Empty Sugar Cans!!

I've heard from several beekeepers that hived bees yesterday that the sugar cans were completely empty!  If you have not yet hived your bees, get er done!!  If I were you, I'd wait until the warmest part of the day, when the snow and ice are melting and dripping.  The only source of food your bees have right now is probably what you are feeding them.  Do not spray them before hiving, though, as they can get way too cold and die from hypothermia.  Happy Hiving and I hope to see many of you at the Interior Beekeeper's Club tomorrow night!  Monroe Catholic School (7-9PM)

Free Beekeeper's Club Meeting

Interior Beekeeper's Club Meeting

 

There will be a Beekeeper's Club meeting on 4/29/13 at Monroe Catholic School multi-purpose room. 7PM This is a question and answer time for anyone who is currently keeping honeybees or plans to do so in the future. There will be some used equipment and pollen patties available for sale. For more information, contact John Strothenke at akhoneyshare@yahoo.com, Dave Olszowy at dfo9@aol.com or Dawn Cogan at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com.

Great Bees From Steve Victors Again This Year!!

Today was a great day for hiving bees between 3 and 6PM!!  I got my last two colonies hived today.  Thank you, Shawn Johnston, for showing up and suiting up to help out!  We found eggs and larva in the comb that I hived bees in last Thursday.  Once again, we got fantastic bees from Steve Victors this season!!  My sugar water was almost empty and I'm refilling sugar water every 4 to 5 days now.  Also, since the pollen season will be late due to the cold weather, I'm keeping half a pollen patty in each hive at all times.  I still have some pollen patties left for sale.  Make sure your bees have good ventilation and insulation!!

Hiving Honeybees In Cold Weather

Honeybees & Cold Weather Tips from Steve Victors with notes from Dawn Cogan:

I have had a number of concerned beekeepers contact me expressing dismay over the extended cold spring weather. The arrival date seems not the best timing this year. The bee delivery dates are picked out in October and early November of the year before. Days are reserved for shaking and filling the packages inCalifornia to catch that window of time between too cold for queen mating and too hot for transporting bees to the airfreight from the field. We try to predict when the willows will be blooming and the weather warm enough to hive the packages on arrival to Alaska. The two windows of time have to line up or overlap just right. Once the dates are set there is not much we can do to change the schedule. 

 

Each year there seems to be some factor we cannot control that challenges the smooth delivery and easy installation of our packages. In the last four shipments of bees we have had two years of volcanoes and one year of tsunami challenges. This year we have cold and snow that seems to not want to give up. Bees are resilient and beekeepers are resourceful so at least we have that going for us.

 

Here are some things that you can do to improve your success in early and cold spring.

* Darken the snow in front of the hive helps the bees tell which way is up and will melt the snow faster when it is warm enough to melt. Ashes from the woodstove work well for this. Use a vegetable strainer to sift the ashes over the snow to stretch the supply.

* Hiving:

Warming the equipment:

 

Bring your hive into the house prior to installing the package to make sure that the components are warm. Bees on a cold bottom board have a harder time moving up to the frames to form a good cluster. Climbing on warm combs can also a help although the combs cool relatively quickly. Don’t waste a lot of time getting the hive carried out and the installation done. Keep in mind that moving a hive is not a difficult thing to do and it is possible to hive right in front of the garage with the bottom entrance screened and move it inside for them to get settled.

* Note from Dawn: Before moving the hive, ratchet strap all the hive components together. I will demonstrate this technique on either 4/13/13 or 4/14/13

* Size of the hive:

Keep in mind that the bees will cover about five frames. Reducing the number and size of the boxes will help out. The use of follower boards (Styrofoam cut to take the place of a frame fitting snugly in the hive) can be employed in a 10 frame hive to reduce the space to a more efficient size for the bees.

* Single box:

Use only one hive body to install the bees this spring.

* Note from Dawn: I will be changing my spring hive to one brood box per colony!!

 

* Frame of syrup:

If you have drawn comb consider filling the upper portions with sugar syrup by use of a spray bottle. Make the standard honey arch that you see normally in the hive inspections. This will allow the cluster to form with food right into the cluster. Leave the centers of the frames empty for the queen to use as well as the bees to transfer heat through the comb.

