CATDOLL : CATDOLL: What do bees need to be fed in the spring?

1. Do you still use pesticides when raising bees in spring?

Before the spring breeding of Italian bees, you must use a miticide to kill all the remaining large mites in the nest to reduce and prevent future mite damage. If there are no other bee diseases, you will not need to use other drugs.

2. How much pollen can a bee eat in a day in spring?

A worker bee uses its "kiss" to absorb nectar and then uses it to make honey. Each time it collects nectar, it needs to "visit" hundreds of honey flowers. The most suitable temperature for honey bees to collect nectar is 20-25℃. Italian bees stop collecting when the temperature is below 12℃ and above 32℃; Chinese bees stop collecting when the temperature is below 10℃ and above 40℃. The most suitable collection range radius is 1 km, and the effective radius is 2-3 km. It takes 11 mg of honey for a worker bee to fly over mountains and rivers, so it is not economical to fly farther. During the honey-collecting season, they go out 8-10 times a day, each time for 27-45 minutes, with an interval of 4-16 minutes. A worker bee can collect 35-40 mg of honey at a time and go out 80-120 times in its lifetime. A medium-sized bee colony consumes an average of 90-100 kg of honey per year and can provide 25-50 kg of commercial honey.

3. How do bees survive the winter by diligently collecting nectar?

When it comes to bees, everyone will definitely think of bees as hardworking insects, busy among flowers all day long, collecting nectar. However, in winter, there is a lack of nectar sources outside, so bees cannot collect honey. In addition, the climate is cold, so bees begin to hibernate. So how do bees spend the cold winter? Let's take a look at the ways bees spend the winter!

How do bees spend the winter?

1. Prepare for winter

The way bees survive the winter is called "overwintering". Before winter comes, the bee colony begins to prepare for the needs of the winter. First, the bee colony will collect a large amount of honey and store enough honey for the colony to consume during the overwintering period. Second, during the last honey flow period before winter comes, not only do they need to collect honey and make honey, but they also need to cultivate a large number of overwintering bees. These newly bred overwintering bees have not participated in labor, so their lifespan is longer than that of the worker bees before overwintering, ensuring that there are enough overwintering bees to help the bee colony survive the winter smoothly.

2. Wintering time

The time for bees to hibernate varies depending on the climate and environment in different places. Generally speaking, the hibernation period in the north is longer than that in the south. The suitable temperature for bees is generally between 15-25°C. When the outside temperature is below 5°C for a long time, the bees enter the hibernation period. During the hibernation period, the bee colony has the ability to self-regulate the temperature and can maintain the temperature between 35-35°C. During the hibernation period, the queen bee will not lay eggs, the worker bees will not collect honey, and will not fly outside. The bees enter a dormant state, and the entire bee colony tightly "hugs" together to form a bee group. The outermost bees of the bee group deliver food layer by layer to maintain the life of the entire bee colony.

3. Keep warm in winter

After bees gather in clusters in winter, they rely on eating honey to generate heat to maintain the life of the colony. The queen bee is at the center of the cluster, and the worker bees in the inner and outer layers take turns to replace their positions and deliver food. The colony constantly tightens and loosens to keep warm and dissipate heat, so that the internal temperature of the colony is moderate and will not drop below 15°C. The bees' ability to self-regulate temperature allows the colony to survive the severe winter even in sub-zero temperatures outside.

However, bees in artificial breeding environments need to be fed artificially, otherwise they will starve to death. Therefore, when the honey stored by the bees is taken away, the beekeeper must feed them in time. The feed is generally syrup made from white sugar.

4. Breeding in spring

When the first warm sunny day in late winter and early spring comes and the temperature is above 8°C, the bee colonies will generally begin to disperse at noon. They will first fly out of the nest box to excrete, and the queen bee will resume laying eggs. This means that the bee colonies have entered the spring breeding period. Due to different climates across the country, the time of resuming spring breeding is also different. Generally speaking, when the south resumes spring breeding, the north is still in the wintering period, and the time span may be as long as 3 months. This is a severe test for the bee colonies.

How to help bees overwinter safely?

1. Prevent starvation: Whether the feed during the entire wintering period is of good quality or not is related to whether the bees can successfully overwinter. High-quality feed can ensure that most of the feed can be digested after the bees eat it. A well-fed bee colony will be quiet and stable, have a long lifespan, will not decline in spring, and will multiply quickly in spring. If the quality of the feed is unsatisfactory, the bees will digest less after eating, resulting in a lot of residue left over, and the feces will accumulate in the intestines, easily forming big belly disease. In mild cases, some of the bees will die of the disease, and in severe cases, a large number of bees will die.

2. Heat protection: The suitable temperature for bees to overwinter is 2-8℃. The dormant bee colonies gather together and rely on stored honey to maintain life. However, there are many days with temperatures above 8℃ during the entire overwintering period. The bees are very active and consume a lot of feed. The worker bees age quickly and it is not easy for them to reproduce in spring. Therefore, heat protection is necessary. Ventilation, sprinkling water or electric fans can be used to cool down.

3. Cold prevention: During the winter, the activity of bees will increase when the temperature is below -2℃. They will mainly increase their food intake and keep swinging their abdomens to generate heat to resist the severe cold. This will not only consume a lot of feed but also cause the worker bees to age and shorten their lifespan. If it is a small bee colony, you can let it get more sun during the day and try to close the nest door as much as possible at night, fill the gaps in the box and wind tunnels, and prevent cold currents from invading the gaps.

