Open feeding a protein supplement during dearth using a metal Mexican flower yard ornament can be attractive to look at and attractive to the bees helping to keep them from finding forage in chicken feed, compost bins, or other places that may upset your neighbors......
ARIZONA BEEKEEPING THROUGH THE SEASONS
Monica Miksa-King Honey Farm
www.monicamking.com
Every hive is different. Different elevations of Arizona will be different. Seasons from year to year are different depending on rainfall. Plant for pollinators, paying close attention to those that bloom during our dearths and that are heat and drought tolerant.
Always be observant.
EARLY SPRING
(March-April)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ Supplement feeding if food stores are low, always monitoring frames for the following brood raising ratio: 1 pollen +1 Honey +1 water = 1 Brood (Build demographics for highest numbers of foragers during flow)
⦁ As nectar flow begins, remove entrance reducers and mouse guards (if used).
⦁ Start checking weekly and increasing brood chamber. Make sure queen doesn’t get honey bound. Add frames and additional boxes as needed. Add queen excluder if using.
⦁ Start checking for swarm cells.
⦁ Remove and replace any old unwanted frames.
⦁ Make splits if wanted, "walk-away" splits not recommended due to feral drone population, make sure to have new queens available.
⦁ Requeen if needed.
⦁ Check ant guards.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites.
⦁ Start setting up swarm lure traps (if experienced with AHB).
LATE SPRING
(April-May)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Re-Queen if necessary.
⦁ Continue checking every week, moving frames in brood chamber and adding boxes as needed. Can reverse hive bodies.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and treat if needed. Being careful of what treatment can be used during a honey flow, or treat but do not harvest.
⦁ If heavy flow can extract honey (end of May), always leave enough honey for the bees
⦁ Check ant guards
SUMMER (Dearth)
(June-July-August)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Requeen if necessary. Queens will reduce laying.
⦁ Reduce entrances, watch for robbing. Do not break any honeycomb when doing inspections. Do not drip/spill any syrup.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites. Being careful of what treatment can be used during extreme temperatures.
⦁ 110 degrees plus....Heat of day can spray water inside entrances of weak hives. I use a specified garden spray pump just for this, adding some Himalyan Salt to the water.
⦁ Beekeeper needs to take caution, can easily dehydrate in suit. Take drinking water along, can put frozen ice packs in pockets, etc.
⦁ Can cover with shade cloth, plywood etc., strong hives (high demographics) can deal with the heat.
⦁ Make sure water source is available at all times. Need 1 quart to 1+ gallon of water per day, per hive, depending on size.
⦁ Be prepared to feed sugar syrup, do not open feed syrup (encourages robbing).
⦁ Open feed dry protein supplement for foragers.
⦁ Add ventilation.
⦁ Remove boxes and excluder (if used) as needed, reducing hive.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Make sure entrances are slightly sloped downward during monsoon.
EARLY FALL
(September-October)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites.
⦁ Supplement feeding if food stores are low, always monitoring frames for the following brood raising ratio: 1 pollen +1 Honey +1 water = 1 Brood (Build demographics for highest numbers of foragers during flow)
⦁ As nectar flow begins, remove entrance reducers and mouse guards (if used).
⦁ Start checking weekly and increasing brood chamber. Make sure queen doesn’t get honey bound. Add frames and additional boxes as needed. Add queen excluder if using.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Pre-order Nucs/Queens for Spring
LATE FALL
(October-November)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ If fall wildflowers, can extract honey, always leave enough honey for the bees.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and treat if needed. Being careful of what treatment can be used during a honey flow, or treat but do not harvest. Or apply mite treatment after harvest.
⦁ Make splits if wanted, "walk-away" splits not recommended due to feral drone population, make sure to have new queens available.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Pre-order Nucs/Queens for Spring
WINTER (Dearth)
(December-January-February)
⦁ Check once a month (temps above 55 degrees) for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Queens usually not available. Queens will reduce and some will stop laying.
⦁ Reduce entrances, watch for robbing. Do not break any honeycomb when doing inspections. Do not drip/spill any syrup. Can add mouse guards.
⦁ Remove boxes and excluder (if used) as needed, reducing hive.
⦁ Be prepared to feed sugar syrup, do not open feed syrup (encourages robbing).
⦁ Open feed dry protein supplement for foragers.
⦁ Make sure has good water source available.
⦁ Fix equipment & build swarm lure traps
⦁ Take inventory and order more equipment.
⦁ Pre-order nucs/queens.
⦁ In higher elevations can wrap hives when temperatures below freezing for extended periods.
Unfortunately, nowhere did I mention Vacation time for the beekeeper. As an urban beekeeper if you go away from or do not have time to check your hive(s) find a friend or hire someone that can do this for you. It will prevent future headaches and losses.
Also be able to roll with the "punches" Mother Nature hands out, don't take it personally, there will be great years and there will be okay years and then there will be some horrible years. We are at her mercy.
