La Nina Beekeeping

   
     The La Nina weather pattern is cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean (3-5 degrees C.) resulting in colder temperatures and above average precipitation for us in Vancouver.  We have experienced these conditions through the winter with record snowfall in the local mountains and this weather pattern has continued through the early part of spring.

   
     As beekeepers we are always acutely aware of the temperature and rainfall and it's effects on our bees foraging particularly in the early spring.  This is a time of great potential brood development with the fruit trees in blossom (pollen) but because of the wet, cool spring both brood development and fruit production will suffer this year.  Although our bees will collect pollen and nectar at colder temperatures we don't get major colony foraging until it's 12 C. (53 F.) and sunny.  In Vancouver we have positive and negative honey bee food accumulation months.  This will vary on your specific location but for our urban apiary the positive months are April 1 through to October 1 with March and October dependent on weather conditions.  This year both March and April were negative.

        How does this effect spring beekeeping management?  For those who supplement their bees' diet feeding of both carbohydrates (sugar) and protein or protein supplement (to stimulate brood development) will be more important.  Keep in mind that below about 12 C. (54 fahrenheit) the bees won't take a liquid syrup as they are unable to process it (Feeding Bees in Winter).
       In order to carry out spring management we must assess the health of our hives.  Many sources (mostly southern) will insist you cannot inspect your frames until 15 C. (60 fahrenheit) for fear of chilling the brood.  Some northern beekeepers would have to wait til well into May for this.  Bees are hardier than most people think.  Peeking briefly into a hive during winter on a non snowy day to assess the food supply is fine as is inspecting the brood at 10 C. (50 fahrenheit).  Use common sense and minimize exposure.  This from the Huron City Bee Company in Michigan,
"How cold is too cold to inspect my hive?"
I hear this question quite often at this time of year. Let me just say, I was late one year and needed inspection papers to transport my hives. So, one January morning, at 28 degrees, the state inspector and I opened the hives and inspected brood frames VERY quickly. The result was no detectable loss of brood. We didn't stand around, and we didn't chat while the hives were open. We worked smoothly, so as to disturb the cluster as little as possible. And we closed them up as quickly as we could.
On the other hand, I've helped with inspections on a 70 degree day, where the beekeeper took out a frame of brood, stood it up and chatted for 20 minutes about what they found. Then later complained about chilled brood.  See where I'm going with this?  Go in, do what you need to do, and then get out quickly.  However, I want to temper this advice with another question. If you DO find something wrong, what's your plan?  Here in Michigan, it's 42 degrees right now. I wouldn't hesitate to pop open the hives. But, to what end? It's too late to replace a queen if I find one failing. The only thing I can do at this point is combine, and even then, they may remain clustered instead of merging.  The take away message is not to be afraid of opening the hives. But, if you have no courses of action if you find something wrong, why bother?"  I think this is a good year-round philosophy.  I go into my hives with a specific purpose and only when required for responsible colony management.
       For us in Vancouver that means we should be able to do a full inspection by March to assess the queen performance (brood pattern), presence of disease (continued excessive bee poop on hive) or mites (small hive beetle has arrived - Honey Bee Diseases and Parasites) and food supply (B.C. Government Spring Management).  Some of the spring beekeeping chores are: The cluster should be in the upper super so reverse the brood boxes; maintain a reduced entrance to prevent robbing or mice visits; optionally equalize the colonies by adding frames of bees of a strong colony to a weaker colony (Equalization of bee colony strength); cull your old foundation if you do so (Replacing brood comb); swarm prevention (checkerboarding, splits ... ) ;  maintain good ventilation and empty your bottom board of dead bees and debris.  In this article Randy Oliver and Dr. Medhat Nasr (Alberta Provincial Apiculturist) discuss the benefits of early season mite control through the formation of nucs with queen cells and the treatment of those nucs (Early Season Mite Management).
       I have been warned of the presence of nosema in some of this year's New Zealand packages.  Whether that is true or an attempt to boost the sales of fumagillin it's always a good idea to watch for signs of nosema (difficulty digesting food).  Nosema is difficult to diagnose without laboratory equipment (Nosema Assessment).  Some suggest a nosema infected midgut will become swollen, whitish and lose it's visible constrictions (a healthy midgut is tan with visible constrictions) but that is also true of other causes of dysentery.  Symptoms that may suggest the presence of nosema are the lack of population buildup as nosema infected bees tend to skip the nurse bee phase and become young foragers, dying at a young age.  Desperate they will forage at cooler temperatures and will not take syrup if fed.  This from Randy Oliver, "Perhaps the most noticeable effect of N. ceranae infection is the lack of population buildup of infected colonies, due to the premature death of infected foragers. Of interest is that nosema-infected bees tend to forage at cooler temperatures. Woyciechowski (1998) suggests that infected bees may engage in more risky foraging behavior, perhaps sensing that they do not have long to live. Additionally, infected bees may simply fly off to die, exhibiting an “altruistic suicide” to help prevent the infection of nestmates (Kralj 2006).  Another symptom, reported by several, and described by Bob Harrison on Bee-L, is that of bees not taking syrup, and then massively drowning in division board feeders. Bob feels that the symptom of going “off feed” is a good indicator for N. ceranae infection, which can be reversed with a drench of fumagillin syrup.  The drowning behavior may have an explanation in a recent paper by Chris Mayak (2009), in which he found that “N. ceranae imposes an energetic stress on infected bees, revealed in their elevated appetite and hunger level…. infected bees attempt to compensate for the imposed energetic stress by feeding more…” Mayak suggests that such hungry, nutritionally stressed bees, exhibiting risky foraging behavior, might play a role in the depopulation of infected colonies."

