Ok, this has been a learning summer for me.
The hive that died off when I wrote this could’ve been killed off by an unusual cold night we had, was it May?   It got down into the 20s two consecutive nights.  Bad for the fruit trees too.   I never thought to put the bottom covers in to help them keep some heat.  So I think they must’ve froze.

The orange hive is doing well now.  It’s the only one with their original queen.   I am betting there was an unmarked queen in there early, that was in the package, and a large number swarmed.   But she’s still there laying eggs, on two levels of brood boxes.    But all these bees are odd.  Not just this hive.  They don’t seem to want to build nice comb coming off the foundations.  They seem to want to make it in something closer to the natural lobes they would do in the wild.

The other two hives I’ve lost both queens, twice.   The first time was in June.   They had plenty of room, had set the second brood box on all of them by that time.   I was not feeding at that time, but they did get syrup into early May, and they had water right next to them.  They seemed to be doing Well, lots of bees, then all of a sudden, a couple weeks apart, no more capped brood and larvae seen, and the frames that were full, they were all hatched.   I have no idea if they killed her for some reason, or maybe she left with a small swarm.   Its not like the numbers of bees were depleted in that time.
So I ordered new queens for those two.   The garden with the hives is a couple hundred yards from the house, so not possible to monitor them all the time.
They did well for a couple weeks, laid lots of eggs and filled up frames with capped Brood quick.   Then a couple weeks later in late June, we got into an unusually very hot spell -  into the 90s during the days, and zero rain for three weeks I think.   During this time they were given syrup twice a day and watered.  I just have those little 10 or 12 oz feeder cups with the little trough.  They’d empty those in a half hour when I’d watch them in the evening after work.
Those two new queens ended up being gone too, by mid July for sure.  Both hives I noticed had made queen cells.  One of them did end up with a new queen, and just last week she started laying eggs.  I finally spotted her last weekend, a couple days after I saw new brood in a couple frames that had been empty for those previous weeks.  I’d guess both those queens were gone in 2-3 weeks after I got them.  
Not knowing there was a queen in either one - I was watching for signs for at least 3-4 weeks, and not seeing any, I figured I’d better buy some new queens.   Still lots of bees in both.  So The queens showed up, and when I went to put their cages in the hives, that’s when I saw the new brood.  
So what to do with the extra queen?   I took a couple frames with capped brood from the orange box, and set it in another hive I have with boxes, base, top, etc I have.   That was last weekend.  I think it was Tuesday they hadn’t got her out yet.  So I will check today or tomorrow to see if the nurse bees that remained accepted her.  Should be some larvae by now.  Its late, but maybe they can get a nice colony going.  

I also tried to make a new colony in mid June when I thought things were going well in the two healthiest (at the time) hives.  So I took a frame of capped brood from each that had queen cells, and put them in a five frame nuc box.   (Well they were probably replacement queens it turns out they knew they had to make).  It looks like none of those queens made it, or they were all killed, don’t know.   Never saw any new brood in there.  So they got a new queen, too, when I ordered for the others a week or two ago.   They got into her cage right away, probably within two days.   But I couldn’t find her when I went to look last weekend - this one and one of the other was marked,  but I still didn’t see her.  I’ll see this weekend for sure,  by now it will have brood, or they’re done.

The last one (that was my banana yellow hive in my photos) I was worried about, given what was left of a few cells of brood left on the frames after the queen was gone.  Some of the cells the larvae was decomposed.  I did the stick test for AFB, but the goo didn’t pull out in a mass, and no sign of the protruding tongues.  Maybe the decomposed larvae were just from all the heat, and no nurse bees taking care of what was left?
I was seeing some bees hatch in spotty capped cells, but they were all drones.  So there could’ve been a worker laying drones.  So I pulled those frames That were being used for brood, before the new queen arrived, and replaced with older ones With comb that I had stored away.  Those bees got into the new/latest queen cage right Away too.  But I didn’t spot her either, when I looked earlier in the week.  