* Don’t hive wet:

If you regurally spray the bees during hiving process they will loose heat faster when they are wet. Hive the bees dry with full bellies. To do this spray sugar feed through the package screen and allow the bees to consume the feed before taking them outside. A few good sprays with intervals between for uptake can fill a package in about an hour.

 

* Heat of the day:

Use the warmest portion of the day to hive the bees.

* Screening the entrances and indoors:

I have hived bees indoors before…. I would not care to repeat the experiment. If you feel that the bees are better off indoors hive outside. Screen the entrances and move them inside. A screen cover under or in place of the inner cover can help you regulate temperatures in the hive.

 

* Feeders:

Over the cluster:

Bees needing feed in the cold won’t travel far get the feeder as close to the cluster as possible.

 

Avoid outside or Boardman entrance feeders. Bees will not break cluster to go down to food feeding the bees from directly above the cluster works well just be sure that the feeder does not drip on the bees.

 

*Two feeders:

A frame feeder as well as a feeder over the cluster may be used to keep the bees from being trapped away from the feeder to the side

 

Hive top feeders:

 

Insulation above the feeder will allow the bees to travel up to the feed without moving from the warmth area of the hive.

 

*Note from Dawn: I will demo this inner and over cluster feeding method on 4/13/13 or 4/14/13.

 

*Insulation:

Conservation of heat will certainly help the bees establish a cluster loose enough for the queen to lay in. Just like a house, the best place for insulation is above the cluster. Insulation pillows using plastic bags with standard insulating materials in them are used in Canada. Reflectix insulation (foil bubble wrap) cut to the size of the inner cover and laid on top of the inner cover works well. Styrofoam is another alternative.

* Heaters:

Heat sources inside or under the hive can help. A small silicon oil pan heater stuck to a piece of metal to dissipate the heat can be used. Heat sources between 25 and 40 watts should be sufficient depending on the size of the space to warm up.

 

Follower boards rather than outside insulation may be the best method of

adding insulation to the walls of the hive.

 

* Note from Dawn: As discussed in my classes, I recommend having both the inner, follower boards and the outside insulation. I won't be using any heaters as I don't want to risk over-heating the bees. Bubble wrap insulation is the best choice and we can put extra under the bottom board. One could even build a box and fill it with insulation if necessary.

* Entrance reducers:

 

Use the smallest entrance to reduce drafts

* Top entrances:

 

Small top entrances for the dissipation of moisture may help the hive to avoid the damp conditions.

 

* Holding your package for a warmer time:

 

Temperatures for holding packages should be around 60 degrees. To tell if the temperature is right, observe the cluster. If there are bees running on the screen it is too hot. A properly cared for package should have a fairly loose cluster hanging quietly. There may be a few bees not involved in the cluster found crawling on the screen or exploring the bottom of the package. Keep the package in the dark or in dim light.

Note from Dawn: If I end up having to keep hives in my garage, I will turn the thermostat down to 59* or 60* and tell my children to "wear layers!"

 

*Feeding through the package:

 

You can spray the package twice a day for feed through the screen. Bees that are hungry will have their tongues out through the screen.

*Syrup feeders:

 

A nut jar or any large jar with a plastic lid can have a number of holes through the lid and placed over the package to feed the bees. To do this the feeder can is removed and a screen is stapled in place over the hole left by the feeder can. An overturned nut jar can be placed on top of the screen and the bees can feed through the screen. Feeder jars can be changed as necessary.

 

*Note from Dawn: I'm headed back to Alaska today after being in rainy Oregon for several days and Chattanooga, Tennessee for a couple days. I'm making a very strong effort to bring some sweet, southern wind and sunshine back home with me and I plan to give Jack Frost a serious boot when I get there!!!

 

This is a lot of information I hope that you find at least some of it useful.

Steve Victors

April 24th, Bee Shipment

Hi all!!
This is Kaylee, Dawn's daughter. :) I was asked to give an update on the estimated arrival time for today's bee shipment! Mom told me that the bees came in late and the estimated time of arrival is now 6:30pm.
Thank you!

