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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-18-2021 Planning Commission Packet -O�VO Agenda Planning Commission Meeting October 18,2021, 6:00 P.M. yF G: Orono Council Chambers,2780 Kelley Parkway, Orono, MN 55356 t�KESHovh. 952-249-4600/www.ci.orono.mn.us Audience Members: Please sign in for the public record if you wish to address the Planning Commission. The sign in sheet is in the lobby. Memos regarding each of the Agenda items are available on the City website (www.ci.orono.mn.us) in Agendas Minutes & Videos and in the Public Packet—located in the lobby near the sign in sheet. Applicants will be asked to move to the lectern to answer questions after staff presents the application. The Planning Commission is an advisory body to the City Council. If action is taken on any items on this agenda, they will be scheduled for an upcoming City Council meeting. A quorum of the City Council may be in attendance of a Planning Commission meeting to hear comments made, though no action or deliberation of the Council will occur. Council Representative: Aaron Printup Pledge of Allegiance Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes: September 20, 2021 Public Hearings: 1. LA21-000065 City of Orono proposes a text amendment to City Code Chapter 78 -zoning regulations related to animal units. (Staff: Laura Oakden) 2. LA21-000067 City of Orono proposes a text amendment to Section 78-1379 regarding solar energy systems. (Staff: Jeremy Barnhart) Update on October 11, 2021 City Council meeting Adjourn Planning Commission Liaison to Monday, November 8, 2021 City Council meeting: Mark McCutcheon Sign up for email notifications at www.ci.orono.mn.us—follow links for Stay Connected & Email Notification MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono Planning Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Scott Kirchner,Commissioners Chris Bollis,Bob Erickson,Matt Gettman,Dennis Libby,Mark McCutcheon,and Jon Ressler. Representing Staff were Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart, City Planner Melanie Curtis,and City Planner Laura Oakden. Chair Kirchner called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Libby moved,Bollis seconded,to approve the Agenda.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. APPROVAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 16,2021 Gettman moved,Ressler seconded,to approve the minutes of the Orono Planning Commission meeting of August 16,2021 as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. LA21-000057 BOB ERICKSON,365 WESTLAKE STREET,PRELIMINARY PLAT Bob Erickson,Applicant,was present. Commissioner Erickson stepped down and excused himself for the item. Staff presented a summary packet of information.Barnhart noted Mr.Erickson is requesting Preliminary Plat approval to plat the vacated portions of Westlake Street and his lot at 365 Westlake.The plat will approve the provision of a drainage and utility easement and additional right-of-way for a cul-de-sac as required by the City Council when they vacated the portion of Westlake. The main issue outstanding is provision of an easement to enlarge the cul-de-sac at 372 Westlake; Staff suggested the portion Mr. Erickson controls on the west side,that the additional easement be provided to make a larger more conforming cul-de-sac. Staff recommends approval of the preliminary plat and notes that this is not a subdivision,they are not creating any more lots,there are no public improvements proposed,and Staff is recommending approval subject to the easement and Watershed District approval. Gettman asked if there was public benefit to doing this other than the access to the easement for public utilities;he thought they had talked about public access. Barnhart replied that was a Staff and Planning Commission recommendation and the City Council did not agree. They found there was adequate benefit to vacation with provision of the cul-de-sac and other concessions Mr. Erickson provided. Bollis asked regarding the cul-de-sac, could they move it over towards the side that is owned and not have an easement on Mr.Erickson's side. Barnhart replied that would be an option. Page 1 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. Bob Erickson, 372 Westlake Street, clarified he has discussed the additional easement for the cul-de-sac with Barnhart and expressed his reservations and since that time his reservations have grown. The 40-foot radius that exists now was determined in 1999 and it was agreed to with the explanation that with a standard 50-foot radius the outside 10 feet is typically used for either snow removal,storage, or parking. Mr.Erickson pointed out on the east side most of it is taken up by his driveway and his neighbor's driveway. They have done things based on that 1999 approval and have put fencing along the area, planted 3 arborvitae, and have a red maple which would all have to be removed if he gives away the extra 10 feet,which he has no plan to do. It is not a part of the application nor is it part of Mr.Erickson's personal plan.Another thing that seems redundant is the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District(MCWD) approval and he realizes it is standard for a lot of projects. However in looking at Exhibit C in the Staff report,Mr.Erickson initiated contact with the MCWD and explained the project and that he will be removing hardcover near the lake,and the MCWD sent a letter back stating that no permit is required. Bollis asked how Mr. Erickson would feel about adjusting the side he controls so they can get a conforming cul-de-sac in there. Mr.Erickson replied the west side has always been 50 feet and the existing portion in the middle,where the existing street is, is also 50 feet. Combining that with the 40 feet pre-existing,there is a total package that just barely shoehorns in to the flat area. If the whole thing was pushed further west they would have to cut into a rather steep hill to make room and put a significant retaining wall around it. He would prefer not to do that but use what he has submitted in his application. Kirchner opened the public hearing at 6:17 p.m. Linda Thrasher,356 Westlake Street,wants to reaffirm her approval of what Mr.Erickson is suggesting. She is a landowner on the street and has spent a lot of time with Mr. and Mrs.Erickson to understand what they are doing,noting they have been incredibly accommodating.The street could use some help and improvement and the Preliminary Plat works well for Mr.Erickson,but also for the neighbors. It is thoughtful,attractive, and will be an additive to the neighborhood. Kirchner closed the public hearing at 6:18 p.m. Libby noted he was in favor of this a year ago when they first reviewed it,he spent a considerable amount of time walking and inspecting the site. He was able to see firsthand how difficult it was for the maintenance truck to pull up to the facility, do the work, and turn around. He thinks the proposal by the Applicant is practical and will improve the safety and practical nature for the City in doing the maintenance there. He supports improvement. Ressler was in support of the vacation. Regarding the cul-de-sac,the City has seen applications and rigidity in the ability to approve conventional or conforming cul-de-sacs as defined by the City,and a hard line has been taking. Knowing that,he feels that will be the City Council's belief,as well.He would like to see the 40-foot radius amended because this is the chance to get it right. He respects Mr. Erickson's desire in keeping it at 40 feet,he also thinks the City Council would probably like to see it conforming. Based on that reason,he would like to see a 50 foot radius on the east and west sides. Bollis echoed Ressler's concerns. He thinks it would make more sense to have a conforming cul-de-sac created there and it needs to go farther to the west. He believes the main reason for vacating the roadway Page 2 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. was to have a conformingcul-de-sac for benefit to thepublic.Bollis would like to see it get as close to conforming as possible. Kirchner agrees regarding the cul-de-sac. He stated regarding the MCWD requirements, it would only be appropriate to include those as this project could take another 1-20 years to complete and regulations may change. Ressler moved,Libby seconded,to approve LA21-000057,365 Westlake Street,Preliminary Plat based on the contingencies of Staff recommendations to try and make the 50-foot radius of the cul- de-sac and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District approval. Barnhart has heard Commissioners talking about shifting the cul-de-sac and clarified Staff's recommendation is simply to add a 10-foot easement adjacent to parcel 10.He asked if the will of the Commission is rather than acquire that 10-foot easement,to shift it to the west? Ressler clarified his motion:he is not opposed to either.He feels they have been quite rigid about requirements for cul-de-sacs so however they get there is his motion. Kirchner agreed;however it gets there to get a conforming cul-de-sac overall. VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. 2. LA21-000061 ERIC VOGSTROM O/B/O WILLIAM AND SUSAN DUNKLEY 2709 WALTERS PORT LANE—PRELIMINARY PLAT(STAFF: JEREMY BARNHART) Eric Vogstrom,Applicant,was present. Staff presented a summary packet of information.Barnhart stated the Applicants are requesting Preliminary Plat approval to re-plat their lots and an outlot owned by the Dunldey's. The re-plat would allow for a cul-de-sac to allow access for the Dunkley's off of Pence Lane,and the cul-de-sac and re-plat would allow the removal of certain access restrictions imposed by the previous plat. Staff is recommending approval.All of the lots are conforming as to area,width, and hardcover,they are not creating any new lots but simply adjusting various boundary lines.They received one comment from an area resident who objects primarily to the notation on the plat that shows a concrete driveway as they feel it may be a bit misleading and be labeled"concrete"as it is part of Walters Port Lane. Staff included 2 conditions,the first to ensure the City Engineer approves the drainage plan and the second is in regards to landscaping between the two parallel driveways.He noted the driveways are not parallel until one gets well into the lot so it is probably appropriate to remove that as a condition. Eric Vogstrom,2710 Pence Lane,clarified the distance between the driveways is anywhere from 10-14 feet.He noted they spent a lot of time making this conforming,cleaned up a lot of lot lines,and he thinks it is a pretty good plan. Kirchner opened the public hearing at 6:34 p.m. Kirchner closed the public hearing at 6:34 p.m. Page 3 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. Ressler moved,Bollis seconded,to approve LA21-000061 Eric Vogstrom,2709 Walters Port Lane, Preliminary Plat as applied with Staff's recommendation and removing the provision of trees to buffer the parallel driveways.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. 3. LA21-000062 DON GAMBLE O/B/O KIM EDWARDS,TRUSTEE,2480 CARMAN STREET—ZONE CHANGE CONCEPT REVIEW(STAFF: JEREMY BARNHART) Don Gamble,Applicant,was present. Staff presented a summary packet of information. Barnhart noted the proposal involves policy change. The person representing the properties at 2474 and 2480 Carman Street is requesting feedback on a potential zoning change from a mix of LR-1C-1 and LR-1B to LR-1C.The main difference is in the LR- 1B district the minimum lot size is one acre and the minimum width is 140 feet.The Applicant is proposing LR-1C which allows a half-acre minimum lot size and a one-acre minimum width. If these properties are zoned LR-1 C,these parcels could be subdivided in creating 4 parcels. The hang-up for the City Council has been creating a non-conforming lot as part of a subdivision and historically the Council does not allow that and held firm with this project.The main change will be a new or additional lot and potentially 2414 Carman could also be subdivided. Barnhart clarified this is not formal approval or a public hearing but Staff is looking for some feedback. Kirchner understands that one lot with two zoning districts does not provide clarity.He also does not believe the resolution is to change these and make them into non-conforming lots as that does not better the situation. Barnhart said by rezoning this,all of the properties will be conforming. Kirchner's understanding is if they were to be subdivided they would then be non-conforming. Barnhart clarified in changing the zoning district to LR-1C or LR-IC-1,they could subdivide that into 4 pieces and they would be conforming.All properties are zoned residential. Ressler believes that is reasonable.Kirchner agreed. Gettman said in looking at public benefit,he does not see the public benefit to rezone all four parcels; it is already a tight lagoon and he does not see an advantage in putting two more houses there at the water access. The Commissioners discussed access points for the lots. Libby is comfortable with this and noted they would still have lots that are significantly bigger at one-half acre than neighboring lots in the area. Don Gamble, 10704 Water Lily Lane, Woodbury,Applicant,noted he grew up in Orono and his family home on Shoreline Drive just sold.He said this has been a slow-moving project and they are hung up on the front two houses having non-conforming lots and there is no way to take land from the back and give them an acre. He said the only way to get them conforming is to get the zoning conforming with the neighborhood. Casco Point is LR-1C-1 all the way around,and no one knows why there is a difference in zoning. To be contiguous and uniform,the LR-1C also makes those front lots conforming. He explained Page 4 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. in taking land from the north lots and adding those to the south lots,they ran into the problem in creating a shoreline that is not 140 feet wide. Gettman would not support it,noting just because other lots in the area have been given the privilege of subdividing does not justify these two additional lots for subdividing. The question is where do they stop...the next two lots,the next four lots should also be put down to half-acre.He would not support rezoning of these two lots or any other lots as it is already overcrowded,there is not easy access,and the easements already exist. Kirchner noted some Commissioners would support and others would not. McCutcheon noted it is a lot with mixed zoning and they should fix that. He is in support of it. Libby is also in support of it and does not share Gettman's concerns because there is such a limited quantity of lots,unless there were teardowns and combinations of lots. Erickson agrees with Libby. To his mind the best land-use policies are those which conform with geographic features and the waterway through the middle is one of those and would be a good choice for division of the two lots and for different zoning uses. Gettman asked to show the map of the area on screen.His main concern is the scope creep;he noted they have a problem with the ability to meet the zoning requirements at Casco Point and now they are expanding to the east with that same issue. He clarified that same zoning they are currently talking about is the very same zoning they are always having trouble with on Casco Point.His point is why would they continue down a bad path? Ressler respectfully said the issue on Casco is usually parking, streets, and hardcover rather than lot size. He thinks one-half acre is a reasonable lot size. Bollis agrees that Casco Point has a lot more non-conforming lots. He was concerned about this creeping to the east but with the geographical lagoon,he does not see the reason for changing that other area's zoning. Overall he would be in favor of changing the zoning. Kirchner clarified if it were to change to LR-1C it would mimic Casco Point's zoning at this time. 4. LA21-000051 ROBERT LINDEN CONSTRUCTION-ROBERT LINDEN, 1074 LOMA LINDA AVENUE,VARIANCES(STAFF: MELANIE CURTIS) Merrilee Lundquist,o/b/o John Lundquist,Applicant,was present. Staff presented a summary packet of information. Curtis stated the current home was constructed in approximately 1931. The property has been in the family of the current owner since 1951. The Applicant is proposing a project that will add a second story and rebuild the garage,attaching it to the home via a 141 square foot connecting addition on the main level.The existing home has two bedrooms and one bathroom, all on the 2nd floor. The Applicant is proposing to reconfigure the main level to accommodate a half bath and construct an additional bedroom/office and bathroom over the new garage to improve function and livability. The existing 11/2 story home is in a conforming location with respect to setbacks. The addition will result in the house itself becoming non-conforming with respect to the side and rear Page 5 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. setbacks so setback variances are needed.The current plan reflects reductions and alterations based on Staff guidance. Staff finds that the narrowness of the property and the location of the existing home limit improvement opportunities for expansions or improvements beyond the existing home footprint or envelope. Planning Staff recommends approval of the variances subject to the Applicant addressing stormwater runoff. Merrilee Lundquist, 975 Tonkawa, is present to speak for her son John Lundquist who inherited the house from his grandmother in 2009 and is out of town on business.Ms.Lundquist grew up in the home and noted the structure is solid but needs a lot of updating and improvement. They tried to find a place for another bedroom in the main house and it is not really possible. She thinks connecting the main house to the garage is a good project.Loma Linda Road is 50-foot lots and the basic face of the road is all garage and she thinks it is important to update the street-side. Ms. Lundquist noted the neighbors welcome the updating of the house and that the house is too small for her son to possibly raise a family there. Gettman asked in talking with neighbors across the street,especially the one with a deck that overlooks the house,what have they said about adding a second story to the garage. Ms. Lundquist replied the homes were mostly cottages and have been redone. She has spoken to those neighbors and they both signed off as she explained and answered their questions. Gettman asked what if everyone in the neighborhood put on a two-story garage, does Ms. Lundquist think that would change the character of the neighborhood at all? Ms. Lundquist noted the one next door is torn down, and there are three houses on the street that having living space over a garage. Robert Linden, 4356 5th Street NE, Columbia Heights, will be the builder and said it is a 1'/2 story and everything will be hand-framed. They are preserving access to the well, and he explained the proposed additions including 2.5 feet of kitchen space and a stairwell. Kirchner opened the public hearing at 7:24 p.m. Oliver White, 1040 Loma Linda Avenue, is about 2-3 houses north and he and his wife support the Applicant's proposal. Kirchner closed the public hearing at 7:25 p.m. Ressler was deliberating on adding more structure so close to the property line.As far as what is requested to be built,it seems that it fits the spirit of the neighborhood and he is okay with the application. Bollis thinks it is well thought-out and appreciates the play to reduce the massing. He likes the intent and sees the difficulty here. Gettman also supports it and noted the issue is the neighbor to the west. He noted the entire area is getting revamped and there is already no visibility of the lake from those folks;he said a story-and-a-half really does not change the appearance from the street and he is in favor. Page 6 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday, September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. Ressler moved,Gettman seconded,to approve LA21-000051 Robert Linden Construction-Robert Linden, 1074 Loma Linda Avenue,Variances as Applied.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. 5. LA21-000059 ALLISON CELMS AND OLIVER WHITE, 1040 LOMA LINDA AVENUE, VARIANCE(STAFF: LAURA OAKDEN) Allison and Oliver White,Applicants,were present. Staff presented a summary packet of information. Oakden stated the Applicants are requesting lot area, lot width,and average lakeshore setback variances in order to redevelop the property.A home on the property was recently demolished, and was situated lakeward of the average lakeshore setback line(ALS,shown in red on screen)which,based on the location of the two adjacent neighbors,cuts through the subject lot at an angle,establishing a setback between 116 feet and 155 feet from the lake.The home was located 68' from the ALS and the neighbor to the north is significantly further from the lake due to the flag-shaped lot and the proposed home will be in conformance with the 75 foot lake yard setback. Staff finds the orientation of the setback line resulting from the extreme setback of the northern neighboring home,the unique configuration of the northern neighboring lot,and the existing lot's substandard size there are practical difficulties supporting granting the requested variances for the new home. The Applicant provided a letter of support from the northerly neighbor. Staff recommends approval of the variances as requested. Ressler clarified they are improving the ALS from 68 feet to 71 feet? Oakden replied the proposed house will meet the 75 foot setback. Allison and Oliver White, 1040 Loma Linda Avenue,noted they had a lot of discussion with the neighbor to the northwest, and the neighbor expressed their support. In pulling the house back the neighbor to the south was also happy with the plan because it gives privacy to both neighbors. Kirchner opened the public hearing at 7:35 p.m. Kirchner closed the public hearing at 7:35 p.m. Kirchner appreciates that they are behind the 75 foot setback;the lot is non-conforming as is so he is not too concerned with the variances.He believes the practical difficulty has been expressed regarding the ALS. He is fully supportive of the application. Ressler echoed exactly what Kirchner said. Libby noted the previous nonconforming house has already been demolished. He commented that the in- kind building envelope has passed and we need to always protect the average lakeshore setback. Erickson also appreciates the 75 foot setback being respected. Gettman moved,Bollis seconded,to approve LA21-000059, 1040 Loma Linda Avenue,Variance as Applied.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0,Abstain 1. Commissioner Libby abstained. Page 7 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION Monday,September 20,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. 6. LA21-000060 TIM JOHNSON OB/O SPRING HILL GOLF CLUB,725 SIXTH AVENUE NORTH CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT(STAFF: MELANIE CURTIS). Tim Johnson,Applicant,was present. Staff presented a summary packet of information.Curtis noted Tim Johnson is representing Spring Hill Golf Club and The Applicant is requesting a conditional use permit(CUP)approval to conduct three separate construction projects on the existing golf course property. In the RR-1B zoning district, golf courses are a conditional use;reasonable conditions may be applied as appropriate to mitigate undesirable elements of the use. They are planning an expansion of the clubhouse patio on the west side, a rest house, and a cold storage building. The Applicant is removing three buildings totaling 3,200 square feet and approximately 1,600 square feet of asphalt.An adjacent property owner commented on the cold storage building and those questions were posed to the Applicant and have been incorporated into the comments. Staff recommends approval of the CUP in order to proceed with the projects as proposed. Compliance with the MCWD rules should be a condition of approval. Tim Johnson,o/b/o the Golf Club,stated the patio extension is to make greater distance between tables and will be reducing the amount of seats,and there will not be additional lighting out there.The Wells House or comfort station is currently self-serve and will still be maintained,however they are trying to enclose those bathrooms.The cold storage building will replace a few older buildings which will hopefully come down. Kirchner opened the public hearing at 7:51 p.m. Kirchner closed the public hearing at 7:51 p.m. Kirchner thinks this would continue to add value to the community and to the course.He is supportive. Ressler moved,Libby seconded,to approve LA21-000060 Spring Hill Golf Club,Conditional Use Permit as Applied.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. ADJOURNMENT Gettman moved,Erickson seconded,to adjourn the Planning Commission Meeting.VOTE: Ayes 7, Nays 0. The Orono Planning Commission meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m. ATTEST: O Scott Kirchner,Chair Page 8 of 8 i To: Chair Kirchner and Planning Commission Members \VOA/ Adam Edwards, City Administrator From: Laura Oakden y >, Date: October 18, 2021 F`4ktsHOi�C Subject: #LA21-000065,City of Orono,Text Amendment related Animal Units, Public Hearing Application Summary: The City if proposing a text amendment the definition for animal units to include up to 6 honey bee hives per animal unit. Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends approval as drafted. Background Home based bee keeping operations are becoming more and more popular, and staff is fielding more and more requests for regulations. The City of Orono regulates honeybees as farm animals. Farm animals are permitted in the rural districts (RR-1A and RR-1B)as an accessory use. They require a conditional use permit in the lakeshore districts (LR-1A, LR-1B, and LR-C). Farm Animals, other than horses, require a minimum 2 acres of land. The number of farm animals allowed is based on animal units and number of acres on a property. The animal units for Honey Bees has not been established. • For Example:A 4 acre property in the RR-1B District would dedicate 1 acre for the dwelling and one acre for each animal unit. So this property would be allowed 3 animal units. (Exhibit B) Research (Exhibit C): Animal units are typically based, in part, on the weight of the animal. Obviously, bees are not going to be regulated individually. Research from University of Minnesota suggests maintaining 2 hives for a health bee colonies. The Bee Squad from the University of Minnesota conducted a survey from 2020 which found out of the 272 responders majority(66%)currently have 1-5 colonies. A review from the Bee Squad information and some additional research of bee ordinances found most cities that allow bees allow 1-6 hives for the keeping of honey bees in residential area. In 2021 the council reviewed and approved a CUP (LA21-000019)for the keeping of bees in a lakeshore district. All conditions for the project were met. Since the code does not identify number of hives allowed the applicant suggested 4-6 hives for their 2 acre property. The Council granted the CUP and limited the property to 6 hives. (Exhibit D) Review Based on the information above, staff recommends 6 honey bee hives equals 1 animal unit. It should be noted that this regulation will only apply to'domesticated bee hives" Bee hives occurring in nature would not be regulated, nor would they be required to be removed. Planning Staff Recommendation Planning Staff recommends amending the definition of Animal units to include 6 honey bee hives • as 1 animal unit. LA21-000065 October 18,2021 Page 2 of 2 • List of Exhibits Exhibit A. Draft Amendment Exhibit B. City Code 78-419,RR-1B Accessory Uses, Keeping of Farm Animals Exhibit C. University of Minnesota Research Exhibit D. LA21-000019, Resolution 7185 III i Sec. 78-1. Definitions. The following words,terms and phrases,when used in this chapter,shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section,except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning. Unless specifically defined in this section,the words and phrases used in this chapter shall have the meanings given to them in chapter 82. Accessory use, building,or structure means a use, building, or structure subordinate to and serving the principal use or building on the same lot and customarily incidental to the principal use or building. Agriculture means the utilization of land by raising plants,trees or shrubs or the raising of domestic animals or fowl,or both,for the purpose of selling to secure a profit. Airport and heliport mean any land,water or structure which is used or intended for use for the landing or takeoff of aircraft,and any appurtenant land structure used or intended for use for port buildings or other port structures or right-of-way. Alley means a public right-of-way which affords a secondary means of access to abutting property. Amusement center means a business at one location devoted primarily to the operation of amusement machines as described below and open for public use and participation;or locations with four or more amusements machines and open for public use and participation. Amusement machine means a mechanical amusement device of any of the following types: (1) A machine or electronic contrivance, including"pinball" machines, mechanical miniature pool tables, bowling machines,shuffle boards,electric rifle or gun ranges, miniature mechanical and electronic devices and games or amusements patterned after baseball, basketball, hockey or similar games and like devices, machines or games which may be played solely for amusement and not as a gambling • device and which devices or games are played by the insertion of a coin or coins or at a fee fixed and charged by the establishment in which such devices or machines are located,and which contain no automatic payoff devices for the return of money, coins, merchandise, checks,tokens or any other thing or item of value; provided,however,that such machine may be equipped to dispense nominal prizes,such as candy or toys,or coupons or tokens redeemable for such prizes.The term does not include coin-operated music machines. (2) Amusement devices designed for and used exclusively as rides by children,such as,but not limited to, kiddie cars, miniature airplane rides, mechanical horses and other miniature mechanical devices, not operated as a part of or in connection with any carnival,circus,show,or other entertainment or exhibition. Animal unit means,for one animal unit equivalency,one cow or steer;one horse,donkey,alpaca, or llama; two pigs,three sheep or goats;or 25 fowl; or six honeybee hives of standard size. Antenna means any of the following uses,which require an antenna and are subject to the regulations of this chapter: (1) Antenna, personal wireless service, means a device consisting of a metal,carbon fiber, or other electromagnetically conductive rods or elements, usually arranged in a circular array on a single supporting pole or other structure, and used for the transmission and reception of wireless communication radio waves, including cellular, personal communication service(PCS),enhanced specialized mobilized radio(ESMR), paging and similar services, including the support structure. (2) Antenna, radio and television receiving, means a wire,set of wires, metal or carbon fiber elements, other than satellite dish antennas, used to receive radio,television or electromagnetic waves, including the supporting structure. Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 1 of 10 (3) Antenna,satellite dish,means a device incorporating a reflective surface that is solid,open mesh or bar configured and is in the shape of a shallow dish,cone, horn or cornucopia.Such device is used to transmit and/or receive radio or electromagnetic waves between terrestrially and/or orbitally based uses.This definition shall include but is not limited to what are commonly referred to as satellite earth stations,TVROs(television,receive only)and satellite microwave antennas and their support structures. (4) Antenna,shortwave radio transmitting and receiving, means a wire,set of wires or a device,consisting of a metal,carbon fiber,or other electromagnetically conductive element used for the transmission and reception of radio waves used for shortwave radio communications,including the supporting structure. Antenna support structure means any building or other structure other than a tower which can be used for location of antennas. Antenna tower means a self-supporting lattice,guyed or monopole structure constructed from grade which supports personal wireless service antennas. Auto reduction yard means a lot or yard where two or more licensed motor vehicles or their remains are kept for the purpose of dismantling,sale of parts,sale as scrap,storage,or abandonment. Automobile repair,major, means general repair,rebuilding of trailers,including body work,framework and major painting service. Automobile repair,minor, means the replacement of any part or repair of any part which does not require the removal of the engine head or pin,engine,transmission or differential;incidental body and fender work;and minor painting and upholstering service when such service is applied to passenger automobiles and trucks not in excess of 7,000 pounds gross rating. Barber shops and beauty shops means a commercial establishment offering cosmetology services which may • include hair cutting,coloring,or styling,make-up application or consultation,manicures,and pedicures,and/or which may offer therapeutic massage and body and/or facial treatments such as body packs or wraps,exfoliation, cellulite or heat treatments,body toning,waxing,tanning,aromatherapy,cleansing or medical facials, non-surgical face lifts and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures,electrical toning and electrolysis. Hydrotherapy and steam or sauna facilities, nutrition and weight management,and exercise instruction may be provided in conjunction with such therapeutic massage and body and/or facial treatments. Boardinghouse means a building other than a motel or hotel where,for compensation and by prearrangement for definite periods,meals or lodgings are provided for three or more persons,but not to exceed eight persons. Building means any structure having a roof which may provide shelter or enclosure of persons,animals or chattel;and when the structure is divided by party walls without opening,each portion of such building so separated shall be deemed a separate building. Building footprint means the outline of the total area covered by a building's perimeter at the ground level (to the block/foundation). (1) Carports,covered porches and other similar building features which have no exterior walls shall be included as part of a building footprint by drawing a straight line between the outer edges of all support structures(and the main building if applicable). (2) The outer edge of building protrusions,bay windows or other similar features that extend outward from a building and are less than four feet from the ground shall be considered as part of the building footprint. Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] • (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 2 of 10 • Building height means the vertical distance between the highest existing ground level or ten feet above the lowest ground level,whichever is lower,and the top of the cornice of a flat roof,or the deck line of a mansard roof,or the uppermost point on a round or other arch-type roof,or the median height of the highest gable of a pitched or hipped roof.Topographic changes which elevate the adjoining ground level above the existing terrain shall not be considered in determining building height. Bulk station means distributors'warehouses for materials which are stored in tanks above ground in aggregate capacity on the site of 6,000 gallons or more. Camp means a parcel of land with permanent buildings,tents or other structures together with appurtenances thereon,established or maintained as living quarters where both food and lodging or facilities therefore are provided for ten or more people,operated continuously for a period of five days or more each year for educational, recreational, or vacation purposes,and the use of the camp or participation in its programs are provided to adults and/or children free of charge or for payment of a fee.This definition does not include cabin and trailers camps,fishing and hunting camps, resorts, penal and correctional camps, industrial and construction camps, nor does it include homes operated for care or treatment of children and for the operation of which a license is required by state law or structures used as a dwelling. Carport means an automobile shelter having one or more sides open. Cellar means that portion of the building having more than half of the floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. City means the City of Orono, Minnesota. Clean fill means all native soils as described in the Unified Soils Classification System.Organic, manmade and reprocessed materials,topsoil and rocks larger than 0.25 cubic yard (2.9 feet diameter)shall not be considered clean fill. • Clinic for human care on an outpatient basis only means a place where a group of licensed medical practitioners provide medical treatment or advice on an outpatient only basis. Columbarium means a repository for the interment of cremated human remains within cinerary urns, including the burial of cremated human remains within cinerary urns or inurnment gardens for the burial or scattering of cremated human remains.Columbaria are accessory to places of worship, cemeteries or mausoleums. Commercial kennel means any premises where three or more domestic animals over six months of age are owned, boarded, bred or offered for sale. Commercial operations means operations where business is conducted by the sale or exchange of goods and/or services on the site for money or other valuable consideration. Commercial recreation means indoor amusement centers, bowling alleys, billiard halls, miniature golf, roller and ice skating rinks, driving ranges, movie theaters,gyms,swimming pools,and sports and health facilities. No commercial recreation use shall take place outside of an enclosed building.An air-supported structure shall not be considered a building for purposes of this section.As used in this ordinance,commercial recreation does not include an adult use defined in section 78-1377b.,any use involving the discharge of a firearm,a class II restaurant that provides live entertainment,or any permitted or conditional use in the B-2 district. Commission means the planning commission. Cornice means any horizontal decorative molding that crowns a building or wall. County dock means a dock owned and operated by Hennepin County for the sole purpose of facilitating lake to ground transportation of patrons in emergency or law enforcement situations. • Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp. No.19,Update 4) Page 3 of 10 Dog boarding means indoor overnight boarding services for more than three dogs aged greater than six • months. Dog daycare means indoor daycare services for more than three dogs aged greater than six months. Dog grooming means a premises where pet grooming services such as bathing,teeth cleaning, haircuts,and nail polishing and trimming are provided. Dry buildable means that portion of the lot not encumbered by the waters of a duly recorded lake or river, wetlands, bluffs, or slopes steeper than 30 percent. Dwelling means a building or part of a building containing independent living,sleeping, housekeeping accommodations, and sanitary facilities for occupancy by one family, intended to be occupied exclusively for residence purposes, but not including rooms in motels, hotels, nursing homes, boardinghouses, nor trailers,tents, cabins or trailer coaches.A dwelling shall not be interpreted to include lodging rooms. Dwelling, attached, means a dwelling which is joined to another dwelling at one or more sides by a party wall or walls. Dwelling,detached, means a dwelling which is entirely surrounded by open space on the same lot. Engineered grade means the elevation of the ground,or any paving or sidewalk built upon it,which has been established on the basis of an engineered grading and drainage plan for the property that has been reviewed and approved by the city for the property. Essential services means the erection, construction,alteration, or maintenance of underground or overhead gas, electrical,steam, or water transmission or distribution systems,collection,communication,supply or disposal systems by public utilities, municipal or other governmental agencies, but not including buildings. Existing ground level means the elevation of the grade at the base of an existing structure, measured at points abutting the foundation wall,or the natural grade of a vacant lot or the engineered grade established by an111 approved grading plan at the time of final platting For conditional use permit. Family means any number of individuals generally, but not necessarily, related by blood or marriage, living together at one location maintaining a common household as a single, nonprofit housekeeping unit,as distinguished from a group occupying a boardinghouse or rooming house,hotel or motel. Family dwelling, multiple, means any structure made up of two or more attached dwellings. Farm animals means cattle, horses, mules,sheep,goats, llamas,alpacas,swine, ponies,ducks,geese, turkeys, chickens,guinea hens and honeybees. Garage,private, means a detached accessory building or portion of the principal building,including a carport, which is used for storing passenger vehicles,and trailers. Guest apartment means a room or a set of rooms within a principal residence structure for the sole use of the occupants of the principal residence,including their domestic employees or their nonpaying guests,with at least one access door to the apartment from within the principal structure,such door being the primary access to the apartment. Guest house means adwelling unit in a detached accessory building constructed on an existing