A beautiful autumn day in the bee yard begins with an unexpected discovery for Dr. Jim Tew: his normally reliable smoker-storage system has failed spectacularly. A windblown lid and several rainstorms have left his smoker half submerged, his hive tools soaked, and his carefully organized system in need of drying out.
But that isn't the only surprise waiting for Jim.
A swarm colony he had collected earlier in the season has died, so Jim opens the hive for a late-season autopsy. Wax moths have already moved in, but the comb tells a larger story. Jim finds scattered drone brood, no queen cells, and no obvious signs of American foulbrood or a Varroa collapse. His conclusion: the colony likely declined after its queen failed.
That leads to a harder question: even if Jim had caught the problem several weeks earlier, would requeening a small colony in September have made sense?
Jim considers the cost of a queen, the time required for introduction, dwindling fall forage, and the risks of combining a weak colony with a stronger one. Then he turns his attention to another small nuc that may still deserve some extra care before winter.
It's a thoughtful walk through the realities of fall beekeeping—where sometimes the most difficult management decision is deciding when not to intervene.
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Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
We’d like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.
Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com
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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.
Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)
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