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Posted: 10/21/2016 7:13:51 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Is this in a Langstroth hive? If so what is the configuration? One deep, two deeps, mediums? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Tried again to do my last inspection of the year and they were downright pissy again. Swarmed me several times even with copious amounts of smoke. I was only able to check four frames. Three of them had capped honey on both sides, one had a little honey across the top with a decent amount of capped brood/larvae. I didn't get far enough in again to do a good search for eggs or do another mite count before winter. I added a hive top feeder with 5qts of the autumn syrup from the Dummies book (2.5 qts water to 10lbs sugar). We should be in the 60's+ for most of the next two weeks so that should help fill in any gaps they have in winter storage (I hope). Set the third super about 15 feet away for them to clean out. In two weeks I will wrap them with roofing paper and cross my fingers that they make it through the winter. I did learn a trick from a friend on keeping the smoker going. Light the pellets with a propane torch. Stayed lit through my entire inspection (and it's still puffing on the back porch). Is this in a Langstroth hive? If so what is the configuration? One deep, two deeps, mediums? Yep, Langstroth. Three deeps total, 3rd one is now set aside for them to clean out the little bit of honey in there. |
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Posted: 10/21/2016 7:14:10 PM EDT
[#2]
New page.
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Posted: 10/21/2016 7:48:53 PM EDT
[#3]
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed.
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Posted: 10/21/2016 7:50:46 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed. Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? |
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Posted: 10/21/2016 9:11:11 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed. Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. |
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Posted: 10/21/2016 9:26:14 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed. Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. I was wondering the same thing. Never weighed mine. Just always lifted them and said, "yeah, that's full." I like the idea of a more precise measurement, and it would be really good for record keeping and knowing exactly what you've got. |
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Posted: 10/21/2016 9:29:07 PM EDT
[Last Edit: DUX4LIFE]
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed. Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. My method for weighing a hive, I can be set up and done in 7 minutes per hive 
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Posted: 10/21/2016 9:32:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
My method for weighing a hive, I can be set up and done in 7 minutes per hive http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20151014_082414_zps7j75xike.jpg Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Have you checked the hive weight? Mine have been real pissy as of late too. I am not doing inspections but just feeding them is making them mad. Especially if it's overcast. I am done feeding as of today and they have each gotten 2-3 gallons of 2:1 syrup. I will check their weight on Sunday and determine what my next step is. Today was raining so I had off from work. I made hard candy for all of my hives and will store that in the freezer until needed. Hadn't thought about weighing them. Just hop on a scale and subtract my weight? You can rig up a hanging scale or put the back of the hive on a regular scale and multiply that weight by two to get an idea of total weight. I'm sure that DUX has an easy way of doing it, hopefully he chimes in. My method for weighing a hive, I can be set up and done in 7 minutes per hive http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20151014_082414_zps7j75xike.jpg That hive is gorgeous. I love your custom paint jobs. Is that a fish scale? |
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Posted: 10/22/2016 6:28:29 PM EDT
[#9]
Scale and tripod are for cleaning and weighing deer.
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Posted: 10/22/2016 7:43:28 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Scale and tripod are for cleaning and weighing deer. Ah! Excellent. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 4:20:16 PM EDT
[Last Edit: HitmanMonkey]
[#11]
We just lost our strongest of three hives. To freaking yellowjackets!
Last weekend it was full of bees, happily doing bee things. Opened them up today, and I had almost no bees, but maybe 100 yellowjackets spread throughout. The small hive beetle were actually getting under control. No obvious signs of disease or other serious problems. Opened it all the way up, and there was a big yellowjacket nest under the bottom board. All we can figure is the yellowjackets got to be too much, and the whole colony absconded :( So...extracting what we can, going to render the wax that we had to tear out, and put the sticky frames outside for the other hives to find and clean. Should have some drawn out deep frames in decent shape to give other hives later. Grumble. So irritated. Stupid yellowjackets. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 5:42:45 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
We just lost our strongest of three hives. To freaking yellowjackets! Last weekend it was full of bees, happily doing bee things. Opened them up today, and I had almost no bees, but maybe 100 yellowjackets spread throughout. The small hive beetle were actually getting under control. No obvious signs of disease or other serious problems. Opened it all the way up, and there was a big yellowjacket nest under the bottom board. All we can figure is the yellowjackets got to be too much, and the whole colony absconded :( So...extracting what we can, going to render the wax that we had to tear out, and put the sticky frames outside for the other hives to find and clean. Should have some drawn out deep frames in decent shape to give other hives later. Grumble. So irritated. Stupid yellowjackets. Awww. 
