Description
Please bring closed toed shoes and outdoor wear. Please bring your own bee suits but not your own hive tools please. We can provide bee suits if you do not have them; let us know your approximate shirt size when you register so we bring the correct fit for you.
| Apr 10, 2nd Thurs of every month 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Install and inspect hives, checking for healthy colony conditions, feeding if necessary, and performing varroa checks. Discuss colony management techniques, such as planning for splits and reversing colony boxes to encourage growth. Talk about swarm monitoring and tips for managing swarms, how to properly start a smoker, re-queening techniques, and caring for nucleus colonies. |
May 8 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Perform thorough hive inspections, checking for the queen, marking her if needed, and assessing brood patterns. Look for any signs of supersedure cells and conduct varroa checks. Consider adding a second brood box if the colony is expanding rapidly. Discuss strategies for catching swarms, managing nectar flow, and feeding nucleus colonies to ensure healthy growth. |
June 12 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Conduct health inspections to ensure colonies are strong and disease-free, identifying the queen and drones, and adding honey supers if needed. Discuss small hive beetle and wax moth management strategies to protect the colony, and consider how to manage pest pressure during the warmer months. |
July 10 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Continue health inspections, checking the queen's status and adding honey supers if necessary. Discuss signs of robbing behavior and how to prevent it, ensuring that colonies are protected from invaders during peak honey production. |
August 14 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Perform health inspections and varroa checks, ensuring the colony remains strong and healthy through late summer. Discuss the impacts of a dearth (lack of forage) and how to manage fall feeding to prepare colonies for winter |
September 11 6-7PM | Activity & Discussion: Conduct health inspections, perform varroa checks, and remove honey supers as the season winds down. Consider reducing hive entrances to protect from cold and pests. Discuss the fall flow, planning for pollinators, and how to reduce hive bodies for winter preparation. |
See description for dates
Location:
Pollinator Garden on East Campus, UNL Apiary 40.828970, -96.655257
Cost:
Free for GPMB members, $10 for non members
State: Nebraska