       Here are a few good spring beekeeping publications: Ohio State Beekeepers' Association Spring Management;  The National Bee Unit's Spring Checks; Spring Management by Dana Stahlman;  and from the Ontario Beekeepers Association Spring Checklist: Potential Reasons for Honey Bee Colony Loss.

        Due to the cool, wet La Nina weather plant development (blossoming) and our swarm season will be delayed by a few weeks.  Other aspects of beekeeping like split creation and queen and local nuc availability will also be delayed.  Also, it appears the price of nucs has risen this year to $225-$250.  The delayed blossoming of plants may create a stronger late season September-October food supply for our bees.  The Weather Network predicts a cool, wet spring and a warmer summer than last year.  "Some years there are strong signals in the global pattern that allow for higher confidence in a seasonal forecast, but unfortunately this is not one of those years. During the next few months, one of the keys to our final summer forecast will be the strength of the developing El Niño and whether the warmest water remains just west of South America or whether the warmest water shifts west into the central Pacific."  The La Nina weather pattern can last for a few years but hopefully it will be replaced soon by the warmer El Nino phase.  We'll keep our wings crossed.

  

Telling the Bees

     Bees and beekeeping have held a great importance to many cultures through history particularly prior to the arrival of sugar cane to colder areas of the world.  A European tradition that was held by some beekeepers was referred to as "Telling the Bees".  This involved informing the bees of any important family events like birth, marriage or death.  Beekeepers would often leave small offerings like wedding cake or small sweets for a birth and drape the hives with black cloth or turn the hives away from the house upon death.  It was said that the bees would either die or leave the hives if not told of the death of their keeper.  This tradition was brought to the Americas by immigrants in the 19th century. 

     In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn he wrote:

“And he said if a man owned a beehive and that man died, the bees must be told about it before sun-up next morning, or else the bees would all weaken down and quit work and die. Jim said bees wouldn't sting idiots; but I didn't believe that, because I had tried them lots of times myself, and they wouldn't sting me.”

     Another example of "Telling the Bees" is in England in 1840, a woman upon the death of their keeper leaving an offering of sweets and reciting the poem: 

Your master J.A. has passed away.

