Bees Module 1 Flashcards

Question

00 Name two reasons for the use of thin foundation

Answer 1

1. For cut comb honey 2. For section honey

Answer 2

1. Bees in transit may need cooling down 2. Or it may be used as an alternative to smoke.

Answer 3

anything with a **T** near the end is **T**op and shor**T** smi**T**h langstro**T**h dadan**T** Commercial: too mean to have long so is shor**T** but **Bottom** commercially. All the rest have bottom space and long lugs

Answer 4

WBC and **l**angstr**o**th The rest - National, Smith, Deep, Commercial, Dadant - have 11.

Answer 5

1. **W**BC 49,750 - 10 frames = vol **32**l 2. National/Smith 54,725 - 11 frames = vol 36l 3. Langst**rr**oth 68,000 - 10 frames = vol 44l 4. Commercial 75,625 - 11 frames = vol 48l 5. Deep national - 80,300 - 11 frames = vol 51l 6. Dadant 93,000 - 11 frames = vol 59l wnlcdd

Answer 6

* National * WBC

Answer 7

1. Commercial - Short lugs 2. Modified national - Long lugs

Answer 8

1. National/WBC 1. Bottom bee space 2. Long lugs 2. Smith/Dadant/Langstroth 1. Top bee space 2. Short lugs

Answer 9

Smith BS short lugs, top bee space

Answer 10

1. Warm way - frames are parallel to the entrance 2. Cold way - frames are perpendicular to entrance

Answer 11

A Dadant because it's a flipping big Dude

Answer 12

Scorching after excess wax has been scraped off

Answer 13

Washing soda solution 1kg to 5l hot water

Answer 14

It washes away the alarm phermones so the bees won't be triggered to sting you on your next visit.

Answer 15

1. Nectar water content is too high 2. Nectar would ferment

Answer 16

Protein Carbohydrate

Answer 17

1. Pollen supplement contains pollen 2. Pollen *substitute* does not

Answer 18

* **E**mbalms dead critters too big to remove * **C**racks - filled to keep out wind and rain. * **A**ntibacterial - in brood cells it preserves brood food and minimises infection * **V**arnish cells to clean them ready for lying * **E**ntrance - narrows it * **S**mooths rough surfaces of cavity

Answer 19

1. Stainless steel wire 2. Plastic 3. Herzog slotted steel

Answer 20

Brushed gently off so as not to dislodge the queen larvae. Never shake.

Answer 21

LW tend to lay multiple eggs in one cell DL Queens only ever lays one egg. LW lays anywhere, haphazardly DL Queen lays in regular brood pattern

Answer 22

Why you rear great bees White yellow red green blue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Answer 23

1:1 sugar syrup slowing in a contact feeder Or pollen patties

Answer 24

Insert a frame of eggs and brood less than three days old. If the bees raise queen cells within 24 hours they are queenless.

Answer 25

1. Late July/August 2. Cessation of a major honey flow 3. When supers are removed

Answer 26

1. Silent 2. Fighting

Answer 27

National brood = 5lb National super = 3lb

Answer 28

1. Space for expanding colony 2. To provide storage for nectar/honey 3. For swarm prevention

Answer 29

A skep and a sheet

Answer 30

1. Requeen if she is old 2. Unite colony with a young queen 3. Artificial swarm 4. Tear down QCs 5. Make more space

Answer 31

During swarm control when splitting a hive

Answer 32

Demaree and Snelgrove

Answer 33

Every 7 days for unclipped queens Every 14 days for clipped queen when last inspection showed no swarm preps

Answer 34

1. Weather 2. End of a flow 3. Clumsy beekeeper

Answer 35

Mouse **Green** Woodpecker

Answer 36

A mouse guard to prevent mice entering the hive in winter

Answer 37

At least 20kg of stores (16kg sugar by weight)

Answer 38

Protection from **Green** woodpecker

Answer 39

11: 38mm 10: 42mm 9: 48mm in a national

Answer 40

To clear bees out of supers to remove honey

Answer 41

To cool hive by evaporation To dilute stores

Answer 42

1. Brood holds 11 BS frame with 1. 11 hoffman + dummy 2. 11 frames + just castellations/plastic spacers 2. Square shape suits 1. migratory beekeeping as square and easily packed for transport 2. suits warm/cold orietentation 3. Full super of honey weights 15kg, which an older person can lift 4. Some people keep brood and a half/double brood for prolific queens BUT makes inspections v long. Also full broodbox at end of summer weights 25kg with stores. However... 5. Brood space has enough for a good queen laying 1. 1500 eggs/day = uses 59% of available space = colony of 57,000 bees 2. 2000 eggs/day = uses 79% of available space = colony of 76,000 bees 3. This does require regular comb changes (Bailey/shook) to remove pathogens AND make greater proportion of comb available for brood. 6. Relatively cheap 7. Robust, but light in weight 8. Good rebates so can be lifted easily 9. With just 11 good-sized frames, inspections are easy.

Answer 43

1. Volume - eg Dadant is 59l, WBC is 32l 2. Top / Bottom bee space - eg Smith vs National 3. Short / long lug - eg Smith vs National 4. Hand holds - decent (national) miniscule (commercial) 5. Single or double walled (national vs WBC) 6. Aesthetics - WBC traditional look vs plain national

Answer 44

1. Two, or better yet, three stages of spacing is needed to achieve a spacing of 9 castellations when starting from foundation. 2. Bees naturally build comb to 11mm deep on each side of the septum. 3. If 9 spaces are used without the initially drawing out of comb, the bees tend to build their own comb between the frames of foundation. 4. However, once they have fully drawn out the foundation using narrow spacing, they can be induced to extend its depth by gradually widening the spacing.

Answer 45

Feral bees create comb that is a fixed distance apart with just enough space between combs for them to work back to back - a space of 6-9mm each (ie around 16mm between two surfaces of comb), and just 6-9mm between comb an the cavity wall.

Answer 46

1. Size of typical colony 2. Ease of use 3. Standard sizes of kit 4. Watertight yet breatheable 5. Works to bee life cycle (separates queen from stores yet enough space to lay at peak) 6. Helps in management of disease - eg OMF 7. Frames separated to the width bees work at naturally 8. Frames optimise the space so bees build comb where beekeeper wants it, without brace comb

Answer 47

1. Saves the beekeepers back as they don' t have to bend so low 2. Reduces damp from the ground

Answer 48

It provides a template for workers to draw out comb so comb ends up where the beekeeper wants it and fills the whole frame area, and optimum use is made of the space available. Wired foundation provides additional strength to brood comb Wire foundation allows you to spin supers in a tangential extractor.

Answer 49

1. **I**nduces bees to build straight comb in wooden frames. Thus: 2. **M**inimises amounts of wax to be produced by the bees 3. Allows easy **I**nspection of both sides of the comb 4. Allows easy **M**anipulation of the hive 5. Allows easy honey **E**xtraction 6. Allow resuse of **W**ooden frames 7. Allows either drone/**W**orker brood, as required by beekeeper

Answer 50

1. Thick wired in brood for strength 2. Wired for supers for spinning 3. Thin, unwired for cut comb/section honey 4. All worker/drone cells as required by beekeeper

Answer 51

1. There must be a **need** for more comb. 2. Attempt this at the right **time** of year - 1. warm enough with enough young bees - late spring to mid summer 2. before August when bees are focused on laying down winter stores 3. Place fresh foundation in the **centre** of a box above brood - taking advantage of brood heat 4. Use **narrow** spacing between frames to encourage the bees to draw the comb across the whole frame 5. Simulate a **nectar** flow by feeding 1:1 sugar syrup 6. In the brood box, do not fill the box with fresh foundation but **build up as needed**. The encourages the bees to draw out the full frame. 7. **Hooper** advocates removing the **QE** briefly to allow bees to move up freely, and ensuring that if the queen moves up and starts to lay, she is replaced in the original brood box and the QE replaced

Answer 52

1. No Space required 2. No nectar Flow/feeding 3. Queenless 4. About to Swarm 5. Weak colony with lots of old bees 6. Too Cold 7. Wrong Time of year - too early in spring/in autumn when prepping for winter

Answer 53

1. To give queen immediate space to **lay** 2. To make immediate space for **honey** 3. To use in a **bailey** frame change 4. To replace a **broken** frame 5. To use in a **bait** hive

Answer 54

1. Bees in feral colonies allow 35mm between midrib of adjacents combs. This leaves enough space (13mm) for back to back working with 6-9mm between comb and cavity wall. 2. Super frames, with care, can be up to 48mm septum to septum, reducing number of frames and increasing honey stored. Increase the spacing gradually 11\>10\>9 with castellations of wider plastic ends or end up with brace comb 3. Spacing 1. Hoffman frames. Pro: Self spacing. Con: Expensive. 2. Manley. Pro: self spacing. Stops movement during transport. Con: bees tend to propolise 3. Coloured plastic/metal ends. Pro: Cheap. Use colours to help id when to replace comb. Available in three widths allowing for wider spaced supers. Con: remove before extracting. Can fall off in manipulations. 4. Castellations for 9, 10, 11 frames in a Naitonal super. Only use 11 in the brood. Pro: no movement during trasport. Available in three widths to gradually widen spaces in supers. Con: v sharp 5. Studs screw. Pro: minimum contact area between frames -\> less propolis. Con: labour intensive. 6. Finger spacing: Pro: Ok in emergency. Con: Inaccurate. Great care needed to lift supers/brood boxes or you could squash bees with slipping frames.

Answer 55

1. The bees are moved onto clean comb without loss of the brood. 1. Pro. None of the brood is lost. 2. Con. Nurse bees continue walk on dirty comb 2. Carry out in spring, when colony expanding (needs adapting for a weak colony) 3. **Week 1.** Place a new brood box clean foundation over existing brood box giving queen access to both boxes. 4. Supers above queen excluder as normal. Do NOT feed through supers. If no flow, clear and remove supers, and feed the bees 1:1 syrup. 5. **Week 2.** Ensure queen is in upper brood box and laying; if not, move her up her her frame and put her in the middle of the clean box. 6. Place a second queen excluder, then an eke with an entrance facing the same way, between the two brood boxes, confining queen to clean brood box. 7. Close the lower entrance with foam and tape. 8. The foragers will return through the top entrance. Only the nurse bees to walk on the dirty comb. 9. **Week 3**. Check the lower brood box for queen cells and remove them all. 10. **Week 4.** Remove old broodbox (everything should have emerged), shaking out bees out into clean brood box, give the hive a new floor, add supers as necessary and close up. 11. Cut out and burn old comb. Steam brood box, empty frames, queen excluder and eke.

Answer 56

1. Week 1 1. Clean brood chamber with fresh foundation, 2. Eke 3. Rapid Feeder with 1:1 syrup (if now flow). Do not feed through supers. 2. Week 2 1. Queen excluder 2. eke with entrance 3. something to close lower entrance 4. 1:1 syrup 3. Week 4 1. Clean Floor 2. Clean Queen Excluder 3. Super with frames

Answer 57

1. Aim to replace 4 frames a year 2. Through year move older comb to edge of box and add new foundation to outside of brood nest. 3. Do not break up brood nest. 4. Cut out and burn old comb. Boil frames in washing soda and reuse.

