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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
New page?
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Thanks for the photos Scorpionmain
I always try to spot the queen if I see a photo of a frame of bees and you saved me the trouble, thanks I went through my hives on Saturday and found two dead with only the nuc remaining alive. I have them half a deep frame of honey and a few handfuls of sugar real fast and sealed them back up. I didn't run through the dead hives to make my best guess as to what went wrong. I'll snap some photos and ask here for opinions when I do. It's funny - that nuc (although they have requeened themselves) is still from the first batch of bees I bought three years ago. I have four packages of Carniolan Bees due in early April. When they arrive I'll likely transfer the nuc into a 10 frame langstroth hive of its own. |
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Know Guns, Know Peace, Know Safety...No Guns, No Peace, No Safety
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Veteran of the Third Battle of Tannhauser Gate.
NM, USA
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Temps were in the 60s so I did some work on HobbitWife's. garden today, took a rest and watched the girls. I saw a few of them bringing in some bright yellow pollen! They just never rest, do they?
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Dont you know about sergeants?
Well... I'm learning. They dont have mothers. Just ask any trained private. They reproduce by fission... like all bacteria. |
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Dux, yes that photo was taken last Sunday. We really did not have a lot of snow up until about two weeks ago. We got over 3' in a week and a half Bees seem to be doing well and a lot of them still had plenty of stores and supplemental food. I know that the weather can be weird this time of year so I added a big candy block to each hive. If they start rearing brood during these warm spells, they will blow through food pretty quickly. My fear is that they will start laying and we will get a cold spell or two and they will not be able to cover the brood. Hopefully I don't lose anymore. Did you autopsy the dead hives to figure out why they died? View Quote No, I haven't autopsied any. A brief look appeared to have a tiny cluster that died. I think I treated to late for mites and the over-winter bees had a virus going into winter. The cluster size dwindled to the point they couldn't stay warm. |
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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Quick question, is this considered early for you to place pollen patties on the hives? I am thinking of mid March for pollen patties to help them build up. We already have a little natural pollen from Maples. I think that this year with the weather the way that it is, early swarming may become an issue for many. I will have my swarm traps out early this year. View Quote I have never fed this early. Last year an Older beekeeper came from 2-3 hours north of me to buy some hives and told me that he religiously puts the pollen on in Late January early February. Never has a problem. I thought it was crazy. We have been having unseasonably warm weather lately and they are bringing in full baskets of khaki pollen and now some yellow. |
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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Yes it is as far as what to do with the frames, I would let the bees clean them up. View Quote @murphysinlaw did you see that the guys think it's mold? They may well be right, and if so, you won't lose those frames. However I would still take care with only three or four frames of bees, to make sure they are set up to be able to defend their hive. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
I have never fed this early. Last year an Older beekeeper came from 2-3 hours north of me to buy some hives and told me that he religiously puts the pollen on in Late January early February. Never has a problem. I thought it was crazy. We have been having unseasonably warm weather lately and they are bringing in full baskets of khaki pollen and now some yellow. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Quick question, is this considered early for you to place pollen patties on the hives? I am thinking of mid March for pollen patties to help them build up. We already have a little natural pollen from Maples. I think that this year with the weather the way that it is, early swarming may become an issue for many. I will have my swarm traps out early this year. I have never fed this early. Last year an Older beekeeper came from 2-3 hours north of me to buy some hives and told me that he religiously puts the pollen on in Late January early February. Never has a problem. I thought it was crazy. We have been having unseasonably warm weather lately and they are bringing in full baskets of khaki pollen and now some yellow. I am scared to put it on too early. Mine are coming back with pollen as well on the warmer days. Hopefully I can time it right and get about two brood cycles with pollen sub for build up. |
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
@murphysinlaw did you see that the guys think it's mold? They may well be right, and if so, you won't lose those frames. However I would still take care with only three or four frames of bees, to make sure they are set up to be able to defend their hive. View Quote Yes I did. Thank you for all the replies. Unfortunately I can't get back into them until this weekend. I will post more picks of the remaining frames and you guys and tell me what you think their chances are. Thanks again. |
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Thanks for the kind words.
I love taking pics of them. |
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I am taking a starters beekeeping class. Started Tuesday and it is 3 hours a week for 6 weeks. The final lesson is putting a box of bees in a hive.
Checked my remaining hive. The ball of bees is right at softball size. They still had 20 pounds or more honey left I moved the remaining fifteen pounds from the dead colony into the remaining hive. I have quite a few hive beetles and I placed two of those oil filled beetle traps in the hive to get them under control. These are one more invasive species that was introduced in 1998 or perhaps 1996. Bees can't catch a break in this country. |
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I'm placing my order for a new package of bees. The place I bought from has Italians and Carniolan-Italian crosses, 2.5 or 3lb packages.