But his wife now begs you will freely stay,

and still gather honey for many a day.

Bonny bees, Bonny bees, hear what I say. 

     The process is described in 1901 work of Samuel Adams Drake A book of New England legends and folk lore in prose and poetry:

...goodwife of the house to go and hang the stand of hives with black, the usual symbol of mourning, she at the same time softly humming some doleful tune to herself. (Wikipedia)

This video is of a Dutch beekeeper in l926 telling the bees of a death. A black cloth is draped over one of the hives and he taps on each of the hives to get there attention to deliver the news. In Holland it was customary to use a pipe as a smoker to calm the bees. (Historical Honeybee Articles)

     Here is a poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier about "Telling the Bees" of their keepers passing.

Telling the Bees

(The traditional telling the bees of a recent beekeeper passing)

Here is the place; right over the hill

Runs the path I took;

You can see the gap in the old wall still,

And the stepping-stones in the shallow brook.

There is the house, with the gate red-barred,

And the poplars tall;

And the barn's brown length, and the cattle-yard,

And the white horns tossing above the wall.

There are the beehives ranged in the sun;

And down by the brink

Of the brook are her poor flowers, weed-o'errun,

Pansy and daffodil, rose and pink.

A year has gone, as the tortoise goes,

Heavy and slow;

And the same rose blows, and the same sun glows,

And the same brook sings of a year ago.

There's the same sweet clover-smell in the breeze;

And the June sun warm

Tangles his wings of fire in the trees,

Setting, as then, over Fernside farm.

I mind me how with a lover's care

From my Sunday coat

I brushed off the burrs, and smoothed my hair,

And cooled at the brookside my brow and throat.

Since we parted, a month had passed,--

To love, a year;

Down through the beeches I looked at last

On the little red gate and the well-sweep near.

I can see it all now,--the slantwise rain

Of light through the leaves,

The sundown's blaze on her window-pane,

The bloom of her roses under the eaves.

Just the same as a month before,--

The house and the trees,

The barn's brown gable, the vine by the door,--

Nothing changed but the hives of bees.

Before them, under the garden wall,

Forward and back,

Went drearily singing the chore-girl small,

Draping each hive with a shred of black.

Trembling, I listened: The summer sun

Had the chill of snow;

For I knew she was telling the bees of one

Gone on the journey we all must go!

Then I said to myself, 'My Mary weeps

For the dead to-day;

Haply her blind old grandsire sleeps

The fret and the pain of his age away.'

But her dog whined low; on the doorway sill,

With his cane to his chin,

The old man sat; and the chore-girl still

Sung to the bees stealing out and in.

And the song she was singing ever since

In my ear sounds on:

'Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence!

Mistress Mary is dead and gone!'

Quaker writer John Greenleaf Whittier’s 1858 poem “Telling the Bees.” (Daily Jstor)

     A poem by by Katherine Tynan (l918)

Tell it to the bees, lest they

Umbrage take and fly away, 

That the dearest boy is dead, 

Who went singing, blithe, and dear, 

By the golden hives last year. 

Curly-head, ah, curly head!

Tell them that the summer’s over, 

Over mignonette and clover;

Oh, speak low and very low!

Say that he was blithe and bonny, 

Good as gold and sweet as honey, 

All too late the roses blow!

Say he will not come again, 

Not in any sun or rain, 

Heart’s delight, ah, heart’s delight!

Tell them that the boy they knew

Sleeps out under rain and dew

In the night, ah, in the night!

by Katherine Tynan (l918)

     Here is a musical rendition (live) of the poem "The Bee-Boy's Song" by Rudyard Kipling which depicts the practice of "Telling the Bees" sung by Rosie Hodgson.

Bees! Bees! Hark to your bees!

"Hide from your neigbours as much as you please,

But all that has happened, to us you must tell,

Or else we will give you no honey to sell!"