Answer 58

1. The whole colony is shaken from dirty combs onto fresh foundation in a clean hive. The brood is sacrificed, along with any varroa in cells. 1. Only suitable for strong colonies. Not on a colony with nosema 2. Do in late spring/early summer so bees have time to draw out comb, forage and prepare for winter. 3. Pro: Colony gets a dramatic boost: many diseases, inc EFB, chalkbrood and varroa in cells are cleaned out. 4. Con: You lose all the brood 2. Move old hive to one side and place clean floor on original site with a QE on top to prevent the queen absconding until there is brood. 3. Add a clean broodbox with fresh foundation. Remove 3-4 frames. 4. In old box, find the queen, cage her and keep her safe. 5. Take each frame in turn, and shake it sharply into gap to dislodge the bees, brushing all bees off with a handful of grass. 6. Place empty frames in a spare box and cover to prevent flying bees landing on them. 7. Knock any bees in the original box, floor and cover into the clean box. 8. Replace empty frames very gently to avoid squishing bees. 9. Release the queen into the colony and cover with a crown board 10. Add a rapid feeder in the eke with 2:1 sugar syrup to help the bees draw out the foundation. 11. Replace the roof. 12. When the queen has started laying, remove the QE from the bottom 13. Continue to feed as necessary until most of foundation is drawn. 14. Consider varroa treatment.

Answer 59

1. Clean floor 2. **Framed queen excluder** 3. Queen cage 4. Brood box filled with frames of clean foundation 5. Clean crown board 6. Clean Eke 7. Clean rapid Feeder with 2:1 syrup 8. Clean Roof.

Answer 60

At least every three years

Answer 61

1. Build up of pathogens and frame replacement removes these from hive 2. Curtails moth infestation (feed on pupae skins) 3. Cells get smaller with layers of propolis 4. Wax impregnated with chemicals from varroa treatment, which could cause resistence in varroa 5. Wax can retain insecticides from environment 6. It contains excessive amounts of or inconviently placed drone comb 7. New come helps in preventing swarming (young bees are busy drawing out foundation) 8. It makes a greater proportion of comb availalble for brood rearing.

Answer 62

1. Gradual replacement 2. Bailey comb change 3. Shook swarm

Answer 63

1. SITE - you need 1. Somewhere to keep bees 2. Good access 3. With storage 4. Space to move about and grow 5. Forage during whole season 6. Water 7. Sheltered from wind 8. Secure from vandals and thieves 9. Where they won't bother neighbours 2. PERSONAL 1. No allergy to bees; 2. Time - it is time consuming 3. It is not a cheap hobby (nuc £130, personal kit £200, hive £300 and bits = approx £650) 3. INFO 1. Gain knowledge - books - eg Bees at the bottom of the garden by Campion, 2. Take an basic beekeeping course 3. Join a BKA and attend meetings 4. Gain experience of handling bees 5. Find a bee-buddy for 1st year 4. COLONY Nuc/Full/Swarm/Packet/Buy 1. Nuc (£130-£180) - ideal for new keepers, spring summer autumn. Allows keeper to see colony expand as they gain experience and maybe have a small honey harvest in late July 2. Full colony - spring summer autumn - can lead to loss of confidence when manipuating a full hive. In at deep end with swarm control. 3. Bee packet from abroad - requires knowledge on laws of importing bees 4. A swarm - May to August - risky: disease and temperament implications, aquisition unpredictable, may be tricky to catch and bring on. 5. If buying 1. Which subspecies - mongrels, mellifera, ligustica, carnolian or buckfast - needs some understanding of the implications of each - eg carnolian are known for tendency go swarm. 2. Seller of known reputation who can guarantee 1. Age of queen and laying 2. Disease free 3. Good tempered bees 1. Non followers out of apiary 2. Still and calm on frames during inspections 5. Personal EQUIPMENT (total £200) 1. Personal: a veil, protective overalls (all-in-one £140), marigolds, wellies 2. A hive tool. (£10) 3. A smoker (£50) 6. HIVE 1. TYPE 1. National (Most UK beginners), WBC (pretty but expensive and heavy to handle), Smith, Commercial... 2. Wood, poly 2. SOURCE 1. New - safe, expensive 2. Second hand - risky: needs knowledge to spot good kit that fits together and then disinfect it 3. Home made - difficult. 3. KIT 1. Hive stand/solid base off ground (£50) 2. A complete hive (£300 flat packed) 3. Feeder and Eke/spare super 4. Bucket with lid and washing soda 7. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Is there anyone likely to come into contact with your bees who is highly allergic 2. Learn how to prevent swarming and bees being a nuisance 3. Keep records, esp of medication (legal requirement) 4. Observe hygiene rules of management

Answer 64

1. Pro 1. It is free 2. Con 1. It can only be collected at certain times of the year May-August 2. It is unpredicable 1. Temperament unknown 2. May carry pests or pathogens 3. May be genetically predisposed to swarm, creating furture management problems 3. Can require some skill and ingenuity to catch, hive, ensure they accept their new home and bring on the colony swiftly 4. It has an old queen which may supersede

Answer 65

1. Can be purchased at any time of year except winter 2. The small number of bees is less intimidating than full hive which will build confidence 3. The beekeeper gains experience to control and manage a colony as the nuc grows in size 4. No swarm control likely to be needed in first year 5. It will build up into a full colony by the end of the year, poss with some surplus honey

Answer 66

1. The number of bees can be daunting, leading to loss of confidence 2. It will need careful handling to ensure it does not become nuisance 3. The beekeeper will have to deal with disease, temper, swarm control immediately

Answer 67

1. SPACE 1. To move around and stack supers within reach 2. To spread out/expand 3. 2. ACCESS 1. Near enough for regular inspections 2. No fences to climb 3. By a car/wheelbarrow 4. Provision for storage 3. FORAGE and WATER 1. Bees forage mostly within 1km of hive and up to 5km 2. What is available throughout the year (nectar and pollen) 3. Consider other colonies in the area 4. Water req to dilute stores and cool hive -provide if nec with float, not neighbour's pond 4. ENVIRONMENT 1. Fenced off from livestock 2. Away from public thoroughfare, even with hedge in between 3. Be aware of flight paths - face entrances away from neighbours 4. Drive up flight path with hedge/fence. 5. Security from vandals and thieves 6. Consider swarming and neighbour's allergies 5. ASPECT 1. Face south or east to extend their day. 2. Not in a frost pocket/floodplains 3. Not in wood/edge of one (damp) 4. Shelter from winds 6. AGREEMENT 1. Some sort of formal agreement with the farmer 2. Never push bees on someone reluctant 3. Payment **TO** beekeeper and agreement for commercial orchard

Answer 68

1. SAFETY 1. Flight paths designed to minimise collision 2. Ideally out of sight of neighbours/vandals/thieves 2. PERSONAL 1. On paving stones so hives don't rot 2. On hives stands to minimise bending 3. Frames across the body to minimise twisting 3. AREA DESIGN 1. Space for manipulations (6' is good), maintenance 2. Irregular layout in different directions avoids drifting

Answer 69

1. The optimum number of hives for the transport available 2. Space to move around and lay out hives in irregular shape 3. Access paramount - you don't want to be carrying kit/full supers over fences

Answer 70

1. Usually considerations PLUS 2. How well you get on with neighbours is crucial 3. Minimise risk of stings. Organise hive placement and flight paths with hedges/fences 4. Time manipulations; ie not on sunday bbq 5. Keep good tempered bee; move/cull fierce stocks 6. Keep out of sight of thieves/vandals/neighbours 7. Remind neighbours of benefits - pollination + honey

Answer 71

1. Source of constant interest **vs** see them by making special visit 2. Accessible kit **vs** organisational skills to take right stuff 3. Able to inspect easily and generally monitor **vs** potential for larger number of hives. 4. Time and distance for inspections **vs** complaining neighbours 5. More secure **vs** better better forage 6. Experience gained in having two sites with different conditions

Answer 72

1. **Accessible by vehicle/wheelbarrow** 2. **distance from houses, human activity and footpaths** 3. **Protection from farm animals** 4. Availability of forage 5. Shelter from prevailing wings forst pockets and flooding 6. Availability of water 7. Distance from other apiaries 8. Permission of the owner to use the land. ## Footnote *NB the dirst three are ESSENTIAL, then one other.*

Answer 73

1. A small suburban garden next to play area 2. Bees drinking from neighbour's bird paths/garden ponds 3. Bees soiling neighbour's washing lines 4. A hive on a flat, slippery roof only accessibe by ladder /upstairs window

Answer 74

1. Strong to support an increasing weight during the summer. 2. At a comfortable height for the beekeeper otherwise after inspecting one or two colonies the beekeeper may have backache. 3. Stands also need to be stable, so the hive doesn't tip over when the supers are being levered with a hive tool or when they are being removed.

Answer 75

1. To prevent the spread of disease and keep bees healthy - even low levels can make bees more suseptible to other diseases 2. To prevent the contamination of honey

Answer 76

1. BEES 1. Quarantine swarms until known to be disease free. Arrange hives to reduce drifting. 2. If colony a dies unexpectedly, seal to prevent robbing 3. Regularly monitor for varroa, which carries pathogen 2. APIARY 1. Never put supers on the ground - botulism 2. Keep apiary clean and tidy 3. Arrange hives randomly and paint entrances different colours to reduce drifting 4. Avoid moving frames between hives/apiaries 5. Never leave old comb/equipment lying about 6. Keep kit store shut up to prevent bees crawling over kit 7. Store supers over a QE to keep out mice, prevent mould and allow spiders to control wax moth 3. COMB 1. Put brace comb and propolis in container and remove 2. Replace brood comb at least every 3 years 3. Dispose of old comb quickly 4. Never exchange comb/brood/super frames between colonies unless you know they are free from disease 5. Never buy old combs/use second hand combs 6. Replace WET supers on the original hive after extraction 4. KIT 1. Avoid inspection cloths as these can harbour disease 2. Thoroughly disinfect second hand kit 3. Clean all kit before reuse 4. Kill pathogens by 1. Scraping and scorching old boxes 2. Boiling frames in washing soda solution 3. Freezing old combs 4. Fumigating DRY combs with 80% acetic acid 5. PERSONAL 1. Use disposable gloves 2. Keep bucket w lid soda 1kg/5l to rinse marigolds and tools between inspections 3. Clean smokers regularly in washing soda 4. Wash suit, veil etc with 1/2 cup washing soda after each apiary inspection 5. Clean boots regularly 6. FEEDING 1. Never feed honey from external source 2. Prevent robbing so avoid spilling syrup/leaky feeders, and feed altogether in evening

Answer 77

1. All scrapings must be collected and burnt 2. Flame/scorch inside the box with a blowtorch 3. Pay close attention to the crevices and corners 4. If frames in good condition, strip wax from frames and Burn Wax 5. Scrape frames and scrub in hot soda solution - 1kg soda/ 5l water - rinse and dry. 6. NB 1. Allow steam/solar 2. DO NOT allow flaming frames - fire risk

Answer 78

1. Scrape off any excess wax or propolis 2. Soak the whole hive in washing soda solution (1kg to 5 litres of water) with a dash of washing up liquid. Scrub clean using marigolds and PPE. 1. If only a limited number of components are being cleaned, a shallow tray can be used to soak each side in turn. 3. Sterilise with hypochlorite such as found in household bleach. The strength of the hypochlorite should be 0.5%. Check label: household bleach is normally 3% so use a mixture of 1 part bleach to 6 parts water. 4. As the polystyrene is waterproof and inert these can be washed off leaving no residues and the beehive, clean, sterile and ready for use.

