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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

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Yearly Management

Managing a honey bee colony is complex and fascinating. Here are some resources to help you manage colony growth and prepare for winter

General

  • a honey bee frameThe University of Guelph has an excellent video series. Some individual topics covered in this video series are listed below. Note: many of the individuals in these videos do not wear veils. Unless you are very experienced, it is recommended that you wear a veil when opening a hive. 
  • Check out a beekeeping calendar for the Northeast from the Cornell Bee Lab 
  • See Ohio State's webinar series, with lectures from bee experts
  • Check out workshops offered by UMass, and other intermediate/advanced bee courses offered by organizations Massachusetts.

Managing Growth (Swarming, Splitting and Supering)

  • bee hives in summerWritten Resource: Larry Connor's book Increase Essentials is a classic on this topic. 
  • Video: The University of Guelph videos on this topic are excellent:
    • Splitting
    • Swarm Control 
    • Supering
  • Workshops: Check out the spring colony management workshop offered by MDAR at the State Apiary in the spring

Winter Prep

  • bee hives in winterWritten Resource: Wintering Bees in Cold Climates is a good guide out of Cornell
  • Video: The University of Guelph also has a video on this topic:
    • Feeding and Winter Prep
  • Workshops: Check out the winter prep workshop offered by MDAR at the State Apiary in the fall

Queen Management (and Queen Rearing)

  • a queen cageWritten Resource: Check out Larry Connor's Queen Rearing Essentials
  • Video: The University of Guelph has videos on:
    • Finding and replacing queens:
      • Finding Queens
      • Requeening
    • Grafting and creating cell builders: 
      • Grafting
      • Cell Building Part I
      • Cell Building Part II
  • Workshops: Check out queen rearing workshops offered through Warm Colors Apiary, Wetlands Apiaries or MDAR

Pollinators

  • Overview
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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

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