undivided lot for the sole use of the occupants,including their domestic employees or their nonpaying guests,of the primary dwelling. For the purposes of this chapter,a guest house is considered a dwelling unit if it meets all of the requirements of a dwelling unit outlined in the Minnesota State Building Code, as amended from time to time. These requirements include complete independent living facilities with permanent provisions for living,sleeping, eating,cooking,and sanitation. Hardcover means a hard surface that prevents or retards entry of water into the soil and causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities and at an increased rate of flow than prior to development. Hardcover shall Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] • (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 4 of 10 • include but not be limited to the following:all building footprints, driveways,sidewalks,stepping stones, retaining walls, patios,courts(sport,tennis,etc.),decks,pools, areas used for the extended outdoor storage of vehicles or equipment, and all other similar features or surfaces as determined by the city engineer or city planner. Home occupation means any gainful occupation carried out by the occupant of a residential dwelling unit that occurs within the principal or accessory building on the property and does not change the primary residential use of the property. Level 1 and level 2 home occupations shall be as defined in [section] 78-1376. Hotel means a building containing eight or more guest rooms in which lodging is provided with or without meals for compensation and which is open to transient or permanent guests or both, and where no provision is made for cooking in any guest room,and in which ingress and egress to and from all rooms is made through an inside lobby or office supervised by a person in charge. In-kind,when used in the context of replacement of a non-conforming building or structure, means the replacement of a building or structure completely within the limits(location, height,width,and depth)of the previous building or structure. Junkyard means an area where used,waste, discarded or salvaged materials are bought,sold,exchanged, stored, baled, cleaned, packed, disassembled or handled, including but not limited to scrap iron and other metals, paper, rags, rubber products, bottles and lumber.Storage of such material in conjunction with a permitted manufacturing process when within an enclosed area or building shall not be included. Library,public, means a library operated by Hennepin County;or a nonprofit library intended for use by the general public. Lot area means the area of a lot in a horizontal plane bounded by the lot lines, but not including any area occupied by the waters of a duly recorded lake or river or wetland or area which has been dedicated as public right-of-way. Lot back, means a lot typically separated from a public or private road by another lot and which gains access to the public or private road via a narrow corridor.Such a separated lot is considered to be a back lot when the corridor is platted as an outlot.A separated lot is considered to be a flag lot when the corridor is platted as part of the lot.When the corridor is merely an easement over another lot,the separated lot is considered to be an easement back lot. Lot, corner, means a lot situated at the junction of, and abutting on,two or more intersecting streets,or a lot at the point of deflection in alignment of a continuous street,the interior angle of which does not exceed 135 degrees. Lot coverage means the total square footage of all building footprints and structures on a parcel. Lot depth means the mean horizontal distance between the front lot line and the rear lot line of a lot. Lot,front, means a lot abutting a public or private road,across which an outlot has been platted for access to a back lot. Lot,interior, means a lot other than a corner lot. Lot line means the property line bounding a lot;except that where any portion of a lot extends into the public right-of-way or a proposed public right-of-way,the line of such public right-of-way shall be the lot line. Lot line,front, means that boundary of a lot which abuts an existing or dedicated public or private street,and in the case of a corner lot it shall be the shortest dimension on a public or private street. If the dimensions of a corner lot are equal,the front lot line shall be designated by the owner and filed in the office of the building inspector. Lot line, rear, means that boundary of a lot which is opposite the front lot line. If the rear lot line is less than ten feet in length,or if the lot forms a point at the rear,the rear lot line shall be a line ten feet in length within the SCreated: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp. No.19,Update 4) Page 5 of 10 lot, parallel to and at the maximum distance from the front lot line.On a lakeshore lot,the rear lot line is the lot • line that is opposite the natural ordinary high water mark at the lakeshore. Lot line,side, means any boundary of a lot which is not a front lot line or a rear lot line. Lot, lot of record, means any lot for which a deed or registered land survey has been recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds or the Registrar of Titles for Hennepin County prior to January 1, 1975,and after approval by the council if required. Lot, through, means a lot which has a pair of opposite lot lines abutting two substantially parallel streets,and which is not a corner lot.On a through lot, both street lines shall be front lot lines for applying this chapter. Lot width means the horizontal distance between side lot lines measured at the following locations: (1) For lots which do not abut a lake or tributary,at the rear of the required front yard, measured parallel to the front lot line. (2) For lots which abut a lake or tributary,at the shoreline measured in a straight line between the points at which the side lot lines intersect the OHWL,and at the required structure setback from the OHWL, measured in a straight line between the points of intersection of the side lot lines with the structure setback line. Mobile home means any type of structure or vehicle which can be readily adapted to or does provide facilities for a person to eat or sleep which is mounted on wheels, has provisions for wheels,or may be loaded on an ordinary flatbed truck,such as a house trailer,converted bus or truck,tent or small building. Motor court,motor hotel, and motel mean a building or group of buildings other than a hotel used primarily as a temporary residence. Motor freight terminal means a building or area in which freight brought by motor truck or railroad is transferred and/or stored for movement in intrastate shipment by motor truck. Municipal buildings or facilities means only those structures owned and operated by the city. Natural grade means the elevation of the ground surface in its natural state, prior to excavation or filling. (used for[section] 78-1379 Alternative energy systems) Nonconforming structure means any structure legally existing upon January 1, 1975,which would not conform to the applicable regulations if the structure were to be erected under the provisions of this chapter. Nonconforming use means use of land, buildings or structures legally existing on January 1, 1975,which does not comply with all the regulations of this chapter or any amendments to it governing the zoning district in which such use is located. Noxious matter or materials means material capable of causing injury to living organisms by chemical reaction,or is capable of causing detrimental effects on the physical or economic well-being of individuals. Nursery, day, means a use where care is provided for pay for three or more children under kindergarten age for periods of four hours or more per day. Office means a commercial land use involving predominantly administrative,clerical, or professional operations.Commercial offices may include professional administrative training, but shall not include direct retail commercial transaction activities. Office—Showroom means a commercial land use that is comprised of offices and other indoor floor area in which large or bulk goods are both on display and being warehoused in the same space. Examples of such uses commonly include furniture, building materials,or other similar uses.Characteristics of such uses include a lack of other on-site warehousing.Office—Showroom shall not include direct,on-site retail transactions to the end consumer. Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] • (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 6 of 10 • Office—Warehouse means a commercial land use that is comprised of offices and other indoor space in which materials and equipment are being stored for shipping to other locations for eventual resale or use.Office— Warehouse does not include on-site retail transactions or display. Open sales lot means land devoted to the display of goods for sale, rent, lease or trade where such goods are not enclosed within a building. Outdoor storage means the keeping of materials or equipment on a parcel of land for the purpose of transporting, using or employing such materials or equipment at a future date at another location, either on-or off-site.The keeping of motorized vehicles for more than 24 hours,or other equipment that is not capable of self- powered movement(such as trailers),shall be included in this definition. Parking means the keeping of passenger automobiles and light trucks for a temporary period(usually less than 24 hours)in a space designated and improved for such use according to the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Parking does not include storage. Pasture means open, non-treed land containing vegetation which can support grazing by horses,cattle or other domestic animals.Calculations of minimum pasture acreage for the keeping of farm animals shall not include any land defined as a wetland or wetland buffer under section 78-1602. Performance standards means criteria established to control noise,odor,toxic or noxious matter,vibration, fire and explosive hazards,or glare or heat generated by or inherent in uses of land or buildings. Permeable lining(landscaping fabric)means a porous material used for weed prevention that allows storm water to permeate into the ground. Pervious paver means concrete,asphalt or similar blocks with holes of some kind that allow water to go through the surface into a specialized aggregate base—consistent of an open-graded aggregate—and into the soils below. • Pervious surface means naturally occurring groundcover or a variety of types of pavement,pavers and other devices that provide stormwater infiltration while serving as a structural surface. Place of worship means a building or space that is principally used as a place where people of the same faith or religion regularly assemble for worship. Place of worship does not include community education or art centers, schools, instructional centers,daycare facilities,family day shelters,conservatories, convention centers, libraries, museums, residential dwellings, recreational and entertainment facilities,theaters or social service distribution facilities. Public service structures means underground or overhead gas,electrical,steam or water transmission or distribution systems,collection,communication,supply or disposal systems,including poles,wires, mains, drains, sewers, pipes, conduits, cables,fire alarm boxes,traffic signals, hydrants or other similar equipment and accessories, but not including buildings or major structures located above ground level. Personal wireless services and commercial broadcasting antennas and towers shall not be considered public service structures. Restaurants(class I)means a restaurant in which food is served to the customer and consumed by him while seated at a counter or table,and the restaurant does not serve intoxicating liquor or provide live entertainment. Food is selected by a customer while going through a serving line and taken to a table for consumption. Restaurants(class II)means fast food convenience, drive-in and liquor service restaurants; a restaurant where a majority of customers order and are served their food at a counter in packages prepared to leave the premises,or to be taken to a table, counter, automobile or off the premises to be consumed;or a drive-in where most customers consume their food in an automobile regardless of how it is served;or restaurants which serve intoxicating liquor or have live entertainment. Retaining wall means a wall or similar structure designed and constructed to hold back and prevent lateral movement of earth or other landscaping materials. Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp. No.19,Update 4) Page 7 of 10 Riding academy means a building,structure or other facility which is used for the instruction and training in • the care and handling of horses,mules,donkeys or ponies for a fee or other valuable consideration. Shelter,fallout or blast,means a structure or portion of a structure intended to provide protection to human life during periods of danger to human life from nuclear fallout,blasts,air raids,storms or other emergencies. Sign means any written announcement,declaration,demonstration,display, illustration,insignia or illumination used to advertise or promote the interest of any person when displayed or placed outside in view of the general public,and shall include every detached sign. Sign, advertising(billboard), means a sign which directs attention to a business,community service or entertainment not exclusively related to the premises where such sign is located or to which it is affixed. Sign, business, means a sign which directs attention to a business or profession conducted or to a commodity,service or entertainment sold or offered on the premises on which such sign is located or to which it is affixed. Sign, business, temporary, means a sign permitted for a limited period of time used to advertise or promote the interests of a single-or multi-use commercial or industrial use.A temporary sign may be attached to a principal structure or detached.Such signage shall include mobile/message board signs,banners and balloons that meet all applicable federal and state standards. Sign,flashing, means an illuminated sign on which the artificial light is not maintained stationary or constant in intensity and color at all times in which such sign is in use. Sign,gross area of, means the area within the frame,which shall be used to calculate the square feet;except that the width of the frame exceeding 12 inches shall constitute advertising space;or should such letters or graphics be mounted directly on a wall or fascia or in any such way as to be without a frame,the dimensions for calculating the square footage shall be the area extended six inches beyond the periphery formed around such letters or graphics bounded by straight lines connecting the outermost points;and each surface utilized to display a message or to attract attention shall be measured as a separate sign. Sign, illuminated, means any sign which has characters,letters,figures,designs or outline illuminated by electric lights or luminous tubes as a part of the sign proper. Sign,nameplate, means any sign which states the name or address or both of the business or occupant of the lot where the sign is placed or may be a directory listing the names,addresses and business of occupants. Sports and health facility means a facility where members or nonmembers pay a fee to use equipment or space for the purpose of physical exercise or training.A sports and health facility may include aerobics,weight training,muscular exercise programs,yoga, Pilates,court games,jogging,or other similar activities. It may provide as an accessory use personal services to patrons,including but not limited to therapeutic massage,tanning, saunas,and whirlpools. Stable or barn,private, means a building or structure used or intended to be used for the keeping of hoofed animals belonging to the occupant of the property,and kept for noncommercial purposes. Stable or barn,public, means a building or structure used or intended to be used for housing of horses, mules,donkeys or ponies which are owned by those other than the occupant of the property,where animals may be rented for a fee for riding purposes or where riding lessons may be provided. Stock farm means a parcel of land comprising an area of ten acres or more that is used to house and feed any number of farm animals when such farm animals are kept for profit. Stockpiling means on-site storage of ten cubic yards or more of soil and/or aggregate in a concentrated state where the material is intended to be distributed throughout the site or exported from the site. Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp. No.19,Update 4) Page 8 of 10 • Street means a dedicated public right-of-way not less than 50 feet in width which affords a primary means of access to abutting property. Street or road,private, means any private way set aside as a permanent right-of-way for vehicular access 50 feet or more in width. Structure means anything which is built,constructed or erected,an edifice or building of any kind,or any piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts joined together in some definite manner,which requires a location on, below or above the ground, land or water,or attached to something having a location on the ground, land or water. Study and research center means one or more structures,together with the land used in connection therewith,whether contiguous or standing separately, including any building used as a temporary or permanent residence,or a park, nature or playground area,owned or operated by one or more nonprofit charitable,scientific or educational organizations,and used primarily as a center for study, learning, research or educational oriented conferences. Use means the purpose or activity for which the land or building is designated, arranged or intended,or for which it is occupied, utilized or maintained,and shall include the performance of such activity as defined by the performance standards of this chapter. Use, conditional, means those occupations,vocations,skills, arts, businesses, professions or uses specifically designated in each zoning use district which,for their respective conduct, exercise or performance in such designated use districts, may require reasonable but special, peculiar, unusual or extraordinary limitations, facilities, or regulations in such use district for the promotion or preservation of the general public welfare, health, convenience or safety in such use and in the city and,therefore, may be permitted in such use district only by a conditional use permit,which is designed to meet the problem that arises where certain uses, although generally compatible with the basic use classification of a particular zone,should not be permitted to be located as a matter • of right in every area included within the zone because of hazards inherent in the use itself or special problems which its proposed location may represent. Use,permitted, means a use which may be lawfully established in a particular district, provided it conforms with all requirements, regulations and performance standards(if any)of such districts. Use,principal, means the main use of land or buildings as distinguished from subordinate or accessory uses. A principal use may be either permitted or conditional. Use,secondary, means a use of land or of a building or a portion which is subordinate to and does not constitute the primary use of the land or building. Wholesale greenhouse means an area,building or structure used for the storage,cultivation or transplantation of live trees,shrubs or plants that are not offered for retail sales on the premises. Yard means a required open space on a lot,which is unoccupied and unobstructed by a structure from its lowest ground level to the sky except as expressly permitted in this chapter.A yard shall extend along a lot line and at right angles to such lot line to a depth or width specified in the yard regulations for the district in which such lot is located. Yard,front, means a yard extending across the front of a lot between the side yard lines and lying between the front street line of the lot and the required front yard setback line,which front yard shall be provided on both street frontages of corner lots and double-frontage lots.A lakeshore lot shall not be considered as having a front yard, but rather shall be considered as having a lakeshore yard on one side of the building and a rear yard on the other side of the building. Yard, lakeshore means a yard lying between the natural ordinary high water mark of a public water and a line parallel to it at the Shore Setback. • Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 9 of 10 Yard, rear, means a yard lying between the required rear yard setback line and rear line of the lot,for the full width of the lot. On a lakeshore lot,the rear yard shall be the yard which fronts on the street lying between the street line of the lot and the required rear yard setback line. Yard requirements means those requirements which relate exclusively to the size of yard areas when such are required within specific zoning districts. Yard,side, means a yard extending along the side lot line between the front and rear yards, having a width as specified in the yard regulations for the district in which such lot is located. Yard,side street, means a side yard abutting a side street. (Code 1984, §10.02; Ord. No.94 2nd series, §1,5-13-1991; Ord. No.97 2nd series, §1,8-26-1991; Ord. No. 101 2nd series, §2,2-24-1992; Ord. No. 122 2nd series, §1, 12-13-1993; Ord. No. 161 2nd series, §1,6-7-1997; Ord. No. 221 2nd series, §2,9-23-2002;Ord. No. 18 3rd series, §§1,2,9-27-2004; Ord. No.28 3rd series, §2,8-22- 2005; Ord. No. 32 3rd series,§1,3-27-2006; Ord. No.37 3rd series,§§1,2,2-12-2007; Ord. No.47 3rd series,§1, 7-28-2008; Ord. No. 52 3rd series,§ 1, 11-24-2008; Ord. No. 68 3rd series, §3, 2-8-2010; Ord. No.75 3rd series, § 2, 7-12-2010;Ord. No.79 3rd series, § 1, 11-8-2010; Ord. No. 82 3rd series, §1, 12-13-2010;Ord. No.90 3rd series, §1, 12-12-2011;Ord. No.94 3rd series,§1,9-24-2012; Ord. No. 100 3rd series, §9,2-25-2013;Ord. No. 106 3rd series, §26,6-10-2013; Ord. No. 139 3rd series, §2,2-23-2015;Ord. No. 150 3rd series, §1,6-8-2015; Ord. No. 156 3rd series, §1,8-10-2015; Ord. No. 160 3rd series, § 1, 11-9-2015;Ord. No. 167 3rd series, §1,4-11-2016;Ord. No. 170 3rd series, §1,6-13-2016;Ord. No. 173 3rd series, § 1,6-27-2016; Ord. No. 206 3rd series, §1,5-14-2018;Ord. No. 222 3rd series, §1, 12-10-2018; Ord. No. 243 3rd series, §1,4-13-2020;Ord. No. 254 3rd series, §1,2-8-2021; Ord. No.257 3rd series, § 1,5-10-2021) Cross reference(s)-Definitions generally, § 1-2. S Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:55 [EST] 101 (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 10 of 10 LA21-000065 Exhibit B • Sec. 78-419.Accessory uses. Within any RR-1B one-family rural residential district,the only permitted accessory uses and structures are the following: (1) Buildings temporarily located for purposes of construction on the premises for a period not to exceed time necessary for such constructing. (2) Driveways,sidewalks and parking spaces. (3) Detached private garages and buildings subject to the performance standards of this chapter. (4) [Reserved]. (5) Farm animal structures and enclosures such as barns,chicken coops, paddocks and arenas, horse loafing sheds,etc. (6) Keeping of farm animals for noncommercial purposes and for the use of the occupants of premises, provided that: a. For the keeping of horses,there must be at least one acre for the dwelling and two acres of open pasture for the first horse. For the keeping of more than one horse,the property must have one additional acre of open pasture for each additional horse.Calculations of minimum pasture acreage shall not include any land defined as a wetland or wetland buffer under section 78-1602. b. For the keeping of farm animals other than horses,there must be at least one acre for the dwelling and one acre for each animal unit.Calculations of minimum acreage required shall not include any land defined as a wetland or wetland buffer under section 78-1602. Sc. Any building or structure associated with the animals is located more than 150 feet from the nearest adjacent residence and at least 75 feet from the nearest lot line. d. The use is operated in compliance with chapter 62,Animals. (7) Kennel structures and dog runs,subject to the provisions of chapter 62,article 3. (8) Fencing subject to the provisions of section 78-1405(7). (9) Signs,as regulated in this chapter. (10) Flagpoles,subject to accessory structure location and height requirements of this chapter. (11) Gardening and other horticultural uses, including arbors,trellises,aviaries and decorative landscape features,and lawn sprinkler systems. (12) Compost structures and firewood piles,subject to the accessory structure location requirements of this chapter. (13) Home occupations, as defined in this chapter.All home occupations shall comply with the provisions of section 78-1376,and the licensing provisions of[section] 26-76,when applicable. (14) One temporary roadside stand offering for sale only farm products produced on the premises, provided such stand does not exceed 200 square feet in area and is located at least 30 feet back from the public right-of-way. (15) Storage of recreational vehicles and equipment such as RVs, boats,snowmobiles,etc.,subject to the provisions of sections 78-1511 through 78-1515 and 78-1577. Ice fishing houses and similar structures equipped with wheels or mounted on a trailer shall be regulated as recreational vehicles. Ice fishing houses and similar structures not equipped with wheels or mounted on a trailer shall be regulated as accessory buildings and subject to accessory building regulations. • Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:58 [EST] (Supp. No. 19,Update 4) Page 1 of 2 (16) Garage sales,yard sales,estate sales or rummage sales,limited to a maximum of four consecutive days 4111 and occurring no more than two times within one calendar year per property;and sales of personal or recreational vehicles and equipment, limited to no more than two items per calendar year,and such items for sale shall not be parked in any portion of the public right-of-way,public boulevard,or required front yard except a designated,improved driveway. (17) Laundry drying equipment. (18) Other uses that are customarily incidental to,and subordinate to,the allowed permitted and conditional uses in this district. (Code 1984,§§10.20(3)(M),(3)(N), (4), 10.28(4);Ord. No. 161 2nd series,§6,6-7-1997; Ord. No.221 2nd series,§ 3,9-23-2002;Ord. No.28 3rd series,§10,8-22-2005;Ord. No.82 3rd series,§25, 12-13-2010;Ord.No.96 3rd series,§3(3.01,3.02), 11-13-2012;Ord. No. 100 3rd series, §6,2-25-2013;Ord. No. 106 3rd series,§10,6-10- 2013;Ord. No.222 3rd series, §16,12-10-2018) Created: 2021-08-18 14:28:58 [EST] (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 2 of 2 LA21-000065 Exhibit C • # .. • • • • 00010004 AL UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA I EXTENSION ►000000• ►000000• MANINO A DIFFERENCE iN MINNESOTA: ENVI„GVMEN? • FOOD&AGRICULTURE • COVM, . ;.__ • FAMILIES • . Results of the 2020 Survey of Minnesota Beekeepers This survey was conducted by University of Minnesota Extension to identify the interests of Minnesota beekeepers to better direct future Extension programming. 272 beekeepers responded from June 24, 2020 to October 1, 2020. The survey was distributed via UMN Bee Lab & Bee Squad Facebook pages and by Minnesota beekeeping clubs. The results for each question are summarized below. Thank you to all the beekeepers that took the time to take the survey. SURVEY RESULTS: • Number of years respondents kept honey bee colonies. 31% 22% 11% 13% 11% 8% 1% 4% Not started 0- 1 1 -2 2 -5 5- 10 10-20 20-30 More than yet 30 Number of colonies kept by the respondents. 66% 13% % 2% Elmo1% 0% 0% 4 = • 0 1 -5 6- 10 11 -20 21 -50 51 - 100 101 - 301 - 501 - More 300 500 1,000 than 1,000 2 Preferred method of learning (could select multiple methods). The primary written response for the ill "Other" category was "Youtube."Additional written responses included: hands-on, face-to-face, Zoom meetings, watching the bees, peer reviewed scientific articles, and questioning the local bee/equipment supplier. Other beekeepers (friends, 193 mentors, etc.) Beekeeping meetings or 152 conferences In-person classes 146 Websites (blogs, Universities, etc.) 146 Videos or webinars 139 • Books or manuals 126 Bee magazines 84 Social media (Facebook, other) 71 Newsletters 43 Podcasts IIIII31 Other, please indicate . 15 • 3 • Beekeeping or biology topics respondents would like more information about (could select multiple topics). The primary written responses for the "Other" category were requests for more information on successful overwintering. Additional written responses included: a timeline of management and biology for the first year, how to find a mentor, experimental ways to keep bees, different hive styles, land management, medicinal honey, queen production, queen production with swarm cells, and how to support research. Identify& manage colony problems 191 Keeping bees for different goals 166 Varroa management strategies 142 Summaries of current research ■ 110 Queen health 98 • Pesticide resouces 97 Planting for pollinators resources 81 Testing hive supplemental products 66 Native and honey bee interactions 48 Business resources 40 Help finding veterinarians -29 How to get started in beekeeping '9 Other, please indicate ■21 • 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 4 Rank of the factor(s)that have the biggest impact on the health of the respondents' colonies from III 1 (most important)to 10 (least important). Respondents could rank any number of the factors and a factor could be chosen only once. Varroa mites were ranked first the most frequently, followed by queens. The primary written responses for the "Other"category were "winter" and "weather."Additional written responses included: error, inexperience, cold snaps, robbing, small hive beetle, non-stop pesticide sprays, starvation, personal stress, territorial beekeepers, and viruses. Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Queens 73 47 36 13 8 3 2 0 0 0 Varroa mites 116 64 17 10 2 4 0 1 0 0 Lack of nectar sources 14 19 25 14 5 10 5 5 0 0 Lack of pollen sources 1 18 14 11 17 7 8 5 1 0 Pesticides 14 35 40 20 16 8 4 3 0 0 Brood disesase 4 16 22 21 11 9 10 1 0 0 Nosema 1 5 8 11 10 9 15 7 1 0 0 Predator(e.g. bear, yellow jackets) 9 9 8 11 7 6 5 20 5 1 Don't know 14 9 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 Other, please indicate 16 11 4 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 University of Minnesota support. How well the respondents reported that the University of Minnesota supports beekeepers in their county. No trends were found for different counties or regions. 33% 23% 22% 17% 5% Very well Well Some Very litte Unknown or not applicable • Beekeeping groups the respondents belong to. a•F^agztx.'g..,-z!;arra ; m>n,'*E#F"a oLE'Fa 5-park head eekeeplrxl nwyadj Z a �e min nesota : T'e E` ` abf hone ST%4�+ 31r35's§-C �Sasa a• q slalps l g-l 511 = ustillwater- -14 RAcro tr.waa+tycara mar'r D- •.n ;'•a ,, county a eaa e 415.31' cenfr1.-,1 j R m bee eeperst. yo,,,t,,, ,,„s • ... , rt V Say, river, minnehaa "" ' river, h facebook a keepers 4o t,4rr,- nort ass east bee mhpa at , northern none eroix -,"5' °' oyea!$ has, ancenone wests CD^ tr! ID go ask WOE F 0- A Iii• w et nortraassoCigatiton m k O Wolne,-a toac9 v N na ,e,wx� ',- (0 ill Counties the respondents live in. ,,a ustcan Panne n raw nwood lc,i , „ dodge goodhue WifOna meeker f'eeb �'af"- r 1,ka @hlrt;3y kartabec r i c Stearns �y be nton rpc�atnt'pine scott oUIs carleer$a, CESS (A�� s da Kota e ri n e p i n , U t1 W polk steJai. waba Y e a sn to re n becker'nry lake wirtg r,i uta ramsey Carlton wiscansfnpope ottertail CIaYmissing • chisago mi ht sherburne kandiyoh hubba rd 6 Additional comments. At the end of the survey, there was an option to write in any additional comments. Here are some of the most common requests: help with assessments and management through a place to ask questions, hive inspection services, and tips & tricks of successful beekeepers; facilitate a broader reach by sharing materials and continuing the use of Zoom; and more information on how to successfully overwinter colonies. Contact Katie Lee at katielee@umn.edu with any questions about the survey. Thank you! I S Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab One Stop MyU E r-1 R r E[ G Bee Lab COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE SCIENCES Menu ❑ Beekeeping Ordinances Although we try to keep this as up to date and accurate as possible, we recommend that you connect with your local authority to verify all information regarding bee ordinances. If you have additions or changes that should be made to this information please email the Bee Squad (beesquad@umn.edu). Fellow bee lovers, it seemed that it might be useful to have an index of local bee ordinances. S Information current as of date shown. City Andover County Anoka Ordinance Citation Title 5, Chapter 1, Section (d) Ordinance Language Must be zoned R1, R2, or R3 and have at least two acres. Contact Information (763) 755-5100 Date 8-1-13 • City Anoka https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab County Anoka Ordinance Citation Section 10-2 Ordinance Language Bees are not mentioned in the city code, but the city planner said she would consider honey bees to be "non- domesticated" animal. The code prohibits non-domesticated or farm animals within City limits. Contact Information (763) 576-2700 Date 8-1-13 City Apple Valley County Dakota • Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Currently, no ordinance on bees. However, code prohibits non-domestic animals, and City interprets bees as non- domestic. City is revising the ordinance to expressly prohibit bees. Contact Information (952) 953-2500 Date 8-1-13 City Arden Hills • County Ramsey https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Citation Chapter 13, 25.07 I Ordinance Language Bees are considered farm animals and are allowed within city limits as long as the lot meets the set back requirements (which depend upon how the hive is constructed). Contact Information (651) 792-7800 Date 8-1-13 City Bayport County Washington Ordinance Citation Section 14 • Ordinance Language Honey bees are not allowed within City limits. Contact Information (651) 275-4404 Date 8-1-13 City Blaine County Anoka Ordinance Citation Section 14-225 Ordinance Language Areas zoned residential may not have ihoney bees. Areas zoned agricultural may have honey bees. https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Contact Information (763) 785-6122 Date 8-1-13 • City Bloomington County Hennepin Ordinance Citation City Code 12.116.01 Ordinance Language Bees allowed with restrictions. Contact Information Date 6-11-19 City Blue Earth • County Faribault Ordinance Citation Sub-Section 360.16 Ordinance Language Bees allowed with restrictions and permit Contact Information Date 12-30-20 City Brooklyn Center County Hennepin S Ordinance Citation Section 1-140 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Language Bees are allowed with restrictions and • registration Contact Information (763) 569-3300 Date 6-11-19 City Brooklyn Park County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 92.50 Ordinance Language Honey bees are permitted in lots over 5 acres. Other require registration. Contact Information (763) 424-8000 • Date 11-24-15 City Burnsville County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 6-2-20 Ordinance Language Honey bees are prohibited in all parts of Burnsville. Contact Information (952) 895-4400 Date 2-8-17 • City Carver https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab County Carver • Ordinance Citation Section 1005.02 Ordinance Language Codicil 1 allows animals not listed under Section 1005.02 in city limits as long as they are not a nuisance. Therefore, honey bees are allowed as long as they are not a nuisance. Contact Information (952) 448-5353 Date 8-1-13 City Centerville County Anoka • Ordinance Citation Chapter 90.02(B) Ordinance Language "Licensing Honey Bees. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, a person may keep honey bee colonies on any premises after first obtaining a license as provided in this subsection. No license shall be issued except in compliance of this section. (1) Lot size shall be a minimum of one-half acre; (2) No more than two honey bee colonies shall be allowed; (3) Hives shall be setback from property lines a minimum of 25 feet; (4) Applicant must document at least 16 hours of training in beekeeping, and (5) the colony shall be maintained in good order and not be a nuisance to any • member of the public." https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab Contact Information (651) 429-3232 Date 8-1-13 City Champlin County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Honey bees are not mentioned within Champlin's ordinances. The City would allow honey bees as long as they were not a nuisance and the neighbors were on board. Contact Information (763) 421-8100 Date 8-1-13 City Chanhassen County Hennepin and Carver Ordinance Citation Chapter 5, article IV Ordinance Language Bees allowed by permit. Contact Information (952) 227-1100 Date 11-8-18 City Chaska https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab County Carver Ordinance Citation Chapter 5, Section 82 • Ordinance Language The Chaska Police Department is in charge of code enforcement. Police officer told me they would allow a honey bee hive as long as it didn't bother the neighbors. Contact Information (952) 448-9200 Date 8-1-13 City Circle Pines County Anoka Ordinance Citation Section 320.02(B) Ordinance Language "Licensing Honey Bees. Notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, a person may keep honey bee colonies on any premises after first obtaining a license as provided in this subsection. No license shall be issued except in compliance of this section. (1) Lot size shall be a minimum of one-half acre; (2) No more than two honey bee colonies shall be allowed; (3) Hives shall be setback from property lines a minimum of 25 feet; (4) Applicant must document at least 16 hours of training in beekeeping, and (5) the colony shall be maintained in good order and not be a nuisance to any member of the public." Contact Information (763) 784-5898 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Date 8-1-13 • City Coon Rapids County Anoka Ordinance Citation 6-502(2), (5) Ordinance Language "Non-domestic animals are defined as ... bees. It shall be unlawful to keep, maintain, harbor, or feed any non- domestic animal within the City except where permitted elsewhere in this Chapter." Contact Information • Date 8-1-13 City Corcoran County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Section 1020.020: bees are agricultural use. Allowed in areas zoned for agricultural use. Other areas with restrictions. Contact Information (763) 420-2288 411/ Date 3-6-19 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances!Bee Lab City Cottage Grove County Washington S Ordinance Citation Section 11-3-7 Ordinance Language Bees are considered a farm animal and are allowed on properties of 5 or more acres. Section defining "farm animal" is 11-1-3. Contact Information (651) 458-2800 Date 8-1-13 City Crystal County Hennepin • Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language City ordinances do not cover bees. Therefore, bees are allowed. Contact Information (763) 531-1000 Date 8-1-13 City Dayton County Wright and Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 1001 .42 subd.8(1)(e) Ordinance Language Honey bees are prohibited in areas zoned https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab residential - Old Village, residential - mobile home, industrial and business, unless you have a conditional use permit. Contact Information (763) 427-4589 Date 8-1-13 City Duluth County St. Louis Ordinance Citation 1959-6-80 Ordinance Language Ok in areas zoned rural;. Others require license. • Contact Information Date 11-23-15 City Eagan County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 10.12 Ordinance Language Honey bees may be kept on properties in areas that are zoned agricultural and have a minimum of five acres. Or by permit. Contact Information Date 3-6-15 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab City Edina County Hennepin S Ordinance Citation Section 300.11 Ordinance Language Bees are allowed with permit. Contact Information Date 10-1-15 City Elko New Market County Scott Ordinance Citation Section 6-4-5 • Ordinance Language Section 6-4-2 Honeybees are considered a farm animal. Section 6-4-5 states, "Farm animals shall be kept only in areas approved under the city zoning ordinance." Contact Information Date 8-1-13 City Excelsior County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 6-4 . Ordinance Language https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab Ordinance defines "undomesticated animal" as "any animal, mammal, • amphibian, or reptile, which is of a species which is wild by nature or of a species which due to size, vicious nature, or other characteristics is inherently dangerous to human beings." "Any person may own, keep, harbor, or maintain any nondomesticated animal, provided that it weighs less than 50 pounds." Contact Information Date 8-1-13 City Falcon Heights County Ramsey • Ordinance Citation Section 113-3 Ordinance Language Honey bees are defined as a farm animal. Farm animals are not allowed to be harbored within the city. The Falcon Heights City Council looked into a honey bee ordinance last year but ultimately did not pass it. Contact Information (651) 792-7600 Date 8-1-13 City Faribault • County Rice https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances1 Bee Lab Ordinance Citation 2017-4 Ordinance Language Bees allowed by permit S Contact Information Date 5-30-18 City Farmington County Dakota Ordinance Citation 6-4-2 Ordinance Language Allowed with restrictions http://sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/inde x.php?book id=463&chapter id=2... • Contact Information Date 7-23-18 City Forest Lake County Anoka Ordinance Citation Chapter 99 Ordinance Language Bees are defined as a farm animal. City code allows farm animals in areas zoned for agricultural use and if the property is five acres or more. • Contact Information (651) 464-3550 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Date 8-1-13 City Fridley County Anoka Ordinance Citation Section 101.05 Ordinance Language Allowed by license. application at FridleyMN.gov. Class on beekeeping required. Contact Information (763) 571-3450 Date 5-11-18 City Golden Valley County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 10.32 Ordinance Language Honey bees are defined as a farm animal. Farm animals are not allowed to be harbored within the city. Contact Information Date 8-1-13 City Grand Meadow County Mower Ordinance Citation https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab Section 91.2 Ordinance Language Bees allowed with some restrictions Contact Information Date 2-11-20 City Ham Lake County Anoka Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No known restrictions. Contact Information ID Date 2-14-21 City Hastings County Dakota and Washington Ordinance Citation Chapter 91.01 Ordinance Language Bees are not mentioned in the city code, so they are permitted. City planner warned that if the bees stung people or upset the neighbors, they could be removed through the public nuisance ordinance (Section 95.20). • Contact Information (651) 480-2350 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Date 8-1-13 City Hibbing County St. Louis Ordinance Citation Section 10.23 Ordinance Language Honey bees are defined as a farm animal. Farm animals are not allowed to be harbored within the city. Contact Information Date 2-8.17 City Hopkins County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Hopkins Code of Ordinances does not address honey bees, so they interpret that to mean they are not permitted. Contact Information 952-548-6303 Date 2-8-17 City Hugo County Washington Ordinance Citation https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Language Although not expressly listed in the ordinance, honey bees are considered • "farm animals," so they are allowed in areas zoned agricultural and on lots of five or more acres. Contact Information (651) 762-6300 Date 8-1-13 City Independence County Hennepin Ordinance Citation 510.05 subd. 46 Ordinance Language Defines bees as "livestock." Bees are • allowed in areas which are zoned agricultural. Contact Information (763) 479-0527 Date 8-1-13 City Inver Grove Heights County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 10-2-2 Ordinance Language Bees are allowed in areas zoned agricultural or estate. • Contact Information (651) 450-2500 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Date 8-1-13 • City Jordan County Scott Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance, so bees are not allowed. Perhaps could apply for a conditional use permit stating beekeeping as a home occupation. Contact Information (952) 492-2535 Date 8-1-13 • City Lake Elmo County Washington Ordinance Citation Title 9, Chapter 95.71 Ordinance Language Honey bees are allowed on property five acres or more. Permit required for under 5 acres. Contact Information (651) 747-3900 Date 10-1-15 1110 City Lake St. Croix Beach County Washington https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Citation No online ordinances Ordinance Language No one from the City returned my messages. Contact Information (651) 436-7031 Date 8-1-13 City Lakeville County Dakota Ordinance Citation Chpt 35/11-35-3 Ordinance Language Allowed with an interim Use Permit. Application fee is $500 (ouch!) and must • be presented to and approved by the Planning Commission. The City of Lakeville contact is Daryl Morey, Planning Director, 952-985-4422. Contact Information Date 6-11-19 City Lauderdale County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Section 5-3-1 • Ordinance Language Bees are defined as a farm animal. City https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab ordinance 5-3-4-1 requires a permit to have a farm animal. • Contact Information (651) 792-7650 Date 8-1-13 City Lilydale County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 801.01 Ordinance Language It's unclear if bees are allowed or not in the ordinances, and no one at the City returned my phone messages. • Contact Information (651) 457-2316 Date 8-1-13 City Lino Lakes County Anoka Ordinance Citation Zoning Ordinance Language Restricted to agricultural zoned land Contact Information Date 11-23-15 City Long Lake https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Honey bees are not mentioned in the Code. City of Long Lake's general position is if it is not expressly allowed, it is prohibited. Contact Information (952) 473-6961 Date 8-1-13 City Lonsdale County Rice Ordinance Citation S90.01 • Ordinance Language Beekeeping allowed by permit. Contact Information (507) 744-2327 Date 1-2-18 City Mahtomedi County Washington Ordinance Citation Chapter 3.02 Ordinance Language "No person may keep within the City any of the following: any hive or other facility • for the housing of bees." https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab Contact Information (651) 426-3344 • Date 8-1-13 City Maple Plain County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Honey bees are not mentioned in the Code. City of Maple Plain's general position is that they are allowed, but are subject to the nuisance ordinance. Contact Information (763) 479-0515 • Date 8-1-13 City Maplewood County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Ordinance 978 Ordinance Language Allowed with setback requirements. Bees are allowed unless they become a nuisance. Contact Information (651) 249-2000 Date 11-13-18 • City Marine on St. Croix https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab County Washington Ordinance Citation Chapter 5 • Ordinance Language City of Marine on St. Croix does not have an ordinance about honey bees. The City's position is that they are allowed unless they are a nuisance. Contact Information (651) 433-3636 Date 8-1-13 City Medicine Lake County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 200.2(7)(b) • Ordinance Language Bees are classified as farm animals. Must get a conditional use permit to have bees. Contact Information (763) 542.9701 Date 8-1-13 City Mendota Heights County Dakota Ordinance Citation Ordinance 448, not yet codified Ordinance Language Brand new ordinance: Bee keeping is • allowed on properties of fifty (50) acres or https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab more. • Contact Information (651) 255-1153 Date 8-1-13 City Minneapolis County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 74.80 Ordinance Language Must get a permit from Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. Contact Information • Date 8-1-13 City Minnetonka County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance on bees, so bees are allowed unless they are a nuisance. Contact Information (952) 939-8200 Date 8-1-13 • City Village of Minnetonka Beach https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 508(C)(28)(b) Ordinance Language "No person shall keep or allow to be kept any hive or other facility for the housing of honeybees." Contact Information (952) 471-8878 Date 8-1-13 City Minnetrista County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 1110.09 • Ordinance Language Bees are considered farm animals. "Farm animals may only be kept in A or AP zoning districts, or in a residential lot of at least ten acres in size provided that farm animals on said residential lots are not sheltered within 300 feet of an adjoining piece of property." Contact Information (952) 446-1660 Date 8-1-13 City Moundsview County Ramsey • Ordinance Citation Title 700 Chapt 701 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Language Bees allowed by permit. • Contact Information Date 9-25-15 City New Brighton County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Honey bees require permit Contact Information (651) 638-2100 • Date 6-1-15 City Newport County Washington Ordinance Citation Section 600.21 Ordinance Language Honey bees are considered a farm animal. Must have a permit from the City Council. Lot size must be at least four acres. Must provide written notification to occupied property owners situated within 250 feet from the hive. Additional standards of practice listed in Section 600.21 subd. 3(F)(4). • Contact Information (651) 459-5677 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Date 8-1-13 City North St. Paul • County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Section 95.23 Ordinance Language Honey bees are classified as a farm animal. No farm animals are allowed within city limits. Contact Information Date 8-1-13 City Oak Park Heights County Washington Ordinance Citation Section 602.02(B) Ordinance Language Honey bees are classified as a farm animal. Farm animals are only permitted in areas zoned 0 - Open Space Conservation District and also need a conditional use permit. Contact Information (651) 439-4439 Date 8-1-13 City Oakdale • County Washington https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab • Ordinance Citation Section 4-18 Ordinance Language "No person shall keep or allow to be kept any man-made or manufactured hive or other facility for the housing of bees within the city without a permit." Contact Information (651) 739-5086 Date 8-1-13 City Orono County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 62-1 • Ordinance Language Honey bees are classified as a farm animal and are allowed in areas zoned for agriculture. Contact Information (952) 249-4600 Date 8-1-13 City Osseo County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Chapter 93.18(z) • Ordinance Language City code states that any caring for any non-domestic animal is a public nuisance, so beekeeping currently is not allowed. https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab However, City Attorney said the City might be open to a resident asking for a variance or trying to change the • ordinance. Contact Information (763) 425-2624 Date 8-1-13 City Plymouth County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Zoning Ordinance 21170.01 subd.3 Ordinance Language Bees are only allowed in areas zoned future restricted development (rural). • Contact Information (763) 509-5080 Date 8-1-13 City Prior Lake County Scott Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Allowed with restrictions Contact Information (952) 447-9800 Date 3-6-19 • City Richfield https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances Bee Lab County Hennepin • Ordinance Citation Section 906 Ordinance Language Bees are allowed with restrictions and permit. Contact Information (612) 861-9702 Date 11-13-20 City Robbinsdale County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 915.357 • Ordinance Language "It is unlawful to keep or maintain roosters or bees, without first having obtained a permit therefor." Contact Information (763) 537-4534 Date 8-1-13 City Rogers County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 125-1 • Ordinance Language Bees are classified as a farm animal and are allowed in areas zoned agricultural. https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[l 0/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Contact Information (763) 428-2253 Date 8-1-13 • City Rosemount County Dakota Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance on honey bees, so they are allowed. Contact Information (651) 322-2022 Date 8-1-13 City Roseville • County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance on honey bees, so they are allowed. The City reserves the right to regulate location and fencing in the future. Contact Information (651) 792-7000 Date 8-1-13 City Sauk Rapids • County Benton https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Ordinance Citation Section 4.10, Subd.22(C) • Ordinance Language Permits beekeeping limited to six hives. Contact Information (320) 258-5300 Date City St. Anthony Village County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance on honey bees, so City of St. Anthony Village's position is that they • are not allowed. Contact Information (612) 782-3301 Date 8-1-13 City St. Francis County Anoka Ordinance Citation Section 8-3-5 Ordinance Language "Bees shall not be kept on parcels smaller than five (5) acres in size. No parcel shall have more than one hive or colony housing structure not to exceed three (3) • feet in size in any dimension unless it is an agricultural use. All hives shall be of https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab the removable frame type. All hives shall be kept one hundred (100) feed from any property line." 111/ Contact Information (763) 753-2630 Date 8-1-13 City St. Louis Park County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Bees are not addressed in city ordinance, so they are allowed as long as they are not a nuisance. • Contact Information (952) 924-2500 Date 8-1-13 City St. Paul County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Chapter 198.02(d) Ordinance Language "No person shall keep or allow to be kept any hive or other facility for the housing of bees within the city without a permit." Contact Information (651) 266-8989 • Date 8-1-13 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances I Bee Lab City St. Paul Park • County Washington Ordinance Citation Ordinance #694 Ordinance Language Honey bees are allowed; must get a permit and obey set back ordinance. Contact Information (651) 459-9785 Date 8-1-13 City Savage County Scott Ordinance Citation Section 91.01(2) Ordinance Language Bees are classified as a farm animal. Under Section 91.04, farm animals are "allowed only as a legal non-conforming use where a similar use occurred before the most recent change in the Zoning Code and continues consistently thereafter." Contact Information (952) 882-2660 Date 8-1-13 City Shakopee i County Scott https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances Bee Lab Ordinance Citation Section 11.02(5)(B) S Ordinance Language Bees are classified as an "agricultural use" and allowed in areas zoned rural residential or agricultural. Other areas with restrictions. Contact Information (952) 233-9300 Date 8-1-13 City Shoreview County Ramsey Ordinance Citation Section 601.020(E) Ordinance Language Bees are allowed with restrictions and 5 permit required Contact Information (651) 490-4600 Date 12-4-17 City Shorewood County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Section 705.09 Ordinance Language Bees are classified as an "urban farm animal." Section 705.09 subd 2(h) states, "The number of bee hives shall not exceed four." https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab Contact Information (952) 960-7900 • Date 8-1-13 City South St. Paul County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 15-1(3) Ordinance Language Bees are listed as a farm animal. Section 15-3 states, "It shall be illegal for any person to own, possess, harbor, or offer for sale, any farm animals within city limits..." Contact Information (651) 554-3200 S Date 8-1-13 City Spring Park County Hennepin Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Bees are not allowed in city limits. Contact Information (952) 471-9051 Date 8-1-13 • City Stillwater https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab County Washington Ordinance Citation Section 27-3 • Ordinance Language Bees are allowed in city limits as long as you have a permit. The ordinance sets forth a number of rules and regulations. Contact Information (651) 430-8800 Date 8-1-13 City Sunfish Lake County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 1225.01 S Ordinance Language Bees are considered farm animals. Only the farm animals expressly listed (such as bees) are allowed in the City of Sunfish Lake as long as you get a permit. Contact Information (763) 231-2555 Date 8-1-13 City Victoria County Carver Ordinance Citation Chapter 30, Article VIII, Section 30- 313(13) • Ordinance Language Bees are only allowed in areas zoned https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab agricultural and if you get a conditional use permit. Contact Information (952) 443-4210 Date 8-1-13 City Virginia County St. Louis Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language Honey bees are defined as a farm animal. Farm animals are not allowed to be harbored within the city. IPContact Information Date 2.8.17 City Waconia County Carver Ordinance Citation Section 710.15 subd. 1 Ordinance Language Bees are considered farm animals, so they are allowed in areas zoned agricultural. Contact Information (952) 442-2184 Date 8-1-13 https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances Bee Lab City Wayzata County Hennepin S Ordinance Citation Ordinance Language No ordinance, so bees are allowed unless they are a nuisance. Contact Information (952) 404-5300 Date 8-1-13 City West St. Paul County Dakota Ordinance Citation Section 905.15 subd. 3 • Ordinance Language Bees are allowed. The only requirement is that the hives are at least 100 feet from neighboring houses. Some lots are too small to comply with this requirement. Contact Information (651) 552-4100 Date 8-1-13 City White Bear Lake County Ramsey and Washington Ordinance Citation Section 702.045 • Ordinance Language Bee keeping is allowed in City limits as https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances 1 Bee Lab long as you have a license. S Contact Information (651) 429-8526 Date 8-1-13 City Woodbury County Washington Ordinance Citation Section 24-4 Ordinance Language Bees are considered "livestock" and they are allowed on property of five or more acres in areas zoned rural residential or existing farmstead. • Contact Information (651) 714-3500 Date 8-1-13 Mailing Address: Physical Address: University of Minnesota U of M Bee Research Facility Department of Entomology Department of Entomology 1980 Folwell Ave. Ste 219 1634 Gortner Ave. St. Paul, MN 55108 St. Paul, MN 55113 Connect With Us CFANS COLLEGE OF FOOD,AGRICULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE SCIENCES • https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] Beekeeping Ordinances Bee Lab ©2021 Regents of the University of Minnesota.All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Privacy Statement Report Web Disability-Related Issue S Current as of October 5, 2021 • https://beelab.umn.edu/ordinances[10/13/2021 8:32:43 AM] `'' r. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA '` EXTENSION i ' ,,, '� s9 -r,-.--) /----�,. , /� ,; '' " t,.r 1 z�yu� b..9 . d� NA ii-`(! F dry.R ' 1 ...�....., n't • % I w' 'S " ? _ . ,rte, % - _ /�� A fir, s '{j.%• �.. � r ice R moi= i / p ^ f-> BEEKEENNG IN ' ....:.. . . . .., ___ _ . _„_ . . ,. . ' e NORTHENCLIHATES .. .... . _ ., , , • .., . . ___ _ .. , .: • ... . , . , • Second. Edition If7'..-zr'Pfff';3-- ';'1-4..4'''' ''''''''''''''' :, '''-'4';r7:\ ma- - - -7 -**1164.06.- - ,, r•FillerdhOl!I • qr- ° . ...._. ._... - ., - %. ,.....),...-4 Y • 1 • it .c. _ ....0 M Dr. Katie Lee Mr. Gary S. Reuter Dr. Marla Spivak University of Minnesota I Department of Entomology I St. Paul, MN I BeeLab.umn.edu There will be periodic updates to the manual that will be listed on our manual webpage: z.umn.edu/BINCmaterials i The information given in this publication is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Minnesota Extension Service is implied. Find more University of Minnesota Extension educational information at www.extension.umn.edu. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,this material is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact your Minnesota county extension office or, outside of Minnesota, contact the Distribution Center at(612)625-8173. University of Minnesota Extension shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs,facilities,and employment without re- gard to race, color,creed, religion, national origin,gender,age, marital status,disability, public assistance status,veteran status,sexual orientation, gender identity,or gender expression. • ©2021, Regents of the University of Minnesota.All rights reserved. Send copyright permission inquiries to: Copyright Coordinator, University of Minnesota Extension, 405 Coffey Hall, 1420 Eckles Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108-6068. Email to extcopy@umn.edu or fax to 612-625-3967. TABLE OF CONTENTS • PREFACE 1 What's New in the Second Edition? 1 INTRODUCTION 2 Beekeeping and Bee Biology 2 Four Principles of Productive Beekeeping 2 BASIC HONEY BEE BIOLOGY AS IT PERTAINS TO BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 3 The Colony 3 The Superorganism 3 Castes 4 Queens 5 Development 5 Workers 6 Development 6 Lifespan 6 Division of Labor 6 Drones 7 Development 7 Colony Life Cycle 8 Seasonal Cycle 8 • Swarms 10 Queens Cells 11 SUBSPECIES, OR RACES, OF HONEY BEES 14 European Subspecies 14 Stocks or Lines of European Bees 15 African Subspecies 15 EQUIPMENT, THE APIARY,AND BUYING BEES 16 Personal Equipment 16 The Hive -A Home for Your Honey Bees 19 Painting Equipment 20 Components of a Hive 20 The Exterior 21 The Interior 21 Honey Production for Harvest 23 Feeding Supplies 24 Feed Pail 24 Sugar Syrup 24 Pollen Substitute 25 Wintering Equipment 25 Quantity of Hive Equipment Needed for Each Colony 25 Where to Buy Equipment 26 • Selecting an Apiary Site 26 Around Your Hive 26 Weather and Protection 27 Where and How to Buy Bees 27 Packages and Nucs 27 Planning to Purchase Bees 28 • HIVING PACKAGES and NUCS 30 Preparations 30 Hiving Package Bees 31 Transport 31 Care of the Package After Arrival 31 How to Hive Package Bees 31 Preparation 31 Spraying Sugar Syrup 31 Shaking Bees into the Box 32 Feeding 35 Hiving Nucs 35 Transport 35 Care of the Nuc After Arrival 35 How to Hive Nucs 36 Equipment Setup for Hiving a Nuc 36 Preparation 36 Transferring a Nuc to a 10-Frame Box 36 Feeding 36 Inspections 38 1 Day After Hiving Packages or Nucs 38 4-7 Days Later: First Inspection 38 Prepare Yourself 38 II Opening the Hive 38 What to Look for in the Hive 39 Feeding the New Colony 39 YEAR ONE: SPRING and SUMMER MANAGEMENT 40 Inspections 40 Spring Inspections 40 FEED FEED FEED! 41 Provide Room for Expansion 41 Inspections From Late Summer Through Fall 43 Supering 45 WINTERING HONEY BEE COLONIES IN NORTHERN CLIMATES 46 Fall Management 48 Varroa Management 49 Food Reserves 50 Estimating Food Reserves 50 Feeding Colonies in Fall 50 Protecting Colonies from Winter Weather 51 YEAR TWO: MANAGEMENT FOR SUCCESSFULLY WINTERED COLONIES 52 First Inspection: Is the Colony Alive? 52 Colony Death 53 • Early Spring Management 54 The Great Divide 55 Preparation 56 Dividing 57 "Slow Release Method" For Introducing a New Queen to a Queenless Colony 59 • After the Divide 60 Summer Management 61 Fall Management 62 A System for Managing Wintered Colonies 63 HARVESTING, EXTRACTING, AND BOTTLING HONEY 64 Harvesting the Honey 64 Properties of Honey 65 Extracting Honey 65 Equipment 65 Extraction Procedure 66 Bottling Honey 67 Equipment Needed 67 Procedure 67 Market Your Honey 67 Appendix A: THE TWO-DEEP SYSTEM 68 Year 1: 2-Deep System 69 Summer 70 Fail 71 Year 2: 2-Deep System 72 Spring 72 Dividing a 2-Deep Colony 72 Summer 74 Fall 74 Appendix B: TROUBLESHOOTING QUEEN PROBLEMS 75 Is Your Colony Queenright? 75 Checklist 75 Queen Cells 77 Drone Layers 77 Combining Colonies With Newspaper 78 Laying Workers 78 How To Find The Queen In Your Colony 79 Marking Your Queen 80 Introducing A New Queen 80 Appendix C: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 81 Classes 81 Companion Video 81 Beekeeping Books 81 Beginning Books 81 Popular Books 81 Older Texts Of Interest To Beekeepers 82 Beekeeping Associations 82 GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY USED WORDS IN BEEKEEPING 83 All figures and photos by G. S. Reuter, M. Spivak, or K. Lee unless otherwise acknowledged. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 5 • We dedicate this manual to Dr. Basil Furgala, who laid the foundation for this course. S PREFACE S WHAT'S NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION? Sheltering in place in 2020 presented us with an opportunity to update our Beekeeping in Northern Climates manual. You'll find new formatting, sharp photos and fun vignettes connecting the logic behind particular management techniques to the biology of honey bees in northern climates. We made only one noteworthy change to recommended beekeeping practices. To explain that change, a little background is helpful. If you are brand new to beekeeping, the explanation in the next paragraph may not make sense just yet, but it will make sense after you read this manual. When Marla and Gary took over this course from Dr. Basil Furgala in 1993, they decided to adopt and adhere to his management strategy called the "Horizontal Two-Queen System." This system involves starting with a package of bees in Year 1, and letting the colony grow into three deep brood boxes. The third box is like an insurance policy for bees and beekeepers, as it contains sufficient honey stores for the colony to survive our long winters. The following spring, the surviving colony is divided, making two colonies from one. Properly timed divides prevent swarming and losing half the bees to the trees. The new colony is called a "divide" and sits apart from the "parent" colony (the Horizontal part), and a new queen is introduced into the divide while the original queen remains in the parent (the Two-Queen part). The divide is allowed to grow into three deep brood boxes to survive the winter while the parent colony is kept in only two deep boxes. Keeping a colony in two brood boxes results in more honey for the beekeeper to harvest but doesn't ensure that the bees will have enough honey to survive the winter. During the second winter, the two colonies essentially become one again because the parent dies off. We encouraged beekeepers to "let the parent colony go" over winter, which, although a sound beekeeping practice, didn't sit well with many new beekeepers. In this Second Edition, we recommend trying to keep both the parent and the divide alive by allowing both to grow into three deep brood boxes. We offer strategies for approaching the "good problem" that may occur if more colonies survive the winter than your apiary size, time and pocketbook allow.All other recommended management practices are the same as in the First Edition of our manual. Before the 1990's, colony losses over the winter were generally 15-20%. In 1987, a major problem was inadvertently introduced into the U.S.: the parasite mite Varroa destructor. This mite, and the viruses it vectors from bee to bee, considerably diminish honey bee health and colony longevity. Current annual losses across the U.S. average 30-40%. Backyard beekeepers in Minnesota are experiencing 50-60% losses. To beat the odds, it now makes sense to try to keep both the parent and divide alive. We strongly encourage all new beekeepers in areas with long winters to follow the guidelines in this book closely for the first two years before trying alternative methods (we offer one alternative in Appendix A). Our tried-and-true management practices follow the natural biology and life cycle of honey bees. We encourage all beekeepers to become familiar with the floral resources (trees, bushes, and flowers) that provide nectar and pollen to bees from early spring through fall. Good nutrition is key to good colony health. Knowing the flowers that bloom within two miles of your colony will foster an appreciation for how the local landscape affects the health and welfare of your bees. Possibly less fun than learning about the flowers in your area, you will also need to learn about the life cycle of the parasitic Varroa mite and to study common honey bee diseases. Your colony will need some help controlling the parasitic mite and possibly some diseases; learning to identify problems is the first step. Our philosophy is that beekeepers should apply as few medications as possible in bee colonies, and only when truly necessary. Please stay current with our latest recommendations for keeping bees healthy in our manual, Honey Bee Diseases and Pests, an essential companion to this manual. We update the Diseases and Pests manual frequently, so take the time to download the most current version. Beekeeping is an art, a craft, and a science. It takes years of hands-on experience to understand the ebbs IDand flows of the bee life cycle and corresponding management practices. The best thing you can do to make sure your new beekeeping adventure is a success is to join a beekeeping association or apprentice with an experienced and successful beekeeper. Most importantly of all, listen closely to the bees and the lessons they teach us. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 1 INTRODUCTION • BEEKEEPING AND BEE BIOLOGY A honey bee colony is an unusual combination of While honey bees are able to survive on their own in a wild and managed animal.Although we manage the wild, we as beekeepers acquire honey bees and honey bees in boxes, they are able to mate and manage them in an environment that the bees may survive in the wild on their own, unless parasitic mites not be best suited to. By becoming a steward of a and viruses overtake them. Unlike more domesticated honey bee colony, a beekeeper has a responsibility pets and farm animals, bees collect their own food, to their bees and neighboring beekeepers to work flying miles to find nectar and pollen from flowers. towards helping their colonies be healthy and The best beekeepers follow the bees' lead. They learn thrive. Beekeeping is a human insect partnership: to anticipate the local floral nectar and pollen blooms beekeepers provide the bees with a home and care (called "flows") and ensure their colonies are strong as needed, and the bees can provide the beekeeper and healthy to survive winter. In a sense, beekeeping with a rich experience, honey, and pollination of is like surfing, learning to ride the waves of flowers nearby flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Beekeeping throughout the season. Variations in management is a meditative occupation, requiring presence styles and opinions abound in the beekeeping world. and focus. Beekeepers find themselves learning Strategies for taking care of diseases and pests of something new each time they open their hives, bees may change, but basic beekeeping practices do deepening their connecting with nature, and taking not because they are based on the natural life cycle of a deep dive into the fascinating biology of the honey the bees. bee superorganism. I Biology Boxes and Words of Wisdom 36o»i In this manual, we introduce beekeeping management practices based 84. on the biology and natural life-cycle of the bees. We highlight certain practices in boxes labeled "Biology Boxes" to help you understand the /"/11/ reasoning behind our management guidelines. There are also tidbits of information that we have collected through the years that have been especially useful, which we highlight using a box for"Words of Wisdom." FOUR PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCTIVE BEEKEEPING This manual helps beekeepers maintain healthy colonies by describing beekeeping practices that are based on the biology of the bees and follow these four principles of productive beekeeping: 1. Every colony must be protected in equipment with removable frames and located in a good apiary site. 2. Every colony must have a young, prolific queen. 3. Every colony must have adequate honey and pollen reserves at all times. 4. Every colony must be monitored and managed for diseases and mites, and treated only when necessary. A healthy colony has all four of these factors. Keeping these principles in mind while learning about beekeeping 411 can help form a basis for good management decisions. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 2 BASIC HONEY BEE BIOLOGY AS IT PERTAINS ANA EMENT PRACTICES BEST M G THE COLONY The Superorganism Honey bees are social insects that live together in large numbers forming a colony. The honey bee a. 4. • ",‘,/#""-;-• _ - . colony is truly an excellent example of the whole :- ��� � ► r - -� -- being being greater than the sum of its parts, and for that reason is often referred to as a "superorganism.° •t j;, • c;' =lit * Unlike many of the wild, native bees, an individual J ;I; i • honey bee cannot live on its own because it cannot carry out all the functions necessary for life. However, 4 .' • w '• " ti; x - when that individual is part of a colony, it contributes some small but essential part to the overall existence • - iw: "y \, 40 of the colony. The total contribution made by the -Ir thousands of bees in a colony enables them to be flexible and resilient in the face of changing -;-"A°717„, t4,1 -. - challenges and climate conditions. Figure 1.Workers attending a queen that is marked with a yellow paint dot on her thorax. Can you spot the drones? A colony consists of a single queen, many thousands of workers, a few to several hundred drones (Figure 1) and thousands of developing bees (eggs, larvae, P iii0 4/111 411,1111"r and pupae) that are referred to collectively as brood. The worker bees secrete wax from glands on their abdomen and construct vertically hanging wax honey t„ is comb. These hexagonal wax cells are used for rearing brood as well as for storing pollen and honey. In the center of the nest is an area called the brood nest where the brood is reared (Figure 2). Here the 4100040410 adult worker bees maintain a temperature between 90-95°F. Pollen and honey are stored around the perimeter of the brood nest (Figure 3). In nature, lididllill40111111,....„ - colonies are usually found living in cavities such as Figure 2. Eggs and larvae developing in the beeswax comb.The hollow trees, and they will readily accept our wooden larvae are floating on brood food, the white-clear liquid substance, which is fed to the developing larvae by nurse bees(photo by hives as a home. Judy Griesedieck). Beekeeping in Northern Climates 3 ., ,dgE * fi S di* agi. A11,11111 HONEY STORES Honey Pollen airrp------m"" it iii 'ite I t, wt.,* a {IN Lt F .., • 1 a u• i BROOD NEST • ENTRANCE Figure 3.The location of the brood, honey, and pollen inside of a honey bee colony(graphic by Anne Turnham). Castes A very advanced degree of social behavior is exhibited by honey bee colonies. They have a distinct caste system between queens and workers, as well as a division of labor within the worker caste. There are two complementary female castes: the queen that does all the egg laying and the workers that perform all the work associated with colony maintenance. Both the queen and workers are reared from fertilized eggs. Males, called drones, comprise the third caste whose sole function is to mate. Drones are reared from unfertilized eggs (through parthenogenesis). Amazingly, a fertilized egg has the potential to develop into either a queen or worker bee depending on the diet the young adult bees (nurse bees) feed to the developing larva. This differential feeding triggers gene expression and gene silencing (epigenetic changes), which facilitates larval development into two distinct yet interdependent castes. Ili Beekeeping in Northern Climates 4 Queens DEVELOPMENT TIME IN DAYS • Development Brood stage Queen Worker Drone The developmental time of the queen is shorter than Egg 3 3 3 Larval stage(open brood) 5 5 7 those of the workers or drones, taking approximately Pupal stage (sealed brood) 8 13 14 16 days from the time an egg is laid until an adult Total 16 21 24 queen emerges (Table 1). Table 1.Approximate developmental time of each stage for the three castes. , 1 , , --,: .„,,,,,,, .., . . ,. 2 .„.• ,.......--- ...„ „ , ..... , ) \ . , . . FtS : tr:* lk: '.OP 7'-:4- l' , - ' ..." , Vii'. '':*'°` "y,., ' .l 4 p Y fr* - yyt ... ., , .,. . _ ,, ‘:A- tilltiii-'4'''‘. ., . ' '''''''...t'a;,;a'a,.... ift, , 40 , - . , - fM `www. "+i;,•,e 3 ....._,. k. '•, ley / _ � �. 1 .,_. • ,. A •,, kr , , •• . dlik , , :Figure 4.A queen bee marked with a red paint dot and worker bees.The comb below them contains larval and pupal brood (photo by Judy Griesedieck). The adult queen is easily identified, with experience, since she is longer than a worker or drone and her „���)�� abdomen extends well beyond her wings (Figure 4). She is a reproductively complete female with well- Biology Box developed ovaries and a sperm storage organ called the spermatheca.A virgin queen will normally mate ��,,• with 10-20 drones on one or two mating flights that are usually taken within seven days of her emergence from her queen cell. Mating occurs in the air and at Queens a distance from the colony to avoid inbreeding and promote outcrossing with a variety of drones from the A queen bee can live 2-3 years, but most vicinity.After mating, the queen returns and remains queens do not perform well after two winters with her colony, functioning chiefly as an egg laying due to aging and sperm depletion. For this machine until her death. She does not mate again. reason, we strongly recommend you follow A good queen in Minnesota will lay at least 1,000 the management system in this book, which • eggs per day during the colony's growing season. is designed to ensure a young queen is This tremendous egg production is made possible by always present in your colony. the high protein diet of glandular secretions that is provided to the queen by her worker attendants. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 5 Workers S Development Division of Labor The developmental stage of the worker honey bee Under normal conditions, a worker performs a (Figure 5) lasts about 21 days or 30% longer than sequence of tasks during her life span starting with the queen's developmental period. The adult worker various in-hive activities like cell cleaning and larvae is reproductively incomplete, with rudimentary feeding. Eventually she will perform such activities ovaries and no spermatheca. Under normal as comb construction and nectar ripening. Well over conditions she cannot lay eggs.Although she is the half of her life is spent inside the hive and during smallest bee of the colony, the worker honey bee this period she is generally referred to as a hive possesses specialized structural features that allow bee or nurse bee. Later, she progresses to foraging her to perform a multitude of tasks essential to the for nectar and pollen and is called a field bee or continued existence of the colony. Two such tasks of forager. All workers in a colony, however, are capable crucial importance to beekeepers are collecting an of performing all worker tasks and can respond abundance of nectar (to make honey) and regulating appropriately as conditions warrant. temperature, allowing the colony to be a perennial entity. Probably the most important task relating to the value of honey bees to both flowering plants and humankind is the collecting of plant pollen and nectar. This activity provides the pollination that enables plant production of seeds resulting in fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Pollination services are fundamental to1111 modern agriculture. Workers collect water to drink and to cool the nest. Workers also collect sticky plant resins called propolis. Propolis is not consumed by honey bees, but its remarkable antimicrobial properties are an important component of the social immunity and health of the colony. • a Lifespan The lifespan of an individual worker varies from ---- season to season. Studies have shown that the life expectancy of adult worker honey bees emerging in J early spring averages about 35 days, decreases to 25 days in early summer, but can be up to 200 days for bees emerging in early fall and surviving through winter. Foraging takes a toll on bees, limiting their 4110* lifespans. In the fall, bees store protein and lipids Figure 5. Close up of a worker bee(photo by Judy Griesedieck). which, in combination with not foraging during winter, enable them to survive longer periods of time. In late summer and early spring, as the queen begins laying again, the older bees die off and are replaced by a . new, young workforce. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 6 Drones 0 Development The drone has the longest 7111VM:111112,4,1,111111PVI developmental period. He is I 010 *APO 01,4 Moe a! slightly larger and stouter than the l+, adult worker and has compound111104111111 L .< eyes so large they almost join onki,,, ,,, , ' ', ...I top of his head (Figure 6). Drones 1 .4''''''-,-- 4., lack many of the specialized ', '%. .0 structures of workers, like pollen } baskets and glands to feed t: 1.440. _ ""� �` 411111 larvae, and therefore make no AlN,-- "" , \ ' t - direct contribution to the colony's ew � . workforce. They are unable to sting - , and therefore cannot defend the - 1 colony.Their importance cannot i4 . ' � be discounted however.A drone's y ` . single function in life is to seek " r and mate with a virgin queen from a different colony, a feat seldom _ v iwilibilisibio, accomplished. Mating, when Figure 6. Drone and workers. Workers are on the left side of the photo and the drone is successful, results in his death. on the right(photo by Judy Griesedieck). 411 Most colonies begin to rear drones during mid-spring in cells that are larger than those used for rearing workers. The sealed brood cells are not flat like sealed worker brood cells, but dome out like corn puff cereal (Figure 7). It is normal for a colony to rear several thousand drones during the summer season and seeing several hundred drones in a large, healthy colony should not be cause for concern.An overabundance of drones (i.e., more drones than workers in the colony) may indicate one or more of the following problems: 1) a disproportionate amount of drone comb; 2) a queen lacking live sperm or an inadequate supply of sperm; 3) a queenless colony that has resulted in the presence of laying workers (worker bees that lay unfertilized eggs). In late summer, drones are driven from the hive by the workers and the colony stops raising drones. If a beekeeper observes an abundance of drones in the fall or winter, the colony probably has a failing queen. 