As far as honey, they are making and storing some, but not a lot.   So no mid summer harvest of honey.  I am leaving what’s there so far for them, in case they don’t produce much in what’s left of the year, to make it through winter.  They haven’t put much in the supers I put on each hive.  Only a couple frames, plus some they’ve stored in the brood boxes.   This drought was bad.  Burned up all the clover, and the huge patch of milkweed in the field next to the garden was burned up, no flowers left, maybe one week after they bloomed.   I didn’t see many honey bees on there while it was blossoming.  Same with the clover.  Lots of bumble bees though.    They were bringing in lots of pollen back in May.  But late June and July was just brutal here.  One thing these bees are adept at is honey robbing.    My Dad did not clean out all the honey frames from last year.   There was lots left over.  I put two frames in each new box when I installed the Packages back in April.  And still had lots left over.   But those bees, and others in the neighborhood, found those boxes they were stored in, in the garage, so when I had the doors open while I had the tractor out to mow, they found it.  For two or three weeks they were swarming at the garage every day to rob that honey.  The garage is not airtight, so the found ways to get in.

I did not start any more treatment yet.  I will put some strips in the boxes starting this week it think.  

At least now we’ve had rain.  I see goldenrod starting to blossom, plus joe-pie weed, some clover, and alfalfa here and there.  Hopefully the patches of knotweed around here do well later this summer.
I have cut back on the feeding for now.  They’ve got to get out and do some real foraging.  I think these are some BLM antifa strain, given they don’t seem to like to work.
At least they aren’t super aggressive like the one hive we had last year.   None of those made it through the winter, good riddance to those.

Well I did my inspections today.
Two hives are doing great.  My orange one, and the blue one.   The orange one still has the original queen and she has tons of brood.
Here she is
Attached File


The blue hive has a new queen and she is also laying lots of eggs, lots of capped brood.   She is a queen this hive made when the second queen left or was killed- there were a couple queen cells in there back in early July.   Don’t know what happened to her.   Same with the original queen.  The original was in there for a couple months, the second for less than a month.
Here is the new queen.   I think they did build up some new comb for her on the frame I found her on this week.  Obviously she is not marked, so arrow is pointing to her.
Attached File


The little split has capped brood now.  Frame and a half I think.   It hadn’t had any for almost a month, as I pulled the frames from another box.  I think there was some queen cells on those frames, but I don’t think they ever did anything.   However I did not find the queen (I think she was marked) despite it only being in a small five frame nuc box.  

The yellow hive, I think is lost.  There is still a scattering of drone cells on the brood frames.   This is after I put in some “new” frames that had brood last year,   So there are some laying workers.   They apparently killed the new queen, quickly.  They got into her box within two days.   She didn’t even get to lay any eggs.  So from what I’ve read, when you get workers laying drones, they become like antifa bees and will tend to want to kill the new queen.  Lots of bees in there overall.   Not much honey in the super, but they are storing in the deep boxes.   (That’s basically the same story as the others.)  
I was expecting them to be aggressive, but they weren’t too bad.
I didn’t search the web yet for my next question, but I am wondering if these egg laying workers tend to stay on the brood frames?   That’s 3-4 frames in the bottom box, and two frames in the second box.  Could I yank these frames, and put one with brood on it from another, along with a new queen in an introduction box?   Just get rid of any with brood, and kill the bees hanging out on those frames?
Most of These bees are not prolific comb builders, despite getting sugar water.   So new frames/foundations I put in earlier in the year are often still untouched.

The other one that I had the extra queen, and put two frames of brood in was wiped out.   Not enough bees and infested with hive moths and their wax worms.   I burned the one frame with a huge cluster of worms.   All the other frames In there were set out In the open.  I probably should’ve used a smaller nuc box, not a ten-frame box.