I had Italians last year and several people are recommending the Carniolan's for year two. Haven't read anything about the hybrids. |
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Originally Posted By medicmandan:
I'm placing my order for a new package of bees. The place I bought from has Italians and Carniolan-Italian crosses, 2.5 or 3lb packages. I had Italians last year and several people are recommending the Carniolan's for year two. Haven't read anything about the hybrids. View Quote If it were me, I would go with the Crosses or "Mutts". They have many benefits. Besides, even if you got a purely Italian Queen, if they swarm or she is superceeded, or you make a split, chances are that your new virgin will mate with drones with other genetics. Later when I have some time, I will explain the major differences between the races of bees. |
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Here are a few links that help explain the major differences in races of Honey bees.
http://www.three-peaks.net/PDF/Races%20of%20Honey%20Bees%2001.pdf http://caes2.caes.uga.edu/bees/get-started/bee-races.html |
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Here is the bottom board from one of my hives that did not make it. Anyone notice anything? https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153812.jpg https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153814.jpg View Quote A drone??? |
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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
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Originally Posted By DUX4LIFE:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Here is the bottom board from one of my hives that did not make it. Anyone notice anything? https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153812.jpg https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153814.jpg A drone??? |
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The fat one looked like a queen from my view. I'm getting old. The thorax shows it now...
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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
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I think that one of those hives had Nosema. They had defecated all over the top bars as well as on the candy that I placed in the hive.
I will know for certain next week as we have a club meeting and someone is coming with a Microscope to help us identify Nosema as well some other diseases. |
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Here is the bottom board from one of my hives that did not make it. Anyone notice anything? https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153812.jpg https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153814.jpg View Quote My bees were bringing in bright orange pollen yesterday it was around 55*F. I have no idea where they were getting it from. |
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Know Guns, Know Peace, Know Safety...No Guns, No Peace, No Safety
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Originally Posted By Hanz:
Damn. I've seen that too many times myself but never found the queen in a dead hive. My bees were bringing in bright orange pollen yesterday it was around 55*F. I have no idea where they were getting it from. View Quote Down in your area you should have Alders and Maple giving off pollen now. I have a very good friend (fellow beekeeper) that lives in Orange County and he has been tapping his Maple Trees and boiling Sap since last weekend. He said the Maple buds are already swollen which is very early. |
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Down in your area you should have Alders and Maple giving off pollen now. I have a very good friend (fellow beekeeper) that lives in Orange County and he has been tapping his Maple Trees and boiling Sap since last weekend. He said the Maple buds are already swollen which is very early. View Quote |
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Know Guns, Know Peace, Know Safety...No Guns, No Peace, No Safety
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By scorpionmain:
https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17021545_10212308878626460_7569899645515138235_n.jpg?oh=ffbf851a8e469033e94f037341f32270&oe=593CCF12 View Quote What are they doing? Just hangin' out on the porch? They're not looking at that crack as an entrance to a big void perfect for a colony, are they? |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
What are they doing? Just hangin' out on the porch? They're not looking at that crack as an entrance to a big void perfect for a colony, are they? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
What are they doing? Just hangin' out on the porch? They're not looking at that crack as an entrance to a big void perfect for a colony, are they? |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Here is the bottom board from one of my hives that did not make it. Anyone notice anything? https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153812.jpg https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/294057/image-153814.jpg View Quote Odd thing...I looked at this the other day just checking the thread, but didn't have time to post. My first thought was, "did they have Nosema?" But honestly I have no freaking CLUE why I thought that. There's not anything in your photos that would connect those dots for me, at least based on what I know consciously. Then you said you think they had Nosema and I was all Have you ever tried that essential oil blend that's supposed to help with Nosema? |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
A crowded overwintered nuc that is verge of swarming.
