Innovative Beekeeping

Effingham 3

Grant F. C. Gillard

Reminder of contact info:

gillard5 @ charter.net

www . grantgillard . weebly.com

www . slideshare . net (search “Grant Gillard”)

A Time to Make 2016 Plans!

Every year I say,

“This is going to be my year to….”

Organize My Workshop!

Paint Those Supers!

Rehab Those Old Frames!

Level Up My Hivestands!

Move out of the flood plain

Reality!Busy schedules, Weather interruptions, mudFamily obligationsPlain old procrastinationBest laid plans of mice, men and

beekeepers…And time just slips away….

Frustrated, stressed…

My beekeeping, still part-time, still very profitable, was stagnated.

Queen rearing took too much energy and intensity.

Could not keep up with swarm prevention.

Reduce treatments, colonies still dying.

HAS Carbondale, IL 2014

“The OTS Queen Rearing System”A Survival Guide For

Beekeepers Worldwide

Self-Sufficient Beekeeping Strategies

$49.99www.mdasplitter.com

(Mel Disselkoen)

But, what if…

I described a practice where you could make your own nucs, potentially quadrupling the number of your hives…

But, what if…

I illustrated a simple plan of queen rearing that required no previous experience…

But, what if…

I taught an uncomplicated, one-step procedure to totally eliminate swarming…

But, what if…

I described an effortless system to streamline your management, simplifying your decisions…

But what if…

I laid out a plan for treatment-free beekeeping…

(or enhancing treatment options)

Utilize a “brood break”

Innovative Beekeeping:Streamlines the work flowSimplifies your managementGuarantees swarm prevention Hassle-free queen rearing and

requeening, without graftingTreatment-free varroa managementHuge expansion potentials 1:10 by fallOptions for honey production, nuc sales,

or expansion…or a combination of all

Making Mel’s System Work

Starts with overwintered colonies Need 8 frames of brood to initiate Start Date, about one week before

swarm season “normally” starts:Mel = May 1st

Grant = April 15th

Caveat: Must be able to prevent swarming

Walt Wright = “Checkerboarding”

First Move = April 15th

Perform a “reverse” split Remove queen and two frames of

brood to a nuc box (got to recognize and find queen)

**did you mark last year’s queens? “Notch” frames of open brood in the

remnant colony which is now queenless.

Leave them to make their own queen cells

The strength of the remnant produces great queens. This is Mel’s “On-The-Spot” system

April 15th

Notching Frames

Notching Frames

Notching Frames

Mark the frames with notches

Why Notch?

Queen cells have to hang vertically.Notching, or scraping, creates a

vacancy below the larvaeNotching specific frames helps the

beekeeper to manage the next step of allocating frames into nuc boxes, and insuring that process.

Come Back One Week Later

Choose destiny of this colony--Plan A to divide into three nucs, two

frames of brood each--Plan B to keep intact to make honey

Intent is to squish all but two queen cells--Two cells in each nuc--Two cells in the remnant hive

**how many of us simply detest squishing perfectly good queen cells?

Where are we at? April 22nd

The bees know better

The bees know better

The First Move, Summary

April 15th – Make a reverse split, queen to nuc box with two frames of brood

April 22nd – Choose to make honey, or split into nucs, squish excess queen cells

May 15th – Check to insure queen was mated, then let nature take it’s course--remnant colony for honey production--nucs for expansion, or sell nucs or queens

Suggestion: Mark the queen

Where are we at? May 15th

Old Queen in Nuc Reverse split made on April 15th

Does not need to be moved to a new yard

Plan on feeding (lost foragers) By May 15th, very likely ready to be

moved to a single brood box with supers Option A: Potential to make honey is still

present Option B: nuc can be sold as a locally-

raised colony

Where are we at? May 15th

Benefits Reverse split guarantees swarm

prevention Queenless period establishes a brood

break, interrupts varroa reproduction Brood break = fewer larvae to feed,

nectar stored as honey Plan A = three nucs with new queens,

one nuc with old queen (quadruple) Plan B = one nuc with an old queen and

one colony ready to make honey with new queen (double)

A Confession My intent was to make honey, not nucs I notched multiple frames Bees made cells every where else Rain prevented me from returning, did not

squish excess queen cells Queen cells hatched, new queen took

over In some cases, I made the reverse split,

rushed for time (pending rain storm) failed to notch the frames, and queen cells were made anyway, queens hatched anyway.

