Eviction Notice

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are showing their colors, and my hives are starting to smell like toffee (or some would say dirty socks) from the goldenrod pollen.  The end of another beekeeping season is drawing near as the drones receive their eviction notices. 

Drones, male honey bees,  live to eat and mate.   Heck, they don't even feed themselves nor do they have stingers to protect the hive.   But before all you guys think this is a great thing, you must know that they live for only one season.  They either die after their male part is ripped from their body during mating or the girls kick them out because they are eating too much food.

This is a short video with lots of drones (they are bigger) who are hanging out (mostly in the upper right hand corner) just hoping that they can get back in the door.  Occasionally, you'll see a bossy female worker bee herd them into the bachelor corner.  Unfortunately, the guys won't last long outside the hive without any food and most will be found laying in the grass tomorrow. 

So sorry, big dudes.  You really are an important and often overlooked piece of the honey bee life cycle.  We'll see you next spring!

Learn about a program which offers assistance for winter colony losses @ Sept Hanover/Madison SIBA meeting

The preliminary results from the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) 2013-2014 winter loss survey show that Indiana was one of the hardest hit states in the nation with an average respondent colony loss rate of 65%.

Yikes!   If you are among this group, what can you do?  Besides preparing for the upcoming winter, which the Farmer's Almanac is again predicting to be colder than normal, you might want to hear about a program established to help beekeepers recover from last year's winter losses.

At the next Hanover/Madison SIBA meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to meet Dave Poling, the Executive Director for the Jefferson County Indiana USDA Farm Service Agency.   He will explain the program entitled 'Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, & Farm-raised Fish' (ELAP for short) which is part of the 2014 Farm Bill.  Learn about records needed, program benefit eligibility, and upcoming deadlines.

If you didn't experience losses, this meeting can also be important to you.  It is a great opportunity to start  discussions about how farmers and beekeepeers can work together for the betterment of both industries. 

When:  September 11, 2014  6:30PM

Where:  Geez Beez Apiary  7473 S River Bottom Rd Hanover, IN

Note:  If the weather is nice, we meet outside.  Bring a chair.