3/22/2019

1

(Tools to reduce mortality and up productivity)

Pollen 3-13-19…Yay! Aargh!

•Beekeeping does not take much time…

•Beekeeping takes TIMING.

•Purposeful fire drill inspections

•Seasonal calendar, notebook, etc.

No Time…https://u.osu.edu/beelab/courses/

Beekeeping for over a 100+ “B-years”…

• Bee Buttons

• Bee Time and Timing

• Using Seasonality & Weather

• Examples

• Q& A

3/22/2019

2

Pushing your bees buttons…

• Complex yet simple SR organism…

… behavioral psychology…

IF

your bees are pushed…

THEN

your bees respond…

Example

• Vilolate 3/8 “ Bee space…

~ any time!

Why Push?

• You already are!

– Hiving….

– Transporting…migratory…

• For Hive Health…

• For Hive increased hive product(s)

• For Additional hive products…

• Because you can…a tool!

• Why not…opportunism…curiosity (radial hex jar)

3/22/2019

3

Hive Products to Push for…

• Health!

• Bees…splits, pkgs, nucs, queens, fortifying frames…

• Honey

• Wax…general, drawn brood/super comb

• Propolis

• Royal Jelly

How to push

• Depends on what pushing for…

…Pay attention to 1st Principles…

Pushing

is purposeful,

interactive,

intentional beekeeping!

Pushing

allows YOU to MAKE

the bee season

you want…

When to push…Time & Timing

• Better seasonal times to push…

• There are wrong times…there are prime times…

– Ex. Foundation…

Get to know your “World-Curves” Birds, Bees & Treesare weather dependent

• Weather dependent…like most of us…

• Waiters…like us …see RTH migration map

• Wait and See…Get what you get…NOT like us…

3/22/2019

4

Seasonal Walk Through

Making it real…

WHEN & HOW

things go wrong

Approximately

30

Days!

(Aside: your honey season is over

in 3+ months from NOW!)

“On what exact date do I …”?

SeasonalVariability~ 3 weeks

Seasonal “car ride” analog…

We are here

Egg laid on day 1…hatch day 21…THEN…

3/22/2019

5

Can

Watch & Wait

or…

Warm soil…

Warm Bees...

Accelerated growth…

Day 3 Day 4

3/22/2019

6

Your beekeeping season has already started!

Feeding and Timing…

From seed to harvest in just

45-65 days!

Geometric vs.

Linear Growth

Roadside beekeeping…Everything looks fine…

BY THE TIME YOUR NEW QUEEN OR MITICIDE ARRIVES…

3/22/2019

7

Soy beans pics macro…micro

By Mid-Season…(Your “southern” bees are mid season

by the time you get them up north)

START with the END in Mind

Make the bees/season

you want…

Mitecides

Genetics

Beekeepers

Queens…

Suffered a lot…

Learned a lot…

Have tools & techniques!

Solution

Seasonal

Monitoring

&

Management

Lots of beekeeping “noise” out there…

Monitoring…simplify…”B”- Curves…

3/22/2019

8

Internal hive populations

We are here

Your bees are aging in place…

Just because your queen

or bees die…

Does not mean the hive

has to die.

Near “0” mite loads here… Monitor for mites here…

Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek

3/22/2019

9

Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek

Nutritional Monitoring

Once you understand “B” Curves…

On the road to Sustainable Bkping!Seasonal Walk Through

Making it real…

WHEN & HOW

things go wrong

Timely Monitoring

(Fire drill inspections)

• I don’t have time…takes 3-5 minutes!

• Get to the “centerish” brood frame…

• Your snapshot on the current health/state of the colony. Use tech!