Answer 79

1. Genetics 2. Bad handling by beekeeper 3. Sudden loss of forage/stores 4. Weather - esp thunderstorms or imminent rain 5. Ambient environment - eg next to a dung heap

Answer 80

1. Do not site hives where flightpaths cross areas used by other people 2. Ensure good water supply that is NOT neighbour's padding pool/pond/birdbath 3. Handle gently with minimum smoke 4. Do not carry out hive maniupulations when neighbours are in the garden 5. Inspect at optimum times (eg when bees foraging) 6. If a colony has become difficult to handle, close it up 7. Open bad tempered hive last 8. Remember bees are defensive at end of flow 9. Do not open in bad weather 10. Do not open unnecessarily

Answer 81

1. Check it really is bad tempered and not the result of bad handling by a novice beekeeper. 2. Move bad tempered colonies to an out apiary if possible to minimise risks... and requeen with a more docile strain. 3. Requeen 1. Kill old queen, an insert a frame of eggs and larva from a gentle colony. 2. Kill old queen and unite with a calmer colony. 3. Create a nuc with a new queen; when she is established and has her own brood, kill the old queen and unite with the aggressive colony using newspaper - older bees tend to be more aggressive and may kill her if you introduce her direct. 4. Finding the queen can be hard: Bleed off bees to find the queen. 1. Move the colony 8' away in the early morning and put in its place a brood box with about 6 combs to catch the returning fliers. At midday, when all the flying bees have gone, find the queen, kill her and introduce a new one in her queen cage for the bees to eat her out. 2. Next day, swap the boxes around and let the flying bees return to the mother hive. Remove the box with the empty frames the in the evening. 3. The bees should release the new queen within four days. 5. Finding the queen can be hard. Requeen using chloroform. Requires 1 fl oz chlorform, an entrance blocker and 2 pieces of cardboard. 1. The use of chloroform disorientates the bees and affects the central nervous system in a way the bees cannot immediately recognise their queen and immediately accept a new one. 2. Drive bees back with smoke. Block entrance. 3. Pour 1 tsp x chloroform onto pieces of cardboard, push into entrance and reseal. 4. Do the same with the second piece of cardboard and put it under the crownboard and cover the feedholes. 5. Wait 2-3 mins. 6. You then have 10 mins to find the queen. 7. Remove and kill her and run another queen directly from her cage onto the top bars. 8. Close up and open the entrance. 6. NB 1. Genetic cause - can take up to 6 weeks to take effect 2. Pheromone cause - 24-48 hours to take effect

Answer 82

1. 2m from hive - suitable for suburban garden. At 2m you should be able to remove veil. 2. 5m from hive - not suitable for suburban garden - only suited to isolated apiary 3. 5m+ = requeen

Answer 83

1. Routine inspections take longer 2. Enjoyment reduced 3. Leads to more swarming 4. New beekeepers put off 5. Public complain

Answer 84

1. January 1. Oxalic treatment 2. Jan/Feb 1. Heft and feed fondant if necessary 2. Entrances for dead bees 3. Damage to hives 4. Reposition hives in cold weather 5. Kit repair 3. March 1. Heft etc 2. Entrances etc 3. Remove mouse guards 4. Monitor for varroa 5. When temp above 14C, quick check queen laying, mark Q 6. And install a clean floor

Answer 85

1. April 1. Start regular inspections 2. Full check for diseases 3. Queen laying cf to other colonies, space, stores, supers 4. Carry out comb change (shook/bailey) 2. May and June 1. **I**nspect regularly 2. Add **S**upers 3. Collect **S**warms 4. **S**warm control 5. **N**ucs for for increase 6. **D**rone culling for varroa reduction 7. Raise new **Q**ueens 8. **H**arvest spring crop if OSR 9. J: Monitor for varroa

Answer 86

1. July 1. Swarm control 2. Add supers 3. Unite colonies 4. Harvest honey and return wet supers for cleaning 2. August 1. Full check for brood diseases 2. Monitor and treat for varroa as necessary 3. Replace queens as necessary 4. Unite colonies for strength going into winter 3. September 1. Complete varroa treatment 2. Calc feeding requirements and feeding as necessary 3. Allow supersedure if it occurs 4. Put on mouse guards

Answer 87

1. October 1. Finish feeding 2. Protect from woodpeckers 3. Remove queen excluder 2. November/December 1. Heft to check adequate stores (fondant) 2. Check entrance for dead bees 3. Check for hive damage 4. Prep kit for next year 3. December 1. as November 2. Monitor for varroa 3. Oxalic treatment for varroa after Xmas

Answer 88

1. Wind drives bees to next door hive 2. Disorientation 1. Eg long grass is cut in front of hives 2. No key features to map 3. Most of the bees which drift do so during their orientation flights and before they become regular foragers. 3. Colony collapse when bees leave a dying colony 4. Genetic tendency - eg Italian bees

Answer 89

1. Spread of disease 2. Weakens colonies that loose significant numbers of bees this way 3. Potential overcrowding in recipient colony 4. Condusive to robbing 5. Queen loss when flying for mating

Answer 90

Drifting is when bees which leave one colony and join another.

Answer 91

1. Space hives at least 3' apart so the wind does not gust them into the wrong entrance 2. Arrange hives so bees can find their own colony easily. 1. Provide a different landmark near each hive - eg bolder, a bush. 2. Paint hives in different colours 3. Avoid repeated shapes 3. If two hives on a stand, point them in different directions. 4. Arrange hives in a circle with colonies facing outwards

Answer 92

1. Miller - a frame size of brood/super, central slot, two dividers. Bees feed from one half or both. Bees separated from the reservoir to prevent drowning. 2. Ashforth - similar to Miller but with one slot at one end - hive needs to be tilted to ensure efficient flow of feed. 3. Rapid/English - A plastic container with a central riser and ribbed edging. A plastic cup separates the bees from the stores. 4. Contact - Mesh area in the container's lid. A vacuum is created when upturned over the coverboard. Bees retrieve syrup through mesh. 5. Frame - Ensures feed is close to brood. Add a float to prevent bees drowning. Con: broodbox must be opened to fill. 6. Atomiser spray - if a colony is moribund through lack of stores, a warm solution of 50% sugar is sprayed onto bees. Cleaning action feeds. Also prevents fighting when uniting.

Answer 93

1. Summer/week: A colony needs 10lb (4.5kg) stores (2 brood frames or 3.3 super frames) 2. Winter: a strong colony need 40lb (20kg) stores (12 brood frames - ie super also required) 3. Feed calc: Honey = 80% sugar. 20kg stores = 16kg sugar. 4. National super = 3lb / 1.3kg 5. National brood = 5lb / 2.25kg

Answer 94

1. **Pollen substitute** OR 2. **Pollen supplement** in pollen patties 1. Fed in the early part of the year if the pollen flow is slow to promote brood growth 3. **Fondant** from October to March. 1. A top-up of carbohydrate if low on stores 4. **Honey** but only from own apiary and ideally from same colony, eg 1. when returning supers from which honey has been extracted 2. in cappings to be cleaned

Answer 95

1. To provide adequate **stores** for winter after harvesting honey 2. To stimulate **wax** production and comb drawing 3. To provide stores when a colony has an **inadequate foraging force** (eg artificial swarm) 4. When raising new queens or making up **nuclei** 5. As a means to administer **drugs** 6. To stimulate the queen to **lay,** esp in early spring 7. To provide **emergency** stores to prevent starvation

Answer 96

1. Honeybees need to feed in order to support/**stimulate certain activities** 1. stimulate **colony growth** by feeding, e.g. early season build up 2. Used support bees during times of high energy req, e.g. **drawing comb** 2. Bees make honey in summer as **stores** against bad weather/no flow/winter 1. Honey harvested by beekeeper needs to be **replaced** in order for bees to survive winter 3. Beekeeper monitors colony stores, 1. summer **10 lbs (4.5kg)/2 brood frames,** 2. winter **40lb (20kg) stores = 16g sugar** 3. Only feed white sugar, never brown (diarrhoea)

Answer 97

1. **Assess** plants around apiary to ensure there are plenty of pollens available throughout the season - a colony will consume 20kg/year 2. Only 1kg of pollen is **stored** - shortages common in spring. If necessary, feed pollen patties. 3. Pollen tx **pathogens** (eg APV, chalkbrood, EFB and AFB) so only collect pollen from known healthy colonies and avoid other beekeepers' pollen 4. **Feeding** 1. Collect pollen from own pollen traps every 24 hour (Max 72hrs) to avoid it becoming damp. Freeze immediately in a sealed bag and use immediately after defrosting in shallow dish close to the entrance 2. Or buy substitute from a commercial source and follow supplier recommendations 3. Or make up your own substitute with soybean flour, and other ingredients 4. Or make own supplement with soybean flour and pollen trapped and frozen the previous year.

Answer 98

1. Toasted soya flower 1 part 2. Dry brewers/ baker's yeast 1 part 3. Disolve in 2:1 syrup - enough to make a stiff dough 4. Place patties over combs where bees are clustered 5. Cover with wax paper to prevent drying out 6. MAKE A SUBSTITUTE by adding 1 part trapped pollen

Answer 99

1. 48 hours after hiving a swarm (1:1 sugar syrup) 2. When drawing comb and there is no nectar flow – eg general comb drawing, or as part of Bailey Frame change/Shoot swarm (1:1 sugar syrup) 3. Nucs when making an increase 48 hours after creation, after the flying bees have left and returned to the mother hive. (1:1 sugar syrup) 4. When stimulating the queen to accelerate her laying for an early spring crop. (1:1 sugar syrup) 5. In winter with fondant if low on stores. 6. In summer if the bees cannot get out to forage (prolonged bad weather) (1:1 sugar syrup) 7. In autumn as part of winter preparations (2:1 sugar : water syrup)

Answer 100

1. Reduce robbing by feeding 1. in the evenings after they've stopped flying 2. all colonies in apiary at the same time 3. nucs after flying bees have left 4. avoiding spillages 2. Never make up syrup with brown sugar as is causes diahrroea 3. Don’t feed syrup too late in the year when it is too cold to ripen and cap it, resulting in fermentation. 4. Feed in the right concentration: 1:1 for immediate use; 2:1 when laying down stores.

Answer 101

1. Pollen is the principal source of proteins, vitamins and minerals 2. Protein content varies from plant to plant 3. A strong colony collects 20 kg in a season but only stores 1kg in hive 4. It requires 70-150mg pollen to rear 1 adult bee 5. Necessary for making eggs and sperm 6. Young bees consume huge quantities to make BF and RJ 7. Older larvae are fed on BF with sugar and pollen. 8. Worker bees need it for muscle repair 9. Pollen is the source of protein for the fat bodies in wintering bees

Answer 102

1. Exuded from trees and plants and contains resins, balsams and essential oils 2. Collected by oldest foragers and unloaded at point of use by another bee. 3. Disinfecting properties 4. Used to fill cracks and crevices and narrow entrance 5. Strengthens and disinfects comb 6. Embalms dead intruders too big to eject

Answer 103

1. Not stored in hive 2. Only small number bees on permanent water collection duty - numbers can be increased as required. 3. Uses: 1. Dilutes honey stores (Honey = 20% water and must be 50% to digest) 2. Used in manufacture of Brood Food and Royak Jelly ( BF = 70% water) 3. Cools hive by evaporation with fanning

Answer 104

1. Bees get energy from breakdown of carbohydrate in honey and nectar 2. 3x main carbohydrates: S, F, G 3. Nectar would ferment if stored has it has too high a water content so is transformed into honey to store and sealed with wax (honey is hygroscopic) 4. Bees store concentrated honey in sealed cells for food when no forage available 5. Beeswax also produced by metabolism of sugars - roughly 8:1 sugar to wax.

