Q & A – Do you have to keep bees warm over winter – KM151

This is Episode One hundred and fifty One of our beekeeping show – Do you have to keep bees warm over winter.

In this show we answer questions about Keeping Bee Warm, Mites, Robbing Bees and pesky wasps.

We are Gary and Margaret, We are kiwimana.

kiwimana are beekeepers who keep bees on the Wild West Coast of Auckland in New Zealand. We love to teach about beekeeping. We sell beekeeping supplies and share information to help you keep honey bees organically.

Every new subscriber that joins our free beekeeping newsletter is asked “What’s Your biggest Beekeeping problem”. In this show we endeavour to answer some of your burning questions.

Thanks for joining us today, we appreciate that you have taken the time to listen.

This show was made with the Help of our supporters.

This Months Questions

Keeping Bees Warm Over Winter

This is my first year renting a beehive. We live in town. My beekeeper is holidaying in warmer climes for several weeks. How do I keep my beehive warm? Thought of wrapping bubble wrap around it. My husband is quite scathing of my babying of the beehive, but Beekeeper said the hive had gone back faster than he anticipated and put a nuc on top of the box. I would hate to lose my bees!!

Janice

Bloody Varroa Mites

Mites! Mites! Mites! They wiped me out this year.

James Rogers

Links Mentioned:-

Margaret’s Course: Beekeeping Course Auckland…Seasonal Beehive Space Management

Beekeeping Course Auckland…Organic Varroa Management – Integrated Pest Management

Beekeeping course covering threats and Pests harming New Zealands’ Honey Bees with Beehive Management tips with a recommended Integrated Pest Management program.

Shop now

A Varroa Mite Nimbly Infests a Foraging Honey Bee on a Flower

Dealing with Robbing Bees

Trying to get a hive of my own started from a nuc in a large valley of bush/manuka/kanuka with hundreds of commercial hives in the same valley. After 3 years I finally have a strong hive that seems to be able to deal with robber bees, tried various methods to prevent robbing, but would appreciate hearing more. No-one appears to be winter feeding the commercial hives. So when I feed mine – langstroth deep frame feeder, no spillage – it came under attack until recently. Which I suppose could be other food sources have begun. Plus it is now 1 and a half brood boxes strong.

Jackie

Links Mentioned:-

Robbing Screen – Stop Robbing Wasps and Bees

A Robbing Screen for your Bee Colony to help prevent wasps and other Honey Bees entering and robbing your Beehive of Honey.

$39.50

Shop now

When Wasps Become a problem

Wasps!!! Mike

Self Deprecating Beekeeper

One dumbass beekeeper ( me) lol 🙂

Mike

My Bees have Absconded

My hive has been absconded

Moritz

Is there a good Beekeepers Calendar for kiwi’s?

Annual beekeeper’s calendar for NZ – What to do when. Werner Sevenster

Great calendar in this book:

Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand – 5th Edition

Practical Beekeeping in New Zealand is a great book and is one of essential beekeeping books for beekeeping of all levels. It’s been called the bible of New Zealand beekeeping and rightly so.

Shop now

Show Times

• Keeping Bees Warm Over Winter 00:01:22
• Mites! Mites! Mites! 00:05:08
• Dealing with Robbing Bees 00:13:40
• When Wasps Become a problem 00:16:53
• Self Deprecating Beekeeper 00:18:44
• My Bees have Absconded 00:20:31
• Is there a good Beekeepers Calendar for kiwi’s? 00:24:06
• Who helped bring the show to you? 00:27:04

Media Credits

• Blues riff in Eb on electric guitar BY UncleSigmund
• cl_funky_b1 by craqs via FreeSound.org
• Hard Rock by furbyguy via FreeSound.org
• Blues Riff in G (Nylon) by FullMetalJedi via FreeSound.org
• Early Riser by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 International License. Based on a work at incompetech.com
• blues lick in A #2 BY Sub-d Licensed under Creative Commons (0)
• Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License