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All creatures follow the cycles of our earth; of day and night and the passing of the seasons. Honeybees are no exception. They respond to the urgencies of that cycle. Raising bees require that we understand this cycle and respond to it as well.
In many ways, autumn is the beginning of the honeybee year. It is their busiest season and their fortunes in the following year depend on their activities during the fall. Food, nectar and pollen, becomes scarce during this time. The hive reduces its brood and the colony decreases its population. They prepare for the cold weather by sealing cracks in the hive and reducing the entrance’s size. Drones are eliminated. The bees conserve heat by cuddling together.
During the winter, the bees depend totally on the food that they have stockpiled in the autumn. Beekeepers who harvested all the honey from the colony usually give their bees high-fructose corn syrup. This should not happen in organic beekeeping. The hive depends on the nutrients in their honey and the amount of their stockpiles. Small stockpiles and unhealthy food delays their spring return. A queen usually stops laying eggs in October or November, then resumes in late December or January. Bees born during that time will be on time to meet the spring thawing.
The renewed growth during spring also means the expansion of the bee population. The queen can once again lay eggs in earnest because there will be enough food for a larger colony. The young worker bees gather water and food and bring it to the hive. The queen lays more and more worker bees to gather more resources. Drones are usually not born during this time. The swarm is still regaining its strength.
But as the days lengthen and the numbers increase. Drones and even new queens are born. This is the time (late spring) when new swarms are born and bees move their to new locations and make new hives. Before the new queen emerges, the old queen and more than half the bee population will rush out of the hive and find a new home. Combs are quickly constructed and egg laying and brood rearing start again in earnest.
The remaining bees do their duty as the new queen emerges. If there are several queens a fight to the death occurs until one lone survivor emerges. She may find another location but most of the time, the new queen prospers in the old hive. She’ll fly out of the hive for a few days in order to mate with drones and then go back again to lay eggs.
Summer is a time filled with nectar. The bee’s star preparing for the winter during this time. They make large stores of everything that they need. They have only one real worry during the summer. The bees must do their best to keep the hive’s temperature from rising beyond 93 degrees. Beekeepers, whether they practice organic beekeeping or not, may easily share the bee’s harvest without harm.
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