Stop time…

3/22/2019

10

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…

Balanced Diet

• Nothing…they are on their own…

• Liquid Sugars…1:1, 2:1…

• “Hard” Sugars…”hard when not flying…”

• Protein…soy flour…supplements…

• Protein, vitamin, mineral, fat formulas…

• ProBiotics…microbials…

• TIMINIG…

• Feed for Starvation, Stimulation, Nutrition…

Early Nutrition

“Natural”

Beekeeper stimulated

A silent partnership was taking

place…from plundering to

pollinating

3/22/2019

11

“Magnificent Desolation” – Buzz Aldrin

3/22/2019

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3/22/2019

13

Bee Selection

&

Replacement

ALL Queens are NOT Created

Equal

Swarm

Emergency

Walk-Aways

Producer

Breeder

OTS and More!

Beekeeping Truisms

It’s later than you think…

S R…

Change is the norm…

90% is wash, rinse, repeat

Just a handful of problems & treatments

…

Beekeeping

is a

Mindset

Attitude

Deterministic

&

Contrary

Beekeeping

3/22/2019

14

Time & Timing

“It’s ALWAYS later than you

think…”

- Fire drills/inspections

- Seasonal…B-Curves

Feeding

History of…

Feed for starvation, stimulation, &

nutrition

Sugars, fats, proteins, mineral, &

vitamins

Timing, timing, timing

Put your big girl/boy

bee-pants on…

-Seasonal management…up/down…

- Feed & Feeding

- Queen/Bees replace/augmentation…

-Treatments…

At the end of the day…Only a handful of pests and diseases

that we can control.&

Only a handful of treatments...

Takes work & timing & bee resources

“Monitoring” …to be continued!

Static

vs.

Dynamic

Beekeeping

Sustainable Beekeeping takes work

Do It:

To save your bees…

To save $s…

Because you can…that’s real beekeeping!

3/22/2019

15

Summarizing

Seasonal “car ride” analog…

We are here

Your PUSHING journey can

starts with a single drop…

3/22/2019

16

Push it a little farther…

Push to let your imagination

(and bees) fly!

Contact Information:

Alexander Zomchekzomchea@miamioh.edu

513.280.3476

…for there is a fresh wind blowing;we may yet again do things

like mountains,and music and beekeeping

becausethey are hard, and clean,

and clear in the morning!

- Philip Gillett

That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

-Walt Whitman

Animal Husbandry…Pet

Parents…Bee Parents?

Once you take on the responsibilityTakes time, timing, discipline…

3/22/2019

17

Near “0” mortality

means changing

Beekeeper’s behaviors

Out of Sight; Out of Mind

Absentee Beekeepering

Cognitive Dissonance…denial…

…procrastination…

Reality check…

no “breakthroughs” per se

on the horizon…

incremental improvements…

2-3-4-5% evolving solutions…

Be realistic about treatments…no silver bullets…

But with

same tools…

same pests & pathogens…

if change

beekeeping behavior/techniques

can save ~80% of the ~50%+

mortality!

Transition

from

passionate, passive

beekeepers

to

disciplined, active

Monitors

3/22/2019

18

•A newish way of looking at newish bee problems…

•Remember: –Just a handful of problems that

you can do anything about…

–A handful of treatments.

–Timing is everything.

Monitoring: Simply Defined

What are we Monitoring?(some % examples)

• Pests…Varroa, SHB, wax moths, others…

• Diseases…AFB, EFB, nosema, sac brood, chalk brood, others…

• Resources…queen viability, ”space”, honey, pollen, water, others…

Monitoring for Varroa…“Stethoscope”

(…how are you measuring mite loads?)When to ”Monitor”

* * * * * ** * * * *

• Base Line…

• Intra Seasonally…when things “typically” happen

• Inter Seasonally…year over year variations

• Intra Hive…

• Inter Hives…

• As needed…

• Not linear…doppler-like…

• Monitoring is self correcting… feedback loop…

Apis Labs – Alex Zomchek

“Monitoring”

10,000 foot view - Monitoring tells you:

• What to look for…

• When to look…and how often…

• What to do about colony issues…

…Monitoring is more…

• A conscious, purposeful, focused and timed methodology of hive inspections and treatments

• A feedback loop tool…

• Skeptical…Evidence based…prove it!

