Supering, Nucleus Hives, and Swarm Management Workshop

Supering, Nucleus Hives, and Swarm Management Workshop

Many professional beekeepers advocate for nucleus hives to complement their beekeeping operations. Many in CBA have nucleus hives and rely on them to help weaker hives. The nucleus colony is a complete working colony, usually in a five-frame box. This workshop covers the value of establishing nucleus colonies to sustain your apiary rather than relying on the cycle of purchasing packages. We will discuss nucleus colony development and include a demonstration of how you can establish your own.

Supering for honey production will also be demonstrated, along with determining the indications that bees are ready to draw out new foundation and begin storing honey.

Reproductive swarms are evident this time of year with overwintered colonies, so we will identify swarm cells and possibly split some colonies for swarm management.

Participant preparation:

1. Research what a nuc box and colony look like. Consider their advantages and disadvantages. Think about what equipment you would need to establish your own.
2. Honey production depends on the strength of the nectar flow in your area. Think about how you can tell if bees are collecting nectar versus pollen or both.
3. Research the shape and size of queen cells.

Led by Bill Hesbach, CBA President

Bill is an Eastern Apicultural Society Certified Master Beekeeper, graduate of the University of Montana's master beekeeping program, and president of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association. He teaches bee biology and various beekeeping methods, and appears as a guest speaker at local and regional beekeeping seminars. Bill has been published in Bee Culture, Bee Craft, and The American Bee Journal, and was presented the Distinguished Speaker Award at the 2019 EAS conference. Special interests include bee biology and flight, and the connection between local flora and bee behavior.