Maine State Beekeepers Association
We love honeybees - you should too
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...]
The past year presented several valuable lessons to beekeepers. For example: bees should be managed according to weather conditions and plant phenology, not calendar date; monitoring Varroa is crucial since mite populations can explode under certain circumstances; and the timing and choice of Varroa treatment can have variable outcomes. Also, reading pesticide labels is imperative! In … [Read more...]
The 2010 honey harvest is complete and many beekeepers report a good summer crop and a disappointing fall harvest. In many areas of the state the honey flow shut off like a spigot during the early part of August due to the drought conditions during the summer. Plants resumed nectar production after some late summer rain, but it was too little, too late. In general the goldenrod honey flow didn’t … [Read more...]
by Tony Jadczak, Maine Apiarist Unlike the majority of northern insects, honey bees cannot survive freezing and do not hibernate. In fact, the reason honey bees gather and store surplus honey is for con- sumption during the winter months when flowers are absent and temperatures are too cold for flight. The bees store honey above and around their cluster and move up into the honey reserves as … [Read more...]
Apiary Inspection- In 2006, 479 Maine beekeepers registered 7,476 hives. 52,107 hives managed by migratory commercial beekeepers entered Maine primarily for blueberry and apple pollination. Hives were also used to pollinate canola, cranberry, small fruits, squash and buckwheat. Honey bee colonies entered Maine under certification from AR, FL, GA, KS, LA, MS, SC and TX. In 2006, 5,672 hives … [Read more...]
True to form, “March came in like a lion and went out like a lamb”. Honey bees were gathering pollen in the southern half of the state during the last week of March when temperatures reached the upper 50’s and lower 60’s. The sight of incoming pollen is possibly as welcome to northern beekeepers as it is to the bees. During April, bee management concerns monitoring the … [Read more...]
In 2005, 380 Maine beekeepers registered 6,436 hives. In addition, 52,668 hives managed by migratory commercial beekeepers entered Maine for blueberry, apple, and cranberry pollination. Hives were also used to pollinate canola, small fruits, squash, and buckwheat. Honey bee colonies entered Maine under certification from AR, FL, GA, KS, LA, MS, SC, and TX. Nearly 6,000 colonies were shipped to … [Read more...]
The Maine Beekeepers Association can help you if you have honey bees that have swarmed. Please be sure to identify your insects before calling … [Read More...]
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...]
Fall Finale
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...]