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Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT <br />Ɣ 3HUIRUPDIXOOLQVSHFWLRQRIHDFKFRORQ\LQPLG$SULOZKHQWHPSHUDWXUHVDUHDWOHDVWƒ)&OHDQWKH <br />bottom board by scraping off debris with your hive tool. <br />Ɣ ,IWKHUHDUHQREHHVLQWKHERWWRPER[GRWKH³LFN´WHVWDQGUHSODFHXQZDQWHGIUDPHVDQGFRPEV <br />Ɣ &KHFNWRVHHLIWKHUHDUHIUDPHVRIEURRG FRPEVFRQWDLQLQJHJJVODUYDHDQGSXSDH ,IVRFRQGXFWD <br />³SDUWLDOUHYHUVDO´ )LJXUH $SDUWLDOUHYHUVDOLQYROYHVVZLWFKLQJWKHSRVLWLRQRIWKHWRSDQGPLGGOHKLYH <br />box to encourage the bees to expand. If there are brood frames in both the top and middle box, move <br />WKHHPSW\ERWWRPER[WRWKHWRSSRVLWLRQDERYHWKHEURRGIROORZLQJWKH³PRGL¿HGUHYHUVDO´ )LJXUH  <br />Always avoid splitting the brood nest. If the temperatures drop, the bees need to cluster around the <br />EURRGWRNHHSLWZDUPLI\RXVHSDUDWHWKHEURRGVRPHZLOOGLHRIFROGH[SRVXUH <br />Ɣ Replenish the pollen patty if the bees have consumed most of the previous one. <br />Ɣ :KHQWHPSHUDWXUHVDUHFRQVLVWHQWO\DERYHƒ)PRQLWRUWKHOHYHORIYDUURDPLWHV6HHWKHODWHVW <br />version of the +RQH\%HH'LVHDVHVDQG3HVWVPDQXDO =XPQHGX%HH0DQXDO DQGRXUZHEVLWHRQ <br />YDUURDPDQDJHPHQW =XPQHGX9DUURD IRUWKHPRVWFXUUHQWLQIRUPDWLRQ6SULQJPDQDJHPHQWRIPLWH <br />levels can save heartache and problems in the middle of summer when the supers are on and the mite <br />OHYHOVDUHKDUGWRFRQWURO0DQDJLQJWRNHHSPLWHOHYHOVEHORZWKUHVKROGLQWKHVSULQJLQFUHDVHVWKH <br />colony’s chance of surviving the season. <br />Ɣ ,QVSHFWHDFKFRORQ\WHQGD\VDIWHUWKHPLG$SULOLQVSHFWLRQ:KHQWKHUHDUHIUDPHVRIEURRG <br />FRQGXFWDIXOOUHYHUVDO VHH³)XOO5HYHUVDOHDUO\VHDVRQ´LQ)LJXUH DQGUHSOHQLVKWKHSROOHQSDWW\LI <br />necessary. <br />The Whys and Wherefores of Reversals <br />Words of <br />Wisdom <br />Over the winter, the cluster of bees will naturally move toward the top box, where <br />honey is stored. Sometime in late winter, the queen will start laying eggs in the <br />WRSER[ HV DQGWKDWLVZKHUHWKHFRORQ\ZLOOVHWWOHLWVHOIWRIHHGDQGLQFXEDWHWKH <br />GHYHORSLQJEURRG'XULQJWKH¿FNOHWHPSHUDWXUHVZLQJVRIVSULQJLWLVLPSRUWDQWWR <br />NHHSWKHEURRGDUHDZLWKVXUURXQGLQJKRQH\LQWDFW <br />5HYHUVDOVDUHVLPSO\DV\VWHPRIURWDWLQJWKHSRVLWLRQRIER[HVZKLOHNHHSLQJ <br />the bees and brood as they are within the boxes. Reversals ensure the bees <br />have mostly empty combs above the cluster, into which they can expand as <br />WHPSHUDWXUHVLQFUHDVHDQGHDUO\SROOHQDQGQHFWDUEHFRPHDYDLODEOH+HUH¶V <br />DQDQDORJ\WKHEHHVDUHOLNHDQHOHYDWRUWKDWRQO\PRYHVXS(YHQWXDOO\\RX¶OO <br />QHHGWRPRYHWKHORZHUÀRRUVRIWKHEXLOGLQJRQWRSVRWKHHOHYDWRUZLOOKDYH <br />somewhere to go. <br />:KHQGR\RXGRUHYHUVDOV"5HYHUVDOVVKRXOGEHGRQHZKHQWKHERWWRPER[ HV  <br />EHORZWKHFOXVWHURIEHHVDUHQRWEHLQJXVHG EHHVW\SLFDOO\GRQ¶WPRYHGRZQ  <br />The timing depends solely on the placement and population of bees in the nest, <br />which will vary colony by colony, and year by year. Welcome to the vagaries of <br />EHHNHHSLQJ