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BEEKEEPING INFORMATION

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Division of Plant Industry - Apiculture

8995 East Main Street

Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068-3399

SPRING MANAGEMENT

Management is the key to successful beekeeping. Spring is an ideal time for beekeepers to check colonies for honey and pollen reserves, to clean equipment, practice swarm prevention and establish new colonies.

A. Check colonies for honey and pollen reserves.

1. Briefly check honey reserves in late winter-early spring; temperatures can be 40° - 50° F. and sunny.

2. Honey should be on both sides of the cluster with at least a 10-20 pound reserve or 2-3 well filled combs.

3. If feeding is necessary, it can be done by:

a. exchange of honey combs from another colony (only if disease free)

b. sugar syrup poured directly into combs - 1:1 ratio

c. sugar syrup poured in division board feeders or feeder pails

d. feeding dry sugar

4. Some areas may need pollen substitute and supplement feeding more than in other areas. Pollen substitute can be purchased from bee supply dealers.

5. A thorough colony examination should be conducted when temperatures reach 600 - 65°

F. Then the brood and queen can be checked more extensively. However, colonies can be examined in temperatures below 60° F. if done quickly so that the brood is not chilled. (Recognize disease symptoms.)

B. Replacing and cleaning up equipment.

1. If colonies are packed, they should be unpacked.

2. Equipment (bottom boards, top covers, hive bodies) should be repaired and painted if needed.

4. Remove old combs, especially from lowest hive body, before being refilled with brood and honey. Replace with foundation or drawn comb, free of drone cells.

C. Swarm prevention should be a concern to the beekeeper once the colonies have survived the winter and bee populations start increasing.

1. Reversing is accomplished by exchanging the position of the top and bottom hive bodies during April and May, weather conditions permitting.

2. Adding supers also provides a means to relieve congestion. However, just adding supers might not be enough. It is better to reverse and add supers.

3. If the colony is very strong, remove sealed brood and add to weaker colonies. (Make sure colonies appear disease free.)

D. Establish new colonies.

1. Package bees - should be ordered in January if possible, so that arrival will be during early fruit and dandelion bloom. If introducing bees to drawn comb, a Iwo pound package with queen can be purchased. When using all foundation, a three pound pack is better. Feeding sugar syrup is especially important for bees introduced to foundation.

2. Dividing colonies provides new colonies to replace losses or to make increases. It is also a means to control swarming. One method is to divide the bees, brood and honey in equal parts, then give the queenless colony a queen.

E. Colony inspection for any disease symptoms or mites.

1. Examine brood for American foulbrood.

2. Examine adult bees, brood and possibly conduct an ether roll test for Varroa mites.

3. Take an adult bee sample for Tracheal mite examination.

Prepared by: Gordon Rudloff

State Apiarist

Ohio Department of Agriculture