A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of beekeeping September 2014 Newsletter

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1 A non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of beekeeping September 2014 Newsletter T he Wasatch Beekeepers association is dedicated to the continued education and promotion of beekeeping. Beekeepers offer a service to the community and nation in a time where bees are dying at a rapid place. We believe that through education, we can help other beekeepers stay current in the areas of medications, equipment, bee diseases, problems, etc. Beekeepers can find support and knowledge from one another and each others' experiences. President s Message As the temperature cools, now is the time to get your hive ready for winter. If your hive is light when you pick it up and the bees do not have a lot of honey now is the time to feed. Sugar, although a little higher than it was in the spring, is still a lot cheaper than buying a new package of bees. Also, your treatments should be wrapping up by now. Hopefully you have knocked the mites in your hive. Most people recommend a 2 to 1 sugar feed for the fall. You can also make a sugar board to add in December. Now would be time to add your mouse guards and to watch for robbing. Bees can be very irritable this time of year. Make sure you use smoke and dress up. Bees that have been very calm can get angry in the fall when there are limited resources and bees trying to steal those. Officers Now is the time to give back to the Wasatch Beekeepers. We will need volunteers to help serve next year. The time commitment is not a lot and it is fun to get to know other beekeepers. Bevan Weed 1

2 How to Keep a Beehive in the Fall By Howland Blackiston from Beekeeping For Dummies, 2nd Edition Most nectar and pollen sources become scarce as days become shorter and weather cools in autumn. All in all, as the season slows down, so do the activities within your beehive: The queen's egg laying is dramatically reduced, drones begin to disappear from the hive, and hive population drops significantly. Your bees begin bringing in propolis, using it to chink up cracks in the hive that may leak the winter s cold wind. The colony is hunkering down for the winter, so you must help your bees get ready. Watch out for robbing during this time (other bees would love to steal honey from your hives). Your autumn beekeeping to-do list When helping your bees prepare for the upcoming hardships of winter months, you must: Inspect your bees (look inside the hive) and make certain that the queen is there. The easiest way is finding eggs. One egg per cell means the queen is present. Be sure to look for eggs, not larvae. Finding eggs means that the queen was present two days ago. Larvae, on the other hand, can be three to eight days old. Thus, merely finding larvae is no guarantee that you have a queen. When you wait too late during autumn, you discover that eggs and larvae are few and far between. In that case, actually finding the queen is the surest way to check. Be patient, and look carefully. Determine whether the bees have enough honey. Make certain that the upper deep hive body is full of honey. In cooler, northern climates, hives need about 60 pounds or more of honey as they head into winter. You ll need less honey reserves (30 to 40 pounds) if your winters are short (or nonexistent). 2

3 Feed and medicate your colony. They ll accept a 2-to-1 sugar-syrup feeding until colder weather contracts them into a tight cluster. At that point, temperatures are too cold for them to leave the cluster, so feeding them is useless. Provide adequate ventilation. During winter, the temperature at the center of the cluster is maintained at 90 to 93 degrees F. Without adequate ventilation, the warm air from the cluster rises, hits the cold inner cover, and condensation drips down onto the bees as ice-cold water. Wrap the hive in black tar paper if you re in a climate where the winter gets below freezing for more than several weeks. Make sure that you don t cover the entrance or any upper ventilation holes. The black tar paper absorbs heat from the winter sun, and helps the colony better regulate temperatures during cold spells. It also acts as a windbreak. Provide a windbreak if your winter weather is harsh. It is hoped that you originally were able to locate your hives with a natural windbreak of shrubbery. But if not, you can erect a temporary windbreak of fence posts and burlap. Position it to block prevailing winter winds. Add a mouse guard to the front entrance of the hive. Image: 3

4 Recipe and Photos from Filtered water White sugar 2 mason jars with lids and bands Hammer Nail 1. Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat up until the sugar completely dissolves. Allow to cool to room temperature before using. 2. While the syrup cools, let s make some feeders! All that s required is three small nail holes in a mason jar lid. I used the hammer to pound the tip of the nail through, like so: 3. Pour the cooled syrup into the jar and assemble. To attach the feeder to the hive, we simply flipped the mason jar upside down the syrup won t leak out of the holes but the bees can access it on our telescope cover (this sits on the top of the box under the lid). An empty box around the feeder helped to protect it from tipping over. 4

5 See the hole that s in that cover? The bees can access it from the inside of the hive, making it a perfect drinking hole. The jar goes on, with the top facing downward into the hive: And an empty box frame around it to protect it from tipping over in the wind: Lastly, the lid goes back on the top to protect the whole contraption. And obviously, those three bees in the photo above don t realize they re trying to drink from the wrong end of the jar. 5

6 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup water 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped 1 lb Fresno chile (red jalapeno) 3 garlic cloves 1 T. real salt 1/4c. apple cider vinegar 1/4c. fresh lime juice 2 tsp. local honey Plus 1/2c. local honey Combine honey and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the chopped up sprig of rosemary. Cook until all the honey is dissolved. Strain out the rosemary pieces and bottle the syrup. Pulse chilies, garlic, and salt in the food processor to a fine paste. Transfer to a half pint mason jar, cover with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Let sit at room temperature at least 2 days (I think mine sat out for 3 or 4!) Transfer chile mixture to the blender, add fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp. local honey, blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean pint Mason jar and cover with cheesecloth again, let sit at room temp for 1-2 more days. After those two days, add remaining 1/2c. local honey. Mix well and store the fridge for at least a day. Eat!( makes about 2 ½ c.) The Bees. Not much activity from the bees. They are hunkering' down for the winter. The Beekeeper. Watch out for robbing. Configure the hive for winter, with attention to ventilation and moisture control. Install mouse guard at entrance of hive. Setup a wind break if necessary. Finish winter feeding. Attend bee club meetings. Time Spent. Estimate 2 hours. 6