Cappings
Pierce County Beekeeping Association
Monthly Newsletter
July 2024 - Volume 30 - Issue 7
President's Corner
Hope all of your bees are doing well. Even though we didn't have a general meeting, the picnic was a HUGE success. A big thank you to Kelly Daly for all of her hard work and the great food!!!
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​On another note, a few of us took advantage of the WSU Queen Rearing Class in Othello, WA. I didn't know what to expect but I really learned a lot and had fun! I ended up having 3 queen cells, "take". They taught us how to graft but also non-grafting techniques. I'm hoping to have enough hives in the Resource/ Queen rearing apiary next year to offer that class to all of you.
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Summer is a very busy time and we are going to need your help with the Pierce County Fair and the State (Puyallup) Fair going into Fall. These are both education/information displays. We won't be selling honey but, we do sell raffle tickets at the State Fair for our last big fundraiser of the year. You don't have to have lots of knowledge, just a love for the bees to volunteer. Many that are less experienced come away having learned a lot more about bees through talking to people as well as working alongside other members. There will be information resources for you to access if you need and you will not be alone!!
Entry and parking are free. Come work a 4 hour shift and enjoy the rest of the day at the fair!!!
The first fair I volunteered at, I wasn't a beekeeper yet and I learned TONS from listening to other beekeepers sharing their experiences and knowledge with fair goers.
Links to the sign ups are below. ​
At the general meeting August 5th, as requested, we will be talking about the Fair, submitting your entries and how they are judged. Here is the link for the fair rules about entries.​​
https://www.datocms-assets.com/6258/1713286366-wsf24_honey.pdf
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See you there!!!
Mary
Annual PCBA Picnic
2024
Become a Member of PCBA!
It has been an amazing year and we have so much more to come! Over the year we have gathered over 750 members of our Facebook Group and over 650 Newsletter Subscribers! We are elated and honored to have had such a successful reach. Now, please be reminded that we are a Non-Profit 501c3. Membership makes a massive impact to our ability to continue full steam ahead and offer classes and programs that you all value, in fact it's the only way... We are asking all of you that are participating on our social platforms and subscribing to please sign up for membership in 2024 and help us continue to grow our resources and programs.
*** When we changed website hosts last year, everyone who became a member was considered a "New" member as far as the computer was concerned. The New Member choice does not automatically renew every year. We have just learned that anyone who signed up last year will need to join again on your expiration date.
IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
Many people have expired memberships. If you got an email that told you to renew and then on the website it said that you had already purchased the membership and then wouldn't let you renew, that was a computer glitch that is now fixed.
Please check your records to find the date you joined or renewed last year and rejoin if your membership is expired by date. The automatic renewal is working for some.
If you are unsure of your status you can email president@pcbeekeepers.org
Thank you
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Become a Member
2024 EVENTS & PROJECTS
Members, we need you! Pierce County Beekeepers Association couldn’t happen without you, our volunteers! Please sign up to help with the upcoming events. It is a great time to get to know other members and educate the community about the bees and what our organization is all about. Some of these events are fundraisers where we will be selling honey.
From brand new beekeeper to experienced beekeeper, you have a place at our table! You pick your comfort level, from selling the honey/ raffle tickets to just talking about bees. Come and join the fun!!
HERE IS A LINK TO OUR 2024 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Important dates in 2024
2 meetings in August - Allmendinger Center
August 5th - 6pm Classes & 7pm General Meeting
August 26th - 6pm Classes & 7pm General Meeting
Pierce County Fair - Aug 8th - Aug 11th - Will need Volunteers
Pierce County Fair - sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49A4AD2DA6FAC52-pierce
Washington State Fair - August 30th - Sept 22nd - Will need Volunteers
Washington State Fair - sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49A4AD2DA6FAC52-48094263-state
NO General Meeting in September due to WA State Fair
September 14th - Honey House Painting Day - 9am - Honey House
November 4th - Board Elections (during meeting) - Allmendinger Center
Holiday Party on December 2nd - Allmendinger Center
Hive Host & Beekeeper List
We have many hosts, but we need more BEEKEEPERS! We have been building a list of those who have properties in which they are aiming to host hives on, as well as beekeepers who would like to service hives on host properties. With Spring coming, it is time to sign up! To join this list and be matched with a potential host or beekeeper, please sign up here: https://www.pcbeekeepers.org/hive-host-and-beekeeper-list
Monthly Meeting Information
2 meetings in August, no meetings in September due to the WA State Fair
Monday, August 5 and Monday, August 26th
GENERAL MEETING & CLASSES
Fair parking and entry tickets for volunteers will be handed out at the August 26th meeting.
