The goal of honey bee colony management is to aid the colony to build up to its maximum during the main nectar flow and to survive the dearth. Well-managed colonies assure the greatest possible return for the beekeeper.

The first management step in beekeeping is obtaining bees in a manageable hive. once the hive is established, it should be inspected regularly and managed according to its need. Specific management practices can be broken into management during the build-up, harvesting honey, and management during dearth periods.

If the swarm is on an acessible limb, shake the bees directly into the hive

Retrieving swarms is the easiest and cheapest way of getting bees. You have only to wait for bees to inhabit a bait hive or to hive a swarm that has clustered. if a swarm inhabits a bait hive on its own, it usually stays. Swarms that are clustered in accessible places are easily put inside a hive, though sometimes they are reluctant to stay. Hiving a swarm involves shaking or dumping the bees into or in front of the hive. If the swarm is on a low limb or bush, remove some of the top bars of the hive, put the hive under the swarm, and shake the swarm directly into the hive. Alternatively, shake the bees in front of the hive; they will usually run in. It is also possible to cover such a swarm with a large bag, shake the swarm into the bag, and transport it to the hive. If the swarm is clustered on a high limb, cut the limb and lower it carefully with a rope.

Scoop up swarms that are clustered on a flat surface or a large object with a piece of cardboard, and dump them into the hive. Use a brush of leaves or loose grass to brush the bees into the hive. As swarms have no brood or stores to defend, they are usually docile and no smoke is needed when hiving them. However, if the swarm has been away from the colony for a while, it may be hungry, thus defensive and difficult to work with. If the swarm is defensive, sugar water (two parts sugar to one part water) can be sprinkled on the swarm before trying to hive it. Smoke can also be used when hiving a swarm if it is defensive, but avoid excessive smoke as this may cause the swarm to leave. (Bees that have constructed some comb and have brood are also more defensive. This is no longer a swarm. With comb and brood it is a colony, and its defensiveness is normal.)

Alternatively, shake the swarm onto a piece of cloth in front of the hive. The cloth prevents the bees from becoming entanged in the grass or from becoming covered with dust. Bees can also be scooped up and dumped into the hive.

Swarms are much more likely to stay in a hive if they are given some comb containing unsealed brood. if established hives are available, it is easy to remove such a comb from the colony, brush the bees off with loose grass or leaves, and give the comb to the swarm. (Do not transfer adult bees with the comb as they will fight with the bees in the swarm.) Comb containing eggs or young larvae gives the swarm a chance to rear a new queen in case the old queen is killed in the hiving process.

Putting some brrod comb into the hive helps to prevent the swarm from absconding.

It is necessary for the queen to be in the hive if the bees are to stay. If the bees return to the original cluster site or cluster in another place, suspect that the queen is in the cluster. Try again to shake or dump the cluster in the hive. Although it is not necessary to find the queen, it is helpful to see her and know where she is. A small screen-wire cage is handy to enclose the queen. Catch her from behind by both wings and guide her into the cage. if she is caught by one wing or by one leg she may twist and hurt herself. Never grasp the queen by the abdomen. This area is soft and you can injure the reproductive organs.

If the queen is caged, her whereabouts are known until hiving is finished. When the hive is in its final site and the bees are settled, release her. Caging the queen also prevents her from being "balled." Under the stressful conditions of hiving a swarm, transferring the colony to new equipment, or moving the hive, the workers will sometimes cluster tightly around the queen and attempt to sting her This is called balling the queen, and the workers sometimes kill her by stinging or suffocation.

Caging a queen.

If swarm retrieval or transferring feral colonies is going to be frequent, it may be worthwhile to construct a KTBH one-half the standard length. Such a hive is usually large enough for the normal-size swarm or transfer from a feral colony. Pay special attention to making it bee-tight and easy to transport. Make a wire grid or screen to close the entrance easily.

Transfer the colony into regular-size equipment in the apiary. Swarms rapidly build up to full-size colonies, thus they will soon need more space. Hived swarms also construct or draw out comb quickly. Leaving the swarm in the small hive will restrict its build-up.

Once the bees are settled in the hive, the entrance is closed up and the colony moved. It is beat to move the colony in the late evening or at night when the bees are all inside and it is cooler. Some bees will drift back to the old site if the colony is moved less than two kilometers.

Do not leave a closed colony in the sun. if the colony is to be closed for more than fifteen minutes, use some type of screen material to close the entrance. Sprinkle water through the screen if the colony is closed for long periods. This gives the bees water to drink and helps to cool the hive.

Transferring bees from fixed-comb hives to top-bar hives is best done early in a build-up period. This gives the colony time to recover from the transfer. it will be easy for the bees to build comb and build up the population so that they can survive the dearth. If the transfer is made early enough, it may even be possible to harvest some surplus honey.

