Our 2012 banquet was attended by about 80 people. It was a very good meal and nearly everyone voted to have the 2013 PRESIDENT

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The Bee Line Creating good and healthy beekeeping throughout MICHIANA PUBLISHED BY MICHIANA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION DECEMBER 2012 MBA CONTACTS Our 2012 banquet was attended by about 80 people.

liquidgold2009@embarqmail.com they work in our environment and TREASURER Emerson for helping beekeepers better David 574-295-1855 understand their bees and offering emerson3434@msn.

com wishing to take over they were all re-elected. A new position of Historian was created and Danny Slabaugh was elected to it.

1 The Bee Line Creating good and healthy beekeeping throughout MICHIANA PUBLISHED BY MICHIANA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION DECEMBER 2012 MBA CONTACTS Our 2012 banquet was attended by about 80 people. It was a very good meal and nearly everyone voted to have the 2013 PRESIDENT Bob Baughman banquet at Nelson's Port again next year Tim Ives was awarded the 2012 bob.deb.baughman@sbcglobal.net PRESIDENT AND Beekeeper of the Year for his VICE RECORDING SECRETARY devotion to beekeeping evidenced by Tim Ives helping the public become aware of the importance of bees and how liquidgold2009@embarqmail.com they work in our environment and TREASURER Emerson for helping beekeepers better David understand their bees and offering emerson3434@msn.com new methods of bee management. EDITOR While all of the current officers Henry Harris expressed a willingness to surrender their position to anyone henry4744@frontier.com wishing to take over they were all re-elected. A new position of Historian was created and Danny Slabaugh was elected to it. The Michiana Beekeepers Association has a long past stretching at least into the early 1940's but most of that is lost since no permanent records were kept. The Bee Line, started in 1983 by then President Dave Laney, provides the only records we have of our past. Kent Williams was our speaker. If I had been more on the ball, I could have told you that he had an article published in the March 2012 Bee Culture titled Bee Business In Two Places and that article gives some of the same information Kent shared with us at the banquet plus an appreciation of his powers of observation, comparison, memory, and his ability to profit from what he has learned and his willingness to share his knowledge: "steal all the ideas you can and share all the good ones with others". Kent operates more than 1,000 colonies. Not wishing to compete with his Kentucky neighbors in honey production he uses 500 +/- colonies there in watermelon pollination, 200 +/- in queen rearing for his own use and to sell and the rest in honey production in Mississippi and Canada. He is not a migratory beekeeper. Colonies in 1.

Mississippi or Canada stay there Kent raises queens from survivors that build up

After years of raising his own queens from his best colonies he feels his queens are

maintain poor colonies but he does know how to make more bees to replace those that

increase in the amount of brood which leads to more bees which leads to more brood

He does feed colonies both sugar syrup and protein to help them build up fast and to

2 Mississippi or Canada stay there Kent raises queens from survivors that build up fastest in Spring. Kent demonstrating grafting larvae for queen rearing. After years of raising his own queens from his best colonies he feels his queens are better mated than commercially produced queens since his are seldom replaced before they are 3 years old. Kent said he does not know how to keep bees alive and will not use chemicals to maintain poor colonies but he does know how to make more bees to replace those that die. Colony growth is like a spiral, an increase in the amount of bees allows an increase in the amount of brood which leads to more bees which leads to more brood and on. He does feed colonies both sugar syrup and protein to help them build up fast and to help them survive during times of drought. Kent Williams ended his talk by saying: "There are a thousand ways to do everything in beekeeping. If what you are doing works for you then forget what I said and do it." ying Earl is bu Wax for $ Per pound 2.

3 2013 Thinking of trying Russian Bees? This year's banquet speaker, Kent Williams, said Russians are slow to build up their population for a honey flow but will stop the queen from laying eggs abruptly when the nectar flow ends. Russians do well with a long but not intense nectar flow but if you have a series of short but intense flows Russians bees will shut down brood production when the first flow ends and will not have the necessary field force to make a crop from the next flow which they will use to build the population again only to shut the queen down again when that flow ends. Thus on a series of short flows they will not store a surplus but will eat previously stored honey Meeting Schedule Saturday, January 26, 8:30 a.m. to noon at Goshen College. Wednesday, March 20, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Nappanee Public Library. Saturday, April 20, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Christo's Banquet Hall in Plymouth. Saturday, May 18, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Lehman farm in Middlebury. Saturday, June 15, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Carol Shaw's in Granger. Saturday, July 20, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Tim Ives' in North Liberty. Saturday, August 17, 9:00 a.m. to noon, VanZile's in Union, Michigan. September to be announced. Saturday, October 12, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Nelson's Port-A-Pit in Wakarusa. Saturday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Nappanee Public Library. Wandering with an Old Timer by Henry Harris There is not a lot to be done with bees during the Winter months but a couple of things do come to mind. Bees are both expensive to replace and living beings in our care. 3.

