10-18-2021 Planning Commission Packet

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Pollen Substitute You will need pollen substitute for feeding colonies (packages and • wintered colonies) in early spring (Figure 25). Pollen substitute is normally a mixture of soy flour, dried milk and brewer's yeast. We recommend buying commercially-available pollen substitute. It is available either as ready-to-feed, pre-mixed patties, or in powdered form. Until more research is conducted, it is unclear how much the additives -•,, contribute to pollen patty value. For the powdered formulation, follow mixing directions on the container and make approximately an 8 oz patty the consistency of cookie dough and about 3/8"thick for each colony. � 1 -- Pre-mixed patties save a lot of time. �"'` Wintering Equipment A moisture board (3/4" fiberboard, also called soundboard) is used over the inner cover for wintering. It will absorb moisture from the inside of the hive and release it to the outside. You can also use anything that will Figure 25.A substitute pollen patty placed on top of the frames of the colony above absorb moisture from the hive and evaporate it out the top, like folded the brood nest, but not centered to avoid newspaper or a box with a screened bottom filled with straw or burlap. blocking the inner cover hole. For additional information see Z.umn.edu/Garywtr. A wintering cover is a black protective cover used to wrap colonies for the winter months. Tarpaper, commercially available corrugated plastic, purchased Cozys or similar products, wax-covered cardboard, or an insulated bee wrap all work well. For additional information see the posters on wrapping honey bee colonies for a northern winter on Z.umn.edu/FreeBee. • Quantity of Hive Equipment Needed for Each Colony We recommend that new beekeepers allow their colony to expand into three, deep brood boxes, following the management strategies we outline in the next sections (Table 2). This 3-deep system is unique to our area and helps ensure your colony will have enough stored honey to survive winter. With experience, some beekeepers prefer to keep their colony using a 2-deep brood box system, rather than three. We provide instructions for the 2-deep method starting in Appendix A, but we encourage "new-bees" to follow our tried-and-true, northern climate method for their first two years. 3-deep Method Equipment First Year Additional Second Year Hive stand 1 1 Bottom board 1 1 Deep hive bodies 3 3 Deep frames 30 30 Foundation (deep) 30 30 Table 2. Equipment needed for the first and Inner cover 1 1 second year of beekeeping when keeping colonies in 3-deep hive bodies. Telescoping cover 1 1 Queen excluder 1 1 Moisture board 1 1 Winter cover 1 1 Feed pail 1 1 Hive body for feed pail cover 1 1 • Honey supers 1-4 1-5 Frames for supers 10-40 10-50 Foundation for supers 10-40 10-50 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 25