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Post by hobbitlady on May 17, 2016 23:51:30 GMT
I just thought I'd try to get some new posts on here. I'm always curious about other people's beekeeping and not a lot of posts show up here. Hey beekeepers I Know you are out there. What have you been doing so far this year?
As for me I got a nuc into a top bar hive so I now have someone in my apiary again! My only thriving hive was outside the apiary in our wooded perimeter in a long lang. My transfer may have been premature but I swear I thought that nuc was going to swarm at 2 weeks old and I didn't think it was bearding at all....Too many bees all over it and I hustled out there and moved them right 'timing' or no!!! NO bearding since I got them into the hive but I don't know their queen status. They are quite busy so I don't think I messed them up. It made me wonder if my old queen got in that nuc though. It's awful trying to See a Carniolan-Mutt queen.I hardly Ever find my queens despite looking for attendants and the direction bees are facing and all that. When I made the nuc I hurt my eyes trying to make sure I didn't transfer the queen but a couple of the brood frames were sooooo packed. Today walking by the hive the breeze was blowing right toward my face and I got that wonderful healthy hive aroma in my nose. I stopped and just smelled it for awhile. If the long lang lost their queen due to my meddling (making a nuc)it hasn't slowed them down any. So far so good for me this year.
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Post by indypartridge on May 18, 2016 10:44:19 GMT
If it ever stops raining I can check my hives.
Made a split nearly 3 weeks ago but haven't had time to go and check it since (one weekend was moving DD home from college for the summer, another weekend traveling to/from a family gathering in Ohio).
May is usually the primary nectar flow for me (Black Locust and Tulip Poplar), but with all the rain, I'll be lucky to have any surplus honey to harvest.
It's supposed to be sunny this coming Sunday; hoping I can inspect my bees then.
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Post by hobbitlady on Jun 1, 2016 18:21:28 GMT
Well, a few weeks ago I did manage to Move my queen from the long hive to the nuc. I was right when I thought they were getting ready to swarm instead of just bearding and got them in the top bar quick-like that day. Darn those Mutts are nearly impossible to queen-ID. So the top bar hive was already full of brood when I checked last week and I checked the long hive and no brood or queen cells and ticked off bees. With the holiday weekend I didn't get my new queen until today. Not many bees had been flying out of Bunker so I was worried the population was decimated by now;but No. Many frames of unhappy bees hanging out in there. I tried to check for brood again but they were so mad I just checked a few random brood-nest frames. Didn't see a thing. Since placing a queen cage is quick work I didn't have my smoker and 100 mad bees were trying or landing on my suit (never regret buying a high end one if you don't smoke always,like I don't) with another hundred or more flying around me Until I got that queen cage in. ALL of them left me in seconds except 2. The angry sound changed to a Hummmmm right away.  Whew. Very few bees at the entrance but they started happily raising their tails,  . For Once I'm 99% Sure I did the Right thing LOL and can't imagine them rejecting her. I think they'll eat that sugar plug on her cage in no time. edit: a few hours later that hive was a mob scene around the entrance with a huge number of those "inside" formerly lethargic bees back to work! We've got 90 degree weather already so even after a nice wet winter and spring again after the drought years it's shaping up to be a drought summer again anyway. Darn it all. Great Spring flowering everywhere but looks like a dearth summer shaping up again. Pray for us not to get wildfire smoke! Last year was awful and the bees resorted to scotch broom which makes inedible honey (for humans)...it's just nasty bitter. Never had that happen until last year;I guess it's the last resort flower for them in a heat wave. Anyway I put a shade canopy over my top bar apiary and got that done one twilight last week.The girls just watched from their porch and didn't bother me. A few late workers flew by coming home but that was all.  The canopy is set up so they get their early morning sun on the door but all the heat of the day,that's so hard on top bar comb and makes them impossible to insect, gets shielded. I still have to inspect at 6 or 7 am but I got used to doing that need. Right now the clover bloom is ending and the blackberries starting up. A good time for All my workers to be happy. |
