The spring flight of bees, which is also called cleansing, is an important event for insects who spent the whole winter in the hive. This is an event that allows honey bees to cleanse the intestines of feces accumulated during wintering, and the beekeeper to assess the condition of bee colonies and their readiness for the new season.
The value of the first cleansing flyby
The spring flyby of honey bees is very important. In winter, the bees eat the food necessary to maintain the vital functions of the food, but they do not have the opportunity to cleanse the intestines, and a lot of feces accumulate in it. Insects even under such conditions survive due to a slowed metabolism. But with the onset of the first heat, when the temperature in the hives rises, the bees begin to consume more food, which creates an even greater burden on the digestive system.
The cleansing flight of the bees allows their intestines to be relieved of excess feces, which in turn contributes to the rapid development of bee colonies.
In addition, an early cleansing flyby is the key to obtaining high-quality May honey.
The timing
The dates of the first flyby of bees in the spring depend on the geographical location: they can be different for different countries and regions. Even in one locality, this can happen at different times. Later, the first flyby occurs in the northern regions.
Much also depends on weather conditions, since spring can be early or late.
For the first spring flight of honey insects, soft weather conditions should be established: flying out of the nest at low air temperature, the bees can die.
Typically, the date range is between mid-March and early April. The optimum temperature for the first cleansing flight of insects after winter is about + 9-12 degrees.
In some cases, snow cover persists for a long time, although the sun shines already in the spring. Such a condition can serve as a false signal for insects, due to which their death subsequently occurs.
A new bee season begins with the first bee flight.
Event preparation
It is important to prepare correctly for the first cleansing round of insects. First of all, the beekeeper should monitor the weather forecast in order to choose and not miss the right day.
The preparatory measures include the following:
- Accelerating snow melt. During the flight in the apiary it should not be. To do this, snow can be sprinkled with ash or coal dust. You can also throw cardboard pieces, dry branches and leaves around the hives.
- Protecting apiary from wind, drafts.
- The location of the notches in such a way that they are directed towards the south.
Before the planned departure, the hives are taken out of Omshanik the night before. Often you have to get them in advance if the winter hibernation is too high, which causes anxiety to bees.
The hives must be placed in the old places: this will allow you to avoid wandering, fraught with the spread of diseases.
Before the first flight of bees in the spring, you need to warn about the planned event of the neighbors.
Proper conduct of cleansing overflights
It is very important to correctly conduct the first spring flight of bees: it will allow to identify weak and sick individuals. The flyby is combined with the necessary apiary work, which is performed while the insects fly.
After waiting for a fine calm day with a suitable temperature, you need to release the bees in the morning. It should be noted that their first flight after wintering is quite sluggish - this is quite natural. In subsequent times, honey bees behave more actively.
A cleansing run lasts about 2 hours. Such a short period is associated with weather variability in early spring.
The beekeeper must be present at the first departure of his “wards”: by their behavior, their condition can be assessed.
The beekeeper must bypass the hives on one side, so as not to prevent the insects from leaving them. Letters need to be fully opened.
During the first spring flight, the beekeeper notes the following:
- The first flying bees in a hurry to get rid of the accumulated feces are representatives of families who have poorly survived the winter. Their intestines are full, they seek to clear it as soon as possible.
- If the bees fly rather sluggishly, crawl more along the hive board, cannot take off, and also have bloated abdomen, then this is a sign of nosematosis. Sick bees fly for a long time, with difficulty cleanse the intestines, stain the walls of the hive and the arbor with stool.
- If the beekeeper observes that the bees are depleted, fall from the plank board and do not fly around, then this indicates that they are hungry.
- If the wings flutter unnaturally in the insects, they crawl near the hive and cannot fly up, then this indicates a tick mite.
- If the flyby passes sluggishly and unevenly, and the insects try to concentrate on the letchka, perform uncoordinated actions, this indicates the absence of the uterus.
- Sometimes the bees do not even fly out of the hives. This can indicate both hunger and the exact opposite - a successful wintering. As a rule, a strong family is in no hurry with the first flyby. In this case, the bees simply expect more favorable conditions in order to complete the first cleaning round.
On the first warm sunny day, representatives of strong families begin to actively clean their houses, pulling out the bodies of dead insects and various litter.
While the bees are flying, the beekeeper should inspect and listen to the houses. It is necessary to remove the empty frames, as well as those that were stained with feces of insects.
If a nest of a dead family is found, it is necessary to number the frame, check the quantity and quality of feed, and the presence of brood. Thanks to the observations made, it is possible to determine the timing of the death of the family and the reasons for this.
All observations made by the beekeeper should be recorded in a notebook in order to have a complete picture of the condition of insects.
Audit of bee colonies after the first spring flight
After the first flyby of honeybees is completed, the apiary begins to begin seasonal work related to caring for them. After wintering and flying around, it is necessary to provide the bees with proper maintenance.
First of all, it is necessary to ensure such a quantity of clean disinfected hives that corresponds to the number of bee families. In practice, transplanting bees in the spring is not always required, but usually half of them is necessary.
In the old hives, you can leave only the strongest bee families who have easily hibernated, in whose hives the walls are not affected by mold or fungus, and in which there are no signs of diarrhea.
The audit begins with the fact that the old hive is removed from the stand and a new one is installed on it. Then they open the door, let out puffs of smoke into the hive and transfer the frames.
In early spring, when the weather is unstable, it is necessary to provide insects with complete feeding - this will positively affect the speed of development of bee colonies. In early spring, when there is still no opportunity for bees to collect nectar, it is not recommended to give them liquid top dressing, as they provoke a flight from the hive.
The most correct option for feeding honey bees in unstable weather conditions is feeding honey in honeycombs.
Subsequently, when the weather becomes more stable, you need to apply liquid top dressing, consisting of sugar, yeast and water. It is prepared in this way: sugar is added in portions into boiled water and mixed until completely dissolved, then yeast is added and allowed to boil for 2-3 minutes.
In March-early April, it is recommended to treat insects from a tick that provokes varroatosis. True, it is better to carry out it not after, but before the first cleansing flight.
Spring circling of bees is an important event during which insects free the intestines from feces accumulated over the winter. The beekeeper, while observing the behavior of bees during the flyby, draws conclusions about how they suffered the winter, as well as about their general condition.