D.F. Allmendinger Center
2606 W Pioneer Ave, Puyallup, WA 98371
Apiary Day & Workshop Information
Apiary Days are weather dependent will begin in May and run through October
Upcoming Apiary Days
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Saturday, July 27th @ 10:00am - Led by Katie Marler & Nate Chambers - Pulling Honey & Adding Treatments
Saturday, August 17th @10am - Led by Katie Marler & Guest - Swapping Treatments & Winter Prep Discussion
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center
D.F. Allmendinger Center
2606 W Pioneer Ave, Puyallup, WA 98371
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BRING YOUR BEE SUIT!!
Please keep an eye on our Facebook Group to keep up with any updates on what is planned for the next upcoming, including estimated times and lesson plan.
Contact Katie Marler education@pcbeekeepers.org with any questions.
Beekeeping Class Information
Classes are available to PCBA Members only - Become a Member
Sign up for Classes on our Website
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center
D.F. Allmendinger Center
2606 W Pioneer Ave, Puyallup, WA 98371
Classes are January - November
Please keep an eye on our Facebook Group & your email to keep up with any updates on what is planned for the next upcoming, including estimated times and lesson plan.
Contact Katie Marler education@pcbeekeepers.org with any questions.
It's Time to Harvest!
Best ways to get bees out of your supers
Article by: Betterbee
If your bees have done well this year, you may be getting ready to harvest some honey — which means you’ll need to remove the bees from your supers. Like most things in beekeeping, there are multiple ways to do this. Take a look at our tips and advice for preparing for your honey harvest, and see our top three ways to get the bees out of your supers before harvesting.
Prepare before beginning your honey harvest
Honey harvesting can be hot and heavy work, so prepare ahead of time for your own health and safety, and so you don’t let a drop of your harvest go to waste. Before you start, set up a way to secure the frames, or boxes, once they are free of bees. You don't want to go to the trouble of getting bees out of the supers, only to have them get right back in. Keeping the bees out will also go a long way toward preventing robbing during the harvest.
Consider placing your frames in a tightly closed nuc box if you are planning to harvest just a few frames at a time. If you plan to remove whole boxes, you should have a bee-tight base and a cover for the stacked boxes. We recommend using an upside-down telescoping cover as a base and another cover for the top.
Is your honey ready to harvest?
When determining whether your honey is ready to harvest, check the frames: in most cases, the honey is ready if the frames are completely capped. But often there are some uncapped areas on the frames. Honey that isn't fully cured can ferment, so it's important to make sure it's dry enough. You can check this most accurately with a refractometer. A rough field test of whether the honey is ready for harvest is to see if you can shake any nectar out of the uncapped cells. If so, wait a bit longer, and check again. Explore our guide to harvesting and extracting honey to learn more.
Did you know? A pound of honey may have needed as many as 2 million individual visits to flowers and required more than 50,000 miles of flying. Each fully-capped medium frame of honey may contain 3 to 4 pounds of honey — and a 10 frame super may yield as much as four gallons of honey.
How long does it take to clear bees from a super?
Depending on the method you choose, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to up to two days to remove the bees from a super before harvesting. A fume board is the fastest option, while a triangle escape board can take 24 to 48 hours to clear the bees.
A super sandwiched between a pair of covers to keep the bees out while harvesting other boxes.
Three ways to clear the bees out of supers
Explore these three common methods for removing bees from honey supers and choose the option that best suits your situation and comfort level.
1) Remove bees from frames manually by shaking or brushing
Guiding the bees out of your super with a bee brush or by shaking the frames is the lowest-tech way to clear your supers. This method is best suited for when you are harvesting only a few frames at a time.
Manually clearing off the bees is easy for a frame or two — but after a few frames have been taken, the bees will figure out what's going on and often get more assertive about their claim to their hard-won stores. So, make sure your protective clothing is thoroughly buttoned up, then follow these steps:
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Select a frame, and — holding it firmly over the open hive — give it a sharp vertical shake to dislodge most of the bees. Shake a second time, if necessary.
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Remove the remaining bees with a brush, using gentle little flicks with the tips of the bristles (not a broad sweeping motion). You may also try stroking the surface with a loose bunch of soft grass or your fingertips.
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Keep shaking the emptied frame while carrying it to your collection box, then place the clean-as-possible frame into the receptacle and close it up tightly.