The colony population is low, and there is a minimum amount of honey in the colony at the beginning of a build-up period. This makes the transfer easier, and minimizes problems of robbing from other colonies.

Colonies that have been transferred need time before a dearth period to recover and store some honey for survival during the dearth. Transfers made during a dearth period have little chance of survival unless they are fed.

Depending for feeding for colony survival is not advisable. Buying sugar to feed bees is often not practical since a large colony can need a large amount to survive. Available cash for buying this sugar is usually lacking, and in some regions, even if the money is available, sugar is scarce.

Feeding a colony during a dearth period stimulates brood-rearing. This results in a greater amount of brood than can be maintained with available natural resources so the colony becomes dependent on feeding for survival. Assessing the feeding needs of a colony is difficult for a beginning beekeeper. Once feeding is started it is often necessary to feed continuously until a honey flow starts. This is not economically practical for most small farmers, so avoid feeding altogether. (See Chapter 7)

Transferring bees from feral colonies or from fixed-comb hives is essentially the same. The cavity must be opened and the combs cut out and attached to the new hive.

With fixed-comb hives, the colony is readily accessible, and the cavity is easily opened. Feral colonies are sometimes inaccessible in such locations as part of a wall, the roof of a house, or a large tree. It may not be worthwhile to tear down a structure or to cut down a tree for a colony. However, if the colony is in a limb you can cut the limb. Lower it carefully to the ground since letting it fall will destroy the comb.

Transferring a colony

	1) A fixed-comb hive.
	2) Move the fixed-comb hive away from the original site and put a KTBH in its place.
	3) Open the fixed-comb hive and remove the combs one by one.
	4) Put combs with honey in a dishpan covered with a damp cloth to prevent robbing and discard combs with drone brood.
	5) Attach worker brood combs to the top bars and put them in the KTBH.
	6) After all the comb is out, dump the remaining bees into the KTBH, close the hive; Note: move the old fixed-comb hive of the apiary to prevent the bees from being attracted to it.

To make the transfers, smoke the colony well, and, if possible, place the new hive where the old hive was located. Then move the old hive a few meters away. The bees are oriented to the site where their colony was located; thus they will go into the new hive quicker if it is in the old location.

Continue smoking the colony, turn it upside down, and open it if possible from the bottom. Cut out the combs. Set empty combs and combs with drone brood aside for their wax. Attach combs containing worker brood to the top bars with string or wire. Sharpened bamboo sticks or other skewers through holes in the top bars can also be used to hold the comb. Harvest most honey combs, but leave about one-half kilogram of honey for the colony.

Ways to attach comb to the bars

When all of the combs are attached, shake, dump, or brush the remaining bees into the new hive. Replace all of the top bars, put on the top, and reduce the entrance with a block of wood. A reduced entrance helps the colony to defend itself and deters robbing.

If the queen is found, cage her in a match box or a similar container until all the combs are attached. It is possible that she may be balled by the bees or mashed by the beekeeper in the confusion. Caging her can prevent this.

Remove the old hive from the area so that the bees will go into the new hive quicker. If the bees start to cluster away from the hive, smoke the area and check for the queen.

Try to avoid spilling the honey and keep the honey comb in a covered container. This will help reduce robbing by other bees.

Absconding is sometimes a problem with transfers. Making sure that the colony has unsealed brood and sufficient food helps control absconding. Patience and a sense of humor also help in dealing with absconding, especially with some strains of bees.

Transferring rustic hives is traumatic for both the beekeeper and the bees. It sometimes involves a lot of work, and a little experience working with bees helps. Confused bees flying around sometimes make for confused beekeepers. Many bees are killed, and some brood and comb are lost. However, making a transfer is in itself a great learning experience. If you make it through a transfer successfully, you are definitely on the way to becoming a beekeeper.

Inspecting the hive regularly once the colony is established is necessary to ascertain its condition and needs. During build-up periods there is intense activity in the hive, and the colony should be inspected every two weeks. Once a month is sufficient during dearth periods since the colony is less active. Colony inspections assess the status of the brood, the space needs, and the presence of adequate stores. The period of the yearly cycle determines what the beekeeper looks for.

With experience, the condition of the colony can be noted by looking at the activity at the entrance, and by removing a comb or two. However, beginning beekeepers need to make more thorough inspections while learning what to look for.

The disposition of the colony varies greatly with the strain of bees, the colony condition, and the prevailing weather.

Generally, bees are more docile on warm, sunny days during a nectar flow. On such days, a maximum number of bees are foraging. Foragers, the older bees, are more defensive of the colony as their sting glands are fully developed. In most areas, the maximum nectar flow is from early morning to mid-day. This, then, is the best time to inspect the colony since most of the foragers are away from the hive.

