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“Pushing” (A.K.A. Messing With…) Your Bees for Honey Production

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“Pushing” (A.K.A. Messing With…) Your Bees for Honey Production “Pushing” (a.k.a. messing with…) Your Bees to increase Honey Production * Not Pushing * Natural variability * This is “Waiting” Beekeepers are NOT Maple syrup producers …this is why they are NOT called “TreeKeepers”... • Weather dependent…like most of us… • Waiters…like us …see RTH migration map • Wait and See…Get what you get…NOT like us… – Limited “tree sucking” actions… This is Pusing… (Above: 287 pound average) • Bee “Pushing” Defined • Why pushing is possible? S=>R… • Why Push? • How to Push • When to Push • Pushing recipes: simple, moderate, complex • Examples PUSHING Defined • True Beekeeping (not just keeping bees) is pushing… • Planned management… • Directed management… • Proactive resource(s) management… • Monitoring changing hive conditions… How is Pushing even possible? Understanding the Stimulus=>Response turns “keepers of bees” into beekeepers Behavioral psychology… S => R…If => Then… Example S => R: Bee Space • If you violate the bee space (3/8”) any time (pic) Example S=>R: “Bee Racing” Example S=>R: OTS Queen Rearing Example S=>R: WV 2017 Fondant “Stimulative” Feeding Results…the good…the bad… Why Push? • You already are! – Bee Trees > Bee Hive…. – Transporting…migratory… • For Hive Health… • For Hive increased hive product(s) • For Additional hive products… • Because you can…opportunism…curiosity… Hive Products you can Push for… • Bees…splits, pkgs, nucs, queens • Honey • Pollen • Wax…general, drawn brood/super comb • Propolis • Royal Jelly How to push • Depends on what pushing for… • Pay attention to 1st Principles…resources… – Bees! – Seasonal…light, temperature, rains… – Nectar, Pollen, Resources… – Nectar, Pollen Supplements… When to push • Better seasonal times to push…prime times… • There are wrong times… – Ex. Foundation… Pushing for Honey • Reverse engineering…how did we did it…the recipe Honey Recipe • Healthy, overwintered colony (fall queens)…swarming… • Queens monitored for egg laying viability…good stock… • Unseasonably warm spring…brood stimulation • Sufficient onboard feed resources…supplement… • Hive management…brood swaps…room/swarm control. • Good nectar (and water) location • Early supering and often…stay ahead. • Proper weather to extend nectar season (45+days)******* NOTE: Hive health, pests, and diseases were monitored early and regularly throughout the nectar season. “Pushed” Honey Recipe • More pre-planning and direction than regular recipe. • Understand: 1 large colony > honey than 2 mediums… • Estimate peak nectar flow for your area. • Stimulate brood to coincide with peak nectar flow… • Use 2+ colonies brood to build large, single production colony. Ingredients explored… (Hippopotamus Pie) Lots of beekeeping “noise” out there… Monitoring…simplify…”B”- Curves… Monitoring to simplify the clutter… Fact: Most of your total honey crop for a season is collected in 30 days… Internal hive populations Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek Nutritional Monitoring Once you understand “B” Curves you can PUSH your Bees! Caveat” Garbage in….garbage out… • Need good ingredients to have good results Recipe for “Super charging colonies for honey production” (a.k.a. “Hippopotamus Pie”…) • Caveat: – recipe is a guideline – tailor it to your tastes and environments Simple Recipe (Wait and See) • Boxes • Bees • Forage • Wait for it… Moderate Recipe • More Boxes • More Bees • Better Forage • Wait for it… Moderate + • More…healthier bees • More boxes…w/drawn comb… • More flowers…better locations… • Waiting Go for it… Advanced “Super Charged” Recipe • 1. Lots of Honey production bees… • 2. Lots of Healthy bees… • 3. Lots of (1) and (2) at the right age… • 4. Lots of (1, 2, 3) in the right place(s)... • 5. Lots of (1,2,3,4) at the right time… • 6. RM: Sufficient & Timely supering. • **Sufficient and proper honey storage… be careful what you wish for… World distribution map of primary honey bee species (Apis genus) Apis andreniformis Apis cerana Apis dorsata Apis florea Apis koschevnikovi Apis nigrocincta Apis mellifera Bee Vernacular…species, races, hybrids… • 8 species (apis melifera)of honey bees • Within the species are races… • Example: Apis mellifera ligustica “Italians” • So much mixing…tough to keep a pure bred… • Today, more interested in genetic diversity …which leads to “survivor” stock…”mutts”… • Other race examples: – Apis mellifera caucasca - caucasian – Apis mellifera carnica - carniolan – Apis mellifera scutellata – Africanized Crossing these races leads to hybrids... Examples: Cordovans, Buckfast, Russian, Starline, Minnesota Hygenic Hive health…you know it when you see it… Need lots of foragers to make lots of honey Bees in right place…limit! • 1 colony ~ 200 pounds of honey…100 for them and 100 for you. • 1 pound of honey takes the nectar from 2,000,000 flowers. • So, 200 lbs of honey takes 400,000,000 flowers. • An apiary of 10 colonies: 4,000,000,000 flowers. • Treasure map(s)…! Water, nectar, weather… Pushing Honey production…what type? • Liquid honey production • Comb honey production • Hybrids…Ross Rounds, Box, Plastic, etc. There are product/quantity tradeoffs Pushing on Steroids - I • Strong bee stock… • Strong over wintered colony… • Stimulated early with carbs, protein, vits, mins… • Hive management…box swaps… • Great year…. • Supering… Pushing on Steroids - II • Strong bee stock… • Strong over wintered colony… • Stimulated early with carbs, protein, vits, mins… • Hive management…box swaps… • 2 Queen Systems… • Great year…. • Supering… Pushing on Steroids - III • Good bee stock… • Strong over wintered colony…OR • Queen nucleus hive (QNH)… • Produce multiple nucs from QNH… • Stimulated with carbs, protein, vits, mins… • Combine frames from multiple nucs … • Hive management…box swaps… • Great year…. • Supering… Plan for Success…”boomer” colonies are made; not waited for… We are not treekeepers… A little luck does not hurt! 287 pound average “Your PUSHING journey can starts with a single drop… Push it a little farther… Push to let your imagination (and bees) fly! …for there is a fresh wind blowing; we may yet again do things like mountains, and music and beekeeping because they are hard, and clean, and clear in the morning! - Philip Gillett Contact Information: That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse. Alexander Zomchek -Walt Whitman [email protected] 513.280.3476 .
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