Workshops

The Four Reason Colonies Die in the Winter

   Hive management is essential to successfully maintaining healthy honey bee colonies, but with so many different things out there where do you start? Just when you think you’ve learned it all, heard it all, and seen it all, there is always something new. Commercialism (i.e., selling books, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube) has added to this confusion.

Yet we continually use these things as our primary sources of information. The truth is, if you want to be a better beekeeper, listen to the bees, they tell us everything we need to know.

Every winter millions of honey bee colonies are lost because we are not listening to the bees. It has been well documented that the four major causes of honey bee colonies’ winter losses are mites, moisture or poor ventilation, not enough bees, and starvation. Yet, we keeping on doing the same things hoping for different results. The four causes of winter die-off can be greatly reduced if we simply follow these three rules:

  • Keep the bees dry
  • Keep the bees feed
  • Keep the bees mite count low

By doing these things you will keep a strong and healthy hive. It is for this reason that we have decided to do workshops focusing on the four causes of winter die-off this year.

 

WORKSHOPS

 

 

Not Enough Bees – Making Bees

May 22, 2021 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM

2:00 PM – 3:45  PM

May 29, 2021 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM

12:00 PM – 1:45  PM

Each session will be followed by a question-answer time.

 

Splitting Hives

  • Different types of splits
  • How to split
  • How to consolidate a weak hive with a strong one.

 

Queen Care

  • How to spot a Queen
  • How to set up a stand by Queen
  • How to add a Queen to a hive

 

Catching and caring for Swarms

  • How to prepare for a swarm
  • Setting up a swarm trap
  • How to grow a swarm

 

 

TBD

Mites – We will focus on Integrated Pest Management.

  1. Setting Mite Thresholds
  2. Using Mechanical and Non-Chemical controls
  3. Methods for treating for Mites

 

TBD

Starvation – Fall Preparation Using Supplemental Feed

  1. Combining weak hives
  2. Spin Honey and Queen excluders
  3. Treat For mites

 

TBD

 

Moisture – Preparing the Hive for Winter

  1. Check Hive for resources
  2. Remove Supers
  3. Remove Supplemental Feed
  4. Spot the Queen
  5. Tilt Hive forward
  6. Vent Hive

To attend our workshop please email us at bees@woodsbeeco.com after the class date has been posted. In order to provide a safe environment, we are limiting the number of people who can attend each class. These workshops are hands-on so please bring your suit as we will get into the hives (absolutely no hive tools allowed on-site, they will be provided).

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