I am a new to beekeeping and have two hives. One is an old hive that was given to me (in pretty bad shape) and the other is a package I installed the 25th of April (3.5 weeks ago). I have a question about treating for nosema. I did a search here and read that some treat for nosema spring and fall no questions asked. Yet others treat for nosema only after seeing signs of the colony having the condition. What Im trying to decide is if I need to treat my two hives now, wait for fall, or only medicate when they show symptoms of having the disease.
The other question I have is I have noticed a considerable drop in the hive entrance activity of my new package. Im guessing this is because of the life cycle of the bees and the natural drop in worker population until the new brood begins to hatch. What Im wondering is if this drop is too soon or if it is on time. Other than this the package seems to be going gangbusters. They are drinking syrup like fools and have only 2.5 frames to draw before they fill up their first brood chamber. This also is much faster than expected and Im painting a new box as we speak in preparation for their next brood chamber.
The other question I have is I have noticed a considerable drop in the hive entrance activity of my new package. Im guessing this is because of the life cycle of the bees and the natural drop in worker population until the new brood begins to hatch. What Im wondering is if this drop is too soon or if it is on time. Other than this the package seems to be going gangbusters. They are drinking syrup like fools and have only 2.5 frames to draw before they fill up their first brood chamber. This also is much faster than expected and Im painting a new box as we speak in preparation for their next brood chamber.
