The Buzz Newsletter

July 2004

 

 

Page 3

JULY – HOT and MUGGY

Here it is July, when corn is as high as an elephant’s eye. In the old days if you didn’t have your corn, ”laid by”; by the fourth of July you were a lazy farmer. Old-timer beekeepers use to say their bees were doing great if they were throwing off swarms. This was before the scientists showed that a hive that didn’t swarm made more honey than a hive that did swarm. Speaking of swarms, number 2 came sometime around May 19. When I moved it to an out yard on the 26 there was no sealed brood in the hive. The last two weeks has brought a lot of plants into full bloom, but the storms and rain have kept the plants from flowing with nectar in my area. I had seen a lightning bug a couple of weeks ago, but no more until last night the 7th of June. That also tells me that the nectar wasn’t flowing, as you don’t see lightning bugs until the honey flow is on full time.

Now is the time to do a little experimenting to see if you can increase your honey production and also reduce the varroa mite population in your hives. If you have never done this before, I would suggest you only do it with no more than a third of your hives. The way I understand that works is to make a screened cage out of 1/8 inch mesh screen about 4 to 6 inches square with the edge about an inch high. You find the queen and place the cage over her so she is restricted to that small patch of brood. It is recommended that you place her on a comb with eggs or small larvae as you are going to keep her confined for three weeks. You will need to open the hive in about a week and release the bees that have hatched to keep from crowding the queen if you caged her on sealed brood. This break in her egg laying will allow all of the cells to be open and this will disrupt the cycle of varroa mites. The bees that are raised in July are not going to bring in the honey for the main honey flow, but they will consume honey that has already been stored for winter stores. It will be interesting to see how much difference this break in the cycle of brood can increase the honey production of a hive. Each pound can equate to $1.50 wholesale price.

Now is the time to start planning on the entries that you want to put in the fair. Opps, sorry I am wrong. Last month was when you were to plan on the entries you wanted to put in the fair? This is the month to try to get the bees to finish off that super of comb honey or that perfect drawn comb ready for extracting or to extract that water white honey to enter in the light honey class. Remember even if you think what you have for an entry is not good enough, don’t fail to enter the competition at the fair. When you have a bad year so does just about everyone else and how do you know your entry won’t win unless you don’t enter. What you and I would consider a poor comb of honey or a little darker honey than we would like for a light entry, the public going by the honey booth and looking at the entries will marvel at the nice display of honey and wax and of course the observation hives of bees. Do you know how much attention an 11-year-old girl can get with a drone crawling around on her hand? The public didn’t know it couldn’t sting, but they were sure interested in how brave she was and it gave her a chance to explain the importance of honeybees to them. While I am on the subject of the fair when was the last time you spent a half of a day helping at the Iowa Honey Producers Booth? Every year some people have to spend several half days helping at the booth so we have enough people. Pick a day and sign up early so you can get the day and time you want to help. Just contact Donna Brahms or fill out the form in the Buzz and send it to Donna. Don’t forget about the Clay County Fair either. The first of September will be here before you know it and we will need help at that fair also. You can contact Jim Strachan in Humboldt for the dates and to sign up for the Clay County Fair.

This is time for you to get your honey house cleaned and the extractor and tanks washed and ready for the first honey that is sure to be coming in by now. Does the walls need a new coat of paint. Are all of the belts in good condition or do you need to replace that one that you barely made it through last extracting season. Have you got plenty of food grade lubricate on hand for the honey gates and bearings on the extractor? If everything is ready for the honey crop to be processed. What about those bottom boards and deep hive bodies and lids that need some repair so they can be put on this fall to replace some that are beyond repair. Yes, I know it is hot and this is the time of year for the farmer that has his corn “laid by” to take a little much needed vacation. It is also the time for celebration for the freedoms that we have. We can go fishing and not have to give the best to the king or ask permission to travel from one state to another. We can sleep late or get up early. We can voice our opinion about the president of our country with out fear of death or being jailed. We can worship in any church or building of our choice. Yet we fail to totally appreciate most of these privileges most of the time. What would you do if you totally lost them? Would you stand up and be counted or would you just sulk away and say nothing. Think of what this country would be like if our forefathers had just sulked away.

This is enough rambling by The Old Man for this month.