Honeybee Shipment 4/24/13

Wanda Bowder and I will be bringing about 40 colonies up to Fairbanks from Anchorage on 4-24-13.
Our estimated time of arrival is 5PM at the Monroe Catholic School parking lot.
We will be calling people who's bees are in this shipment from Nenana to confirm our arrival time.
Pollen patties will be available for $5.00 each when the bees arrive.
I will perform a live hiving demonstration in Aurora subdivision after the last package is distributed.

Interior Beekeeper's Club Meeting

There will be a Beekeeper's Club meeting on 4/29/13 at Monroe Catholic School multi-purpose room.  7PM  This is a question and answer time for anyone who is currently keeping honeybees or plans to do so in the future.  There will be some used equipment and pollen patties available for sale.  For more information, contact John Strothenke at akhoneyshare@yahoo.com, Dave Olszowy at dfo9@aol.com or Dawn Cogan at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com.

First Hive Check - BINGO!!!

I just got back from checking the Carniolan colony which I hived on Monday.  They were almost out of sugar water.  I pulled the queen cage out - EMPTY! I looked for eggs - EGGS! - I looked for the queen - BINGO!. . . Her name is "Snow Angel."   My prayers for this colony were answered!!  I will check three more on Sunday or Monday before leaving for Anchorage to pick up more colonies with Wanda Bowder. 

Hive Your Bees!!!

I believe our bees have endured the worst part of this assault by Jack Frost!!  If it gets 40* today I wouldn't wait any longer to hive my bees!  I will be hiving another colony today which is the last one until I bring up the last shipment of bees on 4/24/13 around 5PM.

 REMEMBER: DO NOT SPRAY YOUR BEES BEFORE HIVING THIS SEASON AS IT IS TOO COLD!!!

Keep your bees inside a warm location while you set the hive up, pull out three middle frames and set them aside and fill your room temperature sugar water. Get your bees and hive them.  I hived three colonies yesterday afternoon with the Kulp Family and then they headed home and hived two colonies.  It went really well except that because of the chill, the bees do not slide out of the box completely.  To get close to all of your bees out of the box, take off the little strips of wood which hold the screen onto the edges of the box.  This will allow you to give the box one last thump and "wa-la" your bees should slide right out!  Another important note: I put my queen in my bee suit pocket to keep her warm while I am dumping the colony into the hive.  A single bee will get hypothermic very quickly.   I recycle any sugar water that is left in the can by putting larger holes in the can and dumping it into the sugar feeder. Another way to insulate the entrance is to get the little, foam tubes that are used to insulate around windows and stuff those in place of the entrance reducer, leaving a small space for the bees to use as an entrance/exit.  I heard from Fred Tuttle out at Harding Lake and he hived his bees Sun. night after the delivery.  He reports they are doing "Great and I can hear a hummmmmm when I put my ear up to the hive."  Thanks, Fred for the updates and KEEP YOUR SUGAR WATER FLOWING!!  I will be feeding my bees every 4 days and waiting to do any hive checks until the weekend when it is 50* or warmer.  :)

Hive Demonstration Today - 4/17/13

I'm expecting (and praying for) the temperature to reach 35* in town today so I'm planning to do a hiving demo at 1:30PM just down the street from my house.  If anyone wants to join us, just meet us at my house right at 1:30PM today.

Hiving Bees, First Hive Checks, Greenhouses, & Moving Bees

If you have hived your bees, fill up sugar water feeders every 4 days!! Once you hive your bees, I wouldn't open the hive again unless it gets 40* or warmer and only to fill the sugar feeder - Then put the lid back on ASAP! The inner lids you have should have a 1 to 1.5 inch wide notch in them for ventilation.  If you cover the hive w/ a sleeping bag, etc. make sure the bottom entrance and top entrance are open to the air.  Bees get very hypothermic when sprayed in cold weather or wind so don't spray sugar water on the bees when hiving unless it is 50*!

I will pray for your bees when I'm praying for mine! There will be a noticable drop in population over the next couple weeks but when your new brood start hatching out, you'll gradually see noticable increases everytime you perform a hive check.

