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Post by hobbitlady on Mar 9, 2017 23:23:43 GMT
March 9 2017 ,it got to 60 degrees for us;and this was after 6 inches of snow less than a week ago---hahahaha. Today I was Very happy to see the workers from one hive flying and the other hive had new brood orienting! So one of my hive's queen got started early and the other I'm not sure of yet but she has busy overwintered workers at the very least. Very few flowers here....just crocus!So if the weather warms I'll feed my hives some syrup before the spring flow starts. I went into winter with just these two hives and so I am happy that both look like they'll make it. I have an empty refurbished hive waiting and a new package of bees ordered for April(and confirmed purchase) ,so I'll have at least 3 hives for 2017 and maybe a split or begin a nuc too. Looking forward!  I am thinking of beginning a Layens hive this year. A very deep,double walled, horizontal hive like my Bunker hive but shorter. Since I only want honey for ourselves and only need a few gallons a year I am ever-experimenting! Best wishes to All Beeks and Please share what You are up to!!! |
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Post by hobbitlady on Mar 17, 2017 2:23:23 GMT
We've had warmish days on and off and so I put feeders out.The bees haven't wanted much yet but it rains every other day and they don't feed then either. I saw bees flying again at both hives so I'm getting through the "Iffy season" of possible sudden death prior to the first Spring flow time. Not long now,maybe 3-4 weeks? until first fruit tree blooms. I wish it was consistent here but we Never know when buds will pop or last frost will come on. I saw my first dandelion and open daffodils today though so that was nice.  |
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Post by hobbitlady on Mar 29, 2017 3:47:36 GMT
Wow! My DH bought me a Layens Hive! They are a double-deep 14 frame horizonal hive with double thick walls as well. Much like the Bunker hive we made but shorter and Much deeper. As usual I'm looking forward to seeing how the bees do in yet another hive design.
So, it arrived today! I needed to very carefully add some old comb I'd saved to a couple of the frames (I don't use foundation so the bees need some starter comb) and I had just enough on a couple of unused-this-year top bars in my shed. I'll need to paint the hive Very soon (tomorrow weather permitting!) since my new package of bees are coming from between April 6th and 14th (they'll let me know the day they ship and I'll get them the next day). I got the cinder block base stacked last week but haven't leveled it yet, so that's also on the agenda for tomorrow. I also have a re-built improved top bar hive to set up in case I get a split from the other top bar this year.
I can sure tell Spring is really beginning around here. My lazy days of reading are about done.
My two overwintered hives are Both A-OK. New bees orienting often. Plenty flying every time it's not raining.I'm So pleased the flowers are starting to bloom,fruit tree buds gonna begin to pop any time and nice almost warm days are coming on and off. We Could still have a frost but this year doesn't seem like it....been wrong before though. Ha.
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Post by hobbitlady on Apr 12, 2017 4:52:18 GMT
Whoop! Got my e-mail "overnight-shipped" notice that the new package of bees is arriving Tomorrow! BUT, un-whoop....the weather is half rainy and pretty cold again(not freezing but colder than bees want to be). The package might have to live in my shed a day or two. That's OK since they come with can of food rigged into the cage; But it makes me antsy. I'll get them in their new hive any first chance I get! |
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Post by dw on Apr 29, 2017 21:45:14 GMT
picked up our new box today in the snow...they will be living in the shed a couple days. We were to pick them up at 8 a.m. but I-70 was closed so they spent the night in Silverthorne. It was 80 degrees in Feb and snowing the end of April. The apples and pears won't make it this year.
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Post by paquebot on Apr 30, 2017 2:56:14 GMT
No idea wbat's going on where my main garden is. 8 acres of pumpkins kept 3 hives quite busy last year. In the end, we left some broccoli go to blossom and bees were working them in late-November. With the mild winter and hives wrapped and so on, there were bees flying around all 3 hives in mid-March. Big grassy area and roadside is full of dandelions blooming right now. Figured that every bee would be working them but nothing. Go to the hives and not a sign of a bee. No dead ones around the bottoms or in the feeder trays at top. I can see only capped cells but they are not my bees so I couldn't go any deeper. Been watching for the owner the past couple days to find out what happened. Pumpkins planned for one more season so they will be needed.
Martin
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Post by hobbitlady on May 16, 2017 20:15:46 GMT
gosh, I never wrote back after April 11. Everything has gone great with both my new package of bees getting established and the two overwintered colonies getting going well in Spring. It's rained a lot and not a year for Spring honey for me but that's OK. I'm really happy to have three thriving hives again. Just seems kinda lonely if I only have one or two. I still have two empty top bar hives that I can split into when the weather finally gets hot and the queens get crowded in another month or two. paquebot,what did the beekeeper end up telling you? The capped cells sounded like leftover honey in empty hives. So many things kill bees over the winter. I hope your beekeeper came out well Overall,with all his hives. I did 100% survival This winter but last year lost 2 of 3. It's not easy;but rewarding enough I won't be quitting soon. |
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Post by paquebot on Jul 28, 2017 16:56:29 GMT
Never did find out what happened but I know that only one of the 3 hives was strong last year and was bearding much of the summer with new bees. The other two always only had bees coming and going and not a lot of them. All 3 got big nucs and flights in and out are about equal. Hives are now almost 6' tall with two deeps and 5 singles. Couldn't find a pumpkin or squash blossom without at least one bee working it this morning. Left a couple broccoli go to bloom but not a bee on them as long as they have the pumpkin flowers to get lost in.
Martin
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Post by paquebot on Aug 24, 2017 2:35:47 GMT
Almost another month and still marvel at how they continue to work the pumpkin flowers. Now I'm curious as to just how many will work a single blossom. I watched one today where there were up to 6 at a time and actually crawling over each other. With those which would have been coming and going, had to be at least twice that many involved in just one blossom.
Martin
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Post by paquebot on Sept 20, 2017 16:51:49 GMT
Finally had a chance to talk with the beekeeper to ask what happened. He was at a loss. All 3 hives made it through the winter and were active in mid-March. All 3 were entirely gone in mid-April despite ample stores of honey. Probably turned out for the better as two of them barely made enough honey to support themselves last year. The three replacement swarms have remained equally strong all summer and have more than paid back the investment.
Martin
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