2nd Year BeeKeepers

Posted: 4/7/2017 10:04:51 AM EDT

Its my second year at beekeeping. Have two hives left here on my 10 acre rural Texas Ranch. First, year I lost one of three to cold winter temps and apparent starvation. Lessons learned...must feed and pump up your hives with sugar syrup at select times of the year. Each hive will now get a feeding super with a 3/4" upper entrance/landing as shown below. I been putting a 1.5sugar/1water syrup every other day until Wildflower are full bloom to pump brood. So far this has made big difference on my hives since Jan...much much brood. My next project will be to build better hive stands...may be getting too tall. Your experience and commentary.

Posted: 4/7/2017 10:39:52 AM EDT

[#1]

I like it..I know nothing about bees but I like it.
Wish I had some bees

Posted: 4/7/2017 11:01:38 AM EDT

[#2]

Attached File

I have two blocks or Salvia sylvestris 'Maynight' that have stayed outside all winter in pots and always bloom early. It's perennial and is rated for zone 4 (-25F) It attracts bees like crazy and we don't have a hive anywhere near us that we know of. I had an urban biologist from the city out last week, he couldn't believe the number of bees it attracted.

My hive is coming on the 22nd, I'm trying to establish a patch for them in the ground near their hive as a semi-permanent food source.

I'll be feeding till we get established.

Posted: 4/7/2017 12:24:26 PM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/166748/IMG-9993-182484.JPG

I have two blocks or Salvia sylvestris 'Maynight' that have stayed outside all winter in pots and always bloom early. It's perennial and is rated for zone 4 (-25F) It attracts bees like crazy and we don't have a hive anywhere near us that we know of. I had an urban biologist from the city out last week, he couldn't believe the number of bees it attracted.

My hive is coming on the 22nd, I'm trying to establish a patch for them in the ground near their hive as a semi-permanent food source.

I'll be feeding till we get established.

View Quote

They travel in about a five mile radius to forage. Watch them when they leave with a load. They will circle a time or two to gain altitude (or not--sometimes they may just take off and head straight out) then they will fly in a straight line toward their hive.

Posted: 4/7/2017 12:26:05 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Its my second year at beekeeping. Have two hives left here on my 10 acre rural Texas Ranch. First, year I lost one of three to cold winter temps and apparent starvation. Lessons learned...must feed and pump up your hives with sugar syrup at select times of the year. Each hive will now get a feeding super with a 3/4" upper entrance/landing as shown below. I been putting a 1.5sugar/1water syrup every other day until Wildflower are full bloom to pump brood. So far this has made big difference on my hives since Jan...much much brood. My next project will be to build better hive stands...may be getting too tall. Your experience and commentary.

http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b541/prepperbear/IMG_20170404_104344_zpsbk2sahag.jpg

http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b541/prepperbear/IMG_20170406_141542_zpssiztgtv1.jpg

http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b541/prepperbear/IMG_20170401_092136%201_zpssm8wbiuq.jpg

View Quote

Pretty bees, OP! I'm going to link to this thread from the other bee thread. I would tack this, but I think it would not do you a favor. Hardly anybody seems to see tacked threads.

Posted: 4/7/2017 1:14:06 PM EDT

[#5]

This is how I do hive stands:

I do keep some bottom boards for traps and moving hives.

Posted: 4/7/2017 1:37:06 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
This is how I do hive stands:
http://i61.tinypic.com/snoxly.jpg
I do keep some bottom boards for traps and moving hives.

View Quote

Yeah, think I like your idea... kinda like floor bracing on blocks....maybe sized for two hives only....want to weight it down also.

Posted: 4/7/2017 1:39:35 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:

They travel in about a five mile radius to forage. Watch them when they leave with a load. They will circle a time or two to gain altitude (or not--sometimes they may just take off and head straight out) then they will fly in a straight line toward their hive.

View Quote

Supposedly navigate by the sun

Posted: 4/7/2017 2:41:33 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
This is how I do hive stands:
http://i61.tinypic.com/snoxly.jpg
I do keep some bottom boards for traps and moving hives.

View Quote

Very cool. My hive stands are suck because I move bees around very frequently. I need to build something more permanent and nice looking. Maybe next year

Posted: 4/7/2017 2:50:15 PM EDT

[#9]

I don't know anything about bees, but my SIL has them and lost a few hives this winter, which seemed odd to me just because it was a really easy winter.

A couple of years ago I checked on her hives with my thermal imager (ThermApp) in the middle of winter. I guess they cluster in one corner of the box to stay warm. I never really thought I'd be able to see them through that wooden box, but I did. Thought it was pretty cool.

Here's the two hives she had at the time. Obviously the one on the right had the cluster on this side of the box. The one on the left wasn't visible from this side, but it was visible from the backside.

Back side of the other hive:

Posted: 4/7/2017 3:14:59 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
I don't know anything about bees, but my SIL has them and lost a few hives this winter, which seemed odd to me just because it was a really easy winter.