7 4 i.. -T n. . . "" . * • • O •• •,',':',"--1,.,• , Figure 7. Beeswax comb containing sealed ::,,,,,,-•- ._ �. • •Y,� • • •• .••.✓•• ,. • • " worker brood (the flat, brown capped -1 .• • N ".••••••*". • • ••• • cells), sealed drone brood(the corn puff like cells on the top edge and bottom right), f` • • i. yr• ° " • • •• •J • • r and capped honeyin the upper left and -� •• • • •• •• +• • PP pP r?9�.. ', ••Sr, • ,,,•• • • Yf►• • . .• • .-, , right corners.The wax caps on the sealed e• k • ei,. • • •�•- -p •A • •• ,,�• " lk,• brood cells may be lighter or darker than Q;" rdr �r • • r •'•• 4 e ' •'ilk shown in this image. • *e ' •• 'VT** •• • .• 60 ' j .... •..f f fir" 0 dAl.` .., •••• • ;. ••"• t r� ,•.• .+�'v ".` Beekeeping in Northern Climates 7 COLONY LIFE CYCLE Seasonal Cycle O Honey bee colonies are perennial and do not In late January, the queen begins laying a few eggs hibernate in winter. When temperatures drop below within the center of the cluster and the workers feed 50°F, the workers cluster together in a ball (Figure the larvae "brood food"from glands in their heads.As 8). The bees on the outside of the cluster are like a spring progresses, the queen lays more eggs per day. blanket, keeping the heat within the cluster. The bees Workers can obtain protein to stimulate the glands by on the inside of the cluster are less densely packed consuming pollen stored in the nest from the previous and shiver their flight muscles, generating heat within summer. The first fresh pollen available to colonies the cluster all winter long.As temperatures rise and will come from trees: primarily maple, willow, and oak fall during the winter, bees move the cluster and (Figure 9). This nutritious pollen will stimulate the rearrange themselves within it. The temperature in queen to rapidly lay eggs, resulting in colony growth. the middle of the cluster can be 70-80°F even when The first fresh nectar available to bees will come from ambient temperatures drop below zero. Bees derive some maple and oak trees, and then from dandelions the energy they need to shiver throughout the winter and other early flowering plants. by consuming honey collected over the summer. The management strategies outlined in this manual In early spring, a colony that survives winter will ensure that colonies have sufficient honey stores for contain 15,000-30,000 worker bees and one queen the winter, while allowing the beekeeper to harvest (Figure 10). In late April and into May, colonies will excess stores. begin rearing drones. Colonies grow quickly in spring and early summer. By mid-May, a colony may have over 40,000 bees, and if they become crowded (i.e., if the beekeeper does not divide the colony into two • colonies or provide more space by adding additional boxes) a colony may have the irresistible impulse to - k_ . swarm. The population of the colonies will grow in 9" June and plateau around July or August when there "�} +'' 1:-47)4'" j ,�M �", are usually 45,000-60,000 adult worker honey bees ' '"' L , in a strong, healthy colony. During this early summer ` F�; ' t• Y„- growth phase, colonies in Minnesota will collect • '�� ' , : - , nectar and pollen primarily from clover, alfalfa, and ar ztr4r1 Vc� basswood (linden) trees. In addition, they will collect r ., r pollen and nectar from many other flowering plants, � weeds, shrubs, and trees. A colony makes the most honey when the peak population coincides with the main honey flow due to the abundance of foraging bees and available nectar from blooming flowers. � . . In late summer and early fall, colonies collect nectar � ` , and pollen from goldenrod and asters; very valuable "'` I sources of late season nutrition that ensure they have enough honey packed in the nest for winter. ?; 4 Sometime in September and into October, the queen '� stops laying eggs and the colony enters its winter `. cluster phase. The last bees produced in the season are the "winter bees.” These bees need to be healthy 410 Figure 8. Bees clustering together in in order for the colony to survive until the spring when a hive(photo by Jessica Helgen). the queen starts to lay eggs again and new bees are produced. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 8 Bloom Period of Important Minnesota Nectar Plants Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep 410 Maple Willow Oak Fruit trees Dandelion - Birdsfoot trefoil -- Figure 9. Chart of bloom Mustard111 period of important Vetch —MOM Minnesota nectar and Sumac pollen plants. White Dutch clover Alsike clover Red clover Yellow sweet clover Alfalfa -_-.-III- -_--- White sweet clover Basswood _-- Sunflower Goldenrod --- Main Flow 70,000 Main honey flow 60,000 60,000 Dandelions �" o bloom sem+ ‘ ►^ Aduf b" :s' 40,000 a ,A ' ' Figure 10. Seasonal 141 - adult bee and brood cu Flowering ;` ' population changes. trees bloom -0 30,000 20,000 ' 11 lei 'IW ,j --1 ' 10,000 : '►1 # R' Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Flowers and Feeding The average foraging area of a colony is 8,000 acres, or a 2-mile radius from the colony. Honey bees can collect pollen and nectar from a wide variety of flowers that bloom up to 5 miles or more away. The major exception to bees Words of collecting their own food is when a new package of bees is hived in April (see the chapter on "Hiving Packages and Nucs"). In this case the beekeeper needs 4° Wisdom to provide sugar syrup and pollen substitute for the colony until sufficient flowers are in bloom and the colony is strong enough to take care of itself. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 9 Swarms Swarms are a natural part of the colony life cycle. Issuing a swarm is the way a colony reproduces itself. ; Swarming season occurs during the earliest peak of 74,44 Ate. • R ` ;, ,. floral availability. In Minnesota this peak is usually a " • 44 ` ,� ► ; in mid-May when clover begins to bloom. Colonies • , : ! y r •that are healthy, over-crowded, and collecting large v �r• "�j �` =° amounts of nectar and pollen may prepare to swarm ,rt04'4 by rearing a number of new queens. The resident } queen in the colony slowly stops laying eggs, and when the developing queen cells (queen pupae) are '°.• mostly sealed with a wax cap, the colony will swarm. About half of the bees and the old queen will take 4.'4' `. • �- off, then cluster on a tree (Figure 11), usually within - " 1/4 mile of the old hive. There they go through an \ amazing process of collective decision making: scout I ;. bees share potential new nest sites through a dance 4. language, and the group decides democratically , -� • �' < ' on the best one. (Tom Seeley's book, Honeybee _ '�, -+ Democracy, describes this process beautifully). A -. 44 r a swarm generally clusters on a tree for 1-3 days while ' - i'.` ,► + '1; 14.4 going through the decision-making process, and then ., .2 i, ' ' jj f. " ' ^ :` when ready, moves into the new cavity. Swarming ,fix- ', ; i f�f: •,• ;,,• normally takes place early in the season to ensure • ''.• , a - • Y the colony can secrete wax, build comb, and collect Figure 11.A swarm in the trees.We spotted this one in the sufficient honey for the winter. Hence the mid 17th rearview mirror while having lunch in the truck. 4111 century proverbial beekeepers' saying: "A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; a swarm in July is not worth a fly." A few days after the swarm leaves, the new queens emerge within the original, parent colony. The first queen to emerge destroys most, if not all, of the other developing queens in their cells.After maturing for about a week, the new queen will fly out of the colony to take her mating flight. She will mate with 10-20 drones from neighboring hives, 20-30 ft in the air, about '/- '/2 mile away from her colony. She returns to the hive the same day, and after 4-7 days will begin laying eggs for the rest of her life. She stores the sperm in her specialized organ called a spermatheca and will not take another mating flight later in life. On occasion, a colony will issue more than one swarm if a number of queens emerge after the prime swarm departs. This afterswarm will contain a virgin queen that presumably takes her mating flight once the swarm locates a new nesting site. The loss of worker force when a colony swarms, and particularly if it issues an afterswarm, can be substantial. Beekeepers should avoid letting their colonies swarm, particularly in urban areas where the swarm may take up residence in unwanted locations such as the walls of a neighbor's home. To prevent swarming, we encourage beekeepers to divide strong colonies that have survived the winter, following the steps outlined in this manual. Divides should be made in early to mid-May, before colonies have the impulse to swarm. In this way, the beekeeper is following the bees' natural tendency to swarm, but avoiding losing the bees to the trees. • When a divide is made, the beekeeper will have two colonies to maintain over the summer. It is kind of like having your cake and eating it too! Beekeeping in Northern Climates 10 Queens Cells SA colony may rear a new queen under one of three impulses: 1. Swarming is usually a sign of hive congestion and in nature is the mechanism by which a colony reproduces. Numerous queen cells are found often on the edges of the brood nest (Figure 12). 2. Supersedure occurs when the queen is failing (depleted spermatheca), damaged, or diseased. Queen cells are found on the face and lower edge of the combs (Figure 12). 3. Emergency queen rearing occurs when the queen is suddenly removed or is killed (often accidentally by the beekeeper). Queen cells are found on the face of the combs. As long as a queen produces adequate amounts of queen substance, the workers will not rear queens. Queen substance is a pheromone produced by the queen's mandibular glands.A pheromone is a chemical substance given off by one individual insect that causes a specific response by another individual of the same species. Queen substance regulates the behavior of the workers, such as inhibiting the construction of queen cells. r 1i' f i' pi � _ via,. "‘ii , . -, . . ,' "...,„,' .,....;.4 : , .. .,„It. : . ,.J: J „;-, r '-c . ' 4.�.. . 0 _ .., , 14 = `fir ../14f = )4 ' 7',it;': - N.ii **tt,: 4 41111h,: ' /.411..,. `i ffi,' .V is F..• N T y T )\ +� t p • E 11*- all Atis irA Figure 12.A supersedure cell on the face of a brood comb(left)and swarm cells on the bottom of the frame(right). To rear a new queen, the workers build special wax cells, or modify the wax around worker cells to form queen cups. The queen cups can be constructed around fertilized eggs and larvae, or the queen can lay an egg in an empty cup. To rear a queen, the nurse bees feed the developing larvae royal jelly, a highly nutritious secretion from glands in their heads (Figure 13). They secrete large amounts of royal jelly around the larva, and the larva consumes the food. To rear a worker bee, the nurse bees feed a different composition of royal jelly that contains less protein, sugars, and lipids. It is common for the bees to make queen cups that the queen does not lay an egg in. The presence of these "play cups” (Figure 14) does not indicate that the bees are trying to replace the queen. 0 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 11 It can be difficult to differentiate among queen cells constructed for imminent swarming, supersedure, or due to an emergency. In Minnesota, 4 swarm preparations normally occur in late May or early June and the • colony will be very crowded with bees. The queen slowly stops laying ., eggs before swarming so the beekeeper may or may not observe eggs. ' li When colonies have the impulse to swarm and many queen cells are t present, it is usually too late for the beekeeper to prevent the colony from swarming. The queen cells often will be located on the face or along the lower edge of the wax combs, where the bees have space to construct these vertically hanging cells within the crowded nest. Our management _. practices encourage beekeepers to divide colonies before the colony builds swarm cells. A supersedure event can happen any time from April through September. The old queen is usually present and laying eggs. Sometimes the egg-laying pattern of the old queen is haphazard and the colony may be weak. Other times, her egg-laying pattern seems adequate to the ..7'.:,*L''. ry'' beekeeper but apparently not to the bees. During supersedure, bees construct queen cells both on the face and lower edge of the combs. In contrast, there will be no eggs present in the nest during emergency +°° queen rearing, and the workers will rear new queens from existing larvae "� '"-"-- -'4` laid by the recently-deceased queen. New beekeepers often destroy queen cells before they know the reason for their presence in the hive. If a colony is rearing queens to supersede or replace an old or deceased Figure 14 Empty queen cell cups often queen, it is best to let the colony finish the process. Remember that it called"play cups." • may take 2-3 weeks for a new queen to develop, mate, and begin laying eggs (Figure 15). Patience is required. With experience, you can learn ways to requeen your colony yourself. Figure 13.A look into a queen cell with a developing larva floating in a pool of royal jelly (photo by Judy Griesedieck). INT t '4144 .* Words of �� Wisdom. x A Queen Cells + ,�t . Our advice for new beekeepers that have questions about queen cells is: When in doubt, do nothing. Honey bees have existed on earth for over 50 million years. �,r They are good at what they • 4 do and can figure out these • puzzling situations quite easily. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 12 N • Ce (.9 441001117 w** CtY Ce W k. OW H co 0 Z O O LLI Mw m W... Z e2. 2 oo 11 ; (13 L . 1 a. sift J c Q Q W'^ +,� V, U P„ L Q. IIII Sf N Q) a) 5 U ^N 73 c a) w N v = v % d' a� . 76C7 cam IS V M a JwE W 2 u_ 0 0" _ICe G F: 61N- . : . i < 3 -4,, 3 .4cn re 3 cr M a m Q O N 41 J 0Na)/1 -0W ' I O as W • W O 0 aLL In Beekeeping in Northern Climates 13 SUBSPECIES, OR RACES, OF HONEY BEES • The scientific name for honey bees found in the U.S. is Apis mellifera. Honey bees are not native to North and South America, but were brought to the New World by European settlers. The subspecies (or races) of Apis mellifera preferred by beekeepers in the U.S. are of European origin, hence the name "European bees."There are a variety of European subspecies; their characteristics are outlined below. The two primary subspecies available in the U.S. are derived from Italian and Carniolan stocks. Other subspecies of bees are grouped as Oriental (Near Eastern), and African. One of the African subspecies, Apis mellifera scutellata, has been given the misnomer of"killer bee."A brief explanation of this African subspecies is given below. EUROPEAN SUBSPECIES • Apis mellifera ligustica (Italian bees) originated in Italy. They generally have bright golden bands on the abdomen. They tend to be docile, and colony populations build up quickly in the spring. They are a popular bee for both hobby and large-scale beekeeping throughout the world, and when managed properly, can survive winter well in northern climates. • Apis mellifera carnica (Carniolan bees) originated in the Southeastern Europe area. They tend to be • gray or brown in color. They are popular with hobbyists because of their gentle disposition. They do not attain populations as large as colonies of Italian bees, but they winter well and develop quickly in spring. • Apis mellifera caucasica (Caucasian bees) originated in the high valley of the central Caucasus. Their appearance is similar to Carniolan bees. They are considered gentle but are slow to expand in the spring. They tend to collect large amounts of propolis. They are not commonly available in the U.S. • Apis mellifera mellifera (dark bees sometimes referred to as the "German black bees") originated in northern Europe and west-central Russia. They are large, dark colored bees. They tend to be nervous and defensive, but winter well in severe climates. Due to their poor performance in spring and early summer and their defensive nature, beekeepers in the U.S. have stopped importing them for commercial use. Many of the queens sold in the U.S. are a mix of the Italian and Carniolan subspecies: queens mate in the sky with 10-20 neighborhood drones of different lineages. This mixing is not a problem; in fact, the more genetically diverse the bees are within a colony, the better they are able to fight off diseases and pests and maintain an efficient division of labor. It is illegal to import queens and bees from other countries into the U.S. Some researchers have a permit to import bee semen from other countries under strict quarantine measures. These restrictions are biosecurity measures to slow the spread of exotic diseases and pests. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 14 Stocks or Lines of European Bees 0 Since the 1990's, bee researchers have imported or bred stocks of bees that demonstrate abilities to resist diseases and lower the level of the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor(varroa), in the colony (see Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual). At the time of this writing (2020), these stocks are commercially available: • Hygienic Stock: Originally, these bees were bred from Italian-derived stock at the University of Minnesota and were called the MN Hygienic line. This line is no longer being maintained at UMN. Instead, hygienic stocks are being selected and maintained by beekeepers across the U.S. Bees with the hygienic trait can detect and remove diseased and some mite-infested brood from the nest, lowering the pathogen and pest load in the colony. • VSH, or Varroa Sensitive Hygiene: The USDA-ARS Bee Lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana bred this line of bees from a combination of Italian and Carniolan stocks. VSH bees are highly sensitive to the presence of varroa mites within worker brood cells and hygienically remove mite-infested brood from the nest. They are quite good at lowering the mite load within a colony. They have not been tested for their ability to reduce brood disease loads. • Russian bees: The USDA-ARS Bee Lab in Baton Rouge imported bees from Far East Russia (Primorsky Region) that are mostly Carniolan in origin. The bees in this region of Russian had been exposed to varroa mites for many years and had developed resistance to them. They were introduced, quarantined and tested by the Bee Lab in Baton Rouge, and are now maintained and sold by a consortium of beekeepers. Russian bees tend to be more defensive than other types of bees. • Mite Biters: Purdue University is breeding for bees that groom mites off other adult bees. The bees bite the mites, causing physical damage and resulting in a reduced mite population. Bee Sources 111 In your first years of beekeeping, we recommend you not worry about the race or stock of bees you use. Purchase what is available locally to you. It is important to first learn the life cycle of your colony, the ebb and flow of floral resources in your area, and the management strategies outlined in this book.As a beginner, the health and welfare of Words of your colony depends more on your management practices than it does on the race or Wisdom stock of bees. Once you have a good grasp of beekeeping, you will begin to appreciate the subtle differences among bee stocks and bred lines and can start experimenting with them. AFRICAN SUBSPECIES Apis mellifera scutellata (African bees) originated in southern Africa. In 1957, Brazilian researchers imported this subspecies to begin a breeding program with the hope of improving honey production in the tropics. The African honey bees proved highly adapted to tropical conditions and a wild population quickly developed and spread through South America, Central America, and Mexico, interbreeding with, and displacing, the European honey bees. They were introduced into parts of Florida inadvertently with cargo on ships. As of 2020, they are in parts of Texas,Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, California, Nevada, and Utah. We now call these bees "Africanized" honey bees to distinguish them from the bees native to Africa. Africanized honey bees are just honey bees but they are very good at defending their nests. This means that they tend to sting voraciously when the nest is disturbed. They can be managed with full, bee-proof protective gear, but they are dangerous to keep in cities and areas where there are penned animals. They have a very high tendency to swarm and issue many afterswarms. They also tend to abandon the nest (abscond) upon the slightest provocation. Africanized bees will not migrate to northern climates. They are a tropically-adapted bee and although they do produce honey, they are not adapted to store large amounts of honey in preparation for long winter months. 411 For more information on their characteristics, please refer to the books on Africanized bees listed in the Appendix: Beekeeping Information: (Mark Winston, 1992, Killer Bees, and Spivak et al. (eds.), 1991, The "African"Honey Bee). Beekeeping in Northern Climates 15 EQUIPMENT, THE APIARY, 1111 AND BUYING BEES PERSONAL EQUIPMENT Wear light-colored clothing or coveralls. Dark and/or textured clothing irritate bees more than light colors and smooth textures. Coveralls will provide fewer places for bees to crawl between you and your clothes (Figure 16). Wear a veil to protect your head from stings. There are many different kinds, including veils mounted on a helmet or brimmed hat, and hooded veils attached to a bee jacket. Pick one that is bee tight, has good visibility and is comfortable. Bee gloves are leather gloves attached to a canvas sleeve that can be pulled over the forearms. Canvas gloves are also sold, but the stingers have an easier time penetrating this material. If you wear gloves each time you open your colony, leather gloves are well worth the extra money. Latex, nitrile, or rubber gloves allow for finger dexterity and reduce the likelihood of stings due to the smooth texture and extra layer of protection, but bees are more likely to sting through these types of gloves than leather. We recommend beginners have bee gloves available, but we strongly recommend learning to work without gloves as much as possible. Working without gloves allows for the highest level of dexterity, and helps a new beekeeper read the mood of their colony and adjust their movements accordingly. • !1 : i i • _. ,,/,11114'\ hgit.' „..,,, , I"' ' - , . t.v. . ,-..„. - _ r r Vim/f M4./ �, .,,... •. .. I ' V . •` Figure 16.Three options for protective gear:full bee suit with a square veil on a bee helmet and with leather bee gloves(left),jacket with attached hat veil and nitrile gloves(middle), and bee helmet with pocket veil and no gloves(right). • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 16 A hive tool is an essential piece of equipment • used to pry apart boxes, lift out frames and scrape Figure 17.Two equipment (Figure 17). It is relatively inexpensive.A ___ types of standard standard hive tool is recommended. cam, hive tools. A smoker is another essential piece of equipment (Figure 18).A beekeeper should apply cool smoke to the bees when opening and manipulating a colony. Smoke disorients bees and also causes them to eat stored honey, resulting in fewer stings to the beekeeper. Smokers come in various sizes, may be made of tin or stainless steel, and may have options such as a heat guard and hooks. You will need smoker fuel, paper and matches to go with your smoker. Smoker fuel can be anything that will produce a "cool" non-toxic smoke that will not blow flames at the bees: wood shavings, wood chips, clean animal bedding, pine cones, untreated gunny sacks (burlap), dried cow or horse pies, etc. Place a piece of crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the smoker and light it. Pump the bellows to keep a good flame going while slowly adding fuel. DO NOT use lighter fluid, wax, or other such flammable material to light a smoker. They are dangerous and can be toxic to bees. Is , AA A ^- \n \*\ /Y 4 ".- . ., i i k .. r'` r• ' �r r'•. .:..i.....,,\''.1-;,,,...- l ,.., �r {.` . ,„,„ . ..„,„,..._.,„...„,:,,. :::...„,,, , ,, ,. . ..„ .,„ , ,_,,. .„._ . _ ....,.„,. ., .„ .. ...,..,, , ,,,,,, , ,, „ ,,,,,,,,„,.,.„..„,..,. , ,,..., „ v. ,..... .„.„.„,... . ,„,,, f,.,00„. .,..„,4,...„,, _ y Fi v r +yti r ',, qi'+ y • `; i ys� k :`� -^..7—....t:::".:- a:St ti. tiW d66� Y •A •,rte - ,`--f a .., Pr'-'7% p c'.a *S' .gid _ • y • .tt- —....-... , Pow .2...tz,' - Figure 18.A bee smoker(top left)and another bee smoker being lit using burlap and a lighter(top right).The burlap is lit, then loosely placed in the smoker. Pushing it too far down will extinguish the flame. Once the fuel is well caught(bottom left), push it down and add more burlap. Pump the bellow to keep the fire smoldering. Close the lid and continue to pump the smoker bellows. If there is no smoke coming out of the smoker(unlike in bottom right), it is time to give it another try. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 17 Leg straps are available to tie around your ankles to keep the bees from crawling up your pant legs. /1 A bee brush is a handy tool for brushing bees from frames ,, (Figure 19). Figure 19.A bee brush. A notebook for recording colony health and configuration information is helpful. There are also a number of phone or tablet apps that are designed for taking notes on honey bee colonies. Stings Stingers are modified ovipositors, or the structure allowing a female insect to lay an egg. Since only females have the potential to lay eggs, only females can sting in all bees, wasps, and ants. In honey bees, the workers sting to defend their colony. • When a honey bee worker stings a person or animal, the barb in her sting sticks into the skin. When she flies off, the barb sticks and the tension rips a specialized venom sac out of the bee's abdomen that stays in the skin.A muscle attached to Biology the venom sac continues to pulse, squeezing more venom from the sac into the person or animal until the stinger is removed or the venom runs out. It is actually • Box fascinating to watch! But if this type of fascination is not for you, scratch the stinger out with your fingernail immediately. If you try to pull the stinger out with two fingers, you might squeeze more venom into you, so just quickly scratch it out. Puff some smoke over the site of the sting to diffuse the alarm pheromone odor the stinging bee marks you with. Then take a deep breath and know the pain will be over shortly. Expect some local swelling and itching for a few days, which is entirely normal, and will go away as you get more stings over the season. If you have a systemic response, see a doctor or allergist. For information about allergies, see the Mayo Clinic site: z.umn.edu/mayobeesting The stinging bee will die shortly after she loses her sting. Honey bees are the only insect that have a barbed sting. Other stinging insects can sting repeatedly. It is a mystery why honey bees evolved to sacrifice themselves in this way. Moving slowly, avoiding squishing bees, and using smoke to decrease the chance of stings makes beekeeping a more enjoyable experience for you and the bees. i Beekeeping in Northern Climates 18 THE HIVE - A HOME FOR YOUR HONEY BEES 0 • In northern climates, we recommend keeping bees in Langstroth equipment (Figure 20). This standard equipment is designed to match the volume of a natural nest cavity and the "bee space" that bees naturally leave between combs. Lorenzo L. Langstroth developed this hive design in the 1800's. • There are a number of different iterations of hive designs that beekeepers use. We love experimentation, but we strongly encourage new beekeepers to begin with Langstroth boxes for two years before exploring other options. Many alternative hive bodies are not appropriate for northern climates as the volume is not large enough to allow bees to store enough honey to survive winter. • Starting out beekeeping, it is easy to misjudge the amount of food the bees need to overwinter in northern climates. To help ensure the bees have enough food to survive our long winters, we suggest beekeepers stick to Langstroth-style brood boxes, and manage their bees using the 3-deep system described in this manual. • Many beekeepers choose to purchase already assembled beekeeping equipment. This is a fine choice, and you will only need to paint the outside of the boxes, as described below. The following instructions are for those that purchase equipment requiring assembly. If you choose to make your own equipment, buy one set of standard equipment and use it as a pattern to make more. Check the website Z.umn.edu/Gary for plans with dimensions of standard equipment. • All of the hive box joints should be tight to eliminate drafts. • Use the proper size nails and glue for each joint. Some beekeeper equipment suppliers provide nails with the knocked down (KD or unassembled) equipment; others do not. Galvanized nails are best for boxes. • When nailing or stapling, make sure to nail or staple straight and do not split the wood. it. r '` ,- ltd ri ,— c.',30:71‘ , i; .- ,,'• iy, 0 k•it.,,,,,":•,•1„,.• s•-,.... , .Et^ --..t:-:* t '-.• • doh �• . c %lei+• df 4w , i c� *; 0.F, r ., �, ,fir a i- .l-x r a- ; l ti ,. ii• \',7 . • . i . .'•,'-- f,ft.:;...*.iikra -14,,,-:, '-. • ' a , „14 i.--y!,• .. 0 ---- .:,. .... ":„v:', ,.. ---\ • i x Figure 20. Beekeepers inspecting colonies kept in Langstroth boxes. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 19 16 ,,,,,,, Propolis J f2 The inside of hive bodies has traditionally been smooth. However, if the insides 411 /'% L of the boxes are made from unfinished, very rough lumber the bees will deposit propolis, or tree resins, inside the boxes as a propolis envelope, as they do naturally within tree cavities. The resins are antimicrobial, and research at the Biology University of Minnesota Bee Lab shows that a propolis envelope benefits honey bee l�. immune systems, microbiomes, disease prevention, and overall colony health. Box Painting Equipment The exterior of the hive boxes should be smooth before they are painted. All exposed parts of the hive should be covered with a coat of exterior primer, followed by one or two coats of good quality exterior latex paint. Painting the outsides of your hive boxes protects them from rotting and warping, prolonging their usability by many years. Use a good quality brush or roller to make painting easier. There is no reason the exterior cannot be decorated in any way you want. If the colony will be in the sun, avoid dark colors. Oil-based paint can be used to decorate the outside of the boxes, but too much prevents the box from breathing and the oil paint may peel. You may use other paints, stains, or wood preservatives as long as you make sure they do not contain any ingredients that will be harmful to the bees. Do not paint the inside of the boxes. Components of a Hive See an example of a hive with a full set of equipment in Figure 21. • -.01— Telescoping Cover -.411110011111"- f— Inner Cover • Honey Super . • I -f-- Frame • • .• ; 4 Hive Body • • • • II. • 00 ...; -41— Bottom Board •• f- Hive Stand • roll. i Figure 21.Typical Entrance Reducer Langstroth hive. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 20 The Exterior i • A hive stand will keep the hive 4-6" off the ground so the colony stays dry. Hive stands that enclose the entire perimeter of the bottom board create dead air space underneath the hive that helps insulate the colony in the winter. The hive stand should be made of treated wood or be well painted to avoid rotting. Cement blocks or bricks also make a good hive stand. • Bottom boards provide the floor for the hive with space for bees to enter and exit. • An entrance reducer allows you to make the hive entrance smaller or larger as needed. The entrance is diminished when installing a new package or preparing a colony for winter; it is widened during summer. • 10-frame Langstroth deep hive bodies (9 5/8") are used as brood chambers, where the nurse bees will raise the new bees and honey is stored for winter. We recommend drilling a 1" hole (centered 3" above bottom edge) on the front side of each deep hive body. Use metal rabbets where the frames hang inside the box to protect the wood from scraping. If you are worried about lifting heavy boxes (deeps full of honey can be up to 90 Ib) you can use medium (6 5/8") boxes for hive bodies. You will just need to use more boxes so you have the same volume. Visit Z.umn.edu/Medium for more information. While less common, 8-frame Langstroth equipment can also work well and is lighter to lift. If you are worried about hive weight, a beekeeping partner can help move heavy boxes.Another strategy is to remove individual honey frames, move the box, then put the frames back in once the box is moved. • An inner cover is used to provide a bee space above the frames so the bees do not"propolize" (glue) the cover down. • A telescoping cover is the final cover for the colony. It telescopes over the top so it doesn't slide off. It usually has a metal top to keep out the rain. • You will need corks to plug the 1" holes in the hive bodies during some periods of the season. Keep hive bodies corked if there are no bees occupying the box or the frames of foundation have not been drawn out with wax comb yet. If you have corks lying around that are smaller than 1", drill the holes in the boxes to fit those corks. 410 The Interior • To begin, you will need 10 frames (9 1/8") for each 10-frame deep hive body. If you purchase frames that require assembly, we recommend self-spacing frames with grooved top and bottom bars.As the bees fill the frames with wax comb, you may later switch to 9 frames per box.Assembled frames are available, but they can cost a little more than unassembled frames. One benefit of purchasing assembled frames is that any frames that break during assembly, which can happen, will be at the expense of the supplier. • You will need foundation for each frame in the hive. The bees will build comb without foundation but the foundation encourages them to build comb in the middle of the frame, acts as supporting material, and reduces the amount of beeswax the bees need to produce. Some of the first foundation was made of solid beeswax, and then wire was added to give the comb support. This support allowed the wax comb in the frames to survive the honey extracting machines without damage. Next, foundation was made of thin plastic and beeswax was added to both sides with the imprint of hexagonal cells pressed into the wax. Now most foundation is made of thick plastic that has the base of the hexagonal cell formed in it, and it is sprayed with a light coat of beeswax (Figure 22). We have found that this coating of beeswax on the plastic foundation is important to the bees. If there is insufficient wax, the bees can be reluctant to build comb on it. Foundation can come in light or dark colors. Eggs are easier to spot on the darker foundation. • Some beekeepers prefer to have the bees build "natural" comb, meaning comb with no foundation. The problem with natural comb is it is not very strong when held in a horizontal position. If you want to be able to turn the frame sideways or upside down (to look for eggs or see the other side of the frame) you will have to add some support. This support is one of the important purposes of the foundation. You can add support without using foundation by adding three 1/8"wood dowels from the top bar to the bottom bar of the frames, and the bees will build comb around them. The other purpose of the foundation is to encourage the bees to build comb within the frame, instead of across frames. To encourage bees to build comb within a frame without using foundation, you can fill the groove in the top bar with beeswax or popsicle sticks. Another method is to make the top bar of the frame v-shaped at the bottom so the bees follow the line when building comb. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 21 ;al'''rte -'' ' \'�e. �j; Figure 22.A wooden frame with t•,T ti +?,,`' black foundation (foundation can also .' �; .,-;,, , i., : be the color of beeswax)with new , „•. • Ar tit beeswax comb being built by the 0 '(t b' , , bees.The comb is the yellow-gold ,,--.- 7 ` hexagon structure. . . � r �. • . sem' Tl • `'tC •4I ., S+, i ` , • , !:`,.1 4,, : Aon; .: � � qs - - .! '^ j�••��••iii"";i"•ii" , `RNs►i• f....,a At Beekeeping LingoIII Beekeepers have particular, and sometimes peculiar, phrases they use to talk about equipment, bees, and beekeeping. Beekeepers often use different words to mean VT the same thing, even within a single sentence. Words of A common example is the use of"colony" or "hive." By definition, the colony is the bees, and the hive is the structure that the bees live in. However, colony and hive Wisdom are frequently used interchangeably in speech. Another example is a "hive box" or"hive body." Both mean the same thing in this case: the wooden box that holds the frames, and, depending on context, may or may not include the frames. A variation is calling the box by its size, like a "deep."A"deep" means the same thing as a box or body, but specifically refers to a box the size of a Langstroth deep. Other variations include "deep brood boxes" and "deep hive bodies." Beekeepers also often use "comb" and "frame" interchangeably. A frame of brood is the same as a comb of brood. They are technically different, though. Comb is the hexagon-shaped beeswax structure built by the bees. A frame is the structure that beekeepers give the bees to build their comb in. Frames are most often made of wood, but some are plastic. "Brood" is commonly used. Brood always refers to the developing bees, but it can mean specific stages, too. Open brood refers to the egg and larval stages as these stages do not yet have a wax cap, hence they are "open." Sealed or capped brood refers to the pre-pupal and pupal stages. These developing bees are covered by a wax cap, sealing in the pupating bees, hence the use of"sealed" or"capped." Brood usually refers to worker brood, unless specified as drone brood or queen cells. 410 Now you are equipped with enough lingo to confuse and impress your non-beekeeping friends! Beekeeping in Northern Climates 22 Honey Production for Harvest • A queen excluder is a wire or plastic grid with space large enough for workers to pass through but too small for the queen to pass through (Figure 23). It is placed " 7 between the brood chambers to confine the queen to one area. The excluder will be used for dividing colonies, and to r prevent the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers. „ • Honey supers (medium depth 6 5/8" or • shallow depth 5 11/16") are placed above .4i the brood nest for the bees to store honey Figure 23.A colony with a metal queen excluder on top and ready for the beekeeper to harvest. for the addition of honey super boxes. To begin, you will need 10 frames for each honey super if using 10-frame Langstroth boxes. To produce comb honey, where you will be eating the entire comb, use frames with split top and slotted bottoms and thin surplus foundation.Avoid wire or plastic in the foundation for comb honey. S Supers are for Honey, Only Medium or shallow sized supers are used for collecting honey that the bees produce in excess to what they need for themselves. Supers are placed over the brood nest, often above a queen excluder to keep the queen from laying in them. The mystery Words of of why beekeepers choose shallower boxes for honey is easily solved the first time you lift one at harvest time: heavy! Medium and shallow supers weigh less than deep Wisdom boxes when full of honey and are easier to lift and handle. Importantly, supers should always be stored and used separately from any boxes used in the brood nest. The brood nest wax combs will likely accumulate pesticide residues from stored pollen. Pesticides are lipophilic, meaning they like lipids, which pollen and wax contain. Nectar and honey do not contain lipids, so residues in honey are much lower. One advantage of using boxes and frames that are all the same size (e.g. all mediums or all deeps) is that you can rotate frames with comb from the supers to replace old comb in the brood boxes. But do not rotate frames from any brood box into a honey super. Keep your honey pure. Replace brood combs regularly. 41/ Beekeeping in Northern Climates 23 Feeding Supplies Feed Pail a A feed pail is used to feed sugar syrup. Many kinds of feeders are available. For northern climates, at times of the year when it is not good for the bees to leave their cluster (early spring, late fall), we recommend a gravity feeder placed over the inner cover. It is simply an air-tight pail or other container(s) (e.g., a couple of large Mason jars) with 1/16" holes in the lid and a lip around the edge.A hive box without frames is often used to protect the feed pail on top of the colony (Figure 24). +s 1 •..,•�--n, �,1/4y� .4'''''' y-'' 4 om I �" eer. - i ,..r.k lr. ` r , _ `6',0 .!- y rr, - / P k - A . ., , ,: ::;0";**,'''''i4 - .,..:*.:, , ,..A.e.- '4.s'I'*:. ''''''''' 40 Figure 24.Two feeder pails on the inner cover of a colony(right)and another two feeder buckets enclosed by an empty box with the telescoping cover about to be placed over top(left).The buckets are placed over the hole of the inner cover to allow the bees to access the small holes in the lid that release the sugar syrup. Sugar Syrup Sugar syrup is used to feed colonies in spring when there is little or no nectar available for the bees to collect, and in fall for colonies that haven't stored enough food to survive winter. We recommend you purchase pre- made syrup from a supplier or buy granulated, refined white sugar and mix it with water to make your own syrup. Either beet sugar or cane sugar is fine. Avoid using organic sugar(even white): it is less processed and contains molasses, which is difficult for the bees to digest. Warm water will help dissolve the sugar completely so that the granules don't clog the feeder bucket. We suggest using water at temperatures below 140°F. Two recipes for sugar syrup are used depending on the time of year: • Light syrup (1:1 sugar:water) is used to stimulate the bees to grow in the spring and ensure the bees have ample resources to produce beeswax to make into comb. Light syrup is made by mixing 4 lb of sugar with enough water to make 1 gallon. The ratios are by weight. • Heavy syrup (2:1 sugar:water) may be needed to feed colonies in late summer and early fall to ensure the bees have sufficient honey stores for winter. You can make heavy syrup by mixing 8 pounds of sugar with enough water to make 1 gallon. The ratios are by weight. A close approximation of the amount of sugar needed can be made by filling a container half full of sugar for • light syrup (1:1) or filling the container full of sugar for heavy syrup (2:1).Add water to the container to bring the syrup solution to the top and you will have the approximate sugar to water ratios. