Enhancing hive health
Ensure bees go back to the same hive reduce pathogen movement
between hives
Drifting is when bees fail to return to the correct colony and
instead join an adjacent hive.
Reduce drifting by using painted hives, coloured entrances and using local
landmarks for bees, such as trees and bushes.
Ensure hives are placed well enough apart and if possible have slightly
different directions for the entrances.
Shook Swam Technique
This can be used to clean a hive from a number of brood issues
1 |
Prepare a new sterilised brood box with undrawn foundation (Hive
A) |
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2 |
Place this hive A next to the original colony (Hive B) |
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3 |
Remove each of the frames of the hive B and shake the bees into
the new box (Hive A). It is
essential to include the queen |
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B A |
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4 |
Remove the original hive B |
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5 |
Place the new hive A onto the original hive stand |
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6 |
Treat the bees in hive A with icing sugar or pyrethroids |
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7 |
Feed the bees in hive A with 2 parts sugar and 1 part 1 to help
the bees draw out the combs |
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8 |
Kill all remaining bees in hive B |
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9 |
Remove and burn all the frames from hive B |
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10 |
Sterilise the brood boxes from hive B. |
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11 |
Freeze for at least 7 days |
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Note |
If the queen is damaged, killed or failed to be transferred the
colony will be lost as the new colony as no brood present. |
Varroa and other mite control
Drone Trapping
The principle is that the drone larvae take long to pupate. The Varroa mite is attracted to drone
preferentially.
Technique
1 |
Add 1 or 2 frames with drone foundation to the edge of the brood
box |
2 |
Mark to top of these drone frames |
3 |
Record the date |
4 |
Observe the combs and note the date when the frames have capped
cells |
5 |
Remove the frames before the capped cells are opened about 9
days later |
6 |
Remove the cappings and flush out the pupae and incinerate. This will destroy the pupae and Varroa
mites |
7 |
Dry the combs. Freeze for
7 days and repeat |
Note |
This should only be used 2 or 3 times in a season as it can
deplete the hives resources |
Queen Trapping
This seals Varroa mites in capped cells when they are then removed
from the brood
This should only be used in the spring or early summer
Technique
1 |
Confine the queen in a comb cage |
|
2 |
The queen is placed on one comb (A) for 9 days |
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3 |
She is then moved to comb 2 (B) for 9 days |
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4 |
Then she is moved to comb 3 (C) for 9 days |
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5 |
Observe the 3 combs and leave the sealed cells for 9 day and
then remove the cells and destroy the comb. Do not allow the pupae to hatch
and release the entrapped mites. |
Time
line:
Artificial Swarm Technique
The aim is to separate the flying bees from the majority of the
mites.
The mites on the adults are more susceptible to removal Apistan
or Icing Sugar for example. The
technique cleans colony A by an extended brood-less period. But the technique needs advanced bee keeping
skills and the ability to manipulate two colonies.
Time lapse |
Colony A |
Colony B |
|
Watch
for development of queen cells |
Prepare
new colony. Place
a queen excluder above and below brood box this will prevent the queen from
absconding |
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When
queen cells observed capture original queen (A) and place her in a cage |
|
Day
1 |
Move
colony 10 metres from original site |
Place
Colony B at the original site of colony A |
Remove
queen from colony A |
Place
colony A queen in colony B. The
flying bees from colony A will enter colony B. Feed
with a weakly sugar syrup for one day to help production of brood. Take care to avoid robbing. |
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Day
2 |
|
Introduce
icing sugar to remove any surface Varroa mites. Treat
with Apistan or Bayvoral and oxalic acid. |
Week
1 |
Remove
all but one queen cell. Once
the queen cell is sealed place a cell protector cage over queen cell to
capture the queen upon emergence. Do
not allow the queen to leave the hive and mate |
|
Week
3 |
Transfer
2 frames with combs of unsealed brood from Colony B to Colony A. Clearly mark These
will act as bait for any Varroa mites |
|
Week
4 |
When
the 2 marked frames combs are sealed remove and destroy by incineration. Do
not allow cells to become unsealed. |
|
Introduce
icing sugar to remove any surface Varroa mites. Treat
with Apistan or Bayvoral and oxalic acid. |
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|
Week
6 |
Check
for Varroa mites |
Check
for Varroa mites |
Options |
Remove
virgin queen A and replace with a clean, mated and tested laying queen- thus
producing two clean colonies |
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Remove
virgin queen from colony A. Combine
cleaned colony A with colony B and original queen. |
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Remove
the virgin queen from colony A, re-queen colony A and then established, unit
with de-queen colony B and reunite with colony A |
Artificial
swam technique over 30 days
Start |
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Super |
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+9
days |
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+21
days |
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Completion Re-unite
or re-queen colonies |
Swarms
Do
not capture and use swarms of unknown health.
They can prove to be a serious risk to your own apiary. From a neighboughly view, capture the swarm,
and then humanely destroy the bees.