A maiden in her glory,

Upon her wedding - day,

Must tell her Bees the story,

Or else they'll fly away.

Fly away -- die away --

Dwindle down and leave you!

But if you don't deceive your Bees,

Your Bees will not deceive you.

Marriage, birth or buryin',

News across the seas,

All you're sad or merry in,

You must tell the Bees.

Tell 'em coming in an' out,

Where the Fanners fan,

'Cause the Bees are just about

As curious as a man!

Don't you wait where the trees are,

When the lightnings play,

Nor don't you hate where Bees are,

Or else they'll pine away.

Pine away -- dwine away --

Anything to leave you!

But if you never grieve your Bees,

Your Bees'll never grieve you.

by Rudyard Kipling

     There is also a tradition called "Asking the Bees" where a new beekeeper "Asks the Bees" to accept them as their keeper and to impart their wisdom to them.  

     Emily sent me a wonderful story of the prayers read at the funeral of Clive Watson, a much loved leader and supporter of the beekeeping community.  These are the prayers that were read to his hives (Telling the Bees).   

     With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, John Chapple, the Palace beekeeper had the sad task of informing the royal bees of their master's passing (Telling the Bees from Bee Culture). He placed black ribbons around the hives and explained that King Charles III is their new master. “You knock on each hive and say, ‘The mistress is dead, but don’t you go. Your master will be a good master to you.’”   

    I hope that upon my passing someone informs my bees.  This is a film about a son informing the bees of his father's passing and deciding their future.

 

     

Honey Bee Nucs vs Packages

     Whether to buy a bee nuc or package depends like a lot of things on your location and needs.  

Nucs

     A nuc (nucleus of a colony) consists of 4-5 frames of bees in a half sized Langstroth deep box which should include a laying queen, 2 frames of brood, 2 frames of honey and/or pollen and possibly a fifth frame of drawn comb.  Local nucs for us are usually available starting in mid May.  The reason for this is the queen requires temperatures 15-20 C. (60-70 F.) to mate and the formation of drone congregation zones.  In some locations there is a supply of overwintered nucs which are made in August.  The benefits of using a nucleus over a package are that you have a fully functioning colony with a laying queen and brood pattern you can see.  You also have bees in all stages of development from egg to forager.  

 

Good brood pattern

     Unless it is an overwintered nuc produced in the late summer the queen should be a new queen (born this spring). The queen is established (brood pattern visible) and the worker bees in a nucleus colony know their roles so there are nurse bees and foragers and the foundation is set (drawn comb) which will put them at least a few weeks ahead of an imported package.  Because there are foragers and at least 2 frames of honey and pollen the nucleus will not require as much feeding.  Also, with local nucs there is no climatic and forage stress. A negative aspect of nucs is they are available for us l.5-2 months later than packages and may come on old, dark colored frames and nuc boxes that may contain diseases.   

Honey frame

Packages

     A typical package consists of 2-3 pounds of bees, a can of syrup and a queen. A 3 lb package is optimum for most as a 2 lb will be underpopulated and a 4 lb may experience some die off with less accessibility to the syrup can. Normally the package bees are from production hives where they shake out bees into the package box til the required weight is reached. A mated queen is then placed in the package, protected in a queen cage.  There is usually a container of syrup in the package to feed the bees for the few days of travel before they are transferred to a hive. The bees generally fair well for up to a week in a package. A package is usually put together a few days before sold and in the case of cold weather beekeepers in spring comes from a warmer location to the south. In our case because of government restrictions (No U.S. Bees to Canada) this means thousands of miles south from New Zealand, Australia or Chile. Many backyard beekeepers will not have drawn frames to install their packages on to so a lot of energy and feeding will be required to produce the wax to draw out the frames. With a package close attention needs to spent on the survival and performance of the new queen.

A lot of energy and feeding is required to draw out the comb

The video below shows the process of creating a package of bees.

