, local, any descriptive words desired. .
For business > $50,000, must have nutrition label (shows no fat)
Commercial honey is put through filters and removes pollen, wax, & some flavor and is
sometimes heated.
A. Honey in food / wine production
You cannot replace sugar with same amount of honey. For each cup of honey used,
reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup and add about ½ teaspoon baking soda, and
reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent over browning.
Honey is heavier than other liquids, a 12 ounce jar = one standard measuring cup.
For easy measuring, coat measuring cup or spoon with cooking spray before adding
honey.
1. Mead
2. Honey Yogurt
3. Honey Ice Cream
4. Other: Meat Preservation.
A study performed at Clemson by Paul Dawson of the Food Science Dept. found when
15% dried honey was added to turkey meat it resulted in a reduced rate of oxidation,
higher cooked yield, water addition without loss in quality, more protein, less fat, and no
bacterial growth for 11 weeks of refrigeration.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Formulas
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ray Crocker’s Grease Patty Formula
4 pounds of granulated sugar (sucrose)
3 ounces of corn oil
1 ½ pounds of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 pound of honey
2 ounces plus 1 tsp. of Wintergreen oil (from Glory Bee)
½ pound of mineral salt (pink color) approximately $8 for 50# from feed stores
Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Note: If the mixture is too thin, add more sugar, and if too thick, add honey until it is like the
dough for canned biscuits from the grocery store. It should be easily molded into patties.
Note: If excess amount made, make into 3 inch patties, separate with waxed paper and freeze in a
zip lock bag. Remove from freezer and install on bottom of brood chamber and on top edge of
super or as directions below. Do not use these patties during a nectar flow or when honey supers
are present. Best time is late summer or early fall.
The colonies must be treated using this system BEFORE mite populations reach injury level to
the colony. Once the colonies reach parasitic mite syndrome (deformed wings), they will not
consume enough of the patties to do any good. However, we are showing an increase in
housecleaning debris so we think the fumes from this concentration of wintergreen may be
killing mites inside the cells through the caps and the bees are attempting to remove everything
related to the smell. The bees themselves are apparently not affected.
When feeding the patties, use two 5 ounce patties between the supers. Separate them so they
overlap the normal ends of the cluster. This allows normal movement about the center of the
brood cluster. This strength Wintergreen oil has been found to kill small hive beetles in mass.
However, beetle populations are directly related to varroa mite infestation so controlling varroa
is the dominate requirement. In summer, we are using a screened bottom board (8 mesh
hardware cloth) AND a screened top in place of an inner cover. The hives are placed in full sun
to discourage SHB. When using a top screen, be sure that the outer cover gives ¾ inch
unrestricted (visible from side) airflow (does not reach down to the level of the super or the bees
may propolis the screen.) Colony populations explode when they have enough ventilation. A
nice experience is to lift the outer cover of a hive and look in on totally calm bees in the top of
the super. If you then see any hive beetles on the top of the screen trying to enter the hive, you
need to accept that you have some varroa build-up in progress and monitoring varroa is
necessary.
Note: Wintergreen oil in excess of 500 ppm gives a 50% kill of the bees. (50LD) is the term used
to signify 50% toxicity. The above mix is approximately 225 ppm.
Raymond E. Crocker, 2786 Cannons Campground Road, Spartanburg, SC 29307-2825, 864-5972652.
Also refer to the University of West Virginia’s web site for more essential oil uses:
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/varroa/varroa2.htm
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Carolyn’s Tips for inspecting Bee Hives
Some help especially for ‘newbees’
Carolyn Ehle, PO Box 7, Plum Branch, SC 29845, 864-442-5348
Before you start: Get all your equipment together and handy. Get some pollen substitute, sugar
water spray, or something to distract them. Have a smoker and fuel handy just in case. Wear the
amount of protection you are comfortable with. Have more handy, and be ready to take some off
if you’re comfortable.
Move in: GO IN SLOW MOTION! Defensive bees key in primarily on movement. Especially
watch your hand movements. Make your hands smell good, rub them on some wax or propolis or
whatever.
Outside the hive: How many bees are flying (hive strength, flow, etc.)? Any drones (strength,
availability for breeding, etc.)? where are the bees going in and out (probably near queen). Are
they carrying pollen (feeding brood, availability of food)? Are any bees feeding other bees in
view, or doing tremble dances (nectar flow on, tremble dance means more house bees needed to
take up nectar)? Are all the bees being busy (flow on, lots of brood, too many or too few bees?)?
