Maine State Beekeepers Association
We love honeybees - you should too
By now, a number of Maine’s beekeepers have had the opportunity to meet and inspect their hives with David Smith. Dave’s service is available due to a coordinated effort by Walt Whitcomb, Commissioner, Maine Department of Agriculture; Caudwell Jackson, Deputy Commissioner; David Lavway, Director, Division of Animal & Plant Health and Senator Russell Black, Wilton. Dave started on June 11th … [Read more...]
Spring has sprung in many parts of the US, and thousands of hives have been rolling across interstate highways during winter months to service a variety of crops in southern and western areas. Springtime in Maine is only weeks away and soon gardeners, farmers and beekeepers will be thinking about planting, blooms, bee management, pollination and the weather. With all of the recent media … [Read more...]
Maine beekeepers are on the “home stretch” for the 2011 season. By mid-October, colonies with queen issues should have been united or culled, had Varroa treatment, and fed sugar syrup when needed. Fortunately, most hives have heavy brood nests and large populations of young, fat, fuzzy bees this fall. Varroa populations are low and symptoms of viral infections are minimal in contrast to this … [Read more...]
Periodically, I have the opportunity to rediscover my beekeeping library. Usually these encounters happen during winter, but this July, opportunity knocked when Matt Scott stopped by. Matt was preparing a lecture on the history of Maine beekeeping for the Bridgeton Historical Society and was in need of references and hive patents for his talk. Maine has several noteworthy beekeeping authors and … [Read more...]
The Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS) were registered (Section 3, General Use) on May 25, 2011. NOD was notified and the registration was posted on the Pesticide Control Board web site that day. Our (department's) goal was to have it registered by 6/1/2011 for several reasons that include the registration queue based on chemical co-application date, and the fact that formic acid can be very hard … [Read more...]
In late winter, beekeepers often find themselves thinking about their bees. Apprehension is most common when the previous fall had dismal honey production and when houses creak and snap on bone-chilling nights during January and February. Unfortunately, there isn’t much northern beekeepers can do during the dead of winter. At best, newspaper can be added on top of fiberboards of live hives that … [Read more...]
Prior to nuc pickup, the empty hive (i.e. bottom board, hive body, five or six frames of foundation and/or comb, entrance reducer, inner cover, outer cover, empty hive body, sugar syrup, feeder) should be assembled and prepared for installation. The hive should be located at the apiary site in accordance with the MSBA’s “Best Management Practices for Beekeeping” found at … [Read more...]
In 2010, 621 Maine beekeepers registered 6,975 hives. The registration numbers reflect an increase of approximately 150 hobby beekeepers since 2008. There are more than 1,000 beekeepers with 8,000+ hives estimated in Maine. The estimate is based upon the number of beekeepers who attend beekeeping workshops, the number of individuals enrolled in beekeeping short courses and the current membership … [Read more...]
Wintered honey bee colonies should be checked by early or mid-March for the amount and position of honey stores. Remove the outer cover and note the position of the cluster. In moderate temperatures, strong hives will often have bees present on the inner cover, chewing and/or drinking the water from the insulation material that was placed above the inner cover the previous fall. In cold … [Read more...]
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Members of the Maine State Beekeepers Association are indicated with a bee icon … [Read More...]
This document is intended as a reference and standard for honeybee management in Maine, with particular emphasis on urban/suburban … [Read More...]
Annual Bee Schools are sponsored by Local Chapters, Adult Education Programs, and sometimes in cooperation with the County Extension Service. These … [Read More...]
Varroa Treatment Comparison
Maine beekeepers are thinking about their bees and parasitic mite controls, spurred by the arrival of this year's beekeeping supply catalogs, coupled with the recent snow melt after January's rain and wind event. Already, there are reports of hive mortality and requests for information and post mortem inspections. So far, most of the inspections reveal mortality due to Varroa and several cases … [Read more...]