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Repeat these steps until you have removed all of the frames you intend to harvest.
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After closing the hive up, carry the collection box even farther away, then reopen it and shake or brush away any remaining bees.
Extract any frame removed from the super within a day or two. This helps prevent damage from wax moths and small hive beetles. The only safe way to store unextracted frames for longer is to freeze them, which kills the nearly-invisible eggs of insect pests. After 72 hours stored below zero degrees F, the frames can be removed, thawed, and carefully stored in insect- and mouse-proof containers at room temperature.
Harvesting note: In new colonies, there is always the question of whether the bees will make enough honey for themselves to live on during the winter and still, perhaps, yield a frame or two for harvest. You can hedge your bets by removing a few frames that are capped, and providing additional new ones to see if the bees and the late-season flow will combine to get them drawn and filled in time. If they do, then the removed frames can safely be harvested in the first year. If not, the removed frames can be returned to the hive later in the fall to make sure the bees have the stores they need for safe wintering.
2) Use a triangle bee escape board
Underside of triangle escape board showing the maze.
Top surface of the triangle escape board in place on the hive; preparing to set the super down on top of it.
After the fume board is removed, bees will be out of the uppermost super.
A triangle bee escape board is a clever tool that allows you to trick the bees into leaving the supers in the evening, but not find their way back through the maze-like design of the exit. This method requires 24 to 48 hours to work and works fastest during cool nights (but may take longer when night temperatures remain high). This easy method is harmless to the bees and offers the advantage of removing bees from multiple supers at once, keeping bees calm during the process.
If you don't use queen excluders and have supers with both brood frames and capped honey, the bees won't abandon the brood. So, you may have to temporarily separate the brood frames (in another box) from the honey-only ones before using the escape board.
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To install the escape board, lift off the supers you want to clear, then place the bee escape board with the small circle facing upward.
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Stack the supers back on.
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If you have a notch in your inner cover, pull the outer cover tight against the notch to seal it up (or tape it shut) to keep bees from re-entering through the inner cover.
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Check on the progress after 24 hours, but allow up to 48 hours if the nights are warm and muggy.
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When the supers are cleared of bees, remove them and the escape board and reassemble the hive.
Do not leave the board on indefinitely: the bees will figure out the maze eventually, and in the meantime, wax moths or small hive beetles will be uncontrolled by the vigilant bees. If your hive is particularly crowded with bees, consider installing an empty box with frames underneath the escape board to give the bees somewhere to go when they leave the supers.
3) Use a fume board to drive the bees out of the super
Fume boards are used with a very stinky or bee-avoidant product (either Bee-Go or Bee Quick) to drive the bees out of the supers. The advantage of this method is that it is fast, working in only 5 to 10 minutes per super. The chemicals used are so noxious to the bees that they will quickly flee down into the hive to escape. Even though the chemicals are overwhelmingly offensive to the bees, they are safe to use and cause no harm.
To use a fume board, follow these instructions:
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Prepare the fume board by squirting a modest amount of the chemical on the felt pad on the undersurface of the board.
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Remove the outer and inner covers and place the fume board (felt side down) over the uppermost super.
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In 5 to 10 minutes, the top super (and sometimes the one below it) will be nearly free of bees.
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Remove the super and repeat these steps for the next box below, continuing down through the remaining supers you wish to harvest.
When preparing for honey harvesting from a handful of frames or more, these three methods are our favorites for removing bees from the super. Choose the method that suits your comfort level, timeframe, and the number of frames you intend to harvest. For more beekeeping tips, explore our Beekeeper Guide.
Hive Checks for Washington State Beekeepers:
Seasonal Practices and Mite Management
Christopher Camper
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Beekeeping in Washington State presents unique challenges and opportunities due to the
region's diverse climate and flora. Regular hive checks are essential to maintaining healthy colonies and ensuring robust honey production. This paper provides detailed guidelines for hive inspections during spring, summer, and fall, along with preparation for wintering bees, mite checks and treatments, one-to-one feeding practices, and strategies to prevent swarming.​
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Summer Hive Checks
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Summer inspections focus on maintaining colony health and managing honey production.
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1. Regular Inspections (Every 1-3 Weeks But if you think they are going to swarm
then checks should be 7-10 days)
• Honey Production: Check honey supers and ensure they are not overcrowded. Harvest honey as needed but leave enough for the bees' own needs.
• Queen Health: Verify the queen’s presence and the consistency of her laying pattern. Replace her if necessary.