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Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Odd thing...I looked at this the other day just checking the thread, but didn't have time to post. My first thought was, "did they have Nosema?" But honestly I have no freaking CLUE why I thought that. There's not anything in your photos that would connect those dots for me, at least based on what I know consciously. Then you said you think they had Nosema and I was all Have you ever tried that essential oil blend that's supposed to help with Nosema? View Quote The only reason that I suspect Nosema is that they had defecated all over the top bars by the upper entrance. I will find out for sure tonight as we are doing a "Nosema Workshop" at our club and I am bringing bees from both hives. I know that there are two kinds of Nosema (Apis, Ceranae) that can infect honeybees and hopefully I will get a lot of info on both tonight. I have not treated for Nosema using any method but have heard about the essential oils. I do have Fumagilin B on hand in case I have to treat. I have heard that Tea Tree oil can help as well as Honey Bee Healthy. Unfortunately, fall syrup laced with HBH can also contribute to major robbing which I saw enough of last fall without adding to the problem. I will report back with any info that I gather tonight... |
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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
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Originally Posted By scorpionmain:
A crowded overwintered nuc that is verge of swarming. View Quote I hope to see that this year. This will be my first time coming out of winter with Nucs and I hear that they can explode really fast. That would be a good problem for me to have What are you going to do with it? |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
The only reason that I suspect Nosema is that they had defecated all over the top bars by the upper entrance. I will find out for sure tonight as we are doing a "Nosema Workshop" at our club and I am bringing bees from both hives. I know that there are two kinds of Nosema (Apis, Ceranae) that can infect honeybees and hopefully I will get a lot of info on both tonight. I have not treated for Nosema using any method but have heard about the essential oils. I do have Fumagilin B on hand in case I have to treat. I have heard that Tea Tree oil can help as well as Honey Bee Healthy. Unfortunately, fall syrup laced with HBH can also contribute to major robbing which I saw enough of last fall without adding to the problem. I will report back with any info that I gather tonight... View Quote The Honey Bee Healthy and the Tea Tree oil are the Essential oil solutions I'm aware of. I never tried the Honey Bee Healthy but always intended to. I have friends who swear by it. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Just got back from our meeting. Just like I suspected, my hive where the bees defecated all over the top bars had Nosema Apis. I was advised by my queen breeder as well as the guy putting on the workshop to treat but it is not absolutely necessary. Queen breeder says Fumagilin and the other uses Thymol crystals in 1:1 syrup.
Since I already have the Fumagilin, that is what I am going to use. A few others in my club also had hives Infected but nobody had Nosema Ceranae. |
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For some odd reason I cannot hot link but here is an article about bee losses in upstate NY
Made link hot--Kitties :0) |
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A golf course is the deliberate and willful misuse of a perfectly good rifle range.
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
For some odd reason I cannot hot link but here is an article about bee losses in upstate NY Made link hot--Kitties :0) View Quote |
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Been a busy morning..... 2nd treatment of OAV this morning before the wind got up too much... Glad I did; winds at 20 gusting @ 30 now.. After I got that done, took some shots for grade for the new honey house/shop building.. I'm building a new 30x50 pole barn. Wife is running me and the woodware out of the garage! After that, made 3 new hive stands. 2 for the house, one for a friends place, as they're letting me use their property as an outyard. Mann Lake order came in this week. Need to start putting 30 supers and 200 frames together. I'm already dreading the painting! need to get swarm traps ready too, now that I think about it..
Anyway, that's what's going on here today. Season is right around the corner, and it's time to get on the ball! Hopefully with the new shop, I'll be able to work on my projects through the winter, and won't be burning the midnight oil trying to stay ahead of the game. Why do I always wait so long?! Looking forward to a good bee season! |
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Nobody gets out of here alive....
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Originally Posted By medicmandan:
Tore my hive down today while fighting off some bees (scouts from another hive?). Any thoughts on what happened? I'll be placing an order for another package this week. Should I freeze those frames that are full of honey? Leave them be and see if I catch a swarm from those scouts? ETA: Not sure why it shrunk the pics down so much. http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1579-158734-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1580-158735-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1581-158736-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1582-158739-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1585-158742-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1583-158740-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1586-158743-thumb.JPG http://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/23077/thumbnails/IMG-1587-158745-thumb.JPG View Quote It's pretty hard to tell going by pictures what happened. If you could blow those up a little it would be great. How did they look going into winter? What was the food situation like in the fall? What was your treatment schedule like for Varroa? What did you do to winterize them? |
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Originally Posted By Skunkape71:
Been a busy morning..... 2nd treatment of OAV this morning before the wind got up too much... Glad I did; winds at 20 gusting @ 30 now.. After I got that done, took some shots for grade for the new honey house/shop building.. I'm building a new 30x50 pole barn. Wife is running me and the woodware out of the garage! After that, made 3 new hive stands. 2 for the house, one for a friends place, as they're letting me use their property as an outyard. Mann Lake order came in this week. Need to start putting 30 supers and 200 frames together. I'm already dreading the painting! need to get swarm traps ready too, now that I think about it.. Anyway, that's what's going on here today. Season is right around the corner, and it's time to get on the ball! Hopefully with the new shop, I'll be able to work on my projects through the winter, and won't be burning the midnight oil trying to stay ahead of the game. Why do I always wait so long?! Looking forward to a good bee season! View Quote Today is 4 degrees here with a windchill of -16 Many people in my club have lost a good percentage of their hives. This weather is very difficult on them and a lot of people are relying on tar paper to winterize their hives. People in northern areas need to start thinking about insulating with something that actually provides insulation and not just thermal gain. I am also looking forward to a good season assuming the bulk of my hives make it through. |
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Today is 4 degrees here with a windchill of -16 Many people in my club have lost a good percentage of their hives. This weather is very difficult on them and a lot of people are relying on tar paper to winterize their hives. People in northern areas need to start thinking about insulating with something that actually provides insulation and not just thermal gain. I am also looking forward to a good season assuming the bulk of my hives make it through. View Quote Had about 10 hives in partial shade this year, and SHB set up shop on those hive. I'm going full sun this year in hopes to keep SHB numbers knocked down. |
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Nobody gets out of here alive....
