Beekeeping Mentor In A Book
Table of Contents
1. Forward.....................................................................................................................................xvi
2. January … Always Think Ahead.................................................................................................1
Expect the Unexpected.........................................................................................................2
Dealing with Disaster...........................................................................................................4
What Should be Ready Now................................................................................................5
Making Plans........................................................................................................................6
Thinking of Spring................................................................................................................8
3. Facts You Should Know..............................................................................................................9
Queens, Workers and Drones ............................................................................................10
Honeybee Forage................................................................................................................15
4. February … Anticipating Spring...............................................................................................17
Performing Postmortem......................................................................................................20
Swarm Preparations............................................................................................................22
Hive Placement...................................................................................................................24
Planning Splits....................................................................................................................24
Drone Frame.......................................................................................................................25
Exterior Hive Seal..............................................................................................................26
Interior Hive Seal................................................................................................................27
Early Pollen........................................................................................................................28
5. Know Your Cells........................................................................................................................29
6. March … The Most Exciting Time of Year...............................................................................35
Dead-Out Inspection...........................................................................................................36
First Inspection...................................................................................................................39
More About Swarm Cycle..................................................................................................44
Remember This in March...................................................................................................45
7. Tools of the Trade......................................................................................................................47
Bee suit and variations........................................................................................................48
Gloves.................................................................................................................................49
Washing..............................................................................................................................49
Treating a Sting...................................................................................................................50
Foot Protection...................................................................................................................50
Hive tools............................................................................................................................51
Smoker................................................................................................................................51
Student Questions...............................................................................................................52
Attitude...............................................................................................................................52
Hive Types..........................................................................................................................53
8. April … Swarms, Nucs and Packages.......................................................................................57
Inverting Deeps...................................................................................................................58
Acknowledge Beekeeping Challenges...............................................................................60
The Split Process................................................................................................................61
Splits Performed.................................................................................................................64
Queen Cells.........................................................................................................................65
Split Progress......................................................................................................................67
Unplanned Split..................................................................................................................68
Swarm Season Kickoff.......................................................................................................68
Spend a Year with a Beekeeping Mentor vii
Installation..........................................................................................................................69
9. Disease, Parasite and Pest..........................................................................................................73
American Foulbrood...........................................................................................................74
Chalkbrood.........................................................................................................................75
Nosema...............................................................................................................................76
Small Hive Beetle...............................................................................................................77
Varroa Mite.........................................................................................................................77
Wax Moth...........................................................................................................................78
10. May … Building Comb.............................................................................................................81
Brood Pattern, Managing Comb.........................................................................................82
Concerning Drones and Mating..........................................................................................86
Identifying Laying Worker or Drone Layer........................................................................87
Queen Difficulties...............................................................................................................88
Queen Health Inspection Timing........................................................................................89
Queen Health Inspections...................................................................................................92
Deeps and Supers................................................................................................................94
11. Moving and Merging.................................................................................................................97
Orientation..........................................................................................................................98
Moving Honeybees.............................................................................................................99
Merging Honeybees..........................................................................................................102
12. June … Quiet Time..................................................................................................................105
Consider Your Varroa Load..............................................................................................107
Smoke Alternatives...........................................................................................................109
Mite Control Split Planning..............................................................................................110
Honeybee Tummies..........................................................................................................111
Student Questions.............................................................................................................113
13. Superorganism.........................................................................................................................117
14. July … Mite Control................................................................................................................121
Better Have Smoke...........................................................................................................122
Varroa destructor...............................................................................................................124
Student Questions.............................................................................................................128
Wisconsin Questions........................................................................................................133
North Carolina Questions.................................................................................................135
15. No Poison Required.................................................................................................................137
16. August … Harvest Preparation................................................................................................143
What You Need.................................................................................................................144
Example Schedule............................................................................................................146
Bizarre Weather Impacts Bees..........................................................................................148
How Much Intervention?..................................................................................................149
Getting Bees Off Your Harvest Frames............................................................................149
Three Deeps - Why and How...........................................................................................150
Mouse Guard....................................................................................................................151
17. Apitherapy...............................................................................................................................153
Bee Bread.........................................................................................................................155
Beeswax............................................................................................................................155
Honey................................................................................................................................155
Pollen................................................................................................................................156
Propolis.............................................................................................................................156
Royal Jelly........................................................................................................................156
Venom...............................................................................................................................157
18. September … Harvest..............................................................................................................159
Harvest..............................................................................................................................160
Picture Story.....................................................................................................................161
19. Beekeeping Income.................................................................................................................171
Is It Work?........................................................................................................................172
Income Streams................................................................................................................172
State Regulations..............................................................................................................175
20. October … Finalize Winter Preparation..................................................................................177
Cold is coming..................................................................................................................178
Drone Termination............................................................................................................179
A Mentor's Year................................................................................................................179
21. Eliminating a Laying Worker..................................................................................................181
Shake and Forget..............................................................................................................182
Give Them Brood.............................................................................................................182
Queen at the Wall..............................................................................................................183
Queen in a Cage................................................................................................................183
Extended Merge................................................................................................................183
Shake and Hope................................................................................................................183
22. November … No Peeking Begins............................................................................................185
Feeding Honeybees...........................................................................................................187
Let's Celebrate Solstice.....................................................................................................191
Good Time for Laundry....................................................................................................191
Check In On Your Bees Regularly....................................................................................192
Student Questions.............................................................................................................192
23. Honeybee Candy......................................................................................................................195
Glucose vs HFCS..............................................................................................................196
Sugar.................................................................................................................................197
Recipe and Advice............................................................................................................197
24. December … Candy Installation.............................................................................................201
Planning Winter Chores....................................................................................................202
Inconvenient Interruptions................................................................................................203
Student Questions.............................................................................................................204
Puttin' On the Candy.........................................................................................................206
25. Beekeeping Industry Transition...............................................................................................207
26. Epilogue...................................................................................................................................211
27. Glossary...................................................................................................................................215
A.......................................................................................................................................216
B........................................................................................................................................216
C........................................................................................................................................217
D.......................................................................................................................................217
E........................................................................................................................................218
F........................................................................................................................................218
G.......................................................................................................................................219
H.......................................................................................................................................219
I.........................................................................................................................................219
L........................................................................................................................................219
M.......................................................................................................................................220
N.......................................................................................................................................220
O.......................................................................................................................................220
P........................................................................................................................................221
Q.......................................................................................................................................221
R........................................................................................................................................221
S........................................................................................................................................222
T........................................................................................................................................222
V.......................................................................................................................................222
W......................................................................................................................................223
28. Alphabetical Index...................................................................................................................224
