The table above shows how my hive weights have changed since October. Surprisingly, they have remained flat. Bees fly strongly from each hive on warm clear days so I know they aren’t empty. I don’t have an explanation for this. The purple hive was a September cut out and I added 4 pounds of sugar on December 31st . Our queens began laying in January, probably just a few and those hatch at about the same rate as the winter bees are dying, keeping hive population stable. That continues into February as she begins increasing the amount of brood to a level that exceeds the older bee attrition and we start seeing an increase of population. By March there are many larval mouths to feed and the possibility of bad weather keeping foragers home may lead to starvation if honey stores are weak. March is the critical month for your hives survival and you should be checking stores regularly if they are unable to fly. If my hives were low on stored honey in February, I would feed solid sugar. In March, depending on the temperature, you can transition to 1:1 syrup. But day time temperatures should exceed 50 degrees first.

 

I haven’t done a frame removal inspection since a nice day on November 1. All I do in winter is weigh them, watch the entrance, and if I’m concerned, take the lid off and take a quick look inside. Sometime later this month I’ll do my first inspection. I’d like to do it at 60 but never below 57. One thing I need to be doing now is thinking about how to manage that spring build up and the swarming that comes with that. Normally that means splits, and there are many to choose from. John has written an article on the Demaree method which can be used to increase the number of hives you have, or to keep all the bees in one hive while making them think they already swarmed. Since I have all the hives I want that is appealing.

 

After listening to Randy Oliver at our December meeting I thought I would like to try out the Swedish sponge Oxalic acid treatment. I wouldn’t actually implement the treatment until mid-spring after doing mite counts but I wanted to be ready by purchasing all the ingredients and then soaking the sponges and checking the OA weight in each. He suggested 25 grams of OA per sponge as an effective dose, and after mixing glycering and OA and drip drying the sponge I had 30 grams which is pretty close. I’ll write more about this in the March newsletter.  Bill

 

Winter Feeding

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There are several ways to feed sugar, but I prefer to use no-cook candy. Many beekeepers believe that fondant is easier for the bees to eat since it has been inverted to glucose and fructose, but I am not one of those. To make fondant you boil sugar in as little water as possible and keep a close watch on your candy thermometer. You take the syrup off the heat when it reaches 234°F and then knead it like bread with a paddle attachment on a mixer. Do not add an acid like lemon juice or cream of tartar which will produce hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) which is toxic to bees. You can find directions and videos on the web.

 

I sometimes use the Mountain Camp method which is the easiest of the winter-feeding methods. First, never feed bees sugar with additives. Brown sugar contains molasses, powdered sugar often contains cornstarch, and commercial fondant may contain flavorings and/or colorings. You should only feed with either refined beet or granulated cane sugar which are both pure sucrose and are safe and nutritionally equivalent.

 

The mountain camp system is fast and easy, but since I can’t put 10 pounds of sugar on the hive in one shot, I don’t use it too often.

 

Take a piece of newspaper and lay it over the top bars, add a feeder/spacer rim, dump dry granulated sugar on top of the paper. Moisture from the bees’ respiration condenses on the sugar and makes it palatable for the bees. Some people spritz the sugar with a little water.

 

To make a No-Cook Candy Board I first build a spacer/rim board a little less than 3” tall. Then I attach ½” hardware cloth leaving about a ¼” space on the bottom so it gives the bees plenty of room to move around underneath. Then I mix 10 pounds of sugar with 2 cups of water. I find it easier to stir if I make two 5-pound mixes and a Kitchenaide mixer makes it very simple. I don’t add anything else, just water and sugar. Next, cover the ½” screen with newspaper and put a block or something to leave a sugar free zone for bee access. I Use whatever I can find in the kitchen and place at the front.  Dump the mixture onto the newspaper and smooth it out using the spoon or your hand, working it around the block and packing tightly.

 

Remove the block and cut out the newspaper that was under it. Then let it sit on the counter for 24 hours and it will harden up nicely.

 

Notice at right that I drilled a small hole in front to serve as an upper entrance. But other times I use the inner cover to provide that opening, it just depends on which system provides the best access for that hive.

 

As mentioned in last months’ newsletter I sometimes use a combination feeder/quilt board when I don’t think they need 10 pounds of sugar.