Hitman, are your hives sitting directly on the ground? I know people call many different kinds of bees "yellow jackets" (In the midwest, I have learned, some people even call bumblebees by that name.) If your hives are elevated, is it some kind of paper wasp/hornet? What was under your bottom board? |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 6:21:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Awww.
Hitman, are your hives sitting directly on the ground? I know people call many different kinds of bees "yellow jackets" (In the midwest, I have learned, some people even call bumblebees by that name.) If your hives are elevated, is it some kind of paper wasp/hornet? What was under your bottom board? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
We just lost our strongest of three hives. To freaking yellowjackets! Last weekend it was full of bees, happily doing bee things. Opened them up today, and I had almost no bees, but maybe 100 yellowjackets spread throughout. The small hive beetle were actually getting under control. No obvious signs of disease or other serious problems. Opened it all the way up, and there was a big yellowjacket nest under the bottom board. All we can figure is the yellowjackets got to be too much, and the whole colony absconded :( So...extracting what we can, going to render the wax that we had to tear out, and put the sticky frames outside for the other hives to find and clean. Should have some drawn out deep frames in decent shape to give other hives later. Grumble. So irritated. Stupid yellowjackets. Awww.
Hitman, are your hives sitting directly on the ground? I know people call many different kinds of bees "yellow jackets" (In the midwest, I have learned, some people even call bumblebees by that name.) If your hives are elevated, is it some kind of paper wasp/hornet? What was under your bottom board? Stacked cinder blocks, two high. It was a perfect spot for their nest
I'm going to build some wooden hive stands post haste. At least I will be able to check and clean those easier. Yeah...They were yellowjackets. http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/wasps/hivewasps/hivewasps.htm#yellow |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 6:23:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Stacked cinder blocks, two high. It was a perfect spot for their nest
I'm going to build some wooden hive stands post haste. At least I will be able to check and clean those easier. Yeah...They were yellowjackets. http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/wasps/hivewasps/hivewasps.htm#yellow Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
We just lost our strongest of three hives. To freaking yellowjackets! Last weekend it was full of bees, happily doing bee things. Opened them up today, and I had almost no bees, but maybe 100 yellowjackets spread throughout. The small hive beetle were actually getting under control. No obvious signs of disease or other serious problems. Opened it all the way up, and there was a big yellowjacket nest under the bottom board. All we can figure is the yellowjackets got to be too much, and the whole colony absconded :( So...extracting what we can, going to render the wax that we had to tear out, and put the sticky frames outside for the other hives to find and clean. Should have some drawn out deep frames in decent shape to give other hives later. Grumble. So irritated. Stupid yellowjackets. Awww.
Hitman, are your hives sitting directly on the ground? I know people call many different kinds of bees "yellow jackets" (In the midwest, I have learned, some people even call bumblebees by that name.) If your hives are elevated, is it some kind of paper wasp/hornet? What was under your bottom board? Stacked cinder blocks, two high. It was a perfect spot for their nest
I'm going to build some wooden hive stands post haste. At least I will be able to check and clean those easier. Yeah...They were yellowjackets. http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/wasps/hivewasps/hivewasps.htm#yellow Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just...