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Jumping in to the game this year. 2 packages of Italians arrive in mid-April.
great thread! |
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http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1601943_.html
"We choose to go to the can. We choose to go to the can in this week and not do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard" |
Originally Posted By Skunkape71:
I would absolutely die up north! I don't do cold very well! Gets cold in Oklahoma, but we've had a really mild winter. It was in the 70's midweek this week. Luckily, I don't have to insulate. I lost 4 hives over the winter, but it was due to varroa. I've tried to avoid treatments, but it's either that, or get out of the game. I just can't beat them. Do you guys have much of a mite problem up there? Had about 10 hives in partial shade this year, and SHB set up shop on those hive. I'm going full sun this year in hopes to keep SHB numbers knocked down. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Skunkape71:
Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Today is 4 degrees here with a windchill of -16 Many people in my club have lost a good percentage of their hives. This weather is very difficult on them and a lot of people are relying on tar paper to winterize their hives. People in northern areas need to start thinking about insulating with something that actually provides insulation and not just thermal gain. I am also looking forward to a good season assuming the bulk of my hives make it through. Had about 10 hives in partial shade this year, and SHB set up shop on those hive. I'm going full sun this year in hopes to keep SHB numbers knocked down. We had a pretty mild winter as well. Yes we have Varroa and a lot of people are losing hives because of them. Lots of people tried jumping on the treatment free bandwagon and lost most if not all of their hives. Varroa vector in many diseases that will decimate a hive. This is especially true if the hive is weak. We were discussing treatment options at our club last week and many people tried to do "half treatments" which is VERY bad. The varroa build up a tolerance to chemicals just as plants do. I use two different treatments which are considered "soft" chemicals and have had very good results. My go to is Oxalic Acid but I experimented with Thymol last season as well. A lot of people where complaining about Mite Away Quick Strips killing queens so I did not want to go that route. Oxalic Acid is in my opinion the best and most effective treatment for Varroa. |
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
I hope to see that this year. This will be my first time coming out of winter with Nucs and I hear that they can explode really fast. That would be a good problem for me to have What are you going to do with it? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
Originally Posted By scorpionmain:
A crowded overwintered nuc that is verge of swarming. I hope to see that this year. This will be my first time coming out of winter with Nucs and I hear that they can explode really fast. That would be a good problem for me to have What are you going to do with it? I spread the wealth around. Share resources with nucs that are lagging behind. I haven't seen any drones or nor do I have any capped drone brood yet, so splits are out of the question. Can't get the queen mated without any drones. |
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I've tried a dozen times to upload larger pics. The site keeps resizing them.
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Originally Posted By cuttingedge:
It's pretty hard to tell going by pictures what happened. If you could blow those up a little it would be great. How did they look going into winter? What was the food situation like in the fall? What was your treatment schedule like for Varroa? What did you do to winterize them? View Quote They look great going into winter. Very low mite count. Inspector said don't worry about treating in the fall. They had two full supers of honey (which are still mostly full). I wrapped the hive in tar paper. They are on the east side of my house just behind the fence and against the house so they are well sheltered from the wind. Box was tipped forward and I had a 1" hole in the upper super to help with ventilation. |
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I'm going to pop all of those frames in the freezer today. How do I reintroduce them to the new hive? Can I start out the new package with the frames that are mostly cleaned out but built up with foundation?
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Originally Posted By medicmandan:
I'm going to pop all of those frames in the freezer today. How do I reintroduce them to the new hive? Can I start out the new package with the frames that are mostly cleaned out but built up with foundation? View Quote |
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