Answer 105

1. Supersedure cells 2. The colony wants to replace its queen without colony division 3. Caused by potentially by **SPENDG** 1. **S**ubstances shortage 2. **P**hysical injury 3. **E**gg shortage - bees will want to replace a queen they fear will not get them through the winter. 4. **N**osema 5. **D**rones - too many in the hive - becoming a drone layer? 6. **G**enetic trait

Answer 106

1. Frequent inspections 2. Young prolific queen 1. Replace every two years - QS 3. Maintain adequate space 1. Space to lay 2. Space for storage 3. Space for congestion 4. Clip queen

Answer 107

1. A colony with enough workers to provide for the original **and** the prime swarm and casts 2. Healthy, fecund queen 3. Enough honey to allow bees to leave with full honey stomachs 4. Enough pollen and nectar in the area to allow both colonies to build up in time for winter 5. Enough drones to mate with virgin queens 6. Suitable cavities in the area for a new home

Answer 108

1. Old queen, low on queen substance (levels halve every year) 2. Genetic predisposition to swarm (Carnolian bees) 3. Congestion 1. Lack of space for queen to lay eggs 2. Lack of space to store honey 3. Lack of space for bees to disperse reducing the transfer of QS 4. Often May-June when pop rapidly builds up causing over crowding 4. High varroa build up 5. As a nectar flow dwindles - when there are fewer bees going out foraging so congestion appears to increase 6. When at least half the adult bees are younger than 8 days old - ie after a rapid increase 7. When the colony is at least 12,000 bees strong and has drones to mate with virgins.

Answer 109

1. Charged queen cells 2. The colony starts to produce a large number of drones 3. Lack of space for queen to lay 4. Nectar stored in the brood chamber - lack of space ro ripen honey 5. A reduction in foraging immediately before swarm leaves. 6. Build up of bees at the bottom of frames, clearly not foraging - some may have charged wax pockets 7. Piping and buzzing as bees do the dorsoventral abdominal dance getting other bees to warm up flight muscles 8. Bees crisscrossing the frame and banging into each other - the signal to leave.

Answer 110

1. Be prepared and observe with regular inspections, keep records and act on these 2. Keep a young prolific queen 1. Replace every two years 2. Keeps high pheromones levels 3. Promotes cohesive behaviour 3. Maintain adequate space 1. Create space for queen to lay - she will swarm in 90-95% of brood cells filled. 2. The brood box is for brood. Add a second brood box above queen excluder, move sealed brood into this immiedately above brood below. Also frames clogged with pollen and stores and arrange. Pack space between between stores and brood with frames of foundation for bees to start to drawn out. Meanwhile, in lower brood, close up brood nest and provide fresh foundation on either side of it for bees to draw out and create extra space for queen to lay. 3. Have enough supers to ripen honey 1. When 7 frames of brood, add a super 2. When half super filled, add another super 4. Have enough supers to relieve congestion - there is reduced transmission of Q pheromones if the colony is too full for the queen to walk around 5. Look for good genetic traits when breeding - non swarming, good temper, nectar collection and grooming

Answer 111

1. **R**equeen if queen is old 2. **U**nite colony with one with a young queen 3. **A**rtificial swarm when queen cells detected 4. **T**ear down/remove queen cells (a temporary solution) 5. **M**ake more space - in brood and supers for eggs, honey, bees

Answer 112

1. Swarming a natural phenomenon allows superoganism to reproduce by division of adult pops and migration of swarms to new sites 2. Old queen leaves with prime swarm with 30-70% of bees 3. Casts may appear a few days later headed by virgin queens 4. Swarm/cast settles near old colony while scout bees search and settle on a new home (can take days) 5. They fly off to the new home. 6. Downsides: 1. Swarms are a nuisance to the public 2. A colony that does not swarm can collect more honey than if it did 1. Parent's loss of bees 2. Break in brood 3. You produce ferral bees which can be reservoirs of bee disease

Answer 113

* When you have 7 frames of brood, add a super (assuming last four frames not full of stores) * When half the super is full, add the next super.

Answer 114

1. Can start to appear hours after queen's removal/loss 2. Bees convert workers cells with young larva under 3 days old 3. The bees extend worker cells to fit queen larva 4. The QCs are less heavily sculpured than swarm/supersdedure cells 5. Often small and do not always stand proud

Answer 115

1. No queen present 2. No upright eggs, or no eggs at all 3. When colony is opened, it has a distinctive 'roar' 4. Colony may be aggressive and difficult to hande 5. Within 24 hours - colony likely to be apathetic, foraging reduced with bees wandering around aimlessly 6. After three days - no eggs and QCs visible over worker brood

Answer 116

1. Each is a potential QC 2. About the size of small acorn cups with hole facing downwards. 3. Present in the brood area in active season 4. Can remain indefinitely 5. Can be ignored until occupied - if knocked down, the bees will just build more

Answer 117

1. The colony is preparing either 1. A supersedure cell - replacement of the queen without swarming 2. A swarm cell - colony reproduction by swarming 2. Left alone, the bees will continue to feed the larva until either 1. It is capped and emerges with the current queen in situ (supersedure) 2. It is capped and the colony swarms 3. It is torn down when the bees, for what ever reason, decide not to swarm after all.

Answer 118

As there are eggs assume the queen is still present until proved otherwise by the action taken * Move hive to one side * in its place put a clean box containing foundation (or preferably clean drawn comb) * select 1 queen cell * remove each frame and shake/brush all the bees into the clean box * do not shake the queen cells you wish to keep but remove all the others * when all the frames are empty and bees from box brushed in, put queen excluder on top of clean box * replace supers above queen excluder either (DEMAREE method) * add another queen excluder * then add eke with entrance facing different direction to allow the drones to escape. * add the original box containing all the brood and the chosen queen cell on top * replace crown board and roof * after 5 (or so) days check the lower box for eggs, if present the queen was present and shaken into this box with the workers * if not then check the upper box for eggs, she may have got up with brood by mistake * if so she should be easier to locate as most flying bees will be in the lower box * inspect the brood, cut back queen cells to 1 previously selected * allow the queen to emerge mate and lay * Run as a two queen colony or unite on new queen having killed or nuc’d the old queen or (ARTIFICIAL SWARM METHOD) * add the original box containing all the brood and the chosen queen cell on top * next morning take off top box onto a floor and place to one side * inspect bottom box for queen and leave on original site * after 7 days inspect the box containing brood, cut back Q cells to 1 previously selected * remove any emergency cells * Allow new queen to mate and unite or run as two separate colonies

Answer 119

1. The bees raised queen cells from older larvae 2. The swarm left after 5-6 days To rectify 1. Remove extra queen cells down to one. You could add a freme of brood to boost the colony 2. OR remove all cells and introduce a mated laying queen 3. OR remove all queen cells and unite with another queenright colony

Answer 120

1. Indicates supersedure There are many options 1. The beekeeper could do nothing and hope for perfect supercedure 2. Bees may tear down the cells 3. OR Remove one or both cells to made up nucs 1. There many not be enough drones to fertilise a virgin so may lead to a drone laying queen 4. OR remove the queen to a nuc 5. OR put one cell and the old queen in two separate nucs 1. Once a new queen is laying, remove the old queen 2. Unite nuc to original hive with new queen

Answer 121

1. A queen excluder is a selective barrier inside the beehive that allows worker bees but not the larger queens and drones to pass through it 2. Three main types: 1. Herzog framed grid of wire rods wth bees space top/bottom. As the wires are round and smoothly finished they allow easy passage of worker bees. The wires are stiff and are held strongly by the perforated strips. 2. Punched slotted steel - bottom bee space hives only 3. Moulded plastic sheets - bottom bee space hives only 3. Used to separate brood from honey, and in manipulations eg shook swarm, bailey frame change, unitin

Answer 122

1. Herzog framed round wire QE: 1. Pro: wires are round and smoothly finished they allow easy passage of worker bees, can scorch, has integrated bee space, strong, can be used with top/bottom bee spacing, better ventilation, easily removed, 2. Con: Expensive, hard to clean, must use right way up 2. Slotted steel - staggered slots in a sheet of metal 1. Pro: cheap and easy to clean with boiling water and blow lamp. Cheap 2. Con: no bee space, sags in middle when used on top bee space, sticks to frames, sharp rough edges can damage bee wings, becomes raised on accumulations of propolis, must be peeled off, which annoys bees, causes congestion and restricts air movement 3. Moulded plastic - plastic sheet with square-edged slots 1. Pro: cheap, strong, no sharp edges, non stick w bee space on one side, easily cleaned when wax is cold and brittle with hive tool. A solution of washing soda will remove wax and propolis and sterilise with bleach. 2. Con: lies on top of frames so only suitable for bottom space hives, can tear

Answer 123

1. Separating brood from honey to stop Q laying in areas where the beekeeper does not want brood 2. Holding down newspaper when uniting two colonies 3. Hiving a swarm - Under brood box to stop queen absconding until first eggs laid 4. Shook swarm - ditto 5. Bailey frame change - to confine the queen to the top brood box 6. Demaree swarm control - to separate drones in top box from supers. 7. To sieve a colony into an empty brood box to find the queen - only use when culling - traumatic. 8. Prevents mic accessing stored boxes in winter, but allows air circulation to avoid mould.

Answer 124

Methods include 1. **Requeen** from low swarming stock 2. Add a **second brood box** 3. **Remove frames of stores** from brood area and store in a box above the queen exclude. Replace with foundation/drawn comb for queen to lay 4. **Shook swarm** a large colony 5. **Demaree artificial swarm** control 6. **Artifical swarm** control 7. Ensure **adequate ventilation.** 8. Assuming colonies are in good health relieve congestion AS FOLLOWS: 9. **Swap** a weak colony hive with a stong colony hive - 1. Fliers will return to to old position 2. Only do in a strong honey flow in good weather or fighting will result 10. **Transfer** sealed brood with covering of bees to weaker colony 1. Ensures there are enough bees to cover the brood 2. Cage queen, remove sealed brood + bees, return queen 3. Dust brood frames and bees with flour/ spray with water and a couple of drops of peppermint oil 4. Open recipient col, make space, smoke bees away, shake in some flour/spray with peppermint water, insert frame and close up. 11. **Unite a super full of bees** onto a brood of weaker col using newspaper method 12. Get bees to draw fresh **comb.** Feed if nectar flow not on. Provides a 'legitimate' reason for crowding. 13. Split a large colony and create a **nucleus** 1. Cage Queen. 2. Remove 2-3 frames of bees and brood (two older brood, one eggs and very young larvae. 3. If to be in same apiary, shake in 3-4 frames house bees from brood. 4. Return queen to original hive. 5. Provide stores or feed after 48 hours and allow to raise a new queen.

Answer 125

1. Principle: if no QCs sealed, you persuade bees they have swarmed by creating an artificial swarm, so you do not lose bees. 2. Move the old hive to one side about 2' away, facing same way 3. Place clean brood box on clean floor in original position, with 8x foundation 4. Move the queen ON her frame into middle of clean box after checking ALL QCs removed 5. Add two frames of food along sides of clean box 6. Fill clean box with 8x drawn comb or foundation 7. Replace QE and the supers. (The fliers will return to this site) 8. In old box, remove all unsealed QCs but two which the larvae are almost ready for capping. 9. Close up brood and confine tight between two dummy boards 10. Add crown board and roof, with 4l of 1:1 sugar syrup in a rapid feeder over crown board 11. Leave for 7 days 12. Move the old hive to the other side of orig site containing the artificial swarm. Fliers will return to first site, find hive gone and return to original site, augmenting the population of the artificial swarm and drastically reducing the pop in the old hive. 13. Leave old brood now for three more weeks - young queen will merge, mature and mate and start to lay. (Unlikely to produce casts because pop is so drastically reduced) 14. If you want do not want to increase coloines, unite once new queen is has started to lay - remove and kill old queen in artificial swarm colony and unite the two colonies using the newspaper method.

