Harvesting Honey

All capped honey frames have been harvested from our hives. Any honey left in the hives is liable to be eaten during cold nights. Colonies that will be wintered over can have all the honey removed and be fed sugar water until the two brood box colony weighs at least 100 lbs. Entrances can be reduced at the end of each day to keep the colony warm. I store my honey in glass canning jars through the winter.

Space Weather - Cosmic Rays at the Moon

Thank you to Julie Hanauer for this awesome information: Space Weather News for July 17, 2019 http://spaceweather.com https://www.spaceweatheralerts.com COSMIC RAY UPDATE--NEW RESULTS FROM THE MOON: A NASA radiation sensor in orbit around the Moon has detected a doubling of cosmic rays, making 2019 one of the worst years of the Space Age for astronauts to travel into deep space. What's going on up there? The solar cycle is to blame. Visit today's edition of Spaceweather.com for the full story. Aurora alerts: Sign up for Spaceweather Alerts and get a text message when auroras appear in your area. Above: Cosmic rays in lunar orbit have nearly doubled since 2015. Click here for the full story.

Caging Queens, Wintering Over and Harvesting

I just returned home from visiting my children and grandchildren in Alabama. The ecosystem there is so different from Alaska with such a diverse population of insects! This has been one of the best years for honey I've seen in 14 seasons of beekeeping! We have added 3-4 honey supers on most hives.

More heat = more flora = more nectar = more honey!

Wintering Over Honeybees in Alaska
I cage my queens when I don't want to winter them over.
If you are interested in wintering over your colony in Alaska, I recommend going to the Alaska Wildflower Honey website as they have had success wintering over and give tips on how to do so.
https://www.alaskawildflowerhoney.com/articles/17-winter/31-storage-of-hives

If your queen is unmarked, and you want to mark her for over wintering, I have the tools for marking queens. Just shoot me a text and I can help.
907-460-6050

Caging Queens
I will be caging queens on Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th. If you would like to attend a free demonstration of how to cage a queen, please show up at 605 Betty Street at 6:30 PM on Friday, July 26th with your bee suit. I will start with one in my yard and then travel to other locations including Botanical Gardens to perform hive checks, cage queens and harvest honey. There are several ways of caging queens. One is to pick the queen up with your bare hands and place her in the queen cage.
Another way is to herd the queen into the cage. This takes more time and she may fly away during the process. If she flies away, most likely she will return to the hive later provided she doesn't get eaten by a bird.

Make sure the cork will stay in the cage hole. I cut down a wine cork for this purpose to ensure the queen doesn't escape.

Important Note
If a colony has a caged queen or becomes queenless, it is important to keep the female workers from developing ovaries and laying (unfertilized) drone eggs in all the cells. Keeping a queen caged for more than a few weeks can cause this to happen. Once this happens, many or all of the cells are changed to have the circumference for drones an the comb is very undesirable. After all, a colony with no workers will not survive. The frames can be salvaged, however I remove all wax in this case and melt it down for various other purposes, including candle making.

Harvesting "Robbing" Honey
I start harvesting capped honey frames at the time I cage my queens. This process of robbing honey from stinging insects can bee an adventure! I have several Rubbermaid totes with lids clean and ready for carrying honey frames back to my home where I extract the scrumptious liquid gold.

I place an empty tote at least 15 yards away from the hive(s) and take one frame out of the hive at a time, gently brush off bees walking toward the tote. I place the frame upright in the tote, replacing the tote lid as quickly as possible and trying to keep as many bees out as possible. This process continues until all capped honey frames are in totes. The totes become very heavy so using a wagon or vehicle on wheels helps with transporting the totes. I always have someone help with lifting.

Extracting Honey
My preference for removing the wax cappings is a decapping fork because I don't like melting the wax too deeply since I want to re-use the comb next season. I store my personal honey in glass jars through the winter months. Storing honey at room temperature or between 70 and 100 degrees keeps it from sugaring as quickly. If you want to make creamed honey, here is a video:
http://honestcooking.com/your-new-favorite-breakfast-creamed-honey/

After you have creamed some honey, if you take a teaspoon and stir it into a jar of liquid honey, in a week or two the jar of honey will change to creamed honey. 
Now my mouth is watering and I'm headed into the kitchen to eat some raw honey!

Remember, if you sell honey in Alaska, it must be labeled with your contact information.

Do you have a queenless colony?

Nearly every year I have had at least one queenless colony in mid to late season. Here are a few things that I have tried and succeeded at:

1) Borrowing a queen cell from another colony:

• Pull a frame with a well developed queen cell out of a different hive. 
• Tap off all the honeybees into their original hive.
• Place the frame with no bees into the queenless colony hive (center).
• Check back in 5-10 days to see if you find a new queen or evidence of a queen (eggs & larva).

2) Combine the queenless hive with a strong, healthy hive:

• Take both inner and outer lids off the hive with a queen.
• Place two to three sheets of newspaper over the top of the top box of the hive with a queen.
• Place several slices in the paper with a box knife.
• Place all boxes of the queenless hive on top of the hive with the queen.
• Replace both lids.
• Keep completing hive checks every 10 days.