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 24 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 Where to Buy Equipment • Brick and mortar beekeeping stores allow you to see and handle what you are buying before you purchase it. • Online stores and mail-order catalogs may have better prices and/or selection, but you may need to add the shipping costs. • Used equipment can be purchased but be very careful to dispose of all the wax combs to prevent disease transmission and to eliminate any pesticide residue. We strongly recommend that beginning beekeepers start with new equipment if possible. A list of regional beekeeping suppliers is on our website, where updated information will be listed: Z.umn.edu/beelinks SELECTING AN APIARY SITE Around Your Hive • Accessibility at all times is crucial. It is best to be able to reach the apiary with a vehicle. Sometimes you will need to move heavy equipment in and out of the apiary. If keeping bees on a rooftop, consider accessibility, your ability and willingness to haul heavy equipment up and down, and personal safety. If keeping colonies on a rooftop, have a good stairs or elevator, and place hives well away from the roof edge so you do not fall off the roof. Strap your colonies down with ratchet straps and provide them with a windbreak. • Nectar and pollen must be available within flying distance (2 miles) of the apiary. Most areas in Minnesota have enough varied plants available to support one or two colonies, except in highly wooded • areas such as the Boundary Waters. • Water must be available within 1/4 mile of the apiary throughout the active bee season. If you are in an urban setting you should provide water on your own property so the bees don't go searching for water and potentially bother your neighbors. You can have a birdbath, provide a chicken waterer, or simply use a pan, but make sure the container always has water in it. You should also place stones, corks, or something similar in the water to give the bees a place to land. They cannot swim in or hover over water to drink. • Respect your neighbors. Keep your bees out of high-traffic areas. If they are behind a privacy fence or hedge (i.e., a flyway barrier) they will fly up over the barrier and not bother people. op, Water � Bees need water throughout the spring and , s� 4IP • fall. It is important that they have access to — a continuous source of water within a short y flying distance from the hive (no more than Biology 1/4 mile away). The bees need to stand on a surface Box (e.g., sandy or pebbly banks of ponds, _ �_ '�� •` lakes and rivers; Figure 26) to suck up water with their tongue (proboscis). They obtain some salts and minerals from natural sources of water, so prefer ponds over chlorinated .ems , • water, but they will use both. Bees do not forage for water during , • the winter months. s' z' • Figure 26. Bees drinking from a puddle(photo by Jessica Helgen). Beekeeping in Northern Climates 26 Be sure to comply with all local ordinances before bringing your bees to the city. Many cities require permits to keep bees; search out local ordinances and requirements from your city administrator or local Animal Control • office. See the UMN Bee Lab site for a list of ordinances in Minnesota: z.umn.edu/hbordinances Weather and Protection • Air flow is important. Do not place your colonies in a depression, lakeshore, or flood plain where damp air will accumulate. • Hive entrances can face in any direction, but if possible, position the entrance to the south or southeast to receive the most sun. • Avoid placing colonies in highly wooded areas; colonies benefit from direct sun for at least part of the day. • A wind break on the north side will aid in protecting against cold winds during overwintering. • If you locate your apiary where there are bears, put an electric fence around the apiary before placing the hives (see Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual). WHERE AND HOW TO BUY BEES Packages and Nucs Colonies of bees are sold as packages, small nucleus colonies called "nucs", and, less often, as full-sized • colonies (Table 3, Figure 27). Packages contain 7,000-15,000 bees, and a mated queen. Nucs contain 4-5 frames with used wax combs, at least 10,000 bees, a mated, laying queen, brood of all stages (eggs, larvae, pupae), and some stored pollen and nectar. Nucs will expand more rapidly than package bees, but are usually sold later in spring than packages. Packages are sold in April and early May. They originate in regions where queens can be reared and drones are available for mating by March and April (e.g., northern California, southeastern states). Nucs are generally sold in May or June. The majority of nucs originate in regions, where queens can be reared and drones are available for mating by March and April (e.g., southern states, southeast Texas). These beekeepers often return to northern states in May or June, bringing the nucs with them at that time.A limited supply of nucs is produced by local beekeepers that winter colonies in Minnesota. Local beekeepers cannot produce queens and drones until May and June in our northern climate, so locally produced nucs will have a later start. Bee colonies can also be obtained by catching swarms. However, remember the saying from the section on "Swarms": "....a swarm in July is not worth a fly." If starting with a package of bees, all wooden frames should be new and the bees will construct wax cells on the new foundation. Nucs and established colonies contain used frames and already constructed wax combs, which means there is an increased chance the combs may contain disease spores or pesticide contamination that may affect the development and health of your colony. Be aware of the trade-offs when starting with someone else's wax combs. If you are a new beekeeper and do not have a mentor, it may be wiser to purchase nucs in later years, after gaining experience and the skills to identify brood diseases. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 27 Planning to Purchase Bees • Package bees and nucs can be purchased directly from a producer or supplier. We recommend that r� new beekeepers purchase bees from a local, specialty beekeeping store or from a local beekeeper. • It is very important that you become familiar with the reputation of the bee supplier. Talk to other customers of your supplier to check on their experience. We do not make recommendations about the best place to purchase bees. • We recommend buying at least a 2lb package (about 7,000 bees per package). • Due to high demand, packages and nucs should be ordered in December or January. • If you have your package bees mailed to your home, it is a good idea to warn your mail carrier in advance that they are coming. Nucs cannot be mailed. Multiple Colonies Help with Understanding "Normal" We recommend starting with at least two colonies of bees, if possible.As a new beekeeper, it is good to have a frame of reference (pun intended) for normal colony growth. With two colonies you can compare them and if something is wrong, then Words of you can recognize it. If you start with just one colony, be sure you join a hobby beekeeping association, or have a beekeeping mentor to help you understand the Wisdom normal and healthy progression of a colony over the season used in the brood nest. The brood nest wax combs will likely accumulate pesticide residues from stored pollen. Pesticides are lipophilic, meaning they like lipids, which pollen and wax contain. Nectar and honey do not contain lipids, so residues in honey are much lower. One advantage of using boxes and frames that are all the same size (e.g. all mediums or all deeps) is that . you can rotate frames with comb from the supers to replace old comb in the brood boxes. But do not rotate frames from any brood box into a honey super. Keep your honey pure. Replace brood combs regularly. Table 3. Pros and cons of each method of acquiring a colony. Packages Nucs Full-sized colonies Swarms -Can start on all new -Quickly grows in equipment population Grows very quickly Free -Pros - Usually have very -Success in establishment May produce more Fun to collect if the swarm low varroa mites can be more dependable honey than other is in an easily reached levels than a package methods location Buying used comb which - Buying used comb that - Must catch a swarm - Need to feed the may contain pesticide before the end of June at may contain pesticide colony more residue and disease the latest for it to build up residue and disease spores Cons -Takes longer to May have varroa mites spores enough to survive winter build than nucs or at a level that requires - Most expensive - Unreliable to find colonies - May have high varroa - May have varroa mites management, and/or • mite levels and/or brood at a level that requires brood diseases diseases management Beekeeping in Northern Climates 28 Figure 27.A wooden package of bees with the feeder can being removed (top left), a plastic package of bees on a one deep box prepared to receive the bees(top right), full-sized colonies individually strapped together for transport(middle), a wooden(purchased • nucs are frequently cardboard y or plastic)nuc with 5 frames(bottom left), and a swarm (bottom right). �. /�-/ •✓� -Err 411I t /', ''',\1{ / /1.1[''''/',/•//1/./' '• IIIPdnnnni IIIIIIIIIi'It11111Ipd i, I' -. d111IiIIIII IIIIIIIIIIli91111 ill1 H ' s, IIIIIIIIIIIII 11111111111111 111111 MI �� �' / f C• #' IIIIIIIIIII' 111111101111 11111111111 1/ i( /J(-/ nililIIII_ IIIIIIIIIPiIIIII lIll IIII ^�( / 1101111 IIIIIIII!i IIIIIIIh i 1111 .,-. 4:011111 IIIIII1:11ItIIIIIIII111. 1111 - ,'� ° /� _ ,Ic1pu 11111:111111111111111111 uu : V1' - - �n wit 1 ��II 11111111�IIII1110 X111 .., .. - R �' 11 r� � s ) - r .is \ - -- v`4♦ 1 :. • ', �4 5 - . „ , : yam`; , prif, y {�"Y t ,.....„..,,,, . .. ..,.....„. ,... . A ,., . r . 1 �,- 1.I} "!•yg < .W ' 17.- 4 it t • 14" i. ' - �� y. 4 '4"`-« Ntom_ • •' v • / y, it f--1--------:3-- r� , .t,. • ` ,k--;;;:- / - _ yr N \! � +, Wk".R ' macM .. • • ' ,,,,••• n w- _ �� .,- . , / / / -'/ , ,•i1/ .. �.e� ,i n y l* t "�M! - ) �/ �n. j', i:\ ;' ` ' -f 't1‘,:**, ay. - 4 d,/ > 0 i' �' 'A"3 i3 --,*..04410-_,... ' T f i. fi n'-w►-+- .� r If 2 .1. • . ra r Beekeeping in Northern Climates 29 HIVING PACKAGES AND NUCS PREPARATIONS For each package or nuc of bees ordered, you should have the equipment for a one-story hive (Figure 28) assembled, painted, and set up on location before the small colonies are scheduled to arrive. Be sure all openings to the empty box are closed until the bees are placed inside to prevent mice from entering. A package should be hived about a month before the fruit trees and dandelions bloom because they need extra time to become established before the bloom. Nucs are available and can be hived from the time of fruit tree bloom to early June. In the Twin Cities, fruit trees and dandelions bloom around mid-May. 2-3 pound package of / 4-5 frame nuc of bees -- bees with a queen Telescoping outer cover Telescoping outer cover / Box to cover feeder ' / Box to cover feeder • Gravity feeder / ` Gravity feeder Inner cover i Inner cover 10 frames with foundation 5-6 frames with foundation Deep hive body with 1" "-" Deep hive body with 1" 0 auger hole 0 auger hole Entrance reducer Entrance reducer Bottom board Bottom board 1 Hive stand Hive stand Figure 28. Equipment setup for hiving packages(left)and nucs(right). • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 30 HIVING PACKAGE BEES • If you are hiving a nuc and not a package of bees, then skip to the section called "Hiving Nucs." Transport It is fine to transport a package in the cab of a vehicle and easier on the bees if outside temperatures are below 60°F. Cold wind can whip through the package mesh, chilling the bees. If there are any bees on the outside of the package, gently brush them off with a bee brush or a bouquet of grass. Don't panic if a few bees escape as they generally fly to the windows. Care of the Package After Arrival Keep the package in a dark, quiet place, preferably at 50-70°F, taking care not to chill or overheat them. Don't block airflow to the package bees. Provide plenty of feed by periodically spraying 1:1 sugar syrup on the screen cage every 4-6 hours, but don't drown the bees. Hive the bees as soon as possible. It is best to hive them in the late afternoon. Bees do not fly at night so they will stay put if hived later in the day. It is fine to hive a package in the morning if the weather is cool (below 55°F). You can wait a day to hive the package in the case it is raining or snowing, or for personal logistics. Continue to keep the package in a dark, quiet place and spray sugar syrup on the cage every 4-6 hours. How to Hive Package Bees • See Figure 29 for step-by-step management instructions. Preparation • Do not use smoke when hiving package bees, but do wear a veil if this is your first time handling bees. We encourage you to learn to keep bees without gloves, which helps you move more slowly and carefully. But to begin with confidence, you may choose to wear gloves that give you fine-motor dexterity (like rubber kitchen gloves). • Place a cork in the 1" hole of the deep box. • Position the entrance reducer using the smallest opening with the entrance facing down. Plug this opening loosely with grass when hiving packages on warm and/or sunny days, to help keep the bees inside temporarily. • Remove four frames from the center of the hive body. • Take a deep breath and slow down. Be ready to take a video or pictures to commemorative the experience. This is fun! Spraying Sugar Syrup • Spray the package bees liberally with light sugar syrup. • Thump the package sharply to knock bees to the bottom of the cage. • Carefully pry the feeder can from the package using your hive tool, and set aside. • Remove the queen cage from the package and check to make sure the queen is alive. Put the queen • cage in a safe place. If you are hiving on a cold day, it's good to keep the queen in your pocket to keep her warm. • Spray bees in the package with more sugar syrup. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 31 Shaking Bees into the Box • Shake the bees into the hive (Figure 30) and carefully spread them out on the bottom board with your hive tool, as Dr. Furgala used to say, "like spreading sauce on pizza." • Mist the queen very lightly with sugar syrup so that she does not fly into the air when released in the hive. • To release the queen, use the "Direct Release" method of queen introduction: lower the queen cage into the hive, remove the staple with your hive tool, and gently peel away the screen while keeping the cage low in the hive against the foundation (Figure 31). Let the queen walk out onto the foundation. • A common mistake is to open the queen cage above the tops of the frames, which increases the chances the queen might fly off. It is important to release the queen on the bottom part of a frame at the bottom of the box, near the pile of bees. She will quickly move into the colony and be accepted readily by the bees. • Carefully replace the four frames. Do not force the frames down into the bees on the bottom board because that will squash them. Releasing the Queen From a Package There are other methods to introduce the queen into a new package of bees, including leaving the queen caged and letting workers chew their way through a candy plug in the cage to release her (after removing the Words of cork/plug on the candy edge of the cage). Since the package has had the Wisdom queen in it for at least 3 days, the bees will accept her immediately. Directly • releasing the queen the day you hive the package is the best method. ,»►►iii 16 My Queen Flew Off! _ i11 s ,e, the queen does fly off, carefully replace the frames and leave the hive open gb for about 5-10 minutes. Generally, she will return, and you may or may not see her fly back in. Queens are smart. Before they fly away, they orient to landmarks around their location (kind of like remembering where you parked Biology your car). You are a major landmark around the hive, so stay put, and chances BOX are she will orient back to you and her colony. If she does not return (you will know in 4-7 days on your first inspection), you will need to order a new queen and use a "slow release" method of introduction (in the section called "The Great Divide"). To avoid all this hassle and expense, lightly mist the queen with syrup, reach down in there and open the cage directly onto the bottom of a frame near the cluster of bees. Scared to put your hands down in there? Take a deep breath and get into your bees. You are now a beekeeper! • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 32 k. y t ,ex{ 1+Ta? ,lit , s':4 xOtt c!f.yua. , G '� ,--f....*,,, ..(� . . l;§ • 07....F "1A^r `rte ,.�j ti,ft.. ./(yr_ � ,.,, _ .1'-'f:, �` ‘, t x' 3 x w 4�rr a ° 4. 1?t " 4 .z s 4; o CU (1J xlirj o 7 O O0 M I Xv o QJ 1)I �. �. i wn, ti, w � a l. k o y. c 0 Z a) u _•r •r .• 7.J 06**i06*** I- ,? Q c C 3 — `o a) z r II WV.1.-N*10!.!. CI) )i tn • m o .......›.• co S1 N70 CU CO (*� o/41,41.*ilk 1111 Wili v..;1 10.4. oo = v, _c a) 0 co lig lit> 1 x . " ,..„61116*06 s IN Ill* lb* co CU 0 7 CU L x « 00 a) — L O U• p p cO Q aJ a) -0 p — a) O 0 C *}** a CO 73 N.i ( ' 1.C 1. v E L L *iii. ;I vill'i cD -C3 tto a j '2 Q Q a--, L T Qto --...). .4a;).1.D< co7.V, O T.,...)30 co (13 ii a) N 1►!r. v >, CO rsi Iii- I . it >A i.�► x x `' , a, A 1016 T• -° 1E 0 I i 1)► 1. *►* c o 1 I MI t . �►1A 1l4 0 0 a) u .ti U 0) T > a' .0 d } CO / > 0 41 t C T 4-' N *! r m E S 11: na ,r.i.wi. / X - a rn 13 co o_ -}*Obi qi -00. oo Do co cu I I .09.1.'0. O Q O ° CO •4••. CO c C_ 03 Q1 fa > d 03 `Q) (0 E T C _ D 0 N C ca > al T C v • Q E. .Q a) _ ..„ ilfr . O (a• U a) 5 PM a) T i TL .fl 7 / a) V1 0) 55 N la C LL _ f ° ,SSSS4....., __va • J .5455 iiIIja . c 4 (0 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 34 Feeding • • Feed pollen substitute when hiving packages to provide bees with protein to help them feed larvae. Place the patty on top of the frames near the center but without blocking access to the gravity feeder. Place the inner cover on the hive body. Pollen substitute should be replenished as needed. The bees will stop needing to be fed a patty when they start collecting fresh pollen consistently. • Feed a gallon of syrup 1:1 to the colony by inverting the feeder pail over the hole in the inner cover. Be sure the pail is not leaking. Syrup will need to be replenished every 7-10 days for at least one month, even when floral nectar is available, to help bees build wax combs. • Put an empty box around the feeder(in part to guard this sugar source from other bees and insects) and add the telescoping cover to the top. Secure the cover with a rock. Feed Pails In northern climates, it is best to use a gravity feeder—an air-tight pail with =� 1/16" holes in the lid and lip around the edge of the lid. This feeder is placed on top of the inner cover, and is protected by placing an empty box over the inner cover and under the telescoping lid (see Figure 24). When bees need to Biology be fed in our area, it may be cool in spring and early fall and the bees may be clustered to maintain heat. If the feeder is above them, they can move where Box heat rises to reach the syrup. If the feeder is in the entrance, they will have to move into colder areas to reach it. If it is a frame feeder on one side of a deep box, they risk drowning in a pool of cold syrup. Bees cannot live for more than 20 minutes below 40°F. Be nice to your bees; use a gravity feeder. • HIVING NUCS For next steps after hiving a package of bees, skip to the section entitled "Inspections." Transport It is best to transport a nuc in the back of a truck, but it can be done inside the cab of a vehicle. Secure the nuc in place so it does not tip. It is very important to make sure the lid on the nuc is secure and the entrance closed with a mesh screen to prevent the bees from escaping. Closing the entrance with mesh is important to allow the bees to move air around. Keep the nuc cool to prevent the bees from overheating. If in the cab, put the nuc on the floor and turn on the AC aimed at the nuc. The colony is at higher risk of dying from heat than from cold. Don't panic if a few bees escape as they generally fly to the windows. Care of the Nuc After Arrival It is best to hive the nuc the same day you receive it. However, if you are not going straight to the apiary (e.g., you plan to take the nuc home, then transport it to a different location at a later date), place the nuc outside and open the entrance. The box is their temporary hive and the bees will quickly learn to return to it. Keeping the nuc closed can cause the bees to suffocate or overheat. When ready to transport again, close the entrance with mesh and move the nuc when the bees are not flying to avoid leaving anyone behind: early morning, after the sun starts setting, or in cold or rainy weather. It is best to move the nuc over 3 miles away to prevent foragers from returning to the temporary location. Bees learn their location very quickly. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 35 How to Hive Nucs See Figure 32 for step-by-step management instructions. • Equipment Setup for Hiving a Nuc • The equipment needed will be the same as in hiving a package, except that only 5-6 new frames will be needed, as the nuc will contain 4-5 frames with bees, brood, and food stores (see Figure 28). Preparation • Bring the nuc to the apiary where the new hive set-up is prepared. The deep hive body should have 5 frames of foundation if the nuc comes with 5 frames, or 6 frames of foundation if the nuc comes with 4 frames. • Place a cork in the hive body 1" hole. • Position the entrance reducer in the deep hive body using the smallest opening with the entrance facing down. This helps prevent other bees from robbing the new, small colony. • Set the nuc next to the deep with the inner and telescoping covers removed. Push the frames of foundation to the sides, leaving an opening in the middle of the deep with enough room to put all the frames from the nuc. • Take a deep breath and slow down. Be ready to take a video or pictures to commemorative the experience. This is fun! Transferring a Nuc to a 10-Frame Box • Open the lid and gently transfer the frames, one by one, from the nuc to the open center of the deep. • Put them in the same order they were in the nuc box. Observe each frame as it is moved. Look for the queen and all stages of brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae). Look for stored pollen and nectar. • Thump a corner of the nuc sharply on the ground to knock the remaining bees to that bottom corner of the nuc box and pour those bees into the colony or at the entrance. Be extra careful if the queen was not seen since she can be on the walls of the nuc box. • Use a thick sharpie to mark the tops of the frames with the date to keep track of which frames came from the nuc. Before writing on the frames, use your hive tool to scrape off any wax. Feeding • Feed pollen substitute to provide bees with protein to help them feed the growing larvae. Place a patty on top of the frames near the center but without blocking access to the gravity feeder. Place the inner cover on the hive body. This patty may not need to be replenished, depending on availability of fresh pollen. If bees are bringing in pollen at the front entrance and the weather forecast looks warm for blooming plants, then it is unlikely the bees will need to be fed pollen. If in doubt, feed a pollen patty. • Feed a gallon of syrup 1:1 to the colony by inverting the feeder pail over the hole in the inner cover as in Figure 24. Be sure the pail is not leaking. Replenish the syrup every 7-10 days to help the bees build wax comb on the foundation. • Put an empty box around the feeder(in part to guard this sugar source from other bees and insects) and add the telescoping cover to the top. 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Do not disturb the colony unless you suspect the bees are not consuming the sugar syrup. If after 24 hours, the bees have not consumed any syrup, check the pail to be sure the holes are open, and nothing is obstructing the hole in the inner-cover that gives the bees access to the feeder pail. For package bees, make sure the bees are clustered in the middle of the box. If the bees have clustered toward one side of the box, rearrange the empty frames so that the cluster is centered and below the feeder. Nucs will remain clustered in the center on the brood frames because they need to incubate the brood. Package bees will not have brood for some days after hiving, so they do not necessarily cluster in the center of the box. 4-7 Days Later: First Inspection Four to seven days after hiving the package or nuc, 4. " ' ! . P4.1044e �' . ' Y g p g „,, conduct a brief colony inspection. '-' �� t ; y11,,Lirr r � r r " Prepare Yourself .i • Light the smoker before opening the 4.# +,. • colony and take a few minutes to ensure 4 it stays lit. Put on your protective gear, i 'w take a deep breath, and prepare to move , . rF. . - slowly. • Approach the hive from behind or the side. ..{. a�+�tk v Do not stand in front of the entrance ash '' you will block the flight path of the bees. �a `� o ; Opening the Hive .i t • � '„ a'., • Using a hive tool and keeping the smoker )•• ' , . � ! N at hand, slowly remove the outer cover, g„` " • syrup bucket, and box covering the feeder. R . 4.•:,‘,114�". *. Gently pry open the inner cover and puff a , .• `', little smoke over the bees, observing how " `19, .lib ` they move down into the box. • ' - •••• V • Slowly and smoothly, remove a frame toward the outside of the box, inspect what is on it, and leave it on end outside the Colony (Figure 33). Figure 33.A frame of worker brood is placed standing on its end while a beekeeper looks through the colony. Placing the • Puff more smoke where you plan to place frame on its end and gently leaning it against the colony so only your hands next, then one by one remove the top of the frame touches the colony reduces the number of adjacent frames to check for eggs and for surfaces the frame and comb touch, decreasing the likelihood of the queen. Return the frame to the box squashing bees.This frame is made from black plastic and not the more typical wooden construction. after inspecting it. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 38 What to Look for in the Hive • • The presence of eggs (one egg per cell) will indicate the queen is there and laying. If you see eggs, it is not necessary that you see the queen. • Move around the hive so the sun is behind you and shines into the cells to better observe eggs. Keep the frame you are inspecting over the colony so the queen does not inadvertently drop to the ground where she may be lost. • Note how much comb the bees have constructed, or"drawn," on the foundation, the presence of stored sugar syrup in some cells, and possibly some stored pollen. The colony may have larvae in cells. • For a nuc, move full frames of honey all the way to the outsides of the deep box (one to the right, and the other to the left), but keep the frames with brood in the middle. This placement encourages the bees to draw comb on the foundation. If there is brood on the honey frames that came with the nuc, leave those frames in the center. Remember, the brood frames always need to stay centered. If you move frames with brood to the edges of the box, the bees will not care for it. • Slowly and calmly replace the combs with brood in their original order. • If the smoker is still lit, congratulations are in order. Feeding the New Colony Continue feeding light sugar syrup (1:1) until a continuous supply of nectar is available in the field and the bees have constructed, or"drawn" wax combs throughout most of the first deep hive body. Feeding sugar syrup is especially important when starting with foundation since the bees need to produce comb to raise their young and store food. Generally, a total of 20-25 lb of granulated sugar(5-7 gals. of 1:1 sugar syrup) is required per package and less for a nuc since it will have some drawn comb. Be sure the syrup in the feeder is not spoiled. If the syrup looks or smells bad, toss the syrup and rinse the feeder and refill with fresh syrup. The colony should have at least two full frames of syrup stored before you stop feeding. Buy ample sugar and err on illfeeding your bees longer. I lot N 36 QV, \ __. BiologyBox d . 0 1 ',fit ,„ , ... Wax Glands and , 4 "Drawing" Combs , di Honey bees have glands on the underside of . the abdomen that produce and secrete wax (see "' .. Figure 34). Each gland produces a thin, wax flake which the bees instinctively mold, flake by flake, ,. into beautiful hexagonal cells. Beekeepers call the process of the bees secreting wax and building out the wax comb, "drawing comb." Wax is a complex carbohydrate, which means l ,. to produce it, bees must be consuming a large amount of nectar or sugar syrup (simpler ' r carbohydrates). To encourage your colony to - x construct wax cells on foundation in spring and j early summer, feed them lots of syrup. _ " During a good "nectar flow," feeding them will not "\ i - be necessary. By late July and early August in6 4- -- Minnesota, bees naturally stop drawing comb and + • ...." feeding syrup will not convince them to start up again. Do not expect your colony to draw comb Figure 34.This bee is secreting wax flakes from glands on on foundation in late summer. the underside of her abdomen (photo by Jessica Helgen). Beekeeping in Northern Climates 39 YEAR ONE : SPRING AND SUMMER MANAGEMENT S INSPECTIONS Newly hived colonies should not be disturbed unnecessarily. Use smoke during each inspection, and always move slowly and smoothly. You will need to check your bees every 7-10 days in spring and early summer and similarly in late summer (mid-August to October). During the summer months, you can check them less frequently. Spring Inspections While bees are drawing comb, here is your checklist for hive inspections: • Check bees and brood every 7-10 days. If you see eggs, it is not necessary to see the queen since eggs mean she is present. • Look for unsealed and sealed brood. Check for diseased (not healthy) brood. • The number of bees will dwindle for the first 21 days after hiving a package until new workers emerge. A nuc will have less bee loss since older bees will be replaced with young bees that emerge from the brood. • Look for stored food. Pollen can be various colors based on the floral source. Fresh pollen will have a shiny look, while older pollen will look duller. Bees tend to consume the fresher pollen first. Nectar is • shiny and clear in the comb. Unlike honey, it does not have a wax cap. Honey is nectar that has been dehydrated down by the bees to <18.6% moisture to prevent fermentation. Once the nectar is dried out, the bees put a wax cap over the cell like putting a lid on a jar, although in this case the wax cap is porous. • Look for the presence of drone brood. The production of drone brood means that the colony has enough resources to spend on these relatively expensive bees and is a good sign that the colony is healthy. A prospering summer colony will be around 10% drones.An excess of drones can mean that there is an issue with the queen (either she is failing to lay fertilized (female) eggs or is not present in the colony). • Look for queen cells. It is unlikely that a colony started from package or nuc will swarm, but it is possible. Bees swarm when they run out of room to grow in a hive. If a colony has many frames of foundation and little drawn comb, the bees may perceive that there is no room to grow, and may swarm. It is important to feed sugar syrup to help the bees produce wax, and to ensure they have ample combs to grow their population. • If you see queen cells and suspect your colony might be trying to swarm, see the section called "Swarms" to learn about swarm management. • Another reason you might see queen cells is if the colony is trying to replace or supersede the queen (see the section called "Queen Cells" for more information). Do not remove the queen cells. The bees know more than the beekeeper, so it is best to respect their decision to raise a new queen. Study up on how long it will take before you can expect a new laying queen to be present in the colony (see Figure 15). • If you see queen cells and no eggs in the combs, it means the colony has no queen (she was likely killed inadvertently during a previous inspection).Again, do not remove the queen cells. The bees are trying to replace the queen and they know exactly what to do. Leave them be. Study up on how long it • will take before a new laying queen will be present in the colony (see Figure 15). • Refer to Appendix B on troubleshooting queen problems for additional information about queen cells and finding eggs. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 40 Swarm management in new package or nuc By the time swarm cells are present, it can be too late to prevent the colony Igr from swarming. If swarm cells are present, take note of the oldest cell. A capped swarm cell likely means the colony already swarmed. Sometimes Words of beekeepers go frame by frame looking for swarm cells to destroy them with Wisdom a hive tool. This can be a recipe for disaster, especially for new beekeepers. YY It is difficult to find all the cells, and the colony may still swarm even if all of the cells are found and removed. It is best to alleviate the urge to swarm by providing the colony with room to grow, adding another box and inserting empty combs between brood frames. If the colony has already swarmed and you remove all the cells, then the colony cannot raise a new queen. FEED FEED FEED! • Provide a continuous supply of sugar syrup for at least one month, especially for a package. Replenish the pollen patty as it is used. The colony should have at least 2 full frames of syrup or nectar stored before you stop feeding. Provide Room for Expansion • Add a 2nd deep hive body to the colony when 80% of the comb surface in the 1st hive body is drawn out; i.e., wax cells have been constructed on the surfaces of 8 of the 10 frames (approx. 4-6 weeks following hiving a package if using foundation, or 3-5 weeks if starting with a nuc). • When adding a 2nd hive body containing 9 frames of foundation, remove 1 frame with drawn comb containing nectar, but no brood, from the 1st hive body (leaving 9 frames spaced out equally) and place the frame in the center of the 2nd hive body to encourage colony expansion. • Adjust the entrance reducer to the largest opening at this time. Move the cork from the hole in the bottom hive body to the 2nd hive body. • Add the 3rd deep box after 80% of the comb surface has been drawn in the 2nd hive body in the same manner: by moving one drawn comb with nectar into the center of the 3rd box containing 9 frames of foundation.Adding a 3rd deep box is unique to our system of beekeeping in northern climates. The bees will fill it with honey that they need to survive our long winters. • When all frames of foundation have been completely drawn out with wax cells in the final deep box added, remove one frame and equally space the remaining 9 frames. If the bees are not producing comb on the edge frames, move a food frame to the outermost edge position in the box and the undrawn foundation frame in one position to encourage the bees to draw out the comb. In the unusual case that the colony is moving up and not using the bottom box, do a reversal by switching the top and bottom box (see "Full Reversal, mid-season" in Figure 35). Unless the weather is reliably warm and the population of bees is large enough to cover all frames, avoid putting an empty frame between frames of brood. • Reversals are simply a system of rotating the position of boxes, while keeping the bees and brood as they are within the boxes. Reversals ensure the bees have mostly empty combs above the cluster, • into which they can, and will, expand as temperatures increase and early pollen and nectar become available. Here's an analogy: the bees are like an elevator that only moves up. Eventually you'll need to move the lower floors of the building on top, so the elevator will have somewhere to go. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 41 0 �wsw*wwww*wwww T.• 1" N ws Mw �t.�� +�►s.Nw�w�-Mw w!lww!!w ,www7✓lwww9wwww 19 ws�.D ww 1)1 ® l� l� ! �• w *w �►1;• /w1:• w w +• w�w C ww !w O www! %.% , l//{ ww w ww 'lb N ,w• w*,*• wwlw:• lwww ON C w—j 4J —�w!llwwww+wwww 3 — cn N o > o 0 0 CU al -0 = (� 0 0 0 -. L. s t ° ••� ^1 ^' L L v, Ca W W > \ aCU C a) u > > > p ,www*wwww*www9 Ow * w w1..Cw , :obi%s :wi,• w }!wl • wlwww CY — Q Q = +- w M►w-4-111 N r CO o wwww ■www — n.....: :D:; wd ® 11 lwwwtww ,www*+lw!*wwww 4111 Iwwwlwlw%9111 www lA Ws F2 m > 2 o • cm as 0 coixi 2 D m IL N M T T M 111' w! www i ) I N 9 co — as (nN L > > CU „. 4 Q) co L Z-17 co O 1 M N r M N r www D +wwww D 'o wwww gh,Q11,1, {VVVV! w Beekeeping in Northern Climates 42 To Cork or Not to Cork, That is the Question • Whenever I was talking management with the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers ►. Association, Tom would always raise his hand and ask "Gary, what do we do with the corks?" The other question was, "Why drill a hole if you are just going to cork it up?" Words of The main reason to drill the hole in the box is to give the colony an upper entrance in the top box for winter. Since we never know for sure which box will Wisdom be on top for winter we put holes in all the boxes. It seems the bees "enjoy" the holes in the other boxes during the summer but we do not want the lower holes open in winter because mice can enter them. For winter, the hole in the top box should be open and the remainder of the holes should have corks. For spring and summer the holes can be left open unless: 1) the bees are not occupying the box, or 2) the frames in the box contain foundation without beeswax comb. If in doubt, leave the corks in the holes in spring and summer. Inspections from late summer through fall Here is your checklist for summer and fall inspections: • Look for worker eggs, larvae, and pupae. You do not need to see the queen if you see worker eggs. Remember, you can differentiate between eggs that will be workers and those that will be drones by the size of the wax cells; drone eggs are laid in slightly larger cells. • Assess the quantity of stored pollen and honey. There should be pollen stored on the edges of the brood nest. If no pollen is stored in the height of summer, then the area probably has very poor floral resources. The colony should have lots of honey stored by the height of summer, far above the minimum of two frames of honey. If this is not the case, feed 2:1 sugar syrup. Summer colonies should be heavy with food stores, or they will not be prepared to survive winter. • Look for queen cells, but leave the cells alone. The bees know more than the beekeeper about why they might need a new queen; trust them. • Look for the presence of adult drones and drone brood. As in spring, be on the lookout for an excess of drones. After the main honey flow and as fall approaches, fewer drones will be produced. In late fall, the remaining drones will be kicked out of the colony by the worker bees. • Check to see if the bees have enough room to grow. You should add hive bodies when the current top box is 80% filled and occupied with bees. If you find nectar stored in the brood nest area, it is a sure sign that your bees are too crowded and the queen has run out of space to lay eggs. Ensuring your bees have ample space during nectar flows is essential to avoid late season swarming. Once your bees have filled the three deeps, you can begin adding supers as described below. • Monitor your colony for varroa mites each month to assess their population growth. Consult your Disease and Pest manual for mite population thresholds and methods to keep their populations below • threshold. