How do I keep my bees alive?

Grant Gillardgillard5@charter.net

www.grantgillard.weebly.com

Defining “Success”“Success is not measured by what you accomplish,

[or by how many hives you keep] but by the opposition you have encountered,

and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”

Orison Swett Marden

American Writer (1850-1924)

Knowledge is Power

“In my opinion, the main reason new beekeepers quit is because they don’t seek out the

resources they need to succeed.”

--Hilary Kearney

“Girl Next Door Honey” blog

www.beekeepinglikeagirl.com

“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results

you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results.”

Tony Robbins

“Any time you find someone who is successful, listen to them.”

--Tai Lopez, Internet entrepreneur

To listen: implies actively hearing

with intent to act or obey.

So I listened…Who is keeping their bees alive?

(and not buying packages and nucs every year?)

Who is having fun raising bees?

(Labor vs. Leisure)

Who keeps their spouses and partners happy with honey for the in-laws at Christmas time?

Three Questions What are they doing?

What are the common threads of the tie that binds these beekeepers together?

What are they doing differently…or not doing?

Greatest Overall Habit

Be proactive

rather than

reactive.

Think: How do bees interact with their environment (i.e., weather, forage availability, seasonal fluctuations)

#1 Always Remain a StudentWe learn by what we see, hear and read

We also learn from our mistakes (“tuition”)

Better to learn from the mistakes of others

What are the factors we can’t control?

What factors are within our control?

#1 Always Remain a Student Read, read, read (even the crazy stuff)

Be fluent in our “vocabulary” (CCD, VFD)

Stay current on pests and protocols

--American Bee Journal (Randy Oliver’s page)

--Bee Culture

--Beekeeping supply catalogs

What are the trends?

What’s killing our bees today? (not cell phones)

Dicamba What is it?

What brand name is it sold under?

Why is it in the news?

How toxic is it to honey bees?

How does it affect honey bees?

Dicamba What is it? A highly volatile herbicide for broad leafs

What brand name is it sold under? Banvel, Diablo,

But also Weed-B-Gone Max, Trimec, Scotts Lawn Pro

Why is it in the news? Spray drift harmed other crops

How toxic is it to honey bees? Relatively non-toxic

How does it affect honey bees? Drift-level doses cause significant delays in flowering, reduced flowering, and decreased visits by pollinators.

So what?Reduction in foraging

Reduction in pollen

Reduction in brood production

Reduction in hive vitality

Reduction in honey production

Never as easy as you think…..

#2 Study Honey Bee Biology Seasonality of the colony

The rhythm of the hive

When will they swarm (and when won’t they)?

How can you successfully requeen a laying worker colony? **is it a case of laying workers, or is it a drone-laying queen?

Why are your bees visiting my swimming pool? (and what are you going to do about it?)

Can you “read” a frame of brood?

Best AdviceThink: Colony as a

“Superorganism”

Not individual bees, but a

cohesive unit that relates synergistically

to benefit the whole.

Jamie Ellis, U of Florida Three keys to being successful in beekeeping

1. Understand honey bee biology

2. Decide what you want to do with your bees

--Produce honey

--Raise queens, make nucs

--Pollination

3. Incorporate #2 into #1

(put the colony’s agenda ahead of your agenda)

#3 Network Take a class

Find a mentor, be a mentor/coach

Join a bee club (or start one)

Attend a conference

--Best learning environment: during the breaks

--Ask questions

Visit with another beekeeper, open a hive

“Converse” on social media, share good blog sites

…Start raising cattle

What’s going on here?

And here?

NUCS – by products of the Five-minute Queen Rearing Method

#4 Raise your own queens/nucsThree best reasons

Price (they ain’t free)

Quality

Availability

Recognize the quality of the queen (and her genetics) is probably the single, most-critical factor to the health and productivity of the hive

#4 Raise Your Own QueensRaise your queens from your best hives

Propagate from survivors

Focus on locally-adapted stock (ferals)

“Any beekeeper can raise their own queens.”

“Every beekeeper should raise their own queens.”

Which Method? Doolittle Method – grafting larvae, cell builders, cell

finishers and mating nucs. Quantity. Selective.

NICOT Method – non-grafting of larvae, cell builders, cell finishers and mating nucs. Quantity. Selective.

Five-Minute Queen Rearing Method OTS – Bees do the heavy lifting. Quick and easy with reverse splits. Small batches, less equipment, non-selective.

NICOT Method

The Five-Minute Queen Rearing Method for Small Beekeepers

One week later…

#5 Prudent Mite Management

Prudent – Looking ahead, planning ahead.

“Circumspectly”

What future consequences

result from today’s action?

#5 Prudent Mite Management Chemical

Natural

Treatment-Free

IPM Integrated Pest Management

Rotate treatments

Monitor mite loads (alcohol wash)

Acquire suitable bees (genetic resistance, hygienic)

Utilize beneficial brood breaks

#6 Invest your energies in strong hives

Kim Flottum: “Many hives are in decline, beyond the point of saving. Sadly, very little can be done to pull them out of this death spiral.”

Is requeening always the best answer?

Combine weak colonies with strong colonies, rather than combining two weak colonies.

#6 Invest your energies in strong hives

Accept the inevitable losses

Diagnose the culprit (even if it is “Pilot Error”)

Learn from your mistakes (“tuition”)

Move forward

Kent Williams

“Beekeepers will always have bees. You can either learn how to manage

your colonies or buy new bees every year.”

Kent Williams

“The best way to stay in the bee business

is to simply not quit.”

#7 Keep Good RecordsWhat was done, and when.

Treatments in, schedule treatments out (follow the directions)

Keep a journal

What did you see? What did you do?

“Do you have a queen for sale?”

“We lost half our bees.”

Summary 1. Always remain a student

2. Study honey bee biology

3. Network

4. Raise your own queens

5. Prudent mite management

6. Invest your energies in strong hives

7. Keep good records

gillard5@charter.net