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Post by moldy on Jun 4, 2016 4:23:24 GMT
Still very new at this; checked 2 hives today (I put out nucs about 10 days ago). Both are doing great; one I could see baby bees, the other was active, but some of the cells were filled with a dark green fluid (not capped). Any ideas what this might be? Also the person I bought the nucs from said they might need treated for mites in about another week. Suggestions on how to do that would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by indypartridge on Jun 7, 2016 19:48:31 GMT
Still very new at this; checked 2 hives today (I put out nucs about 10 days ago). Both are doing great; one I could see baby bees, the other was active, but some of the cells were filled with a dark green fluid (not capped). Any ideas what this might be? Also the person I bought the nucs from said they might need treated for mites in about another week. Suggestions on how to do that would be greatly appreciated. Dark green fluid - probably nectar from somewhere. I've seen it from clear to dark as dirty motor oil. Before treating for mites, I recommending testing to see if you have a problem with mites. Sugar roll test is probably easiest way to test to get good results. Instructions here: www.ent.uga.edu/bees/disorders/documents/VarroaMites_155.pdf |
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Post by indypartridge on Jul 18, 2016 19:34:38 GMT
Seems like I’ve been too busy to pay much attention to my bees this year.
Checked nearly a month ago and was disappointed that there would be little, if any, honey to harvest.
Beekeepers near me are getting some very nice harvests, so I can’t blame it on the weather. My bees just aren’t being very productive.
Decided to make a couple more splits and purchased some local queens so they can take off quickly.
The colonies from which I took frames to make the splits were cranky – made me put on gloves – which I rarely wear.
I’ll wait to see how the new splits do and then decide if I want to harvest some honey from the established hives, or just divide it between the new colonies so they have ample stores for winter.
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Post by hobbitlady on Jul 19, 2016 20:33:48 GMT
I did an inspection of my top bar and long lang.
Masses of brood and angry bees in both hives,oooops-they didn't Want me out there Today at all!Perfectly nice weather but both hives were mad anyway.
Bad news:Some honey in the top bar hive but a big mess in there...oversize honey topped combs leaving no space in between, with brood under it and no pure honey combs. I had to pull a couple that the brood area was 98% bare (just a few spots)to give them some space. Still a mess though and too many bees wouldn't leave the comb I pulled and ended up in my bowls which I had to leave out and cover because robbers smelled those bowls outside right away. I'll need to redo my smoker that went out and try to move those. Ugh. This winter I'll Really have to clean that top bar up but it has to wait or 1000 bees and maybe the queen would get killed for sure from dripping honey in a crowd if I tore it out.I hope my Carniolan mutts reduce normally to a small cluster in the late Fall so I can Work on that thing.
No honey in Bunker except the normal brood tops of the frames.
It really looked like the top bar would swarm but with no drones laid it's not happening...don't know what that queen is thinking!hahaha.Unusual for them not to leave asap when they get that full.Bunker has 10 empty frames to go and the queen isn't blocked yet so it looks fine;for what it is(meaning no honey for me.rats).
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Post by paquebot on Jul 27, 2016 4:47:26 GMT
Not my bees but 3 hives recently brought in to pollinate 4 acres of pumpkins and squash. These aren't new swarms but big hives with 2 having 3 supers and the other with 4. Two had normal in and out traffic when I last checked this aft but the big one had a lot of bees in the air and two separate big clusters. I'll be curious to see what's there tomorrow. I do know that the beekeeper collected some full frames a few days ago. Apparently one of the swarms objected to it?