Answer 126

1. Variation on artificial swarm 2. Lift brood box containing elusive queen and place it to one side in an upturned roof 3. Put a new broodbox on original floor with 11 frames of foundation/drawn comb 4. Remove 6-7 frames leaving a large gap 5. Take each comb in order from original brood box and shake into the gap disloding all bees with a handful of grass 6. Place cleared brood frames into a spare box/cardboard box in same order, same faces together, and cover, so bees don't repopulate frames. 7. As you do this, look for a frame with no QC and with eggs and young larva and place this also in the new box. 8. Having cleared comb, brush the bees out of the old box and off the old floor it into clean box. The queen should now be in the clean box. 9. Replace QE and supers. 10. Take the cleared brood and replace them in the original box in right order. Fill the final gap with a spare frame taken from the new box. 11. Place the original box on top of the supers, then coverboard and roof. 12. Leave the spare floor, coverboard and roof at the apiary. 13. The nurse bees will move up to the top original box and care for brood. 14. 24 hours later, set up a new floor, remove the original box from the top of the supers and place it in new position. 15. Cover both with coverboard and roof. 16. Check the new hive in orig position for queen cells a week later. Move the whole hive§§ to the other side of the clean box so the new fliers return to the hive, find it gorn and relocate to the new hive. 17. Leave the new box in its position for three weeks to allow one of the queens to emerge mature mate and start laying. 18. Once new queen is has started to lay, remove and kill old queen and unite the two colonies using the newspaper method.

Answer 127

1. If you find sealed QCs, you may have lost a swarm. Still check to see if you can find her. If so, cage her, carry out an artificial swarm and then release her into it. 2. If there are one or more than sealed QCs (ie not supercedure) check for eggs. If none, this is another sign the queen has gone. 3. If queen has gone and only large larvae present, reduce sealed QCs to just ONE large one (NOT TWO) 4. If you find sealed and unsealed QCs, removed all sealed cells 1. Next week reduce remaining QCs to ONE 2. This virgin will emerge, mature, mate and return to head up colony 5. If you find one or more open QCs, your colony has swarmed and started to produce casts as virgin queens emerge. 1. Find some QCs that are ripe - workers will have removed wax and left just the brown cocoon 2. Use a pen knife to open the tip of it. If a living queen is inside ready to emerge, release her - you definitely have a new queen. 3. Remove ALL other QCs. A colony will produce a cast if it has plenty of bees, a loose virgin queen and **occupied** QCs. By removing all QCs, you prevent casts, even if another virgin queen is present. 4. Two weeks later, check your new queen is laying.

Answer 128

1. It does not address the problem and only buys time - assuming no QCs are missed in knocking down. 2. If bee start to raise queens immediately the roof is replaced **using a three-day larva, they can have sealed QCs in the hive 2-3 days later** - at which point the old queen will leave 3. Occassionally, removal of QCs might combine with other factors to alter the bee's original intention to swarm. Eg given more space. 25% of the time the bees give up raising QCs for reasons unknown.

Answer 129

1. When you spot queen cells, get a spare broodbox with drawn comb/foundation and a spare QE. 2. Obrain a clean brood box with frames and clean queen excluder and eke with entrance. 3. Remove roof, and supers and supers with crownboard and place on upturned roof. 4. Move old broodbox to one side. Place the clean brood box on the original floor, and remove one frame of foundation. 5. In old box, find queen on her frame and move this into centre of new box (_NO_ QCs) 6. Place QE on top and replace supers. 7. Place spare QE on top super with entrances facing different direction to allow drones to escape. 8. Remove ALL QCs in old brood box, close up nest and add the spare frame from the new box at the edge. Place the old brood box on top of eke. Close up. 9. Check for QCs in top box after 4-5 days later and remove ALL of them. 10. Remove the top box after 25 days when the brood has hatched.

Answer 130

1. Wear clean latex gloves/bare hands, find the queen on her frame 2. Pick her up from behind by both wings as she walks away over the comb 3. Place the frame back in the brood box at an angle with the bottom bar resting on a frame runner 4. Present the queen your forefinger 5. She will clamp it allowing you to trap three legs on one side with your thumb 6. Avoid trapping less than three or she may spin around and loose a leg 7. Practice on drones first

Answer 131

1. Holding the queen over the hive/clean upturned roof as a safety net 2. Slide the blade of your clippers beneath one forewing 3. **Check** she has not raised a leg 4. Cut off one third of the wing 5. Return to the frame resting in the hive and clear a space for her and allow her to walk on 6. Watch the bees and check they are not hassling her/trying to ball her 7. When workers have settled, replace the frame and close the hive

Answer 132

1. Holding the queen over the hive/clean upturned roof as a safety net 2. OR catch her under a crown of thorns 3. Shake and blot the pen to prevent drowning her in fluid. 4. Press the pen to her thorax for a well defined circle that will survived worker cleaning 5. Place her in a matchbox while the paint dries or release her from the crown of thorns when it is dry

Answer 133

1. Marking 1. In spring you can id a queen who has been superseded 2. Easier to take swarm action if you can find the queen quickly 3. If you mark with the year colour and/orkeep records you know how long your queens live 2. Clipping 1. If a colony swarms with a clipped queen, she may can't fly and may crawl under the mesh floor, and the accompanying bees can be shaken into a nuc 2. If you lose your queen, you have not lost your bees when they swarm - they will return without a viable queen 3. The loss of clipped queens in the swarming process will filter out this trait and select for supersedure strains 4. Clipping queens prevents feral colonies which can be reservoirs for disease

Answer 134

1. Q: For queen **B**reeding and Rearing 2. Q: To use as **R**etirement home for breeder queen 3. To make **I**ncrease with news queens 4. Q: **M**ini nuclei for mating 5. Q: to **I**ntroduce a new queen to a colony 6. Q: Queenless nucs to hold sealed queen **C**ells (caged individually) 7. Manip: **S**plitting larger colony to prevent overcrowding 8. Manip: **B**leeding off bees when searching for the queen 9. Manip: **P**rotecting queen on her frame during inspections/manipulations 10. For storing a surplus queen to requeen bad **T**empered colony 11. or a **F**ailing queen 12. or to unite with a **Q**ueenless colony 13. Swarms - **H**ousing one 14. Swarms – **C**ontrol - artificial swarm 15. **D**emonstration/Observation hive to take the schools/fetes 16. **C**omb building and repair

Answer 135

* Should have at least four frames: * 2 w stores to feed nuc * 1 sealed brood to supplement bees * I unsealed brood * 1 unsealed brood with * Old queen OR * New mated queen (introduce after flying bees have left OR * With a uncapped queen cell OR * With capped Queen cell OR * With eggs less than 3 days old * Sources * One v strong colony OR * Several colonies (1 from 4 and bees from 5th) * Artifical swarm * Bees * Must be non-fliers (take from brood area) * Must have enough in to say in home apiary - shake in at least 4 extra frames of bees * Feed * Only feed after flying bees have left (so no robbing) * Amount depends on weather

Answer 136

1. Choice of parent colony 1. Avoid breeding from a poor queen (eg followers or fierce) 2. Must be a strong - enough bees to cover brood 2. Equipment 1. Nuc box 2. 4/5 replacement frames with drawn comb/foundation to replace on edges of broodnest in parent hive 3. A queen cage to keep queen safe during manipulations

Answer 137

1. A mating nucleus is used with a capped queen cell, from which a virgin will emerge, mature, mate, and start laying. 2. A nuc for sale will have an established queen known to be laying well 3. Any nuc made up for queen introduction should be allowed to mature until the new queen’s offspring are emerging. This will ensure the nuc's acceptance into the big hive, via the newspaper method, after killing off the queen first

Answer 138

1. Close the entrace of the nuc with green grass. 2. In the parent colony, find the queen on her frame and insert her into the nuc. 3. Add a frame of sealed brood and a frame of stores. 4. Place two frames of drawn comb, or foundation if necessary, on the outside of the brood nest in the nuc. 5. Shake three frames of bees into the nuc keep the whole lot warm; the flying bees will return to their old home. 6. Move to the final position in the apiary. 7. 48 hours later, when the flying bees have returned to the parent hive, feed 1l of 1:1 syrup to help draw out the comb. 8. Back in the parent hive, meanwhile, close up the brood nest and insert frames of foundation on the outside of the nest to fill the space.

Answer 139

1. Move old brood box to one side in upturned lid 2. In its place put a new brood box, with 11 frames drawn comb/fresh foundation. Remove the centre frame. 3. Find the queen on her frame and place her into the clean box, replace QE and supers and roof. Fliers will lrturn here. 4. Split old brood frames into 2 sets, each with 2 open QCs 1. Leave one set in old brood box, closed up with dummy boards at each end 2. Move one set into nuc box 3. Feed as necessary in evening after flying bees have left 5. This will produce two nucs from one col, with two new queens. 6. Casts less likely from 5-frame nucs when queens emerge.

Answer 140

1. Only use bees and brood from healthy colonies. 2. This method works on the principle that bees united from two colonies fight, but from three or more they will quickly sort themselves out. 3. Prepare a nucleus together with five frames of foundation. Remove them all 4. In parent colony 1, cage queen cage and keep here safe. Then select a frame of sealed brood with all the bees. Waggle lightly to shake off the fliers but retain the house bees. 1. Place in the new brood box and cover so flying bees don't land on it. 2. In the parent hive, close up the brood nest and place an empty frame of foundation from nuc on the edge of the brood nest for the bees to drawn out. Release queen back in. 5. Repeat in parent hive 2. 6. Repeat in parent hive 3, but this time taking eggs and larva. 7. Repeat in parent hive 4, with a frame of stores and place on the edge of the nest in the nuc. Also shake in two frames of bees, having wiggled to lose the fliers. 8. Repeat in parent hive 5, another frame of stores, and place to the other side of the nuc. Also shake in two more frames of bees. 9. After closing up the other hives and returning the queens to the brood, place the nuc in its new position, with the entranced stuffed with grass, which may delay some of the flying bees inside enough to persuade them to remain where they are 10. Introduce a laying queen using a butler cage by slotting the cage into the comb under the top bars of in the middle of the brood nest. 11. Feed the bees 1:1 syrup after 48 hours, when all the flying bees have returned to their mother hives. 12. Leave for at least 3 days; the bees will eat through the fondant and release her. 13. After a week, inspect to ensure the queen has been released and has space to lay.