• An Approach…detective…doctor…

3/22/2019

19

So, with these evolving “recipes”

why the current high mortality

rates? Why isn’t beekeeping

working for many beekeepers?

Need new recipe(s)

taking into acccount

today’s

Beekeepers,

bees, pests, pathogens

“RECIPES ARE JUST GUIDELINES” – Carolyn Zomchek

• Bees…extra bees…2.5 hives…Queens…OTS…– The best bees/ingredients you can find…

• Feed (for starvation, stimulation, and nutrition)

• Treatment(s)

• Monitoring Tools…Ex. Sugar Shake

• Seasonal calendar, notebook, reminders

• Recipe! (A Recipe is just a guideline…customize!)

Definitions

• “Hive resources” include the usual: queen, bees (workers & drones), eggs, larva, pupa, capped brood.

• Hive resources include food stores (honey & pollen)

• Hive resources also include Pests (Varroa, SHB, wax moths, ants, et.al.).

• Hive resources also include Pathogens (Varroavectored, AFB, EFB, nosema, sacbrood, chalkbrood, et.al.).

• Monitoring for “Hive Resources” means to look for and/or testing for all of the above.

• Monitor throughout season…takes timing; not time…fire drills!

• Order package(s)…3lb …nucs…$$$...

• Hive location ... install bees…on foundation…drawn comb…

• Build your bees: feeding for starvation, stimulation and nutrition…more SUMMER, fall feeding … nutritional patties…spring, summer, and fall…

• Monitor & Treat (?)…before honey flow…SHB…Queen viability…

• Watch the “magic” unfold…

• Supering up for swarm control and nectar flow(s)…

• Extract honey…supering down…

• Monitor & treat diseases (if necessary) primarily AFB, EFB…NOT prophylactic treating…terramycin…?

• Monitor pests…Treat(?)…primarily Varroa mites, SHB …prophylactic…NOT arcacide(s)

• Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach…Monitor for effectiveness…

• Build bees for fall health into winter…feeding…Queen viability…

• Tuck bees away…wrap?

• Done/Repeat…bragging rights #colonies alive…

Monitoring Recipe

for Seasonal Beekeeping Near-”0” Hive Loss Seasonal Recipe

• Location, location, location…weather and forage…

• Install “best” bees you can acquire…

• Feed for starvation, stimulation, nutrition.

• Monitor/test/treat(if necessary) bee health, pests and queen laying viability

• Replace queen and/or augment with outside bees as necessary

• Continue pests monitoring. Accurate monitoring of varroa (3% rule)

• Disease monitoring. AFB, EFB, nosema, chalk brood, and sac brood

• Add supers as needed (pre-super)..

• Seasonal and Threshold Timing…B-curves…ounces of prevention…

• Effectiveness. Are your manipulations & treatments working?

• Treatments. Just a handful…know them…timely use them…

• Resource management…boxes, queens, treatments, etc. on shelf.

• Record keeping…regular notes…seasonal calendar…REMINDERS!

3/22/2019

20

Example 1: Near-perfect World

Go into bee season with a Monitoring Approach…

• Good location

• Good bees

• Good nectar season

• Low Pests & Diseases thresholds

Example 2: “Real World”

• Go into bee season with a Monitoring Approach

• Ify location…”move”/feed

• Suspect bees…”fix”

• Ify nectar season…”feed”

• Pests and Pathogens…testing & treatments work.

Example 3: Triage Beekeeping

• Go into bee season with a Monitoring Approach

• Ify location…can’t/don’t move…

• Bad bees to start…requeen…augment workers…

• Bad nectar flow(s)…feed (carbs, pollen, vit., mineral supplements)

• Pests & Pathogens reacurring…keep testing…swap miticides…

• Queen issues…requeen…augment workers...

The nutritional monitoring facts!