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Posted: 10/23/2016 6:42:18 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just... So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 7:20:29 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just... So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. From what I understand, if predatory insects such as yellow jackets get into the hive the bees will kill them. What they do is ball up around the yellow jacket and raise the temperature around it and it dies. I don't know the exact temperature but honeybees can survive it and the yellow jackets cannot. I don't know what they would do with more than a few besides fighting and stinging and either they will win or they will lose
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Posted: 10/23/2016 7:55:49 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
From what I understand, if predatory insects such as yellow jackets get into the hive the bees will kill them. What they do is ball up around the yellow jacket and raise the temperature around it and it dies. I don't know the exact temperature but honeybees can survive it and the yellow jackets cannot. I don't know what they would do with more than a few besides fighting and stinging and either they will win or they will lose Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just... So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. From what I understand, if predatory insects such as yellow jackets get into the hive the bees will kill them. What they do is ball up around the yellow jacket and raise the temperature around it and it dies. I don't know the exact temperature but honeybees can survive it and the yellow jackets cannot. I don't know what they would do with more than a few besides fighting and stinging and either they will win or they will lose Did some reading. Looks like it doesn't take many yellowjackets to raise hell in a bee hive. I'm going to make traps to protect my other two hive, and murder the shit out of any yellowjackets I see. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 8:44:59 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey: Did some reading. Looks like it doesn't take many yellowjackets to raise hell in a bee hive. I'm going to make traps to protect my other two hive, and murder the shit out of any yellowjackets I see. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey: Originally Posted By cuttingedge: Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey: Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs: Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just... So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. From what I understand, if predatory insects such as yellow jackets get into the hive the bees will kill them. What they do is ball up around the yellow jacket and raise the temperature around it and it dies. I don't know the exact temperature but honeybees can survive it and the yellow jackets cannot. I don't know what they would do with more than a few besides fighting and stinging and either they will win or they will lose Did some reading. Looks like it doesn't take many yellowjackets to raise hell in a bee hive. I'm going to make traps to protect my other two hive, and murder the shit out of any yellowjackets I see. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 8:54:47 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Sorry to learn of your misfortune. That sucks. I'd do the same as you and declare war on the yellow jackets. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Ah, so they built in the concrete blocks/ground. Damn. I don't like yellow jackets anyway, but to lose your hive to them. Just... So very pissed. The wasps ate all the brood and were working in the honey stores. What I need to figure out is if a handful of wasps could really drive off a strong colony of bees, or if something else made them leave and the wasps were just taking advantage of it. Not sure how to do that, though. From what I understand, if predatory insects such as yellow jackets get into the hive the bees will kill them. What they do is ball up around the yellow jacket and raise the temperature around it and it dies. I don't know the exact temperature but honeybees can survive it and the yellow jackets cannot. I don't know what they would do with more than a few besides fighting and stinging and either they will win or they will lose Did some reading. Looks like it doesn't take many yellowjackets to raise hell in a bee hive. I'm going to make traps to protect my other two hive, and murder the shit out of any yellowjackets I see. the difficulty will be HOW to kill teh yellow jackets without harming the hive, if they're right under it. Of course at this point, I guess you can just move the hive and decimate the nest that way. Poor honeybees. Anytime there is a fight, I feel so bad for the valiant bees that I know died trying to defend the hive. Silly of me I guess, but war sucks for everyone, even if you're a bug.
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Posted: 10/23/2016 9:15:46 PM EDT
[#20]
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes.
I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. |
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Posted: 10/23/2016 9:56:29 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Kitties-with-Sigs]
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes. I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married. 
There's your "Kitties" story for the season.
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Posted: 10/23/2016 11:00:30 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
the difficulty will be HOW to kill teh yellow jackets without harming the hive, if they're right under it. Of course at this point, I guess you can just move the hive and decimate the nest that way. Poor honeybees. Anytime there is a fight, I feel so bad for the valiant bees that I know died trying to defend the hive. Silly of me I guess, but war sucks for everyone, even if you're a bug.
I saw some around my other big hive. I'm going to set up traps baited with raw chicken, then open up the hive and literally use tweezers to pinch all of the little shits I can find. Then I'll check their bottom board, reduce their entrance, and hope for the best. |
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Posted: 10/24/2016 8:31:33 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married.
There's your "Kitties" story for the season. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes. I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married.
There's your "Kitties" story for the season. Please don't make us wait till next year for the next story...How about next month... |
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Posted: 10/24/2016 9:07:53 PM EDT
[#24]
Thanks for the story KwS
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Posted: 10/24/2016 9:54:17 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Please don't make us wait till next year for the next story...How about next month... Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes. I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married.
There's your "Kitties" story for the season. Please don't make us wait till next year for the next story...How about next month... Awww. You are a nice person.
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Posted: 10/24/2016 9:54:35 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Hanz:
Thanks for the story KwS 
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Posted: 10/24/2016 10:03:03 PM EDT
[#27]
*heavy sigh*
new page. 
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Posted: 10/25/2016 2:04:48 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Awww. You are a nice person. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes. I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married.