Monica Miksa-King Honey Farm
www.monicamking.com
Every hive is different. Different elevations of Arizona will be different. Seasons from year to year are different depending on rainfall. Plant for pollinators, paying close attention to those that bloom during our dearths and that are heat and drought tolerant.
Always be observant.
EARLY SPRING
(March-April)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ Supplement feeding if food stores are low, always monitoring frames for the following brood raising ratio: 1 pollen +1 Honey +1 water = 1 Brood (Build demographics for highest numbers of foragers during flow)
⦁ As nectar flow begins, remove entrance reducers and mouse guards (if used).
⦁ Start checking weekly and increasing brood chamber. Make sure queen doesn’t get honey bound. Add frames and additional boxes as needed. Add queen excluder if using.
⦁ Start checking for swarm cells.
⦁ Remove and replace any old unwanted frames.
⦁ Make splits if wanted, "walk-away" splits not recommended due to feral drone population, make sure to have new queens available.
⦁ Requeen if needed.
⦁ Check ant guards.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites.
⦁ Start setting up swarm lure traps (if experienced with AHB).
LATE SPRING
(April-May)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Re-Queen if necessary.
⦁ Continue checking every week, moving frames in brood chamber and adding boxes as needed. Can reverse hive bodies.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and treat if needed. Being careful of what treatment can be used during a honey flow, or treat but do not harvest.
⦁ If heavy flow can extract honey (end of May), always leave enough honey for the bees
⦁ Check ant guards
SUMMER (Dearth)
(June-July-August)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Requeen if necessary. Queens will reduce laying.
⦁ Reduce entrances, watch for robbing. Do not break any honeycomb when doing inspections. Do not drip/spill any syrup.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites. Being careful of what treatment can be used during extreme temperatures.
⦁ 110 degrees plus....Heat of day can spray water inside entrances of weak hives. I use a specified garden spray pump just for this, adding some Himalyan Salt to the water.
⦁ Beekeeper needs to take caution, can easily dehydrate in suit. Take drinking water along, can put frozen ice packs in pockets, etc.
⦁ Can cover with shade cloth, plywood etc., strong hives (high demographics) can deal with the heat.
⦁ Make sure water source is available at all times. Need 1 quart to 1+ gallon of water per day, per hive, depending on size.
⦁ Be prepared to feed sugar syrup, do not open feed syrup (encourages robbing).
⦁ Open feed dry protein supplement for foragers.
⦁ Add ventilation.
⦁ Remove boxes and excluder (if used) as needed, reducing hive.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Make sure entrances are slightly sloped downward during monsoon.
EARLY FALL
(September-October)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and/or treat for mites.
⦁ Supplement feeding if food stores are low, always monitoring frames for the following brood raising ratio: 1 pollen +1 Honey +1 water = 1 Brood (Build demographics for highest numbers of foragers during flow)
⦁ As nectar flow begins, remove entrance reducers and mouse guards (if used).
⦁ Start checking weekly and increasing brood chamber. Make sure queen doesn’t get honey bound. Add frames and additional boxes as needed. Add queen excluder if using.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Pre-order Nucs/Queens for Spring
LATE FALL
(October-November)
⦁ Check once a month for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch.
⦁ If fall wildflowers, can extract honey, always leave enough honey for the bees.
⦁ Check mite count once a month and treat if needed. Being careful of what treatment can be used during a honey flow, or treat but do not harvest. Or apply mite treatment after harvest.
⦁ Make splits if wanted, "walk-away" splits not recommended due to feral drone population, make sure to have new queens available.
⦁ Check ant guards
⦁ Pre-order Nucs/Queens for Spring
WINTER (Dearth)
(December-January-February)
⦁ Check once a month (temps above 55 degrees) for marked European queen. Have marking pen ready to re-touch. Queens usually not available. Queens will reduce and some will stop laying.
⦁ Reduce entrances, watch for robbing. Do not break any honeycomb when doing inspections. Do not drip/spill any syrup. Can add mouse guards.
⦁ Remove boxes and excluder (if used) as needed, reducing hive.
⦁ Be prepared to feed sugar syrup, do not open feed syrup (encourages robbing).
⦁ Open feed dry protein supplement for foragers.
⦁ Make sure has good water source available.
⦁ Fix equipment & build swarm lure traps
⦁ Take inventory and order more equipment.
⦁ Pre-order nucs/queens.
⦁ In higher elevations can wrap hives when temperatures below freezing for extended periods.
Unfortunately, nowhere did I mention Vacation time for the beekeeper. As an urban beekeeper if you go away from or do not have time to check your hive(s) find a friend or hire someone that can do this for you. It will prevent future headaches and losses.
Also be able to roll with the "punches" Mother Nature hands out, don't take it personally, there will be great years and there will be okay years and then there will be some horrible years. We are at her mercy.
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