• 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! Don’t overload apiary sites.

• Monitor for light colonies and nectar and pollen dearths to promote hive health…

• Vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs, fats…

You are the key to Monitoring

“Big difference between knowing the paths(B-curves) and following the curves…”

! Stay ahead of the B-Curves !

Be proactive, consistent…paranoid?

Go Negative…ALL is NOT right until proven otherwise.

We have evolving tools

and techniques…

(We have figured

lots of thing out…)

It is the

human element and

implementation

we are currently

struggling with.

3/22/2019

21

Learn “Good” to know “Bad”

(…train your brain…)

Compare/Contrast…

Learn “good” from “bad”

Visual inspection

Be prepared

for WHEN (not if) things

go wrong

• Have a regular monitoring program in place…

• Adopt prevention tactics…

• Intervene. Catch issues early…ounces of prevention instead of pounds of cure.

• Have resources at hand to augment and/or treat your hive(s) when (not if!) things go south.

• Verify that interventions are working; swap and augment if not.

I have developed into an optimistic “Bee Contrarian”…you?

3/22/2019

22

Monitoring is here to stay…the future…more to come!

Queen monitoring…

Drone monitoring…

Pollen/Honey monitoring…

Enhanced Nutrition…

Wireless…remote…

New treatments

Self medicating…

More!

Monitoring for Varroa…“Stethoscope”

(reducing mite loads also reduce pathogen loads)

Know External/Internal hive events

Know your seasonal B-Curves

Monitor for Ps & Ds

Stay ahead of the Ps & Ds Curves

Treat if/when necessary & verify

Feeding Opportunities

Appreciate your proactive roll in monitoring

Monitoring…one last time!

Get in early…baseline…

Monitor as often as needed…A

See things…train your brain…

Catch things early

Know treatments (have on hand!)

Treat earyly (if needed)

Treat again (if needed)

Verify treatments are working

Have hive resource replacement

options…bees, feed, etc.

Monitoring isn’t just a thing…

Monitoring is THE thing!

Near-”0” Hive Loss

At the end of the day…

only a handful of pests and

diseases that we can control.

&

Only a handful of treatments.

Takes work & timing…

“Monitoring” …

Caveat #7 – You can do this!

At the end of the day…

Just a handful of problems.

And a handful of solutions.

3/22/2019

23

Prevention

&

InterventionContact Information:

Alexander Zomchekzomchea@miamioh.edu

513.280.3476

…for there is a fresh wind blowing;we may yet again do things

like mountains,and music and beekeeping

becausethey are hard, and clean,

and clear in the morning!

- Philip Gillett

That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

-Walt Whitman

References:www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/resources/osba-newsletters/1st Quarter 2017 OSBA Newsletter

- “A Tale of Two Hives”Vol 6; Issue 1

2nd Quarter 2017 OSBA Newsletter- “Is Near-Zero Hive Loss Realistic”

Vol 6; 2

• Time…– fire drills…

– Calendars…reminders…

• Knowledge

• Experience…more hive inspections!

• Have sugar shake accessories on hand…

• Know treatments…IPM…

• Have treatments on hand!

• Have feed(s) on hand…carbs, protein(V&M)…

Monitoring…Reduce Barriers

Breathe!

Just a handful of pests and diseases

Just a handful of treatment options

Timely monitoring for the major culprits (Ps & Ds)

Treatment and Verify

Beekeeping takes little time; but it does take timing

Genetic Diversity…Protein Connection

3/22/2019

24

Animal Husbandry…Pet

Parents…Bee Parents?

Once you take on the responsibilityTakes time, timing, discipline…

From seed to harvest in just

45-65 days!

Geometric vs.

Linear Growth

Roadside beekeeping…Everything looks fine…

BY THE TIME YOUR NEW QUEEN OR MITICIDE ARRIVES…

Soy beans pics macro…micro

By Mid-Season…(Your “southern” bees are mid season

by the time you get them up north)