I was also noticing that there were a few bees bringing in some pollen, but not many.  Was a light cream colored pollen today,   It’s still not peak for much besides joe pie weed.  We’re into another drought period.   Got hot again and it’s been about a week without any rain.

If you have laying workers, then theres a good chance you have more than one. And yes, they will kill off a new queen because they think they're queenright, and she's an intruder.

The only way to correct a laying worker hive is to dump every last bee in that hive a.good distance away, then reassemble the hive, then introduce a new queen the next day. Keep her in the cage for a week, and see if the bees accept her or are trying to kill her before releasing her.

There is another way, but you got to catch it early. Introduce a frame of eggs every week and see if the pheromones change the actions of the layers, and they start raising queens. It might not always wok,.and its time consuming.

FYI, the best way that we have found to fix laying worker colonies is to add a frame or two containing eggs, young larvae and capped brood with adhering bees from a queen right colony. On the face of that frame add a ripe cell in a cell protector. It works about 95% of the time. We have also had great success running in virgins.

Open brood produces a specific pheromone that suppressed the ovaries of laying workers. A freshly emerged queen has no pheromone output so they are  very likely to accept her. We use the cell protectors so that the bees can’t chew out the side of the cells.

The type pictured, you cut the queen cell out of the foundation/comb carefully, then put it in the protecter. It can be hung between frames or stuck in comb.

We take cells that we produced and place them into the protectors. There are two styles protector
“Push in” and “Top bar”. The push in has longer “prongs” so it is easier to hang them from existing comb. The one pictured is a top bar which is more designed to hang from the frame top bars. We use both but prefer the top bar and can hang them from comb as well. Interesting fact- my mentor/ good friend
was partners with Jim Payson and co-developed all of these JZ’s-BZ’s products like the cell protectors, queen rearing products. I was very fortunate to get some great lessons on how to properly use all of them...

Harvesting a lot of beautiful honey this week.


We split very aggressively this year and didn't expect to harvest much at all.  The bees just boomed and blew way beyond our expectations.

Same here,  Early splits and hard splits this year, against my better judgement, but they produced very well.  Today is the last of the extracting process.  Then on to winter preparations.  Feeding and treating!

Finally getting a lot of rain where I live
The Joe pie and ironweed were already blooming towards the end of the last 3-week rainless period
Now the goldenrod and knotweed are blooming big time

So hopefully the bees get off their butts and finally start making some honey
I did not take any off them in July.  Terrible summer where I live for total lack of rain.  First none in July and then again most of August.  Until now

I got my worker laying hive sorted out.  Removed the frames and bees with the all drone brood
Then got a new queen from a local and very prominent beekeper.   He said get all the rest of the bees and shake the frames out 50 yards or so away, just as others recommended here.    Super hot Saturday afternoon and I picked up that queen.   Was brutal in that bee suit, back and forth with frames and boxes.   Got a couple frames of mostly uncapped brood from two of the other boxes in their with her to start.    Made sure the remaining bees accepted her.  They were not aggressive to her and were fanning their wings over her cage.   Checked two evenings ago and she was walking around in there, so so far so good.   That hive has the most honey, save for the two frames in the super that robbers took before I requeened it.   The numbers had dropped bigly during the previous week

My smaller five frame split hive box is doing OK.  It’s got a queen.  Not sure if she is one I put in there or there was one already.  It wasn’t marked.  So I got her marked last week.   Then a couple days later I check in there, can’t find her!   Thought I killed here or something.  But there she was last Saturday.  

I had one other split I tried to do in July.   Not sure if they killed that queen, but they might’ve.  Was no new brood for a while.  I would put a couple new frames from other hives in there with uncapped brood on them to see if they would make another queen after what I thought was my failed queening attempt.   Now last weekend I’m seeing some, but not a lot of larvae.  And they are in nice clusters.  So far don’t look like all drone but we’ll see.  I was thinking of combining the 5-frame box and this one,  it I need to make sure there’s no queen there for sure

Started treatment with mite-away strips on the two healthiest big hives.  I didn’t want to do it on the one with the new queen yet.   Maybe that doesn’t matter?