A couple of years ago I checked on her hives with my thermal imager (ThermApp) in the middle of winter. I guess they cluster in one corner of the box to stay warm. I never really thought I'd be able to see them through that wooden box, but I did. Thought it was pretty cool.

Here's the two hives she had at the time. Obviously the one on the right had the cluster on this side of the box. The one on the left wasn't visible from this side, but it was visible from the backside.

http://oi59.tinypic.com/2a9p1tv.jpg

http://oi61.tinypic.com/ru1pvl.jpg

Back side of the other hive:

http://oi60.tinypic.com/xaz8yd.jpg

View Quote

Very cool thermal images...Yes the the bees do Bowl up during the winter time. They are protecting the queen. They also need food during the wintertime also can you imagine having to feed five thousand mouths. That's where I went wrong last winter. I didn't feed them during the nice winter days even though I thought they had a lot of stored honey. I don't plan to make that same mistake this year. I knew Hive nuke is about $250

Posted: 4/7/2017 3:27:54 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

Very cool thermal images...Yes the the bees do Bowl up during the winter time. They are protecting the queen. They also need food during the wintertime also can you imagine having to feed five thousand mouths. That's where I went wrong last winter. I didn't feed them during the nice winter days even though I thought they had a lot of stored honey. I don't plan to make that same mistake this year. I knew Hive nuke is about $250

View Quote

Is that for an overwintered Nuc? I am getting $175 and I am high for my area. Overwintered Nucs here if you can find them are around $225

Posted: 4/7/2017 4:57:23 PM EDT

[#12]

Great: a 2nd Year thread! That's exactly where I am.

I was worried that I'd lost the queen but I think I located her. There are pics in Kitties' thread. There is one old battered-looking bee, longer than the others, who (I think) is the queen.

I will visit this thread regularly. Thanks, OP!

Posted: 4/7/2017 5:37:44 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Great: a 2nd Year thread! That's exactly where I am.

I was worried that I'd lost the queen but I think I located her. There are pics in Kitties' thread. There is one old battered-looking bee, longer than the others, who (I think) is the queen.

I will visit this thread regularly. Thanks, OP!

View Quote

Yeah, i had to switch my mentor, first year consulted a young gal who was an organic bee beleiver. No treatments for mites, beetles etc. After winter talked/visted a guy my in my age group with 200 hives east of Austin that had worked bees in the Calif almond groves in the past....he said screw that organic approach...feed your bees regurly, sugars cheap..treat your bees for pest....make planned splits....if you want to grow the hive and get honey and wax. Thats my approach this year. Actually id be happy for enough honey (one squezy bear) for a Sopapilla night. I have queen fro Calif on order to aarrive end of May....i will make a five frame split then. Then ill be back to three hives.....box already prepped

Posted: 4/7/2017 5:51:14 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

Is that for an overwintered Nuc? I am getting $175 and I am high for my area. Overwintered Nucs here if you can find them are around $225

View Quote

$130 here. Our club will pick up about 25k worth next Friday night to pass out Sat morning.

Posted: 4/7/2017 5:52:12 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Great: a 2nd Year thread! That's exactly where I am.

I was worried that I'd lost the queen but I think I located her. There are pics in Kitties' thread. There is one old battered-looking bee, longer than the others, who (I think) is the queen.

I will visit this thread regularly. Thanks, OP!

View Quote

Just look for eggs/larva. Don't risk "rolling up" your queen.

Posted: 4/7/2017 7:36:41 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:

Yeah, i had to switch my mentor, first year consulted a young gal who was an organic bee beleiver. No treatments for mites, beetles etc. After winter talked/visted a guy my in my age group with 200 hives east of Austin that had worked bees in the Calif almond groves in the past....he said screw that organic approach...feed your bees regurly, sugars cheap..treat your bees for pest....make planned splits....if you want to grow the hive and get honey and wax. Thats my approach this year. Actually id be happy for enough honey (one squezy bear) for a Sopapilla night. I have queen fro Calif on order to aarrive end of May....i will make a five frame split then. Then ill be back to three hives.....box already prepped

View Quote

you may find that neither approach is the Word of God when it comes to bees.

The commercial beekeepers are, in the eyes of many researchers and think tank groups, a big part of the problem we've had with colony collapse, because of their shotgun approach to beekeeping.
The all-organic lady--that might or might not work for a small bee yard. Some people do it successfully with a larger number of hives. That all or nothing approach is not workable for most of us.

Somewhere in the middle is a healthy approach to take, and exploring all of that is a good study...Figuring out what YOU need to do that's best for you, your farmstead, and what you want from your bees and honey.

Posted: 4/7/2017 7:42:46 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/166748/IMG-9993-182484.JPG

I have two blocks or Salvia sylvestris 'Maynight' that have stayed outside all winter in pots and always bloom early. It's perennial and is rated for zone 4 (-25F) It attracts bees like crazy and we don't have a hive anywhere near us that we know of. I had an urban biologist from the city out last week, he couldn't believe the number of bees it attracted.

