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    Frame Rotation

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    Ralf Jones
    This document provides guidance on spring management for beekeepers, including frame rotation techniques to prevent swarming, developing strong colonies, and techniques for combining weak colonies. It recommends rotating frames to provide empty comb and enlarge the brood nest area. Weak colonies are defined as having 6 frames or less of bees by the end of April, while strong colonies have 10 frames or more. Methods like newspaper combining and hive swapping are outlined to strengthen weak colonies using resources from strong colonies.

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    Frame Rotation

    Uploaded by

    Ralf Jones
    3 views2 pages
    This document provides guidance on spring management for beekeepers, including frame rotation techniques to prevent swarming, developing strong colonies, and techniques for combining weak colonies. It recommends rotating frames to provide empty comb and enlarge the brood nest area. Weak colonies are defined as having 6 frames or less of bees by the end of April, while strong colonies have 10 frames or more. Methods like newspaper combining and hive swapping are outlined to strengthen weak colonies using resources from strong colonies.

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    This document provides guidance on spring management for beekeepers, including frame rotation techniques to prevent swarming, developing strong colonies, and techniques for combining weak colonies. It recommends rotating frames to provide empty comb and enlarge the brood nest area. Weak colonies are defined as having 6 frames or less of bees by the end of April, while strong colonies have 10 frames or more. Methods like newspaper combining and hive swapping are outlined to strengthen weak colonies using resources from strong colonies.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    3 views2 pages

    Frame Rotation

    Uploaded by

    Ralf Jones
    This document provides guidance on spring management for beekeepers, including frame rotation techniques to prevent swarming, developing strong colonies, and techniques for combining weak colonies. It recommends rotating frames to provide empty comb and enlarge the brood nest area. Weak colonies are defined as having 6 frames or less of bees by the end of April, while strong colonies have 10 frames or more. Methods like newspaper combining and hive swapping are outlined to strengthen weak colonies using resources from strong colonies.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    PSBA Beginner Lesson March

    Master Beekeeping Program

    Lesson 4- Spring Management


    Mite Monitoring

    Frame Rotation
    Frame rotation is useful as a swarm prevention technique. Frame rotation helps reduce swarming by providing empty
    combs to the center of the brood nest and enlarging the brood rearing area in the hive. Helps reduce swarming impulse
    by reducing congestion.

    Frames 5 and 6 from top box moved to center of bottom box. Frames A and J from lower box are moved to the outside
    of the top box. Move frames 4 and 7 together in the top box.

    Caution: Don’t rotate the frames In such a manner that empty comb is placed between combs of brood

    Upper Brood Chamber

    Lower Brood Chamber

    Developing Strong Colonies


    Weak colony = 6 frames or less of bees by the end of April.
    Strong colony= 10 frames of bees or more by the end of April

    One strong colony will out-produce several weak colonies.

    Combining weak colonies with strong colonies.

    Newspaper Combine: Place the strong colony on top of the weak colony placing a piece of newspaper between the
    boxes. Put a few cuts into the newspaper. The colonies will eat the newspaper and the stronger colony will prevail.

    Queenless colonies should be combined with queenright colonies. Place the queenright colony on top of the queenless
    colony placing a piece of newspaper between them.

    Sign of a good queen: One that lays eggs in concentric bands of brood of the same age

    Mar-2014
    PSBA Beginner Lesson March

    Increasing the size of a weak colony


    Change the position of a weak colony with the stronger colony. (Hive swap)
    Foragers will go back to their original hive positions. The foragers from the strong hive will boost the weak
    hive workforce and resources. Best done on warm day when bees are flying.

    Notes:

    Resources Online:

    PSBA website: www.pugetsoundbees.org


    WSBA website: www.wasba.org
    National Honey Board: www.nhb.org
    Bee Informed: http://beeinformed.org/
    Honey Bee Suite - Rusty Burlew: http://www.honeybeesuite.com/
    The Practical Beekeeper - Michael Bush: http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
    Scientific Beekeeping - Randy Oliver: http://scientificbeekeeping.com/

    WSU Diagnostics lab: http://entomology.wsu.edu/apis/diagnostic-lab/


    Apiary Registration form: http://agr.wa.gov/PlantsInsects/Apiary/docs/ApiaryRegistrationForm.pdf

    Mar-2014

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