Year-Round Hive Management
Spring: Only check the hive when the weather is warm (12C+). Check that the queen is laying, look at comb in centre, there should be slightly domed worker brood. If a lot of domed brood cappings either queen is laying drones or queen is dead. Unite the colony or replace the queen. If stores in the hive are low feed cane sugar on the top board. Examine on a warm day in April, remove smaller entrance cleat for larger one, clean up hive and remove unserviceable brood combs. Check again in May give extra room as necessary. Provide a clean water source. Swarming usually occurs in late April or early May. To prevent provide plenty of room for expansion of brood net and for storage. Check for queen cells, if found destroy. Treat with formic acid, terramycin, and fumidil. Plant flowers bees like: sweetpeas, cornflower, marigolds. Watch the stores, you may have to feed sugar syrup, use a 1:1 ratio.
Early Summer: First honey super should be provided when bees begin to occupy outer brood combs. Strong colonies will need three or four supers to hold all their adult bees.
Late Summer: Generally honey is taken off at end of August. Do not remove capped frames of honey from the second brood chamber. Reduce entrance. Medicate and treat with Apistan for varroa mites after all the honey is taken off that is to be consumed by humans.
Fall: Select hives for overwintering, re-queen or unite weak hives. Each hive needs 50-80 lbs. and two frames of pollen to overwinter. If stores are down feed sugar syrup at a 2 sugar:1 water ratio, finish by mid-October so bees can evaporate the moisture
Glossary
____________________________________________________________________________________
Acarine Infestation of the trachea of the adult honeybee by the microscopic mite Acarapis woodi. Generally called the (honeybee) tracheal mite, or HBTM.
AFB American Foulbrood, a bacterial disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae. Antibiotics Drugs used to assist in the control of several bacterial and protozoal diseases.
Apiary Location where one or more honeybee colonies are kept.
Apiculture The keeping and management of the honeybee, Apis mellifera.
Apistan™ Trade name of a miticide used to control varroa mites, with the active ingredient fluvalinate, which is a synthetic pyrethroid characterized by its low (mammalian) toxicity.
Bee space A space of 8mm( 5/16”) that bees keep open for passage.
Beeswax A secretion of wax from a bee's wax gland.
Brood Bees' eggs, larvae and pupae stages.
Brood Food Glandular secretions of highly nutritious food used to feed larvae and queens.
Brood Nest The space used by the bees to live.
Buildup The natural increase in population of honeybees within a colony, from the spring cluster until the peak population is reached at the start of the main nectar flow.
Capping A thin layer of wax covering cells containing honey. Bee brood cells are covered with a permeable, porous layer of wax.
Cell hexagonal structure used for brood rearing, pollen and honey storage (see also queen cell).
Chalkbrood A fungal disease causing mummification of bee brood by Ascosphera apis.
Cluster With the onset of cold weather, bees will congregate in a cluster, vibrating their wing muscles to stay warm.
Colony A population of worker bees, along with a queen and drones.
Cup See Queen cup
Drawn Comb Built up (or drawn) foundation with completed cells (also referred to as just comb). Drone A male bee.
EFB European Foulbrood, a bacterial disease caused by Melissococcus pluton.
Extracting Removal of honey from the comb by placing honey frames in an extractor, which spins the frames and removes the honey through centrifugal force.
Flower Day Relates to planetary influences. Preferred days to manage colonies in order to stimulate brood and colony development.
Foulbrood Bee brood disease (see AFB, EFB).
Foundation Sheets of beeswax with the hexagonal shape of worker cells embossed into the wax.
Fruit Day Relates to planetary influences. Preferred days to manage colonies in order to stimulate the collection of nectar. Bees are least "stingy".
Fumagillin Antibiotic specifically used to control the protozoan Nosema apis. Product sold under the trade name Fumidil B™.
Hive The structure in which honeybees are housed.
Hive Tool A flat piece of metal bent on one end, used for super (hive box) and frame manipulation.
Hoffman frame A standardized frame to accommodate foundation.
Honeycomb See comb
Honeydew A sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids.
IPM Integrated Pest Management, preventing diseases by analyzing, before intervening.
KBV Kashmir Bee Vims, a viral disease most likely caused by stress.
Miticides Products applied to honeybee colonies to control parasitic mites.
