Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1
What to do? March
What to do? March
Mar 1 all-day
March is the month when your bees could die of starvation if you did not leave them with enough honey stores in the fall or feed them well in autumn. The days are growing longer[...]
2
3
4
5
6
7
Are bees bringing pollen? Be prepared to split!
Are bees bringing pollen? Be prepared to split!
Mar 7 all-day
Pollen is used to create royal jelly to feed the queen. she is gearing up for some great egg production and laying.   large amounts of pollen can also create more drone production.  Your hive is[...]
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Club Meeting – March – Splits and Swarms 6:00 pm
Club Meeting – March – Splits and Swarms
Mar 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Ranch     Topic:  Splits and Swarms   Presenter/Speakers:   Ralph Kettle – Swarm program and swarms   Brittany Anderson – Splits     Meeting will be held at The Ranch Complex, McKee 4H Building The[...]
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Mar
21
Thu
2024
Club Meeting – March – Splits and Swarms
Mar 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Ranch  
 
Topic:  Splits and Swarms
 
Presenter/Speakers:
 
Ralph Kettle – Swarm program and swarms
 
Brittany Anderson – Splits
 
 

Meeting will be held at The Ranch Complex, McKee 4H Building

The Ranch is now monitoring parking – you need to check your vehicle in for parking. Parking will be free if there are no events at Blue Arena,  Please download the PARKWHIZ app or use one of the kiosks at the lot.  You will need to do this anytime you enter the facility, even when parking is free.

https://www.treventscomplex.com/blue-arena/parking-information

Apr
1
Mon
2024
What to do? April
Apr 1 all-day

The days are warm and long. But there is that chance of a cold snap happening. You will notice the bees bringing in more nectar and pollen. The queen should be laying at full capacity and you’ll see your hive population growing.

As the beekeeper,  keep feeding your weaker hives. Stronger hives you shouldn’t be feeding. No supers should be on your weak hives. Inspect your hives, and look at the brood boxes. Can you find your queen? do you see eggs? how is the laying pattern? is it solid or scattered?  if it is not solid, you may want to replace your queen. If you are finding your weak hives continue to struggle, you may want to consider combining the weak hive with another.  Stronger hives are better at keeping away pests and diseases.  Swarm season is here!  swarming is the method bees use to grow their populations. It is not that you did a bad job with the hive, this is completely natural. So keep some extra hardware on hand so that if and when your hive swarms, you can capture it and provide a space for the swarm. To help prevent swarming, add one or two honey supers to your hive to give the hive more room and feel less cramped.

 

Bee Informed Partnership’s Annual colony Loss/Management Survey
Apr 1 @ 9:52 pm – Apr 30 @ 10:52 pm
Apr
7
Sun
2024
Bearding and Swarming
Apr 7 all-day

keep an eye on bearding and during inspections look for swarm cells!

 

Apr
18
Thu
2024
Club Meeting – April – The Ranch
Apr 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

At The Ranch – speaker is presenting by zoom

SPEAKER – Earl Hoffman via zoom

He wrote an article in Bee Culture Magazine has quite a bio and lives in Tennessee – has 20 hives

Meeting will be held at The Ranch Complex, McKee 4H Building

The Ranch is now monitoring parking – you need to check your vehicle in for parking. Parking will be free if there are no events at Blue Arena,  Please download the PARKWHIZ app or use one of the kiosks at the lot.  You will need to do this anytime you enter the facility, even when parking is free.

https://www.treventscomplex.com/blue-arena/parking-information

May
1
Wed
2024
What to do? May
May 1 all-day

Your hives should be at their full operation. You should see lots of nectar and pollen being brought to the hive. You should not be feeding your hive at this time. Brood chambers should be full of eggs and larvae. Make sure your brood boxes are not looking congested as this will encourage swarming.  Your bees should be busy filling honey supers. You can create a small entrance at your supers by drilling a 1″ hole in a super or by adding a small entrance spacer.

 

May
20
Mon
2024
World Bee Day
May 20 @ 9:53 pm – 10:53 pm
May
23
Thu
2024
May Meeting – The Ranch
May 23 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Jun
1
Sat
2024
What to do? June
Jun 1 all-day

Bees should still be working hard filling up honey supers as the flows continue. Your hive could still swarm in June, so keep your swarm management or be prepared with extra hive bodies to place the swarm. Be on the lookout for swarms in your neighborhood too. You should see bees hanging out on the porch of your hive. Some may confuse this with the hive wanting to swarm. But the days are just getting too warm for them in the hive. So they’re just cooling off outside and may also be fanning cooling air into the hive. This gathering is also called “bearding”.

Continue monitoring your hive. The bees will need lots of water in the coming weeks. Be sure you provide a good water source someplace in your yard. You want to be a good neighbor and not have them bugging your neighbors’ pool or pet bowls.  You could even put a feeder on with just water, no sugar. Having plenty of water will also help your bees keep the hive cooler.