There's your "Kitties" story for the season. Please don't make us wait till next year for the next story...How about next month... Awww. You are a nice person. "There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." 
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Posted: 10/25/2016 8:41:43 AM EDT
[#29]
LOL.
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Posted: 10/25/2016 10:38:02 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
"There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By Hanz:
I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets by pouring a cup or two of gasoline down their entrance hole after dark. Don't light it, the colony will succumb to the fumes. I've been attacked by yellow jackets and stung over fifty times (I stopped counting when I got up to my waist) in one episode. I harbor a special kind of hate for them. I have vivid memories of going out at dusk with my dad, with a long pole wrapped with cotton rags on the end. He doused the rags with gasoline, we duck walked across the field to the nest. (It was huge--in an old groundhog hole.) He lit the flame, eased forward, dropped it into the hole, then made me lie down beside him. I have no idea whether his method is a good one. But it's a vivid memory. The yellow jackets that survived the exit through the flame flew over us, round and round, searching for a target to attack. In the growing darkness, they did not find us. It would be many years before uxb camo'd me up and gave me night vision gear and took me out "snooping and pooping" as he called it, around the neighborhood, lying in the ditch beside the road, finding out that the headlights would pass right over me and nobody would notice because people saw only what they were looking for and learning that the only real issue was dogs, because I could not change the fact that I smelled like a human (so I learned to stay downwind). Even so...as eight-year-old Kitties lay on the ground beside dad, she realized that the bees did not know she was there... I still remember the power of being invisible. I felt very clandestine back then, the same as I did with camo and fancy gear after I was married.
There's your "Kitties" story for the season. Please don't make us wait till next year for the next story...How about next month... Awww. You are a nice person. "There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Faster than a speeding twinkie. Able to down two cups of Starbucks before breakfast.... |
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Posted: 10/25/2016 9:28:32 PM EDT
[#31]
"There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Faster than a speeding twinkie. Able to down two cups of Starbucks before breakfast.... Able to believe seven impossible things before breakfast! |
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Posted: 10/25/2016 9:54:55 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
Able to believe seven impossible things before breakfast! Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
"There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Faster than a speeding twinkie. Able to down two cups of Starbucks before breakfast.... Able to believe seven impossible things before breakfast! haha! Perhaps we need a forum on "existentialism." I figure it would have two participants. Me and you.
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Posted: 10/26/2016 2:28:58 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
haha! Perhaps we need a forum on "existentialism." I figure it would have two participants. Me and you. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
"There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Faster than a speeding twinkie. Able to down two cups of Starbucks before breakfast.... Able to believe seven impossible things before breakfast! haha! Perhaps we need a forum on "existentialism." I figure it would have two participants. Me and you. But how do I know you are really there? |
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Posted: 10/26/2016 1:48:13 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
But how do I know you are really there? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
"There's a girl who leads a life of danger..." Faster than a speeding twinkie. Able to down two cups of Starbucks before breakfast.... Able to believe seven impossible things before breakfast! haha! Perhaps we need a forum on "existentialism." I figure it would have two participants. Me and you. But how do I know you are really there? You don't. I'm just a construct reflecting yourself back to you. 
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Posted: 10/26/2016 5:00:11 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote Historyhaha! Perhaps we need a forum on "existentialism." I figure it would have two participants. Me and you.
But how do I know you are really there? You don't. I'm just a construct reflecting yourself back to you.
That means that you, and Dux4Life, and (shudder) Gene5 are, also! |
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Posted: 10/26/2016 6:29:16 PM EDT
[#36]
New avatar-- did it work?
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Posted: 10/26/2016 6:48:04 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FrankSymptoms:
New avatar-- did it work? Yes. Very cool. 
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Posted: 10/29/2016 11:14:04 AM EDT
[#38]
Worked monday and tuesday trying to save these guys.
Look closely and you can start to see this. 
They were tame. No smoke, no veil/gloves and best of all no stings.
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20161026_092125_zpseujvxoen.jpg Put them in a box and took them home. 
Removed the box and this is what was left to work with. 
Layed it in a nuc box. 