Natural pointers Plants, animals or events that indicate exact timing for colony management.
Nectar Carbohydrate food source gathered from plants.
Nectar flow Availability of nectar from flowers for worker bees to convert to honey and store in cells.
Nosema An intestinal disorder of adult honeybees caused by the protozoan, Nosema apis.
Nuc A nucleus or nuc is a four-or-five frame colony with a laying queen.
Oxytet Trade name for the antibiotic oxytetracycline hydrochloride, used in the control of bacterial bee brood diseases.
Oxytetracycline Antibiotic registered in Canada for the control of brood diseases. Sold under different trade names, including Oxytet™, Terramycin™, etc.
Pheromone Odours composed of chemicals produced by glands. Used to communicate.
Pollen A protein food gathered by worker bees from the anthers of flowers. Pollen provides minerals, fats and vitamins and is consumed by young nurse bees and converted into brood food and royal jelly.
Propolis Resins and gums gathered by bees from trees; used in sealing cracks, repairing cells, etc. in the hive.
Queen bee Adult female, laying fertile eggs when mature.
Queen cups Little cup-shaped cells usually built at the bottom of frames (oriented vertically) by bees preparing to rear a queen.
Queen cell A peanut-shaped cell to rear a queen.
Royal jelly A nutritious food fed to drone and worker bee larvae for the first three days. Continuation of feeding. Royal jelly will metamorphose the larvae into a queen bee.
Sacbrood Bee brood disease caused by viruses.
Smoker Cylindrical burner attached to a hand-held bellows producing smoke to control bees and reduce defensive behaviour.
Supers Hive boxes with or without frames.
Supersedure Replacement of the existing queen by a young queen produced by bees within the colony from their own eggs (re-queening without swarming).
Swarming The natural process of a new colony being created through the departure of part of the bee population, along with the queen, to establish a new nest.
Terramycin™ Trade name for antibiotic animal formulation, oxytetracycline hydrochloride, used in the control of bacterial bee brood diseases.
Top Bar Hive A hive system that uses no frames but just a bar on the top where bees draw their combs..
Tracheal Mite See Acarine.
Uncapping The process of removing waxed cappings from cells containing honey.
Varroa A mite, Varroa destructor, which parasitizes bee brood and adult bees.
Warre hive Abbe Emile Warre (1867-1951), hive design using top bars but no foundations.
Wax sheet See Foundation
Worker bees Female bees, generally infertile, involved in all aspects of housekeeping, harvesting, guarding, etc., and constitute the vast majority of bees in a hive.
Early Summer: First honey super should be provided when bees begin to occupy outer brood combs. Strong colonies will need three or four supers to hold all their adult bees.
Late Summer: Generally honey is taken off at end of August. Do not remove capped frames of honey from the second brood chamber. Reduce entrance. Medicate and treat with Apistan for varroa mites after all the honey is taken off that is to be consumed by humans.
Fall: Select hives for overwintering, re-queen or unite weak hives. Each hive needs 50-80 lbs. and two frames of pollen to overwinter. If stores are down feed sugar syrup at a 2 sugar:1 water ratio, finish by mid-October so bees can evaporate the moisture
Glossary
____________________________________________________________________________________
Acarine Infestation of the trachea of the adult honeybee by the microscopic mite Acarapis woodi. Generally called the (honeybee) tracheal mite, or HBTM.
AFB American Foulbrood, a bacterial disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae. Antibiotics Drugs used to assist in the control of several bacterial and protozoal diseases.
Apiary Location where one or more honeybee colonies are kept.
Apiculture The keeping and management of the honeybee, Apis mellifera.
Apistan™ Trade name of a miticide used to control varroa mites, with the active ingredient fluvalinate, which is a synthetic pyrethroid characterized by its low (mammalian) toxicity.
Bee space A space of 8mm( 5/16”) that bees keep open for passage.
Beeswax A secretion of wax from a bee's wax gland.
Brood Bees' eggs, larvae and pupae stages.
Brood Food Glandular secretions of highly nutritious food used to feed larvae and queens.
Brood Nest The space used by the bees to live.
Buildup The natural increase in population of honeybees within a colony, from the spring cluster until the peak population is reached at the start of the main nectar flow.
