Beekeeping Tips
Tasks for February
Check frames. Honey bees in full size hives should cover more than five frames, if less then dwindling is indicated. Nosema is a dwindling disease which shortens the life span of adult bees, so
overwintering bees start dying before they are replaced in the spring. A simple microscopy
check can confirm this. Check the hive entrance where you will see dead bees on the
ground - if it is more than about 100 investigate. If the bees are flying then look to see if
returning workers are carrying pollen, indicating that all is well.
More Tasks for February
During late winter many beekeepers think there is little to do in the apiary but it is not too late to apply a winter Varroa treatment such as Oxalic Acid. February is an excellent time to assess Varroa populations using open mesh floors. Colonies dropping more than 6 mites per day can be treated before the need to super them or if the drop is between 2 & 6 mites per day then ‘bio-technical’ control methods can be planned for the spring. January and February is a common time for colonies to collapse due to Varroosis caused by late or inappropriate control methods. More details of Varroa control can be found in our publication “Managing Varroa” which is available on the BeeBase website.
Queen Marking
The internationally agreed code for queenmarking is:-
GREY or WHITE for any year ending in 1 or 6
YELLOW for any year ending in 2 or 7
RED for any year ending in 3 or 8
GREEN for any year ending in 4 or 9
BLUE for any year ending in 5 or 0
The colour for 2010 therefore is BLUE
Smoker Fuel
What can you burn in your smoker?
1. Rotten wood
2. Cardboard
3. Pine Cones