Check your bees at least once every month through the Winter.

Where the cluster is located in the hive will help you keep track of their food stores.

If they are at the top you had better take steps to help them out, like adding dry sugar or a candy brick.

available on Amazon for $40.00. It is used to identify places where insulation is needed in home walls.

If you are going to move a hive once it gets cold there is another way of securing the brood chambers together.

The dotted line shows that the strip on the opposite side should go the opposite direction to prevent an accordion like separation of the boxes.

4 Check your bees at least once every month through the Winter. Look down through the inner cover hole or take the inner cover off or listen to the side of the hive after tapping on it with your hive tool. Where the cluster is located in the hive will help you keep track of their food stores. If they are low with lots of honey in frames above them they are fine. If they are at the top you had better take steps to help them out, like adding dry sugar or a candy brick. There is also a hand held Heat Loss Detector made by Black and Decker, normally $50.00, available on Amazon for $ It is used to identify places where insulation is needed in home walls. This device can tell you where the cluster is located in the hive by reading its thermal image. If you are going to move a hive once it gets cold there is another way of securing the brood chambers together. Tack the strip to each box as well as the bottom board. The dotted line shows that the strip on the opposite side should go the opposite direction to prevent an accordion like separation of the boxes. It was pointed out to me at the banquet that if you use plastic strapping you should use the textured kind and not the smooth. The textured strapping is solid while the smooth is not, it is some sort of ply, as in plywood, or parallel fiber construction and the fibers can break and split when the strap is tightened. It was also recommended that two straps be used, one near the front of the hive and one near the back of the hive to avoid the single strap becoming a pivot point for the boxes to twist on. Bees do not warm the entire interior of the hive during winter. They cluster in and around empty cells with cells of honey around their perimeter to feed on. 4.

The clustering bees snuggle closer together to hold more heat in when the temperature drops and they loosen up when the temperature rises.

An old window leaned against the South side of the hive on sunny days will create enough heat to allow the cluster of bees to move enough inside the hive to access more honey.

If the hive entrance is facing East the window can lean against the South side presenting no obstacle and works just as well.

5 The clustering bees snuggle closer together to hold more heat in when the temperature drops and they loosen up when the temperature rises. The area around the cluster inside the hive will be almost as cold as it is outside the hive but without the wind chill. An old window leaned against the South side of the hive on sunny days will create enough heat to allow the cluster of bees to move enough inside the hive to access more honey. If the hive entrance is facing South bees learn to go around the window when leaving and returning. If the hive entrance is facing East the window can lean against the South side presenting no obstacle and works just as well. The hive will not retain the heat once the sun goes down but neither will a hive wrapped in tar paper or surrounded with straw or leaves. Only extensive insulation wrapping will keep the interior warm. I found this interesting illustration in a children's library book about honey bees. It gives an idea of how much a larva grows in one day. Royal Jelly is powerful stuff, for honey bees anyway. Small Hive Beetle Do's and Don't's From the Walter T. Kelly Co. Do's * maintain healthy, strong colonies to promote high bee to comb ratio * monitor colonies for beetle infestation levels * trap beetles using one or more of the trapping devices presently marketed 5.

* physically kill or remove beetles when inspecting a colony, but do not leave equipment exposed for long periods of time which may lead to robbing * remove weak colonies from an apiary when infested

6 * physically kill or remove beetles when inspecting a colony, but do not leave equipment exposed for long periods of time which may lead to robbing * remove weak colonies from an apiary when infested with beetle larvae and treat the soil * extract honey from supers within 2 days of removal from the hive * maintain good sanitary conditions inside and outside the honey house * treat soil with Gard Star if beetle larvae are present in the hive use Check Mite + in the hive as a last resort. Don'ts * do not place colonies in shady, damp locations. * do not over manipulate colonies when beetles are present. * do not leave colonies exposed during extended hive inspections. * do not over super colonies when beetles are present. * do not hesitate to move colonies to new location away from an old apiary which has a history of beetle problems. The Worst Pest thedailygreen.com... after 25 years we still haven't found a good way to control Varroa mites. Scientists have discovered that these mites are even worse than we thought. When bees are attacked by these mites their immune systems shut down and the bees can't handle other pests and diseases. So the mite does its own damage and then makes it easier for other pest to do even more damage. Use of household products in the control of SHB larvae and recovery of treated combs. Park, Pettis and Caron, April The feeding action of larval shb results in honey combs that are unacceptable to the bees as they are covered in a slimy material that includes larval excrement. We tested several common household products on honey comb to determine beetle mortality and subsequent acceptance by honey bees of the treated combs. Bleach 6.

was fast acting, killing 100% of treated larvae within four hours.

