Reposting with permission from Kent Williams: On Aug 4, 2014 8:13 AM, kent williams wrote: Lake Barkley Beekeepers Association Monthly Newsletter, August 2014 Hello again, and welcome to the August edition of the LBBA newsletter. Our weather seems to have finally caught up with the calendar, just in time for dog-days. I have been spending most of the past month either preparing for, attending, or recovering from the annual Conferences of HAS and EAS...therefore I am even further behind than usual. Because time is even more valuable at present, this edition will be more abbreviated. The important beeyard considerations in August include making sure the bees do not run out of food - #1 - and making sure your colonies are all queenright (have a laying queen in them) and there is larvae in each colony. This is important because when there are no larvae present at this time of year, the colony will cease to be hygienic, and small hive beetles will ruin the hive...even if there is a queen present...she has to be producing brood for the hive to continue to be hygienic in relation to keeping shb somewhat controlled. Another consideration at this time of year is mite count. This is typically the time of season when brood production is declining, while mite reproduction remains more static. In this equation, unless something is done to knock down the mite population, a colony will be in trouble going into winter, and is not likely to survive until spring if we have average temperatures for our region. The only commercial treatments that may be used while having honey supers in place are Hopguard and Mite-Away-Quick-Strips (formic acid.) If your management plan allows for treatment, in my opinion it is more important to save a colony from mite predation than to make a few pounds of honey. A mite-riddled colony will not be that productive anyway...so remove the supers and treat if that fits your plan. There are several methods for testing to see how many mites are present in a colony. Some of these methods will be discussed at the upcoming meeting...just ask , you will get a dozen different methods. If you encounter any instances of twisted larvae, treat with an antibiotic by sprinkling the substance across the end bars of the frames, never over the brood area in the middle of the hive. Just place the treatment in the brood-box(es). Honey supers must be removed for this treatment as well. The idea for proper August management is to set the colony up to go into winter in a queenright, healthy, parasite-free, and well provisioned condition. What you do right now will pay real dividends next May/June. Dates to Remember August 4, Monthly meeting of LBBA. Held at the Graves County Extension Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a potluck meal. ******************************************************** Many of us are beekeepers and others of us hope to bee, or are wannabees.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 03:29:24 +0000
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