• Ventilation and Shade: Ensure proper hive ventilation to prevent overheating. Provide shade or move hives if necessary.
2. Mite Management:
• Monitoring: Continue regular mite checks. Use integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, such as drone brood removal or powdered sugar dusting, to keep mite populations in check.
• Treatments: Consider mid-summer treatments if mite counts are high, using products like formic acid or oxalic acid, ensuring adherence to product guidelines to avoid honey contamination.
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Fall Hive Checks
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Fall preparations are critical for ensuring colonies are strong enough to survive the winter.
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1. Feeding and Nutrition:
• Supplemental Feeding: If natural nectar flow is insufficient, provide a two-to-one sugar syrup (two parts sugar to one part water) to help bees build up their winter stores.
• Pollen Supplement: Offer pollen patties if natural pollen is scarce to ensure adequate nutrition for brood rearing.
2. Population and Health:
• Consolidation: Reduce the number of hive bodies to help bees maintain heat during winter. Combine weak colonies with stronger ones if necessary.
• Mite Treatments: Conduct a final mite check and apply appropriate treatments. Consider using slower-releasing treatments such as Apivar (amitraz) to control mite populations over an extended period.
3. Winter Preparation:
• Insulation: Wrap hives or add insulation to protect against cold temperatures and wind.
• Ventilation: Ensure hives have adequate ventilation to prevent moisture buildup, which can be more damaging than cold temperatures.
• Mouse Guards: Install mouse guards to prevent rodents from entering and damaging the hives.
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Swarming: Signs and Prevention
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Swarming is a natural reproduction process but can be detrimental to beekeepers as it reduces the number of worker bees and honey production.
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1. Signs of Swarming:
• Queen Cells: The presence of numerous queen cells, particularly along the bottom of frames, indicates preparations for swarming.
• Congestion: Overcrowded hives with a large population and insufficient space for brood or honey storage.
• Reduced Activity: A sudden decline in foraging activity can be a precursor to swarming.
2. Preventing Swarming:
• Space Management: Regularly add supers to provide ample space for the colony to expand.
• Splitting Hives: Split the colony to reduce the population density and give bees a new queen and additional space.
• Re-queening: Introduce a new, young queen to reduce the swarming instinct, as younger queens are less likely to swarm.
• Frame Rotation: Rotate brood frames to ensure the queen has plenty of room to lay eggs, preventing overcrowding.
Conclusion:
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Effective hive management through regular inspections, mite control, and strategic feeding is essential for the health and productivity of honeybee colonies in Washington State. By adhering to seasonal hive check guidelines, managing mites diligently, feeding appropriately, and implementing swarming prevention techniques, beekeepers can ensure their colonies thrive throughout the year and are well-prepared for the winter months.
August is a Critical Time for Mite Management
By: Honeybeesuite
In late summer, the number of bees in a colony drops, but the number of mites continues to rise. If not treated, a colony will soon be swamped in a sea of mites.
In the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, August is a critical time for mite management. Every year I find it hard to think about mites during spring and summer since they are nearly invisible. At that time of year, nearly 90% of all mites hide within the capped brood cells, out of our sight and mind. So unless you are in the habit of plucking pupae from their cells, you hardly ever see a mite. Your sticky board counts are low and your colonies are booming. Mites, it seems, are not the problem everyone talks about.
But it all changes in the eighth month. Sort of. It actually began to change at the summer solstice, back in June. That’s when your colony growth rate began to level off. Although hardly noticeable at first, the queen lays fewer and fewer eggs per day as summer progresses. As a result, the colony gradually shrinks as the weather warms into July and August.
Mite populations rise as bee populations fall
But while the bee population declines, the mite population continues to rise. More gravid female mites roam the hive looking for soon-to-be-capped brood cells where they can lay their eggs. If there are not enough brood cells, the mites will even double up and share the ones available. And by August, the colony is tired of drones and is actively expelling them. The queen isn’t laying many drones either, so all the female mites opt for what remains: worker brood.
Left untreated, an average-sized colony that may have had 6 mites per 100 bees at the end of June, may find itself hosting 35 mites per 100 bees by September 1. That’s a nearly seven-fold increase. Assuming you started the season with zero mites, the rate of increase is dependent on the number of mites that joined your colony during the spring and summer.
Mites can arrive in many ways but drifting bees, especially drones, probably bring in the most. A colony with ten introductions could end up with five times as many mites as a colony with two introductions, depending on when they occurred.
