Plans for 2011, looking for some sage wisdom...

[The Bix]

Hi there,

I currently have 12 colonies spread amongst four locations and I'm looking for some guidance on management of these hives going forward.

All but maybe two of the colonies look to be in very good shape for next year.  Hopefully they will come out like gangbusters in the Spring.

My goals for next season are threefold: 1)Replace any losses from the winter, 2) Control swarming and 3) maximize honey production.

I don't want to increase the number of hives that I'm managing...twelve is plenty.

What steps do I need to take now and prepare for in the Spring?

At this point I am assuming that I will need to divide the healthy hives in order to control swarming.  If correct in my assumption, I plan to use the divisions first as replacements for any winter losses and sell the remainders as nucs.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?

Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

Now:  http://bushfarms.com/beeswinter.htm
Spring:  http://bushfarms.com/beesspring.htm
Future: http://bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm

[tecumseh]

a snip..
At this point I am assuming that I will need to divide the healthy hives in order to control swarming.  If correct in my assumption, I plan to use the divisions first as replacements for any winter losses and sell the remainders as nucs.

tecumseh:
a division at exactly the proper time should accomplish the goal of minimizing swarming.

at your location what kind of winter loss do you expect?

preparing more boxes and frames than you need thru the winter months and putting them on at the proper time usually correlates well with minimizing swarming and maximizing the honey crop.  preparation ahead of the curve always pays.

 

[FRAMEshift]

Splitting is one way to reduce swarming.  It's what you would do if you also want more hives.  But if you want to maximize honey production while preventing swarming, you should open the brood nest.  Add empty frames to the brood nest to convince the bees that swarming is premature.

[The Bix]

tecumseh
at your location what kind of winter loss do you expect?

I don't "expect" any losses.  I just don't have enough experience to know how to answer as I'm facing only my second winter with the honeybees.  Anecdotally, the three hives I had going into last winter all survived.  I think I've managed the hives better this time around and I think they are all better prepared than last year.  That said, I know of a very experienced beekeeper who last winter lost 30% of her hives.  That's a long way of saying "no idea".

[tecumseh]

so the older beekeepers tell you they normally witness 30% loss?

I would suspect (don't know, but sounds reasonable) that as your hives age the winter loss number should increase.

[AliciaH]

Bix, I hope you don't mind me jumping in here but I have a question for Michael and FRAMEshift.

If you open up the brood box by adding empty frames, what do you do with the frames you pull?  Do you use them to seed another brood box and add it to the stack?  Or is that adding too much room all at one time.  I know weather and hive strength need to be factored into this decision; I was just wondering what you did with the frames you pulled if making splits wasn't a goal.

[caticind]

What to do with frames pulled from the broodnest depends on the year and the type of operation.  Options include:

Freeze and use for hygenic behavior test.
Freeze and count mites.
Freeze and return for cleaning and reuse when you are ready to add a new box.
Add directly to new box.
Give to a weak hive.
Use in a nuc and sell (plus queen)
Use in a split.