Answer 141

1. The nuc might contain a lot of flying bees, which when they return to their parent hive, leave a shortgage of bees to cover the frames 1. You waggle to frames of bees to lose the immediate fliers. 2. Grass stuffed into the entrance will delay any flying bees and may even prevent some of them from returning to their old home. 2. The bees reject the queen 1. Ensure the flying bees have left before introducing the queen - young bees will accept a new queen more readily than older bees. 3. The colony might be robbed 1. Ensure they have enough stores for one whole week. 2. Feed after two days when any fliers have returned to their parent nest. 4. The new queen might be prolific and quickly run out of space 1. If the frames of brood are wall to wall, you could swap the second frame of stores with one of drawn comb so that the incoming queen has somewhere to lay immediately. 2. In this case bees may need to be fed after 48 hours to make up for shortage of stores. 3. Be prepared to rehouse the colony in a full broodbox fairly quickly. 5. You must be SURE you are not moving an incumbent queen(s) into the nuc on the frame 1. Cage each and keep them safely tucked into the entrance of their own hives while you work

Answer 142

1. In parent colony, remove supers and QE. 2. Find Q and cage her safely 3. Select **two frames of stores** together with adhering bees and place on either side of nuc = food 4. Add **1 frame sealed brood** and adhering bees to reinforce young bee pop + feed Q 5. Select **1 frame eggs or larvae** less than three days, from which queen will be made, place beside sealed brood 1. OR use ONE open QC from parent hive, breaking down rest on the frame 2. OR introduce a new mated queen in evening after fliers gone, wedging cage between centre of top bars, adding drawn comb for her to lay in, and leave for 5 days. 3. OR draw bees and stores from one hive and take eggs and larva (no bees) from another hive, and in 7 days, check there are only QCs on desired frame (break others down). 6. Take 2 (for if to remain in this apiary) brood frames and wiggle to release flying bees, and then shake bees into the nuc box - fliers will return to parent col and the house bees will reinforce the nucleus 7. Close up and move to perm position, leaving entrance open only about half an inch or closed with loose green grass 8. Back at parent colony, reintroduce queen and push the remaining brood frames together to form a contracted nest, placing frames of foundation on either side of nest. 9. Replace QE, supers and close hive. 10. Nuc: Feed next day, after all the fliers have left

Answer 143

1. Select 2 x stores, 1 x sealed brood, 1 x eggs and brush off **ALL** bees back into parent hive 2. Place the frames in an empty brood chamber, close up nest with two dummyboards tightly and put box to one side. 3. In parent col, push remaining brood together and add replacement frames with foundation around the brood next 4. Replace QE and supers. 5. Put the new brood box on top of supers, add crown board and roof. 6. Leave 2-3 hours/till evening 7. Young bees will come up to top brood and feed the larvae. 8. That evening, remove the top brood box, which is the new nucleus, and resite it.

Answer 144

Any three of the following * Making increase * Sale * Introducing new queens to colonies * Storing a spare queen * Queen mating * Swarm control * Hive a swarm

Answer 145

1. Laying queen 2. Foraging bees 3. House bees 4. Scout bees 5. No stores but what they carry (up to 4 days supplies)

Answer 146

1. Home: nuc/hive, dep on size of swarm 2. Frames with foundation: they must eat their own honey + store none 3. Food: after 48 hours, so they use up own honey making comb, then 1:1 4. Site: good forage area away from other colonies

Answer 147

1. Q is laying 2. Monitor for disease and varroa, and treat 3. Provide supers as colony increases and queen laying strongly 4. Queen history unknown: 1. Consider requeening in autumn 2. Unite with another col 5. All dep on observations of temperament, build up, disease levels

Answer 148

1. Needs 1. Home: nuc/hive, dep on size of swarm 2. Frames with foundation: they must eat their own honey + store none 3. Food: after 48 hours, so they use up own honey making comb, then 1:1 4. Site: good forage area away from other colonies 2. Likely to have a virgin queen so there will be no brood for up to four weeks. Do not disturb for first week as you may disrupt mating flights. 3. Then monitor for disease, esp varroa, and treat 4. Provide supers as colony increases and queen laying strongly 5. Queen temperament and quality unknown: 1. consider uniting with another colony/swarm 6. All dep on observations of temperament, build up, disease levels

Answer 149

1. Must be ready to expand immediately without risk of starvation. 2. The nuc must contain current/last year's laying queen and must have produced ALL the brood in the box 3. 3-5 frames with healthy brood in all stages in a good brood pattern. No sacrificial drone brood. Not less than 30% sealed brood. Not more than 15% drone brood. Frames must be fully drawn, well made. 4. 1-2 frames with stores on outside of nest - enough for at least 2 weeks to allow for bad weather after purchase 5. Good supply of good tempered, healthy house and foraging bees 6. Supplier should be able to state what treatments (inc for varroa) have been administered to the nuc and when. 7. Declare variations: 1. Brood and bees from several nests 2. Queen did not lay all brood present 3. Queen is caged and unproven 4. Nuc may be part of swarm control rather than managed increase programme

Answer 150

1. After settling the nuc in the apiary and releasing the bees, it will need to be transferred to a full hive. 2. Move the nuc to one side, set up a full hive in the same spot, smoke the nuc and then transfer each frame gently to the hive, placing them in the same order and orientation to each other, together with their adhering bees. 3. Knock the remaining bees from the nuc into the box. Add three frames of foundation to the box on the outside of the brood nest and close up the whole with dummy boards pushed up tight. 4. Replace cover board, add an eke and a rapid feeder and keep the colony fed with 1:1 syrup to enable the bees to draw out the comb. 5. Leave the bees until you start to see them drawing out the last frame of foundation. 6. The add frames with foundation and continue to feed until the brood box has its full complement of frames 7. Add a super over a queen excluder when when the queen is filling the seventh frame with brood.

Answer 151

1. The queen may not have enough time to lay enough eggs to create enough bees to get through the winter in a warm cluster 2. You need to know if is relatively free of varroa - monitor and treat if necessary 3. They won't have much time to lay in stores, so this will need to be supplemented with syrup up to the mid October, and then fondant in late winter if necessary 4. You must be confident that you have a healthy YOUNG queen to take get the colony through the winter. 5. You may need to insultate the nuc to ensure the cluster remains warm enough

Answer 152

1. Collect 1. What do they look like? - Nature of swarm - honey bees, bumble, wasp, solitary 2. What are they doing? 3. How many there are - cluster size of rugby ball or tennis ball or just bees bobbing about on a pyracantha bus (feeding)? 4. Duration - when they first noticed it 5. Location: 1. Address 2. Environment: close to footpath, school, park...Public / private land 3. Situation: tree, (height) bush, post, wall... 4. Access 6. Phone number and name of contact 2. Given 1. Reassure the beekeeper that the cluster is not dangerous and bees will not sting if left alone. 'They are in the process of looking for a new home.' 2. What your actions will be. 'I will gather my equipment and be with you in x minutes.' 3. To keep away from the swarm itself and close windows so bees don't come inside homes to look for possible places to make a nest. 4. To call you on your mobile if the swarm moves on

Answer 153

1. Protective gear - veil, gloves, boots 2. Container eg skep 3. Sheet 4. Sting 5. Smoker, fuel and matches 6. Scissors/Secateurs 7. (Step ladder) 8. Phone + contact details.

Answer 154

1. Assess the situation on the ground 2. Private land: get owner's permission 3. Describe to landowner what you will do 4. Ask onlookers to keep away, pref indoors with windows shut 5. If near footpath, station helpers to prevent passers by 6. Light smoker and spread sheet on ground under swarm

Answer 155

1. Principles 1. Taking is based on their behaviour of moving up into the dark and staying with the queen 2. You need to catch the queen (usually in the centre of the cluster) and as many bees as you can in one go in your skep 2. Precautions 1. Do not endanger life by trying to catch a swarm out of reach 2. Keep people and pets away. The bees are not likely to sting, but they will if bothered 3. If using a ladder, ensure it is positioned very solidly and be prepared for the extra weight of the bees falling into the skep 4. Spread out your sheet under the swarm/as near by as pos 3. Catching 1. Hanging within easy reach - place skep under and shake branch hard once to knock bees into skep 2. High out of reach on branch - attach a stiff bag to end of pole, hang this over swarm, and jerk branch upwards to dislodge into bag 3. On post/wall - invert skep over swarm, brush bees gently upwards to start them moving into skep - patience is needed as they may take flight if rushed 4. In a hedge - invert skep over swarm, patience is needed as they may take flight if rushed 5. Other - place skep as close as pos to swarm, gently brush bees into the container - patience is needed as they may take flight if rushed 6. LEAVE If the swarm as gone down a chimney or into a wall cavity 4. Taking 1. Invert skep and gently lower onto sheet and prop up one side with a stone to allow bees to fly in and out 2. Smoke swarm site to neutralise swarm pheromones 3. Queen -\> the bees start fanning their nasonov glands within out 20 minutes to attract the rest of the flying bees 4. If you don't have the queen, the bees will return to their original posiiton, and you must repeat the exercise 5. Leave till early evening to allow flying bees to return 6. Remove stone, gather sheet and tie securely 7. Transport the swarm to the apiary wedged into your car securely so it won't tip.

Answer 156

1. Keep swarm well away from other colonies until assessed for disease 2. Prepare nuc/hive with new foundation, and place a queen excluder below the broodbox to prevent absconding 3. Hive Either 1. Shut the entrance with green grass in case the queen falls straight through beside the entrance and flies off. 2. OR Place queen excluder below broodbox. Place empty super onto of the brood box with frames. Tip the bees into the hive and cover with a roof immediately. Next day, remove the spare broodbox and scorch. 3. Remove queen excluder two days later. This way, if you have collected a cast, the queen can get out and mate. 4. Hive OR: 1. Place board in front of hive sloping up to entrance; spread out sheet. Tip the bees out and use smoke to gently drive bees, which will walk into the hive. Once fanning they will adopt hive. 2. Once hived, insert a queen excluder between the box and the floor to stop the queen absconding. 3. Remove QE as above.

Answer 157

1. Feed 1:1 sugar syrup 48 hours after hiving using rapid/contact feeder and repeat if weather is poor 2. Remove Queen excluder as soon as she has started to lay 3. Examine after two weeks for 1. Laying queen 2. Disease 3. Temper. 4. Provide supers as the colony increases and the queen is laying strongly 5. You don't know the history of the queen so requeen/unite with another colony later in the season if necessary.

Answer 158

1. They carry disease 1. Feed them after 48 hours so that they consume all the nectar/honey stores in their honey crops, which may carry pathogens. 2. Their queen is very old and may not carry the colony through the winter 1. Requeen in the autumn/unite another colony 3. They are bad tempered 1. Requeen in the autumn/unite another colony 4. This could be a large cast headed by a virgin queen 1. Remove the QE after two days to enable her to go out an mate. 2. If she does not start to lay (unmated), unite with another colony if healthy.

Answer 159

1. Collect them to keep them from annoying others. 2. Kill them - you have no idea what diseases they have. 3. Hooper also advocates adding them to a large colony with 2-3 supers. 1. Place a queen excluder over the supers and then an empty super 2. Pour the bees in 3. Replace the cover board (with the feed holes closed). 4. The super bees are not very aggressive and will usually unite amicably. 5. A few days later the bees will have united and the virgin queen found dead.

Answer 160

1. In autumn if colonies are too small and weak to survive through until spring 2. In autumn if the beekeeper wants to cut down the number of colonies he is keeping 3. In spring if the colony comes through the winter queenless/is laying drones 4. To create a huge colony to put on a crop 5. Swarms if the beekeeper has taken one or more, or is uniting two or more weak swarms 6. Queenless - sometimes a colony loses its queen and the bees do not make an emergency queen cell 7. If a colony is bad-tempered it can be united with a calmer one

Answer 161

1. Allow the bees to mix slowly and become accustomed to each other's scents 1. Use a degradable barrier (newspaper method) 2. Disorientate the two colonies to be united 1. Confuse the bees' scents so they all smell the same (Direct method with peppermint syrup) 3. Flying bees will return to their old site so, prior to uniting, both sets should be moved gradually to within 3' of each other to preserve both sets of flying bees. 4. If your colonies are arranged in pairs, one from each pair can be united from any distance, as the flying bees will return to the remaining colony of the pair

Answer 162

1. Prep 1. Move gradually closer to within 3' 2. Kill queen you don't want 2. In the evening, quietly open the queenright colony and remove the crownboard. Place newspaper on top of super and hold in place with a spare Queen excluder, making tiny pin holes in the newspaper to enable scents to mingle 3. Place the queenless colony on top of the QE and leave for 6 days 4. At the next inspection clear the newspaper, remove supers and place on one side. 5. Rationalise the brood. If lots, ensure queen space to lay: place the sealed brood in a the second box above the queen excluder positioned right over the brood below, and closed up with dummy boards. Place both supers on top, cover with cover board and close up. 6. Add a super to give the bees more space if necessary. 7. After 12-14 days the top brood box can be removed as all the bees will have emerged

Answer 163

If two nucs are in full size brood boxes which are not full of frames they can be united 'directly' into one box. 1. Bring them gradually closer together so they are less than 3' apart. 2. Check for QCs and disease 3. Place both colonies side by side and leave to settle 4. If both have queens, choose one to keep 5. Prepare a new hive with a fresh floor and empty brood box, crownboard and roof. 6. Relocate the queenright colony first 7. Lift each frame out of the nuc with its bees and dusting both sides with scented syrup/flour/icing sugar, and place this inside new hive 8. Do the same with the queenless colony, and insert them into the new brood box, amalgamating them all into one box.

