Hiving Bees in Cold Weather

I try to hive honeybees in temperatures 50* or warmer. If temperatures are below 50* I tend to wait, feeding the bees with 1:1 sugar water using a spray bottle. My equipment is warm because I bring it into my house the day or two before hiving. This is very important for giving the bees a better chance at survival. I have insulation on the outside and inside of my hives and an internal sugar feeder in each hive.

Another beautiful summer of Beekeeping in Alaska! - Next Interior AK Bee Co-op Meeting

Hello Fellow Beekeepers, Another summer is beginning to awaken in the Interior of Alaska and the bees will arrive anytime between April 11th and the last day of April.

• If there is still snow on the ground a few days before the bees arrive, I shovel down to the dirt or grass to remove a patch of snow at least 10 feet wide by 10 feet long to ensure the bees have a place to complete cleansing flights without getting confused between the earth and the sky. The light reflecting off the snow and the sunlight in the sky can disorient honeybees. If bees fall or fly into snow they will surely die.
• A couple days before the bees arrive I will bring my equipment into the house to warm it up. 
• I have purchased sugar for spring feeding. 
• The day before or day of arrival I will thaw out pollen patties and mix sugar syrup (minimum 1:1 ratio) water to sugar. 
• My hives will be placed with the entrance facing southeast for the earliest morning sun.
• I am insulating the hives inside and out and starting out with one brood box. The smaller the house, the easier and cheaper it is to heat!

You are cordially invited to the next Interior Beekeepers Co-op Meeting at Botanical Gardens on April 21st, 2018 - 2:00pm for two live hiving demonstrations. Jennifer and I will be hiving one colony of Italians in a Langstroth Hive and one colony of  Carniolans in a top bar hive. All are welcome and please bring a bee suit to this event.

Interior Alaska Beekeeper's Co-op March 2018 Meeting

Hi Folks! Honeybees will be arriving in the next six to nine weeks! Our next Interior Alaska Beekeeper's Co-op meeting will be March 24, 2018, at First Presbyterian Church - 547 7th Avenue -2:00 PM. This month's topics are hiving bees, spring feeding, and queen health. Pollen patties will be available for sale at this meeting. Hope to see you there!

Are You in Need of Beekeeping Equipment?

John Werczynski is driving to the Anchorage area and stopping by AK Wildflower Honey if anyone needs beekeeping equipment. He has offered to pick up equipment for interior beekeepers.

Next Interior Alaska Beekeeper's Co-op Meeting

Hi Folks,
The next Co-op meeting is on February 24, 2018, at First Presbyterian Church, 2:00PM.
Come with questions and hear some tips on wintering bees over in the Interior.
(547 7th Ave, Fairbanks, AK 99701)

4 lb. Packages for $180.00

Italians or Carniolans for $180. After 2/7/2018 the packages will go up to $185 because our supplier's price for the next allotment of bees has increased. 
Join Dawn Cogan in ordering from a reputable supplier. 

The packages are from Sacremento almond fields. They are 4-pound packages with a single queen, arriving mid-April. The date will be set as we get closer to the delivery. The final price to Fairbanks is $185.00 if you order after 2/7/18. These are being brought directly into Fairbanks by me and two other veteran beekeepers.  We now have a local co-op to help local farmers/beekeepers rather than keep relying on outside suppliers who continue jacking the price up. The goal is to keep quality up and prices as low as possible. Dave Greer has kept bees in Fairbanks for over 30 years. He has run as many as 50 colonies in a season. Dale Lupton runs about 30 colonies every year, has wintered his bees over and has been keeping bees for about 10 years here in Fairbanks. He has been ordering bees from this new supplier for several years now with great success. Last year one of my students ordered a package from Dale and I helped hive the bees. She harvested 7 gallons of honey from bare foundation this fall (from out off Nordale Road).  

We are bringing in Italians and Carniolans. 

First come, first serve.

To order call Dale Lupton at 907-978-1455. Payment can be made by check, money order, or credit card. 

Questions? email Dawn at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com

2018 Beekeeping in Alaska Workshop

Science-Based Art

Instructor: Dawn Cogan 

To register, email Dawn at sciencebasedart@yahoo.com or call Dawn at (907)460-6050.

When:
 March 3-4
1-5PM each day for a total of 8 hours

Where:
Monroe Catholic School Library- 615 Monroe Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701

Cost: $150.00 per family

Syllabus:

Students will receive a book with hand-outs to keep. Door prizes include brand new beekeeping tools.

• What is beekeeping? How much honey will I get? How much will this all cost me?

• Equipment necessary to keep bees in Alaska
• Biology and races of honeybees
• Members of the hive and their duties
• Where can I get bee equipment? Should I get new, used or build my own?
• Getting equipment ready for the arrival of bees

Hands-on Project: Construct a beehive in class

• Insulation, feeding bees properly
• What to do when the bees arrive
• Is my queen marked? (queen marking tool)
• Management of honeybee colonies in Alaska, The Beekeeper's Calendar
• Running 2-Queen Hives
• Swarming and how to prevent it
• Honeybee diseases
• Extracting your Alaska honey
• What to do at the end of the season/wintering over
• Storing your equipment
• Beeswax candle making

More Benefits to Beekeeping

http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-09-07-beeswax-reduce-stress-improved-sleep-molecule.html