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 43 16 ion,, Protein and Carbs —A Balanced Diet • F% Bees get all their nutrition from flowers: nectar is their carbohydrate source and /"�l� pollen is their source of protein, fats, amino acids, sterols, and micronutrients. • There are artificial diets beekeepers can feed their bees in times of dearth, but pollen in particular is hard to replicate.An ample quantity and diversity of pollen BioloBiology is critical for bee health. It helps them develop, live longer, fight infections and gy pesticides, and feed their young. A healthy diet is a cornerstone of a health Box colony. Figure 36. Frames of honey as seen looking down into the combs. ` The honey can be identified because of the characteristic wax cappings y i , ,k Y. . T \ - N, to �t.i Words of Wisdom ; • Hefting and Peeking :IMP i . ' a. NW t a 1 ' During each inspection take note of the number of full honey frames and carefully heft the colony ; SUPERING 0 Honey supers should be added as needed during the supers, make sure the queen did not also move up major nectar flow. Generally, supers are needed when and put the queen excluder back on. Check for eggs the top deep box is about 80% used by the bees. in the supers if you are worried you may have missed If uncertain, err on providing more space. Have the seeing her. If you see eggs above the queen excluder, equivalent of 2 empty supers on the colonies during then you will need to find the queen and move her the major nectar flow. The same practice applies to back into the brood boxes. adding additional supers after the first 2 have been added. When the top super is 80% full, add another 2 After the nectar flow, remove your honey supers supers. from the colonies (see section on Harvesting). In Minnesota, remove supers in mid to late August. This Before supering, place a queen excluder over the top allows for the bees to store the remaining incoming deep brood box. Supers containing foundation should nectar for winter and allows you to monitor and go on top of the queen excluder(or under any supers manage the varroa mite population. already on the colony). Supers containing already drawn comb, if you have them, can go on top of the In the first year, a new colony may or may not stack of other honey supers. make surplus honey. Much of their resources (carbohydrates from nectar) are used for producing Sometimes the bees are reluctant to move from wax combs, rather than honey. In our 3-deep system, the brood nest into supers with foundation. If that the top box of honey will be left on the bees for the happens, try temporarily removing the queen excluder winter. You can rest easy that the colony will have and spraying some sugar syrup or molten beeswax sufficient honey to survive the winter and look forward on the foundation so they are attracted to the new to harvesting honey in year 2. box. When the bees start to draw out comb in the • Figure 37. A colony on a hot day with a large beard of bees. zhill Jim/d Biology Box Bearding '' _ On very hot days, sometimes you will see that a .`- �r '° ` .r huge mass of bees is hanging outside the hive r . entrance and on the front panels of the hive boxes (Figure 37). It looks like your colony has xa, grown a beard. New beekeepers worry that their , f , i r s :.�. t bees are about to swarm, or that something Al r , f.. s£ has gone terribly wrong. But if your bees have i. , /'° -. plenty of space and it is a hot or muggy day, they t are probably just "bearding,"which is perfectly ;` ,,,,,;�s ° -*.e. t 3 normal. v- . « } z ice :a Some bees "beard" outside the colony so that the - ;?, , bees in charge of temperature control have more �{ .t 't °' A r G room to circulate cool air by fanning their wings ;°c--' 9►,I*- 'go= ." ° ,� ;;.V ,, and evaporating tiny droplets of water throughout * !sj , �'' * ,t .��r - A� Y% ilthe hive. They need to maintain the correct a., �, r �� ,,,,,,, J--// , . �, temperature for the developing brood at all times �',`_ ,f ' '"'pi �" �„, (about 94°F). � ',_ i' -. ,! Beekeeping in Northern Climates 45 WINTERING HONEY BEE COLONIES 0 IN NORTHERN CLIMATES Honey bee colonies can survive long, cold and snowy winters in northern climates if they have the following: 1. Sufficient honey stores to survive the winter through March. In Minnesota, a colony needs 75-100 lb of stored honey. 2. An upper entrance for bees to take cleansing flights. 3. A material over the inner cover that allows moisture to evaporate from the top portion of the hive, such as a moisture board. 4. A healthy queen bee and a large adult bee population covering 15-18 frames when temperatures are over 60°F, and a cluster covering 8-12 full frames when temperatures are below 50°F (Figure 38). 5. Low levels of mites and disease. Stay up to date on current information in the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual. Colonies with all five of these requirements have a higher probability of survival over the winter compared to colonies that lack even one of them. Colony health going into winter is much more important than how the colonies are wrapped. See Figure 39 for seasonal management practices that help ensure a colony is healthy enough to overwinter. Figure 38.A good winter cluster. • wrt is - , f„Y ! '4' ' d P ' -"+.,. r 'xi V.gkel •-,ai.,..% yeit. mr•itlt ,,_ y. \ ''' :'"'. ti•; .'' 1.41$141 : :;iir; \ • z ,.'.‘, '' irCA'\ Beekeeping in Northern Climates 46 • U a) 0 > O Z r_ t'..) 0 0 (1) CA 0 To O2 .� 11 > ro _O D _c E Q 0 O 444 4 1CU N E Ni111 z vi cu 0 11111rUC-0 '6- � N co QJ0 L CO -U O_ v Q N c:3) • M c CL E v6) tan ca m co Ec C - cu o CO O -c 03 co _0 I r C a) I 0 CD a) 2 Co 92 U a, — LL 0 a, LI-- Ln * a) E aJ ., N E CU -0 ) co co a--+ -0 (1.1 Lo a) -0 0 CD s- -0 a) U Q) QJ U Q) (15> LC) cu C C a) no C I� Q C (f) (B s_ Co >- Ln U cn (D >.- C a) az L v C O a) +-+ * Q) C i > CO Lrl C Co NQ) Q) N cu v) N (II N L E CO L N O0_ C Q C a) C C) U D L O 0 a) a) D C a) V) (0 O Q. >' C L Q) .. C ( '= (0 N >- N C Cl-) 0s_. -0 N C l_Cli CO U - L - c) V) C 0- -0 L C >, 0 '-• >, •C Q U 0 Li D + a) CoL O >, N C > E co CJ Q C �bA O O O L X C) C () a) co L O ,- L - Q O O cn O > Q) O c L — = — ,C 1� LU 4- a) Q (0 CO -0 -0 U 0 a) 0 O -0 _ C • '0 Q) ' • }' C) Cl..) C) N N 'O > -0 E -0 a) U •- CII L L Co V) () () _C _C W -o a) -0 a) C) Q) CO C) O O a a a U U H Q Q CL a Cl- _ Beekeeping in Northern Climates 47 FALL MANAGEMENT Fall management is important in preparing the colonies for successful overwintering. Remove any supers • by the end of August; the bees will use any subsequent honey they produce to bulk up for winter. Removing supers in August allows for mite treatments to be applied in late August or early September, as needed. Whether or not you will need to feed your colony 2:1 syrup in the fall depends on multiple factors including how large their foraging population was during summer nectar flows, and what food resources were available to them. Assess colony weight in mid September: each colony will need at minimum 75 lb of honey stored to get through winter. ''_"" Beware of Robbers � Robbing is the behavior of bees when they steal honey from other colonies. /j'% L�� Generally, forager bees from strong colonies force their way into weaker colonies and steal their honey. Robbing behavior occurs most frequently when there are no flowers producing nectar in the environment, called a dearth Biology period. Fall is the time that colonies are at the biggest risk of being robbed. Once robbing starts, it is difficult to stop the bees. It is awful and stressful for Box the bees and the beekeeper. It's a good idea to learn to identify different activities that take place in front of the hive, so that you can recognize robbing when it happens. There are three main activities: foraging, orientation flights, and robbing. Foraging bees can be identified by their purposeful zipping in and out of the hive. When they leave the hive, they fly upwards like sparks before they move out into the landscape. Because they know • exactly where their hive entrance is, they always fly directly to the entrance. Often, you will see colorful pollen loads secured on the back legs of the foragers as they return. Orientation flights are when young bees are orienting themselves to the colony before going out foraging for the first time. If you look closely, you will notice that the new foragers are facing the colony and flying back and forth in small arcs, learning the landmarks of their particular home. You will also notice older bees standing on the landing board producing the Nasonov pheromone, which tells the orienting bees that this is "home." This behavior is noticeable directly after hiving a colony, moving a colony, or during midsummer when the colony population is at its height. You can recognize robbers by their shiny, hairless bodies (from fighting) and their aggressive way of darting toward a colony. Robber bees are looking for cracks or openings by scent; they are not oriented to the hive entrance like the worker bees that actually live there. Because it takes time to recognize these different behaviors, watch for bees fighting (two bees locked together, twirling, in front of the colony). Fighting indicates that your bees are in fact being threatened by robbers. There are a few ways you can help protect the colony from robbing. The main way is to reduce the number and size of the colony entrance(s). Robbing bees fight with the resident bees at the entrances of the colony; decreasing the space the robbers can enter increases the ability of the robbed colony to defend itself. Cork all holes in the boxes and place the entrance reducer on the large hole to limit the size of the bottom entrance. Robbing bees attempt to fly directly into the colony; using a wire mesh across the front of the entrance called a "robbing screen" (Figure 40) reduces the ability of robbers to fly in while still allowing for airflow. If robbing is actively occurring and the other methods don't appear to be helping, place a damp sheet completely over the colony and all of the entrances. Leave the sheet until dark and consider moving the colony to a new location. 411 Robbing is a larger issue in locations with a high colony density. You may never see bees robbing, but be aware of the signs to be able to act. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 48 y� "fir 40014, f°464140,4 -. "r Cr h t h „f- �'R ri +civ ., \ \�6q�� A� . , ' s ��' Figure 40.A colony with a mesh v R robbing screen in front of the bottom • entrance(photo by Judy Gresedieck )• • ti. • e �r ' �+� ”. war..��4, Varroa Management TREAT or manage for VARROA MITES following the guidelines in the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual. We cannot overemphasize how important controlling mites is for overwintering survival. High varroa mite loads frequently lead to colony death in the fall and winter. Sample and manage each colony for varroa mites as explained in the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual. In particular, monitoring and Imanaging mites in August and September is critical to colony health. If you detect that mite levels are above the recommended threshold after monitoring, taking swift action is crucial to ensure the survival of your colony into fall and over winter. See the latest version of the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual Z.umn.edu/BeeManual and our web site Z.umn.eduNarroa for the most current information and resources for managing mites. Preventing the Spread of Mites and Diseases The health of your colony can affect the health of other colonies in the area. =7L Bees can move. Bees from a strong colony can fly to weak colonies and can rob honey. Bees from a sick colony can abscond and/or interact with bees from a healthy colony. It is still extremely important to manage your colonies for Biology varroa mites. Few things are more frustrating in beekeeping than monitoring for J varroa mites all year, then seeing a huge mite population spike in September, Box especially if the colony was treated for the mites in the spring. It is frustrating because the high mite levels means that your colony has a lower chance of surviving winter, even when you were careful and took the correct management steps. To prevent the spread of mites, treat colonies with high mite levels. Varroa mites are one of the most serious problems that you will run into in beekeeping, but there are other disease issues that can spread among colonies, too. If you find a diseased colony, sterilize your hive tool by sticking it in a hot smoker for a few minutes, then (using heat-resistant gloves) flip it to sterilize the other side. Wipe down all equipment and gloves used to look at the colony with sanitizing wipes. To avoid transmitting diseases, don't move frames from a sick colony into a healthy colony. Get help from an expert or mentor. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 49 Food Reserves Estimating Food Reserves 40 • Determine whether a colony has adequate food reserves for winter. This is a good time to practice the hefting skills you have honed over the summer. 75-100 lb of honey are required and 3-5 frames with pollen are desirable (the gross 3-deep hive weight should be 180-200 lb). As a deep frame holds about 8 lb of honey, a colony should have the equivalent of 10-13 completely full frames of honey stored. If a frame is not completely jam-packed full of honey, do not count it as a full frame since having 10-13 full frames of honey is not the same as having 10-13 partial frames of honey. Frames that are full of honey are easier for the bees to winter on than frames that are partially full. Full frames mean the bees have a shorter distance move in order to reach food when it is very cold outside. • Determine whether the winter honey reserves are properly located in the hive. The top hive body should have 8 or 9 frames full of honey. The middle hive body should have another 2 to 5 frames full of honey. • It is often difficult to determine whether there are adequate pollen reserves, because pollen can be stored under honey. An insufficient amount of pollen is remedied by feeding pollen substitute and/or supplement in early spring, when the queen begins laying eggs again after a winter hiatus. Do not feed pollen in late summer or fall when the bees are winding down their brood rearing for the season. It is important to follow the bees' lead: they stop rearing brood in the fall in order to retain protein and lipids in their adult bodies to survive the long winter months. Pollen patties stimulate brood production; do not stimulate brood production in the fall. Feeding Colonies in Fall • If a colony does not have adequate honey stores by mid-September (75-100 Ib) you can feed them to try to bring them up to weight. Feed heavy syrup (2:1 sugar syrup). Stop all feedings by mid-October, because the bees will likely not have time to condense and store the syrup after that date. • One gallon of 2:1 sugar syrup contains about 8 lb of sugar. If your colony is 24 lb short of the ideal • winter weight, feed 3 gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup. • Don't feed your bees between November and March. Opening a colony and disturbing it when the temperatures are cold is not a good idea. Dry sugar or "winter patties" are not an efficient nor effective way to sustain colonies in northern climates. It is easier on you and healthier for the bees if the colony stores sufficient honey during the summer months, or obtains sufficient wintering weight though sugar syrup feeding by mid-October. Winter Cluster and Inspections Honey bees cluster to maintain heat in the winter. They form a cluster when outside temperatures are below 45-50°F. Unlike humans, they do not heat the "home"; they only heat the cluster space they occupy. They have a very efficient Words of system of keeping heat within the cluster. The cluster expands and contract as outside temperatures increase and decrease. When expanded, the cluster will Wisdom move as a unit to new frames in the hive in order to always have direct access to stored honey. It is difficult for individual bees to leave the cluster to find sugar feed placed on top of the colony.A bee survives only a few minutes on her own at temperatures below 40°F. We recommend that you do not feed or check your bees until temperatures are at least 50-55°F in late winter or early spring. As a rule of thumb, avoid removing frames from a colony if the bees are not flying (<50-55°F).Any bees that fall off a frame or crawl out of a box may not make it back into the colony. If it is below 45°F, don't open a colony for more than a few minutes, because it disrupts the heating system in the cluster. Never open a colony or remove frames if the temperature is below 35°F. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 50 Protecting Colonies from Winter Weather • • Provide protection for winter by early to mid November or when daytime temperatures average below 45°F. • Position the entrance reducer using the larger opening facing up from the bottom board. This helps prevent mice from getting in and prevents the entrance from being blocked when bees die and fall to the bottom board. • Plug the bottom 1" hole in the bottom two deep boxes with corks, but leave the hole in the top box open for ventilation and as a winter exit for the bees to take cleansing flights. • Place a moisture board over the inner cover. The board allows moisture to escape from the hive during winter, preventing moisture from collecting in the hive and above the bees. Bees produce water while clustering, which can freeze. When temperatures rise, the thawed water can drip onto the bees, possibly killing them. The moisture board also provides for dead air space on top of the colony. • Place a winter carton over the hive, wrap in tar paper, or use an insulated wrap (Figure 41). If using a winter carton, fold one of the flaps to the inside or cut it off to allow air to flow over the moisture board. Black wraps absorb heat from the sun. • Place the telescoping outer cover on top of the winter cover. The telescoping cover should not sit snugly over the winter carton; rather, let it sit loosely on top to allow moisture that is produced by the colony to evaporate out of the hive. Place a rock or brick on the top to ensure the telescoping cover does not blow off. • Cut a hole in the winter carton or tar paper that is aligned with the 1" hole which will act as the upper entrance. A purchased winter wrap, like a Cozy wrap, will already have a gap at the front allowing bees to exit. • A hive stand that encloses the perimeter of the bottom board provides dead air space under the hive that acts as insulation; this is desirable in all seasons. • Protection from prevailing winds, good air drainage and full sunlight will help ensure successful wintering. Good thing you chose an excellent apiary location (Figure 42). • Heavy insulation is recommended for colonies in areas with very cold winters that reach -30°F. Per Canadian research, use a material with R11 on the sides of the colony and a material with R22 on the top of the colony (Hive and the Honey Bee 2015 version's chapter on "Wintering Management of Honey Bee Colonies," Joe Graham (ed.)). See the posters Wrapping Honey Bee Colony for a Northern winter on Z.umn.edu/FreeBee for helpful visuals. Figure 41.Well protected wintered Figure 42. Ideal winter apiary site. colonies(photo by Brooke Nikkila) ^, ►r" v • +4 '� ° 41. )1144 • Apt.. a, s r. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 51 YEAR TWO: MANAGEMENT FOR SUCCESSFULLY WINTERED COLONIES FIRST INSPECTION: IS THE COLONY ALIVE? • In early March, when temperatures are at least 40-45°F, open the wintered colony by removing the wintering cover and inner cover to see if the colony is alive. It is likely that the bees will be clustered in the top box. If the bees are not in the top box, then look down between the frames to see if they are in the second box. Gently blow air between the frames (with your veil on of course) and listen for sounds of life. If the bees are not yet in the top box, it likely means they still have the honey in the middle box to eat. Do not remove any frames during this inspection unless temperatures are above 50°F. • If by the March inspection the cluster is smaller than a football or spanning only 2-3 frames, the colony will likely not survive through spring. • Assess colony weight: when you heft it from the side, does the colony feel light or heavy? Estimate the number of honey frames left, by looking down between the frames for resources. To survive the remaining cold weather, the colony needs a minimum of two honey frames. It is best not to feed your colony before it gets warm, but if you think they are starving, only feed with candy boards or 1:1 sugar syrup. Read more about using candy boards here: Z.umn.edu/GaryCandy. • If alive, provide your bees with pollen substitute on top of the frames at the edge of the cluster. If the bees are in the second box, crack the top box and slip the patty onto the frame tops in the second box and gently lower the top box back down. • Cover the colony back up with the winter cover and moisture board. • Two weeks after the first visit, check if the colony needs additional pollen substitute and 1:1 sugar syrup. Spring Feeding Joni, 16 fArg. Like a nectar flow, sugar syrup stimulates the colony to grow. Pollen helps them feed the little brood they are rearing naturally in early spring but does not stimulate them unnecessarily. Receiving sugar syrup too early in spring could stimulate the bees to rear more brood than they can take care of. If the temperatures drop for a period of time, the cluster of adult bees needs to fully encompass the brood to keep it warm. As brood needs temperatures of 92-94°F Biology to develop, cold exposure can lead to the death of brood at the edges of the cluster. It is always best to follow the bees' lead, rather than push them. Box Beekeeping in Northern Climates 52 COLONY DEATH According to the annual beekeeper loss survey Was the cluster size covering 8-12 frames in October- conducted by the non-profit the Bee Informed November? When you discovered the colony death, Partnership (research.beeinformed.org/loss-map/), were the bees decomposing or did it look like a recent hobby beekeepers in Minnesota have on average a death? Were the dead bees clustered, piled on the 60% winter mortality each year. Losses can occur bottom board, or missing altogether? over the summer, but are more likely to happen during winter. In the summer, a colony may be able to raise Write down notes and take pictures. The longer you enough new bees to replace sick and dying bees. keep bees the more you can learn from them. Coming Little brood is reared over winter, so the population back to your old notes can help you learn at a later dwindles when individual bees die. Winter is a true date even if at the time of your note taking you were test of whether bees are healthy or not. You can mystified. increase the likelihood that your bees will survive by following the five principles outlined at the start of this If the colony is dead, take the equipment to your shop chapter. or garage to clean it out, or close all holes to prevent robbing by other colonies and to keep mice out until It is discouraging when a colony dies. You are not weather permits you to clean the equipment outside. alone.Although sad, use the loss as an opportunity to The boxes, frame and combs with remaining honey learn. Try to diagnose why the colony died by thinking are fine to give to a different colony (do not extract or through what the colony looked like throughout the eat honey from a deadout). Cull out old combs and year, before it died, and when you found it dead. Was replace them with new ones. The only hard-and-fast there any food left in the colony? Springtime weather rule is: never reuse equipment from a colony that died el is unpredictable: you cannot control if, during a cold from American foulbrood disease (see the Honey Bee snap, the bees will be able to reach honey frames Diseases and Pests manual, Z.umn.edu/BeeManual). located away from the cluster and they may starve AFB is relatively rare but highly contagious to other with food present. Did the brood look sick during bee colonies. In general, tossing out any comb that summer or fall? Were there issues with the queen at has signs of brood disease is best for the long-term any time? Did you sample and manage for mites? health of your new bees. If you aren't certain whether to keep or toss used comb, err on the side of tossing it. Did you sample your colony after mite management to determine if your mite management was effective? The "Ick" Test 3 1n1111,/ft If you are trying to decide whether to reuse or replace old combs, we recommend you use the "ick" test. If you are looking at a comb and think, "ick", toss it. Moldy 1� frames are okay to reuse since the bees are good at cleaning up mold. Any comb with signs of brood disease should be tossed. Reducing the exposure to pathogens in the colony is worth the extra cost of replacing the frames. Frames with chilled, dead brood can be reused because it is not infectious. If in doubt, take a photo or show it to an experienced beekeeper for advice. If you think you Biology have diseased comb on your hands, double bag the frames and put them in a Box dumpster. Replace them with brand new frames and foundation. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 53 EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT • Perform a full inspection of each colony in mid-April when temperatures are at least 50°F. Clean the 111 bottom board by scraping off debris with your hive tool. • If there are no bees in the bottom box, do the "ick" test and replace unwanted frames and combs. • Check to see if there are frames of brood (combs containing eggs, larvae, and pupae). If so, conduct a "partial reversal" (Figure 35). A partial reversal involves switching the position of the top and middle hive box to encourage the bees to expand. If there are brood frames in both the top and middle box, move the empty bottom box to the top position above the brood, following the "modified reversal" (Figure 35). Always avoid splitting the brood nest. If the temperatures drop, the bees need to cluster around the brood to keep it warm; if you separate the brood some will die of cold exposure. • Replenish the pollen patty if the bees have consumed most of the previous one. • When temperatures are consistently above 55°F, monitor the level of varroa mites. See the latest version of the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual (Z.umn.edu/BeeManual) and our web site on varroa management (Z.umn.eduNarroa) for the most current information. Spring management of mite levels can save heartache and problems in the middle of summer when the supers are on and the mite levels are hard to control. Managing to keep mite levels below threshold in the spring increases the colony's chance of surviving the season. • Inspect each colony ten days after the mid-April inspection. When there are 6-10 frames of brood, conduct a full reversal (see "Full-Reversal, early season" in Figure 35) and replenish the pollen patty if necessary. 0 The Whys and Wherefores of Reversals Over the winter, the cluster of bees will naturally move toward the top box, where honey is stored. Sometime in late winter, the queen will start laying eggs in the top box(es) and that is where the colony will settle itself to feed and incubate the Words of developing brood. During the fickle temperature swings of spring, it is important to keep the brood area with surrounding honey intact. Wisdom Reversals are simply a system of rotating the position of boxes, while keeping the bees and brood as they are within the boxes. Reversals ensure the bees have mostly empty combs above the cluster, into which they can expand as temperatures increase and early pollen and nectar become available. Here's an analogy: the bees are like an elevator that only moves up. Eventually you'll need to move the lower floors of the building on top, so the elevator will have somewhere to go. When do you do reversals? Reversals should be done when the bottom box(es), below the cluster of bees, are not being used (bees typically don't move down). The timing depends solely on the placement and population of bees in the nest, which will vary colony by colony, and year by year. Welcome to the vagaries of beekeeping! Beekeeping in Northern Climates 54 THE GREAT DIVIDE • A strong, healthy colony that survives the winter will likely swarm in late spring or early summer. Swarming is the bees' natural form of colony reproduction. However, allowing a colony to swarm in urban areas presents a risk if the bees nest in a nearby home or outbuilding and become a nuisance, possibly ending in extermination. In rural areas, allowing a colony to swarm may not present the same risk to the neighbors, but it may mean reduced honey production as the remaining colony (the bees that did not take off) will have a smaller population of foragers when the main honey flow starts. To prevent swarming, you should divide (also called "splitting") the strong colony in early to mid-May before bees have the natural tendency to swarm (before "swarming season"). Spilt the strong wintered colony into two (these are called divides). To make your divides, transfer half of the bees, brood and food resources of the original colony into a second hive set-up, and introduce a new queen into the new colony you have engineered. Remember the 4 Principles of Productive Beekeeping: 1. Every colony must be protected in equipment with removable frames and located in a good apiary site. 2. Every colony must have a young, prolific queen. 3. Every colony must have adequate honey and pollen reserves at all times. 4. Every colony must be monitored and managed for diseases and mites, and treated only when necessary. O -141:.-1. Biology Box Swarms and Divides Words of Wisdom Swarming is colony reproduction; the Too ManyColonies superorganism's way of making two from one (see section called "Swarms"). Making divides follows the same concept but allows the beekeeper to In beekeeping, sometimes we are faced with "good keep both halves rather than letting the swarm problems."An example: if all your colonies survive fly off to find a new nest site, taking the queen winter, then your number of colonies may grow with them. Dividing strong colonies provides an beyond your space, time, or financial capacities. opportunity to introduce young, prolific queens, Remember that hobby beekeepers in Minnesota which is one of the four principles of productive have on average a 60% colony mortality over beekeeping to ensure colony survival. winter each year(refer to section on "Colony Death"). The reality is that one of your colonies One major difference between a swarm and a may die over the winter, especially while you are divide is this: in a swarm, the mated queen leaves learning. Colony mortality is an unfortunate part of with the swarm, while the half of the colony that beekeeping, but with attention and experience, the remains in the box raises a new queen. In a risk of losing colonies can be lowered. divide, the beekeeper can leave the mated queen with the original "parent" colony, and introduce If you do end up with too many colonies, contact a new queen into the new box containing brood a local beekeeping club to see if a beekeeper is and food combs transferred from the parent. interested in purchasing the colony. In particular, Other beekeepers prefer to use this opportunity to any beekeepers on the local bee group's swarm introduce a new queen into both colonies, getting contact list are likely to be interested in the bees. rid of the old queen altogether. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 55 Preparation To discourage strong colonies from swarming, make divides about 6-8 weeks before the main nectar flow4111 (during the dandelion bloom that occurs early to mid-May in Minnesota's Twin Cities area). Divides should be made before swarm season (usually late May to early June in Minnesota's Twin Cities area).A divide made at this time will build up in population and will likely make sufficient honey to harvest. The colony that is to be divided should have a large adult bee population and 8-12 frames of brood. If the colony has fewer than 6 frames of brood, it is too weak to make a divide. Each divide should have a minimum of 4 frames of brood and 5 frames of bees. If a colony is not strong enough, it should not be divided. Skip the divide section and manage the colony as described starting with the section called "Summer Management." Before making the divide, you will need to purchase and prepare the following items: • Purchase a mated queen from a queen producer. The queen you purchase will have already mated and will be ready to lay eggs. It is best to order a queen to arrive the day of, or day before you make the divide. If you can't make your divide immediately after your queen arrives, keep your queen and her worker bee attendants in a cool (60-72°F), dark, and quiet place. Provide the caged bees with a small drop of water once daily until you can make your divide and introduce the new queen. A queen can be kept caged in this condition for several days. • Prepare an additional hive stand, a bottom board, inner cover, telescoping cover, one deep hive body with frames of drawn comb and/or foundation, and a gravity feeder(feeder pail) with sugar syrup (1:1). Place all equipment in the same apiary with the colony you are dividing. S Purchasing Mated, Virgin, or Cell Queen Bees We recommend purchasing and using mated queen bees to requeen colonies in 111 the first couple years of beekeeping. Mated queens, while more expensive, are the least risky. Words of Wisdom Some queen producers sell unmated, virgin queens. We do not recommend using virgin queens as the bees do not accept these queens as readily compared to mated queens.Also, virgins need to fly out from the colony to mate and safely return to the colony. Virgin queens require an adequate mature drone population in order to mate, which your area may not have in spring when you make divides. Mated queens can just get to work right away. Queen cells may also be purchased for requeening. They are a good option for purchasing locally raised stock if available in your area. Each queen that emerges from a cell needs an adequate drone population in the area in order to mate successfully. We do not recommend using queen cells in the first two years of beekeeping as they require a good grasp on bee biology. It can take 21-30 days for the new queen to mature, mate and start laying eggs, which can be confusing to new beekeepers since they may lack the confidence in assessing whether a colony is queen right and when to intervene. However, queen cells can be a good choice after a few years of beekeeping experience. Consider rearing your own queen bees in the future if beekeeping becomes a passion. Queen rearing is an excellent way to learn more about bee biology. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 56 Dividing The goal of dividing is to reduce the likelihood of swarming. Dividing colonies will enhance your beekeeping skills. It is not a simple process, so make sure you have plenty of time. Make a plan, organize yourself and the equipment you will need, and move slowly. The following steps will help you locate the laying queen, which often can be difficult, even for the most experienced beekeepers. For a pictorial diagram of dividing, see Figure 43. • At least 4 days prior to the expected arrival of your queen, the brood should be divided into two approximately equal portions. Half of the frames containing brood (4-6 frames) should be in the top hive body and the other half(4-6 frames) should be in the middle hive body. The outer frames should contain equalized amounts of food. If you have more than 12 frames of brood, the remainder should go in the bottom hive body. • Stack the boxes in the following order: place the box with the least brood in the bottom position, add one of the boxes with 4-6 frames of brood in the middle position, place a queen excluder on top of the middle box, then place the other box with 4-6 frames of brood on top of the queen excluder in the top position. The queen excluder will isolate the queen in one of these two brood units. • Four days later, inspect the hive bodies to find eggs. The section that contains eggs will also contain the queen. If eggs are found in the hive body above the excluder, you know the queen is in the top box. If eggs are found in a box below the excluder, then the queen is the bottom two boxes. The box with brood that does not have eggs will be used to make the divide and receive a new queen. • Place the box that contains about half of the brood but no eggs (and no queen) on the bottom board at a new location within the apiary. This colony is called the "divide." • The unit that contains the queen (as indicated by the presence of eggs) and the other half of the brood remains on the original hive stand. Put the box with brood in the bottom position and place the remaining deep box with no or little brood on top (this mostly empty box will be their room to grow). This colony is called the "parent." Let the divide sit queenless for 12-24 hours before adding a caged new queen using the "slow release method" as described next. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 57 r — N r CL N CO u o 0 0 CL a 4110 VI 0 1) > NsJii ° ) ° T ) N C Q.N N O V '6 N CO C C = - N a) CL co � 0 0- 03 co CO— N r 71] r CL a a 4-; a) Da) a) _ Q7 7 0 Q a 0--c, '• 'D'•a Do Da ° -O ° 3 N t- co a C C d '(--n .1 c-1 ro 0 L N d co E -6 a) 7 C > O E O Q) c-1 C O cc c C U N d 4) N .a M r M 1 N a r N _J M a) rn C ru n .2 ru a) „,,c si) 0 D ° D ° � 1:‘,, ° �� � D ® ) ° � D 4 o 1:: 3 v (� 7g C a) -a C� 0 o C� 0 --, — _--1 _ m 0 I I oi 0) LE c N M b0 W O W r-I Q cv) - N 4— o O C o u CD O Oco o Y Q) two .0 -. D 0 = J 0 D ® ' _n E . Qs 4- V N C -0 O O l0 Q1 '' up O x in u _ co •— 1, s_ O O O L a 0 .t .0 co 4, L x — ^ no Ca) O C X C aj CU o a) a 0 v C -o X o tea, Ct _C t X a� 0 t a, co vi — +-, +- O s p �a +, v I . ) a C Y .0 C -a C ro c r) N 1- X 0 CD 2 a o .r ai a >_ v) L m m Z U O u O Z a o au -a v Y T D ° D ° D ° o0009 OCCr � o = jQ • '-1 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 58 "Slow Release Method" for Introducing a New Queen to a Queenless Colony Follow these steps to introduce a queen to a queenless colony. 1. Purchase a new, mated queen. The new queen will arrive in a small cage with a few attendant worker bees inside.Alternatively, the new queen will be in a cage alone, and the attendants will be in a small, screened container surrounding her. 2. Feed the colony. The probability of queen acceptance is greater if the colony is fed sugar syrup to simulate a nectar flow and if they are kept queenless for 12-24 hours. Therefore, provide at least one pail of 1:1 sugar syrup and wait for 12 to 24 hours to install the new queen. 3. Introduce the new queen into a queenless colony. The colony you introduce the new queen into should sit queenless for 12-24 hours allowing the old queen's pheromone bouquet to dissipate, which prepares the workers to be receptive to the odors of the new queen. Expose the candy plug of the queen cage by removing the cork or cover from the candy. Without removing any attendants from inside the cage, introduce the cage, screen side down, between two frames in the center of the brood nest (but not directly under the inner cover opening), just below the top bars of the frame. Push the frames together gently, making sure there is room for the workers to cluster around the cage to feed the queen. Be careful not to kill the queen by crushing honey cells and filling the cage with honey. Refill the pail of 1:1 sugar syrup if necessary and close up the hive. 4. Releasing the queen. Within 2-3 days (but sometimes sooner), the workers eat through the candy plug and the queen will walk out of the cage. She will begin laying eggs within a few days after that. Leave the colony alone for 5-7 days after introducing the new queen, allowing her to "move in" undisturbed. • Important notes on releasing the queen from the cage To install the queen using the slow release method, ensure the workers have access to the candy plug, which they will eat through to release the queen: • For 3-hole wooden cages, remove the cork on the candy end. • For California cages (small wooden cages not divided into 3 sections) be sure the cork is removed and install a plastic tube with a candy plug. • For plastic cages, remove the cap over the candy plug. To slow the release, put a small piece of masking or painters tape over the worker bees' access to the queen candy and poke a small hole in the tape just above the candy. This tape helps slow the worker bees from chewing the candy down before the colony gets used to the new queen. Sometimes the workers eat through the candy plug of the queen cage within 1-2 days, releasing the queen before the workers become receptive to the new queen's pheromones. In this case, the workers may kill the new queen rather than accept her, odd as this seems.A safer strategy is to keep the candy end of the caged corked when you introduce the new queen into the colony. Return after three days, remove a center brood comb, gently open the cage and allow the queen to walk out on the comb. If she walks away, or starts feeding on nectar, it is a sign she has been accepted. If the workers jump on her in a tight cluster(called "balling") it is nerve wracking, but you need to scoop her back into the cage before they kill her. Chances are there is another queen in the colony, one the bees 41111 reared despite your careful watch. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 59 Requeening the Divides aw1„ 0 Honey bees are pros at remembering their hive location. If a colony is moved, IN older foraging bees will tend to return to any colony in their original location, but the 4% LLQ younger nurse bees will stay with the brood inside their colony. When you make a • divide, it is important to remember that any colony in the original location will catch the majority of the returning foraging bees. Biology Young bees readily accept a new queen, while older bees are not as accepting. It is Box important to keep the new queen caged for 2-3 days in the divide, while the bees and queen become accustomed to each other's odors. After the Divide Inspect both colonies after 5-7 days. If you did not release the queen yourself, check the cage to be sure the bees have let her out. If she was not released and is still alive, open the cage and release her onto a frame. Remove the cage. The presence of eggs and/or larvae indicates that the colony is queenright.Add a deep hive body (Figure 43) on top of the colonies as needed to allow for expansion. If you think the colony does not have a laying queen (after 5-7 days, there are no eggs; Figure 44), then see Appendix B on queen troubleshooting. But the smartest thing you can do is to find an experienced mentor to help you to navigate any issues with queens that occur. Dealing with queen "issues” is one of the most common and difficult problems new beekeepers have. III ♦ `` t • 4 1� ' 1 a . •.. H T1' lit, t. io' . . , 4. isgt :01i. . • f yyj 1, tc• 0. M V' rte , )t .,...- .. ti- .. lc; sx t r '♦a �4 * • 'fir ,r �� " � �a eF 444' .: ,*•I s •4. �. .' bs 1,N7!4.'` ii .4 vT,+w .. 4 ~''' . 1 ( .. ~ •♦ __3y7 ♦ is' III ` -. p ...1 ` f f .' l• or "'■', '-' ' 4-04` + tea.. / i * �` y` 1 '` l * r '4 ! P % • T y �� a .- k- - i ,., ' t % P ` +w�1,400+ y . i _,,...... ...4, F`, �� M gyp ,s �.