Flesh hive

[Finman]

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In Finland we call Flesh hive those which have a huge tower of bees but no honey to extract. It is said the hive is lazy.

We talk too early spring build up and early foragers.

I revieled the problem with the chalkbrood.

* First we need a balance between nurser bees and foragers.
* If foragers are few and nursers many, all food is consumed to rearing of brood.

* When hive is full of brood = flesh, meat, one day it will be turned to bees and foragers.

It takes 6-8 weeks that layed egg will be a forager and they are abundant compared to nurser bees.

If part of brood die for chalkbrood later it will be lack of normal foragers -20%, the hive cannot get surpluss honey.
The colony have user energy in brood rearing and 20% will be lost.
Same happens if the hive has too much drones = natural cell hive.

 

[Finman]

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SWARMING CASE

When the hive swarms hive will be devided to flesh part and forager part.
Old part rear its brood but cannot get supluss

The swarm part has mostly forager and it catch a good yeild because it has not brood to rear.

Soon nor either swarm or original hive cannot het hone any more.
Swarm hive looses half of its bees and it is full of honey.

The original hive have brood but it takes weeks before the brood is at the age of foragers.

Hive needs in balance bees which

1) take care of brood,
2) handle honey and make combs and cap
3) bring honey and pollen

 

[Finman]

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WHAT TO DO

To keep balance between foraging and home works join hives and nucs so that the hive has boath brood for new bees and a lot foragers to get surpluss.

If you have in summer brood brake, join brood nuc and broodless swarmed hive for main yield.

Join two weak colonies to get much foragers but to get only one queen's larvae.
In main yield it is an honey advantage if the queen is not a good layer.
So new colony has douple bees but half larvae to be nursed.

 

[Frisbee]

I love reading your stuff Finman

The only downside is it makes me realise how much I have to learn

 

[Finman]

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Thanks Frisbee