The plan is to add another nuc box on top and install regular frames. Then let them finish up their honey while feeding them from a jar for the rest of the fall until it gets to cold. Hopefully they will take the syrup out of the feeder jar and put it in the frames above them. When the original comb is empty I will just remove it. Also found this small swarm on a limb with the original hive. 
Tried to save it for a while in case I needed a queen but they failed. |
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Posted: 10/29/2016 11:32:53 AM EDT
[#39]
Did you find a queen with the original colony? Any cells?
I would be concerned with that amount of bees making it through winter but you know what you are doing. If it were me, I would do one of two things: 1. Maybe shake them out in front of another hive and let them find their way into existing hives for winter. 2. Use a double screened bottom board on your Nuc and place it above another Nuc to share heat from the colony below. Let us know how it works out 
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Posted: 10/29/2016 9:46:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: DUX4LIFE]
[#40]
We'll see how this progresses. I gave them a 20% shot.
Checked them tonight. 
Looking good. Nature would have filtered them out. I did find a queen in each one. You can see the queen cages I left with them. By caging the queen they usually stay put till I can get them housed. I will also show the overwinter method for the nucs. My mentor has had close to 100% success with it and is teaching me as he perfects it. Still gathering my ideas on the winter prep page. |
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Posted: 10/29/2016 11:58:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Krombompulos_Michael]
[#41]
This unseasonal warmth turned out to be very bad for my hive that got robbed. The yellow jackets came back with a vengeance and finished it off. Well, at least I don't have to worry if it will make it through the winter now.
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Posted: 10/30/2016 1:02:09 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 1811guy:
This unseasonal warmth turned out to be very bad for my give that got robbed. The yellow jackets came back with a vengeance and finished it off. Well, at least I don't have to worry if it will make it through the winter now.
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Posted: 10/30/2016 2:36:31 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
We'll see how this progresses. I gave them a 20% shot. Checked them tonight. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20161029_195727_zpsbj0gffai.jpg Looking good. Nature would have filtered them out. I did find a queen in each one. You can see the queen cages I left with them. By caging the queen they usually stay put till I can get them housed. I will also show the overwinter method for the nucs. My mentor has had close to 100% success with it and is teaching me as he perfects it. Still gathering my ideas on the winter prep page. Can't wait to see your overwintering choices. Also interested in the queens. Did you spend a lot of time looking for the queens before you cut that comb down? Every time I've done cutouts or harvested swarms, I've basically brushed and prayed, and as for guessing whether I had the queen, I went by their willingness to actually go inside. Sounds like you specifically went after her in both instances, caught and caged her, then put her inside.... Wish I was closer to watch you do that. Good on you for trying to save them. |
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Posted: 10/30/2016 2:39:39 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 1811guy:
This unseasonal warmth turned out to be very bad for my give that got robbed. The yellow jackets came back with a vengeance and finished it off. Well, at least I don't have to worry if it will make it through the winter now.
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Posted: 10/30/2016 5:17:03 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
We'll see how this progresses. I gave them a 20% shot. Checked them tonight. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20161029_195727_zpsbj0gffai.jpg Looking good. Nature would have filtered them out. I did find a queen in each one. You can see the queen cages I left with them. By caging the queen they usually stay put till I can get them housed. I will also show the overwinter method for the nucs. My mentor has had close to 100% success with it and is teaching me as he perfects it. Still gathering my ideas on the winter prep page. Dux, since you do some Queen Rearing I am interested to know what you are using for Mating Nucs? I am currently building a bunch of Queen Castles out of 10 frame deep hive bodies as well as 5 frame Nucs that will be 2 frames each. Have you used anything like this or mini mating Nucs? |
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Posted: 10/30/2016 7:50:17 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Can't wait to see your overwintering choices. Also interested in the queens. Did you spend a lot of time looking for the queens before you cut that comb down? Every time I've done cutouts or harvested swarms, I've basically brushed and prayed, and as for guessing whether I had the queen, I went by their willingness to actually go inside. Sounds like you specifically went after her in both instances, caught and caged her, then put her inside.... Wish I was closer to watch you do that. Good on you for trying to save them. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
