In the north shortly after the winter solstice, the queen begins laying fertilized eggs. True or False
Colonies should not be opened to check the cluster location and determine if emergency feeding is necessary until the temperature is at above a minimum of:
20°F
40°F
60°F
30°F
50°F
Colonies should not be torn apart and thoroughly inspected in the spring until temperature are at least:
65°F
80°F
40°F
75°F
50°F
Please give 3 reasons why equalizing colony strength in the spring is important to management techniques.
Why is it important not to over insulate a colony when preparing it for winter?
Quiz Answers:
True In the northern temperate (north Florida) regions, queens cease or greatly reduce egg laying in October or November and resume laying fertilized eggs shortly after the winter solstice (Christmas). Under subtropical, tropical and mild winter conditions, egg laying and brood rearing usually never stop.
B 40°F
A 65°F
Equalizing the strength of your colonies in the spring is an important management consideration. Weak colonies remain weak for long periods of time and often fail to produce a crop of honey. Extremely strong colonies in the spring have a strong tendency towards swarming thus often failing to become productive colonies. Equalizing the strength of your colonies will help reduce the incidence of swarming and will aid the weaker colonies in building up faster. Having all colonies similar in strength will mean that all colonies in the apiary will be ready for a given manipulation at the same time, such as supering. Total numbers of bees in the apiary is likely to increase since every queen is laying to her capacity, not restricted by congestion in the brood nest or having only a small number of nurse bees to feed her or care for the brood. In the long run, less time will be needed in basic management when the honey follow begins.
The use of insulation helps keep the hive interior slightly warmer than is normally found in unprotected colonies. When a colony is over insulated, however, the bees are unable to sense the true temperature changes occurring outside. The colony may attempt to take cleansing flights before temperatures are adequate. In addition, with increases in external temperature, insulated colonies warm up more slowly than unprotected colonies. An over insulated hive may not have enough air circulation causing condensation inside the hive.