Answer 164

1. Swarms may be united at the time of hiving by throwing them down one on top of the other 2. Queens can be left to sort themselves out by natural selection 3. Swarms hived for up to a week can accept others this way.

Answer 165

If uniting just 1-2 frames into a colony put the frames into a paper bag with pin holes to allow the scenes to mingle. The bees will work their way out of the bag

Answer 166

1. Check for QCs in both colonies 2. Check for disease in both colonies 1. Know why the colonies are poor and deal with this before uniting - two poor colonies will not make a strong one if the remaining queen is poor/because they are diseased 3. Bring colonies within three feet of each other at the rate of 3’ per day (hooper 162), unless colonies arranged in pairs, in which case returning fliers can return to the remaining pair 4. Kill the queen you do not want. 5. Place the queenless colony over the queenright colony

Answer 167

There is chewed up paper on the floor of the main hive

Answer 168

1. If a scout bee finds an easy source of honey/syrup, they will incite robbing. 2. If the colony is small, it may be robbed out. 3. Time it most likely to occurs: 1. In late July/August 2. At end of the main flow, when bees are still stimulated to search for food sources, 3. When supers are removed. 4. In late summer, wasps leave their nests and look for sugar sources 4. Danger in loss of stores, AND the fighting saps the defending colony results in many deaths

Answer 169

1. Bees still flying late in evening when foraging should be finished 2. Bees/wasps coming in on a zigzag approach, rather than a direct line 3. Guard bees challenging newly arrived foragers and attacking some bees until they leave, or are removed or killed 4. Attacking bees may be shiny and dark, having had their hairs chewed off by guards on other attack runs. 5. Dead bees around the hive and fighting bees around hive entrance and floor 6. Lots of chewed wax cappings under the OSM or on the solid floor 7. Leg position of bees leaving the hive. Because robbing bees are loaded down with honey when they leave the target hive, they often crawl up the wall before they fly away and then dip toward the ground as they take off.

Answer 170

1. Open hives for minimum time and use coverboards over supers while inspecting brood. 2. Feed all colonies in the apairy in the evening after they have finished flying 3. Leave a freshly made up nuc 48 hours minimum so fliers to leave before feeding (Hooper says 6 days). 4. Nucs/weak hives: reduce entrance to one bee space if necessary 5. Avoid spillages and leaky feeders. Dilute spilt feed with water immediately 6. Never let honey drop from supers without cleaning it up 7. Return wet supers in the evening 8. Do not leave supers/frames out for cleaning 9. Keep kit well maintained and bee-tight

Answer 171

1. If wasps are about, put out wasp traps. Seek and destroy wasp nest if poss. 2. Reduce entrance size 1. Close holes/gaps with foam 2. Close down to 1 bee space with a block of wood 3. Temporarily stuff entrance with green grass 3. Close off OMF to reduce smells 4. Create a tunnel entrance by placing a piece of pipe about two inches long at the entrance to help guards 5. Put a board/piece of glass in front of entrance to confuse robbers 6. Move colony being robbed away 3 miles but leave a comb with a small amount of honey for robbers. They will think they have finished. 7. If a hive is robbed out, leave it in position. Moving it will cause bees to seek out other nearby hives to attack. 8. Feed all colonies in the apiary the evening after they have finished flying.

Answer 172

1. A plastic drinks bottle cut in half and the spout up-ended into the bottom half and stapled to the edge so it down not slip down. 2. Add an inch of beer, or syrup made with jam. 3. Hang near-by under and eave/tree so that it doesn't fill with rainwater. 4. Empty daily.

Answer 173

1. Spreading disease between colonies 2. The bees defending will fight to the death and thus can result in the loss of many bees and even destroy an entire colony. 3. A robbed out will starve to death 4. The bees being robbed become nasty, aggressive, and difficult to deal with

Answer 174

1. Take an empty two litre pop bottle and remove the lid 2. Cut off the top just below the shoulders. 3. Fill the bottom of the bottle with bait (a spoonful of jam) and beer 4. Insert the top of the bottle upside down into the bottom of the bottle and tape along the top edge to secure the pieces together. 5. Take a 2nd bottle, cut off the shoulders and bottom. Take the centre piece and cut down the length of it. 6. Open up and place over the top of the trap and secure with wire to shelter the trap from the rain. 7. Hang in a tree.

Answer 175

Spring 1. **Heft** hive and feed if necessary (fondant/syrup dep on temps) - av hive consumes 2kg/month in spring dep on weather Min reseerve about 5kg (2 brood frames - not of ivy) 2. Check for hive **damage** – eg woodpeckers, rot 3. Check **entrance** clear 4. Provide **water** if necessary - 150g needed a day to dilute stores 5. Check bees bringing in **pollen** on warm days - if so, the queen is laying - and going on cleaning flights 6. If one colony is **not flying**, check quickly. If colony dead, try to acertain cause, then seal and remove. 7. Monitor for **varroa** 8. Check for **Asian** Hornets are not hawking 9. When flowering current flowers, do first spring inspection and check: 1. **Queen present and laying** at expected rate (ELB Ratio 1:2:4) compared to other hives in the apiary 2. **Space** to expand the nest 3. **Stores** will last till next inspection (10lb stores/week in summer) 4. **Disease**/abnormality 5. As soon as drone brood present, check for **QCs**

Answer 176

1. Floor: Change/clean floor 1. Dead bees spread disease and block entrances. Excess wax encourages wax moth. 2. Room 1. Check for space for equeen to lay and for the nest to exand and nectar to be stored 3. Stores 1. Check for sufficient stores - both pollen incoming and nectar 2. If insufficient stores, feed pollen/pollen substitute and weak syrup, 1kg sugar to one litre water. Feed fondant if very eaerly in the season. 4. Queen 1. Present or at least signs of recent laying 2. If seen mark her and clip her wings 5. Build up 1. Note the n umber fo frames of brood - is the colony expansion in line with other colonies in the apiary 2. Ratio of eggs to larvae to sealed brood - about 1:2:4 3. Lack of expansion could indicate disease 6. Disease 1. Clear bees from frames by shaking into the brood box to examine eggs larvaue and sealed brood. Look for 1. single eggs in cells 2. pearly white C shaped larvae 3. dyr slighly domed bisucity covered cappings 4. Anything else denotes disease 2. Check for EFB and AFB 3. Check for minr brood diseases - chalk brook and sac brood 4. Note any abnormal bees - stunted/malformed (high varroa count) 5. May need to treat for varroa, depending on varroa count 6. Are the signs of dysentry on frames or at entrance - nosema. If so plan for adapted Bailey Frame change 7. Hive 1. Check for hive damage and repair 2. Remove mouse guard

Answer 177

1. Prep starts the previous autumn by ensuring you have a healthy, young queen - under two years old. Requeen in the autumn if necessary 2. Estimate when the crop will flower (say mid April). It will take approx 42 days to bring the colony to a good size from overwintering 3. In end Feb, provide pollen patties or stored pollen or substitute pollen for protein to assiste brood rearing 4. Feed ambrosia or fondant to assist with carbohydrates 5. Don't use sugar syrup too early. March/April sugar syram can be used 1:1 which acts like a nectar flow. 6. Contact feeder NOT rapid 7. Need approx 6-8 frames of brood prior to taking bees to rape and plenty of foraging bees 8. As colony increases, extra space in form of drawn supers will be needed. Some undrawn comb can be added to provide work for young bees to prevent swarming dur to large early build up. 9. Enough stores on hive for a week (2 full brood frames). Bees will starve in poor foraging conditions. Eg rain.

Answer 178

1. Poisonoing by pesticides 2. Running out of supers 3. Honey crystalising in frames, especially if the weather is varible 4. Poor weather 5. Bees may become aggressive

Answer 179

1. OSR - build up in late Feb for April - July 2. Field beans - build up in Lay March for May 3. Heather - build up in July for Aug (colony already at summer strength)

Answer 180

1. Must have a strong queen capable of building up 2. Build up the colony 8 weeks before the crop due to come into flower 1. EG OSR feed syrup (and pollen substitute) in March 3. For Heather Honey and Himalayan Balsam flows, start winter preps in June/July using bio-technical methods of varroa control - eg comb trapping. With proper treatment in early summer, mite levels will remain be below threshold levels longer 4. Have fresh supers ready for relevant flow 1. OSR crystalises v fast, and will likely seed any honey subsequently stored in that frame 2. Use thin unwired comb for heather honey as heather honey lends itself to cut comb and section honey 5. After flow 1. Ensure adequate forage/stores when the honey is removed, treat for varroa and feed as necessary for winter.

Answer 181

1. As spring inspections, plus 2. Check there are enough supers to spread out the ripening honey to dehydrate it 3. Swarm control 4. Check there is enough space for the queen to lay 5. Be prepared to feed in the June gap 6. Monitor for varroa in June 7. Unite colonies are necessary 8. Make increase in colonies 9. Catch and hive swarms and build up these colonies

Answer 182

1. Summer build up starts in April and ends in late July, when main honey crop is removed 2. Objectives: 1. Encourage the colony to increase in size without swarming 2. Build up stores for bees and beekeeper 3. Create new colonies and new queens for next season 3. Inspect weekly for signs that bees are preparing to swarm 1. Clipped queen: fortnightly. 2. keep notes, take appropriate measures 3. Season ends July-ish. 4. Ensure enough space 1. for bees 2. for brood nest to expand 3. to dehydrate honey - add new supers when existing ones are nearly full 5. Robbing management 1. In august, flows reduce greatly -\> robbing danger 2. Also wasps 3. Narrow entrances down to one bee space if necessary 4. Be careful when opening a hive - cover supers to make it hard for other bees to gain entrance 6. Harvest 1. Late July harvest honey 2. Remove full supers immediately and don't leave they lying around 3. Return wet supers and cappings to the hive they came from in the evening 7. August inspections 1. Full disease inspection with bees shaken off all frames 2. Varroa count and treatment as necessary

Answer 183

1. Best in Winter when temp above 10˚C - jarring may cause them to fall off cluster and may die 2. Move in late PM/Early morning before they are flying 3. Beware of moving bees in dark/rain - slippy

Answer 184

1. Less than 3' or more than 3 miles. 2. Otherwise they may return to their original nest site 3. Bee orientate to their hive by physical landmarks which they learn. If they cross a familiar track 'home', they will take that automatically.