«}•^ ,� r ....„,„,, ,. , , ..., •Figure 44.A frame with emergency queen cells hanging on the face of the comb surrounded by worker brood. In colonies that are divided and do not have a queen or the queen is not accepted,the worker bees will raise new queens as shown here.The corn-puff shaped brood in the upper right-hand corner is drone brood. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 60 SUMMER MANAGEMENT 0 • As you did in year one with packages and nucs, encourage your colonies to fill their three deep hive bodies (Figure 45). When the bees have filled over 8 frames in the top box it is time to add the next box. • During the inspections, check for swarm cells, and add supers if necessary. The equivalent of two empty supers should always be available for the bees throughout the main nectar flow. If the supers contain drawn comb, they can be added to the top of the stack (Figure 46). Supers with foundation should be put directly above the queen excluder with the previous supers above them (bottom supering) to encourage the bees to draw out new comb. • If the bees are reluctant to move from the brood nest into supers with foundation, try temporarily removing the queen excluder and spraying some sugar syrup or painting molten beeswax on the foundation so they are attracted to the new box.After the bees start to draw out comb in the supers, check to make sure the queen did not also move up and put the queen excluder back on. Intermixing foundation frames between frames with drawn comb can also encourage bees to draw out comb on the foundation. • After the nectar flow, remove all honey supers from the colonies (see section on "Harvesting the Honey"). In Minnesota, remove supers by the end of August. This allows for the bees to store the remaining incoming nectar for winter and allows for monitoring and managing the varroa mite population. • TREAT for VARROA MITES in all colonies following the guidelines in the Honey Bee Diseases and Pests manual. We cannot overemphasize how important controlling mites is for overwintering survival. Figure 45. Diagram of summer management of parents and divides. I I O Q 0 Box<80%full bees I I I I = Box full bees a Q a O New box(empty) I 11 I 0 Open hole O Corked hole a o . . Q Original queen I Io v a a a Q New queen o P Parent D Divide ii i , i iii„ , , IT , , , ,t Iii Milt 111111 111 l . . . . . . hilt ! ! 1 I a P1 a P1 a P1 a P1 a P1 a P1 a P1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 aP2 '� P2 4P2 aP2gP2 ' P2 aP2 �0 P3 Q O P3 Qn P3 riQ P3 Q O P3 Q C P3 QO QP3 S S t] S L S L S L S L Parent:Inspect and I I 1 I add supers as needed �—' �, I1 I I 111 / 11111 111111111 I-- J D1 o D1 D1 P D3 D3 l I 1 �-, o o a 4 D2 o D2 o D2 o D2 o D2 o D2 o D2 a a a tJ D3 a a q o D1 q 0- D1 q 0 D1 q o D1 q 0 9 0 D3 q o D3 • I I I I I� I I I I I I I I I Divide:Inspect and add boxes and supers as needed Beekeeping in Northern Climates 61 36 iml, . , itft Biology Box 0 41 :et ilk - Preventing the Spread [1 of Mites and Diseases The health of your colony can affect the health of other colonies in the area. Bees can move. Bees from a strong colony can fly to weak colonies — __, and can rob honey. Bees from a sick colony can - abscond and/or interact with bees from a healthy - ri ri a colony. It is extremely important to manage your colonies for varroa mites. Few things are more :- rA , •�!I frustrating in beekeeping than monitoring for varroa e. mites all year, then seeing a huge mite population _ - t , < spike in September, especially if the colony was _ T t treated for the mites in the spring. It is frustrating — c E because the high mite levels means that your -7411.14:-.-4A- ,; _ _ ,,...,, colony has a lower chance of surviving winter, 4 — even when you were careful and took the correct of # management steps. To prevent the spread of mites, treat colonies with high mite levels. , f ' # Varroa mites are one of the most serious problems '` • ` . �`=�� - that you will run into in beekeeping, but there -'' .2,5„..:t:;,,,',':,,,1 -----6 �' '--, , 0 are other disease issues that can spread among ► ��M colonies, too. If you find a diseased colony, sterilize = your hive tool by sticking it in a hot smoker for a '' y' '. „–'- few minutes, then (using heat-resistant gloves) flip it to sterilize the other side. Wipe down all equipment and gloves used to look at the colony ° / , ' ,' with sanitizing wipes. To avoid transmitting diseases, don't move frames from a sick colony into a healthy colony. Get help from an expert or mentor. Figure 46.A 3-deep colony with 8 honey supers FALL MANAGEMENT • In the fall, the colonies should consist of three deep hive bodies and should be prepared for winter following the same methods you used in the first year. Revisit the section called "Wintering Honey Bee Colonies in Northern Climates." • If at any point a colony dies, equipment from it should be cleaned, repaired and properly stored in an unheated building protected from mice. Fall is an exciting and anxious time for a beekeeper. Wrapping those colonies up and saying goodbye until the spring is bittersweet. You've had the opportunity to learn and work with them all summer, and now it is done. The only things left to do are hope the bees are healthy and prepared enough for the winter in order to survive until the next spring. Take stock of all that you've learned over the summer. If you miss the bees, look through iii old pictures and notes. Pick out a good beekeeping book to learn new things. Decide what flowers you will plant for your bees next year, and order seeds. Spring will come soon. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 62 U I 0 0 > 0 z ■ U lull, O N i . as 613 V C CU D •_ Q c = C 0 � O c _ E O I- c U I Ni r Cvi v v C 2sn ro 111111Q 11110 t1.0 Q Ccu . o r I III v Cru c 0 (6 z CUL L `,O L) rQ) —i N EN QJ -*^1 ai W N co -oE a) 0 ou 7:5 O N L O L Q -0 >. a) -o a) `I > a) ( C -0 v ) • (1) Q cn C1 PO - ivi ki) co a5 a) QJ N > r-1 a=+ U N CI vi 'O E N C3 E Q) i Q cn QJ C a) Q a) •. C CU" = >' 0 co C 5 � C L. — C a •.p -0 O- C N '- +' cn >, 0 } >• Q ro O _v t C ct3 a) -c r E O O 0 L O C a1 " O •— L 0 __Y � Cl. - O 4A i - QJ - O> v �O . O U U -o -o .4_, i W U D -0 ..0 C CU v au a) in co > CU •5 -o E a, c.> '- CO o _C t v aa ai � c , •— -0 a) a) a) n3 CU U U u_ u_ I-- w CC 0 0 0 CC tY u_ a _ Beekeeping in Northern Climates 63 HARVESTING, EXTRACTING, AND BOTTLING HONEY HARVESTING THE HONEY Harvest any SURPLUS of honey from the honey supers, never from brood chambers (see summer management section). Wintering colonies must have about 75-100 lb (10-13 full frames) of honey or equivalent sugar syrup stored to get through the cold months (see the section called "WINTERING HONEY BEE COLONIES IN NORTHERN CLIMATES"). First, you need to remove all the bees from the supers. There are several methods to do this. Whichever method you use, the frames and supers should be immediately covered to prevent the bees from getting back into the supers and to prevent other colonies from robbing the honey.A drip tray on the bottom of the supers with a solid cover on top is a good way to keep unwanted bees out. Methods of removing the bees from the honey supers: • Shake the bees from each frame after removing it from the super. With a sharp shake, the bees will fall in front of the hive entrance. Placing the shaken frames into an empty box makes this process more effective at removing and keeping the bees off the frames. 111110 • Brush the bees off each frame after removing it from the super. Using a bee brush, gently flick the bees in front of the hive entrance. This is more effective than shaking the frames and can get all of the bees off the frames. Detail work! • Apply a chemical repellent (e.g., products such as Bee Go (benzaldehyde), Honey Robber (butyric anhydride), Natural Honey Harvester, or Fischer's Bee Quick Repellant) to a fume board on top of the super to drive the bees out of the honey supers. Move the fume board to the next super after the top one is pulled off. This method works best on warmer days and in the sun. Products made with benzaldehyde or butyric anhydride are highly effective, but smell terrible (the smell does not stay in the super or honey). Other products are slightly less effective, but smell much, much better than vomit. • Install a bee escape.A bee escape can be installed in the inner cover hole and placed between the brood chamber and the supers. This is a one-way door that allows the bees to enter the brood chamber from the super, but prevents them from returning up into the super. In about 24 hours, most of the bees will be out of the supers. Be sure you do not have any holes above the bee escape that will allow other bees to get in and rob the honey. This method works best when nights are cooler and the bees move down into the brood boxes. • Use a bee blower to blow the bees from the supers. The blower is a high-volume, low pressure blower with a hose and nozzle to force air between the frames. A leaf blower or heavy-duty shop vacuum set to "blow" will work for this method. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 64 PROPERTIES OF HONEY 1110 • Every honey has a delicious, unique flavor that reflects the time of year and floral landscape in which it was produced. • Honey is viscous. Viscous is a fancy word that basically means thick when cold and runny when warm. This property is important to remember when extracting and handling honey. Warm honey will be easier to extract and strain than cold honey. • Honey contains less than 18.6% moisture. If you remove something that looks like honey, feels like honey and tastes like honey but has more than 18.6% moisture, it will most likely ferment in a short time. If left on the bee colony, the bees will lower the moisture content for you. If it is not possible to leave the supers on a colony, lower the moisture content by using a dehumidifier and fan in a small room with the supers. Interestingly, bees change the chemical properties of nectar themselves as they dehydrate nectar into honey. Advanced honey testing can detect when a person uses a dehumidifier compared to when the bees themselves reduce the moisture level. Beekeeping organizations and suppliers may have a refractometer available to measure honey moisture content. • Honey is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic means that honey will absorb moisture from the surrounding air if left uncovered. If the honey absorbs too much moisture it may ferment. • Honey will granulate or crystallize. Honey granulates at different rates depending on the plants from which the nectar has been collected. Refrigeration accelerates the crystallization process. There are ways to slow down or speed up the process of granulation, but it is inevitable. Honey does not "go bad"when it granulates. To liquefy honey, warm (don't heat) to about 110-150°F. Honey is made up of different sugars. Most can liquify at 110°F; however, some will require heating to 150°F. Overheating or fermentation can damage the honey's flavor. To protect flavor, we highly recommend that you do not • heat honey over 120°F. EXTRACTING HONEY Equipment • Uncapping the honey is the first step in extracting. You need at least one of the following: capping scratcher, uncapping knife, uncapping plane or automatic uncapper. You will also need an uncapping tray to catch the wax cappings. • You will need an extractor, either power or hand crank, to extract the honey. This centrifugal device spins out the honey from the wax cells without destroying the comb structure. Extractors come in radial or tangential types. The radial type will extract both sides of the comb at the same time. The tangential type will require that frames be manually turned around to get both sides extracted. • As the honey comes out of the extractor, strain it into a bucket or other receptacle. Your strainer can be a coarse screen to get the large pieces of wax, a nylon cloth to strain all the wax, or a double screen (a course screen with a finer screen below). Straining produces a clean product by removing debris and wax pieces. • Filtering honey is a different process that removes pollen grains and other particles that are 1 micron and larger. Filtering is normally done by large-scale honey packers, and is not necessary or recommended for small-scale beekeepers. • • You will need to store your honey somewhere until you bottle it. Depending on your honey harvest, this may be quart jars, gallon jugs, 5 gallon pails, 55 gallon barrels, or a tanker. You may find it is easier to liquefy crystallized honey stored in glass rather than plastic. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 65 Extraction Procedure • Ideally, extract the honey the same day it is removed from the hive. Within a few days is fine. The • honey will still be warm from the colony if it is extracted right away. Honey stored in the comb readily absorbs moisture. • Any honey held for extraction should be kept in a warm, dry room >80°F and <50% humidity. Make sure your honey supers are in a bee-tight area, otherwise nearby bees may find and rob the honey. • If your colonies have hive beetles, extract the honey within 3 days of harvesting it to avoid a disgusting mess, especially if there is any pollen or brood in the supers. Hive beetles are attracted to pollen and brood and may lay eggs in them. Without the bees to patrol, the hive beetle eggs may hatch into larvae that can destroy the honey. • The room you are extracting in should be warm (ideally >84°F) so that the honey stays warm. Warm honey will spin out of the comb and go through the strainer easily. • First, remove the wax cappings from the combs, then put the frames into the extractor. You must uncap all of the honey cells. If the knife does not open all of the cells, use a capping scratcher to open them. • When the extractor is full, start it up. You want the basket to turn slowly at first then pick up speed as the frames empty. If you are using a tangential extractor, partially extract one side of the frames, turn them around, extract the other side; then turn them around again and finish the first side. Depending on the temperature, moisture content of the honey, and the spinning speed, the frames may need to be spun for 3 or up to 20 minutes per side. If you try to hurry by spinning fast, you may damage the combs. • When honey has accumulated in the bottom of the extractor, open the honey gate and strain the honey into your container. This container may be your settling tank for bottling (see below) or a storage bucket for bottling later. If honey gets too high in the bottom of the extractor, the spinning frames may whip the honey and change its consistency by adding air bubbles. • • After the honey is extracted, return the frames to their supers. They can be stored "wet" or they can be put on the colony above the inner cover for a couple of days for the bees to clean out any remaining honey. Supers should not be left exposed in the apiary, as this will incite robbing. • Store the supers in an unheated building to prevent wax moth damage. Precautions should be taken to prevent mouse damage by making sure there are no holes for mice to get in. If you are planning to sell your honey, check on current state labeling requirements. At a minimum, the label should have your name and address or phone number, the grade (A), the quantity (honey is normally sold by the pound) and the word "HONEY."Apply the label and sell. • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 66 Bottling Honey • Equipment Needed • A settling tank or bucket with a honey gate will be used in the first step of bottling honey. These tanks range from 5 gallons to several thousand gallons. • A strainer made of fine mesh (stainless steel, nylon, or cheese cloth). • Bottles or jars: "queenline," squeeze, quart jars, squeeze bears, etc. • Labels Procedure • The honey should be warm and strained as it is put into the settling tank. If you are using nylon cloth, moisten it with water first. • The strained honey should be left to settle in the settling tank for 12-24 hours before °, bottling. During this time the bits of wax and air bubbles migrate to the top and can be skimmed off. The room should be kept ; ,, warm (>84°F) to allow for all impurities to 17 float and to make bottling easier. ► 40 • Sterilize and air-dry all bottles and caps. • Fill each bottle or jar to the proper level by letting the honey run down the inside surface of the bottle or jar (Figure 47). This method will help prevent bubbles from forming when filling the bottle. Tightly seal the cap. Figure 47. Bottling honey(photo by Jeff Hahn). MARKET YOUR HONEY Sell your honey at a price that reflects the work that you and the bees put into producing it. For more information, see the National Honey Board website at www.honey.com. The National Honey Board is a federal research and promotion board under USDA oversight that conducts research, marketing and promotion programs to help maintain and expand markets for honey 4110 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 67 APPENDIX A: THE TWO-DEEP SYSTEM For beginning beekeepers in northern climates, we recommend keeping bees in three deep brood boxes because it helps ensure the bees have sufficient honey stores to last throughout the long winter. It is entirely possible to keep colonies in two deep brood boxes, but it involves some different management steps, including likely having to feed sugar syrup in the fall to prevent starvation during the winter (Table 4). This "2-deep" system also requires a different amount of equipment (Table 5). If you are risk-averse, keep your colonies in three deeps while you learn more about the floral resources around your apiary and while you develop a good sense of what your colony needs to survive winter.After a couple years of successful beekeeping, you might try keeping bees in two deeps.All management procedures in this manual can be adapted to colonies kept in two deeps. The following instructions in this appendix list only the modifications of the three-deep system needed for the two-deep system. 2-Deep System 3-Deep System - Fewer brood boxes to handle for - Helps reduce swarming problems ne inspections because provides more space for brood PROS routine honey for the beekeeper Helps ensure colony has enough honey for - - Fewer boxes and frames to purchase winter; more honey for the bees - Easier to replace old frames CONS - May need to be fed sugar syrup in the - Heavy to lift the top box at end of the fall to get to proper wintering weight season; a full deep can weigh up to 90 lb • Table 4.Advantages and disadvantages of keeping bees in two deep and three deep hives. 2-deep Method Additional Equipment First Year Second Year Hive stand 1 1 Bottom board 1 1 Deep hive bodies 2 2 Deep frames 20 20 Foundation (deep) 20 20 Inner cover 1 1 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 1-5 1-5 Frames for supers 10-50 10-50411 Foundation for supers 10-50 10-50 Table 5. Quantity of hive equipment needed for each colony kept in two deep boxes. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 68 YEAR 1 : 2-DEEP SYSTEM • Summer The only management difference during your first summer is, instead of adding a third deep brood box, add honey supers over a queen excluder after the second deep brood box is 80% occupied by the bees. See the relevant figures on how to hive a package (Figure 48) or install a nuc (Figure 49) and manage the colony using a 2-deep system throughout the summer. 0) C v 2 c rn Z w aa) flu a) N a) 3 5 co N d L .00 N N .OTS C V) N N �O a) to > C a5 0, Q Q X C 9 >o o as Q A min r' .a2, la o d CD w .411,616.16, �IL. . -.* is E R w*w• \ j a) U A w� .* *w• > `j� T w4 4 O d N Cl) �"' Q 0 -b ww w�wwv N m v a0. ) a) !' 16-O O N — > CO 1 • 3:_.) T0) M — C Cl) U) N *'r. . I.•II.w* dN Q • lww * !* X X a) ▪ p Y ) 6 *w w *w C O C iiiu�i O �' (0 + "."1 a) wwww 0) O 1 -ii > a3 IL 114 w- C..) 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O ..,www%• x0 Q J -"Pb}}} • w}w} m Cr) a) •0 ii C r O — rn D 0 Y O C a 0CD lib Ir. co N U) . lb w }w Q X 42 ct D ► }} w lb C O CI -C CO a 1r}}w o @ I o 11.1..... 1 i — C m aiCO�. •= is — t . CD 0 AA co o 0 CT > UCd wwwww �lb li } } 14 . w w w wwwi,.I cu E N m gao v 0, (1) o v .E X Q 015 nscoTocu co E— d — 0) CO _ C CO LW c E ✓ T ....-----– W. lis D_ C CD C fill 0 4+i,a7. ) c 0, m 7 N .1 t'S:' C 0 L .(. m a a E E3 o) as • a 03 'Cr a) 0) II= Beekeeping in Northern Climates 70 Fall 0 Whether kept in two or three deep boxes, colonies will need 75-100 lb of honey as well as 3-5 frames with pollen.A 2-deep hive should have a gross weight of 130-150 lb. • Colonies kept in 2-deeps are more likely to need fall sugar syrup than colonies kept in 3-deeps. If your 2-deep colony does not have adequate honey stores by mid-September (75-100 Ib) you can feed them to try to bring them up to weight. Feed heavy syrup (2:1 sugar syrup). Stop all feedings by mid-October because the bees will likely not have time after that date to condense and store the syrup. • Instead of feeding syrup, it may be tempting to leave a super of honey on the colony for the winter for the bees. The problem with this is that the queen may start laying in the super come spring, and then that box will become part of the brood nest. Also, having different sized boxes in the brood nest means that frames cannot be interchanged among the boxes, which can lead to management difficulties (See the Words of Wisdom on Supers are for Honey, Only on page 23). • As with 3-deep colonies, avoid feeding your bees between November and March. Opening a colony and disturbing it when temperatures are cold is not a good idea. Dry sugar or"winter patties" are not an efficient nor effective way to sustain colonies in northern climates. It is easier on you and healthier for the bees if the colony stores sufficient honey during the summer months, or obtains sufficient wintering weight though sugar syrup feeding by mid-October. • Wrap colonies in a black protective cover made of corrugated plastic, tar paper(Figure 50), or a purchased style like a Cozy. Your apiary should be well-protected from strong winds (Figure 51). • Figure 50. Well protected wintered colonies wrapped with bee Cozys (photo by Brooke Nikkila). Figure 51. Ideal winter apiary site. y s�MA oat- a�*, — rJ any. - 2 f s PT _.-.--- "IN;4'e,,,RAV IV 410 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 71 YEAR 2: 2-DEEP SYSTEM Spring O Check to see if there are frames of brood (combs containing eggs, larvae and pupae, or both open and sealed brood) in the top box. If so, conduct a reversal (see Figure 52) by switching the position of the two hive boxes to encourage the bees to expand. If the second box is >50% stored honey or if there are brood frames in both the top and bottom boxes, skip this reversal.Always avoid splitting the brood nest, which could lead to the death of some brood from cold exposure if the temperatures drop and bees cannot cluster over brood in separate areas. ' ' S . . , • # vo, ,r •• ,r 2 ® 1 6,, , , � ,� , , 2 0 1 .„ , Ps • Figure 52. Diagram of a 2-deep system reversal. Do not reverse if the second box is>50%stored honey or if there is brood in both boxes. Dividing a 2-Deep Colony • At least 4 days prior to the expected arrival of your queen, the brood should be divided into two approximately equal portions. Half of the frames containing brood should be in the top hive body and the other half should be in the bottom hive body (Figure 53). The outer frames should contain equalized amounts of food. • Place a queen excluder on the bottom box, then place the second brood box on top of the queen excluder. The queen excluder will isolate the queen in one of these two brood units. • Four days later, inspect the hive bodies to find eggs. The box that contains eggs will also contain the queen. If eggs are found in the box above the excluder, you know the queen is the top box and the bottom box is used to make a new divide. If eggs are found in the box below the excluder, then the queen is in the bottom box and the top hive box is used for the divide. • Place the hive body that contains about half of the brood but no eggs (and no queen) on a bottom board and hive stand at a new location within the apiary. This colony is called the "divide." • The box that contains the queen (as indicated by the presence of eggs) and the other half of the brood remains on the original bottom board and hive stand. This colony is called the "parent." • • Let the divide sit queenless for 12-24 hours before adding a new caged queen using the "slow release method." Beekeeping in Northern Climates 72 4110 - = — - — a; ."' o {� 1.. - Q T O VVV Y •nri :. t :1)1 0 [)1 0 . . CD CN) 0 � �� 0.1 a O 03 (13 a) a ti D o ca o '-`1 7 a T N N r 0 o CL A a c t a Q a) .1 - V N > 7 � a O a c aas N Cr C a) _ 7 a) 0 T us u) as a. ca 45 E N = C a) C O L rY a c .1 cn N Q) a {y r a) a a) C u 7-7 ca C • 1.) 0 = (Da) a0D O a !°) a TIU . c C ca O -0 O C� O O O =o 5 I L I E 12R C CD CVC RI a)O a) m m in W W N a) O ').° 7 a) > a3 o - p 4-- .B a) 0 - OV O p D O ca E ..t_,>:, - 0 0 C p O (B _o N - N C (6 a o a - ao Q)0 U) O - O OL T O — _CI cu(a fl--m.". - '� 0 C -0 O X N a) a) C (C6 'C a) 4 — O a) O u, L L x a) O L — N a) a c O x x a) a) a'a) a) u) 45 l_.-1 5 a) -a N 11.". >. m m Z 0 0 0 0 Z d D > ai o U U C7 0 Cr1 a) o O CL l© ) © C E.! ca CL S — , Beekeeping in Northern Climates 73 Summer The colonies should be built up to fill their two deep hive bodies as you did with packages and nucs in Year 1. • Add honey supers over a queen excluder when the second deep box is 80% occupied with bees (Figure 54). 1=1 Box<80%full bees 0 Box full bees I I tJ New box(empty) 0 Open hole I I I Q Corked hole Q Original queen Q q New queen I I I I P Parent o a = D Divide L I a f [ l t , V 111111111 1 1 1 1 I I I I I , I 1 , i i I , I 11 ' 1 I I I ' I I I Q ' P1 P1 P1 Q P1 P1 P1 P1 o Q O P2 Q o P2 Q o P2 Q o P2 Q o P2 Q O P2 0 0 P2 .i 1 s L L i L i L i I] Parent:Inspect and add supers as needed I I I I • I T I I I 1 1 I I 111111111 I , l I E 1 I 1 1 I io D2 o D2 o D1 o D1 o D1 o D1 o D1 • CD2 CD2 CD2 a D1 n D1 0 D2 o, D2 0 o 0 I I I I I��I I I I I I I I I Divide:Inspect and add boxes and supers as needed Figure 54. Summer management of colonies kept in the 2-deep system. Fall In the fall, the colonies should consist of two deep hive bodies and should be prepared for winter following the same methods you used in the first year.As in Year 1, the colonies may not be heavy enough without additional feeding in the fall, especially if they are in a 2-deep configuration. Monitor the level of varroa mites. Managing to keep mite levels below threshold in the fall increases the colony's chance of surviving the winter. 41110 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 74 APPENDIX B: TROUBLESHOOTING QUEEN PROBLEMS The queen bee is the most important member of a colony. If something happens to her and she is not successfully replaced by the bees or beekeeper, the colony will fail.As a beekeeper, it is important to recognize when to intervene and when it is better to let the bees fix the problem without intervention. Figuring this out can be difficult even for experienced beekeepers, which is why it is common for beekeepers to talk about queen "problems," "issues," or queens "failing." Having a mentor is invaluable as you learn to identify and resolve queen problems. Queen bee problems can come in a number of forms. You may have purchased a package of bees, introduced the queen and observed her laying eggs beautifully for a few weeks, but then "all of the sudden" you see queen cells and no eggs. You may have a strong colony that survived winter and "all of the sudden" they swarm. You may have a queen that over time lays only drone-destined eggs. Or you may have a colony that has been without a queen ("queenless") so long that some of the workers start laying unfertilized eggs. The hard truth is that queen issues actually may be due to an inadvertent action by the beekeeper, or to some other problem within the colony. Queens often get blamed for circumstances out of their control. There are also issues that stem from the physiology and health of the queen herself. It used to be that many queen bees lived 2-4 years. If a queen was marked with a dab of paint on her thorax, she could be found with the same mark after several years. However, many beekeepers say that this is no longer common as queens are not living as long as they used to, and no one knows why. Researchers are trying to solve the mystery by investigating the effects of pathogens, pesticide residues (from the environment and products used by beekeepers to control varroa mites), and other stressors like exposure to extreme temperatures. Until we understand the root of the problem, it's best for every beekeeper to become familiar with ways to provide tender loving care to the most important female in your colony. IS YOUR COLONY QUEENRIGHT? Checklist Queenright is the beekeeping term for a colony that has an apparently healthy queen. To figure out if your colony is queenright, it is best to think through this checklist: 1. What season is it? Queens start laying eggs in late winter and ramp up egg laying when flowers bloom in late April and May. They continue to lay eggs all summer, but beginning in late September and into October, queens stop laying eggs for the winter. The colony will still be queenright but you may not find any eggs in late fall. 2.Are there eggs? If a comb within the brood nest looks empty upon first glance, check a little closer to see if there are actually eggs in the cells. Adjust the frame so the sun shines down into the cells. This is easiest if the sun is shining on your back. If you see one egg per cell in worker-diameter cells, then the queen is somewhere in the colony. Sometimes it takes a while to see the small egg at the bottom of the cell, but once you see eggs, you will always recognize them. One way to find eggs is to let your eye scan over cells that contain small larvae.As your eye moves toward the edge of the comb, when you stop seeing larvae, the cells next to them will likely contain eggs.Another tried-and-true way to find eggs is to have a keen-eyed person (children are great at this) look for you. If you see older larvae and S pupae, but no eggs, the colony may not be queenright. Search other combs within the brood nest for eggs to confirm. If you can't find eggs and think your colony is queenless, you may or may not be right. Before you Beekeeping in Northern Climates 75 panic and buy a new queen, try placing a frame of eggs from another colony into the potentially queenless one. If the bees start building queen cells, then you were right. If they don't build queen cells, maybe there is a virgin in there, or maybe there are eggs that you just missed during your previous inspection. 411 Sometimes young queens are "overly enthusiastic" and temporarily may lay more than one egg in a cell. These multiple eggs will be laid at the very bottom of the cell. In time, and as more comb is drawn giving her more space to lay, she will stop doing this. However, if you persistently see many cells with multiple eggs and if the eggs are scattered around the cell (sometimes laid on the cell walls instead of at the bottom of the cell), then it is likely there are laying workers in the colony. If so, see the section on "Laying workers" below. 3.Are there queen cells?The presence of queen cups or queen cells does not necessarily mean the colony is queenless. If you see queen cells, go to the "Queen cells" section below. 4. Does the brood look "right"? One critical skill to develop as a beekeeper is to understand what healthy bees and brood look like in order to know when the bees or brood don't look"right." Sealed worker brood looks "right"when the wax caps are fairly uniform and flush with the comb. One clear sign that there is a problem in the colony is when drone brood is reared in worker-sized cells (Figure 55). Seeing dome-shaped wax cappings over pupae in worker-size cells means the queen is a drone layer or that the colony has laying workers. If this is the case, see the sections below called "Drone layers" and "Laying workers." - Figure 55. Healthy sealed brood with i r wax caps flush with the comb with a :-�" fir 4„, - ., . •R.. x . „ ,_ .. :...• =. k small patch of perfectly fine drone brood �'"rR , �. + .,.•. t ' . .. y in drone brood sized cells in the middle- yyy, -. "� aO... . Y -' .z..'. - _. -' = right side of the worker brood(top), and • "'�k ��� •�'. �'�.' 4.....`."ti :—•;.•,'"'-,-.--""� � • 7-. corn-puff shaped domes of drone brood • a ....4;� .K ,...,.,` _ ..- ` .Z a, ' 4.3 in worker-sized cells(bottom). "!A•�QO «Bd RIM iF N91� .a a r e1 vT . +4a'.Y`a.aosr+ ry�^' - 3k 7 7; a�sak,x b+ ss ,0 .:4 - 4114,141.4: s. .A 0:44-04:745,V44. a A.l �.. S 4 ' all : i < d 'e At '�it�"q ,�py ,....04 ( '-;i-. TFT P`' +F- l Nig I� •147.4bi !• ,I • . t aos90� • ..il * ote4r 'ewe. e`d�- �� 16.1 ,.r ^•t` ati . �//�AA " 4 " • .‘‘, ' -,-.A •41:VC ottilt:a. • -0. '-4.461. ,,,%,,'A? 1:01001, toRtisiu r- '1•44€Vc.1-crl,-- ti, 0 l'• 40 lk., r( ... vo • 'Li/J., T.::<=1,:cr... eft)k. ;' X , : r ' �© •) 7 Beekeeping in Northern Climates 76 Queen cells • Our best advice for new beekeepers concerned with the appearance of queen cells is: When in doubt, do nothing. Honey bees know best how to take care of their queen and colony issues, so often it is best to let them work things out on their own. Our next best advice is to find an experienced beekeeper to help you. A colony may rear a new queen under one of three impulses. Please refer to the section on "Queen Cells" in the main body of this manual for more details; the following is a quick summary: 1. Swarming is usually a sign of hive congestion and in nature is the mechanism by which a colony reproduces. Numerous queen cells are found often on the edges of the brood nest in May or June and the colony will be crowded with bees. You may or may not observe eggs because right before swarming the queen stops laying eggs. When colonies have the impulse to swarm and many queen cells are observed, destroying queen cells will only delay them from swarming, as the bees simply rear more queens. If a colony has already swarmed, destroying the queen cells leaves them without a new queen. 2. Supersedure occurs when the queen is failing: the sperm in her spermatheca is depleted and/ or dead, or she is damaged or diseased. The bees sense that the queen is failing and start raising queens. Supersedure queen cells can be found both on the face and lower edge of the combs.A supersedure event can happen any time from April through September. The original queen is usually present and laying eggs while the bees rear a new queen. Sometimes the egg-laying pattern of an old queen is haphazard and the colony may be weak. Other times, her egg-laying pattern seems adequate to the beekeeper but apparently not to the bees. 3. Emergency queen rearing occurs when the queen is suddenly removed or killed (often accidentally by the beekeeper). When the workers sense that their queen is missing, they begin rearing new queens. Because it will be a few days after their queen was killed that the workers start rearing new queens, they will use the youngest larvae available (as opposed to freshly laid eggs). • New beekeepers often destroy queen cells before they know the reason for their presence in the hive. In particular, new beekeepers often fret over the presence of queen cups (see Figure 14). The presence of these "play cups" do not indicate that the colony is trying to replace the queen. If a colony is rearing queens to supersede or replace an old or deceased queen, it is best to let the colony correct itself until you are more experienced. Remember that it may take 2-3 weeks for a new queen to develop, mate, and begin laying eggs (Figure 15). Patience is required. Find an experienced beekeeper and ask for help. Drone layers A drone layer is a queen that has run out of live sperm in her spermatheca. She lays eggs but, as they are not fertilized within her, they are haploid and develop into drones. A drone laying queen may lay her drone- destined eggs in worker cells, one egg per cell, but the drone larva outgrows the cell as he develops. The bees increase the length of the cells to accommodate the large drone larvae, and when the cells are sealed with wax, they are puffy rather than flush with the comb. Also, the brood pattern may be haphazard, with drone brood scattered helter-skelter around the combs. There are several remedies for this situation. 1. If the colony is populous, locate and remove the drone laying queen and introduce a new queen, using the slow-release method described in the section called -Slow Release Method" for Introducing a New Queen to a Queenless Colony.' 2. If the colony is weak and has no signs of disease, remove the drone laying queen and combine it on top of a strong, queenright colony using the below method of combining colonies with newspaper(see • below for instructions). 3. Let the colony go. The drones will mature and possibly mate with a virgin queen from another colony, sending their genes into a new generation. Eventually the colony will die with no workers to feed the developing drones. You may see drone brood that looks diseased, but they are often dying of neglect. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 77 Combining colonies with newspaper There is a simple way to combine a queenless and queenright colony together: newspaper. You can remove • any queen cells from the queenless colony, and combine two colonies together, resulting in one colony rather than two. Newspaper acts as a barrier between the two colonies to let the workers become accustomed to each other's scent before being able to intermix. This reduces aggression between the two colonies. Before combining, make absolutely sure that the queenless colony did not become weakened due to disease. If you are unsure, do not combine the colonies or you could lose both. To combine using newspaper, remove the cover and inner cover of the queenright colony and place a sheet of newspaper directly on top of the frames, such that it covers the entire top of the colony. Use your hive tool to make three small slits (so small a bee can not go through) in the newspaper in the middle of the box. Place the deep box containing the queenless colony on top of the newspaper, being careful that the newspaper doesn't shift or tear. Place the inner cover and cover over the top deep box. Make sure that the queenless deep box has an uncorked opening, so that the bees inside do not suffocate. The bees will slowly chew through the newspaper and mingle. Do not disturb the colony for 5 days, then perform an inspection. Laying workers Laying workers are found in a "hopelessly queenless" colony; that is, one with no queen and no young larvae from which the workers can rear a new queen. Free from the pheromone influence of the queen, the residual ovaries in some workers begin to develop eggs. These eggs are unfertilized and will develop into drones. Laying workers often lay multiple eggs in a single cell, and, because they have shorter abdomens, they often lay eggs on the cell walls instead of on the bottom of a cell like a queen would (Figure 56). Laying workers take on queen aires; they emit some queen pheromones and will kill a real queen if introduced into the colony as they perceive a real queen as a rival. It is sometimes possible, though extremely difficult, to requeen a laying0 worker colony. Our best advice is to let the worker-laid drones try to send their genes into the next generation. Biologically-speaking workers start laying eggs in a "hopelessly queenless colony" as a last-ditch effort to perpetuate their genes. Eventually, the colony will die off and the combs can be reused. Figure 56. Eggs laid by a queen look like little rice grains stuck to the bottom of the cell(left, photo by Judy Griesedieck), and multiple eggs in single cells laid by laying workers(right). :,11: IV lip ,i,441r,,,,,,,,, , ,., y sie Beekeeping in Northern Climates 78 HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN IN YOUR COLONY , 01. Take your time. Finding the queen is like a treasure hunt. Plan on it taking some time. 2. Be systematic to avoid a "goose chase." Separate each box of your colony and place each on an individual stand (bottom board, inverted telescoping cover, empty box, or a hive stand; Figure 57). This way, as you search through one box, the queen can't move into another box, leading you on a wild goose chase. Remove the end frame from one box and inspect both sides of the frame carefully for the queen. If she is not found, place the frame on end outside of the box (Figure 57). Inspect the second frame and if she is not found there either, place it outside the box next to the first frame. Proceed to search the remaining frames, one by one, but rather than setting them outside the box when done, slide them over to where the first two frames were located. This efficient procedure gives you room to remove each frame without damaging the bees and limits your chances of having to inspect the same frames twice.An alternative is to move each frame, one by one, into an entirely different brood box. This is a particularly good idea if you need to replace or repaint a worn box.Always look for the queen on the sides of the box, bottom board, and inner cover. 3. Keep a tally and train your eye. Pay attention to the contents of each comb as you search, keeping a tally in your mind. Remember the organization of the colony. Generally, the queen will be somewhere in the brood nest, often on a comb that has emerging brood and empty cells for her to lay eggs into. If a comb is full of honey, sealed brood, or older larvae she may not be there because there are no places to lay eggs. But don't count on her following these rules: she has legs and may scurry to the outermost frames or hidden corners when the colony is disturbed. Train your eye to look for something different: e.g., a difference in the type of movement or pattern of bees on the comb; a small clearing of bees with one royal bee proudly walking through it. Let your eyes scan over each comb without trying to focus on each and every bee. It's always great to have another set of eyes, so after you scan a frame you can hand it to your buddy for another look. 0 4. Stop while you're ahead. We have a rule: stop looking after you have searched every frame and surface in the colony twice. Carefully reassemble the colony and try again another day. By the third search the queen has often moved to a hidden location where she might get accidently smashed. We know this from the school of hard knocks. 