 

I hived one colony yesterday and decided to wait until it warms up more before hiving four more colonies. I estimate I lost 100 to 200 bees to hypothermia.  I will perform a hive check on Thursday or Friday!  My tasks at that time will be:

1) Fill the sugar water

2) check the queen cage & remove it if the queen has exited

3) If it is 50* or warmer, look for evidence of a healthy queen (eggs & larva)

Greenhouses are questionable only for the fact that they can overheat the bees. They are very helpful at night but can get way to hot during the day. With our weather situation right now, it would probably be o.k. but keep an eye on the daytime temp.One way to tell if the bees are too hot is that they will be out in front of the hive "fanning" their wings very rapidly. The only complication with moving the hive is that if you move it anywhere within 3 miles, the bees get "lost" and return to their original location to find no hive so they hang out in clusters in the original location and many of them die because they don't have shelter at night. The general rule for moving hives is 3 feet or 3 miles.

Patient Beekeepers!

I was really impressed with 99.9% of everybody's patience yesterday! Getting bees to Alaska's Interior is not easy!  Flying the bees to Anchorage via Fed Ex or UPS is the easy part but you see, since we can't order enough bees to fill an entire cargo plane, if our bees were flown up to Fairbanks, they would be loaded onto the plane first and cargo being flown to Anchorage would be loaded last.  When the plane arrives in Anch. all the bees would be left on the plane while the Anch. cargo gets unloaded.  Depending on the weather and temperatures, our bees could either over-heat or freeze while the Anch. cargo is unloaded.  Also, the more take-offs and landings the bees go through, the harder it is on the bees.  So, flying the bees to Anch. and driving them up to Fbks. is the safest method of getting our bees up to Fbks.  This said, we still are dependent on technology and vehicles to do this.  Steve and Donna's truck had a check engine light come on while they were driving to Anchorage to pick up the bees.  Before picking up the bees they intelligently got the engine checked, which slowed them down for several hours.  They found out that it was just a computer glitch and but who wants to risk 160 colonies of honeybees on the Parks Hwy. if there is a mechanical problem.  By the time they got out to Big Lake, the day was mostly shot and no one could have hived their bees a 10PM Sat. night anyway so they decided to store the bees in their shop, feed them 7 gallons of sugar water and head north Sunday morning.  Anyhow, this is why the bees were postponed by a day.  I was very happy when I saw the packages with very little dead bees in the bottom of the boxes yet again.  I continue to be very impressed with the quality of the bees and the meticulous professionalism of John Foster in Sacremento and the Victors!  Thank you, John, Steve & Donna!!

Hiving? - It's Still A Bit Too Cold!

I hived one colony of Carniolans today.  This is the coldest temperature I've ever hived bees in!!! I am waiting to hive the other four colonies until it gets to 40* or warmer.  I'll do another hiving demo for anyone who wants to attend.  Please email me if you want to attend.

Live Hiving Demonstration Today!!

Since I got one colony of Carniolans yesterday, I will perform a live hiving demo today.  Anyone who wants to come observe can bring their beesuit and meet me at my house at 4:30PM today.  We will head down the street a couple blocks to one of my hive locations.  Anyone is welcome!

Honeybee Arrival Change!!

Hello Folks,

I just talked with Donna Victors.  Our estimated time for the bee arrival is 2:30PM today!! The bees are still in fabulous shape and were fed again this morning.  Last night Steve shared, "We used about 7 gallons of sugar syrup to feed all 160 colonies!" See you around 2:30PM!
:)

Honeybees In Excellent Condition!!

Steve called and said the bees are in excellent condition!!  He and Donna are keeping the bees overnight in Big Lake.  They will leave early tomorrow morning to head north to Alaska's interior.  We estimate they will arrive at Monroe Catholic School parking lot around 1PM.  Pollen patties will be available for sale for $5.00 each when you pick up your bees.
:) Dawn

Delay in Honeybee Delivery!

The Victors had some mechanical trouble this morning on their way into Anch. to pick up the bees.
Fortunately, they have the problem resolved and are loading the boxes right now.  They will take them to their Big Lake homestead for the night and deliver them at approximately 1 PM tomorrow, Sunday, April 14th, 2013.  Please keep checking here for updates!!
:) Dawn

My Honeybee Plan!!