We'll see how this progresses. I gave them a 20% shot. Checked them tonight. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20161029_195727_zpsbj0gffai.jpg Looking good. Nature would have filtered them out. I did find a queen in each one. You can see the queen cages I left with them. By caging the queen they usually stay put till I can get them housed. I will also show the overwinter method for the nucs. My mentor has had close to 100% success with it and is teaching me as he perfects it. Still gathering my ideas on the winter prep page. Can't wait to see your overwintering choices. Also interested in the queens. Did you spend a lot of time looking for the queens before you cut that comb down? Every time I've done cutouts or harvested swarms, I've basically brushed and prayed, and as for guessing whether I had the queen, I went by their willingness to actually go inside. Sounds like you specifically went after her in both instances, caught and caged her, then put her inside.... Wish I was closer to watch you do that. Good on you for trying to save them. This year I made it a point to look for the queens everytime I caught a swarm. I got pretty good at it. I look for the queen to cage on most swarms just to keep them from leaving. Start feeding them on day one with the queen caged and they will usually stay. If the attempt goes to shit and the bees start flying everywhere or get really aggressive or I drop a lot of comb covered with bees and the queen is caged many times they will swarm the cage after they settle down allowing me to go back to the cutout(depending on brood amount). I probably had 5 minutes per layer of comb in this instance. Queen was on the third sheet I think. Of course it was cool and early morning when I did this. |
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Posted: 10/30/2016 8:00:49 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Dux, since you do some Queen Rearing I am interested to know what you are using for Mating Nucs? I am currently building a bunch of Queen Castles out of 10 frame deep hive bodies as well as 5 frame Nucs that will be 2 frames each. Have you used anything like this or mini mating Nucs? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
We'll see how this progresses. I gave them a 20% shot. Checked them tonight. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll248/GOOSER2/20161029_195727_zpsbj0gffai.jpg Looking good. Nature would have filtered them out. I did find a queen in each one. You can see the queen cages I left with them. By caging the queen they usually stay put till I can get them housed. I will also show the overwinter method for the nucs. My mentor has had close to 100% success with it and is teaching me as he perfects it. Still gathering my ideas on the winter prep page. Dux, since you do some Queen Rearing I am interested to know what you are using for Mating Nucs? I am currently building a bunch of Queen Castles out of 10 frame deep hive bodies as well as 5 frame Nucs that will be 2 frames each. Have you used anything like this or mini mating Nucs? This method uses modified 10 frame boxes that are 1/4" wider with a partition. I only have to work Wednesday and Thursday so I should have time to put some ideas on this page along with pictures this week. I also finished feeding this week for the majority of the hives. 240 gallons of 3-1 sugar syrup. Roughly 13 pounds per gallon weight. |
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Posted: 10/30/2016 9:58:32 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 1811guy:
This unseasonal warmth turned out to be very bad for my give that got robbed. The yellow jackets came back with a vengeance and finished it off. Well, at least I don't have to worry if it will make it through the winter now. Sorry to hear that. I hate yellowjackets 
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Posted: 10/31/2016 12:03:11 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Sorry to hear that. I hate yellowjackets Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By HitmanMonkey:
Originally Posted By 1811guy:
This unseasonal warmth turned out to be very bad for my give that got robbed. The yellow jackets came back with a vengeance and finished it off. Well, at least I don't have to worry if it will make it through the winter now. Sorry to hear that. I hate yellowjackets I was optimistic. Last week I had a nuc-sized colony left after the first attack. The queen was there, still had lots of brood, lots of newer bees and plenty of stores. It looked bad compared to where they were with three deeps full of bees, but they still had enough to get them through. Usually the cold weather sets in and keeps any surviving yellow jackets at bay. Then this Indian summer came - good for bike riding, bad for a weak bee colony. I cleaned the hive out, sealed it up, and will be using the stores to get a couple of new packages started in the spring. Fortunately, my remaining hive is very strong. This will be its fourth year overwintering. I am pretty sure the colony superseded the queen this year; all of the signs were there. The mite treatment is over, the mite load is very low, and everything looks good. I will split it next April if all looks well. So I went from 5 hives this time last year down to 1 now. Even the best laid plans... |
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Posted: 10/31/2016 5:39:40 PM EDT
[#50]
Girls are all wrapped up and ready for winter. I will push some of them close together over the weekend and I am going to place Foamboard insulation on top. I will cut it so that each piece covers three hives stacked together. The two hives that are not wrapped are a friend of mines. He seems to be slacking this year taking care of them
 
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