Next Move = June 15th Remnant Hive = super, keep on foraging

nectar Move existing queen to a nuc Foragers will still keep on foraging Notch frames, let them make queen cells

Three nucs = likely need to move to single brood box, perhaps a super, or even second brood box

Or, pull out three queens to three nucs and let colony raise queen cells

June 15th, Con’t

Old queen = time to “dispatch” her(what if she’s a really good queen?)

Notch frames Colony raises queen cells Foragers continue to forage for

nectar

Summary, June 15th

Next Move = June 22nd Seven days later = capped queen cells Split remnant hive into two other nucs

So we have the existing queen in a nucWe have two nucs with queen cellsWe have the full size colony with queen cells and honey supersForagers keep bringing in nectar

Nucs, now in brood boxes, keep them growing, expand into six small colonies

June 22nd , Con’t

Queenless colony (where we dispatched old queen) now has capped queen cells

Split into three nucs with queen cells Full size colony with queen cells and

supers Foragers keep on foraging for nectar

Summary, June 22nd

Next Move = July 15th Check for laying queen Harvest honey from remnant hive and hive

that had the dispatched queen Equalize the honey producing with the

nucs. Each of these colonies will make 4 nucs

each.

**Expansion of one overwintered hive into eight nucs, ready for overwintering

**Honey produced and harvested

Summary, June 22nd

July 15th, Con’t

Three “nucs” can be split in the same manner into six nucs by making reverse split on June 15th (Beware of SHB)

With dispatched queen colony, now divided into four nucs,

We have an expansion of one overwintered colony into ten nucs, ready to be overwintered.

Summary, July 15th

Why? Why? Why? Seems like a lot of work, but mostly I

just keep on schedule, the bees do the work, OTS

Double requeening, post summer solstice

Beneficial brood break for varroa suppression

Expansion potential w/o buying queens

Offset attrition of winter losses (Michael Palmer)

Options to sell nucs or queens next spring

Biggie = outside of equipment cost, no out of pocket expense

Mel’s Game Plan Part 1

Remove the existing queen to a nuc Notch frames to encourage queen cells

Part 2 Return a week later and squish excess queen

cells, leaving only two per division Divide frames into nucs or keep as one main hive

Part 3 Return after four weeks to insure mated queens

Downside ? Work is streamlined, management is

systematized, but you still have to keep accurate records and stay on schedule.

Bonus: Management becomes more efficient, working smarter, more hives can be managed in the same amount of time and energy.

Most time-consuming part = find the queen

Downside ?

You have to initiate the First Move about a week prior to “normal” swarming events.

Need 8 frames of brood (Russians and Carniolans are slower to brood up).

Need to be able to find the queen (marked?)

Need for more equipment, storage of such

My Findings Nucs and splits made in April were 100%

requeened with Mel’s system.

Nucs and splits made in June were 90% requeened, but SHB totally decimated most of my nucs as they moved into July.

Rather than go crazy making nucs, I moved most of my northern hives south to make honey. Too much rain in May and June.

♠♠

℗

סס☻

My Findings Random varroa mite checks via alcohol wash

in late-August ran 6 to 10 mites per ½ cup (300 bees). That fits Randy Oliver’s threshold.

When removing the queen on April 15th, I can assess if I want to make honey or split into nucs. Heavier populated colonies were selected for honey production.

Based on the number of queen cells made, I can change my mind on whether to make nucs or make honey on April 22nd.

Options based on queen cells

My Findings

Mel’s schedule, and the schedule I presented, is adaptable and flexible. It can be done anytime a colony has not swarmed.

Conceivably, if a new beekeeper bought nucs or packages in April, Mel’s system could be used to make more nucs in June or July.

Mel’s Game Plan Part 1

Remove the existing queen to a nuc Notch frames to encourage queen cells

Part 2 Return a week later and squish excess queen

cells, leaving only two per division Divide frames into nucs or keep as one main hive

Part 3 Return after four weeks to insure mated queens

My Hope: Innovative Beekeeping

Streamlines the work flowSimplifies your managementGuarantees swarm prevention Hassle-free queen rearing and

requeening, without graftingTreatment-free varroa

managementHuge expansion potentials 1:10

by fallOptions for honey production,

nuc sales, or expansion