Dear Beekeepers,

Happy Solstice! This email highlights two of my upcoming classes - Keeping Healthy Queens & Varroa Mite Advanced Topics. Both are aimed at more experienced beekeepers but all levels are welcome. At the end I talk about Swarm Prevention & where we are in the Bee Year.

Keeping Healthy Queens: How to Spot Queen Problems & What To Do​ - Online Live on Zoom!​
Sunday, June 22nd, 6-8pm, $30
​The queen is the mother of all the bees in the hive. The worker bees only live about 5 weeks, so her job is extremely important. She lays eggs daily which hatch out into the next generation and constantly replace the old dying bees. Learn how to keep your queen healthy & thriving for long term hive health! We’ll cover what can go wrong with your queen, how to spot it early, and what to do!
​Click here to register!

Varroa Mites: Advanced Topics - Online Live on Zoom!​
Sunday, June 29th, 6-8pm, $30
​There is a new robbing screen design by Randy Oliver that is more effective for keeping robbers/yellowjackets out and is less confusing for the home bees. I am super excited about it! I will also cover a more nuanced seasonal mite management schedule, plus other tips for adding to your mite game!
​Click here to register!
​

SWARM PREVENTION​
​Summer solstice marks the end of swarm season for the overwintered hives. They mostly swarm in March/April, sometimes in May/June. You can start consolidating the brood downward in the lower boxes and even put a queen excluder on to keep the brood low. The bees will still be bringing in honey, so make sure there is still room in the top box or two for honey. You can harvest honey and put the empty frames back on for them to refill.

For new hives, like the Urban Farm Oasis nucs, the next 2-3 weeks are the time for swarming. Make sure to keep up on adding boxes to the hive. When the top box is about 75% full of bees, you want to add another box. Here are two tips to prevent swarming:

• Your top box may be full of honey and have no or very little brood in it. If so, add your next box BELOW that box of honey. You want to make sure that the queen has room to lay and give her better access to the new frames/box.
• When adding a box of new frames, seed the box with 1-2 built-out frames from a lower box. Put those built-out frames in the very center of the new box. The bees won't always move into a box of new frames they have to build wax on. Instead they'll ignore the box and swarm instead. Moving 2 frames into the center of the new boxes moves bees into that box and invites them to work on building wax there.

Come July we'll enter into an increasingly stressful time for the bees & the environment. Stay tuned!

​
​MORE BEEKEEPING RESOURCES & SUPPORT

• ​My BEE CIRCLE, $25/month
  The bee circle gathers on Zoom once/month (usually the 1st Tuesday of the month). I lecture on a timely topic & then answer questions about your hives. .
  ​Next Bee Circle: Tuesday, July 1st, 6pm
  ​
• BAY AREA BEEKEEPING GUIDE FOR URBAN BACKYARD BEEKEEPERS​
  My 80+ page online guide gives you clear guidance each month about what's important to do in the hive.
  ​Click here to read more about it & buy!
  ​If you've bought my guide in the past, go here & click login in the upper right corner. You can click Forgot Password to reset your password & gain access. I've updated the guide a lot this year, so do read!​

May you and your bees thrive! -Jennifer

Jennifer Radtke, Learn from the Bees​
​Mentorships, Education, & Advice for Urban Beekeeping in the Unique SF Bay Area Climate

If this email was forwarded to you and you want to subscribe, click here!