Weighed My Hive. On Track 4 Winter?

mtnb · August 29, 2015, 10:32:16 PM

Today I weighed my hive. I wanted to switch out my SBB for a solid one anyway, so I weighed each component/box on my bathroom scale as I lifted them off. The whole thing weighed about 124 lbs. Before I put the bees in the hive I weighed it, and the whole thing (1 deep and 2 mediums, including 8 foundationless frames in each, bottom board and lids) weighed 35 lbs. Each additional medium super with FL frames weighs 9 lbs. So I figure about 44 lbs for the equipment, since I have a 4th medium on which contains honey. That one alone weighs 38 pounds. So 124-44=80 lbs. 38 lbs of which are honey plus the rest is the weight of the bood, comb, pollen, and honey in the brood boxes. As it stands, are they on a good track to have enough food for winter? Might there be enough that I could take a frame or two from the super? I'm told our bees need 60 lbs for the winter.

Also I have some apiguard but hear you can't put that on with honey on the hive. You also can't feed them while treating and the whole thing takes a month. What could I do with my honey super while treating? Freeze it and then put it back on after? Should I feed again then afterward, end of September? Do I need to feed with how things look? Is there some other alternative to apiguard? Could I just feed some wintergreen and white thyme in syrup like the fat beeman says? I know it's better not to treat but these are not from treatment free stock and I'm afraid they'll parrish, which I know is ok too but I just don't want mIne to parrish, iykwim.

HillBilly2 · August 30, 2015, 02:26:42 AM

You can use formic acid with the supers on. Mite away quick strips. Will kill mites in the brood cells also. Instructions say lay two strips across the frames for seven days. I compromise by using one strip for 7 days, then second for another 7 days. I think queens tolerate it better that way. Probably should be hesitant if temps are going to be over 85.

KeyLargoBees · August 30, 2015, 08:28:19 AM

Did you do a mite count of some sort that indicates you need to treat? Throwing chemicals at the hive just because you have them or can isn't always the best course of action :-)

mtnb · September 03, 2015, 03:42:44 PM

I totally agree and that's why I have been so hesitant. Honestly, I've been procrastinating.

I don't want to throw chemicals at my hive but it seems like this time of year everybody is talking about mites and how they're gonna wipe out our hive ina matter of short time. It's like fear-mongering, I feel like. It makes you scared crapless as a new beekeeper, let me tell ya. I personally don't just pop a pill or take some antibiotics but I will if I really really have to. I also might drink a herbal concoction.

I'm that way with my kids, my husband, and my dogs, so why would I treat my bees differently?

I did finally get my courage up today and decided I would be proactive and do my first sugar shake. My mite count was 6 mites per 300. I'm not really sure what to do with that information...any help please?

Also I removed about 5 partially built frames with uncapped honey from the outer brood boxes and replaced them with nice filled combs from the super. I fit in as much as I could and I think it worked out pretty good. I took the inner cover and put that over the brood, added 2 empty supers, and layed those partial honey frames into there, upside-down, hoping that they will move that honey down. I read that that works...I hope that was right?

Oh. PS. I pulled out 3 nicely capped frames and am thinking of freezing them to give them back at another time. I might extract 1 though (for my 2 old grandmas ;))

iddee · September 03, 2015, 04:25:35 PM

We had a state bee inspector speak at our club meeting Tuesday night about vorroa. He said 3 mites per 100 is the threshold he uses with a sugar shake. 9 mites per 300 he doesn't treat. 10, and he does. That is the general rule I have heard for years. Consider that as a strong hive and adjust for size and condition of hive.

Dallasbeek · September 03, 2015, 04:53:19 PM

Quote from: iddee on September 03, 2015, 04:25:35 PM
We had a state bee inspector speak at our club meeting Tuesday night about vorroa. He said 3 mites per 100 is the threshold he uses with a sugar shake. 9 mites per 300 he doesn't treat. 10, and he does. That is the general rule I have heard for years. Consider that as a strong hive and adjust for size and condition of hive.

Treat with what? As I recall, you treat with OAV. What does the bee inspector use?

iddee · September 03, 2015, 05:29:50 PM

I don't treat at all. I haven't treated for years. The inspector's first choice was thymol products, then OA.

mtnb · September 03, 2015, 06:01:17 PM

Quote from: iddee on September 03, 2015, 04:25:35 PM
We had a state bee inspector speak at our club meeting Tuesday night about vorroa. He said 3 mites per 100 is the threshold he uses with a sugar shake. 9 mites per 300 he doesn't treat. 10, and he does. That is the general rule I have heard for years. Consider that as a strong hive and adjust for size and condition of hive.

Thank you iddee! That helps tremendously! I didn't want to treat and now I don't have to even consider anything.

mtnb · September 04, 2015, 11:54:17 AM

I've looked all last night and can't find any sort of threshold chart for mites. On scientificbeekeeping he mentions a 2% threshold. Is that the same for spring, summer, and fall? Being that my mite count was 6 mites out of 300 bees, which makes it 2%, if I would have found 7 mites, that would be cause for treatment?

GSF · September 05, 2015, 10:14:50 PM

Here's some very good points (off of a great website) about both sides of the to treat or not to treat questions.

http://www.beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=47118.0

KeyLargoBees · September 08, 2015, 03:23:44 PM

MT bee Girl...this isn't gospel but I have heard from several people that first year "package" started bees don't need to worry as much about mites as hives that are established and have over wintered.....has to do with the enforced brood break of the package start I believe. If I am off base on that please someone correct me...just cause I saw it on the internet doesn't make it true ;-)

I checked mine for giggles and I am good on both the package and the NUC hives.....but with the year round brood I am told to expect here in south FL I am keepign a close eye on things as we get closer to "winter" which is still 2.5 months away before we can even think about an evening low that breaks 50F :-)

mtnb · September 08, 2015, 05:49:28 PM

Yes KLB, I've read that too. And I guess if you don't treat a treated nuc then in the spring, they'll die? Idk. It's hard to know all this your first year. I didn't even know that beekeepers used chemicals in the hives before I started. I thought everybody did all natural comb that the bees built. lol Naive, I guess. This first year has definitely taught me alot. I'm satisfied so far. Next year I'll be more prepared and things will go even better!

I plan on keeping an eye on things too. They were pissy with the sugar shake but I saw some of them later in other parts of the hive and they looked fine. It was kinda fun to see them and know, that one was part if the test group. lol I'm happy to hear your package and nucs are good. It's a whole different ball game down where you are. I was in the mts over the weekend and it dropped down to 32*F and snowed. lol It won't be long before it's here. We've been dropping into the mid to high 30s at night.

rookie2531 · September 08, 2015, 08:13:56 PM

I don't think an early spring brood break does much good. By the time fall comes into action, there are plenty mites to harm your colony. In fact, I don't think brood breaks at any time, do enough to consider anything. The mites aren't multiplying, but neither are the bees.

One thing that I didn't see mentioned and you may have known and done it, but the bees you collect for the sugar test, should come from the most concentrated brood frame. Not one on top with mostly honey and a little brood.

Congrats on the stores, hope they get the weight you want and thrive next spring.

mtnb · September 08, 2015, 08:32:40 PM

I did do that from the brood nest. i dug deep and checked the frame for the Queen and then rechecked it a couple of more times. lol I watched a video 3 times on how to do it to make sure I'll get it right. haha

I don't really know about the brood break but the mites seem to come back either way. It seems to me what you really want to accomplish is a symbiotic relationship between all the critters living in the hive.

Thank you rookie! I hope yours do too!