Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
You can also modify the entrance reducer for the winter months. Turn it to the smal-
lest notch to allow the bees only a tiny hole to enter and exit. The smaller entrance will
keep cold winds from blowing directly into the hive, keep out small creatures looking
forawarmplacetorest,andprovideasmallerareafortheguardbeestowork.Youalso
may opt to attach a
mouse guard
to the entrance. A mouse guard is a flat metal bar with
holes that are large enough for only bees to crawl through. These are made specifically
to keep out mice, and come spring you may be happy you used one. Mice who spend
the winter inside your hive can destroy the honeycomb and eat up all the stored honey.
The mouse guard can be removed again in the spring as hive population grows. If you
use one during the winter, you do not need an entrance reducer. When spring arrives,
you remove your mouse guard and use the entrance reducer again.
Autumnisalsothetimetoevaluateyourqueen.Ifsheisnotstilllayingeggsintothe
falltobuildupthecolonyforalongwinter,itmaybetimetoreplacehertoensureyour
colony will be stronger and healthier the following spring. Many beekeepers routinely
replace their queens each fall. If you decide to replace your queen, you first have to re-
move your original queen.
If you are unable to acquire a new queen, it is advisable to unite two colonies. Use
the following technique: First remove the inner and outer covers of the first hive, ex-
posing the top of the frames. Place a sheet of newspaper on top of the frames and poke
afewholesinthepaper.Removethebottomboardfromthesecondhiveandplaceiton
topofthefirsthive.Coverthesecondhivewiththeinnercoverandoutercover,making
one big hive. The honeybees will gradually tear through the newspaper and unite to be-
come one large family. As for the queens, the bees themselves will decide which of the
hives' two queens will be their leader. The queens will fight it out between themselves,
and the younger or stronger of the two will be crowned victorious.
R
EQUEENING
M
Y
H
IVE
One day during the late summer of my second year of beekeeping, I was inspecting my
hive as usual. By this time, I felt the confidence to undertake the chores like a seasoned
beekeeper. Already I had attended many bee club meetings and received abundant sup-
port from other members. My hive had successfully overwintered its first year, and by
the time spring came around, everything seemed status quo in my beeyard. But during
this particular inspection, I was surprised to find a diminished number of bees in the
hive and no eggs to speak of. I searched further and discovered there was no sign of the
queen.
I contacted Mr. B immediately. He responded that my queen had likely died or was
lost and that it would take some time before the colony would realize their queen was
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