Beginner questions - long post

[ElDoBill]

First, thanks to all for the patience to answer newbee questions and to share your wisdom and experience.
My philosophy in rearing bees is to first do no harm.  These creatures have been doing their thing for many years without my help so I am trying to do the best for them by leaving them to their own devices as much as possible.  I currently have one hive, but I plan to start another next spring.  Either with a package reared in a small cell hive (preferable) or a split from my one hive.  I have another empty hive with Mann Lake pf120 and pf100 foundation.
What I learned from lurking on this forum.
About mite control, there are many ways to control mites.  From a powered sugar shake to harsh chemicals.  I am in favor of using the least destructive method possible and only progressing to chemicals if absolutely necessary.  How is a “sugar shake” done?  It will take me a long time to dust each individual bee unless I can do it during branding time and combine both operations. Seriously, do you dump powered sugar in between the frames? Do you pull each frame and dust the bees on the frames?  What about those absent/foraging?  I learned that SBB stands for screened bottom board and that a sticky board should be used under it to determine if there are mites in the colony and if there are, they should be monitored during and after treatment to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.  (MB don’t read the next sentence.)  I bought a beginner bee keeping kit, (sounded right to me since I am a beginner).  I have a deep super that came stapled to the bottom board and I left it that way.  Pretty tough to get a sticky board into it so soon I will purchase a SBB (screened bottom board) which I will use to replace the old SBB (solid bottom board).  Can I successfully take the old solid BB, cleat the sides and back and use it for a cover?  I think this will provide ventilation and a top entrance.  Both desirable things I have learned. I could close it during the winter with an entrance reducer on the smallest setting.   
About preparing for winter, I live in a climate that sees winter lows in the 30s and winter highs in the 50 - 60 as a general rule. 
My one colony, which I started from a nuc on Memorial day of this year, has filled two deep supers with honey and brood, I checked them today and found the outside 4 frames in deep super of the brood nest are filled with honey, the inside frames are filled about 50% with various stages of brood cells 50% honey. There are two honey supers which I added during the past two months that are 25% full of uncapped honey.  Should I be doing anything here?  I expect to pull the honey supers in about 6 weeks and process what I can. I heard that as a general rule a colony needs 50 lbs of honey to survive until the spring flow. What does 50 lbs of honey look like in a super?  I’m sure most of you have the experience to look at the super and determine if honey stores are sufficient to overwinter a colony but I don’t. Do I need to weigh a few frames to determine that the colony has 50 lbs to survive the winter?  What do you suggest? 

Thanks again for your help.         

[Michael Bush]

>My philosophy in rearing bees is to first do no harm.

Good philosophy.

>These creatures have been doing their thing for many years without my help so I am trying to do the best for them by leaving them to their own devices as much as possible.

Yes they have.

>About mite control, there are many ways to control mites.  From a powered sugar shake to harsh chemicals.  I am in favor of using the least destructive method possible and only progressing to chemicals if absolutely necessary.

Good plan.

>How is a “sugar shake” done?

That depends on the purpose.  If you want to quantify the number of mites in your hive, you take a cupful of bees in a jar with some powdered sugar:
http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdjan00.htm#Article2

If you want to use it for control (as opposed to measuring) of mites then most people just sprinkle it over the top of the box and then brush it down between the frames.

> It will take me a long time to dust each individual bee unless I can do it during branding time

Exactly ;)

>Seriously, do you dump powered sugar in between the frames? Do you pull each frame and dust the bees on the frames?

Many methods have been done.  The most difficult is to run the bees out into a screened box and treat them outside the hive.  The simplest is to dump the sugar across the top bars and then brush it down between.

>What about those absent/foraging?

Most of the mites will be in the brood nest.

>I learned that SBB stands for screened bottom board and that a sticky board should be used under it to determine if there are mites in the colony

Or just a board.  And only when you're trying to count.

>and if there are, they should be monitored during and after treatment to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

Absolutely.  Many using chemicals don't do this and lose their bees because of resistance.

> (MB don’t read the next sentence.)  I bought a beginner bee keeping kit

You'll survive.

>(sounded right to me since I am a beginner).  I have a deep super that came stapled to the bottom board

It CAME stapled to the bottom board?  Where did you get it?  I've never seen one that came that way.  It's much easier to clean off the bottom board if it's separate.

>Pretty tough to get a sticky board into it

Why?  The ones made for a solid bottom board just slide in the entrance.

>so soon I will purchase a SBB (screened bottom board)

Sounds like a good plan.

>Can I successfully take the old solid BB, cleat the sides and back and use it for a cover?

Why cleat it?  It works fine as is.  The bees will glue it down.  You'll have excess bee space, but it will work.  If you use it as a top entrance the will burr it less since, even though the beespace is too much, they are using it for traffic.

>I could close it during the winter with an entrance reducer on the smallest setting.

Or next to the smallest setting...   

>About preparing for winter, I live in a climate that sees winter lows in the 30s and winter highs in the 50 - 60 as a general rule.

That's not winter. :)

>My one colony, which I started from a nuc on Memorial day of this year, has filled two deep supers with honey and brood, I checked them today and found the outside 4 frames in deep super of the brood nest are filled with honey, the inside frames are filled about 50% with various stages of brood cells 50% honey. There are two honey supers which I added during the past two months that are 25% full of uncapped honey.  Should I be doing anything here?

How much does it weigh altogether?  That's the real issue.

>I heard that as a general rule a colony needs 50 lbs of honey to survive until the spring flow.

I can't say there, but here I'd be shooting for 100 to 150 lbs.

>What does 50 lbs of honey look like in a super?

A ten frame medium full of honey is close to 50lbs of honey.  But what's important isn't what 50 pounds looks like.  What does it FEEL like?

>I’m sure most of you have the experience to look at the super and determine if honey stores are sufficient to overwinter a colony

No.  I don't.  I lift it.

>Do I need to weigh a few frames to determine that the colony has 50 lbs to survive the winter?

Have you ever lifted a 50 pound bag of feed?  Do you know what 50 pounds feels like?  You can always lift one end of the hive and set it on a bathroom scale.  Personally I'd want more than 50 pounds.

[ElDoBill]

That depends on the purpose.  If you want to quantify the number of mites in your hive, you take a cupful of bees in a jar with some powdered sugar:

I want to know if there is enough to be concerned about, no point on introducing anything foreign into the hive if I don't have to even if it is benign like sugar.

It CAME stapled to the bottom board?  Where did you get it?  I've never seen one that came that way.  It's much easier to clean off the bottom board if it's separate.

I bought it at the bee supply in Sacramento.   

Why?  The ones made for a solid bottom board just slide in the entrance

I didn't realize that.

I'll try using the BB as a cover as is.  I was thinking to keep the rain out but if it's inverted the board will be extended over the top super anyway so the smallest opening won't be necessary. 

That's not winter.

I agree, I moved from Minnesota about 22 years ago.

Have you ever lifted a 50 pound bag of feed?

Yep, plenty and hay bales too.  I can lift each super and make sure there is about 50 lbs in each of the two.  I was hoping for an easier way I guess.

Thanks for the help. :)

[Michael Bush]

You only need to lift the back and multiply how much you estimate it weighs by two.  The front of the bottom board will be holding the other half of the weight.

[ElDoBill]

I can do that, thanks again.