The severe winters

Short summers, and hilly or
mountainous nature of the Northeast produce a
variety of plants, but none which serves as a major
source of nectar. However, alfalfa is becoming an
important source of nectar in certain areas as new
and better varieties are developed. Nectar from
white clover, basswood, black locust, birds foot
trefoil, various berries, and wild flowers contribute
to producing a mixture of honey, much of which is
sold locally to residents acquainted with the type
produced, and some of the highest prices for honey
are obtained here.

Commercial beekeepers

Operation of commercial bee keepers in the Northeast.
Average honey production per colony is only
13.3 kg (29 lb), but occasionally locations where
alfalfa is grown produce much higher averages. An
estimated 175,000 colonies are in this region.
The colonies are seldom moved, except the few
belonging to commercial or semi commercial bee�keepers who may rent their bees for pollination of
blueberries, cranberries, other fruits, or cucumbers.
Many commercial beekeepers now remove most of
the honey, and each hive is reduced to a two-story
brood nest that is trucked to the Southeast where
it is allowed to build up and be divided to form
new colonies.

Spring for fruit pollination

The hives are returned to the North�east in the spring for fruit pollination before the
main honey flow.
Colonies that are not moved South are located
where there are good air drainage, protection from
cold winds, and exposure to as much winter sun
as possible. For additional protection from cold
winters, many colonies are “packed” that is,
wrapped with insulation and tar paper, leaving
only the entrance exposed. Winter loss is usually
high and is replaced with package bees and queens
purchased from southern beekeepers.

Bee Keeping in Summer

Shade in
summer is unnecessary.
Most beekeepers overwinter their colonies in
two- or three-story, 10-frame standard Lang stroth
hives. Two basic types of hive covers and bottom
boards in use are the telescope cover and reversible
bottom board, and the California-style top and
bottom.

 Migration of Bee’s

The telescope covers create problems when
hives are moved because the hives do not fit
closely together on a truck and break open when
roped tightly in place.

Where migratory bee keep�ing is practiced, the California-style top and
bottom are used as they permit better stacking of
hives on a truck. When the honey flow starts.
beekeepers add one or two deep supers for sur�plus honey storage or one or two shallow supers for
section or comb honey production.

North-Central Region

The bulk of the honey from the north-central
region comes from alfalfa, soybeans, sweetclovers
(yellow and white), and the true clovers (alsike,
ladino, red, and white), with minor surpluses from
basswood, black locust, and raspberry. All of this
is high-quality honey.

Alfalfa and clover are the
predominant American honeys. Less desirable
grades come from aster, goldenrod, and smart weed.
The variety of other plants, however, ensures
something for the bees to work on from spring
until frost. The bulk of comb honey produced by
bees in 1-pound sections comes from this region.
There are approximately 918,000 colonies, many
of which belong to commercial beekeepers. Average
production of surplus honey per colony is 24 kg
(521b).
Some colonies are killed in the fall, and the
equipment is stored; then the hives are restocked
in the spring with packages of bees and a queen
purchased from southern beekeepers.

Other colo�nies are wrapped with insulation and tar paper for
winter protection. Some are left with ample stores
of honey and pollen in locations protected from
wind and exposed to warming sunlight.
Still others have most of the honey removed, and
the hives are reduced to two-story brood nests
that are trucked to the South, where they are
allowed to build up and be divided to form new
colonies. These are then returned to the North in
the spring. Midsummer shade is beneficial. Migra�tory beekeeping is increasing as beekeepers move
their colonies from one location to another to take
advantage of the various nectar flows.
Some colonies are rented for pollination of
fruits, legumes, and cucumbers.