MATING YARD

The idea is to create an isolated mating yard to propagate queens purchased from the Russian Honey Bee Breeders Association (https://www.russianhoneybeebreeders.org/) for use by me and other local beekeepers. This is the first grouping of colonies. 

BASSWOOD BLOOM

 

This is what it is all about late June, early July.  The American Linden, or Basswood (Tilia americana) is a major source of nectar.  Because the trees are common along the river valleys and the forests of SE Minnesota they bloom over a fairly long period of time.  The ones in towns and cities seem to bloom first and the ones in cooler, shaded areas bloom later.

DRONE COMB TO AID IN MITE CONTROL

 Some beekeepers, including me, use cultural methods to help with control of the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor).  One of these methods involves putting special frames into the hive which the bees recognize as drone comb frames.  When the queen lays eggs in these cells, she makes sure they are unfertilized - resulting in drone larvae.  Drones take a much longer time to develop and they have more 'fat bodies' making them preferred by the mite mothers.  In short, once the cells are capped by the workers and the frames are removed by the beekeeper, the mites are removed from the hive.  The chickens are happy to take it from there, making a meal of the Drone grubs and the attached mites.

A closeup view is below.