KickStarting Your Colonies by Stephen Brain

Following somewhat of a local tradition, Stephen Brain delivered his stimulating talk in time for the 2022 Spring explosion in apiary activities. A good humoured audience of 25 gathered to mark the end of Covid restrictions and begin the new season with expectant optimism.

Though his first remark that preparation for Spring should have started last August had many listeners shifting nervously in their seats, he continued by reviewing a range of activities which would assist the bees into the new year. He cautioned to carry out a thorough disease inspection before the colonies expand, and noted that EFB can be particularly evident at this time of year because the small number of workers cannot remove the affected brood as fast as later in the season.

Disease prevalence in the colony can have devastating effects. The Varroa mite remains the primary danger both by parasitically weakening the pupae and distributing viral diseases around the colony.

The Queen's genetic inheritance, her age and mating experience are all significant factors governing the colony's Spring recovery. The weather clearly affects the colony's foraging activities, but poor flying conditions can sometimes increase the Queen's egg laying. Foraging bees depend on blossom and flowers being available in the neighbourhood, without which the egg laying will diminish and then halt.

Stephen spent some time on the topic of supplementary feeding. Hefting or weighing the hives can immediately alert the beekeeper to lack of stores. But colonies may be tempted to break out of the Winter cluster configuration too early, and suffer from the low temperatures. In addition, there is also a danger in over-providing the colonies resulting in too little space on the brood combs being available for egg laying. Nutrient balance was also discussed, with carbohydrates (from nectar) needing to be accompanied by proteins (from pollen).

In all there was a lot for beekeepers to think about!  Many thanks to Stephen for an excellent start to this year's club events.

Rob Williams