Sadly have to report that I lost my hive.  Just as I thought we might have been making progress with the uphill battle with beatles.  The wax moths came in and landed the final blow.

I write a “Tips and Tricks” column in a local Beekeeping publication. I thought I would share with the group what this months column is about. Hopefully someone finds it useful.

“Feeding for small operations
Feeding can be a daunting task but often times a necessary one for colony build-up, during times of dearth or to adequately prepare your colonies for winter. For those that have between 1-20 hives, mixing and delivering syrup can be challenging. Over the years, we have tried numerous methods and devices and as we have expanded, we settled on a skid/ trailer mounted 275 gallon food grade tote and a gas powered pump to mix and pump the syrup into our feeders.
This would most likely be overkill for smaller operations but a good solution is to mix your syrup in 5 gallon pails with a paint mixing paddle attached to a corded/ cordless drill. Pails can be temporarily mounted onto a hand truck with a ratchet strap and wheeled right into the bee yard (no heavy lifting required). After mixing comes the hard part, pouring the syrup into your feeders without spilling it all over the ground potentially creating a robbing frenzy. A great solution to this is what is known as a Bucket Pump. These devices are commonly used in automobile repair facilities to move thick fluids like gear oil into hard to reach places. Guess what else they move pretty well? You guessed it SYRUP. This pump can quickly be attached to a 4 or 5 gallon pail and the tube can be placed in your feeding device of choice while you pump the syrup from the pail. Once finished, these are easily removed so that they can be cleaned and stored away for future use. For the cost of approximately $35.00 your back will thank you!”

Checking in to simply say "Thank You" to @cuttingedge.

This is what I've been pondering for a while. And, I'm only up to 7 hives, 4 of which are being fed. I cross tasked my brew pot and added a much needed spigot to drain directly into gallon jugs. But, the problem is that I'm clumsy and spill when filling the internal frame feeders.

You’re welcome!
If you want to step it up to the next level, a submersible pump connected to some PVC in a 55 gallon drum works very well to mix and pump syrup into your buckets.

Hmm, maybe in a few years if I get my hive count up higher than expected. I plan to do some splits next year and settle on 10-ish hives. I'm also going to transition to the long Langstroth hives. I have several friends with acreage wanting to get into beekeeping who will receive my excess hardware.

Side note: I can see the floor in your shop! My wife would be jealous.

Plan on putting all of my frames in the deep freezer when the power comes back on to kill any eggs from the hive beetles and wax moths.  What damage from the moths should I remove?  Thinking all of the web looking stuff along with what I best can describe as vomited wax and webs is all that should be removed.  Any suggestions on what to remove and what to leave on my frames?  Want to use them next season, and I'm already making preparations for next year as I plan on having at least 3 hives.

I did an inspection today.
The hive I was having problems with the laying workers last month - that I did dump out all the bees out a good distance away, and removed the frames with drone brood, and then requeened, well it is dead for all practical purposes.   Last weekend I checked it out and saw her walking around.  She appeared to be laying some eggs, and I moved a frame with some brood from another hive to help out their numbers sooner.
Now this week, not a sign of her, very few bees, looks like robbers cleaned out nearly all the honey, and there appears to be laying workers in there again (by the somewhat scatted large protruding brood cells)

And other hive I had done a split on, and installed a queen in early August, was also doing OK.  I finally found her last week, after seeing some new brood appearing the last couple weeks.   Got her marked, and let her go.  Pretty sure she was fine in the marking cage (Mann lake sells and water based marker)
Now today, no sign of her (There’s not a lot of bees in there, so should’ve been easy to locate you’d think), but now today I see they appear to be very intently raising a new queen cell.  So I guess I’llsee what happens to her in a couple weeks.  I did put some mite away strips in there.   Maybe she (the last queen)  took a small swarm with her?  There was a little bit of uncapped brood, but not a lot and not much capped brood overall, so she couldn’t have been gone too long.