Martin
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Post by paquebot on Jul 31, 2016 6:12:44 GMT
Whatever had gotten into that big swarm seems to have settled down. Still loads of bees stacked around the main entrance and a smaller group where there a small gap between supers. A third and least active hive started from a small nuc was almost interesting today. I watched the opening for activity for maybe 10 minutes without seeding any activity. Walked around to the back and was about to lift the lid when I was almost bellying some bees. They were using a crack between two supers. Went back around to the front for a better look and they'd closed off the entrance hole with wax. Apparently they don't want to be friends with their neighbors. Nice thing about these 3 hives is that all are friendly and I don't plan on doing anything to make them change their mind.
Martin
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Post by farmchix on Jul 31, 2016 10:38:04 GMT
We watched a two-hour documentary this week called "Vanishing of the Bees". I do recommend it. Our plan is to have bees next year. My grandfather and my uncles all had bees. Although, I will admit, I know nothing about bees. Momma does, but the way they did things is far different from anything we are doing today. Not saying it is wrong, but she seems to have 'opinions' that are interesting. We talk about my permaculture and she reminds me that Granny did very similar things when they used to garden.
That being said, I had NO IDEA there were artificially inseminated bees. Can anyone recommend an 'organic' place to purchase bees for me next year? After watching the documentary, I want to make sure I get what I call in the poultry world, heritage breed.
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Post by farmchix on Jul 31, 2016 12:48:46 GMT
I just ordered the cathedral hive plans from backyardhive.com Hubs wants to make his own hives this winter. (like he will have time...LOL) If you haven't seen one, check out Urban Conversion episode Burbs and the Bees.
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Post by indypartridge on Aug 1, 2016 13:09:16 GMT
We watched a two-hour documentary this week called "Vanishing of the Bees". I do recommend it. Our plan is to have bees next year. My grandfather and my uncles all had bees. Although, I will admit, I know nothing about bees. Momma does, but the way they did things is far different from anything we are doing today. Not saying it is wrong, but she seems to have 'opinions' that are interesting. We talk about my permaculture and she reminds me that Granny did very similar things when they used to garden. That being said, I had NO IDEA there were artificially inseminated bees. Can anyone recommend an 'organic' place to purchase bees for me next year? After watching the documentary, I want to make sure I get what I call in the poultry world, heritage breed. I watched that a few years back. There was a lot of discussion about it on the various ‘bee boards’ I belong to. The general consensus among beekeepers was that it was “heavy on propaganda and light on objective facts.” Like most documentaries, it was edited to present pre-conceived conclusions (e.g., big agri-business is bad, reliance on chemicals is bad). The fact that I may agree with some of the conclusions doesn’t mean I agree with presenting pseudo-science as ‘fact’. Despite the dangers of pesticides, the biggest threat to bees are varroa mites, and the multitude of diseases the mites vector. These mites arrived in North America in the 80’s and nearly wiped out honey bee populations, which had little to no resistance. (Similar to Native Americans being wiped out by diseases brought by European colonists, because they had no resistance.) You mention artificial insemination (AI) like it’s a bad thing. What the researchers are trying to do is speed up natural selection. (Full disclosure: Dr. Greg Hunt, a leading bee genetics researcher at Purdue is a friend of mine.) For example, Dr. Hunt identified a trait in certain bees where they chewed on the mites (“Mite biters”). This trait existed in only a very small percentage of bees. By using AI, he has been able to significantly raise the percentage of bees in a colony which have this trait, which means that the bees are better able to fight varroa. In the same way, Dr. Marla Spivak at the Univ of Minnesota did similar work, and developed “VSH” bees (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene), which have a different mite-fighting trait. The objective is to breed bees that are able to naturally resist mites and the diseases they bring. Really, it’s no different than selectively breeding livestock for desirable traits. As for getting bees, I recommend that you get connected to a local bee club. They should be able to steer you to someone who raises ‘local’ bees that are well-adapted to your local climate. Did I read in a post somewhere that you’re in Ohio? If so, I can make more specific recommendations. |
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Post by farmchix on Aug 1, 2016 13:46:36 GMT
indypartridge, Yes, I'm in Ohio. If you have a list of bee clubs, I would LOVE it!