Are they cleaning or tending to incoming bees (plenty house bees, flow on, not much brood)?
Are any bees sickly looking? Are bees carrying debris or other bees out of the hive (normal
losses, good hygienic character, disease problems)? Are there dead bees? Dead drones? Dead
larvae or pupae (usually white)?
Going in the hive: Move in from the back, gently use a hive tool to help ease up the top. If it
feels stuck try to move it slowly from side to side (tiny amounts). Propolis and bridge comb are
easier to twist loose than to pull straight up. Once it feels free (still mostly closed), ease it open
slowly, preferably with the gap away from you. Look at the inside to evaluate bee numbers as
you slowly bring it around to the ground. Be careful not to crush any bees as you put it down. A
slow wiggling movement as the surfaces come together will encourage bees to move out of the
way. When you first see bees look at their positions. Are their butts in the air? If so, they’re a
little nervous, but will probably settle down. If you see stinger being stuck up, proceed extra
cautiously. A few bees are probably guards and may come flying out. Just hold still and give
them a moment. As the light reaches them, they will usually roar a little, just wait until they quiet
down. I often put a little pollen glop or sugar water in the inner cover hole and wait a sec, then
ease the inner cover off, using a twist if necessary. Put it down carefully. Try not to breathe on
the bees, the carbon dioxide is an alert. If you talk do so quietly and don’t gesture with your
hands. Once the frames are exposed, I put pollen glop on all the center bars and sometimes the
outside. I also peek in to evaluate numbers of bees, if there’s white wax (signs of a flow or
running out of room), where the action is, if I can see honey, if there are drones, etc. Now start
working through the frames starting at the first or second from at one end. I like to work them
into a new box painted with mineral oil and wax mix (which I call glop), then I only have to
handle each frame once and the bees are in a box and stay quieter. Although the new-looking box
is confusing for a little there is less disruption and less chance of mashing the queen. Also, if you
are trying to find her, or get particular frames like honey, or pollen, or brood, you have space to
organize the frames and can be sure she doesn’t jump to the frames you’ve already worked. I
usually put the new box on the bottom board in front of the hive, to pick up returning field bees.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
When half the frames are out I can move the boxes if need be, meaning far less weight.
Experience and time working with other beekeepers will let you develop your own methods, but
this approach will at least get you into the hive the first few times. Remember, MOVE
SLOWLY, avoid mashing any bees, and keep your first ventures short, even if you only pull a
few frames.
GLOP FORMULAS
1. Pollen Glop: Provides carbs (sugar), protein, vitamins and minerals, fats, and the oil helps
fool tracheal mites to manage their numbers. Also puts the food near the brood, and encourages
movement to the supers or whatever. Seems to keep for months, thought occasionally it molds if
uneaten. If hive is weak or small don’t put more than they can protect from wax moths.
Dry pollen substitute (Bee-Pro, MegaBee, etc)
Sugar syrup (usually 1:1 by volume)
Vegetable oil (I try to use cold pressed, usually Hollywood brand Safflower oil available at
many supermarkets)
Optional nutritional additives: Vitamin C powder, sea salt, trace minerals, essential oils. (I
usually use a dash of Vit C and sea salt, added to syrup first.)
Directions: Add sugar syrup to pollen sub while mixing, until all the powder is wet but it’s still
very stiff. Then add oil while stirring until it gets thin enough to spread easily. If you let it stand
a while it stiffens up, so ideally make ahead and adjust the texture. I put it in a sip-lock bag and
cut a bottom corner off. You want a fairly think stream (1/4 inch plus), but be careful not to blow
out the bag with too stiff glop or too small hole. A pastry bag also works.
2. FGMO (Food Grade Mineral Oil) Glop
Seems to help manage varroa mites with minimal artificial input. Kills mites on contact and
stimulates grooming; it slowly delivers the effect for weeks or months.
Food Grade Mineral Oil (sold as laxative in most food stores and pharmacies)
Bees wax (not from possible American foul brood hives, preferably not from Apistan or
coumaphos treated hives).
Directions: Melt beeswax in container floated in another container of water (like a double boiler
– I use 2 old saucepans, one smaller than the other). Watch carefully until you know nothing’s
going to tip into the flame or boil over or whatever. If the water bath is just below boiling and
you cover the wax container it will melt well. Do not heat wax directly over heat source! When
wax is melted, measure the depth by sticking a stick or spoon in it and noting the depth of wax
when you pull it out. Make a mark on the stick that is twice as long, put the stick in the melted
wax and fill with mineral oil until you reach the mark. In other words, you want half wax, half
mineral oil. The oil will congeal the wax so reheat until all is melted, then carefully (no wax on
burner) use a paint brush (never used for paint, please) to paint onto the inside of your bee boxes.