In areas where bees are particularly defensive, many beekeepers prefer to work with their bees at dusk. This is especially true if the hives are near houses. When night comes, the bees quickly settle back into the hive. This minimizes disturbance to neighbors and to nearby livestock. Beekeepers with highly-defensive bees also remove the honey from their colonies at night to minimize stinging.

Robbing is often a major problem when inspecting colonies during dearth periods. Bees from other colonies take advantage of the openings in the hive being inspected to rob honey. Robbing can be suspected when bees are observed fighting.

Preventing robbing is much easier than stopping it. Work fast when making inspections to minimize the time that the colony is open. Also, be careful not to drip honey about the area and do not leave honey comb exposed.

If robbing gets started, close the hive and wait until another day. If robbing is out of control, close the hive and stop up the entrance completely with grass or leaves. Also, douse the robber bees with water to help slow robbing. Remove the grass at night or the next day when the robbing has stopped. If the colony is left open, it will be robbed of all its honey and most of the bees will be killed.

The condition of the brood nest is the most important thing to note when inspecting a hive. A quick glance at a comb from the brood nest can tell you whether or not the queen is present, and by observing the brood pattern, you can determine the condition of the queen or the presence of disease.

The brood is always located on the lower portion of a brood comb. Pollen is stored around the sides and the upper edges of the brood area, and honey is found along the top edge of the comb. The layer of honey above acts-to insulate the brood nest.

Inspecting a hive

	1) Approach a hive from behind or from the side. Smoke the entrance and wait 30 secondes.
	2) Take the top off and puff more smoke over the top bars. Tap the top bars to locate the empty bars.
	3) Remove an empty top bar. Puff smoke into the empty space as the bar is being removed.
	4) Move the top bars down until you get to the brood nest. Puff smoke into the empty space periodically to keep the bees under control, though do not use too much smoke. Too much smoke can cause the colony to abscond.
	5) Remove the brood combs one-by-one to inspect them. Be careful not to turn the comb sideways or they will break, but the comb can be turned upside down.
	6) After inspectiong the colony, return the top bars to their original places and close the hive.

A good queen lays eggs in a tight pattern. She lays one egg in a cell and lays in all the cells. once she starts laying on a comb, she moves outward on the comb laying eggs around the area containing the developing brood. When the adults emerge from the center area, she again returns to that part of the comb and begins to lay outward as the cells are emptied when adults emerge. Thus, a good brood pattern has the form of concentric circles where the rings are composed of similar-age brood.

If the queen is failing, a brood disease present, or there are laying workers, the brood pattern will appear spotty--many cells will be empty in the brood area. Temporary drops in incoming nectar and pollen can also cause a spotty brood pattern, but this has only short term effects. if there is a brood disease (see Chapter 9), some cells may contain the decaying remains of the brood.

An old or failing queen -lays eggs that do not hatch or are unfertilized (thus they produce drones). The colony will eventually supersede her, but you should replace her when you note the condition since this will give the colony a young queen sooner. You can requeen the colony by killing the old queen and allowing it to rear another, or by introducing a queen cell after killing the old queen and leaving the colony queenless for one day. If you are going to allow the colony to rear a new queen, add a brood comb containing eggs and young larvae (but no adults) from another colony so that you can be assured that the queenless colony has worker larvae of the proper age to rear queens.

The queen is normally found on comb containing brood. Some strains of bees are "runny"; they tend to run from the comb when the colony is disturbed. With runny strains of bees, finding the queen is very difficult. However, it is not necessary to find the queen each time a hive is inspected. If eggs are there in a concentrated pattern, the presence of a good queen is verified.

If a colony has been queenless for a long time, workers will start to lay eggs. Since the eggs are unfertilized, they will always produce drone brood.

A spotty brood pattern and worker cells sealed with domed cappings are signs of laying workers. Many eggs of varying sizes placed haphazardly in a cell is another characteristic of laying workers.

A colony with laying workers is in a hopeless situation; since only drones are produced, the colony will dwindle and die out. As the colony perceives that it has a queen, it will not attempt to rear queen from young larvae from another colony, nor will it accept queen cells from another colony.

When you find a colony with laying workers, combine it with a strong, queenright colony. The workers from the strong colony will take care of the laying workers.

The condition of the colony can be marked by the location of a rock on top of the hive.

The presence of adequate stores is another important thing to check for when you inspect the colony. There should be at least one comb containing honey on each side of the brood nest. If the colony does not have sufficient honey stores, add honey combs (without bees) from stronger colonies, or if the colony is weak, you can combine it with another colony. Maintaining records of hive inspections is helpful to follow colony progress and to plan for future work in the apiary. Simple written records can be kept or the position of a stone or stick on the top of the hive can be used to denote the colony condition or its needs.