This will allow the workers to become one family. The paper slows the process so there is less fighting while the strong colony accepts the queenless colony as siblings with the same skills and benefits. The more workers, the more resources are foraged and the more honey is produced. 

3) Order a replacement queen:

Kohnen & Sons if they still have them available and ship them one day air. This is expensive and may not work this late in the season.

https://www.koehnen.com/

LAST CALL FOR HONEY SUPERS!

By now, every hive should have at least two honey super boxes on top of your brood boxes! If you haven't noticed, the honey flow started a couple weeks ago and will continue through the first few weeks of August, beginning a decline at the beginning of August. If you don't have your supers on yet, don't delay! Bees only store honey when they have empty cells to store it in.

Preparing for the Honeyflow, Organic Mite Control & Swarm Prevention

Preparing for the Honey Flow:
I will be adding honey super boxes over the next couple weeks. I do not use a queen excluder because I believe it is not efficient for the workers to have to squeeze through the excluder wire when they are full of resources (nectar, water, and pollen). The queen usually lays eggs in the middle super frames however, by harvest time, those bees hatch out and the cells are used for storing honey rather than for brood.

Organic Mite Control:
Some ways of controlling mites include:

Using a green plastic drone frame. This works well because all the mites somehow know that if they crawl into a cell with drone larva, when the larva is capped for the pupa stage, the mites can eat on the unborn honeybee four days longer. Once all the cells become pupa, pull the green frame out of the hive and place it in the freezer. This should kill most or all of the mites in a colony.

Bring a kitchen sifter with powdered sugar and dust the bees on both sides of each frame. The mites can't stay adhered to the honeybees. I order mite boards from Mann Lake to place at the bottom of the hive. When the mites fall off the bees, they stick to the paper and the bees can't stick because of the rubber mesh that protects them from touching the sticky board.

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/powdered-sugar-dusting-sweet-and-safe-but-does-it-really-work-part-1/


Swarm Prevention:
June is the month for the highest possibility of swarming. To prevent swarming:

Make sure you have a queen by seeing her and/or evidence of her (eggs & larva).
Kill and remove all queen cups and swarm cells.
Perform complete and thorough hive checks every 10 days.

Building Colony Population for the Honey Flow

Now that dandelions are out in full force the bees also have trees, domesticated and native varieties of fruits and vegetables to gather nectar and pollen from, they no longer need sugar water feeders. Jen and I have removed all feeders from Langstroth hives.

Entrance reducers and inside as well as outside insulation have all been removed.

We do leave our top bar feeder in a few weeks longer, since the bees have to build raw comb with no
foundations to start with.

The more foragers a colony has increases the amount of resources brought into the hive.

Here are some tips for increasing honeybee population.

1) Keep a water source near the hive.

2) Keep pests and chemicals away from and out of the hive. Local businesses who spray chemicals to kill mosquitoes are honeybee killers as well. Chemicals may not be safe for humans either.

There are safer ways of killing mosquitoes, such as using mosquito vac machines.

3) Complete hive checks when the sun is highest in the sky (12-3 PM) every 10-12 days consistently. If you see the queen and evidence she is still laying eggs, remove all queen cups and cells.

3) Pull some of the frames with pupa and other stages of brood into the middle of the 2nd box to encourage the bees to build out the brood nest.

4) Spray sugar water on both sides of bare foundation.

5) If rain and weather cooler than 50* is in the forecast for longer than a couple days, slip a pollen patty into the hive (lay it on top of the frames in the top box) and don't forget to cut an x into the wax paper so the bees can access the food source with their proboscis.

6) We will add honey supers in a couple weeks. We don't use queen excluders to allow bees to store honey easier and this is a personal preference. I suspect having to squeeze through a queen excluder when full of nectar slows down efficiency during the honey flow.

Ants?

1. Sprinkle cinnamon around the perimeter of the base of the hive. Since cinnamon is water soluble, re-apply after rain OR . . . Place each of the legs of a hive table in a bucket of water.                           

Beautiful Weather and Flora Go Hand in Hand

Hello Folks,

What a beautiful month of May we are having! Glory to God in the Highest!!

We have removed all feeders, inner insulation follower frames and entrance reducers completely.

Outer insulation could be removed as well.

We continue to complete full hive checks every ten days.

We make sure a water source is near by.

First Spring Hive Checks

Our colonies are doing fantastic! We are seeing eggs, larva, and pupa in all ten hives.

• We are adding a second box below the brood box because our queens are in need of more room for eggs. 
• We will continue to insulate hives internally and externally because Jack Frost has not left town yet!
• Inner feeders are being filled every 4-5 days now, anticipating a reduction of sugar syrup feeding in the next two to three weeks. As soon as you see lots of dandelions it is time to remove sugar feeders and replace them with frames.
• There is a snow storm warning for tomorrow 05.03.19 and temperatures are still in the 30s at night. Having plenty of sugar water helps the bees to stay happy and warm during cold snaps. 
• Hive checks will be done every ten days for the rest of the season. This significantly reduces the chance of swarming.
• If possible, entrance reducers can be increased to the middle setting during days when temperatures rise to 40* and higher. Don't forget to reduce it back down the smallest setting before temperatures drop back down below 40* at night. 