4. Anti-dryness: Water should be sprayed appropriately in the apiary to increase humidity and prevent dryness, so as to prevent the bees from being thirsty and the feed from drying out and crystallizing. After all, bees do not have teeth, and once the feed crystallizes and hardens, the bees will not be able to eat it.

5. Moisture-proof: During the winter, the humidity in the beehive is best at 70%-80%. If the humidity is above 80%, the feed will easily become damp, thin and deteriorate. If the bees eat the feed, they will easily get sick and have diarrhea. If the humidity in the apiary is high, a layer of plastic film should be placed under the beehive, or some quicklime and dry slag should be sprinkled around the beehive. The bees can also be allowed to fly and defecate in a planned manner on sunny days above 10℃.

6. Light protection: Bees prefer dark environments. If they are stimulated by strong external light, they will leave the nest and fly away. The outdoor beehives should be covered with blackout cloth to avoid light, so as to minimize the consumption of energy by bees flying in the air.

7. Prevent suffocation: Bees must have fresh air when they hibernate in the hive. It is necessary to prevent dead bee bodies and debris from blocking the hive door and suffocating the bees. It is also necessary to prevent snow accumulation from closing the hive door, so the outside of the beehive should be checked every day.

8. Shockproof: Bees prefer a quiet environment and are afraid of vibration and noise. Especially in the late winter, their physical condition is relatively weak and they cannot tolerate the accumulation of feces in their abdomens. If they are frightened by vibrations, they often lose their spleens and freeze to death. Therefore, keep quiet in the apiary and avoid loud noises, such as setting off firecrackers, making loud noises, etc.

9. Disease prevention: Keep the beehive clean and sanitary, and be sure to pay attention to disinfection to prevent the occurrence of diseases and pests such as bee mites.

10. Anti-enemy: If protective measures are not in place during the winter, mice will gnaw on the beehives, steal stored honey, and destroy the honeycombs. If signs of mouse activity are found in the apiary, use poison bait, equipment, etc. to kill them.

Precautions for bees to spend the winter

1. Winter environment

During the winter, beehives should be placed in a dry place that is sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, so that the bees are not disturbed by the cold wind. In a dry environment, bees are not prone to illness. The suitable temperature for bees to overwinter is -2-8℃. Temperatures that are too high or too low will cause bees to increase their activity, which will consume their energy in vain, and the bee colony will age easily and will not reproduce easily. The place where the beehive is placed must maintain a quiet environment. Bees prefer quietness to noise, and often some small vibrations will cause abnormalities in the bee colony.

2. Timely supplementary feeding

During the winter, bees do not collect food. Although they have formed groups and are in a semi-dormant state, they still need to eat, so the feed must be sufficient, clean and hygienic. It is best to use honey, but due to climatic reasons, honey will freeze and harden, and frozen honey cannot be eaten, so it is generally fed with a mixture of white sugar and honey, or high-quality honey can be chosen for feeding.

3. Merge weak groups

During the winter, bees will gather together to keep warm, firstly to maintain the temperature inside the hive, and secondly to consume less feed. However, it is different for weak colonies. In order to maintain the temperature, they will consume a large amount of feed, which can easily lead to the aging of the bees. During the spring breeding, the breeding capacity is low, which affects the bee production and quality. Weak colonies will also have many diseases and form cross-infections, then the entire bee colony will easily perish. Therefore, weak colonies should be merged before wintering to form double-queen colonies or multi-queen colonies, and then they can be divided into groups for breeding after wintering.

4. Cover and keep warm

According to the principle of "thick for weak colonies and thin for restless colonies", cover the beehive with 3 to 5 layers of thick paper or straw mats. After the winter solstice, cover the top of the beehive with burlap, but a hive exit must be left in front of the beehive.

Summary: Before hibernation, bees will make adequate preparations and collect enough food for the colony to survive the winter. As long as the environment is not too harsh and there is enough food, the bees can hibernate smoothly. The stronger the colony, the easier it is to hibernate, because only a strong colony can survive the harsh winter.

4. Bee breeding techniques in spring?

When the temperature stabilizes at around 10 degrees in spring, you can open the hive for a comprehensive inspection of the bee colony. Remove old honeycombs and impurities at the bottom of the hive. Properly increase the distance between the honeycombs. Feed the bees that do not have enough honey in time. Increase the feeding amount after the queen bee starts laying eggs to encourage worker bees to collect. In addition to the above, we must also strengthen insect and disease prevention.

5. Spring bee copywriting?

Spring is here, colorful flowers are blooming, and bees are busy collecting nectar on the flowers. The bee's body is yellow-brown, with dense hairs, six legs, two pairs of wings, the front wings are larger than the hind wings, and there is an "8" waist. How do bees collect nectar when the flowers are blooming? They are very smart. If a bee finds a large source of nectar, it will immediately dance the "8" dance to tell its companions the direction of the nectar source. Singing buzzing songs, like golden clouds, they rush to the flowers all over the sky. When collecting nectar, the bee uses its front legs to grab the petals. The two middle legs have two tufts of long hair, like two brushes, brushing pollen onto the furry pink and blue hind legs.