I will be keeping my bees in their 4lb. box until it warms up on Mon. 4/15/13.  The place I am storing my 4 lb. box of live bees is 50* to 58* and I will be spraying sugar water on them a couple times per day. (once in the morning and once in the evening) but checking on them mid-day to make sure they aren't hungry. I estimate I will hive my bees around 1PM on 4/15/13, just down the street from Monroe.  Any of my students are welcome to observe a live hiving.  If you want to be able to see up-close, please wear your beesuit.  I will call everyone who is getting bees tomorrow when the Victors are in Nenana so that you have a 45 min - 1 hour notice.  Please mix up your sugar water tonight if you haven't already.  Make sure there isn't any granules in it.  I use fox water so I'm not feeding my bees anything unnatural.  Also, I heat up the water on the stove and make sure the sugar gets dissolved completely.  Then I let it cool to room temperature.  I will fill up my spray bottle with sugar syrup in the morning and have all my tools, etc. ready for when the bees arrive.  Keep checking this blog for updates!!

Honeybees Delivered to Interior on Sat. 4/13/13

Beekeepers who have honeybees coming this Sat. should keep checking for updates here.
As of now, Steve and Donna Victors will leave Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage around 9AM this Sat. to head to the Interior of Alaska with 160 four lb.packages of honeybees.  This would bring them to the Monroe parking lot between 5PM and 7PM since they will deliver packages to beekeepers along the Parks Hwy. as they head north.
Our bees are being "shaken out" (packaged) right now.  The queens are all good according to John Foster (yesterday).  California has been great for mating season so we should get some great queens.

Honeybees & Cold Weather Tips from Steve Victors:

     I have had a number of concerned beekeepers contact me expressing dismay over the extended cold spring weather.  The arrival date seems not the best timing this year.  The bee delivery dates are picked out in October and early November of the year before.  Days are reserved for shaking and filling the packages inCalifornia to catch that window of time between too cold for queen mating and too hot for transporting bees to the airfreight from the field.  We try to predict when the willows will be blooming and the weather warm enough to hive the packages on arrival to Alaska.  The two windows of time have to line up or overlap just right.  Once the dates are set there is not much we can do to change the schedule.  

     

     Each year there seems to be some factor we cannot control that challenges the smooth delivery and easy installation of our packages.  In the last four shipments of bees we have had two years of volcanoes and one year of tsunami challenges.  This year we have cold and snow that seems to not want to give up.  Bees are resilient and beekeepers are resourceful so at least we have that going for us.

     Here are some things that you can do to improve your success in early and cold spring.

* Darken the snow in front of the hive helps the bees tell which way is up and will melt the snow faster when it is warm enough to melt.  Ashes from the woodstove work well for this.  Use a vegetable strainer to sift the ashes over the snow to stretch the supply.

* Hiving:

Warming the equipment:

Bring your hive into the house prior to installing the package to make sure that the components are warm.  Bees on a cold bottom board have a harder time moving up to the frames to form a good cluster.  Climbing on warm combs can also a help although the combs cool relatively quickly.  Don’t waste a lot of time getting the hive carried out and the installation done.  Keep in mind that moving a hive is not a difficult thing to do and it is possible to hive right in front of the garage with the bottom entrance screened and move it inside for them to get settled. 

* Note from Dawn:  Before moving the hive, ratchet strap all the hive components together.  I will demonstrate this technique on either 4/13/13 or 4/14/13 

* Size of the hive:

Keep in mind that the bees will cover about five frames.  Reducing the number and size of the boxes will help out.  The use of follower boards (Styrofoam cut to take the place of a frame fitting snugly in the hive) can be employed in a 10 frame hive to reduce the space to a more efficient size for the bees. 

* Single box:

Use only one hive body to install the bees this spring.  

* Note from Dawn: I will be changing my spring hive to one brood box per colony!!

* Frame of syrup:

If you have drawn comb consider filling the upper portions with sugar syrup by use of a spray bottle.  Make the standard honey arch that you see normally in the hive inspections.  This will allow the cluster to form with food right into the cluster.  Leave the centers of the frames empty for the queen to use as well as the bees to transfer heat through the comb.

* Don’t hive wet:

If you regurally spray the bees during hiving process they will loose heat faster when they are wet.  Hive the bees dry with full bellies.  To do this spray sugar feed through the package screen and allow the bees to consume the feed before taking them outside.  A few good sprays with intervals between for uptake can fill a package in about an hour.