Here's what you should be seeing when completing hive checks:

The top photo has a couple 4-6 day old larva in it.
The eggs become larva on the third fourth day. These photos make it seem easy to see the eggs however, in many cases, it is not easy. What I do is hold a frame up in the air with the sun shining on my side of the frame. I  hold the frame at different angles and if eggs are present, I will see them.
I am careful not to expose the new eggs and larva to direct sunlight for more than a few seconds.

For more information of the metamorphosis process go to: http://beespoke.info/2014/02/11/larval-development/

Here is a photo of a healthy brood pattern:

Here is a photo of a spotty brood pattern. The queen needs to be replaced if her pattern looks like this:

Burr comb is discouraged when all frames are pushed together tight. The following photo is an example of undesirable burr comb:

Every 10 days we check the brood pattern for evidence we have a healthy queen. If we see eggs and larva we remove all queen cups and cells.

• Finally, if you don't find eggs, your colony may bee queenless. Call Dale Lupton immediately for another queen 907-978-1455. 

• When colonies go queenless for two or more weeks, some of the workers may develop ovaries and start laying unfertilized eggs (drones). A drone colony is destined to die off. Last summer we tested a remedy for laying workers and it was a great success! If you see multiple eggs in wax cells, lay a white sheet on the ground in a location 50 or more feet away from the hive. Placing the sheet on the other side of a building works very well. take one or two frames of bees at a time, walk over to the white sheet and shake them onto the sheet until all the bees have been shaken onto the sheet. You don't want to risk leaving any laying workers in the hive. The healthy bees will find their way back into the hive and they will not allow the laying workers back into the colony. Here is what a laying worker pattern looks like:

I will post again after our next hive checks. Happy beekeeping.

HIVING DEMONSTRATION TOMORROW - Saturday, April 20, 2019

Jen and I will be hiving four colonies of bees at Botanical Gardens tomorrow 04/20/2019 at 2:00PM.

One of the colonies will be hived in a top bar.

All are welcome to attend and please bring your bee suit for this event.

https://www.georgesonbotanicalgarden.org/

Hiving Honeybees in Cold Weather

Hiving Honeybees in Cold Weather

Notes from previous years by Steve Victors of AK Wildflower Honey

This year Jack Frost fooled us because we thought he left town, but he showed up again.  Bees are resilient and beekeepers are resourceful; so at least we have that going for us.

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

Darkening 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.  Adding something to darken the snow directly in front of the hive and to add contrast to the light color will also help the bees to orient in a vertical sense and there won't as many lost in the snow.  even a few spruce branches will help with this.

Hiving:

Warming the equipment:

Some beekeepers bring their 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 is 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 already screened and then move the hive inside for them to get settled. 

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.  A package will cover about five frames.  Followers should go from the bottom board to the inner cover or the lid and from wall to wall.

Single box:

Use only one hive body to install the bees.

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 regularly spray the bees during the 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 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.

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.

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.

Feeding through the package:

The feeder can is for transport only.  You MUST feed your bees!

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

The first 21 days of a bee's life by Anand Varma

Thank you to Alissa Robinson for sharing this video with me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-tqiaPoS2U

IT's BEE TIME - Free Hiving Demonstration

Honeybee packages started arriving in Interior Alaska this week.



FREE HIVING DEMO

WHEN:      Wednesday, April 17th
WHERE:    605 Betty Street at 6:00PM

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Please plan on wearing your bee suit.


Jen and I are hiving two 4 lb. packages of Carniolans with Russian queens today.

• 1:1 sugar water at room temperature
• Frames are ordered with empty honeycomb available in the middle for the queen to lay eggs in
• 1 deep brood box is lined with insulation in advance of hiving 
• Hives are facing southeast to allow early sun on the bottom board
• We are using solid bottom boards
• Entrance is reduced to the smallest setting
• Inner lid has a  1 - 1.5-inch entrance on the front side so bees can crawl in and out of the entrance.
• Sugar water will be filled every 3-5 days
• A check for the queen will be done on day 5
• Complete hive checks will be every 10 days for the duration of the 2019 season to discourage swarming and disease

Using Oxalic Acid to Treat Varroa Mites

I plan on treating my 2019 colonies with liquid oxalic acid in the first couple weeks.
Here is a youtube video showing how to treat honeybees safely with oxalic acid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp-9eD3Sgww

Excellent Article on Varroa Mite Reduction & Prevention

Here is an excellent explanation of how beekeepers can successfully address varroa mites:


http://scientificbeekeeping.com/the-varroa-problem-part-17c/?fbclid=IwAR1x6iDzdq2tuyPPurg7ZMcVr0AzZtgO7IH04AzYTqBKiOi0a9MzU_9L_3s