Improved Honeybee Health through Foundation Modification

Year One:

In early March 2013 all new equipment was purchased, including 60 complete Langstroth hive boxes. Sixty boxes were needed throughout the project as each hive needs three boxes; the base box holds brood, the second and third boxes hold honey, but only the third box should be extracted so that bees have sufficient food for over-wintering.   

One-half of the hives were supplied with traditional full wax, wired foundation; the other half were built using an unassembled frame and adding a two-inch wax strip at the top of each frame for the bees to build foundation at their own pace and size (Tycksen method). Wire was added to the Tycksen frames for strength during the extraction process. 

In April 2013 the intent was to purchase 30 three pound packages of Italian bees from one commercial bee provider.  After researching availability of strong, healthy bees of the same variety and from the same location, thirty packages of Italian bees were ordered from a single source. It was stressed to the commercial provider that the bees were being used in a research project and that it was critical that all information provided was accurate and that the bees ordered were as stated over the phone. When the bees arrived in mid-April, it was learned that the supplier did not follow the specification provided. The bees that were received were a mix of Carniola, Italian, and Russian bees and many were literally starving to death; syrup cans were empty on many of the hives and the bees were in poor condition. The bees were immediately put into their hives with prepared syrup feeders supplied at each hive. The next day, six of the 30 hives were dead. The supplier was immediately contacted about the problems and “fessed up” that the bees came from a variety of locations and commercial providers. It was understood that the integrity of the research may have been compromised by having multiple varieties of bees, but after contacting several other bee providers and finding bees in short supply, the three partners in the project decided it was better to keep the bees and continue with the project rather than to see them all die. The 24 remaining hives were set-up in three locations throughout Montezuma County, CO. 

The locations are outlined as follows:

#1. Eight hives were placed at a location on Cedar Mesa, between Mancos and Cortez, CO. The area is fairly remote and arid. Many Pinon and cedar trees are located in the area. No agricultural fields or crops are located nearby and no herbicide/pesticide spraying was done during the duration of the research project. Bees received water from a yard sprinkler system, as no natural bodies of water are nearby.

#2. Eight hives were placed at a location in an agricultural area near Lewis, CO. The area is surrounded by pasture where many wildflowers and dandelions bloomed. Several homes are located within a two-mile radius and some yard and orchard spraying was done by neighbors; it is unknown whether they were spraying herbicides or pesticides. There was ample water for the bees provided by local irrigation sources.

#3. Eight hives were placed at a location in McElmo Canyon, CO. These hives were located near irrigated alfalfa fields and grape vineyards. Herbicide spraying of fields was conducted on a regular basis. Bees received their water from the McElmo Creek and irrigated fields, near the property.

One half of the hives in each location used the standard Langstroth foundation purchased from a commercial company; the other half utilized the Tycksen foundation method. All hives were fed sugar water syrup through the end of July; the hives were fed on an as needed basis - when the syrup was gone the feeder was refilled. Sugar water syrup was made by using a 1:1 solution of sugar and water. Water is brought to a boil, then sugar is dissolved in the water. The syrup is used at that ratio to encourage bees to build comb. A 2:1 sugar/water ratio can be used later in the season to build food stores for winter. Corn syrup should not be used when feeding bees.

All the hives were tested for mites in early June using “sticky boards” under the screen board of each hive. Additionally, a visual inspection was completed on each hive. Very few mites were found in any of the hives and no mite control was administered.  (See attached photos)

All hives were examined for bee numbers, brood, and colony health on a weekly basis from April through October. Depending on the temperament of the hive, smoking was utilized on a hive by hive basis. Smoking is a tool utilized to mask alarm pheromones which include various chemicals, e.g., isopentyl acetate that are released by guard bees and helps calm bees if they are aggressive. A log and pictures were kept at each stage of hive development. (See attached checklist for hive inspection and data worksheet)

Honey harvest was completed in early October. All hives were visually checked for honey production and weighed in the field. The second box of honey of each hive was left for bee consumption during the winter. Only honey from the third box was extracted. Honey was extracted utilizing a commercial extractor. The Tycksen method frames held up as well as the traditional Langstroth frames did during extraction. This was encouraging as it was one of our measurement objectives.  Overall, the hives with Langstroth frames had greater honey production than the Tycksen method frames.

All hives were winterized by wrapping the hive with tar paper, making sure to allow air flow and ingress/egress for the bees.

Year Two:

Hives were allowed to overwinter and not checked until early February. Beginning in early February all hives were fed supplemental food as needed in the form of sugar syrup (see recipe in Year One Methods). The supplemental feeding continued through the end of July.

All hives were checked for progress on a weekly basis from April through July, then bi-monthly to examine bee numbers, brood, and colony health. The same log was used to track hive progress as in Year One. Hives were weighed in April and again in October.

Replacement bees were bought for the six hives that had been lost upon arrival in year one and those lost over the winter. New foundation was placed in each hive at the onset of spring to measure progress, health, and success of the various methods. One half of the new hives utilized the Tycksen foundation method and half utilized the Langstroth. Each type was equally placed in the three locations.

No mite control was applied in spring. All hives were tested for Varroa mites in early June. Various levels of Varroa mites were found in the Langstroth hives but not in the Tycksen hives. A powder-sugar method of mite control was applied to all of the Langstroth hives at all locations; none of the Tycksen hives at any of the locations receive mite treatment. The powder sugar method of non-lethal testing for Varroa mites on honey bees was developed at the University of Nebraska by entomology professor Dr. Marion Ellis and some of his students. It involves the use of powder sugar in a dust application. They found that when honey bees infested with Varroa mites are dusted with a coating of powdered sugar, many of the mites fall off – perhaps as a result of increased grooming by the bees, or maybe because the sugar makes it more difficult for the mites to maintain their grip. We utilized this natural method of mite control. All hives were re-tested two weeks later on June 18, and since no improvement was noted, the powder sugar treatment was applied again to the Langstroth hives. Testing on July 2 revealed considerably fewer mites in all hives.

Honey harvest was completed in early October. All hives were visually checked for honey production and weighed in the field. Weighing was completed utilizing a commercial scale in the field. Again, the second box of honey of each hive was left for bee consumption during the winter; only honey from the third box was extracted. Honey was extracted utilizing a commercial extractor. The Tycksen method frames held up as well as the traditional Langstroth frames did during extraction. The second year, the Tycksen hives produced more honey than the Langstroth hives did.

• Varroa mite up close on sticky board
• Varroa mite sheet-Tycksen
• Winterization of bees
• Year One – Location #2 – Tycksen
• Varroa mite sheet 2 – Tycksen
• Year One – Location 3
• Size of cell built by bees in Tycksen Foundation
• Size/Symmetrical shape of cell in Tycksen Foundation
• Sticky board used to measure mite population
• Varroa mite on sticky board 2
• Varroa mite -close up
• Bee data worksheet
• Bee inspection checklist
• Year One – Location 3, hive 2 Tycksen
• Varroa mites