5. There she is! Now what? When you find her, celebrate, but don't take your eyes off of her. Some queens prefer to scamper and hide in a dark corner rather than be in the spotlight. At this point you can simply admire her, pat yourself on the back, and carefully reassemble the colony. You can mark her with a dab of paint, making it a bit easier to see her your next time through. Or remove her if your goal is to introduce a new queen. Do not be discouraged if you don't find her. Finding the queen is a hard task. The more you practice finding her, the easier she is to spot. illk. , Figure 57.To search for the queen, set " .4 ;; one box on a different stand and look through each box individually.Set the �c first one or two frames you remove from a ' \ . a brood box on their ends outside the colony in order to create more room to , , r' '-,:- pull out subsequent frames when going „ i through the hive, like the frame next to "- .. —t '. the left knee of the woman in jeans. - T---'7>.: 10 - . „..., , ,.-, . .... _... r ( •. , }; ...., . _ , _ , „,....... .. � ....pc-,-..„---;-, j; /' . ___ . , .. - •_.::........_. I , •• Beekeeping in Northern Climates 79 MARKING YOUR QUEEN 1. Purchase enamel paint. Enamel-based paints dry quickly, have relatively little odor, and can last on • the queen for a long time. Purchase a paint pen (sold by beekeeping supply companies) that contains enamel-based paint, or Testor's enamel paints that come in small bottles for painting model airplanes. Colors that show up best (and look great on the queen) are white, green, blue, red, or yellow. To aid in keeping track of queen age, there is an international system of marking queens by the last digit of the year: years ending in 1 or 6 are white; years ending in 2 or 7 are yellow; years ending in 3 or 8 are red; years ending in 4 or 9 are green; and years ending in 5 or 0 are blue. 2. Practice painting drones. Remember, drones don't sting. Remove a frame from your colony that has adult drone bees on it and get comfortable. Without gloves, lift a drone from the comb by placing your fingers gently around the thorax (middle section of the bee where the wings and legs attach). Do not grab the abdomen, the soft part of the body, as this can damage the bee. Practice organizing yourself so you can apply a dab of paint on the center of the drone's thorax with one hand while holding him with the other. When you have perfected this technique, move to the next practice step: painting workers. 3. Try painting workers. Try picking up a worker by the thorax, painting her, and replacing her back on the comb. It is totally possible to lift and handle worker bees without getting stung. It makes for a great party trick. With practice it is easy and is an excellent way to gain confidence in your beekeeping skills. 4. Paint the queen. When you have perfected the art of marking drones and a few workers, you will find that marking the queen is a piece of cake. Remember to hold her without squeezing, and only around the thorax, not the abdomen.Avoid painting her wings or eyes. If your hands are trembling, take a deep breath and slow down. You can do it! INTRODUCING A NEW QUEEN • To introduce a new queen to a queenless colony, see the instructions in the section called "Slow Release Method for Introducing a New Queen to a Queenless Colony." • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 80 APPENDIX C : ADDITIONAL RESOURCES • CLASSES The University of Minnesota offers additional classes on bees and beekeeping, including hands-on beekeeper mentoring. The list of offerings is on our website www.BeeLab.umn.edu, where updated information will be listed. COMPANION VIDEO View the companion video for Beekeeping in Northern Climates, First Edition at Z.umn.edu/bncvideo BEEKEEPING BOOKS This list of books is also on our website where new books will be listed at Z.umn.edu/beeread Beginning Books The following three books contain basic information that is largely duplicated from book to book. Thus, one of these books will cover much of the information in all of them. If you purchase a beginner's kit, one of these books is usually included. None provide in-depth management procedures. Dadant, C.P. 1977. First Lessons in Beekeeping. Dadant and Sons, Inc. Hamilton, III. 127 pp. Kelly, W.T. 1941. How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey. Walter T. Kelly Co. Clarkson, Ky. • Root, A.C. Starting Right with Bees. 16th Ed. A.C. Root Co. Medina, Ohio. 96 pp. Popular Books Blackiston, H. 2009. Beekeeping for Dummies. 2n°'Ed. Wiley Publishing: Hoboken, NJ. Reviews the tools of the trade, including complete instructions for building and maintaining beehives; offers detailed and easy-to- follow guidelines for all phases of honey production - including harvesting, bottling, packaging and marketing your honey and much more. Conrad, Ross. 2007. Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture. Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vermont. This is a thorough book that promotes sound management practices, not too different from our own. Graham, J.M. (ed.) 2015. The Hive and the Honey Bee. Dadant and Sons, Inc. 1324 pp. Each chapter is written by a specialist. The book was completely revised in 1992 and revised again in 2015. It has value both as a text and a reference book. The chapters on anatomy and physiology are pretty heavy reading for the layman. Be aware that older editions are out of date for control of bee diseases. If you want a single book that provides widely usable information, this may be the best available. Hubbell, Sue. 1988. A Book of Bees. Random House: New York. 193 pp. This book has inspired many people to become beekeepers. Hubbell's wonderful narrative is educational and entertaining. This is a book you hand to your friends and neighbors when they ask about your bees. Nordhaus, H. 2010. The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America. Harper: New York. Highly recommended for an in-depth, funny, and poignant view of commercial beekeeping in the U.S.A must read! Beekeeping in Northern Climates 81 Root Al, Harmon A, Shimanuki H, Flottum K, Collison C, Tew J, Berry J, Delaplane K. (eds.). 2020. The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture (Ed. 42). Al Root Company, Medina, OH. 832 pp. ABC's is a compendium of information arranged in alphabetical order for quick reference. It is a little difficult to use if one is interested in management • only. However, it is a treasure box of old and historical information about beekeeping. Sammataro, D., Avitabile,A. 2011. The Beekeeper's Handbook. 4th Ed. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press: Ithaca, NY. Lots of good and user-friendly information that will be most useful to experienced beekeepers. Seeley, T.D. 2010. Honeybee Democracy. Princeton University Press: Princeton. An amazing read about how honey bee colonies make collective decisions with no central authority.A must read. Winston, M. 1987. The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press: Cambridge. This is a wonderful reference on the biology of honey bees. This is not a source of beekeeping information; rather it is an extensive, yet very readable account of the natural history of honey bees. Laymen and scientists alike will appreciate Winston's comfortable writing style. Older Texts of Interest to Beekeepers Crane, E. 1999. The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting. Routledge: New York. 682pp. Free, J.B. 1970. Insect Pollination of Crops. Academic Press. 544 pp. Frisch, Karl von. 1967. The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees. The Belknap Press of Howard U. Press. 566 pp. Frisch, Karl von. 1971 rev. Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses and Language. Cornell University Press. 157 • pp. Laidlaw, H.L., Page, R.E. Jr. 1997. Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding. Wicwas Press: Connecticut. 224pp. Lovell, Harvey B. 1956. Honey Plants Manual. A.C. Root Co. 170 pp. McGregor, S.E. 1976. Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants. Ag. Handbook No. 496. Supt. of Documents. 411 pp. Morse, R.A., Hooper, T. 1985. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Beekeeping. E.P. Dutton, Inc. 432 pp. Pellet, F.C. 1976. American Honey Plants. Dadant and Sons, Inc. 467 pp. Ribbands, R. 1953. Behavior and Social Life of Honey Bees. Bee Research Assoc., Ltd. Spivak, M., Fletcher, D.J.C., Breed, M.D. (eds.). 1991. The "African"Honey Bee. Westview Press: Boulder. Winston, M. 1992. Killer Bees. The Africanized Honey Bee in the Americas. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. BEEKEEPING ASSOCIATIONS The list of associations is also on our website where updated information will be listed: • z.umn.edu/beekeepingassociations Beekeeping in Northern Climates 82 GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY USED WORDS IN BEEKEEPING These are terms that are commonly used in beekeeping. They may or may not be found in this manual. After swarm - a second swarm (often smaller) that leaves a colony following the initial swarm. The after swarm often contains a recently emerged virgin queen. American foulbrood (AFB) - an infectious disease of immature honey bees caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. Apiary- a place where bees are kept; also called a "yard." Apiculture - beekeeping. Balling -the clustering of bees tightly around a queen bee, usually in an attempt to kill her. Bacillus larvae- old name for Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood. Bee brush - a soft-bristled brush used for removing bees from combs. • Bee escape - a metal or plastic tube through which bees can move in only one direction. Bee space- a 1/4" to %" space through which a bee can move freely; the space between the frames and exterior parts of a hive. Bees will not build comb in it or seal it with propolis, thereby allowing the frames to be removed easily. Bee veil - a wire screen or cloth enclosure worn over the head and neck as protection from bee stings. Beeswax- a substance secreted from glands on the bee's abdomen that is used to construct comb. Boardman feeder- see entrance feeder. Bottom board -the floor of a hive. Brace comb - comb built between combs and/or between combs and walls of hive bodies and honey supers. Brood chamber- the part of the hive in which young bees are reared. It may include only part of one comb or many combs. Burr comb - small pieces of comb built along the edges of frames and other parts of the hive. Cappings - the thin wax caps bees seal over cells of brood or honey with. 4111 Carniolan bee- a dark honey bee subspecies originating in southeastern Europe, Apis mellifera carnica. Castes -the different forms of adult female bees in a colony; workers and queens. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 83 Caucasian bee - a dark honey bee subspecies originating in the Caucasus, Apis mellifera caucasica. Cell - a single hexagon shaped compartment in a honeycomb. 111 Chunk honey- a piece or pieces of comb honey packed in a jar with extracted liquid honey. Cleansing flight- bee flight, after a period of confinement, to dispose of feces or body wastes. Colony- an entire honey bee family or social unit living together in a hive or other shelter. Comb- a beeswax structure composed of two layers of horizontal cells sharing their bases. In managed colonies, the e words "comb" and "frame" are often used interchangeably. For example, a frame of brood is the same as a comb of brood. Comb foundation - a sheet of beeswax embossed on each side with the cell pattern. Some foundations are plastic or with a plastic base. Comb honey- honey sealed in the comb in which it was produced; also called section comb honey when produced in thin wooden or plastic frames called sections, and bulk comb honey when produced in shallow frames. "Cut comb honey" is when a portion of comb honey is cut from a larger comb. Coumaphos - an organophosphate pesticide (miticide) used to treat colonies for varroa mites and small hive beetles; active ingredient in "CheckMite®." Creamed honey-finely granulated honey that has had the crystallization process carefully controlled so that the product has the texture of creamy butter. 1111 readout- a colony that has died. Divide - splitting a colony into two or more colonies; also called "splitting." Division - board feeder- a waterproof, plastic or wooden syrup container the size of a frame, used to feed bees within the hive (not recommended). Draw-to shape and build, as to draw comb. Drawn comb- a comb of wax constructed on a sheet of foundation. Drip tray - a wooden tray used for stacking supers after they are pulled off a colony. It collects honey drips and can help prevent robbing. Drifting -the return of field bees to colonies other than their own. Drone layer- a queen that is unable to lay fertilized eggs because of a failure to mate or lack of sufficient viable spermatozoa; a queen whose eggs produce drones in worker cells. Dysentery- a malady of adult bees marked by an accumulation of excess feces or waste products, and by its release in and near the hive. i Beekeeping in Northern Climates 84 Entrance feeder- a wooden runway that fits into the hive entrance so that bees may obtain syrup from a jar inverted into it (not recommended). Epigenetic- changes that arise from the influence of environmental factors on gene expression. European foulbrood (EFB) - an infectious disease of immature honey bees caused by the bacterium, Melisococcus plutonious. Excluder(queen excluder) - a thin grid of wire, wood and wire, sheet plastic, or sheet zinc with spaces or holes large enough for workers to pass through but not queens or drones. It is used between hive bodies to confine queens to one part of a hive. Extender patty - a combination of vegetable shortening, sugar and oxytetracycline used as a slow release formulation for prevention and treatment of AFB.Also used to treat tracheal mites. The grease disrupts the ability of the tracheal mites to enter the tracheal tubes. (Not recommended with oxytetracycline for AFB control). Also see grease patty. Extracted honey - liquid honey removed from the comb by means of an extractor or other methods of separation. Extractor (honey extractor) - a hand- or power-driven device that removes honey from the comb by centrifugal force. Field bee (forager) -worker bee that collects nectar, pollen, water, and/or propolis at locations outside the hive. . Fluvalinate - a pyrethroid pesticide (miticide) used to treat for varroa mites; active ingredient in "Apistan®." Flyway barrier- a structure (wall, fence, shrub, etc.) that bees will fly up and over, reducing the likelihood of the bees flying into people or animals on the other side. Formic acid - a pesticide (miticide) used to treat colonies for varroa mites; active ingredient in "Mite Away Quick Strips®" and "Formic Pro®." Foulbrood - a general name for infectious diseases of immature bees that cause them to die and their remains to smell bad. The term most often refers to American foulbrood. See also American foulbrood and European foulbrood. Foundation - see comb foundation. Frame - a wooden rectangle that surrounds the comb and hangs within the hive. It may be referred to as a Hoffman, Langstroth, or self-spacing frame because of size differences and width of end bars that provide a bee space between the combs. The words "frame" and "comb" are often used interchangeably; for example, a comb of brood is the same as a frame of brood. Granulated honey- honey in which crystals of a sugar (dextrose) have formed. Granulation - the formation of sugar (dextrose) crystals in honey. Grease patty-A combination of vegetable shortening and sugar used to treat tracheal mites. The grease disrupts the ability of the tracheal mites to enter the tracheal tubes. See also extender patty. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 85 Hive - a wooden or other container in which a honey bee colony lives. Hive body- a single wooden box or shell that holds a set of frames. When used for the brood nest, it is called a brood chamber; when used above the brood nest for honey storage, it is called a super. Hive cover-the roof or lid of a hive. Hive tool - a metal bar used to loosen frames and to separate the parts of a hive. Hived packages - a package of bees that has been installed in a hive box with frames. Honey- a sweet, viscous fluid produced by honey bees from nectar collected from flowers, evaporated, and stored as food. Honey flow- Inaccurate but common term for nectar flow. see nectar flow. Hop beta acids- a pesticide (miticide) used to treat colonies for varroa mites, active ingredient in "HopGuard®" products. House bee - a young worker bee, 1 day to 2 weeks old, that works only inside the hive. Hybrid bees -the offspring resulting from crosses of two or more selected inbred lines (strains) of bees; the offspring of crosses between subspecies of bees. Inner cover- a thin wooden hive lid used beneath a telescoping cover. Italian bee- a subspecies of yellow honey bee originating in Italy, Apis mellifera ligustica. • Langstroth hive- a hive with removable frames made possible by the bee space around them. It was invented by L.L. Langstroth. Larva, larvae (pl.) - the grub-like or worm-like immature form of an insect; the second stage in metamorphosis. Laying worker- a worker bee that produces eggs that develop into drones. Lipophilic- ability to attach to or dissolve in fat. Metamorphosis - the series of changes through which an insect passes from the egg to larva, pupa, and adult. Miticide - chemical pesticide used to control tracheal and varroa mites in bee colonies (e.g., Fluvalinate). Nectar- a sweet liquid secreted by plant glands (nectaries) usually located in flowers, but also found on other parts of plants. Nectar flow-the period when abundant nectar is available for bees to collect. Bees produce honey from nectar and store it in the combs of the hive. Nosema disease - an infectious disease of adult bees caused by the microsporidians, Nosema apis and 411 Nosema ceranae. May also be called Nosemosis. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 86 Nuc or Nucleus, nuclei (pl.) - a small colony that contains 2-5 frames of drawn comb (most commonly 4-5 frames), bees, brood, food, and a mated queen. • Nurse bee- a young bee, usually 2 to 10 days old, that feeds and cares for immature bees (brood). Oxalic acid - a pesticide (miticide) used to treat colonies for varroa mites Package bees- 2 to 4 lbs of worker bees, usually with a queen, in a gridded plastic cage or screen-sided wooden cage with a can of sugar syrup for food. Paralysis - a disease of adult bees caused by a virus. Parent colony- a part of a divided colony that keeps the old queen. Parthenogenesis - reproduction without fertilization. When the queen lays unfertilized eggs, they will become male (drone) bees. Pesticide- a general name for materials used to kill undesirable insects, plants, rodents and other pests. Pheromone- chemicals that affect behavior between animals of the same species. Pheromones are an important part of honey bee communication within the hive. Pollen - male sex cells, usually very small and powdery, produced in the anthers of a flower. • Pollen basket- an area on a bee's hind leg where pollen is packed and carried with help from a central spine and surrounding hairs. Pollen substitute- a mixture of ingredients such as soy flour, brewer's yeast, and dried milk that is fed to bees to stimulate brood rearing. Pollen supplement- a mixture of pollen substitute and pollen fed to bees to stimulate brood rearing. Pollination - the transfer of viable pollen from the anther, the male organ of a flower, to a receptive stigma, the female organ of a flower. In beekeeping terms, pollination often refers to the service of providing bees for pollination of crop plants. Pollination services-the use of managed bees to pollinate crops. Pollinator- an animal, such as an insect, that transfers pollen resulting in pollination. Proboscis - a bees' straw-like tongue. Propolis - plant resins collected from plants by bees to use in sealing cracks and crevices in hives; bee glue. Pupa, pupae (pl.) -the inactive third stage of an insect that goes through complete metamorphosis. Queen-cage candy- a firm mixture of powdered sugar and liquid invert sugar used in queen cages as food for iothe queen and her attendant bees.Also used as an automatic release mechanism for the bees to eat through, automatically releasing the queen from her cage without the aid of the beekeeper. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 87 Queen cell - a large, vertical cell in which the queen bee develops, may be found on the edges or the middle of brood combs. Queen excluder- see excluder. • Queenless colony- a honey bee colony without a queen. Queenright colony- a honey bee colony with a queen. Rabbet- a piece of wood or metal on which the frame ends hang in the hive; a cutout area used as a frame rest. Requeening - removal of a queen from a colony and introduction of a new one. Robber bee- a field bee from one colony that takes, or tries to take, honey from another colony. Robbing -the stealing of honey from a colony by bees from another colony. Royal jelly- a mixture of glandular secretions of worker bees fed to developing queens. Sacbrood - a viral disease of immature honey bees. Scale colony- a hive that is maintained on a scale and whose weight change is measured and recorded daily or at frequent intervals. • Scout bee - a field bee that locates new sources of food, water, or propolis, or a new home for a swarm. Sealed brood - immature bees in their late larval and pupal stages within capped cells of the comb. Slumgum -the refuse from melted combs after all or part of the wax is removed. Small hive beetle -The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray[Coleoptera: Nitidulidae]) is a pest to bee colonies. It enters the hive, eats honey, pollen and brood, and destroys the colony. Smoker- a steel container with an attached bellows in which burning material furnishes smoke to honey bees. The smoke masks alarm pheromones. Solar wax melter (solar extractor) - a glass-covered box used for melting combs and cappings by heat from the sun. Spermatheca - spherical organ in the queen that stores sperm she acquired on her mating flight. The sperm is used for fertilizing eggs throughout the queen's lifetime. Split—See Divide Super- a hive body used for honey storage above the brood chambers of a hive. Supering - placing supers of comb or foundation on a hive, either to give more room for brood rearing or for honey storage. • Supersedure - replacement by the bees of an established queen with a new queen without swarming. Beekeeping in Northern Climates 88 Swarm - a group of worker bees and a queen (usually the old one) that leave the hive to establish a new colony; a word formerly used to describe a hive or colony of bees. • Swarm cells - queen cells that are built usually on the bottom edges of the combs in the brood chamber before a colony swarms. Telescoping cover- a hive cover, used with an inner cover that extends downward several inches on all four sides of a hive. Tracheal mites - Parasitic mites, Acarapis woodi, that enter the breathing tubes, or trachea, of adult honey bees to mate and feed on the hemolymph (blood) of bees by piercing the tracheal wall. Currently uncommon in the US. Uncapping - cutting a thin layer from a comb surface to remove the wax covering from sealed cells of honey. Uncapping knife - a knife, usually heated, for cutting the wax cappings from honey comb. Uniting - combining one honey bee colony with another. Unsealed brood - eggs and larvae in open cells. Varroa mites - Parasitic mites, Varroa destructor, that enter uncapped brood cells and feed on fat bodies of • developing pupae causing the bee to emerge with an decreased lifespan, suppressed immune system, and often higher virus loads. The mites can kill bee colonies or cause severe damage. Virgin queen - a queen that has not mated. Wax moth - an insect (Greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella and Lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella) whose larvae feed on and destroy honey bee combs. Wired foundation - comb foundation manufactured with vertical wires embedded in it for added strength. Wiring - installing tinned wire in frames as support for combs. Yard - a place where bees are kept; also called an "apiary." • Beekeeping in Northern Climates 89 t _> 1 +wl -dg - ents We would like to thank Bridget Mendel for lending her brilliant editing skills, Rebecca Masterman for her sage advice and boundless beekeeping energy, Anne Turnham for developing beautiful graphics and formatting this manual, Brooke Nikkila for her unusually good eye for detail, Jessica Helgen for her talent in mentoring beekeepers, Judy Griesedieck for professionally filming the videos, Jenny Warner for her sharing her excellent beekeeping skills, and UMN Extension for lending their expertise in technology. Thanks to Clara Costello, Ana Heck, Yuuki Metreaud, Hector Morales Urbina, and Rishia Zimmern for editing and all the other UMN Bee Lab students and • employees who have helped us develop these management techniques over the years. 4 :, -,- - --- 000.1' 1,,, ,,,, -- „,,,, . ., ,„,_,.. , t Department of Entomology UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA • Bee Research Lab 219 Hodson Hall 1980 Folwell Ave Falcon Heights, MN 55108 BeeLab.umn.edu LA21-000065 Exhibit D IIIIii LAND TYPE Abstract (A) DOC NUM 10947840 Certified, filed and/or recorded on Apr 15, 2021 12:52 PM Office of the County Recorder • Hennepin County, Minnesota Martin McCormick, County Recorder Mark Chapin, County Auditor and Treasurer Deputy 144 Pkg ID 2218805E Document Recording Fee $46.00 Document Total $46.00 • • This cover sheet is now a permanent part of the recorded document. • CITY OF ORONO RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL NO._ 7 1 8 5 KESHO A RESOLUTION APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FROM MUNICIPAL ZONING CODE SECTION 78-303 FILE NO. LA21-000019 WHEREAS, on February 15, 2021, Todd Ziesmer ("Applicant"), applied for a variance from the City Code for the property addressed 3440 Bayside Rd and legally described in exhibit A, hereinafter the"Property"; WHEREAS, the Applicant have made application to the City of Orono for a conditional use permit per Orono Municipal Zoning Code Section 78-303 to allow farm animals for honey bees within the LR-1A District; and • WHEREAS, on March 15, 2021, after published and mailed notice in accordance with Minnesota Statutes and the City Code, the City Council held a public hearing, at which time all persons desiring to be heard concerning this application were given the opportunity to speak thereon; and WHEREAS, on March 15, 2021,the Planning Commission recommended approval of the conditional use permit; and WHEREAS, on April 12, 2021, the City Council reviewed the application and the recommendations of the Planning Commission and City staff; and NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Orono, Minnesota hereby approves the requested conditional use permit as described above based on one or more of the following findings of fact concerning the Property: FINDINGS OF FACT: 1. This application was reviewed as Zoning File #LA21-000019. The analysis contained within staff memos and the exhibits attached to the aforesaid memos, all minutes from the above mentioned meetings, and any and all other materials distributed at these meetings are hereby incorporated by reference. 2. The Property is located in the LR-1AZoning District. 3. The Property contains 2.03 acres in area and has a defined lot width of 116 feet. • 1 • p CITY OF ORONO RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL y- * NO. 7185 c ��kESHOQ`� 4. The Property is in the Tier 1 Stormwater Quality Overlay District. 5. Applicant has applied for the following Conditional Use Permit: a. Farm Animals (Honeybees) 6. The Orono City Council requires certain standards for keeping of farm animals; these standards are met. 7. In considering this application for conditional use permit, the Council has considered the advice and recommendation of the Planning Commission and the effect of the proposed application upon the health, safety and welfare of the community, existing and anticipated traffic conditions, light and air, danger of fire, risk to the public safety, and the effect on values of property in the surrounding area. ANALYSIS: • 1) Consistent with the community management plan; Farm Animals in the LR-1A zoning district is consistent with the Community Management Plan. This is met. 2) Compliant with the zoning code, including any conditions imposed on specific uses as required by article V, division 3 of the City Code; Farm Animals use is listed as a permitted conditional use in the LR-1A district. This criteria is met. 3) Adequately served by police, fire, roads, and stormwater management; This criterion is met. 4) Provided with an adequate water supply and sewage disposal system; The property is served by City sewer and water. This criterion is met. 5) Not expected to generate excessive demand for public services at public cost; The use will not generate an excessive demand on public services. This criterion is met. 6) Compatible with the surrounding area as the area is used both presently and as it is planned to be used in the future; Farm animals are a permitted accessory use in the neighboring rural districts. Properties meeting the sizing requirements are able to support farm animal use in the lakeshore district. This criteria is met. 7) Consistent with the character of the surrounding area, unless a change of character is called for in the community management plan; no change of character is called for, the use is compatible with the surrounding area. This criterion is met 8) Compatible with the character of buildings and site improvements in the surrounding area, unless a change of character is called for in the community management plan; The applicant is not proposing changes to the character of the site. Up to Honeybee hives are being proposed in the rear of the home meeting all setback requirements. This is met. • 2 • CITY OF ORONO RESOLUTION OF THE CI"I'Y COUNCIL NO. 718 .5 `gk£sHo�c" 9) Not expected to substantially impair the use and enjoyment of the property in the area or have a materially adverse impact on the property values in the area when compared to the impairment or impact of generally permitted uses; the use is not expected to impair the use and or enjoyment of neighboring properties and should not negatively impact property values. This criterion is met. 10)Provided with screening and buffering adequate to mitigate undesirable views and activities likely to disturb surrounding uses; Staff does not anticipate the need for screening. This criterion is met. 11)Not create a nuisance which generates smoke, noise, glare, vibration, odors, fumes, dust, electrical interference, general unsightliness, or other means; the use shall comply with city and state codes, and shall not create a nuisance. This criterion is met. 12) Not cause excessive non-residential traffic on residential streets, parking needs that cause a demonstrable inconvenience to adjoining properties, traffic congestion, or • unsafe access; allowing honeybees on a residential property will not impact parking or traffic. This is met. 13) Designed to take into account the natural, scenic, and historic features of the area and to minimize environmental impact; The proposed hives will be located in the rear of the property meeting all setback requirements. No scenic or environmental impacts should be impacted. This is met. 14)All exterior lighting shall be so directed so as not to cast glare toward or onto the public right-of-way or neighboring residential uses or districts; No lighting is proposed. This is met. 15) Not detrimental to the public health, public safety, or general welfare. Allowing honeybees should not prove detrimental to public health, safety or welfare. This is met. CONCLUSIONS, ORDER AND CONDITIONS: Based upon one or more of the above findings, the Orono City Council hereby grants a conditional use permit pursuant to Orono Municipal Zoning Code Section 78-303 to allow Farm Animals for Honeybees subject to the following conditions: 1. Council approval is based on the entire record, above Findings. 2. Any amendments to the plans which are not in conformity with City codes may require further Planning Commission and City Council review. 3. The conditional use permit granted by this resolution runs with the Property not with the 1111 Applicants, but are permissive only and must be exercised by placing at least 1 hive within 3 CITY OF ORONO RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL NO. 1- 18 , 5 -kESHO�� one year of the date of Council approval, or the conditional use permit will expire on that date (April 12, 2022). 4. A maximum of 6 honeybee hives are permitted per Planning Commission recommendation. 5. Relocation of the hives may require City approval. Please confirm prior to relocation. 6. Additionally, the conditional use permit shall remain in effect as long as the conditions imposed by the City Council are observed, but nothing in this section shall prevent the city from enacting or amending official controls to change the status of conditional uses. 7. Violation of or non-compliance with any of the terms and conditions of this resolution may result in the termination of any authority granted herein. • ADOPTED by the Orono City Council on this 12th day of April, 2021. ATTES : CITY OF ORONO: F �t� Anna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh, Mayor • 4 7185 Exhibit A Property Legal Description: 40 That part of Government Lot 3, Section 5, Township 117 North, Range 23 West of the 5th Principal Meridian, described as follows: Beginning at a point distant 1658.25 feet West of the East line of the Northeast quarter of Section 5, Township 117, Range 23 and distant 1056.0 feet North of the South line of the Northeast quarter of said Section 5; thence East and parallel to the South line of said Northeast quarter a distance of 235.73 feet; thence South and parallel to the East line of said Northeast quarter a distance of 373.9 feet; thence West and parallel to the South line of said Northeast quarter a distance of 117.87 feet; thence South and parallel with the East line of said Northeast quarter a distance of 259.25 feet to the center line of County Road; thence Westerly along center line of said road a distance of 117.9 feet to a point distant 1658.25 feet West of the East line of said Northeast quarter; thence North and parallel to the East line of said Northeast quarter a distance of 627.75 feet to the point of beginning. EXCEPT that part of the above described tract described as follows: The South 100 feet of the North 373.9 feet of the East half of Lot 20, Auditor's Subdivision Number 203, Hennepin County. Minnesota. • • � 1cLOAto To: Chair Kirchner and Planning Commission Members Adam Edwards, City Administrator From: Jeremy Barnhart,AICP, Community Development qkEsH0‘6'c.>Director Date: October 18, 2021 Subject: #LA21-000067, City of Orono,Text Amendment related to Solar Panel coverage Public Hearing Application Summary: The City is proposing a text amendment that would remove the 70% coverage limit for roof mounted solar panel arrays. Staff Recommendation: Planning Department Staff recommends approval as drafted. Background The city of Orono established regulations for Solar energy systems in 2013 (Ordinance 119). Those regulations included a limit for the amount of a roof plane could be covered with solar panels. That limit was established at 70%. (Section 78-1379 (e) (2) h.) • The ordinance does not permit ground mounted solar arrays. In the last year,the City has reviewed two variance requests for additional coverage, both of these requests were granted (LA20-69 for 83%, and LA20-73,for 75.3%). After the second,staff was advised to initiate a text amendment to remove the limit. Analysis: With The removal of the limit as proposed, maximum roof coverage will be a function of the building code, and the need to maintain access to the roof. Building Code plan review requirements including information to show the roof can support the equipment, height, and wind load requirements will still apply. No other changes are proposed. Public Comments To date, no public comments have been received. Issues for Consideration 1. Are there any other issues or concerns with this application? Planning Staff Recommendation Planning Staff recommends approval of the ordinance as drafted. List of Exhibits Exhibit A. Draft Text • Planning Commission Exhibit A LA21-67 • Sec.78-1379.Alternative energy systems. (c) Definitions.For the purpose of section 78-1379,the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. (3) Solar energy systems definitions. Building-integrated solar energy system.A solar energy system that is an integral part of a principal or accessory building,rather than a separate mechanical device,replacing or substituting for an architectural or structural component of the building including,but not limited to,photovoltaic or hot water solar systems contained within roofing materials,windows,skylights and awnings. Flush-mounted solar energy system.A roof-mounted system mounted directly abutting the roof.The pitch of the solar collector may exceed the pitch of the roof up to five percent but shall not be higher than ten inches above the roof. Passive solar energy system.A system that captures solar light or heat without transforming it to another form of energy or transferring the energy via a heat exchanger. Photovoltaic system.A solar energy system that converts solar energy directly into electricity. Solar energy system.A device or structural design feature,a substantial purpose of which is to provide daylight for interior lighting or provide for the collection,storage and distribution of solar energy for space heating or cooling,electricity generation or water heating. (e) Solar energy systems. (1) Zoning districts.Solar energy systems in accordance with the standards in this section are allowed as a permitted accessory use in all zoning districts. • (2) Standards. a. Exemption.Passive or building-integrated solar energy systems are exempt from the requirements of this section and shall be regulated as any other building element. b. Roof-mounted systems allowed.The only solar energy systems allowed in the city are those that are roof-mounted, c. Height.Roof-mounted solar energy systems shall comply with the maximum height requirements in the applicable zoning district. d. Setbacks.Roof-mounted solar energy systems shall comply with all building setbacks in the applicable zoning district and shall not extend beyond the exterior perimeter of the building on which the system is mounted. e. Roof mounting.Roof-mounted solar collectors shall be mounted parallel to the surface of the roof and within three feet of the roof surface,unless manufacturer's documentation is provided indicating that collectors must be angled to provide optimum performance.No portion of the collectors or their mounting system shall extend above the peak or ridge height of a pitched roof. On a flat roof,collectors and their mounting systems shall not extend more than 5 feet above the roof surface. f. Easements.Solar energy systems shall not encroach on public drainage,utility,roadway or trail easements. g. Screening.Solar energy systems shall be screened from view to the extent possible without impacting their function. Created: 2021-08-18 14:29:03[EST] (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 1 of 2 • • h. [Purposefully left blank] • - ':- •• : -: - the roof to which it is aK:xe.1 i. Aesthetics.All solar panels shall be designed,installed,positioned and constructed of materials so as not to cause any glare or reflective sunlight onto neighboring properties or structures,nor toward vehicular traffic on land or on a lake,and so as to not obstruct views.Reflection angles from collector surfaces shall be oriented away from neighboring windows.Where necessary, screening may be required to address glare. j. Feeder lines.The electrical collection system shall be placed underground within the interior of each parcel.The collection system may be placed overhead near substations or points of interconnection to the electric grid. (3) Safety. a. Standards and certification. 1. Certification.Solar energy systems shall be certified by Underwriters Laboratories,Inc.and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or other body as determined by the building official.The city reserves the right to deny a building permit for proposed solar energy systems deemed to have inadequate certification. 2. The equipment or device must be designed and constructed in compliance with all 'applicable building and'electrical codes,and(if for co-generation)must be in compliance i Commented URI]:Building code requires access panels with all state and federal regulations regarding co-generation of energy. and pathways,which would prevent 100%roof coverage. b. Utility connection.All grid connected systems shall have an agreement with the local utility prior to the issuance of a building permit.A visible external disconnect must be provided if required by • theutility. ty. (4) Abandonment.If the solar energy system remains nonfunctional or inoperative for a continuous period of one year,the system shall be deemed to be abandoned and shall constitute a public nuisance.The owner shall remove the abandoned system at their expense after a demolition permit has been obtained.Removal includes the entire structure including transmission equipment. (5) Permits.A building permit shall be obtained for any solar energy system prior to installation. Created: 2021-08-18 14:29:03[EST] (Supp.No.19,Update 4) Page 2 of 2 •