More mites carry disease to more bees
A six- or seven-fold increase in the number of mites per bee means a similar increase in the number of bees infected with the viral diseases that mites spread. Worse, by fall the mites the drones are not divided between the drones and workers but reside on the workers alone.
While the number of mites per bee gradually rises in June and July, by August it literally explodes. Unfortunately—and here is the real kicker—the worker bees reared in September and October are the bees that will see the colony through until next spring.
Winter bees can’t afford to be sick
While a spring or summer forager may live a mere four to six weeks, a so-called winter bee (or diutinus bee) may live up to nine months. Since these long-lived bees care for the colony during the cold and confined winter months, they cannot be sick at the beginning or the colony will not survive.
To raise healthy bees in September and October, your colony needs to be virtually mite-free by the end of August, the very month that the mites-per-bee ratio explodes. So if you are going to treat your hives, August is the month to do it.
Timing is everything
For many years, I read that any mite treatments should be completed by August 31. But lately, I’ve noticed that many groups are recommending an August 15 completion date for the best shot at healthy winter colonies.
Many beekeepers like to treat the mites in August and then again in the dead of winter when little capped brood is present. A second treatment in winter may be especially important in very strong colonies that robbed other colonies in the fall. Robbers often attack a weak colony that is dying. In addition to bringing home the honey, they bring home the mites as well. But however you decide to proceed, remember that timing is everything. The ultimate goal is to raise a crop of disease-free bees that can take care of themselves from fall until spring.
Treatments to Consider - START NOW
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Apistan Strips
Active Ingredient: Fluvalinate
Recommended Dosage: One strip for every five frames
Must be finished before the end of October, as it requires entry into the hives.
Apistan strips are a chemical method used to kill Varroa mites in honeybee hives. The active ingredient, 10% fluvalinate, works to disrupt the nervous system of the mites but has low toxicity to honeybees.
To use the Apistan strips, we recommend hanging one strip per five frames of bees. In the video, the upper and lower boxes each hold ten frames, so we added two strips to each. It is very important to use the full dose during treatment to avoid building up resistance to Apistan in the mite population.
Apiguard
Active Ingredient: Thymol
Recommended Dosage: Two treatments of one foil pack every two weeks
Must be finished before the end of October, as it requires entry into the hives.
Apiguard is a thymol-based treatment for Varroa mites, which is a component of botanical thyme oil. A full dose of Apiguard consists of one foil pack added to a hive for two weeks, which is then replaced with a second foil pack for an additional two weeks. In the video, you can see the Dadant Rim Spacer Kit set up that gives the bees plenty of room to access the treatment.
Mite Away Quick Strips
Active Ingredient: Formic acid
Recommended Dosage: One strip in the brood box for 10 days
Must be finished before the end of October, as it requires entry into the hives.
Mite Away Quick Strips are a formic acid treatment for Varroa mites designed to kill the mites under the brood cap where they reproduce. Therefore, it is important to place the strips at the top of the box with the brood in your hive.
To use Mite Away Quick Strips, place one treatment on top of the brood box for 10 days. At the end of the treatment period, remove and safely discard the strip.
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Oxalic Acid Dribble or Vapor
Active Ingredient: Oxalic acid
Recommended Dosage: One treatment every 4-5 days
Dribble must be finished before the end of October, as it requires entry into the hives.
Vapor you can commit to through the end of Fall, as it does not require entering the hives.
VAPOR REQUIRES A RESPIRATOR - NON-NEGOTIABLE
Oxalic Acid Vaporization is an ideal Fall/Winter treatment for honey bee colonies infested with the Varroa destructor ( mite. Varroa destructor decimates apiaries and threatens the food supply worldwide. OAV is most effective in a broodless colony when phoretic mites otherwise shelter in the capped cells of developing worker bees . Beekeepers employ different homespun regimens to resolve an infestation and treat their colonies a few times for a few weeks and hope for the best. OAV is proven to kill mites with minimal impact to a colony’s bee population, but many beekeepers have no systematic application schedule or definitive treatment endpoint. I personally use the Vaporizer, not the Wand, as the wand has more potential complications with possible burning of frames and more disruption to the bees because you are inserting the wand into the entrance. I drill a small hole into the back of my bottom deep, top center, and insert my vaporizer, and do the treatment without having to handle my hive. Be sure to clear out that hole every time before inserting the vaporizer, as the bees will propolize it.