Capping A thin layer of wax covering cells containing honey. Bee brood cells are covered with a permeable, porous layer of wax.
Cell hexagonal structure used for brood rearing, pollen and honey storage (see also queen cell).
Chalkbrood A fungal disease causing mummification of bee brood by Ascosphera apis.
Cluster With the onset of cold weather, bees will congregate in a cluster, vibrating their wing muscles to stay warm.
Colony A population of worker bees, along with a queen and drones.
Cup See Queen cup
Drawn Comb Built up (or drawn) foundation with completed cells (also referred to as just comb). Drone A male bee.
EFB European Foulbrood, a bacterial disease caused by Melissococcus pluton.
Extracting Removal of honey from the comb by placing honey frames in an extractor, which spins the frames and removes the honey through centrifugal force.
Flower Day Relates to planetary influences. Preferred days to manage colonies in order to stimulate brood and colony development.
Foulbrood Bee brood disease (see AFB, EFB).
Foundation Sheets of beeswax with the hexagonal shape of worker cells embossed into the wax.
Fruit Day Relates to planetary influences. Preferred days to manage colonies in order to stimulate the collection of nectar. Bees are least "stingy".
Fumagillin Antibiotic specifically used to control the protozoan Nosema apis. Product sold under the trade name Fumidil B™.
Hive The structure in which honeybees are housed.
Hive Tool A flat piece of metal bent on one end, used for super (hive box) and frame manipulation.
Hoffman frame A standardized frame to accommodate foundation.
Honeycomb See comb
Honeydew A sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids.
IPM Integrated Pest Management, preventing diseases by analyzing, before intervening.
KBV Kashmir Bee Vims, a viral disease most likely caused by stress.
Miticides Products applied to honeybee colonies to control parasitic mites.
Natural pointers Plants, animals or events that indicate exact timing for colony management.
Nectar Carbohydrate food source gathered from plants.
Nectar flow Availability of nectar from flowers for worker bees to convert to honey and store in cells.
Nosema An intestinal disorder of adult honeybees caused by the protozoan, Nosema apis.
Nuc A nucleus or nuc is a four-or-five frame colony with a laying queen.
Oxytet Trade name for the antibiotic oxytetracycline hydrochloride, used in the control of bacterial bee brood diseases.
Oxytetracycline Antibiotic registered in Canada for the control of brood diseases. Sold under different trade names, including Oxytet™, Terramycin™, etc.
Pheromone Odours composed of chemicals produced by glands. Used to communicate.
Pollen A protein food gathered by worker bees from the anthers of flowers. Pollen provides minerals, fats and vitamins and is consumed by young nurse bees and converted into brood food and royal jelly.
Propolis Resins and gums gathered by bees from trees; used in sealing cracks, repairing cells, etc. in the hive.
Queen bee Adult female, laying fertile eggs when mature.
Queen cups Little cup-shaped cells usually built at the bottom of frames (oriented vertically) by bees preparing to rear a queen.
Queen cell A peanut-shaped cell to rear a queen.
Royal jelly A nutritious food fed to drone and worker bee larvae for the first three days. Continuation of feeding. Royal jelly will metamorphose the larvae into a queen bee.
Sacbrood Bee brood disease caused by viruses.
Smoker Cylindrical burner attached to a hand-held bellows producing smoke to control bees and reduce defensive behaviour.
Supers Hive boxes with or without frames.
Supersedure Replacement of the existing queen by a young queen produced by bees within the colony from their own eggs (re-queening without swarming).
Swarming The natural process of a new colony being created through the departure of part of the bee population, along with the queen, to establish a new nest.
Terramycin™ Trade name for antibiotic animal formulation, oxytetracycline hydrochloride, used in the control of bacterial bee brood diseases.
Top Bar Hive A hive system that uses no frames but just a bar on the top where bees draw their combs..
Tracheal Mite See Acarine.
Uncapping The process of removing waxed cappings from cells containing honey.
Varroa A mite, Varroa destructor, which parasitizes bee brood and adult bees.
Warre hive Abbe Emile Warre (1867-1951), hive design using top bars but no foundations.
Wax sheet See Foundation
Worker bees Female bees, generally infertile, involved in all aspects of housekeeping, harvesting, guarding, etc., and constitute the vast majority of bees in a hive.