My hive is coming on the 22nd, I'm trying to establish a patch for them in the ground near their hive as a semi-permanent food source.

I'll be feeding till we get established.

View Quote

Do you have a good source for those (fairly small)?

I'm guessing you grew your own, and if so, do you ship from your facility?

I would buy a few if you had them pretty small and could easily ship.

Posted: 4/7/2017 7:43:20 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:

you may find that neither approach is the Word of God when it comes to bees.

The commercial beekeepers are, in the eyes of many researchers and think tank groups, a big part of the problem we've had with colony collapse, because of their shotgun approach to beekeeping.
The all-organic lady--that might or might not work for a small bee yard. Some people do it successfully with a larger number of hives. That all or nothing approach is not workable for most of us.

Somewhere in the middle is a healthy approach to take, and exploring all of that is a good study...Figuring out what YOU need to do that's best for you, your farmstead, and what you want from your bees and honey.

View Quote

Very well said and sound advice!

Posted: 4/7/2017 8:30:20 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
you may find that neither approach is the Word of God when it comes to bees....

Somewhere in the middle is a healthy approach to take, and exploring all of that is a good study.

View Quote

Deep man....Mostly I just like the cool color hives I create. Here's my created lime "nuc box" for my split end of May. Queen on order.

Posted: 4/7/2017 9:44:54 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:

Deep man....Mostly I just like the cool color hives I create. Here's my created lime "nuc box" for my split end of May. Queen on order.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b541/prepperbear/20170407_164112_zpsgmqeaxmt.jpg

View Quote

Very good set-up. I also use some 10 frame boxes with homemade follower boards to contain the cluster.

Posted: 4/7/2017 10:39:04 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:

Deep man....Mostly I just like the cool color hives I create. Here's my created lime "nuc box" for my split end of May. Queen on order.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b541/prepperbear/20170407_164112_zpsgmqeaxmt.jpg

View Quote

That's going to be an awesome hive.

we have a beekeeper here on the forum who does amazing funky (and beautiful) custom painted hives. Dux, are you anywhere around?

Crud...this new mention feature really needs to be autofill..

@Dux4life that's you, isn't it, with the awesome custom paint? Or am I remembering wrong? CE, it's not you, is it?

Prepperbear, are you going into business building hives? That looks like an awesome setup you have there, with custom stickers for your ranch.

Posted: 4/8/2017 12:14:42 AM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:

That's going to be an awesome hive.

we have a beekeeper here on the forum who does amazing funky (and beautiful) custom painted hives. Dux, are you anywhere around?

Crud...this new mention feature really needs to be autofill..

@Dux4life that's you, isn't it, with the awesome custom paint? Or am I remembering wrong? CE, it's not you, is it?

Prepperbear, are you going into business building hives? That looks like an awesome setup you have there, with custom stickers for your ranch.

View Quote

I just do the flag hive. The other pis were from my customers hives after they got them. Kind of a personalization.

Attached File

Posted: 4/8/2017 6:26:43 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

I just do the flag hive. The other pis were from my customers hives after they got them. Kind of a personalization.https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/144881/cowhive-182989.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/144881/20140924-121714-zpseomhrxyw-182990.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/144881/todds-beehive4-182992.JPG

View Quote

Thats some sweet graphic boxes...i have no art skill....I just hit Lowe's paint Dept and get a quart of an outrageous bright color...Kinda fun

Posted: 4/13/2017 7:44:44 PM EDT

[#24]

My dad and I have been trying to get some hives going for two years now I think. Mostly it has been him tending to the hives, and we have not yet had a single one make it past a winter. An old school friend of his is an apiarist, but either he is not giving him good info or listening entirely to the info he is getting.
I build the boxes, bases, and covers (by the frames from mann lake).
We had two hives going last year, both from swarms his friend brought out. One died off in the fall. Maybe the queen was old or left, as the last time we looked when there was still some bees active, there was no sign of a queen. They did make lots of honey while still active. The other died a couple weeks ago. Possibly during a cold spell we had. There was lots of honey still in the hive, but much of that was from the dead hive in a super. He thought three supers high was too much space for the bees to keep warm. He did have feeding cakes in the box, too.

The year before, the first hive swarmed and left, and the other kept going,and made it through winter, but then starved during a cold spell in late feb/early march.

Posted: 4/13/2017 8:46:14 PM EDT

[#25]

Feeding in Oct important.....remove unoccupied supers

Posted: 5/18/2017 9:59:04 PM EDT

[#26]

Finished building a simple 5 frame NUC....Turquoise Hive. Gonna split my Violet hive at end of May. Mated Queen on order from CA...arrives 28 May. My Violet hive is very, very productive and ready for split.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 2nd Year BeeKeepers

Outdoors » Homestead, Farm & Garden

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us