Answer 185

1. Visit and prepare the site you are moving to. 2. Refuel car and plan the route all the way to the new site, including transport from car to apiary/site. Aim to travel when cool: early morning/at night 3. The day before, open up the hive and wedge all the frames into place so they cannot rock, no matter how bumpy the road 4. In place of the coverboard, place a travel screen. 5. Gently strap to hive - Floor to travel screen - with two ratchet parallel straps very tightly bound. Orient straps to frames direction. Replace the roof cover board and roof. 6. Seal any gaps with foam and gaffer tape. 7. If several supers, split the hives into two so that they can be lifted and accommodated in car. 8. When bees have stopped flying, close the entrance with foam taped into place. (OMF floor will facilitate ventilation) 9. Early on the day of the move, remove roof and coverboard 10. Gently place the hive in the back of vehicle oriented so the frames are in the direction of travel. 11. Jam the hives together to they don’t move around. 12. Bring cover boards and rooves. 13. Bring a mister with water to cool bees if they overheat. 14. In very hot weather, travel early and open the windows to keep the bees cool. Use air con to cool car. If hot, spray bees with a water mister to cool them down. 15. On arrival, immediately suit up and unload stands and the hives into their final position. 16. When all in place, open them all and place the roof on each. 17. Unstrap and remove travel screen. Replace supers, coverboard and roof 18. Update BeeBase.

Answer 186

1. Either move the colonies a few feet at a time with several days in between. 2. Or move the whole colony 3 miles (at least 1.5 miles) for ten days, and then move it back to the desired location.

Answer 187

1. In very hot weather, travel very early when it is still dark and relatively cool 2. Open the windows to keep the bees cool 3. Turn on the air conditioning 4. Spray bees with a water mister through the travel screen to cool them down.

Answer 188

When there is brood in the supers.

Answer 189

1. Mechanical 1. Blower 2. Physical 1. Shake and brush 3. Chemical 1. Bee Quick vapour 4. Escape boards 1. Canadian Bee Escape 2. Rhobus bus Bee Escape 3. Porter Bee Escape 4. Circular escape

Answer 190

Bee Go and Bee Quick 1. A blend of oils sprayed an absorbent cloth in a zigzag motion. 2. Place empty super under super to be clearaed and bees smoked to get them moving. 3. Place soaked pad on top of super to be cleared and leave for five minutes. 4. Remove and cover cleared supers Pros 1. Clears supers on one journey. Works in 2-5 minutes. Best used on a warm day with vapours will evaporate faster. Cons 1. Process slow in cold weather 2. Chemical may taint honey

Answer 191

1. Air stream shoul be alre volume moving rapidly but not under high pressure 2. Supers to be cleared taken off colony, bees blown out ontto ground in front of colony Pros 1. Clears supers in one journey Cons 1. High cost of equipment 2. Produces high number fo flying bees so unsuitable for suburban areas 3. Do not use in drizzle, rain or cold weather as bees cannot get back and die

Answer 192

1. Colony smoked and crown board removed 2. Epty super placed on upturned roof 3. Super frames removed one at a time and bees shaken back into the box 4. The frew remaining bees on the frame are brushed off 5. Super frame free of bees is place in the empty box and covered Pro 1. quick and easy to remove a few supers Cons 1. If flow has finished bees wiill be in a defensive mood - not ideal for suburban area where unprotected members of the public may get stung 2. Easier with 2 people

Answer 193

Note: clearer boards are one type of clearing mechanism. 1. Two types of board 1. Porter bee escape 1. A one way value (if wires are correctly spaced 3mm) Place in crown board with slots uppermost. 2. Canadian escape 1. five cones inserted into a board with a frame so that there is space below for the bees to escape into. 2. Board placed with excape correctly positioned right way up 3. Supers replaced with solid crownboard on top 4. Supers checked for holes and cracks, which are sealed 5. Porters left for 48 hours, Canadian left for 12-24 hours Pros 1. Bees clear readily in good weather from sealed honey Cons 1. Second visit required to take supers off 2. In non flying weather, bees will be reluctant to clear from unnsealed honey 3. Not suitable for OSR or crucifer honey 4. Porter: Drones may block escapes 5. Canadian: cones are not valves but bees are disoirented enough not to climb back.

Answer 194

Two ‘tunnels' and a centre chamber in which bees congregate when initially leaving the super. It facilitates rapid clearing in 4-5 hours. Pros: 1. Easy to use. 2. There are no moving parts and nothing for the bees to propolise. Cons: 1. The bees will find their way back into the super if it is left in place for more than four to 5 hours. 2. Requires adapting an old crown board in advance.

Answer 195

1. Aims 2. Timing 3. Unite 4. Young queen 5. Disease 6. Varroa 7. Feed (robbing) 8. Hive actions 9. Vermin

Answer 196

1. Timing 1. Prep done after last honey harvest 2. Prep coincides with varroa treatments early to mid August 2. Unite small (healthy) colonies that would not otherwide make it through the winter. 3. Queenright - best to overwinter colonies with young healthy queen under two years. 1. Overwinter older queens with desirable breeding traits in a nuc 2. If necessary, requeen. Brood nest of a young queen likely to be bigger later than that of a older queen, helping to ensure replacement of older workers. Vital as older bees might have shorter lives thanks to varroa transmitted pathogens 4. Disease free 1. There is a link between colony deaths and viruses, esp DWV, carried by varroa 2. Close inspection for brood and adult diseases 3. Take remedial action, as appropriate 5. Pest free 1. Check for tropilaelaps and SHB and if present, call the seasonal bee inspector 2. Check varroa levels - below threshold of 1000 mites. 1. Treat in August immediately after honey harvest, rather than Sept/Oct because bee pop reduces in July/August and varroa pop is doubling every 3-4 weeks. As winter bees are developing is it vital that virus infections asssoc with varroa are not triggered or transmitted 6. Sufficient stores 1. Amount depends on strain on bee. 20-30kg of honey. Larger hive headed by prolific queen may need more 2. A full BS brood frame = 2.2kg, so assess existing stores and feed the required balance using winter strength syrup - 2lb sugar to 1 pint water. 3. Overwintering bees also need pollen for brood. Ensure bees have access to pollen crops at end of season (ivy is good) 4. Watch out for robbing and take steps to prevent/stop it 7. Quality hive 1. Ensure hives waterproof and on suitable stands 2. Either ensure OMF for ventilation/lift crownboard 2mm for better ventilation using matchsticks. 3. Remove QE 8. Protect from vermin 1. Mouseguards on in September 2. Loose chicken wire to prevent damage from green woodpeckers

Answer 197

Monitor through winter 1. Heft regularly and feed candy in necessary 2. If opening hive, do so fast to assess cluster in relation to stores - do they have enough. Are they isolated from it. 3. Every 2 weeks look at frames next to cluster. If empty, replace them with frames from rthe same hive that have food and score these with your hive tool

Answer 198

1. Establish how much honey is already in the hive (2.2kg /brood frame) and deduct from 35-40lb (22kg) 1. Note this is more than a broodbox can hold with brood, so you may need to include a super, and swap this under the brood when you remove the queen excluder. 2. 8kg sugar = 10kg stores 3. Feed remainder as thick syrup (2:1) in a feeder (name your feeder) 4. As rapidly as possible 5. After varroa treatment, certainly by start of September, unless bees starving earlier

Answer 199

1. Top insultation if open mesh floor fitted 2. Mouse protection 3. Woodpecker protection 4. Reduce vegetation around hive 5. Ensure hive is wind and water tight 6. Move poor frames to outside for replacement in spring

Answer 200

1. Monitor varroa drop for 1 week and calculate the daily mite drop 2. Treat as necessary 1. With MAQS/Apiguard/Thymovar/Apitrax/Apilife VAR (any one will be sufficient in answer) 2. Follow instructions on packet (MAQS 7 days, Apiguard 2x2 weeks, Thymovar 3-4weeks, Apilife Var 8 Weeks) 3. Most work best above 15˚C but do not use above 30˚C. MAQS ok down ot 10˚C 4. Most require restricted ventilation - Eg MAQS 5. Api guard needs an eke 3. Timing: early August after harvest (MAQS OK before harvest) 4. Check they have enough food before treating for x weeks because they can be reluctant to feed during treatment

Answer 201

1. The sting, venom sac and pump are left in the skin after the bee pulls away 2. Most venom injected in first 20 secs but pump continues for 2 minutes 3. Remove sting asap with nail/hive tool to minimise dose 4. Smoke area to mask alarm pheramone and stop other bees stinging same area 5. If necessary, close hive gently and move away to apply soothing lotion

Answer 202

1. Mild 1. Pain 2. Swelling 3. Itching 4. Redness 2. Moderate 1. Breathlessness 2. Rash away from sting stie 3. Faintness 4. Anxiety 5. Pale and clammy 3. Life threatening 1. Anaphalaxis 2. Loss of consciousness

Answer 203

1. Wear a veil and protective clothing 1. Do up veil! 2. Wear gloves to keep hands clean of propolis for delicate work - clean gloves in washing soda after ever hive inspection 3. Wash suit after every visit to wash away any sting pheramone that accumulated in suit from bees stinging suit and pathogens 4. Keep gentle bees 5. Gentle handling, gentle smoke 6. Open at a suitable time (eg at midday when all foragers flying and not before a storm)

Answer 204

1. Frozen peas will reduce swelling 2. Take antihestimine if necessary but consult doctor first to ensure no interaction with other medication 3. If doctor prescribes epi-pen, only a trained person with permission from person stung may administer

Answer 205

1. Move stung person away from hives 2. Scrape out sting 3. Get person to sit down and remain calm 4. If difficulty breathing, lightheaded or very bad reaction 1. Conscious 1. Loosen tight clothing 2. Make them sit and lean against something 3. Make comfortable to help breathing 4. Encourage them to be calm and keep breathing steadily 5. If prescribed and permitted, administer epipen 2. Unconscious 1. Dial 999 2. Place in recovery position 3. Tilt head back to open airway 4. Check they are still breathing 5. Check pulse 6. Call for ambulance and if poss send someone to flag it down

Answer 206

1. Queen 1. DL Present 2. LW Queenless 2. Eggs 1. DW Single in bottom of cells 2. LW multiple eggs on sides of cells 3. Brood pattern 1. DL regular 2. LW haphazard

Answer 207

1. She has run out of sperm and or cannot produce fertilised eggs. 2. She will therefore lay unfertilised eggs, which will grow into stunted drones (being in worker cells)

Answer 208

1. Workers are all females and have vestigal ovaries and can only produce a few eggs (dozens) compared to a queen tens of thousands) 2. They cannot mate so if they lay, they will only lay drones 3. In any colony there are always a few workers with partly developed ovaries. They do not normally lay if there is a laying queen. 4. If they do lay, nurse bees do not allow these eggs to develop 5. Inhibited by QS and brood pheramones. 6. If the queen disappears, there is no QS to keep them in check 7. If all the brood is capped and emerged, there is no brood pheromone to keep them in check 8. A laying worker lays 1. in a haphazard way 2. multiple eggs in one cell, often on the side because she is too short to reach the bottom of the cell 3. drones in worker cells because she unmated.

Answer 209

1. A frame of eggs and very young larva can be inserted into the brood nest. The bees will build supersedure cells 2. Unite with a queenright colony. Move colonies closer together over days until they are 3' apart. Kill the drone layer. Unite using the newspaper method. 3. Requeen with a new queen. Kill the drone layer. Insert a queen in her bulter cage under the top bars of a frame above brood. The bees will eat through the candy to release her.

Answer 210

1. Drones laid in worker cells 2. Stunted drones in the colony

Bees Module 1 Flashcards

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