OA Vapor Wand / OA Vaporizer​
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MAKE A PLAN FOR OVER-WINTERING
So, now that we have the two foremost important actions that need to be handled immediately, shared with you. Let's open the next can 'o worms, shall we? Configuration of your hives, and getting ready to switch to cold, high winds. Smarter, not harder - I feel that Portland, OR based, Beeandbloom, did a great job in their article, which I have shared with you below, no need to reinvent the wheel.
Beekeeping Articles & Topics of Interest
Beekeeping, for Veterans - https://wafarmvetco.org/healing-through-hives
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Resource List for Diagnostic Testing of Honey Bees 2024
(information provided by, Bri Price, WSU Honey Bee Program Extension Coordinator)
If you want an answer on the cause of the death of your bees, the following is a list of organizations in the United States that may be able to assist you. For a compete list of diagnostic labs and what they will test go to this website: https://apiaryinspectors.org/page-18060.
If you believe the apiary was damaged through the use of pesticides and if you have registered your hive(s) with the State Department of Agriculture, you can also contact Katie Buckley (Pollinator Health Coordinator) with the WA Dept of Agriculture, and report the situation as a potential bee kill: kbuckley@agr.wa.gov. They usually only formally investigate if it is a large number of hives that were killed. WSU Bee Program used to have a diagnostic lab but does not currently have one. For now, they recommend that people send their bees to the Beltsville Bee Lab; it’s a free source in Maryland. This facility tests for bacterial, fungal and microsporidian diseases, two species of parasitic mites, and other honey bee pests. They also test for American Foul brood when requested. But this lab does not test for viruses or pesticides.
The following all charge for their testing services:
VIRUS TESTING (not pesticides)
• North Carolina State (https://www.ncsuapiculture.net/queen-and-disease-clinic) o Fees range from $24-320
• National Agricultural Genotyping Center (https://www.genotypingcenter.com/honey-bee-pathogen-panel/) o Fees range from $60-300
PESTICIDE TESTING (not viruses)
• Cornell Chemical Ecology Core Facility (https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecf/the-facility/) o $90
• USDA-AMS National Science Laboratory (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/lab-testing/nsl) o $450
• Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory (https://synpestlab.com/services/) o This is a lab that WSU’s bee program has used, direct contact: Camille Holladay cholladay@synpestlab.com o Fees range from $160-365
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WSU Bee Program is Looking for Volunteers for
APHIS National Honey Bee Survey 2024!
WSU Bee Program is looking for beekeepers with 8 or more hives in their bee yards!
The Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) conducts a yearly survey to document which bee diseases, parasites, or pests of honey bees are present and/or likely absent in the U.S. Specifically, this survey has verified the absence of the parasitic mite Tropilaelaps, small hive beetle, and other exotic threats to honey bee populations.
People from the WSU Bee Program and APHIS will travel to your apiary, collect samples with you, and submit them.
What is sampled:
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Live adult bees
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Adult bees in alcohol sample
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A wax sample
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A brood frame will be knocked into a collection pan several times to collect any Tropilaelaps mites, beetles, etc.
You can expect a report about your colonies 6-12 months after sampling. For more information about what to expect when sampling, please watch this video >
Sign up on this form if you are interested in letting us sample from your hives:
https://forms.gle/UBzKHA9cQcD5ZWSx7
Bri Price (managing Western WA) or Jenny Eason (managing Eastern/Central WA) will be in touch with you to coordinate times to sample after May 2024.
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Ask a Washington Beekeeper - WASBA
WASBA’s ongoing project “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” has two episodes in the books. The first, in October, featured Jeff Ott and Bri Price, whose presentation about preparing for winter reached about two dozen interested beekeepers via both Facebook Live and Zoom. WASBA board member Dawn Beck graciously shared her presentation about the honeybees’ fat bodies and how these relate to honeybee health. In both cases, the presenters fielded questions from the audience with questions ranging from combining hives to winter survival rates. “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” is a collaboration between WASBA and GRuB and is designed to reach beekeepers who may be in outlying areas without access to a mentor or a beekeeping club. Our goal is to provide information, education and mentoring to as many people as possible, including veterans who are interested in beekeeping. An educated beekeeper is a better beekeeper and is better for the beekeeping community.
After a break for the holiday, “Ask a Washington Beekeeper” will resume on January 18th with WASBA president Alan Woods sharing his knowledge about integrated pest management. Future programs include information about packaged bees vs. nucs, a panel discussion, and information about the nectar flow. Programs are each month on the third Thursday starting at 6:30pm. Check it out and tell your friends – here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/AskAWABeekeeper. We’ll see you there!