One hive, doing really well compared to the others anyways, and making a decent amount of honey.  But like all the others, not storing much in the super.  This is the blue hive, and that queen I got some photos of posted earlier on this page.   She’s laying lots of eggs, but I can never find her.
It looks like they will all need a lot of help to make it through the winter.   Thought I was going to going to end up with five hives, but now It will be four at best.
This has been a rough summer here with the long drought through July and August.   So while stuff like joe pie, iron weed, and some others were blooming late August, maybe there was no nectar?  Now there is some sort of yellow coneflowers all over, and knotweed and goldenrod.   Buy other than some frames in the deep boxes, not much nice dark honey that I’d feel good about taking from them so far.  Was really hoping for a bunch of fresh knotweed honey from my bees.  Maybe next year.

Been a dry august here too. I took 57.5# of honey at the end of july, and it looks like that is it for this year. Smallest harvest in the 3 years I've done this, and the majority of this came from 2 hives, a winter survivor and a nuc.
Goldenrod has been blooming for a couple of weeks now, but they aren't putting it in the supers that I can tell.

Also 5 of the 6 hives swarmed/requeened themselves too. Only the nuc from this year has original queen.

I'll probably pull the remaining supers off this weekend, and give any filled.frames to a weaker hive for now.

Not quiet ready to feed yet I think. Wait til the end of month or when goldenrod starts dying, whichever comes first.

Looks like I was premature calling my yellow hive dead.  I found the queen I installed about two weeks ago after dumping out the laying workers and other bees.   I was in there today to get the mite-away strips out.  It looks like most of the old bees left or died.  Shame - this was the most populated hive until early July maybe.   And then had all the issues trying to requeen it.  What must be left are the frames of brood I put in from two other hives, plus the bees that came with her (a lot more than the usual 5-6 attendants).
Not a lot of brood in there right now.   So I put in another frame with some brood from another hive, so they can get more foragers soon.  They will need a lot of help getting through the winter anyways, not much time left to make honey.  There was a lot of honey in this hive until before last week, but the robbers really cleaned it out.
Attached File



I also found the queen in the other small split I did, that I also thought I lost.   I don’t know how I missed either one of these, as there aren’t a lot of bees in either.   But their population is climbing at least.  

So I still have five hives - two pretty good with lots of bees.  Although only one of those two has a lot of honey stored.  At least getting some decent amounts of rain lately.

Feed, feed, feed... there is still time!

Oh I will be.   Made up more syrup last night.  Also got a new box of pollen patties.  And the winter pollen patties for later.
Got some more feeder cups on the way too.  

I saw Mann lake discontinued the in box frame feeders.  
Have those fallen out of favor?    
*looks like they are listed again
I bought a couple of those from blythewood bees as well as a couple of the top feeders they sell.  Need to make a frame box for those two

And I will be making up some Vivaldi boxes to help them through the winter, too.

Be careful with the pollen patties.  If the hive is weak you don't want to  attract hive beatles...

I have put these hive beetle blocking entrances on all my hives recently.



Also just ordered some of the CD case style traps
So do the beetles go in and can’t find a way out?  Or do you put something in there that kills them?

What do you guys use for the scent/bait?
I saw a recipe which consisted of apple cider  vinegar, water, sugar, chopped up banana peels and maybe one other ingredient I dont recall what offhand

I have seen a few small round beetles throughout the summer.   I can’t say we ever had a problem with them before but I haven’t  been looking inside the hives before as close as I do now that my Dad is gone.

