Research Problem:

The objective of this proposal is to develop a sustainable and self-sufficient method to replace production honey bee colonies that die during the winter by using small polystyrene nucleus colonies established during the prior season as replacements.

For beekeepers in a northern climate, the most critical time of year for colony loss is during the winter. Honey bees are unable to leave the colony in search of resources for nearly five months of the year in the north (November through March). Each winter a percentage of full size production colonies are lost due to disease, parasitic mites, or starvation. Average winter colony losses in the Ohio area range from 10-20%. However, heavier colony losses reaching nearly 70% have been reported in recent years (Ohio Department of Agriculture). Currently, the traditional colony replacement procedure is to purchase packages of honey bees from southern states.

Purchasing packages of honey bees from southern states risks the potential introduction of Africanized Honey Bees and other honey bee diseases and pests. In addition the cost of purchasing a package of honey bees in the spring ranges from $75-$125. Starting a new colony with a package of bees requires time for the new colony to become established and build its population. Therefore, a package is generally unable to produce a large surplus of honey the first year because it is not strong enough to take advantage of the spring nectar flows in the area.

My alternative approach to purchasing packages of bees includes establishing nucleus colonies during the early summer, overwintering the nucleus colonies, and then using them as replacements the following spring. Nucleus colonies are small, young colonies of honey bees established by making a divide from a strong production colony and providing a new queen to the nucleus colony. Nucleus colonies develop more quickly in the spring because they are established colonies with brood development well underway and are a locally produced resource.

Recently a US manufacturer developed a light-weight polystyrene nucleus hive, and this product will likely make overwintering nucleus colonies more feasible. From personal experience, overwintering nucleus colonies in traditional wooden boxes resulted in 30-50% winter mortality. Polystyrene offers greater insulation than traditional wooden beehives, and therefore smaller colonies can be successfully overwintered in colder climates. Nucleus colonies will be established after the primary honey flow giving each new colony a locally produced queen. Fewer resources are needed to establish nucleus colonies later in the season as warmer temperatures reduce the risk of chilling. As with traditional methods, newly established nucleus colonies will require supplemental feeding until they become established.

Reducing the need to purchase packages of honey bees has several benefits. The risk of introducing Africanized Honey Bees and other diseases and pests is reduced. A sustainable and self-sufficient system is implemented and honey production is increased. There is also a market for locally produced nucleus colonies in the spring. Extra nucleus colonies may be sold to local beekeepers to replace their winter losses or to new beekeepers who wish to start a new hive.

Funding and interest for the project listed above illustrates the need for developing regional and sustainable beekeeping practices. While project number FS08-223 examined the use of locally produced nucleus colonies and queens, I hope to expand on their work by developing a system that is adapted to my region in the context of a production setting. Traditional beekeeping practices call for the production of nucleus colonies and queens in the spring, however such practices divert labor and colony resources away from honey production during the spring of the year. My proposal seeks to modify the timing of nucleus and queen production by waiting until after the primary honey flow and then overwintering the nucleus hives to be used in production the following year. In addition, the use of a newly developed polystyrene nucleus hive will facilitate overwintering nucleus colonies in the colder climate.

Procedure

6-23-2009 – Established nucleus colonies using 1 frame of brood and bees, 1 polystyrene nucleus, 4 new assembled frames.

-          Nucs were established at my home bee yard and driven to their new bee yard .

6-24-2009 – Returned to install 1 queen cell per nucleus colony.

7-28-2009 – Returned to feed 3, 5 gallon buckets of sugar syrup.

-          Inspected nucleus colonies for presence of laying queen

-          Found 6 nucleus colonies were queen less (new queen failed to mate)

-          Installed 6 laying queens into the queen less nucleus colonies

FEEDING - Nucs were fed almost weekly during the season and into the fall using sugar syrup.  Approximately 1 quart was poured into the the nuc for each feeding.  Since the polystyrene nucs have a solid bottom, the bees were able to collect the syrup from the bottom of the nuc.

1-23-2010 Update

The January inspection revealed 36 of the original 40 nucs were still alive.  One nuc appears to be a weak, but the bees look healthy so there may still be hope.