* Heat of the day:

Use the warmest portion of the day to hive the bees

* Screening the entrances and indoors:

I have hived bees indoors before…. I would not care to repeat the experiment.  If you feel that the bees are better off indoors hive outside. Screen the entrances and move them inside.  A screen cover under or in place of the inner cover can help you regulate temperatures in the hive.

  

* Feeders:

Over the cluster:

Bees needing feed in the cold won’t travel far get the feeder as close to the cluster as possible.

Avoid outside or Boardman entrance feeders.  Bees will not break cluster to go down to food feeding the bees from directly above the cluster works well just be sure that the feeder does not drip on the bees.

*Two feeders:

A frame feeder as well as a feeder over the cluster may be used to keep the bees from being trapped away from the feeder to the side

Hive top feeders:

Insulation above the feeder will allow the bees to travel up to the feed without moving from the warmth area of the hive.

*Note from Dawn: I will demo this inner and over cluster feeding method on 4/13/13 or 4/14/13. 

*Insulation:

Conservation of heat will certainly help the bees establish a cluster loose enough for the queen to lay in.  Just like a house, the best place for insulation is above the cluster.  Insulation pillows using plastic bags with standard insulating materials in them are used in Canada.  Reflectix insulation (foil bubble wrap) cut to the size of the inner cover and laid on top of the inner cover works well.  Styrofoam is another alternative.

* Heaters:

Heat sources inside or under the hive can help.  A small silicon oil pan heater stuck to a piece of metal to dissipate the heat can be used.  Heat sources between 25 and 40 watts should be sufficient depending on the size of the space to warm up.

Follower boards rather than outside insulation may be the best method of 

adding insulation to the walls of the hive.

* Note from Dawn: As discussed in my classes, I recommend having both the inner, follower boards and the outside insulation.  I won't be using any heaters as I don't want to risk over-heating the bees.  Bubble wrap insulation is the best choice and we can put extra under the bottom board.  One could even build a box and fill it with insulation if necessary. 

* Entrance reducers:

Use the smallest entrance to reduce drafts

* Top entrances:

Small top entrances for the dissipation of moisture may help the hive to avoid the damp conditions.

* Holding your package for a warmer time:

Temperatures for holding packages should be around 60 degrees.  To tell if the temperature is right, observe the cluster.  If there are bees running on the screen it is too hot.  A properly cared for package should have a fairly loose cluster hanging quietly.  There may be a few bees not involved in the cluster found crawling on the screen or exploring the bottom of the package.  Keep the package in the dark or in dim light.

Note from Dawn: If I end up having to keep hives in my garage, I will turn the thermostat down to 59* or 60* and tell my children to "wear layers!"

*Feeding through the package:

You can spray the package twice a day for feed through the screen.  Bees that are hungry will have their tongues out through the screen.

*Syrup feeders:

A nut jar or any large jar with a plastic lid can have a number of holes through the lid and placed over the package to feed the bees.  To do this the feeder can is removed and a screen is stapled in place over the hole left by the feeder can.  An overturned nut jar can be placed on top of the screen and the bees can feed through the screen.  Feeder jars can be changed as necessary.

*Note from Dawn: I'm headed back to Alaska today after being in rainy Oregon for several days and Chattanooga, Tennessee for a couple days.  I'm making a very strong effort to bring some sweet, southern wind and sunshine back home with me and I plan to give Jack Frost a serious boot when I get there!!! 

This is a lot of information I hope that you find at least some of it useful.

Steve Victors

FIVE DAYS UNTIL HONEYBEES!!!

April 13th, 2013 Honeybee Order with Steve Victors
I will post an approximate time for our honeybee arrival as soon as I hear from Steve & Donna Victors!

Preparation Reminder:
4/11/13 or 4/12/13 -
1) Purchase a spray bottle ($0.99 at home depot) and rinse it out thoroughly

2) Purchase mini-marshmallows for slow-releasing your queen(s) or get a free one from me when the bees arrive.  They will be at the pollen patty table.

3) Mix up your 1:1 sugar water and store it at room temperature

4) Fill spray bottle to half

5) Bring all hive equipment inside house (70* or warmer)

6) I will do a live hiving demonstration on Sunday, April 14th around noon.

See You Then!!
:) Dawn