lecture 19

Question 1

goal of beekeeping

Answer 1

to manage honeybee colonies so that the worker bee population is maximized at the desired time to fulfill human needs (for honey production, queen rearing, pollination)

Question 2

winter management for beekeeping

Answer 2

• need 25kg of honey to survive winter (energy that enables bees to keep nest warm)
• need small bottom and top entrances to allow for ventilation (water vapour exit)
• healthy bee colonies winter well
• destroy colonies infected with american foul brood disease

Question 3

late fall management

Answer 3

• early october- feed colonies concentrated sugar syrup
• bottom entrance reduced in size to limit airflow
• top entrance allows moisture to leave
• unite weak but healthy colonies (newspaper on top stronger hive and place weaker hive on top to fuse)
• control varroa mites
• wrap hives with material that will retain heat

Question 4

late winter management

Answer 4

• check for dead colonies and close entrances of dead (don’t want to speed disease)
• feed sugar if necessary

Question 5

spring management

Answer 5

• prevent spread of AFB
• critical period towards late march/april (feed sugar and syrup to prevent starvation)
• feed pollen and nectar to grow colony
• open bottom entrance
  -inspect brood pattern
• unite weak colonies
  remove winter wraps in may

Question 6

summer management

Answer 6

may-jute: - control swarming

• add extra box
• replace queens with young ones therefore less likely to swarm

june-august: - add extra honey supers
- need lots of space to put nectar and spread