When should you open bee hives in the spring?

A sunny day with temperatures in the 50's will do to open hives, but if conditions are cloudy or windy, wait until the thermometer reads at least 60. There is no point in pulling frames until it's warm enough to manage any problems you may find, and disturbing the cluster too early can be harmful.

When should I open my beehive in spring?

You need only to plan for warmer weather, when the temperature hovers around 60 degrees for more than a few days in a row. At that point, the hive can be more safely opened and examined to determine the colony's overall health.

When should you open a beehive?

Ideally you need to wait until temperatures reach 60°F (15°C) or more before working your beehives. The best time to inspect a hive is when the bees are out foraging.

What month do you split a beehive?

Spring is the perfect time to get started with a new colony. “Splitting” is a cost-effective way of establishing a new hive and one of the best gifts an experienced beekeeper can give someone new to the hobby.

How do you prepare a bee hive in the spring?

5 Things in Spring. 5 Must Do's for your Bees

Should I treat my bees in the spring?

Without a doubt your bees need a good dose of Varroa Mite treatment in mid winter as well as in early to mid spring. Although in mid winter you're limited to doing a 'blind' treatment (no count) because it'd be a bad idea to open up the hive, the early to mid spring time period is a little different.

What do you do with bee hives in the spring?

Proper beehive spring management should include the removal of frames with honey, pollen or capped brood. They can be replaced with empty frames, frames with foundation or drawn comb (stickies). If your hive is strong enough, you could remove and replace up to 4 frames from the brood box.

How many bees are in a 10 frame hive?

A healthy colony filling 2 10-frame deeps contains around 30,000-60,000 bees.

How long can a beehive stay closed up?

I have had good results by leaving the hive closed for as little as 24 hours, but some people have had better luck by leaving them locked up for a full three days. If your bees have plenty of ventilation, go for the three days. But remember, if the bees can't cool the hive, they will cook.

How many times can you split a hive in one year?

Ideally, you should at least have a minimum of 10 frames of brood before splitting a beehive. Now, if your hive is very healthy and robust, you can split multiple times a season. Never split a beehive late in the season. Bees should have ample time to gather resources to overwinter.

When should you not inspect a beehive?

Can I open my beehive at 50 degrees?

If you're just pulling a honey super then just about any temp 50 and above would be OK. Try to knock any bees directly back into the hive opposed to on the ground. Make sure to leave them plenty for the winter.

How cold is too cold for hive inspection?

Cooler temperatures are the culprit of this and I am often asked “what temperature is too cold to inspect a hive?” The short answer is – somewhere around 60 degrees or warmer.

What do you do with honey bees in April?

What time of year do you treat bees for mites?

In most cases, an early Spring treatment may be necessary. This gets mite loads down before the honey flow begins. Monitor mite levels during the season until mid Summer. If not required before then, a mid-late season treatments lowers the number of mites and allows the colony to raise healthy bees for Winter.

Do bees return to old nests?

After the summer season, most bees will go away and not return to the nesting site the following year. By the time a colony has become obvious its activity will be about to decline naturally. Generally, colonies formed in spring usually decline naturally by late July, if not sooner.

How long will bees stay in a hive without a queen?

Even without a queen, a honey bee can complete her normal adult lifespan of about four-to-six weeks. However, the colony she belongs to will not be able to survive more than a couple of months unless the queen is quickly replaced. Without a new queen, the colony will dwindle as the members die one-by-one.

Do bees come back after hive removed?

If done early enough in the morning, the worker bees will likely not have left the hive for the day and if done later in the day, it is more likely that the worker bees will have returned from their pollination responsibilities. It is important to note that some straggler bees never leave after the hive is removed.

How much does a queen bee cost?

Costs vary to some degree: prices range from $15 to $25 for small numbers of queen bees.

Do I need 2 brood boxes?

With two brood boxes, there is enough space for your queen to lay as many eggs as she can. This means you won't need to check your hives as often. When using one brood box, there is only enough room to feed your broods sugar syrup in small increments. With two, you can give them larger amounts less often.

When should brood frames be replaced?

A good rule is to begin replacing frames and foundation at year 4 and only replace half of the frames. You will want to checker board these frames. Checker boarding means to replace every other frame. This way the colony will not be stressed in having all frames in the super to comb out with new wax.

What month do you treat varroa mites?

As an example, if beekeepers want to control Varroa mites in their colonies by 31 August when the first Winter bees are emerging as adults in the prairie provinces, then miticide treatments should be applied before 17 August; that is the date when worker larvae are being sealed into their cells that will emerge as ...

Does anything eat varroa mites?

scimitus is a potential predator of phoretic Varroa mites. This hypothesis is supported by the use of the predatory mite to control hematophagous mites in infested animals [40, 46] and the few anecdotal reports by beekeepers of Varroa population reductions.