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Post by indypartridge on Aug 1, 2016 15:01:16 GMT
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Post by farmchix on Aug 1, 2016 18:11:11 GMT
indypartridge, I'm not near Springfield anymore. I am now closer to central Ohio. Thanks for the links!!!
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Post by hobbitlady on Oct 8, 2016 20:15:55 GMT
Well, it's time for me to insulate my top bar hive....doesn't hurt to be a little early as they regulate their temperature anyway. It Is getting cooler and rainy a month sooner this year than our "drought" years. My long lang is double walled and didn't need any insulation last year,they did Great!, so I feel it's "good to go". Both my hives are eating syrup like crazy (for a month now) and I'm relieved I don't have to think about winter feeding....but will check in them very early Spring to make sure they can "get going". I saw yellow pollen coming in today and have no clue Where it's from. My propery has nil blossoms except for some late squash and there arn't enough gardeners in my area for what they are bringing in. Nice they are getting so Ready though! I planned on splitting more next year to avoid cost, but think instead I'll buy bees One more time this winter,for new genetics out there. After splitting once this year both colonies remained "medium" and no swarming. I have a double walled hive ready to go for next Spring.... |
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Post by hobbitlady on Dec 18, 2016 0:21:55 GMT
Its finally freezing here and the last few weeks a very few dead bees have been taken to the porches of the hives.Most workers left in late Fall get an extended "cluster" life/time span for over wintering.A few times when the sun came out I'd see a single bee checking out the dead flowers in my garden and figured she was on her last flight away from the hive. I'd also see a few faces right in the doorways moving. The clean-up bees aren't taking bodies away in the cold but the fact that they drag them out to the porch shows me the colonies are OK....doing "jobs". Just to make sure I gently rapped on the sides of both hives and with my ear on the front I could hear the humm of the cluster deeper within.
It's so hard to wait through several winter months wondering how they are doing!
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Post by paquebot on Dec 28, 2016 21:56:46 GMT
Three hives near the farm garden have apparently entered winter in fine shape according to the owner. We had left some broccoli bolt and sometimes I swear that every bee in the 3 colonies was working it at one time. That continued until 3 December which was the last day that bees could fly here and they were busy.
Martin
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Post by hobbitlady on Feb 2, 2017 22:02:20 GMT
Today was a great beek-day for me since both my hives were flying in the balmy 55 degrees,sun and no wind. Yay! They made it through our record breaking January storm and piles of snow. I had heard faint buzzing in the hives and had seen a Few dead dragged out (a few is a Good sign) but it wasn't enough action for me to feel confident. When bees are stuck in their clusters during the cold for too long in winter they can get "toxic" and die. They don't poop in their hives,they hold it in, so they Need "cleansing flights" during breaks in the winter weather. Seeing both my hives so very active with cleansing flights gave me a Huge Smile day!!! |
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Post by smokey on Feb 6, 2017 15:00:35 GMT
We have had an unusually warm winter here and the bees have had a lot of days to fly but nothing available for them to bring in of course.
This is causing them to expend a lot of energy and burn through their winter stores faster. I've given them fondant once already and will do so again today or tomorrow depending on the weather. That should carry them through easily until nectar becomes available.
It's supposed to hit 70 degrees tomorrow so I plan to take a tub of soapy water and get rid of some hive beetles that have taken advantage of the warm weather and have been colonizing emptied frames away from the bee cluster.
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Whew. Very few bees at the entrance but they started happily raising their tails, 
. For Once I'm 99% Sure I did the Right thing LOL and can't imagine them rejecting her. I think they'll eat that sugar plug on her cage in no time. 
The canopy is set up so they get their early morning sun on the door but all the heat of the day,that's so hard on top bar comb and makes them impossible to insect, gets shielded. I still have to inspect at 6 or 7 am but I got used to doing that need. 