I’ve tried painting boxes with bees in it, but it’s easier to work the frames into a new glopped box
each time you thoroughly inspect the bees.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
QUEEN PROPAGATION
Assumptions:
Strong Hive
Good nectar flow, preferably in May with warm nights
Availability of quality drones
Bees with desirable traits
1. Select your best hive with traits you want to replicate. Begin process in May around 3
pm.
2. Find the queen. Remove the queen and the frame she is on. Place it in a nuc.
3. Take a frame of honey, capped or open, with pollen and place it next to the queen frame.
4. Fill nuc with drawn comb if possible. If none drawn, use foundation.
5. Move parent hive to a location 20 plus feet from its original location. Replace the two
frames which were removed with foundation or drawn comb.
6. Place nuc in parent hive’s original location. Field bees will return to the nuc and take care
of the queen.
7. In parent hive’s new location house bees will sense the loss of the queen and begin
converting fresh egg cells to queen cells. Up to 10 cells will be made depending on the
strength of the hive.
8. In 12-14 days remove all queen cells and use for whatever purpose intended.
9. Move parent hive back to old location and reunite with nuc containing the old queen.
This hive will continue on as before.
10. I prefer putting the queen cells in a nuke with a couple of frames of bees and letting her
mate and start laying brood. Use these nucs to re-queen other hives or be the starter for
additional hives.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
Characteristics/Symptoms
Probable Cause
No adult bees left in hive either on combs or on the bottom board. If any
bees are present they are only the queen accompanied by a handful of
very young workers. There is a noted delay of two to three weeks before
there is any robbing/scavenging activity by bees, moths, or beetles within
the dead hive. Brood is present, often in larger quantities than the cluster
can maintain.
Colony Collapse Disorder
Pupal mass under cappings is brownish in color and has a ropey or
elastic viscosity. Sunken brood cell cappings that are dark brown or black
in color and have a greasy appearance. Some cappings may also
contain small pin holes.
American Foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae)
Small pin holes in brood cell cappings. Numerous dead bees with
deformed wings and/or short abdomens. Numerous dead Varroa mites
found in sealed brood cells or on the bottom board.
Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) and
associated parasitic mite syndrome (PMS)
Remains of dead cluster contain bees that are positioned headfirst in
cells. Any honey left in the hive is located two or more inches away from
the remains of the
Starvation
Remains of numerous drone brood cells sometimes scattered within
worker brood on the same comb.
Old or Failed Queen/Drone layer
Combs, brood or dead bees covered with mold or mildew.
Indicates that the hive died a while ago or
was too weak to maintain combs.
No honey left in hive. Wax cappings that covered areas where honey
was stored have been ripped open – jagged capping pieces litter the
bottom board.
Hive died out or was too weak to defend
honey stores from robbing by other bees,
wasps, and /or hornets.
Significant brown spotting or large patches of brown staining on frames,
comb, or in front of the hive.
Nosema disease or dysentery
Numerous dead bees lying out in front of the hive may be combined with
brown spotting on inside or outside of hive entrance. Bees that hive
disconnected their two pair of wings and rotated them into an orientation
that resembles the letter K.
Tracheal Mites (Acarpis woodi)
Buildup of webbing on combs containing small black pieces of debris.
Remains of old cocoons and rounded elongated indentations in wooden
ware. Damaged/disintegrated combs. Grey moths either dead or alive.
Greater or Lesser wax moths (Galleria
mellonella, Achronia grisella) moved in
once the hive became too weak to defend
itself, or died
Small hard larval remains that are white, gray or black within the brood
comb, on the bottom board, or on the ground in front of the hive.
Chalk Brood (Ascosphaera apis)
Combs are riddled with holes (but no webbing is evident). Inside of hive
is covered with slime and any honey left in the hive is fermented and
runny. Some wax-moth-larva-like organisms are evident.
Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida) moved
in once the hive died out or became too
weak to protect all areas of comb.
Sudden collapse of hive. Numerous dead bees lying around in front of
the hive with their tongues sticking out.
Pesticide/Chemical Poisoning.
Source: Natural Beekeeping, Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture, by Ross Conrad, 2007, Chelsea
Green Publishing.
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Certified level of the S.C. Master Beekeepers program
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