Combs treated with bleach or detergent were acceptable to bees after 24 hours of airing out. Making and repairing supers and frames is right down my alley.

They are stressed and sometimes abused when frames are assembled and then they are stressed more inside the hive by honey, propolis and the beekeeper.

split when the top bar is forced into the end bar notch.

7 was fast acting, killing 100% of treated larvae within four hours. Household detergent was also effective and killed approximately 85% of treated larvae in 24 hours. Other compounds (e.g. vinegar) were less effective. Combs treated with bleach or detergent were acceptable to bees after 24 hours of airing out. Making and repairing supers and frames is right down my alley. Frame end bars are particularly vulnerable to breaking. They are stressed and sometimes abused when frames are assembled and then they are stressed more inside the hive by honey, propolis and the beekeeper. If the cut out in the top of the end bar for the top bar to sit in is not the same size as the notched top bar, but a bit narrower, the end bar will most likely split when the top bar is forced into the end bar notch. The entire shoulder may split off right then or later after it has been stuck to its neighbor by propolis and pulled apart by the beekeeper as the frame above, right, has done. If the grain in the end bar is not straight, parallel to its length, the end bar is more likely to split out right then as the nail is driven through, but maybe later when propolis holds the shoulder to the neighboring frame and you pry them apart. The comb can be cut loose, the wires clipped, and the whole end bar removed and replaced with a new one. The bees will fasten the comb to the new end bar. Or, if you like puttering and the challenge of saving something the you can repair the end bar. Figure "A" is the end product. Clean up the break, fig. "B", with a chisel or fine saw to B. remove propolis and make the surface flat. A. 7.

"C". Glue and clamp the new piece in place, as in fig. "D".

One pass on a table saw takes care of the small repair in fig. "F".

Finally, fig. H, I nail the repairs in place remembering the angle tip shared by Danny Slabaugh.

G. At left, fig. I, is the frame being cut in fig. G three years after it was repaired.

"F", above, with the frame being cut on the table saw, notice the "Xs" on the top bar.

but it cannot be removed from the hive right away because it contains brood I scratch several "Xs" on the

8 C. E. H. Choose a piece of wood the same thickness as the end bar and larger than needed to fill the loss, fig. "C". Glue and clamp the new piece in place, as in fig. "D". Mark the new piece, fig "E", and cut it with the easiest and safest method possible. One pass on a table saw takes care of the small repair in fig. "F". It takes three cuts with a hand saw to remove the excess on the full length repair in fig. "G". D. F. Finally, fig. H, I nail the repairs in place remembering the angle tip shared by Danny Slabaugh. If the glue fails a nail driven in at an angle is much harder to pull out than a nail driven in straight. G. At left, fig. I, is the frame being cut in fig. G three years after it was repaired. The new wood has yellowed from travel stain and propollis but it has stood up and served well. In fig. "F", above, with the frame being cut on the table saw, notice the "Xs" on the top bar. When I find a frame that needs to be repaired or replaced I. but it cannot be removed from the hive right away because it contains brood I scratch several "Xs" on the end of the top bar of the damaged frame and put it next to the outside wall of the super. Once the brood has emerged I can remove the frame for repair. If it is a honey frame, in Summer, I scratch the honey open and put it over the inner cover to be cleaned out. If it is fall and the frame contains honey I will move it to the side and leave it in the hive until Spring when the bees can empty it. 8.

If you are getting rid of old combs, as you should about every 6 years, there are a couple of ways to do it.

the comb. Comb can be removed from the frame either in a solar wax melter or by cutting it out. The frame can then be discarded or cleaned up and reused.

All that looks like cells in the middle of the frame below is really just the larval cocoons, the wax has melted away leaving the cocoons undisturbed but they fall

9 If you are getting rid of old combs, as you should about every 6 years, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can just burn or throw away the whole frame and start out new with no mess. If you are using plastic foundation or frames the comb can be scraped off and melted. At right is one of my mini frames. The comb was scraped off with a hive tool, not cleanly, and no new wax was added to make it more appealing to the bees but you can see they were actively rebuilding the comb. Comb can be removed from the frame either in a solar wax melter or by cutting it out. The frame can then be discarded or cleaned up and reused. A solar cleaned frame is easier to scrape because all of the propolis melts away with the wax and all that is left is charred cocoon remains. All that looks like cells in the middle of the frame below is really just the larval cocoons, the wax has melted away leaving the cocoons undisturbed but they fall apart when touched. As you can see there are crimped wires exposed and in some cases other bits of wire and nails may also be exposed and come loose. These will certainly be in the slumgum (the mixture of crud left when the wax is melted out) but some may also be in the wax. Be careful when handling the slumgum and wax, these wires will puncture you faster than any doctor's needle. 9.

