PNW Honey Bee Survey

PNW Beekeepers,

How are your bees doing this spring? Early reports of pollen means colonies have started brood rearing and colony expansion. Spring has arrived even if the weather doesn’t always remind us of spring. Spring also brings the annual PNWhoneyebeesurvey . The electronic survey is open March 15 through the month of April. I ask if you will again send us your winter survival results and managements done throughout the year to control mites. Go to https://honeybeesurvey.com/ click on !take the survey!

Thank you, 
Dewey

Keeping bees can be an adventure. This years “reluctant” spring has been a challenge. Usually by mid-April we have to split strong colonies or risk colony swarming. This year there were no reports of swarms by mid-April and beekeepers have reported only a few colonies that might be split. In truth early splits this year might mean poor mating of the virgin queens that the queenless split would need to prosper into summer without intervention. On the bright side our early PNWHoneyBee Survey returns are showing lower overwintering losses! Do keep in mind however that with our “reluctant” spring we risk having colonies run out of honey stores. As was the case last year, many beekeepers report adding more sugar candy or fondant candy cakes to their colonies for the last beekeeping season. Reminder – the PNW and BIP annual colony surveys are open until end of month. If you haven’t completed a survey please do so before May 1st.

With improving spring weather check colony food stores by hefting at the back of the colony. If you feel the hive is short in required food you could consider feeding a homemade sugar brick until it warms up enough for syrup. Make a sugar brick by mixing a small amount of water to make a thick slurry of cane/beet sugar and letting it stand overnight to solidify. An alternative would be to feed drivert (confectioners) sugar. Do not use brown sugar or any sugar that contains starch.

Peek quickly under the lid & below covers for water staining or sign of excess moisture in the hive. If seen, consider using some form of absorption filler material, aka quilt box, for the remainder of damp months or plan for this addition to next year’s wintering set up. Colonies need to be insulated on the top so moisture does not accumulate under the cover and rain back down on the bees.

Clean bottom boards to clear the path for new bees and save them this task (& honey store energy). This could be something as simple as brushing clear with a down feather for now until the temperatures are above 60 degrees and it’s safe to physically open the hive long enough to clean the bottom board.
The 13th annual Pacific Northwest Honey Bee Loss Survey will open up EARLY this year www.pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey You can start entering your overwintering successes/losses and management on March 15th . The survey will be available until May 1st. Please consider downloading and filling out the note sheet to aid in quick survey entry. Many have found that this simple resource has been key to have on hand in the bee yard throughout the year not only to track items but to remind of alternative bee husbandry options.

We hope to see great health in our PNW honeybees and fellow beekeepers this spring!

The PNW loss survey is now available and will be open through April at https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey/. I trust your bees got through the Ides of March cold spell. If you entered data and something changes you can re-enter using same email and make changes – we CAN still lose colonies. Sugar is tough to find; if bees are able to get out there is a good bloom available but don’t neglect colonies that need supplemental feeding. Thanks for remaining the vital part of this research tool – Dewey