I finally found the last of my 5 queens today.
I had found her back in July I think It was, she was unmarked as she was made by that hive, after the previous replacement queen disappeared somehow (killed,  swarmed, who knows).  Lots of bees in that hive, and she is pretty dark in color, unlike the others, so no wonder she was so hard to find.
I got her marked and returned her.  I wished I had recorded when I found her, but would need a third hand to hold my iPhone.  Should get one of my gopros set up
Also took two frames of capped brood from that hive and moved to the one that was my previously my problem laying worker hive.  That one has a mated queen, but she hasn’t been laying many eggs So far.  That is the only hive not doing great right now.

Feeding them all with syrup every day, sometimes twice a day, and they are going through the pollen patties like crazy too.
Keeping an eye out for moths/wax worms and beetles, too.

They are bringing in a a good bit of pollen.   Really nice golden rod right now, and lots of it in a couple nearby fields.  Most are finally making some honey.

Re: the CD case traps -- my first mentor used actual CD cases with a few tabs broken where the beetles could get in, but bees could not. He would put in a small amount of Combat Max roach gel. I was not comfortable with that but trying to learn from a Master Beekeeper. Unfortunately, he died not too long after introducing me after which I stopped using it. Whatever the cause of my early failures, I don't use those. I'm currently using the Swiffer strips to help combat hive beetles, but I also don't see them frequently in strong hives. The most hive beetles I saw this year were in one of my splits. I tapped the frame containing the most against a nearby tree. Since then, the hive seems to have kept them under control with just a little help.

I’ve spoken to “Flow Hive Ambassadors” in person and recently helped instal one at a neighbors.  They are Uber expensive and for hobbyist.  I will say the design was much better than I thought before I looked at one.
They are neat and a nice conversation piece.  

I use Beetle Blasters with un scented mineral oil in them.  They always have a butt load of beetles in them.

I waited long enough.  Got 4 of 10 hive stands extracted. Not too bad in the cool weather, I need to do it late every year.
I usually have a larger set up, but I’m doing a couple of stands a day when I feel like it.   Attached File
Attached File

And what is your opinion of the uncapper tool you are using.  I am on the fence about buying one.  This year we went up to 80 hives and the uncapping plane is getting old.  Either I need to get a new one, or replace the heating element in the old one, or get something new. I run 9 frame spacers in all of my supers also so they get drawn out well!

5.7 out of my boat.  I have a thread on it.  Mystery issue....
With storm coming I have to work inside so I’m getting into it in the next couple of days.

@dux4life
I actually invented the uncapper.
It’s all I use, although I do keep a scraper handy for under drawn frames.
I’ve sold over 600 and all but about 10 people have had no complaints.
If you use a plane,you are removing quite a bit of wax from the frames. I use to use a knife.
If you’ve looked at it, I’m sure you’ve been to the web site.
I have quite a few concerns addressed in the description.
Generally, beekeepers who use a knife or plane are used to wax that looks a lot “ neater” after uncapping.  Using my uncapper, the wax isn’t clean cut.
It’s fast and keeps most of the wax on the frame.
If you decide to buy one, IM me and I’ll send you a free hive tool of my design.

I will seriously think about it then as I usually look at first hand reviews.  Being an ARFCOM member is a plus.  I have watched many videos but was leery in the past due to not having any first hand accounts.  The video on the website makes it more believable as far as function.  I will PM you when I get closer to the purchase date.  How many hives would you say it is good up to timewise? 100?  We are running a 21 frame extractor currently with no plans to upgrade further.  We are using a Mann lake extracting tank but may purchase a second one to hold more uncapped frames.

I’m running a 30 frame extractor.  
I uncap, load, extract and unload before uncapping additional frames.  
It uncaps so fast, I could probably uncap 10 (probably more) boxes before I’d extracted 30 frames.
I don’t see a reason to uncap before hand Since it would just add space taking equipment for no reason.
I need to make a better video but I think mine shows what it needs to.
Also, it leaves no doubt I’m just another beekeeper!

I’ll put something together tomorrow.

@HELOBRAVO
I am also interested in the uncapper.Can you send me a PM with info? I would appreciate it.

@cuttingedge
 What do you use to uncap currently?