With both methods of cleaning it is likely the horizontal wires will have stretched, fig. #1.

right. In the picture at right you can see the wire has been tightened.

Eyelets are not vital but do help keep the wires tight.

the wires to sag some. Eyelets prevent this loosening.

10 With both methods of cleaning it is likely the horizontal wires will have stretched, fig. #1. To tighten the wires again push a screw driver under the wires on one end bar, fig #2, and gently lift to take up the slack. 2 1 With the point of a short nail push the loose wire to one side until it is snug then drive the nail in, fig #3. Of course you can just cut the wire and restring the frame with new wire as diagrammed below right. In the picture at right you can see the wire has been tightened. You can also see there are brass eyelets in the end bar holes. Eyelets are not vital but do help keep the wires tight. In time wires without eyelets will cut into the end bars where they go into the holes allowing the wires to sag some. Eyelets prevent this loosening. Adding eyelets is an extra step best performed before frame assembly. It does not require much room and only a tack hammer, a punch and a solid surface. Putting frames together is repetitious, doing the same task over and over can become tedious. But it is important the tasks are performed correctly or the end product will give you headaches every time you open the hive. 10 3

The frame assembly jig at left is a commercial production costing about $35 plus postage allowing the assembly of ten frames at one time.

The assembly jig at right is homemade and appears to be simpler to use than the commercial one.

Another was that it could just as easily be made to assemble 15 or 20 frames at a time.

The sides require some cutting for the pinning slides to fit into: the width of the pinning slide plus the width of the end bar it will be pinning in

The cut out needs to be snug enough to keep the end bars from slopping around but not so tight that the pinning slide cannot be removed when the

11 The frame assembly jig at left is a commercial production costing about $35 plus postage allowing the assembly of ten frames at one time. I have one and it does a good job giving square and tight frames. The assembly jig at right is homemade and appears to be simpler to use than the commercial one. Various comments on-line were that it was made from scrap wood and only took minutes to make. Another was that it could just as easily be made to assemble 15 or 20 frames at a time. The two end pieces are simple rectangles as are the two pinning slides. The sides require some cutting for the pinning slides to fit into: the width of the pinning slide plus the width of the end bar it will be pinning in place. The cut out needs to be snug enough to keep the end bars from slopping around but not so tight that the pinning slide cannot be removed when the assembly is finished. Glue and nail all beekeeping wooden ware. Use a moisture resistant glue such as Tightbond II. Frames can be built one at a time or in a gang as with the assembly jigs above. Attaching the top bar to the end bars first will cause the least strain on all the joints. One nail down through the top bar into the end bar at each end and one nail through the end bar into the top bar at each end is sufficient. Two nails straight down into the end grain of the end bar will not hold as well as one nail at an angle. Remember to put the nails in at an angle so the joint will be harder to pull apart when propolis and burr comb gets added. 11.

A nail should always be at least twice as long as the first piece of wood it will pass through.

nails you can to increase holding power along with nailing at an angle.

This is trickier because the end bar is so thin. It you can not manage the angle use two nails.

sure it is square, unless you have used a frame assembly jig.

Both conditions will cause propolis, burr comb, and spacing problems in the hive.

If the frame is not square push one end or the other gently until it is.

12 A nail should always be at least twice as long as the first piece of wood it will pass through. Also, nails do not hold as well in end grain as across grain so with all of these joints use the longest nails you can to increase holding power along with nailing at an angle. One nail will also suffice at each end of the bottom bar if you drive it in at an angle. This is trickier because the end bar is so thin. It you can not manage the angle use two nails. After the frame is assembled but before the glue has had time to set the frame needs to be checked to be sure it is square, unless you have used a frame assembly jig. Frames can lean toward one end or the other and/or be twisted. Both conditions will cause propolis, burr comb, and spacing problems in the hive. A small framing square or T-square will tell you if the frame is leaning or square. If the frame is not square push one end or the other gently until it is. Laying the frame on a flat surface to see if both end bars touch the surface will tell about twist. If one corner is up twist the frame very gently to bring the corner down flat. Pushing or twisting the frame too much crushes the wood grain fibers at the joints where pieces of wood meet and around the nails leaving a loose joint that is more likely to fail in the future. 12.

The Process of Splitting a Existing Colony of Honey Bees you may use.

The Process of Splitting a Existing Colony of Honey Bees you may use. Reason for Split Need to Replace hives lost during the winter. Want to expand my yard. Selling Nucs for profit. Hive has become extremely