1. Summer splits: Timing and technique for mite load reduction JAMES D. (DOUG) VINSON CONOVER, NORTH CAROLINA drjamvin@gmail.com

2. DOUG VINSON Catawba County Beekeepers Association Regional Director, Mountain Region, NCSBA

3. AN OUTLINE FROM THE PROGRAM TITLE Splits spring vs summer splits (starts) Timing scheduling summer splits scheduling queen production schedule of mite population growth Technique how it can be done

4. BUT FIRST, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

5. What are some major concerns/issues you have had with your bees in the past 12 months?

6. Winter losses? Queen issues? Absconding? Sick bees? Mite overload? Dwindling? Collapse?

7. This colony is in the final stage of collapse. The still-living (white) brood is clear evidence that collapse came rapidly. Although the area of brood is similar to that in Figure 8, note the lack of pollen stores due to the depleted forager force that preceded the final collapse. NO AMOUNT OF TREATMENT WILL SAVE THIS COLONY!! 30%+ HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?

8. OR THIS?

9. 6 toes up THE BOTTOM LINE

10. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THESE PROBLEMS? Is it the varroa mite? Is it the viruses? Is it nosema? Is it the chemicals? Is it nutrition? Is it immune response disorder? Is it stress? Is it a combination of these?

11. “Varroa is still the problem”….Dr. Greg Hunt

12. For this discussion, lets assume that the mite/virus syndrome is a big player and that mite load reduction can be of some value

13. THE WAR AGAINST VARROA Interrupting varroa reproduction Hard chemical Soft chemicals IPM Selective breeding

14. ARE WE WINNING THE WAR?

15. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE UP FOR OUR LOSSES? Buy bees? Just give up?

16. THE PACKAGE BEE INDUSTRY WOW!

17. SPLITS (STARTS)

18. TRADITIONAL SPRING SPLITS PRESENT MANY INHERENT PROBLEMS WEATHER Fewer resources Fewer drones Slow buildup Queen availability Feeding issues

19. WHY DO SPLITS IN SUMMER? Reduce varroa mite population during the period of time that mite numbers are highest Increase for next season Healthier late season (winter) bees Sustainability ( buying fewer bees)

20. ADVANTAGES OF SUMMER (July) SPLITS OR STARTS Mite load reduction (reproductive cycle) Available queens (local), drones MUCH more flexible timetable Good weather Hedge against winter losses with overwintered nucs Greater resources (bees, brood etc.)

21. “Take your losses in the fall and make your increase in the spring” This advice may not apply as well as it use to

22. “Make your increase in summer to hedge against fall and winter losses” (And avert a mite explosion in early fall)

23. WHEN DID THE LIGHT BULB COME ON?

24. WE WERE SEEING THAT SUVIVORS HAVE SOME THINGS IN COMMOM* Queenless periods during late summer Summer mated queens Mite reduction at a critical time Related to survivor stock Small nest cavity over winter *Nelson Canipe, CVBA

25. SO WE CONCLUDED THAT…… Summer splits have periods of queenlessness and therefore periods of no 8 day old open brood During this period, varroa has no place to breed so their reproductive cycle is interrupted The length of this period depends on how you requeen your split(s)

26. VALIDATION BY RECOGNIZED AUTHORITIES Randy Oliver Kurt Webster Mike Palmer Mel Disselkoen

27. TIMING YOUR ATTACK ON THE VARROA REPRODUCTION CYCLE

28. BE ACTIVE NOT REACTIVE

29. AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER MITE POPULATION EXPLOSION HAS DEADLY IMPACT ON BEES Brood is stressed and dies dwindling begins Viruses run rampant collapse is likely Healthy, fat winter bees are not produced (This explosion is made worse by continuous brood rearing)

30. Notice what happens in August and September THE MITE POPULATION CYCLE

31. CREDIT: MEL DISSELKOEN

32. TIMING YOUR SUMMER SPLITS FOR MAXIMUM VARROA CONTROL (AND MAXIMUM INCREASE POTENTIAL)

33. SO HOW DO WE PUT THIS INFO TO WORK IN THE BEE YARD? Divide colonies in July to create a queenless state just before mites reach a deadly threshold in August and September Lack of uncapped (8 day old) brood will remove varroa breeding grounds Requeen with a summer mated queen Over winter in 5 frame nucs

34. Before the new queen can emerge, mate and begin to lay, all the old brood will have hatched with no replacement for up to 30 days THE MITE BREEDING GROUNDS ARE REMOVED

35. THE LEMMING EFFECT When the new queen begins to lay and 8 day old larva are available Mites that have been deprived breeding media are super anxious to resume survival breeding Mites enter cells in greater numbers (4+,up to 14!) than can be fed by the pupae hemolymph and starve

36. WHAT I DO AFTER HONEY HARVEST My goal with summer splits is to make as many five frame nucs as my resources will allow Make sure that the introduced queen is mated AFTER June 21 Overwinter these 5 frame boxes Or convert to larger equipment

37. 2 frames of brood 1 frame of honey and pollen fill out with drawn comb + queen cell Note supplemental food sources

38. NUCS MADE JULY 2014

39. TIMING SUMMER QUEENS

40. WHERE DO THE QUEENS COME FROM? Non-grafting queen rearing techniques from colonies that you like Local stock from others Allow splits to make their own queens If you don’t want increase, just sacrifice all queens and you will get the benefit of mite reduction and a new queen, just no additional colonies

41. SUMMER QUEENS SHOULD BE MATED AFTER SUMMER SOLSTICE JUNE 21

42. OTS QUEEN REARING: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR BEEKEEPERS WORLDWIDE By Mel Disselkoen

43. CELL FROM MEL’S NOTCHING TECHNIQUE

44. MANAGEMENT OF NEWLY MADE NUCS Move or leave in same apiary FEED Check for laying queen in a couple of weeks Remove brood as necessary for more splits or strengthen others Put to bed for winter

45. February 2, 2014

46. 3-1-14

47. 3-15-14

48. 4-18-14

49. LATE APRIL

51. ABOUT MAY 1

52. JUNE 6-2014

53. WE ALL WANT TO MAKE HONEY! TINSTATMH

54. EVERY FRAME WAS FULL

55. JUNE 13, 2014

56. ANOTHER EXAMPLE/COMPARISON

57. MAY 5, 2015

59. JULY 13, 2015

60. RESOURSES IN JULY

64. JULY 2015 SPLITS

67. RECAP Queens mated AFTER June 21 st behave like spring queens and out breed mites July splits interrupt mite breeding cycle at a critical time (population explosion) The Lemming effect Overwintering in small nest cavities may help winter survival Using this technique, you may be able to hedge against winter losses

68. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!