      The main advantage of the package is that in cold weather areas they are available a few months before local nucs which allows beekeepers to take advantage of spring fruit blossoms and to lengthen the beekeeping season. 

      Packages are a necessity in some areas because of the lack of nucs available.  They are usually cheaper, have less pests and diseases (no comb) and can be installed into any type of hive.  Unlike the nuc you don't have bees in all stages of development and if queen acceptance and performance goes well it will take 3 weeks for new brood to be born and several weeks for the population to reach that of a 5 frame nuc.  Despite the added challenges most beekeepers have some success with packages. 

     In most areas the packages come from a warmer climate so winter survival may be less likely as proven in a good, small scale study carried out in New England by master beekeeper Erin MacGregor-Forbes (Comparison of colony strength and survivability between nucs and packages).  This single study is certainly not conclusive evidence but suggests a problem with imported warm weather packages and a need for more projects like this.  Erin found a significant difference in winter survival between the southern package and nucleus (the nucs had twice the survival rate) but also found that a southern package with a replaced local queen performed as well as the nucleus. 

      In our situation bee packages come from a similar climate but the opposite hemisphere so they leave the southern hemisphere in late summer and arrive in Canada a few days later in early Spring where it can be freezing temperatures and snowing (I have experienced this).  This obviously can be hard on the bees.  Erin also found in her study that the packages outperformed the nucs in terms of honey production which she attributed to a high rate of swarming by the nucleus colonies. I don't know if she took measures to prevent swarming but this has not been my experience .  I've not had exceptional problems with nucs swarming but have used swarm prevention methods like checkerboarding and splits (Check out the "Swarms" section in our Beekeepers' Library).



     The Prince William Regional Beekeepers Association in Virginia carried out a study which compared hives started from packages to those started from nucs which found a higher survival rate in nuc started hives, particularly evident in the second year (Promoting Sustainable Beekeeping Practices Through Local Production of Nucs and Local Honeybee Queens).  One aspect of their study was the importation of Africanized bee genetics and small hive beetles.  Importation of diseases and pests is perhaps the biggest challenge for beekeepers presently.  
     A survey by the Beekeepers Assocition of North Virginia to determine if the source of queens effected colony winter survival found significant differences between southern imported queens (23%) and local queens (87%).  While this is an extreme example I thinks it supports the theory of the benefits of local nucs over imported southern packages.      

      Biologist and author Mark Winston (Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive) suggests we need to wean ourselves off of this dependence on imported bees.   In l985 he wrote "it is estimated that, at present colony densities, BC has the potential to produce 75,520 spring packages each year, and increased colony density and a higher level of commercial beekeeping could elevate this figure. Continued and increased package and nucleus production, coupled with increased wintering and queen production, could result in a high degree of Canadian self-sufficiency within the next few years (l989 Study on package and nuc production in B.C.)."  That self-sufficiency was never realized.  Large scale package and nuc production was never developed and with current 25-30% winter colony losses our dependence on imported packages will continue. The solution may be in the lowering of the winter loss rate through the development of a strong local, survivor stock with hygienic behavior and supporting the development of a large scale, local bee colony production industry.  Government initiative, leadership and support may be essential for this to be realized.

  

     In the video below Michael Palmer describes some of the difficulties associated with starting a bee hive from scratch using package bees including the lack of nurse bees for the new brood.

       Here are some questions you may want to ask your nuc supplier and some questions for queen purchasers as suggested by the BC Honey Producers Association.    For more information on nucs and packages check out "Splits, Nucs and Packages" in the Basic Beekeeping section of the Beekeepers' Library.  Also check out the articles on overwintering nucs by Kirk Webster, Mel Disselkoen and others in the "Winter Management" section of our library.  In Vancouver Urban Bee, B.C. Beekeeping and Dancing Bee Apiary will be selling packages in April (Vancouver Bees for Sale).  Good luck.