From the Editor
I Sample, I Treat, They Die
Q – Why do I sample consistently and treat all my colonies following label directions for Varroa and some live and look wonderful and some are mediocre and some just die. What am I doing wrong?
Bob M.
A – There is an old saying in the beekeeping industry that 30% of your colonies will be Great, 30% Mediocre and 30% are Junk. And this was before Varroa. At the end of the day the really awkward and confusing thing is that we have no or little genetic consistency in managed honey bees. This is not Black Angus Cattle or Rhode Island Red Chickens that we know who Dad was and can trace genealogy back for generations. When a virgin Honey Bee Queen mates with 10-20 drones in a haphazard congregation area called a DCA that attracts Drones from 100 yards away and miles away there is NO Genetic Consistency in the stored sperm outcome that allows one to manage and have some consistency in honey bee management protocols. This is why honey bees can survive from basically Pole to Pole. They are not going for the genetic home run, they are going for just enough health and sustainable genetic diversity to swarm and spread themselves around. Do your management best and smile.
Jerry
How Do I Find A Beekeeper?
Q – Hello, my husband and I are in the process of buying an abandoned orchard in Beloit, Wisconsin. We are hoping to find a company that will rent us bees for our orchard. If you could point me in the right direction that would be wonderful. Thank you so much!
Britnie D.
A – I would go right to the top and contact Elizabeth Meils, the Wisconsin Apiarist and have her direct you. Might save some time. Her contact info is below.
Stay safe and well.
Jerry
Elizabeth Meils, State Apiarist, WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Apiary Inspections, P.O. Box 8911, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison, WI 53708-8911, 608-224-4572; elizabeth.meils@wisconsin.gov; https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/ApiaryProgram.aspx
They Died and Fell Apart
Q – I read your article on determining why an overwinter colony may die. Would love your help on figuring what happened to two of my colonies. They seem to be decapitated. I fed them in Sept. and both were still alive. Yesterday I checked them and two of four are dead. The two that died are all torn apart bees. Would love any advice or thoughts into what happened. I have two alive colonies, want to make sure this does not happen to them. Thank you! Colleen
A – Those particular bees died many weeks ago. They just fell apart as they dried out after death. Heads do fall off. Key question is why did they die. When did you sample with an alcohol wash for Varroa mites and did you treat in late Summer early Fall and sample afterwards to see if the treatment worked?
https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/varroa/
Jerry
Thank you for your response!
I did a Varroa treatment in the fall for all four hives. The two that survived I used Hop guard and the two that perished were Apivar. I did not retest after the treatment but it would seem that Apivar was not sufficient. I’ll be sure to treat earlier in the season to allow for testing and additional treatments if necessary. Thank you for reassuring it’s not a crazy bug that devoured the bees!!
Colleen
Pollination Fees
Q – I just started receiving my new subscription to Bee Culture. Kudos!! The magazine has sought after information for me. I wonder if you can clarify for me how fees for pollination contracts work? T. Thomas
A – Pollination contracts are simply based on how many ‘colonies’ a grower would like to rent to optimize production. There are data from USDA which recommend how many colonies are needed per acre for some pollinator dependent crops. For instance, almond growers need a minimum of two colonies per acre, watermelon growers 1.3 colonies per acre, apple growers a minimum of one colony per acre and so on. The ‘fee’ you would charge the grower is based on historical crop value, required strength of the colonies and competition from other commercial beekeepers who want the pollination business as well. And remember that the ‘fees’ in the USDA report are averages. They can be higher and lower. Jerry
Metarhizium
Q – Do you recommend using metarhizium for Varroa control on a hobby bee hive if so how much? Thanks.
Curt
A – Short answer is no. Importantly, it has not gone through the ‘Regulatory’ process to allow it to be sold and used with appropriate label directions.
Longer answer is that years ago I was involved in approved research field trials using metarhizium to control Varroa. Picture this, you spread these fungus spores onto honey bees in a honey bee colony hoping they get on a Varroa mite. You have immediately introduced ‘trash’ into the colony and the bees hygienic behavior gets geared up to clean this stuff up and out and remove it from the colony. Let’s say most of it is removed by the bees but some does get on a Varroa mite and it stays there. At the time the strain we were testing had temperature and humidity requirements that the interior of a honey bee colony sometimes met and sometimes didn’t for the fungus to grow. Sometimes it did stay on Varroa and grow and its mycelium would get into the Varroa mite and kill, hurt, damage it. But, most of the time it didn’t stay, grow and control Varroa consistently. Soooo, the research project was dropped.
Fast forward to 2021. Maybe there is a better metarhizium but you still have delivery and temp. and humidity issues. Jerry
Time to Combine
Q – I have a hive with only two frames of bees with scattered brood. I can’t find a queen, should I requeen or add frames to another hive? Thank you. C. Johnson
A – Strangely, Winter is coming and two frames is not enough of a good start to make it through. I’d combine it with an existing colony. Jerry
How Do Virgin Queens Know Where to Go?
Q – From Jerry To Dr. Jamie Ellis – In The Scottish Beekeeper magazine there is a book review of “Mating Biology of Honey Bees” written by some well know leaders in the Honey Bee world.
In the review it notes “The queens on the other hand are programmed to search for DCAs as far from their colony as possible. This minimizes the chances of mating with brother drones and again cuts down the chances of inbreeding.” I would agree with this.
My question for 40 years is how do virgin queens avoid those DCAs close to the colony they exited from that contain potentially many drones from that same colony?
A – I’m not sure we know 100%. My guess is that flight distance to DCAs may be programmed in queens (i.e. to bypass nearby ones in favor of slightly further away ones). However, I’m somewhat unconvinced. There are times, conceivably, when nearby DCAs are the only ones available. My guess is that inbreeding is suppressed more by the number of drones at DCAs rather than differential flight differences. But, both may play an important role.
The selling point (that I also use) is that both queens and drones have about 30 minutes of energy in the tank when they fuel up before flights. Queens only need five to 10 mins at a DCA. The mating process is quick. Drones, on the other hand, benefit by being at DCAs looking for queens, rather than flying to/from DCAs. So, they use more of their energy to be at a nearby DCA (rather than going to/from it). Queens in contrast use their energy to get to/from a DCA because they don’t need much time there. This causes drones to stay close and queens to go further. Jamie
Parts and Pieces Under My Hive
Q – Hi Jerry – a question, I always appreciate your advice. One of my three Langstroth Hives with a screened bottom board has an accumulation of dead bee Parts (Thoraxes, Legs, etc.) underneath it. NO whole bee or bee abdomens. Two weeks ago I removed about a full cup. Now I get a quarter cup every two to three days. There are some bee parts under the landing board as well, but much less.
A – As a food item the most nutrition is found in the honey bee abdomen if the predator isn’t bothered by the venom sac. I would guess that you have a mouse or a lizard or a . . . that is catching bees at the entrance and taking them further under the hive and having lunch and not eating the crunchy parts.
